CELLULAR RESTAURANT TICKET PRINTER SYSTEM

• US 20150220816A1
• Filed: 02/05/2015
• Published: 08/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pocket Restaurant LLC
• Original Assignee: Pocket Restaurant LLC
• Inventors: Gregory, Oleksiak, Moore, Anthony Stewart
• Granted Patent: US 10,362,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

A thermal ticket printer operable to receive restaurant orders via an API from a server communicating through a cellular network. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an API existing on a networked server enables the server communicate with external clients, store print jobs according to requests by external clients, and respond to status requests. The API may authenticate requests from all clients; receive and store orders; listen to polling requests from the thermal ticket printer; communicate orders to the thermal ticket printer when present; store status of print jobs for clients; and, monitor the availability of the thermal ticket printer.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a printing device configured to print a restaurant order ticket;

at least one processor associated with the printing device;

at least one communications interface operably engaged with the at least one processor, the at least one communications interface operable to receive a restaurant order;

one or more computer-readable media operably engaged with the at least one processor;

computer-readable instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable media that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one communications interface to communicate an order request, and instruct the printing device to print a restaurant order ticket;

a cellular phone operable to communicate a text message containing restaurant order over a cellular network;

a server communicably connected to a cellular network, the server operable to receive and store the restaurant order from the cellular phone, and communicate the restaurant order to the printing device in response to the order request.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the server is further operable to:

authenticate an order request from the printing device; and

,

query a database for an authenticated order.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer-readable media is further operable to store a restaurant order communicated from the server.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer-readable instructions stored on the one or more computer-readable media, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one communications interface to make an order request according to a predetermined interval.

5. The system of claim 3 further comprising an order confirmation indicator.

6. A restaurant ticket printer comprising:

a communications interface;

a computer-readable medium storing instructions for operating the restaurant ticket printer including communicating with a server through the communications interface to receive, format and print restaurant orders received from the server via the communications interface;

a processor for executing instructions stored on the computer-readable medium;

an input device configured to input a wait-time value; and

,

a print unit operably coupled to the processor.

7. The restaurant ticket printer of claim 6 wherein the computer-readable medium is further operable to store the wait-time value, and communicate the wait-time value to the server via the communications interface.

8. The restaurant ticket printer of claim 6 further comprising an order confirmation indicator.

9. A restaurant ticket system comprising:

a server operably connected to a communications network, the server operable to execute an API that enables the server to receive and transmit restaurant orders via the communications network;

a printing device having a communications interface communicably engaged with the server via the communications network;

a computer-readable medium associated with the printing device, the computer-readable medium storing instructions for operating the printing device including communicating with the server through the communications interface to receive, format and print restaurant orders received from the server via the communications interface;

a processor associated with the printing device for executing instructions stored on the computer-readable medium;

an input device associated with the printing device configured to input a wait-time value; and

,

a print unit associated with the printing device operably coupled to the processor;

a client device operable to communicate a restaurant order to the server via the communications network.

10. The restaurant ticket system of claim 9 wherein the client device is a cellular phone.

11. The restaurant ticket system of claim 9 wherein the communications network is a cellular network.

12. The restaurant ticket system of claim 9 wherein the client device is operable to communicate a restaurant order to the server via an SMS message.

13. The restaurant ticket system of claim 9 wherein the computer-readable medium associated with the printing device further includes instructions to communicate an order fulfillment parameter to the API.

14. The restaurant ticket system of claim 13 wherein the API is further operable to authenticate an order fulfillment request.

15. The restaurant ticket system of claim 13 wherein the API is further operable to store request parameters in a computer-readable medium.

16. The restaurant ticket system of claim 15 wherein the server is further operable to store orders received by the client device in a computer-readable medium.

17. The restaurant ticket system of claim 16 wherein the API is further operable to match an authenticated order request to an order received by the client device.

18. The restaurant ticket system of claim 17 wherein the API is further operable to communicate a formatted order to the printing device via the communications network.

19. The restaurant ticket system of claim 18 wherein the formatted order is stored on the computer-readable medium associated with the printing device.

20. The restaurant ticket system of claim 19 further comprising an input device associated with the printing device configured to instruct the print unit to print the formatted order stored on the computer-readable medium associated with the printing device.