Integrated point of sale terminal

• US 9,047,596 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Williams, Rodger K., Ringeman, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Iwarere, Seye
• Application Number:
  US13/770,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275244A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 705/21
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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: G07F 13/025 wherein the volume is determined during delivery

Abstract

An integrated point-of-sale terminal for use with a fuel dispenser has a site controller, at least one dispenser having a user interface, at least one processor at the site controller, memory coupled to the processor, and a plurality of point-of-sale applications associated with the site controller. The processor is configured to dynamically regulate which of the plurality of point-of-sale applications has control of the dispenser user interface based on a set of business rules.

Claims

1. A system for allocating control of a user interface in a retail device, comprising:

at least one processor configured to execute a director service application for regulating control of a plurality of point-of-sale (POS) applications to the user interface of the retail device based at least in part on a predefined set of business rules; and

a memory coupled to the at least one processor for storing instructions related to the director service application,

wherein the director service application is configured to determine whether to terminate control of the user interface from a first POS application of the plurality of POS applications in favor of a second POS application of the plurality of POS applications based at least in part on a request from the second POS application for the first POS application to relinquish control of the user interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is comprised within the retail device to facilitate performing a transaction using at least the first POS application and the second POS application.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the retail device is a fuel dispenser.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the retail device is located remotely from the at least one processor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first POS application relates to a POS selection application For selecting one of the plurality of POS application to execute on the user interface, and the second POS application relates to one of the plurality of POS applications selected via the first POS application controlling the user interface.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the director service application is further configured to regulate control of respective user interface on a plurality of other retail devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of POS applications comprises at least two of a welcome application, a payment application, a POS selection application, POS selling applications, a pre-fueling carwash merchandising application, a fueling application, an interact application, an advertising application, a post-fueling carwash merchandising application and a transaction finalization application.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the director service application is further configured to dynamically control the user interface such that the director service application uses the predetermined set of business rules to determine which of the plurality of POS applications receives control of the user interface when one of the plurality of POS applications relinquishes control of the user interface.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the director service application is further configured to terminate a controlling application of the first POS application where the first POS application t:

ails to relinquish control of the user interface after a given period of time from the request of the second POS application.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the director service application is further configured to dynamically change the predetermined set of business rules based at least in part on an identity of a user obtained by the user interface.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the director service application is further configured to dynamically change the predetermined set of business rules based at least in part on input of a user obtained by the user interface.

12. A method for allocating control of a user interface of a retail device, comprising:

determining, using at least one processor, a point-of-sale (POS) application of a plurality of POS applications to have control of the user interface on the retail device;

receiving a request from another POS application to obtain control he user interface while the first POS application controls the user interface;

terminating control of the user interface from the POS application based on a predefined set of business rules; and

transferring control of the user interface to the other POS application based on the predefined set of business rules.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is comprised within the retail device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the retail device is a fuel dispenser.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the retail device is remotely located from the at least one processor.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of POS applications comprises at least two of a welcome application, a payment application, a POS selection application, POS selling applications, a pre-fueling carwash merchandising application, a fueling application, an internet application, an advertising application, a post-fueling carwash merchandising application and a transaction finalization application.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the terminating comprises terminating control of the user interface from the POS application based at least in part on the POS application failing to relinquish control of the user interface within a period of time from receiving the request from the other POS application.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising dynamically changing the predetermined set of business rules based at least in part on an identity of a user obtained by the user interface.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising dynamically changing the predetermined set of business rules based at least in part on input of a user Obtained by the user interface.