Commodity sale data processor and program

Abstract

To provide a commodity sale data processor, which deals with plural transactions, and a program capable of readily discriminating a condition of each transaction during pending of the transaction.SOLUTION: A commodity sale data processor of an embodiment includes output means that displays on a display device a transaction screen image having a first area where a commodity registered in one transaction is displayed and a second area including at least a manipulation piece relating to registration of the commodity, and a control unit that displays side by side the transaction screen image for an existing transaction, which is regarded as an object of pending on receipt of a manipulation for instructing pending of the one transaction, and the transaction screen image for a new transaction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a product sales data processing device and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, some product sales data processing devices, such as POS (Point Of Sales) terminals used in stores such as supermarkets, have a function that allows them to temporarily suspend a transaction related to a current customer and execute a transaction for the next customer (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, with conventional technology, when a transaction is put on hold, a screen showing the products registered for sale in the put on hold transaction and a screen showing the products registered for sale in the next transaction are displayed adjacent to each other, which creates the problem of making it difficult to understand the status of each transaction. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a product sales data processing device and program that can easily determine the status of each transaction when a transaction is on hold in a product sales data processing device that handles multiple transactions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The product sales data processing device of the embodiment includes an output means for displaying on a display device a transaction screen having a first area for displaying products registered in a transaction and a second area including at least an operator related to the registration of the products, and a control unit for displaying side by side the transaction screen for the existing transaction that has been put on hold and the transaction screen for the new transaction, in response to receiving an operation instructing the transaction to be put on hold. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a POS terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a data configuration of a product registration file according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration of a product master according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of the POS terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area of ​​the display unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area of ​​the display unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area of ​​the display unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area of ​​the display unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control process performed by the control unit of the POS terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area of ​​the display unit according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area of ​​the display unit according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the POS terminal 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0008] (First embodiment) First, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the POS terminal 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the POS terminal 1 according to this embodiment.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the POS terminal 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, which is an example of a processor, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, and a memory unit 104.

[0010] The CPU 101 comprehensively controls each unit of the POS terminal 1. The ROM 102 stores various programs. The RAM 103 is a workspace for developing programs and various data. For example, the RAM 103 includes a product registration file 1031.

[0011] The product registration file 1031 is a data table or database that manages products registered in the POS terminal 1 and the transaction screen displayed on the display unit 105 of the POS terminal 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the product registration file 1031 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the product registration file 1031 stores, for example, a transaction management memory, transaction data (product code, product name, price, quantity), and an active flag.

[0012] The transaction management memory is, for example, identification information (identification number) associated with a storage area that stores information related to one transaction handled by the POS terminal 1. Specifically, the transaction management memory stores transaction data handled in one transaction in association with an active flag.

[0013] The transaction data includes, for example, product information such as product code, product name, price, etc. of the product registered in one transaction among the products stored in the product master 1042 described later, and the registered number of the product.

[0014] The active flag is binary flag information, for example, "1" when the flag is enabled (hereinafter also referred to as "on") and "0" when the flag is disabled (hereinafter also referred to as "off"). Specifically, when the active flag is on, the control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 determines that the transaction corresponding to the transaction management memory whose active flag is on is in a state where it can accept input via the operation unit 106, in other words, it is in a state where it can accept product registration related to the transaction. On the other hand, when the active flag is off, the control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 determines that the transaction corresponding to the transaction management memory whose active flag is off is in a state where it cannot accept input via the operation unit 106, in other words, it is in a state where it cannot accept product registration related to the transaction.

[0015] 1, the memory unit 104 is a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory that retains stored information even when the power is turned off. The memory unit 104 includes a control program unit 1041 and a product master 1042.

[0016] The control program section 1041 stores a control program for controlling the POS terminal 1. The CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, and memory section 104 are connected to one another via a bus 108. The CPU 101, ROM 102, and RAM 103 constitute a control section 100 having a computer configuration. That is, the control section 100 executes a control process for the POS terminal 1, which will be described later, by the CPU 101 operating in accordance with the control program section 1041 stored in the ROM 102 or memory section 104 and expanded in the RAM 103.

[0017] The product master 1042 is a data table or database for managing the prices of products sold in a store. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the product master 1042 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the product master 1042 associates the type of product sold in a store with an identifiable product code, and stores product information such as the product name and price of the product corresponding to the product code.

[0018] Returning to FIG. 1, the control unit 100 is connected to a display unit 105, an operation unit 106, and a communication unit 107 via a bus .

[0019] The display unit 105 is a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 105 displays various types of information under the control of the CPU 101. The operation unit 106 accepts various inputs from customers. The operation unit 106 is, for example, an input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device. The operation unit 106 may be a touch panel provided on the display unit 105.

[0020] The bus 108 connects a communication unit 107 such as a LAN I / F (Interface). The communication unit 107 transmits and receives various information to and from other devices. For example, the POS terminal 1 communicates with an accounting machine (not shown) via the communication unit 107.

[0021] Next, a functional configuration of the POS terminal 1 will be described. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the POS terminal 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 100 includes a product sales data processing unit 1001 and a transaction switching processing unit 1002 as functional components. However, the functional configuration of the POS terminal 1 is not limited to this.

[0022] Specifically, the control unit 100 (CPU 101) of the POS terminal 1 realizes the above-mentioned functional configuration by executing the control program unit 1041 stored in the memory unit 104. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned functional configuration is a software configuration realized by cooperation between the processor and program of the POS terminal 1, but it is not limited to this, and a hardware configuration in which part or all of the functional configuration is realized by a dedicated circuit or the like may also be used.

[0023] The product sales data processing unit 1001 executes various processes for supporting product registration and accounting by cooperating with the hardware and other functional configurations of the device itself.

[0024] Specifically, the product sales data processing unit 1001 receives an instruction to start a transaction from the operator of the POS terminal 1 via the operation unit 106.

[0025] The product sales data processing unit 1001 also accepts product registration operations by the operator of the POS terminal 1 via the operation unit 106. Here, the product registration operation is when the operator of the POS terminal 1 operates the operation unit 106 to select an area including buttons related to product registration and handling of registered products. This means operating the buttons included in

[0026] Furthermore, when the product sales data processing unit 1001 receives a product registration operation, it acquires product information for the product to be registered from the product master 1042. Then, the product sales data processing unit 1001 registers the acquired product information in the transaction for which the active flag in the product registration file 1031 is in the on state, in other words, in the transaction data for the activated transaction.

[0027] When registering product information in transaction data, the initial registration value of the points in the transaction data is "1." However, if product information of a product that has already been registered in the transaction data is registered, the product information may not be registered twice, and the value may be changed to the value obtained by adding 1 to the number stored in the points of the registered product.

[0028] The product sales data processing unit 1001 also accepts an operation to end product registration (hereinafter also referred to as a registration end operation) by the operator of the POS terminal 1 via the operation unit 106. Here, the registration end operation means that the operator of the POS terminal 1 operates the checkout button Gbg shown in FIG. 5, etc., which will be described later.

[0029] When the product sales data processing unit 1001 receives the registration completion operation, it refers to the product registration file 1031 and executes the transaction processing by sending the transaction data for transactions whose active flag is on to a transaction machine (not shown).

[0030] Instead of transmitting transaction data whose active flag is on to a payment machine (not shown), the product sales data processing unit 1001 may execute transaction processing at the POS terminal 1 based on the transaction data.

[0031] The transaction switching processing unit 1002 is an example of an output means and a control unit. The transaction switching processing unit 1002 switches the transaction handled by the POS terminal 1 when a transaction starts, a registration termination operation is executed, or a hold recall operation (described later) is executed. The transaction switching processing unit 1002 also displays multiple transaction screens on the display unit 105 by cooperating with the product sales data processing unit 1001 and the transaction switching processing unit 1002.

[0032] Specifically, when the product sales data processing unit 1001 receives an instruction to start a transaction, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 refers to the product registration file 1031, and allocates transaction management memory for the transaction for which the instruction to start is received as the first transaction. Here, allocating transaction management memory means setting the active flag to ON for an empty data entry in the product registration file 1031.

[0033] In addition, when the product sales data processing unit 1001 receives an instruction to start a transaction or receives operation of the hold call button Gbb (see Figure 5, etc., described below) on the transaction screen corresponding to the activated transaction, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 changes the active flag of the product registration file 1031 from on to off, or from off to on.

[0034] More specifically, when the product sales data processing unit 1001 receives an instruction to start a transaction, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 changes the active flag corresponding to the first transaction to an on state, in other words, activates the first transaction.

[0035] The transaction switching processing unit 1002 also accepts an operation related to holding or calling a transaction (hereinafter also referred to as a hold call operation) by the operator of the POS terminal 1 via the operation unit 106. Here, the hold call operation means that the operator of the POS terminal 1 operates the hold call button Gbb shown in FIG. 5, etc., which will be described later.

[0036] When the transaction switching processing unit 1002 receives a hold recall operation, it refers to the product registration file 1031 and determines whether transaction management memory corresponding to two transactions has been allocated, i.e., whether two transaction screens are displayed on the display unit 105. If two transaction screens are not displayed on the display unit 105, i.e., if a single transaction screen is displayed on the display unit 105, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 allocates transaction management memory to the product registration file 1031 for the second transaction, and then displays the transaction screen for the first transaction (hereinafter also referred to as the first transaction screen) and the transaction screen for the second transaction (hereinafter also referred to as the second transaction screen) side by side on the display unit 105 (see FIG. 6 described below). Then, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 refers to the product registration file 1031 and changes the active flag for the first transaction and the active flag for the second transaction.

[0037] In addition, when the transaction switching processing unit 1002 receives a hold call operation, if two transaction screens are displayed on the display unit 105, it changes the active flag of the transaction whose active flag is on to off, and changes the active flag of the transaction whose active flag is off to on.

[0038] Here, the information displayed on the first transaction screen, i.e., the transaction data corresponding to the transaction stored in the product registration file 1031, is retained as it is at the time of accepting the pending call operation. Also, since the transaction management memory of the product registration file 1031 is newly allocated at the time of accepting the pending call operation, the product information is not displayed on the second transaction screen.

[0039] The arrangement of the first and second transaction screens displayed on the display unit 105 is determined according to a predetermined rule. For convenience, if a transaction that was allocated earlier in the transaction management memory allocation order is called an earlier transaction and a transaction that was allocated more recently is called a later transaction, then in this embodiment, for example, the earlier transaction is displayed on the left side of the display area G, and the later transaction is displayed on the right side of the display area G.

[0040] Furthermore, after transmitting the transaction data of a transaction for which the active flag is on to a payment machine (not shown), the transaction switching processing unit 1002 determines whether two transaction screens, the first transaction screen and the second transaction screen, are displayed on the display unit 105. Regardless of the result of the above determination, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 then deletes the data entry from the transaction management memory for which the active flag is on.

[0041] Furthermore, when the data processing related to the sale of the product registered in one transaction is completed, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 erases the transaction screen related to that transaction.

[0042] Specifically, when the registration termination operation is executed, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 deletes the data entry of the transaction whose active flag is in the ON state, and then changes the active flag of the transaction whose active flag is in the OFF state to the ON state. Then, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 erases from the display unit 105 the transaction screen corresponding to the transaction whose data entry has been deleted.

[0043] The transaction switching processing unit 1002 displays a transaction screen in the display area G of the display unit 105, which has a first area that displays the products registered in one transaction and a second area that includes at least operation buttons related to product registration.

[0044] Specifically, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 displays a first transaction screen Gaa in the display area G of the display unit 105, which includes, for example, an area Gb containing operation buttons related to product registration and handling of registered products, as shown in Figure 5, and an area Gc in which product information of registered products is displayed.

[0045] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 according to this embodiment. The transaction switching processing unit 1002 displays a first transaction screen Gaa as shown in FIG. 5 in the display area G of the display unit 105 in order to display to the operator of the POS terminal 1 the registration information of the products that the customer will purchase in one transaction.

[0046] The area Gb includes, for example, buttons Gba, Gbb, Gbc, Gbd, Gbe, Gbf, and Gbg. The button Gba is a product registration button. When the control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 accepts operation of the product registration button Gba, it registers product information of the product corresponding to the product registration button Gba from among the products stored in the product master 1042 into the transaction data in the transaction management memory for which the active flag of the product registration file 1031 is on.

[0047] The button Gbb is an example of a hold call button. The hold call button is an operator for instructing to transition an active transaction to a hold state (inactive state) or transition an inactive transaction to an active state. When the control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 receives an operation of the hold call button Gbb, it refers to the product registration file 1031 and changes the active flag in the transaction management memory for the transaction corresponding to the transaction screen on which the hold call button Gbb is displayed.

[0048] The button Gbc is a last correction button that cancels the operation that the operator of the POS terminal 1 performed via the operation unit 106 immediately before the last correction button Gbc was operated.

[0049] The button Gbd is a quantity increase button. When the product registration button Gba is operated, the quantity increase button Gbd increases the number of points of a product registered in the product registration file 1031. The button Gbe is a quantity subtraction button. When the product registration button Gba is operated, the quantity subtraction button Gbe decreases the number of points of a product registered in the product registration file 1031.

[0050] In addition, after selecting a registered product displayed in area Gc from the operation unit 106, the number of points to be added or subtracted for the registered product may be input by operating the quantity addition button Gbd and the quantity subtraction button Gbe.

[0051] The button Gbf is a registration cancel button. When the control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 accepts operation of the registration cancel button Gbf, it cancels the product registration process for one transaction, which will be described later, and deletes the transaction data for that transaction stored in the product registration file 1031.

[0052] The button Gbg is a checkout button. When the control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 accepts an operation of the checkout button Gbg, it references the product registration file 1031 and sends the transaction data of the transaction corresponding to the transaction screen on which the checkout button Gbg is displayed to a checkout machine (not shown).

[0053] Area Gc is an area where product information of registered products is displayed by operating the product registration button Gba in area Gb. As shown in Fig. 5, area Gc displays, for example, the product name of the registered product, the number of registered products, the total price for each registered product, the total number of registered products for one transaction, and the total price for one transaction.

[0054] In addition, upon receiving an operation to instruct suspension, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 displays the transaction screen of the transaction that has been suspended and the transaction screen of the new transaction in the same display area G of the display unit 105.

[0055] Specifically, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 displays, for example, a first transaction screen Gaa as shown in FIG. 6 and a second transaction screen Gab having the same screen configuration as the first transaction screen Gaa in the display area G of the display unit 105.

[0056] Furthermore, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 deactivates the transaction screen for the transaction for which the hold call button Gbb was operated, and disables the product registration button Gba provided in the area Gb. Note that the operator to be disabled in the deactivation state is not limited to the product registration button Gba, and other operators displayed on the second transaction screen Gab may also be disabled.

[0057] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 according to this embodiment. Fig. 6 shows the display state of the display area G when the hold call button Gbb on the first transaction screen Gaa in Fig. 5 is operated, thereby deactivating the first transaction and activating the second transaction.

[0058] The display color of the transaction screen corresponding to the deactivated transaction on the display unit 105 may be changed to display transactions that can be performed by the operator of the POS terminal 1 in a distinguishable manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the first transaction screen (the transaction screen corresponding to the deactivated transaction) may be grayed out.

[0059] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 according to this embodiment.

[0060] FIG. 7 shows the state when, for example, from the state shown in FIG. 6, several products are registered with the second transaction activated, and then the hold call button Gbb on the second transaction screen Gab is operated. When the hold call button Gbb on the second transaction screen Gab is operated, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 refers to the product registration file 1031 and changes the active flag for the first transaction to ON. Furthermore, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 changes the active flag for the second transaction to OFF. Furthermore, as the active flag is switched, the display colors of the first transaction screen Gaa and the second transaction screen Gab are switched, as shown in FIG. 7. This allows the operator of the POS terminal 1 to easily determine the status of the transaction.

[0061] As a result, when product registration is subsequently performed after the hold call button Gbb is operated, the product information acquired by the product sales data processing unit 1001 from the product master 1042 is registered in the transaction data for the first transaction in the product registration file 1031. Then, the registered product information is displayed on the first transaction screen Gaa by the transaction switching processing unit 1002.

[0062] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 according to this embodiment.

[0063] Here, Fig. 8 shows the state when, for example, the checkout button Gbg on the first transaction screen Gaa is operated from the state in Fig. 7. When the checkout button Gbg on the first transaction screen Gaa is operated, the product sales data processing unit 1001 performs a registration completion operation, that is, references the product registration file 1031 and transmits the transaction data for transactions whose active flags are on to a payment machine (not shown), thereby executing the checkout process.

[0064] As a result, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 stops displaying the first transaction screen Gaa corresponding to the first transaction for which the registration termination operation was executed in the display area G, and displays only the second transaction screen Gab alone in the display area G.

[0065] Next, the control process of the control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the control process performed by the control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 according to the embodiment. The flowchart shown in Fig. 9 shows an example of the process when a product registration operation, a pending call operation, and a registration end operation are executed after a transaction start instruction is received.

[0066] First, the product sales data processing unit 1001 determines whether or not a transaction start instruction has been issued via the operation unit 106 (step S101). The control unit 100 of the POS terminal 1 waits until the transaction start instruction is received (step S101; No), and upon receiving the transaction start instruction (step S101; Yes), the transaction switching processing unit 1002 refers to the product registration file 1031 and allocates transaction management memory for the first transaction.

[0067] Next, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 changes the active flag corresponding to the transaction management memory of the first transaction to the ON state (step S102). Next, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 displays the first transaction screen Gaa alone in the display area G of the display unit 105 (step S103).

[0068] Next, the product sales data processing unit 1001 determines whether or not a product registration operation has been accepted via the operation unit 106 (step S104). If a product registration operation has not been accepted (step S104; No), the control unit 100 proceeds to step S106.

[0069] When a product registration operation is accepted (step S104; Yes), the product sales data processing unit 1001 acquires product information of the products corresponding to the various buttons from the product master 1042, and registers the acquired product information in the transaction data of the transaction for which the active flag of the product registration file 1031 is in the ON state (step S105). In addition, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 displays the product information registered in the transaction data on the first transaction screen Gaa.

[0070] Next, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 determines whether the hold call button Gbb has been operated from the operation unit 106 (step S106). If the hold call button Gbb has not been operated (step S106; No), the control unit 100 proceeds to step S110. If operation of the hold call button Gbb is accepted (step S106; Yes), the transaction switching processing unit 1002 refers to the product registration file 1031 and determines whether transaction management memory corresponding to two transactions has been allocated, i.e., whether two transaction screens are displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 (step S107).

[0071] Next, if two transaction screens are displayed in the display area G (step S107; Yes), the control unit 100 proceeds to step S109. On the other hand, if two transaction screens are not displayed in the display area G (step S107; No), the transaction switching processing unit 1002 refers to the product registration file 1031 and allocates transaction management memory for the second transaction. Here, the active flag corresponding to the transaction management memory allocated for the second transaction is set to the OFF state. Then, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 displays the second transaction screen Gab alongside the first transaction screen Gaa in the display area G of the display unit 105 (step S108).

[0072] Next, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 references the product registration file 1031 and changes the active flags of the first and second transactions (step S109). Next, the product sales data processing unit 1001 determines whether the checkout button Gbg has been operated from the operation unit 106, i.e., whether product registration has been completed (step S110). If the checkout button Gbg has not been operated (step S110; No), the control unit 100 returns to step S104. Upon receiving operation of the checkout button Gbg (step S110; Yes), the product sales data processing unit 1001 references the product registration file 1031 and executes the checkout process by sending the transaction data of the transaction whose active flag is on to a checkout machine (not shown) (step S111).

[0073] Next, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 determines whether two transaction screens are displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 (step S112). If two transaction screens are not displayed in the display area G (step S112; No), the transaction switching processing unit 1002 deletes the data entry in the transaction management memory whose active flag is on (step S113), and the control unit 100 returns the process to step S101.

[0074] If two transaction screens are displayed in the display area G (step S112; Yes), the transaction switching processing unit 1002 deletes the data entry in the transaction management memory whose active flag is on (step S114). Next, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 sets the transaction corresponding to the transaction management memory whose active flag is off as the first transaction and changes the corresponding active flag to on (step S115). Next, the transaction switching processing unit 1002 erases the transaction screen corresponding to the transaction whose data entry was deleted in step S114 from the display area G of the display unit 105, and displays the activated transaction screen of the first transaction alone in the display area G of the display unit 105 (step S116). Thereafter, the control unit 100 returns the process to step S104.

[0075] As described above, in the POS terminal 1 of this embodiment, when a hold call operation is executed from the operation unit 106 while a product registration operation for one transaction is being executed, the transaction screen for that transaction is held in the state it was in when the hold call operation was executed, and the operation accepted by the POS terminal 1 can be switched to a new transaction or another transaction already in progress. Also, at this time, the state of the area Gb including the buttons for registering products and handling registered products on the transaction screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 is maintained in the state it was in when the hold call operation was executed.

[0076] As a result, in the POS terminal 1 of this embodiment, when a transaction is put on hold due to a hold recall operation, the state is maintained as it was at the time the hold recall operation was performed, so that the state of each transaction can be easily determined when the transaction is put on hold.

[0077] (Second embodiment) In the second embodiment, a description will be given of a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 based on the configuration of the POS terminal 1 described above. Note that the following mainly describes differences from the above-described embodiment, and a detailed description of points in common with the contents already described will be omitted.

[0078] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 according to the second embodiment. Fig. 10 shows a case where, for example, when the product registration button Gba for product A in Fig. 5 is operated, a button Gbh for options for product A is displayed in the area Gb, and then the hold call button Gbb on the first transaction screen Gaa is operated.

[0079] Here, in order to distinguish between a trading screen in which the product registration button Gba as shown in Figure 5 is displayed and a trading screen in which the button Gbh related to an option for product A as shown in Figure 10 is displayed, the product registration file 1031 may store an identification number (hereinafter also referred to as the screen number) associated with the state of the screen currently displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 as a value corresponding to the trading management memory of Figure 2.

[0080] As a result, as shown in Figure 10, when the hold call button Gbb is operated while the button Gbh related to the options for product A is displayed in area Gb, the state in which the button Gbh is displayed in area Gb is maintained, i.e., the screen number in the transaction management memory corresponding to the first transaction screen is not changed, and the second transaction is activated.

[0081] Therefore, when the hold call button Gbb on the second transaction screen Gab is operated or the checkout button Gbg on the second transaction screen Gab is operated and the first transaction is activated again, the state at the time the hold call operation was executed is maintained, so the operator of the POS terminal 1 can smoothly resume the product registration operation for the first transaction.

[0082] (Third embodiment) In the third embodiment, a description will be given of a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 based on the configuration of the POS terminal 1 described above. Note that the following mainly describes differences from the above-described embodiments, and a detailed description of points in common with the contents already described will be omitted.

[0083] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 according to the third embodiment. For example, FIG. 11 shows a case where the hold call button Gbb on the first transaction screen Gaa in FIG. 5 is operated.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 11, the layout of the product registration buttons Gba included in the area Gb is different from that shown in FIG. 6. Specifically, in FIG. 6, three product registration buttons Gba are arranged horizontally and two vertically in the display area G, whereas in FIG. 11, two product registration buttons Gba are arranged horizontally and three vertically in the display area G. Displaying two transaction screens in the display area G reduces the display area of ​​each transaction screen in the display area G. Therefore, if the layout of the area Gb is not changed, the convenience for the operator of the POS terminal 1 may be impaired. Therefore, by changing the layout of the area Gb as shown in FIG. 11, the convenience of the product registration operation by the operator of the POS terminal 1 can be maintained when two transaction screens are displayed in the display area G of the display unit 105 in response to a hold call operation.

[0085] In addition, in conjunction with the hold call operation, the number of displayed buttons and button sizes of the various buttons included in area Gb may be changed, for example, by changing the number of product registration buttons Gba displayed, or by changing the size of the product registration buttons Gba and hold call buttons Gbb.

[0086] The above-described embodiment can be modified as needed by partially changing the configuration or functions of each of the above-described devices. Therefore, several modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described below as other embodiments. The following mainly focuses on differences from the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions of commonalities with the content already described will be omitted. The modifications described below may be implemented individually or in appropriate combination.

[0087] (Variation 1) In the above embodiment, the number of transactions that can be put on hold by the hold recall operation is two, but this is not limiting, and a configuration may be adopted in which three or more transactions can be put on hold by the hold recall operation.

[0088] (Variation 2) In the above-described embodiment, the number of POS terminals 1 is one, and multiple transactions are switched between, but this is not limited to this. In a network system consisting of multiple POS terminals 1, transactions may be switched by a host POS terminal 1 that handles transactions of multiple POS terminals 1, by using a transaction identification number that identifies the transaction.

[0089] (Variation 3) In the above-described embodiment, each transaction is identified in the transaction management memory of the product registration file 1031, but this is not limited to this. An identifier such as a transaction number corresponding to the transaction management memory may be stored in the product registration file 1031, and the transaction number may be displayed on the corresponding transaction screen.

[0090] This is expected to make it easier for the operator of the POS terminal 1 to identify the transaction.

[0091] (Variation 4) In the above-described embodiment, the hold call button Gbb is included in the area Gb of the first transaction screen Gaa, but this is not limited to this. For example, the hold call button Gbb may be located within the first transaction screen Gaa outside the area Gb, or may be located outside the first transaction screen Gaa. Furthermore, the hold call button Gbb may be implemented by an external operation unit (not shown).

[0092] (Variation 5) In the above embodiment, the hold call button Gbb is an operator that handles a series of processes related to holding a transaction and calling a transaction, but this is not limited to this, and holding and calling may each be realized by a different operator.

[0093] (Variation 6) The transaction switching processing unit 1002 may switch the transaction screen to be inactive in response to an operation to return from hold. For example, in the display state shown in Fig. 6, the transaction corresponding to the first transaction screen Gaa may be switched to the active state by operating the hold call button Gbb on the first transaction screen Gaa corresponding to the inactive transaction.

[0094] The programs executed by the POS terminal 1 of the embodiment and the modified example may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the programs executed by the POS terminal 1 of the embodiment and the modified example may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0095] The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments are provided in a state where they are pre-installed in a ROM, a storage unit, etc. The programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be provided by being recorded in an installable or executable file format on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disk (DVD).

[0096] Furthermore, the programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Also, the programs executed by each device in the above-described embodiments may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0097] These novel embodiments and their modifications may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, changes, and combinations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the inventions, and are also included in the inventions described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1 POS terminal 1001 Product sales data processing unit 1002 Transaction switching processing unit [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0099] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-195658

Claims

1. an output means for displaying on a display device a transaction screen having a first area for displaying the products registered in one transaction and a second area including at least an operator related to the registration of the products; a control unit that, upon receiving an operation to instruct the suspension of the one transaction, displays the transaction screen for the existing transaction that has been suspended and the transaction screen for a new transaction side by side; A product sales data processing device comprising:

2. the control unit deactivates the transaction screen for the transaction for which the suspension has been instructed, and disables an operator related to the registration of the product provided in the second area. The product sales data processing device according to claim 1 .

3. the control unit switches the transaction screen to be in the inactive state in response to an operation to instruct the transaction screen to be restored from the hold state. The product sales data processing device according to claim 2 .

4. a first operator for instructing to hold the transaction and a second operator for instructing to return the transaction from the hold are provided in the second area; The merchandise sales data processing device according to claim 3 .

5. when data processing related to the sale of the product registered in one transaction is completed, the control unit erases the transaction screen related to the transaction. The product sales data processing device according to claim 1 .

6. an output means for displaying on a display device a transaction screen having a first area for displaying the products registered in one transaction and a second area including at least an operator related to the registration of the products; a control unit that, upon receiving an operation to instruct the suspension of the one transaction, displays the transaction screen for the existing transaction that has been suspended and the transaction screen for a new transaction side by side; A program to function as a

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