Commodity Data Processing System with Pre-Settlement Verification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing commodity data processing systems do not allow customers to confirm their purchased items before leaving the store, leading to potential errors in settlement processes.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising a reader, camera, display, and processor that identifies customers, tracks their movements, and displays a list of purchased items on a digital signage terminal before the customer leaves the store, allowing for item cancellations within a threshold limit.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If the settlement process is executed after a predetermined time passes since the customer left the store, then the system can process commodities automatically without cash registers, but the customer cannot confirm the list of commodities before leaving the store

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic settlement processVSAvoidcustomer inability to confirm commodity list
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system displays the commodity list to the customer before the settlement process is executed. The display device shows the list of commodities that will be settled, allowing the customer to confirm or cancel items before the actual settlement occurs after the customer leaves the store.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Ease of operation

If the customer can cancel commodities from the list, then customer satisfaction improves, but the system may suffer losses from improper cancellations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommodity cancellation capabilityVSAvoidsystem loss from improper cancellations
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides feedback to the customer by displaying the current commodity list and cancellation status on the display device. The processor monitors cancellation requests and provides visual feedback about which commodities can be cancelled and which cannot, based on whether the customer is still in the store or has already left.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If the system tracks customer movement continuously, then it can accurately identify taken commodities, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommodity tracking accuracyVSAvoidtracking system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses the customer's smartphone as an intermediary device to communicate commodity information. The display device displays the commodity list, and the smartphone serves as the interface for customer interaction, reducing the complexity of direct system-customer communication while maintaining tracking accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3640866B1Commodity data processing system
Publication Date: 2025.04.23 TOSHIBA TEC KK
  • EP3640866B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3640866B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3640866B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A commodity data processing system includes a reader configured to read an ID of a customer, a camera configured to acquire images of the customer in a store, a display configured to display information about commodities, and a processor configured to identify the customer with the ID read by the reader when the customer enters the store, track movement of the customer in the store based on the images acquired by the camera and identify one or more commodities taken by the customer in the store, acquire commodity data of each of the identified commodities, perform a settlement process for the commodities based on the acquired commodity data after the customer has left the store, and control the display to display a list of the commodities before the customer leaves the store.