Automatic interoperation with legacy POS service and control objects

• US 20070050751A1
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Belvin, Timothy, Jensen, Craig, Bykov, Sergey, Husmann, Harlan, Harrison, Janine
• Application Number:
  US11/217,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050751A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/105
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications

Abstract

Automatic interoperation functionality for legacy POS service and control objects is provided. In response to a request for creating an instance for a control object that implements an interface for the POS device, a legacy interoperability subsystem determines a unique identifier associated with the control object. The legacy interoperability subsystem dynamically generates an in-memory proxy class, based on the unique identifier. Thereby, the legacy subsystem enables the POS service application and the POS device to communicate with each other without having to instantiate one or more proxy classes for each instance of the legacy control object.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for interoperation between a managed application and a Point-Of-Sale/Service (POS) device, comprising:

receiving a request for creating an instance of an object that implements an interface for the POS device;

determining an identifier associated with the object; and

dynamically generating programming instructions based on the identifier, wherein the programming instructions are arranged to enable the managed application and the POS device to access each other.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing a POS for .NET library configured to provide properties, methods, and events associated with the POS device, wherein the POS device is a legacy device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the programming instructions comprises providing the managed application with one or more properties, methods and events associated with the POS device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the POS device includes at least one of:

a bump bar;

a cash changer;

a cash drawer;

a credit authorization terminal;

a coin dispenser;

a fiscal printer;

a hard total;

a keylock;

a bar code scanner;

a tone indicator;

a motion detector;

a line display;

a magnetic ink character recognition reader;

a magnetic stripe reader;

a PIN pad;

a point card;

a POS keyboard;

a POS printer;

a remote order display;

a scale;

a signature capture; and

a check image scanner.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the programming instructions are an in-memory legacy proxy class.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is a Control Object (CO) that is arranged to act as a device independent interface between the managed application and the POS device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the CO is associated with a Service Object (SO) that is arranged to act as a device dependent interface between the CO and the POS device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the identifier includes generating a legacy proxy class that is arranged to wrap an event sink interface of the CO.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically generated programming instructions are arranged to provide calls from the POS device to one or more event handlers of a legacy proxy class associated with the POS device, so that the legacy proxy class translates and provides the calls to the managed application.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a unique identifier associated with the object.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer instructions for automated interoperation between a managed application and a legacy POS device, the instructions comprising:

receiving a request for creating an instance for a control object that implements an interface for the legacy POS device;

generating a legacy proxy class configured to translate and provide calls from the legacy POS device to the managed application;

retrieving a guid of an even sink interface of the control object; and

dynamically generating an in-memory legacy proxy class configured to provide calls from the legacy POS device to one or more event handlers of the legacy proxy class.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include receiving properties, methods, and events associated with the device from a POS for .NET library.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the control object provides a device independent interface between the managed application and the legacy POS device, and the control object is associated with a Service Object (SO) that is arranged to act as a device dependent interface between the control object and the legacy POS device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the managed application is a .NET based application and the legacy SO for a POS device is an OPOS SO.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further include retrieving the guid of the even sink interface from a connection point of an instance of the control object.

16. A system for integration of a POS device to a .NET-based POS application, comprising:

a public application programming interface (API) configured to determine when the POS device is a legacy device, generate a first set of programming instructions associated with the legacy POS device, and request a second set of programming instructions associated with the POS device, wherein the public API includes a library POS for .NET library configured to provide properties, methods and events associated with the device;

the POS application configured to interact with a device manager application associated with the POS device through the POS for .NET library and receive the properties, methods, and events associated with the device; and

a legacy interoperability subsystem configured to dynamically generate the second set of programming instructions, so that a first set and a second set of interfaces associated with the POS device are enabled to communicate with the POS application.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising an internal enumerator of installed service objects configured to request dynamic generation of the second set of programming instructions from the legacy interoperability subsystem in response to the request from the public API.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the first set of programming instructions is a legacy proxy class configured to wrap an event sink interface of each of the first set of interfaces and translate and provide calls from the POS device to the POS application, and wherein the second set of programming instructions is an in-memory legacy proxy class configured to provide calls from the POS device to one or more event handlers of the legacy proxy class.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the first set of interfaces are Control Objects (COs) associated with one or more POS devices, and the second set of interfaces are corresponding Service Objects (SOs).

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising a reflection module within a .NET framework configured to emit the first set of programming instructions.