Point of sale data collection

Abstract

A point of sale (POS) data collection system includes a POS data collector that is implemented as a hardware device and/or in software. The collector may be installed at the point of sale in retail stores, for example, between a barcode scanner and the POS application running on a POS terminal (for example, the cash register). When a product is scanned at the point of sale, the collector may intercept the barcode as it transmitted from the barcode scanner to the POS application. After intercepting the barcode, the collector may transmit the barcode to the POS application without noticeable delay, so that the collector does not interrupt standard business processes. In addition, the collector may send the barcode to a remote server via a network connection. In this manner, the remote server may collect POS data that covers a significant number of products, retailers, and locations.

1 . A point of sale (POS) data collection system, comprising:
 a storage resource;   at least one input/output (I/O) module;   a network module;   a processor communicatively coupled to the storage resource, the at least one I/O module, and the network module, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage resource and that cause the POS data collection system to:
 receive, via the at least one I/O module and from a POS scanner, an identifier corresponding to a product scanned via the POS scanner; 
 transmit, via the at least one I/O module, the identifier to a POS terminal; 
 establish, via the network module, a connection with a computing device that is remote from a location of the POS scanner; and 
 transmit, via the network module, the identifier to the remote computing device. 
   
     
     
         2 . The POS data collection system of  claim 1 , wherein the POS data collection systems is implemented as a hardware device for disposition between the POS scanner and the POS terminal. 
     
     
         3 . The POS data collection system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one component of the POS data collection system is implemented as a software component of either the POS scanner or the POS terminal. 
     
     
         4 . The POS data collection system of  claim 1 , further comprising an error indicator, wherein the processor activates the error indicator if the connection to the remote system cannot be established or if transmission of the identifier to the remote system is unsuccessful. 
     
     
         5 . The POS data collection system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor further executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage resource that cause the POS data collection system to timestamp the first identifier to indicate when the first identifier was scanned by the POS scanner,
 wherein the transmitted data further comprises the first time stamp.   
     
     
         6 . The POS data collection system of  claim 1 , wherein the first identifier is transmitted to the POS terminal without noticeable delay compared to a transmission of the first identifier from the POS scanner directly to the POS terminal. 
     
     
         7 . The POS data collection system of  claim 1 , wherein the POS terminal comprises a cash register. 
     
     
         8 . The POS data collection system of  claim 1 , wherein the transmitted data further comprises at least one of a merchant identifier, a store identifier, a scanned product count, a current time stamp, a product scan time stamp, a device identifier, a security key, a software version number, and a GPS location. 
     
     
         9 . The POS data collection system of  claim 1 , further comprising storing the identifier in the storage resource,
 wherein the data is transmitted to the remote computing device either periodically or after a predetermined number of identifiers are received.   
     
     
         10 . A computer-implemented method for gathering point of sale (POS) data, comprising:
 receiving, by a computer, a first identifier associated with a first product, the first identifier being received from a POS scanner;   transmitting, by the computer, the first identifier to a POS application;   establishing, by the computer, a connection with a computing device that is remote from a location of the POS scanner; and   transmitting, by the computer, data comprising the first identifier to the remote computing device.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the transmitted data further comprises a first time stamp indicating when the first identifier was scanned by the POS scanner. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the step of transmitting the first identifier to the POS application is performed after receiving the first identifier and without noticeable delay compared to a transmission of the first identifier from the POS scanner directly to the POS application. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the POS application comprises a POS terminal. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the POS application comprises a cash register. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the step of transmitting the data to the remote computing device is performed without significant delay after receiving, by the computer, the first identifier. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the step of transmitting the data to the remote computing device is performed periodically. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising periodically transmitting, by the computer, an alive indicator to the remote computing device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the transmitted data further comprises at least one of a merchant identifier, a store identifier, a scanned product count, a current time stamp, a product scan time stamp, a device identifier, a security key, a software version number, and a device GPS coordinate. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 storing the first identifier in a storage resource; and   receiving, from the POS scanner, at least one additional identifier associated with at least one additional product,   wherein the data transmitted in the step of transmitting data further comprises the at least one additional identifier.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the transmitted data further comprises:
 a first time stamp indicating when the first identifier was scanned by the POS scanner; and   at least one additional time stamp indicating when the at least one additional identifier was scanned by the POS scanner.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the step of transmitting the at least one additional identifier to the POS application is performed after receiving each additional identifier and without noticeable delay compared to a transmission of each additional identifier from the POS scanner directly to the POS application. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising storing the at least one additional identifier in the storage resource,
 wherein the step of transmitting the data to the remote computing device is performed by at least one of periodically or after a predetermined number of additional identifiers are obtained.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the computer is implemented as a hardware device for disposition between the POS scanner and the POS application. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the computer is implemented as a software component of either the POS scanner or the POS application. 
     
     
         25 . A point of sale (POS) data collection system, comprising:
 a non-volatile memory;   a storage resource;   a communication module communicatively coupled between a POS scanner and a POS terminal;   a network module;   a clock module comprising an internal clock; and   a processor communicatively coupled to the non-volatile memory, the storage resource, the communication module, the network module, and the clock module, wherein the processor executes instructions that are stored in at least one of the storage resource and the non-volatile memory and that cause the POS data collection system to:
 receive a product identifier from the POS scanner; 
 transmit the product identifier to the POS terminal after receiving the product identifier and without noticeable delay compared to a direct communication from the POS scanner to the POS terminal; 
 timestamp, based on the internal clock, the product identifier to indicate when the product identifier was scanned by the POS scanner; 
 read, from the non-volatile memory, a merchant identifier, a store identifier, a device identifier, and a security key; 
 obtain a current time from the clock module; 
 provide a data record comprising at least the current time, the time-stamped product identifier, the merchant identifier, the store identifier, the device identifier, and the security key; 
 establish, via the network module, a connection with a computing device that is remote from a location of the POS scanner; and 
 transmit the data record to the remote computing device via the established connection. 
   
     
     
         26 . The POS data collection system of  claim 25 , further comprising an error indicator,
 wherein the processor activates the error indicator if the connection to the remote system cannot be established or if transmission of the data record to the remote system is unsuccessful.   
     
     
         27 . The POS data collection system of  claim 25 , further comprising a GPS module communicatively coupled to the processor and that determines a location of the POS data collection system,
 wherein the data record further comprises the location.   
     
     
         28 . A computer-implemented method for gathering point of sale (POS) data, comprising:
 receiving, by a computer that is remote from a location of a POS system, product data comprising a product identifier associated with a product,   wherein the POS system comprises a POS scanner, a POS data collection device, and a POS terminal,   wherein the product identifier has been obtained by the POS scanner during a scanning operation of the POS system, the scanning operation of the POS system comprising the POS scanner obtaining the product identifier and transmitting the product identifier to the POS data collection device and the POS data collection device reading the product identifier and transmitting the product identifier to the POS terminal,   wherein the remote computer receives the product data from the POS data collection device.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the POS data collection device is implemented in the POS system as a hardware device communicatively coupled between the POS scanner and the POS terminal. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the POS data collection device is implemented in the POS system as at least one software component of either the POS scanner or the POS terminal. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the received product data further comprises at least one of a merchant identifier corresponding to the POS system, a store identifier corresponding to the POS system, a scanned product count identifying a number of products scanned by the POS system, a current time stamp identifying a time at which the POS data collection device communicated the product data to the remote computer, a product scan time stamp identifying a time at which the POS scanner obtained the product identifier, a device identifier of the POS data collection device, a security key, a software version number, and a GPS location for the POS system. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the received product data comprises a plurality of product identifiers for a plurality of products, each of the product identifiers having been obtained by the POS scanner during at least one scanning operation of the POS system. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the remote computer receives the product data without significant delay after the POS data collection device reads the product identifier. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the remote computer periodically receives the product data from the POS data collection device. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the remote computer periodically receives the product data from the POS data collection device based on a time interval. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the remote computer periodically receives the product data from the POS data collection device based on a number of product identifiers obtained by the POS system. 
     
     
         37 . A computer program product, comprising:
 a computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for collecting point of sale (POS) data, the computer-readable medium comprising:   computer-readable program code for receiving a first identifier associated with a first product, the first identifier being received from a POS scanner;   computer-readable program code for transmitting the first identifier to a POS application;   computer-readable program code for establishing a connection with a computing device that is remote from a location of the POS scanner; and   computer-readable program code for transmitting data comprising the first identifier to the remote computing device.   
     
     
         38 . A computer-implemented method for configuring a point of sale (POS) data collection system, comprising:
 obtaining, from a POS scanner, an identifier comprising a unique initialization code;   switching the POS data collection system to an initialization mode in response to recognizing the unique initialization code;   establishing a connection with a computing device that is remote from a location of the POS scanner;   transmitting data comprising at least a portion of the identifier to the remote computing device;   receiving response data from the remote computing device, the response data comprising a merchant identifier associated with the POS scanner, a store identifier associated with the POS data, and a security key;   storing the response data in a storage resource of the POS data collection system; and   switching the POS data collection system to a normal mode of operation.