Description:
BACKGROUND
Field of the invention
[001] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a smart cart and particularly a smart shopping cart that reduces a buying time of customers by automatically scanning products, displays offers and discounts, enables auto payments, and provides automatic packaging.
Description of Related Art
[002] Shopping at supermarkets whether it is for groceries or daily personal belongings is a routine activity nowadays. People invest most of their time not only in shopping but waiting in long queues at billing counters. The billing process at the counter is time-consuming and needs more manpower at the counters. Also, in festive seasons, the billing time increases proportionally with the crowd. Usually, supermarkets and marts employ a facility of providing a shopping trolley to the customers to help them in keeping the selected articles in one place. After dropping off the selected product, the customers generally wait at the cash counter. Also, most of the time, they are not aware of their budget and the offers that are available in the market.
[003] Hypermarkets also employ manpower to keep a check on the billing process and other activities at the mart. Usually, the owner pays salaries to its employees, however, in most cases, the staff sits idle and does not perform their tasks in a timely manner which results in money wastage. Often the staff behaves rudely to the customers which impact customer satisfaction. Thus, the emphasis lies on providing easy access to customers while purchasing articles without any dependence and time wastage.
[004] There is thus a need for an improved and advanced smart shopping cart that can accommodate features like automatic product scanning, flashing current offers and discounts at the selected products, automatic payment, and packing the products in a bag in a more efficient manner.
SUMMARY
[005] Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a smart shopping cart. The cart comprising a shopping bag placed inside the cart, and adapted to receive items dropped by a customer in the cart. The cart further comprising: a code scanner configured to scan a unique code associated with the items dropped inside the cart. The cart further comprising: a display unit attached to a handle of the cart, and configured to display a final bill of the items to be purchased. The cart further comprising: a side chair attached to the cart in a folded configuration. The cart further comprising: a processing unit configured to: receive the scanned unique code of the items placed in the cart from the code scanner; display details and a total cost of the items to be purchased on the display unit; enable the customer to initiate a request of bill generation by pressing a proceed button shown on the display unit; generate the final bill of the purchased items based on the initiated request of the bill generation; enable the customer to make a payment of the generated final bill by using a sensor attached on the handle of the cart; determine a status of the payment made by the customer such that the status is selected from a successful payment or an unsuccessful payment; and actuate a bag sealing unit to close the shopping bag filled with the purchased items when the status of the payment is determined as the successful payment.
[006] Embodiments in accordance with the present invention further provide a method for assisting a customer in shopping by using a smart shopping cart. The method comprising steps of: receiving a scanned unique code of items placed in a shopping bag from a code scanner; displaying details and a total cost of the items to be purchased on a display unit; enabling the customer to initiate a request of bill generation by pressing a proceed button; generating a final bill of the purchased items based on the initiated request of the bill generation; enabling the customer to make a payment of the generated final bill by using a sensor; determining a status of the payment made by the customer such that the status is selected from a successful payment or an unsuccessful payment; and actuating a bag sealing unit to close the shopping bag filled with the purchased items when the status of the payment is determined as the successful payment.
[007] Embodiments of the present invention may provide a number of advantages depending on its particular configuration. First, embodiments of the present application may provide a smart shopping cart that may be designed for reducing a buying time of a customer.
[008] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a smart shopping cart that may be designed for automatically scanning products and displaying a price.
[009] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a smart shopping cart that may be designed for automatic payments as requested by a user.
[0010] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a smart shopping cart that may be designed with replaceable shopping bag for automatic packaging of items inside the cart.
[0011] Next, embodiments of the present application may provide a smart shopping cart that may be designed for decreasing a cost invested in employing manpower at a shopping center.
[0012] These and other advantages will be apparent from the present application of the embodiments described herein.
[0013] The preceding is a simplified summary to provide an understanding of some embodiments of the present invention. This summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the present invention and its various embodiments. The summary presents selected concepts of the embodiments of the present invention in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the present invention are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The above and still further features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates a smart shopping cart, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of components of a processing unit of the smart shopping cart, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of a method for assisting a customer in shopping by using the smart shopping cart, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word "may" is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including but not limited to. To facilitate understanding, like reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate like elements common to the figures. Optional portions of the figures may be illustrated using dashed or dotted lines, unless the context of usage indicates otherwise.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] The following description includes the preferred best mode of one embodiment of the present invention. It will be clear from this description of the invention that the invention is not limited to these illustrated embodiments but that the invention also includes a variety of modifications and embodiments thereto. Therefore, the present description should be seen as illustrative and not limiting. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, it should be understood, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
[0020] In any embodiment described herein, the open-ended terms "comprising", "comprises”, and the like (which are synonymous with "including", "having” and "characterized by") may be replaced by the respective partially closed phrases "consisting essentially of", “consists essentially of", and the like or the respective closed phrases "consisting of", "consists of”, the like.
[0021] As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” designate both the singular and the plural, unless expressly stated to designate the singular only.
[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates a smart shopping cart 100 (hereinafter referred to as the cart 100), according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the cart 100 may be designed for decreasing a cost invested in employing manpower at a shopping center. The cart 100 may also be designed to reduce the cost invested on cameras at the shopping center, in an embodiment of the present invention. Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, the cart 100 may be designed to assist customers in self-service shopping at the shopping center. The shopping center may be, but not limited to, supermarkets, shopping malls, shopping complexes, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the shopping center from where the customer may purchase items.
[0023] The cart 100 may comprise a shopping bag 102, a code scanner 104, a display unit 106, a sensor 108, a side chair 110, a processing unit 112, and a bag sealing unit 114.
[0024] The shopping bag 102 may be placed inside the cart 100, and adapted to receive the items dropped by the customer in the cart 100, in an embodiment of the present invention. The shopping bag 102 may be a replaceable bag that may be designed in any color such as, but not limited to, a black color, a brown color, a blue color, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any color of the shopping bag 102 including known related art and/or later developed technologies. Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, the shopping bag 102 may be made up of a material such as, but not limited to, cotton, nylon, polyester, canvas, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any material of the shopping bag 102 including known related art and/or later developed technologies. In an embodiment of the present invention, the shopping bag 102 may comprise a fastening means (not shown) that may be opened or closed to load and/or unload the items into and/or from the shopping bag 102. In such embodiment of the present invention, the shopping bag 102 may be closed automatically based on an output generated by the processing unit 112. The fastening means may be, but not limited to, a zipper, a press-stud arrangement, and so forth, in an embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the fastening means including known related art and/or later developed technologies.
[0025] The code scanner 104 may be fixedly attached at a front side of the cart 100, in an embodiment of the present invention. In another embodiment of the present invention, the code scanner 104 may be removably attached at the front side of the cart 100. The code scanner 104 may be configured to scan a unique code associated with the items dropped inside the cart 100. The code scanner 104 may be configured to scan the unique code automatically upon placing the items in the shopping bag 102 placed inside the cart 100, in an embodiment of the present invention. The code scanner 104 may be, but not limited to, a Quick Response (QR) code scanner, a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) scanner, a barcode scanner, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the code scanner 104, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0026] In an embodiment of the present invention, the display unit 106 may be fixedly attached to a handle of the cart 100. In another embodiment of the present invention, the display unit 106 may be removably attached to the handle of the cart 100. The display unit 106 may be configured to display a list of items along with details of the items, in an embodiment of the present invention. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the display unit 106 may also be configured to display a total cost of the scanned items. The display unit 106 may be, but not limited to, a touch screen display, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED), and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the display unit 106, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0027] Further, in an embodiment of the present invention, the display unit 106 may be provided with a proceed button that may be pressed by the customer, upon reviewing the list of items displayed on the display unit 106. The proceed button may be pressed by the customer to initiate a request for a final bill, in an embodiment of the present invention. In other words, the pressing of the proceed button may direct the customer to a payment server that may facilitate a payment transaction by a transfer of information between a payment portal and a front-end processor. The payment portal may be, but not limited to, websites, a mobile phone, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the payment portal.
[0028] The proceed button may be of any type such as, but not limited to, a text button, a ghost button, and so forth. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the proceed button, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0029] Further, the sensor 108 may enable the customer to make the payment of the items based on the final bill displayed on the display unit 106, in an embodiment of the present invention. The sensor 108 may be, but not limited to, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor, and so forth, in an embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the sensor 108 for enabling the customer to make the payment, including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0030] The side chair 110 may be removably attached to the cart 100 in a folded configuration, in an embodiment of the present invention. In another embodiment of the present invention, the side chair 110 may be fixedly attached to the cart 100 in the folded configuration. The side chair 110 may be unfolded by the customer to put a baby on the side chair 110 in a sitting position that may help in convenient shopping for the customers who take their baby along. The side chair 110 may be made up of a material such as, but not limited to, metal, plastic, and so forth, in an embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the material of the side chair 110 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0031] Further, the processing unit 112 may include suitable logic, instructions, circuitry, interfaces, and/or codes for executing various operations, such as displaying the output through the display unit 106, processing the payment, and so forth. The processing unit 112 may be, but not limited to, an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) processor, a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computer (CISC) processor, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), and the like. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the processing unit 112 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies. Further, components of the processing unit 112 may be explained in conjunction with FIG. 2.
[0032] The bag sealing unit 114 may be operated to close the shopping bag 102 based on the output generated by the processing unit 112, in an embodiment of the present invention. The bag sealing unit 114 may be, but not limited to, a vacuum sealer, a heat sealer, and so forth, in an embodiment of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to include or otherwise cover any type of the bag sealing unit 114 including known, related art, and/or later developed technologies.
[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the components of the processing unit 112 of the cart 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The components may be, but not limited to, a code receiving module 200, a data processing module 202, a user interface module 204, a bill generation module 206, a payment module 208 and a bag sealing control module 210.
[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the code receiving module 200 may be configured to receive the scanned unique code of the items placed in the shopping bag 102 from the code scanner 104 of the cart 100. The code receiving module 200 may be configured to transmit the scanned unique code to the data processing module 202.
[0035] The data processing module 202 may be configured to process the scanned unique code of the items to retrieve price or discounted price of the items added in the shopping bag 102, in an embodiment of the present invention. The data processing module 202 may be configured to calculate the total cost of the items, in an embodiment of the present invention. The data processing module 202 may be configured to transmit the calculated total cost of the items to the user interface module 204.
[0036] Further, the user interface module 204 may be configured to display the total cost on the display unit 106 of the cart 100, in an embodiment of the present invention. The user interface module 204 may be configured to enable the customer to initiate a request of bill generation, when the customer is satisfied with the total cost of the items to be purchased. The user interface module 204 may be configured to enable the customer to initiate the request of the bill generation by pressing the proceed button, in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0037] In an embodiment of the present invention, the bill generation module 206 may be configured to generate the final bill and transmit the generated final bill to the user interface module 204. The user interface module 204 may be configured to display the final bill on the display unit 106, in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0038] The payment module 208 may be configured to enable the customer to make the payment of the final bill through the sensor 108 installed on the cart 100, in an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, the payment module 208 may be configured to determine if the payment is done successfully or not. In an embodiment of the present invention, the payment module 208 may be configured to generate a bag closing signal if the payment is done successfully. In such embodiment of the present invention, the payment module 208 may be configured to transmit the generated bag closing signal to the bag sealing control module 210. In another embodiment of the present invention, the payment module 208 may be configured to display a message comprising “payment pending” on the display unit 106 if the payment is not done.
[0039] The bag sealing control module 210 may be configured to actuate the bag sealing unit 114 for closing the shopping bag 102 based on the received bag closing signal, in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0040] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of a method 300 for assisting the customer in the shopping by the cart 100, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0041] At step 302, the cart 100 may receive the scanned unique code of the items placed in the shopping bag 102 from the code scanner 104.
[0042] At step 304, the cart 100 may display the total cost of the items to be purchased on the display unit 106.
[0043] At step 306, the cart 100 may enable the customer to initiate the request of the bill generation by pressing the proceed button on the display unit 106.
[0044] At step 308, the cart 100 may generate the final bill of the purchased items based on the initiated request of the bill generation.
[0045] At step 310, the cart 100 may enable the customer to make the payment by using the sensor 108 provided on the cart 100.
[0046] At step 312, the cart 100 may determine whether the payment is done successfully or not. The method 300 may proceed to a step 314, when the payment is done successfully. Otherwise, the method 300 may proceed to a step 316.
[0047] At the step 314, the cart 100 may actuate the bag sealing unit 114 for closing the shopping bag 102.
[0048] At the step 316, the cart 100 may display the message comprising “payment is pending” on the display unit 106 of the cart 100.
[0049] While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and various embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims.
[0050] This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope the invention is defined in the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements within substantial differences from the literal languages of the claims. , Claims:CLAIMS
I/We Claim:
1. A smart shopping cart, the cart (100) comprising:
a shopping bag (102) placed inside the cart (100), and adapted to receive items dropped by a customer in the cart (100);
a code scanner (104) configured to scan a unique code associated with the items dropped inside the cart (100);
a display unit (106) attached to a handle of the cart (100), and configured to display a final bill of the items to be purchased;
a side chair (110) attached to the cart (100) in a folded configuration; and
a processing unit (112) configured to:
receive the scanned unique code of the items placed in the cart (100) from the code scanner (104);
display details and a total cost of the items to be purchased on the display unit (106);
enable the customer to initiate a request of bill generation by pressing a proceed button shown on the display unit (106);
generate the final bill of the purchased items based on the initiated request of the bill generation;
enable the customer to make a payment of the generated final bill by using a sensor (108) attached on the handle of the cart (100);
determine a status of the payment made by the customer such that the status is selected from a successful payment or an unsuccessful payment; and
actuate a bag sealing unit (114) to close the shopping bag (102) filled with the purchased items when the status of the payment is determined as the successful payment.
2. The cart (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit (112) is configured to display a message as payment pending on the display unit (106), when the status of the payment is determined as the unsuccessful payment.
3. The cart (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side chair (110) is unfolded by the customer to put a baby in a sitting position on the side chair (110).
4. The cart (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display unit (106) is also configured to display a price or discounted price of each of the items dropped inside the shopping bag (102).
5. The cart (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the code scanner (104) is attached at a front side of the cart (100).
6. A method of assisting a customer in shopping by using a smart shopping cart (100), wherein the method comprising steps of:
receiving a scanned unique code of items placed in a shopping bag (102) from a code scanner (104);
displaying details and a total cost of the items to be purchased on a display unit (106);
enabling the customer to initiate a request of bill generation by pressing a proceed button;
generating a final bill of the purchased items based on the initiated request of the bill generation;
enabling the customer to make a payment of the generated final bill by using a sensor (108);
determining a status of the payment made by the customer such that the status is selected from a successful payment or an unsuccessful payment; and
actuating a bag sealing unit (114) to close the shopping bag (102) filled with the purchased items when the status of the payment is determined as the successful payment.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a step of displaying a message as payment pending on the display unit (106), when the status of the payment is determined as the unsuccessful payment.
8. The method as claimed of claim 6, further comprising a step of enabling the customer to unfold a side chair (110) to put a baby in a sitting position on the side chair (110).
9. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a step of displaying a price or discounted price of each of the items dropped inside the shopping bag (102) on the display unit (106).
10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the code scanner (104) is attached at a front side of the cart (100).

Date: February 09, 2023
Place: Noida

Nainsi Rastogi
Patent Agent (IN/PA-2372)
Agent for the Applicant