Patent Grant
7672900
This invention relates to a system and a method for processing signature-based payment transactions and more particularly relates to such a system and method in which the merchant's records of payment can be generated and maintained electronically without generation of paper records while providing paper records to customers when needed.
In retailing and similar areas, the volume of transactions is often such that management of paper records is becoming increasingly burdensome. This problem in the use of paper records is particularly noted in terms of storage of paper documents, retrieval of prior paper records which are needed at a later time, and use of the paper documents in authorizing and/or validating the transfer of funds. If the transfer of funds is disputed, the party responsible for maintaining the paper documents may be held liable for the amount of payment represented by the paper document in the event that such document cannot be located. A failure in ability to retrieve documents in a rapid, efficient manner may thus be costly to a merchant and/or a financial institution. In addition, the effort and facilities required to store paper documents for possible retrieval are costly. Furthermore, the delay which may be involved in processing paper documents through such a system in the event of a dispute may be costly and negative in terms of customer relations.
Another source of delay in the current processing of transactions at the point of sale is the time required for processing credit card transactions, including such time-consuming operations as inserting a customer card in an embossing device, performing the embossing operation, filling out the credit receipt blanks and obtaining a customer signature thereon. An arrangement by which all of the necessary information could be assembled and printed on a document in one operation would thus enhance efficiency at the point of sale station.
The present invention provides a method and system for generating a completed payment document ready for signature in image form, and further provides a means for capturing a customer signature by means of a stylus-activated mechanism and for integrating said signature into the document image. The resulting image may then be printed to provide a hard copy document for customer records, and may be stored and transmitted in electronic form to provide an electronic image for records maintained and used by the merchant and/or financial institution.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a user activated terminal for the entry of transaction-related data comprises a housing for the terminal; a transparent digitizer positioned in the upper portion of the housing and capable of sensing and decoding data input to the digitizer by a user; a magnetic stripe reader for reading data from a record member; and display means positioned beneath the transparent digitizer for displaying data through the transparent digitizer, said data including data input to the digitizer and data sensed by said magnetic stripe reader.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a system for processing transactions comprises a write input device which includes display means and transparent digitizer means for direct entry of data into the write input device by a user; a point of sale terminal on which item transactions can be entered and recorded; means coupling said point of sale terminal to said data sensing means of said write input device; a printer for printing records of transactions processed by said system; and a controller operatively coupled to said point of sale terminal, to said display means of said write input device, to said transparent digitizer means of said write input device and to said printer, whereby a receipt covering a transaction can be displayed on said write input device and printed by said printer.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a method for processing customer charge transactions using apparatus which includes a cashier-operated point of sale (POS) terminal, a printer and a customer-operated write input device having a touch-sensitive display screen and a card reader, comprises the following steps:
(a) initiating the start of a transaction by the cashier;
(b) instructing the apparatus by the cashier as to whether an upcoming transaction is a cash transaction or a charge transaction;
(c) if the transaction is a charge transaction, entering customer account data;
(d) entering data concerning items of the transaction into the POS terminal by the cashier;
(e) indicating entry of the last item of the transaction by the cashier;
(f) displaying a business form on the display screen;
(g) signing by the customer on the display screen of the business form displayed there; and
(h) printing of the business form including the customer signature.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method and system for processing signature-based payment transactions in an efficient manner.
Another object is to provide an improved method and system for processing signature-based payment transactions by use of electronic representations of payment documents.
Another object is to provide a method and system which are easily usable by and acceptable to a customer for generation and signature of a payment document in electronic form.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and system for electronic generation and electronic signature of a payment document, and for maintaining an electronic representation of the signed document.
Another object is to provide a method and system for producing a paper record of the electronic representation of the document referred to in the object above.
Another object is to provide a user activated terminal for the entry of transaction-related data for use and storage in electronic form.
With these and other objects, which will become apparent from the following description, in view, the invention includes certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, a preferred form or embodiment of which is hereinafter described with reference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification.
Referring now to
The printer 22 will most commonly be used for printing customer receipts such as the receipt 36 which is shown as issuing from an aperture 38 in the housing of the printer. Other types of record media could also be generated by the printer 22, if desired, in response to the needs of the system. Any suitable printer may be employed, such as an Epson RP265, marketed by Epson America, Inc., Torrance, Calif.
As shown in the sectional view of
Positioned directly beneath the interactive transparent element 46 and having a display screen visible therethrough is the liquid crystal display (LCD) module 48 which is capable of displaying information in response to electrical signals applied thereto. Information from a card that is read by the magnetic stripe reader 32 can be used to enter information into the LCD module 48. For example, data from a sensed card can access a look-up table in a memory in a system using these devices to cause electrical signals for background lines for a receipt form to appear on the screen of the LCD module 48. Electrical signals from the interactive element 46 relating to movement of the stylus 26 on the element can then be applied to the LCD module 48 to provide a representation of a signature on the receipt form. Thus, since the LCD module 48 is positioned directly beneath the transparent digitizer element 46, the movements of the stylus 26 on the transparent surface 24 are graphically captured and are immediately visible at the points of contact of the stylus with the surface.
The magnetic stripe reader 32 and its slot 34 are shown to be located in the upper left portion of the apparatus 20, as viewed in
The magnetic stripe reader 32 is connected via a path 66 to the POS terminal 62, which is in turn connected by an RS232 data bus 68 to the PC controller 64. The LCD display 48 is connected via a path 70 to the PC controller 64, and in effect takes the place of the CRT display which would normally be associated with the PC. The touch screen and controller 46 is connected to the PC controller 64 by an RS232 data bus 72, and a similar RS232 data bus 74 connects the PC controller 64 to the printer 22. The POS terminal 62 may be connected to other data processing facilities in an establishment in which it is used, such as a STARLAN store network.
The manner in which the system 61 functions in performing transactions will now be described with reference to the flow diagram of
Let it first be assumed that the transaction is not a charge purchase, in which case the process continues over path 97 to decision block 98, in which inquiry is made as to whether the transaction is a cash purchase. If it is a cash purchase, the cash is tendered by the customer (block 102). If it is not a cash purchase, then the transaction must be some type of return, which is handled according to normal store procedure (block 100). In either event, a bill of sale for the customer is then printed (block 104) and the process returns to the start position via node A.
Returning now to block 96, let it be assumed that the transaction is a charge purchase, in which case the process continues to block 106, in which credit approval is verified in accordance with normal store procedures. If credit is not approved, the transaction is aborted and the process returns via node A to the start position. If credit is approved, the itemization portion of a bill of sale is printed for the customer by the printer 22, as represented in block 108, but it should be noted that the bill of sale is not yet complete. The receipt of charge (ROC) is then displayed (block 110), as shown by reference character 111 (
The customer then “signs” the representation of the receipt of charge (ROC) document which is visible through the surface 24. As noted above, the signature appears on the representation of the ROC as it is made by the stylus. This is represented by block 114. From block 114 the process continues to block 116 in which a “signature complete” verification is provided, verifying that the act of signing by the customer has been completed. This may be accomplished by the cashier depressing a designated key on the terminal or touching a designated area on the digitizer surface by the stylus 26. Following this, the remainder of the receipt of charge (ROC), which includes the customer signature, is printed by the printer and issued to the customer, as represented in block 118. The document will be similar in appearance to the document 117 shown in
The manner in which the software which controls the operation of the PC controller 64 functions will now be described in connection with the flow diagram of
All messages are formatted in the following manner. The message starts with a standard ASCII start of header (SOH) character; followed by a count of the member of bytes to follow; followed by the message type character, which in this case could be an ASCII “P”, “D”, “C”, “A”, “K” or “X” character. Message type is followed by an ASCII start of text character (STX); followed by data appropriate for the message type; followed by an ASCII end of text character (ETX); followed by a binary check character (BCC) for the entire message.
The different types of messages include the following. One message type is the “P” message which contains itemization data, etc; to be printed by the printer 22. A “D” message contains itemization and description for the products for display on the LCD module as they are being entered by the cashier. A “C” message contains the data which was inputted during a swipe of the customer card through the magnetic stripe reader 32. An “A” message indicates that credit has been approved and contains the credit approval number. A “K” message contains a keyboard-entered credit card number as might be required if the credit card cannot be properly read by the magnetic stripe reader 32. An “X” message is a transaction status message. If an “X” message contains an ASCII “N” in its data field, this indicates the start of a new transaction, as well as a possible abortion of the last transaction. An “X” message whose data field contains an ASCII “P” indicates that all printing for the current transaction is complete.
The sequence of messages for a charge transaction would commonly be as follows. The sequence would commence with an “X” message containing an “N” data field; followed by a “K” or “C” message depending on how the credit card number was entered; followed by several “D” messages, one for each item line; followed by an “A” message; followed by several “P” messages, one for each line of text to be printed by the printer; and terminated by an “X” message with a “P” data field.
The sequence of messages for a cash transaction would be essentially the same as that for a charge transaction except that no “K”, “C” or “A” messages would be included.
Referring now to
The process then continues via path 146 to block 148, where an inquiry is made as to whether the message is a “P” type of message. If so, the process continues to block 150 where an inquiry is made as to whether the print line contained in this message includes the word “credit” or a similar key phrase which would indicate a return as opposed to a purchase. If such mention is made, a credit flag is set (block 152). If no such mention is made, the process continues on path 151.
In either case, in the next step of the process, the contents of the message are printed by the printer, as represented in block 154. Following this, the message is stored to disk by the PC controller 64 for possible later retrieval, as represented by block 156. The process then continues via path 157 to block 158, where an inquiry is made as to whether a “print complete” flag is false; whether an “authorization” flag is true; and whether the “credit” flag is false. The “print complete” flag is true when all “D” messages for this transaction have been transmitted. The “authorization” flag is true when credit authorization has been confirmed. The “credit” flag was previously described in connection with block 152. If the “print complete” flag is not false, or if the “authorization” flag is not true or if the “credit” flag is not false, the process returns via path 160 to block 136.
Otherwise the process continues via path 159 to block 162 in which the receipt of charge (ROC) is displayed on the LCD module 48. Following this, the top portion of the receipt of charge (ROC) is printed by the printer 22, as represented by block 164. The process continues to block 166, where the signature is made by the customer, inputted by the digitizer and simultaneously displayed by the LCD module 48. A “signature complete” indication is then provided as previously described in connection with block 116, and the remainder of the ROC, including the signature, is printed, as represented in block 170. The process then continues via path 171 and node B to block 134.
Returning to block 148, if the message is not of type “P”, the process continues to block 172 where an inquiry is made as to whether the message is of type “D”. If so, the contents of the “D” message are displayed on the LCD module 48 in block 174. The process then continues via path 157 to block 158, from which block the process has been previously described.
Returning to block 172, if the message is not of type “D”, an inquiry is made (block 176) as to whether the message is of type “C”. If so, the data sensed from the customer card by the magnetic stripe reader 32, which is contained in the data field of the “C” message, is parsed into individual name, account number, etc., fields and stored for later use. The process then continues via path 157 to block 158, from which block the process has been previously described.
Returning to block 176, if the message is not of type “C”, the process continues to block 180 where an inquiry is made as to whether the message is of type “A”. If so, the authorization flag is set true (block 182) and the authorization number is stored for later use (block 184), after which the process continues via path 157 to block 158, from which block the process has been previously described.
Returning to block 180, if the message is not of type “A”, an inquiry is made as to whether the message is of type “K”. If so, the keyboard-entered card number contained in the “K” message data field is stored for later use (block 188). The card holder's name is not generally entered in the case of keyboard card entry. The process then continues via path 157 to block 158, from which block the process has previously been described.
Returning to block 186, if the message is not of type “K”, an inquiry is made as to whether the message is of type “X” (block 190). If so, an inquiry is made as to whether the data field of the “X” message is an ASCII “N”.
If so, the process continues via path 193 to block 194, in which all previous transaction data (such as credit card numbers, names, etc.) are flushed from the memory. Following this, all flags are set false, including the “authorization” flag, the “print complete” flag, the “idle flag” and the “credit” flag. The process then continues via path 157 to block 158, from which block the process has been previously described.
Returning to block 192, if the “X” message data is not an ASCII “N”, the process continues via path 198 to block 200, where an inquiry is made as to whether the “X” message data is an ASCII “P”. If so, “print complete” and “idle” flags are set true, and the process continues via path 157 to block 158, from which block the process has been previously described. If, in block 200, the “X” message data is not an ASCII “P”, this “X” message is not of a known type, and the process continues via path 157 and block 158.
Returning to block 190, if the message is not of type “X”, it is not of a known type and the process continues via paths 191 and 157 to block 158, from which block the process has previously been described.
In order to display on the LCD module 48 the signature or other indicia generated by use of the stylus 26 on the transparent digitizer 46, it is necessary for the PC controller 64 to transform the stylus coordinates originating from the digitizer controller into coordinates of the LCD module 48. This is an important part of the process used to complete blocks 166 and 168 of
The process used to accomplish this transformation is illustrated in the flow diagram of
The process of
The corresponding positional coordinates “lcd_x” and “lcd_y” for the LCD module 48 are then calculated from “touch_X” and “touch_Y”, as represented in block 216. This transformation is accomplished by use of the following equations:
lcd—x=m—x times touch—x+b—x 1.
lcd—y=m—y times touch—y+b—y 2.
where
The method for determining m_x, m_y, b_x and b_y will subsequently be described in connection with the flow diagram of
The process continues to block 218 where lcd_x and lcd_y are described on LCD module 48. An inquiry is then made (block 220) as to whether a “signature complete” indication has been made, which was described in greater detail in connection with block 116. If the signature is complete, the process is concluded (block 224). If the signature is not complete, the process continues via path 222 to block 212.
The constants m_x, m_y, b_x and b_y are determined in accordance with the process set forth in the flow diagram of
The quantities m_x, m_y, b_x and b_y are then determined, as represented in block 240, in accordance with the following equations
4. b—x=lcd—xl−m—x times (touch—xl) 4.
b
—
y=lcd
—
yl−m
—
y times (touch—yl) 6.
These constants (m_x, m_y, b_x and b_y) are then stored and used to calculate display coordinates from any subsequent digitizer coordinates, as per block 242. The process is then concluded at block 244.
The system and method of the present invention have been disclosed herein primarily in connection with an arrangement for signature-based payment transactions. However the invention is not limited to such an arrangement and could be used in connection with other arrangements in which a capability for integrating information from various sources with handwritten information on a display and printing and electronic storage of such integrated information would be useful. Such other arrangements might include, for example, the integration on a display of a guest check format with hand-written item entries thereon. Such a device could be carried by a waiter in a restaurant, and could also be used for generation of a bill which would be signed by a customer at the table. Another such arrangement could include the integration on a display of a check format with hand-written check signature to facilitate the generation of a check on a check-writing stand.
While the form of the invention shown and described herein is admirably adapted to fulfill the object primarily stated, it is to be understood that it is not intended to confine the invention to the form or embodiment disclosed herein, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various other forms within the scope of the appended claims.
The present application Ser. No. 10/300,118 is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/575,096, filed Aug. 30, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,363. The present application Ser. No. 10/300,118 claims the benefit of the filing date of application Ser. No. 07/575,096 under 35 USC 120.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4833312 | Minematsu et al. | May 1989 | A |
| 5091975 | Berger et al. | Feb 1992 | A |
| 5315504 | Lemble | May 1994 | A |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20030074318 A1 | Apr 2003 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 07575096 | Aug 1990 | US |
| Child | 10300118 | US |
