Customer-operated ordering system and method that issues admission tickets but does not dispense products

• US 20040030573A1
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Published: 02/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EMN8 Incorporated
• Original Assignee: EMN8 Incorporated
• Inventors: Sidlo, Paul, Dunn, Walter H.
• Application Number:
  US10/461,131
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030573A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1014 to tokens
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1078 Logging; Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2121 Chip on media, e.g. a disk or tape with a chip embedded in its case
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0625 : Directed, with specific intent or strategy
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 : Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0643 : Graphical representation of items or shoppers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 : Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 : Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address

Abstract

A customer-operated ordering system and method that issues admission tickets but does not dispense products. The system may include an input device, an output device, an admission ticket dispenser, product information storage media, admission ticket information storage media, customer profile storage media and a processing system.

Claims

1. A customer-operated ordering system that allows a customer to select and consummate a sale himself comprising:

an input device configured to be operated by the customer during the selection and consummation process;

an output device configured to communicate with the customer during the selection and consummation process;

an admission ticket dispenser configured to dispense admission tickets for the customer to take;

admission ticket information storage media configured to store admission ticket information about admission tickets that may be dispensed by the admission ticket dispenser;

product information storage media configured to store product information about products that the customer may purchase that are not dispensed by the customer-operated ordering system; and

a processing system configured to;

communicate with the input device, the output device, the admission ticket dispenser, the admission tickets storage media and the product information storage media;

obtain product information about a product not dispensed by the customer-operated ordering system from the product information storage media;

provide the obtained product information to the customer thorough the output device;

consummate a sale of the product to the customer using the input device;

obtain admission ticket information about an admission ticket; and

cause the admission ticket dispenser to dispense an admission ticket to the customer based on the obtained admission ticket information.

2. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 1 wherein the admission ticket is dispensed as part of a customer reward program.

3. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 1 wherein the system charges the customer for the admission ticket.

4. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 3 wherein the admission ticket information specifies the charge that should be made to the customer for the admission ticket.

5. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 3 wherein the charge specified by the admission ticket information is a function of a profile of the customer.

6. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 5 wherein the charge for at least one customer profile is zero.

7. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 5 further including customer profile storage media configured to store customer profiles about a plurality of customers and wherein the processing system is configured to:

obtain the identity of the customer from the input device; and

query the customer profile storage media for a customer profile of the customer based on the obtained identify.

8. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 1 wherein the input device includes a touch screen.

9. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 1 wherein the input device includes a keyboard.

10. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 1 wherein the output device includes a display.

11. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 1 wherein the output device includes a loudspeaker.

12. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 1 wherein the admission ticket dispenser prints an admission ticket.

13. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 12 wherein the admission ticket includes a code.

14. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 1 wherein the admission ticket dispenser dispenses the admission ticket as an electronic signal to the customer.

15. The customer-operated ordering system of claim 14 wherein the electronic signal includes a code.

16. A customer-operated ordering process that allows a customer to select and consummate a sale himself comprising:

obtaining product information about a product not dispensed by the customer-operated ordering system from product information storage media;

providing the obtained product information to the customer thorough an output device;

consummating a sale of the product to the customer using an input device;

obtaining admission ticket information about an admission ticket from admission tickets storage media; and

causing an admission ticket dispenser to dispense an admission ticket to the customer based on the obtained admission ticket information.

17. A customer-operated ordering system that allows a customer to select and consummate a sale himself that includes a processing system configured to:

communicate with an input device, an output device, an admission ticket dispenser, admission ticket information storage media and product information storage media;

obtain product information about a product not dispensed by the customer-operated ordering system from the product information storage media;

provide the obtained product information to the customer thorough the output device;

consummate a sale of the product to the customer using the input device;

obtain admission ticket information about an admission ticket from the admission tickets storage media; and

cause the admission ticket dispenser to dispense an admission ticket to the customer based on the obtained admission ticket information.

18. A customer-operated ordering system that allows a customer to select and consummate a sale himself that includes a processing system configured to:

obtain product information about a product not dispensed by the customer-operated ordering system;

provide the obtained product information to the customer;

obtain admission ticket information about an admission ticket; and

cause an admission ticket to dispense to the customer based on the obtained admission ticket information.

19. A customer-operated ordering system that includes a processing system configured to:

provide product information about a product not dispensed by the customer-operated ordering system to the customer; and

cause an admission ticket to dispense to the customer.

20. A customer-operated ordering process implemented by a customer-operated ordering system comprising:

providing product information about a product not dispensed by the customer-operated ordering system to the customer; and

causing an admission ticket dispenser to dispense an admission ticket to the customer.

21. A customer-operated ordering system comprising:

a display;

an admission ticket dispenser; and

a processor configured to cause the display to provide information about a product not dispensed by the customer-operated ordering system and for causing the admission ticket dispenser to dispense an admission ticket.