Decentralized Self-Service Checkouts
A shopper is identified upon entering a store and a shopping session is initiated for the shopper. Locations of the shopper within the store are tracked using wireless signals of a shopper's device. Items are scanned and/or weighed at distributed devices that report the item details to a server. The server correlates the shopper's current location to the reporting device and updates details for the shopping session. This continues until the shopper is ready to exit the store at which time the shopper can leave the store and have the server process payment for the transaction using a registered account. Alternatively, the shopper visits a payment station and provides cash or card to the station. The station reports the payment details and if cash change is due, the server instructs the station to dispense the correct change to the shopper.
1 . A method, comprising:
establishing a session for a shopper entering a store;
tracking locations of the shopper within the store to distributed devices;
receiving, during the session, item information for items from the distributed devices;
correlating the item information with the shopper based on the locations of the shopper and known locations associated with the distributed devices; and
ending the session responsive to confirmation of a payment for the items.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the establishing further includes detecting a device identifier associated with a device of the shopper entering the store.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein detecting further includes linking the device identifier to a registered account of the shopper with the store.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein tracking further includes triangulating first signals for a wireless transceiver of a device carried by the shopper with second wireless signals of at least two other devices located within the store and identifying the locations.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein triangulating further includes identifying the at least two other devices as wireless beacons of the store.
6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein triangulating further includes identifying the at least two other devices as second wireless transceivers associated with at least two of the distributed devices.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein correlating further includes updating the item information within a mobile application of a mobile device associated with the shopper.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein ending further includes detecting the shopper exiting the store and processing the payment using a registered payment method associated with the shopper.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein ending further includes detecting the shopper at a distributed payment station within the store.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein detecting further includes sending the item information and an amount due to a mobile application of a mobile device operated by the shopper.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein sending further includes receiving payment details from the distributed payment station for the amount due and processing the payment details to complete the payment for the session.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein receiving further includes instructing the distributed payment station to dispense cash change to the shopper based on the payment details being associated with cash received at the distributed payment station and the cash received exceeded the amount due.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein receiving further includes sending an electronic transaction receipt for the item information, the amount due, and the payment to a contact address of the shopper or to the mobile device of the shopper.
14 . A method, comprising:
tracking first wireless signals of a device of a shopper relative to second wireless signals of devices within a store to maintain a current location of the shopper within the store;
determining that item information for an item reported by a first distributed transaction device are to be associated with a basket of items of the shopper based on the current location of the shopper and a first known location associated with the first distributed transaction device; and
obtaining a payment for the basket of items from the shopper at a second distributed transaction device based on the current location of the shopper and a second known location associated with the second distributed transaction device.
15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising:
processing images captured by cameras in the store to confirm the current location of the shopper at the first distributed transaction device and at the second distributed transaction device.
16 . The method of claim 15 further comprising processing the images to ensure the shopper is not in possession of a different item before exiting the store that is unaccounted for in the basket of items.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein tracking further includes triangulating the wireless signals with the second wireless signals and identifying the current location of the shopper at any given point in time while the shopper is in the store.
18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein triangulating further includes identifying the second devices as at least two devices associated with any combination of a wireless beacon, a wireless router, a wireless access point, a wireless extender, and a wireless transceiver of wireless enabled device.
19 . A system, comprising:
a distributed transaction scanner;
a distributed transaction weigh scale;
a distributed payment station;
wireless beacons; and
a server, comprising:
a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium;
the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
detecting a device of a shopper entering a store using at least one of the wireless beacons;
generating a transaction identifier for a transaction with the shopper within the store;
linking the transaction identifier to a device identifier associated with the device of the shopper;
triangulating wireless signals of the device with second wireless signals of the wireless beacons to maintain a current location of the shopper within the store;
adding first item codes associated with first items scanned by the distributed transaction scanner based on the current location of the shopper and a known location of the distributed transaction scanner;
adding second item codes and item weights associated with second items weighed by the distributed transaction weigh scale based on the current location of the shopper and a second known location of the distributed transaction weigh scale; and
processing a payment for the transaction provided by the distributed payment station based on the current location of the shopper and a third known location of the distributed payment station.
20 . The system of claim 19 further comprising:
at least one camera;
wherein the operations further comprise:
processing images received from the at least one camera to verify the current location of the shopper at any point in time while the shopper is in the store; and
further processing the images to identify whether a different item that is not associated with the transaction is in possession of the shopper before the shopper exits the store.