POS Interface Wrapping for Seamless Admin Access

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Retailers face challenges in fully integrating third-party vendor features into their Point-Of-Sale (POS) interfaces due to incomplete customization, particularly with native administrative features, which often require exiting the customer-facing interface to access administrative functions, resulting in lost processing context.

Innovation Solution

A POS interface wrapping system that provides a Graphical User Interface (GUI) mapping for transaction and monitoring, allowing the rendering of a POS administrative interface within the GUI upon activation, using a modified graphical desktop sharing system to translate mouse events to touch events and create a virtual display for invisible administrative interface execution, enabling seamless access without exiting the operator-facing interface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a customized vendor interface is used to integrate third-party features, then data tracking and monitoring features are improved, but administrative interface accessibility deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveintegration of third-party vendor featuresVSAvoidaccess to administrative features

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent embeds the administrative interface within the customer-facing vendor interface, creating a nested structure where the administrative functionality is contained within the operational interface. This allows administrators to access administrative features without exiting the customer-facing interface, resolving the contradiction between maintaining customized vendor features and ensuring administrative accessibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a wrapper interface as an intermediary layer between the customer-facing interface and the administrative interface. This wrapper captures and translates user interactions, enabling seamless access to administrative features while maintaining the appearance and functionality of the original vendor interface, thus preserving both customization and administrative accessibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the native POS interface is initiated to access administrative features, then administrative functionality is improved, but processing context is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess to administrative featuresVSAvoidprocessing context

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent ensures continuous processing context by maintaining the customer-facing interface active while accessing administrative features through the wrapper. The wrapper intercepts and translates interactions in real-time, allowing administrative operations to be performed without interrupting or exiting the operational context, thus preventing information loss and maintaining workflow continuity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

Solution Approach 2:

By nesting the administrative interface within the customer-facing interface, the patent allows both interfaces to operate simultaneously in a hierarchical structure. The administrative interface is contained within the operational interface, enabling context preservation while providing administrative access

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

3Adaptability or versatility

If complete customization of POS interface is attempted, then vendor feature integration is improved, but development complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterface customizationVSAvoidsoftware development complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal wrapper interface that can accommodate multiple vendor interfaces and administrative interfaces through a standardized mechanism. This single wrapper solution provides multi-functional capability to handle different vendor customizations without requiring separate development for each integration scenario, thus reducing overall development complexity while maintaining complete customization capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10614435B2Point-Of-Sale (POS) interface wrapping

Publication Date: 2020.04.07 NCR VOYIX CORP

AI summary

A wrapper interface is provided. The wrapper interface maps transaction and monitoring operations of a Point-Of-Sale (POS) transaction interface within an operator-facing interface. The wrapper interface also embeds a POS administrative interface within the operator-facing interface and permits interaction with administrative operations of the POS administrative interface within administrative views rendered by the POS administrative interface within the operator-facing interface.