EP0617388A2 - Retail terminal - Google Patents
Retail terminal Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0617388A2 EP0617388A2 EP94302007A EP94302007A EP0617388A2 EP 0617388 A2 EP0617388 A2 EP 0617388A2 EP 94302007 A EP94302007 A EP 94302007A EP 94302007 A EP94302007 A EP 94302007A EP 0617388 A2 EP0617388 A2 EP 0617388A2
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- keypad
- lid
- terminal
- controller
- housing
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07G—REGISTERING THE RECEIPT OF CASH, VALUABLES, OR TOKENS
- G07G1/00—Cash registers
- G07G1/0018—Constructional details, e.g. of drawer, printing means, input means
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to retail terminals.
- Known retail terminals typically include cash drawers to leave room on top of the terminal for a keypad. Such terminals include printed circuit boards within the terminal which are connected to printers, displays, and other built-in peripherals. Due to their size and weight, such terminals are typically not portable. Thus, they are not well suited for use in retail environments other than checkout stands.
- It is an object of the invention to provide a retail terminal which is lightweight and portable.
- According to the present invention there is provided a retail terminal including a housing having a controller mounted therein, characterized in that the housing includes a front cash till portion with a movable lid, and in that there are provided a keypad mounted on the lid, and a flexible circuit for coupling the controller to the keypad.
- It is a feature of a retail terminal in accordance with the present invention that a flexible circuit is used instead of a printed circuit board to facilitate mounting the keypad on the lid.
- One embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
- Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a retail terminal in accordance with the present invention;
- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the retail terminal shown in block diagram form in Fig. 1; and
- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the terminal of Fig. 2, with the lid of the terminal raised, showing the cash till.
- Referring now to Figs. 1-3, the
retail terminal 10 shown therein includes a controller 12, and peripherals such as adisplay 14,printers 16, apower supply 18, and a lid-mountedkeypad 20. - The controller 12 executes retail programs and controls the peripherals.
- The
display 14 is preferably a liquid crystal display for displaying primarily price information and messages from the controller 12. - The
printers 16 include a receipt printer and a journal printer. - The
power supply 18 may regulate power from alternating or direct current sources, or it may be a light-to-electrical converter such as a solar panel, and batteries for portable operation. Thepower supply 18 may include aconverter 19 which converts alternating current to direct current. - The
keypad 20 provides keypad functions which are utilized by the controller 12. Such functions are implemented by simple numerical keys and specific function keys. - The
retail terminal 10 may operate as a standalone unit or may operate as a slave terminal for ahost system 22. For communicating from remote sites, theterminal 10 may include atransceiver 24 and anantenna 25 for communicating with thehost system 22. Theterminal 10 may also communicate with thehost system 22 through acable 26. - With reference to Figs. 2 and 3, the
terminal 10 includes a cash till 30 in afront portion 32 of ahousing 34. Alid 36 of the cash till 30 opens upwardly about ahinge 38 along a rear edge 40 (Fig. 3). Thekeypad 20 is preferably any commercially available elastometric keypad and is mounted on thelid 36 to minimize the size and weight of theterminal 10. Thekeypad 20 is coupled to the controller 12 through aflexible circuit 46 mounted on the underside of thelid 36, thekeypad 20 projecting through anaperture 42 in thelid 36. The use of a commercially available flexible circuit instead of a printed circuit board significantly reduces the overall cost of theterminal 10. An example of a company which manufactures flexible circuits is Poly-Flex Circuits, Inc., of Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S.A. - The controller 12, the
display 14, theprinters 16, and thepower supply 18 are located in arear portion 44 of thehousing 34. - The controller 12 may be connected to the
flexible circuit 46 using commercially available anisotropic connectors, such as those manufactured by Fuji Polymer Industries Co., Ltd. Thekeypad 20 may be soldered or glued directly to theflexible circuit 46.
Claims (8)
- A retail terminal including a housing (34) having a controller (12) mounted therein, characterized in that the housing includes a front cash till portion (30) with a movable lid (36), and in that there are provided a keypad (20) mounted on the lid, and a flexible circuit (46) for coupling the controller (12) to the keypad (20).
- A terminal according to claim 1, characterized in that the flexible circuit (46) is mounted on the underside of the lid (36).
- A terminal according to either claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the keypad (20) is in the form of an elastometric keypad.
- A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the keypad (20) is mounted in an aperture (42) in the lid (36).
- A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lid (36) is hinged to the housing (34) to enable it to be lifted to provide access to the cash till portion (30).
- A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by display means (14) and printer means (16) mounted in a rear portion (44) of the housing (34) and coupled to the controller (12) which is also mounted in said rear portion.
- A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by circuit means (24) for wirelessly communicating with a host system (22).
- A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized by a power supply (18) including a solar panel and battery means for enabling portable operation of the terminal.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US3499193A | 1993-03-22 | 1993-03-22 | |
US34991 | 1993-03-22 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0617388A2 true EP0617388A2 (en) | 1994-09-28 |
EP0617388A3 EP0617388A3 (en) | 1997-05-21 |
Family
ID=21879944
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP94302007A Withdrawn EP0617388A3 (en) | 1993-03-22 | 1994-03-21 | Retail terminal. |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0617388A3 (en) |
JP (1) | JPH0749981A (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7427013B2 (en) * | 2005-02-22 | 2008-09-23 | Psencik Nancy L | Calculator apparatus |
US9510468B2 (en) | 2011-10-20 | 2016-11-29 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Mobile terminal comprising lid unit with key device |
Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE2361302A1 (en) * | 1973-12-08 | 1975-06-19 | Ute Meyer | Cash register for coins and paper notes - has automatic change issuing device and has keyboard and counter incorporated in its cover |
WO1979000514A1 (en) * | 1978-01-18 | 1979-08-09 | Chubb Electronics Ltd | Cash registers |
US4280034A (en) * | 1978-02-28 | 1981-07-21 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Visual angle adjustable portable cash register |
GB2087614A (en) * | 1980-11-17 | 1982-05-26 | Sandstedt Gary O | Restaurant or retail vending facility |
US4386340A (en) * | 1979-10-23 | 1983-05-31 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Melody generation in an electronic cash register |
DE3741704A1 (en) * | 1987-07-15 | 1989-06-15 | Krage Gabriele | Universal screen cash point terminal |
EP0349997A1 (en) * | 1988-07-04 | 1990-01-10 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Cash handling device |
US5233167A (en) * | 1991-06-24 | 1993-08-03 | Positek Incorporated | Multi-function terminal |
WO1994002908A1 (en) * | 1992-07-16 | 1994-02-03 | Telxon Corporation | Portable point of sale terminal |
-
1994
- 1994-03-21 EP EP94302007A patent/EP0617388A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1994-03-22 JP JP5040894A patent/JPH0749981A/en active Pending
Patent Citations (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE2361302A1 (en) * | 1973-12-08 | 1975-06-19 | Ute Meyer | Cash register for coins and paper notes - has automatic change issuing device and has keyboard and counter incorporated in its cover |
WO1979000514A1 (en) * | 1978-01-18 | 1979-08-09 | Chubb Electronics Ltd | Cash registers |
US4280034A (en) * | 1978-02-28 | 1981-07-21 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Visual angle adjustable portable cash register |
US4386340A (en) * | 1979-10-23 | 1983-05-31 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Melody generation in an electronic cash register |
GB2087614A (en) * | 1980-11-17 | 1982-05-26 | Sandstedt Gary O | Restaurant or retail vending facility |
DE3741704A1 (en) * | 1987-07-15 | 1989-06-15 | Krage Gabriele | Universal screen cash point terminal |
EP0349997A1 (en) * | 1988-07-04 | 1990-01-10 | Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha | Cash handling device |
US5233167A (en) * | 1991-06-24 | 1993-08-03 | Positek Incorporated | Multi-function terminal |
WO1994002908A1 (en) * | 1992-07-16 | 1994-02-03 | Telxon Corporation | Portable point of sale terminal |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
IBM TECHNICAL DISCLOSURE BULLETIN, vol. 34, no. 9, 1 February 1992, pages 77-78, XP000300606 "COMBINATION KEYPAD/SCALE USING STRAIN GAUGE TRANSDUCERS" * |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7427013B2 (en) * | 2005-02-22 | 2008-09-23 | Psencik Nancy L | Calculator apparatus |
US9510468B2 (en) | 2011-10-20 | 2016-11-29 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Mobile terminal comprising lid unit with key device |
US10306786B2 (en) | 2011-10-20 | 2019-05-28 | Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. | Mobile terminal comprising lid unit with key device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0617388A3 (en) | 1997-05-21 |
JPH0749981A (en) | 1995-02-21 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US5579487A (en) | Portable work slate computer with multiple docking positions for interchangeably receiving removable modules | |
NL194144C (en) | Power supply system for a plug-in module. | |
EP0650618B1 (en) | Portable point of sale terminal | |
EP0520632A2 (en) | Bar code scanner apparatus | |
US5233167A (en) | Multi-function terminal | |
US5057676A (en) | Portable electronic apparatus | |
US4856088A (en) | Radio with removable display | |
US20110050560A1 (en) | Thin Electronic Reader Device | |
EP0284247A2 (en) | Electronic information display module and connector | |
CA2293348A1 (en) | Customer information terminal system with a docking member for a data collection device | |
EP0831420A3 (en) | Smart card with visual image display | |
MY106576A (en) | Card housing attachment for a portable computer | |
US4745404A (en) | Display device for planning purposes | |
EP3666537A1 (en) | Printer and printer display device | |
EP0617388A2 (en) | Retail terminal | |
US9129315B2 (en) | Bill folder with visual device and dynamic information content updating system | |
JP2001057481A (en) | Barcode reader fixture | |
JPH10510938A (en) | Electronic price information system | |
EP1195713A4 (en) | Portable card unit handler | |
AU723549B2 (en) | A point-of-sale transaction terminal | |
CN216052806U (en) | Intelligence check equipment bearing structure | |
GB1585651A (en) | Data sensing apparatus | |
CN216287430U (en) | Multifunctional display card | |
CN212738240U (en) | Logistics vehicle control system embedding display equipment | |
US11923644B2 (en) | Electronic device |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
PUAI | Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A2 Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
RAP1 | Party data changed (applicant data changed or rights of an application transferred) |
Owner name: NCR INTERNATIONAL, INC. |
|
PUAL | Search report despatched |
Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013 |
|
AK | Designated contracting states |
Kind code of ref document: A3 Designated state(s): DE FR GB |
|
17P | Request for examination filed |
Effective date: 19971121 |
|
17Q | First examination report despatched |
Effective date: 19981230 |
|
STAA | Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent |
Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN |
|
18D | Application deemed to be withdrawn |
Effective date: 19990410 |