PASSIVE PATRON IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20150228001A1
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Published: 08/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nextep Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nextep Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Woycik, Thomas Edward, Cummings, Marshall Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 9,928,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0268 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0623 Item investigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/12 Hotels or restaurants

Abstract

A method includes: in response to detection of a patron, capturing N sets of identification data for the patron using N passive patron identification systems, respectively, wherein N is an integer greater than one; calculating N partial confidence values based on N comparisons of the N sets of identification data with N sets of stored identification data, respectively, associated with a unique patron identifier; and, based on the N partial confidence values, calculating an overall confidence value indicating a level of confidence that the patron is associated with the unique patron identifier. The method further includes: based on the unique patron identifier, retrieving stored ordering data that is associated with the unique patron identifier; setting ordering information to be output to the patron based on the overall confidence value and the stored ordering data; and outputting the ordering information to the patron using an ordering terminal.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing an ordering experience, the method comprising:

in response to detection of a patron, capturing N sets of identification data for the patron using N passive patron identification systems, respectively,

wherein N is an integer greater than one;

calculating N partial confidence values based on N comparisons of the N sets of identification data with N sets of stored identification data, respectively, associated with a unique patron identifier;

based on the N partial confidence values, calculating an overall confidence value indicating a level of confidence that the patron is associated with the unique patron identifier;

based on the unique patron identifier, retrieving stored ordering data that is associated with the unique patron identifier;

setting ordering information to be output to the patron based on the overall confidence value and the stored ordering data; and

outputting the ordering information to the patron using an ordering terminal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the N sets of identification data include at least two of:

data indicative of an image of a face of the patron;

data indicative of an image of at least a portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle;

data indicative of a voice of the patron; and

data indicative of a unique identifier of an electronic device that communicates wirelessly.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the N sets of identification data include data indicative of an image of a wheel of a portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the N sets of identification data include data indicative of a side portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the N sets of identification data include data indicative of a front portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the N sets of identification data include data indicative of a rear portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the stored ordering data includes data indicative of at least one previously ordered menu item associated with the unique patron identifier.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving data indicative of an order placed by the patron; and

storing the data indicative of the order placed by the patron in association with the unique patron identifier.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining a food preference of the patron based on the order placed by the patron; and

storing data indicative of the food preference of the patron in association with the unique patron identifier.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the ordering information to be output to the patron includes setting an ordering menu to be displayed to the patron on a display of the ordering terminal to a predetermined ordering menu when the overall confidence value is less than a predetermined value.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein setting the ordering information to be output to the patron includes setting the ordering menu to be displayed to the patron to an adjusted ordering menu that is different than the predetermined ordering menu when the overall confidence value is greater than the predetermined value.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising determining locations for menu items on the adjusted ordering menu based on the stored ordering data.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising changing a visual attribute of at least one menu item on the adjusted ordering menu, relative to the predetermined ordering menu, based on the stored ordering data.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein setting the ordering information to be output to the patron includes removing at least one menu item from the predetermined ordering menu when the overall confidence value is greater than the predetermined value.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising determining the at least one menu item for removal from the predetermined ordering menu based on the stored ordering data.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the ordering information to be output to the patron includes setting a language for outputting the ordering information to the patron when the overall confidence value is greater than a predetermined value.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein setting the ordering information to be output to the patron includes setting the ordering information to include at least one previously ordered menu item associated with the unique patron identifier when the overall confidence value is greater than a predetermined value.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein outputting the ordering information to the patron using the ordering terminal includes outputting the ordering information using at least one of a display and a speaker of the ordering terminal.

19. The method of claim 1 further comprising, when the overall confidence value is less than a predetermined value:

creating a second unique patron identifier in a database; and

storing the N sets of identification data captured in association with the second unique patron identifier.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising, when the overall confidence value is greater than the predetermined value, selectively updating at least one of the N sets of stored identification data associated with the unique patron identifier based on at least one of the N sets of identification data captured for the patron, respectively.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising, when the overall confidence value is greater than the predetermined value, selectively updating the stored ordering data based on data indicative of an order placed by the patron.

22. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating the overall confidence value based on the N partial confidence values and N predetermined weighting values, respectively.

23. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating the overall confidence value based on the equation:

C=1−

Π

_m=1^N(1−

Wm*Cm),

where C is the overall confidence value for the unique patron identifier, Π

denotes use of the product function, m is an integer less than or equal to N, Cm is an m-th one of the partial confidence values calculated based on an m-th comparison of an m-th one of the N sets of identification data and an m-th one of the N sets of stored identification data, Cm is a value between 0 and 1, and Wm is an m-th predetermined weighting value between 0 and 1.

24. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calculating at least one additional partial confidence value based on at least one comparison of at least one of the N sets of identification data with additional sets of stored identification data, respectively, associated with a general characteristic;

based on the at least one additional partial confidence value, calculating a second overall confidence value indicating a second level of confidence that the patron has the general characteristic; and

,

based on the second overall confidence value, selectively setting the ordering information to be output to the patron further based on the general characteristic.

25-49. -49. (canceled)

50. An ordering system, comprising:

N passive patron identification systems that, in response to detection of a patron, capture N sets of identification data for the patron, respectively,

wherein N is an integer greater than one;

a confidence calculation module that;

calculates N partial confidence values based on N comparisons of the N sets of identification data with N sets of stored identification data, respectively, associated with a unique patron identifier; and

based on the N partial confidence values, calculates an overall confidence value indicating a level of confidence that the patron is associated with the unique patron identifier;

a profile retrieving module that, based on the unique patron identifier, retrieves stored ordering data that is associated with the unique patron identifier; and

a control module that sets ordering information to be output to the patron based on the overall confidence value and the stored ordering data and that outputs the ordering information to the patron.

51. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the N sets of identification data include at least two of:

data indicative of an image of a face of the patron;

data indicative of an image of at least a portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle;

data indicative of a voice of the patron; and

data indicative of a unique identifier of an electronic device that communicates wirelessly.

52. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the N sets of identification data include data indicative of an image of a wheel of a portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle.

53. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the N sets of identification data include data indicative of a side portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle.

54. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the N sets of identification data include data indicative of a front portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle.

55. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the N sets of identification data include data indicative of a rear portion of the patron'"'"'s vehicle.

56. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the stored ordering data includes data indicative of at least one previously ordered menu item associated with the unique patron identifier.

57. The ordering system of claim 50 further comprising:

an updating module that receives data indicative of an order placed by the patron and that stores the data indicative of the order placed by the patron in association with the unique patron identifier.

58. The ordering system of claim 57 wherein the updating module further:

determines a food preference of the patron based on the order placed by the patron; and

stores data indicative of the food preference of the patron in association with the unique patron identifier.

59. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the control module sets an ordering menu to be displayed to the patron on a display of the ordering terminal to a predetermined ordering menu when the overall confidence value is less than a predetermined value.

60. The ordering system of claim 59 wherein the control module sets the ordering menu to be displayed to the patron to an adjusted ordering menu that is different than the predetermined ordering menu when the overall confidence value is greater than the predetermined value.

61. The ordering system of claim 60 wherein the control module determines locations for menu items on the adjusted ordering menu based on the stored ordering data.

62. The ordering system of claim 60 wherein the control module changes a visual attribute of at least one menu item on the adjusted ordering menu, relative to the predetermined ordering menu, based on the stored ordering data.

63. The ordering system of claim 59 wherein the control module removes at least one menu item from the predetermined ordering menu when the overall confidence value is greater than the predetermined value.

64. The ordering system of claim 63 wherein the control module determines the at least one menu item for removal from the predetermined ordering menu based on the stored ordering data.

65. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the control module sets a language for outputting the ordering information to the patron when the overall confidence value is greater than a predetermined value.

66. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the control module sets the ordering information to include at least one previously ordered menu item associated with the unique patron identifier when the overall confidence value is greater than a predetermined value.

67. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the control module outputs the ordering information using at least one of a display and a speaker of the ordering terminal.

68. The ordering system of claim 50 further comprising an updating module that, when the overall confidence value is less than a predetermined value:

creates a second unique patron identifier in a database; and

stores the N sets of identification data captured in association with the second unique patron identifier.

69. The ordering system of claim 68 further comprising an updating module that, when the overall confidence value is greater than the predetermined value, selectively updates at least one of the N sets of stored identification data associated with the unique patron identifier based on at least one of the N sets of identification data captured for the patron, respectively.

70. The ordering system of claim 69 further comprising an updating module that, when the overall confidence value is greater than the predetermined value, selectively updates the stored ordering data based on data indicative of an order placed by the patron.

71. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the confidence calculation module calculates the overall confidence value based on the N partial confidence values and N predetermined weighting values, respectively.

72. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the confidence calculation module calculates the overall confidence value based on the equation:

C=1−

Π

_m=1^N(1−

Wm*Cm),

where C is the overall confidence value for the unique patron identifier, Π

denotes use of the product function, m is an integer less than or equal to N, Cm is an m-th one of the partial confidence values calculated based on an m-th comparison of an m-th one of the N sets of identification data and an m-th one of the N sets of stored identification data, Cm is a value between 0 and 1, and Wm is an m-th predetermined weighting value between 0 and 1.

73. The ordering system of claim 50 wherein the confidence calculation module further:

calculates at least one additional partial confidence value based on at least one comparison of at least one of the N sets of identification data with additional sets of stored identification data, respectively, associated with a general characteristic;

based on the at least one additional partial confidence value, calculates a second overall confidence value indicating a second level of confidence that the patron has the general characteristic; and

,

based on the second overall confidence value, selectively sets the ordering information to be output to the patron further based on the general characteristic.

74-98. -98. (canceled)