GUEST IDENTIFICATION APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 3,636,315 A
• Filed: 11/10/1969
• Issued: 01/18/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles P. Comeau
• Original Assignee: Charles P. Comeau
• Inventors: Comeau, Charles P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilbur, Maynard R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cochran, William W.
• Application Number:
  US04/875,146
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 340/173CR,172.5,152,149,149A,324.1,172.5 235/61.7B,61.7
• US Class Current: 705/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/30 not involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

Apparatus and method to rapidly check the identity of a person against known identifying information prior to permitting that person to charge incurred expenses to the account of a known person. The apparatus and method also provide a system for rapidly recording charged expenses, after checking identity, as being incurred by the known person. The system is particularly useful in hotels and motels where a guest or other known person is permitted to incur expenses at various locations, such as a restaurant, where that person may not be known to the cashier. The person who wishes to make a charge provides the cashier or other employee with his name and other identifying information such as a room number or account number and, prior to recording this charge against the account of the person so identified, the cashier or other employee is provided with a visual display of correct descriptive information for comparison. If the information given by the charging guest is correct, the charges incurred are then recorded against the account of the known person.

Claims

1. A system for use in a hotel or the like in inquiring into the identity of an unknown person and in recording financial data concerning charges incurred by that unknown person in the financial records of a known person after making such inquiry, said system comprising:

information storage means for storing descriptive information concerning a known person and financial charges incurred by that known person;

a first station comprising descriptive information-conveying means for conveying said descriptive information to said storage means;

information retrieval means for retrieving said descriptive information from said storage means;

electronic visual display means for visually displaying descriptive information retrieved from said storage means for providing a visual basis for comparison with similar descriptive information given by said unknown person to inquire into the identity of said unknown person prior to recording financial charges incurred by said unknown person in the financial records of said known person; and

financial information-conveying means for conveying financial information concerning said charges incurred by said unknown person to said storage means to record said charges as being incurred by said known person, and a second station remote from said first station comprising a further descriptive information-conveying means for conveying descriptive information to said storage means and a further electronic visual display means for displaying the descriptive information conveyed to said storage means, said system further comprising print out means for printing out descriptive and financial information.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first station comprises a satellite station and said second station comprises a reception station within the said hotel.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said financial information-conveying means comprises a keyboard actuated means and said electronic display means comprises a cathode-ray tube connected to said keyboard actuated means for displaying financial data entered into said keyboard actuated means and connected to said storage means for displaying information retrieved from said storage means.

4. A system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said descriptive information-conveying means and said financial information-conveying means are combined in a single keyboard actuated unit.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 further comprising at least one further said first station.

6. An accounting system for a hotel or the like for establishing a plurality of accounts, each distinguished by identifying data, selecting any one of said accounts according to the identifying data therefore, adding financial items into any selected account and summing and printing out the contents of any selected account comprising:

an information store, a first keyboard actuated means for generating account identifying data, first display means associated with said first keyboard actuated means for displaying data generated by said first keyboard actuated means, means for transmittinG the account identifying data generated by said first keyboard actuated means to said information store for entry therein, a second keyboard actuated means for generating account identifying data, means for transmitting the account identifying information generated by said second keyboard actuated means to said information store for entry therein, first keyboard actuated means for generating financial data, means for transmitting said financial data to said information store for entry therein, second display means for displaying both account identifying data and financial data, means for retrieving data from said information store and supplying the retrieved data to said second display means for display thereby, third keyboard actuated means for generating account-identifying data, means for transmitting the account-identifying information generated by said second keyboard actuated means to said information store for entry therein, print out means and means for retrieving data from said information store and supplying the retrieved data to said print out means, said second keyboard actuated means for generating account-identifying data, said first keyboard actuated means for generating financial data and said second display means being combined at a single terminal located separately from the first keyboard actuated means for generating account-identifying data and the associated first display means and located separately from the third keyboard actuated means for generating account-identifying data and said print out means.

7. An accounting system as claimed in claim 6 wherein said single terminal comprises a satellite terminal and said first keyboard actuated means for generating account-identifying data and the associated first display means are located at a reception station remote from said satellite station.