Fiscal data recorder with protection circuit and tamper-proof seal

• US 7,523,320 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hodder, Leonard B., Gugg, William
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, HONG CHONG
• Application Number:
  US10/420,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20040255141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,191 Days
• Field of Search: 235/2, 235/7.R, 235/382, 705/19, 705/16, 705/31, 705/64, 713/200, 713/194, 713/193, 713/189, 713/300, 340/687, 711/163, 711/103, 714/718
• US Class Current: 713/194
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/207 Tax processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/123 Tax preparation or submission
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/082 Features insuring the integrity of the data on or in the card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

A fiscal data recorder for storing transaction related data in a point of sale system is provided with a processing unit receiving the transaction related data. Memory in communication with the processing unit is operable to store the transaction related data. A protection circuit acting between the processing unit and the memory inhibits the electronic tampering with the transaction data stored in the memory.

Claims

1. A fiscal data recorder for storing transaction related data, comprising:

a processing unit receiving transaction related data;

memory communicating with said processing unit for storing said transaction related data; and

a protection circuit acting between said processing unit and said memory, said protection circuit inhibiting electronic tampering with said memory, said processing unit commencing initialization by writing an identification pattern to the protection circuit and checking for a response; and

wherein said protection circuit includes a store to hold data to be written to said memory and a comparator to determine whether a block in said memory to which the held data is to be written is blank, data in said store being passed to said memory only when said memory block is blank thereby preventing data stored in said memory from being overwritten; and

wherein said protection circuit inhibits said memory from being written with blank value.

2. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 1, wherein said store includes a data latch receiving said data and an address latch using the address of a memory location in said block, said comparator receiving the address from said address latch and determining whether said memory location is blank.

3. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 1, wherein said data and address latches are locked when said comparator determines that said memory location is blank to inhibit said data and said address from being altered prior to storing said data in said memory.

4. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 3, additionally comprising:

a voltage switch coupled to a power supply and said memory and operable to open or close a circuit to provide or deny power to said memory,

wherein said memory is programmable only when provided programming power, and said comparator controls said voltage switch to provide programming power to said memory when said data is to be stored therein.

5. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 1, further comprising:

a firmware program resident in a non-volatile read-only memory module coupled to said processing unit,

wherein said processing unit is operable to relay instructions from said firmware program to said protection circuit to effect storage of transaction related data in said memory.

6. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 1, wherein said protection circuit is comprised of a complex programmable logic device.

7. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 1, further comprising:

an electronic journal module coupled to said processing unit for recording transaction related data, said electronic journal module providing access to said recorded data to a third party for purposes of record-keeping.

8. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 7, wherein said electronic journal module is removable from said fiscal data recorder.

9. A fiscal data recorder for storing transaction related data, comprising:

a main circuit board;

a processing unit mounted on said main circuit board for receiving transaction related data;

memory coupled to said main circuit board for storing transaction related data;

a protection circuit for controlling access to said memory and inhibiting data stored in said memory from being overwritten, said processing unit commencing initialization by writing an identification pattern to the protection circuit and checking for a response; and

a tamper-proof seal inhibiting physical access to said memory and said protection circuit; and

wherein said protection circuit includes a store to hold data to be written to said memory and a comparator to determine whether a block in said memory to which the held data is to be written is blank, data in said store being passed to said memory only when said memory block is blank thereby preventing data stored in said memory from being overwritten; and

wherein said protection circuit inhibits said memory from being written with a blank value.

10. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 9, wherein said tamper-proof seal also inhibits physical access to said main circuit board and said processing unit.

11. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 10, wherein said memory is one-time programmable.

12. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 11, wherein said tamper-proof seal is broken to detach said memory from said main circuit board when said memory is populated and to enable an unpopulated replacement memory to be mounted on said main circuit board.

13. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 9, wherein said protection circuit receives transaction related data from said processing unit and selectively writes said data to said memory.

14. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 13, wherein said processing unit additionally provides a memory address at which said data is to be stored, and wherein said protection circuit writes said data in said memory at said memory address if said memory address is empty.

15. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 14, further comprising:

a power switch controlled by said protection circuit to selectively supply programming power said memory when said data is to be written to said memory.

16. A fiscal data recorder according to claim 15, wherein said protection circuit selectively directs said power switch to terminate the supply of programming power to said memory after said data has been written to said memory.