System and method for remote management of sale transaction data
This invention discloses a novel system and method for providing retail point of sale terminals that are connected securely over the Internet to a back-office service that manages the retailer's data as a service using a system that supports more than one retailer, each of which will have one or more point of sale terminals. The system is adapted to provide a function to manage open checks that correspond to retail customers whose transactions are pending. The system is also adapted to permit service personnel to manage open checks by splitting them into multiple checks or merging multiple checks into one check.
1. A method for managing at least one open checks executed by a computer system comprising:
displaying on a display screen comprising a first computer operating a first register instance at least one icon, each displayed icon corresponding to an at least one open check data structure that is associated with an identifier corresponding to the first register instance;
receiving into the first register instance a selection data of at least one of the displayed open checks;
displaying on the display screen comprising the first computer operating the first register instance an identifier icon associated with a second register instance operating on a second computer;
transmitting to a server computer from the first register instance an at least one-identifier data associated with the second register instance;
transmitting to the server computer an at least one identifier data that corresponds to the at least one of the selected open checks;
updating at the server computer an at least one data structures corresponding to the at least one of the selected open checks to associate them with the identifier corresponding to the second register instance; and
receiving at the second computer operating the second register instance data comprising at least one of the selected open checks whose data structures were updated to be associated with the second register instance.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving an authentication token associated with the second register instance and confirming the token's validity as a condition to executing the updating step.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving at least one identifier associated with an open check;
receiving an identifier associated with the second register instance;
updating at least one data structure corresponding to the at least one received identifiers to indicate that a user associated with the received identifier is associated with the at least one open checks.
4. The method of claim 1 where the identifier corresponding to the second register instance is a user-id and the updating step is comprised of replacing the user-id that is associated with the open check data structure stored on the server with the user-id associated with the second register instance.
5. The method of claim 1 where the identifier corresponding to the second register instance is a user-id and the updating step is comprised of changing the user-id entry in the row of a database table associated with the open check that is stored on the server to the user-id of the user associated with the second register instance.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
displaying on the display screen of the first computer operating the first register instance data comprising the first open check data structure associated with the first register instance;
receiving a command for the displayed first open check to be converted into two open checks;
storing on the first register instance a data structure representing a new, second open check;
receiving a command for selection of at least one item displayed as part of the first open check;
storing into the second open check data structure references to the at least one selected items; and
deleting from the first open check data structure the references associated with the at least one selected items.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving through the first register instance user interface a selection of a first and a second open checks;
receiving through the first register instance user interface a command to merge the first and the second open checks;
storing on the first register instance a new, third open check data structure comprised of at least one data item associated with the first open check, and at least one data item associated with the second open check;
transmitting to the server computer a command indicating that the first and second checks are void;
transmitting to the server computer data comprising the third open check;
updating a database on the server to store the third open check; and
deactivating the first open check and the second open check.
8. A computer system for managing at least one open checks comprising:
a server computer;
a first computer comprising a computer readable storage medium comprised of program code that when executed by the first computer causes the first computer to:
operate as a first register instance and to display on a display screen comprising the first computer at least one icon, each displayed icon corresponding to at least one corresponding open check data structure stored on a server where each of the at least one open check data structures is comprised of a register instance identifier data that associates it with the first register instance;
receive into the first computer operating as the first register instance a selection of at least one of the displayed icons corresponding to the at least one open check data structures;
display on the display screen comprising the first computer operating as the first register instance at least one identifier icon associated with a second computer operating as a second register instance;
where the program code comprising the first computer further causes the first computer to transmit to the server computer a data identifier associated with the second register instance and transmit to the server data identifiers that correspond to the at least one selected open check data structures;
where the server computer is further comprised of a computer readable storage medium comprised of program code that when executed by the server computer causes the server computer to update at least one of the selected open check data structures by changing a corresponding at least one register instance identifiers comprising the selected open check data structures to refer to the identifier associated with the second register instance;
where the second computer is comprised a computer readable data storage medium comprised of program code that when executed causes the second computer operating as the second register instance to receive at least one data representing the at least one updated open check data structures.
9. The system of claim 8 where the server computer is further comprised of a computer readable storage medium comprised of computer readable program code that when executed by the server computer causes the server computer to receive an authentication token associated with the second register instance and confirm the token's validity as a condition to executing the updating step.
10. The system of claim 8 where the server computer is further comprised of a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program that when executed by the computer causes the server computer to:
receive at least one identifier associated with at least one of the open check data structures;
receive an identifier associated with the second register instance;
update at least one data structure corresponding to the at least one identifiers received from the second register instance to indicate that a user associated with the identifier received from the second register instance is associated with the at least one open check data structures.
11. The system of claim 8 where the identifier corresponding to the second register instance is a user-id and the server computer is further comprised of a computer readable storage medium comprised of program code that when executed causes the server to: replace the user-id that is associated with the open check data structure stored on the server with the user-id associated with the second register instance.
12. The system of claim 8 where the identifier corresponding to the second register instance is a user-id and the server computer is further comprised of a computer readable storage medium comprised of program code embodied in the medium comprising that when executed causes the server computer to change the user-id entry in the row of a database table associated with the open check that is stored on the server to the user-id of the user associated with the second register instance.
13. The system of claim 8 :
where the computer readable storage medium comprising the first computer is further comprised of program code that when executed causes the first computer to display on the display screen of the first computer operating the first register instance data comprising a first open check data structure associated with the first register instance;
receive a command for the displayed first open check to be converted into two open checks;
store on the first register instance a data structure representing a new, second open check;
receive a command for selection of at least one item displayed as part of the first open check;
store into the stored data structure associated with the second open check, references to the at least one selected items; and
delete from the first open check data structure the references associated with the at least one selected items.
14. The computer system of claim 8 :
where the-computer readable storage medium comprising the first computer is further comprised of program code that when executed causes the first computer to:
receive through the first register instance user interface a selection of a first and a second open checks;
receive through the first register instance user interface a command to merge the first and the second open checks;
store on the first computer operating as the first register instance a new, third open check data structure comprised of at least one data item associated with the first open check, and at least one data item associated with the second open check;
transmit to the server computer a command indicating that the first and second checks are void;
transmit to the server computer data comprising the third open check; and
where the computer readable medium comprising the server computer is further comprised of program code that when executed causes the server computer to:
update a database to store the third open check; and
deactivate the first and second open check.