SOLUTION FOR QUEUE HANDLING

• US 20090325629A1
• Filed: 06/23/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Q-Matic AB (Q-MATIC Group AB)
• Original Assignee: Q-Matic AB (Q-MATIC Group AB)
• Inventors: SNYDER, Michael Ray
• Granted Patent: US 8,306,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/526
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates

Abstract

A solution for providing a plurality of people that are waiting for a service/meeting with information relating to the queue, whereby said solution comprises a registration unit that is arranged to place people waiting for a service/meeting in a queue. The solution also comprises at least one radio transmitter that is arranged to transmit information relating to the queue to unidentified radio receivers, whereby said people may receive said information via said unidentified radio receivers.

Claims

1. A system for providing a plurality of people that are waiting for a service/meeting with information relating to the queue, whereby said system comprises a registration unit that is arranged to place people waiting for a service/meeting in a queue, wherein said system also comprises at least one radio transmitter that is arranged to broadcast information relating to the queue to unidentified radio receivers, whereby said people may receive said information via said unidentified radio receivers.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said information relating to the queue comprises information concerning a person'"'"'s place in said queue and/or expected remaining waiting time.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one radio transmitter is a frequency modulated, i.e. FM, transmitter.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radio transmitter is an Amplitude Modulated, i.e. AM, transmitter

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said system comprises a ticket/message issuing means that is arranged to provide people waiting for a service/meeting with a frequency to which they should tune their unidentified radio receiver in order to receive said information relating to the queue.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said registration unit is arranged to allow people wanting to be placed in said queue to be registered at a location where said service/meeting is to take place.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said registration unit is arranged to allow people wanting to be placed in said queue to be registered from a location remote to the location where said service/meeting is to take place.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said registration unit is arranged to allow people waiting for a service/meeting to select the type of information relating to the queue they wish to receive via their unidentified radio receiver.

9. A method for providing a plurality of people that are waiting for a service/meeting with information relating to the queue, which comprises the steps of:

placing a plurality of people waiting for a service/meeting in a queue by providing at least one queue number,

broadcasting information relating to the queue to unidentified radio receivers, whereby said people may receive said information via said unidentified radio receivers.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said information relating to the queue is transmitted using at least one frequency modulated, i.e. FM, transmitter.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the information relating to the queue is transmitted using at least one amplitude modulated, i.e. AM, transmitter.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein it comprises the step of providing people waiting for a service/meeting with a frequency to which they should tune their unidentified radio receiver in order to receive said information relating to the queue.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein it comprises the step of registering people waiting for a service/meeting locally, i.e. at a location where said service/meeting is to take place.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein it comprises the step of registering people waiting for a service/meeting remotely, i.e., from a location remote to the location where said service/meeting is to take place.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein it comprises the step of allowing people waiting for a service/meeting to select the type of information relating to the queue they wish to receive via their unidentified radio receiver.

16. A computer program for managing a queue, comprising a computer program on a computer-readable medium and comprising instruction sets arranged to cause a processor to execute at least the steps of:

placing at least one person in a queue;

keeping track of current queue position; and

transmitting current queue position using at least one radio transmitter broadcasting queue information to unidentified radio receivers.