Synchronizing KDS functionality with POS waitlist generation

• US 10,360,648 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2016
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Block, Inc. (f/k/a Square, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rocklin, William, Renke, Christopher Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Rudy, Andrew Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/189,131
• Time in Patent Office: 1,126 Days
• Field of Search: 705 15
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 10/06 for restaurant service systems table equipment A47G ; dirty crockery transport in association with crockery washing machines A47L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/04 related to queuing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/01 Details for indicating displaying information in general G09F, G09G

Abstract

Techniques and arrangements for synchronizing kitchen display system functionality with point-of-sale (POS) waitlist generation. In some examples, a POS device generates a waitlist using both front of the house data (e.g., data associated the POS device) and back of the house data (e.g., data associated with the kitchen display system). For instance, the POS device can receive input associated with transactions between a merchant and customers. The POS device can then generate a waitlist based on the input. Additionally, the POS device can receive data associated with order tickets from the kitchen display system. Based on receiving the data, the POS device can update the waitlist using the data. In some examples, the POS device updates the waitlist by determining a state associated with each of the transactions, and the updating wait times for the transactions based on the states.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a point-of-sale (POS) device for processing payments at a merchant location of a merchant, the POS device programmed to perform acts comprising;

receiving input corresponding to transactions between the merchant and customers;

generating open tickets for the transactions, an individual open ticket of the open tickets being associated with one or more customers located at a specific location within the merchant location and including;

one or more items ordered by the one or more customers from the merchant; and

an associated versioning data structure indicating a version of the individual open ticket; and

sending, to a kitchen display system, first data associated with the open tickets;

the kitchen display system for providing kitchen orders for the merchant, the kitchen display system programmed to perform acts comprising;

receiving, from the POS device, the first data associated with the open tickets;

generating order tickets based at least in part on the first data, an individual order ticket of the order tickets being associated with an open ticket and indicating items from the open ticket that are in-progress of being prepared by the merchant;

presenting the order tickets; and

sending, to the POS device, second data associated with the order tickets;

and wherein the POS device is further programmed to perform acts comprising;

generating, based at least in part on the input, a first waitlist for one or more new customers to be seated at the merchant location;

receiving, from the kitchen display system, the second data associated with the order tickets;

generating a second waitlist for the one or more new customers based at least in part on the first waitlist and the order tickets that the kitchen display system is currently providing; and

providing the second waitlist for the one or more new customers.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the second waitlist comprises updating the first waitlist based at least in part on the order tickets that the kitchen display system is currently providing.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the POS device is further programmed to perform acts comprising determining, based at least in part on the open tickets and the order tickets, current states associated with the transactions, wherein a current state associated with a transaction includes at least one of:

customers associated with the transaction are seated;

the customers associated with the transaction ordered drink items;

the drink items are ready to be delivered to the customers associated with the transaction;

the customers associated with the transaction received the drink items;

the customers associated with the transaction ordered food items;

the food items are ready to be delivered to the customers associated with the transaction;

or

the food items have been delivered to the customers associated with the transaction;

and wherein generating the second waitlist for the one or more new customers is based at least in part on the first waitlist and the current states associated with the transactions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the kitchen display system is further programmed to perform acts comprising;

receiving input indicating that at least one of the order tickets has been completed by the merchant; and

based at least in part on receiving the input indicating that at least one of the order tickets has been completed by the merchant, sending, to the POS device, third data indicating that the at least one of the order tickets has been completed; and

the POS device is further programmed to perform acts comprising;

receiving the third data indicating that the at least one of the order tickets has been completed;

generating a third waitlist for the one or more new customers based at least in part on the second waitlist and the third data; and

providing the third waitlist for the one or more new customers.

5. A point-of-sale (POS) device comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving input corresponding to a transaction between a merchant and a first customer, the input indicating at least a time that the first customer was seated at a merchant location and one or more items ordered by the first customer from the merchant;

generating a ticket for the transaction, the ticket indicating the one or more items;

sending, to a kitchen display system, first data associated with the transaction, the first data indicating the one or more items from the ticket;

determining, based at least in part on the input, a waitlist time for a second customer to be seated at the merchant location of the merchant;

receiving, from the kitchen display system, second data associated with an order ticket for the transaction;

determining, based at least in part on the waitlist time and the order ticket, an updated waitlist time for the second customer to be seated at the merchant location of the merchant; and

providing the updated waitlist time.

6. The POS device of claim 5, wherein determining the updated waitlist time comprises updating the waitlist time based at least in part on the order ticket.

7. The POS device of claim 5, wherein the second data associated with the order ticket indicates a time remaining for preparing the one or more items ordered by the first customer, and wherein determining the updated waitlist time comprises updating the waitlist time based at least in part on the time remaining.

8. The POS device of claim 5, where determining the waitlist time is further based at least in part on an average time that it takes for customers to conduct transactions with the merchant.

9. The POS device of claim 8, wherein:

the updated waitlist time is less than the waitlist time based at least in part on the order ticket indicating that the transaction is going to be shorter than the average time it takes for customers to conduct transactions with the merchant;

or

the updated waitlist time is greater than the waitlist time based at least in part on the order ticket indicating that the transaction is going to be longer than the average time it takes for customers to conduct transactions with the merchant.

10. The POS device of claim 5, the operations further comprising determining a state of the transaction based at least in part on the ticket and the order ticket, the state of the transaction including at least one of:

the first customer was seated;

the first customer ordered drinks;

the drinks are ready to be delivered to the first customer;

the first customer received the drinks;

the first customer ordered food;

the food is ready to be delivered to the first customer;

the first customer received the food;

or

the first customer received the ticket for processing,

and wherein determining the updated waitlist time is further based at least in part on the state of the transaction.

11. The POS device of claim 5, the operations further comprising:

receiving, from the kitchen display system, third data associated with order tickets, an individual order ticket of the order tickets being associated with an additional transaction between the merchant and an additional customer,

and wherein determining the updated waitlist time is further based at least in part on the third data associated with the order tickets.

12. The POS device of claim 5, wherein the ticket includes an associated versioning data structure indicating a version of the ticket, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving additional input corresponding to the transaction between the merchant and the first customer, the additional input indicating one or more additional items ordered by the first customer from the merchant;

updating the ticket based at least in part on the additional input, the ticket indicating the one or more item and the one or more additional items;

updating the associated versioning data based at least in part on updating the ticket;

sending, to the kitchen display system, third data associated with the transaction, the third data indicating the one or more additional items from the ticket;

receiving, from the kitchen display system, fourth data associated with an additional order ticket for the transaction;

updating, based at least in part on the additional order ticket, the updated waitlist time for the second customer to be seated at the merchant location of the merchant.

13. The POS device of claim 5, wherein:

the one or more items includes at least a first item and a second item;

the second data associated with the order ticket indicates that the first item includes a first preparation time and the second item includes a second preparation time; and

determining the updated waitlist time is further based at least in part on a longer preparation time between the first preparation time and the second preparation time.

14. A payment service comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from a point-of-sale (POS) device, first data associated with a transaction between a merchant and a customer;

creating a waitlist for the merchant based at least in part on the transaction, the waitlist including at least a first waitlist time for a potential new customer;

sending, to a kitchen display system, second data associated with the transaction between the merchant and the customer;

receiving, from the kitchen display system, third data associated with an order ticket for the transaction;

creating, based at least in part on the waitlist and the third data associated with the order ticket, an updated waitlist for the merchant, the updated waitlist including at least an updated first waitlist time for the potential new customer; and

sending, to the POS device, fourth data associated with the updated waitlist.

15. The payment service of claim 14, wherein creating the updated waitlist comprises updating the waitlist for the merchant based at least in part on the order ticket.

16. The payment service of claim 14, wherein the third data associated with the order ticket indicates a time remaining for preparing items included in the transaction, and wherein creating the updated waitlist comprises updating the waitlist based at least in part on the time remaining.

17. The payment service of claim 14, wherein creating the waitlist is further based at least in part on an average time that it takes for customers to conduct transactions with the merchant.

18. The payment service of claim 14, the operations further comprising determining a state of the transaction based at least in part on the order ticket, the state of the transaction including at least one of:

the customer was seated;

the customer ordered drinks;

the drinks are ready to be delivered to the customer;

the customer received the drinks;

the customer ordered food;

the food is ready to be delivered to the customer;

or

the customer received the food;

and wherein creating the updated waitlist is further based at least in part on the state of the transaction.

19. The payment service of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

receiving, from the kitchen display system, fifth data associated with order tickets, an individual order ticket of the order tickets being associated with an additional transaction between the merchant and an additional customer,

and wherein creating the updated waitlist is further based at least in part on the fifth data associated with the order tickets.

20. The payment service of claim 14, the operations further comprising:

receiving, from the kitchen display system, fifth data indicating that the order ticket for the transaction is complete;

updating the updated waitlist based at least in part on the fifth data; and

sending, to the POS device, sixth data associated with updating the updated waitlist.