Method and apparatus for receiving an order for goods and drive-through system with the apparatus

• US 20020010632A1
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Published: 01/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iguchi, Kesayoshi, Tanaka, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US09/783,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010632A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems

Abstract

This invention is intended to instruct a kitchen of orders taken at random in sequence of customers, and to rearrange the orders in order to cook in sequence of the customers. A piece of commodity name information 21, a piece of unit price information 22, and a piece of position number information 23 are set into a commodity-setting table in an electronic cash register. When the order is taken in advance, a desired quantity of a corresponding commodity on an order form is marked, and then the order form is read by means of a mark reader that is connected to the register. As an alternative, when the order is taken in advance, an either slip or receipt containing an either customer number or receipt number is handed to each customer so that the customer number or receipt number may be entered into the register at an order window. As a further alternative, order contents and an identification number are transmitted using a portable terminal to a controller disposed in an establishment, while the identification number is handed to each customer so that the identification number may be read at the order window, thereby causing the controller to perform collating.

Claims

1. A commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, recoding the order on a slip, and then handing the slip to the customer before the order is accepted at an order window;

passing the slip from the customer to the order window when the customer comes to the order window;

reading the slip using a reader at the order window; and

entering it into a register, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

2. A commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

a reading means for reading the contents of a slip having a commodity name and its quantity recorded thereon at specific locations; and

a commodity-registering means connected to the reading means for registering a commodity ordered, its quantity, and a selling price according to the read contents of the slip, the commodity-registering means including a set price-storing means for storing a position and unit price of each commodity name presented on the slip and a calculating means for checking position data read from the slip by the reading means against position data stored in the set price-storing means according to the slip, thereby determining the commodity and then calculating the selling price on the basis of the quantity of the determined commodity.

3. A commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, recoding the order and a customer number on a slip, and registering the order and the customer number into a register before the order is accepted at an order window; and

entering the customer number into the register when the customer comes to the order window, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

4. A commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

an input means for entering the contents of a slip having a commodity name, its quantity, and a customer number recorded thereon;

a storage means for storing the entered commodity name, quantity, and customer number; and

a calculating means for entering the customer number via the input means in order to read from the storage means the commodity name and quantity identified by the customer number, thereby calculating a selling price on the basis of the quantity.

5. A commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, registering the order into a register, and then handing to the customer a receipt containing a receipt number, before the order is accepted at an order window;

receiving the receipt from the customer when the customer comes to the order window; and

entering the receipt number into the register, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

6. A commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

an input means for entering a commodity name and its quantity;

a receipt-issuing means for issuing a receipt containing the entered commodity name and quantity as well as a receipt number;

a storage means for storing the entered commodity name and quantity as well as the receipt number; and

a calculating means for entering the receipt number via the input means in order to read from the storage means the commodity name and quantity identified by the receipt number, thereby calculating a selling price from the quantity.

7. A commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, transmitting the order to a controller by wireless, and then handing to the customer a tag capable of sending out an identification number, before the order is accepted at an order window;

receiving the identification number from the tag when the customer comes to the order window; and

transmitting the identification number to the controller, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

8. A commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

a tag capable of transmitting an identification number;

a portable terminal means for entering and then transmitting commodity data by wireless, the commodity data including a commodity name, its quantity, and a selling price as well as the identification number;

a receiving means for receiving the commodity data from the portable terminal means;

a responding means for receiving the identification number from the tag; and

a control means for retrieving specific commodity data from among the commodity data received by the receiving means, the specific commodity data being identified by the identification number entered from the responding means.

9. A commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, transmitting the order to a controller by wireless, and then handing the customer a receipt showing a receipt number, before the order is accepted at an order window;

reading the receipt number using a barcode reader when the customer comes to the order window; and

sending the receipt number to the controller, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

10. A commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

a portable terminal means for entering and then transmitting commodity data by wireless, the commodity data including a commodity name, its quantity, and a selling price as well as a receipt number, the portable terminal means further for issuing a receipt having the receipt number printed thereon in a barcode;

a receiving means for receiving the commodity data from the portable terminal means;

a reading means for reading the receipt number in the barcode from the receipt; and

a control means for retrieving specific commodity data from among the commodity data received by the receiving means, the specific commodity data being identified by the receipt number entered from the reading means.

11. A drive-through system employing a commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, recoding the order on a slip, and then handing the slip to the customer before the order is accepted at an order window;

passing the slip from the customer to the order window when the customer comes to the order window;

reading the slip using a reader at the order window; and

entering it into a register, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

12. A drive-through system provided with a commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

a reading means for reading the contents of a slip having a commodity name and its quantity recorded thereon at specific locations; and

a commodity-registering means connected to the reading means for registering a commodity ordered, its quantity, and a selling price according to the read contents of the slip, the commodity-registering means including a set price-storing means for storing a position and unit price of each commodity name presented on the slip and a calculating means for checking position data read from the slip by the reading means against position data stored in the set price-storing means according to the slip, thereby determining the commodity and then calculating the selling price on the basis of the quantity of the determined commodity.

13. A drive-through system employing a commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, recoding the order and a customer number on a slip, and registering the order and the customer number into a register before the order is accepted at an order window; and

entering the customer number into the register when the customer comes to the order window, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

14. A drive-through system provided with a commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

an input means for entering the contents of a slip having a commodity name, its quantity, and a customer number recorded thereon;

a storage means for storing the entered commodity name, quantity, and customer number; and

a calculating means for entering the customer number via the input means in order to read from the storage means the commodity name and quantity identified by the customer number, thereby calculating a selling price on the basis of the quantity.

15. A drive-through system employing a commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance and then registering the order into a register, and then handing to the customer a receipt containing a receipt number, before the order is accepted at an order window;

receiving the receipt from the customer when the customer comes to the order window; and

entering the receipt number into the register, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

16. A drive-through system provided with a commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

an input means for entering a commodity name and its quantity;

a receipt-issuing means for issuing a receipt containing the entered commodity name and quantity as well as a receipt number;

a storage means for storing the entered commodity name and quantity as well as the receipt number; and

a calculating means for entering the receipt number via the input means in order to read from the storage means the commodity name and quantity identified by the receipt number, thereby calculating a selling price from the quantity.

17. A drive-through system employing a commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, transmitting the order to a controller by wireless, and then handing to the customer a tag capable of sending out an identification number, before the order is accepted at an order window;

receiving the identification number from the tag when the customer comes to the order window; and

transmitting the identification number to the controller, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

18. A drive-through system provided with a commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

a tag capable of transmitting an identification number;

a portable terminal means for entering and then transmitting commodity data by wireless, the commodity data including a commodity name, its quantity, and a selling price as well as the identification number;

a receiving means for receiving the commodity data from the portable terminal means;

a responding means for receiving the identification number from the tag; and

a control means for retrieving specific commodity data from among the commodity data received by the receiving means, the specific commodity data being identified by the identification number entered from the responding means.

19. A drive-through system employing a commodity order-taking method comprising the steps of:

taking an order for a commodity from each customer in advance, transmitting the order to a controller by wireless, and then handing the customer a receipt showing a receipt number, before the order is accepted at an order window;

reading the receipt number using a barcode reader when the customer comes to the order window; and

then sending the receipt number to the controller, thereby identifying the customer at the order window with order contents.

20. A drive-through system provided with a commodity order-taking apparatus comprising:

a portable terminal means for entering and then transmitting commodity data by wireless, the commodity data including a commodity name, its quantity, and a selling price as well as a receipt number, the portable terminal means further for issuing a receipt having the receipt number printed thereon in a barcode;

a receiving means for receiving the commodity data from the portable terminal means;

a reading means for reading the receipt number in the barcode from the receipt; and

a control means for retrieving specific commodity data from among the commodity data received by the receiving means, the specific commodity data being identified by the receipt number entered from the reading means.