[0001] This invention relates to a method for updating a price look-up (PLU) file for a
not-yet-registered article in a point of sale (POS) terminal which is used in a checkout
system in a retail establishment.
[0002] The use of Universal Product Code (UPC) labels or bar codes to identify purchased
articles or merchandise items in a checkout system of a retail establishment has become
very common. The typical checkout system includes a point of (POS) terminal having
an optical scanner for scanning the bar codes on the purchased articles or items.
The scanner is usually located in a checkout counter, but it may be hand-held by an
operator of the terminal. In either case, when a customer purchases articles, he brings
them to the checkout counter. The operator at the checkout counter then uses the optical
scanner to scan the bar code affixed to the articles. The optical scanner generates
electrical data signals corresponding to the bar code on the label. The data signals
are typically used by the POS terminal to "look up" or locate a price for the article
in a price look (PLU) table or file stored in the POS terminal or stored in a remote
in-store processor which is coupled to the POS terminal. The price located for the
article is then transmitted to the POS terminal.
[0003] In a checkout systems which utilize bar codes, it is necessary to register information
(such as the article name, unit price, and/or class code) for each article in the
inventory of the retail establishment. It is not uncommon that the information corresponding
to some articles will not be registered in the PLU file at the time the article is
purchased because the article is a new arrival, because of a large volume of articles
in the inventory of the retail establishment, or because the article was mis-registered
in the PLU file due to human error. When such information is not yet registered or
is mis-registered in the PLU file it will be collectively referred to hereinafter
as "not-yet-registered".
[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of updating a price
look up file for a not-yet-registered article in a checkout system.
[0005] Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a method for updating
a price look up file for a not-yet-registered article in a point of sale terminal
which is used in a checkout system, characterized by the steps of:
(a) inputting bar code data corresponding to the not-yet-registered article into said
terminal;
(b) printing, under the control of said terminal, data corresponding to the not-yet-registered
article on a slip having a dedicated format; and
(c) updating said file in said checkout system with information for that article in
response to the data printed on said slip.
[0006] It will be appreciated that a method according to the present invention has the advantage
that accurate updating of the PLU file can be achieved, without inconveniencing a
customer. An additional advantage is that the provided slips provide management information
which can assist in checking on the article management system of the retail establishment.
[0007] One embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example,
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Brief Description of the Drawing
[0008]
Figs. 1A and 1B illustrate two slips having separate formats for formatting data corresponding
to a not-yet-registered article; and
Fig. 2 is a flow chart of a method of this invention.
[0009] Figs. 1A and 1B show a slip 20 and 34, respectively, which may be used in a checkout
system which includes the preferred embodiment of this invention. The slip 20 has
a dedicated print format which is used to organize data 21 corresponding to an article
(not shown) being purchased by a customer. The print format on the slip 20 includes
an article code 24 which corresponds to a UPC label or bar code (not shown) affixed
to the article. The dedicated format of the slip 20 includes a place for a message
22, a date/day/time 26, a store branch number 28, and register number 30, as shown
in Fig. 1A. This data 21 is indispensable to investigate and confirm the time and
place, for example, where the not-yet-registered article was encountered. The slip
20 may also include a place for a memo 32 where a memo or note (not shown) may be
printed.
[0010] As shown in Fig. 1B, the slip 34 includes the dedicated print format for data 21
that is the same format used for the slip 20, except that there is no memo 32 and
the article code 24 on the slip 20 is replaced by an article code 36. The article
code 36 includes a numeric article code 36-1 and a bar code 36-2 corresponding to
the numeric article code 36-1. The bar code 36-2 facilitates avoiding clerical errors,
for example, when the numeric article code 36-1 is inputted into an in-store processor
(not shown by the operator). For example, when the not-yet-registered article is
encountered, the operator inserts the slip 20 into a printer (not shown) in the POS
terminal (not shown) and the printer prints the data 21 onto the slip 20, as described
later herein. The slip 20 is then handed over to a manager of the retail establishment,
whereupon the manager updates a PLU file which resides in either the POS terminal
or in an in-store processor (not shown) coupled to the POS terminal to include article
information (such as article price and name). However, it may be troublesome and inaccurate
to input the 13 digits of the article code 24 by using a keyboard coupled to the POS
terminal, for example, because of the likelihood that a clerical error in inputting
the article code 24 may occur. To avoid this problem, the slip 34 may be used instead
of slip 20. The bar code 36-2 on the slip 34 can be read or scanned by an optical
scanner (not shown) connected to the POS terminal. This facilitates inputting the
numeric article code 36-1 accurately.
[0011] Fig. 2 is a flow chart of the purchased article registering operation used in a preferred
embodiment of this invention. Assume that an operator has started "ringing up" or
registering articles (not shown) that a customer has purchased, as represented by
block 38 in Fig. 2. Each purchased article has a UPC label or bar code (not shown)
affixed thereto, and the bar code is read or scanned by an optical scanner (not shown)
which is connected to the POS terminal, as described earlier herein. After the article
registering process has begun (block 40), the POS terminal accesses the PLU file (block
42). If the numeric article code 36-1, for example, is registered in the PLU file,
a price for the purchased article is accessed from the PLU file, a price for the purchased
article is accessed from the PLU file and article is registered as illustrated by
blocks 44 and 46.
[0012] However, if the numeric article code 36-1 is not registered in the PLU file, an indication
or display that the article is not registered in the PLU file is made on the display
of the POS terminal (block 48). The print format of the data 21 (Figs. 1A and 1B)
corresponding to the not-yet-registered article, which has been optionally set in
advance by the operator, is read out or displayed on the display of the POS terminal
(block 50 in Fig. 2). The operator at the POS terminal then inserts the slip 34, for
example, into the printer of the POS terminal having the same format (block 52 in
Fig. 2). After this slip 34 is inserted into the printer of the POS terminal, the
data 21 is printed thereon (block 54). The price of the particular article is manually
inputted by the operator under the operation of the keyboard (not shown) of the POS
terminal (block 56). The operator obtains the price from the price label which is
affixed to the article.
[0013] The operator registers other articles in the same manner beginning at block 38. After
all the articles purchased by the customer having been registered (block 58), the
customer settles his account (block 60) and the article buying and selling transaction
is complete (block 62).
[0014] The slips 34 for the not-yet-registered articles are handed over to the manager of
the store at the completion of the transaction or of a plurality of transactions.
The manager sequentially updates the PLU files to include information, such as the
price, name, class, and the like for the not-yet-registered articles. This permits
the manager of the store to investigate the article price, name, class and other data
21 based on the slip 20 or the slip 34, thereby permitting him to accurately update
the PLU file.
1. A method for updating a price look up file for a not-yet-registered article in
a point of sale terminal which is used in a checkout system, characterized by the
steps of: (a) inputting bar code data corresponding to the not-yet-registered article
into said terminal; (b) printing, under the control of said terminal, data corresponding
to the not-yet-registered article on a slip (20,34) having a dedicated format; and
(c) updating said file in said checkout system with information for that article in
response to the data printed on said slip (20,34).
2. A method according to claim 1,
characterized in that said checkout system includes a processor coupled to said terminal,
said processor having said price look up file stored therein, said updating step further
including the step of utilizing said slip (20,34) to update said price look up file
in said processor.
3. A method according to claim 2
characterized in that said updating step further includes the step of using said terminal
to input article information into said processor.
4. A method according to claim 1,
characterized in that said printing step further includes the step of retrieving said
data directly from the not-yet-registered article.
5. A method according to claim 1,
characterized in that said data of said printing step includes an article code number
corresponding to the not-yet-registered article.
6. A method according to claim 5,
characterized in that said data of said printing step includes a bar code corresponding
to the article code number on said slip (34).
7. A method according to claim 1,
characterized in that said printing step includes the step of inserting said dedicated
format slip (20,34) into a printer of said terminal for printing said data.
8. A method according to claim 1,
characterized in that said inputting step includes the step of scanning a bar code
on the not-yet-registered article.