Printer, POS system, wireless communication control method, and data storage medium

• US 20020159090A1
• Filed: 04/08/2002
• Published: 10/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kimura, Tamotsu, Hoshina, Masaki, Nobutani, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 7,123,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• 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: G07G 1/0009 Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00

Abstract

A printer having a physical connection port and a wireless communication module for sending and receiving data by wireless communication, a received data processor controlling the received data, and a printing mechanism for running a printing process is provided, as is a POS system having such a printer, a wireless communication control method, and a computer readable medium carrying a program for implementing the method. A virtual port emulator on a host system receives display output requests from a POS application running on the host, finds data for a wired connection port on a printer of a stand-alone system linked to the virtual port for the display data, and sends the display data with the connection port data through a physical port on the host to a printer of the host system. Data received by the host printer is then allocated by a first received data processor and sent by wireless communication through a wireless communication device of the host to the stand-alone system printer. The wirelessly transmitted data received through a wireless communication device of the stand-alone system is then distributed by a second received data processor to a display of the stand-alone system through a wired connection port. That display then displays the received information, that is, the display data from the POS application.

Claims

1. A POS system, comprising:

a first POS terminal including

a host controller for performing a function of at least one POS application program;

an input/output unit;

a first printer connected to the host controller through the input/output unit and controlled by the host controller, the first printer having a first wireless communication unit, and a first printing mechanism; and

a second POS terminal including a second printer in wireless communication with the first wireless communication unit, such that the second POS terminal including the second printer is controlled by the first POS terminal.

2. A POS system as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless communication distance between the first POS terminal and the second POS terminal is approximately ten meters or less.

3. A POS system as recited in claim 1, wherein the host controller comprises a virtual port emulator for finding connection data for a virtual port wirelessly connected to a controlled device operated by a control request from the at least one POS application program based on predefined connection data for the controlled device, and generating transmission data based on the connection data found for the virtual port and a control request from the at least one POS application program.

4. A printer, comprising:

a first input/output unit connected to a host device;

a wireless communication unit;

a printing mechanism for printing data; and

a received data processing unit for processing data received through the first input/output unit and through the wireless communication unit, wherein the received data includes destination information, the received data processing unit including

a data allocation control unit for allocating received data, in accordance with the destination information, to an externally-located wireless communication device through the wireless communication unit, or to the printing mechanism.

5. A printer as recited in claim 4, further comprising a second input/output unit physically connected to an external device other than the host device;

wherein the data allocation control unit is adapted to output the received data through the second input/output unit to the external device when the destination information of the received data identifies the second input/output unit as the destination.

6. A printer, comprising:

at least one input/output unit, each input/output unit being physically connected to a corresponding external device;

a wireless communication unit;

a printing mechanism for printing data; and

a received data processing unit for processing data received through the at least one input/output unit and through the wireless communication unit, wherein the received data includes destination information, the received data processing unit including

a data allocation control unit for allocating received data, in accordance with the destination information included in the received data, through each input/output unit to the corresponding external device, through the wireless communication unit to an externally-located wireless communication device, or to the printing mechanism.

7. A printer as recited in claim 6, wherein at least one external device comprises either a display device or an input device.

8. A printer as recited in claim 7, wherein

the display device is supported by a pillar;

the wireless communication unit includes an antenna, the wiring for which passes inside the pillar; and

the antenna is disposed on top of the display device or on the pillar.

9. A printer as recited in claim 8, wherein the received data processing unit obtains communication status information for the wireless communication unit and displays the communication status information on the display device through the corresponding input/output unit which is physically connected to the display device.

10. An interface board, comprising:

host interface connected to a host PC by a physical connection;

a wireless communication module;

a wireless communication interface for sending data through the wireless communication module to an externally-located wireless communication device;

an installed printer board;

a printer interface for sending print data to the installed printer board; and

an allocation unit for allocating data received from the host PC to the host interface, to the wireless communication interface, or to the printer interface based on destination data associated with the received data.

11. A POS system, comprising:

a main printer including a main interface board having

a host interface connected to a host PC by a physical connection,

a main wireless communication interface for sending data through a main wireless communication module to a secondary wireless communication module,

a main printer interface for sending print data to a main printer board installed in the main printer, and

a main allocation unit for allocating data received from the host PC to the host interface, to the main wireless communication interface, or to the main printer interface, based on destination data associated with the received data; and

a secondary printer including a secondary interface board having

a secondary wireless communication interface for receiving data from the main wireless communication module through the secondary wireless communication module,

a secondary printer interface for sending print data to a secondary printer board installed in the secondary printer, and

a secondary allocation unit for sending data received from the main wireless communication module to the secondary printer interface when the destination data of the received data indicates the secondary printer interface as the destination.

12. A POS system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a plurality of secondary printers and corresponding secondary interface boards.

15. A wireless communication control method as recited in claim 14, wherein the first destination is a printer physically connected to the input device and the second destination is a component of a host system in wireless communication with the input device and the printer.

16. A wireless communication control method as recited in claim 14, wherein the second destination is one of a display device for displaying information, a wireless communication module, a printing mechanism, or a host controller.

17. A wireless communication control method as recited in claim 16, wherein the second destination is a display device and one or both of the determining steps comprise:

(1) obtaining communication status information for a wireless communication module physically connected to the display device through a wired connection port; and

(2) generating transmission data for presenting the obtained communication status information for the wireless communication module on the display device.

18. A wireless communication control method as recited in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

(d) searching predefined connection data for one of multiple second destination devices for connection data for a virtual port wirelessly connecting the input device controlled by request from the POS application program; and

(e) generating transmission data based on the connection data found for the virtual port and a control request from the POS application program.

20. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the first destination is a printer physically connected to the input device and the second destination is a component of a host system in wireless communication with the input device and the printer.

21. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19, wherein the second destination is one of a display device for displaying information, a wireless communication module, a printing mechanism, or a host controller.

22. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 21, wherein the second destination is a display device and one or both of the determining instructions comprise:

(1) instructions for obtaining communication status information for a wireless communication module physically connected to the display device through a wired connection port; and

(2) instructions for generating transmission data for presenting the obtained communication status information for the wireless communication module on the display device.

23. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 19, further comprising:

(d) instructions for searching predefined connection data for one of multiple second destination devices for connection data for a virtual port wirelessly connecting the input device controlled by request from the POS application program; and

(e) instructions for generating transmission data based on the connection data found for the virtual port and a control request from the POS application program.

13. A POS system, comprising:

a master POS terminal including a host controller for executing one or more POS application programs and a master printer to be controlled by and physically connected to the host controller by way of a first input/output unit, the master printer having a master wireless communication unit, a master printing unit, and a master data switch unit; and

a slave POS terminal including a slave printer having a slave wireless communication unit and a slave printing unit;

wherein the master printer and the slave printer are adapted to allow control of the slave printer by the host controller through wireless communication via the master printer, and wherein the master data switch unit is adapted to direct data received from the host controller to the master wireless communication unit or to the master printing unit in response to the destination data attached to the received data.

14. A wireless communication control method for controlling a printer, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving transmission data from an input device, via wireless communication, in response to a request from a POS application program running on a host controller;

(b) determining a first destination to send the transmission data based on predefined connection data in the transmission data;

(c) sending the transmission data to the first destination, as determined in determining step (b), via wireless communication;

(d) determining a second destination to send the transmission data based on the predefined connection data in the transmission data; and

(e) sending the transmission data to the second destination, as determined in determining step (d).

19. A computer-readable medium embodying a computer program for executing a wireless communication control method for controlling a printer, the computer program comprising:

(a) instructions for receiving transmission data from an input device, via wireless communication, in response to a request from a POS application program running on a host controller;

(b) instructions for determining a first destination to send the transmission data based on predefined connection data in the transmission data;

(c) instructions for sending the transmission data to the first destination, as determined in (b), via wireless communication;

(d) instructions for determining a second destination to send the transmission data based on the predefined connection data in the transmission data; and

(e) instructions for sending the transmission data to the second destination, as determined in (d).