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 transaction reconciliation with an accounting system whenever a user ends a shift and logs out of the register instance they are operating.
1. A system for managing retail transaction data comprising:
a first computer comprised of an instance of register software whose memory contains data representing an identifier unique to the instance of register software, and a unique identifier associated with an authorized user of the first computer, where the first computer is operatively connected to a server system using a data network, said register instance comprised of program code that when executed by the first computer causes the first computer to process point of sale transactions and transmit transaction data to the server;
a server system connected to the first computer by the data network, said server system comprised of a database comprised of data records representing the received transaction data, each data record associated with the authorized user of the register instance that the transaction data was received from, by an owner tag that corresponds to each said transaction data records, said owner tag comprised of an identifier representing the authorized user of the register instance, each of said data records comprised of a corresponding data tag representing at least the logic state of open or closed, where the server system is further comprised of program code that when executed by the server causes the server to modify the transaction data records as a result of the server system receiving from the first computer the identifier representing the authorized user and the server system verifying that the received identifier is associated with the user identifier comprising the owner tags;
whereby the server system is further comprised of program code that when executed by the server causes the server to receive from the register instance a data message representing the condition that the authorized user of the register instance has selected an end of shift command on the register instance and automatically in response to such reception, to automatically select from the database a plurality of the transaction data records associated with the authorized user by comparing the identifier representing the authorized user with the owner tag data associated with the transaction data records and change the data tag corresponding to those selected data records to the closed state.
2. A system for managing retail transaction data comprising:
a first computer comprised of an instance of register software whose memory contains data representing an identifier unique to the instance of register software, and a unique identifier associated with an authorized user of the first computer, a first database comprised of transaction data records, each of said data records comprised of a corresponding data tag representing at least the logic state of open or closed, where the first computer is operatively connected to a server system using a data network, said register instance comprised of program code that when executed causes the first computer to process point of sale transactions and transmit transaction data to the server;
a server system connected to the first computer by the data network, said server system comprised of a second database comprised of data records representing the received transaction data, each data record associated with the authorized user of the register instance that the transaction data was received from, by an owner tag that corresponds to each said transaction data records, said owner tag comprised of data representing the authorized user of the register instance, and each of said data records comprised of a corresponding data tag representing at least the logic state of open or closed;
whereby the first computer is further comprised of program code that when executed enables the first computer: to receive from the authorized user an input representing a selection of an end of shift command and in response to such input, to automatically select from the first database a first plurality of transaction data records associated with the authorized user, to change the corresponding data tags of the first plurality of transaction data records to a closed state and then to transmit at least one of the selected and changed first plurality of transaction data records to the server system, to transmit to the server system the identifier associated with the register instance, and the server system being comprised of program code that when executed enables the server to receive the register instance identifier, verify the register instance identifier, receive the selected first plurality of transaction records and in response to the verification and reception of the first plurality of transaction records, select a second plurality of transaction records stored in the second database corresponding to the received first plurality of transaction records, and to change the data tag corresponding to each of the second plurality of transaction records to the closed state.
3. A system for managing retail transaction data comprising:
a first computer comprised of an instance of register software whose memory contains data representing an identifier unique to the instance of register software, and a unique identifier associated with an authorized user of the first computer, a first database comprised of transaction data records, each of said data records comprised of a corresponding data tag representing at least the logic state of open or closed, and each transaction record having a corresponding unique identifier, where the first computer is operatively connected to server system using a data network, said register instance comprised of program code that when executed causes the first computer to process point of sale transactions and transmit transaction data to the server;
a server system connected to the first computer by the data network, said server system comprised of a second database comprised of data records representing the received transaction data, each data record associated with the authorized user of the register instance that the transaction data was received from, by an owner tag that corresponds to each said transaction data records, said owner tag comprised of data representing the authorized user of the register instance, each of said data records comprised of a corresponding data tag representing at least the logic state of open or closed and each transaction record having a corresponding unique identifier, and a data tag representing a transaction identifier;
whereby the first computer is further comprised of program code that when executed enables the first computer to receive from the authorized user an input representing a selection of an end of shift command and in response to such input, to automatically select from the first database the transaction records associated with the authorized user having a data tag in the open state, change the data tag to a closed state and transmit to the server system a plurality of transaction record identifiers corresponding to the selected and changed transaction records and the identifier associated with the register instance, and the server system being comprised of program code that when executed enables the server to receive the register instance identifier, verify the register instance identifier, receive the plurality of transaction record identifiers and in response to the reception of the transaction record identifiers, select a plurality of transaction records stored in the second database corresponding to the received transaction record identifiers by comparing the received transaction identifiers with the transaction identifiers corresponding to the transaction records and change the data tag of the selected transaction records to the closed state.
4. The system of claim 1 , 2 or 3 further comprising an accounting system connected to the server system by a data network or embodied in the server system, where the server system is further comprised of program code that when executed causes the server to select from the database comprising the server system a plurality of transaction records with a data tag in the closed state and transmit to the accounting system the selected transaction records and an identifier associated with the authorized owner, and the accounting system is comprised of program code that when executed causes the accounting system to receive the transmitted identifier associated with the authorized owner, verify the received identifier, receive the transmitted transaction records and update data stored in the accounting system that is associated with the authorized owner by using the data comprising the received transaction records.
5. The system of claim 4 where the selection from the database comprising the server system occurs automatically in response to the server system receiving log-in information from a user of the server system, verifying that the received log-in information is associated with the authorized owner and receiving from such user input data representing a command to commence the selection and transmission to the accounting system.
6. The system of claim 4 where the selection from the database comprising the server system occurs in response to the server system determining that a pre-determined period of time has passed since the last time the selection from the database comprising the server system and transmission to the accounting system have occurred.
7. The system of claim 4 where the selection from the database comprising the server system automatically occurs at pre-determined times as a result of program code logic operating on said server.
8. The system of claim 4 where the selection from the database comprising the server system occurs automatically upon the server receiving a data message indicating that the user of the first computer has input a command representing the close of the user's shift as a result of program logic operating on said server.