FR2784213A1 - Microcomputer-type cash register terminal, for use by several employees in restaurant or similar, has flat touch screen mounted on base part housing electronic components with defined cooling air paths - Google Patents

Abstract

The terminal comprises a flat touch screen supported on a housing (3) including a PSU (7), main PCB (4), hard disc (5), and a cooling fan (6). The hard disc drive is fixed onto the base part (10) of the housing so as to be facing, but separated from, the PCB which is mounted on the top housing part with its components oriented downwards. Preferably a channel (11) is created for circulation of cooling air within the housing.

Description

CASE TERMINAL WITH TOUCH SCREEN

  The present invention relates to a touch screen cash register terminal of the microcomputer type, dedicated to points of sale of edible or other products. Mainly but not limited to the cash terminal is intended for restaurants, breweries, bakeries, pastries, etc., and is designed so as to present on the touch screen the list of products or services offered for sale. By selection of the product or service, an order is recorded and after delivery is cashed with edition of a sales receipt. This type of terminal authorizes the updating of the accounts for each order received and the updating of the stock status. The terminal's touch screen is intended to be handled by one or more sellers and must be particularly resistant and waterproof, especially if it is installed in a drinking establishment. Furthermore, in the event that several sellers use it, the terminal must be able to identify each of them with a view in particular to

  accounting of their respective turnover.

  Due to their assignment, this kind of terminal must be

  particularly reliable and in the event of a breakdown must be able to be repaired quickly.

  The aim of the present invention is to propose a new arrangement

  terminal components to facilitate maintenance.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a terminal with

  a touchscreen with reinforced waterproofing.

  Another object of the present invention is to improve the cooling

  terminal components to reduce the failure rate.

  Finally, a final object of the present invention is a screen terminal

  touchscreen with means of identification of the seller.

  For this purpose, the cash register terminal with flat touch screen, of the micro-

  computer according to the present invention, comprising a touch screen with protective casing mounted on a housing in which an electrical power supply unit, a motherboard, a hard disk and a fan are arranged, the housing determining a parallelepiped volume and comprising a large horizontal upper wall, four vertical side walls, and a removable horizontal bottom wall, characterized in that the hard disk is fixed to the bottom wall and is positioned opposite the motherboard which is integral with the upper wall. and is moved away from it, the components

  carried by the motherboard being oriented towards the bottom wall.

  Thus by simply removing the bottom wall all the components internal to the box of the cash register terminal become immediately accessible, which facilitates maintenance. According to another characteristic of the invention, the box has an internal cooling air circulation corridor in which the motherboard, the hard disk, the power supply unit and the fan which are arranged at the upstream end are arranged. of the corridor considering the direction of air circulation in the latter so as to suck in the outside air by an adjoining suction opening in one of the walls of the housing and propel this fresh air in the corridor partly towards , a first evacuation opening placed downstream of the power supply unit and in part towards a second evacuation opening placed in

  downstream of the motherboard and hard drive.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, the casing of the touch screen consists of: - a lower protective element provided with a rectangular flat wall, on which the touch screen rests, said wall projecting from the bearing face of the touch screen at a distance from its periphery a continuous bead of rectangular cross section defining with said wall a housing for the touch screen; - of an upper element comprising a rectangular upper wall provided projecting on its lower face with a bead formed into a rebate to receive in interlocking form the bead of the lower element and come around the latter, said upper wall, to bead spacing being provided with an opening facing the touch screen, a continuous sealing bead

  being interposed between the underside of said wall and the touch screen.

  This continuous rebate and bead arrangement gives the housing a

increased tightness.

  Furthermore, the removable nature of the upper element facilitates its replacement

if applicable.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, an antenna is interposed between the underside of the upper wall of the upper element and the touch screen. This provision allows the reading of the identification code issued by a

  item in the form of a bracelet for example, worn by each seller.

  Thus, it is now possible to identify each seller and keep their respective turnover up to date. Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will become apparent on

  reading of the description of a preferred embodiment, given as

  non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the touch screen cash register terminal according to the invention, - Figure 2 is a bottom view of the terminal, the bottom wall having been removed and placed next to the housing,

  - Figure 3 is a detail sectional view of the housing of the touch screen.

  As shown, the flat touch screen cash register terminal 1 disposed in a protective casing 2 comprising a housing 3 in which are disposed a motherboard 4 electrically connected to the touch screen 1, a hard disk 5, electrically connected to the card mother 4, a fan 6 and a power supply unit 7 electrically connected to the various components 4, 5 and 6

  to provide them with an electrical supply current.

  The housing 3 of parallelepiped shape comprises an upper wall 8 of rectangular shape and four adjacent side walls 9 delimiting with the

  upper wall 8 and a removable bottom wall 10 the internal volume of the housing.

  According to the preferred embodiment, the motherboard 4, the hard disk 5, the power supply 7 and the fan 6 are housed in a ventilation corridor 1 1 in L, formed in the housing 3. This corridor borders two walls vertical lateral 9 of the housing and is delimited by these two vertical lateral walls 9, by the upper wall 8, by the bottom wall 10 and by two additional vertical walls 12 parallel respectively to the two above-mentioned lateral walls of the housing 3, these additional vertical walls being joined to each other so as to form a right dihedral and having a height equal to the height of the vertical side walls 9 of the housing 3. The ventilation passage 11 forms two consecutive segments of passage 11 1 a and 1 b developing perpendicular to each other, the bottom wall 10 follows the contour of an L. The upstream end of the corridor 11 corresponds to the upstream end of the corridor segment 11a, and the downstream end of the corridor 1 1 corresponds to the end

downstream of corridor segment 1 b.

  At the upstream end of the corridor 11 is placed the fan 6. A suction port 1 c is formed in the corresponding additional wall 12. The power supply unit 7 is placed at the downstream end of the aisle segment 11a opposite an air discharge opening 11d made in the side wall 9 of the edge of the aisle segment 11a. The motherboard 4 and the hard drive 5 are mounted in the other corridor segment 11b, the motherboard being fixed to the upper wall at a distance from the latter, the hard drive being fixed for its part to the bottom wall 10 At the downstream end of the corridor segment 1b, a second outlet 1 is made for the air blown into the channel by the fan 11. The additional walls 12 delimit with the upper horizontal wall 8, the two other vertical walls of the housing, an additional compartment 13. In this additional compartment penetrate, by passage through openings made in the corresponding additional wall, serial and parallel connectors electrically associated with the serial and parallel ports of the motherboard 4. Facing these connectors, the corresponding vertical side wall of the housing has a rectangular opening for the passage of cables for connection to peripheral devices such as as printer, modem, etc. According to the preferred embodiment, the touch screen, by its casing, is articulated along a horizontal axis to a yoke 14 fixed on the upper wall 8 of the housing 3. Between the wings of the yoke 14, above the upper wall of the housing, under the hinge axis of the screen, is provided a housing 15 having an upper wall 15a and two side walls 15b extending between the wings of the yoke towards the upper wall 8 of the housing from the upper wall 15a of the housing. Advantageously, the walls 15a and 15b are

  formed by folding a rectangular sheet.

  In this housing 15 is disposed the body of a sealed switch 16, the body of a connector for a keyboard and the body of a connector for a pointing device of the "mouse" type, these switches and connectors being also engaged. in through holes made in the wings of the yoke. Thus the switch, mounted in series on the power supply line of the power supply unit can be operated from outside the housing and the connectors can receive, outside the housing, the keyboard and device connection sockets pointing. The upper wall 15a of the housing 15 has a rectangular opening opposite which is formed, in the upper wall 8 of the housing 3, another rectangular opening. These openings allowing the

  passage of the cable connection cable from the touch screen to the motherboard.

  The space provided between the motherboard and the upper wall 8 allows the passage

  from the wired ribbon cable to an appropriate connector mounted on the motherboard.

  According to the preferred embodiment, the casing 2 consists of: - a lower protective element 17 provided with a rectangular flat wall 17a, on which the touch screen 1 rests, said wall 17a projecting from the face d support of the touch screen at a distance from its periphery a continuous bead 18 of rectangular cross section defining with said wall 17a a housing for the touch screen 1, said bead forming a ring closed on itself, - of an element upper 19 comprising a rectangular upper wall 19a provided projecting on its lower face with a continuous bead 20 forming a ring closed on itself, this bead being further shaped into rabbets in order to receive in interlocking form the bead 18 of the 'lower element and come around the latter, said upper wall 19a, at a distance from the bead being provided with an opening 21 coming opposite the touch screen 1, a cord continuous seal 22 being interposed between the underside of said

wall 19a and the touch screen 1.

  Finally, an electric antenna 23 is advantageously interposed between the underside of the upper wall 19a of the upper element 19 and the touch screen 1. This antenna formed by winding in several turns an insulated copper wire, is electrically connected to the motherboard so that the mother can read the individual identification code written on a bracelet or other item worn by the seller. This antenna is arranged so as to come

  surround the border of the opening 21.

  The touch screen 21 comprises a plate placed on the wall 17 a, an LCD type screen lb placed on the plate la and a touch screen 1 c, transparent, covering the LCD screen. The seal 22 and the antenna 23 are

  interposed between the slab lc and the wall 19a of the upper element 19.

Claims (6)

CLAIMS 1l Cash register terminal, of the microcomputer type, comprising a touch screen (1) with protective casing (2), mounted on a housing (3) in which are arranged a power supply unit (7), an motherboard (4), a hard disk (5) and a fan (6), the housing (3) determining a parallelepiped volume and comprising a large horizontal upper wall (8), four vertical side walls (9), and a wall removable horizontal bottom (10), characterized in that the hard disk (5) is fixed to the bottom wall (10) and is positioned opposite the motherboard (4) which is integral with the top wall (8) and is separated from the latter, the components carried by the motherboard (4) being oriented towards the bottom wall (10).   2 / seloQ cash register terminal claim 1, characterized in that the housing (3) has an internal passage (11) for cooling air circulation in which the motherboard (4), the hard disk (5) are arranged, the power supply unit (7) and the fan (6) which is arranged at the upstream end of the passage (11) considering the direction of air circulation in the latter, so as to draw in the outside air by a suction opening (11 c) made in one of the walls of the housing and propelling this fresh air in the corridor (11) partly towards a first exhaust opening (11 d) placed downstream of the power supply unit and in part towards a second outlet (11th) of evacuation placed downstream of the card mother (4) and hard drive (5).   3 / checkout terminal according to claim 2 characterized in that the corridor (11) is delimited by the upper wall (8), by two adjoining vertical side walls (9) of the housing (3), by the bottom wall (10) and by two additional vertical walls (12) parallel respectively to the above two side walls (9) of the housing, these additional vertical walls (12) being joined to each other so as to form a dihedral, being fixed to the wall upper (10) and having a height equal to the height of the vertical side walls (9) of the housing (3).   4 / checkout terminal according to claim 3, characterized in that it is provided with an additional compartment (13) delimited by the upper horizontal wall (10), the two other vertical side walls (9) of the housing (3) and the additional vertical walls (12), into which compartment (13) penetrates by passing through an opening made in the corresponding additional wall (12), serial and parallel connectors electrically associated with the serial and parallel ports of the motherboard, the vertical side wall (9) of the compartment, located opposite connectors, having a rectangular opening for the passage of cables.   / Cash terminal according to any one of the claims   previous, characterized in that the touch screen (1), by its housing, is articulated along a horizontal axis to a yoke (14) fixed on the upper wall of the housing (3). 6 / checkout terminal according to claim 5 characterized in that between the wings of the yoke (14), above the upper wall of the housing, under the hinge axis of the screen, is housed a housing ( 15) having a wall upper (15a).   7 / Cash terminal according to claim 6 characterized in that in the housing (15) is disposed the body of a sealed switch (16) placed in series on the power supply circuit of the power supply, the body a connector for a keyboard and the body of a connector for a pointing device of the "mouse" type, these switch and connectors also being engaged in through holes drilled in the wings of the yoke (14) to be operated from the outside the housing (15) and to receive, outside the housing the   keyboard and pointing device connection sockets.   8 / cash register terminal according to claim 6 or claim 7, characterized in that the upper wall (15a) of the housing has a rectangular opening opposite which is formed in the upper wall (8) of the housing (3) another opening rectangular, said openings allowing the passage of the wired connection cable of the screen touch (1) to the motherboard (4).   9 / Cash terminal according to any one of the claims   above, comprising a flat touch screen (1) mounted in a protective casing (2) characterized in that said casing consists of: - a lower protective element (17) provided with a rectangular flat wall (17a), on which the touch screen (1) rests, said wall (17a) projecting on the contact face of the touch screen at a distance from its periphery a continuous bead (18) of rectangular cross section defining with said wall (17a) a housing for the touch screen (1), - an upper element (19) comprising a rectangular upper wall (19a) projecting on its underside with a bead (20) shaped in rebate for receive in form fitting the bead (18) of the lower element and come around the latter, said upper wall (1 9a), at a distance from the bead (20) being provided with an opening (21) coming opposite touch screen (1), a continuous sealing bead (22) being interposed   between the underside of said wall (19a) and the touch screen (1).   / Cash register terminal according to claim 9 characterized by an antenna (23) interposed between the ir face (lower side of the upper wall of the element upper and touch screen.