Standardizing POS Services via PLU Data Instances

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing point of sale (POS) systems face integration complexity and compatibility issues, making it difficult to upgrade POS and self-service checkout applications without disrupting the entire system, and existing interfaces do not adequately decouple POS from retail applications, limiting flexibility and requiring costly upgrades.

Innovation Solution

A standardized, extensible interface is created by separating the responsibility of the POS wrapper and retail application interface, allowing multiple retail applications to use POS services through a standard interface with adaptable service layers, enabling the POS and its wrapper to evolve independently while maintaining compatibility with existing systems.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a standardized interface is created by separating POS wrapper and retail application interface responsibilities, then adaptability and ease of upgrading are improved, but integration complexity increases initially

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveadaptabilityVSAvoidintegration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the integration architecture into distinct segments: a standardized interface layer, a POS wrapper layer, and retail application layers. This segmentation allows each component to be developed, upgraded, and maintained independently, improving adaptability while managing complexity through clear separation of concerns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A standardized interface acts as an intermediary between the POS wrapper and retail applications. This mediator layer provides a stable contract that decouples the POS system from specific application requirements, enabling upgrades without disrupting either side while managing integration complexity through standardization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If POS and self-service checkout applications are tightly integrated, then system compatibility is maintained, but flexibility to upgrade individual components is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem compatibilityVSAvoidflexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The tight integration is segmented into loose coupling through the standardized interface. The POS wrapper and retail applications remain compatible through the stable interface contract while gaining flexibility to upgrade independently, as changes in one segment do not propagate to others.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The coupling between POS and retail applications is extracted through the standardized interface layer. This extraction maintains system compatibility through the stable interface while removing the constraint that prevented independent upgrades, thereby providing flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of manufacture

If existing POS interfaces are used without decoupling, then implementation is simpler, but upgrading POS disrupts retail applications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimplementation simplicityVSAvoidsystem stability during upgrade

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The standardized interface serves as a protective intermediary that absorbs upgrade changes. Implementation remains relatively simple through the standardized contract, while the intermediary ensures that POS upgrades do not disrupt retail applications by providing a stable interface layer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The standardized interface provides beforehand cushioning by establishing a stable contract before upgrades occur. This cushioning layer protects retail applications from disruptions during POS upgrades, maintaining system stability while allowing implementation to proceed with reasonable simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

4Productivity

If POS wrapper is tightly bound to specific retail applications, then service integration is more direct, but the system becomes fragile and costly to maintain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice integration efficiencyVSAvoidmaintenance complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The standardized interface provides universality by serving multiple retail applications through a common contract. This universal interface maintains direct service integration efficiency while reducing maintenance complexity, as a single interface standard serves multiple applications rather than requiring application-specific integration code.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The tight binding is segmented into a universal standardized interface that serves multiple applications. This segmentation improves service integration efficiency through the direct standardized contract while reducing maintenance complexity by eliminating application-specific integration code and enabling independent maintenance of each component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS10755255B2Standardizing point of sale services and leveraging instances of the PLU data

Publication Date: 2020.08.25 NCR VOYIX CORP

AI summary

An adaptable and extensible interface is described for connecting one or more point of sale (POS) applications to one or more at a wide variety of retail application is described. The interface may be embodied as a programmable state machine employing XML files to customize its operation reusable retail applications may be utilized as part of the interface approach.