Point-of-sale system and apparatus

A system for entering and pricing customer orders at point-of-sale stations, processing and recording said orders in a computer and returning processed order information to said stations for display, means for reprogramming the computer for price changes, said means comprising:

• a. a keyboard terminal at each point-of-sale station, each of said keyboard terminals having,
• 1. a plurality of manually operable sales item keys for designating various sales items as ordered,
• 2. a plurality of manually operable numeral keys,
• 3. a display device for displaying at least one-digit numerals,
• 4. means for generating identifying electrical signals specific to individual keys whenever one of said keys is actuated,
• b. a computer interconnecting said manually operable sales item and numeral keys and said display device and having logic means responsive to said key identifying signals for automatically computing the total price of the sales items ordered as indicated by the operation of said keys, and
• c. control means for said computer including a manually operable price change key on the terminal, said control means being responsive to the operation of said price change key to place the logic means of said computer into a reprogramable condition, whereby price changes for each sales item are entered into the computer logic means by operating said manually operable price change key, and then sequentially actuating the numeral keys and a sales item key to set the new price for said sales item, said new price being displayed in said display device.

In a system for entering, pricing and computing the tax on customer orders at point-of-sale stations, processing and recording said orders in a computer and returning processed order information to said stations for display, means for reprogramming the tax computation function of the computer, said means comprising:

• a. a keyboard terminal at each point-of-sale station, each of said keyboard terminals having,
• 1. a plurality of manually operable sales item keys for designating various sales items as ordered,
• 2. a plurality of manually operable numeral keys,
• 3. a display device for displaying dollars and cents,
• 4. means for generating identifying electrical signals specific to individual numeral and item keys whenever one of said keys is actuated,
• b. a computer interconnecting said manually operable sales item and numeral keys and said display device and having logic means responsive to said key identifying signals for automatically computing the tax due on the sales items ordered as indicated by the operation of said keys, and
• c. control means for said computer including a manually operable tax change key on the terminal, said control means being responsive to the operation of said manually operable tax change key to place the logic means of said computer into a reprogramable condition wherein actuation of the manually operable tax change key, and the subsequent actuation of the numeral and item keys serve to set new tax schedules in the logic means of the computer.