Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
POINT OF SALE (POS) DOCKING STATION SYSTEM AND METHOD
FOR A MOBILE BARCODE SCANNER GUN SYSTEM WITH MOBILE
TABLET DEVICE OR STAND ALONE MOBILE TABLET DEVICE
1. Field of the Invention
The system and method of the present invention relates to providing mobile
barcode scanner guns and fixed point of sale docking stations for the mobile
barcode
scanner guns, in which a mobile barcode scanner gun can now be used similarly
to any
other industry standard fixed point of sale terminal without limiting its
immediate
capability as a portable mobile tablet device, with customer check out and
inventory
management capability throughout the retail establishment.
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2. Description of the Prior Art
Current mobile tablet device docking stations typically provide a source for
charging the mobile device. For example, once the mobile tablet device battery
is low,
the device is inserted into the charging station and left there until the
mobile tablet
device is fully charged. Other mobile tablet devices can be inserted into a
fixed point of
sale workstation and used as the main processor and data input device;
however, the
immediate portability of the mobile tablet device is not available.
Consequently, the
mobile tablet device cannot operate both within the fixed point of sale
workstation and
removed from the point of sale workstation seamlessly and in the middle of
operational
transactions. This lack of operational portability impedes the employee of the
retail
establishment from servicing its customers when mobility is required to
checkout
20 customers in a dynamic retail store environment such as outdoor garden
center, high
customer traffic periods of time or kiosk sales in a mall environment.
Further, while
perfoiming inventory management functions out on the retail floor with typical
RF guns,
these mobile devices cannot
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be immediately inserted into the fixed point of sale workstation and perform a
customer check
out transaction and then migrate back to a mobile inventory management device
for such tasks
as product look-up, barcode ticket printing, inventory receiving, store
transfers and physical
inventory cycle counting and then reinserted back into the fixed point of sale
workstation and
resume their customer check out operation specifically where it had been
suspended and
complete the customer check out transaction.
Based on the foregoing, there exists a need in the art for a mobile scanner
gun system
fixed point of sale docking station, which provides the ability for the mobile
scanner gun system
to migrate from doing daily inventory management such as physical inventory,
cycle counting,
inventory receiving, store to store transfers, return to vendor, and product
re-ticketing, while at
the same time providing the ability for processing point of sale (POS) sales
transactions via Wi-
Fi and cellular communication, to become docked into a fixed point of sale
docking station which
transforms the mobile scanner gun system into a full featured point of sale
workstation connected
to the point of sale server via Ethernet on the fixed store local area
network. Further, there exists
a need for the mobile scanner gun system to communicate via the fixed point of
sale docking
station with a standard point of sale printer and cash drawer via a fixed
Ethernet or USB
connection along with any standard USB barcode scanner and a standard payment
terminal via
Ethernet, USB or serial connection while docked in the fixed point of sale
docking station. By
providing the convertibility for the mobile scanner gun system into a fixed
point of sale docking
station, the overall technology cost to manage the typical retail store will
be significantly reduced
and customer service is significantly increased due to the multi-function
capability afforded by
the unique combination of operations between the mobile scanner gun system and
the mobile
scanner gun system's fixed point of sale docking station. Currently, that
combination of retail
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systems operations are performed by both industry standard fixed point of sale
terminals and
industry standard mobile RF guns used for store inventory management.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention provides a Tablet Gun or a Stand-Alone Mobile Tablet
that
converts into an integrated point of sale (POS) terminal through the use of a
fixed POS docking
station. A Tablet Gun or a Stand-Alone Mobile Tablet customized for use as a
mobile POS
terminal is converted from its many mobile retail store systems operations
into an integrated POS
terminal. The conversion is effected instantaneously, while the Tablet Gun or
a Stand-Alone
Mobile Tablet is being docked into the fixed POS docking station, without
consideration to
previous operations being performed on the mobile barcode scanner gun system
or stand-alone
mobile tablet.
The fixed POS docking station comprises a Base Housing Assembly with a Base
Mounting Plate on the bottom that provides the ability to attach the fixed PUS
docking station to
an under cabinet mounting system for security and stability purposes. The Base
Housing
Assembly also has a detachable rear port cover, which provides access for
connecting USB,
Ethernet, and Serial wiring to their corresponding connection ports in the
rear of the Base
Housing Assembly. On the top of the Base Housing Assembly, there is an
integrated scanner
activation button for integrating the barcode scanner to the mobile barcode
scanner gun system
or stand-alone mobile tablet when it is docked in the fixed POS docking
station, an integrated
PIN entry device (PED) for customer PIN entry which may be required to
complete a customer
sales transaction for a variety of payment cards and an integrated Near Field
Communications
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(NFC) module that may be required for a variety of NFC transactions, including
but not limited
to Apple Pay and Google Wallet. Inside the Base Housing Assembly there is a
primary printed
circuit board (PCB2) to manage the various USB, Ethernet and Serial
connectivity options as
well as external power. These include a 10/100 Ethernet switch with 4 ports,
two USB hubs each
with 4 ports, an RS-232 Serial debug port, a Micro USB debug port, a Micro USB
payment card
processing devices (MSR) programming port, a scan switch interface and an
external power
supply connector. Payment card processing devices contemplated include those
heretofore
known and / or utilized in the payment card processing field, including, but
not limited to,
Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR), computer card chip technology ("Europay,
MasterCard, and
Visa" (EMV), and Near Field Communication (NFC) communication protocols
enabling two
electronic devices, one of which is usually a portable device such as a
smartphone, to establish
communication by bringing them within 4 cm (1.57") of each other. An EMV
reader input device
for carrying out and processing sales transactions may be located on an upper
receiver alongside
a short edge of the mobile tablet device and directly below the MSR and above
the scanner, said
EMV reader being end to end encrypted through to the bank card authorization
processor for
payment card industry compliance requirements. A near field communication
(NFC) reader input
device for carrying out and processing sales transactions is preferably
located within the upper
receiver and can be located under the LCD panel or along the inside of the
bottom casing in front
of the rotational base mount receiver on the same edge as the MSR and EMV
readers or integrated
within the top of the Base Housing Assembly of the fixed POS docking station
and made
available for the customer to "tap" their NFC device in very close proximity
of the NFC module
, said NFC reader being end to end encrypted through to the bank card
authorization processor
for payment card industry compliance requirements. A PIN entry device (PED)
with integrated
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security shrouding for carrying out and processing sales transactions which
require the customer
to enter in a Personal Identification Number (PIN) necessary to complete
certain payment card
sales transactions that may be used by the MSR or the EMV reader preferably
located within the
top of the Base Housing Assembly facing the customer for easy access to
entering their PIN to
complete their sales transaction. Security shrouding is used on the top edge
and both sides of the
PIN entry device (PED) as required by PCI security standards.
Assembled and integrated on the top of the Base Housing Assembly is the
tilting and
rotational mechanism that connects the Base Housing Assembly to the Upper
Housing Assembly.
The tilting mechanism with rotation allows for the Upper Housing Assembly to
rotate 360
degrees and tilt 90% degrees "toward" or "away" from the user throughout its
360 degree
rotation, which permits the accelerometer in the mobile tablets to rotate its
viewing orientation,
thus allowing users facing the fixed POS docking station from any position to
view proper display
orientation as the pivot arm is rotated "toward" the user or "toward" the
customer. The tilting
mechanism is robust in design and can use a metal or hardened plastic assembly
for strength,
.. durability, and consistency of resistance during movement when rotating and
tilting the Upper
Housing Assembly.
The Upper Housing Assembly is designed to house the Tablet Gun / mobile
barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet in a "cradle fashion" with a
tablet cradle
enclosure designed to fit snuggly around the mobile barcode scanner gun system
or stand-alone
.. mobile tablet providing stability and a look of integration. The Upper
Housing Assembly also
has an extended table top completely surrounding the tablet cradle enclosure
for additional hand
support and comfort for the user and a more thorough look of integration. This
table top
extension of the cradle will preferably vary in length from one inch upwards
to six inches. When
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inserted into the Upper Housing Assembly, the top of the mobile barcode
scanner gun system or
stand-alone mobile tablet is smooth and consistent with the Upper Housing
Assembly's table top
to provide a consistent flush surface for both the user and the customer in
operating the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet's touch screen user
interface, giving
them both an ergonomic design that affords the user to rest the bottom of
their palm away from
the touchscreen touch points while operating the touch screen. This unique
combination of
docking the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet
into the Upper
Housing Assembly of the fixed POS docking station transforms two distinctly
separate devices
into a single integrated Fixed POS Terminal in an instant. For ease of
extracting the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet, there are two finger
slot recessions on
each side of the long edge of the Upper Housing Assembly. These two finger
slot recessions
facilitate quick and easy removal of the mobile barcode scanner gun system or
stand-alone mobile
tablet.
For larger stand-alone mobile tablets up to fifteen inches diagonal, the
option exists to
eliminate the mobile tablet removable "cradle effect" of the Upper Housing
Assembly and
permanently attach the Stand-Alone Mobile Tablet onto the Upper Housing
Assembly.
Exercising this option creates a true Fixed Mobile Tablet POS terminal. The
presence of this
additional systemic configuration option adds even more value to the fixed POS
docking station.
The Upper Housing Assembly has two 10 pin electrical (spring loaded) pogo pin
connectors integrated with a secondary printed circuit board (PCB1) and are
located within the
base of the "cradle" and are connected to the primary printed circuit board
(PCB2) through a
Custom Interface Cable, which facilitates the electrical connection between
the fixed POS
docking station and the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone
mobile tablet. The
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connection is made as the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone
mobile tablet is
docked into the Upper Housing Assembly and an electrical connection is made
between two
matched 10 pin electrical plates located on the bottom of the Upper Receiver
of the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet with two 10 pin
electrical pogo pin
connectors on the base of the Upper Housing Assembly, thus providing
continuous electrical
connection between the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile
tablet and the
PCB2 electronics housed within the Base Housing Assembly. Once this electrical
connection is
made. all USB ports, Ethernet ports, debugging Serial port and power port
housed within the
Base Housing Assembly are fully accessible to the mobile barcode scanner gun
system or stand-
alone mobile tablet and can be connected to a variety of PUS peripheral
devices such as USB
and Ethernet receipt printers with attached cash drawers, USB Barcode
Scanners, USB and
Ethernet Payment Terminals, USB and Ethernet Weighted Scales, USB and Ethernet
Coupon
Printers and other store systems peripheral devices that could provide
additional functionality
and enhanced value to the fixed PUS docking station operating within a retail
establishment.
As an additional feature built within the Upper Housing Assembly, there are
four magnets
located toward each corner of the bottom of the Upper Housing Assembly. These
magnets are
paired with four magnetic slugs installed in matching locations on each corner
of the Upper
Receiver of the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile
tablet. When the
mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet is docked
within the fixed PUS
docking station, the magnets connect with the magnetic slugs and ensure the
electrical connection
is consistently made and will not be disrupted during operation where rotation
and pivoting of
the Upper Housing Assembly is regularly performed and could disrupt the
electrical connection.
Further, it is contemplated that additional fasteners, such as Cam-Locks or
other industry
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standard fasteners may be used to secure the Upper Receiver of the mobile
barcode scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet to the Upper Housing Assembly of the fixed
POS docking
station where magnets might not suffice to ensure an uninterruptable
connection both 10 pin
electrical pogo pin connectors.
Additionally, The Upper Housing Assembly has a structural feature that allows
the MSR
and EMV payment card reader devices of the mobile barcode scanner gun system
or stand-alone
mobile tablet to operate while docked in the fixed POS docking station by
mirroring the slots at
the end of the Upper Housing Assembly, allowing a payment card to pass through
the MSR
payment card processing device and inserted into the EMV reader device
installed within /
operable with the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile
tablet without
restriction. Additionally, the MSR and EMV readers can access a customer PIN
entry device
(PED), which may be required to complete certain payment card transactions.
The PIN entry
device is located and integrated within the top of the Base Housing Assembly
of the fixed POS
docking station and accessed via the custom USB wiring harness. Payment card
processing
devices contemplated include those heretofore known and / or utilized in the
payment card
processing field, including, but not limited to, Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR),
computer card
chip technology ("Europay, MasterCard, and Visa" (EMV), and Near Field
Communication
(NFC) communication protocols enabling two electronic devices, one of which is
usually a
portable device such as a smartphone. a "chip embedded" payment card, such as
all-in-one cards
or "smart cards", or other industry standard NFC payment devices that are
presently disclosed
and utilized and / or may be developed over time, to establish communication
by bringing them
within a set range of one another, such as for nonlimiting example about 4 cm
(1.57") within
range of each other.
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The Upper Housing Assembly also accommodates the operation of the barcode
scanner
installed on mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet
through the barcode
scanner switch located on the top of the Base Housing Assembly. There is an
opening directly
under the slot built into the Upper Housing Assembly used for the payment card
processing
device operation and is large enough to allow the barcode scanner installed on
the mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet to properly operate the
barcode scanner while
the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet is docked
in the fixed POS
docking station through the use of the barcode scanner switch located on the
top and to one side
of the Base Housing Assembly.
As an additional feature, the Upper Housing Assembly can be converted to
accommodate
and integrate a variety of Stand-Alone Mobile Tablet's running Windows,
Android, iOS and
other mobile operating systems preferably ranging from five inches in diagonal
size to fifteen
inches in diagonal size. These custom mobile tablets can have an integrated
MSR / other payment
card processing device and may also have an integrated barcode scanner. The
Upper Housing
.. Assembly wiring harness can be modified to integrate to a variety of
standard and custom power,
USB, powered USB, Ethernet, Serial and other such typical connectors as each
tablet may have
designed into it. Additionally, the Upper Housing Assembly can be modified to
ensure that each
tablet is seamlessly integrated to the Upper Housing Assembly without a
cradle. In this
conFiguration, the Stand-Alone Mobile Tablet can be permanently fastened to
the Upper Housing
Assembly, thus creating a Permanent fixed POS docking station.
Further enhancing the usability of this conFiguration, a secondary "tilting"
feature at the
point of integration between the Stand-Alone Mobile Tablet and the Upper
Housing Assembly
allows for the Stand-Alone Mobile Tablet itself to tilt ninety degrees down
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"away" from the user on a secondary tilting armature. This feature is designed
for the
convenience of cashiers and typical retail customers in everyday use; it also
provides handicap
access to both cashiers and customers alike who cannot physically position
themselves above a
typical industry standard PUS terminal on a retail countertop and operate it,
given the physical
requirements necessary to do so making the subject invention even more
valuable.
The mobile scanner gun system for processing a retail store point of sale
(PUS)
transaction and performing real-time daily store level inventory management
functions
comprises a main body portion extending toward a handle portion forming a
mobile scanner gun.
The main body portion has a top wall, side walls, a front wall and a back wall
constructed to form
an interior cavity, wherein the front wall includes an aperture with a lens
recessed therein. A
plurality of Universal Serial Bus (USB) mobile input devices are adapted to be
attached to the
mobile scanner gun, including an MSR, an EMV reader, and a Near Field
Communications
(NFC) reader USB payment card input devices accessed through a specialized
universal serial
bus wiring harness. The handle portion has a trigger member in communication
with the scanner
engine for initiating a scan of a barcode. The top wall of the main body
portion has an attachment
means thereon, wherein the attachment means is adapted to receive a mobile
tablet device
housing having a MSR slot and being adapted to receive and house therein the
mobile tablet
device having an application software providing wireless secure communicative
capability with
a PUS store systems server in a retail store, which is connected to a
corporate ERP system. The
specialized universal series bus wiring harness is adapted to be attached to
and communicate with
the mobile tablet device for communicating with a system integrated therein
that enables store
level real-time inventory management and a fully functioning PUS capability
for selling
merchandise in a retail sales environment, the specialized universal serial
bus wiring harness
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being removable from the top wall of the main body portion and adapted to be
readily docked in
different base housings, including portable housings and fixed docked
workstation housings,
thereby providing portability and interchangeability. A Main Printed Circuit
Board (PCB) is
provided with a previously programmed Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-
Only
Memory (EEPROM). The EEPROM controls all USB payment card input devices
including the
MSR, EMV, fixed PUS docking station PIN entry device (PED) or NFC operations
and actions
of each USB payment card input device when a customer payment card is swiped
through the
MSR slot or an EMV reader and by inserting a customer payment card into the
EMV reader slot
or an NFC reader and by "tapping" a customer payment card against the NFC
reader for
processing customer payment through the proper secured bank card processing
network. The
MSR, EMV or NFC operations cause the EEPROM of the Main PCB to communicate
with the
mobile tablet device, launching the application software to ready the mobile
tablet device for
receiving customer payment card data. The PUS store systems server contacts a
bank card
authorization processor approving the purchase, communicating formatted
customer data
securely to the PUS store systems server and respective PC1 certified bank
card processing
network and communicating to the mobile tablet device that the customer
payment card has been
approved for scanned merchandise purchased. The system allows the customer to
purchase a
product from any retail store employee having the mobile scanner gun system.
That employ
receives full product details, price, electronic and physical coupons,
promotions, customer
loyalty data and rewards, and charges the purchase in a friendly, efficient,
informative
atmosphere without having the need to bring the product to a central checkout
station and waiting
in queue to check out.
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In another aspect, a mobile scanner gun system is provided for use with a
mobile tablet
device having a USB mobile Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR) input device and
application
software providing wireless secure communicative capability with a store
systems server in a
retail store, which is connected to a corporate Enterprise Resource Planning
(ERP) system for
processing a retail store point of sale (POS) transaction and real-time daily
store level inventory
management functions. The system comprises a main body portion extending
toward a handle
portion forming a mobile scanner gun. The main body portion has a top wall,
side walls, a front
wall and a back wall constructed to form an interior cavity, wherein the front
wall includes an
aperture with a lens recessed therein. A plurality of Universal Serial Bus
(USB) mobile input
devices is attached to the mobile scanner gun, including an MSR with a card
swipe slot, an EMV
reader with a card dip slot, and a Near Field Communications (NFC) reader
through a specialized
universal serial bus wiring harness. The handle portion has a trigger member
in communication
with the scanner engine for initiating a scan of a barcode. The top wall of
the main body portion
has an attachment means thereon, wherein the attachment means comprises a base
mount
universal receiver adapted to interchangeably mount a mobile tablet device
housing further
adapted to receive and house therein the mobile tablet device through a
specialized universal
serial bus wiring harness and communicate with the mobile tablet, the
universal receiver and
specialized universal serial bus wiring harness being removable from the top
wall of the main
body portion and adapted to be readily docked in different base housings
including portable
housings and fixed docked workstation housings, thereby providing portability
and
interchangeability. A Main Printed Circuit Board (PCB) having a previously
programmed
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) is provided for
controlling
all MSR, EMV or NFC operations and actions of the MSR input device when a
customer payment
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card is swiped through the MSR slot or an EMV reader; and by inserting a
customer payment
card into the EMV reader slot or an NFC reader; and by "tapping" a customer
payment card
against the NFC reader for processing customer payment through the proper
secured bank card
processing network. The MSR, EMV, with or without PIN entry device input or
NFC operations
causes the EEPROM of the Main PCB to communicate with the mobile tablet
device, launching
the application software to ready the mobile tablet device for receiving
customer payment card
data. The system allows for capability for a customer to purchase a product
from any retail store
employee having the mobile scanner gun system receiving full product details,
price, electronic
and physical coupons, promotions, customer loyalty data and rewards and
charges the purchase
in a friendly, efficient, informative atmosphere without having the need to
bring the product to a
central checkout station and waiting in queue to check out.
Another aspect of the invention is directed to a system providing a non-
transitory
computer readable electronic storage medium storing one or more programs
comprising
instructions executable by a portable multifunction device having a touch
screen display and
Internet capability to cause the device to: display an icon connected to an
inventory management
application associated with the corporate ERP system that provides store level
access on a mobile
scanner gun system to the ERP system through StoreMobileRFTm; display an icon
connected to
a PUS application, StoreMS MobileTM that can process customer sales
transactions within the
store without limitation to the physical location of the inventory within the
retail chain; enable
the portable multifunction mobile tablet device to be operative to establish a
connection between
the mobile tablet device and the mobile scanner gun system and to be mountable
thereon;
wherein when triggered, the system provides relevant inventory information and
PUS transaction
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capability; as well as the ability to process a payment card transaction
through the MSR slot or
the EMV slot or tapping on the NFC reader.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention will be more fully understood and further advantages will become
apparent when reference is had to the following detailed description of the
preferred
embodiments of the invention and the accompanying drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the main electrical components of the
subject
Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking station;
Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the docking connector printed circuit
board (PCB1)
of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the primary electronics printed circuit
board
(PCB2) of Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 is a schematic showing the primary electronics printed circuit board
(PCB2)
layout;
Fig. 5 is a table, Table 1. of Connector 101 signals;
Fig. 6 is a table, Table 2, of Primary Electronics Printed Circuit Board
Connectors (PCB2);
Fig. 7 is a top side view depicting an embodiment of the subject Tablet Gun or
mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking station;
Fig. 8 is a top plan view depicting the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked
within
the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 7;
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Fig. 9 is a first side view depicting the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked
within
the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 7;
Fig. 10 is a second side view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within
the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 7;
Fig. 11 is a front view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet fixed point of sale
docking station of Fig. 7;
Fig. 12 is a back view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the
fixed
PUS docking station of Fig. 7;
Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked
within
.. the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 7, taken along line x--;
Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view depicting an alternative embodiment of the
internal functions of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed
PUS
docking station of Fig. 7, taken along line x--x;
Fig. 15 depicts an embodiment of the left and right covers of the device of
Fig.
7;
Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of the subject Tablet
Gun
or mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking station;
Fig. 17 shows a view of the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 16 with the top
covering removed;
Fig. 18 is a top plan view of the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 17;
Fig. 19 is a top plan view of each of the components of the fixed PUS docking
station device of Fig. 16 as it is being assembled;
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Fig. 20 is a side plan view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS docking station
device;
Fig. 21 is a front plan view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS docking station
device;
Fig. 22 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS docking station
device wherein no case is provided;
Fig. 23 is a top side view depicting an embodiment of the subject Tablet Gun
or
mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking station;
Fig. 24 is a top plan view depicting the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked
within
the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 23;
Fig. 25 is a first side view depicting the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked
within the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 23;
Fig. 26 is a second side view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within
the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 23;
Fig. 27 is a front view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet fixed point of sale
docking station of Fig. 23;
Fig. 28 is a back view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the
fixed
PUS docking station of Fig. 23;
Fig. 29 is a cross-sectional view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked
within
the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 23, taken along line A¨A of Fig. 28;
Fig. 30 shows a view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS docking station with
the top covering removed;
Fig. 31 is a top plan view of the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 30;
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Fig. 32 is a top plan view of each of the components of the fixed PUS docking
station device of Fig. 31 as it is being assembled;
Fig. 33 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS docking station
device wherein no case is provided;
Fig. 34 is a top view of a mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking
station illustrating the MSR and EMV reader, shown without a card inserted in
the EMV
reader;
Fig. 35 is the top view of Fig. 34 with a card shown inserted in the MSR;
Fig. 36 is the top view of Fig. 34 of the docking station internal
construction with
the mobile tablet removed from the docking station.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention is directed toward the mobile barcode scanner gun system
or stand-
alone mobile tablet transforming into a fixed point of sale (PUS) terminal
through the use of the
subject invention fixed PUS docking station. Advantageously, the mobile
barcode scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet, customized for use as a mobile store
systems terminal, is
transformed into an integrated fixed PUS terminal while being docked into the
fixed PUS docking
station. This transformation is instantaneous, and is effected without
consideration to any
operation being performed on the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-
alone mobile
tablet.
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As used herein, the term "fixed" means a docking station wherein the portable
mobile
device is docked or placed for charging, providing access to a power supply,
providing a docking
base, and to peripheral devices or auxiliary features. The docking station
itself may be on a fixed
terminal or on a mobile terminal or cart with wheels, for example.
The term "Tablet Gun", as used herein, means a mobile barcode scanner gun
system or a
mobile barcode scanner gun system with mobile tablet device having a mobile
PUS and
enterprise resource planning application for customer checkout/ order
fulfillment and real time
in store inventory management for retail establishment, as disclosed by U.S.
Pat. No. 8.856,033.
The term "Stand-Alone Mobile Tablet" is intended to mean a mobile tablet
device having
software to execute a mobile PUS and enterprise resource planning application
for customer
checkout/ order fulfillment and real time in store inventory management for
retail establishment.
The term "Payment card processing device(s)" means card processing devices
heretofore
known and / or utilized in the payment card processing field, including, but
not limited to,
Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR), computer card chip technology ("Europay,
MasterCard, and
Visa" (EMV), ancillary PIN entry device (PED) which can be used in conjunction
with both the
MSR and EMV readers to complete secured "PIN based" (Personal Identification
Number)
customer payment transactions, Near Field Communication (NFC) communication
protocols
enabling two electronic devices, one of which is usually a portable device
such as a smartphone,
to establish communication by bringing them within 4 cm (2 in) of each other,
and / or other
"proximity card" technologies.
The retail store purchasing system has a plurality of wearable mobile scanner
systems
with mobile tablet devices integration capability therein adapted to be
carried by employees.
Each wearable mobile scanner system, such as the tablet gun herein, comprises
a mobile tablet
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device attached to a wearable base housing directly below it, and connected by
a base mount
universal receiver with rotational coupling. The Main PCB has an EEPROM
controlling
operations of a USB scanner, MSR and EMV reader. The mobile tablet device has
an application
which allows wireless communication with a POS store systems server and also
commands the
EEPROM. A customer's purchase of a product requires an employee to scan a
product by
activating a button on the palm or along the index finger of said wearable
mobile scanner system.
This scanned data is received by the mobile tablet device through the Main PCB
to the mobile
tablet device USB port and is sent wirelessly to the POS store systems server
to obtain product
data concerning description, price, inventory and promotions. When the
customer decides to
purchase a scanned product, the employee enters a purchasing screen of the
application in the
mobile tablet device and enters customer data including the employee's e-mail
address and
swiped payment card. Again customer data is sent through the Main PCB to the
mobile tablet
device USB port and is wirelessly communicated to the POS store systems server
and corporate
ERP system, which processes the order and sends an email to the customer, and
prints a hard
copy receipt and updates inventory.
There are five primary functional features of the subject fixed POS docking
station that
in combination, provide unique capability and value that no other conventional
docking station
provides. The first primary attribute is simplicity in its operation. The
subject fixed POS docking
station enables the user to simply release the mobile barcode scanner gun
system or stand-alone
mobile tablet down into the Upper Housing Assembly and the integrated fixed
POS docking
station is immediately available to the user to either continue "work in
progress" or begin a new
task or start entirely new store systems application. The second primary
feature is the exact
reversal of the first primary attribute. The user simply pulls the mobile
barcode scanner gun
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system or stand-alone mobile tablet out of the Upper Housing Assembly and the
mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet is immediately available for
wireless operation
via Wi-Fi or cellular means of networked communication. The third primary
feature constitutes
the provision of electronic access to additional USB, Ethernet and Serial
peripheral PUS devices
common to industry standard fixed PUS terminals directly to the mobile barcode
scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet that has been inserted into the fixed PUS
docking station.
The fourth primary feature comprises an overall rugged and durable fixed PUS
docking station
design that will ensure that the integrated fixed PUS docking station,
comprising the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet and the fixed PUS
docking station, can
withstand constant daily use within a typical store selling floor environment
for the life of the
device. The fifth primary feature constitutes the provision of charging power
to the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet battery circuitry
without impact to the
ongoing operational capabilities of the mobile barcode scanner gun system or
stand-alone mobile
tablet. The combination of these five primary features makes the subject fixed
PUS docking
station even more valuable.
The user simply releases/places the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-
alone
mobile tablet down into the Upper Housing Assembly and the mobile barcode
scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet is guided or channeled into the Upper
Housing Assembly to
fit snugly in the "cradle" with no more than gravitational force exercised and
a combination of
four magnets to maintain a secure docking connection. Once cradled, the mobile
barcode scanner
gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet is physically matched to two spring
loaded 10 pin
electrical pogo pin connectors integrated within the Upper Housing Assembly
with two
corresponding 10 pin electrical plates integrated on the bottom of the mobile
barcode scanner
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gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet. The electrical connection between the
two 10 pin
electrical pogo pin connectors and the two corresponding 10 pin electrical
plates becomes
sturdier by using a combination of four magnets integrated in close proximity
of each corner on
the bottom of the Upper Housing Assembly or stand-alone mobile tablet. Once
the mobile
.. barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet has been
inserted/released into the
Upper Housing Assembly, the newly "integrated" Fixed POS Terminal is
immediately available
to the user, who can then resume systemic operations of whatever application
task presently in
progress or begin a new task or application if desired.
The second primary feature is the exact reversal of the first primary feature.
The user
simply pulls the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile
tablet up and out of
the Upper Housing Assembly and the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-
alone mobile
tablet using their thumb and index finger inserted into the provided
"recesses" on each side of
the longest edge of the Upper Housing Assembly. The mobile barcode scanner gun
system or
stand-alone mobile tablet is immediately available to the user to either
continue working within
the application previously in use while docked or begin a new task or
application. Upon removal
of the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet, the
device is now running
on its own batteries and operating over Wi-Fi or Cellular means of networked
connectivity
without any operational disruption whatsoever.
The third primary feature provides electronic access to additional USB,
Ethernet and
.. Serial peripheral devices, common to industry standard fixed POS terminals,
directly from the
mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet upon insertion
into the fixed
POS docking station. While operating as a mobile device, the mobile barcode
scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet is somewhat limited in their capability to
operate peripheral
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POS hardware such as POS receipt printers, POS payment terminals, weighted
scales, coupon
printers, flat-bed barcode scanners, additional hand held scanners and
customer displays and they
simply cannot connect via Ethernet to a store network. Once the mobile barcode
scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet is docked within the fixed POS docking
station, they have
electronic access to seven USB ports, comprising of four standard non powered
USB ports. two
12V powered USB ports and one 24V powered USB port, 4 10/100 Ethernet ports, a
Micro USB
debug port, a Micro USB MSR programming port and a scan switch interface
corresponding to
a scanner actuator mounted on the top of the Base Housing Assembly. and / or a
plurality of USB
ports adapted to receive USB mobile input devices including an MSR, an EMV
reader, a PIN
.. entry device (PED) and a Near Field Communications (NFC) reader.
Consequently, the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet can now access and
support a wide
variety of POS peripheral hardware typical to fixed POS terminals such as
industry standard POS
Receipt Printers, POS Payment Terminals, Weighted Scales, Coupon Printers,
Flat-Bed Barcode
Scanners, Additional Hand Held Scanners, Customer Displays and other POS
peripheral
hardware.
The fourth primary feature is an overall rugged and durable fixed POS docking
station
design that will ensure that the integrated Fixed POS Terminal, comprised of
both the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet and the fixed POS
docking station, can
withstand constant daily use within a typical store selling floor environment
for the life of the
device, which preferably will be as long as 5 to 7 years and beyond.
The fifth primary feature provides charging power to the mobile barcode
scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet's internal battery circuitry without
impact to the operational
capabilities of either device. Inasmuch as the Tablet Gun and Stand-Alone
Mobile Tablet are
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mobile PUS/generic store systems terminals using Wi-Fi or Cellular means of
networked
communication within their operating environment, either device operates using
an internal
battery source. As each device depletes its battery charge, it is important in
a fluid retail
environment that the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile
tablet can be
docked within the fixed PUS docking station and continue to perform its
typical store systems
application operations as needed while recharging the mobile barcode scanner
gun system or
stand-alone mobile tablet's internal batteries simultaneously.
Operationally, the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile
tablet can
be converted from a mobile store systems device, operating free from a fixed
terminal or
workstation via Wi-Fi or Cellular means of communication, to a Fixed PUS
Terminal simply by
inserting the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet
into the Upper
Housing Assembly. Once inserted into the fixed PUS docking station, the mobile
barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet has a number of additional PUS
peripheral
devices it can access through the electrical (EE) design of the fixed PUS
docking station. Those
additional systemic capabilities are provided through specific electronic
components including
four 10/100 Ethernet ports, seven USB ports, comprised of four standard non
powered USB ports,
two 12V powered USB ports and one 24V powered USB port, two micro USB ports,
one RS-
232 Serial debug port, a scan switch interface and a power port available to
the mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet.
The electrical connectivity between the Tablet Gun or the Stand-Alone Mobile
Tablet and
the fixed PUS docking station is made through an integrated secondary printed
circuit board
(PCB1) and two 10 pin electrical pogo pin connectors mounted within the Upper
Housing
Assembly with two 10 pin electrical connection points and two matching
electrical plates each
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with 10 individual contacts mounted on the underside of the Tablet Gun or
mobile tablet. To
ensure a stable and consistent electrical connection is made each and every
time with the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet, there are four
magnets mounted at each
corner on the bottom of the Upper Housing Assembly and four corresponding
magnetic slugs on
each corner of the underside of the Upper Receiver of the mobile scanner gun
system or stand-
alone mobile tablet.
The fixed PUS docking station has a Base Housing Assembly that preferably
ranges from
8 inches to 14 inches front to back. 8 inches to 14 inches left to right and
stands 1 to 3 inches in
height. The size of the Base Housing Assembly directly correlates to the size
of the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet that will be used in
the Upper Housing
Assembly. The larger and heavier the mobile device used in the Upper Housing
Assembly, the
bigger the Base Housing Assembly needs to be for overall balance and
stability.
Inside the Base Housing Assembly resides a variety electrical components.
These
electrical components are all integrated into the primary printed circuit
board (PCB2). Integrated
within the PCB2 are the following electrical components: A 10/100 Ethernet
Switch with 4
external ports, two USB Switches totaling eight (8) external ports, an RS-232
Serial debug port,
a Micro USB debug port, a Micro USB MSR programming port, a scan switch
interface and an
external power supply connector.
In further electrical (EE) detail, the fixed PUS docking station is an
exemplary
embodiment of a method for "docking" the mobile barcode scanner gun system or
stand-alone
mobile tablet for recharging purposes, as well as to break out signals from
the mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet and connect peripheral devices
in a manner such
as to create a fully functional PUS system. In order to accomplish these
goals, the fixed PUS
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docking station embodies a number of connectors, cables and electronics, in a
custom enclosure
that accommodates the unique form factor of the fixed POS docking station.
Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the main electrical components of the subject
Tablet
Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed POS docking station, shown
generally at
100. Fig. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the docking connector printed
circuit board (PCB1)
of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates a block diagram of the primary electronics
printed circuit board
(PCB2) of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 illustrates a schematic showing the primary
electronics printed circuit
board (PCB2) layout. Fig. 5 illustrates a table, Table 1, of Connector 101
signals. Fig. 6
illustrates a table, Table 2, of Primary Electronics Printed Circuit Board
Connectors
(PCB2).
Referring to Figs. 1-6, the fixed POS docking station functionality is
provided by a
Docking Connector Interface Secondary Printed Circuit Board (PCB1) shown as in
Fig. 1 at 101,
having a Custom Interface Cable 102 interfacing with a Primary Printed Circuit
Board (PCB2)
103. An external power supply is shown at 104.
The PCB1 interface 101 provides the primary direct electrical interface to the
mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet when it is inserted
into the fixed POS
docking station. In order to do this, PCB1 utilizes a set of spring loaded
electrical pogo pins,
shown in Fig 2 at 201, which mate with matching electrical contacts on the
mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet. These pins carry power to the
mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet, as well as USB data signals,
Ethernet data
signals, RS-232C serial data signals, dock detection signals, magnetic stripe
reader (MSR) data
signals, and external scan button signals. The I/0 carried on the connector is
listed in Table 1 of
Fig. 5. Signals are carried using routed copper traces on PCB1 from the pogo
pin connector 201
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through the circuitry of PCB lto the Custom Interface Cable Connector 202,
which allows
attachment of the Custom Interface Cable 102, Fig. 1, which connects PCB1 101,
Fig. 1 to PCB2
103.
The fixed PUS docking station Interface Cable 102, Fig. 1, consists of a
Custom Interface
Cable which carries signals from PCB1 101 to PCB2 103. All signals from the
mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet are carried to PCB2 103
through this Custom
Interface Cable. The cable is designed with flexibility and a protective cable
sleeve given the
Upper Housing Assembly can move on one or two pivot points in its normal
operation.
PCB2 103 breaks out all signals from the Custom Interface Cable 102 and
electrically
connects the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet to
the various
electrical interface components of the fixed PUS docking station. As
illustrated by way of Fig.
3, these electrical interface components consist of a power supply 301, an
onboard Ethernet
switch 302, two onboard four port USB hubs 303, a Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR)
programming
USB port interface 304, a diagnostics and debug USB port interface 305, an RS-
232C
asynchronous serial port interface 306, and the external scan switch interface
307.
Fig. 4 shows a typical physical layout of an exemplary implementation of the
fixed PUS
docking station primary electronics PCB2. PCB2 provides a number of connectors
in order to
interface with both the Custom Interface Cable 102 of Fig 1 and external
devices that are common
to a retail store systems PUS environment. These external connectors are shown
in Fig. 4, and
are labeled J1 through J12, and are described in Table 2, set forth as Fig. 6.
The Power Supply 401 of Fig. 4 receives input power from the AC electrical
grid through
an input power connector J1 and produces DC power at various voltage levels as
appropriate to
the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet and to the
electronics devices
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comprising PCB2. The AC main power can optionally be stepped down to lower DC
voltages
by an external power supply 104 (Fig. 1). Output power from the power supply
401 is distributed
through the copper layers of PCB2 to the Custom Interface Cable connector J9
and routed to the
custom interface cable 102 (Fig 1), and to the various electronic components
on PCB1.
The Ethernet Switch 402 consists of various components comprising a five (5)
port
Ethernet switch, with one port connected to the mobile barcode scanner gun
system or stand-
alone mobile tablet via the Custom Interface Cable connector 19 and the
additional four (4) ports
being provided for connection of the POS terminal components and other network
devices via
the 4 port Ethernet port connectors (Fig 4, J2-1, J2-2. J2-3, J2-4), which is
a 4 port Ethernet
connector jack. The Ethernet switch 402 acts as a general purpose network
switch for POS
terminal components even when the Tablet Gun is not docked in the fixed POS
docking station.
This allows for connection of other networking components that might need to
function even
when the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet is not
docked within
the fixed POS docking station.
The USB hub 403 consists of multiple devices that collectively comprise two 4
port USB
hub controllers, including a USB power controller and 7 Type-A USB ports. The
external USB
ports are made available via dual-USB jacks, J3 and J4, 2 12V USB jacks J10
and J11, and
1 24V USB jack J12, for connection of external POS USB peripherals and other
USB devices.
USB connectivity to the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone
mobile tablet on the
USB hub host port is through USB connector J9. When the mobile barcode scanner
gun system
or stand-alone mobile tablet is docked, the hub detects the presence of the
mobile barcode scanner
gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet as the USB master device, and powers
up the USB ports
and any attached USB peripherals. These USB peripherals may be integrated
within the tablet
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gun, as shown generally in Figs. 1-22, or may be in communication through a
separate unit such
as fixed PUS docking station 34002 having USB connectivity, as shown generally
in Figs. 34-
36. USB peripherals preferably include, alone or in combination, a barcode
scanner, MSR and /
or EMV payment card readers which have direct USB access to a PIN Entry Device
(PED)
located within fixed PUS docking station 34002 and a Near Field Communications
(NFC) reader
through a specialized universal serial bus wiring harness. In absence of the
mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet, the USB devices may be
powered down to
conserve power.
The Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR) interface 404 provides direct USB
connectivity
between the MSR that is integrated into the mobile barcode scanner gun system
or stand-alone
mobile tablet via the Custom Interface Cable connector J9 and an external
Micro USB connector
J5. This allows for reprogramming of encryption data in the MSR device in the
mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet as required by the credit card
processor.
The Debug and Diagnostics Interface 405 provides a USB host connection between
the
mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet via the Custom
Interface Cable
connector J9 and an external Micro USB connector J6. This interface allows for
reprogramming,
debug and diagnostic operation of the mobile barcode scanner gun system or
stand-alone mobile
tablet when a PC or laptop system is connected to the external Micro USB
connector port J6 prior
to insertion of the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile
tablet into the fixed
PUS docking station. When no PC is connected to the Micro USB connector port
J6 prior to
docking the mobile barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet,
the debug and
diagnostics port will remain inactive.
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The Serial Interface 406 consists of logic to connect the mobile barcode
scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet via the Custom Interface Cable connector
J9 to an RS-232C
Asynchronous serial port J7, which allows the mobile barcode scanner gun
system or stand-alone
mobile tablet to connect to RS-232C devices such as printers and modems, while
residing in the
fixed POS docking station.
Scan Switch Interface 407 provides a connection from the mobile barcode
scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet via the Custom Interface Cable connector
J9 to a two wire
switch interface connector J8, to which an external switch may be connected.
This switch is
operative to remotely engage the barcode scanner that is an integral part of
the mobile barcode
scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet. The remote scan switch will
typically be
installed on the Base Housing Assembly, in a position easily accessible to the
user.
Fig. 7 shows a top side view of an embodiment of the subject Tablet Gun or
mobile tablet docked within the fixed POS docking station. Fig. 8 shows a top
plan
view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed POS docking
station of
Fig. 7. Fig. 9 shows a first side view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet
docked within
the fixed POS docking station of Fig. 7. Fig. 10 shows a second side view of
the Tablet
Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed POS docking station of Fig. 7.
Fig. 11
shows a front view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed
POS
docking station of Fig. 7. Fig. 12 shows a back view of the Tablet Gun or
mobile tablet
.. docked within the fixed POS docking station of Fig. 7. Fig. 13 shows a
cross-sectional
view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed POS docking
station of
Fig. 7, taken along line x¨x.
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Referring to Figs. 7-13, the fixed POS docking station 700 for a mobile
scanner gun
system with mobile tablet device having an upper receiver for processing a
retail store POS sales
transactions has an upper housing assembly 701 adapted to house a mobile
barcode scanner gun
system 720 (Fig. 13) with a table 721, as shown, in a "cradle fashion". A
tablet cradle enclosure
702 is provided having a base 703 in a top frame 705 with a body 704 and
designed to receive
and fit snuggly around the mobile barcode scanner gun system 720 with mobile
tablet device 721
providing stability and a look of integration. Preferably, the top frame 705
includes two finger
slot recessions 709 on each side of a long edge 708 of the upper housing
assembly 701 to provide
quick and easy removal of the mobile barcode scanner gun system 720 with
mobile tablet device
721. Two electrical (spring loaded) pogo pin connectors having a housing
integrated with a
secondary printed circuit board (PCB1), located within the base of the tablet
cradle enclosure
[see Fig. 19].
A base housing assembly 750 is provided comprising a top portion 751 with an
integrated
scanner activation button 752 for use with a barcode scanner integrated with
the mobile bat-code
.. scanner gun system with mobile tablet device when docked in the fixed POS
docking station. A
base mounting plate 752 is provided, adapted for attachment to an under
cabinet mounting system
to provide security and stability to the fixed POS docking station. Preferably
the base housing
assembly further comprises a detachable rear port cover 753 for access within
the housing. A
primary printed circuit board (PCB2) located on the base mounting plate
operates with at least
one USB, Ethernet, debugging Serial ports, scan switch interface and an
external power supply
port [see Fig. 191. The top portion 751 further includes a tilting and
rotational mechanism 755
that connects the base housing assembly 750 to the upper housing assembly 701.
The tilting
mechanism and rotational mechanism is adapted to allow the upper housing
assembly to rotate
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and tilt "toward" or "away" from a user throughout its rotation allowing the
user proper viewing
orientation of the fixed POS docking station from any position. The secondary
printed circuit
board (PCB1) is connected to the primary printed circuit board (PCB2) through
a custom
interface cable operable to facilitate electrical communication between the
fixed POS docking
station and the mobile barcode scanner gun system with mobile tablet device.
USB, Ethernet,
debugging Serial ports, scan switch interface and power supply port housed
within the base
housing assembly are fully operable with the mobile barcode scanner gun system
with mobile
tablet device and can be connected to a variety of POS peripheral devices and
other store systems
peripheral devices.
The Upper Housing Assembly further preferably includes an extended table top /
table
top extension 706 extending from and surrounding the tablet cradle enclosure
702. The extended
table top 706 extends flush from the top frame / bracket 705 of the table
cradle enclosure 702. It
is adapted to provide additional hand support and comfort for a user and a
more thorough look
of integration. Preferably, the table top extension 706 completely surrounds a
top bracket / frame
705 of the tablet cradle enclosure. As constructed, the table top extension
706 provides an
enhanced surface area for the user to rest his / her hands and to provide for
an ergonomically
constructed device. Preferably, the table top extension 706 has a length
ranging from one inch to
six inches.
Fig. 14 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the
internal
functions of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet or mobile tablet docked within
the fixed
POS docking station of Fig. 7, taken along line x¨x, shown generally at 1400.
An Upper
Housing Assembly 1401 is provided to house a mobile barcode scanner gun system
1420 with a
table 1421. A tablet cradle enclosure 1402 is provided with a base 1403 having
a body 1404 and
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a top frame 1405 designed to receive and fit snuggly around the mobile barcode
scanner gun
system 1420 with mobile tablet device 1421, providing stability and a look of
integration. Two
electrical (spring loaded) pogo pin connectors 1430 having a housing
integrated with a secondary
printed circuit board (PCB1) are located within the base of the tablet cradle
enclosure 1402. A
base housing assembly 1450 comprises a top portion 1451 and a base mounting
plate 1452. Base
housing assembly 1450 includes left 1450' and right 1450" covers (see Fig. 15
for view
of covers). A primary printed circuit board (PCB2) 1455 is located on the base
mounting plate
1452 operable with at least one USB, Ethernet, debugging Serial ports, scan
switch interface and
an external power supply port. The top portion 1451 further includes a tilting
and rotational
mechanism 1455 that connects the base housing assembly 1450 to the upper
housing assembly
1401.
Fig. 15 shows an embodiment of the left 1501 and right 1502 covers of the
device
of Fig. 7. Left cover 1501 includes a Locks Pistol Grip 1503 that Prevents
Removal of the
Tablet, and hard attachment points 1504. Right cover 1502 includes hard
attachment points 1505.
Fig. 16 shows a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of the subject
Tablet
Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed POS docking station. Fig. 17
shows a
view of the fixed POS docking station of Fig. 16 with the top covering
removed. Fig.
18 shows a top plan view of the Fig. 17. Fig. 19 shows a top plan view of each
of the
components of the docking station device of Fig. 16 as it is being assembled.
Referring to Figs. 16-19, the fixed POS docking station 1600 is adapted to
receive a
mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device 1620 (or stand-alone
mobile tablet) having
an upper receiver 1622 for processing a retail store POS sales transaction.
The fixed POS docking
station 1600 has an Upper Housing assembly 1601 constructed having a tablet
cradle enclosure
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1602 with a base 1603 with a body 1604 and a top frame 1605 designed to
receive and fit snuggly
around the mobile barcode scanner gun system with mobile tablet device 1621.
Preferably, the
top frame 1605 includes two finger slot recessions 1609 on each side of a long
edge 1608 of the
upper housing assembly 1601 to provide quick and easy removal of the mobile
barcode scanner
gun system with mobile tablet device 1621. Two electrical (spring loaded) pogo
pin connectors
having a housing 1631 is integrated with a secondary printed circuit board
(PCB1) 1631, located
within the base 1603 of the tablet cradle enclosure 1602. Preferably the two
electrical (spring
loaded) pogo pin connectors housing 1631 are ten (10) pin electrical (spring
loaded) pogo pin
connectors.
Four magnets are preferably integrated generally on each corner on the bottom
of the
Upper Housing Assembly, with corresponding magnetic slugs installed in
matching locations on
the underside of the Upper Receiver of the mobile barcode scanner gun system
or stand-alone
mobile tablet 1621. The Upper Housing Assembly preferably further comprises
two payment
processing slots 1670 adapted to align a magnetic stripe reader (MSR) 1622' on
the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet 1621 to operate while
docked in the
fixed PUS docking station. These components are adapted to allow a payment
card to pass
through the MSR or dipped into the EMV reader installed within the mobile
barcode scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet without restriction. Preferably, the Upper
Housing Assembly
further comprises a barcode scanner opening (button actuator shown at 1624,
Fig. 19) adapted to
align with a barcode scanner installed on the mobile barcode scanner gun
system 1620 tablet
1621 / or stand-alone mobile tablet to properly operate the barcode scanner
while the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet is docked in the fixed
PUS docking
station through use of the barcode scanner switch located on the base housing
assembly.
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A base housing assembly 1650 comprises a top portion 1651 with an integrated
scanner
activation button 1685 for use with a barcode scanner integrated with the
mobile barcode scanner
gun system with mobile tablet device when docked in the fixed POS docking
station. A base
mounting plate 1652 is adapted for attachment to an under cabinet mounting
system to provide
security and stability to the fixed PUS docking station. Preferably the Base
Housing Assembly
further comprises a detachable rear port cover 1653 for access within the
housing. A primary
printed circuit board (PCB2) 1660 is located on the base mounting plate
operable with at least
one USB, Ethernet, debugging Serial ports, scan switch interface and an
external power supply
port. The top portion 1651 further includes a tilting and rotational mechanism
1655 that connects
the base housing assembly 1650 to the upper housing assembly 1601. Wiring
harness 1690 is
provided.
The Upper Housing Assembly further preferably includes an extended table top /
table
top extension 1606 extending from and surrounding the tablet cradle enclosure
1602. The
extended table top 1606 extends flush from the top frame / bracket 1605 of the
table cradle
enclosure 1602. It is adapted to provide additional hand support and comfort
for a user and a
more thorough look of integration. Preferably, the table top extension 1606
completely surrounds
a top bracket / frame 1605 of the tablet cradle enclosure. As constructed. the
table top extension
1606 provides an enhanced surface area for the user to rest his / her hands,
and provides an
ergonomically constructed device. Preferably, the table top extension 1606 has
a length ranging
from one inch to six inches.
Fig. 20 shows a side plan view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS docking
station. Fig. 21 shows a front plan view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS
docking
station of Fig. 20. Referring to Figs. 20-21, the fixed PUS docking station
2000 is adapted
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to receive a mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device 2020 (or
stand-alone mobile
tablet) having an upper receiver 2022 for processing a retail store PUS sales
transaction. The
fixed PUS docking station 2000 has an upper housing assembly 2001 constructed
having a tablet
cradle enclosure 2002. Two electrical (spring loaded) pogo pin connectors
having a housing
2031 are integrated with a secondary printed circuit board (PCB1). A base
housing assembly
2050 includes a tilting and rotational mechanism 2055 that connects the base
housing assembly
2050 to the upper housing assembly 2001.
Fig. 22 shows a top plan view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS docking
station
device wherein no case is provided. In this embodiment, the fixed PUS docking
station is
adapted to receive a mobile scanner gun system 2220 with mobile tablet device
as described
herein. The fixed PUS docking station has an upper housing assembly 2201
constructed having
a tablet cradle enclosure 2202. A base housing assembly 2250 includes a
tilting and rotational
mechanism 2255 that connects the base housing assembly 2250 to the upper
housing assembly
2201.
Fig. 23 is a top side view depicting an embodiment of the subject Tablet Gun
or
mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking station. Fig. 24 is a top
plan view
depicting the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking
station
of Fig. 23. Fig. 25 is a first side view depicting the Tablet Gun or mobile
tablet docked
within the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 23. Fig. 26 is a second side view
of the
Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking station of
Fig. 23.
Fig. 27 is a front view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet fixed point of sale
docking
station of Fig. 23. Fig. 28 is a back view of the Tablet Gun or mobile tablet
docked
within the fixed PUS docking station of Fig. 23. Fig. 29 is a cross-sectional
view of the
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Tablet Gun or mobile tablet docked within the fixed PUS docking station of
Fig. 23,
taken along line A¨A of Fig. 28.
Referring to Figs. 23-29, the fixed PUS docking station 7100 for a mobile
scanner
gun system with mobile tablet device has an upper receiver for processing
retail store PUS sales
transactions. The docking station 7100 has an upper housing assembly 7101
adapted to house a
mobile barcode scanner gun system 7120 with a table 7121, as shown, in a
"cradle fashion". A
tablet cradle enclosure 7102 is provided having a base 7103 (see Fig. 25) in a
top frame 7105
with a body 7104 and designed to receive and fit snuggly around the mobile
barcode scanner gun
system 7120 with mobile tablet device 7121 providing stability and a look of
integration.
Preferably, the top frame 7105 includes two finger slot recessions 7109 on
each side of a long
edge 7108 of the upper housing assembly 7101 to provide quick and easy removal
of the mobile
barcode scanner gun system 7120 with mobile tablet device 7121. Two electrical
(spring loaded)
pogo pin connectors having a housing integrated with a secondary printed
circuit board (PCB1)
are located within the base of the tablet cradle enclosure.
A base housing assembly 7150 is provided comprising a top portion 7151 with an
integrated scanner activation button 7152 for use with a barcode scanner with
the mobile barcode
scanner gun system with mobile tablet device when docked in the fixed PUS
docking station. A
plurality of Universal Serial Bus (USB) mobile input devices are in
communication with the
mobile scanner gun, via integration within and / or through USB attachment,
including the
barcode scanner, MSR and EMV payment card readers which have direct USB access
to a PIN
Entry Device (PED) located within fixed PUS docking station and a Near Field
Communications
(NFC) reader through a specialized universal serial bus wiring harness, as
shown generally at
7177. A Main Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (as described hereinafter in more
detail) is provided
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having a previously programmed Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only
Memory
(EEPROM) controlling all MSR, EMV or NFC operations and actions of the MSR
input device.
When a customer payment card is swiped through the MSR slot or an EMV reader
and by
inserting a customer payment card into the EMV reader slot or an NFC reader
and by -tapping"
a customer payment card against the NFC reader for processing customer payment
through the
proper secured bank card processing network, the actions are activated.
Activating the MSR,
EMV or NFC operations causes the EEPROM of the Main PCB to communicate with
the mobile
tablet device, launching the application software to ready the mobile tablet
device for receiving
customer payment card data.
A base mounting plate 7152 is adapted for attachment to an under cabinet
mounting
system to provide security and stability to the fixed POS docking station.
Preferably the base
housing assembly further comprises a detachable rear port cover 7153 for
access within the
housing. A primary printed circuit board (PCB2) located on the base mounting
plate operates
with at least one USB, Ethernet, debugging Serial ports, scan switch interface
and an external
power supply port. The top portion 7151 further includes a tilting and
rotational mechanism
7155 that connects the base housing assembly 7150 to the upper housing
assembly 7101. The
tilting mechanism and rotational mechanism is adapted to allow the upper
housing assembly to
rotate and tilt "toward" or "away" from a user throughout its rotation
allowing the user proper
viewing orientation of the fixed PUS docking station from any position. The
secondary printed
circuit board (PCB1) is connected to the primary printed circuit board (PCB2)
through a custom
interface cable operable to facilitate electrical communication between the
fixed PUS docking
station and the mobile barcode scanner gun system with mobile tablet device.
USB, Ethernet,
debugging Serial ports, scan switch interface and power supply port housed
within the base
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housing assembly are fully operable with the mobile barcode scanner gun system
with mobile
tablet device and can be connected to a variety of PUS peripheral devices and
other store systems
peripheral devices.
The Upper Housing Assembly further preferably includes an extended table top /
table
top extension 7106 extending from and surrounding the tablet cradle enclosure
7102. The
extended table top 7106 extends flush from the top frame / bracket 7105 of the
table cradle
enclosure 7102. It is adapted to provide additional hand support and comfort
for a user and a
more thorough look of integration. Preferably, the table top extension 7106
completely surrounds
a top bracket! frame 7105 of the tablet cradle enclosure. As constructed. the
table top extension
7106 provides an enhanced surface area for the user to rest his / her hands
and to provide for an
ergonomically constructed device. Preferably, the table top extension 7106 has
a length ranging
from one inch to six inches.
Fig. 30 shows a view of an embodiment of the fixed PUS docking station with
the top covering removed. Fig. 31 is a top plan view of the fixed PUS docking
station
of Fig. 30. Fig. 32 is a top plan view of each of the components of the fixed
PUS docking
station device of Fig. 31 as it is being assembled.
Referring to Figs. 30-32, the fixed PUS docking station 16000 is adapted to
receive a
mobile scanner gun system with mobile tablet device 16020 (or stand-alone
mobile tablet) having
an upper receiver 16022 for processing a retail store PUS sales transaction.
The fixed PUS
docking station 16000 has an Upper Housing assembly 16001 comprising a tablet
cradle
enclosure 16002 having a base 16003 with a body 16004 and a top frame 16005
designed to
receive and fit snuggly around the mobile barcode scanner gun system with
mobile tablet device
16021. Preferably, the top frame 16005 includes two finger slot recessions
16009 on each side
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of a long edge 16008 of the upper housing assembly 16001 to provide quick and
easy removal
of the mobile barcode scanner gun system with mobile tablet device 16021. Two
electrical
(spring loaded) pogo pin connectors having a housing 16031 is integrated with
a secondary
printed circuit board (PCB1) 16031, located within the base 16003 of the
tablet cradle enclosure
16002. Preferably the two electrical (spring loaded) pogo pin connectors
housing 16031 are ten
(10) pin electrical (spring loaded) pogo pin connectors.
A plurality of Universal Serial Bus (USB) mobile input devices are in
communication
with the mobile scanner gun, including the barcode scanner, MSR and EMV
payment card
readers which have direct USB access to a PIN Entry Device (PED) located
within fixed POS
docking station and a Near Field Communications (NFC) reader through a
specialized universal
serial bus wiring harness, as shown generally at 16177. These input devices
may be integrated
within the tablet gun, as shown generally in Figs. 1-22, or may be in
communication through
USB connectivity, as shown generally in Figs. 23-36. A Main Printed Circuit
Board (PCB) (as
described hereinafter in more detail) is provided having a previously
programmed Electrically
.. Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) controlling all MSR, EMV or
NFC
operations and actions of the MSR input device. When a customer payment card
is swiped
through the MSR slot or an EMV reader and by inserting a customer payment card
into the EMV
reader slot or an NFC reader and by "tapping" a customer payment card against
the NFC reader
for processing customer payment through the proper secured bank card
processing network, the
.. actions are activated. Activating the MSR, EMV or NFC operations causes the
EEPROM of the
Main PCB to communicate with the mobile tablet device, launching the
application software to
ready the mobile tablet device for receiving customer payment card data.
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Four magnets are preferably integrated generally on each corner on the bottom
of the
Upper Housing Assembly, with corresponding magnetic slugs installed in
matching locations on
the underside of the Upper Receiver of the mobile barcode scanner gun system
or stand-alone
mobile tablet 16021. The Upper Housing Assembly preferably further comprises
two payment
processing slots 16070 adapted to align a magnetic stripe reader (MSR) 16022'
on the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet 16021 to operate while
docked in the
fixed PUS docking station. These components are adapted to allow a payment
card to pass
through the MSR or dipped into the EMV reader installed within the mobile
barcode scanner gun
system or stand-alone mobile tablet without restriction. Preferably, the Upper
Housing Assembly
further comprises a barcode scanner opening (button actuator shown at 16024,
Fig. 32) adapted
to align with a barcode scanner installed on the mobile barcode scanner gun
system 16020 tablet
16021 / or stand-alone mobile tablet to properly operate the barcode scanner
while the mobile
barcode scanner gun system or stand-alone mobile tablet is docked in the fixed
PUS docking
station through use of the barcode scanner switch located on the base housing
assembly.
A base housing assembly 16050 comprises a top portion 16051 with an integrated
scanner
activation button 16085 for use with a barcode scanner integrated with the
mobile barcode
scanner gun system with mobile tablet device when docked in the fixed PUS
docking station. A
base mounting plate 16052 is adapted for attachment to an under cabinet
mounting system to
provide security and stability to the fixed PUS docking station. Preferably
the Base Housing
Assembly further comprises a detachable rear port cover 16053 for access
within the housing. A
primary printed circuit board (PCB2) 16060 is located on the base mounting
plate operable with
at least one USB, Ethernet, debugging Serial ports, scan switch interface and
an external power
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supply port. The top portion 16051 further includes a tilting and rotational
mechanism 16055 that
connects the base housing assembly 16050 to the upper housing assembly 16001.
The Upper Housing Assembly further preferably includes an extended table top /
table
top extension 16006 extending from and surrounding the tablet cradle enclosure
16002. The
extended table top 16006 extends flush from the top frame / bracket 16005 of
the table cradle
enclosure 16002. It is adapted to provide additional hand support and comfort
for a user and a
more thorough look of integration. Preferably, the table top extension 16006
completely
surrounds a top bracket / frame 16005 of the tablet cradle enclosure. As
constructed, the table top
extension 16006 provides an enhanced surface area for the user to rest his /
her hands, and
provides an ergonomically constructed device. Preferably, the table top
extension 16006 has a
length ranging from one inch to six inches.
Fig. 33 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the fixed POS docking station
device wherein no case is provided. In this embodiment, the fixed POS docking
station is
adapted to receive a mobile scanner gun system 21220 with mobile tablet device
as described
.. herein. The fixed POS docking station has an upper housing assembly 21201
constructed having
a tablet cradle 21202. A base housing assembly 21250 includes a tilting and
rotational
mechanism 21255 that connects the base housing assembly 21250 to the upper
housing assembly
21201. A plurality of Universal Serial Bus (USB) mobile input devices are in
communication
with the mobile scanner gun, including the barcode scanner, MSR 21177' and EMV
21177"
payment card readers which have direct USB access to a PIN Entry Device (PED)
located within
fixed POS docking station and a Near Field Communications (NFC) reader through
a specialized
universal serial bus wiring harness, shown generally at 21177. A Main Printed
Circuit Board
(PCB) (as described hereinafter in more detail) is provided having a
previously programmed
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Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) controlling all
MSR, EMV
or NFC operations and actions of the MSR input device.
Fig. 34 shows a top view of a mobile tablet 34001 docked within a fixed PUS
docking station 34002 illustrating a barcode scanner, MSR 34177' and EMV
34177"
.. payment card readers which have direct USB access to a PIN Entry Device
(PED) located within
fixed PUS docking station and a Near Field Communications (NFC) reader through
a specialized
universal serial bus wiring harness, shown generally at 34177. Fig. 35 shows
the top view of
Fig. 34 with a card 35001 shown inserted in the MSR 34177'. Fig. 36 shows the
top
view of Fig. 34 of the internal construction of the fixed PUS docking station
34002 with
the mobile tablet 34001.
The fixed PUS Docking Station is especially suited for a Wi-Fi and wireless
cellular
mobile scanner gun system running a real-time store level inventory management
suite of
applications, StoreMobileRFTm, connected directly to the corporate ERP system
and running a
PUS application, StoreMS MobileTM, connected directly to the PUS store systems
server, for
customer purchases throughout the retail store and well beyond its walls.
There is a need in the
art for the subject fixed PUS docking station as it has been surprisingly and
unexpectedly found
that when serving customers with the Tablet Gun / mobile scanner gun systems
or stand-alone
mobile tablet devices, handling the merchandise poses difficulties in that
holding the devices can
be cumbersome. The solution for this unexpected problem has resulted in a
surprising
combination of a number of necessary functions into the subject fixed PUS
docking station. The
subject resultant fixed PUS docking station has a number of unique attributes
that, in
combination, serve a variety of purposes. Operational features include: i)
charging the Tablet
Gun; ii) providing "hands free" operation of the Tablet Gun (effectively a
workstation); iii)
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providing 3 secondary Ethernet connections for peripheral devices such as a
receipt printer,
payment card pin pad, third party loyalty card devices, etc. iv) providing a
primary Ethernet
connection between the Tablet Gun and the store network, wherein the Ethernet
switch will
therefore have 5 ports: 1 internal port and 4 external ports; v) providing two
4 port USB hubs,
.. including four standard USB ports, two 12V powered USB ports and one 24V
USB powered port
for peripheral hardware such an external barcode scanner and a cash drawer;
vi) providing a
scanner trigger/button on the housing of the fixed POS docking station as a
parallel trigger for
operation while the Tablet Gun is docked; vii) providing Drop in / Pull out
docking for the Tablet
Gun. Providing seamless operation when moving from a "docked" condition to an
"undocked"
condition, in that no physical connections need to be "disconnected".
Providing a mechanism
wherein gravity establishes the spring loaded pin connection to the underside
of the Upper
Receiver.
The mobile scanner gun appointed to be housed within the subject fixed POS
docking
station comprises a main body portion extending toward a handle portion. The
main body portion
.. has a base, side walls, a front wall and a back wall constructed to form an
interior cavity, wherein
the front wall includes an aperture with a lens recessed therein. The front
wall has a trigger
member located near the base of the main body. A USB barcode scanner input
device is mounted
above and in front of the trigger. The scanner has two drivers, including 1) a
native device driver
and 2) a keyboard input driver, the barcode scanner input device is in
communication with the
trigger for initiating a scan of a barcode. USB payment card input devices
include an MSR, an
EMV reader and NFC reader input are integrated within the upper receiver of
the mobile scanner
gun system and communicates with the mobile tablet device for carrying out and
processing a
sales transaction, the MSR and EMV reader have USB access to a PIN Entry
Device (PED)
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located within the top of the Base Housing Assembly of the fixed POS docking
station for
completing customer PIN secured payment cards transactions. Further, the MSR,
EMV reader
and NFC reader transactions are secured and certified as required by the PCI
council end to end
to a variety of industry standard PCI certified bank card processors. The top
wall of the main
body portion includes an attachment means comprising a base mount universal
receiver with
rotational coupling adapted to interchangeably mount and communicate through a
specialized
universal serial bus wiring harness with the mobile device having a system
integrated therein that
enables store level real-time inventory management and a fully functioning POS
capability for
selling merchandise in a retail sales environment and global inventory
management. The base
mount universal receiver with rotational coupling enables the mobile tablet
device to be viewed
in both portrait mode and landscape mode without operational delay of the
system.
The mobile scanner gun system used for transacting customer sales in a retail
store
through a mobile POS application further comprises a previously programmed
electrically
erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) controlling all actions of the
USB scanner
input device and the scan gun trigger for activating a barcode scan operation
of an item of interest
for a customer by an employee of a retail establishment. The barcode scan
operation is adapted
to cause the EEPROM of the main printed circuit board (Main PCB) to
communicate with the
mobile tablet device, launching the application software to ready the mobile
tablet device for
receiving a scanned barcode. The application communicates with the corporate
ERP system to
obtain detailed information for daily inventory management purposes including
such tasks as
physical inventory, cycle counting, inventory receiving, store to store
transfers, return to vendor
and product re-ticketing. In operation and function, the customer purchases a
product from any
retail store employee having a mobile scanner gun system receiving full
product details, price,
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electronic and physical coupons, promotions, and customer loyalty data and
rewards available,
and charges the purchase in a friendly, efficient, informative, and very
mobile atmosphere
without having the need to bring the product to a central checkout station and
waiting in queue
to check out.
The system, method, and devices used to practice the present invention provide
a mobile
scanner gun system with a mobile tablet device integration capability therein
adapted to be
carried by one or more employees in a retail environment. In turn, the mobile
tablet device
integration includes several free standing applications that are capable of
linking the user to a
central corporate ERP system and the POS store systems server, which provides
a system and
method that executes daily inventory management objectives and POS customer
checkout
transactions. Uniquely, the method and mobile tablet device provide the
ability to carry out
daily inventory management functions for such tasks as physical inventory,
cycle counting,
inventory receiving, store to store transfers, return to vendor, product re-
ticketing, and to
operatively identify a product by its barcode, establish price, taxes,
promotions, physical and
electronic coupons and customer loyalty data and rewards available and process
the sale of
merchandise to a customer, regardless of the location of the inventory within
the retail chain.
From within the POS transaction, if the inventory is unavailable in the store,
the sold inventory
can be transferred from the warehouse, another store or special ordered from
the vendor and
made available at any store for customer pickup or shipped to a customer
location. In the case
the inventory is unavailable, once the transaction is completed on the mobile
scanner gun system,
the item and quantity of the selected fulfillment location is allocated within
the central corporate
ERP system.
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The mobile scanner gun system has a mobile tablet device attached to a pistol
grip base
housing and connected thereto through a base mount universal receiver with
rotational coupling.
The upper receiver of the mobile scanner gun system has several USB payment
card input devices
including an MSR, an EMV reader both mounted on one edge of the mobile tablet
device, an
NFC reader mounted internally within the Upper Receiver casing. Further, a USB
barcode
scanner is incorporated within the pistol grip base, the scanner being
operable by pressing a
trigger provided in the mobile scanner gun.
The mobile tablet device is encased in a hardened case/shell designed to
protect the device
against drops and damage. The mobile tablet device includes software readable
from the
integrated system and method and includes several mobile applications selected
for operation
through the touch of an application icon. The mobile scanner gun system mobile
applications
have functionality to communicate wirelessly with a POS store systems server
that is present
within the store, a remote backup POS store systems server centrally located
and the corporate
ERP system through Wi-Fi and wireless cellular communication and secured using
standard Wi-
Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wi-Fi Protected Access 11 (WPA2) wireless
encryption methods.
The application has functionality to order an electrically erasable
programmable read only
memory (EEPROM) present within the Main PCB located in the mobile tablet
device upper
receiver to conduct various functions and this directive is sent through the
specialized universal
serial bus wiring harness. The systemic communication for the USB devices,
including the
barcode scanner, the MSR, the EMV reader. the PIN Entry Device (PED) located
within the Base
Housing Assembly of the fixed POS docking station and the Near Field
Communications (NFC)
reader located either within the Upper Receiver of the Tablet Gun or within
the Base Housing
Assembly of the fixed POS docking station, is carried out through a
specialized universal serial
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bus wiring harness integrated within the mobile tablet device, and occurs back
and forth between
the USB devices and the EEPROM. depending on the application function in
operation.
The EEPROM of the Main PCB carries a programmed instruction set and works in
conjunction with the mobile applications of the mobile tablet device. For
example, if the barcode
scan gun trigger of the device is pressed by the retail store employee
according to the interest of
a customer, this event is detected by the EEPROM of the Main PCB and is
communicated to the
mobile application within the mobile tablet device. The EEPROM interprets and
parses the
barcode read and formats it in a manner that is readily recognized by the
mobile application. The
mobile application communicates with the POS store systems server to obtain
the details of the
product scanned, its selling price, any physical and electronic coupons,
promotions, and customer
loyalty data and rewards available and the available inventory of the product
chain-wide,
including the warehouse. The mobile tablet device displays the entire data on
the screen and the
retail store employee may discuss these details to the customer allowing the
customer to make a
purchase decision. Optionally, the POS store systems server may suggest other
similar products
with enhanced functionality, reduced selling price and the like. Accordingly,
the customer may
view similar products and review product details to come to a purchase
decision. Optionally, if
the item is not available in the current store's inventory, the employee may
suggest the item be
shipped from the warehouse or another store within the chain.
When the customer reaches a purchase decision of a product displayed on the
mobile
tablet device screen, the employee of the store selects an application icon to
invoke the mobile
POS application. If shipping is required, the customer provides the customer
name, address,
contact telephone number, and email address if they are not already in the
customer loyalty
database. The customer provides a payment card to the retail store employee
who then selects
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on of the USB payment card input devices including swiping the payment card in
the MSR slot
or dipping the payment card into the EMV reader or tapping the payment card on
the NFC reader.
-Payment Card" as used herein includes the proliferation of bank cards having
magnetic track
data or "smart computer chips", including credit cards and debit cards,
retailer charge cards, gift
cards, etc. The MSR track data is encrypted using industry standard Triple DES
with DUKPT
by the MSR reader before the data is transferred to the mobile PUS
application. The EMV "smart
computer chip" uses a PCI certified communications process from the EMV reader
through to
the bank card processor. Once the payment card transaction is complete, the
employee allows
the customer to sign their name on the device or enter in their PIN on the PIN
Entry Device
(PED) to validate the sale and then the information received from the customer
is securely
transferred by wireless communication to the POS store systems server, which
processes the
payment card purchase by contacting the bank card processor via a PCI
certified network. Upon
receiving credit authorization of the purchase, the mobile tablet device of
the mobile scanner gun
system displays information that the purchase is complete and the employee
bags the purchased
merchandise and delivers it to the customer. The PUS store systems server
updates the corporate
ERP system, adjusting the inventory on-hand of the merchandise sold, thus the
update becomes
visible chain-wide. The PUS store systems server sends an email of the receipt
to the customer's
email address, which may be readily viewed in a smart phone carried by the
customer. If desired,
a hard copy of the receipt for the purchase is printed on a local printer
within the retail
establishment via the store's local network.
With this system, the customer does not have to bring the merchandise to a
central check
out location. The purchase operation is conducted at the point-of-sale by a
retail store employee
carrying a mobile scanner gun system and has up to date information concerning
product
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inventory of any item in their retail location or chain-wide, along with
current details, physical
and electronic coupons, promotions and customer loyalty data and rewards
available.
The following paragraph details the elements, which collectively enable
operation of the
system as detailed hereinabove. The mobile tablet device of the mobile scanner
gun system
preferably comprises a custom-developed, industry hardened mobile tablet
device utilizing a
specialized universal serial bus wiring harness to communicate with a
plurality of USB devices
such as MSRs and barcode scanners/readers, including an MSR, an EMV reader,
both with USB
access to a PIN Entry Device (PED) located within the Base Housing Assembly of
the fixed POS
docking station if required by payment card and a Near Field Communications
(NFC) reader.
Various operating systems, such as those associated with the trade name
Android (Google), iOS
(Apple), and Windows (Microsoft) are contemplated. The mobile tablet device
has custom
programmed mobile applications on the Android platform. The mobile tablet
device (upper
receiver) is rotatably connected to several base housing concepts, each with a
USB scanner input
device integrated into the base. The rotational coupling permits changing the
orientation of the
mobile tablet device in the portrait mode or in the landscape mode of the
mobile tablet device
display screen. The upper receiver has industry standard USB payment card
input devices
including an MSR and an EMV reader, both of which are integrated along the
short edge of the
mobile tablet device for easy access by the user regardless of which base
housing is selected for
use, and can access a PIN Entry Device (PED) via USB to complete payment card
transactions
that require the customer to enter their unique payment card PIN. Further, a
NFC reader input
device has been integrated within the casing of the Upper Receiver in such a
position that it
allows an NFC smartphone or chip embedded payment card to communicate with it
simply by
waving or tapping the smartphone or chip embedded payment card over or on the
upper receiver.
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A key feature of the invention is an electrically erasable programmable read
only memory
(EEPROM) that has a previously programmed instruction set present within the
Main PCB. The
EEPROM of the Main PCB is connected to the mobile tablet device and can
process the
command issued by the mobile application to instruct a variety of USB devices
including the
barcode scanner, the MSR, the EMV reader. the PIN Entry Device (PED) located
within the Base
Housing Assembly of the fixed PUS docking station and the NFC reader located
either within
the Upper Receiver of the Tablet Gun or within the Base Housing Assembly of
the fixed PUS
docking station to acquire required data. The EEPROM of the Main PCB organizes
the data in
proper format and delivers it to the mobile tablet device through the
specialized universal serial
bus wiring harness. Due to the use of the EEPROM, which can process barcode
and payment
card information, the attached mobile tablet device can perform secure
distributed sales within a
retail establishment. Each of the employees of the retail establishment knows
instantaneously
the inventory of any particular item chain-wide, the barcode of an item that
is scanned along with
its price as well as discounts, electronic and physical coupons, promotions,
and customer loyalty
data and rewards available. Thus a customer may look at several product items
and ask the
employee of the retail organization to know its price, details concerning the
item, and any
promotion that is available, including customer loyalty rewards. This provides
a pleasant,
informative interaction between the customer and the employee of the retail
organization,
establishing one-on-one, face-to-face relationship, which is appreciated by
the customer and
results in an improved sales environment.
In its preferred embodiment, the mobile scanner gun system of the present
invention
comprises:
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i) a
mobile tablet device having Wi-Fi cellular communicative capability with the
POS store systems server, attached to a pistol gun base housing through a base
mount universal
receiver with rotational coupling, forming a mobile scanner gun system carried
by an employee
in a retail store;
ii) the mobile
tablet device having application software capable of commanding an
electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) present on the
Main PCB to
acquire barcode scan or obtain payment card information from a swiped payment
card via the
MSR, a dipped payment card via the EMV reader, PIN data entered by the
customer via the PIN
Entry Device (PED) or tapped payment card via the NFC reader;
iii) the USB
barcode scanner input device having a gun trigger for activating a scan
operation by an employee of a retail establishment, at which point the EEPROM
of the Main
PCB communicates with the mobile tablet device, launching the application
software to get the
mobile tablet device ready for received barcode;
iv) the mobile POS application software communicating with the POS store
systems
server and corporate ERP system to obtain detailed information of the product
scanned, its
inventory, selling price, electronic and physical coupons, promotions, and
customer loyalty data
and rewards available;
v) the employee of the retail establishment communicating to a customer the
description, price, electronic and physical coupons, promotion data, and
customer loyalty data
and rewards of each item scanned;
vi) the customer deciding to purchase the item and the employee accessing a
POS
transaction routine of the mobile POS application software, entering customer
name, address and
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e-mail address if needed, and swiping customer data, and the EEPROM
communicating
formatted customer data securely to the POS store systems server;
vii) the POS store systems server contacting a bank card processor for
authorization
of the purchase and communicating to the mobile tablet device that the
customer has purchased
the scanned merchandise;
viii) the POS store systems server that communicates with the corporate ERP
system
to adjust the product inventory to become visible chain-wide, sending a
receipt to the e-mail
address of the customer and / or printing a hard copy of the transaction on a
store network printer;
ix) the mobile tablet device being operative, in the event that the
authorization is
denied, to inform the employee of this credit denial, so that the customer is
informed, and can
provide alternative payment;
whereby the customer purchases a product from any retail store employee having
a
mobile scanner gun system receiving full product details, price, electronic or
physical coupons,
promotions and customer loyalty data and rewards and tenders the transaction
in a friendly
atmosphere without having any need to bring the product to a central checkout
station and waiting
in queue to check out.
Having thus described the invention in rather full detail, it will be
understood that such
detail need not be strictly adhered to, but that additional changes and
modifications may suggest
themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the
invention as defined by the
subjoined claims.
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