Apparatus for the automated return of a good and method for operating the apparatus
An apparatus for the return of a good has a reading unit for capturing details concerning the good; an input unit for inputting information representative of the good; a display unit for displaying the details and/or the information; at least one locker that is unlockable and lockable; a checking unit that checks whether the good is in the locker; and a control unit that is electrically coupled to the reading unit, the input unit, the display unit, the locker, and the checking unit. The control unit uses the proof and the input information to check whether the good can be returned, uses the display unit to display information about the good and information concerning the return of the good, unlocks the locker to receive the good and locks the locker after the good has been received, uses the checking unit to check whether the good is in the locker.
1 . An apparatus for the automated return of a good having:
a barcode scanner for capturing a proof containing first details, encoded in a barcode, concerning the good, to check whether the good can be returned;
a keyboard and/or a touch screen for inputting information representative of the good and a reason for the return to check whether the good can be returned;
a display for displaying the proof containing the first details and the inputted information;
at least one locker, which can be automatically unlocked to receive the good if the good can be returned and automatically locked after the good has been received;
an internal camera and a weighing scale that are arranged and designed such that the internal camera and the weighing scale can be used to check whether or not the good is in the locker and approve the return if the good is in the locker, and to prevent the return if the good is not in the locker, and wherein the internal camera is configured to capture an image of an interior of the locker and transmit the image for inspection to an employee remote from the apparatus; and
an output unit configured to print a receipt which is provided to a customer and is representative of the fact that the return is approved and configured to print second details on the receipt in one of a one-dimensional and two-dimensional barcode that is invisible to the naked eye.
2 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first details are representative of when and where the good was purchased.
3 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first details are representative of the customer who wishes to return the good.
4 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 the display is configured to display various selection options.
5 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 the locker further comprises:
an electrically controllable locking device that is configured to allow or deny access to the locker.
6 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
an external camera for recording at least one of the customer who wishes to return the good, the placement of the good in the locker, and the input of the information by the customer.
7 . The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 further comprising:
a housing in which the barcode scanner, the keyboard and/or touch screen, the display, the locker, the internal camera, the weighing scale, and the external camera are arranged.
8 . A method for operating an apparatus for the automated return of a good comprising:
scanning with a barcode scanner an encoded barcode to capture a proof containing first details concerning a good, to check whether the good can be returned;
receiving with a keyboard and/or a touch screen inputted information representative of the good and a reason for the return;
displaying with a display the proof containing the first details and the inputted information representative of the reason for the return and an instruction to place the good in a locker which can be automatically unlocked to receive the good if the good can be returned and automatically locked after the good has been received;
unlocking the locker with an electrically controllable locking device;
checking with an internal camera configured to capture an image of an interior of the locker and transmit the image for inspection to an employee remote from the apparatus and a weighing scale in the locker to determine whether the good is in the locker;
one of approve the return and prevent the return on a basis of the whether or not the good is in the locker; and
printing, with an output unit of the apparatus, a receipt which is provided to a customer and is representative of the fact that the return is approved and configured to print second details on the receipt in one of a one-dimensional and two-dimensional barcode that is invisible to the naked eye.
9 . The method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the first details includes multiple goods and said displaying further comprises:
displaying, with the display, the first details and prompting a customer by the display to use the keyboard and/or the touch screen to select the good among the multiple goods to be returned.
10 . The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein said checking further comprises:
recording an image of an interior of the locker with the internal camera;
checking whether the good is visible in the image with an image processing program of the apparatus; and
using the weighing scale to measure a weight of the good in the interior and checking whether the weight of the good in the interior corresponds to the weight of the good to which the detail relates.
11 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display is further defined as an LCD display or an OLED display.
12 . The method of claim 8 further comprising:
sending a notification to an employee remote from the apparatus that price of the good is above a predefined price threshold and displaying with the display the return of the good is not authorized.
13 . The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:
transmitting the image of the interior of the locker for inspection to an employee remote from the apparatus.