POS system, network system, method of generating printing data for POS system, and method of managing sales and advertisement information in network system

• US 7,014,110 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2003
• Issued: 03/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Minowa, Masahiro, Yokoyama, Kazuyuki, Nobutani, Tsutomu, Horikawa, Toshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Stcyr, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Seung H
• Application Number:
  US10/457,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20040041022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 235/380, 235/486, 235/492, 705/27
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

A POS system is made up of: a POS terminal having a printing apparatus for printing on a receipt based on printing data, and a terminal apparatus for obtaining input information inputted by a user and for generating receipt printing information; a POS server connected to the POS terminal through a network, for controlling the POS terminal; a memory card for providing advertising information; and printing data generating part for generating printing data by adding the advertising information provided by the memory card to the receipt printing information obtained by the terminal apparatus. The printing data generating part is constituted by an additional apparatus connectable to the printing apparatus.

Claims

1. A POS system comprising:

a printing apparatus for printing on a receipt based on printing data;

a terminal apparatus for obtaining input information inputted by a user and for generating receipt printing information;

a POS server connected to said terminal apparatus through a first network, for controlling said terminal apparatus;

advertising information providing means for providing advertising information; and

printing data generating means for generating printing data by adding the advertising information provided by said advertising information providing means to the receipt printing information obtained by said terminal apparatus,

wherein said printing data generating means is constituted by an additional apparatus connectable to said printing apparatus,

said additional apparatus is constituted by an adapter device connectable to said printing apparatus, and

said advertising information providing means is connected to said adapter device,

said POS system further comprising a control server for controlling the advertising information, said control server being connected to said terminal apparatus through a second network, wherein said advertising information providing means is constituted by said control server and wherein said terminal apparatus and said second network are connected together through said adapter device.

2. The POS system according to claim 1, further comprising advertising addition determining means for determining to add the advertising information to the receipt printing information when the receipt printing information meets an adding condition for adding the advertising information, and wherein said advertising addition determining means is built into said additional apparatus.

3. The POS system according to claim 2, wherein said advertising addition determining means obtains adding condition information about the adding condition from said advertising information providing means.

4. The POS system according to claim 3, wherein the receipt printing information is based on input information about sale of commodity, and wherein the adding condition information contains information about a kind of the commodity.

5. The POS system according to claim 3, wherein the receipt printing information is based on input information about sale of commodity, and wherein the adding condition information contains information about a total amount of the commodity whose prices are above a predetermined amount.

6. The POS system according to claim 3, wherein the adding condition information contains information about a period of adding the advertisement.

7. The POS system according to claim 3, further comprising means for counting a number of times of issuing the receipt, and wherein the adding condition information contains information about the number of times of issuing the receipt.

8. The POS system according to claim 3, wherein the input information and the receipt printing information contains customer information, and wherein the adding condition information contains information about a kind of the customer.

9. The POS system according to claim 3, wherein the adding condition information contains information about a command for controlling said printing apparatus.

10. The POS system according to claim 3, wherein the receipt printing information contains information about shops, and wherein the adding condition information contains the information about the shops.

11. The POS system according to claim 1, further comprising addition number-of-times counting means for counting a number of times of adding the advertising information, and wherein, when the addition number of times meets the adding condition for adding the advertising information to the receipt printing information, the addition of the advertising information to the receipt printing information is determined.

12. The POS system according to claim 1, wherein said additional apparatus is an interface unit mounted in a board slot in the printing apparatus, and wherein the advertising information providing means is detachably mounted on the interface unit and is constituted by a memory medium having stored therein the advertising information.

13. The POS system according to claim 12, wherein said interface unit comprises an interface section which is connectable to a network, said POS system further comprising a second advertising information providing means for providing the advertising information through the network.

14. The POS system according to claim 1, wherein said advertising information providing means is wirelessly connected to said adapter device.

15. The POS system according to claim 14, wherein said advertising information providing means is constituted by a memory medium having stored therein the advertising information, said memory medium being detachably mounted on said adapter device.

16. The POS system according to claim 1, wherein said printing apparatus is capable of performing color printing, wherein the advertising information contains color information, and wherein the printing data are generated based on the color information.

17. A network system comprising:

a plurality of POS systems each having;

a printing apparatus for printing on a receipt based on printing data;

a terminal apparatus for obtaining input information inputted by a user and for generating receipt printing information;

a POS server connected to said terminal apparatus through a first network, for controlling said terminal apparatus;

advertising information providing means for providing advertising information; and

printing data generating means for generating printing data by adding the advertising information provided by said advertising information providing means to the receipt printing information obtained by said terminal apparatus,

wherein said printing data generating means is constituted by an additional apparatus connectable to said printing apparatus,

wherein said additional apparatus is constituted by an adapter device connectable to said printing apparatus, and wherein said advertising information providing means is connected to said adapter device;

a control server for controlling the advertising information, said control server being connected to said terminal apparatus through a second network, wherein said advertising information providing means is constituted by said control server and wherein said terminal apparatus and said second network are connected together through said adapter device; and

a Web server for performing advertising information control with respect to all control servers, said Web server being connected through a third network which is different from said first network and said second network,

wherein said advertising information providing means provides advertising information and adding condition information provided by said Web server.

18. A network system comprising:

a POS system comprising;

a printing apparatus for printing on a receipt based on printing data;

a terminal apparatus for obtaining input information inputted by a user and for generating receipt printing information;

a POS server connected to said terminal apparatus through a first network in order to control said terminal apparatus;

a control server connected to said terminal apparatus through a second network in order to provide said terminal apparatus with advertising information and to obtain the receipt printing information from said terminal apparatus; and

an adapter device which is connected to said printer apparatus and generates the printing data by adding the advertising information provided by said control server to the receipt printing information obtained by said terminal apparatus; and

a Web server which is connected to a plurality of said control servers through a third network to provide said control servers with the advertising information and to perform customer control of all of said control servers based on the receipt printing information obtained by said control servers,

wherein said Web server counts a grand total of points given to an individual customer based on the receipt printing information.

19. The network system according to claim 18, wherein said Web server transmits information about the grand total of the counted points to said adapter device through said control server, and wherein said adapter device adds the transmitted information about the grand total of the points, thereby generating the printing data.

20. The network system according to claim 18, wherein, when the grand total of the computed points has reached a predetermined number of points, said Web server transmits the information about the grand total of the points to said adapter device.

21. A method of generating printing data for a POS system, said POS system comprising:

a printing apparatus for printing on a receipt based on printing data;

a terminal apparatus for obtaining input information inputted by a user and for generating receipt printing information based on the input information;

a POS server connected to said terminal apparatus through a first network, for controlling said terminal apparatus;

advertising information providing means for providing advertising information; and

an additional apparatus connectable to said printing apparatus,

said method comprising;

a first step of obtaining the receipt printing information from said terminal apparatus;

a second step of providing advertising information; and

a third step of generating printing data by adding the advertising information provided in the second step to the receipt printing information inputted in the first step,

wherein said third step is carried out by an additional apparatus arranged to be connectable to the POS system,

wherein the addition of the advertising information to the receipt printing information is determined by said additional apparatus when the receipt printing information meets a term of adding the advertising information, and

wherein the advertising information is obtained through a second network connected to said additional apparatus.

22. A method of managing sales and advertisement information in a network system, said network system comprising:

a POS system comprising;

a printing apparatus for printing on a receipt based on printing data;

a terminal apparatus for obtaining input information inputted by a user and for generating receipt printing information;

a POS server connected to said terminal apparatus through a first network in order to control said terminal apparatus;

a control server connected to said terminal apparatus through a second network in order to provide said terminal apparatus with advertising information and to obtain the receipt printing information from said terminal apparatus; and

an adapter device which is connected to said printer apparatus and generates the printing data by adding the advertising information provided by said control server to the receipt printing information obtained by said terminal apparatus; and

a Web server which is connected to a plurality of said control servers through a third network to provide said control servers with the advertising information and to perform custom control of all of said control servers based on the receipt printing information obtained by said control servers,

said method comprising computing by said Web server a grand total of points given to an individual customer, said computing being based on the receipt printing information.