An information processing apparatus includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit has programmed instructions to acquire a first number of commodities specified to be purchased based on first data acquired by a first sensor, acquire a second number of commodities stored in a storing body that stores commodities to be purchased based on second data acquired by a second sensor, compare the first number of commodities with the second number of commodities, and provide a notification to a display device in response to the first number of commodities being different that the second number of commodities.

A vison-based self-checkout terminal is provided. Purchased items are placed on a base and multiple cameras take multiple images of each item placed on the base. A location for each item placed on the base is determined along with a depth and the dimensions of each item at its given location on the base. Each item's images are then cropped, and item recognition is performed for each item on that item's cropped images with that item's corresponding depth and dimension attributes. An item identifier for each item is obtained along with a corresponding price and a transaction associated with items are completed.

Disclosed in the present specification is a self-checkout device to which hybrid product recognition technology is applied and which helps a user to more conveniently and quickly make a payment. The self-checkout device according to the present specification photographs a product with a plurality of cameras, and then recognizes a barcode by detecting a barcode region from the captured images and, simultaneously, extracts a feature point of the images such that a product can be recognized through the calculation of the proportion that matches with a reference image of the product. Thus, a product can be quickly recognized through barcode recognition and packaging paper recognition in a product image.

A multi-function transaction card may receive, from shelf sensors, first data indicating that items have been removed from shelves by a customer of a merchant, and may receive, from shopping cart sensors, second data indicating that the items have been placed in a shopping cart. The multi-function transaction card may receive, based on the first data and the second data, item data identifying the items placed in the shopping cart, wherein the item data is received from price tags of the items. The multi-function transaction card may store the item data, and may provide, to a transaction terminal of the merchant, the item data identifying the items and customer data identifying the customer. The multi-function transaction card may receive, from the transaction terminal, transaction data identifying a transaction that charges the multi-function transaction card for a total cost of the items.

A method operates a sales device for goods. The method includes: detecting, using a shelf with automatic removal monitoring, a removed item and determining item data of the removed item; reading out a customer identification number of a customer in a vicinity of the shelf from which the removed item has been removed; receiving, by a controller, the item data of the removed item and the customer identification number; adding, with the controller, the item data of the removed item and the customer identification number to a list of items intended for payment; and detecting, with a detector, items for which a payment transaction is to be executed. The detector has at least one sensor and an evaluator and for detecting articles, at least the data of the sensor and the list of items intended for payment are being made available to the evaluator as input variables.

A method operates a sales device for goods. The method includes: detecting, using a shelf with automatic removal monitoring, a removed item and determining item data of the removed item; receiving the item data of the removed item; adding the item data of the removed item to a list of items intended for payment; receiving an item number from a product scanner; adding the item associated with the item number to a list associated with the product scanner; identifying the product scanner at the sales device; collecting, with at least one sensor, data about items in a shopping cart or a shopping basket which is located on a support plate of the sales device; and validating the list of items associated with the product scanner on the basis of the data from the at least one sensor and the list of items intended for payment.

A method operates a sales device for goods. The method includes: detecting, using a shelf with automatic removal monitoring, a removed item and determining item data of the removed item; receiving, by a controller, the item data of the removed item; adding, with the controller, the item data of the removed item to a list of items intended for payment; and detecting, with a detector, items for which a payment transaction is to be executed, the detector having at least one sensor and an evaluator. For detecting the items, at least data of the sensor and the list of items intended for payment is made available to the evaluator as input variables.

A vison-based self-checkout terminal is provided. Purchased items are placed on a base and multiple cameras take multiple images of each item placed on the base. A location for each item placed on the base is determined along with a depth and the dimensions of each item at its given location on the base. Each item's images are then cropped, and item recognition is performed for each item on that item's cropped images with that item's corresponding depth and dimension attributes. An item identifier for each item is obtained along with a corresponding price and a transaction associated with items are completed.

The disclosure relates to a self-checkout system including a base and a scan gate extending over at least a portion of the base, the scan gate having a field of view that encompasses 360-degree coverage of the items such that the scan gate is able to obtain and read encoded data on any surface of the item passing through the scan gate. The base may include one or more rails positioned along the periphery to help retain items on the surface of the base once they have been passed through the scan gate.

This disclosure is directed to item-identifying carts that may be utilized by users to automatically identify items that the users place in their carts. In addition, these carts may automatically determine the outcome of respective events that occur with respect to these identified items. For example, the carts may be configured to identify one or more items that are placed into or removed from the cart, and thereafter determine one or more actions taken with respect to the identified items and a quantity of the items involved. For example, after identifying a first item and a second item either placed into or removed from the cart, the cart may determine that the user added two instances of the first item and removed one instance of the second item. In response to making this determination, the cart may update a virtual cart of a user operating the physical cart.