Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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COLOR-CATEGORIZED POS STATION CLERK PERFORMANCE
EVALUATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to so-called "POS"
(Point of Sale) systems, such as are found in retail
facilities, and pertains more particularly to clerk
performance evaluation systems and methods for use in
connection with POS stations.
Backaround of the Invention
It is customary in current day retailing practices, to
have checkout counters at the exit of a facility, each
equipped with a clerk-controlled POS station effecting
checkout of articles through bar code scanning, retrieval of
article price from a storage unit containing article price
cross-correlated with article bar code, display of each
article checkout to a customer, selected article price
totalization and providing the customer with a printout of
the customer's transaction in purchasing articles.
Transaction information is typically transmitted from
each POS station to a parent level computer for storing the
same for inventory and clerk critique purposes. The critique
parameters, implemented by a supervisory person assigned to
this purpose at the parent level computer, include such
concerns as the facility may have for efficiency of the
clerk, attributable to low transactional volume with time,
clerk fraud, etc.
Presently-known clerk evaluation practices at the parent
level computer for purposes of clerk evaluation are seen as
quite labor-intensive for the evaluator, typically involving
e~;ning printouts of evaluation level stored data per
individual participating POS station.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention has as its primary object the
~ provision of enhanced systems and methods for clerk
evaluation in plural station POS arrangements.
A more particular object of the invention is to afford
an evaluator at the host computer more efficiency by
permitting levels of categorization and concurrency in POS
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station clerk evaluation.
In attaining the foregoing and other objects, the
invention provides a method for use in evaluating performance
of participating POS station clerks comprising the steps of
categorizing the POS station clerks into groups in accordance
with various categorizing criteria, selecting visible display
characteristics specific to each of the categories, providing
a display of all participating POS station clerks per their
different identities, conforming the display to evidence the
selected visible display characteristics, storing transaction
information from all participating POS stations with clerk
identities, and displaying transaction information through
user interaction with the conformed display.
In one particular practice of the method, the clerk
identities may comprise their respective names and the first,
unconformed display is on a screen of a tabular presentation
of the clerks' names at the evaluation level. The display
includes also a display of a plurality of colors, assignable
to the clerks' names by selecting colors and causing the
clerks' names to be displayed against the color as a
background for the names. One categorization practice might
be to categorize clerks on the basis of their years of
experience, in which case, the display conforming step would,
e.g., assign the color red to clerks with ten or more years
of experience, the color gray to those with five or more
years of experience, the color blue to those with less than
one year of experience, etc. The display conforming step
would so assign the colors, evidently to more than one clerk
as the categorization requires.
The color assignments would be cross-correlated with the
clerks' identification in a digital storage lookup table, as
would the respective clerks' performance information. The
evaluator then interacts with the conformed display on a
color base, i.e., to inspect performance of ten year
employees, the evaluator simply selects red display areas
from the conformed display.
Another base for categorization would be clerk fraud.
Here, the respective gradations of propensity to fraud per
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clerks may be likewise color-coordinated in the conformed
display. To inspect the performance of a group of clerks
having high fraud propensity would call for the evaluator to
interact with the conformed display in respect only of the
color assigned to the high clerk fraud propensity grouping.
As will be appreciated, the POS station clerk evaluation
so described is but an example of the color-coordinated
information retrieval practice of the invention.
Systems implementing the foregoing methods are set forth
hereinafter.
The foregoing and other objects and features of the
invention will be further understood from the following
detailed description thereof and from the drawings, wherein
like components are identified by common reference numerals
throughout.
Description of the Drawinqs
Fig. 1 is a functional block diagram of a system in
accordance with the invention.
Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method implemented by the
Fig. 1 system in accordance with the invention.
Fig. 3 is a showing of a video screen presentation in
accordance with the invention.
Detailed Descri~tion of Preferred Practices and Embodiments
Referring to Fig. 1, system 10 includes a POS level 12,
having a plurality of POS stations, shown as POS STA1, POS
STA2, POS STA3 and POS STAN. The output data of the POS
stations, inclusive of transaction data and clerk
identification, is furnished to parent computer level 14 over
lines 16, 18, 20 and 22, which are bidirectional lines,
affording selective interrogation by parent computer level 14
of POS level 12.
Parent computer level 14 includes CLERK ID AND DATA
MEMORY 24, CPU 26, display unit 28, DISPLAY CONFORMER 30 and
DISPLAY DRIVER 32.
Memory 24 is selectively read by CPU 26 by control CPU
input furnished on lines 34 and furnishes clerk
identification (ID) data to CPU 26 over lines 36 and POS
transaction data to CPU 26 over lines 38.
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CPU 26 controls display conformer 30 by input thereto on
lines 40 and controls display driver 32 by input thereto on
lines 42. Display conformer 30 provides input to display
driver 32 over lines 44 and display driver 32 provides input
5 to display unit 28 over lines 46. .
CPU 26 provides input to and receives input from display
unit 28 over lines 48. Display unit 28 has an upper,
horizontal display section 50, which is shown as including
individual display parts A, B, C, D, E, F and G, and has a
lower, vertical display section 52, which is shown as
including individual display parts CLERK 1, CLERK 2, CLERK 3
and CLERK N.
In operation of system 10, CPU 26 undertakes outset set
up activity in presenting diverse colors in display parts A-G
of display section 50 and maintains such display throughout
system activity. In this respect, the CPU accordingly
provides video and color signals to display driver 32 which
accordingly controls display section 50 by signals
continuously furnished over lines 46.
In system usage, CPU 26 directs the POS stations to
transmit clerk identification and transaction information to
memory 24 and the memory stores the transaction information
cross-correlated with the clerk identification information.
CPU 26 first reads the identification information from the
memory and presents the same in display section 52, again by
signals furnished from display driver 32 over lines 46.
While but four participating POS stations are shown, the
system looks to scrolling as desired for showing additional
POS stations.
Operator or user interaction with display sections 50
and 52 involves use of an icon, e.g., a displayed paintbrush,
which is movable by arrow keys or a mouse, into selected
registry with any of colors A-G, whereupon an ENTER or
double-mouse-click informs CPU 26 of user color choice.
Assuming the choice to be the color corresponding to color C,
the CPU takes the color C to be the immediately operative
color for display conformance and so advises display
conformer by input over lines 40. The CPU thereupon awaits
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clerk assignment by the user to the selected color. The user
now moves the icon into registry with one or more of the
displayed clerks, as desired, which are to be categorized
with the color C. Assuming the user to so designate CLERK 1
AND CLERK 3, the CPU is so informed, again by moving the icon
into registry with these display areas and an ENTER or
1 double-mouse-click informs CPU 26 of user of the user
designations. CPU 26 accordingly further advises display
conformer 30 of the display locations of display section 52
which are involved and the display conformer accordingly
directs display driver 32 to "paint" CLERK 1 and CLERK 3 with
the color C. Other color assignments are likewise made for
the remaining participating POS stations.
CPU 26 thereafter responds to further icon movement to
any given area of display section 52 and, e.g., single-mouse-
clicking on the given area, to provide a display, in
substitution for that of Fig. 1, of all POS transactional
information relating to participating clerks having color
assignments common with that of the given area.
Alternatively, the Fig. 1 display may remain in place and a
suitable printout may be made of such transactional
information and clerk identities for the color category.
The method implemented in the Fig. 1 system, as above
discussed, will be seen to involve the steps set forth in
Fig. 2. Referring thereto, step S1, CATEGORIZE POS CLERKS
INTO GROUPS IN ACCORDANCE WITH CATEGORIZING CRITERIA, and
step S2, SELECT VISIBLE DISPLAY CHARACTERISTICS SPECIFIC TO
EACH OF THE CATEGORIES, are implemented by the user
performing color selection and identifying groupings of
participating POS clerks in respective different categories.
In step S3, which is practiced prior to steps S1 and S2,
DISPLAY PARTICIPATING POS CLERKS PER RESPECTIVE DIFFERENT
IDENTIFYING INDICIA, the CPU provides the outset and
continuous display of clerk participants with respective
identifications.
In step S4, CONFORM DISPLAY TO EVIDENCE SELECTED VISIBLE
DISPLAY CHARACTERISTICS, the CPU operates display conformer
30, as above described, providing it with color and area
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de~initions.
Step S5, STORE TRANSACTION INFORMATION FROM
PARTICIPATING POS CLERKS CROSS-CORRELATED WITH ID~Nll~Yl~G
INDICIA, is likewise practiced as an outset step, prior to
5 steps Sl, S2 and S4.
In step S6, DISPLAY POS TRANSACTION INFORMATION THROUGH
USER INTERACTION WITH CONFORMED DISPLAY, the CPU effects the f
above-noted display (or printing) in accordance with user
single-mouse-clicking on any given display area with
10 resulting display or printing of transaction information
specific to POS clerks in the selected color category.
Fig. 3 shows a video screen presentation of the
invention wherein the clerks are identified by operator name,
operator number and assigned color. In a preferred graphics
15 arrangement, the invention contemplates that the available
colors be depicted as paint cans above the Fig. 3 display,
and that the icon, during color selection and clerk
categorization, is a paintbrush (not shown) and that the
selected paint can will tip toward the user and spill an
20 amount of the color thereof onto the paint brush, and that
the paint-filled brush will then be moved into registry with
the displayed clerks to paint them as desired.
Various changes to the particularly disclosed apparatus,
systems and practices may evidently be introduced without
25 departing from the invention. For example, diverse shadings
in display presentation may evidently be used in lieu o~
different colors. Accordingly, it is to be appreciated that
the particularly discussed and depicted pre~erred embodiments
and practices of the invention are intended ln an
30 illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The true spirit
and scope of the invention are set forth in the ensuing
claims.
