Claims
- 1. A method of operating a checkout terminal having a scanner which is movable between an assisted scanner position and a self-service scanner position, comprising the steps of:positioning said scanner in said assisted scanner position; operating said scanner so as to perform an assisted checkout transaction in which a first number of items are scanned with said scanner by retail personnel while said scanner is positioned in said assisted scanner position; moving said scanner from said assisted scanner position to said self-service scanner position; and operating said scanner so as to perform a self-service checkout transaction in which a second number of items are scanned with said scanner by a customer while said scanner is positioned in said self-service scanner position.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein:said checkout terminal further has a terminal base, and said moving step includes the step of rotating said scanner relative to said terminal base such that said scanner is rotated from said assisted scanner position to said self-service scanner position.
- 3. The method of claim 2, wherein:said scanner includes a first scanning window and a second scanning window, said terminal base has a substantially horizontal upper surface, said first scanning window of said scanner is disposed substantially parallel with said upper surface of said terminal base when said scanner is positioned in both said assisted scanner position and said self-service scanner position, and said second scanning window of said scanner is disposed substantially perpendicular to said upper surface of said terminal base when said scanner is positioned in both said assisted scanner position and said self-service scanner position.
- 4. The method of claim 3, wherein:said terminal base has a customer side and a personnel side which is opposite said customer side, said scanner is interposed between said customer side of said terminal base and said personnel side of said terminal base, said step of positioning said scanner in said assisted scanner position includes the step of positioning said scanner such that said second scanning window of said scanner faces said personnel side of said terminal base, and said step of rotating said scanner from said assisted scanner position to said self-service scanner position includes the step of rotating said scanner from said assisted scanner position to said self-service scanner position such that said second scanning window of said scanner faces said customer side of said terminal base.
- 5. The method of claim 2, wherein:said checkout terminal further has a support platform slidably secured thereto such that said support platform is positionable between (i) a retracted position in which said support platform is received into an interior portion of said terminal base, and (ii) an extended position in which said support platform extends out of said interior portion of said terminal base, said scanner is rotatably secured to said support platform, and said moving step includes the steps of (i) sliding said support platform to said extended position, (ii) rotating said scanner relative to said support platform such that said scanner is rotated from said assisted position to said self-service position while said support platform is positioned in said extended position, and (iii) sliding said support platform to said retracted position.
- 6. The method of claim 2, wherein:said scanner is rotatably secured to said terminal base by a support platform, and said moving step includes the step of manipulating said support platform so as to rotate said scanner relative to said terminal base such that said scanner is rotated from said assisted scanner position to said self-service scanner position.
- 7. A checkout terminal, comprising:a terminal base; and a scanner movably secured to said terminal base, wherein (i) said scanner is configured to be moved relative to said terminal base so as to be positionable between an assisted scanner position and a self-service scanner position, (ii) said scanner is operated so as to perform an assisted checkout transaction in which a first number of items are scanned with said scanner by retail personnel when said scanner is positioned in said assisted scanner position, and (iii) said scanner is operated so as to perform a self-service checkout transaction in which a second number of items are scanned with said scanner by a customer when said scanner is positioned in said self-service scanner position.
- 8. The checkout terminal of claim 7, wherein:said scanner includes a first scanning window and a second scanning window, said terminal base has a substantially horizontal upper surface, said first scanning window of said scanner is disposed substantially parallel with said upper surface of said terminal base when said scanner is positioned in both said assisted scanner position and said self-service scanner position, and said second scanning window of said scanner is disposed substantially perpendicular to said upper surface of said terminal base when said scanner is positioned in both said assisted scanner position and said self-service scanner position.
- 9. The checkout terminal of claim 8, wherein:said terminal base further has a customer side and a personnel side which is opposite said customer side, said scanner is interposed between said customer side of said terminal base and said personnel side of said terminal base, said second scanning window of said scanner faces said personnel side of said terminal base when said scanner is positioned in said assisted scanner position, and said second scanning window of said scanner faces said customer side of said terminal base when said scanner is positioned in said self-service scanner position.
- 10. The checkout terminal of claim 7, further comprising a support platform slidably secured to said terminal base such that said support platform is positionable between (i) a retracted position in which said support platform is received into an interior portion of said terminal base, and (ii) an extended position in which said support platform extends out of said interior portion of said terminal base, wherein:said scanner is rotatably secured to said support platform, said support platform is positioned in said extended position during movement of said scanner between said self-service scanner position and said assisted scanner position, and said support platform is positioned in said retracted position during operation of said scanner.
- 11. The checkout terminal of claim 7, wherein said scanner is rotatably secured to said terminal base so as to be rotated relative to said terminal base thereby being positionable between said assisted scanner position and said self-service scanner position.
- 12. A reconfigurable checkout system comprising:a first portion of a terminal base including a dual-aperture bar code scanner rotatably mounted within said first portion of said terminal base, wherein said dual-aperture bar code scanner is rotatable between an assisted scanner position and a self-service scanner position; and a second portion of said terminal base coupled to said first portion of said terminal base containing a bagging area for use in an assisted checkout transaction and a self-service checkout transaction.
CROSS REFERENCE
Cross reference is made to copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 09/432,638, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having a Security Scale for Providing Security During an Assisted Checkout Transaction” by Wilfried E. Y. Dejaeger; Ser. No. 09/432,640, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating Convertible Checkout System Which Has a Customer Side and a Personnel Side” by Wilfried E. Y.
Dejaeger, Alfred J. Hutcheon, John C. Addy, and James Morrison; Ser. No. 09/432,636, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having a Movable Takeaway Belt Mechanism and Associated System Construction” by Charles K. Wike, Jr., Kurt J. Lippert, and Paul F. Nugent, Jr.; Ser. No. 09/432,635, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having an Item Set-Aside Shelf Which is Movable Between a Number of Shelf Positions” by Paul F. Nugent, Jr.; Ser. No. 09/436,634, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having a Number of Port Expander Devices Associated Therewith” by Robert T. Snyder; Ser. No. 09/432,634, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having a Power Distribution Architecture Which Conforms to an International Standard” by Robert T. Snyder; Ser. No. 09/432,626, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having an Electronic Security Deactivation Device Associated Therewith” by Robert T. Snyder and Kurt J. Lippert; Ser. No. 09/432,157, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Which Has a Number of Payment Devices for Tendering Payment During an Assisted Checkout Transaction” by Donald L. Forsythe and Horng Jaan Lin; Ser. No. 09/432,630, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having a Number of Interface Terminals Associated Therewith” by Kurt J. Lippert, Charles K. Wike, Jr., and Paul F. Nugent, Jr.; Ser. No. 09/432,639, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having a Display Monitor Which Displays Both Transaction Information and Customer-Specific Messages During a Checkout Transaction” by Wilfried E. Y. Dejaeger; Ser. No. 09/432,628, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having an RF Transmitter for Communicating to a Number of Wireless Personal Pagers” by Robert T. Snyder; Ser. No. 09/432,631, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having an RF Transmitter for Communicating to a Receiver Associated with an Intercom System” by Robert T. Snyder and Kurt J. Lippert; Ser. No. 09/432,627, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having a Number of Item Sensors for Controlling Operation of an Input Belt Mechanism” by Kurt J. Lippert and Robert T. Snyder; and Ser. No. 09/432,629, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Operating a Checkout System Having a Video Camera for Enhancing Security During Operation Thereof” by Kurt J. Lippert, each of which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, and each of which is filed concurrently herewith.
US Referenced Citations (34)