Order management system with automatic menu updating

• US 6,208,976 B1
• Filed: 06/14/1996
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Gomi, Akihiro, Konishi, Masanori, Baba, Hiroyuki, Kinebuchi, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, JAGDISH
• Application Number:
  US08/663,958
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 705/21, 705/15, 705/16
• 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 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/00 Cash registers alarm indicators G07G3/00

Abstract

An order management system enables a customer to use a terminal device to order food, but can respond rapidly to changes and additions to the menu. When this system starts up, it transmits an operating program and image data from main management equipment to each of a number of order-taking terminal devices. Each order-taking terminal device stores the thus received operating program and image data and displays a menu screen on a display screen on the basis of the thus stored operating program and image data.

Claims

1. A method of operating an order management system including a main management equipment for order management and a plurality of terminal devices connected to said main management equipment by lines, said method comprising:

storing in said main management equipment image data for an order management screen created for at least one of said terminal devices and an operating program for reproducing said image data in accordance with predetermined rules and managing data transmission for order management;

transmitting said image data and said operating program to at least one of said terminal devices upon a system start-up;

storing said image data and said operating program in said at least one terminal device;

reading said image data based on said operating program and displaying an order management screen on said terminal device;

receiving an order on said terminal device in response to display of said order management screen and transmitting said order to said main management equipment; and

wherein said step of displaying an order management screen comprises displaying a hierarchical menu screen representing a plurality of ordering categories; and

wherein said image data includes information divided into a number of major categories according to type, items belonging to each of said major categories further divided into a tree structure within each said major category, so as to display order management menu screens in a hierarchy; and

displaying a menu screen representing items in a level next to a hierarchical level corresponding to one of a root and node portion of a displayed tree structure, said next level belonging to a category selected by a user from categories of said hierarchical level, receiving a screen changing order and switching menu screens representing each of items belonging to a leaf portion of said tree structure to display a menu screen; and

wherein display contents of each item belonging to a hierarchical level corresponding to said one of root and node portions comprises an image representing contents of said item, at least part of said image comprising an icon; and

selecting an icon and displaying a menu containing an item corresponding to said selected icon; and

displaying said selected icon distinctly from at least one non-selected icon;

displaying a display change area on a screen, selecting said display change area, and switching from an image being displayed so as to display different items corresponding to a leaf portion of said tree structure; and

displaying explanatory information overlaid on display information, and moving said explanatory information to reveal said display information.