Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and system for controlling a system display from the processor controlling a fiscal printer. The system display is controlled by generating an overlay image in a storage device along with overlay image selector data. The overlay image selector data is used to control modifying circuits that can substitute or otherwise modify, with overlay image data, all or a portion of the system display image generated by application software. Since the fiscal printer hardware and firmware is not a part of the particular application software running on a point of sale device the control function of the fiscal printer need not require modification of application software or hardware.

Abstract: A point of sale device having a verifiable electronic journal system which maintains an electronic journal file in lieu of using a journal print station. Transaction information is first stored in a non-volatile random access memory. A data signature is determined based on the contents of the random access memory for a journal. Both the transaction information and the data signature are transferred to the separate journal memory. The journal memory may, for example, reside on the point of sale terminal and tampering with the journal transaction information may be detected by reference to the data signature which is also transferred and maintained in the electronic journal file. Preferably, the data signature is encrypted such as by a shared key encryption scheme and the associated public key is also transferred and stored in the electronic journal file from the device, such as a fiscal base, which is tracking the transaction information as it is created.