Food services routing system including seating location display

• US 5,262,938 A
• Filed: 11/16/1990
• Issued: 11/16/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lawrence D. Rapoport, Pascal Demilly
• Original Assignee: Lawrence D. Rapoport, Pascal Demilly
• Inventors: Rapoport, Lawrence D., Demilly, Pascal
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Huntley, David
• Application Number:
  US07/614,424
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 364/400, 364/401, 364/406, 364/405
• US Class Current: 705/15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A method for routing food orders in a dining establishment using a computer having a monitor and a first printer at an ordering location and a second printer located at a food preparation location and linked to the computer, including the steps of: (a) displaying on the monitor a main screen having a principal display region presenting a display of patron seating locations in the establishment and a function region presenting a display of targets which can be selected to control the ordering of food items and the production of a bill; (b) selecting a seating location on the principal display region to display on the monitor an order screen displaying menu items in an order region and a bill in a bill region for the selected location; (c) selecting menu items on the food order screen in order to transfer each food item to the bill region; (d) causing at least selected items appearing in the bill region to be printed on the second printer; and (e) generating a printed bill on the first printer.

Claims

1. A method for routing food orders in a dining establishment using a computer having a monitor and a first printer at an ordering location and a second printer located at a food preparation location and linked to the computer, said method comprising:

displaying on the monitor a main screen having a principal display region presenting a graphic display of patron seating locations in the establishment and a function region presenting a display of targets which can be selected to control the ordering of menu items and the production of a bill;

selecting a seating location on the principal display region to display on the monitor an order screen displaying menu items in an order region and a bill in a bill region for the selected location;

selecting menu items on the order screen in order to transfer each selected menu item to the bill region;

causing at least selected items appearing in the bill region to be printed on the second printer; and

generating a printed bill on the first printer.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

inputting to the computer an identification of a selected server assigned to each seating location; and

displaying adjacent the display of each seating location on the principal display region of the main screen an identification of the server assigned to that seating location.

3. A method as defined in claim 2 further comprising:

inputting to the computer an indication of the current status of service to each seating location; and

displaying adjacent the display of each seating location on the principal display region of the main screen a representation of the current status of food service at that seating location.

4. A method as defined in claim 3 wherein said step of displaying includes displaying each seating location in the form of an icon.

5. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein at least certain seating locations are tables and each icon representing a table has a shape corresponding to that of the table.

6. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein each icon has a location on the principal display region which corresponds to the physical location of the associated seating location in the establishment.

7. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein each icon is associated with an alphanumeric identification of the associated seating location.

8. A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said step of displaying comprises including in the principal display region representations of fixed landmarks in the establishment.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said step of displaying includes displaying each seating location in the form of an icon.

10. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein at least certain seating locations are tables and each icon representing a table has a shape corresponding to that of the table.

11. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein each icon has a location on the principal display region which corresponds to the physical location of the associated seating location in the establishment.

12. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein each icon is associated with an alphanumeric identification of the associated seating location.

13. A method as defined in claim 9 wherein said step of displaying comprises including in the principal display region representations of fixed landmarks in the establishment.

14. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the order region of the order screen includes a category subregion displaying all available consumable item categories and a consumable item subregion displaying all available consumable items in a selected category, and said step of selecting menu items comprises selecting a displayed category and then selecting a displayed item in the selected category.

15. A method as defined in claim 14 wherein said step of causing items to be printed comprises causing items in different categories to be printed at different selected times.