CUSTOMER INTERFACE RESTAURANT SYSTEM

• US 20140249938A1
• Filed: 05/09/2014
• Published: 09/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tillster, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tillster, Inc.
• Inventors: Garrett, James M., Connelly, Ryan
• Granted Patent: US 10,102,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

Systems and methods for ordering systems and, more specifically, to a proximity based ordering system are disclosed herein. A computer-implemented method, according to some implementations of the present disclosure, includes receiving, in a computer system, a selection of an order by a user of a user device, the order including a selection of a restaurant and at least one item to purchase from the restaurant, determining, by the computer system, if the user is within a geofence defined in regard to the restaurant, upon determining that the user is not within the geofence, holding, by the computer system, the order from being prepared at the restaurant, and upon determining that the user is within the geofence, releasing, by the computer system, the order to be prepared at the restaurant.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, in a computer system, a selection of an order by a user of a user device, the order including a selection of a restaurant and at least one item to purchase from the restaurant;

determining, by the computer system, if the user is within a geofence defined in regard to the restaurant;

upon determining that the user is not within the geofence, holding, by the computer system, the order from being prepared at the restaurant; and

upon determining that the user is within the geofence, releasing, by the computer system, the order to be prepared at the restaurant.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon determining that the user is not within the geofence, periodically monitoring the user device until the user is within the geofence.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the geofence is circular, and the restaurant is in the center of the circular geofence.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the order is held by the user device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the user device uses Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates to determine if the user is within the geofence.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user device determines if the user is within the geofence.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a coordinator contributes business rules to assist in defining the geofence.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer executable instructions, the computer-readable medium comprising:

logic adapted to present a selection of an order to a user on a user device, the order including a selection of a restaurant and at least one item to purchase from the restaurant;

logic adapted to transmit to a server the order selected by the user on the user device;

logic adapted to receive information from the server corresponding to a geofence;

logic adapted to monitor the user device to determine if the user device is within the geofence; and

logic adapted to release the order to a preparation area of the restaurant upon determining that the user device is within the geofence.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising logic adapted to hold the order on the user device until a determination is made that the user device is within the geofence.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the geofence is circular, and the restaurant is in the center of the circular geofence.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising logic adapted to hold the order on the server until a determination is made by the user device that the user device is within the geofence and notification is made to the server that the user device is within the geofence.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the user device uses Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates to determine if the user device is within the geofence.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the geofence is non-circular.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the logic adapted to receive information from the server corresponding to a geofence further comprises business rules provided by a coordinator.

15. A computer-implemented ordering system comprising:

at least one server;

at least one restaurant system communicatively connected to the server; and

at least one user device configured to store and execute a software application, the at least one user device is communicatively connected to the server,

wherein the software application is configured to enable a user of the at least one user device to place an order by selecting a restaurant and at least one item to purchase from the restaurant and transmit the order to the at least one restaurant system,

and wherein the ordering system is configured to determine if the user is within a geofence defined in regard to the selected restaurant and hold the order from being prepared at the restaurant until the user is within the geofence.

16. The computer-implemented ordering system of claim 15, wherein the geofence is circular, and the restaurant is in the center of the circular geofence.

17. The computer-implemented ordering system of claim 15, wherein the at least one user device uses Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) coordinates to determine if the user is within the geofence.

18. The computer-implemented ordering system of claim 15, wherein a coordinator contributes business rules to assist in defining the geofence.

19. The computer-implemented ordering system of claim 15, wherein the geofence is non-circular.

20. The computer-implemented ordering system of claim 15, wherein the at least one server holds the order from being prepared at the restaurant and releases the order to be prepared at the restaurant upon receiving notification from the user device that the user is within the geofence.