Control system, control method thereof, and controller thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9697509-B2
Application number	US-201414167571-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2014
Priority date	Jan 30, 2013
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

In a control method of a control system including a terminal configured to execute an application, a device configured to send or receive data, and a controller connected to the device, a request for a device control is transmitted from the application to the controller. At the controller, the device control by the controller is established after the controller receives the request. At the terminal, the device control by the application through the controller is established after establishing the device control by the controller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control method of a control system including a terminal configured to execute an application that runs in a web browser, a device configured to send or receive data, and a controller connected to the device, the method comprising:
transmitting, by the terminal, a request for a device control from the application to the controller;
establishing, at the controller, the device control by the controller, after the controller receives the request;
establishing, at the terminal, the device control by the application through the controller, after the establishing the device control by the controller;
deleting at least one of a control object or an interface object upon release of the device control;
upon an interruption of a connection between the terminal and the controller, attempting to re-establish the connection;
deleting the control object at the controller when the connection is not re-established within a predetermined time period; and
when the connection is re-established:
sending to the controller a data identification information (ID) of data that was received at the application from the device prior to the interruption of the connection; and
based on the data ID, retransmitting to the terminal data that was not received by the application due to the interruption,

wherein
the establishing the device control by the controller comprises instantiating, at the controller, the control object configured to handle data communication between the device and the application,
the establishing the device control by the application through the controller comprises instantiating, at the terminal, the interface object configured to communicate with the control object.

2. The control method of claim 1 , wherein the establishing the device control by the controller comprises enabling the device to execute a process in response to a further request from the terminal.

3. The control method of claim 1 , wherein the establishing the device control by the controller comprises enabling data communication between the device and the terminal via the controller.

4. The control method of claim 1 , wherein
the control system is a point-of-sale (POS) system,
the controller and the device are installed at a checkout counter in the POS system, and
the device comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a bar code scanner, a receipt printer, a display and a cash drawer.

5. The control method of claim 1 , wherein
the control system is a point-of-sale (POS) system,
the controller and the device are installed at a checkout counter in the POS system,
the device comprises a bar code scanner, a receipt printer, a display and a cash drawer, and
the terminal comprises a table computer which communicates over a wireless communication link with the controller.

6. A control system, comprising:
a device configured to send or receive data;
a terminal including
a terminal control unit configured to execute an application that runs in a web browser, configured to output a request for control of the device by the application, and
a first communication module configured to transmit the request of the application; and

a control unit including
a second communication module configured to connect with the first communication module to receive the request from the application,
an interface configured to connect to the device, and
a control unit;

wherein
the control unit is configured to, in response to the request received from the application via the first and second communication modules, instantiate a control object configured to communicate with the device via the interface,
the terminal control unit is configured to, in response to instantiation of the control object, instantiate an interface object configured to communicate between the control object and the application,
the control object and the interface object are configured to enable the control of the device by the application via the interface, the control object, the first and second communication modules, and the interface object,
the terminal control unit is configured to delete the interface object upon release of the control of the device by the application,
upon an interruption of a connection between the terminal and the controller, at least one of the terminal control unit or the control unit is configured to attempt to re-establish the connection,
the control unit is configured to delete the control object when the connection is not re-established within a predetermined time period, and
the control unit is configured to delete the control object upon the release of the control of the device by the application.

7. The control system of claim 6 , further comprising a further device configured to send or receive data, wherein
the interface is configured to connect to the further device,
the control unit is configured to instantiate a further control object configured to communicate with the further device via the interface,
the terminal control unit is configured to instantiate a further interface object configured to communicate between the further control object and the application, and
the further control object and the further interface object are configured to enable control of the further device by the application via the interface, the further control object, the first and second communication modules, and the further interface object.

8. The control system of claim 7 , wherein
the device is one selected from the group consisting of a scanner, a printer, a display and a cash drawer, and
the further device is another one selected from the group consisting of the scanner, the printer, the display and the cash drawer.

9. The control system of claim 8 , wherein
the terminal comprises a table computer, and
the first and second communication modules are configured to establish a wireless communication link between the tablet computer and the controller.

10. The control system of claim 6 , wherein, upon the connection being re-established,
the terminal control unit is configured to send to the control unit a data identification information (ID) of data that was received at the application from the device prior to the interruption of the connection, and
based on the data ID, the control unit is configured to retransmit to the terminal data that was not received by the application due to the interruption.

11. A controller of a control system, the control system further including a terminal configured to execute an application that runs in a web browser, and a device configured to send or receive data, the control unit comprising:
a communication module configured to connect with the terminal to receive a request for control of the device from the application;
an interface configured to connect to the device; and
a control unit configured to, in response to the request received from the application, instantiate a control object,
wherein
the control object is configured to:
communicate with the device via the interface, and
communicate with an interface object instantiated at the terminal, to enable the control of the device by the application via the interface, the control object, and the interface object,

the control unit is configured to delete the control object upon receiving from the application a request to release the control of the device by the application,
upon an interruption of a connection between the terminal and the controller, the control unit is configured to:
attempt to re-establish the connection, and
delete the control object when the connection is not re-established within a predetermined time period, and

wherein, upon the connec

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Takasu Kazuhiro
• Tsutsumi Koichiro
• Ikeda Shigeo

Classifications

• G06Q20/201

  Price look-up processing, e.g. updating · CPC title

• G07G1/0009

  Details of the software in the checkout register, electronic cash register [ECR] or point of sale terminal [POS] · CPC title

• G06Q20/20 Primary

  Point-of-sale [POS] network systems · CPC title

• G07G1/14

  Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit · 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