Point of sale device

Patent 6003008 Issued on December 14, 1999. Estimated Expiration Date:

March 20, 2018. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

D334567

D348896

D360196

D389813

Portable transaction-log recorder
Patent #: 3945316
Issued on: 03/23/1976
Inventor: Thomson , et al.

Systems for storing and transferring data
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Personal portable terminal for financial transactions
Patent #: 4277837
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Point of sale terminal having prompting display and automatic money handling
Patent #: 4310885
Issued on: 01/12/1982
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Inventors

Application

No. 045399 filed on 03/20/1998

US Classes:

705/4, Insurance (e.g., computer implemented system or method for writing insurance policy, processing insurance claim, etc.)235/381, With vending705/16Including point of sale terminal or electronic cash register

Examiners

Primary: Pitts, Harold I.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Sidley & Austin

Foreign Patent References

2163396 CA. 05/08/1996
2185519 CA. 03/08/1997
0182137 EP. 05/08/1986
0566512 EP. 10/08/1993
0566514 EP. 10/08/1993
0660280 EP. 06/08/1995
0768626 EP. 04/08/1997
2653948 FR. 05/08/1991
2679679 FR. 01/08/1993
2690768 FR. 05/08/1993
2697929 FR. 05/08/1994
2710769 FR. 04/08/1995
3410381 DE. 09/08/1984
3616748 DE. 11/08/1987
2205428 GB. 12/08/1988
2275796 GB. 09/08/1994
2277178 GB. 10/08/1994
2277177 GB. 10/08/1994
90/01199 WO. 02/08/1990
92/02903 WO. 02/08/1992
95/03595 WO. 02/08/1995
95/23390 WO. 08/08/1995
97/04426 WO. 02/08/1997

International Class

G06F 017/60

Abstract

A point of sale device (20) is provided comprising a base unit (22) and a cover unit (34) connected to one another by a hinge mechanism (38). The base unit has a front surface (24) and an exterior casing (25) which define an interior volume. Transaction appliances, for example, a card reader (26), receivables storage drawer (28), a currency storage drawer (30), and a bar code scanner (32), are mounted in the interior volume and accessible from the front surface of the base unit. The cover unit includes a display screen (36) mounted on one side. The cover unit can be moved between a closed configuration and an open configuration. In the closed configuration, the cover unit is positioned with the display screen facing and directly in front of the front surface of the base unit such that the display screen is not visible and access to the transaction appliances in the base unit is blocked by the cover unit. In the open configuration, the user can access the display screen and the transaction appliances. A control unit (40) and input unit are provided to facilitate communications between the user and the POS device to facilitate the performance of desired transactions. The device can operate on internal batteries (64) to allow portable operation.

Other References

Press release and brochuer, In-Flight Financial Services, Ltd., Feb., 1998 (3 pages)
Inflight financial Services, Ltd., Press Release, "IFS introduces the world's first inflight currency exchange system", Feb. 1998 (4 p.