The present invention relates to retail store checkout stands, and more specifically, to checkout stands having an auxiliary structure that allows face to face contact between the cashier and the customer and that also allows vertical adjustment of the structure.
Anyone who has been in a retail store is familiar with the checkout stand; the checkout stand is where one pays for the selected items. Checkout stands, also commonly referred to as checkstands, can be arranged in a broad variety of configurations. The checkout stand may include one belt, two belts, three belts, or merely have a stationary surface, generally supported by a counter or cabinet. A bar code scanner is typically recessed into the counter or cabinet. Also included at the checkout stand are the register, cash drawer, a keyboard, a credit card machine (often referred to as a credit card swipe and pin pad machine), a receipt printer, monitor or display, telephone, and other such accessory equipment. The register, cash drawer, and other equipment is typically positioned on a cabinet often referred to as a cashstand, which is positioned to the left or right of the cashier, at a right angle, as the cashier is looking at the customer.
The goal within the industry has been to arrange the checkout stand in a manner that is convenient for both the customer and the cashier. The layout of the checkout stand and the configuration of the equipment impact both the customer and cashier. Because the checkout stand is a highly visible feature of the retail shopping experience for the customer, providing a well arranged and configured checkout stand is important. The layout of the checkout stand can enhance or deter from the customer""s experience, which can affect whether or not that customer shops at that store again. For example, a cluttered checkout stand, with cables and electrical cords exposed, is messy and uninviting. A checkout stand not well organized is also viewed as messy and as inefficient.
For the cashier, standing at the checkout stand is a daily occurrence, with repetitive motions. When the cash drawer and register are located at a cashstand, the cashier has to twist or rotate 90 degrees from the scanner to the register and back to the customer, losing both eye contact with the customer as well as their view of the cash drawer, which may be inadvertently left open as they again turn to face the customer.
With more and more equipment being added to checkout stands, the space available for positioning the equipment is at a premium. One solution has been to include a podium, console, or other auxiliary structure positioned away from the cashstand, typically positioned between the cashier and the customer in the vicinity of the bar code scanner. In some designs, these consoles are built onto a counter surface; in other designs, the consoles are bolted or otherwise attached to the counter. This console generally supports some of the equipment integral to the checkout process, for example, such as the keyboard, a credit card swipe and pin pad machine, and/or a display monitor. A separately mounted horizontal pad, often called a checkwrite, can be used by the customer for writing checks or for signing credit card receipts. The cash drawer and receipt printer have, to date, remained to the left or right of the cashier at the cashstand.
The arrangement of having the console above the scanning area and above the scanner is generally a superior arrangement. To maximize the ease of the checkout transaction, it is desired to keep the height of the console as low as possible, preferably with near zero clearance between the tip of the scanner and the bottom of the console. However, lowering the height of the console to improve customer-cashier view can hinder the minimum clearance needed above the scanner, for example, for removal of the scanner for maintenance and service.
What is desired is a compact console arrangement that allows access to available equipment, such as the scanner, and provides a configuration that is friendly and convenient to both the customer and cashier. What is also desired is a console arrangement that minimizes cashier fatigue and injury potential due to twisting stresses, that provides cash drawer security, and that speeds the checkout transaction.
The present invention is directed to a console for use with a store checkout stand. The console of the present invention reduces twisting and turning of the cashier by providing the cash drawer in a location between the cashier and the customer. The console also incorporates an elevation system to facilitate raising and lowering the console top, on demand, for example, to gain access to equipment, such as the bar code scanner, positioned below the console top.
The console can be incorporated into any type of checkout stands, such as with conveyor belt systems or with a checkout stand that simply uses a counter. The console can be mounted onto a counter or cabinet, such as on a siderail or sidewall, on a vertical or a horizontal surface.
In one particular aspect, the console comprises a stand support structure and a top support structure, the stand support structure having a leg, a mounting portion fixed to and movable in respect to the leg, and a biasing element connected to the leg and to the mounting portion. The top support structure is attached to the stand support structure and has a first portion, and a second portion, the second portion movably attached to the first portion. The mounting portion of the stand support structure can be a bracket, configured for mounting to a vertical surface such as a counter sidewall. Alternately, the bracket can be configured for mounting to a horizontal surface, such as a floor. The biasing element can be a spring, such as a coil or coiled spring. The first portion can have a top fixedly attached thereto, and the second portion, which is movable in respect to the first portion, is fixedly attached to a surface, such as a vertical counter sidewall. The first portion of the top support structure can have at least one slot therein, and the second portion has an element for engaging the slot. In most embodiments, the first portion will have a slot at each end. In an alternate embodiment, the second portion can have at least one slot therein, and the first portion has an element for engaging the slot.
In another particular aspect, the leg, which, by means of a saddle, attaches to the first portion of the top support structure. It has been found that the weight of the console plus the cash drawer, its contents, and any other equipment, create considerable torque among the top support structure and the stand support structure. The saddle is constructed to transfer force from the console top to the leg and mounting portion.
Preferably, the console is mounted between the cashier and the customer, above or in close proximity to the bar code scanner. In a preferred embodiment, the console includes a volume for receiving a cash drawer. By positioning the cash drawer in a location in front of the cashier when the cashier is facing the customer, twisting and turning of the cashier is minimized, and the drawer is placed in front of the cashier, rather than at a side location where security can be an issue. Further, by positioning the cash drawer in front of the cashier, the efficiency of the checkout transaction is increased.
Other console constructions, checkout stands incorporating the console, and methods of raising and lowering the top of a console, are disclosed.