Produce identification, weight, and checkout verification processing
Produce items are identified in aisle of a store during a self-shopping session of a shopper and the produce items are associated with a shopping cart of the shopper. A weigh terminal permits produce items to be placed on a weigh plate for weighing in any order selected by the shopper. Each produce item is verified, weight recorded, and price noted in the shopping cart. Discrepancies in produce identification are addressed on checkout and payment for the shopping cart. In an embodiment, aging produce items are identified in aisle or at the weigh terminal, and the shopper is provided a discounted price on such produce items; or availability of aging produce items are communicated to the shopper in aisle during produce identification or at the weigh terminal during produce verification.
1 . A method, comprising:
obtaining, from a camera associated with a mobile device, an image of an item placed on a weigh scale;
wherein obtaining comprises:
changing, by a mobile application associated with the mobile device, camera settings for the camera to a particular setting associated with white illumination with fixed exposure and fixed macro focus to optimize a camera operating mode;
performing, by the mobile application, custom color correction to optimize image processing for specific characteristics of the mobile device;
maintaining, by the mobile application, a controlled distance of the camera from the item to enable improved computer vision of the item;
generating, by the mobile application or a transaction manager of a self-service terminal, an image signature for the image based on a color, a texture, and a shape of the item; and
matching the image signature from a plurality of image signatures associated with a plurality of known items to a known item, wherein matching comprises:
searching a produce signature data store that comprises the plurality of image signatures using the image signature for the item;
returning a single produce identifier for the item based on the searching
interacting between the transaction manager and a produce identifier of a retailer server to associate or record a proper weight and a price for the item based on a weight reported by the weigh scale for the item; and
identifying an aging produce item based on the image signature;
providing, via a user interface of the mobile application or the transaction manager, an alert and details regarding a discounted produce item associated with the aging produce item based on the image signature and based on a discounted price for the aging produce item; and
exchanging produce identification data for the item, weight data for the item, and the discounted price for the item between the mobile application and the transaction manager to coordinate data flow among the mobile device, the weigh scale, the self-service terminal, and the retailer server to enable transaction processing for the item.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein matching further comprises:
receiving an item identifier for the item from the transaction manager; and
processing a transaction using a known item identifier for the item, the weight, and other item identifiers for other items associated with the transaction.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving the item identifier comprises correcting the item identifier with the known item identifier when the item identifier is not the known item identifier for the known item.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein correcting comprises sending a known item image for the known item identifier to a display of the weigh scale to present on the display as a correction to the item identifier.