Food order fulfillment system deploying a universal in-store point-of-sale (POS) for preparation and pickup scheduling

• US 20060178943A1
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: David Romero, Joseph R. Rollinson
• Original Assignee: David Romero, Joseph R. Rollinson
• Inventors: Romero, David, Rollinson, Joseph R.
• Application Number:
  US11/236,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178943A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/28 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading, distribution or shipping

Abstract

A remote ordering system including a universal in-store point-of-sale (POS) system deployed to allow a remote-ordering user to customize, pay and transmit a food order to a vending merchant and to provide means for transmitting to the user a confirmation of receipt of the food order in real time together with a merchant commitment to a precise pickup time, thereby facilitating food order fulfillment immediately upon user arrival at the committed pickup time. One aspect of the invention allows a “curb-side” remotely-ordering user to notify the vending restaurant of arrival for fulfillment through a telephone call to an interactive voice response element, which then transmits an arrival notification message to the restaurant.

Claims

1-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A system for the processing of a food order from a user, the system comprising:

an in-store point-of-sale (POS) system including

reception means for receiving a wireless signal representing digital data corresponding to the food order and the user identity

printer means for printing the food order to produce a permanent record thereof and

processor means for adding the food order into a food order database;

order acceptance means for accepting the food order from the user, including

first means for displaying a plurality of food merchants,

second means for accepting a merchant selection from the user,

third means for displaying a merchant menu that includes merchant inventory availability and pricing data,

fourth means for accepting a menu item selection from the user,

fifth means for displaying a merchant preparation time for the food order, and

sixth means for debiting a user account for the price of the food order;

confirmation means for establishing a pick-up time and a pick-up location for the food order, including

first means for receiving from the in-store POS system a wireless signal representing digital data corresponding to a confirmation of receipt of the food order by the selected merchant, and

second means for displaying the pick-up time for the food order; and

fulfillment means for fulfilling the food order for the user at the order pickup location.

10. The system of claim 9, the fulfillment means further comprising:

first means for displaying a confirmation of the user identity.

11. The system of claim 10, the first fulfillment means further comprising:

scanner means for scanning a user identification means;

processor means for generating a digital signal representing the user identity; and

comparison means for comparing the user identity to the user identification means.

12. The system of claim 11, the scanner means further comprising:

vehicle scanner means for scanning a motor vehicle representing the user identification means.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein:

the first order acceptance means includes means for displaying one or more stored user preselections; and

the fourth order acceptance means includes means for accepting a selection of a stored user preselected menu item from the user.

14. The system of claim 13,the second order acceptance means further comprising:

means for accepting a selection of a stored user preselected merchant from the user.

15. The system of claim 9, the third order acceptance means further comprising:

means for displaying a merchant menu that includes at least one item that is designated as being temporarily unavailable.

16. The system of claim 9, the order acceptance means further comprising:

seventh means for displaying customizing options for the menu item selection; and

eighth means for accepting a customizing option selection from the user.

17. A point-of-sale (POS) system for use in a system for the processing of a food order from a user, the POS system comprising:

reception means for receiving a wireless signal representing digital data corresponding to the food order;

printer means for printing the food order to produce a permanent record thereof; and

processor means for adding the food order into a food order database.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising:

transmission means for generating a wireless signal representing a confirmation message that includes an order pick-up time.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

address means for generating routing data sufficient to route the confirmation message to the user.