JPS61210499A - Pos system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention stores product data for a certain number of products sold at the electronic cash register in each electronic cash register connected to one file control unit. The present invention relates to a POS system with a temporary storage memory for storing data.

[Prior Art] In a POS (point of sale information management) system adopted for sales registration operations in department stores, supermarkets, etc., as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is connected to one file control unit 3. In the storage section of the file control section 3, such as a magnetic disk recording device, product data such as product name, unit price, etc., and sales data such as the number of sales items and sales amount for all products registered for sale in each electronic cash register 1 are stored in the PLtJ. A center file 4 is provided to store each product code such as a code. In addition,
5 in the figure is a backup file in case it becomes impossible to search the product data stored in the center file 4 for some reason, or it becomes impossible to tally the number of sales and sales amount of each product. .

Then, when the product code of the product sold to the customer from each electronic cash register 1 is entered by key operations on a keyboard serving as an input device or by operating a barcode scanner, this product code is sent to the file control unit 3 as product data inquiry information. It is transmitted via transmission path 2. The file control unit 3 that has received the inquiry information from each electronic cash register 1 searches the center file 4 using the product code of this inquiry information. Then, the product data corresponding to the product code is read and sent to the corresponding electronic cash register 1. The electronic cash register 1 that has received the product data executes sales operations using the product name, unit price, etc. of this product data. When the sales operation is completed, sales data such as the sales amount and number of items sold at the electronic cash register 1 are sent to the file control section 3 together with the product code. Then, the file control unit 3 cumulatively stores the sales number and sales amount of the received sales data in the sales number area and sales amount area for the product with the corresponding product code in the center file 4. This completes the sales registration process for one product.

With a POS system configured in this way, the above-mentioned sales registration process can be performed at each electronic cash register 1 and 1.
Since it is carried out between the file control unit 3 of the
The amount of data passing through transmission line 2 increases significantly, and transmission line 2
The load on itself and the line control circuit (not shown) increases.

As a result, if the transmission line 2 and the line control circuit fail, sales registration operations at all electronic cash registers 1 become impossible.

Generally, in order to avoid such a situation, as shown in FIG. A separate terminal file 8 is provided, and when a product code is entered from the keyboard or barcode scanner of each electronic cash register 7, the product code is used to search within the own terminal file 8 and the name of the product, Read product data such as unit price and execute sales operations. Then, sales data such as the number of items sold and the sales amount are sent to the file control unit 6 via the transmission line 2, as described above. The file control unit 6 updates the sales number and sales amount of the corresponding product in the center file 9 based on the received sales data.

In a POS system with such a configuration, each electronic cash register 7 does not send product data inquiry information to the file control unit 6 (also, the file control unit 6 does not send inquiry information for product data to each electronic cash register 7). However, since there is no need to transmit product data, the amount of data passing through the transmission path 2 is significantly reduced.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, even in the POS system in which each electronic cash register 7 is provided with a terminal file 8 as described above, the following problems still need to be solved. That is, each electronic cash register 7
Since the terminal file 8 installed in the terminal file 8 needs to store the product data of all the products sold at this sales floor, it requires almost the same storage capacity as the center file 9 installed in the file control section 6. . As a result, each electronic cash register 7 becomes larger and the manufacturing cost increases.

Furthermore, since the unit price of each product is generally changed frequently in supermarkets and the like, it is necessary to change the unit price stored in the terminal file 8 of all electronic cash registers 7 every time the unit price changes. Therefore, the task of changing the unit price becomes extremely complicated, which not only increases the burden on the operator but also reduces the efficiency of the entire sales operation.

Furthermore, there is also a concern that the probability of erroneous operation occurring when changing the unit price increases.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide each electronic cash register with a temporary storage memory in which a certain number of frequently used product data is stored. To provide a POS system that can reduce the amount of data transmitted between each electronic cash register and the file control unit without significantly increasing the storage capacity of each electronic cash register, and improve the business efficiency of the entire sales registration process. be. .

[Means for Solving the Problems] Each electronic cash register in the POS system of the present invention includes a timer for measuring time, a predetermined number of data areas for storing each product data, and the predetermined number of times for storing time. When a product code is input from the input device, the product data in the temporary memory is searched using this product code, and when the corresponding product data is detected, sales are made based on this product data. carry out work; In addition, when the corresponding product data is not detected, inquiry information including the product code is sent to the file control unit, and in response to this inquiry, the corresponding product data sent from the file control unit is transferred to the free data area in the temporary storage memory. Store it in At the same time, the time at which the corresponding product data was retrieved in the temporary storage memory is read out from the timer and stored in the time area corresponding to the data area in which this product data is stored. Furthermore, when there is no free data area in the temporary storage memory to store the corresponding product data, the product data in the data area corresponding to the oldest time stored in each time area is deleted and the data is stored. The corresponding product data is stored in the area.

Further, in another invention, when the number of free data areas for storing the corresponding product data in the temporary storage memory falls below a predetermined limit number, the products in each data area are Data is sequentially deleted from the earliest time of the time area corresponding to this data area until the number of free data areas reaches the limit number.

[Function] With a POS system configured in this way, when a product code is input from the input device at each electronic cash register, the temporary storage memory is first searched, and when the corresponding product data is detected, this detection is performed. Sales operations are executed using the product data that has been retrieved, and when the corresponding product data is not detected, inquiry information is sent to the file control unit.

Then, when the product data corresponding to this inquiry information is sent from the file control section, this product data is stored in the free data area in the temporary storage memory. At the same time, the time when the product data was searched in the temporary storage memory is stored in the time area of the data area where the product data is stored.

Then, when the free data area of the temporary storage memory runs out, the product data retrieved at the earliest time is deleted and the product data newly sent from the file control section is stored.

Therefore, as a result, only a certain number of frequently used product data are stored in the temporary storage memory.

.

In another invention, when the number of free data areas in the temporary storage memory falls below a certain limit, after the end of a sales operation for one customer, the search time becomes older until the number of free data areas reaches the limit. Product data will be deleted one by one. Therefore, a certain number of frequently used product data are stored in the temporary storage memory, and a free data area larger than the limit is always reserved for new customers.

[Example] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire POS system of the embodiment, in which a plurality of electronic cash registers ('ECR) 1
1 is connected to one file control unit 13 via a transmission line 12. In a storage section such as a magnetic disk recording device of the file control section 13, product data such as product name, unit price, etc., sales data such as sales number, sales amount, etc. for all products registered for sale at each electronic cash register 11 are stored in a PLU. A center file 14 is provided to store each product code such as a code. In addition, 15 in the figure is a backup file in case it becomes impossible to search the product data stored in the center file 14 for some reason, or it becomes impossible to tally the number of sales and sales amount of each product. It is.

Furthermore, each electronic cash register 11 includes a RAM, 1
A temporary storage memory 16 consisting of a one-time disk recording device or the like is provided.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing each of the electronic cash registers 11, in which reference numeral 17 indicates a CP that executes various arithmetic operations.
U (central processing unit). This CPU 17 is connected via a pass line 18 to a ROM 19.0 that stores fixed data such as control programs. A RAM 21 that temporarily stores variable data such as product codes entered manually from the keyboard 20.
A keyboard interface 22 into which key signals from the keyboard 20 are input for manually inputting product codes of products sold to customers and tightening operations. A display unit interface 24 that sends display data to a display unit 23 that displays electronically the product name, unit price, total amount, etc. of products for sale. A printer/drawer interface 27 that drives and controls the printer 25 that prints out the item name, unit price, total amount, etc. on the receipt, and the drawer 926 that stores money. Memory interface 28 of said temporary storage memory 16. Transmission line 12
A transmission control circuit 29 connected to the transmission control circuit 29. The timer 30 and the like that measure the current time are controlled.

As shown in FIG. 3, each temporary storage memory 16 contains:
For each product code such as a PLU code, a data area 31 for storing product data consisting of the product name, unit price, and status of the corresponding product and a time area 32 for storing the time at which the product data in this data area 1131 was retrieved are formed. ing. The number of data areas 31 and time areas 32 installed is a predetermined constant number, such as 100, for example.

In addition, in the center file 14 provided in the file control unit 13, as shown in FIG. A data area 33 for storing product data including product name, unit price, and status, and a sales data area 34 for cumulatively storing the number of items sold and sales amount are formed.

The CPU 17 of each electronic cash register 11 is configured to execute registration processing for one product according to the flowchart of FIG. 5 when the product code of a sales product is input from the keyboard 20 via the keyboard interface 22. ing.

That is, the temporary storage memory 16 is searched using the input product code. And temporary memory 16 at Pl
When the corresponding product code is detected in the data area 31, the product data such as product name, unit price, status, etc. is read out from the data area 31 corresponding to this product code, and the sales registration process shown in FIG. 6 is performed based on the product data at P2. Execute business.

In the sales registration process shown in FIG. 6, the product name included in the product data and the sales amount determined from the unit price are displayed on the display unit 23, and the printer 25 prints out the product name and sales amount on a receipt. Next, sales data such as the number of items sold and sales amount are registered in a sales summary file for each electronic cash register 11 formed in its own RAM 21.

When the registration in the own sales summary file is completed, the sales data is transferred to the transmission control circuit 29. The number of sales items in the sales data area 34 of the corresponding product code of the center file 14 is sent to the file control unit 13 via the transmission path 12 .

Update the sales amount.

When the sales registration processing work at P2 in Figure 5 is completed,
The current time is continuously output from the timer 30 and stored in the temporary memory 1.
6 is stored in the time area 32 of the corresponding product code. That’s 11! The sales registration process for product I ends.

If the applicable product code is not detected in the temporary storage memory 16 at Pl, inquiry information incorporating this product code is sent to the file control unit 13. The product data of the corresponding product code retrieved from the center file 14 of the file control unit 13 is transferred to the transmission path 12. When input through the transmission control circuit 29, the input product data is used in P3 to execute the same sales registration process as in P2. When the process P3 is completed, the free data area 31 of the temporary storage memory 16 is searched. Then, at P4, free data area 3
1 exists, the product data obtained from the file control unit 13 this time is stored in the free data area 31. At the same time, the current time is read from the timer 30 and stored in the time area 32 corresponding to the corresponding product data.

If no free data area 31 is detected in the temporary storage memory 16 at P4, the data area 3 corresponding to the oldest time among the times stored in all the time areas 32
The product data stored in 1 is deleted, and the product data input from the file control unit 13 this time is stored in the data area 31.

At the same time, the current time read from the timer 30 is stored in the time area 32 corresponding to the relevant data area 31.

Note that the closing operation for determining the total price of products sold to one customer is the same as the normal closing process, so the explanation will be omitted.

In a POS system configured in this way, the center file 13 provided in the file control unit 13 stores product data and sales data for all products sold at each electronic cash register 11. Temporary memory 16 of each electronic cash register 11
Stores therein the product data of the product inquired from the electronic cash register 11 to the file control unit 13 and the time at which each product data was retrieved. This time is updated to a new time when a search for product data occurs for that product. Therefore, new times are always stored in the time area 32 of product data for products that are frequently searched for, that is, products that sell well. On the other hand, the times of products that are searched less frequently become outdated over time because they have less chance of being updated.

On the other hand, when the free data area 31 in the temporary storage memory 16 runs out, the product data is rewritten with new product data in the order of the oldest searched time. Therefore, the temporary storage memory 16 always stores product data of products that sell well. As a result, the number of product data inquiries from each electronic cash register 11 to the file control unit 13 is significantly reduced, so the amount of data passing through the transmission path 12 is reduced, and the processing in each electronic cash register 11 and file control unit 13 is reduced. POS
The processing efficiency of the entire system can be improved.

As a result, it becomes possible to connect more electronic cash registers 11 to one file control unit 13 in the POS system.

Furthermore, in the POS system of the present invention, even if a failure occurs in the transmission line 12, each electronic cash register 1
1 uses its own electronic cash register 1 to register sales for product data stored in its own temporary storage memory 16.
Since it can be carried out only within one office, the rate of inconvenience to customers is reduced.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the number of general products sold over a certain period of time for each product, and the products are arranged in order of best selling. As is clear from this graph, the number of sales of some products that sell well accounts for a considerable proportion of the total number of sales. For example, 20% of the products account for more than 60% of the total sales, as indicated by the diagonal lines. Therefore, for example, the number of installed data areas 31 of the temporary storage memory 16 of each electronic cash register 11 is set to 2 of the total number of products.
If the value is set to 0%, there is no need to inquire about product data to the file control unit 13 for 60% or more of the sales items of products registered for sale in each electronic cash register 11. As a result, the temporary storage memory 16 has a small storage capacity.
The number of inquiries can be significantly reduced simply by providing the following.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of each electronic cash register in a POS system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Note that the block diagram of the entire system, the block diagram of each electronic cash register, the temporary storage memory, and the configuration of the center file are the same as in the previous embodiment.

In this embodiment, if product data is input from the file control unit 13 at P5 and there is no free data area 31 in the temporary memory 16, the old Do not update product data corresponding to time.

FIG. 9 shows the tightening process when a tightening command is input by key operation on the keyboard 20 in this embodiment. That is, when the registration process shown in FIG. 8 for all the products sold to one customer is completed and a closing command is input from the keyboard 20, the total amount calculation 9 is displayed on the display section 23 and is displayed on the receipt. Execute normal closing processing such as printing out and registering in the sales summary file.

Next, the free data area 31 in the temporary storage memory 16 is searched. If the number of free data areas is less than the predetermined limit number of 20 in P6, the time in the time area 32 is searched and the product data is stored in chronological order until the number of free data areas 31 reaches 20. Delete them one by one.

Note that if there are 20 or more free data areas 31 at P6, there is no need to delete the product data.

With a POS system configured in this way, the temporary storage memory 16 is
20 or more free data areas 31 are always secured. As mentioned above, the number of products sold to one customer for which product data is not stored in the temporary storage memory 16 is 20.
The probability of exceeding this is considered to be extremely small. Therefore, the product data in the temporary storage memory 16 is deleted during sales registration.

It is possible to reduce the number of times storage contents are rewritten, such as storing new product data, and improve the processing speed of sales registration operations for one customer, thereby improving service. Note that since money is exchanged with the customer after the closing operation, the electronic cash register 11 is generally idle, and old product data in the temporary storage memory 16 is deleted during this idle time.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. The number of data areas 31 installed in the temporary storage memory 16 and the number of free data areas secured after the closing operation are not particularly limited, and can be set arbitrarily depending on the installation location of this system, the type of sales product, etc.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, each electronic cash register is provided with a temporary storage memory in which a certain number of frequently used product data are stored. Therefore, the amount of data transmitted between each electronic cash register and the file control section can be reduced without significantly increasing the storage capacity of each electronic cash register, and the efficiency of the entire sales registration process can be improved. Furthermore, it is possible to improve service to customers.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the entire POS system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing each electronic cash register of the embodiment, and Figs. 3 and 4 are memory storage of the embodiment. 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing the operation of each electronic cash register of the same embodiment. FIG. 7 is a sales number graph for explaining the effects of the same embodiment. 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing the operation of each electronic cash register in a POS system according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 10 and 11 are block diagrams showing a conventional POS system. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Electronic cash register, 12... Transmission path, 13... File control unit, 14... Center file, 16... Temporary storage memory, 17... CPU,
20... Keyboard (input bag @), 30... Timer, 31... Data area, 32... Time area. Applicant's Representative Patent Attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Taniro Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) The product code of the sales product input through each input device of a plurality of electronic cash registers is sent to a file control unit having a center file that stores product data such as the unit price of each product corresponding to each product code. Sales operations are performed based on the product data of the corresponding product code sent as inquiry information and sent from this file control unit, and sales data such as sales amount and number of items sold are aggregated and registered in the center file of the file control unit. In the POS system, each of the electronic cash registers includes a timer for measuring time, a temporary storage memory comprising a predetermined number of data areas for storing each of the product data and the predetermined number of time areas for storing time; a search means for searching the product data in the temporary storage memory using the product code when the product code is input from the input device; and a search means for searching the product data in the temporary storage memory using the product code; a sales means for carrying out a sales operation; an inquiry means for sending the inquiry information to the file control section when the corresponding product data is not detected by the search means; and the file control section in response to the inquiry means. data storage means for storing the corresponding product data sent from the temporary storage memory into a free data area in the temporary storage memory; and a data storage means for storing the product data sent from the timer into a free data area in the temporary storage memory; a time storage means for storing in a time area corresponding to the data area in which the product data is stored, and a time stored in each of the time areas when there is no free data area in the temporary storage memory to store the corresponding product data; A POS system comprising: data updating means for deleting product data in a data area corresponding to the oldest time among the data areas and storing the corresponding product data in this data area. (2) The product code of the sales product input through each input device of a plurality of electronic cash registers is sent to a file control unit having a center file that stores product data such as the unit price of each product corresponding to each product code. Sales operations are performed based on the product data of the corresponding product code sent as inquiry information and sent from this file control unit, and sales data such as sales amount and number of items sold are aggregated and registered in the center file of the file control unit. In the POS system, each of the electronic cash registers has a temporary storage memory including a timer for measuring time, a predetermined number of data areas for storing each of the product data, and a predetermined number of time areas for storing time. a search means for searching the product data in the temporary storage memory using the product code when the product code is input from the input device; a sales means for carrying out the sales operations based on the search means; an inquiry means for sending the inquiry information to the file control section when the corresponding product data is not detected by the search means; a data storage means for storing the corresponding product data sent from the file control unit into a free data area in the temporary storage memory; and a data storage means for reading the time at which the product data was retrieved in the temporary storage memory from the timer. a time storage means for storing the product data in a time area corresponding to the data area in which the product data is stored, and when the number of free data areas in the temporary storage memory falls below a predetermined limit, A POS system characterized by comprising: a deletion means for sequentially deleting product data in each of the data areas from the oldest time in the time area corresponding to the data area until the free data area reaches the limit number.