POS terminal and POS terminal control method

• US 9,275,385 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2015
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Takamoto, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US14/629,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20150170125A1
• Time in Patent Office: 371 Days
• Field of Search: 358 11- 118
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1236 Connection management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1247 by conversion to printer ready format
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00 Scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission; Details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00323 with a measuring, monitoring or signaling apparatus, e.g. for transmitting measured information to a central location
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00344 with a management, maintenance, service or repair apparatus monitoring H04N1/00002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0024 Converting image communication control signals, e.g. group 3 facsimile protocol signals, to non-image communication control signals or vice versa

Abstract

A POS terminal includes an application unit that outputs a first command that performs a first operation on a medium to a first communication port, or a second command that performs a second operation different from the first operation to a second communication port; a receiving unit that receives the first command or second command output by the application unit, the first command or the second command being received by the first communication port or the second communication port; a command control unit that converts the first command to a third command, or converts the second command to a fourth command; and a communication unit that transmits the third command or fourth command output from the command control unit to a third communication port.

Claims

1. A point-of-sale (POS) terminal comprising:

an application unit that outputs a first command to a first communication port, or outputs a second command to a second communication port, the first command directing performance of a first operation on a medium and the second command directing performance of a second operation, which is different than the first operation;

a receiving unit that receives the first command or second command output by the application unit, the first command or the second command being received by the first communication port or the second communication port;

a command control unit that converts the first command to a third command, or converts the second command to a fourth command; and

a communication unit that transmits the third command or fourth command output from the command control unit to a third communication port.

2. The POS terminal described in claim 1, further comprising:

a control unit with a kernel layer for an operating system and an application layer where the application executes;

wherein

the receiving unit is a virtual port that is implemented on the kernel layer; and

the command control unit operates on the application layer.

3. The POS terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

the command control unit adds first operation information to the third command when converting the first command, or adds second operation information to the fourth command when converting the second command.

4. The POS terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

the communication unit does not send the fourth command to the third communication port until a signal reporting the end of the first operation is received from the third communication port.

5. The POS terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

when converting the first command to the third command, the command control unit changes and converts the first operation information contained in the first command to the third command.

6. The POS terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

the first operation is a printing operation for printing to the medium; and

the second operation is a reading operation for reading the medium.

7. The POS terminal described in claim 1, wherein:

the first operation is a printing operation for printing to roll paper; and

the second operation is a printing operation for printing to a slip.

8. The POS terminal described in claim 1, further comprising:

a POS server that manages the POS terminal over a network.

9. A point-of-sale (POS) terminal control method, comprising steps of:

outputting, by an application, a first command to a first communication port, or outputting, by the application, a second command to a second communication port, the first command directing performance of a first operation on a medium and the second command directing performance of a second operation, which is different than the first operation;

receiving the first command or second command output by the application at a receiving unit before being received at the first communication port or second communication port;

converting the first command to a third command when the first command is received, or converting the second command to a fourth command when the second command is received; and

transmitting the converted third command or fourth command output to a third communication port.

10. The POS terminal control method described in claim 9, the converting step further comprising:

adding first operation information to the third command when converting the first command, or adding second operation information to the fourth command when converting the second command.

11. The POS terminal control method described in claim 9, the converting step further comprising:

changing and converting the first operation information contained in the first command to the third command when converting the first command to the third command.

12. A non-transitory point-of-sale (POS)-terminal-readable medium containing a program for controlling a POS terminal, the program comprising:

instructions for outputting, by an application, a first command to a first communication port, or for outputting, by the application, a second command to a second communication port, the first command directing performance of a first operation on a medium by a peripheral device and the second command directing performance of a second operation by the peripheral device, the second operation being different than the first operation;

instructions for receiving the first command or second command output by the application at a receiving unit before being received at the first communication port or second communication port;

instructions for converting the first command to a third command when the first command is received, or converting the second command to a fourth command when the second command is received; and

instructions for transmitting the converted third command or fourth command output to a third communication port.

13. The non-transitory POS-terminal-readable medium described in claim 12, the converting instructions further comprising:

instructions for adding first operation information to the third command when converting the first command, or adding second operation information to the fourth command when converting the second command.

14. The non-transitory POS-terminal-readable medium described in claim 12, the converting instructions further comprising:

instructions for changing and converting the first operation information contained in the first command to the third command when converting the first command to the third command.