Description

The present invention relates in general to an anti-theft purchase system for combating theft attempts in a physical shop such as a supermarket.

Self-service checkout systems afford many advantages for retail chains such as supermarkets. Queues are decreased because more customers can check out at a time and savings are made in staffing costs. Consequently, self-service checkout systems are very much on the rise. Such a system is partly successful because supermarket customers or visitors are generally honest. The fact that customers are aware that they might be checked certainly contributes greatly to the honest use of the system.

Many retail chains carry out spot checks, on the one hand to see if there is fraudulent behaviour, and therefore if any shoplifting is taking place. On the other hand, this helps to make customers aware that checks are indeed being carried out which obliges the customer to use the system in an honest manner.

However, in practice, it appears that a not insignificant number of customers are unfortunately still not honest and do not check out products at the self- service checkout. This failure to check out one or more products may be intentional or unintentional. Existing self-service checkout systems can be designed so that if, during a check, a first offence of failing to check out products is established, it is flagged in the system as suspicious. Thus, the customer is first given the chance to plead that the failure to check out one or more products happened unintentionally. If subsequently, during another check, it appears that yet another offence has been identified, then this can be flagged as an intentional offence, whereupon the shop can take further action. Typically, customers are then denied entry to the shop by being given a shop ban.

Combating theft is therefore typically a task that is performed by shop staff. Indeed, they will initially determine who is checked, when and how. There is therefore a risk of discrimination. Additionally, performing checks is labour-intensive and thus partially negates the reduction in staffing costs that can be achieved by introducing self-service checkout systems.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved system for combating theft or presumed theft of products in shops. More specifically, the aim of the present invention is therefore to provide an improved system for combating theft or presumed theft of products in shops in which there is self-service in the shops, such as for example in supermarkets, in which the above-mentioned drawbacks of currently known anti-theft checks are at least partially eliminated.

An anti-theft purchase system for combating theft attempts in a physical shop, such as a supermarket, the system comprising a first weighing unit that is incorporated close to the entrance of the shop, a second weighing unit that is incorporated close to the exit of the shop; one or more electronic shelf labels (ESLs), which are designed to communicate with a mobile communication device, such as a smartphone, in order to record the removal of a product from the shelf and wherein the ESL is at least designed to provide the mobile communication device with weight of the products present on the shelf, one or more central computing units for recording and processing a purchase list of a visitor to the shop, and a mobile communication device, such as a smartphone, for communicating with the one or more central computing units and the ESLs, wherein the central computing units are designed to establish a starting weight of the visitor with the first weighing unit, to add products to and remove products from the purchase list of the visitor as the visitor carries out a purchasing operation with the mobile communication device, and wherein the central computing units are further designed to establish an end weight of the visitor with the second weighing unit, and to signal a theft attempt if a difference, which is determined by the difference between a starting weight measured by the first weighing unit and an end weight measured by the second weighing unit, and the sum of all of the weights on the purchase list as provided by the ESLs, exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

The idea underlying the invention is that that it should be possible to establish, as straightforwardly as possible, whether the products that the customer or visitor is carrying with them, or has put in a shopping basket or in a shopping trolley, correspond to the products checked out by this same customer. The inventors had the insight that this may be achieved in a very effective manner by using a pair of weighing units or weight sensors.

The customer walks into the shop and in doing so will, certainly in the case of a supermarket, always enter the shop via a fixed location. This is typically where shopping trolleys and shopping baskets are sited. Additionally, that part of the shop is screened off, so that the customers enter the shop in a controlled manner. This is also typically where a camera system is located, in order to produce video images of every customer. These video images can be used later, if desired, as evidence in an accusation of shoplifting.

Because customers are monitored at the entrance as they enter the shop, this location is ideally suited for the incorporation of a weight sensor, which preferably consists of scales that are incorporated or integrated into the floor. The entrance to the shop is therefore preferably designed in such a way, preferably by means of an entrance gateway, that only one customer can be present in a given part of the entrance at a time. In this way, it is possible to establish a first, starting weight of the customer. This starting weight will be the initial or zero weight in order to establish which products the customer has in their possession when they are leaving the shop, close to the checkout.

A second weight sensor is then incorporated close to the checkout in order to establish the weight of the client again. This end weight is used to determine the difference in weight and thereby to define the total weight of all of the products that the customer has in their possession.

Now, to determine whether theft has taken place, the total weight of the products should correspond to the total weight of all of the products that are on the purchase list of the customer. This purchase list is created in a shop application which is managed by a mobile communication device of the customer. This is for example a mobile telephone or smartphone. This smartphone communicates with one or more central computing units or servers and with electronic shelf labels, or ESLs. This ESL provides information on the product, including the weight of the product together with packaging. The ESL communicates with the smartphone in such a way that the smartphone comprises a purchase list on which the products and product information is displayed, such as that provided by the ESL. In one example, the ESL communicates for that purpose directly with the smartphone by means of, for example, a product identifier (barcode/QR code/etc.) or wirelessly via a personal area network such as Bluetooth LE. In another example, this communication takes place via the server and a public or private data network (WiFi/3G/4G/5G/etc.).

The ESL thus provides, preferably not visibly on the smartphone, a weight for each product removed from the shelf. To that end, a technique may for example be implemented in which detection of a movement of the smartphone towards the ESL can be interpreted as the putting of a product in the shopping basket or trolley and a movement away from the ESL as an action in which the product is put back.

As shopping continues, the list of products on the purchase list will grow and, at a given moment, the customer will make their way towards the exit or checkout. There, the customer will choose self-service checkout in order to start the checkout process. Before that may be, in one example, another gateway system so that the weighing of the customer with the products in their bag, shopping basket, or shopping trolley is carried out in such a way that no other customers can be on the weighing unit. At that moment, an instantaneous weight of the customer with the products in their possession is established. When the checkout proceeds with the checkout process, then, at the beginning of this process, or during or after this process, it can be established whether the sum of the weights of the products on the purchase list to be checked out corresponds to the difference in weight between the initial weight measurement on entering the shop and the instantaneous weight measurement near the checkout. When a difference exceeds a predetermined threshold, then it can be concluded that there is illegal appropriation of one or more products, although these are yet undetermined.

In order to establish and be certain that the person of the first weight measurement, the second weight measurement and the payment are one and the same person, the system comprises, for example, additional means for customer identification. This may, for example, take the form of a digital communication system that is located at the entrance of the shop. The customer can identify themself there. That may, for example, be by placing the smartphone against a reader at the same time as the weight is measured. There may also be a network of wireless personal or local area network, WPAN (for example Bluetooth) or WLAN nodes with which the location of a customer can be determined and, on the basis of for example a MAC address, it can be determined which smartphone is located on the weight sensor at that moment. Identification may also be performed in an application on the smartphone itself. Such identification may also be performed in the same way at the checkout, but in that case there may, in one example, also be identification on the checkout itself.

In another example, the system is also usable if checking out is performed without the use of a checkout, by for example the customer being identifiable, and also having a payment method and preferably payment guarantee, in a smartphone application. When, by means of optical, radio or image analysis, it is established that the customer has definitely left the shop, the application will automatically check out the products on the purchase list. However, if it is determined that the difference between the sum of the weights of the products on the purchase list and the difference between first and second weight measurements is too great, then, in addition to signalling theft, a preset penalty amount can automatically be withheld, blocked or settled via the preset payment method.

In one example, the system is further provided with supplementary anti-theft algorithms. This means that the system is designed to determine relationships between products at high risk of theft. When one or more such products, such as coffee, razors, and the like are added to the purchase list, then it may be determined that the risk of theft is increased. Consequently, the threshold for signalling theft may be lowered. Thus, it may for example be set as standard that only when there is an excess of 250 grams, there is a reasonable likelihood that one or more products have been stolen, but when coffee or other products susceptible to theft are on the purchase list, this threshold drops to 100 grams in order to decrease the risk of missing the detection of theft.

In another example, other characteristics or variables may have an influence on adjusting the threshold. Thus, it may be established that a customer who is present in the shop for a relatively long time, but who has relatively few products on their purchase list, entails a greater risk of theft. Detection of such a scenario may cause the threshold to be lowered. The time between adding products to the purchase list may also have an influence thereon.

In a further example, one or more extra weight sensors are additionally provided which are positioned close to the packaging and/or close to a toilet in order to correct for the effect of weight loss due to visiting the toilet or returning packaging.

The invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of non-limiting examples which are shown in the figures. The figures show:

Figure 1 , one embodiment of an anti-theft purchase system according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows one embodiment of an anti-theft purchase system 100 for combating theft attempts as implemented in a supermarket 110. The system comprises first weighing units 101 close to the entrance 102 of the supermarket 110 and second weighing units 103 close to the exit 104 of the supermarket 110. Each first weighing unit 101 has a weight sensor which is incorporated into an entrance gateway 111 between two access gates 109A, 109B and each second weighing unit 103 has a weight sensor which is incorporated into an exit gateway 112 between two access gates 109A, 109 B. The system 100 further comprises electronic shelf labels (ESL) attached to the shelves 105, which ESLs are designed to provide information on the products 107 on the corresponding shelf, and a central computing unit 108. Both the electronic shelf labels 105 and the central computing unit 108 are designed to communicate wirelessly with a mobile communication device 106 such as a mobile telephone of a customer of the supermarket 110.

The operation of the anti-theft purchase system 100 will be described below. The customer enters the supermarket 110 via entrance 102 with an empty shopping trolley. Of course, the customer may carry a bag or a shopping basket with them instead of a shopping trolley. Upon entering the supermarket, the central computing unit 108 connects to the mobile telephone 106 of the customer. This is possible because the customer has already given permission for a wireless connection to be established, for example because the customer has installed a particular application from the corresponding supermarket 110 on their smartphone. To proceed further into the supermarket 110, the customer is made to pass through one of the entrance gateways 111. Entrance gateway 111 is provided with access gates 109A, 109B and is dimensioned so that only one customer is located in the gateway at a time; it is also possible for multiple people to be in the gateway at a time, for example when there are children sitting in the shopping trolley. The system 100 will then regard that as a single customer.

In the entrance gateway 111 , there is a weight sensor 101 for determining the starting weight of the customer. The starting weight is recorded via the central computing unit 108 and stored for later use. Next, the customer leaves the entrance gateway 111 to do their shopping.

While shopping, the customer takes the desired product 107 from the shelf and adds it both to the physical shopping trolley and to the purchase list on the mobile telephone 106. The product is added to the purchase list by a connection being made between the mobile telephone 106 of the customer and the ESL 105 which is positioned close to the corresponding product 107. This communication is for example established via detection of a movement of the mobile telephone 106 towards the ESL 105. The ESL 105 provides information on the product 107, including the weight. For every product that is added to the purchase list, the weight is logged per customer. This information is also communicated to the central computing unit 108. As shopping continues, the list of products on the purchase list grows and the weight corresponding thereto is logged. When the customer decides not to purchase a product 107 after all, they put the product 107 back on the shelf and delete the product from the purchase list, for example by moving the mobile telephone 106 towards the ESL 105 again. When the customer has finished shopping, they proceed to the exit in order to check out their shopping. Since the customer has maintained their purchase list themself, the customer does not have to check out via the checkout, and they proceed directly to one of the exit gateways 112 in order to start the checkout process.

Like entrance gateway 111 , exit gateway 112 is provided with access gates 109A, 109B and is dimensioned so that only one customer is located in the gateway at a time. In the exit gateway 112, there is a weight sensor 103 for determining the end weight of the customer, including the total weight of the products that are located in the shopping trolley. When proceeding to check out the products 107, the central computing unit 108 compares the sum of the weights of the products on the purchase list with the difference between the starting weight, determined at entrance gateway 111 , and the end weight, determined at exit gateway 112. When these weights correspond, the purchase is approved and it is possible to proceed to pay for the products. When the sum of the weights of the products on the purchase list does not correspond to the difference between the starting weight and the end weight, it can be concluded that the products in the shopping trolley do not correspond to the products on the purchase list on the mobile telephone 106 of the customer. In this case, there has been unintentional or wrongful appropriation of one or more products 107 and theft may have taken place, and further steps may be taken.