Customer survey device with fraud prevention system

• US 20120054016A1
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Long Range Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Long Range Systems LLC
• Inventors: Lovegreen, Kenneth J., Todd, Kenneth J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,335,709 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.38
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera

Abstract

A restaurant customer-survey system and device, which reduces employee fraud when a customer-satisfaction survey embedded in the device is conducted. The survey may be implemented in a pager, tip tray, or other computing device that includes an internally mounted camera that covertly takes a photograph of the survey participant. The photograph is date/time stamped and associated with a table number so that the waiter for the table can be identified. The survey results together with the associated photograph are uploaded to a management database. The restaurant manager can review the photographs to ensure that employees are not fraudulently conducting the surveys rather than customers. The system also enables the customer to interface with the restaurant'"'"'s point-of-sale (POS) system to retrieve the customer'"'"'s current bill or wirelessly make a payment from the table.

Claims

1. A customer-survey device for use by a customer in a business establishment, the customer-survey device comprising:

means for presenting questions to the customer regarding the customer'"'"'s level of satisfaction with the business establishment or its products or services;

means for electronically recording the customer'"'"'s answers to the questions; and

means for detecting when an employee fraudulently takes the customer-satisfaction survey instead of the customer.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the means for detecting when an employee fraudulently takes the customer-satisfaction survey includes:

a camera for taking a photograph of an individual taking the customer-satisfaction survey; and

means for associating the photograph with the customer-satisfaction survey.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the device is implemented in a kiosk.

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein the device is implemented in a computing device selected from a group consisting of a personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a smart phone, and a smart pad.

5. The device according to claim 2, wherein the camera is mounted internally in the device and operates silently so that the photograph is taken covertly.

6. The device according to claim 5, further comprising firmware for controlling the camera to activate when a predefined condition is met.

7. The device according to claim 5, further comprising a control processor and a memory for storing survey application program instructions, wherein when the processor executes the survey application program instructions, the camera is activated at predefined times or when predefined conditions are met.

8. The device according to claim 2, wherein the business establishment is a restaurant, and the device is implemented in a tip tray.

9. The device according to claim 2, wherein the business establishment is a restaurant, and the device is implemented in a combination pager and customer-survey device.

10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising means for uploading to a management database, the photograph together with associated information for identifying a waiter responsible for serving the customer.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the associated information includes a date/time stamp and a table number where the survey was taken.

12. A restaurant customer-survey system, comprising:

a device accessible by a customer to take a customer-satisfaction survey, the device comprising;

means for presenting questions to the customer regarding the customer'"'"'s level of satisfaction with the restaurant and services provided by the restaurant'"'"'s employees;

means for electronically recording the customer'"'"'s answers to the questions; and

means for detecting when an employee fraudulently takes the customer-satisfaction survey instead of the customer; and

a central control station comprising;

an interface for electronically communicating with the device and for uploading fraud-related information from the device; and

an interface to a management database for providing the fraud-related information to the management database.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the means for detecting when an employee fraudulently takes the customer-satisfaction survey includes:

a camera for taking a photograph of an individual taking the customer-satisfaction survey; and

means for associating the photograph with the customer-satisfaction survey.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the fraud-related information includes the photograph, a date/time stamp, and a table number associated with the survey answers for identifying a waiter responsible for serving the customer.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the device also includes firmware for controlling the camera to activate when a predefined condition is met.

16. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a control processor and a memory for storing survey application program instructions, wherein when the processor executes the survey application program instructions, the camera is activated at predefined times or when predefined conditions are met.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein:

the central control station also includes an interface to a restaurant point-of-sale (POS) system; and

the device also includes means for the customer to enter payment information.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein:

the interface to the restaurant POS system includes means for retrieving from the POS system during the customer'"'"'s meal, a current balance of the customer'"'"'s bill; and

the device includes means for requesting the current balance and presenting the current balance to the customer.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the device also includes a button that the customer presses to activate a request for a waiter to come to the customer'"'"'s table.

20. The system according to claim 12, wherein the pager also includes an electronic game for playing by the customer.

21. The system according to claim 18, wherein the device also includes:

a memory for storing advertising; and

means for presenting the advertising to the customer.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the central control station is adapted to inform the POS system that the customer has responded to the advertising, and the POS system is adapted to apply a predefined discount to the customer'"'"'s bill in response.