WO1990016041A1 - Conveyor belt with direction indicating markings - Google Patents

Conveyor belt with direction indicating markings Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1990016041A1
WO1990016041A1 PCT/GB1990/000970 GB9000970W WO9016041A1 WO 1990016041 A1 WO1990016041 A1 WO 1990016041A1 GB 9000970 W GB9000970 W GB 9000970W WO 9016041 A1 WO9016041 A1 WO 9016041A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
conveyor belt
indicia
markings
checkout system
articles
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB1990/000970
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Malcolm Brian Russell
Wayne Frewin
Original Assignee
Future Products Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Future Products Limited filed Critical Future Products Limited
Publication of WO1990016041A1 publication Critical patent/WO1990016041A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K7/00—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns
    • G06K7/10—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
    • G06K7/10544—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
    • G06K7/10821—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
    • G06K7/10861—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum further details of bar or optical code scanning devices sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels
    • G06K7/10871—Methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum further details of bar or optical code scanning devices sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
    • A47F9/00—Shop, bar, bank or like counters
    • A47F9/02—Paying counters
    • A47F9/04—Check-out counters, e.g. for self-service stores
    • A47F9/046—Arrangement of recording means in or on check-out counters

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to conveyor belts and especially to belts of the type used in supermarkets to convey goods unloaded by the customer towards the checkout operator.
  • the present invention seeks to overcome or reduce this problem.
  • a checkout system comprising a conveyor belt arranged to transport articles carrying indicia towards a detector for detecting said indicia, the detector .being arranged to detect indicia facing in a particular direction, characterised in that markings are provided on or in the upper surface of the conveyor belt, said markings indicating said particular direction.
  • checkout includes supermarket checkouts and any other retail or wholesale checkout or pay point.
  • An advantage of the above system is that, with a suitably orientated detector, the indicia can be read automatically, without the need for the articles to be touched by the operator. This leads to a quicker system and less physical strain on the operator's wrists and back. With certain detectors it will be necessary for the operator to lift up the article and turn the indicia towards the detector; even here, time and effort are saved, since the operator knows in advance which way the indicia are facing.
  • the indicia are prferably optical indicia.
  • a method of arranging articles on a conveyor belt the articles carrying indicia identifying the article and/or its price and the indicia being readable at a pre ⁇ ferred orientation, characterised in that the articles are each arranged on the conveyor belt with their indicia aligned in substantially the same direction to facilitate reading threof by a detector arranged adjacent the conveyor belt.
  • the present invention also seeks to overcome or reduce this problem.
  • a method of marking a conveyor belt of p.v.c. material comprising printing the surface of the belt with a gloss screen ink and then covering the printed ink with one or more layers of varnish.
  • the ink preferably comprises petroleum distillates, cyclo- hexanone and optionally, lead compounds.
  • An advantage of the above method is that the ink etches its way into the top of the belt so that the resulting printing is indelible and is as endurable and robust as the sur ⁇ rounding surface of the conveyor belt.
  • the ink is preferably a Polyplast PY ink as supplied by Sericol Group Limited. This ink is fast drying, flexible and resistant to solvents and has good adhesive properties.
  • the varnish is preferably a Polyplast PY varnish.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a checkout system in accordance with the present invention.
  • Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of part of a conveyor belt of the checkout system of Fig. 1.
  • the items each carry the bar codes which indicate, inter alia, the price.
  • items for purchase are removed from a basket or trolley 15 and placed upon the front con ⁇ veyor belt 11 by the customer 13.
  • the item then travels along on the front conveyor until it is within the reach of the checkout operator 14 who picks it up from the belt 11 and sweeps it through the detection zone of an optical detector in the form of a laser scanning unit 16.
  • unit 16 faces upwardly from the operator's table. The operator then places it upon the rear conveyor belt 12 where it is carried to the rear of the checkout for packing by the customer.
  • both belts 11 and 12 is of PVC material.
  • the upper surface of belt 11 is printed in a repeated manner with markings 21-24 indicating to the customer 13 the optimum orientation of the bar codes of the articles to be purchased.
  • the optimum orientation is the one which requires the least time and/or effort on the part of the operator 14.
  • Markings 21-24 are printed in a high gloss screen ink as sold under the name Polyplast PY by Sericol Group Limited.
  • the ink is thinned with 10-15% of a rigid vinyl thinner and then applied through a fine screen fabric, e.g. a 90 gauge screen.
  • the varnish used is sold under the designation Polyplast PY-383; it provides additional abrasion resist ⁇ ance and is non-toxic.
  • the ink used is quick drying and has excellent screen sta ⁇ bility, self solvency, good flexibility,solvent resistance and opacity.
  • the markings 21-24 may comprise text, logos, symbols and diagrams as required to induce the required response. Further markings (not ⁇ hown)_ may also be provided to present a marketing or sales message or a reminder to do some action. Markings may also be provided on the rear conveyor belt 12.
  • the laser scanning unit 16 may be turned through 90° so that it has a horizontal detection zone, or through 180° so that it is directed downwardly.
  • the bar codes on most articles can be read without the intervention of the operator and belts 11 and 12 can be combined.
  • the operator only needs to handle incorrectly- orientated or overlapping items.
  • a bar code reader in the form of a pencil held by the operator can be used.
  • the printed conveyor belt is also advantageous in connection with otherwise conventional manual entry checkout systems, since it en ⁇ sures a pre-arrangement of the items to help the price and/or other product details to be entered manually. This allows an improvement in the speed of scanning or entering of the information into the EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) or ECR (Electronic Cash Register) system during this opera ⁇ tion.
  • the indicia on the articles may alternatively or additionally incorporate information recorded magnetically or in r.f. tags.
  • the nature of detector 16 is modified accordingly in such cases.
  • the checkout may contain a plurality of conveyor belts which can be supervised by a single operator. In appropri ⁇ ate cases, the checkout can even be unmanned.
  • the markings may either form an integral part of the fabric of the belt e.g. moulded therein, or be painted, applied or attached to the surface of the belt by any means.
  • the invention can be applied to any other equipment or systems using conveyor belts upon which items are loaded by hand and need to be oriented in a specific manner for the subsequent processing by manual, mechanical or other means. It can be applied to industrial bar code reading systems in warehouses, parcel-sorting areas and airport baggage handling systems.
  • the conveyor belt may be made of a plastics material other than PVC.

Abstract

A checkout system comprises a front conveyor belt (11) e.g. of PV material, which carries a printed indication (21-24) of how the bar codes on articles are to be arranged to facilitate subsequent reading by a laser bar code reader (16). The markings (21-24) comprise a high gloss screen ink and are covered with a varnish. The ink comprises petroleum distillates and cyclohexanone.

Description

CONVEYOR BELT WITH DIRECTION INDICATING MARKINGS
The present invention relates to conveyor belts and especially to belts of the type used in supermarkets to convey goods unloaded by the customer towards the checkout operator.
Many supermarket checkouts now incorporate an optical detector, such as a laser scanning unit, to read the bar codes on the products being sold. A problem with such systems is that the products arrive at the ch-eckout operator with their bar codes arranged in substantially random directions. Even with other price identification methods, the checkout operator has to spend time and effort in turning each article into a desired orientation.
The present invention seeks to overcome or reduce this problem.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a checkout system comprising a conveyor belt arranged to transport articles carrying indicia towards a detector for detecting said indicia, the detector .being arranged to detect indicia facing in a particular direction, characterised in that markings are provided on or in the upper surface of the conveyor belt, said markings indicating said particular direction.
The term checkout includes supermarket checkouts and any other retail or wholesale checkout or pay point.
An advantage of the above system is that, with a suitably orientated detector, the indicia can be read automatically, without the need for the articles to be touched by the operator. This leads to a quicker system and less physical strain on the operator's wrists and back. With certain detectors it will be necessary for the operator to lift up the article and turn the indicia towards the detector; even here, time and effort are saved, since the operator knows in advance which way the indicia are facing.
The indicia are prferably optical indicia.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of arranging articles on a conveyor belt the articles carrying indicia identifying the article and/or its price and the indicia being readable at a pre¬ ferred orientation, characterised in that the articles are each arranged on the conveyor belt with their indicia aligned in substantially the same direction to facilitate reading threof by a detector arranged adjacent the conveyor belt.
When printing words and/or symbols on a conveyor belt it is difficult to make the printing as endurable as the surface of the belt.
The present invention also seeks to overcome or reduce this problem.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of marking a conveyor belt of p.v.c. material comprising printing the surface of the belt with a gloss screen ink and then covering the printed ink with one or more layers of varnish.
The ink preferably comprises petroleum distillates, cyclo- hexanone and optionally, lead compounds.
An advantage of the above method is that the ink etches its way into the top of the belt so that the resulting printing is indelible and is as endurable and robust as the sur¬ rounding surface of the conveyor belt.
The ink is preferably a Polyplast PY ink as supplied by Sericol Group Limited. This ink is fast drying, flexible and resistant to solvents and has good adhesive properties. The varnish is preferably a Polyplast PY varnish.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a checkout system in accordance with the present invention; and
Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of part of a conveyor belt of the checkout system of Fig. 1.
The items each carry the bar codes which indicate, inter alia, the price.
Referring to the drawings, items for purchase are removed from a basket or trolley 15 and placed upon the front con¬ veyor belt 11 by the customer 13. The item then travels along on the front conveyor until it is within the reach of the checkout operator 14 who picks it up from the belt 11 and sweeps it through the detection zone of an optical detector in the form of a laser scanning unit 16. As shown, unit 16 faces upwardly from the operator's table. The operator then places it upon the rear conveyor belt 12 where it is carried to the rear of the checkout for packing by the customer.
At least the upper surface portion of both belts 11 and 12 is of PVC material. As shown in Fig. 2 the upper surface of belt 11 is printed in a repeated manner with markings 21-24 indicating to the customer 13 the optimum orientation of the bar codes of the articles to be purchased. The optimum orientation is the one which requires the least time and/or effort on the part of the operator 14.
Markings 21-24 are printed in a high gloss screen ink as sold under the name Polyplast PY by Sericol Group Limited. The ink is thinned with 10-15% of a rigid vinyl thinner and then applied through a fine screen fabric, e.g. a 90 gauge screen. The varnish used is sold under the designation Polyplast PY-383; it provides additional abrasion resist¬ ance and is non-toxic.
The ink used is quick drying and has excellent screen sta¬ bility, self solvency, good flexibility,solvent resistance and opacity.
The markings 21-24 may comprise text, logos, symbols and diagrams as required to induce the required response. Further markings (not εhown)_ may also be provided to present a marketing or sales message or a reminder to do some action. Markings may also be provided on the rear conveyor belt 12.
Numerous other modifications may be made to the previously described system.
The laser scanning unit 16 may be turned through 90° so that it has a horizontal detection zone, or through 180° so that it is directed downwardly. In these cases, the bar codes on most articles can be read without the intervention of the operator and belts 11 and 12 can be combined. The operator only needs to handle incorrectly- orientated or overlapping items. Instead of a fixed optical detector, a bar code reader in the form of a pencil held by the operator can be used. The printed conveyor belt is also advantageous in connection with otherwise conventional manual entry checkout systems, since it en¬ sures a pre-arrangement of the items to help the price and/or other product details to be entered manually. This allows an improvement in the speed of scanning or entering of the information into the EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) or ECR (Electronic Cash Register) system during this opera¬ tion.
Instead of being solely optical indicia, the indicia on the articles may alternatively or additionally incorporate information recorded magnetically or in r.f. tags. The nature of detector 16 is modified accordingly in such cases.
The checkout may contain a plurality of conveyor belts which can be supervised by a single operator. In appropri¬ ate cases, the checkout can even be unmanned.
The markings may either form an integral part of the fabric of the belt e.g. moulded therein, or be painted, applied or attached to the surface of the belt by any means.
The invention can be applied to any other equipment or systems using conveyor belts upon which items are loaded by hand and need to be oriented in a specific manner for the subsequent processing by manual, mechanical or other means. It can be applied to industrial bar code reading systems in warehouses, parcel-sorting areas and airport baggage handling systems. The conveyor belt may be made of a plastics material other than PVC.

Claims

1. A checkout system (10) comprising a- conveyor belt (11) arranged to transport articles carrying indicia towards a detector (16) for detecting said indicia, the detector being arranged to detect indicia facing in a particular direction, characterised in that markings (21-24) are provided on or in the upper surface of the conveyor belt, said markings indicating said particular direction.
2. A checkout system according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt (11) is of PVC material and the markings (21-24) comprise high gloss screen ink covered with one or more layers of varnish.
3. A checkout system according to claim 2 wherein the ink comprises petroleum distillates and cyclohexanone.
4. A checkout system according to any preceding claim wherein the markings incorporate words (22) and/or one or more arrows or other symbols (24).
5. A checkout system according to any preceding claim, wherein the indicia comprise bar codes, the detector is an optical bar code reader,and the markings incorporate a representation of a bar code (21) indicating said particu¬ lar direction.
6. A checkout system according to any preceding claim, wherein the indicia comprise price-dependent information.
7. A method of arranging articles on a conveyor belt (11), the articles carrying indicia identifying the article and/or its price and the indicia being readable at a pre¬ ferred orientation, characterised in that the articles are each arranged on the conveyor belt with their indicia aligned in substantially the same direction to facilitate reading thereof by a detector (16) arranged adjacent the conveyor belt.
8. A method according to claim 6 wherein the direction of alignment of the articles is indicated by markings (21-24) on the surface of the conveyor belt.
9. A method of marking a conveyor belt (11) of PVC mate¬ rial comprising printing the surface of the belt with a gloss screen ink and then covering the printed ink with one or more layers of varnish.
10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the ink com¬ prises petroleum distillates and cyclohexanone.
PCT/GB1990/000970 1989-06-22 1990-06-22 Conveyor belt with direction indicating markings WO1990016041A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB898914393A GB8914393D0 (en) 1989-06-22 1989-06-22 Improvements in or relating to conveyor belts
GB8914393.7 1989-06-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1990016041A1 true WO1990016041A1 (en) 1990-12-27

Family

ID=10658909

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB1990/000970 WO1990016041A1 (en) 1989-06-22 1990-06-22 Conveyor belt with direction indicating markings

Country Status (3)

Country Link
AU (1) AU5854190A (en)
GB (1) GB8914393D0 (en)
WO (1) WO1990016041A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1255217A2 (en) * 2001-04-09 2002-11-06 Ncr International Inc. Item processing system and method using labels

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4028537A (en) * 1976-03-31 1977-06-07 Champion International Corporation Product processing system with price printer
EP0224996A2 (en) * 1985-11-21 1987-06-10 Metrologic Instruments, Inc. Laser scanning apparatus
US4762984A (en) * 1987-09-11 1988-08-09 Metrologic Instruments, Inc. Laser scanner apparatus with adjustable mount for connectors

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4028537A (en) * 1976-03-31 1977-06-07 Champion International Corporation Product processing system with price printer
EP0224996A2 (en) * 1985-11-21 1987-06-10 Metrologic Instruments, Inc. Laser scanning apparatus
US4762984A (en) * 1987-09-11 1988-08-09 Metrologic Instruments, Inc. Laser scanner apparatus with adjustable mount for connectors

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1255217A2 (en) * 2001-04-09 2002-11-06 Ncr International Inc. Item processing system and method using labels
EP1255217A3 (en) * 2001-04-09 2003-07-23 Ncr International Inc. Item processing system and method using labels

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU5854190A (en) 1991-01-08
GB8914393D0 (en) 1989-08-09

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