US Patent 7866546 Automated checkout unit and method of use thereof

The present invention is a checkout module for use in a retail checkout lane and methods of using the checkout module. The module needs only a power source and a network source. In another embodiment, the checkout module is designed to be used in a self-checkout mode or an assisted checkout mode and is further designed to be easily rotated to convert the checkout lane into a fully attended lane. The present invention may be used to quickly convert a conventional, attended checkout into an automated checkout, which may use one or more employees to assist with bagging the purchased items.