Control system

• US 20030061021A1
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Hiroaki, Sakai, Atsushi, Sugimoto, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,330,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 simplified control system provides a uniform interface to a Java-based POS application. A new interface defining a method SetEntry for passing an entry point to a database to a device service object is created in the device service object which loads this interface as a rule. This allows greater freedom designing the device service object and makes it possible to write better service objects. Device service objects for other manufacturers and other types of devices can also be loaded by a shared factory class, and a simpler JavaPOS system can be provided at low cost.

Claims

1. A control system operating on a Java Virtual Machine platform, said control system comprising:

a first object configured to provide a first interface for each of a plurality of device classes to an application program that is able to control devices of the plurality of device classes;

a second object configured to provide to the first object a second interface for each device of the device classes;

a third object configured to provide a third interface for connecting the second object to, or disconnecting the second object from, the first object;

a database for storing information for setting and loading the second object; and

a fourth object configured to provide a fourth interface to the third object for obtaining an entry point to a database record keeping the information on the second object, and for creating the second object for any one of the devices;

wherein the second object is further configured to provide a fifth interface to the fourth object for obtaining the entry point.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the fourth object is configured to instantiate the second object for devices from a plurality of different manufacturers.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein each device is a peripheral device of a host computer.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the first object is a device control object provided for each class of peripheral device, and the second object is a device service object provided for each peripheral device.

5. The control system of claim 3, wherein the application program is a point-of-sale application program.

6. A program configured to run on a Java Virtual Machine, the program functioning as a second object configured to provide, to a first object that provides a first interface for each of a plurality of device classes to an application program that is able to control devices of the plurality of device classes, a second interface for each device, said program comprising:

a command configured to provide a fifth interface for obtaining an entry point to a fourth object,

wherein the fourth object is configured to create the second object for the corresponding device and to provide a fourth interface to a third object for obtaining an entry point to a database record keeping information on the second object, the third object being configured to provide a third interface to the first object for connecting the second object to, and disconnecting the second object from, the first object.

7. The program of claim 6, wherein each device is a peripheral device of a host computer.

8. The program of claim 7, wherein the first object is a device control object provided for each class of peripheral device, and the second object is a device service object provided for each peripheral device.

9. The program of claim 7, wherein the application program is a point-of-sale application program.

10. A program configured to run on a Java Virtual Machine, the program functioning as a fourth object for instantiating a second object configured to provide, to a first object that is configured to provide a first interface for each of a plurality of device classes to an application program that is able to control devices of the plurality of device classes, a second interface for each device, said program comprising:

a command configured to provide a fourth interface to a third object for obtaining an entry point to a database record keeping information on the second object, the third object being configured to provide a third interface to the first object for connecting the second object to, and disconnecting the second object from, the first object; and

a command configured to provide the entry point by means of a fifth interface provided by the second object to the fourth object.

11. The program of claim 10, wherein the fourth object is configured to create the second object for devices from a plurality of different manufacturers.

12. The program of claim 10, wherein each device is a peripheral device of a host computer.

13. The program of claim 12, wherein the first object is a device control object provided for each class of peripheral device, and the second object is a device service object provided for each peripheral device.

14. The program of claim 12, wherein the application program is a point-of-sale application program.