Patent ID: 7540410

Claim:
An integrated point of sale payment terminal for processing multiple payment types including payment by check, the payment terminal being located at the point of sale during use to allow a store merchant to accept multiple payment types, the payment terminal comprising: a compact housing having a base shaped to sit on a merchant counter and having a document slot for receiving a check, the housing defining a compact footprint and the document slot being arranged such that the presence of the document slot does not enlarge the housing footprint; a processor disposed in the housing; a memory in communication with the processor; a magnetic ink character recognition device, for reading a string of magnetic ink characters on the check, affixed to the housing at the document slot and in communication with the processor; and an imaging device, for capturing an image of the check, affixed to the housing at the document slot and in communication with the processor the imaging device being arranged such that the presence of the imaging device affixed to the housing does not enlarge the housing footprint, wherein the processor is programmed to process multiple payment types including processing a checking account transaction when the check is placed in the document slot.