RU2750085C2 - Web-based integrated point of sale system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: computing.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to a web-based integrated point-of-sale (POS) service reservation system. The system contains a POS device that hosts a POS application, and the POS application contains a logical chain for managing the cash register, including accepting payment from the customer at the point of sale, and a logical chain for managing service reservations at the point of sale, and the POS database layer, while the POS database layer contains order data, pick-up/delivery data, gift card data, loyalty points data, customer information, data regarding available time intervals for reservations, data regarding customer loyalty points information, data regarding pending food purchase orders, inventory data, and e-commerce data; and the web server hosting the website application, wherein the website application contains the website database layer, wherein the website application is designed so that the client who created the account and logged in to the website is provided with additional benefits to make the reservation, moreover, additional benefits include loyalty points or priority reservation; and the web server hosts a public website, and the website application processes the input data on the website for the website database layer, wherein the POS device is designed with the functionality of managing the inventory of goods, the list of goods for the customer's order, processing the shopping cart and payment, receiving reservation requests from customers, processing reservations of services at the point of sale performed by customers, processing payment, processing the order of export or delivery of goods, issuing and reloading a gift card, and managing customers for loyalty programs, and moreover, the POS application communicates with the website application to perform real-time two-way synchronization to match the website database layer and the POS database layer using Internet protocols.

EFFECT: automating the synchronization of a POS device with a web server.

17 cl, 2 dwg

Description

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

This application includes material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright holder has no objection to any facsimile reproduction of the patent disclosure as presented in the files and records of the Patent Office, but otherwise retains all copyrights without exception.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The technical field to which the invention relates

The present invention relates to point of sale (POS) systems, and more particularly to a system that synchronizes a point of sale system with a website for reservations, ordering and electronic commerce.

Prior art

More and more restaurants are allowing customers to schedule online reservations over the Internet. For example, a website may allow a user to view the available time slots at a particular restaurant and then enter sufficient information to reserve the available time. However, most of these websites function as standalone software applications, separate from the day-to-day hardware and computer systems of the restaurant. The website takes a lead request and submits it to the restaurant, usually via email, where it must be entered into the restaurant's own booking system. The food provider must verify the accuracy of the information and confirm the availability of time before the confirmation is passed on to the prospect. The potential client is thus deprived of real-time confirmation, and the whole method is somewhat laborious, ineffective and prone to errors.

Some overcome these difficulties by integrating their entire online restaurant reservation system. For example, when an online reservation website is operated by a third party (website operator), the website operator may also provide a reservation management process service. Then, instead of the restaurant maintaining its own reservation system and entering the data transmitted from the website, the reservation system is placed online, and the client and the restaurant access it via the Internet. This provides a potential customer with real-time access to restaurant seating availability and near-instant confirmation of reservations. However, it also removes the reservation system from the restaurant's management and poses risks of revenue loss in the event of a failure. The restaurant must log into or otherwise interact with the website operator's reservation system to manage this aspect of their own business. Additionally, these online booking systems are often private and the website operator charges the restaurant every time a prospect makes a reservation through the system.

In addition, this type of third party system creates privacy concerns. The website operator usually requires a potential customer to register with their website in order to make a reservation, collecting as much information from the potential customer as they can. The website operator also keeps track of the prospect's restaurant visit, spending habits and emails exchanged between the client and the website. The website operator may then share this data with others and may use it to advertise other products to the customer.

The essence of the invention

The present invention provides a system for synchronizing and integrating reservation data, order data and e-commerce data, gift card data and / or loyalty points data residing on a POS device with data on a merchant's website and synchronizing data residing in a web database. -site, with a POS device. Using the system, the customer can, for example, make a restaurant reservation on the restaurant's website and view the available time slots in real time. Likewise, an employee of a merchant such as a restaurant can use their wireless smart phone or PDA to view and change reservation data, order data, inventory data, e-commerce data, and other types of data residing on a POS device in real time by connecting a pocket devices with a website using the phone / PDA browser. Changes to such data made directly on the POS device can also be synchronized with the website in real time. These and other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept can be achieved by providing a web-integrated point of sale (POS) reservation system including a POS device for hosting a POS application, the POS application including a POS database layer, and a web server to host a website application, where the website application contains the website database layer, where the web server hosts the public website, and the website application processes the website input for the website database layer a website, and wherein the POS application communicates with the website application to match the website database level and the POS database level through Internet protocols. Input to a website may include at least one of: customer information, reservation request, customer gift card number, customer loyalty points, food purchase order, and e-commerce transactions. The POS database layer may include at least one of: data regarding available time slots for reservations, customer loyalty points information, pending food orders, e-commerce catalogs, and quote data.

Brief Description of Drawings

These and / or other aspects and advantages of the present general inventive concept will become apparent and better understood from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a software and hardware architecture for applications hosted on a POS device and a web server.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the negotiation of information between applications in a web server and a POS device.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiment

In the following, embodiments of the present general inventive concept will be described in detail, examples of which are depicted in the accompanying drawings, with like symbols referring to like elements throughout the text. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept by referring to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware and software architecture for applications hosted on a point of sale (POS) device 10 and a web server 30. The present invention provides two main modules: a desktop POS application 100 and a website application 300. There are some common functions between these two modules, including Make Reservation, Buy Gift Card, Make Pickup / Delivery Order. The present invention provides a means for integration and coordination between POS device 10 and website 30. This integration ensures that the two modules can work in concert.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system may include a POS device 10 communicating via Internet protocols 20 with a website server 30. The POS or checkout is the place where the transaction takes place. This is usually where the customer pays for the goods and services provided. In the context of a restaurant, a POS is where the customer checks in with the head waitress, food orders are entered, and payment is processed.

A POS device contains a combination of computer hardware, software, and peripherals used to process restaurant business transactions. The POS device 10 may include one or more computers, a bar code reader (BCR), a magnetic stripe reader or other type of POS character scanner for accepting credit or debit payments from a customer, an operator display, a customer display, and one or more devices. data entry. The POS device 10 may include a wireless device such as a tablet computer (eg, iPad or the like), a pocket PDA, a smart phone, or the like, which may be carried by a waiter / waitress and used at a table. In such embodiments, the wireless device will typically be in wireless communication with a standard server and / or other standard POS hardware. The POS device 10 can be used to place food orders, manage reservations, and process payments. Depending on the restaurant system, a POS device can include various types of hardware and peripherals. For example, POS device 10 may include a touch screen terminal for data entry, wireless handheld devices for processing credit cards and other payment cards, and may be used in conjunction with wireless smart phones, PDAs, and electronic signature capture devices. The POS device 10 can be used to print guest checks, print orders for cooking in the kitchen or bar, process credit cards and other payment cards, and run reports.

A merchant website is typically a collection of related pages, images and digital content hosted on at least one web server. The website is accessible to people over the Internet using Internet protocols such as HyperText Transfer Protocols.

The web server 30 is located on a computer system separate from the POS device 10, may be geographically distant from the point of sale, may be a collection of virtualized servers, and may be in a remote location or in the cloud. The web server 30 hosts the public website for the restaurant.

Depending on the requirements of the restaurant, various software is loaded onto the POS device 10 to control the required functionality and peripherals. To manage the web-integrated restaurant reservation system, two synchronization applications are downloaded to the POS device 10 and the web server 30.

Also with reference to FIG. 1, POS application 100 may include a database layer 101, a data access layer 102, a control and user interface 103, and a communications layer 104. The control and user interface 103 may include a business layer 105 and a presentation layer 106.

Database level 101 contains restaurant reservation data, including all available time slots, tables, table sizes, and other information related to the reservation. The database layer 101 may also contain information regarding other associated transactions, such as reward points associated with a customer, pick-up / delivery orders, and payment information. Database level 101 can be, for example, a relational database such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle or MySQL, stock (goods) data, pickup / delivery data, gift card data, loyalty points data and customer information are also stored in the level database 101 databases.

The following events can cause database level 101 database changes: a POS purchase or a website e-commerce transaction made by a customer; reservations made through the website by the customer; a pickup or delivery order made through the website or through a customer phone call to the POS; or buying a gift card from a POS or website by a customer. For example, when a customer pays through a POS system to buy food in a restaurant, the POS system stores the transaction in the database level 101 of the database via the data access level 102 and sends the data to the web server 30 through the communication layer 104 and to the Internet using XML Web Service Communication Protocol 20 after formatting the transaction data. Once the website application 300 receives the data and stores the data to subtract the quantity of inventory, real-time inventory management can be performed.

The business logic chain is provided in business level 105 and includes inventory (item) management, list of items for a sales order, shopping cart and payment processing, reservation and payment processing, pick-up / delivery, gift card issuance and reload, and customer management for loyalty programs. ...

With respect to the functionality of issuing and reloading the gift card and the functionality of the loyalty points program, the inventions disclosed herein may be combined with the teachings of US Patent Application No. 13 / 106,572, filed May 12, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference ... In this application, the loyalty points conversion table, similar to the table disclosed in application No. 13 / 106,572, can be used as follows. Both the POS device 10 and the web server 30 can use the loyalty point conversion table residing in the database of any of the database level 101 or database level 301 to convert the customer loyalty points to either monetary value or goods / services. ... For example, a customer making a reservation through a restaurant website may be provided with the ability to redeem loyalty points to make a reservation that he otherwise would not be able to make or for which he would otherwise be required to pay some value. Likewise, Loyalty Points can be paid for a priority reservation, and more Loyalty Points can be used to earn a higher priority or otherwise improved reservation.

The link layer 104 controls the link between the POS website application 100 and the website application 300 of the web server. POS device 10 and web server 30 communicate over the Internet using Internet protocols such as XML and REST web service protocols.

As shown in FIG. 1, a web server website application 300 may include a database layer 301, a data access layer 302, a control and user interface 303, and a communication layer 304. The management and user interface 303 may include a business layer 305 and a presentation layer 306.

The database of the database level 301 contains up-to-date information regarding the available reservation times and is updated with the entry of customer reservation information via the website. The database includes all requested times, event names and other relevant reservation information. The database layer 301 database may also contain information regarding other associated transactions, such as reward account number, pick-up / delivery orders, and payment information. A 301 database level database can contain a relational database such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, or MySQL. Stock (goods) data, reservations, pick-up / delivery, gift card and customer information are stored in the database.

The data access layer 302 provides data access services to the database layer 301 for the downlink and the business layer 305 for the uplink. The control and user interface 303 defines a website hosted on the web server 30. The control and user interface 303 contains all the necessary web pages and interfaces for receiving client input and transmitting it to the database layer 301. The communication layer 304 manages communication between the web server website application 300 and the website POS application 100 using Internet protocols. The communication layer 304 facilitates communication between the remote web server 30 and the POS device 10 using communication protocols such as XML and REST web services. Both the communication layer 304 and the communication layer 104 provide data protection using encryption / decryption technology over all communication channels.

A customer who has created an account and logged into the website may receive additional benefits instead of using the website as an unregistered guest. For example, users who are signed in may be provided with loyalty points to make a reservation, or they may be able to make a reservation or place an order using loyalty points.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the negotiation of information between applications on a web server and on a POS device. As shown in FIG. 1, the website application 300 uses the communication layer 304 to communicate with the communication layer 104 of the POS application 100. The communication between the website application 300 and the POS application 100 allows for real-time reconciliation of the database layer 101 and the database layer 301. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the online customer reservation via the website application 300 is entered into the database layer 301. Communication with the POS application 100 of the website allows this information to be integrated into the restaurant reservation database located at the database level 101 and updated information regarding the available time slots at the database level 301.

An online customer order or e-commerce purchase entered through the website application 300 is likewise entered into the database layer 301. Communication with the website application 100 allows this information to be integrated into the restaurant reservation database at database level 101 and synchronized. Likewise, when a customer makes a reservation, they may be given the option to prepay their meal. The link to the website application 100 enables this information to be integrated into the restaurant's sales database so that when a customer is finished eating, they are shown as having paid in full instead of being presented with an invoice for payment.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the data synchronization process will be described. There are three types of data that need to be synchronized between the POS and the website. The first is the data that originates from the POS device and is transferred to the website. For example, menu items. The second is the data that originates from the website and is transferred to the POS. For example, online transactions. The third is data that can be sent in any direction. For example, customer data, since such data can be generated from both sides. The flow of each of these three data types will now be described separately.

For data that originates from the POS device and is transmitted to the website, the following types of data records need to be transferred: menu item category, menu item, reservations, events and specials of the day. With the exception of the reservation records, this data is the master and reference data, so most of it does not need to be synchronized immediately. The administrative user of the website is provided with a function in the administrative control panel that he can execute 1-2 times a day. This function works as follows. It first retrieves the list of new data records and the list of updated records from the POS. Then, for each new record, it retrieves the complete data record and inserts it into the website's database. Finally, for each updated record, it retrieves the updated data records and updates the website database.

In regards to data that originates from a website and is transferred to the POS, reservation and transaction records are the types of data records that fall under this category. Whenever a customer makes a reservation or makes an order (pickup, delivery), the website application connects to the POS to send the data. The website first checks the POS connection and if there is no connection it displays a notification message that there is no back office connection and asks the customer to call a toll free number as an alternative. If a connection is present, the website sends the data to the POS. To ensure that no data has been lost when the payment is accepted, the website keeps a local copy of the transaction record. When the synchronization is successful, the copy of the transaction data record on the website may be deleted. This data is newly generated website side data for reservations and transactions / sales orders and should be synced immediately.

For bi-directional data that can flow in any direction between the POS application and the POS website, there is only one type of data record in this category, and that is the customer data record. Since they can flow in any direction, this data requires special processing. First of all, whenever a new customer record is entered into the system from the POS side, it is uploaded to the website while keeping the same customer ID on the website. Also whenever a new customer record is entered on the website, it is passed to the POS, but the ID itself can change according to the customer data records on the POS side. To ensure this, the customer data record from the POS side can be transmitted once or twice a day by the website administrator. However, customer data records from the website must be transferred immediately to the POS. If there is a change in the POS side of the client ID, the website will accept the new client ID so that it can update its record.

Since these two modules - POS Application and Website - are usually developed using two different platforms, such as .NET / C # / MySQL and PHP / Zend / MySQL respectively, the integration must be done based on industry standards such as web services on SOAP based. There can be more than 50 web service based interfaces that are used for this integration in such embodiments. These web services are defined in .NET 4.0 using the C ++ language and are hosted on the Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS). The PHP / Zend web application creates mediation servers for these web service interfaces.

In terms of security, each web service-based integration can use basic authentication through username and password requirements. A special "system user account" can be created at the storage tier and can be maintained in the storage settings function of the POS. Only those requests that provide credentials for this system user account will be processed.

Embodiments of the present invention may be written as computer programs and may be implemented in general purpose digital computers that execute programs using a computer-readable storage medium. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROMs, floppy disks, hard disks, etc.), optical storage media (e.g. CD-ROMs or DVDs), and media such as carrier waves (e.g., transmission through the Internet).

Although only a few embodiments of the present general idea of the invention have been shown and described, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the general inventive idea, the scope of which is defined in paragraphs the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (22)

1. Web-integrated point of sale (POS) service reservation system, containing: A POS device hosting a POS application, where the POS application contains a logical circuit for managing a cash register, including receiving a payment from a customer at a point of sale, and a logical circuit for managing service reservations at a point of sale, and a POS database layer, where the database layer POS contains order data, pickup / delivery data, gift card data, loyalty points data, customer information, data regarding available time slots for reservations, data regarding customer loyalty points information, data regarding pending food orders, data stock and e-commerce data; and a web server hosting a website application, where the website application contains the website database layer, where the website application is configured such that the client who created the account and logged in to the website is given additional benefits to perform reservations, with additional benefits including loyalty points or priority reservations; wherein the web server hosts the public website and the website application processes the input on the website for the website database layer, wherein the POS device is configured to manage inventory of goods, list items for a customer order, process a shopping cart and payment, receive reservation requests from customers, process POS service reservations made by customers, process a payment, process a pick-up or delivery order, issuing and reloading gift cards and customer management for loyalty programs, and wherein the POS application communicates with the website application to perform real-time two-way synchronization to match the website database layer and the POS database layer using Internet protocols. 2. The POS reservation system of claim 1, wherein the input to the website comprises at least one of customer information, reservation request, food purchase order and e-commerce transaction, gift card data, or loyalty points data. 3. The POS service reservation system of claim 1, wherein the POS database layer contains at least one of: data regarding available time for reservations, customer loyalty points information, pending food purchase orders, e-commerce catalogs and data prices. 4. The POS service reservation system of claim 1, wherein the website is based on a management and user interface in the website application. 5. The POS service reservation system according to claim 1, wherein the POS device contains a system for calculating the cost, ordering and reserving a restaurant. 6. The POS service reservation system according to claim 5, wherein the POS device further comprises a wireless handheld device in communication with the server. 7. The POS service reservation system of claim 5, wherein the POS device further comprises a character reading means for receiving credit or debit payments from a customer. 8. The POS service reservation system of claim 6, wherein the wireless handheld device is configured to process credit cards and other payment cards. 9. The POS service reservation system according to claim 1, wherein the system is configured to synchronize real-time data blocks and other non-real-time data blocks. 10. The POS service reservation system of claim 1, wherein the POS database layer is configured to store inventory data, pick-up or delivery order data, gift card data, loyalty points data, and customer information. 11. The POS service reservation system according to claim 1, wherein the POS device and the web server exchange data over the Internet using the XML web service protocol. 12. The POS service reservation system according to claim 1, wherein the POS device and the web server exchange data over the Internet using REST protocols. 13. The POS reservation system of claim 1, wherein the website application is configured to provide additional benefits to the customer who created the account and logged into the website to make the reservation. 14. POS service reservation system according to clause 13, in which additional benefits include loyalty points. 15. The POS service reservation system of claim 13, wherein the additional benefits include priority reservation. 16. The POS reservation system of claim 1, wherein the website application is configured to provide a customer with a prepayment option for food when the reservation is made. 17. The POS service reservation system according to claim 1, in which both the web server and the POS device are configured to distinguish between data that originates from the POS device and is transmitted to the website, data that originates from the web site and transferred to the POS, and data that can flow in any direction, and each of these three types of data is processed in different ways.

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