Electronic cash register system

• US 5,864,824 A
• Filed: 08/04/1997
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iguchi, Kesayoshi, Ishibashi, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Tkacs, Stephen R.
• Application Number:
  US08/905,538
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 395/287, 395/293, 395/294, 395/295, 395/296, 395/201, 395/215, 395/216, 395/221, 395/224, 395/225, 705/1, 705/15, 705/16, 705/21, 705/211, 705/25, 340/825.5, 340/825.51, 370/431, 370/437, 370/438, 370/439, 370/440, 370/462
• US Class Current: 705/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• 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 plurality of registers having dual functions of entering commodity orders and performing cash tendering are installed at a commodity order position sequentially along a route to a commodity presentation position. A display control unit makes a display sequence of the contents of orders sent from the registers coincide with a sequence in which commodities are presented at the commodity presentation position. A display unit for displaying the content of each order in accordance with the output signal of the display control unit is installed at the commodity presentation position.

Claims

1. An electronic cash register system comprising:

a plurality of register means installed at a commodity ordering place sequentially along a route to a commodity presentation place, each for performing both entering commodity orders and performing cash tendering;

display control means for making a display sequence of contents of orders sent from said plurality of register means coincide with a sequence in which commodities are presented at said commodity presentation place; and

display means installed at said commodity presentation place for displaying the content of each order in accordance with an output signal of said display control means;

wherein said display control means controls transmission rights of said plurality of register means individually and makes said display means display the contents of orders sent from said plurality of register means according to the sequence in which said plurality of register means are granted the transmission right.

2. An electronic cash register system according to claim 1, wherein each of said register means includes means for granting the transmission right to other register means and means for preventing the transmission right from being granted to other register means.

3. An electronic cash register system according to claim 2, wherein said means for granting the transmission right to other register means is a tandem key included in each of said register means, and said means for preventing the transmission right from being granted to other register means is a serve key included in each of said register means.

4. An electronic cash register system according to claim 2, wherein said preventing means prevents the transmission right from being granted to other register means after the register means presently having the transmission right has completed transmission of all of its current contents of orders to the display control means.

5. An electronic cash register system according to claim 1, wherein said display control means controls said transmission rights by transmitting a WAIT signal denying a transmission right to one of said plurality of register means and a GO signal granting a transmission right to one of said plurality of register means.