July 30, 2026, 8:49 a.m.
Transaction Media Networks (hereinafter “TMN”) has obtained a patent for sales information management technology that controls checkout routes in semi-self-service POS systems based on the risk associated with each product.
By utilizing this technology, the company aims to prevent the unauthorized removal of high-value items or items at risk of resale without payment, as well as fraudulent or erroneous transactions at semi-self-service POS systems, thereby promoting safe and secure self-service operations and labor-saving initiatives in retail stores.
In the retail industry, the adoption of semi-self-service POS systems (where store staff register items at the POS terminal and customers then proceed to a separate checkout terminal to pay) is gaining momentum as a means to address chronic labor shortages and reduce checkout wait times. According to a survey by the National Supermarket Association, approximately 80% of companies have adopted this system.
Because semi-self-service POS systems rely on customers to complete the checkout process themselves, stores face the challenge of verifying whether the transaction was completed correctly after items are scanned. This risk is particularly high for high-value items and products prone to resale, where there is a significant risk of items being taken without payment or of fraudulent transactions. Consequently, there is a growing need for new security measures to accompany the expansion of self-service systems.
Against this backdrop, TMN has developed and obtained a patent for a system that automatically controls payment methods and locations to ensure transactions—including those involving high-risk items—are processed correctly.
By controlling checkout routes based on the risk level of the items, this technology helps balance customer convenience with safe store operations. High-value items, items prone to resale, and items with a high risk of fraud are pre-configured in the system as “high-risk items.” The system automatically determines whether a customer’s purchase includes any of these items.
Furthermore, if high-risk items are included, the system directs the customer to a checkout POS “located in a position easily visible to store staff” rather than a standard checkout POS. Alternatively, it controls the checkout flow to switch the POS used for item registration to a checkout-ready state, allowing the transaction to be completed on the spot.
If member information and other details can be verified, the system allows transactions involving high-risk items to be processed at a standard checkout POS.
This technology also includes a mechanism to verify “customer identity” at both the time of item registration and at checkout. By managing the correspondence between the customer who registered the items and the customer actually completing the transaction, the system prevents erroneous checkouts—such as accidentally processing a different transaction—as well as intentional fraudulent transactions.
To protect privacy, this technology temporarily uses biometric data to verify the customer’s identity at the time of product registration and at checkout. When membership information is presented for a transaction involving high-risk items, the system links and manages the membership information with the biometric data until the checkout process is complete. After checkout is complete, the biometric data is deleted.
The benefits for each “Precious” include reduced losses for retailers resulting from the theft of high-risk items without payment or fraudulent transactions. For store staff, system-driven responses tailored to product risk enable efficient operations with minimal psychological strain, even with limited personnel.For consumers, this creates a shopping environment that offers peace of mind through enhanced store-wide security, while maintaining the convenience of traditional shopping for regular items.
TMN believes that the core technology—”control that raises the management level according to product risk”—can be effectively applied not only to semi-self-service POS systems but also to fully self-service POS, staffed POS, and return processing scenarios.
