Unmanned Store Purchase Verification via Sensor Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Unmanned stores face challenges in selling specific commodities that require purchase qualification verification, such as age-limited items, without a clerk present, as existing systems require membership registration and may not be user-friendly for customers.

Innovation Solution

A commodity sales system utilizing customer and commodity detection sensors, a management apparatus, and a settlement apparatus that allows customers to purchase specific commodities by confirming purchase qualification through sensors and electronic payment systems, enabling easy access without membership registration.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If membership registration is required for purchasing specific commodities in unmanned stores, then purchase qualification verification can be performed, but customer convenience deteriorates due to the need for prior registration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepurchase qualification verificationVSAvoidcustomer convenience

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-registering commodity information and purchase qualifications in the management apparatus before customers arrive. When customers enter, their information is automatically captured and matched against pre-stored qualification data, eliminating the need for on-site registration while ensuring verification reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by automatically capturing customer information through sensors, performing qualification verification without human intervention, and completing the entire purchase process without requiring customers to interact with registration systems or staff

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Measurement precision

If manual verification by clerks is used for specific commodities, then accurate purchase qualification confirmation is achieved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased time consumption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepurchase qualification confirmation accuracyVSAvoidtransaction processing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces the mechanical system of manual clerk verification with an automated electronic verification system. Sensors capture customer information, the management apparatus automatically compares it against stored qualification data, and the settlement apparatus completes transactions, eliminating human intervention while maintaining verification accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements continuous feedback loops where sensor data is immediately processed by the management apparatus, which automatically updates transaction status and communicates with the settlement apparatus, enabling real-time verification and rapid transaction completion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If automated sensor systems are deployed for customer and commodity detection, then operational efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction processing efficiencyVSAvoidsensor and management system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The management apparatus serves multiple functions: it stores commodity information, performs qualification verification, tracks customer transactions, and communicates with both detection sensors and settlement apparatus. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise be separate complex systems into a single integrated platform

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system merges customer detection, commodity detection, qualification verification, and transaction management into an integrated automated flow. The management apparatus combines data from multiple sensors and coordinates with the settlement apparatus, creating a unified system that processes entire transactions through a single coordinated mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS20240311824A1Commodity sales system and commodity sales method

Publication Date: 2024.09.19 GLORY LTD

AI summary

A commodity sales system for selling a specific commodity for which a purchase qualification needs to be confirmed when the specific commodity is sold to the customer. The commodity sales system includes: a customer detection sensor to detect a customer; a commodity detection sensor to detect a commodity taken out from a commodity shelf; a management apparatus to add the commodity taken out by the customer to an object of transaction with the customer when the commodity is detected by the commodity detection sensor; and a settlement apparatus to perform a settlement process for the commodity added to the object of transaction. If a replacement of a specific commodity is included in the object of transaction, the management apparatus performs a confirmation process for confirming that the customer has the purchase qualification, and a process for handing over an actual article of the specific commodity to the customer.