POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEM

• US 20170221035A1
• Filed: 04/20/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Edwards, Troy, Skoog, Lukas, Babu, Amish, Dorogusker, Jesse
• Granted Patent: US 10,089,615 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2210/06 Drawer liners
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 65/461 for cash drawers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/01 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/087 flux-sensitive, e.g. magnetic, detectors G06K7/10336 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• 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 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0018 Constructional details, e.g. of drawer, printing means, input means
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0027 Details of drawer or money-box
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

A point-of-sale system includes a stand that supports a tablet computer. The tablet computer can run a merchant application to provide the typical functionality for a point-of-sale system. The stand can be rotatable to face either the merchant or the customer. The stand can incorporate a card reader. The tablet computer can be connected through a hub to other peripheral components, such as a controllable cash drawer, a printer and/or a bar code reader. The cash drawer can include a slidable drawer having sliding rails that are hidden from a top view of the drawer.

Claims

1. A point of sale device comprising:

a frame;

a touchscreen display secured to the frame;

a chip card reader embedded along a chip card reading portion of the frame, wherein the chip card reader is configured to retrieve transaction information from a chip of a chip card at the chip card reading portion and to send the transaction information to one or more host processors;

a magnetic stripe card reader embedded along a magnetic stripe reading portion of the frame, wherein the magnetic stripe reader is configured to retrieve the transaction information from a magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card at the magnetic stripe card reading portion and to send the transaction information to the one or more host processors;

a wireless Wi-Fi transceiver within the frame, wherein the wireless Wi-Fi transceiver is configured to communicate over a network via a Wi-Fi connection;

the one or more host processors within the frame, the one or more host processors configured to receive the transaction information and to convey the transaction information to an application processor;

the application processor within the frame, the application processor to execute merchant software instructions corresponding to a merchant software application, thereby conducting a transaction between a customer and a merchant by sending the transaction information to a payment processing server over the network, the application processor to also execute operating system instructions corresponding to an operating system, thereby operating the merchant software application;

a printer that is coupled to the application processor;

a power port to receive power; and

power circuitry within the frame, the power circuitry configured to convey the power from the power port to at least the one or more host processors, the application processor, the touchscreen display, and the printer.

2. The point of sale device of claim 1, further comprising a near-field communication (NFC) reader embedded along a NFC reading portion of the frame, wherein the NFC reader is configured to retrieve the transaction information from a NFC device at the NFC reading portion and to send the transaction information to the one or more host processors.

3. The point of sale device of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic stripe card slot within the frame, wherein the magnetic stripe card slot is configured to receive the magnetic stripe card and is the magnetic stripe card reading portion.

4. The point of sale device of claim 1, further comprising a chip card slot within the frame, wherein the chip card slot is configured to receive the chip card and is the chip card reading portion.

5. The point of sale device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless cellular network transceiver within the frame, the wireless cellular network transceiver configured to communicate over the network via a cellular data connection.

6. The point of sale device of claim 1, further comprising an audio port within the frame.

7. The point of sale device of claim 1, wherein the power port is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

8. The point of sale device of claim 1, wherein the printer is coupled to the application processor via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub.

9. The point of sale device of claim 1, further comprising an embedded portion within the frame, wherein the one or more host processors and at least one of the magnetic stripe card reader or the chip card reader are embedded in the embedded portion.

10. The point of sale device of claim 1, wherein the printer is a receipt printer, and wherein the application processor is configured to send receipt data to the printer in response to sending the transaction information to the payment processing server, wherein the printer is configured to print a receipt based on the receipt data.

11. The point of sale device of claim 1, wherein the transaction information is encrypted before the one or more host processors convey the transaction information to the application processor.

12. A point of sale device comprising:

a frame;

a touchscreen display secured to the frame;

a transaction medium reader embedded along a reading portion of the frame, wherein the transaction medium reader is configured to retrieve transaction information from a transaction medium at the reading portion and to send the transaction information to one or more host processors;

a network transceiver within the frame, wherein the network transceiver is configured to communicate over a communication network;

the one or more host processors within the frame, the one or more host processors configured to receive the transaction information from the transaction medium reader and to convey the transaction information to an application processor;

the application processor within the frame, the application processor to execute merchant software instructions corresponding to a merchant software application, thereby conducting a transaction between a customer and a merchant by sending the transaction information to a payment processing server over the communication network;

a printer connector within the frame, the printer connector configured to couple the application processor to a printer;

a power port to receive power; and

power circuitry within the frame, the power circuitry configured to convey the power from the power port to at least the payment medium reader, the one or more host processors, the application processor, and the touchscreen display.

13. The point of sale device of claim 12, wherein the printer is a receipt printer, and wherein the application processor is configured to send receipt data to the printer via the printer connector in response to sending the transaction information to the payment processing server, wherein the printer is configured to print a receipt based on the receipt data.

14. The point of sale device of claim 12, wherein the transaction medium reader is one of a magnetic stripe reader or a chip reader or a NFC object reader, and wherein the transaction medium is one of a magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card or a chip of a chip card or a NFC signal of an NFC object.

15. The point of sale device of claim 12, the application processor to also execute operating system instructions corresponding to an operating system, thereby operating the merchant software application.

16. The point of sale device of claim 12, wherein the transaction information is encrypted before the one or more host processors convey the transaction information to the application processor.

17. A method for point of sale operations, the method comprising:

reading transaction information from a transaction medium using a transaction medium reader of a point of sale device;

sending the transaction information from the transaction medium reader to one or more host processors of the point of sale device;

encrypting the transaction information;

sending the transaction information from the one or more host processors to an application processor of the point of sale device in response to encrypting the transaction information;

detecting, in response to receipt of the transaction information at the application processor, an approval touch-based input via a touchscreen display of the point of sale device while the touchscreen display displays a transaction user interface, wherein the touchscreen display is coupled to the application processor, and wherein the application processor executes instructions that cause the application processor to generate the transaction user interface and receive the approval touch-based input;

sending, in response to receipt of the approval touch-based input at the application processor, the transaction information from the application processor to a payment processing server to conduct a transaction between a customer and a merchant.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

generating receipt data at the application processor in response to sending the transaction information from the application processor to the payment processing server; and

sending the receipt data from the application processor to a printer, thereby causing the printer to print a receipt based on the receipt data.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the transaction information is sent from the application processor to the payment processing server via a Wi-Fi network transceiver of the point of sale device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the transaction medium reader is one of a magnetic stripe reader or a chip reader or a NFC object reader, and wherein the transaction medium is one of a magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card or a chip of a chip card or a NFC signal of an NFC object.