Enhanced Purchase Verification for Self Checkout System

Abstract

A method and system for enabling reliable verification of items being purchased using a self checkout system. The self checkout system is equipped with a verification mark dispenser and verification mark detectors that respectively dispenses a mark on an item as the item is being scanned for purchasing and then verifies, by detecting the mark on the item, that the item being bagged (or passed through the tunnel) is the same item that was scanned. When a customer scans an item for purchase, and if purchase transaction is successful, a mark (made of a non-reactive but detectable material or ink) is placed on the exterior packaging of the item. When the item is placed in the tunnel, the detector, sensitive to the activation of the specific marking and located at or in the tunnel, detects the marking on the item. If the activated marking is not detected by the detector, an alert condition is triggered.

1 . A method comprising: 
 marking each purchased item with a special mark during a checkout scanning transaction by a customer at a point of sale (POS) self checkout system;    verifying that an item being taken by the customer contains said special mark; and    signaling when the item being taken does not contain said special mark.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said marking each purchased item comprises: 
 determining when a universal product code (UPC) of the item is successfully scanned; and    applying the special mark contemporaneously with said determining of a successful scan of the UPC, whereby the special mark is applied to only purchased items.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the special mark is applied via a dispenser, separate from the POS scanner.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the special mark is placed on the exterior packaging of the item and comprises one of: 
 a detectable material or ink; and    a detectable light radiation.    
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein when a UPC label of the item includes a purchase verification strip that responds to a specific light-based trigger/light radiation, said marking further includes: 
 flashing the UPC label with the specific light radiation during said purchase transaction to activate the special marking on the item being purchased. In one embodiment, the marking's activation fades over time. If an item is returned and then later purchased, the initial activation has faded and a new activation occurs when the item is scanned for purchase.    
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said detectable light radiation is infrared (IR) radiation, said method comprising: 
 flashing said item with IR light; and    detecting for IR emissions from the item during said verifying.    
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said verifying includes: 
 detecting said special mark on said item as the item passes through a tunnel of the POS system; and    activating said signaling when said special mark is not on said item.    
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said signaling includes one or more of: 
 alerting a customer assistance personnel that the item has not been purchased;    alerting the customer that the item has not been purchased;    stopping the purchase transaction from completing until the item is verifiably removed; and    requesting the customer contact customer assistance personnel to resolve a problem.    
   
   
       9 . A UPC label comprising: 
 a bar code uniquely identifying an item; and    a special mark that is invisible to the human eye and which is also invisible to a specialized sensor prior to activation and which is invisible to human eye but visible to the specialized sensor after activation, wherein said special mark is activated by exposing said special mark to a light emission/radiation at a pre-determined wavelength, wherein said light emission is provided at a point-of-sale (POS) system during a purchase transaction of the item.    
   
   
       10 . The UPC label of  claim 9 , wherein flashing the UPC label with the specific light radiation during said purchase transaction activates the special marking on the item for detection by the specialized sensor.  
   
   
       11 . The UPC label of  claim 9 , wherein the visibility of the special mark to the specialized sensor fades over a pre-set time, such that the item may be returned and then later purchased and a new activation of the special mark occurs when the item is scanned for the later purchase.  
   
   
       12 . The UPC of  claim 9 , wherein the specialized sensor is an IR sensor.