US2286548A - Check-out counter - Google Patents

Description

June 15, 1942- H. H. JAcKsoN ETAL CHECK-OUT COUNTER Filed July 3l. 1941 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 16, 1942 CHECK-OUT COUNTER Hartley H. Jackson and Leonard Milgram, Kansas City, Kans.

Application July 31, 1941, Serial No. 404,828

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a check-out counter, and refers more particularly to a unit used in grocery markets or stores of the vself-service type.

In checking out goods sold in self-service stores, the goods must be handled by the checker and by the customer, and it has been an exceedingly tiresome task for a person to lift the goods from the collecting baskets, check them and prepare a statement, and then sack the goods for delivery.

In the checking operation, it is usually necessary for the checker to lift the basket of goods from a push cartv or shoppers carriage onto the counter, check the goods, prepare a statement on an adding machine, and then separately lift each item into a sack before delivering them to the customer.

The present invention is a check counter unit which is arranged to simplify, render more eicient and reduce the labor attached to this checking operation. n

Among the advantages of the unit are facility in handling the goods sold, speed of checking through the check counter, accuracy in checking due to less fatigue on the part of the checker, ease in returning the shopping carts and baskets to the store for further use, and the advantage to the customer in having his goods handled at greater speed and with less delay through the checking outlet.

In the accompanying drawing which forms part of the instant specification and is to be read in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts in the various views;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the unit taken from the front and left side, and showing a shoppers cart in position for a basket to be lifted onto the slide.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the opposite side of the counter showing the sack well and its adjustable bottom.

Referring now to the drawing, the unit consists of a front portion I, a side portion 2 in which is a basket return opening 3, an opposite side portion 4 and an entrance opening 5. At the back of the unit is a rear portion 6, upon which are supported shelves 'I. At one end of the lower shelf is a coffee grinder 8. At the opposite end of the lower shelf, a counter I'I forming a part of the side portion 2 supports any of various computing devices such as a scale 9 and a cash register I5. The arrangement of the coffee grinder and scale with the shelves at the back of the unit, is more or less conventional with checkout counters.

From one end of the front portion I extends a basket slide Il), which may be of any suitable design, either of solid metal, wood, or, as shown in the drawing, a skeleton welded pipe unit having a free end extending from the end portion 2 of the unit, the opposite end of the slide abutting against a central counter II.

The basket slide I0 is positioned somewhat below the level of the counter II, to facilitate handling of the goods from the baskets I6, shown in dotted line on the slide.

At the opposite end of the front portion I of the unit, and beyond the counter II, is a sack well I2, which is cut out of the counter and extends to the floor of the unit. In this sack well are adjustable shelves or bottoms I3, shown in Fig. 2, which may be raised or lowered according to the size of the sack that is to be lled. Any suitable means for vertically adjusting the shelves I3 may be provided. In the construction illustrated in the drawing, a plurality of vertically spaced guides are provided to support one or more movable shelves I3. The top shelf I3 is placed on the guide that will position it at a level best suited to accommodate the particular sack being used.

At I4 in Fig. 1 of the drawing is shown a shoppers push cart or carriage, mounted on casters or rollers, used by the customer to carry the baskets I6 while collecting goods, groceries, meats or other household accessories during a shopping tour. f

When the goods have been collected in the basket, the cart is rolled up to the end of the slide in a position shown in Fig. 1. The basket is lifted from the cart onto the slide by the customer, and is slid up to the counter II, where the goods arev lifted from the basket and checked by the checker.

After the statement has been prepared byv checking the goods on a cash register I 5, a sack is placed in the well I2 by the checker and the goods placed in the sack, basket or other container in which the goods are to be delivered.

It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of our claims. It is further obvious that various changes may be made in details within the scope of our claims without departing from the spirit of our invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that our invention is not to be limited to the specific details shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

1. A check-out unit for self-service stores wherein mobile push carts are used by customers to collect their purchases, comprising front and rear portions joined by a side portion having an opening therein, a central counter arranged above said front portion and having a sack Well at one end and a slide at the opposite end, said slide extending beyond the side portion and positioned at a level convenient for transferring heavy articles from the push carts to the slide.

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