Point-of-service (POS) and POS application compatability

• US 20070276763A1
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kleinman, Ronald J., Ganley, Robert V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,658,323 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/64
• 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: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• 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 system for using compatible point-of-service (POS) applications to access and control devices of a POS unit. A server runs a POS application and a set of peripheral drivers (or device controls). A networked POS unit communicates with the host server via a communication network, and the networked POS unit includes peripherals connected locally to its I/O ports. The POS unit further includes a device communications management module processing output received from the host server that is generated by the POS application and is targeted at one of the connected peripheral ports. The device communications management module transfers POS device input from the peripherals over the communication network to the host server for processing by the POS application. The POS application interfaces with the peripheral drivers, and the output is provided by one of the peripheral drivers that corresponds to the target peripheral of the networked POS unit.

Claims

1. A networked device system for providing compatible point-of-service (POS) applications on remote client devices, comprising:

a host server comprising a POS application and a set of device drivers;

a communication network for transferring digital data; and

a networked client communicating with the host server via the communication network, wherein the networked client device comprises a plurality of connected devices and a device communications management module that processes output received at the networked client from the POS application to determine a target one of the connected devices and that transfers POS device input received from one or more of the connected devices over the communication network to the POS application.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the POS application interfaces with the set of device drivers and wherein the output received at the networked client is provided by one of the device drivers corresponding to the target one of the connected devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the connected devices are connected to ports of the networked client and wherein the host server further comprises means for mapping each of the devices to one of the ports and means for supporting communication of the output to one of the ports mapped to the target one of the connected devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the POS application and the device drivers comply with the UnifiedPOS standard or some other standardized device abstraction interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the host server further comprises a thin client server module and wherein the device communications management module of the networked client is configured to emulate a thin client for the thin client server module, the thin client server module managing the networked client as a thin client.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the POS device input and the output is communicated over the communication network based on a thin client communication protocol implemented by the thin client server module and the device communications management module.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the thin client server module comprises Sun Ray Server Software and the device communications management module comprises means for configuring the networked client as a Sun Ray terminal.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the thin client server module stores a session for a user of the networked client and wherein the session is restored by logging in by the user via an input device or by reading of a smart card by one of the devices of the networked client.

9. A method for providing point-of-service (POS) applications on networked POS units, comprising:

providing a server that is linked to a digital communications network;

operating the server to determine a set of client POS units and the set of peripherals associated with each of the client POS units;

on the server, running an instance of a POS application corresponding to each of the client POS units; and

calling a device control on the server with one of the POS applications to drive an output of the one POS application to one of the peripherals on the corresponding client POS unit.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising calling an additional device control on the server with the one POS application to drive an additional output of the one POS application to another one of the peripherals of the one client POS unit.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the POS applications and the device control comply with the UnifiedPOS standard, or some equivalent standardized device abstraction interface.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein each device in the set of peripherals for each of the client POS units is mapped to a particular port, and wherein the method further includes operating a peripheral communication module on the host server to communicate the output of the one POS application to the one of the peripheral devices on the client POS unit.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising running an device communications management module on the client POS units, the device communications management module configured to process output from the POS application and direct the processed output to the specific peripherals associated with the output.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising operating the device communications management module on one of the client POS units to read input from one of the peripherals of the one client POS unit and to transmit the read input over the communication network to the host server for processing by the associated instance of the POS application.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising configuring the server as a thin client server and managing the determined set of client POS units as thin clients with the thin client server.

16. A networked device system, comprising:

a server comprising a software application and a set of drivers; and

a networked client communicating with the server via a communication network, wherein the networked client comprises connected devices and a device communications management module processing received output from the server to determine a target one of the connected devices and reading and transferring input from one of the connected devices over the communication network to the server for processing by the software application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the software application is a UnifiedPOS-compliant (or an equivalent standardized device abstration interface compliant) application operating on the server to interface with the set of drivers and wherein the output received at the networked client is provided by one of the drivers adapted for controlling the target one of the connected devices.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the connected devices are peripherals connected to ports of the networked client and wherein the server further comprises means for mapping each of the connected devices to one of the ports and means for supporting communication of the output to one of the ports mapped to the target one of the connected devices.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the server further comprises a thin client server and wherein the device communications management module of the networked client configures the networked client as a thin client of the thin client server module.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the device input and the output are communicated over the communication network based on a thin client communication protocol implemented by the thin client server and the device communications management module of the networked client.