Method and apparatus for restaurant ordering and reservations

• US 20050114185A1
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Spinac, Clifford Jay, Rodriguez, Herman, Smith, Newton James
• Application Number:
  US10/718,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114185A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for making reservations or placing orders. A wireless hot spot location is provided in which reservations can be made with a plurality of vendors through the wireless hot spot. A determination is made as to whether a user desires to make a reservation with a selected one of the plurality of vendors in response to receiving a user input from a wireless device in communication with the wireless hot spot. User preferences associated with the user is retrieved in response to a determination that the user desires to make the reservation. The reservation is made using the user preferences.

Claims

1. A method for making reservations, the method comprising:

providing a wireless hot spot location, wherein reservations can be made with a plurality of vendors through the wireless hot spot;

responsive to receiving a user input from a wireless device in communication with the wireless hot spot, determining whether a user desires to make a reservation with a selected vendor from the plurality of vendors;

responsive to a determination that the user desires to make the reservation, retrieving user preferences associated with the user; and

making the reservation using the user preferences.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user preferences are located in the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user preferences are located in a data processing system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless device is one of a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, a hand held computer, notebook computer, or a digital wireless phone.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user preferences also are associated with the selected one of the plurality of vendors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vendors are a set of registered vendors.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user preferences include at least one of a desired location for a table, credit card information, a smoking preference, time, number of seats needed, a particular wait person, and ordering information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of vendors includes at least one of a restaurant, a hotel, a movie theater, and a reservation service.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging at least one of the selected vendor and the user.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing Internet access after making the reservation.

11. A method in a wireless data processing system for making reservations, the method comprising:

receiving an identification of a plurality of vendors while the wireless data processing system is in a hot spot location; and

responsive to receiving a user input from a user indicating a desire to make a reservation with a selected vendor from the plurality of vendors, sending user preferences of the user to the selected vendor.

12. A data processing system for making reservations, the data processing system comprising:

a bus system;

a communications unit connected to the bus system;

a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions; and

a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to determine whether a user desires to make a reservation with a selected one of a plurality of vendors in response to receiving a user input from a wireless device in communication with a wireless hot spot;

retrieve user preferences associated with the user in response to a determination that the user desires to make the reservation; and

make the reservation using the user preferences.

13. A data processing system for making reservations, the data processing system comprising:

providing means for providing a wireless hot spot location, wherein reservations can be made with a plurality of vendors through the wireless hot spot;

determining means, responsive to receiving a user input from a wireless device in communication with the wireless hot spot, for determining whether a user desires to make a reservation with a selected one of the plurality of vendors;

retrieving means, responsive to a determination that the user desires to make the reservation, for retrieving user preferences associated with the user; and

making means for making the reservation using the user preferences.

14. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the user preferences are located in the wireless device.

15. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the user preferences are located in a data processing system.

16. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the wireless device is one of a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, or a digital wireless phone.

17. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the user preferences also are associated with the selected one of the plurality of vendors.

18. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of vendors are a set of registered vendors.

19. The data processing system of claim 18, wherein the user preferences include at least one of a desired location for a table, credit card information, a smoking preference, time, number of seats needed, and ordering information.

20. The data processing system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of vendors includes at least one of a restaurant, a hotel, and a movie theater.

21. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for making reservations, the computer program product comprising:

second instructions, responsive to receiving a user input from a wireless device in communication with a wireless hot spot, for determining whether a user desires to make a reservation with a selected one of a plurality of vendors;

third instructions, responsive to a determination that the user desires to make the reservation, for retrieving a user preferences associated with the user; and

fourth instructions for making the reservation using the user preferences.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the user preferences are located in the wireless device.

23. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the user preferences are located in a data processing system.

24. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the wireless device is one of a personal digital assistant, a laptop computer, or a digital wireless phone.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the user preferences also are associated with the selected one of the plurality of vendors.

26. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the plurality of vendors are a set of registered vendors.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the user preferences include at least one of a desired location for a table, credit card information, a smoking preference, time, number of seats needed, and ordering information.

28. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the plurality of vendors includes at least one of a restaurant, a hotel, and a movie theater.