System and method for automated management of service industry and for-hire resources

• US 10,339,599 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Issued: 07/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whiteboard, LLC
• Original Assignee: Whiteboard, LLC
• Inventors: Kolegraff, Nicholas Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Joseph, Tonya
• Application Number:
  US15/634,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20170372411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/77 using wireless control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/14 specially adapted for billing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/29 the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings

Abstract

A resource management system for a service industry business includes a recommendation engine that initiates one or more service actions and/or device actions based on inputs from one or more sensors and/or an obtained customer location within a building or facility. The resource management system automatically distributes, assigns, schedules, and/or reserves one or more resources for the benefit of the detected customer based on one or more recommendations of the recommendation engine.

Claims

1. A service industry resource management system comprising:

an access control device installed in a door of a rentable space and comprising;

a power-over-ethernet coupling;

a controller powered by the power-over-ethernet coupling; and

a wireless receiver in communication with the controller and powered by the power-over-ethernet coupling;

an actuator coupled to the door and in communication with the access control device; and

an automation engine comprising;

a processor in communication with the controller through the power-over-ethernet coupling; and

a non-transitory memory configured to store executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

track a location of a customer device relative to the rentable space, the customer device associated with a customer;

automatically place a reservation to reserve the rentable space for the customer upon determining that the customer device is approaching the rentable space;

instruct the actuator to automatically open the door to the rentable space after the wireless receiver of the access control device determines that the customer device is approaching the wireless receiver;

automatically initiate billing of the customer for the rentable space after the door is opened by the actuator; and

automatically terminate billing of the customer of the rentable space upon determining that the customer device has vacated the rentable space.

2. The service industry resource management system of claim 1, wherein the wireless receiver of the access control device comprises at least one of a near-field communication receiver or a Bluetooth receiver.

3. The service industry resource management system of claim 1, wherein the automation engine is in communication with a lighting controller configured to adjust lighting within the rentable space.

4. The service industry resource management system of claim 3, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

automatically communicate an instruction to the lighting controller to set the lighting within the rentable space according to a preference of the customer stored in the memory upon reserving the rentable space for the customer.

5. The service industry resource management system of claim 1, wherein the automation engine is in communication with a point-of-sale system.

6. The service industry resource management system of claim 4, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:

automatically communicate an instruction to the point-of-sale system to initiate a transaction according to a preference of the customer stored in the memory upon reserving the rentable space for the customer.

16. The service industry resource management system of claim 1, wherein the door is a latchless door.

7. A method of automatically billing a customer for temporary use of a rentable space within a building of a service industry business, the method comprising:

tracking a location of a customer device within or adjacent to the building, the customer device associated with a customer;

accessing a preference database and determining a preference of the customer corresponding to the rentable space;

after determining the customer preference and after determining that the customer device has entered the building and is approaching the rentable space, automatically reserving the rentable space for the customer to prevent use of the rentable space by another customer;

requesting authorization from the customer device to initiate billing of the customer for the rentable space;

determining, by a wireless receiver within an access control device installed in a door of the rentable space, a proximity of the customer device to the rentable space;

automatically opening the door to the rentable space with an actuator upon determining that the proximity has crossed a threshold;

initiating billing of the customer for use of the rentable space upon opening the door; and

automatically terminating billing of the customer upon determining that the customer device has vacated the rentable space.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, after receiving authorization from the customer device, instructing the access control device to unlock the door to the rentable space.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the access control device comprises a controller coupled to the wireless receiver and configured to determine the proximity of the customer device relative to the rentable space.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless receiver comprises at least one of a near-field communication receiver or a Bluetooth receiver.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the rentable space is a rentable office space of a co-working business.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising, after initiating billing of the customer for the rentable space upon determining that the proximity is below the threshold, terminating billing of the customer for the rentable space upon determining that the proximity is beyond the threshold.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the door is a latchless door.

13. A method of automatically billing a customer for temporary use of a rentable space within a building of a service industry business, the method comprising:

determining entrance of a customer device into the building, the customer device associated with a customer;

automatically reserving the rentable space for the customer and

upon determining that the customer device is approaching the rentable space;

accessing a preference database to retrieve an environmental preference of the customer when the customer is within the rentable space;

causing an environmental controller to adjust a temperature within the rentable space based on the environmental preference;

causing a lighting controller to adjusting lighting within the rentable space based on the environmental preference;

determining, by an access control device installed within a door, that the customer device is approaching the door;

causing an actuator to automatically open the door to the rentable space in response to determining that the customer device is approaching the door;

initiating billing of the customer for the rentable space upon determining that the customer device is within the rentable space; and

terminating billing of the customer for the rentable space upon determining that the customer device has vacated the rentable space.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, after determining entrance of the customer device within the building, accessing the preference database to obtain a food service preference of the customer when the customer is within the building.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising causing a service action controller to initiate a food service transaction based on the food service preference.