Wireless electronic menu device and ordering system containing the same device

• US 20070144835A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ying-Fu Zhang
• Original Assignee: Ying-Fu Zhang
• Inventors: Zhang, Ying-fu
• Application Number:
  US11/706,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20070144835A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 186/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/046 by electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

The present invention discloses a wireless electronic menu device, which comprises a menu body and a menu base, wherein a plurality of menus is placed on the menu body; a photo-sensor is used to automatically detect the menu the customer is reading; an induction stylus is pointed to the menu and emits a signal to indicate the coordinates of the position it is pointed to; the menu body collects the related data and transfers the data to the menu base with a wired communication device or a wireless communication device; the menu base retrieves the data corresponding to the coordinates, such as voice, audio, text, image and video data, from its storage device or an external storage device; the menu base presents the multimedia data to aid the customers to acquire meal information and order meals. The present invention also discloses an ordering system containing the abovementioned wireless electronic menu device. The present invention can provide more detailed and consistent meal information for customers to help customers order meals by themselves. Thereby, the present invention can reduce the manpower cost of the food-service industry.

Claims

1. A wireless electronic menu device, characterized in comprising:

a menu base further comprising a storage device and a second communication device;

a menu body further comprising a microprocessor, a first communication device connected to said microprocessor, a photo-sensation processing device connected to said microprocessor, and at least one photo-sensor connected to said photo-sensation processing device, wherein said menu base and said menu body are interconnected via said first communication device and said second communication device;

an electromagnetic induction device further comprising an electromagnetic induction panel installed on one face of said menu body, an induction stylus, and an electromagnetic induction controller connected to said microprocessor, wherein when said induction stylus emits an electromagnetic signal to induct a specified position of said electromagnetic induction panel, said electromagnetic induction controller can calculate coordinates corresponding to said specified position, and then said electromagnetic induction controller transfers the calculation result to said microprocessor, and the data corresponding to said coordinates can thus be obtained from said storage device; and

at least one menu connected to said menu body and each having a tag used to indicate a food category, wherein one said photo-sensor can detect one corresponding the said tag of said menu and then transfers the detection result to said photo-sensation processing device.

2. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that said menu base further comprises an audio-video output device which can output the audio-video data of said menus.

3. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 2, characterized in that said audio-video output device further comprises a display device, a speaker, an earphone interface device, and an operating device installed on said menu base and used to operate said audio-video output device.

4. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that a status indicating unit is installed on said menu base and used to indicate the operational status of said wireless electronic menu device.

5. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 4, characterized in that said status indicating unit is a connectivity status indicator used to indicate the connectivity status between said first communication device and said second communication device.

6. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 5, characterized in that said connectivity status indicator is a light-emitting diode or a liquid crystal display.

7. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that said menu base further comprises a plurality of functional keys, including a promotion key, an ordering key, a service key, a checkout key, and a total price key.

8. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that either of said first communication device and said second communication device is a wired communication device, a wireless Bluetooth device or an infrared communication device.

9. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that a status indicating device is installed on said menu body and used to indicate the operational status of said wireless electronic menu device.

10. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 9, characterized in that said status indicating device further comprises a table number/connectivity indicator used to indicate the connectivity status between said menu body and the corresponding said menu base.

11. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 10, characterized in that said table number/connectivity indicator is a light-emitting diode or a liquid crystal display.

12. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that said electromagnetic induction device is an electromagnetic digitizer.

13. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that said photo-sensor is a reflective photo-sensor.

14. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that said menu body further comprises a clipper used to, hold said menus.

15. The wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1, characterized in that the material of said menus allows said electromagnetic induction panel to sense the signal emitted by said induction stylus.

16. An ordering system, characterized in comprising:

a wireless electronic menu device according to claim 1;

a third communication device installed in said menu base of said wireless electronic menu device;

a local area network accessing device, wherein said wireless electronic menu device is linked to a local area network via said third communication device and said local area network accessing device; and

a service terminal further comprising at least one network interface device used to link to said local area network to interact with said wireless electronic menu device.

17. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that said menu base further comprises an audio-video output device which can output the audio-video data of said menus.

18. The ordering system according to claim 17, characterized in that said audio-video output device further comprises a display device, a speaker, an earphone interface device, and an operating device installed on said menu base and used to operate said audio-video output device.

19. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that a status indicating unit is installed on said menu base and used to indicate the operational status of said wireless electronic menu device.

20. The ordering system according to claim 19, characterized in that said status indicating unit further comprises a connectivity status indicator used to indicate the connectivity status between said first communication device and said second communication device, and a communication status indicator used to indicate the communication status between said third communication device and said local area network accessing device/said service terminal.

21. The ordering system according to claim 20, characterized in that either of said connectivity status indicator and said communication status indicator is a light-emitting diode or a liquid crystal display.

22. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that said menu base further comprises a plurality of functional keys, including a promotion key, an ordering key, a service key, a checkout key, and a total price key.

23. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that a status indicating device is installed on said menu body of said wireless electronic menu device and used to indicate the operational status of said wireless electronic menu device.

24. The ordering system according to claim 23, characterized in that said status indicating device further comprises a table number/connectivity indicator used to indicate the connectivity status between said menu body and the corresponding said menu base.

25. The ordering system according to claim 24, characterized in that said table number/connectivity indicator is a light-emitting diode or a liquid crystal display.

26. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that either of said first communication device and said second communication device is a wired communication device, a wireless Bluetooth device or an infrared communication device.

27. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that said electromagnetic induction device is an electromagnetic digitizer.

28. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that said photo-sensor is a reflective photo-sensor.

29. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that said menu body further comprises a clipper used to hold said menus.

30. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that the material of said menus allows said electromagnetic induction panel to sense the signal emitted by said induction stylus.

31. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that said service terminal further comprises a storage device used to store the multimedia data needed by said wireless electronic menu device.

32. The ordering system according to claim 16, characterized in that said third communication device is a wired network communication device or a wireless network communication device, and said local area network accessing device is a wired local area network accessing device or a wireless local area network accessing device.