Payment kiosk software architecture
Self-service payment kiosk
A payment kiosk is a hardware-software complex with touch controls that allows customers to add goods and services to their shopping cart and pay for them. All customer necessities are realized in our specialized software - Pay-logic Kiosk, which can be installed at kiosk running Windows or Linux OS. There are kiosks with vandal-resistant housing.
Manufacturers in both Russian and foreign markets use different terms for devices with similar functionality:
- Self-service terminal
- Payment terminal
- Self-service kiosk
- Payment kiosk
- Electronic cashier
- Electronic kiosk
Classification of kiosks according to their types:
1
Payment kiosks with a cash payment option
2
Payment kiosks with a cashless payment option
3
Payment kiosks with cash and non-cash payments
4
Payment kiosks with cash recycling
5
Information and payment kiosks - usually have an additional advertising display or main a widescreen display with portrait layout
А - 33
А - 72
Q - 50
The purpose
of kiosk
of kiosk
Cashier reduction
This is achieved due to full automation of the routine work of accepting payments from customers. Sales and services are performed in a modern format
Economic effect
Payroll costs reduce. There is no necessity for staff development,no decrease in efficiency because of staff vacations, sicklists, and no dependency on staff turnover
Additional functionality
Information sharing, advertisement, including videos at the main screen of the payment kiosk and at the additional monitor.
Kiosk software architecture
Pay-logic
processing center
processing center
It is central server of the system with installed DBMS, set of web-oriented and background applications that provides the following operations:
- Maintain of the customer base, payment kiosks and a services base
- Remote management of the payment kiosks network
- Payments processing for recipients
- Payment network monitoring
- Notification of responsible employees about abnormal situations
- Financial and technical report generation
Pay-logic
update server
update server
It is a structured file repository, which is accessed via the Internet using https protocol. When a kiosk receives a signal from the central server on the need for update, it does the following:
1
Requests a special file descriptor with a list of actual files on the server
2
Performs verification of the local files with files on the server and generates a list of the changed files
3
Downloads only the changed files. It supports the resuming algorithm after disconnection and makes several attempts to download each file in its full scale
4
The update starts after the successful download of all files and the checking of their checksums. At this stage all program modules stop, the download files are copied into the working directories, then the software starts working again
Kiosk continuously transfer information about the current stage of update to the server, allowing to monitor the network updating process
Pay-logic update system is a highly efficient system that allows to update any self-service kiosks network quickly, reliably and with minimal Internet traffic costs
Web application
framework
framework
A set of web pages that provides common business processes.
Includes:
Includes:
- An application download page
- A payment kiosk error page
- A main screen with choice of applications
(entry point for users) - Various confirmation screens of selected purchases
- Payment screens
- A choice of payment option
(Bank card, cash payment screens, screens of dispensing change) - Payment finalization screens
(successful payment, error, etc.) - A dialogue with 1 button, a dialogue with 2 buttons, custom dialogues
- Waiting screens
(waiting for online queries, data waiting screens, etc.) - Service menu screens
Web application
core
core
A set of js-scripts that provides:
- General principles of web application operation and navigation
- A possibility to get a global status for a kiosk and the reaction to it
(a point blocking, equipment malfunction, missing connection, etc.) - Specialised payment API for external modules
- Higher-level business logic related to the payment
(payment initiation, listen to data from
background application, etc.)
- A language switch
- Kiosk service menu operation
- A possibility to show advertisement and collect statistics on viewable ads
- Multimedia equipment operation
(Webcam - to take a photo of a customer, customer's ID,
face recognition. A barcode reading, including two-dimensional QR and PDF417.
Microphone - voice commands and voice recognition
Speakers - voice prompts for customers are based on speech synthesis) - Specialized modules operation
(parcel lockers, currency exchange kiosks, etc.)
Pay‑logic Kiosk API
A public set of business methods that serves to transfer control to a kiosk to:
1
Ensure the payment process
2
Interact with other types of equipment
3
Perform typical business tasks, for example, a phone number verification using a one-time passcode
It is possible to add any other methods that are necessary for the customer’s business process.
Soft-logic company guarantees invariability of the public API. This means that the developed application will work at any versions of Pay-logic Kiosk software. A full description of Pay-logic Kiosk API is available for customer on request.
After requesting Pay-logic Kiosk API:
- The page open with a payment option choice
- When a payment option is selected, a required payment scenario appears
(non-cash payment, cash payment) - When the payment made successfully, the payment kiosk fiscalizes the payment
and dispenses a printed receipt
- A payment object with all attributes of the payment transaction is generated
- A generated object is sent to the customer information system,
thereby confirming the fact of payment - The web application switches to the entry point (main menu) and gets ready to service the next client
Business applications
A business application is an application that implements the creation and payment of an order for the end user. Applications are divided into two types:
Web applications running through the REST API
Websites opening inside the frame
Web application
The developed application implements all the execution logic, which is necessary for creation and/or payment of an order. Application can independently interact with necessary web services to form the operation attribute composition.
Web application development can be done by the customer himself independently or by our company, including business processes development and user interface design.
Advantages of this approach include:
- Response time of payment interface. Any interaction over the network
involves the exchange of small pieces of information - In some cases - there is the ability to work offline or using
unstable communication channels
Disadvantages of this approach include:
- Relatively high application development costs
An external site
In such cases it is supposed to open the already existing website in the kiosk.
A customer need to solve several relatively simple tasks:
1
Provide the ability to pay through kiosk mechanisms (to invoke a required Pay-logic Kiosk API method)
2
Provide a data entry using virtual keyboards
3
Special styles should be used for the convenient work with touch-screen kiosk (a large font, increased indents between the elements, etc.)
Soft-logic company has already taken care of some aspects for solving these tasks:
- It is possible to use core built-in virtual keyboards - when one clicks in the input box, a standard alphanumeric keyboard will be opened. This can be used by a client to enter data
- A built-in protection mechanism of the kiosk system prevents opening of new windows or tabs, switching to third-party sites
Pay‑logic Server API
This is a set of methods used by kiosk software to communicate with a Pay-logic server. It includes:
1
A request of directories for the kiosk
(legal entity data, payment point data, contacts and work schedule of the support service, and others)
(legal entity data, payment point data, contacts and work schedule of the support service, and others)
2
Data transfer:
- Types and condition of equipment
- Executed payments
- Cash collections
- System
3
Transfer of various technical events
4
Statistics packet transfer about the advertisement display
Pay‑logic Daemon
(PaylogicD)
(PaylogicD)
It is a background application that provides:
Operations with all peripheral equipment:
Cash handling equipment
— Bill acceptors
— Cash recyclers
— Bill dispensers
— Coin acceptors
Devices for bank card payments
— POS-terminals
(Sberbank, ARCUS 2, INPAS DC and others)
(Sberbank, ARCUS 2, INPAS DC and others)
— Specialized payment modules, including PIN-pad and card reader
Fiscalization operation devices
— Online cash registers
— Fiscalization services, including our own fiscal server
Document printing devices
— Thermal printers
— Ticket printers
— IPP printers (CUPS and Windows printing)
Automated input devices
— Barcode scanners
— Readers of wired and wireless smart cards and RFID tags
Other devices
— Card dispensers
— Lock control devices (parcel lockers, relays, etc.)
— Watchdog timers
Asynchronous loading and saving of reference information
Kiosks can operate at unstable, slow communication channels by saving payment and other data to disk and further send it to the server
Upgrade of all software components, including program files of PaylogicD itself, core and framework files, various configuration files, various resources (payment scenarios, images, etc.)
Execution of various commands, that are sent from the server, including request of logs, reboot/shutdown of kiosk, screenshots and others
Technologies
1
A PaylogicD background process is an application written in Java and run under JRE version 1.8_191 and above.
2
The interface of Pay-logic Face payment kiosk is a web application run inside Electron framework version 4.0.1 and above.
3
JSON based REST API is used to communicate with the server.
4
A Pay-logic Kiosk software package runs on both Windows and Linux OS. Large networks of payment and information kiosks use Pay-logic Kiosk solution and run Linux OS. This allows to achieve a significant economic effect. This operating system is completely free and does not require to purchase antivirus or firewall.
System
requirements
requirements
Minimum system requirements:
- Intel® Celeron® G1820 processor with integrated graphics core or equivalent
- RAM 1 Gb
- HDD 16 Gb
- Screen 17″, resolution 1280x1024
Recommended system requirements:
- Intel® Celeron® G3900 processor with integrated graphics core or equivalent
- RAM 2 Gb+
- HDD 64 Gb+
- Screen 22″-55″, resolution 1920x1080 or 2550x1440
+ Windows 10 x64 or Pay-logic Linux 29 operating system (based on Fedora 29)
List of supported peripherals available at page
Need a low-cost solution?
Pay-logic Kiosk software successfully operates on Raspberry Pi 3 platform, that provides the possibility to create very cheap solutions for accepting payments.
The application core is written in Java. It is possible to adapt software at the customer request for the work in Android OS environment and at a relatively low cost. This allows to creat compact and full-featured solutions using variety of different POS-terminals and tablets based on Android OS.
Still have
any questions?
any questions?
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