Multi-peripheral host device

• US 10,304,043 B1
• Filed: 05/21/2014
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Anthony, Skoog, Lukas, Binder, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Uber, Nathan C
• Application Number:
  US14/284,218
• Time in Patent Office: 1,833 Days
• Field of Search: 705 17
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3223 Realising banking transactions through M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/533 Bases, cases made for use in extreme conditions, e.g. high temperature, radiation, vibration, corrosive environment, pressure H01R13/52 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20127 Natural convection

Abstract

Approaches provide for a point-of-sale system that includes, for example, a stand that supports a computing device. The computing device can run software configured to provide functionality for a point-of-sale system. The computing device can be connected to peripheral components, such as a cash drawer, a receipt printer, etc. through a hub or other device configured to host at least one of a plurality of peripheral ports and/or operate as a single client to the computing device.

Claims

1. A point-of-sale system, comprising:

a transaction medium reader coupled to a portable computing device host that is prohibited from acting as a host to multiple peripheral devices, the transaction medium reader configured to read transaction data from a transaction medium and to send the transaction data to the portable computing device host to facilitate a financial transaction between a customer and a merchant using a merchant application of the portable computing device host, wherein the merchant application of the portable computing device host is configured to communicate with a first electronic peripheral device via a hub during the financial transaction between the customer and the merchant; and

the hub, wherein the hub includes;

a first Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, wherein the first USB connector is configured to provide power and data to the portable computing device host at least during a first time period in which the merchant is using the merchant application, wherein the first USB connector provides the data to the portable computing device host via a USB communication protocol,

a second connector that is configured to receive power from a power source, the power used at the hub and provided via the first USB connector to the portable computing device host,

a plurality of USB client peripheral ports, each USB client peripheral port coupled to one of a plurality of electronic peripheral devices that includes the first electronic peripheral device,

a network interface that receives configuration information over a network from a remote server,

a host processor that is electrically coupled to each of the plurality of USB client peripheral ports, wherein the host processor operates as a USB host to each of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices and interacts with each of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices independently from the portable computing device host, wherein the host processor also formats one or more communications according to an acceptable format to operate as a single USB client peripheral to the portable computing device host via the first USB connector and according to the USB communication protocol, wherein software run by the host processor is updated as a background process using the configuration information to enable support for at least one of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices, and

an enclosure surrounding at least the hub.

2. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, further comprising:

a network transceiver configured to communicate with a second hub that is remote from the hub, wherein the hub is configured to operate the first electronic peripheral device during the financial transaction between the customer and the merchant and in response to communicating with the second hub.

3. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein the software run by the host processor that is updated using the configuration information is a firmware.

4. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein the first electronic peripheral device is one of a cash drawer, a receipt printer, or a bar code scanner.

5. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, further comprising a cradle to support the portable computing device host, wherein the hub is remote from the cradle.

6. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein the transaction medium is a magnetic stripe of a transaction card.

7. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein the transaction medium is a chip of a transaction card.

8. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein the transaction medium is a wireless signal.

9. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein at least the first electronic peripheral device of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices corresponds to an Application Programming Interface (API) through which the merchant application of the portable computing device host is configured to cause a function to occur at the first electronic peripheral device.

10. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein the hub is configured to receive peripheral data from the first electronic peripheral device of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices via a first USB client peripheral port of the plurality of USB client peripheral ports, wherein the hub is configured to process the peripheral data into a peripheral signal, and wherein the hub is configured to transmit the peripheral signal to the portable computing device host.

11. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein the hub includes:

a multiplexer configured to connect the hub to a plurality of portable computing devices including the portable computing device host, wherein the hub is configured to permit access to the first electronic peripheral device of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices to each of the plurality of portable computing devices.

12. The point-of-sale system of claim 1, wherein the host processor is associated with a unique identifier, and wherein the hub authorizes the portable computing device host to communicate with the host processor via the hub in response to the portable computing device host identifying the unique identifier.

13. A method for point-of-sale operations, the method comprising:

receiving power from a power source via a power source connector of a hub;

providing the power from the power source to a portable computing device host via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device connector of the hub, wherein the portable computing device host includes a merchant application and is prohibited from acting as a host to multiple peripheral devices;

reading transaction data from a transaction medium via a transaction medium reader coupled to the portable computing device host;

sending the transaction data to the portable computing device host, the merchant application of the portable computing device host to facilitate a financial transaction between a customer and a merchant based on the transaction data;

receiving configuration information at a network interface of the hub over a network and from a remote server;

updating software stored at the hub as a background process using the configuration information to enable support for at least one of a plurality of electronic peripheral devices;

operating a microcontroller of the hub as a USB host to each of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices via a plurality of USB client peripheral ports of the hub and interacting with each of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices independently from the portable computing device host, wherein the plurality of USB client peripheral ports includes a first USB client peripheral port that is configured to couple to a first electronic peripheral device of the plurality of electronic peripheral devices; and

conveying a communication between the first electronic peripheral device and the portable computing device host via the hub during the financial transaction between the customer and the merchant, wherein the microcontroller of the hub formats one or more communications according to an acceptable format to operate as a single USB client peripheral to the portable computing device host while conveying the communication.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving secondary transaction data at the hub from a second hub remote to the hub; and

conveying a secondary communication between the first electronic peripheral device and the portable computing device host via the hub during the financial transaction between the customer and the merchant.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first electronic peripheral device is at least one of a cash drawer, a receipt printer, or a bar code scanner.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising supporting the portable computing device host via a cradle, wherein the hub is remote from the cradle.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the first electronic peripheral device corresponds to an Application Programming Interface (API) through which the merchant application of the portable computing device host is configured to cause a function to occur at the first electronic peripheral device in response to conveyance of the communication between the first electronic peripheral device and the portable computing device host.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving peripheral data from the first electronic peripheral device via the first USB client peripheral port of the hub;

processing the peripheral data into a peripheral signal; and

transmitting the peripheral signal to the portable computing device host via the device connector.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the hub includes a multiplexer configured to connect the hub to a plurality of portable computing devices including the portable computing device host, further comprising:

permitting access to the first electronic peripheral device to each of the plurality of portable computing devices.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the microcontroller of the hub is associated with a unique identifier, and wherein the hub authorizes the portable computing device host to communicate with the microcontroller via the hub in response to the portable computing device host identifying the unique identifier.