Method for more efficiently managing complex payloads in a point of sale system

• US 7,889,384 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2004
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Holdings Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Armentrout, Gerald H., Do, Phuc K., Maximilien, E. Michael, Hargett, Bobby R. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F. Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Obeid; Fahd A
• Application Number:
  US10/860,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20050273391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,448 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16
• US Class Current: 358/1.9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

A method for managing complex payload using on a point of sale (POS) printer is described. The complex payload includes a plurality of commands. The method includes organizing at least a portion of the commands into a single entity. The single entity corresponds to more than one command, though need not contain all of the commands. The method also includes providing a payload identifier corresponding to the single entity. The payload identifier indicates a correspondence between the commands for the single entity and the single entity.

Claims

1. A method for managing complex payload on a point of sale (POS) printer, the complex payload including a plurality of commands from a Unified POS application running on a host, the method comprising:

converting on the host the plurality of commands of the complex payload from a Unified POS format to a native POS format used by the POS printer, wherein each of the plurality of the commands is usable as an individual command by the POS printer;

using at least one native POS printer driver on the host to organize at least a portion of the plurality of commands in the native POS format into a single entity, the at least the portion of the plurality of commands containing more than one of the plurality of commands;

using the at least one native POS printer driver on the host to provide a payload identifier corresponding to the single entity, the payload identifier indicating a correspondence between the at least the portion of the plurality of commands and the single entity;

sending the single entity from the at least one native POS printer driver to the POS printer, wherein the POS printer is not a Unified POS printer, wherein a plurality of operations are performed at the POS printer corresponding to the at least the portion of the plurality of commands; and

using the at least one native POS printer driver to track the at least the portion of the plurality of commands by only tracking the single entity instead of individually tracking the commands of the at least the portion of plurality of commands, wherein the tracking the single entity includes

determining whether the single entity has reached and been processed by the POS printer, as assisted by an indication from the POS printer to the at least one native POS printer driver on the host that the single entity has been received and processed, and

determining that an error has occurred for the single entity by determining whether one or more errors have occurred for any of the plurality of commands in the single entity at the POS printer, as assisted by an indication from the POS printer to the at least one native POS printer driver on the host that the single entity has the error,

wherein in response to determining the error has occurred for the single entity, resending the single entity to the POS printer without locating one or more individual commands in the at least the portion of the plurality of commands that have the one or more errors.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the payload identifier is provided to the POS printer immediately before or after the single entity is provided to the POS printer, wherein the payload identifier is a logical delimiter marking a start of a first command of the at least the portion of the plurality of commands or marking an end of a last command of the at least the portion of the plurality of commands.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the payload identifier further includes an identification for the single entity.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

deleting the single entity after the performing of the plurality of operations corresponding to the at least the portion of the plurality of commands, the deleting performed without locating each of the commands in the at least the portion of the plurality of commands.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

organizing at least a second portion of the plurality of commands into a second single entity, the at least the second portion of the plurality of commands containing more than one remaining command of the plurality of commands;

providing a second payload identifier corresponding to the second single entity, the payload identifier indicating a correspondence between the at least the second portion of the plurality of commands and the second single entity; and

sending the second single entity from the at least one native POS printer driver to the POS printer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the payload identifier includes a printer command to be simply echoed by the POS printer.

7. A computer-readable medium storing a program for managing complex payload on a point of sale (POS) printer, the complex payload including a plurality of commands from a Unified POS application running on a host, the program including instructions for:

converting on the host the plurality of commands of the complex payload from a Unified POS format to a native POS format used by the POS printer, wherein each of the plurality of the commands is usable as an individual command by the POS printer;

using at least one native POS printer driver on the host to organize at least a portion of the plurality of commands in the native POS format into a single entity, the at least the portion of the plurality of commands containing more than one of the plurality of commands;

using the at least one native POS printer driver on the host to provide a payload identifier corresponding to the single entity, the payload identifier indicating a correspondence between the at least the portion of the plurality of commands and the single entity;

sending the single entity from the at least one native POS printer driver to the POS printer, wherein the POS printer is not a Unified POS printer, wherein a plurality of operations are performed at the POS printer corresponding to the at least the portion of the plurality of commands; and

using the at least one native POS printer driver to track the at least the portion of the plurality of commands by only tracking the single entity instead of individually tracking the commands of the at least the portion of plurality of commands, wherein the tracking the single entity includes

determining whether the single entity has reached and been processed by the POS printer, as assisted by an indication from the POS printer to the at least one native POS printer driver on the host that the single entity has been received and processed, and

determining that an error has occurred for the single entity by determining whether one or more errors have occurred for any of the plurality of commands in the single entity at the POS printer, as assisted by an indication from the POS printer to the at least one native POS printer driver on the host that the single entity has the error,

wherein in response to determining the errors has occurred for the single entity, resending the single entity to the POS printer without locating one or more individual commands in the at least the portion of the plurality of commands that have the one or more errors.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the payload identifier is provided to the POS printer immediately before or after the single entity is provided to the POS printer, wherein the payload identifier is a logical delimiter marking a start of a first command of the at least the portion of the plurality of commands or marking an end of a last command of the at least the portion of the plurality of commands.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the instructions further are for deleting the single entity after the performing of the plurality of operations corresponding to the at least the portion of the plurality of commands, the deleting performed without locating each of the commands in the at least the portion of the plurality of commands.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the instructions further are for:

organizing at least a second portion of the plurality of commands into a second single entity, the at least the second portion of the plurality of commands containing more than one remaining command of the plurality of commands;

providing a second payload identifier corresponding to the second single entity, the payload identifier indicating a correspondence between the at least the second portion of the plurality of commands and the second single entity; and

sending the second single entity from the at least one native POS printer driver to the POS printer.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 7 wherein the payload identifier includes a printer command to be simply echoed by the POS printer.

12. A system for managing complex payload for a printer, the complex payload including a plurality of commands from a Unified POS application running on a host, the system comprising:

at least one printer driver subsystem communicating with a standard host application and providing the plurality of commands;

a POS printer including firmware; and

at least one native POS printer driver provided on the host, the at least one native printer driver;

converting on the host the plurality of commands of the complex payload from a Unified POS format to a native POS format used by the POS printer, wherein each of the plurality of the commands is usable as an individual command by the POS printer;

organizing at least a portion of the plurality of commands in the native POS format into a single entity, the at least the portion of the plurality of commands containing more than one of the plurality of commands,

providing a payload identifier corresponding to the single entity, the payload identifier indicating a correspondence between the at least the portion of the plurality of commands and the single entity, and wherein the firmware of the POS printer is capable of recognizing the payload identifier as indicating the single entity,

sending the single entity from the at least one native POS printer driver to the POS printer, wherein the POS printer is not a Unified POS printer, wherein a plurality of operations are performed by the POS printer corresponding to the at least the portion of the plurality of commands; and

tracking the at least the portion of the plurality of commands by only tracking the single entity instead of individually tracking the commands of the at least the portion of plurality of commands, wherein the tracking the single entity includes

determining whether the single entity has reached and been processed by the POS printer, as assisted by an indication from the POS printer to the at least one native POS printer driver on the host that the single entity has been received and processed, and

determining that an error has occurred for the single entity by determining whether one or more errors have occurred for any of the plurality of commands in the single entity at the POS printer, as assisted by an indication from the POS printer to the at least one native POS printer driver on the host that the single entity has the error,

wherein in response to determining the error has occurred for the single entity, resending the single entity to the POS printer without locating one or more individual commands in the at least the portion of the plurality of commands that have the one or more errors.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the payload identifier is provided to the POS printer immediately before or after the single entity is provided to the POS printer, wherein the payload identifier is a logical delimiter marking a start of a first command of the at least the portion of the plurality of commands or marking an end of a last command of the at least the portion of the plurality of commands.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the payload identifier further includes an identification for the single entity.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the at least one native POS printer driver further organizes at least a second portion of the plurality of commands into a second single entity, the at least the second portion of the plurality of commands containing more than one remaining command of the plurality of commands and provides a second payload identifier corresponding to the second single entity, the payload identifier indicating a correspondence between the at least the second portion of the plurality of commands and the second single entity.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the payload identifier includes a printer command to be echoed by the POS printer.