Cash Balance Check System for Retail POS Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Store clerks face inefficiencies in monitoring cash balances across multiple change machines, requiring them to individually check self-service POS terminals or a back office computer, which is time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A cash balance check system where settlement devices acquire and display cash balance information from change machines, determining their usability based on thresholds and transmitting this information to a display device, allowing for centralized monitoring and customer guidance on available terminals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If store clerks individually check cash balances in self-service POS terminals or back office computers, then cash balance information can be obtained, but the process is time-consuming and reduces productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The change machine automatically generates and transmits cash balance information to settlement devices without requiring manual intervention from store clerks. The system performs self-monitoring and self-reporting of cash balances, eliminating the need for clerks to manually check each terminal or access back office systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where change machines continuously report their cash balance status to settlement devices, which then display this information to customers. This real-time feedback mechanism ensures that cash balance information is always current and accessible without manual intervention.
2Loss of time
If cash balance information is displayed at settlement devices, then customer wait time is reduced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The settlement device serves multiple functions: it acts as a change machine interface, a cash balance monitoring station, and a customer information display. By making the settlement device multi-functional, the system avoids adding separate dedicated display devices, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the cash balance display function with the existing settlement device infrastructure. Instead of creating a separate system for displaying cash balances, the functionality is merged into the settlement device that already exists at each checkout location, reducing overall system complexity.
3Reliability
If real-time cash balance monitoring is implemented, then usability determination is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The change machine continuously monitors its cash balance and determines usability status in advance before a customer needs to use it. This preliminary determination of usability is based on pre-set thresholds, allowing the system to proactively identify when a change machine will become unusable and alert customers or staff before the problem occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter changes (cash balance thresholds) to automatically determine usability. When the cash balance falls below a predetermined threshold, the system automatically transitions the status from usable to unusable. This parameter-based approach simplifies the monitoring logic compared to more complex diagnostic systems.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cash balance check system includes a plurality of settlement devices each configured to perform settlement processing for commodities to be purchased by a customer and a plurality of change machines each corresponding to one of the settlement devices. The change machines being configured to perform cash deposit and dispense processing for the settlement processing. Each of the change machines is configured to generate cash balance information indicating a remaining amount of cash in the change machine and output the cash balance information in association with identification information for the change machine. Each of the settlement devices is configured to acquire the balance and identification information output from the change machines and output the acquired cash balance and identification information. (FIG. 1)