Smart order management

• US 9,317,882 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bosko, Christopher M., Osenbach, Bryan D., Sloyer, Jeffrey B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Claude J
• Application Number:
  US14/312,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20150371317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

An approach is provided for smart order management. Smart utensils measure consumption of a meal by a customer. The smart utensils include at least one processor to perform the measuring and a transmitter that transmits data corresponding to the measured consumption. The smart utensils transmit the measurement to a restaurant data collection device. The approach predicts, based on the measuring, a completion time of the meal by the customer and notifies restaurant staff members of the predicted completion time.

Claims

1. A method of smart order management in a restaurant, the method comprising:

measuring a consumption of a meal by a customer, wherein the meal includes one or more menu items, and wherein the measuring is performed by one or more smart utensils being used by the customer to consume the meal, and wherein the smart utensils include at least one processor to perform the measuring and a transmitter that transmits data corresponding to the measured consumption;

detecting, based on the measuring performed by at least one of the one or more smart utensils, a lack of consumption of at least one of the one or more menu items; and

communicating the detected lack of consumption to one or more staff members of the restaurant.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the customer is one of a plurality of customers seated at a table, and wherein the method further comprises:

assigning a set of one or more of the smart utensils to each of the customers;

receiving a meal order from each of the customers, wherein each of the meal orders includes one or more of the menu items;

initializing an item quantity corresponding to an item size of each of the one or more menu items;

delivering the ordered meals to each of the customers; and

measuring the consumption of the one or more menu items included in the ordered meals by the plurality of customers, wherein the measuring is performed using the assigned smart utensils.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the ordered meals include a plurality of courses with a first course of menu items being delivered before a second course of menu items, and wherein the method further comprises:

delivering the first course of menu items to each of the customers;

predicting, based on the measuring, a completion time of the first course by the each of the customers;

communicating the predicted first course completion time to one or more of the staff members of the restaurant; and

preparing the second course of menu items in a manner so that the second course of menu items can be delivered to the customers at the predicted first course completion time.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein at least one of the menu items ordered by one or more of the customers is a refillable menu item, wherein the method further comprises:

predicting a consumption completion time of the refillable menu item; and

communicating the refillable menu item consumption completion time to a selected staff member of the restaurant so that the selected staff member can inquire with the customers regarding an order for refills.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

calculating a rate of consumption corresponding to each of the menu items being consumed by each of the plurality of customers;

transmitting the rates of consumption to a restaurant data collection device, wherein the restaurant data collection device is selected from the group consisting of a selected one of the smart utensils, a table-based data collection device, and a restaurant-based data collection device;

calculating a remaining time to complete value corresponding to each of the menu items being consumed by each of the plurality of customers;

predicting a table completion time based on an analysis of the plurality of remaining time to complete values; and

communicating the predicted table completion time to one or more staff members of the restaurant.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to the detecting, retrieving a profile corresponding to the customer, wherein the profile includes one or more eating habits of the customer; and

comparing the customer'"'"'s one or more eating habits with the detected lack of consumption, wherein the communicating is performed in response to the detected lack of consumption deviating from the customer'"'"'s eating habits.

7. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory coupled to at least one of the processors;

a wireless network adapter that wirelessly connects the information handling system to a plurality of smart utensils; and

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors to perform smart order management, wherein the set of instructions perform actions of;

measuring a consumption of a meal by a customer, wherein the meal includes one or more menu items, and wherein the measuring is performed by one or more smart utensils being used by the customer to consume the meal, and wherein the smart utensils include at least one processor to perform the measuring and a transmitter that transmits data corresponding to the measured consumption;

detecting, based on the measuring performed by at least one of the one or more smart utensils, a lack of consumption of at least one of the one or more menu items; and

communicating the detected lack of consumption to one or more staff members of the restaurant.

8. The information handing system of claim 7 wherein the customer is one of a plurality of customers seated at a table, and wherein the steps further comprise:

assigning a set of one or more of the smart utensils to each of the customers;

receiving a meal order from each of the customers, wherein each of the meal orders includes one or more of the menu items;

initializing an item quantity corresponding to an item size of each of the one or more menu items;

delivering the ordered meals to each of the customers; and

measuring the consumption of the one or more menu items included in the ordered meals by the plurality of customers, wherein the measuring is performed using the assigned smart utensils.

9. The information handing system of claim 8 wherein the ordered meals include a plurality of courses with a first course of menu items being delivered before a second course of menu items, and wherein the steps further comprise:

delivering the first course of menu items to each of the customers;

predicting, based on the measuring, a completion time of the first course by the each of the customers;

communicating the predicted first course completion time to one or more of the staff members of the restaurant; and

preparing the second course of menu items in a manner so that the second course of menu items can be delivered to the customers at the predicted first course completion time.

10. The information handing system of claim 8 wherein at least one of the menu items ordered by one or more of the customers is a refillable menu item, wherein the steps further comprise:

predicting a consumption completion time of the refillable menu item; and

communicating the refillable menu item consumption completion time to a selected staff member of the restaurant so that the selected staff member can inquire with the customers regarding an order for refills.

11. The information handing system of claim 8 wherein the steps further comprise:

calculating a rate of consumption corresponding to each of the menu items being consumed by each of the plurality of customers;

transmitting the rates of consumption to a restaurant data collection device, wherein the restaurant data collection device is selected from the group consisting of a selected one of the smart utensils, a table-based data collection device, and a restaurant-based data collection device;

calculating a remaining time to complete value corresponding to each of the menu items being consumed by each of the plurality of customers;

predicting a table completion time based on an analysis of the plurality of remaining time to complete values; and

communicating the predicted table completion time to one or more staff members of the restaurant.

12. The information handing system of claim 7 wherein the steps further comprise:

prior to the detecting, retrieving a profile corresponding to the customer, wherein the profile includes one or more eating habits of the customer; and

comparing the customer'"'"'s one or more eating habits with the detected lack of consumption, wherein the communicating is performed in response to the detected lack of consumption deviating from the customer'"'"'s eating habits.

13. A computer program product stored in a computer readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform smart order management by performing actions comprising:

measuring a consumption of a meal by a customer, wherein the meal includes one or more menu items, and wherein the measuring is performed by one or more smart utensils being used by the customer to consume the meal, and wherein the smart utensils include at least one processor to perform the measuring and a transmitter that transmits data corresponding to the measured consumption;

detecting, based on the measuring performed by at least one of the one or more smart utensils, a lack of consumption of at least one of the one or more menu items; and

communicating the detected lack of consumption to one or more staff members of the restaurant.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the customer is one of a plurality of customers seated at a table, and wherein the steps further comprise:

assigning a set of one or more of the smart utensils to each of the customers;

receiving a meal order from each of the customers, wherein each of the meal orders includes one or more of the menu items;

initializing an item quantity corresponding to an item size of each of the one or more menu items;

delivering the ordered meals to each of the customers; and

measuring the consumption of the one or more menu items included in the ordered meals by the plurality of customers, wherein the measuring is performed using the assigned smart utensils.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the ordered meals include a plurality of courses with a first course of menu items being delivered before a second course of menu items, and wherein the steps further comprise:

delivering the first course of menu items to each of the customers;

predicting, based on the measuring, a completion time of the first course by the each of the customers;

communicating the predicted first course completion time to one or more of the staff members of the restaurant; and

preparing the second course of menu items in a manner so that the second course of menu items can be delivered to the customers at the predicted first course completion time.

16. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein at least one of the menu items ordered by one or more of the customers is a refillable menu item, wherein the steps further comprise:

predicting a consumption completion time of the refillable menu item; and

communicating the refillable menu item consumption completion time to a selected staff member of the restaurant so that the selected staff member can inquire with the customers regarding an order for refills.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the steps further comprise:

prior to the detecting, retrieving a profile corresponding to the customer, wherein the profile includes one or more eating habits of the customer; and

comparing the customer'"'"'s one or more eating habits with the detected lack of consumption, wherein the communicating is performed in response to the detected lack of consumption deviating from the customer'"'"'s eating habits.