Remote system to configure management center of point of sale terminals

• US 7,051,091 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2000
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: VeriFone Israel Limited (Verifone Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Lipman Electronic Engineering Ltd. (Verifone Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Glazer, Arie, Cohen, Yitzhak
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, HARESH N
• Application Number:
  US09/710,171
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/229, 709217-222, 709223-226, 709201-205, 709/244, 717174-178, 705/26, 705/10, 705/14, 705/64, 345/744, 345/746, 707100-1041, 707/501, 707/513, 713200-201, 713/235
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization

Abstract

A configuration builder useful in configuring software-containing hardware units which are serviced by a center which services a multiplicity of similar units having a plurality of different configurations, the configuration builder including:

• • functionality enabling configuration of at least one software-containing hardware unit by a configurer; and
  • functionality operative automatically in response to configuration of the at least one software-containing hardware unit for correspondingly configuring the center, thereby to enable the center to interface with the at least one software-containing hardware unit.
    Methodologies and point of sale systems employing the configuration building functionality are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium, to configure selected point-of-sale terminals and a management center controlling said selected point-of-sale (POS) terminals as well as non-selected point of sale (POS) terminals, the method comprising:

employing a configuration builder to create first and second linked files;

utilizing said first file by an application generator to create an application, wherein said application is not used for the non-selected point-of-sale terminals;

supplying said second file by the configuration builder to said management center;

utilizing said second file by a parameter structure generator to define a parameter structure which is adapted to said application and linked thereto;

supplying said application to said management center;

operating said management center, to select said application for said selected point-of-sale terminals and to associate said parameter structure with said selected point of sale terminals;

employing said parameter structure for setting parameter values suitable to both said selected application and said selected point-of-sale terminals;

automatically employing said parameter structure by said management center to configure an operator interface in said management center; and

supplying said application and said parameter values to said selected point of sale terminals,

wherein said management center automatically reflects changes made by a software programmer in said selected application using said configuration builder in said parameter structure stored in at least one database.

2. The method to configure selected point-of-sale terminals and a management center according to claim 1 and wherein said management center automatically configures at least one database in said management center according to said parameter structure.