Method and assembly for displaying menu options

• US 9,830,046 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2014
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextep Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nextep Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Woycik, Thomas, Varga, Kevin, Maslanka, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Molina, Hugo
• Application Number:
  US14/289,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337797A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 715841
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces

Abstract

An interactive ordering apparatus includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store instructions and data. The processor is configured to execute the instructions to (i) produce a display in a viewable area of a touchscreen and to (ii) receive input from a user via the touchscreen. According to the instructions, the processor is configured to divide at least a portion of the display into a plurality of mutually exclusive sections, and display a first plurality of choices in a first section of the plurality of sections. The processor is also configured to, in response to selection by the user of a first choice of the first plurality of choices, (i) move the first plurality of choices to a second section of the plurality of sections and (ii) display a second plurality of choices in the first section.

Claims

1. An interactive ordering apparatus comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions and data; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to (i) produce a display in a viewable area of a touchscreen and to (ii) receive input from a user via the touchscreen,

wherein, according to the instructions, the processor is configured to;

divide the display into mutually exclusive first and second portions;

position the first and second portions according to data indicating whether the user is right-handed or left-handed, including;

in response to the data indicating that the user is right-handed, position the first portion left of the second portion, and

in response to the data indicating that the user is left-handed, position the first portion right of the second portion;

divide the second portion of the display into a plurality of mutually exclusive sections, wherein the plurality of sections includes a first section, a second section, and a third section;

position the plurality of sections according to the data indicating whether the user is right-handed or left-handed, including;

in response to the data indicating that the user is right-handed, (i) position the first section left of the second section and (ii) position the second section left of the third section, and

in response to the data indicating that the user is left-handed, (i) position the first section right of the second section and (ii) position the second section right of the third section;

display a tally of costs within the first portion associated with food items selected by the user within the second portion of the display;

display a first plurality of food items in the first section;

prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically select a most likely food item of the first plurality of food items in the first section;

in response to the automatic selection of the most likely food item of the first plurality of food items, display a second plurality of food items in the second section, wherein the second plurality of food items is dependent on the automatically selected most likely food item of the first plurality of food items;

prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically select a most likely food item of the second plurality of food items in the second section;

in response to the automatic selection of the most likely food item of the second plurality of food items, display a third plurality of food items in the third section, wherein the third plurality of food items is dependent on the automatically selected most likely food item of the first plurality of food items and the automatically selected most likely food item of the second plurality of food items; and

in response to the user touching the touchscreen at a location in the third section corresponding to a first food item of the third plurality of food items, indicating the user'"'"'s selection of the first food item;

move the second plurality of food items to the first section;

move the third plurality of food items to the second section;

display a fourth plurality of food items in the third section, wherein the fourth plurality of food items was not visible prior to the user selection of the first food item;

permit selection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the third section, of one of the fourth plurality of food items;

permit reselection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the second section, of a different one of the third plurality of food items; and

permit reselection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the first section, of a different one of the second plurality of food items.

2. The interactive ordering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, in response to the user selection of the first food item, remove the first plurality of food items from the display.

3. The interactive ordering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sections consists of the first section, the second section, and the last section.

4. The interactive ordering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, in response to the user selection of the first food item, visually emphasize the first food item within the second section.

5. The interactive ordering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user is a customer of a business or an employee of the business.

6. The interactive ordering apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the touchscreen.

7. The interactive ordering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third section is located adjacent to an edge of the display, and wherein the second section is separated from the edge of the display by the third section.

8. The interactive ordering apparatus of claim 7, wherein, according to the instructions, the processor is configured to:

in response to the data indicating that the user is right-handed, select a right-hand edge of the display as the edge of the display; and

in response to the data indicating that the user is left-handed, select a left-hand edge of the display as the edge of the display.

9. The interactive ordering apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to, prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically visually emphasize (i) the most likely food item of the first plurality of food items in the first section and (ii) the most likely food item of the second plurality of food items in the second section.

10. A method of operating an interactive ordering apparatus, the method comprising:

producing a display in a viewable area of a touchscreen of the interactive ordering apparatus;

receiving input from a user via the touchscreen;

dividing the display into mutually exclusive first and second portions;

positioning the first and second portions according to data indicating whether the user is right-handed or left-handed, including;

in response to the data indicating that the user is right-handed, positioning the first portion left of the second portion, and

in response to the data indicating that the user is left-handed, positioning the first portion right of the second portion;

dividing the second portion of the display into a plurality of mutually exclusive sections, wherein the plurality of sections includes a first section, a second section, and a third section;

positioning the plurality of sections according to the data indicating whether the user is right-handed or left-handed, including;

in response to the data indicating that the user is right-handed, (i) positioning the first section left of the second section and (ii) positioning the second section left of the third section, and

in response to the data indicating that the user is left-handed, (i) positioning the first section right of the second section and (ii) positioning the second section right of the third section;

displaying a tally of costs within the first portion associated with food items selected by the user within the second portion of the display;

displaying a first plurality of food items in the first section;

prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically selecting a most likely food item of the first plurality of food items in the first section;

in response to the automatic selection of the most likely food item of the first plurality of food items, displaying a second plurality of food items in the second section, wherein the second plurality of food items is dependent on the automatically selected most likely food item of the first plurality of food items;

prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically selecting a most likely food item of the second plurality of food items in the second section;

in response to the automatic selection of the most likely food item of the second plurality of food items, displaying a third plurality of food items in the third section, wherein the third plurality of food items is dependent on the automatically selected most likely food item of the first plurality of food items and the automatically selected most likely food item of the second plurality of food items;

in response to detecting a touch of the user at a location in the third section corresponding to a first food item of the third plurality of food items, indicating the user'"'"'s selection of the first food item;

moving the second plurality of food items to the first section;

moving the third plurality of food items to the second section;

displaying a fourth plurality of food items in the third section, wherein the fourth plurality of food items was not visible prior to the user selection of the first food item;

permitting selection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the third section, of one of the fourth plurality of food items;

permitting reselection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the second section, of a different one of the third plurality of food items; and

permitting reselection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the first section, of a different one of the second plurality of food items.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, in response to the user selection of the first food item, removing the first plurality of food items from the display.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sections consists of the first section, the second section, and the last section.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising, in response to the user selection of the first food item, visually emphasizing the first food item within the second section.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the user is a customer of a business or an employee of the business.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the third section is located adjacent to an edge of the display, and wherein the second section is separated from the edge of the display by the third section.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in response to the data indicating that the user is right-handed, selecting a right-hand edge of the display as the edge of the display; and

in response to the data indicating that the user is left-handed, selecting a left-hand edge of the display as the edge of the display.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising, prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically visually emphasizing (i) the most likely food item of the first plurality of food items in the first section and (ii) the most likely food item of the second plurality of food items in the second section.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for execution by a processor, the instructions comprising:

producing a display in a viewable area of a touchscreen;

receiving input from a user via the touchscreen;

dividing the display into mutually exclusive first and second portions;

positioning the first and second portions according to data indicating whether the user is right-handed or left-handed, including;

in response to the data indicating that the user is right-handed, positioning the first portion left of the second portion, and

in response to the data indicating that the user is left-handed, positioning the first portion right of the second portion;

dividing the second portion of the display into a plurality of mutually exclusive sections, wherein the plurality of sections includes a first section, a second section, and a third section;

positioning the plurality of sections according to the data indicating whether the user is right-handed or left-handed, including;

in response to the data indicating that the user is right-handed, (i) positioning the first section left of the second section and (ii) positioning the second section left of the third section, and

in response to the data indicating that the user is left-handed, (i) positioning the first section right of the second section and (ii) positioning the second section right of the third section;

displaying a tally of costs within the first portion associated with food items selected by the user within the second portion of the display;

displaying a first plurality of food items in the first section;

prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically selecting a most likely food item of the first plurality of food items in the first section;

in response to the automatic selection of the most likely food item of the first plurality of food items, displaying a second plurality of food items in the second section, wherein the second plurality of food items is dependent on the automatically selected most likely food item of the first plurality of food items;

prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically selecting a most likely food item of the second plurality of food items in the second section;

in response to the automatic selection of the most likely food item of the second plurality of food items, displaying a third plurality of food items in the third section, wherein the third plurality of food items is dependent on the automatically selected most likely food item of the first plurality of food items and the automatically selected most likely food item of the second plurality of food items;

in response to the user touching the touchscreen at a location in the third section corresponding to a first food item of the third plurality of food items, indicating the users selection of the first food item;

moving the second plurality of food items to the first section;

moving the third plurality of food items to the second section;

displaying a fourth plurality of food items in the third section, wherein the fourth plurality of food items was not visible prior to the user selection of the first food item;

permitting selection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the third section, of one of the fourth plurality of food items;

permitting reselection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the second section, of a different one of the third plurality of food items; and

permitting reselection, by the user touching the touchscreen within the first section, of a different one of the second plurality of food items.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise, prior to manual selection of one of the first plurality of food items by the user, automatically visually emphasizing (i) the most likely food item of the first plurality of food items in the first section and (ii) the most likely food item of the second plurality of food items in the second section.