Receipt printing and issuing system, an added-value printing processing method and a data storage medium using the same

• US 7,188,154 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 03/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Minowa, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhatia; Ajay M
• Application Number:
  US09/812,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20010032266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,178 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/219, 705/16, 705/14, 705/5, 705/18, 705/20, 705/21, 705/22, 705/26, 705/27, 705/28, 705/29
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/42 for ticket printing or like apparatus , e.g. apparatus for dispensing of printed paper tickets or payment cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

In a terminal system having a printing function for printing additional information about special events, introductions, or advertising to sales receipts issued by a convenience store or kiosk when a purchase is made, or to queuing number tickets issued to customers waiting in a bank, customers can select information of personal interest from a list of advertising information so that the selected information is printed to the receipt or ticket issued by the system. A functional terminal of a POS system having an input device, printer, display, and controller for use in various applications comprises a display for presenting plural advertising information entries, a means for selecting desired entries from the displayed list, and a means for printing the selected information to a receipt issued by the terminal device. Information wanted by the customer can thus be selectively printed with the sales transaction information normally printed to the receipt that is handed to the customer.

Claims

1. A receipt printing and issuing system for a payment transaction, the system having input devices for an operator, a printing device, a display device for the operator, and a storage device, the system comprising:

a memory control device for receiving and storing one or more advertisements or other additional information to be printed on a receipt paper, wherein the additional information is information other than the transaction information;

a display/input device for interacting with a customer;

a control device for generating a list of items of the additional information to be displayed on the display/input device according to a predetermined condition;

a selection control device for receiving one or more items selected through the display/input device,

wherein in the event selection input waiting time elapses, and there is no selection by the customer, the selection control device selects the additional information from a list of items of the additional information; and

a print data generating device for generating print data to be printed on the receipt paper by merging original receipt information according to the payment transaction and the additional information designated by the one or more selected item in the list and sending the merged information to the printing device.

2. A receipt printing and issuing system as described in claim 1, wherein the memory control device receives and stores said additional information input over a network.

3. A receipt printing and issuing system as described in claim 1, wherein the selection control device selects at least one item of additional information.

4. A receipt printing and issuing system as described in claim 3, wherein the selection control device automatically reads specific additional information according to a specific rule when a specific time has elapsed.

5. A receipt printing and issuing system as described in claim 4, wherein the display control device selectively changes the specific condition for generating a list of additional information presented on the display device.

6. A receipt printing and issuing system as described in claim 3, wherein the print data generating device generates print data by reducing plural item of additional information read by the selection control device to a specific ratio when plural items of additional information are selected.

7. A receipt printing and issuing system as described in claim 1, wherein the receipt printing and issuing system is a purchase transaction processing system further comprising:

an accounting information control device for registering a product purchase by a customer and outputting accounting information;

said print data generating device generating print data by combining accounting information output by the accounting information control device with the additional information read by the selection control device for printing as a receipt.

8. A receipt printing and issuing system as described in claim 1, wherein the receipt printing and issuing system is a customer ticket issuing system further comprising:

a queuing number control device for managing queuing numbers and outputting said queuing number as print data;

said print data generating device generating and sending to the printing device print data by combining print data output by the queuing number control device with the additional information read by the selection control device.

19. The receipt printing and issuing system according to claim 1, wherein said control device for generating the list of items of information generates the list of the information satisfying a particular condition related to a customer demographic.

9. An additional information printing method using a receipt printing and issuing system having an input device, printing device, display device, and storage device for storing advertising or other additional information, and printing said additional information in addition to information for a primary purpose including a payment transaction, said printing method comprising:

(a) displaying a list of printable additional information to a customer including one or more advertisements, wherein the additional information is information other than the transaction information;

(b) receiving input from the customer selecting additional information including the one or more advertisements included in said displayed list,

wherein in the event selection input waiting time elapses, and there is no selection by the customer, a selection control device selects the additional information from a list of items of the additional information;

(c) reading the additional information specified by said input;

(d) generating print data to be printed on receipt paper by merging original receipt information according to the payment transaction and the read additional information designated by the one or more selected items in the list; and

(e) sending the generated print data to the printing device.

10. An additional information printing method as described in claim 9, further comprising:

(f) extracting additional information satisfying a particular condition from the stored additional information, and generating the additional information list displayed in step (a).

11. An additional information printing method as described in claim 10, wherein the particular condition in step (f) is selectively changeable.

12. An additional information printing method as described in claim 9, further comprising:

(g) updating the stored additional information with additional information input by way of a network.

13. An additional information printing method as described in claim 12, wherein step (b) includes selecting at least one item of additional information.

14. An additional information printing method as described in claim 9, wherein step (c) includes automatically reading specific additional information according to a specific rule when selection input is not received even after a specific time passes.

15. An additional information printing method as described in claim 14, wherein step (d) includes generating print data by reducing plural selected items of additional information to a specific ratio when plural items of additional information are selected.

16. An additional information printing method as described in claim 9, further comprising:

(h) registering a product purchase by a customer and outputting accounting information;

wherein step (d) includes generating print data by combining said accounting information with the selected additional information, and sending the print data to the printing device for printing as a receipt.

17. An additional information printing method as described in claim 9, further comprising:

(i) managing queuing number output and outputting a queuing number as print data;

wherein step (d) includes generating and sending to the printing device print data by combining said queuing number with the selected additional information.

18. A computer-readable data storage medium having computer program code embodied therein for implementing an additional information printing method as described in claim 9.

20. The additional information printing method according to claim 9, wherein displaying a list of printable additional information to a customer includes displaying a list of items of information to a customer that satisfies a particular condition related to a customer demographic.