Interactive customer display system and method

• US 20080189172A1
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: Radiant Systems Incorporated (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Goren, Alon, Mallory, Charles Howard, Schoonover, Kristin Dohm, Cook, Brian Charles, Kingsfield, Robert Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,835,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to systems, methods, and computer program products which facilitate consumer ordering. The present invention facilitates consumer ordering through the use of Express Orders for the creation of orders based on one or more past orders. The present invention also facilitates consumer ordering through use of Preferred Orders, which allow a consumer to define and store orders for later use. Ordering is also facilitated by suggesting order items to a consumer based on previously ordered items, as well as by providing an interactive customer display.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate consumer ordering, comprising the steps of:

a. identifying a consumer, the consumer associated with one or more past food orders;

b. retrieving one or more past food orders associated with the consumer, wherein a food order comprises one or more food items; and

c. creating a current food order associated with the consumer, the current food order based on the one or more past food orders.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating step comprises creating a current food order by the consumer, the current food order based on the one or more past food orders.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating step comprises creating a current food order on behalf of the consumer, the current food order based on the one or more past food orders.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the creating step comprises creating a current food order associated with the consumer, the current food order based on the one or more past food orders and containing at least one item which is not found in the one or more past food orders.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of suggesting an item for the current food order, wherein the suggested item is not part of the one or more past food orders associated with the consumer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of suggesting an item to be included in the current order.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of suggesting an item to be included in the current order based on one or more past orders.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the current food order differs from a past food order by one item.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the current food order is identical to a past food order.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of generating an order menu for the consumer based on the current food order.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of communicating the order menu to the consumer by displaying the order menu on a digital device such as a self service station, kiosk, point of sale terminal, interactive customer display, personal computer, set top box, personal digital assistant, or cell phone.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the retrieving step comprises retrieving one or more past food orders from a computer system on a network, wherein the network is one of an intranet, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, a wired network, a wireless network, or combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

a. tendering the current food order; and

b. storing the current food order as a past food order associated with the customer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each food item can be further defined using one or more modifiers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein modifiers describe the amount or type of condiments for the associated food item, such as ‘

NO’

, ‘

ONLY’

, ‘

LIGHT’

, ‘

HEAVY’

, and ‘

ADD.’

16. The method of claim 14, wherein modifiers describe the preparation of the associated food item, such as ‘

RARE’

, ‘

MEDIUM’

, and ‘

WELL DONE.’

17. The method of claim 14, wherein modifiers describe the size of the associated food item, such as ‘

SMALL’

, ‘

MEDIUM’

, and ‘

LARGE.’

18. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the consumer comprises the steps of:

a. receiving information associated with the consumer; and

b. identifying of the consumer using the received information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifying step comprises the step of determining the particular consumer the information is associated with by querying a database which contains consumer information.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the information is derived from one of a credit instrument, debit instrument, loyalty card, gift card, login and password, biometric input device, wireless access device, radio frequency identification device, or bar-coded instrument.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying food order upsell information to the consumer.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying promotional information to the consumer.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying end of food order information to the consumer.

24. A method to facilitate consumer ordering, comprising the steps of:

a. creating a preferred order associated with a consumer, wherein an order comprises one or more items;

b. defining a name for the preferred order;

c. storing the preferred order in a list of preferred orders associated with the consumer, wherein each preferred order in the list of preferred orders is identifiable by its defined name; and

d. ranking the preferred orders in the list of preferred orders associated with the consumer, wherein the ranking determines the order that the consumer'"'"'s preferred orders will be displayed when viewed by the consumer.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the creating step comprises creating a preferred order associated with a consumer based on one or more existing orders associated with the consumer, wherein an order comprises one or more items.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of creating a current order associated with the consumer, the current food order based on one or more orders in the preferred order list.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the current food order contains at least one item which is not part of an order in the preferred order list.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the creating step comprises the step of creating a preferred order associated with the consumer by simulating the order process for the consumer on a digital device, and storing the resulting order as the preferred order.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the digital device is one of a self service station, kiosk, point of sale terminal, interactive consumer display, personal computer, set top box, personal digital assistant, or cell phone.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of identifying the consumer.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the items are food items.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the food items are provided by a restaurant.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the restaurant is a fast food restaurant, such as MACDONALD'"'"'S, WENDY'"'"'S, BURGER KING, CHICK-FIL-A, KENTUCY FRIED CHICKEN, SUBWAY, HARDEE'"'"'S, ARBY'"'"'S, and POPEYES.

34. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of storing the preferred order list in an order account associated with the consumer.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising the step of accessing the order account by the consumer.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein each item can be further defined using one or more modifiers.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein modifiers describe the amount or type of condiments for the associated food item, such as ‘

NO’

, ‘

ONLY’

, ‘

LIGHT’

, ‘

HEAVY’

, and ‘

ADD.’

38. The method of claim 36, wherein modifiers describe the preparation of the associated food item, such as ‘

RARE’

, ‘

MEDIUM’

, and ‘

WELL DONE.’

39. The method of claim 36, wherein modifiers describe the size of the associated food item, such as ‘

SMALL’

, ‘

MEDIUM’

, and ‘

LARGE.’

40. A method to facilitate consumer ordering, comprising the steps of:

a. associating a consumer with a first food item, the first food item having a first food item profile;

b. storing the association between the consumer and the first food item;

c. selecting a second food item, the second food item having a second food item profile;

d. comparing the first food item profile and the second food item profile; and

e. suggesting the second food item to the consumer for ordering based on the comparison.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein a food item profile contains food item information describing an associated food item, including information such as taste, nutritional value, ingredients, preparation method, condiments, size, popularity, promotion, inventory, and cost.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the first food item has been currently selected by the consumer.

43. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of ordering the second food item by the consumer.

44. The method of claim 40, further comprising the step of storing information regarding the consumer'"'"'s decision to order the second food item.

45. The method of claim 40, wherein the associating step comprises associating a consumer with a first food item, the first food item having a first food item profile, and wherein the first food item was previously ordered by the consumer.

46. The method of claim 40, wherein storing comprises storing the association on a digital device, wherein digital device includes a self service station, kiosk, point of sale terminal, interactive customer display, personal computer, set top box, personal digital assistant, and cell phone.

47. The method of claim 40, wherein the food items are provided by a restaurant.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the restaurant is a fast food restaurant, such as MACDONALD'"'"'S, WENDY'"'"'S, BURGER KING, CHICK-FIL-A, KENTUCY FRIED CHICKEN, SUBWAY, HARDEE'"'"'S, ARBY'"'"'S, and POPEYES.

49. The method of claim 40, wherein each item can be further defined using one or more modifiers.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein modifiers describe the amount or type of condiments for the associated food item, such as ‘

NO’

, ‘

ONLY’

, ‘

LIGHT’

, ‘

HEAVY’

, and ‘

ADD.’

51. The method of claim 49, wherein modifiers describe the preparation of the associated food item, such as ‘

RARE’

, ‘

MEDIUM’

, and ‘

WELL DONE.’

52. The method of claim 49, wherein modifiers describe the size of the associated food item, such as ‘

SMALL’

, ‘

MEDIUM’

, and ‘

LARGE.’