POS system, data processing device, and control method of a POS system

• US 9,311,029 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ito, Masahiro, Hirai, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Ngon
• Application Number:
  US14/618,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20150242169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.14
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1208 resulting in improved quality of the output result, e.g. print layout, colours, workflows, print preview
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1231 Device related settings, e.g. IP address, Name, Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/125 Page layout or assigning input pages onto output media, e.g. imposition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1285 Remote printer device, e.g. being remote from client or server
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00

Abstract

A receipt printer sends print data received from a POS terminal and identification information of the receipt printer to a control server. The control server acquires layout information related to the identification information based on relation information linking the identification and layout information, and analyzes the print data by a method appropriate to the acquired layout information.

Claims

1. A POS system comprising:

a POS terminal;

a printing device; and

a data processing device connected to the printing device over a network and indirectly connected to the POS terminal via the printing device;

wherein

the POS terminal being configured to send print data including transaction information to the printing device;

the printing device including;

a reception unit configured to receive the print data sent by the POS terminal,

an identification information storage unit configured to store identification information of the printing device,

a print unit configured to print a receipt based on the print data,

a print control unit configured to control the print unit based on the print data, and

a transmission unit configured to transmit over the network the print data and the identification information to the data processing device, the print data being sent by the POS terminal; and

the data processing device including;

a relation information storage unit configured to store relation information linking layout information for the receipt printed by the print unit to the identification information;

a connection unit configured to receive over the network the print data and the identification information transmitted by the printing device, the print data being sent by the POS terminal to the printing device, and

an analysis unit configured to acquire the layout information related to the identification information received by the connection unit based on the relation information stored in the relation information storage unit, and based on the acquired layout information, analyze the print data.

2. The POS system described in claim 1,

the data processing device including an analytical result storage unit configured to store analytical results based on analysis of the print data;

and

the data processing device including a data communication unit configured to transmit the analytical results from the analytical result storage unit when receive a request from the management device.

3. The POS system described in claim 1,

the data processing device including a processing unit configured to process the print data based on the analytical results from the analysis unit.

4. The POS system described in claim 3, further comprising:

an external device configured to print;

wherein the connection unit of the data processing device is connected to the external device and is configured to transmit data processed by the processing unit to the external device.

5. The POS system described in claim 1, further comprising:

a second POS terminal configured to send second print data including transaction information;

a second printing device including a second reception unit configured to receive the second print data sent by the second POS terminal, the second printing device including;

a second identification information storage unit configured to store second identification information,

a second print unit configured to print a second receipt based on the second print data,

a second print control unit configured to control the second print unit based on the second print data, and

a second transmission unit configured to transmit the second print data and the second identification information;

wherein;

the relation information storage unit of the data processing device is configured to store second relation information linking second layout information for the second receipt printed by the second print unit to the second identification information;

the connection unit of the data processing device is configured to receive the second print data and the second identification information transmitted by the second printing device; and

the analysis unit of the data processing device is configured to acquire the second layout information related to the second identification information received by the connection unit based on the second relation information stored in the relation information storage unit, and based on the acquired second layout information analyzes the second print data.

6. A data processing device connected to a printing device over a network and being indirectly connected to a POS terminal via the printing device, the data processing device comprising:

a connection unit configured to receive print data over the network from the printing device, the print data instructing printing a receipt, and configured to receive identification information of the printing device from which the print data is transmitted;

a relation information storage unit storing relation information that relationally stores layout information of the receipt printed based on the print data and the identification information; and

an analysis unit configured to acquire the layout information related to the identification information received by the connection unit based on the relation information stored in the relation information storage unit, and configured to analyze the print data based on the layout information.

7. The data processing device described in claim 6, wherein:

the data processing device has an analytical result storage unit configured to store analytical results based on analysis of the print data.

8. The data processing device described in claim 6, wherein:

the data processing device has a data communication unit configured to transmit the analytical results from the analysis unit.

9. The data processing device described in claim 6, wherein:

the data processing device has a processing unit configured to process the print data based on the analytical results from the analysis unit.

10. The data processing device described in claim 9, wherein:

the connection unit of the data processing device configured to transmits data processed by the processing unit.

11. A control method of a POS system including a POS terminal, a printing device and a data processing device connected to the printing device over a network, the control method comprising:

sending print data including transaction information by the POS terminal to the printing device;

receiving the print data sent by the POS terminal, printing a receipt based on the print data, and transmitting the print data and identification information by the printing device; and

receiving, via the network, the print data and the identification information transmitted by the printing device, and analyzing the print data based on layout information related to the received identification information, by the data processing device.

12. The control method of a POS system described in claim 11, further comprising:

storing analytical results based on the analyzing operation by the data processing device.

13. The control method of a POS system described in claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the analytical results by the data processing device.

14. The control method of a POS system described in claim 12, further comprising:

processing the print data based on the analytical results by the data processing device.

15. The control method of a POS system described in claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting the processed data by the data processing device.