Monitoring and forecasting customer traffic

• US 5,541,835 A
• Filed: 12/29/1992
• Issued: 07/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jean-Guy Bessette
• Original Assignee: Jean-Guy Bessette
• Inventors: Dextraze, Marcel, Marin, Miguel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes, Gail O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US08/095,520
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/402, 364/513, 364/578, 364/148, 340/824, 340/826, 340/286 R
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2011/04 related to queuing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00 Individual registration on entry or exit

Abstract

A system for monitoring and forecasting customer traffic and customer servicing at a location wherein each customer may be served at any one of a plurality of available service stations. A detector at the entrance of a defined area detects passage of a customer at the entrance. At each service station, a sensor detects the presence of a customer proximate to the station. A data processor is used for registering the time of the day when the passage is detected, the time of the day when a change of state occurs at each station. The times and the type of event registered are then computed by a method, known as the discrete event modelling and simulation, to establish customer traffic monitoring and forecasting.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring and forecasting customer traffic and customer servicing at a location wherein each customer may be served at any one of a plurality of available service stations, the customers being in a defined area having entrance means, said system comprising

A) data gathering means including:

detecting means, at the entrance, for detecting passage of a customer at the entrance means;

sensing means, at each service station, for sensing the presence of a customer proximate to the station;

clock means to generate in real time, the date of the day, the hour, minute and second that at least one of the detecting means and sensing means are activated;

registering means for collecting information relative to the detecting means and sensing means;

B) data processing means including;

means for registering the clock time of a day when passage is detected;

means for registering the clock time of a day when the sensing means is activated or deactivated at each station;

means providing logical comparison between the types of events and the related clock times registered by the registering means;

said logical comparison being established by using a discrete event modelling and simulation method to thereby monitor and forecast customer traffic.

2. A method for monitoring and forecasting customer traffic and customer servicing at a location wherein each customer may be served at any one of a plurality of available service stations, the customers being in a defined area having one or several entrance, comprising the steps of:

detecting, at the ;

said entrance, passage of a customer thereby;

registering the clock time of the day when said passage is detected;

sensing, at each service station, a change of state resulting from a customer being proximate, or not, to the station;

registering the clock time of the day when said change of state occurs at each station; and

establishing the logical comparison between the event times registered by using a discrete event modelling and simulation method to thereby monitor and forecast customer traffic.