Sales management apparatus

• US 6,553,348 B1
• Filed: 07/13/1998
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Manabu
• Primary Examiner(s): Millin, Vincent
• Assistant Examiner(s): KANOF, PEDRO R
• Application Number:
  US09/114,157
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/17, 705/18, 705/20, 705/21, 705/7, 705/24, 705/26, 705/28, 703/23, 235/462.47, 235/472.01, 710/67, 708/146
• US Class Current: 705/16
• 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 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/206 comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/02 by keys or other credit registering devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00

Abstract

In a sales management apparatus, control programs necessary for operating in different modes are stored in respective mode keys and any desirable control program is loaded by using a corresponding mode key to realize saving in memory capacity of the apparatus. A sales management apparatus having a memory for writing and reading a control program, a mode key having a memory for storing a control program, means for registering a person in charge according to data provided from the mode key and means for transmitting the control program from the mode key, which can switch a control program to another, e.g., registering, setting, checking or exact calculation program by replacing a mode-key by another.

Claims

1. A sales management apparatus having a memory for storing information to be written and read for a control program, comprising:

means for changing a person in charge of the apparatus by the use of a mode key,

the mode key including a memory for storing a control program and a means for transmitting the control program from the mode key when the mode key is operatively connected to the apparatus, so that said apparatus can operate according to control programs replaceable with another program by replacing in the apparatus the mode key with another mode key with any one of different control programs selected from the group consisting of registration, setting, checking, or exact calculation, whereby the apparatus can operate with a saved capacity of its memory and the mode key, which is operatively connected to the apparatus, keeps the apparatus in running operation.

2. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the control program is cleared off, by pulling out the mode-key from the apparatus so as to completely forbid operation of the control program.

4. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the control program can be transmitted from the mode key to the sales management apparatus by using infrared transmission to reduce contact area of said apparatus with the mode-key used.

5. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the memory disposed in the sales management apparatus is a flash memory.

6. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein the mode key stores solely setting and exact calculating programs requiring higher security which realizes reducing time of transmission and the number of writing operations by reducing the frequency of transmission of control programs from the mode key.

7. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said apparatus has a function for transmitting sales result data to the mode key and the mode key can transfer said sales result data to the another sales management apparatus.

8. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the control program can be transmitted from the mode key to the sales management apparatus by using infrared transmission to reduce contact area of said apparatus with the mode key used.

10. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the memory disposed in the sales management apparatus is a flash memory.

12. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the mode key stores solely setting and exact calculating programs requiring higher security which realizes reducing in time of transmission and the number of writing operations by reducing the frequency of transmission of control programs from the mode key.

16. The sales management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory includes a ROM and a RAM.

3. A sales management apparatus having a memory for storing information to be written and read for a control program, comprising:

means for changing a person in charge of the apparatus by the use of a mode key, a memory in the mode key for storing a control program and a means for transmitting the control program from the mode key, wherein said a control program stored in the mode key is changeable with another program in another mode key.

9. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein the control program can be transmitted from the mode key to the sales management apparatus by using infrared transmission to reduce contact area of said apparatus with the mode-key used.

11. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the memory disposed in the sales management apparatus is a flash memory.

13. A sales management apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the mode key stores solely setting and exact calculating programs requiring higher security which realizes reducing time of transmission and the number of writing operations by reducing the frequency of transmission of control programs from the mode key.

14. A sales memory apparatus with a memory for storing information that can be written and read for a control program comprising:

means in the apparatus for receiving a plurality of different mode keys so that when a specific mode key is received the person in charge of the apparatus is changed,

each one of the plurality of mode keys including a memory which stores a control program distinct from each other mode key, so that when the different ones of the mode keys are operatively connected to the apparatus distinct control programs with distinct functions can be delivered to the apparatus, and

means for transmitting the different control programs with the different functions to the apparatus.

15. The sales management apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the means for receiving is a mode key slot.