Centralized POS-to-SST Instruction Translation for Retail Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retail transaction management systems face challenges in accommodating diverse transaction processing software and hardware across different retail environments, leading to compatibility issues and increased development costs due to the need for customized interfaces that support various communication protocols and data formats.
Innovation Solution
A centralized interface is provided to translate instructions between service terminals and transaction processing hubs, enabling seamless communication regardless of specific features or operational characteristics, and allowing service terminals to adapt to multiple transaction processing software without altering their own instruction sets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If customized interfaces are developed to support various communication protocols and data formats, then compatibility with diverse transaction processing software and hardware is improved, but development costs and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an interface translation service as an intermediary component that sits between service terminals and transaction processing hubs. This service translates communication protocols and data formats between different systems, enabling compatibility without requiring each terminal to support every protocol directly. The translation service acts as a mediator that handles protocol conversion, thereby maintaining system compatibility while avoiding the complexity of implementing multiple customized interfaces in each terminal.
2Adaptability or versatility
If customized interfaces are developed to support various communication protocols and data formats, then compatibility with diverse transaction processing software and hardware is improved, but development costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The interface translation service is designed as a universal, multi-functional component that can handle multiple communication protocols and data formats through a single system. Rather than developing separate customized interfaces for each protocol combination, the translation service provides a unified solution that supports diverse protocols and formats, thereby reducing development costs while maintaining broad compatibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If service terminals are designed to work with multiple transaction processing software, then versatility is improved, but the terminals must alter their instruction sets increasing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The interface translation service serves as a mediator between service terminals and various transaction processing software systems. Instead of requiring terminals to modify their instruction sets to accommodate different software, the translation service handles the adaptation on the backend. This allows terminals to maintain their original instruction sets while still achieving compatibility with multiple transaction processing systems through the translation layer.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computing device including: a first interface configured to communicate with a point of sale, POS, system via a plurality of first sets of instructions; a second interface configured to communicate with a plurality of self-service terminals, SSTs, via a second set of instructions; a processor configured to: receive, from the POS system, a first instruction of the plurality of first sets of instructions, wherein the first instruction is addressed to an SST of the plurality of SSTs; convert the first instruction into a second instruction of the second set of instructions for a transmission to the SST.