JPS60245338A - Data processing system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] A terminal for PO5 has a reference table for obtaining price information from a product code and means for referencing the table based on a given product code. The present invention thus relates to a data processing system in which a plurality of data processing apparatuses each having a reference table and reference means for referencing this reference table using a given key are connected.

[Background of the invention]

In a POS terminal system where there are many different types of products in a store, the number of items to be referenced increases, so the size of the reference table becomes large, so it is necessary to have such a table built into each terminal. That would be nearly impossible from a cost standpoint. There is also a method of having a reference table collectively in a specific terminal, but this has the drawback of increasing the reference time.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a data processing system in which a plurality of data processing apparatuses each having a reference table and a reference means are connected, in which multiple items can be referenced even if the reference table is small. shall be.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention has a reference table and reference means.

In a data processing system that includes multiple data processing devices, each of the data processing devices is connected to a common loop transmission path, and information corresponding to the key given to each data processing device exists in a reference table. a means for transmitting reference command information to a loop transmission line for instructing another data processing apparatus to refer to a reference table therein when the data processing apparatus fails to refer to a reference table therein; and means for operating the visiting means based on the information.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a POS terminal system will be described below.

FIG. 2 is a connection diagram of the POS terminal system. In the figure, 101 to 104 are terminals for pO5, and these are each connected to a loop-shaped transmission line 105. Data is transmitted and received between each terminal via this transmission line 105. The advantage of such a loop-like connection is that mutual communication between terminals can be realized. In Figure 2, terminal 1
When transmitting data from terminal 01 to terminal 104, the data transmitted from terminal 101 is as follows.

Proceeding along the transmission path 105 in only one direction, the terminal 102,
It passes through terminal 103 in sequence and reaches terminal 104. Methods for a specific terminal to acquire the right to use this transmission line +05 at a specific time include a method of allocating a certain amount of time to each terminal in sequence, and a method of constantly passing an empty data frame on a loop. There are known methods for a terminal to declare its use, but in the present invention.

The means for implementing these methods will not be described in detail.

The key point is to connect the terminals in a loop as shown in FIG. 1 to enable mutual communication.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the main parts of each terminal. The product code defined for each product is divided into a department code indicating the major classification of the product and an individual code for distinguishing the product within the major classification. Major classifications are 1. For example, refined foods,
This indicates confectionery, daily necessities, etc. In each terminal, price information of products handled at the sales floor where the terminal is installed is registered in a reference table. This reference table is composed of a department code register 201 in which a department code indicating a major classification of products handled at the sales floor is set, and a price storage device 202 in which price information for each product handled at the sales floor is set.

This price information storage device 202 may be of a type in which price information of a product having an individual code indicated by that address is stored in each address, and the price information is read out using the given individual code as an access address. 1. A format in which an individual code and the price information of the product corresponding to the code are stored as a pair in each address, a pair with an individual code equal to the given individual code is searched, and the price information is read from there. (Associative memory format) may also be used. Reference numeral 205 denotes a product code input unit into which the product code of the product to be sold is input, and this generally consists of a mechanism that reads the product code by optically scanning the product code printed on the product. 204 is a product code input section 205
This is a product code register in which the product code inputted from is set, and the department code and individual code of the product code are set in the upper part 205 and lower part 206, respectively.

When the product code is set in the product code register 204, a reference operation is started to read price information corresponding to the product code from the reference table. Note that the entire operation is performed under the control of the control section 207. The department code set in the product code register 204 is compared with the contents of the 1 department code register 201 in a comparison circuit 208.

If they match, the control unit 207 causes the readout control unit 209 to read the corresponding price information from the price information storage device 202 based on the individual code of the product code register 2040, and displays it on the display/print unit 210 and Arithmetic unit 211
Output to. The display/print unit 210 displays the received price information on a display screen and prints it on paper. Further, the calculation unit 211 performs operations such as multiplying the received price information by the separately input sales quantity and adding the result to the cumulative amount up to that point. The control unit 207
Display and print the calculation results of the calculation unit 2 as necessary.
10, where it is displayed and printed.

As mentioned above, each terminal has pre-registered price information for products handled at the sales floor where the terminal is installed. Therefore, the comparison in comparison circuit 208 usually results in a match. However, depending on the situation of the sales floor and the installation situation of the terminals, even products of different major categories may have to be processed in the same terminal, and in this case, the comparison in the comparison circuit 208 will result in a mismatch. For example, this happens when daily necessities have to be processed at a terminal installed in a refined foods department.

When the control unit 207 receives the mismatch signal from the comparison circuit 208, it creates data for causing another terminal to perform a similar reference operation, and sends it to the transmission line 216 via the transmission circuit 212. The transmitted data at this time is as shown in FIG. 5 (α).

The address of the terminal that sends this data, the command code for commanding the reference operation, and the product code register 20
Contains the product code extracted from 4.

In each terminal, when the data shown in FIG. 6 ((Z) including a command code for commanding a reference operation is input to the control unit 207 via the receiving circuit 214, the control unit 207 detects the product in the received data. The code is set in the product code register 204, and the same reference operation as described above is performed.If a mismatch signal is output from the comparison circuit 208, the control unit 207
The received data is sent directly to the transmission line 2 via the transmission circuit 212.
Send on 15th. In this case, a similar reference operation will be performed at the next terminal.

When a match signal is output from the comparison circuit 20B, the control unit 20
7 causes the read control unit 209 to read price information corresponding to the product code in the received data from the price information storage device 202. It includes the address received from the previous terminal, a response code indicating that price information is to be sent, the product code received from the previous terminal, and the price information read from the price information storage device 202. Figure 5(b)
The data shown in is sent to the transmission path 2 via the transmission circuit 212.
Send on 15th.

When the data shown in FIG. 6A including a response code indicating that one price information is to be transmitted at each terminal is input to the control unit 207 via the receiving circuit 214.

The control unit 207 checks whether the address in the received data matches its own address.

Here, if there is a mismatch, the received data is sent as is to the transmission path 215 via the transmission circuit 212. If the addresses match, ie.

In the case of the terminal that generated the data shown in FIG. is as explained earlier.

According to the POS terminal system as described above, each terminal can use the price storage devices provided in all other terminals as if it were its own price storage device. Therefore, each terminal only needs to register in its price storage device only the products that are most suitable for the sales floor where it is installed, and the capacity of the price storage device can be reduced.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the department code register 20
1 is provided, but this is advantageous in that it can quickly detect that it is not registered in the reference table, and can quickly send the reference command information to the next terminal. When 202 takes the form of an associative memory.

Since you only need to set the individual code instead of the product code, you can save on the number of bits.

In addition, only one price information is read out from the one price storage device 202, but in addition to this, information such as the number of items in stock, the cumulative number of items sold, and the cumulative amount of sales is also stored for each individual code. These pieces of information may also be read out at the same time as the other information. In this case, the terminal transmitting the data in Figure 5(a) also sends the information indicating the number of sales that was input separately, and the control unit in the terminal transmitting the data in Figure 5(b) At step 207, the calculation unit 211 updates the number of items in stock, the total number of items sold, the total amount of sales, etc., and then the updated information is stored in the price storage device 2.
Write to 02.

Further, in FIG. 2, only a terminal is connected to the loop-shaped transmission line 105, but in addition to the terminal, a control unit that controls the operation of the entire system may be connected. This control unit may have a function of collecting data from each terminal and totaling the data processed at each terminal.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, in a data processing system in which a plurality of data processing apparatuses each having a reference table and a reference means are connected, the size of the reference table can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the main parts of each terminal in the POS terminal system, FIG. 2 is a connection diagram of the POS terminal system, and FIGS. 5(a) and (b) are diagrams showing the format of transmission data. Description of code 201: Department code register. 202...Price storage device. 205...Product code input section. 204...Product code register. 207...Control unit. 208... Comparison circuit. 209...Reading control unit. 210...display/printing section. 211... Arithmetic unit. 212... Transmission circuit. 215... Transmission path, 214... Receiving circuit. Part 1 Figure 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a data processing system including a plurality of data processing apparatuses each having a reference table and reference means for referencing the table according to a given key, each of the data processing apparatuses is connected to a common loop-shaped transmission path, Further, each of the data processing devices instructs other data processing devices to refer to the reference table among the other data processing devices when information corresponding to the key does not exist in the reference table; The data transmission method includes a transmitting means for transmitting reference command information including reference command information to the transmission path, and a means for operating the reference means based on a key therein when the reference command information is received from the transmission path. 2
In the data processing system according to claim 1, when the key is released in the data processing device of the transmitting means, the data processing system includes the data processing information in the reference command information. A data processing system comprising device identification information.