POS hardware abstraction

• US 8,806,508 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2012
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ng, Andrew Yue Hang, La Blanc, Sylvester M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Application Number:
  US13/524,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20120254897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 719/316, 719/328
• US Class Current: 719/316
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0009 Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS]
• 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 framework for point of sale system is discussed. The framework includes an application program stored on a tangible computer medium. When executed by a computing device, the application is capable of communicating using a first protocol. The framework further includes a first point of sale hardware device externally located from the computing device and configured to communicate with the computing device using a second protocol and a device abstraction layer capable of communicating with the application program using the first protocol and the first point of sale hardware device using the second protocol to pass information between the application program and the first point of sale hardware device.

Claims

1. A device abstraction layer that is part of a framework for a point of sale system, the device abstraction layer utilizing multiple different communication protocols to distribute information through multiple separate and distinct communication interfaces, wherein the device abstraction layer utilizes a first communication protocol to communicate across a device handler interface and a second communication protocol to communicate across a control object interface, the first communication protocol being different than the second communication protocol.

2. The device abstraction layer of claim 1, wherein the device abstraction layer utilizes a different one of the different communication protocols to distribute information through the communication interfaces to each of a plurality of different components of the point of sale system.

3. The device abstraction layer of claim 1, wherein the device abstraction layer comprises the device handler interface.

4. The device abstraction layer of claim 1, wherein the device abstraction layer comprises the control object interface.

5. The device abstraction layer of claim 1, wherein the device abstraction layer comprises the device handler interface and the control object interface.

6. The device abstraction layer of claim 1, wherein the device abstraction layer further comprises a second control object interface, the device abstraction layer utilizing a third communication protocol to communicate across the second control object interface, the first, second and third communication protocols all being different communication protocols.

7. A computer implemented method of establishing communication in a point of sale system, comprising:

receiving a first communication by way of a first control object interface in the point of sale system utilizing a first communication protocol; and

communicating an indication of the first communication through one or more device handler interfaces in the point of sale system utilizing a second communication protocol, the second communication protocol being different than the first communication protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a second communication by way of a second control object interface; and

communicating an indication of the second communication through said one or more device handler interfaces.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second communications are each consistent with a communication with a different type of control object.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second communications are each formatted in accordance with a different protocol.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second communications are each consistent with a communication originating from a different type of control object.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second communications are each consistent with a different control object protocol.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second communications are each consistent with a different type of point of sale device.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second communications are each consistent with a communication originating from a different type of point of sale device.

15. The method of claim 7, wherein the first control object interface and the one or more device handler interfaces comprise multiple separate and distinct communication interfaces.

16. A point of sale system comprising:

a control object interface that communicates with a point of sale device using a first communication protocol;

a device handler interface that communicates with an application program using a second communication protocol, the second communication protocol being different than the first communication protocol; and

a communication facilitation component that facilitates communication between the point of sale device and the application program using the control object interface and the device handler interface.

17. The point of sale system of claim 16, and further comprising a second control object interface that communicates with a second point of sale device.

18. The point of sale system of claim 17, wherein the second control object interface communicates with the second point of sale device using a third communication protocol, the first, second and third communication protocols all being different communication protocols.

19. The point of sale system of claim 17, wherein the first and second point of sales devices are of different device types.

20. The point of sale system of claim 16, wherein the control object interface and the device handler interface comprise separate and distinct communication interfaces.