Biometrics for Rapid and Enhanced Service and Hospitality and Quantification Thereof

• US 20150039451A1
• Filed: 04/15/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Richard Paul Bonfiglio
• Original Assignee: Richard Paul Bonfiglio
• Inventors: Bonfiglio, Richard Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/252,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20150039451A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/70 Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities

Abstract

The present invention provides a computer-implemented system and method for enhanced service and hospitality by a facility, such as a restaurant, using biometric identifiers, such as facial recognition, fingerprint identification, palm print identification, iris recognition, retina recognition and voice recognition, and a computer-implemented means for quantifying the rapidity of service to enrolled customers in the program compared to customers not enrolled in the program. Customers enroll in the program and provide specific biometric identifiers as well their one or more preferences related to one or more foods, drinks and/or services provided by the facility.

Claims

1. (canceled)

10. A computer-implemented method using biometrics for providing and Quantifying a rapid order lead time for a customer enrolled in an enhanced service and hospitality program offered by a facility compared to order lead time for a customer not enrolled in the program, the method comprising:

storing biometric identifiers provided by a customer enrolled in an enhanced service and hospitality program offered by a facility in a template set in a database contained in database management software, said database management software operated by at least one microprocessor, said at least one microprocessor controlling one or more computing devices;

storing data of the enrolled customer in the database, said data comprising a customer identification number, name, address, payment information, photograph, and one or more preferences of the customer for one or more foods and/or drinks sold by the facility;

executing a biometric identification software program to identify biometric identifiers of a customer by the one or more computing devices when the customer enters the facility, said biometric identifiers of the customer acquired by an image acquisition sensor, said acquired biometric identifiers relayed to the one or more computing devices which determines whether the customer entering the facility is an enrolled customer in the service and hospitality program offered by facility;

viewing the data of the customer on the display screen by a service provider when the one or more computing devices determines that the customer is an enrolled customer, said time of the viewing beginning order lead time for an order of one or more foods and/or drinks of the customer;

inputting time of viewing by the service provider by clicking a begin order lead time button on the display screen, wherein clicking the begin order lead time button begins order lead time for an order of the one or more foods and/or drinks preferred by the enrolled customer,

placing the order by one of the one or more service providers by relaying the order to one or more order preparers via one of the one or more computing devices;

preparing the order by the one or more order preparers;

clicking an end order lead time button on the display screen when the order is completed, wherein clicking the end order lead time button ends the order lead time for the order of the enrolled customer;

delivering the order after it is prepared by one or more service providers to a service and hospitality area of the facility for pick-up by the enrolled customer;

calculating by the one or more computing devices the order lead time of the enrolled customer, wherein said order lead time is equal to the difference between the begin order lead time and the end order time, wherein said order lead time is automatically inputted into a database by the one or more computing devices containing order lead times of all enrolled customers;

calculating by the one or more computing devices the order lead time for a customer not enrolled in the enhanced service and hospitality program after the begin order lead time and the end order lead time for the order has been relayed to a database of the one or more computing devices containing order lead times of all non-enrolled customers;

calculating the average order lead time for all enrolled customers and the average order lead time for all non-enrolled customers; and

quantifying the rapidity of the services to customers enrolled in the enhanced service and hospitality program offered by the facility compared to customers not enrolled in the program by the one or more computing devices by running a comparison algorithm which compares the average order lead time of all enrolled customers with the average lead time of all non-enrolled customers, said quantifying step providing a reliable and accurate way to gauge the efficiency and effectiveness of the services offered by the facility.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the biometric identifiers provided by an enrolled customer are stored in a template set in a database contained in database management software operated by at least one microprocessor, said at least one microprocessor controlling the one or more computing devices.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the begin order lead time for a non-enrolled customer is the time when the non-enrolled customer takes a number from a number dispenser device, said dispenser device relaying the customer order number and the begin order lead time to one or more computing devices, said customer order number and said begin order lead time stored in a database of the one or more computing devices, wherein the end order lead time is the time when the order is completed by an order preparer, said order preparer clicking an end order lead time button on the display screen for the non-enrolled customer.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein enrollment of a customer in the service and hospitality program comprises:

(1) the customer providing the biometric identifiers and the data to facility, said biometric identifiers and data entered into the database of the one or more computing devices;

(2) the one or more computing devices assigning the customer identification number to the customer; and

(3) the one or more computing devices assigning an enrolled customer linkage key, wherein when an enrolled customer is identified by the biometric identification software, said linkage key retrieves the data of the enrolled customer and displays the data on the one or more computing devices.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the biometric identifiers comprise facial recognition, fingerprint identification, palm print identification, iris recognition, retina recognition and voiceprint recognition.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the biometric identifiers are identified with biometric identification software selected from facial recognition software, fingerprint identification software, palm print identification software, iris recognition software, retina recognition software and voiceprint recognition software.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the execution of the biometric identification software program by the one or more computing devices comprises acquiring biometric data of a customer when the customer enters the facility, extracting a feature set from the acquired data, and comparing the feature set against a template set for each enrolled customer contained in the database in order to determine whether the customer is an enrolled customer.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the one or more computing devices is selected from the group consisting of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a notebook, a smartphone and other computing devices having a display screen.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the facility is selected from the group consisting of retail food and/or drink establishments, restaurants, hotels, motels, inns, lodges, bed and breakfasts, airports, cruise lines, amusement parks, and any other service-related facility providing recreational, travel and/or tourism-related services.

19. A computer implemented system using biometrics for providing and quantifying a rapid order lead time for a customer enrolled in an enhanced service and hospitality program offered by a facility compared to order lead time of a customer not enrolled in the program, comprising:

an image acquisition sensor which acquires biometric identifiers of a customer when the customer enters a facility;

one or more computing devices which executes a biometric identification software program to identify the customer and to determine whether the customer is an enrolled customer in a service and hospitality program offered by the facility, said determination accomplished by executing a search of a database contained in the one or more computing devices, said database containing biometric identifiers and data of enrolled customers in the service and hospitality program;

a display screen that displays the data of the customer when the one or more computing devices determines that the customer is an enrolled customer;

transmission of the data from one of the one or more computing devices to another one of the one or more computing devices when a begin order lead time button is clicked on the display screen;

calculation of order lead time of the enrolled customer by the one or more computing devices when an end order lead time button is clicked on the display screen, said order lead time equal to the difference between the begin order lead time and the end order time;

calculation by the one or more computing devices of order lead time of a non-enrolled customer;

input of the order lead time of the non-enrolled customer into a database containing order lead times for all non-enrolled customers;

calculation by the one or more computing devices of average order lead time of all non-enrolled customers contained in the database; and

quantification of the rapidity of the services to customers enrolled in the enhanced service and hospitality program offered by the facility compared to customers not enrolled in the program by the one or more computing devices by running a comparison algorithm which compares the average order lead time of all enrolled customers with the average lead time of all non-enrolled customers, wherein said quantification provides a reliable and accurate way to gauge the efficiency and effectiveness of the services offered by the facility.

2. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein the biometric identifiers provided by an enrolled customer are stored in a template set in a database contained in database management software operated by at least one microprocessor, said at least one microprocessor controlling the one or more computing devices.

3. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein the begin order lead time for a non-enrolled customer is the time when the non-enrolled customer takes a number displayed on a number dispenser device which releases a paper customer order number, said dispenser device relaying the customer order number and the begin order lead time to one or more computing devices, said customer order number and said begin order lead time stored in a database of the one or more computing devices, wherein the end order lead time is the time when the order is completed by an order preparer, said order preparer clicking an end order lead time button on the display screen for the non-enrolled customer.

4. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein enrollment of a customer in the service and hospitality program comprises:

(1) the customer providing the biometric identifiers and the data to facility, said biometric identifiers and data entered into the database of the one or more computing devices;

(2) the one or more computing devices assigning the customer identification number to the customer; and

(3) the one or more computing devices assigning an enrolled customer linkage key, wherein when an enrolled customer is identified by the biometric identification software, said linkage key retrieves the data of the enrolled customer and displays the data on the one or more computing devices.

5. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein the biometric identifiers comprise facial recognition, fingerprint identification, palm print identification, iris recognition, retina recognition and voiceprint recognition.

6. The computer-implemented system of claim 5, wherein the biometric identifiers are identified with biometric identification software selected from facial recognition software, fingerprint identification software, palm print identification software, iris recognition software, retina recognition software and voiceprint recognition software.

7. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein the execution of the biometric identification software program by the one or more computing devices comprises acquiring biometric data of a customer when the customer enters the facility, extracting a feature set from the acquired data, and comparing the feature set against a template set for each enrolled customer contained in the database in order to determine whether the customer is an enrolled customer.

8. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein the one or more computing devices is selected from the group consisting of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, a notebook, a smartphone and other computing devices having a display screen.

9. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein the facility is selected from the group consisting of retail food and/or drink establishments, restaurants, hotels, motels, inns, lodges, bed and breakfasts, airports, cruise lines, amusement parks, and any other service-related facility providing recreational, travel and/or tourism-related services.

20. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein the data comprises a customer identification number assigned to the enrolled customer, name, address, payment information, photograph, and one or more preferences of the customer for one or more foods and/or drinks sold by the facility.