Client device using a markup language to control a periphery device via a point-of-sale printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9495121-B2
Application number	US-201514984029-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 2, 2013
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

A device control system has a terminal 3 with an application 31 , and a printer 5 that controls a device. The terminal 3 sends a request written in XML generated by the application 31 . The printer 5 receives the XML request, the terminal 3 sends an XML response, and if the terminal 3 requested control of the device in the XML request, controls the device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A point-of-sale printer for a point-of-sale (POS) system, the point-of-sale printer comprising:
a first connector configured to connect the point-of-sale printer to a device responsive to device-control commands, the device being external to the point-of-sale printer;
a second connector configured to communicate with a terminal, to receive a markup language request from the terminal, and to send a markup language response to the terminal, the terminal being external to the point-of-sale printer;
a controller configured to interpret the markup language request received from the terminal, and to control the device using appropriate device-control commands to execute the interpreted markup language request, the point-of-sale printer being further configured to encode any response from the device as a markup language response and to send the markup language response to the terminal;
wherein the device-control commands are not a markup language.

2. The point-of-sale printer described in claim 1 , wherein
the markup language response includes data denoting a result of device control.

3. The point-of-sale printer described in claim 1 , wherein
when the point-of-sale printer receives from the terminal an establish communication markup language request to establishment a communication link with the point-of-sale printer, the point-of-sale printer sends to the terminal a markup language response to the establish communication markup language request.

4. The point-of-sale printer described in claim 1 , wherein
in response to the point-of-sale printer receiving from the terminal an open markup language request to open communication with the device connected to the point-of-sale printer, the point-of-sale printer sends to the terminal a markup language response to the open markup language request indicating whether a communication link with the device is established.

5. The point-of-sale printer described in claim 1 , wherein
in response to the point-of-sale printer receiving from the terminal a close markup language request to close communication with the device, the point-of-sale printer sends to the terminal a markup language response to the close markup language request indicating whether communication with the device is closed.

6. The point-of-sale printer described in claim 1 , wherein the second connector is part of a computer network interface to connect with the terminal over a computer network.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Takasu Kazuhiro
• Tsutsumi Koichiro
• Ikeda Shigeo

Classifications

• G06F3/1204 Primary

  resulting in reduced user or operator actions, e.g. presetting, automatic actions, using hardware token storing data · CPC title

• G06Q20/208

  Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing · CPC title

• G06F3/1253

  Configuration of print job parameters, e.g. using UI at the client · CPC title

• G06K15/02

  using printers · CPC title

• G06F3/1209

  resulting in adapted or bridged legacy communication protocols, e.g. emulation, protocol extension · CPC title