System and method for remote management of sale transaction data

Abstract

This invention discloses a novel system and method for providing retail point of sale terminals that are connected securely over the Internet to a back-office service that manages the retailer's data as a service using a system that supports more than one retailer, each of which will have one or more point of sale terminals.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A method of managing retail transaction data comprising:
 receiving at a server from a first computer operating an instance of register software a user login identifier and a register login identifier;   verifying the register login identifier by querying a database using the register identifier to verify its validity and to determine a vendor account data value associated with the register instance;   verifying the user login identifier by querying a database using the user login identifier to confirm that the user login identifier is validly associated with a vendor account data value; and   transmitting at least one security key value to the first computer.   Receiving from the first computer data representing at least one transaction, said data comprised of the transmitted security key;   verifying the received security key;   extracting data representing an inventory change value; and   updating a database record comprised of an inventory value stored on the server that is associated with the vendor account to modify the inventory value by the amount of the inventory change value.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 in response to the verification of the register login identifier and the user login identifier, retrieving from a data record associated with the vendor account a credit card transaction processing password associated with the instance of register software from a database; 
 transmitting the credit card transaction processing password to the first computer. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising:
 receiving data representing at least one transaction; 
 transmitting the at least one transaction data to a credit card transaction processing service; and 
 transmitting to the first computer data representing confirmation of the credit card transaction. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 transmitting to the first computer register instance an install data package that is used by the first computer to install the register instance software on the first computer; 
 upon installation of the register software instance on the register terminal, receiving a data value representing a check whether the register instance has been tampered with; 
 and querying a database to confirm that the received data value is validly associated with the installed register instance. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising modifying the data installed by the register software instance installation so that the register instance is only operable on the specific first computer. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  where the modifying step is comprised of:
 detecting hardware information from the first computer; 
 using the detected hardware information to be make modifications of the program code comprising the register instance; and 
 receiving from the first computer a security value derived from the detected hardware information. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 verifying that the register instance is secure by receiving from the first computer operating the installed register instance a manager name, a password, a sub-domain identifier and a number uniquely associated with the register instance; 
 querying a database to determine if the received manager name and password are authorized in accordance with a data record associated with the sub-domain; and 
 querying a database to verify that the received unique number is associated with the register instance. 
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 receiving a transaction ticket comprised of data representing a register identifier, a user identifier, an item number and a price. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8  where the receiving step is in response to a network connection between the first computer and the server being re-activated from a disconnected state. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 performing a data consistency check to be sure that the latest pricing and inventory data has been stored in the register software instance and that the latest transaction data stored locally by the register software instance has been received by the server and stored in the corresponding sub-domain of the server database. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 performing a data consistency check to be sure that the latest transaction data has been updated in the register software instance and that the latest transaction data stored locally by the register software instance has been received by the server and stored in the corresponding sub-domain of the server database. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 determining whether the register software instance has been activated during a pre-determined black out period; and 
 in response to such determination, deactivating that register software instance so that it cannot access the server. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 in response to a vendor adding an item to inventory as represented in the sub-domain of the database associated with the vendor, transmitting an electronic message to at least one recipient that such inventory has been added. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 detecting on at least one website on the Internet one or more text items associated with text strings derived from the vendor's inventory database; and 
 in response to detecting a sufficient match, delivering an electronic message to a predetermined recipient that includes a link to the web site location where the text was detected. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 receiving a request to locate a vendor within a geographic area with an item of inventory, the area and item being specified in the request; 
 determining using at least one of the sub-domains in the database at least one vendor identifier whose address data and inventory data stored in the database meet the requirements of the test; 
 transmitting a response to the request that includes the identity of the determined at least one vendor. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 upon the first log-in by the register software instance, the server receives from the software instance a vendor user and password and upon verification of the vendor user and password, the register software instance receives from the server a first security code associated with the vendor's sub-domain operating on the server; 
 receiving transaction data comprised of the first security code; 
 using the first security code value to determine the subdomain associated with the vendor; and 
 modifying a data record stored in the determined subdomain with transaction data received from the register instance by verifying using a database query that the received transaction data is comprised of a second security code uniquely associated to the first security code. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising upon the first log-in by the register software instance, a secure browser session is opened on the first computer to the server at the same time as the register software instance is attempting to be activated and the server verifies that the IP address of the browser session matches an IP address associated with the register software instance that is stored in a database record associated with the vendor's sub-domain. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising:
 verifying that the vendor manager's user name, password and sub-domain received from the register software instance match with the same entries in the sub-domain database associated with the vendor account, and upon such verification, transmitting a register login identifier for the register software instance to the first computer. 
 
     
     
         19 . A system for operating point of sale devices by multiple vendors using a shared business management back-office server comprising:
 a plurality of first computers operating a corresponding plurality of register instance means, each said register instance means associated with a vendor account, said plurality of register instances operatively connected by a data network to a server, said server operating a back-office business management software means, said server further comprised of a database, said database organized into a plurality of sub-domains, each said sub-domain corresponding to each vendor account, where the system is further comprised of logic configured to: receive from each register instance data representing a transaction, said transaction data comprised of a security value and an inventory value; verify the security value and using the security value to associate the transaction data with a vendor account; and update a data record in the sub-domain associated with the associated vendor account using the received inventory value.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19  where the system is further configured to transmit to each registry instance inventory data retrieved from the database sub-domain associated with the vendor account that the register instance is associated with and where each first computer is comprised of a database that stores the transmitted inventory data. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19  where each first computer is comprised of a database that stores transaction data and the system is further configured to operate the step of executing a transaction data reconciliation between at least one register instance and the data stored in the sub-domain of the database associated with the register instance. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21  where the system is configured to initiate the step of executing a transaction data reconciliation upon the register instance software being started. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21  where the system is configured to initiate the step of executing a transaction data reconciliation upon a user logging into the register instance and the user's identity being validated. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21  where the system is configured to initiate the step of executing a transaction data reconciliation upon the system detecting that a data connection between the register instance and the server has been restored from a disconnected state.