POS hardware abstraction

• US 20090037940A1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ng, Andrew Yue Hang, La Blanc, Sylvester M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,225,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/327
• 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 framework for point of sale system is discussed. The framework includes an application program stored on a tangible computer medium. When executed by a computing device, the application is capable of communicating using a first protocol. The framework further includes a first point of sale hardware device externally located from the computing device and configured to communicate with the computing device using a second protocol and a device abstraction layer capable of communicating with the application program using the first protocol and the first point of sale hardware device using the second protocol to pass information between the application program and the first point of sale hardware device.

Claims

1. A framework for point of sale system, comprising:

an application program stored on a tangible computer medium, which, when executed by a computing device, is capable of communicating using a first protocol;

a first point of sale hardware device externally located from the computing device and configured to communicate with the computing device using a second protocol; and

a device abstraction layer capable of communicating with the application program using the first protocol and the first point of sale hardware device using the second protocol to pass information between the application program and the first point of sale hardware device.

2. The framework of claim 1, and further comprising:

a direct control object positioned between the device abstraction layer and the first point of sale hardware device and configured to directly communicate with the first point of sale hardware device.

3. The framework of claim 2, wherein the control object is configured to detect the first point of sale hardware device.

4. The framework of claim 1, and further comprising:

a second point of sale hardware device; and

wherein the second point of sale hardware device is in communication with the device abstraction layer using the first protocol.

5. The framework of claim 4, wherein the device abstraction layer includes a registry of recognized point of sale devices.

6. The framework of claim 5 and further comprising:

a common control object positioned between the device abstraction layer and the second point of sale hardware device, wherein the common control object is configured to detect the second point of sale hardware device by accessing the registry.

7. The framework of claim 1, and further comprising:

a second point of sale hardware device; and

wherein the second point of sale hardware device is in communication with the device abstraction layer using a third protocol.

8. The framework of claim 1, and further comprising:

a second point of sale hardware device; and

wherein the second point of sale hardware device is in communication with the device abstraction layer using the first protocol.

9. The framework of claim 1, and further comprising:

a second point of sale hardware device; and

wherein the second point of sale hardware device is in communication with the device abstraction layer using the second protocol.

10. A device abstraction layer configured to communicate with at least one point of sale hardware device and an application program executed on a computing device, comprising:

a first interface exposing an IControlObject to communicate with the application program; and

a second interface configured to communicate with a first point of sale hardware device.

11. The device abstraction layer of claim 10, wherein the second interface is configured to communicate with a second point of sale hardware device.

12. The device abstraction layer of claim 11, and further comprising:

a control object positioned between the second interface and the first point of sale device.

13. The device abstraction layer of claim 12, wherein the second interface is configured to expose a DeviceExplorer helper class to the control object.

14. The device abstraction layer of claim 13, wherein the control object is configured to access the DeviceExplorer helper class to detect the first point of sale device.

15. The device abstraction layer of claim 12, wherein the control object is configured to directly detect the first point of sale device.

16. A method of establishing communication between a computing device having an application program executing thereon and a first remote point of sale hardware device, comprising:

providing a device abstraction layer between the application program and the point of sale hardware device;

using the device abstraction layer to detect the point of sale hardware device; and

establishing communication between the device abstraction layer and each of the application program and the first point of sale hardware device.

17. The method of claim 16 and further comprising:

establishing communication between the device abstraction layer and a second point of sale hardware device, wherein the communication with the second point of sale hardware device employs a different protocol than the communication with the first point of sale hardware device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein establishing communication includes employing a first protocol between the device abstraction layer and the application program and a second protocol between the device abstraction layer and the first point of sale hardware device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein establishing communication between the device abstraction layer and the first point of sale hardware device comprises:

providing communication to a control object configured to communicate with the first point of sale hardware device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein using the device abstraction layer to detect the point of sale hardware device includes providing access to a registry of stored devices to the control object.