Point-of-sale system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10089615-B2
Application number	US-201715492948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2017
Priority date	Apr 18, 2012
Publication date	Oct 2, 2018
Grant date	Oct 2, 2018

Abstract

A point-of-sale system includes a stand that supports a tablet computer. The tablet computer can run a merchant application to provide the typical functionality for a point-of-sale system. The stand can be rotatable to face either the merchant or the customer. The stand can incorporate a card reader. The tablet computer can be connected through a hub to other peripheral components, such as a controllable cash drawer, a printer and/or a bar code reader. The cash drawer can include a slidable drawer having sliding rails that are hidden from a top view of the drawer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A point of sale device comprising:
a frame;
a touchscreen display secured to the frame;
a chip card reader embedded along a chip card reading portion of the frame, wherein the chip card reader is configured to retrieve transaction information from a chip of a chip card at the chip card reading portion and to send the transaction information to one or more host processors;
a magnetic stripe card reader embedded along a magnetic stripe card reading portion of the frame, wherein the magnetic stripe card reader is configured to retrieve the transaction information from a magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card at the magnetic stripe card reading portion and to send the transaction information to the one or more host processors;
a wireless Wi-Fi transceiver within the frame, wherein the wireless Wi-Fi transceiver is configured to communicate over a network via a Wi-Fi connection, wherein the wireless Wi-Fi transceiver is coupled to an application processor;
the one or more host processors within the frame, the one or more host processors receiving the transaction information, generating encrypted transaction information by encrypting the transaction information, and conveying the encrypted transaction information to the application processor;
the application processor within the frame, wherein the application processor is distinct from the one or more host processors, the application processor to execute merchant software instructions corresponding to a merchant software application, thereby conducting a transaction between a customer and a merchant by sending the encrypted transaction information over the network via the wireless Wi-Fi transceiver to a payment processing server that decrypts the encrypted transaction information, the application processor to also execute operating system instructions corresponding to an operating system, thereby operating the merchant software application;
a printer that is coupled to the application processor;
a power port to receive power; and
power circuitry within the frame, the power circuitry configured to convey the power from the power port to at least the one or more host processors, the application processor, the touchscreen display, and the printer.

2. The point of sale device of claim 1 , further comprising a near-field communication (NFC) reader embedded along a NFC reading portion of the frame, wherein the NFC reader is configured to retrieve the transaction information from a NFC device at the NFC reading portion and to send the transaction information to the one or more host processors.

3. The point of sale device of claim 1 , further comprising a magnetic stripe card slot within the frame, wherein the magnetic stripe card slot is configured to receive the magnetic stripe card and is the magnetic stripe card reading portion of the frame.

4. The point of sale device of claim 1 , further comprising a chip card slot within the frame, wherein the chip card slot is configured to receive the chip card and is the chip card reading portion of the frame.

5. The point of sale device of claim 1 , further comprising a wireless cellular network transceiver within the frame, the wireless cellular network transceiver configured to communicate over the network via a cellular data connection.

6. The point of sale device of claim 1 , further comprising an audio port within the frame.

7. The point of sale device of claim 1 , wherein the power port is a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.

8. The point of sale device of claim 1 , wherein the printer is coupled to the application processor via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub.

9. The point of sale device of claim 1 , further comprising an embedded portion within the frame, wherein the one or more host processors and at least one of the magnetic stripe card reader or the chip card reader are embedded in the embedded portion within the frame.

10. The point of sale device of claim 1 , wherein the printer is a receipt printer, and wherein the application processor is configured to send receipt data to the printer in response to sending the transaction information to the payment processing server, wherein the printer is configured to print a receipt based on the receipt data.

11. The point of sale device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more host processors include at least an Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) that performs hardware encryption, wherein the one or more host processors generate the encrypted transaction information by encrypting the transaction information using the hardware encryption of the ASIC.

12. A point of sale device comprising:
a frame;
a touchscreen display secured to the frame;
a transaction medium reader embedded along a reading portion of the frame, wherein the transaction medium reader is configured to retrieve transaction information from a transaction medium at the reading portion and to send the transaction information to one or more host processors;
a network transceiver within the frame, wherein the network transceiver is configured to communicate over a communication network, wherein the network transceiver is coupled to an application processor;
the one or more host processors within the frame, wherein the application processor is distinct from the one or more host processors, the one or more host processors receiving the transaction information from the transaction medium reader, generating encrypted transaction information by encrypting the transaction information, and conveying the encrypted transaction information to the application processor;
the application processor within the frame, the application processor to execute merchant software instructions corresponding to a merchant software application, thereby conducting a transaction between a customer and a merchant by sending the encrypted transaction information over the communication network via the network transceiver to a payment processing server that decrypts the encrypted transaction information;
a printer connector within the frame, the printer connector configured to couple the application processor to a printer;
a power port to receive power; and
power circuitry within the frame, the power circuitry configured to convey the power from the power port to at least the transaction medium reader, the one or more host processors, the application processor, and the touchscreen display.

13. The point of sale device of claim 12 , wherein the printer is a receipt printer, and wherein the application processor is configured to send receipt data to the printer via the printer connector in response to sending the transaction information to the payment processing server, wherein the printer is configured to print a receipt based on the receipt data.

14. The point of sale device of claim 12 , wherein the transaction medium reader is one of a magnetic stripe reader or a chip reader or a NFC object reader, and wherein the transaction medium is one of a magnetic stripe of a magnetic stripe card or a chip of a chip card or a NFC signal of an NFC object.

15. The point of sale device of claim 12 , wherein the application processor also executes operating system instructions corresponding to an operating system, thereby operating the merchant software application via the operating system.

16. The point of sale device of claim 12 , wherein the one or more host processors generate the encrypted transaction information by encrypting the transaction information using hardware encryption performed by the one or more host processors.

17. A method for point of sale operations, the metho

Assignees

• Square Inc

Inventors

• Edwards Troy
• Skoog Lukas
• Babu Amish
• Dorogusker Jesse

Classifications

• G06F1/1632

  External expansion units, e.g. docking stations · CPC title

• G06K7/01

  Details · CPC title

• G06Q20/202

  Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR · CPC title

• G07G1/12

  electronically operated · CPC title

• G06Q20/204 Primary

  comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit · CPC title