Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates, in general, to shopping carts, and more specifically, relates to an apparatus and method for automatically detecting products and generating bills that eliminate the requirement of standing in long queue.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Currently, in shopping malls, the use of small-wheeled carts for groceries in self-service stores has become quite prevalent. As shopping is a necessity for everyone and it is done from various places such as local retail shops, mini stores and mega marts, everyone has experienced throughout the shopping procedure long queues and that is the most frustrating part of any shopping experience. Now, the problem here can be seen in 2 ways, firstly the consumer must wait in hefty queues in the stores to check out and secondly the store owners may need to spend a lot of more personnel time at cash counters.
[0003] Customers take carts from a supply near the store entrance and push the carts along as they travel through the store. Groceries from the shelves are deposited in the carts as each customer makes his/her selection. When a customer has completed his purchases, he pushes the cart to the checkout counter. The customer, the checker, or another attendant may lift the groceries from the cart onto the checkout counter where they are checked and bagged. However, the existing system enables the customer to stand in queues for a long period to do the payment.
[0004] Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a means that can automatically detect the product and its quantity of the item as soon as the customer drops the product in the cart.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0005] An object of the present disclosure relates, in general, to shopping carts, and more specifically, relates to an apparatus and method for automatically detecting products and generating bills that eliminate the requirement of standing in long queue.
[0006] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus that is convenient to consumers.
[0007] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus that saves time and effort as the consumers are not required to wait in the long queues.
[0008] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus that enables the user to make the payment on the cart, and receive digital receipts on the mobile phone associated with the consumer.
[0009] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus that can benefit the store owners, as they are not required to perform manual scanning and checkout.
[0010] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus that is user-friendly.

SUMMARY
[0011] The present disclosure relates in general, to shopping carts, and more specifically, relates to an apparatus for automatically detecting products and generating bills that eliminate the requirement of standing in a long queue. The present disclosure relates to an apparatus that automatically detects the product and its quantity as soon as the customer drops the product in the cart. Internet of everything (IoT) based system is integrated on the designed carts which will be useful in the mega marts and stores. The cart may also have payment methods integrated into it including all major credit/debit cards, net banking, unified payments interface (UPI) for easy payment. It is a completely hassle-free solution for the vender as well as the customer.
[0012] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for detecting one or more products, the apparatus includes a frame adapted to hold one or more products in a basket selected by a user in a venue, the backet coupled to the frame of the apparatus, a scanner configured in the frame of the apparatus, the scanner detects the one or more products to be placed in the basket, an interface configured in the frame of the apparatus, the interface receives identity attributes from the user and a processor operatively coupled to the scanner and the interface, the processor configured to receive, from the scanner, the detected one or more products, extract a set of attributes of the one or more products, the set of attributes comprise any or a combination of name, price, weight, quantity, discount coupons and promotions of the one or more products, receive, from the interface, the identity attributes of the user for billing of the one or more products, generate, on receipt of the extracted set of attributes, corresponding bill for the one or more products, wherein, upon payment of the generated cost of the one or more products, a corresponding receipt is transmitted to a user terminal associated with the user.
[0013] According to an embodiment, the scanner can include camera, sensors and any combination thereof.
[0014] According to an embodiment, the identity attributes can include name of user, contact number of user and any combination thereof.
[0015] According to an embodiment, the apparatus can include a pay station for easy payment through different modes of payment, wherein the modes of payment can include credit/debit cards, net banking, unified payments interface (UPI) and any combination thereof.
[0016] According to an embodiment, the user may select any one of the modes of payments from the interface, and the cost for the one or more products displayed on a screen enables the user to pay the cost using any of the associated modes of payment.
[0017] According to an embodiment, the processor is operatively coupled to a learning engine, the learning engine is trained to extract the set of attributes of the one or more products from a database.
[0018] According to an embodiment, the learning engine can include image recognition using artificial intelligence and computer vision.
[0019] According to an embodiment, upon removal of the one or more products from the basket, the associated cost of the product is removed from the bill.
[0020] In an aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for detecting one or more products, the method includes receiving, at a computing device, from a scanner, the detected one or more products, the scanner configured in a frame of the apparatus, the scanner detects the one or more products to be placed in a basket, wherein the frame adapted to hold one or more products in the basket selected by a user in a venue, extracting, at the computing device, a set of attributes of the one or more products, the set of attributes comprise any or a combination of name, price, weight, quantity, discount coupons and promotions of the one or more products, receiving, at the computing device, from an interface, identity attributes of the user for billing of the one or more products, the interface configured in the frame of the apparatus and generating, at the computing device, on receipt of the extracted set of attributes, corresponding bill for the one or more products, wherein, upon payment of the generated cost of the one or more products, a corresponding receipt is transmitted to a user terminal associated with the user.
[0021] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The following drawings form part of the present specification and are included to further illustrate aspects of the present disclosure. The disclosure may be better understood by reference to the drawings in combination with the detailed description of the specific embodiments presented herein.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrate an exemplary representation of a shopping cart, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a high-level flow diagram illustrating working of a shopping cart, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 3 illustrate an exemplary flow diagram for identification of products in a shopping cart, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] FIG. 4 illustrate an exemplary flow diagram of a method for automatically detecting products, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such detail as to clearly communicate the disclosure. If the specification states a component or feature “may”, “can”, “could”, or “might” be included or have a characteristic, that particular component or feature is not required to be included or have the characteristic.
[0028] As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0029] The present disclosure relates, in general, to shopping carts, and more specifically, relates to an apparatus for automatically detecting products and generating bills that eliminate the requirement of standing in a long queue. The present disclosure relates to an apparatus that automatically detects the product and its quantity as soon as the customer drops the product in the cart. Internet of everything (IOT) based system is integrated on the designed carts which may be useful in the mega marts and stores. The cart may also have payment methods integrated in it including all major credit/debit cards, net banking, unified payments interface (UPI) for easy payment. It is a completely hassle-free solution for the vender as well as the customer. The present disclosure can be described in enabling detail in the following examples, which may represent more than one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0030] FIG. 1 illustrate an exemplary representation of a shopping cart, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0031] Referring to FIG. 1, a shopping cart 100 (also referred to as an apparatus 100, herein) that can automatically detect one or more products (also referred to as products, herein) and the quantity of the products in the cart when a customer/user places the product in the cart. The apparatus 100 can include an interface 104 and a scanner 106 configured in frame 102 of the apparatus 100. The products include groceries, footwear, clothing, accessories and any combination thereof. The apparatus 100 enables the customers the ability to purchase anything with minimal human assistance.
[0032] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 100 as presented in the example can be implemented in mega marts, stores, shopping malls and the likes. As can be appreciated, the present disclosure may not be limited to this configuration but may be extended to other configurations. The cart 100, in its physical design, may of be any shape, size different from the present market carts. The cart 100 may have the scanner 106, the interface 104 and a digital screen located at one section facing the customer.
[0033] The frame 102 adapted to hold one or more products in the basket selected by the user in a venue e.g., store. The frame 102 coupled to the basket. The interface 104 and the scanner 106 are mounted on the frame 102 of the apparatus 100, and the operation of purchasing products is based on coordinating a computing device data associated with the store with the weight of any product by means of the use of interface 104, the scanner 106 and a code on each product, scanned by the customer.
[0034] In an embodiment, the interface 104 and the scanner 106 can be operatively coupled to a processor 108. The scanner 106 can be configured to detect the products added one by one onto the cart 100. The processor 108 can receive the detected products added to the basket. The processor 106 can extract a set of attributes of the products, where the set of attributes of products pertains to name, price, weight, quantity and any combination thereof. The processor 108 can receive the set of attributes of products to calculate the cost of each of the products and transmit the cost information of each product detected by the scanner 106 to the computing device associated with the store.
[0035] In an exemplary embodiment, the scanner 106 may be a camera, sensors, and the likes, when a product is added to the cart by the user, the product is scanned and using a learning engine e.g., artificial techniques, product name and weight are extracted and accordingly amount is added in the bill. The processor 108 is operatively coupled to the learning engine, where the learning engine detects the set of attributes of the products by fetching them from a database associated with the computing device.
[0036] The cart 100 can capture the weights of the items dropped in the cart for items like vegetables, pulses, cereals and the like. In an exemplary embodiment, load cell can be used in the cart 100 to determine the weight using which the exact weight of the items can be captured and the pricing can be adjusted accordingly.
[0037] The computing device associated with the store may include the information of all products in the market with all their characteristics that have been previously registered in the computing device. The processor 108 may also extract account taxes, discount coupons and promotions for the products. Upon removal of the product from the cart, the cart deletes the product and associated amounts of the product from the bill. The unique weight and the information for each product may be transmitted from the processor 108 to the computing device associated with the store.
[0038] In an embodiment, processor 108 can receive identity attributes from the user for billing purposes. The user provides identity attributes through interface 104 for billing purposes. The identity attributes pertain to the name of the user, contact number of the user and any combination thereof. The processor 108 can generate, on receipt of the extracted set of attributes, the corresponding bill for the products, wherein, upon payment of the generated cost of the products, a corresponding receipt is transmitted to a user terminal e.g., mobile phone associated with the user.
[0039] The apparatus 100 may include a pay station for easy payment, where the pay station can include multiple modes of payment like credit/debit cards, net banking, unified payments interface (UPI) for easy payment. When the shopping is done, the user may select any one of the modes of payments from interface 104, and the bill containing a list of products along with their weight, unit prices and the total amount may be displayed on the screen that enables the user to pay the bill using any of the associated modes. Further, the receipt of the bill is transmitted to the mobile number associated with the user.
[0040] Once the customer has finalized the purchases and made payment with any associated modes of payment, the customer may get a receipt and only then the customer may be allowed to go outside the market.
[0041] For example, the user picks the products from the shelf and drop them into the cart, the cart may recognize the product using image recognition using artificial intelligence and computer vision. The attributes of the product such as the product name, price, weight may be fetched from the database and the cart may input those details into the bill. The cart creates the bill with the list of products along with their weight, unit price, and total amount. The user may pay the bill using different modes of payment and the receipt of the bill can be sent to the mobile number of the user.
[0042] The embodiments of the present disclosure described above provide several advantages. The one or more of the embodiments provides apparatus 100 that is convenient to consumers. The apparatus 100 saves time and effort as the consumers are not required to wait in the long queues. The apparatus 100 enables the user to make the payment on the cart, and receive digital receipts on the mobile phone associated with the consumer. The present disclosure provides the apparatus 100 that can benefit the store owners, as they are not required to perform manual scanning and checkout.
[0043] FIG. 2 is a high-level flow diagram illustrating working of a shopping cart, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 2, the method 200 includes at block 202, the user holding the cart enters his/her identity attributes through the interface, the identity attributes may include the name of the user, the mobile number associated with the user and any combination thereof.
[0045] At block 204, the user places one or more products into the cart from the shelves, the set of attributes of the one or more products can be determined by the scanner 106 based on image recognition using artificial intelligence and computer vision by fetching information from the database. The set of attributes of the products may include name, price, weight, quantity and any combination thereof.
[0046] At block 206, the computing device, on receipt of the set of attributes of the products, generates a corresponding bill. The bill containing the list of products along with their weight, unit prices and total amount may be displayed on the screen that enables the user to pay the bill using any of the associated payment modes. Further, the receipt of the bill is transmitted to the mobile number associated with the user.
[0047] FIG. 3 illustrate an exemplary flow diagram for identification of products in a shopping cart, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0048] Referring to FIG. 3, the method 300 includes at block 302, the products are taken from the shelves of the stores.
[0049] At block 304, the products are brought near the cart for placing products into the cart. At block 306, the product image is fed to the cart’s sensor to determine if the corresponding products are identified by the sensor/scanner.
[0050] At block 308, upon identification of the product, the products can be placed in the cart. The set of attributes of one or more products can be determined by the scanner based on image recognition using artificial intelligence and computer vision by fetching information from the database. The set of attributes of the products may include name, price, weight, quantity and any combination thereof.
[0051] At block 310, the bill containing the list of products along with their weight, unit prices and the total amount may be displayed on the screen that enables the user to pay the bill using any of the associated payment modes.
[0052] FIG. 4 illustrate an exemplary flow diagram of a method for automatically detecting products, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0053] Referring to FIG. 4, the method 400 can be implemented using a computing device, which can include one or more processors. The method includes at block 402, the computing device can receive from the scanner, the detected one or more products. The scanner configured in the frame of the apparatus, the scanner detects the one or more products to be placed in the basket. The frame adapted to hold one or more products in the basket selected by the user in the venue.
[0054] At block 404, the computing device can extract the set of attributes of the one or more products, the set of attributes comprise any or a combination of name, price, weight, quantity, discount coupons and promotions of the one or more products.
[0055] At block 406, the computing device can receive from the interface, identity attributes of the user for billing of the one or more products, the interface configured in the frame of the apparatus.
[0056] At block 408, the computing device can generate, on receipt of the extracted set of attributes, corresponding bill for the one or more products, wherein, upon payment of the generated cost of the one or more products, a corresponding receipt is transmitted to the user terminal associated with the user.
[0057] The processor 108 that can be in communication with each of a memory, and input/output units. The processor 108 may include a microprocessor or other devices capable of being programmed or configured to perform computations and instruction processing in accordance with the disclosure. In an exemplary embodiment, the processor may be Arduino processor. Such other devices may include microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSP), complex programmable logic device (CPLD), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application-specific assimilated circuits (ASIC), discrete gate logic, and/or other assimilated circuits, hardware or firmware in lieu of or in addition to a microprocessor.
[0058] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the apparatus 100 of the disclosure may be provided using some or all of the mentioned features and components without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described herein, it will be clear that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments only. Numerous modifications, changes, variations, substitutions, and equivalents will be apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the disclosure, as described in the claims.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0059] The present disclosure provides an apparatus that is convenient to consumers.
[0060] The present disclosure provides an apparatus that saves time and effort as the consumers are not required to wait in the long queues.
[0061] The present disclosure provides an apparatus that enabled the user to make the payment on the cart, and receive digital receipts on the mobile phone associated with the consumer.
[0062] The present disclosure provides an apparatus that can benefit the store owners, as they are not required to perform manual scanning and checkout
[0063] The present disclosure provides an apparatus that is user-friendly.

We Claims:1. An apparatus (100) for detecting one or more products, the apparatus comprising:
a frame (102) adapted to hold one or more products in a basket selected by a user in a venue, said basket coupled to the frame (102) of the apparatus;
a scanner (106) configured in the frame of the apparatus, the scanner detects the one or more products to be placed in the basket;
an interface (104) configured in the frame of the apparatus, the interface receives identity attributes from the user; and
a processor (108) operatively coupled to the scanner and the interface, the processor configured to:
receive, from the scanner (106), the detected one or more products;
extract a set of attributes of the one or more products, the set of attributes pertaining to any or a combination of name, price, weight, quantity, discount coupons and promotions of the one or more products;
receive, from the interface (104), the identity attributes of the user for billing of the one or more products; and
generate, on receipt of the extracted set of attributes, corresponding bill for the one or more products, wherein, upon payment of the generated cost of the one or more products, a corresponding receipt is transmitted to a user terminal associated with the user.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the scanner (106) comprises camera, sensors and any combination thereof.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identity attributes comprise the name of the user, the contact number of the user and any combination thereof.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus (100) comprises a pay station for easy payment through different modes of payment, wherein the modes of payment comprise credit/debit cards, net banking, unified payments interface (UPI) and any combination thereof.
5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the user selects any one of the modes of payments from the interface, and the cost for the one or more products displayed on a screen that enables the user to pay the cost using any of the associated modes of payment.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor (108) is operatively coupled to a learning engine, the learning engine is trained to extract the set of attributes of the one or more products from a database.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the learning engine comprises image recognition using artificial intelligence and computer vision.
8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein upon removal of the one or more products from the basket, the associated cost of the product is removed from the bill.
9. A method (400) for detecting one or more products, the method comprising:
receiving (402), at a computing device, from a scanner, the detected one or more products, the scanner configured in a frame of the apparatus, the scanner detects the one or more products to be placed in a basket, wherein the frame adapted to hold one or more products in the basket selected by a user in a venue;
extracting (404), at the computing device, a set of attributes of the one or more products, the set of attributes comprise any or a combination of name, price, weight, quantity, discount coupons and promotions of the one or more products;
receiving (406), at the computing device, from an interface, identity attributes of the user for billing of the one or more products, the interface configured in the frame of the apparatus; and
generating (408), at the computing device, on receipt of the extracted set of attributes, corresponding bill for the one or more products, wherein, upon payment of the generated cost of the one or more products, a corresponding receipt is transmitted to a user terminal associated with the user.