Abstract: A presence of a consumer transacting at a transaction terminal is detected. Content for the transaction terminal is played as media on the transaction terminal. When an identity of the consumer is resolved, the content is switched to new content that is targeted/customized to the consumer and is played as new media on the transaction terminal. When a transaction concludes, the media play is stopped. Statistics for the transaction and media play are retained for tracking and reporting.

Abstract: A portable Point-Of-Sale (POS) device includes: at least one touchscreen interface, a dual magnetic card and chip card slot situated on one side of the POS device, at least one wireless transceiver for network connectivity to and from the POS device, and a processor configured to process POS transactions on the POS device using the at least one touchscreen interface, the dual magnetic card and chip slot, and the at least one wireless transceiver.

Abstract: A virtualized transaction terminal platform is provided. A transaction terminal is configured as a thin-client terminal. A virtualized transaction terminal (Virtual Machine (VM)) is instantiated remotely on a cloud or a server over a network connection. Peripherals connected to the thin-client terminal are mapped to virtual peripheral device drivers on the cloud or the server. Physical peripherals connected to the thin-client terminal are mapped inside the VM to the corresponding virtual peripheral device drivers. As transactions are initiated and physical peripherals are operated at the thin-client terminal, the transactions are processed by the VM and inputs/outputs from the physical peripherals are forwarded for processing by the corresponding virtual peripheral device drivers. A remote desktop (RD) agent on the thin-client terminal keeps states of the VM and virtual peripheral device drivers in synchronization with a peripheral display of the thin-client terminal.

Abstract: Various embodiments herein each include at least one of systems, methods, and software for dynamic mobile wallet items. One embodiment in the form of a method includes receiving, via a network, a dynamic mobile document request associated with a registered user and including a token associated with data to be included in the dynamic mobile document. The method may then retrieve data for the dynamic mobile document from a database based at least in part on the token and an identifier of the registered user and then continue by transmitting, via the network, the retrieved dynamic mobile document data and data indicating how the dynamic mobile document is to be provided to the registered user to a dynamic mobile document generation service, the dynamic mobile document generation service to generate and provide the dynamic mobile document to the registered user.

Abstract: A system and method is described for detecting a foreign object such as a skimmer placed adjacent to a bezel for a magnetic card reader device, as used in automatic teller machines and gas pumps. At least two sensors are mounted adjacent to the bezel. Each sensor provides a signal that varies when a skimmer is mounted adjacent to the bezel. A controller receive measurement signals from the sensors, and generates an alarm signal when the measurement signals differ from associated predetermined baseline signals by at least associated predetermined thresholds. The alarm signal indicates that a foreign object has been detected adjacent the bezel. The sensors may be capacitive, time of flight, spectral, radar, and/or inductive. The capacitive sensors may include three or more plates, forming multiple capacitive pairs, each capacitive pair effectively forming a separate sensor.

Abstract: Techniques for restaurant transaction processing are provided. A handheld device of a waiter is used to automatically associate a check with a table at a restaurant and to recall and modify that check. In an embodiment, two waiters use one or more handheld devices to automatically transfer a customer's check to one another.

Abstract: Disclosed is a media rotation mechanism. The media rotation mechanism may include a housing, a media receiver, and a rotation motor. The housing may define a first opening and a second opening. The media receiver may define a media receiver opening. The rotation motor may be configured to rotate the media receiver between a first position and a second position. The first position may correspond to the media receiver opening facing the first opening. The second position may correspond to the media receiver opening facing the second opening.

Abstract: Processor utilization for a combined transaction terminal and scanner device is controlled during item code image capture, item code reading, and/or read item code communications. Item image capture rates, item image frame reads, and read item code communications are controlled to override preconfigured processing and to reduce processor utilization on the device. This frees up processor capacity for performing other operations during transactions on the device.

Abstract: One method embodiment includes receiving a transaction dataset including data representative of transactions including data representative of at least one product purchased within the respective transactions. This method then processes the dataset according to a contextualizing algorithm to generate a data representation for at least some products included in transactions of the transaction dataset. Each generated data representation represents a context of a product with regard to each of the other products of the data representation. This method further includes processing the generated data representations according to a clustering algorithm to partition products represented by the generated data representations into a number of product clusters. A data representation of the product clusters may then be stored including data identifying products and the product clusters to which they are partitioned.

Abstract: Various embodiments herein each include at least one of systems, methods, devices, barcode scanners, and software for variable depth of field scanning and lighting devices and methods. One such embodiment includes adjusting variable lenses on each of a plurality of barcode scanner scan-field lighting elements to a first depth of field and capturing a number of first images with a camera of a barcode scanner at the first depth of field. The method of this embodiment then outputs at least one of the number of the first images to a barcode reading process. This example method may then continue by adjusting the variable lenses of each of the plurality of barcode scanner scan-field lighting elements to a second depth of field, capturing a number of second images with the camera of the barcode scanner at the second depth of field, and then outputting at least one of the number of the second images to the barcode reading process.

Abstract: Hardware controls associated with features of a scanner are removed, and a combined scanner and transaction terminal is provided without the hardware controls. Operations associated with the removed hardware controls are graphically depicted as selectable window options within scanner-generated windows. The scanner generated windows are provided as a projected human interface for the missing hardware controls. The projected human interface is provided with and accessible from a display that includes transaction windows produced by transaction software of the transaction terminal, such that the selectable window options are always accessible from the display during transaction processing performed by the transaction software.

Abstract: Data is collected for Self-Service Terminals (SSTs) including tallies, events, and outcomes associated with servicing the SSTs. Statistical correlations are derived from the tallies and events with respect to the outcomes. Subsequent collected data is processed with the statistical correlations and a probability for a failure of a component or a part of the component associated with a particular SST is reported for servicing the component or part before the failure.

Abstract: A speaker integrated into a scanner is provided. The scanner comprises speaker firmware that presents the scanner as two separate logical devices to an Operating System (OS) of a connected host device. The integrated speaker of the scanner can be configured from the OS of the host device to be a primary or secondary speaker of the host device. The host device ports audio generated data on the host device over a wired or wireless connection to the speaker firmware, and the speaker firmware plays the host-generated audio data over or through the integrated speaker of the scanner.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems and methods for re-configuring a recycling unit of a self-service terminal that includes a plurality of cassettes. The systems and methods can include receiving an indication that a first cassette of the plurality of cassettes has reached a storage capacity. A second cassette can be selected from the plurality of cassettes after the first cassette has reached the storage capacity. The second cassette can initially be one of a plurality of recycling cassettes. A parameter associated with the second cassette can be changed to indicate the second cassette is no longer a recycling cassette.

Abstract: Embodiments herein include novel ways of alerting store personnel when various activities, events, conditions, etc., occur at the checkout in retail establishments. For example, in accordance with one embodiment, the alerting can take place in substantially real-time, when the event occurs, allowing personnel to take appropriate measures, corrective or otherwise, to deal with the detected event. Examples of such events may include situations such as when a person of interest is detected as shopping at the store, when a cashier has missed scanning an item at the checkout, or to alert store personnel if a non-empty shopping cart has exited the store without payment (a.k.a., a cart push-out). Although the discussion below uses a grocery store as an example retail environment, embodiments herein can be used in any type of retail environment.

Abstract: Images of an unknown item picked from a store are tracked, the unknown item is identified during checkout and associated with a specific item having a specific item description. The images and the specific item description are obtained by a machine-learning item detector and processed during a machine-learning training session to subsequently identify the item when subsequent item images are taken for the item for subsequent transactions at the store.

Abstract: Various systems, methods, and apparatuses are described for locating a patron and delivering an order. One example method may comprise detecting a mobile device of a customer at an establishment. The example method may further comprise determining a location of the mobile device of the customer within the establishment. The example method may further comprise linking the determined location to an order placed by the customer. The example method may further comprise enabling delivery of the order to the customer at the determined location. Similar and related methods, apparatuses, systems, and computer program products are also provided.

Abstract: Video frames of a document are captured. The edges of the document are identified from the frames as they appear within a field of view of a camera and a document rectangle for the document is tracked within the field of view. An area of the document determined from the frames is compared against the available area of the camera preview mode and a larger superimposed guiding rectangle is displayed as a guide within the camera preview mode. When a frame for the document is detected as having document edges that substantially fit within the guiding rectangle, the guiding rectangle is removed and an optimal image of the document is captured for subsequent downstream document image processing.

Abstract: A Point-Of-Sale (POS) terminal is equipped to process crypto currencies for transactions. The POS terminal generates a transaction-based digital wallet for a given transaction to receive a crypto currency payment for that given transaction. The transaction-based digital wallet, funded with the crypto currency for the given transaction, is transferred to a retailer's server where the crypto currency is transferred from the transaction-based digital wallet to a retailer's digital wallet for eventual exchange to a government issued currency.

Abstract: A system, method and software using a common language-independent interface to interact with multiple hosts are generally described. POS terminals and ICRs interact with a PMI acting as a payments API server. The PMI contains rest-based APIs that are able to respond to HTTP requests for transactional and testing purposes. The PMI communicates with EPS in an EPC interact with an epsilon interface to process transactions and interact with payment hosts, a sigma interface to process loyalty transactions and interact with loyalty hosts and a POSCache interface to interact with pinpads.