JPH08124035A - Pos system, data method and scanner device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a radio type POS system and a scanner device therefor which can perform the input/output jobs of the data on the inventory control, the inspection of commodities carried out at the warehousing time, etc., as well as the data on the commodities carried out at the selling time at a store and with a fixed POS terminal and also can perform these jobs in real time and in a simple way. CONSTITUTION: A POS system is provided with a POS terminal 1 which includes both transmission and reception parts and a scanner device 2 which also includes both transmission and reception parts. The data signals are mutually transmitted between the terminal 1 and the device 2 through their transmission and reception parts respectively. Furthermore the voice input/output parts are added to the terminal 1 and the device 2 so that the voice signals are mutually transmitted between them through their transmission and reception parts respectively. Then the device 2 has a portable shape and is provided with various parts related to transmission of data and voice signals, and the main body of the device 2 uses a battery as its power supply. The form of each signal that is transmitted in this system consists of a start symbol part, an identification part, a sequence part, a command part, a data part and an end symbol part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is a POS for performing information processing such as sales of products and inventory management mainly in supermarkets, department stores, restaurants, leisure facilities, retail stores and the like.
The present invention relates to a portable scanner device used in a system and its POS system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in stores such as retail stores, a bar code attached to a product is read by a scanner device (bar code reader) connected to a register, and money is generally processed based on this data. Has been done.

This register is usually called a POS register in order to distinguish it from other registers.
It is installed as an S terminal. Information collected from barcodes of various products at the time of sale is sent to a host computer installed in an information processing center or the like outside the store, whereby centralized product management is performed.

By the way, a POS system centering on this kind of POS register is useful for inventory management and processing of information at the time of goods inspection at the time of warehousing, but it was originally constructed mainly for management at the time of sale. Therefore, the main body of the POS register and the bar code reader are connected via a cable, and the mutual positional relationship is fixed.

For this reason, at a store or the like, in order to store the information at the time of inventory control and inspection at the time of warehousing in the POS register,
POS using a data collector (handy terminal)
It employs a method of transferring to a register or manually inputting data written on the paper such as a slip attached to a product.

[0006]

However, for example, when using a handy terminal, not only is the installation cost of the equipment required, but also the transfer work is time-consuming and labor-intensive, while the data written on the paper is used. In case of manually inputting, there were problems such as occurrence of transcription error and time required for learning operation. Further, in any of these cases, since real-time information processing is impossible, inventory information of products cannot be grasped promptly, and as a result, inconveniences such as product replenishment and proper instruction cannot be given. Sometimes it happened.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a wireless transmission unit and a reception unit are provided in a POS terminal while a wireless transmission unit is provided to a scanner device. And a receiving unit so that data signals such as bar code data of products and voice signals can be transmitted to each other.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As described above, the object of the present invention is, in a store or the like, in a state where a POS terminal is fixedly installed, as well as data input / output of merchandise at the time of sale, inventory management, and inspection at the time of storage It is an object of the present invention to provide a wireless POS system capable of inputting / outputting data, etc., and capable of performing such work easily and in real time, and a scanner device suitable for the system.

[0009]

The structure of claim 1 of the present invention comprises a POS terminal provided with a wireless transmission unit and a reception unit, and a scanner device provided with a wireless transmission unit and a reception unit. , A configuration in which a data signal is mutually transmitted between the POS terminal and the scanner device by each of the transmission unit and the reception unit, and the configuration of claim 2 is the POS system according to claim 1. In, at each of the POS terminal and the scanner device, an audio input / output unit is provided.
Each of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit is configured to mutually transmit an audio signal between the POS terminal and the scanner device, and the configuration of claim 3 is defined in claims 1 and 2 of the claims. In the scanner device used in the POS system, the scanner device is formed in a portable shape, has various parts related to the transmission of data signals and audio signals, and has a configuration in which the main body is powered by a battery. According to the structure of claim 4, the signal format is composed of a start symbol portion, an identification portion, a sequence portion, a command portion, a data portion, and an end symbol portion.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention which has achieved such an object will be described with reference to the drawings of the following embodiments.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic view of a POS terminal and a scanner device for explaining a POS system of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a PO in the POS system of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the S terminal, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a scanner device in the POS system of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the scanner device in the POS system of the present invention, and FIG. 5 relates to a data transmission method in the POS system of the present invention. It is a block diagram of a signal format.

The present invention relates to a POS system for centralized processing of information on sales and inventory management mainly in supermarkets, department stores, restaurants, leisure facilities, retail stores, etc. 1 to 3, a POS terminal 1 provided with a wireless transmission unit 3a and a reception unit 3b, and a scanner provided with a wireless transmission unit 4a and a reception unit 4b. Device 2 and each of the transmitters 3a. 4a and receiver 3b. 4b is used to transmit data signals between the POS terminal 1 and the scanner device 2 to each other, and the POS system according to claim 2 is the same as the POS terminal 1 and the scanner device 2. Voice input / output unit 5a. 6a, each of the transmitters 3a. 4a and receiver 3b. 4b makes it possible to mutually transmit an audio signal between the POS terminal 1 and the scanner device 2, and the scanner device 2 according to claim 3 of the claims is a wireless device as shown in FIG. In the scanner device 2 having a transmission / reception unit, the scanner device 2 is formed in a portable shape, and includes various parts related to transmission of data signals and audio signals,
The main point is that the power source of the main body is the battery power source 2A, and the data transmission method according to claim 4 is the signal transmission method in the POS system according to claim 1, as shown in FIG. The format is a start symbol part 8a, an identification part 8b, a sequence part 8c, a command part 8
The gist is that it is composed of d, a data part 8e, and an end symbol part 8f.

That is, the POS system of the present invention is a POS system capable of wireless transmission as shown in the overall schematic view of FIG.
It is composed of a terminal 1 and a scanner device 2.

The POS terminal 1 defined in the present invention is a function as a register, a product code reading function, I
Not only the POS function, which has a D card reading function and a slip creation function, and also has a POS function that can collect sales information about the type and quantity of products sold at the time of sale, sales location, sales time, etc. It includes a general-purpose computer for a terminal having.

On the other hand, the scanner device 2 defined in the present invention
Specifically, the term means a bar code reader, but in a broad sense, it includes a scanner or the like connected to a general-purpose personal computer.

Further, the bar code data transmitted by the POS system of the present invention includes bar code data attached to the merchandise at the store and bar code data obtained from any command sheet.

The main part of the POS terminal 1 has the same structure as a general POS register, that is, as shown in FIG. 2, a central processing unit (CPU) 1a and product information data are manually input. An input unit 1b, a printing unit 1c forming a data output unit, a display unit 1d, a communication unit 1e connected to a host computer via a public or dedicated telephone line, and a data storage unit for storing data (see FIG. A POS terminal 1 composed of (not shown) or the like, and a control unit 3d, a receiving unit 3a, a transmitting unit 3 to the central processing unit 1a of the POS terminal 1 via an interface 3c.
b is provided.

The internal circuit of the POS terminal 1 is provided with a switch for switching channel No. and radio frequency, an alarm device (not shown) for displaying the status of the scanner device 2 which will be described later, and the like. There is.

On the other hand, the scanner device 2 is similar to a general-purpose scanner, specifically, a bar code reader for reading a bar code attached to a product, and as shown in FIG. A processing unit (not shown) incorporating a microcomputer to a certain barcode reading unit 2a, a control unit 4c, an input unit 4d for manually inputting product data and commands, a barcode reading state, a power state,
A display section 4e made of liquid crystal or the like for displaying a transmission / reception state, received data, etc. is provided, and a transmission section 4a and a reception section 4b are provided to the control section 4c.

Further, the POS terminal 1 and the scanner device 2 are provided with respective control units 3d. 4c voice input / output unit 5
a. 6a is provided so that, in addition to the transmission of barcode data and the like, conversation can be performed between the personnel on the POS terminal 1 side and the personnel on the scanner device 2 side.

FIG. 4 shows a specific structure of the portable scanner device 2 which is preferably used in the POS system of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the scanner device 2 is formed in a portable shape in which a grip portion is provided on a substantially rectangular base portion, and the internal barcode reading portion 2a is formed on the tip end surface of the base portion. An optical component (not shown) such as a glass plate is provided as an input unit.

On the surface of the base portion, cancellation of read data, simple operation switch 7a for designating quantity data by a multiple, switching of channel NO portion during data transmission, and switching of radio frequency during transmission of voice signals. Changeover switch 7b for carrying out the status of the main body, line status, POS
Response data returned from terminal 1, eg PL
A display portion 7c such as a liquid crystal display for displaying the U name, and a speaker 7 for notifying the input / output of voice and the transmission state by sound
d, the multistage telescopic rod type antenna 7e and the like are provided.

In the scanner device 2 of the present invention constructed as described above, the power source is the battery power source 2A, which improves the usability. The battery power source 2
A is charged by the charger 2B as shown in the schematic view of FIG.

[0023]

[Transmission of Data Signal and Audio Signal] The present invention uses the POS system configured as described above to scan the scanner device 2
Enter the barcode data that is the product information entered in
Transmit to OS terminal 1, while POS terminal 1
Is transmitted from the scanner to the scanner device 2.

FIG. 5 shows a signal format according to the data transmission method of the present invention. The signal format is the start symbol portion 8a,
The identification unit 8b, the sequence unit 8c, the command unit 8d, the data unit 8e, and the end symbol unit 8f are included.

First, the scanner device 2 is held by hand to read the barcode attached to the product. The read barcode data is judged by the control unit 4c together with, for example, the manually input quantity data. At this time, in the case of an erroneous input, the data may be invalidated by a cancel button provided in the input unit 4d of the scanner device 2. After the operation of the confirm button, if the transmission is possible,
The signal is transmitted by the transmitter 4a via a signal processor, a modulator (not shown) and the like.

The transmission data transmitted from the scanner device 2 is received by the receiving portion 3b of any POS terminal 1 set to have the same radio frequency as the scanner device 2, and then the signal processing portion and demodulating portion (see FIG. It is sent to the control unit 3d via (not shown) or the like, and if it is in a receivable state, it is set in the interface 3c and input to the central processing unit 1a.

Next, in the central processing unit 1a, in order to confirm receipt of the transmission data, the response data which has been electronically processed as a product name etc. is returned, and is sent to the control unit 3d via the interface 3c. When the transmission ready state is confirmed,
The response data is transmitted from the transmission unit 3a, and the reception data is output as characters, voice, etc. from the printing unit 1c, the display unit 1d, and the like, which are output units.

The scanner device 2 is in a waiting state after transmitting the above-mentioned data and receives the response data from the POS terminal 1. The response data is
The data is sent to the processing unit via the control unit 4c, the content of the data is analyzed, and sound, characters, etc. are output according to the command.

At this time, during normal operation, for example, a normal sound such as a short sound is generated and response data such as a product name is displayed on the display unit. If there is no response from the POS terminal 1, for example,
Since an error sound such as a long sound is generated, the same data will be retransmitted in this case.

As shown in the signal format of FIG. 5, a sequence NO is added in the sequence section 8c in the transmission data so that the POS terminal 1 does not perform double processing. In order to prevent erroneous recognition as, the channel number is added by the identification unit 8b.

The POS system of the present invention can transmit voice signals between personnel in addition to the above mutual transmission of data signals. To transmit a voice signal, first, a switch for voice transmission provided on the input unit 4d of the scanner device 2 is operated. When this switch is operated, a voice output start command is transmitted from the scanner device 2, and the POS terminal 1 receiving this command changes the input / output mode to the voice mode in the control unit 3d, whereby the voice signal is transmitted. It will be possible.

After that, when the POS terminal 1 does not receive a signal of a certain level for a certain period of time, a cancellation command is transmitted from the POS terminal 1 to the scanner device 2. When the scanner device 2 normally receives the release command (for example, it is normal when the voice switch of the scanner device 2 is released), a response signal is returned, and the release from the voice mode is established at this point. To do. This is because there is no way to distinguish between voice and command unless there is a way to cancel the voice mode.

The transmission may be started not only by the scanner device 2 but also by the scanner device 2 side in response to the transmission from the POS terminal 1. In the case of data transmission, this is initialization, information setting, etc. from the POS terminal 1.

The information collected at the POS terminal 1 is
It is transmitted to a host computer (not shown) installed in an information processing center or the like via a public or private telephone line. By centrally processing the sales information, the host computer grasps the sales status of each store, the stock status of products, the selling location, and the like. From these information processing results, it is possible to transmit a product replenishment plan for each retail store in which the POS terminal 1 is installed, information such as the location of a selling item, or an appropriate instruction. That is, sales information about sales collected at retail stores can be grasped in real time, and sales efficiency can be improved by appropriate and prompt response.

The POS system of the present invention is configured as described above, and by providing the POS terminal and the scanner unit with the transmitting unit and the receiving unit, respectively, the data such as bar code data and other commands can be obtained. Since signals and voice signals can be transmitted to each other, it is possible to collect information at the time of sale as well as at the time of inventory control and inspection at the time of goods receipt in real time by a simple operation. Further, since the scanner device used in this POS system is a portable one, it has a secondary effect that, for example, it is possible to easily scan a large or bulky product that cannot be brought into a sales lane. In general, the POS system of the present invention can collect all the information related to the product without introducing a dedicated equipment such as a handy terminal according to the type of information collection, and thus is excellent in economical efficiency and usability. It is a groundbreaking and meaningful invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a PO for explaining a POS system of the present invention.
It is an overall schematic diagram of an S terminal and a scanner device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a POS terminal in the POS system of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a scanner device in the POS system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a scanner device in the POS system of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a signal format according to a data transmission method in the POS system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 POS Terminal 1a Central Processing Section 1b Input Section 1c Printing Section 1d Display Section 1e Communication Section 2 Scanner Device 2A Battery Power Supply 2B Charger 2a Bar Code Reading Section 3a Transmission Section 3b Reception Section 3c Interface 3d Control Section 4a Transmission Section 4b Reception Section 4c control section 4d input section 4e display section 5a voice input / output section 6a voice input / output section 7a operation switch 7b changeover switch 7c display section 7d speaker 7e antenna 8a start symbol section 8b identification section 8c sequence section 8d command section 8e data section 8f Terminator part

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A POS having a wireless transmitter and receiver.
A terminal and a scanner device provided with a wireless transmission unit and a reception unit are provided, and by the respective transmission unit and reception unit,
A POS system characterized in that data signals are mutually transmitted between a POS terminal and a scanner device. 2. The POS according to claim 1 of the claims.
In the system, a voice input / output unit is provided to each of the POS terminal and the scanner device, and a voice signal is mutually transmitted between the POS terminal and the scanner device by each of the transmitting unit and the receiving unit. POS
system. 3. A scanner device used in the POS system according to claim 1 and claim 2, wherein the scanner device is formed in a portable shape and transmits a data signal and an audio signal. A scanner device comprising various parts related to, and the main body of which is a battery power source. 4. The POS according to claim 1 of the claims.
A data transmission method for a POS system, characterized in that the signal format comprises a start symbol part, an identification part, a sequence part, a command part, a data part, and an end symbol part.