Method and apparatus for automatically giving and receiving orders and for making calculation thereof in restaurants and shops

• US 4,582,172 A
• Filed: 01/28/1983
• Issued: 04/15/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kaisha Kabushiki
• Original Assignee: Kabushi Kaisha San Atomu
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Tsutomu, Umezawa, Shigeki, Kato, Yo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartuska, F. J.
• Application Number:
  US06/461,964
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 186/38, 186/39, 186/40, 186/41, 186/45-51, 364/464, 364/405
• US Class Current: 186/38
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 10/06 for restaurant service systems table equipment A47G ; dirty crockery transport in association with crockery washing machines A47L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/04 Restaurants or shops having arrangements for self-service

Abstract

The method and apparatus of this invention can be used for smoothly giving and receiving orders between clients and cookers in restaurants and shops or the like so that clients can order the goods at their own discretion and calculation and also so that cookers can receive smoothly their orders and supply the made good to clients in turn of the received orders and make automatically calculation of the particulars and the total amount of the goods given by clients.

Claims

1. A method of automatically giving and receiving orders for food items and of calculating the prices of the food items ordered in a food service establishment such as a "sushi" shop and the like, comprising the steps of dividing one side of a service counter into a plurality of individual service sections with each service section arranged to accommodate a single diner, providing an electronically operated order input unit at each service section and providing means and prices of the food items to be ordered on the order input unit, selecting by the diner at each service section the food items ordered by inputting the selected food items in the order input unit, arranged a chef'"'"'s section on the opposite side of the counter from the diner'"'"'s service sections extending for a given number of individual adjacent service sections so that the chef has direct access across the service counter to each of the diners in the given number of individual service sections, locating an electronically operated indicator in the chef'"'"'s section for receiving orders from the order input units in the service sections of the service counter and positioning a controlling and calculating device adjacent to the indicator, locating a micro-computer for storing the orders received from the order input units for supplying the orders to the indicator, selectively filling the orders by the chef from the information in the indicator and supplying the ordered food items to the diner, obtaining a check from the controlling and calculating device for the food items ordered and supplied to the diner, and presenting the check to the diner.

2. A method of automatically giving and receiving orders for food items and of calculating the prices of the food items ordered in a food service establishment such as a "sushi" shop and the like, comprising the steps of dividing one side of a service counter into a plurality of individual service sections with each service section arranged to accommodate a single dinner, providing an electronically operated order input unit at each service section and dividing the order input unit into a plurality of input sections with at least certain of the input sections listing names and prices of food items to be ordered, selecting by the diner at each service section the individual food items ordered by inputting the selected food items in the order input unit, arranging a chef'"'"'s section on the opposite side of the counter from the diner'"'"'s section extending for a given number of individual adjacent service sections so that the chef has direct access across the service counter to each of the diners in the given number of individual service sections, locating an electronically operated indicator indicating the individual food items ordered at a specific diner service section in the chef'"'"'s section for receiving orders from the order input units in the service sections of the service counter and positioning a controlling and calculating device adjacent to the indicator, locating a micro-computer for storing the orders received from the order input units for supplying the orders to the indicator, selectively filling the orders by the chef from the information in the indicator and supplying the ordered food items to the diner, obtaining a check from the controlling and calculating device for the food items ordered and supplied to the diner, and presenting the check to the diner.

3. Apparatus for automatically entering individual orders for food items, for receiving the orders, and for calculating the price of the ordered goods, comprising an elongated service counter having an elongated first side and an opposite elongated second side, said first side of said service counter being divided into a number of adjacent service sections each arranged to accommodate a single diner, an electronically operated order input unit located at each service section, said order input unit divided into a plurality of input sections with at least certain of the input sections listing names and prices of the food items to be ordered, said second side of said service counter comprising a chef'"'"'s section for a given number of individual adjacent service sections so that the chef can prepare food items at the chef'"'"'s section and deliver the prepared food directly across the service counter to the diners in the given number of service sections, an electronically operated indicator at said chef'"'"'s section for receiving orders from the given number of individual adjacent service sections, a controlling and calculating device at said chef'"'"'s section in cooperation with said indicator whereby an order received in said indicator from an individual service section can be processed by the chef in the chef'"'"'s section and served to the diner and said controlling and calculating device can issue a check for the cost of the ordered goods.