Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-11
2003-02-18
Le, Thien M. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S383000, C235S375000, C235S462220, C705S005000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06520413
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a POS system having a scanner for optically reading the bar code used for merchandise management and more particularly to, a POS system, an optical reader, and an information processing system for changing when setting in a plurality of scanners is to be changed, according to contents of setting in one scanner setting in the other scanners in batch.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Recently, in retail trade, there has been used a POS system schematically comprising a plurality of POS (Points of Sales) terminals provided in each lane and a plurality of scanners connected to the plurality of POS terminals each for optically reading the bar code with the aim of speeding up a grasp of sales contents of articles as well as of saving in labor. In this POS system, each of the scanners reads the bar code attached to the article, and each of the POS terminals performs an operation for settlement according to a result of reading the bar code.
In each of the plurality of scanners, a protocol at the time of reading the bar code and conditions for the POS terminal and communication interface or the like are set respectively. When the setting in all of the plurality of scanners is to be changed (called discrete setting hereinafter), the setting in each of the scanners is required to be changed discretely. Therefore, time required for the changing the setting increases in proportion with the number of scanners. Further, a chance of an incorrect setting also increase. Therefore, shops, especially large-scaled shops where hundreds of scanners and POS terminals are installed therein eagerly desire a POS system enabling changing of settings speedily and accurately. Apart form the POS system, an optical reader for reading the bar code and an information processing system having the optical reader have a similar demand.
FIG. 6
is a block diagram showing configuration of a conventional type of POS system. In this figure, scanners
10
1
to
10
n
are connected to POS terminal
20
1
to
20
n
one by one via cables L
1
to L
n
, and each of the scanners optically reads the ordinary bar code
4
attached to an article (not shown) when the scanner is operated (called an operating mode hereinafter).
The ordinary bar code
4
has a pattern formed with a plurality of alternate black bars and white bars, and these patterns of bars represent the numerals from 0 to 9, and characters such as a space, #, and &. Maker code and item code for the article are also represented on the ordinary bar code
4
. Herein, as the ordinary bar code
4
, there are bar code symbols defined such as JAN (Japan Article Number), WPC (World Product Code) as a worldwide standard, EAN (European Article Number) used in Europe, and UPC (Universal product code) used in America.
Each of the scanners
10
1
to
10
n
optically reads a shift to setting mode bar code
1
, setting bar code
2
, end of setting mode bar code
3
at the time of discrete setting described above (called a setting mode hereinafter).
The shift to setting mode bar code
1
has control information represented with bar code for shifting the mode in each of the scanners
10
1
to
10
n
from the above mentioned operating mode to a setting mode.
The setting bar code
2
has setting represented with bar code for the setting mode. The setting includes a plurality of contents: selection of bar code readable from bar code specified in the WPC and JAN or the like; conditions of data transmission; conditions of generating sound when bar code is read; and parameters for various controls. As there are a plurality of settings as described above, one setting bar code
2
is used for one setting in practice. Therefore, assuming that there are ‘n’ number of settings, then ‘n’ types of setting bar codes
2
are used. The end of setting mode bar code
3
has control information represented with bar code for ending the setting mode and shifting the mode in the scanners
10
1
to
10
n
from the setting mode to the operating mode.
In the scanner
10
1
, a CPU (Central Processing Unit)
11
1
provides controls over operations of reading the bar codes, changing the setting, and writing data in or reading data from a non-volatile memory
18
1
. The operation of this CPU
11
1
will be described in detail later. A ROM (Read Only Memory)
12
stores therein a program executed by the CPU
11
1
. A RAM (Random Access Memory)
13
1
temporarily stores therein various data required by the CPU
11
1
.
A reader
14
1
generally comprises a laser oscillator for irradiating a laser beam on the ordinary bar code
4
or the like and a light receiving unit for receiving the light reflected from the ordinary bar code
4
or the like and then generating a read signal corresponding to distribution of black bars and white bars on the ordinary bar code
4
. Furthermore, the CPU
11
1
generates bar code data D
b
by demodulating the ordinary bar code
4
or the like according to the read signal, and transmits the demodulated data to the POS terminal
20
1
via an external interface
17
1
and the cable L
1
.
A restart switch
15
1
is used when setting is to be changed using a DIP switch
19
1
described later. An LED (Light Emitting Diode)
16
1
reports the operating status of the scanner
10
1
to the operator by light. More specifically, the LED is lit under control of the CPU
11
1
when reading of the ordinary bar code
4
or the like is complete in the setting mode or the like.
The external interface
17
1
works as an interfaces between the CPU
11
1
and an external device (such as the POS terminal
20
1
). Namely, the CPU
11
1
is connected to the POS terminal
20
1
via the external interface
17
1
and the cable L
1
.
The non-volatile memory
18
1
is an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) and stores the contents therein even when power supply is stopped. This non-volatile memory
18
1
stores the above described setting for the scanner
10
1
. Furthermore, the setting stored in this non-volatile memory
18
1
are updated during the setting mode.
The DIP switch
19
1
comprises, as shown in
FIG. 7
, a first switch group SW
1
having eight switches D
1
, D
2
, D
3
, D
4
, D
5
, D
6
, M
2
and M
1
and a second switch group SW
2
having four switches F
1
, F
2
, F
3
, and F
4
. This DIP switch
19
1
is used for specifying the setting mode and setting in the scanner
10
1
by switching each switch in the first switch group SW
1
and second switch group SW
2
ON or OFF.
Although each of the scanners
10
2
to
10
n
has the same configuration as that of the scanner
10
1
, different reference numerals are assigned to components in the scanner
10
2
corresponding to those in the scanner
10
1
for convenience in description. Namely, the scanner
10
2
comprises a CPU
11
2
, a ROM
12
2
, a RAM
13
2
, a reader
14
2
, a restart switch
15
2
, an LED
16
2
, an external interface
17
2
, a non-volatile memory
18
2
, and a DIP switch
19
2
, and the components correspond to the components in the scanner
10
1
.
The POS terminal
20
1
recognizes the maker and the item of the article with the ordinary bar code
4
attached thereto from the bar code data D
b
received from the scanner
10
1
via the cable L
1
, and performs an operation for settlement on the article according to the result of recognition.
Next, operation of the conventional type of POS system will be described with reference to a flow chart shown in FIG.
8
. In
FIG. 6
, when power is supplied to each section of the device, the CPU
11
1
of the scanner
10
1
, CPU
11
2
of the scanner
10
2
, and each CPUs (not shown) of the scanners
10
3
to
10
n
shift the system control to step SA
1
shown in FIG.
8
. Description will be made hereinafter giving particular emphasis on the operation of the CPU
11
1
of the scanner
10
1
.
In step SA
1
, the CPU
11
1
of the scanner
10
1
determines whether the reader
14
1
has detected a bar code (ordinary bar code
4
or the like) or not according to whether a read signal has been received from the re
Iwaguchi Isao
Kawai Hiroaki
Watanabe Mitsuo
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Fujitsu Limited
Le Thien M.
Sanders Allyson
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