Control system

• US 7,330,825 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Issued: 02/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Sugimoto, Toshiyuki, Hayashi, Hiroaki, Sakai, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Laneau; Ronald
• Application Number:
  US10/124,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,127 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16, 705/17, 705/20, 717/108, 717/116, 710/8, 710/10
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 simplified control system provides a uniform interface to a Java-based POS application. A new interface defining a method SetEntry for passing an entry point to a database to a device service object is created in the device service object which loads this interface as a rule. This allows greater freedom designing the device service object and makes it possible to write better service objects. Device service objects for other manufacturers and other types of devices can also be loaded by a shared factory class, and a simpler JavaPOS system can be provided at low cost.

Claims

1. A control system a portion of which is embodied on a computer-readable media and operating on a Java Virtual Machine platform, said control system comprising:

a device control object provides a first interface for each of a plurality of device classes to an application program that controls devices of the plurality of device classes;

a device service object provides to the device control object a second interface for each device of the device classes;

a config/loader object provides a third interface for connecting the device service object to, or disconnecting the device service object from, the device control object;

a database for storing information for setting and loading the device service object; and

a factory class object provides a fourth interface to the config/loader object, to obtain an entry point to a database record keeping the information on the device service object, and to create the device service object for any one of the devices;

wherein the device service object further provides a fifth interface to the factory class object for passing the entry point from the factory class object to the device service object.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the factory class object instantiates the device service object for devices from a plurality of different manufacturers.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein each device is a peripheral device of a host computer.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the device control object is provided for each class of peripheral device, and the device service object is provided for each peripheral device.

5. The control system of claim 3, wherein the application program is a point-of-sale application program.

6. A program embodied on a computer-readable media and runs on a Java Virtual Machine, the program functioning as a device service object provides to a device control object, that provides a first interface for each of a plurality of device classes to an application program, that controls devices of the plurality of device classes, a second interface for each device, said program comprising:

a command provides a fifth interface to a factory class object for passing an entry point from a factory class object to the device service object,

wherein the factory class object creates the device service object for the corresponding device, to provide a fourth interface to a config/loader object, and to obtain an entry point to a database record keeping information on the device service object, the config/loader object provides a third interface to the device control object for connecting the device service object to, and disconnecting the device service object from, the device control object.

7. The program of claim 6, wherein each device is a peripheral device of a host computer.

8. The program of claim 7, wherein the device control object is provided for each class of peripheral device, and the device service object is provided for each peripheral device.

9. The program of claim 7, wherein the application program is a point-of-sale application program.

10. A program embodied on a computer-readable media and runs on a Java Virtual Machine, the program functioning as a factory class object for instantiating a device service object provides to a device control object, that provides a first interface for each of a plurality of device classes to an application program, that controls devices of the plurality of device classes, a second interface for each device, said program comprising:

a command provides a fourth interface to a config/loader object, and to obtain an entry point to a database record keeping information on the device service object, the config/loader object provides a third interface to the device control object for connecting the device service object to, and disconnecting the device service object from, the device control object; and

a command passes the entry point by means of a fifth interface provided by the device service object to the factory class object.

11. The program of claim 10, wherein the factory class object creates the device service object for devices from a plurality of different manufacturers.

12. The program of claim 10, wherein each device is a peripheral device of a host computer.

13. The program of claim 12, wherein the device control object is provided for each class of peripheral device, and the device service object is provided for each peripheral device.

14. The program of claim 12, wherein the application program is a point-of-sale application program.