POINT OF SALE NETWORK ROUTER

• US 20110184822A1
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spendgo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Naviit, Inc.
• Inventors: Matkovic, Ivan Antony
• Granted Patent: US 8,548,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for routing data. A device is provided that includes a first data port configured to be coupled to a printer port of a point of sale system, a second data port configured to be coupled to a remote system, an optional third data port configured to be coupled to a printer, and a computing device configured to receive, via the first data port, printer control codes and receipt data from the point of sale system printer port, transmit at least a portion of the receipt data to the remote system, and optionally transmit at least a portion of the printer control codes and receipt data to the printer.

Claims

1. A receipt processing system, comprising:

a first data port configured to be coupled to a point of sale terminal;

a second data port configured to be coupled to a point of sale printer;

a third data port configured to be coupled to a remote system;

a computing device configured to;

receive printer control codes and receipt data from the point of sale terminal via the first data port;

transmit at least a portion of the receipt data to the remote system;

provide the print printer control codes and receipt data to the point of sale printer via the second data port; and

provide handshaking signals from the point of sale printer received via the second data port to the point of sale terminal via the first data port.

2. The receipt processing system of claim 1, further comprising the remote system, wherein the remote system is configured to:

identify printer control codes interleaved with receipt data received from the computing device;

identify field names included in the receipt data;

identify variable data in the receipt data; and

store the identified variable data in corresponding database fields.

3. The receipt processing system of claim 1, further comprising the remote system, wherein the remote system is configured to parse the receipt data using regular expressions.

4. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the remote system is configured to:

receive and store receipt data for purchases made by a first user from a plurality of computing devices; and

generate a user interface for display on a first user terminal, the user interface including summaries of at least a portion of the receipt data for the first user from the plurality of computing devices.

5. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the remote system is configured to:

receive and store receipt data for sales made by a first merchant from a plurality of computing devices; and

generate a user interface for display on a first user terminal, the user interface including summaries of at least a portion of the receipt data for the first merchant from the plurality of computing devices.

6. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to insert auxiliary data in the print data transmitted to the point of sale device printer.

7. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to prevent at least a portion of the receipt data received from the point of sale terminal from being received by the point of sale printer.

8. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the computing device further comprises a user interface configured to receive a first identifier associated with a purchaser.

9. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to receive a first identifier associated with a purchaser from the point of sale terminal, wherein the first identifier is transmitted by the point of sales terminal as part of or in association with the print printer control codes and receipt data.

10. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to receive a first identifier associated with a purchaser from the point of sale system, wherein the first identifier is transmitted by the point of sales system as part of or in association with the print printer control codes and receipt data, wherein the first identifier includes a portion of a purchaser credit card number, a purchaser name, a purchaser phone number, and/or a personal identifier number.

11. The receipt processing system of claim 1,

wherein the computing device further comprises a keypad configured to receive a personal identification number associated with a purchaser, wherein the computing device in configured to transmit the personal identification number (PIN) in association with the receipt data associated with a purchase made by the purchaser to the remote system, and

wherein the remote system is configured to use the PIN to locate an account associated with the purchaser to store the receipt data in association with the account.

12. The receipt processing system of claim 1 wherein:

the computing device is further configured to transmit to the remote system a personal identification number (PIN) in association with the receipt data associated with a purchase made by the purchaser, and

wherein the remote system is configured to use both the PIN and purchaser identification included in the receipt data to locate an account associated with the purchaser to store the receipt data in association with the account.

13. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the computing device further comprises a user interface via which a user can selectively inhibit printing of receipts by the printer without turning off the computing device.

14. The receipt processing system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

identify printer control codes interleaved with receipt data;

identify field names included in the receipt data;

identify variable data in the receipt data; and

filter out at least a portion of the prior control codes prior to sending the receipt data to the remote system.

15. A receipt processing system, comprising:

a first data port configured to be coupled to a printer port point of sale system;

a second data port configured to be coupled to a remote system;

a computing device configured to;

receive, via the first data port, printer control codes and receipt data from the point of sale system printer port; and

transmit at least a portion of the receipt data to the remote system.

16. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to provide the print printer control codes and receipt data to a point of sale printer.

17. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to provide an authentication code received from a point of sale printer to the point of sale system via the first data port.

18. The receipt processing system of claim 16, further comprising the remote system, wherein the remote system is configured to:

identify printer control codes interleaved with receipt data received from the computing device;

identify field names included in the receipt data;

identify variable data in the receipt data; and

store the identified variable data in corresponding database fields.

19. The receipt processing system of claim 16, further comprising the remote system, wherein the remote system is configured to parse the receipt data using regular expressions.

20. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the remote system is configured to:

receive and store receipt data for purchases made by a first user from a plurality of computing devices; and

generate a user interface for display on a first user system, the user interface including summaries of at least a portion of the receipt data for the first user from the plurality of computing devices.

21. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the remote system is configured to:

receive and store receipt data for sales made by a first merchant from a plurality of computing devices; and

generate a user interface for display on a first user system, the user interface including summaries of at least a portion of the receipt data for the first merchant from the plurality of computing devices.

22. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to insert auxiliary data in print data transmitted to a point of sale device printer.

23. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the computing device further comprises a user interface configured to receive a first identifier associated with a purchaser.

24. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to receive a first identifier associated with a purchaser from the point of sale system, wherein the first identifier is transmitted by the point of sales system as part of or in association with the print printer control codes and receipt data.

25. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to receive a first identifier associated with a purchaser from the point of sale system, wherein the first identifier is transmitted by the point of sales system as part of or in association with the print printer control codes and receipt data, wherein the first identifier includes a portion of a purchaser credit card number, a purchaser name, a purchaser phone number, and/or a personal identifier number.

26. The receipt processing system of claim 16,

wherein the computing device further comprises a keypad configured to receive a personal identification number associated with a purchaser, wherein the computing device in configured to transmit the personal identification number (PIN) in association with the receipt data associated with a purchase made by the purchaser to the remote system, and

wherein the remote system is configured to use the PIN to locate an account associated with the purchaser to store the receipt data in association with the account.

27. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein:

the computing device is further configured to transmit to the remote system a personal identification number (PIN) in association with the receipt data associated with a purchase made by the purchaser, and

wherein the remote system is configured to use both the PIN and purchaser identification included in the receipt data to locate an account associated with the purchaser to store the receipt data in association with the account.

28. The receipt processing system of claim 16, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

identify printer control codes interleaved with receipt data;

identify field names included in the receipt data;

identify variable data in the receipt data; and

filter out at least a portion of the prior control codes prior to sending the receipt data to the remote system.

29. A method of routing data, comprising:

receiving via a first data port coupled to a point of sale system printer port;

printer control codes for a printer, and

receipt data corresponding to a purchase for a first user; and

transmitting at least a portion of the receipt data to a receipt management system.

30. The method as defined in claim 29, the method further comprising providing the printer control codes and receipt data to a point of sale printer.

31. The method as defined in claim 29, the method further comprising providing an authentication code received from a point of sale printer to the point of sale system via the first data port.

32. The method as defined in claim 29, the method further comprising inserting auxiliary data in print data received via the first data port and transmitted to a point of sale device printer.

33. The method as defined in claim 29, the method further comprising receiving a first identifier associated with a purchaser from the point of sale system, wherein the first identifier is transmitted by the point of sales system as part of or in association with the print printer control codes and receipt data.

34. The method as defined in claim 29, the method further comprising:

identifying printer control codes interleaved with receipt data;

identifying field names included in the receipt data; and

identifying variable data in the receipt data.

35. A method of upgrading a point of sale system, comprising:

disconnecting a printer from a point of sale system;

connecting the point of sale system to a first port of a print data interception device so that the print data interception will receive printer data, the printer data including and printer control codes and receipt data, transmitted by the point of sale system for use by the printer; and

connecting the printer to a second port of the printer data interception device, wherein the print data interception device is configured to transmit at least a portion of printer data received from the point of sale system for processing and storage on a remote system, wherein at least one user can access at least a portion of the receipt print data electronically via the remote system.

36. The method as defined in claim 35, wherein prior to disconnecting, the printer was connected to a first point of sale system port, and wherein connecting the point of sale system to the first port of the print data interception device further comprises connecting the first port of the print data interception device to the same first point of sale system port that the printer had been connected to.

37. The method as defined in claim 35, the method further comprising connecting a third port of the printer data interception device to a network to enable communication with the remote system.

38. The method as defined in claim 35, the method further comprising connecting a third port of the printer data interception device to a modem to enable communication with the remote system.

39. The method as defined in claim 35, the method further comprising providing access over a network to an interactive interface via which a user can access receipt data received via a plurality of print data interception devices, the interactive interface providing receipt summary information and controls via which the user can define the receipt data to be displayed to the user.

40. The method as defined in claim 35, the method further comprising:

receiving for a purchase made by a purchaser receipt data and printer control codes from the point of sale system at the print data interception device receipt data received from the point of sale system to the remote system;

transmitting via the print data interception device at least a portion of the receipt data received from the point of sale system to the remote system;

receiving an identifier associated with the purchaser; and

transmitting the purchaser identifier in association with the receipt data to the remote system.

41. The method as defined in claim 35, wherein the print data interception device is connected to a point of sale terminal of the point of sale system.

42. A receipt management system, comprising:

a computing device;

instructions stored on non-transitory media, that when executed by the computing device, are configured to;

receive printer information for a receipt corresponding to a purchase made by a purchaser, wherein the printer information includes;

printer control codes;

receipt data, the receipt data including;

receipt variable data, including at least a currency amount;

receipt label data associated with at least a portion of the receipt variable data;

receive an identifier associated with the purchaser;

identify an account associated with the purchaser;

parse the printer information to identify receipt variable data;

store at least a portion of the receipt variable data in a receipt database in association with the account associated with the purchaser; and

provide access over a network to the stored receipt variable data to a user.

43. The system as defined in claim 42, wherein the system is configured to parse the printer information to identify receipt variable data using a regular expression.

44. The system as defined in claim 42, wherein the system is configured to parse the printer information to identify receipt variable data using position information.

45. The system as defined in claim 42, wherein the system is configured to utilize a printer format specific program and/or lookup table to identify printer control codes.

46. The system as defined in claim 42, wherein the system is configured to provide:

an indication as to how many receipts for which information has been received for a user over a first period of time;

in indication as to a total dollar amount for the receipts received over the first period of time; and

an average dollar amount per receipt for the receipts received over the first period of time.

47. The system as defined in claim 42, wherein the system is configured to provide, for a first receipt:

a merchant name at which a corresponding purchase was made;

a merchant category;

a total purchase amount;

a payment type; and

a purchaser identifier.

48. The system as defined in claim 42, wherein the system is configured to provide, for a first receipt, a control via which a user can add a searchable tag.

49. The system as defined in claim 42, wherein the system is configured to provide, for a first receipt, a control via which a user can specify that information included in the first receipt is to be shared with at least one other user.

50. The system as defined in claim 42, wherein the system is configured to provide, for a first receipt, a control via which a user can specify that information included in the first receipt is to be shared with the user'"'"'s employer and/or accountant.

51. A receipt management system, comprising:

a computing device;

instructions stored on non-transitory media, that when executed by the computing device, are configured to;

receive printer information for a receipt corresponding to a purchase made at a seller by a purchaser, wherein the printer information includes;

printer control codes;

receipt data, the receipt data including;

receipt variable data, including at least a currency amount;

receipt label data associated with at least a portion of the receipt variable data;

identify an account associated with the seller;

parse the printer information to identify receipt variable data;

store at least a portion of the receipt variable data in a receipt database in association with the account associated with the seller; and

provide access over a network to the stored receipt variable data to a user.

52. The system as defined in claim 51, wherein the system is configured to parse the printer information to identify receipt variable data using a regular expression.

53. The system as defined in claim 51, wherein the system is configured to parse the printer information to identify receipt variable data using position information.

54. The system as defined in claim 51, wherein the system is configured to utilize a printer format specific program and/or lookup table to identify printer control codes.

55. The system as defined in claim 51, wherein the system is configured to provide:

an indication as to how many receipts for which information has been received for a user over a first period of time;

in indication as to a total dollar amount for the receipts received over the first period of time, and

an average dollar amount per receipt for the receipts received over the first period of time.

56. The system as defined in claim 51, wherein the system is configured to provide a user interface via which a user can search for receipt information by specifying one or more of:

from-to date range;

a transaction identifier;

a transaction amount;

a cashier identifier;

a customer identifier.

57. The system as defined in claim 51, wherein the system is configured to provide, for a first receipt, a control via which a user can add a searchable tag.

58. The system as defined in claim 51, wherein the system is configured to provide, for a first receipt, a control via which a user can specify that information included in the first receipt is to be shared with at least one other user.

59. A method of processing data from a printer port:

receiving printer information transmitted via a printer port for a receipt corresponding to a purchase made at a seller by a purchaser, wherein the printer information includes;

printer control codes;

receipt data, the receipt data including;

receipt variable data, including at least a currency amount;

receipt label data associated with at least a portion of the receipt variable data;

identifying an account associated with the seller and/or identifying an account associated with the purchaser;

parsing the printer information to identify receipt variable data;

storing at least a portion of the receipt variable data in a receipt database in association with the account associated with the seller and/or in association with the account associated with the purchaser; and

providing access over a network to the stored receipt variable data to a user.

60. The method as defined in claim 59, the method further comprising parsing the printer information to identify receipt variable data and/or printer control codes using:

a regular expression;

position information;

a printer format specific program; and

/or

a lookup table.