JPS6351762A - Collation system to plural hosts - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the charge by receiving a reply text from a corresponding host device to a collation request text, storing the text in a memory of a POS terminal, reading the memory and displaying or printing the reply text according to the display or print command thereby reducing the connection time. CONSTITUTION:A telephone number retrieval means 30 retrieves a relevant telephone number by using a destination discriminated by a destination discriminating means 32, automatic dial is applied by the telephone number obtained to connect a relevant host and a POS terminal, a collation request text is sent, a reply text from the relevant host to the collation request text is received and stored once in an internal memory 26 of the POS terminal. Then the memory 26 is read and the reply text is displayed on a display device 22 or printed out by a printer according to the display or print designation. Since the POS terminal applies collation directly to a host of other company in this way, the connection time is sufficiently short and the charge is low.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] A POS terminal that has a means of communication with a host via a network control device and a modem device, and is capable of making inquiries to different hosts depending on the purpose of the inquiry.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a method for making inquiries to multiple hosts, in which when a POS terminal makes an inquiry to a host, the inquiry destination host is automatically changed depending on the contents of the inquiry.

[Conventional technology]

In large-scale specialty stores and other stores that are scattered throughout the country, it is common to connect the store's POS terminal to the host using a public line. -Generally, POS terminals are connected only to the user's host (company host),
Send transaction data, receive reports, query your company's customer data, and more. However, in recent years, as the number of transactions such as credit cards has increased, there has been an increase in requests for inquiries from hosts such as affiliated companies and online companies. In order to check the status of the customer's bank account balance, etc., it is necessary to inquire about other companies' hosts, such as the issuer of the card and the customer's bank.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, since conventional POS terminals are connected only to their own hosts, inquiries about other companies' hosts are a two-step process in which they first inquire to their own hosts, and then their own host inquires to other companies' hosts. Therefore, there are disadvantages such as: (1) After connecting with the company's host, the company's host makes an inquiry to the host of another company, so it takes time to receive response data, and (2) Communication time becomes long.

The present invention attempts to improve the above points by allowing the POS terminal to directly refer to the host of another company.

[Means for solving problems]

The inquiry method for multiple hosts of the present invention includes, at a PO≦terminal connected to a public line, search means (30) for the telephone numbers of multiple hosts similarly connected to the public line, and input data to the terminal. A means (32) for determining the destination from the inquiry request message created according to the above is provided, and a telephone number searching means (30) searches for the corresponding telephone number at the destination determined by the destination determining means (32). Automatically dials the phone number provided, connects the corresponding host and POS terminal, sends an inquiry request message, receives a response message from the corresponding host to the inquiry request message, and returns the POS terminal.
It is characterized in that it is temporarily stored in the memory (26) of the S terminal, and the response message is read out from the memory and displayed on the display (22) or printed by the printer (20) according to the display or print designation.

[Effect]

According to this method, the POS terminal makes a direct inquiry to the host of another company, so the connection time is shorter than that of the conventional method that goes through the host of the company itself. It has the advantage of being cheap.

〔Example〕

As shown in Figure 2, the POS terminal has hardware such as a line driver/receiver 12 and a modem 14.
, a network control device 16, and a processor (C
PU) 10 communicates with the host. SD is the transmitted data, and RD is the received data. The processor 10 has a keyboard 18 in addition to a line driver/receiver 12.
, a printer 20, a display 22, a speaker 24, and memories 26 and 28 are connected, and data is input from the keyboard 18 and data is output from the printer 20 and display 22. FIG. 2 shows the hardware configuration of MPOS, and 5pos has a similar configuration (however, it does not have 14.16, etc., but instead has a connection means with MPOS).

In order to enable the POS terminal to directly communicate with hosts of other companies, the present invention provides the POS terminal with means 30 for searching for the destination's telephone number and means 32 for determining the destination of the inquiry request message, as shown in FIG.

In addition, the POS terminal has operation sequence control means 3 for the keyboard that performs inquiry operations and data input.
4. Means 36 for editing the telephone number into a message that can be passed to the modem, means 38 for editing the input data into the form of an inquiry request message, means 40 for storing the inquiry response message in memory, and control for printing inquiry response data to the printer. means 42 and inquiry response data display control means 44 for the display.

The POS system uses a master-slave system consisting of a master PO3 terminal and multiple slave PO8 terminals connected to it, but the master Po has the communication function with the host.
It is an S terminal.

In order for the MASK PO3 terminal to communicate with the host of another company through the public line, it is necessary to know the telephone number of the host of the other company, but this is entered in advance by operating the keyboard of the terminal and stored as a telephone number table.

In the present invention, communication with the own/other company's host is not performed by specifically instructing to that effect (the communication destination host is determined from the inquiry message. Inquiry request message destination determination means 32 and telephone number search means 30 is for this purpose.Next, an example of other company's host inquiry will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

In Figure 3! lPO5 is the master pos terminal, 5po
s is a USB POS terminal. MPOS has a host line control function and a slave line control function. 5pos also has a PO8 line control function for the master. As for hosts from other companies, we assume three hosts: A credit bank host, B bank host, and C credit host. These hosts and MPOS are connected via a modem 14, a control device 16a that can automatically make/receive calls, and a public line. Although not shown, there is also an in-house host, to which the POS terminal is connected in the same way.

Now, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, if the keyboard is operated on 5PO550 and a processing request is input, then
This is processed internally at POS and edited into an inquiry request message (this is done by the inquiry request message #A message means 38), MPO
Send to S. At the beginning of this inquiry request message, there is data indicating the content (type) of the message.
In s, the destination host is known from this content, and the phone number table is searched to find the phone number of the destination host (
This is done by the telephone number search means 30). This telephone number is edited into a telephone number message that can be passed to the variable adjustment device 14, and is passed to the transmission control means 12a. The transmission control means 12a passes this to the modem 14, and the modem 14 transmits it to the network side 1I.
The host t-C dials according to the telephone number through the llll device 1G and calls the host t-C in this example. When connected to the host t-C, the MPOS sends the inquiry request message C raised by the 5pos50 to the host t-C. host C
creates a response to the inquiry request and uses this as inquiry response message C? 1 Send to POS.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the MPOS receives this, it stores it in its memory, and the connection with host C is then severed. M.P.
The OS sends a memory inquiry response message to the 5PO350. Since the inquiry response message C from the host C has data attached to it indicating whether or not the response content is to be displayed on the display, the 5PO550 checks this, and if display is specified, it is displayed on the display; For example, the information is printed on one or more of receipts, journals, and slips using a printer. Data on which area to print on is also included in the inquiry response message. Some inquiry responses are displayed and some are printed (checking whether display is specified is repeated until all inquiry response messages are processed.

There is a code at the end of the message indicating this, so
Does the process end after seeing this? can be determined.

Inquiry requests include those that occur directly, such as inputting an account name using a keyboard and requesting a balance check, as well as those that occur automatically when a customer card is read with a card reader. For example, inquiries regarding
It may be something that is routine.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention,
Since the POS terminal directly queries the host of another company, the connection time is shorter than the conventional method that goes through the company's own host (
It also has the advantage that the connection time is short, so the charges are lower than when going through your own host.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a block diagram mainly showing the software of the POS terminal, Figure 2 is a block diagram mainly showing the hardware of the POS terminal, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of other company's host inquiry, and Figures 4 and 5 are It is a flowchart showing the inquiry procedure.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A means for searching telephone numbers of a plurality of hosts similarly connected to the public line (
30), and means (32) for determining the destination from the inquiry request message created according to the input data to the terminal.
and causing the telephone number search means (30) to search for the corresponding telephone number at the destination determined by the destination discrimination means (32);
The phone number obtained is automatically dialed to connect the corresponding host and the POS terminal, and an inquiry request message is sent.The response message from the corresponding host to the inquiry request message is received and temporarily stored in the memory (26) of the POS terminal. The memory is read out and the response message is displayed on the display (22) or printed on the printer (22) according to the display or print instructions.
0) is a method for making inquiries to multiple hosts.