Device operation method, terminal device, storage medium, and order management system

Abstract

This specification provides a device operation method, a terminal device, a storage medium, and an order management system. [Solution] Embodiments of this specification provide a device operation method, a terminal device, a storage medium, and an order management system. In the method, the POS device in the order management system can determine a target operation to be performed in response to an order management operation performed by an operator through the interactive interface of the POS device. The POS device determines a target execution mode from among a plurality of execution modes of the target operation that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device, and executes the target operation according to that target execution mode. Different execution modes when executing the target operation result in different consumption of hardware resources by the POS device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present specification relates to the field of Internet technology, and in particular, to an apparatus operation method, a terminal device, a storage medium and an order management system. [Background Art]

[0002] POS (point of sale) devices are generally indispensable for the business development of member stores. POS devices provide member stores with rich order management functions including but not limited to order generation, order settlement, order inquiry, order aggregation and the like. POS devices greatly improve the convenience of order management for member stores.

[0003] The order management function provided by a POS device is usually implemented by order management software installed in the POS device. Generally, an order management service provider pre-installs the order management software on the hardware of the POS device, that is, sells the hardware and software of the POS device as a package. In this case, the member store needs to purchase the hardware of the POS device to use the functions of the order management software. In addition, although an order management service provider may sell order management software separately, the order management software has strict requirements on hardware performance, and can only operate on hardware devices that meet certain performance requirements. In this case, the member store has to additionally purchase POS device hardware that meets the performance requirements when purchasing the order management software. Any of the above cases will lead to an increase in the hardware cost of the member store.

[0004] Furthermore, because order management software is frequently upgraded, franchisees must repurchase POS equipment hardware that meets the performance requirements when the order management software needs to be upgraded. This further increases the hardware costs for franchisees. For some small franchisees in particular, the increased hardware costs pose a certain challenge to their business operations.

[0005] The content of the background technology section is merely information that the inventor knows personally, and does not mean that such information was already made public before the filing date of this disclosure, nor does it mean that it could constitute prior art to this disclosure. [Overview of the project]

[0006] This specification provides a device operation method, a terminal device, a storage medium, and an order management system. This method is implemented by order management software and can be executed by a POS device on which the order management software is installed. When the POS device needs to perform a target operation, it can adaptively select an execution mode that is suited to its own hardware capabilities and perform the target operation. In this way, the order management software can be run on any hardware device, eliminating the need for merchants to replace hardware devices and reducing hardware purchase costs.

[0007] In a first aspect, this specification provides a device operation method applicable to a POS device in an order management system, the method comprising the steps of determining a target operation to be performed in response to an order management operation performed by an operator on an interactive interface of the POS device, wherein the target operation corresponds to a plurality of execution modes, and the POS device consumes different amounts of hardware resources when performing the target operation by different execution modes; and determining a target execution mode from among the plurality of execution modes of the target operation that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device, and performing the target operation by the target execution mode in response to the order management operation.

[0008] In a second aspect, the Specification further provides a terminal device as a POS device in an order management system, the terminal device comprising: at least one storage medium storing at least one instruction set for performing the operation of the device; and at least one processor communicatively connected to the at least one storage medium, wherein the at least one processor reads the at least one instruction set when in operation and determines a target operation to be performed in response to an order management operation performed by an operator on the interactive interface of the POS device, the target operation has corresponding execution modes, wherein the POS device consumes different amounts of hardware resources when it performs the target operation by different execution modes, and the terminal device determines a target execution mode from among the multiple execution modes of the target operation that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device, and performs the target operation by the target execution mode in response to the order management operation.

[0009] In a third aspect, the Specification further provides a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium wherein at least one instruction set is stored in the computer-readable non-temporary storage medium, and the at least one instruction set is executed by at least one processor, thereby realizing any of the methods described in the first aspect.

[0010] In a fourth aspect, the Specification further provides an order management system comprising a POS device configured to perform the method described in any one of the first aspects, and a service device communicatively connected to the POS device and configured to provide services to the POS device.

[0011] Other functions of the device operation methods, terminal devices, storage media, and order management systems provided herein are partially listed in the following description. Creative embodiments of the device operation methods, terminal devices, storage media, and order management systems provided herein can be fully interpreted by practicing or using the methods, devices, and combinations thereof described in the detailed examples below.

[0012] To more clearly explain the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below. Naturally, the drawings in the following description represent only a few embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these without requiring any creative effort. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This diagram shows a schematic representation of one application scenario for the order management system provided by the embodiments described herein. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram of another application scenario of the order management system provided by the embodiments of this specification is shown. [Figure 3] A schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the terminal device provided by the embodiments of this specification is shown. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating the operation method of the apparatus provided by the embodiments of this specification is shown. [Figure 5] The following are schematic diagrams of several execution modes of the target operation provided by the embodiments of this specification. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram shows the cleanup process for a POS device provided by the embodiments of this specification. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram shows the cleanup process for another POS device provided by the embodiments of this specification. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The following description provides specific application scenarios and requirements for those skilled in the art to manufacture and use the inventions herein. Various local modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments and uses without departing from the spirit and scope of this specification. Thus, this specification is not limited to the embodiments shown, but conforms to the broadest scope that matches the claims.

[0015] The terms used herein are for illustrative purposes only and not limited to describing specific exemplary embodiments. For example, unless otherwise specified in the context, the singular forms “one,” “one,” and “the said” as used herein may also include the plural forms. Where used herein, the terms “include,” “equip,” and / or “contain” mean that there are related integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but not that there are any other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups, or that other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups may be added to the said system / method.

[0016] Considering the following description, the operation and function of these and other features of this specification, as well as the economics of assembly and manufacture of structural elements, can be greatly improved. Refer to the drawings, all of which constitute part of this specification. However, it should be clearly understood that the drawings are for illustrative and explanatory purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this specification. It should also be understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0017] The flowcharts used herein illustrate the operations implemented by the systems in some embodiments herein. It should be clearly understood that the operations in the flowcharts do not necessarily have to occur in order. Instead, the operations may occur in reverse order or simultaneously. Furthermore, one or more other operations may be added to the flowchart. One or more operations may also be removed from the flowchart.

[0018] In this specification, "X contains at least one of A, B, or C" means that X contains at least A, or X contains at least B, or X contains at least C. In other words, X may contain only one of A, B, or C, or it may contain any combination of A, B, and C and other possible contents / elements simultaneously. The any combination of A, B, and C may be A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC.

[0019] In this specification, unless otherwise specified, relationships between structures may be direct or indirect. For example, when it is stated that "A is connected to B," unless it is explicitly stated that A is directly connected to B, it should be understood that A may be directly connected to B or indirectly connected to B. Furthermore, when it is stated that "A is above B," unless it is explicitly stated that A is above B (A and B are adjacent, and A is above B), it should be understood that A may be directly positioned above B or indirectly positioned above B (another element exists between A and B, and A is above B). By analogy,

[0020] Furthermore, the user data obtained in this specification is authorized by the user and does not relate to the user's privacy.

[0021] Furthermore, the technical solutions described herein, including the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, and disclosure of relevant user information, all comply with applicable laws and regulations and do not violate public order and morals.

[0022] The embodiments described in this specification can be applied to order management scenarios of member merchants. Here, the above-mentioned member merchants include, but are not limited to, merchants that provide various goods and services, such as catering businesses, retail shops, supermarkets, fruit and vegetable stores, florists, bookstores, hotels, beauty salons, laundries, barbershops, etc. The above-mentioned member merchants may be small-scale member merchants, large-scale member merchants, or chain member merchants, which are not limited in this specification.

[0023] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned member merchant may be a member merchant that develops business through an offline channel (physical store). In this case, orders to the member merchant include offline orders. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned member merchant may be a member merchant that develops business through an online channel (the Internet). In this case, orders to the member merchant include online orders. In some embodiments, the above-mentioned member merchant may be a member merchant that simultaneously supports business development through both an online channel and an offline channel. In this case, orders to the member merchant include both offline orders and online orders.

[0024] In this specification, an online order refers to a purchase request for goods or services submitted by a consumer through an online channel (website, application, etc.). An offline order refers to a purchase request for goods or services submitted by a consumer through an offline channel, for example, a purchase request for goods or services submitted by the consumer face-to-face with a cashier.

[0025] When a member merchant needs to develop business through an offline channel, it needs to purchase a POS (point of sale) device to manage offline orders. The POS device provides an interactive function and can display the goods or services sold by the member merchant. The cashier of the member merchant can assist the consumer to select goods or services on the POS device and place an order according to the consumer's purchase demand. Said order is an offline order.

[0026] When a merchant conducts business through online channels, it may develop a mini-program for its store and place an access portal (e.g., a QR code) for that mini-program within the store or at any other possible location. Consumers can access the mini-program through this access portal and place orders within the mini-program.

[0027] When a merchant conducts business through online channels, it can also partner with various online platforms. These online platforms may include, but are not limited to, delivery platforms, wallet platforms, and social platforms. The way a merchant responds may differ depending on the online platform. For example, if a merchant partners with several platforms (e.g., delivery platforms), it can apply to open online stores on those platforms, list its goods or services in those online stores, and allow consumers to order from those online stores. Furthermore, if a merchant partners with several other platforms (e.g., wallet platforms or social platforms), it can set up mini-programs for its stores on those platforms, allowing consumers to order through those mini-programs.

[0028] In online business operations, merchants typically need to partner with multiple online platforms to attract a wider audience. This requires merchants to expend considerable effort to manage these platforms. In particular, within certain geographical areas, the number of online platforms is vast, potentially hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands, while each platform covers a small number of consumers. In such areas, the sheer number of online platforms that merchants must manage is enormous, requiring significant effort.

[0029] POS systems used by merchants for offline business operations can only process offline orders and cannot accept online orders. To properly accept orders on online platforms, merchants need to purchase dedicated order taking equipment from those platforms. While multiple online platforms are active in the market, none dominate the market; in other words, each online platform covers a different consumer base. In this case, merchants need to partner with each of these online platforms individually to continue operating successfully. When a merchant partners with multiple online platforms, they need to purchase order taking equipment from each of them. As a result, purchase costs increase. In particular, if the number of online platforms to support is large, the purchase costs for the merchant become enormous. Furthermore, installing these order taking devices at the merchant's counter can lead to counter congestion. Moreover, merchants faced with many order taking devices tend to become distracted, causing problems such as delays in order processing and negatively impacting the customer experience.

[0030] Furthermore, when merchants integrate with multiple online platforms, they gain access to a wider range of order sources. Orders placed on different online platforms are stored on the servers of the corresponding online platforms. When merchants manage online orders, they need to access the servers of each different online platform for order management (e.g., order inquiry, order aggregation, etc.). Stores cannot manage all orders centrally. Also, since order management methods may differ depending on the online platform, stores need to be familiar with the operation methods of each online platform. Due to these factors, the workload for stores managing orders increases, and the efficiency of order management decreases.

[0031] This specification provides an order management system based on at least one of the technical challenges described above. This order management system can support one-stop order management for stores. To facilitate understanding of one-stop order management, the order management system is introduced below with reference to Figure 1.

[0032] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of one application scenario 100 of the order management system provided by the embodiments of this specification. For ease of understanding, Figure 1 illustrates a restaurant scenario as an example. As shown in Figure 1, the order management system may include a POS (point of sale) device 110 (or referred to as the POS side or front-end device) and a service device 120 (or referred to as the server side, server, or back-end device).

[0033] In this context, the POS device 110 is a multi-functional terminal. The POS device 110 can be considered a client of the order management system. In some embodiments, the POS device 110 may be a mobile device, such as a portable device. The POS device 110 can be carried and operated by the store's staff in various locations within the store, offering high convenience. In some embodiments, the POS device 110 may be a non-mobile device. In that case, the POS device 110 is typically placed on the cash register counter of the store's offline shop.

[0034] In this specification, the POS device 110 can receive offline and online orders from merchants. The POS device 110 can also process offline orders at the register. The POS device 110 may also be called a register device, a sales device, or a sales / register integrated device.

[0035] The POS device 110 is an electronic device having a certain computing capability. In some embodiments, the POS device 110 may include a hardware device having data processing capabilities and a program necessary to operate the hardware device. The POS device 110 can manage orders by driving the hardware device to execute the program. For example, the POS device 110 may have order management software (or an order management program) installed on it. The POS device 110 can manage orders by executing the order management software. The order management software may correspond to an operating system installed in the POS device 110, or to an application (APP) or instruction set installed in the POS device 110. The order management software may be software pre-installed on the hardware device of the POS device 110 (for example, software included with the POS device 110 at the time of shipment), or it may be software later installed on the POS device 110 by the merchant's staff, and is not limited herein.

[0036] In some embodiments, the POS device 110 may have a display, or the display may be external. The POS device 110 can provide interactive functions via the display. For example, the POS device 110 may display goods or services sold by the merchant via the display and generate an offline order based on the goods or services selected by the operator (merchant staff or customer). The POS device 110 may also display a checkout entrance via the display so that the operator can pay for the offline order at the checkout.

[0037] In the checkout process for orders, the POS device 110 supports a variety of payment methods, including but not limited to cash payments, card payments, QR code payments, biometric authentication (e.g., facial recognition), and near-field communication (NFC) payments.

[0038] In some embodiments, if the POS device 110 supports cash payments, the POS device 110 may be equipped with a cash box for storing cash.

[0039] In some embodiments, if the POS device 110 supports card payments, the POS device 110 may have a built-in or external card reader 111. If a built-in configuration is adopted, the card reader 111 can be located at any possible location on the POS device 110, and is not limited herein. If an external configuration is adopted, the POS device 110 and the card reader 111 may be connected by wire or wireless, and is not limited herein. Wired connections include, but are not limited to, USB (universal serial bus), Ethernet, and fiber optic connections. Wireless connections include, but are not limited to, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections.

[0040] The card reader 111 is a device that can read the card information of a consumer's payment card (e.g., a debit card, credit card, etc.) according to a pre-configured payment specification. When a consumer selects card payment, the POS device 110 can control the card reader 111 to enter card reading mode. In response to the consumer bringing the payment card close to, touching, or inserting it into the card reader, the card reader 111 can read the card information of the payment card according to a pre-configured payment specification.

[0041] In some embodiments, if the POS device 110 supports QR code payment, the POS device 110 may have a built-in or external QR code reader 112. If a built-in configuration is adopted, the QR code reader 112 can be located at any possible location on the POS device 110, and is not limited herein. If an external configuration is adopted, the POS device 110 and the QR code reader 112 may be connected by wire or wireless, and is not limited herein. The QR code reader 112 is a device having a code reading function. For example, the QR code reader 112 may include a camera module. When a consumer pays an offline order using a payment code, the POS device 110 can be controlled to put the QR code reader 112 into scan mode. In response to the consumer aligning the payment code with the QR code reader 112, the QR code reader 112 scans the code information of the payment code via the camera module.

[0042] In some embodiments, if the POS device 110 supports biometric payment, the POS device 110 may have a built-in or external camera device (not shown in Figure 1). If a built-in configuration is adopted, the camera device can be located at any possible location on the POS device 110, and is not limited herein. If an external configuration is adopted, the POS device 110 and the camera device may be connected by wire or wireless, and is not limited herein. For example, if a consumer uses facial recognition payment, the POS device 110 can be controlled to put the camera device into camera mode. In response to the consumer aligning their face with the camera device, the camera device captures an image of the consumer's face.

[0043] In some embodiments, if the POS device 110 supports payment based on near-field communication (NFL) communication, the POS device 110 may have a NFL (not shown in Figure 1) built-in or externally mounted. The NFL can be located at any possible location on the POS device 110, and is not limited herein. If a consumer chooses payment based on NFL, the POS device 110 can be controlled to put the NFL into communication mode. In response to a consumer bringing a terminal device having a NFL component close to the NFL, the NFL communicates with the NFL component in the terminal to obtain payment information for the order.

[0044] In some embodiments, the POS device 110 may have a built-in or external printer 113. If built-in, the printer 113 can be located at any possible location on the POS device 110, and is not limited herein. If external, the POS device 110 and the printer 113 may be connected by wire or wireless, and is not limited herein. Printing paper or label paper is provided inside the printer 113. After a consumer has successfully paid for an order, the POS device 110 can control the printer 113 to print a consumer receipt or order label corresponding to that order.

[0045] In some embodiments, the POS device 110 may further include an audio output device (not shown in Figure 1). The audio output device may be, for example, a speaker. For example, when the POS device 110 receives an online order, the audio output device can output voice information to prompt the merchant's staff to process the order in a timely manner. Furthermore, for example, after a consumer has made a payment operation for an offline order via the POS device 110, the POS device 110 may, in response to receiving the payment result for the order, output voice information via the audio output device to notify whether the payment for the order was successful or unsuccessful.

[0046] Continuing to refer to Figure 1, the service device 120 is a computing system with a certain level of computing power. The service device 120 is communicatively connected to the POS device 110 and provides order management services to the POS device 110. The service device 120 can correspond to a single computing device or to a computing cluster consisting of multiple computing devices. The service device 120 may be located locally or remotely. For example, the service device 120 may be a cloud server. In some embodiments, the service device 120 may include a hardware device having data processing capabilities and a program necessary to operate the hardware device. The service device 120 can provide order management services to the POS device by driving the hardware device and executing the program. In some embodiments, the service device 120 can provide order management services to the POS device in SaaS (Software as a Service) mode.

[0047] In some embodiments, when the service device 120 is located in a remote location, the service device 120 can be connected to and provide order management services to multiple merchant POS devices 110. In this case, the service device 120 can use various isolation techniques to isolate and manage orders to different merchants, thereby avoiding mutual interference of order data to different merchants and improving the security of order data. Those skilled in the art should understand that the order management services provided by the service device 120 to POS devices 110 in different stores are similar. In this description, we will use the example of the service device 120 providing order management services to only one store's POS device 110.

[0048] The services that the service device 120 provides to the POS device 110 may include both order management services for offline orders and order management services for online orders.

[0049] The following explains the workflow of an order management system using a restaurant setting as an example.

[0050] Referring to Figure 1, a restaurant can be divided into a lobby area and a kitchen area. The lobby area is where customers are entertained and where they dine. The lobby area is also called the hospitality area. The kitchen area is where chefs prepare food. The kitchen area is also called the cooking area. The POS device 110 is generally located in the lobby area. The service device 120 may be located in the lobby area or in the cloud.

[0051] The order management system processes offline orders as follows: Referring to Figure 1, Consumer A visits the restaurant for a meal. Consumer A tells the cashier what dishes they want. The cashier selects the corresponding dishes on the POS device 110 and places the order. The POS device 110 generates an offline order in response to the cashier's order operation. The POS device 110 sends the offline order to the service device 120 so that the service device 120 can save the offline order. The POS device 110 can then process the offline order at the register based on the payment method selected by the consumer.

[0052] The order management system can receive online orders from multiple online channels. The following are three examples illustrating this.

[0053] Scenario 1: Referring to Figure 1, a store mini-program is installed on the service device 120. A QR code for the store mini-program is placed on a table (or other location) in the store. Consumer B can scan the QR code using a terminal device and view the store mini-program page. Consumer B selects the desired dish on the mini-program page, places an order, and completes online payment. In this case, the service device 120 generates an online order, saves the online order, and then sends it to the POS device 110. The POS device 110 then receives the online order.

[0054] Scenario 2: Referring to Figure 1, a merchant can place a store mini-program on the online platform. The following is an example of placing it on the wallet platform. When consumer C uses the wallet platform, they access the store mini-program on the wallet platform, select the desired dish on the mini-program page, place an order, and complete the online payment. In this case, the wallet platform generates an online order and sends it to the service device 120. The service device 120 saves the online order and then sends it to the POS device 110. The POS device 110 then receives the online order.

[0055] Scenario 3: Referring to Figure 1, a merchant can open an online store on the online platform. The following is an example of opening an online store on a delivery platform. When consumer D uses the delivery platform, they access the merchant's online store on the delivery platform, select the desired food, place an order, and complete the online payment. In this case, the delivery platform generates an online order and sends it to the service device 120. The service device 120 saves the online order and then sends it to the POS device 110. The POS device 110 then receives the online order.

[0056] As can be seen from the above explanation, all offline orders received by the merchant, as well as online orders from each channel, are stored on the service device 120. Therefore, the merchant can manage all orders centrally on the service device 120. Compared to methods in which merchants manage orders from different channels individually, the order management system provided herein can improve the convenience of order management for merchants and increase order management efficiency.

[0057] Continuing with the restaurant scenario as an example, a franchisee needs to prepare the ordered dishes after receiving an order. In actual application, when the POS device 110 receives an order (including offline and online orders), the POS device 110 controls the printer to print a cooking slip containing the details of the ordered dishes, and the cooking slip can be manually handed to the kitchen area. The cook then prepares the dishes according to the details written on the cooking slip. This manual method of handing over cooking slips is prone to errors in preparing dishes during peak meal times and is inefficient, leading to longer meal times for customers.

[0058] Therefore, in some embodiments of this specification, the order management system may further include one or more display devices 130, as shown in Figure 1. For example, in a restaurant setting, the display device 130 is also called a KDS (kitchen display system). The display device 130 is located in the kitchen area and is communicably connected to a POS device 110. The display device 130 receives orders from the POS device 110 and indicates to the cooks which dishes to prepare, thereby increasing the efficiency of the cooks' meal preparation and reducing errors in the cooks' meal preparation. In some embodiments, after a dish is completed, the cook can further send a notification to the POS device 110 via the display device 130 that the dish is complete, so that the POS device 110 can keep track of the progress of the order.

[0059] In some restaurants, the kitchen area is divided into multiple sections, with different chefs assigned to each section and responsible for preparing different types of dishes. Referring to Figure 1, as an example, the kitchen area may have a cold dishes section and a hot dishes section. Chef X1 is responsible for preparing cold dishes, and chef X2 is responsible for preparing hot dishes. In this case, the cold dishes section may be equipped with one display device 130 to show the cold dishes that chef X1 should prepare. The hot dishes section may be equipped with one display device 130 to show the hot dishes that chef X2 should prepare. In this way, the preparation of dishes in different sections does not interfere with each other, and the efficiency of meal preparation can be further increased.

[0060] Figure 1 shows an example of a restaurant setting. As those skilled in the art will understand, when the order management system provided herein is applied to other settings, the means of implementation and technical effects are the same as in the restaurant setting, and therefore, further explanation of other settings is omitted in this specification.

[0061] As can be seen from the above explanation, merchants can achieve one-stop order management by using the order management system provided herein. The above one-stop order management is reflected in at least the following: (1) By using a single POS device 110, merchants can process online orders from multiple online channels in addition to processing offline orders. On the one hand, this eliminates the need for merchants to deal with multiple online channels individually, thus avoiding the labor and time costs required for such work. On the other hand, it reduces the purchase costs for merchants as they do not need to purchase separate order taking equipment for each online channel. (2) All orders received by the POS device 110 are transmitted in real time to the display device 130 in the kitchen area without the need for the merchant to manually hand over cooking slips. This improves the efficiency of order processing. (3) All orders received by the merchant are stored in the service device 120, and the merchant can manage all orders centrally, including order inquiries and summaries, using the service device 120. This eliminates the need for merchants to manage orders individually on different online platforms, improving the efficiency of order management.

[0062] Referring to the order management system shown in Figure 1, the POS device 110 includes both hardware and software components (i.e., order management software installed on the POS device). If a merchant needs to use an order management system that enables one-stop order management, as shown in Figure 1, they need to purchase both the hardware and software components of the POS device 110 shown in Figure 1. However, for some small merchants, hardware costs are a major concern. They would like to achieve one-stop order management by installing order management software on top of their existing hardware devices. Furthermore, there are many small merchants, and the existing hardware devices owned by each merchant are usually different and diverse. Therefore, a method for running order management software on various hardware devices is a technical challenge that needs to be addressed.

[0063] Therefore, embodiments of this specification provide a method for operating a device. This method is implemented by order management software and can be executed by a POS device on which the order management software is installed. Specifically, when a developer creates order management software, they design multiple different execution modes for a specific operation to be performed by the POS device. All of the multiple different execution modes can perform the operation, but the amount of hardware resources consumed by the POS device when performing the operation differs depending on the execution mode. Thus, when the POS device executes the order management software, it determines a target operation to be performed in response to an order management operation performed by an operator on the interactive interface of the POS device, determines a target execution mode from among multiple execution modes of the target operation that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device, and then executes the target operation using that target execution mode in response to the order management operation.

[0064] In the above solution, the order management software adaptively adopts the corresponding execution mode based on the hardware performance of the POS device when the POS device performs a specific operation, thereby ensuring that the amount of hardware resources consumed by the operation is matched to the hardware performance of the POS device. As a result, the order management software can run on any hardware device; that is, it can run on both high-performance and low-performance hardware devices. Thus, stores can use the order management service simply by installing the order management software on their existing hardware devices. On the one hand, stores do not need to purchase new hardware devices, thus reducing operating costs. On the other hand, the above solution makes the one-stop order management service applicable to more merchants, expanding its range of applications.

[0065] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of another application scenario of the order management system provided by the embodiments of this specification. As shown in Figure 2, this application scenario may include multiple POS devices, each with different hardware performance. For example, POS device 110-1 may have low hardware performance, POS device 110-2 may have medium hardware performance, and POS device 110-3 may have high hardware performance. All three of these POS devices can achieve one-stop order management by installing the order management software and performing the device operation method provided herein in accordance with the instructions of the order management software.

[0066] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a terminal device 200 provided by some embodiments of this specification. The terminal device 200 can function as the POS device 110 in Figure 1.

[0067] As shown in Figure 3, the terminal device 200 may include at least one storage medium 230 and at least one processor 220. In some embodiments, the terminal device 200 may further include an internal communication bus 210. In some embodiments, the terminal device 200 may further include a communication port 250. In some embodiments, the terminal device 200 may further include an I / O component 260.

[0068] The internal communication bus 210 can connect different system components. For example, the internal communication bus 210 can connect the storage medium 230, the processor 220, the communication port 250, and the I / O component 260.

[0069] The I / O component 260 supports input / output between the terminal device 200 and other components.

[0070] The communication port 250 is used for data communication between the terminal device 200 and the outside world. For example, the communication port 250 may be used for data communication between the terminal device 200 and a network. The communication port 250 may be a wired communication port or a wireless communication port.

[0071] In some embodiments, the network may be any type of wired or wireless network, or a combination thereof. For example, the network may include cable networks, wired networks, fiber optic networks, telecommunications networks, intranets, the Internet, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), metropolitan area networks (MANs), public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), Bluetooth networks™, near-field wireless networks (ZigBee™), near-field communication (NFC) networks, or similar networks.

[0072] In some embodiments, the network may include one or more network access points. For example, the network may include wired or wireless network access points such as base stations or internet exchange points. Through such access points, one or more components of each device corresponding to the terminal device 200 can connect to the network and exchange data or information.

[0073] The storage medium 230 may include a data storage device. The data storage device may be a non-temporary storage medium or a temporary storage medium. For example, the data storage device may include one or more of a magnetic disk 232, a read-only storage medium (ROM) 234, or a random access memory (RAM) 236. The storage medium 230 further includes at least one instruction set stored in the data storage device. The instruction set may be computer program code, which may include programs, routines, objects, components, data structures, processes, modules, etc., that perform the device operation methods provided herein.

[0074] At least one processor 220 is communicably connected to at least one storage medium 230 via an internal communication bus 210. The at least one processor 220 is used to execute the at least one instruction set. When the terminal device 200 is operating, the at least one processor 220 reads the at least one instruction set and executes the device operation method provided herein in accordance with the instructions of the at least one instruction set.

[0075] The processor 220 can perform all steps included in the device operation method. The processor 220 may be in the form of one or more processors. The processor 220 can issue execution instructions. The processor 220 may include one or more hardware processors, such as a microcontroller, microprocessor, reduced instruction set computer (RISC), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), application-specific instruction set processor (ASIP), central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), physics processing unit (PPU), microcontroller unit, digital signal processor (DSP), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), advanced RISC machine (ARM), programmable logic device (PLD), any circuit or processor capable of performing one or more functions, or a combination thereof.

[0076] For illustrative purposes only, the terminal device 200 in the drawings of this specification shows only one processor 220. However, it should be noted that the terminal device 200 in this specification may include multiple processors, and therefore the steps of the operations and / or methods disclosed herein may be performed by one processor as described herein, or by multiple processors working together. For example, if the processor 220 of the terminal device 200 performs steps A and B as described herein, it should be understood that steps A and B may be performed jointly or separately by two different processors 220 (for example, the first processor may perform step A and the second processor may perform step B, or the first and second processors may jointly perform steps A and B).

[0077] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a device operation method provided by one embodiment of this specification. The device operation method P300 may be executed by a POS device in an order management system. For example, when a processor in a POS device reads an instruction set stored in its storage medium (i.e., an instruction set corresponding to order management software), it executes the device operation method P300. As shown in Figure 4, the device operation method P300 may include S310 to S330.

[0078] In S310, the POS device determines the target action to be performed in response to order management operations performed by the operator through the interactive interface of the POS device. Each target action has multiple execution modes, and the amount of hardware resources consumed by the POS device differs when the target action is performed using different execution modes.

[0079] Here, the above order management operations may be any operations authorized by the operator from the POS device. For example, order management operations may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: order placement operations, register operations, daily closing operations, and past order inquiry operations.

[0080] When an operator performs a specific order management operation on the interactive interface of a POS device, the POS device responds to that order management operation by performing an action corresponding to that operation. This action refers to an operation or series of operations that the POS device performs after receiving an order management operation, according to pre-configured rules or program logic.

[0081] For the sake of clarity, in this specification, the action corresponding to the order management operation currently received by the POS device is referred to as the target action. Those skilled in the art will understand that if the order management operation currently received by the POS device is different, the target action that the POS device determines in S310 may also be different.

[0082] For example, if the order management operation is a purchase order operation, the target operation may include generating order data and storing the order data. If the order management operation is a daily closing operation, the target operation may include aggregating orders generated on a specified date. If the order management operation is a historical order inquiry, the target operation may include querying the database for orders that meet the specified inquiry conditions. It should be noted that the above examples are merely illustrative, and the order management operations supported by the POS device and the operations corresponding to each order management operation can be flexibly adjusted according to the actual situation and are not limited to those given in the above embodiments.

[0083] In some embodiments, the multiple execution modes corresponding to the target operation include at least two of the first execution mode, second execution mode, third execution mode, and fourth execution mode. Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the multiple execution modes of the target operation provided by the embodiments herein. Various execution modes will be described below with reference to Figure 5.

[0084] Here, the first execution mode is characterized by the POS device performing the target operation. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when the first execution mode is adopted, the POS device does not need to request assistance from the service device to perform the operation, and performs the target operation locally on its own. For example, if the target operation is to add an order and purchase, the POS device can directly perform the order and purchase addition.

[0085] The second execution mode is characterized in that the POS device performs a simplified operation corresponding to the target operation. Here, the simplified operation is a simplified version of the target operation. The amount of data that the POS device must process when performing the simplified operation (e.g., the amount of data taken in or stored) is smaller than the amount of data that must be processed when performing the target operation. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when the second execution mode is adopted, the POS device does not need to request assistance from the service device to perform the operation, and performs the simplified operation corresponding to the target operation locally on its own.

[0086] For example, assuming the target action is to store the order information for order A, the simplified action corresponding to this target action may be to store the key order information for order A. Here, the order information may include, for example, the order time, order title, operator information, order amount, order number, and product details. The key order information may include only a part of the above order information. For example, the key order information may include the order amount, order number, and product details.

[0087] When a POS device performs a simplified operation corresponding to the target operation, the amount of data to be processed decreases, thus reducing the hardware resources consumed by the POS device to some extent compared to when the POS device performs the target operation. Therefore, the second execution mode has lower hardware performance requirements compared to the first execution mode.

[0088] The third execution mode is characterized by the execution of the target operation by a service device. That is, the POS device requests the service device to assist in the execution of the target operation. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when the third execution mode is adopted, the POS device sends an execution request corresponding to the target operation to the service device. The service device executes the target operation and returns the execution result of the target operation to the POS device. After receiving the execution result of the target operation from the service device, the POS device displays the execution result of the target operation on the display screen of the POS device.

[0089] As an example, assuming the target action is to view past orders, the POS device sends an order inquiry command to the service device, and the service device queries based on the order inquiry command to retrieve past order data. The service device then sends the past order data to the POS device. After receiving the past order data from the service device, the POS device displays the past order data on a display screen so that the operator can view it.

[0090] The third execution mode described above shifts the execution of the target operation to the service device. The POS device only needs to receive and display the result of the target operation from the service device and does not need to perform large amounts of data calculations. Compared to the first and second execution modes, the amount of data that the POS device must process when executing the target operation using the third execution mode is significantly reduced, and the consumption of hardware resources is also reduced. Therefore, the third execution mode has lower hardware performance requirements compared to the first and second execution modes.

[0091] The fourth execution mode is characterized in that the POS device executes a part of the target operation, and the service device executes another part of the target operation. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when the fourth execution mode is adopted, the POS device and the service device execute the target operation together. After the execution is complete, the POS device displays the execution result to the operator. In this specification, the method by which the POS device and the service device execute the target operation together is not limited. For example, the POS device may execute the first part locally, and the service device may execute the second part based on the execution result of the first part. Alternatively, the POS device may request the service device to execute the first part first, and then execute the second part locally based on the execution result of the first part. Alternatively, the POS device may execute the first part locally and simultaneously request the service device to execute the second part, i.e., the first and second parts are executed in parallel.

[0092] The fourth execution mode divides the target operation into two parts, which are executed separately by the POS device and the service device, thus eliminating the need for the POS device to bear all the computational load alone. Compared to the first execution mode, the amount of data that the POS device must process when executing the target operation using the fourth execution mode is significantly reduced, and hardware resource consumption is also lower. Therefore, the fourth execution mode has lower hardware performance requirements compared to the first execution mode. Compared to the third execution mode, the POS device consumes more hardware resources when executing the target operation using the fourth execution mode. Therefore, the fourth execution mode has higher hardware performance requirements compared to the third execution mode.

[0093] In this specification, the number of execution modes corresponding to different operations is not limited. The execution modes corresponding to different operations may be the same or different. For example, the number of execution modes corresponding to the first operation may include the first execution mode and the third execution mode. The number of execution modes corresponding to the second operation may include the second execution mode and the third execution mode. The number of execution modes corresponding to the third operation may include the first execution mode, the second execution mode, and the third execution mode. The number of execution modes corresponding to the fourth operation may include the first execution mode, the second execution mode, the third execution mode, and the fourth execution mode. Here, the execution modes corresponding to different operations may be set in advance. The correspondence between each operation and its corresponding execution mode can be set according to the actual needs.

[0094] In S330, the system determines a target execution mode that matches the hardware performance of the POS device from among multiple target operation execution modes, and then executes the target operation according to the target execution mode to respond to the order management operation.

[0095] As can be seen from the above analysis, different execution modes have different requirements for the hardware performance of the POS device. Therefore, when the POS device needs to perform a target operation, it can select an execution mode that is suitable for its hardware performance and perform the target operation.

[0096] Here, for an execution mode to be compatible with the hardware performance of a POS device means that the hardware performance of the POS device can support that execution mode. In other words, if the hardware performance of the POS device can support the operation of a particular execution mode, then that execution mode is said to be compatible with the hardware performance of the POS device. For the sake of simplicity, in this specification, the execution mode that is compatible with the hardware performance of the POS device from among multiple execution modes of the target operation will be referred to as the target execution mode.

[0097] In some embodiments, the POS device can determine the target execution mode in the following way.

[0098] (1) The hardware performance level of the POS device is obtained, and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes is obtained.

[0099] Here, the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each execution mode is used to indicate the minimum requirement for POS device hardware performance in that target execution mode. Different execution modes also have different requirements for POS device hardware performance. For example, when performing the same target operation, the first execution mode has the highest requirement for POS device hardware performance. The third execution mode has the lowest requirement for POS device hardware performance. The second and fourth execution modes have requirements for POS device hardware performance that fall between the first and third execution modes, and specifically, the minimum performance requirements for the POS device are determined based on the target operation.

[0100] (2) Based on the hardware performance level of the POS device and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes, a target execution mode that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device is determined from among the multiple execution modes.

[0101] The above method takes into full consideration the minimum hardware performance level for each execution mode and the hardware performance of the POS device, so the selected target execution mode is compatible with the current hardware performance of the POS device. As a result, regardless of the hardware performance of the POS device, the POS device can adopt an appropriate execution mode to perform the target operation and respond to order management operations. The above method avoids the problem where the target operation is not smoothly executed by the POS device due to the hardware performance being low, even though the target operation is highly demanding on hardware performance.

[0102] In some embodiments, the POS device can determine at least one candidate execution mode from among multiple execution modes based on the hardware performance level of the POS device and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes. Furthermore, the POS device determines a target execution mode from among the at least one candidate execution mode. Here, the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to the candidate execution mode is less than or equal to the hardware performance level of the POS device.

[0103] For example, the multiple execution modes corresponding to the target operation will be explained using the first execution mode, second execution mode, third execution mode, and fourth execution mode as examples. We assume that the minimum hardware performance levels corresponding to each of the above multiple execution modes are L4 for the first execution mode, L3 for the second execution mode, L1 for the third execution mode, and L2 for the fourth execution mode. Here, the above multiple minimum hardware performance levels are ordered from highest to lowest hardware performance requirement: L4 > L3 > L2 > L1.

[0104] If the POS device's hardware performance is L3, according to the ranking above, the hardware performance level requirement for the first execution mode exceeds the POS device's hardware performance level, and the POS device cannot perform the target operation based on the first execution mode. The hardware performance level requirement for the second execution mode matches the POS device's hardware performance level, and the POS device can perform the target operation based on the second execution mode. The hardware performance level requirements for the third and fourth execution modes are lower than the POS device's hardware performance level, so the POS device can perform the target operation based on the third or fourth execution mode. Therefore, the POS device can determine the second, third, and fourth execution modes from among the multiple execution modes as candidate execution modes.

[0105] In some embodiments, the POS device can determine at least one candidate execution mode and then determine the candidate execution mode with the highest corresponding minimum hardware performance level among the at least one candidate execution mode as the target execution mode. Continuing with the above embodiment as an example, if the hardware performance of the POS device is L3, then among the multiple candidate execution modes (second execution mode, third execution mode, and fourth execution mode), if the requirement for the minimum hardware performance level of the second execution mode is the highest, the second execution mode can be determined as the target execution mode.

[0106] In some embodiments, after determining at least one candidate execution mode, the POS device can determine the candidate execution mode with the lowest corresponding minimum hardware performance level among the at least one candidate execution mode as the target execution mode. Continuing with the above embodiment as an example, if the hardware performance of the POS device is L3, then among the multiple candidate execution modes (second execution mode, third execution mode, and fourth execution mode), if the third execution mode has the lowest requirement for minimum hardware performance level, the third execution mode can be determined as the target execution mode.

[0107] In some embodiments, the method for determining the target execution mode may be pre-configured by the store on the POS device. For example, the store may pre-configure the candidate execution mode corresponding to the lowest hardware performance level among the candidate execution modes as the target execution mode, or it may pre-configure the candidate execution mode corresponding to the highest hardware performance level among the candidate execution modes as the target execution mode.

[0108] In some embodiments, the POS device can, in response to detecting a startup command, acquire hardware information about the POS device and determine the hardware performance level of the POS device based on that information.

[0109] In some embodiments, the POS device cleans up cleanup objects in the POS device and releases the hardware resources occupied by the cleanup objects in the POS device in response to the POS device meeting pre-configured trigger conditions.

[0110] During operation of a POS (Point of Sale) device, various cleanup objects, such as temporary files and cache data, are generated. If these objects continue to accumulate, they will occupy a large amount of hardware resources, such as memory and storage space. If memory is occupied too much, the operating speed of the POS device will decrease significantly. For example, when processing a large amount of transaction data, insufficient memory can lead to delays in transaction processing or the POS device freezing. By cleaning up these cleanup objects and freeing up memory, the POS system can process subsequent transactions more quickly, and the problem of the POS device becoming unresponsive can be avoided.

[0111] In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include reaching a predetermined time interval since the last cleanup time. That is, the POS device can clean up cleanup objects in the POS device according to a predetermined time interval. Here, cleanup objects may include inactive objects occupying memory resources and unnecessary objects occupying hard disk resources. For example, cleanup objects may be cache data, log files, temporary files, and remnants of old software. Cleanup of cleanup objects does not affect the normal use of the POS device.

[0112] In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include the hardware resource utilization exceeding a predetermined value. Here, the POS device can detect the hardware resource utilization status of the POS device according to predetermined time intervals and obtain detection results. Here, the detection results include the hardware resource utilization rate of the POS device and the hardware resource utilization status by each object in the POS device. Furthermore, based on the hardware resource utilization status by each object in the detection results, the POS device can determine cleanup objects and clean up the cleanup objects.

[0113] This cleanup method can precisely clean up objects that are excessively occupying hardware resources. This allows for more effective freeing up of hardware resources and avoids excessive cleanup. For example, frequently cleaning up some cache data may require the POS device to regenerate these caches in subsequent operations, potentially increasing the burden on the POS device. The above cleanup method avoids this situation, performing cleanup only when hardware resource utilization is excessively high, thus balancing resource freeing with the efficiency of subsequent POS device operations and making POS device performance optimization more rational and effective.

[0114] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the cleanup process of a POS device provided by the embodiments of this specification. As shown in Figure 6, the POS device may have a main thread and sub-threads pre-configured. Here, the main thread is configured to respond to order management operations. When the POS device detects that an operator is performing an order management operation, the main thread responds to the order management operation. The sub-threads are used to detect the occupancy of hardware resources and perform cleanup operations. The method by which the sub-threads perform cleanup operations may be a periodic method. As shown in Figure 6, for example, if the execution period of the cleanup operations is T, the times in which the sub-threads perform cleanup operations may include T1, T2, T3, T4, ... When the current time has reached a pre-configured time interval (i.e., T) since the time of the previous cleanup operation, the POS device performs cleanup operations by the sub-threads.

[0115] In other words, in the above embodiment, the main thread and the sub-thread each have a clear corresponding role, do not affect each other, and run in parallel. During the process of a user performing an order management operation, the main thread responds to the order management operation, and the sub-thread can detect and clean up cleanup objects in the POS device. As a result, the detection and cleanup operations do not affect the normal use of the POS device by the user, and the user is not aware of the detection and cleanup operations of the POS device.

[0116] In some embodiments, the range of the cleanup objects, the hardware resource utilization threshold, and the pre-configured time intervals can be pre-configured by the operator on the POS device. The operator can customize the range of cleanup objects. For example, the operator may select multiple target cleanup objects from a set of pre-configured cleanup objects. Alternatively, the operator may manually input multiple target cleanup objects. During subsequent operation of the POS device, if the POS device detects that a pre-configured trigger condition has been met, it may clean up the pre-configured target cleanup objects.

[0117] In some embodiments, the POS device can report statistical data, such as its actual operating status and hardware resource utilization, to a service device. After analyzing the statistical data, the service device determines cleanup rules. These cleanup rules may characterize the scope of cleanup objects, hardware resource utilization thresholds, and pre-configured time intervals. In this way, the POS device can perform cleanup operations based on these cleanup rules.

[0118] In some embodiments, the service device can acquire, for example, daily, weekly, or monthly data on the actual operating status of the service device and the utilization of hardware resources for each period, and then analyze and statistically analyze this data. Furthermore, the service device decides whether or not to update the cleanup rules based on the statistical results. If the statistical results indicate that the cleanup rules need to be updated, the service device sends the updated cleanup rules to the POS device. If the statistical results indicate that the cleanup rules do not need to be updated, the service device does not need to send the cleanup rules to the POS device. The POS device then performs the cleanup based on the currently existing cleanup rules. In the above method, the service device can improve the effectiveness of the cleanup because it determines more rational cleanup rules for the POS device based on the actual operating status of the POS device. In addition, since the service device only sends updated cleanup rules to the POS device when they have been updated, the problem of resource utilization due to repeated transmission of cleanup rules can be reduced.

[0119] In some embodiments, the trigger condition may include receiving a cleanup command from a service device. The cleanup command may include a cleanup object. In that case, the POS device can obtain the cleanup object from the cleanup command and clean up the cleanup object.

[0120] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the cleanup process performed by another POS device provided by an embodiment of this specification. As shown in Figure 7, the POS device can detect the occupancy status of its hardware resources and obtain a detection result in response to receiving a query command from a service device. The detection result includes the hardware resource occupancy rate of the POS device and the occupancy status of hardware resources by each object in the POS device. After receiving the detection result, the service device analyzes the result and generates a cleanup command. After analyzing the detection result, if the service device determines that the POS device needs to perform data cleanup at this time, it sends a cleanup command to the POS device. After receiving the cleanup command, the POS device cleans up the cleanup objects based on the cleanup command. After analyzing the detection result, if the service device determines that the POS device does not need to perform data cleanup at this time, it may send a command to the POS device indicating that data cleanup is not required, or it may not send any command to the POS device.

[0121] In summary, the device operation method provided herein is implemented by order management software and can be executed by a POS device on which the order management software is installed. When the POS device detects an order management operation, it determines the target operation to be performed and executes the target operation using a target execution mode from among several execution modes corresponding to the target operation that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device, thereby responding to the order management operation. This solution reduces the hardware performance requirements of the POS device imposed by the order management software, enabling the order management software to run on any hardware device. That is, the order management software can run on both high-performance and low-performance hardware devices. Thus, stores can use the order management service by installing the order management software on their existing hardware devices. On the one hand, stores do not need to purchase new hardware devices, thus reducing operating costs. On the other hand, this solution makes the one-stop order management service applicable to more merchants, expanding its range of applications.

[0122] Furthermore, with the above solution, when the POS device detects that a pre-configured trigger condition has been met, it cleans up the cleanup objects on the POS device, ensuring the smooth operation of the POS device. In this way, the order management software can run successfully even when installed on a POS device with low hardware performance, resulting in high operational efficiency.

[0123] In another aspect of this specification, a computer-readable non-temporary storage medium is provided which stores at least one instruction set. When at least one instruction set is executed by a processor, the at least one instruction set instructs the processor to perform steps of the device operation method described herein. In some possible embodiments, each aspect of this specification may further be implemented in the form of a program product including program code. When the program product is executed in a POS device, the program code is used to cause the POS device to perform steps of the device operation method described herein. A program product for implementing the above method may use a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) containing program code and may be executed in a POS device. However, the program products of this specification are not limited to these, and the readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program which can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system. The program product may use any combination of one or more readable media. The readable media may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A readable storage medium may be, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, or apparatus, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of readable storage media include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer-readable storage medium may contain data signals propagated in the baseband or as part of a carrier wave, in which readable program code is carried. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including, but is not limited to, electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.Furthermore, the readable storage medium may be any readable medium other than the readable storage medium used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device to transmit, propagate, or transmit a program. The program code contained in the readable storage medium can be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, fiber optic cable, RF, or any suitable combination thereof. The program code for performing the operations described herein may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, which include object-oriented programming languages ​​(such as Java and C++) and traditional procedural programming languages ​​(such as the "C" language and similar programming languages).

[0124] The above describes specific embodiments of this specification. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the operations or steps described in the claims may still be performed in a different order than those described in the embodiments, and the desired results may still be obtained. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require the specific order or sequence shown to obtain the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible and may be advantageous.

[0125] In summary, after reading this detailed disclosure, a person skilled in the art will understand that the aforementioned detailed disclosure is presented only as an example and is not limiting. Although not expressly stated herein, a person skilled in the art will understand that this specification includes various reasonable changes, improvements and modifications to the examples. These changes, improvements and modifications are intended to be presented herein and are within the spirit and scope of the exemplary examples herein.

[0126] Furthermore, certain terms used herein are used to describe the embodiments herein. For example, “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and / or “several embodiments” mean that certain features, structures, or properties described in conjunction with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment herein. Therefore, it should be emphasized and understood that in various parts of this specification, two or more references to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” or “alternative embodiment” do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, certain features, structures, or properties may be suitably combined in one or more embodiments herein.

[0127] In the foregoing description of the embodiments herein, it should be understood that various features are combined in a single embodiment, accompanying drawing, or description thereof for the purpose of aiding understanding of the features and for the purpose of simplifying the specification. However, these combinations of features are not essential, and it is quite possible for those skilled in the art to understand some of the devices as separate embodiments when reading this specification. In other words, embodiments in this specification can also be understood as a combination of multiple sub-embodiments, and the content of each sub-embodiment may be less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed earlier.

[0128] Each patent, patent application, patent application publication, and other material such as articles, books, specifications, publications, documents, and literature (excluding historical review documents related thereto) referenced in this disclosure are referenced for all purposes relating to this disclosure, for example, in both the specification and claims of this disclosure. However, in the event of any inconsistency or conflict between the descriptions, definitions, and / or terms in the above materials and the use of the descriptions, definitions, and / or terms in this disclosure, the descriptions, definitions, and / or terms used in this disclosure shall prevail.

[0129] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein are intended to illustrate the principles of the embodiments herein. Other modified embodiments are also within the scope of this specification. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not limiting. Those skilled in the art can adopt alternative configurations based on the embodiments described herein and realize the application described herein. Therefore, the embodiments herein are not limited to those precisely described in the application. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0130] 100 Application situations 110 POS device 110-1 POS device 110-2 POS device 110-3 POS device 111 Equipment 112 QR code reader 113 Printing device 120 service devices 130 Display device 200 terminal devices 210 Internal communication bus 220 processors 230 Storage medium 232 magnetic disks 234 Dedicated storage medium (ROM) 236 Random Access Memory (RAM) 250 communication ports 260 I / O components

Claims

1. A device operation method applied to a POS device in an order management system, A step of determining a target operation to be performed in response to an order management operation performed by an operator on the interactive interface of the POS device, wherein the target operation has corresponding execution modes, and when the POS device performs the target operation in different execution modes, it consumes different amounts of hardware resources. A device operation method comprising the steps of: determining a target execution mode from among a plurality of execution modes of the target operation that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device; and executing the target operation according to the target execution mode to respond to the order management operation.

2. The order management system further comprises a service device, and the plurality of execution modes are: A first execution mode characterized by performing the target operation using the POS device, A second execution mode characterized in that the POS device performs a simplified operation corresponding to the target operation, wherein the amount of data that the POS device processes when performing the simplified operation is less than the amount of data that it processes when performing the target operation. A third execution mode characterized by performing the target operation by the service device, The method according to claim 1, comprising at least two of the following: a fourth execution mode characterized in that the POS device performs a part of the target operation and the service device performs another part of the target operation.

3. The step of determining a target execution mode that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device from among a plurality of execution modes of the target operation is: The hardware performance level of the POS device is obtained, and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes is obtained, The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a target execution mode from among the multiple execution modes that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device, based on the hardware performance level of the POS device and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes.

4. The aforementioned method, The method according to claim 3, further comprising the steps of obtaining hardware information of the POS device in response to the detection of a start command, and determining the hardware performance level of the POS device based on the hardware information.

5. The step of determining the hardware performance level of the POS device based on the aforementioned hardware information is: Based on the hardware performance level of the POS device and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes, at least one candidate execution mode is determined from among the multiple execution modes, wherein the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to the candidate execution mode is less than or equal to the hardware performance level of the POS device. The method according to claim 3, comprising determining the target execution mode from among the at least one candidate execution mode.

6. Determining the target execution mode from among the at least one candidate execution mode is: The method according to claim 5, further comprising determining the candidate execution mode with the highest corresponding minimum hardware performance level among the at least one candidate execution mode as the target execution mode.

7. The aforementioned method, The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of cleaning up cleanup objects in the POS device and releasing the POS device from the occupation of hardware resources by the cleanup objects in response to the POS device satisfying a pre-set trigger condition.

8. The aforementioned method, The process further includes the step of detecting the hardware resource usage status of the POS device according to a predetermined time interval, and obtaining detection results including the hardware resource usage rate of the POS device and the hardware resource usage status of each object in the POS device. The trigger condition includes the hardware resource utilization exceeding a predetermined value, The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of cleaning up cleanup objects in the POS device includes determining the cleanup objects based on the hardware resource usage status of each object in the detection result, and cleaning up the cleanup objects.

9. The POS device is configured to have a main thread and sub-threads, and the main thread is configured to respond to the order management operation. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of cleaning up cleanup objects in the POS device includes cleaning up cleanup objects in the POS device by the subthread.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the cleanup objects include at least inactive objects that occupy memory resources and unnecessary objects that occupy hard disk resources.

11. The order management system further comprises a service device, the trigger condition includes receiving a cleanup command from the service device, and the cleanup command includes the cleanup object. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of cleaning up cleanup objects in the POS device includes obtaining the cleanup objects from the cleanup command and cleaning up the cleanup objects.

12. The aforementioned method, The steps include: detecting the hardware resource usage status of the POS device in response to receiving an inquiry command from the service device, and obtaining detection results including the hardware resource usage rate of the POS device and the hardware resource usage status of each object in the POS device; The method according to claim 11, comprising the step of transmitting the detection result to the service device so that the service device can analyze the detection result and generate the cleanup command.

13. A terminal device used as a POS system in an order management system, A storage medium storing at least one instruction set for performing the operation of the device, The system includes at least one processor that is communicably connected to the at least one storage medium, wherein the at least one processor reads the at least one instruction set when in operation and operates according to the instructions of the at least one instruction set. The POS device determines a target operation to be performed in response to an order management operation performed by an operator via the interactive interface of the POS device, wherein the target operation has corresponding execution modes, and the POS device consumes different amounts of hardware resources when performing the target operation in different execution modes. A terminal device that determines a target execution mode suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device from among a plurality of execution modes of the target operation, and performs the target operation according to the target execution mode to respond to the order management operation.

14. The order management system further comprises a service device, and the plurality of execution modes are: A first execution mode characterized by performing the target operation using the POS device, A second execution mode characterized in that the POS device performs a simplified operation corresponding to the target operation, wherein the amount of data that the POS device processes when performing the simplified operation is less than the amount of data that it processes when performing the target operation. A third execution mode characterized by performing the target operation by the service device, The terminal device according to claim 13, comprising at least two of the following: a fourth execution mode characterized in that the POS device performs a part of the target operation and the service device performs another part of the target operation.

15. In order to determine a target execution mode that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device from among the multiple execution modes of the target operation, the at least one processor: The hardware performance level of the POS device is obtained, and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes is obtained, The terminal device according to claim 13, which determines a target execution mode from among the multiple execution modes that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device, based on the hardware performance level of the POS device and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes.

16. The aforementioned at least one processor is The terminal device according to claim 15, which, in response to detection of power-on activation of the POS device, acquires hardware information of the POS device and determines the hardware performance level of the POS device based on the hardware information.

17. Based on the hardware performance level of the POS device and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes, at least one processor determines a target execution mode from among the multiple execution modes that is suitable for the hardware performance of the POS device. Based on the hardware performance level of the POS device and the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to each of the multiple execution modes, at least one candidate execution mode is determined from among the multiple execution modes, wherein the minimum hardware performance level corresponding to the candidate execution mode is less than or equal to the hardware performance level of the POS device. The terminal device according to claim 15, which performs the following: determining the target execution mode from among the at least one candidate execution mode.

18. In order to determine the target execution mode from among the at least one candidate execution mode, the at least one processor, The terminal device according to claim 17, wherein the candidate execution mode with the highest corresponding minimum hardware performance level among the at least one candidate execution mode is determined as the target execution mode.

19. A non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that stores at least one instruction set, and when the at least one instruction set is executed by at least one processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is realized.

20. A POS device configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 12, An order management system comprising: a service device that is communicatively connected to the POS device and configured to provide services to the POS device.

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