Patent ID: 8423414

Claim:
A computer implemented method for managing transactions on point-of-sale terminals comprising a peer-to-peer network in a retail data processing system, the computer implemented method comprising: initiating a purchase transaction for a customer on a point-of-sale terminal in the peer-to-peer network in the retail data processing system; responsive to receiving a first input from a user of the point-of-sale terminal, suspending the purchase transaction to form a suspended purchase transaction; adding information about the customer to the suspended purchase transaction; storing the suspended purchase transaction as a file on the point-of-sale terminal; responsive to receiving a second input from the user of the point-of-sale terminal, searching a locally-stored list of suspended purchase transactions on the point-of-sale terminal using the information about the customer; responsive to locating the suspended transaction matching the information about the customer in the file on the point-of-sale terminal, selecting the suspended transaction to restart the suspended purchase transaction on the point-of-sale terminal; and responsive to storing the purchase transaction and the information about the customer as a file on the point-of-sale terminal, migrating the suspended purchase transaction to a second point-of-sale terminal, wherein migrating the suspended purchase transaction to a second point-of-sale terminal comprises: responsive to receiving information about the customer at the second point-of-sale terminal, querying other point-of-sale terminals in the retail data processing system for suspended purchase transactions located on the other point-of-sale terminals; responsive to receiving lists of suspended purchase transactions from the other point-of-sale terminals, searching the lists of suspended purchase transactions stored on the other point-of-sale terminals using the information about the customer; responsive to locating a suspended transaction matching the information about the customer on one terminal of the other point-of-sale terminals, copying the suspended purchase transaction stored on the terminal to the second point-of-sale terminal; and restarting the suspended purchase transaction on the second point-of-sale terminal.