Automated shopping order entry system

• US 4,959,686 A
• Filed: 02/24/1988
• Issued: 09/25/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Penn Business Credit, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dexter Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Cawley, Peter, Doyle, William E., Spallone, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jerry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huntley, David
• Application Number:
  US07/159,758
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 364/400, 364/401, 364/405, 364/407, 340/309.15
• US Class Current: 705/26.43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0617 Representative agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00

Abstract

An automated shopping order entry system has particularly advantageous features for use in a supermarket having a delicatessen station. A processor subsystem, a customer subsystem, and an employee subsystem are provided. The customer subsystem can be located in the view of customers entering at a customer entrance that is typically remote from the delicatessen station. The customer can select delicatessen items and gets a printout of item selection and of estimated waiting time based on an accumulated variable workload that depends on items ordered by customers. Shopping efficiency is increased by making automated shopping available to the customer at an advantageous place and time in the shopping pattern, and by handling waiting time in an advantageous manner.

Claims

1. A system for automated shopping order entry for the delicatessen station of a supermarket, comprising:

a processor subsystem including;

means for storing data describing items available for purchase;

means for computing and storing an estimated waiting time;

means for controlling a sequence for shopping item data presentation for selection by a customer;

selection data storage means for storing data representative of a customer'"'"'s item selections; and

means for controlling printing of a customer'"'"'s item selections and the estimated waiting time;

a customer subsystem, coupled with said processor subsystem, and including;

a display for displaying shopping item data to a customer;

customer input means for receiving customer item selection inputs to be stored by said selection data storage means; and

customer printing means responsive to said printing controlling means for printing a customer copy of the customer item selections and said waiting time; and

an employee subsystem, coupled with said processing subsystem, and including employee printing means responsive to said printing controlling means for printing an employee copy of said customer item selections;

said means for computing and storing an estimated waiting time including means for accumulating a variable workload based on a prior workload, the number of items ordered by customers, the number of employees working on filling orders, and a periodic time decrement, and means for computing and storing said estimated waiting time as a function of said variable workload.

2. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein said employee printing means is also operative to print said waiting time on said employee copy.

3. The system as defined by claim 2, wherein said employee subsystem includes employee input means for controlling said estimated waiting time.

4. The system as defined by claim 3, further comprising at least one further customer subsystem, also coupled with said processor subsystem, and including the same elements as said first-mentioned customer subsystem.

5. The system as defined by claim 1, wherein said employee subsystem includes employee input means for controlling said estimated waiting time.

6. The system as defined by claim 5, wherein said employee input means is also operative to control modification of said stored data describing items available for purchase.

7. The system as defined by claim 1, further comprising at least one further customer subsystem, also coupled with said processor subsystem, and including the same elements as said first-mentioned customer subsystem.

8. The system as defined by claim 1, further comprising means for signaling an employee when a customer order has been entered at the customer subsystem.