JPS63163916A - Inputting system by plural input devices - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simultaneously execute actions by programs which have different purposes and actions each other by dividing plural input devices into groups and assigning the groups to application programs. CONSTITUTION:An operating system (OS) storage area 9 and storage areas 10 and 11 which respectively store the programs Aa and Ab, etc., are provided in a storage part 8. Plural storage areas 12, 13, 14 and 15 which are allotted every respective input devices and where specified data is written to be able to specify the respective input devices when the respective input devices are started, are set in the OS storage area 9. And at the time of being inputted from any one of input devices which are assigned every programs Aa and Ab, data write areas 16a and 16b and the storage areas 17a and 17b which are used for transferring the data to the programs Aa and Ab are set.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is applicable to so-called PO in the field of distribution, for example.
The present invention relates to an input method using a plurality of input devices that is suitably used in a system configuration such as an S system (point of sale system).

BACKGROUND TECHNOLOGY Conventionally, in the field of distribution, point-of-sale systems (hereinafter referred to as POS systems) and electronic cash registers1 have been widely used.
fl (E C R ) system etc. are used,
In these systems, multiple types of input devices are used in parallel. In other words, various input devices are used, such as a magnetic card reader that performs input using magnetic cards such as various Frenot cards, a parcode reader that performs input using a so-called bar code, and a keyboard.

The electronic cash register system in such a conventional POS system uses an operating system (OS) that only functions as an electronic cash register.
The multiple types of input processing described above were performed.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such a conventional POS system, the operating system that controls the 11 electronic cash registers used is not versatile, and therefore the electronic cash registers are It could not be used as a computer, and therefore had poor operability, such as requiring a separate computer to perform various aggregation processing and statistical processing. Furthermore, when attempting to expand the system by adding a new input device, it is necessary to change the operating system used in the system, which requires unnecessarily complicated labor.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, improve operability, and provide a system using multiple input devices that can be easily used even when adding a new input device. The purpose is to provide an input method.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention is an input method for inputting data in parallel from a plurality of input devices, in which each input device is divided into a plurality of groups each including a plurality of input devices. input permission means for detecting this for each group and prohibiting input from the remaining input devices in the group when an input is made from any one of the input devices; and the input device on which the input is made. This is an input method using a plurality of input devices, which is characterized by including data specifying data written therein and data exchange means for processing the input data by a processing program.

Operation In the input method according to the present invention, a plurality of input devices are used in parallel, and each input device is divided into a plurality of groups each including a plurality of input devices. One for each group
When an input is made using one input device, the input permission means set for each group detects that this input has been made, and prohibits input from the remaining input devices within each group. On the other hand, as mentioned above, for each group, data specifying the input device that performed the input is written to the data transfer means, and the data transfer means processes the data input from the specified input device into the processing program. In this way, input control from a plurality of input devices connected in parallel can be easily performed.

On the other hand, such input control can be performed in parallel by programs having mutually different purposes and operations by allocating groups of input devices to respective application programs to be used. In addition, a program that performs such input control only needs to be able to control the range related to the input mechanism, so even if the system program is changed by adding a new input device, it is not necessary to change a very limited part. It can be stopped. In this way, the operability of input using a plurality of input devices connected in parallel is significantly improved.

Embodiment vi1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of a point of sale system (hereinafter abbreviated as POS system) 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The POS system 1 is generally equipped with, for example, a plurality of electronic cash registers fi (ECR) 2, and each electronic cash register fitj 12 uses a control device realized by, for example, a microprocessor.

Electronic cash registration TJL (hereinafter abbreviated as cash registration machine)
2 includes random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and electrical temporary memory (EEP).
Storage means (not shown) realized by ROM) etc.
An operating system (OS) 3 having contents as described below is stored therein. On such an operating system 3, there are, for example, an application program Aa that executes a sales processing function (so-called cash register W!An), and a seventh application program that executes a verification processing function for magnetic cards such as Frenot cards. 1 program Ab, etc. are set.

Such an electronic cash register 2 includes a keyboard 4, which is an input device, a barcode reader 5, a magnetic card reader 6, and a key switch input device 7 (hereinafter collectively referred to as an input device when necessary). They are connected in parallel and configured to allow input from either. In such various input devices, for example, the dou-board 4 inbound barcode reader 5 is coupled to the applica 1 program Aa, and the magnetic card reader 6 inbound key switch input device 7 is coupled to the applica in 1 program Aa. It is coupled to program Ab.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a storage mode of the storage section 8 provided in the cash register a2 of FIG. 1. The storage unit 8 includes an operating system storage area (hereinafter abbreviated as O8 storage area) 9 and an application program A.
Program storage area 10.1 for storing each of b.
1 is set. This O8 storage area 9 is allocated for each input device, and specific data is written when each input device is activated. 12, 13, 14.1
5 is set.

Further, specific data is written when input is made from any one of the input devices assigned to each of the application cage run programs Aa and Ab. storage areas (hereinafter referred to as input declaration queues) 16a and 18b are also allocated for each of the application application programs At and Ab, and the input data is written therein to the corresponding application application application program. Storage areas (hereinafter referred to as data capes H7m and 17b) used to transfer this data to Aa and Ab are set, respectively.

Further, input scan end queues 18, 19, 20, and 21, which are realized as storage areas, are set in the O8 storage area 9. The input scan end queues 18 to 21 are allocated to the input devices 4 to 7 shown in the first figure, and are assigned to the input scan end queues 18 to 21 corresponding to input devices that have been refused data input, as will be described later. is written with specific data.

FIG. 3 is a 70-chart explaining the operation of this embodiment. The operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to #1 to FIG. 3. At step n1 in FIG. 3, any or all of the input devices 4 to 7 shown in FIG. 1 are activated.

The specific data is written into any or all of the activation queues 12 to 15 shown in the second diagram corresponding to the input device activated at this time. The control unit included in the cash registration II machine 2 can know which input device has been activated by reading the contents of the activation queues 12 to 15. The following description assumes that all of the input devices 4-7 are activated.

At step n2 in FIG. 3, input operations are performed using the input devices 4-7. In the subsequent step n3, the input devices 4, 5, 6, and 7, which are grouped according to the application layer programs Aa and Ab shown in FIG. Declaration knee 16 turtle, write specific data to 16b, data key, -1
Write the data input to 7a@17b, and write the application program Aa*AbI:nll.
The following description assumes that the keyboard 4 and the magnetic card reading device 6 perform the input most quickly.

At this time, specific data is written to the input declaration cape knee 16at16b, so that no input can be made from the remaining input devices, the barcode reader 5 and the key switch input device 7. Ru. Also,
Data key where input data is written: L-17m-
In 17b, data specifying the input g&position where the earliest input was made, that is, the keyboard 4 and the magnetic card reader 6, is written together with the input data.

In step n4, it is determined whether or not it was possible to write the specific data into the input declaration key s-16m+16b at the time when the input devices 4 to 7 were operated. this? If 1m is negative, there is an input device that has previously started an input operation, the specific data has been written in the input declaration queue 16, and the input operation has not been continued.

Therefore, at this time, the data for which the input operation was performed in step n5 is abstracted, and in step n6, the input devices 4, 5;
In this step, specific data is written into any one of the input branch scan end queues 18 to 21 corresponding to the input device that has become in a state where input data is abstracted.

After this, the process returns to step n1.

If the judgment result in step n4 is affirmative, it means that there is no input device in input *a within the input device group grouped in relation to each application layer program Aa, Ab. The data key z-17 shown in the second figure corresponding to the keyboard input device 4 among the grouped keyboards 4 and barcode reading devices 5 is selected from the application key 1 program Aal at n7.
Specific data specifying the hakama-board 4 is written in m, and in step n8, the data input using the keyboard 4 is written in the same way. Such processing is similarly performed for the magnetic card reading device 6 and the key switch input device 7 that are grouped by the application program Ab.

The data specifying the input device and the input data written in the data boxes 17a and 17b in this way are used by the application program Aa that processes these data.
, Ah.

After this, the process returns to step n1, and the above-described process is repeated.

In other words, in this embodiment, the input processing shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly performed for each of the input devices 4 to 7 shown in FIG. Input devices grouped into 4.5
6.7 parallel input processing can be realized.

In this embodiment, by using a program that performs the input processing as described above, it is possible to execute a plurality of application programs in parallel within a single cash register 1fi2. Therefore, the electronic cash register 2 can be configured to run, for example, a general combinator program in parallel. In this way, the scanning performance of the POS system 1 in which the cash register PR2 based on this embodiment is used is significantly improved.

Moreover, when adding a new input device to the Una POS system 1, the activation keys 1-12 to 15 shown in FIG.
, the input declaration Mto 1-16, the data key -17, and the input scan end queues 18 to 21 only need to be changed, and such a change process can be performed much more easily.

Effects As described above, in the present invention, a plurality of input devices are used in parallel, and each input device is divided into a plurality of groups each including a plurality of input devices. When an input is made using any one input device for each group, the input permission means set for each group detects that this input has been made, and the remaining inputs within each group are detected. Input via device is now prohibited. On the other hand, as mentioned above, for each group, data specifying the input device that performed the input is written to the data transfer means, and the data transfer means processes the data input from the specified input device into the processing program. Input control from a plurality of input devices connected in parallel can be easily performed. *Easy to expand input devices.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the storage mode of the storage section 8, and FIG. 3 is a 70-chart explaining the operation of this embodiment. 1... POS system, 2... cash register, 3...
・Operating system (O8), 4...Keyboard 5...Barcode reader, 6...Magnetic card reader, 7...Key switch input! If, 8...
- Storage unit, 9...O8 storage area, 10-11...Program storage area, 12-15...Start queue, 16
...Input declaration queue, 17...Data queue,
18-21... Input scan end queue, Aa, Ab...
・Aprikage 1 Program Agent Patent Attorney Number of Strokes Keiichi Part 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] An input method for inputting data in parallel from a plurality of input devices, wherein each input device is divided into a plurality of groups each including a plurality of input devices, and any one of the input devices in the group input permission means for detecting this for each group and prohibiting input from the remaining input devices in the group when input is performed from one input device; 1. An input method using a plurality of input devices, characterized in that the input method includes a data exchange means for processing the input data by a processing program.