US 12,282,906 B2
Transaction data processing apparatus connected to an external device for data communication
Koichi Sugiyama, Izunokuni Shizuoka (JP); Yasuhiro Arai, Mishima Shizuoka (JP); Tsuyoshi Gotanda, Ota Tokyo (JP); Keiichi Hasegawa, Kota Tokyo (JP); and Kuniyoshi Yamada, Ota Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by TOSHIBA TEC KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Feb. 4, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/665,083.
Application 17/665,083 is a continuation of application No. 16/180,831, filed on Nov. 5, 2018, abandoned.
Application 16/180,831 is a continuation of application No. 16/137,179, filed on Sep. 20, 2018, abandoned.
Application 16/137,179 is a continuation of application No. 14/832,502, filed on Aug. 21, 2015, abandoned.
Claims priority of application No. 2014-180444 (JP), filed on Sep. 4, 2014; and application No. 2014-180445 (JP), filed on Sep. 4, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2022/0156712 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. G06Q 20/20 (2012.01); G06Q 20/04 (2012.01); G07G 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC G06Q 20/202 (2013.01) [G06Q 20/047 (2020.05); G06Q 20/208 (2013.01); G06Q 20/209 (2013.01); G07G 5/00 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A point-of-sale terminal, comprising:
a communication interface configured to transmit data over a network connection to an external server device;
a printer for printing receipts; and
a processor configured to:
register items for purchase in a sales transaction;
receive a selection of a receipt delivery preference of a customer as either a user selection at the point-of-sale terminal or by retrieval of customer-specific settings from the external server device;
generate receipt printing data for the sales transaction, the receipt printing data being of an unstructured data format that can be accepted by the printer for printing of a paper receipt and including, as an internal component thereof, a command character string flag indicating the receipt delivery preference of the customer in the sales transaction;
detect an operating status of the network connection to the external server device; and
select whether to transmit the receipt printing data to the printer or to an electronic receipt server based on the command character string flag in the generated receipt printing data and the detected operating status of the network connection, wherein
the receipt printing data is transmitted to the printer when either the command character string flag in the generated receipt printing data indicates a paper receipt has been requested by the customer or the detected operating status of the network connection indicates the network connection is offline,
the receipt printing data is transmitted as an electronic receipt to the electronic receipt server when both the command character string flag in the generated receipt printing data indicates the customer has requested the electronic receipt and the detected operating status of the network connection indicates the network connection is online,
the processor is further configured to convert the receipt printing data from the unstructured data format to a structured data format that can be accepted by the electronic receipt server, and
the unstructured data format is converted to the structured data format based on a preestablished conversion rule for the electronic receipt server.