Printing Dynamic Image Content on Receipts

• US 20100153225A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mobivity Incorporated (Mobivity Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mobivity Incorporated (Mobivity Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ferro, Jay, Aguilar, Roberto C., Bolton, Nicholas Matthew, Bennett, Bradley G.
• Application Number:
  US12/714,259
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153225A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/24
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/0053 Forms specially designed for commercial use, e.g. bills, receipts, offer or order sheets, coupons
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1852 involving combining data of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1868 for fitting to an output condition, e.g. paper colour or format
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• 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 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/41 Bandwidth or redundancy reduction by scanning H04N1/17 ; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium for printing a receipt. Receipt data may be generated at a point-of-sale terminal. At least one value adding message including a graphical image may be automatically selected and dynamic content for the value adding message may be automatically generated. A receipt may be printed by a point-of-sale printer, the receipt including the receipt data, the graphical image, and the dynamic content, wherein the dynamic content is printed in a window embedded within the graphic image.

Claims

1. A method for printing a receipt, comprising:

generating receipt data at a point-of-sale terminal

automatically selecting at least one value adding message, the value adding message comprising a graphical image

automatically generating dynamic content for the value adding message

printing a receipt by a point-of-sale printer, the receipt including the receipt data, the graphical image, and the dynamic content, wherein the dynamic content is printed in a window embedded within the graphic image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

automatically selecting at least one value adding message comprises selecting the value adding message based, at least in part, on the receipt data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

automatically generating dynamic content comprises generating dynamic content based, at least in part, on the receipt data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the dynamic content includes a date derived from a transaction date included in the receipt data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein

the dynamic content includes an item description included in the receipt data.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein

the receipt data is generated to document a transaction

the dynamic content includes at least one of a store location, a register number, an employee identifier, and a receipt number associated with the transaction.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein printing the receipt further comprises:

printing one or more horizontal bands containing full-width portions of the graphical image

printing one or more horizontal bands containing dynamic content and one or more partial-width portions of the graphical image.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

retrieving full-width portions of the graphic image from respective image data files stored in a memory within the point-of-sale printer.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein printing a horizontal band containing dynamic content and one or more partial-width portions of the graphical image further comprises:

a) extracting corresponding lines for each partial-width portion of the graphic image and the dynamic content

b) concatenating the extracted corresponding lines to form a complete print line

c) printing the complete print line proximate to a previously printed line

d) repeating a) thru c) for each successive line of the horizontal band.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

actions a) and b) are performed at the point-of-sale terminal and

printing a horizontal band containing dynamic content and one or more partial-width portions of the graphical image further comprises:

retrieving partial-width portions of the graphic image from respective image data files stored in a memory within the point-of-sale terminal.

11. A receipt synthesizer, comprising:

a processor

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions which, when executed, cause the receipt synthesizer to perform actions comprising;

receiving receipt data from a point-of-sale terminal

automatically selecting at least one value adding message, the value adding message comprising a graphical image

automatically generating dynamic content for the value adding message

generating print data to cause a point-of-sale printer to print a receipt, the receipt including the receipt data, the graphical image, and the dynamic content, wherein the dynamic content is printed in a window embedded within the graphic image.

12. The receipt synthesizer of claim 11, wherein

automatically selecting at least one value adding message comprises selecting the value adding message based, at least in part, on the receipt data.

13. The receipt synthesizer of claim 11, wherein

automatically generating dynamic content comprises generating dynamic content based, at least in part, on the receipt data.

14. The receipt synthesizer of claim 13, wherein

the dynamic content includes a date derived from a transaction date included in the receipt data.

15. The receipt synthesizer of claim 13, wherein

the dynamic content includes an item description included in the receipt data.

16. The receipt synthesizer of claim 13, wherein

the receipt data is generated to document a transaction

the dynamic content includes at least one of a store location, a register number, an employee identifier, and a receipt number associated with the transaction.

17. The receipt synthesizer of claim 11, wherein generating print data further comprises:

printing one or more horizontal bands containing full-width portions of the graphical image

printing one or more horizontal bands containing dynamic content and one or more partial-width portions of the graphical image.

18. The receipt synthesizer of claim 17, that actions performed further comprising:

retrieving full-width portions of the graphical image from respective image data files stored in a memory within the point-of-sale printer.

19. The receipt synthesizer of claim 17, wherein generating print data corresponding to a horizontal band containing dynamic content and one or more partial-width portions of the graphical image:

a) extracting corresponding lines for each partial-width portion of the graphical image and the dynamic content

b) concatenating the extracted corresponding lines to form a complete line of print data

c) repeating a) and b) for each successive line of the horizontal band.

20. The receipt synthesizer of claim 19, wherein the actions performed further comprise:

retrieving partial-width portions of the graphic image from respective image data files stored in a memory within the point-of-sale terminal.

21. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed, cause a point-of-sale system to perform actions comprising:

generating receipt data at a point-of-sale terminal

automatically selecting at least one value adding message, the value adding message comprising a graphical image

automatically generating dynamic content for the value adding message

printing a receipt at point-of-sale printer, the receipt including the receipt data, the graphical image, and the dynamic content, wherein the dynamic content is printed in a window embedded within the graphic image.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein

automatically selecting at least one value adding message comprises selecting the value adding message based, at least in part, on the receipt data.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein

automatically generating dynamic content comprises generating dynamic content based, at least in part, on the receipt data.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein

the dynamic content includes a date derived from a transaction date included in the receipt data.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein

the dynamic content includes an item description included in the receipt data.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein

the receipt data is generated to document a transaction

the dynamic content includes at least one of a store location, a register number, an employee identifier, and a receipt number associated with the transaction.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein printing the receipt further comprises:

printing one or more horizontal bands containing full-width portions of the graphical image

printing one or more horizontal bands containing dynamic content and one or more partial-width portions of the graphical image.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, further comprising:

retrieving full-width portions of the graphic image from respective image data files stored in a memory within the point-of-sale printer.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein printing a horizontal band containing dynamic content and one or more partial-width portions of the graphical image further comprises:

a) extracting corresponding lines for each partial-width portion of the graphic image and the dynamic content

b) concatenating the extracted corresponding lines to form a complete print line

c) printing the complete print line proximate to a previously printed line

d) repeating a) thru c) for each successive line of the horizontal band.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 29, wherein

actions a) and b) are performed at the point-of-sale terminal and

printing a horizontal band containing dynamic content and one or more partial-width portions of the graphical image further comprises:

retrieving partial-width portions of the graphic image from respective image data files stored in a memory within the point-of-sale terminal.