Abstract: An intelligent data acquisition interface for deriving and decoding data from the interface between a printer driver and a printing mechanism in an electronic cash register is shown. The apparatus is responsive to a wide variety of predetermined character position timing pulses available for various types of electronic cash registers (ECRs) to decode the characters as appropriate control signals are provided to the printing mechanism. As the apparatus collects and decodes data, it is loaded into a buffer within a microprocessor. When the device detects the provision of a complete print row of material for the receipt on the ECR, the contents of the buffer is transmitted serially, preferably in ASCII coded format, to a utilization system over a standard 9600 baud serial data link. The device is controlled by a microprocessor 65 having a program memory, and ECR specific look-up tables stored in an interchangeable PROM.

Abstract: An improved surveillance system for recording and monitoring video information from a plurality of cameras (20) and data from a plurality of electronic cash registers (21). An intelligent controller (28) controls operation of the entire system. Data concerning all cash register transactions are stored in a memory (78) and video signals are displayed on a monitor (27) and/or recorded on a VCR (26). A keyboard (30) is provided so that the user can generate reports, and selectively vary parameters which will trigger alarm events. A novel entrance door mat (22) is provided having a pair of switch arrays (46, 47) separated by a dead zone (48) is provided and the state of the switches is periodically read by the CPU. Control logic (FIGS. 9, 10) executed by the CPU detects closures of the switches in the mat to determine when customers are passing into and out of the store, as well as maintaining a count of the net number of customers at the store at any given time.