Patent ID: 6536664
Filing Date: 2003-03-25
Classification: G06Q,G07F,G07G

Abstract:
A payment processing system having a signal processing device (50) for enabling retrofitting an existing cash register with an automatic payment processing device without modifying the existing cash register, the payment processing system comprising:an existing cash register (10) having internal software wherein the existing cash register (10) is coupled between a plurality of keying members (20) and an existing cash register data port (30) coupled to a housing, the existing cash register internal software adapted to tabulate the amounts of a sales transaction input by the plurality of keying members (20) and to make a permanent and cumulative record of the amounts of a sales transaction, a display arrangement (70) having at least one data port; a payment processing device (90) having means for dispensing change and at least one data port, wherein the payment processing device (90) is a device for receiving and assessing bank notes and coins in a reliable manner and for supplying the correct amount of change; a signal processing device (50) having a plurality of data ports, a first and third data port of the signal processing device (50) communicatively coupled between the data ports of the existing cash register (10) and the display arrangement (70), respectively, and a second data port of the signal processing device (50) communicatively coupled to the data port of the payment processing device (90), the signal processing device (50) comprising: a means for identifying, among a plurality of types of cash registers with which the signal processing device is capable of communicating, an identified one from among the types of cash registers with which the signal processing device is capable of communicating to which the existing cash register belongs, means for setting up the signal processing device for communication with the identified type of cash register, means for receiving a first message from the existing cash register (10) based on the identified type of the existing cash register, the first message at least comprising information indicative of an amount of money requested, and for receiving a second message from the payment processing device (90), the second message at least comprising information indicative of an amount of money tendered, means for generating a third message as at least a function of the first message and the second message, the third message at least comprising information indicative of a difference between the amount of money tendered and the amount of money requested and at least comprising information indicative of an amount of change due, the means for generating further having means for interpreting the first message according to a first predetermined code, and means for transmitting the third message in a first predetermined manner to the display arrangement (70) and for transmitting the third message to the means for dispensing change in the payment processing device (90), the means for transmitting further having means for delivering the third message to display arrangement (70) according to a second predetermined code.