EP0449248B1 - Method for purchase of goods in self-service shops - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method for shopping goods in self-service shops, in which shopping carts are provided, which are intended for carrying a position-changeable container, which is provided in the use position for receiving the goods to be bought, and the shopping carts with or without child seat device and with or without at least one additional storage are equipped and at least one cash register-operated cash register with a cash desk and / or at least one registration point that can be used by the customer is necessary to determine the total price of the purchased goods and each shopping cart has at least one storage space outside the container, which can carry at least one the carrying container belonging to the customer can be used if the customer brings this at least one carrying container for shopping and takes it home loaded after the shopping process.

In the past, efforts have repeatedly been made to reduce the duration of the repacking and billing processes in the checkout areas of the self-service shops.
A first proposal, as documented, for example, in DE-Gm 88 14 136.5, aims to equip a shopping cart with a basket which has an inclined sliding floor on which the goods registered and accounted for by the cashier at the checkout are placed in the basket is pushed. The repacking process at the checkout is accelerated in this solution in that the cashier already loads an empty shopping cart provided with the invoiced goods while the shopping cart is being unloaded.

A further consideration can be found in DE-Gm 89 02 179.7. Here it is proposed to provide the customer with baskets that he can take with him to go shopping. In the self-service shop, trolleys resembling shopping trolleys are available, on which the customer can put their baskets they have brought with them and then go shopping. During the billing process at the checkout, the customer repackages the registered goods into empty baskets, which he then places in the car together with the empty baskets. There is no need to repack the goods from the checkout counter into the shopping cart and from there into the car.

A third idea proposes the settlement of the goods at a registration point that can be operated by the customer. This registration office, developed by Nixdorf AG under the name "Scan Tower", consists of a desk-like piece of furniture, which has an electronically controlled device for electronically scanning, recognizing and registering the price and weight shown on the goods in bar code. In this version, the customer drives his filled shopping cart to said registration point, removes the goods individually, drives the goods over the electronically controlled device and places the goods registered in this way in another empty shopping cart, which is only separated by the registration point, next to the filled one Shopping cart stands. In this embodiment, cashier staff can be largely dispensed with.

All three proposals have an extraordinary disadvantage, which is that toddlers who are brought into the shopping cart have to be "repackaged" at the checkout into another shopping cart, so to speak.
In the exemplary embodiment described in DE-Gm 88 14 136.5, the shopping cart, after it has been unloaded at the checkout, is moved by the customer with the toddler sitting in the car to the point of the checkout where the shopping cart stands, which is now out of the goods the beforehand mentioned shopping cart is loaded by the cashier. The customer must therefore lift his child out of the shopping cart used first and place it in the new shopping cart now filled with the goods it has purchased.

The shopping cart described in DE-Gm 89 02 179.7 has no child seat device at all. Experience and observations, on the other hand, have shown that a self-service shop with shopping carts that do not have a child seat facility is avoided by customers with small children. Financial benefits that can be achieved with said shopping trolleys due to the faster repacking sequence for a self-service business are negated by the failure of some of the customers.

Similar to the solution according to DE-Gm 88 14 136.5, the same applies to the system developed by Nixdorf AG. The toddler must be lifted out of the shopping cart located at the registration office and used by the customer for shopping and transporting his child and placed in the adjacent shopping cart filled with the goods that have now been settled.

All of this is extremely annoying and annoying, especially in winter, when the toddlers are already equipped with thicker clothes and stronger shoes. Experience has shown that lifting toddlers out of the child seat device is particularly difficult.

The object of the invention is to develop a method of the generic type which avoids moving small children from the shopping cart originally used into another shopping cart when the goods are settled.
Even if the method to be proposed mainly targets shopping carts with a child seat are equipped, the method should also be applicable to shopping carts that have no child seat device. The new process is also intended to help prevent shoplifting.

• daß der wenigstens eine Tragbehälter entweder auf der Abstellfläche ausschließlich nur in Nichtgebrauchslage abgestellt werden kann, um das Behältnis nutzen zu können, oder daß unabhängig von der Lage des Behältnisses der wenigstens eine Tragbehälter an einer anderen am Einkaufswagen vorgesehenen Stelle ebenfalls nur in Nichtgebrauchslage abgestellt wird,
• daß nach erfolgtem Einkauf und nach Entnahme der Ware aus dem Behältnis zum Zwecke der Warenabrechnung das Behältnis entweder manuell oder automatisch in eine die Abstellfläche voll nutzbar machende Nichtgebrauchslage bewegt wird und
• daß der wenigstens eine Tragbehälter in die Gebrauchslage gebracht und zum Zwecke des Beladens und des anschließenden Weitertransportierens auf der Abstellfläche abgestellt wird.

According to the invention, the object is achieved in that

• that the at least one carrier can either be parked on the storage surface only in the non-use position in order to be able to use the container, or that regardless of the position of the container, the at least one carrier container is also parked in another position provided on the shopping cart only in the non-use position,
• that after the purchase has been made and after the goods have been removed from the container for the purpose of goods settlement, the container is moved either manually or automatically into a non-use position which makes the storage space fully usable and
• that the at least one carrying container is brought into the position of use and is placed on the storage surface for the purpose of loading and subsequent transportation.

A first advantage of the proposed method is that a small child can remain in the shopping cart once selected for the entire shopping and billing process, even during the transport of the purchased goods from the self-service store to the parking lot and there to the car. The hassle of moving the toddlers at the checkout is now a thing of the past. This contributes in an extremely advantageous manner to the rapid processing of the customers at the checkout zones. The already arduous process of lifting out somewhat larger toddlers for women is reduced to the absolutely necessary minimum.

A second advantage can be seen in the fact that the carrier containers only until after the purchased goods have been settled can be parked on the shopping cart when not in use. As a result, the carrying containers cannot be loaded with goods in an unfair manner during the shopping process. If you wanted to try this anyway, you would have to put the carrier (s) in the open position, i.e. in the position of use, either in the basket or in another position on the shopping cart. However, this would be noticed immediately at the checkout, so that theft of goods is made relatively difficult, if not impossible, with the proposed method.

Further features of the invention are the subject of claims 2 to 10.

The method according to the invention is explained in more detail using two exemplary embodiments. The drawings use the schematic representation form. The first method is described in more detail with reference numbers 1 to 7 and the second method with reference numbers 10 to 15 , reference being made first to the components required to carry out the method and then to the method itself.

First embodiment:
The shopping cart 1, see code 1, has a chassis 2 which is equipped with a child seat device 3. In contrast to the previously known shopping trolleys 1, no basket is provided which would be fixed in place on the chassis. However, this does not preclude that, in certain cases determined by the application, a stationary basket may be necessary or appropriate. The shopping cart 1 can be equipped with a known floor grate or, for example, with a storage compartment for beverage crates which can be folded out backwards, as is described in more detail, for example, in EP-A-0 141 398. Regardless of whether or not a basket is provided, the chassis 2 is equipped with a support frame 4 which is provided for receiving at least one support container 5. Furthermore, the support frame 4 is constructed so that him at least one container 6, see code 2 , can be parked, regardless of whether 4 carrier containers 5 are parked on the support frame or not.
The at least one carrying container 5, see key figures 1 and 5 , can be a flexible bag for hanging in a known manner, it can also be designed as a container with handles or handles, with movable walls, the walls being designed in such a way that the carrying container 5 occupies a space-saving, non-use position.
The container 6, see key figures 2 and 6 , is usually an independent basket made of thin wire mesh or made of plastic, which has a relatively low weight when empty. It is designed so that it is safe to move and secured against falling, can be placed on the support frame 4 of the shopping trolley 1 and can be removed from the support frame 4 just as easily. The support frame 4 forms a storage surface for the at least one support container 5 located outside the container 6.
The registration point 7, see key figures 4 to 6 , is a structure made of a vertical and a horizontal unit 9, 8, the scanner device 10 being provided in the horizontal unit 8 arranged at a distance from the floor.
Finally, a collecting device 11 is also provided for the containers 6, which is usually connected to a transport device 12, which conveys the containers 6 after their emptying to the collecting point 11, which is preferably immediately adjacent. A more detailed description of the transport device 12 is omitted, since its shape is not the subject of the proposed method.
It should be remembered, however, of transport and / or collection devices 11, 12 for containers 6, as are described in more detail, for example, in US Pat. No. 3,160,292 or in DE-Gm 18 47 948.
Using the drawing, the process can be clearly described using the key figures.
Key figure 1 :
The customer comes with a toddler and with his own carrier 5 to the self-service shop. He takes a shopping cart 1, places the toddler in the child seat device 3 and places his carrier 5 in a space-saving non-use position, for example in individual compartments located on the carrier frame 4.
Key figure 2 :
In the self-service business, the customer removes a container 6 from a collection point 11 (not shown in any more detail) and places the container 6, which can thus be changed in position, on the support frame 4 in a manner such that it cannot move, the carrier containers 5 being located below the container 6. In the attached state of the container, the container 6 covers the carrying container 5; these cannot be loaded with goods.
Key figure 3 :
During shopping, the container 6 gradually fills with goods.
Key figure 4 :
Arrived at the registration point 7, the customer places his shopping cart 1 in such a way that a long side of the shopping cart 1 connects to the registration point 7. During or after the line has been turned on, the container 6 is raised a short distance by suitable means (not described in more detail) located at the collection point 11, so that the now unrelated shopping cart 1 is arranged transversely to the direction of passage, (direction of passage see dash-dotted arrow) below the registration point 7 can be pushed through. It is only pushed so far that it (1) now lies with its other long side against the registration point 7.
Key figure 5 :
The customer now brings his carrier 5, for example by opening the side walls, into a ready-to-use position. When this is done, the customer removes his goods from the container 6, which is held in a raised position by the transport and collection device 11, 12, move the goods over the scanner device 10 and place them in its carrying containers 5.
Key figure 6 :
The transport and collection device 11, 12 is electrically connected to the registration point 7 so that after the receipt of the receipt containing the total amount of the purchased goods, means become active which move the now empty container 6 away from the registration point 7 and into one position bring from which the container 6 can be used by a new customer for a new purchase. According to the example shown, the containers 6 provided by the self-service store preferably remain in the sales area. You are not leaving the self-service business.
Key figure 7 :
The carrier containers 5 are filled. The customer is still in possession of the shopping cart 1 that he selected at the beginning of the shopping process, he did not have to move his toddler into another shopping cart 1. He uses the same shopping cart 1 to transport his purchased goods and his toddler to his car in the parking lot. Once there, he places his carrier 5 in the trunk, removes the toddler from shopping cart 1 and puts it in the car. The shopping cart 1, without the container 6, is available for a new customer.

The invention of course allows certain modifications. Thus, the method just described can also be used if, instead of a registration point 7, at which the customer bills his own goods, at least one cash register is provided in a known manner and cash register staff bills the goods. In this method too, the container 6 is separated from the shopping cart 1 at the checkout. Here, too, the registered goods are reloaded into the carrier containers. It is also quite conceivable that in shopping carts 1, which can be equipped with a relatively light and somewhat smaller container 6, the empty container 6 is manually parked at the registration point 7 or at the cash register by the subsequent customer at the adjacent collecting device 11.

Second embodiment:
The shopping cart 1, see code 10 , has a chassis 2 which carries a container 6 which can be pivoted in a known manner about a horizontal axis from a position of use into a position of non-use. The container 6, which is preferably designed as a basket, is pivoted upward in the non-use position. In the illustration according to code number 11 , the container 6 is pivoted downward into the ready-to-use position. In the example, the shopping cart 1 is equipped with a child seat device 3. The proposed method can also be used with shopping carts 1 that do not have child seat devices 3. The shopping cart 1 can additionally be equipped with a stationary storage in the form of a small basket, which is integrated into the child seat device 3 in a known manner, for example. It is also possible to equip the shopping cart 1 with a known bottom shelf, which also forms an additional shelf, or, for example, with a shelf for beverage crates which can be folded out backwards, as is described in more detail, for example, in EP 0 141 398. The chassis 2 has a support frame 4, which is provided for receiving at least one support container 5, which the customer brings with him for shopping. The supporting frame 4 forming a storage surface for the at least one carrying container 5 is arranged in such a way that this (4) is covered by the container 6 in the position of use. The container 6 can also be supported on the support frame 4 in this position. The at least one carrier container 5, see key figures 10 and 14 , is known and preferred as one in one Space-saving non-use position designed foldable container, which can be parked on the support frame 4 in this position.
The container 6 is generally a basket made of wire mesh or plastic, which is arranged to be pivotable about 90 ° about a horizontally arranged axis located on the chassis 2. Shopping carts 1 designed in this way are known and therefore do not need to be described in more detail. The registration point 7, see codes 13 and 14 , is in the example a known cash desk with a cash register, which is operated by an operator. The registration point 7 can also be formed by a customer-operated goods settlement system, as is known for example from DE-OS 35 24 231 A1.

Using the drawing, the process can be clearly described using the key figures.
Key figure 10 :
For example, the customer comes to the self-service shop with a toddler and with his own carrier containers 5. He takes a shopping cart 1, places the toddler in the child seat device 3 and places his carrier 5 in a space-saving non-use position, for example in individual compartments located on the carrier frame 4.
Key figure 11 :
The customer swivels the container 6 located on the shopping cart 1 and intended to hold the goods to be purchased from the non-use position into the horizontal position of use. In this position, the container 6 covers the carrier container 5, not visible in the drawing; these cannot be loaded with goods.
Key figure 12 :
During shopping, the container 6 gradually fills with goods.
Key figure 13 :
Arrived at the registration point 7, the customer provides his Shopping trolley 1 so that the end of the container 6 pointing in the sliding direction connects to the registration point 7. The customer loads the goods onto the conveyor belt of the registrar 7. There, the goods are billed and transported to a place where the customer can repack the goods.
Key figure 14 :
In order to be able to pack the goods, the customer drives his shopping cart 1 to the point just mentioned, swivels the now empty container 6 upwards into the non-use position, so that the storage area of the support frame 4 is fully usable and unfolds its on the support frame 4, further on the carrier frame 4 remaining carrier container 5. Then he stows the goods in the carrier container 5 which is now in the position of use.
Key figure 15 :
The carrying container 5 resting on the supporting frame 4 are filled. The customer is still in possession of the shopping cart 1 that he selected at the beginning of the shopping process, he did not have to move his toddler into another shopping cart 1. He uses the same shopping cart 1 to transport his purchased goods and his toddler to his car in the parking lot. Once there, he places his carrier 5 in the trunk, removes the toddler from shopping cart 1 and puts it in the car. The shopping cart 1 is available for a new customer.

The invention also allows the carrying container or containers 5 not to be parked on the supporting frame 4 but, for example, in the non-use position in compartments which are arranged between those supports which extend upwards from the rear of the chassis 2 and at least the container 6 wear. After emptying the container 6 for the purpose of accounting for the purchased goods, the container 6 is then pivoted upward into the non-use position, so that the at least one carrier container 5 in the position of use on the support frame 4 of the chassis 2 can be parked and loaded there with the goods.

In both of the exemplary embodiments described, it is conceivable that the carrying containers 5 are not designed to be foldable, but rather to be nestable. Such carrier containers 5, which cannot be brought into a space-saving, non-use position, can only be parked on the carrier frame 4 in such a way that their opening points downwards in order to prevent shoplifting. The method according to the invention also includes the use of a checkweigher, not shown, but known, which is usually provided at registration offices 7, in order to be able to make a comparison between the total amount of the purchased goods and their total weight. This measure is also used to prevent shoplifting. If a checkweigher is present, the shopping cart 1 freed from the container 6 is placed on the checkweigher together with the empty carrying containers 5 and weighed. The carrying containers 5 are then filled with goods, the shopping cart 1 remaining on the checkweigher.

The invention is not limited to shopping carts 1 which are equipped with a child seat device 3. It also includes those shopping carts 1 which do not have a child seat device 3, but are otherwise identical. This can be explained by the fact that in many self-service shops, identical shopping carts 1 are used, which are equipped with and without child seat device 3. Decisive for the establishment of such a mixed shopping cart park are cost reasons alone, since shopping carts 1 without child seat device 3 are somewhat cheaper.

Claims (10)

1. A method of purchasing goods in self-service shops, with which shopping trolleys (1) are provided which are intended to bear a container (6) the position of which can be changed and which in the use position is intended to receive the goods to be purchased, and the shopping trolleys are with or without a child seat device (3) and with or without at least one additional shelf, and at least one check-out which has a cash desk and is operable by a cashier and/or at least one registering point (7) which is for establishing the total price of the purchased goods and is usable by the customer is/are necessary, and each shopping trolley has at least one depositing surface which is located exterior of the container and can be used to support at least one of the carrying receptacles (5) belonging to the customer when the customer brings this at least one carrying receptacle shopping with him and after having completed his shopping takes it home again loaded with goods, characterised in that

   - the at least one carrying receptacle (5) can either be deposited on the depositing surface solely in the non-use position so that the container (6) can be used, or, regardless of the position of the container (6), the at least one carrying receptacle (5) is - likewise only in the non-use position - deposited at another site provided on the shopping trolley (1),

   - when shopping is completed and the goods have been removed from the container (6) in order to pay for them, the container (6) is moved - either manually or automatically - into a non-use position rendering the depositing surface fully utilisable and

   - the at least one carrying receptacle (5) is brought into the use position and is deposited on the depositing surface for the purposes of loading and subsequent further transportation.
2. A method in accordance with Claim 1, characterised in that a separate container (6) intended to receive the goods to be purchased is made available to the customer of the self-service shop who places it on the shopping trolley (1) over his at least one carrying receptacle (5).
3. A method in accordance with Claims 1 and/or 2, characterised in that the container (6) full of goods is separated from the shopping trolley (1) at each till or at each registering point (7).
4. A method in accordance with at least one of Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the shopping trolley (1) whose container (6) has been removed is moved into a position provided close to the container (6) and the customer then brings his at least one carrying receptacle (5) into a use position in which it is ready to receive goods so as to transfer the goods from the container (6) into the at least one carrying receptacle (5).
5. A method in accordance with at least one of Claim 1 to 4, characterised in that the empty container (6) is transported - preferably automatically - to a collecting device (11) for reuse.
6. A method in accordance with at least one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that after separation of the container (6) from the shopping trolley (1), the container-less shopping trolley (1) is pushed through under the registering point (7).
7. A method in accordance with at least one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the containers (6) remain in the retail area of the self-service shop.
8. A method in accordance with Claim 1, characterised in that the customer pivots the container movably mounted on the shopping trolley from a non-use position into a use position suitable for receiving the goods.
9. A method in accordance with at least one of Claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the carrying receptacles (5) cannot be reached for loading purposes due to the attached container (6).
10. A method in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the carrying receptacles (5) are deposited on the carrying frame (4) with their respective openings downwards.

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