Commodity information acquisition and display apparatus

Abstract

A commodity information acquisition and display apparatus includes a commodity information input unit that has a reading window to read commodity information, and reads a commodity code attached to a commodity through the reading window so that the commodity information is inputted, a display unit that has a screen made of a transparent or semitransparent member and to display specified settlement information based on the commodity information, and is provided to be adjacent to the reading window to enable a customer to simultaneously and visually confirm the commodity and the settlement information through the screen, and a display control unit to control the display of the settlement information.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A commodity information acquisition and display apparatus, comprising:
 a commodity information input unit that has a reading window to read information from a held commodity, and acquires information from each commodity held to the reading window;   a display unit that has a screen to display specified information based on the information from the commodity, and is made of a transparent member through which a visible light passes, to make the specified information displayed on the screen to be visually confirmable from one side and another side of the screen at the same time; and   a display control unit that controls display of the specified information.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the specified information displayed on the screen includes a picture symbol representing the commodity held to the reading window. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the display control unit continues to make the screen display the specified information of the commodity held to the reading window until a next commodity is held to the reading window. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the screen includes an area configured to display the specified information, the area surrounded by a frame section, an inside of which is colored. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the area of the screen which displays the specified information has a transmission factor lower as compared to that of an other area which does not display the specified information such that the area is semitransparent as viewed from the other side over the screen. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the one side is salesclerk side, and the other side is a customer side, and the display unit is provided in an upper side of the reading window on the customer side. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the screen has a viewing angle of at least about 120° in each of an up-and-down direction and a right-and-left direction with respect to a display surface of the screen, and has transparency. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the area of the screen which displays the specified information is surrounded by a frame section, the inside of which is colored. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the area of the screen which displays the specified information has a transmission factor lower as compared to that of an other area which does not display the specified information such that the area is semitransparent as viewed from the other side over the screen. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the one side is salesclerk side, and the other side is a customer side, and the display unit is provided in an upper side of the reading window on the customer side. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the display unit is installed in a checkout counter, and
 the display control unit moves a display position of the area which displays the specified information from one direction on the screen in at least a predetermined zone to follow flow of the commodity in the checkout counter.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the specified information displayed on the screen includes a picture symbol representing the commodity held to the reading window. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 12 , wherein the display control unit continues to make the screen display the specified information of the commodity held to the reading window until a next commodity is held to the reading window. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the screen includes an area configured to display the specified information, the area surrounded by a frame section, an inside of which is colored. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , wherein the area of the screen which displays the specified information has a transmission factor lower as compared to that of an other area which does not display the specified information such that the area is semitransparent as viewed from the other side over the screen. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the one side is salesclerk side, and the other side is a customer side, and the display unit is provided in an upper side of the reading window on the customer side.