Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Systems and Methods for the Completion of Transactions
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Background of The Invention
1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to systems and methods for completing
transactions, and more particularly to systems and methods for decreasing in-
store
process time for habitual retail transactions.
2. Description of Related Art
to In the modern high-tech world, the speed and convenience offered by fast
food
establishments, drive through retail stores, wireless communication, prepared
products, and point and click purchasing over the Internet has increased
consumers'
expectations of ease and timeliness in everything they do. Consumers have
acknowledged that convenience is important to them, and they are more willing
to pay
t5 more for products that have been presized, precut, and pre-prepared than
they are to
spend the time doing it themselves.
This hectic lifestyle, however, does not always live up to its expectations.
It
seems that no matter how quickly an individual moves, there are still times
that he
gets stuck waiting on others, in as just as much of a rush as himself. Even as
the
2o technology to produce easy to use and quick to consume goods and services
has
increased, the technology to provide those goods and services to the final
customer
has remained steady. Point and click purchasing slows down when a server gets
congested, and the time saved in purchasing precut lettuce can be lost waiting
for a 10
items or less cashier to make it through the 5 customers in front of you.
2
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Customer lines in retail and service establishments are often some of the most
noticeable bottlenecks in the high-tech, high speed, lifestyle. Even as the
products
purchased become quicker to make and to consume, the lines to get to them
seemed to
have slowed. The problem lies in the traditional method of ordering. No matter
what
product or service is that is being provided and how fast that order can be
fulfilled, the
order must still get from the customer to the provider, the provider needs to
be able to
provide the good or service, the customer needs to pay for the good or
service, and the
good or service must change hands from the provider to the customer.
It is the bottleneck of communicating from the customer to the provider that
t 0 leads to the problem of lines. No matter how uniform products or services
become
there is always some variation. In one of the most uniform types of goods,
fast food,
most restaurants still have a variety of items on their menus, in a variety of
sizes, and
with a variety of different options. The exact order therefore needs to be
communicated to an employee, entered into a cash register, and communicated to
the
food preparer. Each of these steps takes some discrete time.
For customers who place regular orders, the waiting in line to communicate
their order to the employee can be even more frustrating. In food service in
particular,
there are customers who arrive at a certain time on a regular schedule and
order the
same meal. At many more traditional restaurants these customers can be
remembered
by employees and are often provided with enhanced service because the
employees
know to expect the arrival of the customer, know what they are going to order,
and
can have the dish already in preparation upon their arrival. These "regulars"
therefore
get the benefit of bypassing the wait to communicate their order and can speed
up
their waiting time during preparation of their order because some preparation
has
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already been completed. These customers also get the special service that
comes with
being a known individual.
In the fast food environment, and many other types of quick, mass-market,
retail this type of bypass for regular customers is simply not available. In
order for a
fast-food chain to serve enough $0.99 hamburgers to stay alive, it requires
enough
people to flow through that employees may not be able to remember the
regulars. In
addition, chain restaurants, because of their similarity of menu, can have a
regular
who goes to multiple different locations always ordering the same thing. This
regular
will likely not be recognized by employees because at any single restaurant
location
to the customer is not regular at all.
The ability to be remembered as a prior customer and to bypass the step of
placing the same order with the provider on repeated occasions has already
spav~med
some systems to try and keep track of important customers. On the Internet, e-
businesses spend large amounts of money to try and learn what each individual
purchaser is going to want to buy and to track those users all over the
Internet. Sites
make suggestions for future purchases based on what you have already ordered,
other
sites remember what you purchased or considered purchasing the previous time
you
were there and suggest it again, while still other sites say "welcome"
followed by a
name when a return purchaser arrives, possibly allowing them to enter a site
the
customer has designed to fit their shopping preferences.
These systems, however, only work on the virtual world of computer networks
and as good as Reallybigbookstore.com is at recognizing when customer 39djk39
hits
their webpage, this information does nothing when the same customer walks into
Reallybigbookstore's brick and mortar location. The customer is not
recognized, and
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they do not get the individualized and expedited treatment they are used to on
the
Internet. They are still herded into lines.
There can be little doubt that business is lost because of the lines, there
are few
products available today which are available in one location and not available
in
another location a short walk down the street. Lines often drive a customer
from one
location to another, because they do not want to wait. Retail stores and
restaurants
loose customers as those who arrive head-off to the competition instead of
waiting.
To try and avoid the loss of customers, ordering has been simplified to try
and
make as much information presentable in as few words as possible and
accelerate the
t0 speed with which a line can be processed. Most fast food restaurants have
predesigned "meals" that can be ordered by number to allow a lot of
communication
in a small time. These systems, however, only save time through more universal
use
and the lines to present even these simplified orders can still be long. In
addition, this
"shorthand" ordering does not allow for customization without specific
specification
t 5 of the changes to the employee avoiding much of the benefit from the
system.
To try and maintain the business of frequent purchasers or regular customers,
many business have implemented preferred customer programs. These programs may
offer special discounts or promotions to regular customers or may try to avoid
some of
the waiting. The problem with these programs, however, is that they do not
allow
2o bypassing the lines to purchase goods or services because they still
require a
presentation and verification of a purchase to a consumer before the
transaction is
processed. This means that the customer can only get access to the service
ahead of
their purchase, must spend the time to verify their purchase, and must be able
to carry
out their purchase on a device they can interact with. This limitation is best
shown
25 with regards to a rental car frequent renter program.
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A program of this type is shown in FIG. 1A and permits the user to generate a
frequent buyer default (101). This default may contain information related to
personal
information, payment information, and a preferred rental information and will
be
stored in a convenient location ( 102). When the user wishes to purchase based
on this
default he can access the default (103). The default then requires him to
enter the
default to complete the transaction. That is, the user needs to either approve
the
default (105) to send it to the provider (108) or needs to enter changes to
the default
(106) and send the altered default to the provider (107), before a transaction
can be
completed (109). These steps require that the user must access the profile via
a device
1 o that can accept their input and require the user to spend time approving
or modifying
the default and communicating the result to the provider. The device therefore
needs
to have some form of display to present the user with the profile, and must be
able to
accept a variety of input from the user. This limitation can require
additional time for
the user to spend entering or verifying information, and can limit the types
of devices
and location of devices, that can be used to retrieve the default. To provide
an
example, it can be very difficult for a user to provide text feedback over a
web access
cellular phone, as entering text can be a complicated task on a standard
cellular phone
keypad. Further, it can be very difficult to enter or view information on a
simple
device, such as a pager. In addition, for these types of systems to be used at
the point
of sale, the time it takes for entering text can create an additional line
where preferred
customers are required to wait for other preferred customers to finish using
the device.
In this case, the device essentially becomes an automated cashier having the
user
communicate with a computer "employee" instead of the human. This does not
lead
to significant time savings. In addition, the system, because of this
affirmation or
alteration of the order cannot have fully automated or pre-authorized payment
as the
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amount of the payment is dependent on the order finally chosen. The system has
to
carry out a separate credit verification each time the user places an order.
It is therefore desirable to have a system that bypasses presentation of the
order to the user before the transaction is made. As part of this, it is
further desirable
to have a system that enables a user to complete a transaction without having
to
provide any further information regarding himself.
Summary Of T'he Invention
Because of problems such as these, it is desired in the industry to create a
system and method for performing a transaction where a profile that was
previously
generated by a user can be stored on a storage device, permitting the user to
retrieve
the profile and transmitting at least a portion the profile from the storage
device to a
provider where the portion transmitted bypasses presentation to the user, and
completing the transaction between the user and the provider based on
information in
the transmitted portion. The profile might include the order or payment
information
in certain embodiments. The storage device may also be a database.
The user can generate the profile through many methods, including generating
the profile over a network such as the Internet or World Wide Web, through the
use of
an audio communication such as over a telephony device, or through the use of
a
2o hardcopy that can then be mailed in or transmitted (for instance by
facsimile machine)
to the storage device.
In retrieving the profile, the user can use, in one embodiment of the
invention,
an information retrieval system, which could be a computing device, and may
enter
input into a data entry device. This input may include an entry identifier
such as
alphabetic, numeric or alphanumeric codes; scannable or machine-readable codes
such
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as bar codes, magnetic codes, or digital signatures; biometric identifiers
such as voice
identification or fingerprint identification; or any combination of entry
identifiers.
The entry identifier could be provided to the user in a tangible form such as
a card,
tag, sticker, or printed page or stored on a mechanical or electrical device.
In this document the following terms generally have the meanings provided
below, but these meanings are not intended to limit the clear scope and
meaning of
any of these terms as known by people skilled in the art.
'User' generally denotes an entity, such as a human being, using a device,
such
as one allowing access to a system for creating a profile and then completing
a
1 o transaction based on the profile. The user will generally be interested in
the
acquisition of a good or service that they purchase on a regular or habitual
basis but
such regular activity is not necessary. Although it generally refers to a user
interested
in a particular good or service (for example, a hamburger), it could also
refer to a user
interested in a general class of goods or services (for example, fast food),
or a
personalized good or service. A user could also be representing a company,
agency ,
association, or any other entity, either in an employee, agency, contractor or
any other
relationship seeking to acquire goods or services for the benefit of that
entity. A user
could also be an automated process seeking to acquire goods or services. A
user can
also be a provider in a different transaction, or a different part of the same
transaction.
'Browser' generally denotes, among other things, a process or system that
provides the functionality of a client, such that it interconnects by a
network to one or
more servers. The browser may be Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Netscape's
Navigator, or any other commercial or custom-designed browser or any other
thing
allowing access to material on a network.
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'Client' generally denotes a computer or other thing such as, but not limited
to,
a personal digital assistant (PDA), pager, phone, WebTV system, or any
software or
hardware process that interconnects by a network with one or more servers.
'Server' generally denotes one or more computers or similar devices that
interconnect by a network with clients and that have application programs
running
therein, such as for the purpose of transferring computer software, data,
audio, graphic
and/or other similar material. A server can be a purely software based
function.
Server also includes any process or system for interconnecting via a network
with
clients.
'Provider' generally denotes an entity interested in providing goods or
services
in exchange for value. A provider will generally be a commercial entity
seeking to
exchange goods or services for currency or monetary instruments, but it could
also be
any entity seeking to sell goods or services, or exchange goods or services
for other
goods or services. A provider need not be commercial or for profit. A provider
includes users seeking to solicit donations to charitable causes, or seeking
investment
opportunities. A provider could also be an entity representing a company,
agency ,
association, or any other entity, either in an employee, agency, contractor or
any other
relationship seeking to provide goods or services to potential users for the
benefit of
that entity. A provider can alternatively be an automated process such as, but
not
limited to, an automated sales program. A provider can also be a user in a
different
transaction, or a different part of the same transaction.
"Data Entry Device" is generally a device that allows a user to input some
type
of identifier to retrieve a profile and either supply, or signal another
device to supply,
information from that profile to a provider. A data entry device could
typically be,
but is not limited to, a computing device; a PDA; a wireless
transmitter/receiver; a bar
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code scanner; a voice recognition system or other type of biometric
recognition
system; a magnetic card reader; a smart card reader; a numerical,
alphanumeric, or
other type of key entry system; any type of data entry device attached to a
network; a
wireless or landline phone or system; a text recognition system; a touch
screen; a
pointing device; a sound or light sensor; or any other type of device or
combination of
devices that allows the entry of any type of identifier that can uniquely
identify a user.
Brief Description Of Drawings
FIG. 1A is a high-level diagram of the prior art.
1 o FIG. 1 B is a high level diagram of one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2A is a diagram of the set-up portion of one embodiment of the invention
FIG. 2B is a diagram of the usage portion of one embodiment of the invention
FIG. 2C is a diagram of one embodiment of a relationship marketing portion
of one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is an example of templates and the generation of a profile in one
embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 4 is an example of an embodiment of the invention in a Quick Service
Restaurant (QSR).
FIG. 5 shows a sample card for providing an entry identifier to a user in one
2o embodiment of the invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments)
As one embodiment of the subject invention, the following descriptions and
examples are discussed primarily in terms of a method for executing a
transaction
between a human user and a provider, such as a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR)
t0
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having a relatively constant menu. It would be understood by one of skill in
the art
that a provider could be any type of provider, as discussed above, and could
provide
any type of goods or services based on the order provided. The system is
generally
described as a construct executing at least partially over the World Wide Web
utilizing Internet software executing within a browser, other software
executing in a
server, and/or software proprietary to an operator of the system and/or the
provider.
Alternatively, the present invention may be implemented by Active-X , Java,
C++,
other programming languages, other custom software schemes, telecommunications
and database designs, or any of the previous in any combination. 'The system
can also
be implemented on any type of network including the Internet, the World Wide
Web,
an intranet or extranet system, a proprietary network, or any other type of
network
recognized by those skilled in the art existing now or in the fixture.
However,
alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art, and all such
alternate
implementations are included in the invention as described herein.
t5 An overview of a method in accordance with one embodiment of the invention
is shown in FIG. 1B. In FIG 1B, a user creates in step (123) a profile on the
system,
this profile including information. The profile will generally include an
order, which
includes instructions meant for the provider to describe what the user wishes
to
purchase, and additional information about the user. The profile, however, may
also
only include the order. In some cases when the user retrieves his profile,
only the
order will be transmitted to the provider. However, for simplicity of
discussion, the
phrases transmission of a profile and transmission of an order will both be
used
regardless of whether the order is transmitted alone or with other information
from the
profile. The profile is then stored in step (125) in a storage device until it
is retrieved
by the user in step (127). When retrieved, the profile is sent in step (129)
from the
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storage device to a provider without being presented to the user. In this way,
the
profile bypasses the decision making steps of the user. Generally, a user's
account
will also be debited or charged when the profile is retrieved for the cost of
the order
included in the user's profile. When the profile is received by the provider,
the
provider knows a customer has placed an order and has instructions (based on
the
order) describing how to complete the transaction in step (121).
It should be recognized that the act of a user "retrieving" a profile does not
necessarily mean that the profile is returned to the user, or that the user
himself
actually calls up the profile. The term "retrieve" as used also refers to the
act of the
to user desiring to access, use, or otherwise activate the profile so that the
profile can be
used to transmit the order or the profile to a provider as discussed below.
Therefore
the act of retrieving could be performed by an automated system based on a
recorded
command from the user, and/or the retrieval can result in the profile being
presented
in a manner that bypasses the user. In an example, the act of entering an
identifier
into a data entry device would be sufficient to "retrieve" the profile even if
the data
entry device was unable to display or process the profile.
By way of example, the method, in one embodiment, allows consumers to
speed the transaction process for frequently purchased food items by
registering their
frequently purchased products and payment preferences on the Internet or by
2o telephone, prior to the store visit. The preference data specific to a
particular
consumer is stored in a data warehouse. Once registered, the consumers may,
for
example, scan bar-coded tags keyed to their registered preference data at any
of store
in the chain. Once scanned, preference data is printed or displayed in the
preparation
area of the store, thereby allowing the consumer to bypass the
ordering/payment
portion of the store visit.
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In addition, as the method permits more purchasing consumers to visit a
particular store, more transactions can be carried out within a store. This is
because
the system allows retailers to decrease consumer time in the store,
particularly in line,
thus increasing net turnover and throughput, and simultaneously reducing the
number
of consumers who "balk", leave, or refuse to enter a too-busy store.
FIG. 2 shows a layout of a process in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention. The process is illustrated with several interrelated sub-processes.
FIG. 2A
shows the set-up portion of the method that allows the user to create or
change what is
included in a profile including the order. This sub-process will generally be
carried
out by the user at some time prior to the purchase of their order and may be
done far
in advance of the purchase. FIG. 2B shows the actions when the profile is
retrieved
for the purpose of completing a transaction. These two activities will be
temporally
separated and may be used a different number of times. Generally a user would
set up
a profile once and use it many times, but such activity is not necessary. FIG.
2C
shows an optional third activity where a system operator, or the system, can
record
data and/or perform data analysis based on the profiles. Examining FIG. 2A
first.
The user (301) accesses a device which will permit her to enter information
into the
profile. In one depicted embodiment, the device comprises a client (303)
connected to
a network (304) through a browser where a server (305) is designed to receive
the
2o profile. This connection can be through a wired or wireless connection.
Here the
server (305) provides a template (307) such as an Internet form which the user
can
populate with information and return to the server. Such a form is however not
necessary and any method for communicating information from a client to a
server
over a network can be used in the generation of the profile. In a second
depicted
embodiment, the user (301) uses a telephony device (313), such as a landline
phone,
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wireless phone, telephony equipped computing device (such as a VoIP system),
or
other aural communication device and calls a receiving system (315) such as an
intelligent network component, voice mail system, a telephone, a computer
modem, or
a human operator, which then records information for the profile as it is
spoken. In a
third embodiment, the user (301 ) writes out on a physical medium (321 ) the
desired
information for the profile. And then sends this information via a transfer
device
(323), such as a facsimile machine, which then communicates the profile either
directly or after interpretation. The depicted embodiments do not present all
available
embodiments for getting the profile from the user to the system but are merely
exemplary. Other methods for receiving a profile include, but are not limited
to, using
printed material provided on paper which may be mailed or scanned; interactive
digital or analog information in the form of audible questions in which
audible
answers are recorded on a telephone, in-store kiosk, or any other audio
communications device; or visual electronic information on any presentation
device
such as a computer screen, touch sensitive screen, television, personal
digital
assistant, or any other visual communications device.
Once the profile has been generated, it is sent to a information processing
system (333). In one embodiment, the profile may include purchasing
information for
automatic charging of a purchase when the profile is retrieved. Such a system
could
be desirable because it automates an additional step in the transaction and
allows the
user to obtain their purchase without having to perform a separate purchasing
step. In
one embodiment, purchasing may be performed using third party purchasing
instruments such as credit cards, bank cards, debit cards, or prepaid service
programs.
In these cases, it may be desirable to insure that there is available credit
or funds
available on that payment instrument to the user (301). In that case, an
authorization
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system (335) such as a credit checking system could be contacted by the
information
processing system (333), to insure that the user is authorized to use that
payment
instrument and possibly to allow a credit limit or account balance to be
generated at
the information processing system (333).
The information processing system (333) will generally be a computing device
or processor, although it could be any device or system capable of controlling
the
receipt of profiles, the storage of profiles, and the retrieval of profiles.
The
information processing system (333) will generally include a database (337) or
another type of storage device such as, but not limited to, removable storage,
magnetic
1 o storage such as magnetic disks, optical storage, volatile or non-volatile
solid state
memory, any analog storage device, a hard copy or paper storage device, any
other
storage device known now or later discovered, or any combination of storage
devices,
for storing the profiles and/or other information related to the profiles. The
information processing system (333) can also include data collection functions
that
15 allow data on the users who have generated profiles, or those profiles
themselves, to
be collected. This data may be of any type known to the art, and may be
stored,
duplicated, analyzed, aggregated, mined, or altered by any method known to the
art as
part of the information processing system (333).
In one embodiment of the invention, the system uses the resources of the
2o provider as part of the storage, retrieval, and/or data collection
functions. This may be
a local network (339) present at the provider that could be at a single
physical location
or could interconnect multiple physical locations in a network. In a simple
embodiment, the local network (339) could be a single computing device or
other
device having the functionality of being able to store and retrieve profiles.
The use of
25 a local network (339) could be desirable in transactions involving QSRs.
Many QSRs
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provide local networks (339) connecting individual physical locations and used
for
storing menu items, recipes, inventory and other information specific to the
individual
location. That information may also be updated on a regular basis from a home
or
master system to insure that the local QSR receives all necessary information
and
support from the home office regardless of location. For instance, when the
QSR
home company decides to add a new menu item, marketing materials, recipes,
ordering information, and other information can be sent from the home office
via the
local network to QSR locations. Those QSR locations then have access to all
necessary information to insure that they can provide the new product and that
the
l0 new product is universally presented across all QSRs.
In one embodiment of the local network, that local network comprises a
database (341) or other storage device, either at the home location, at the
local QSR
location, or at some other convenient location, for storing user profiles. In
one
embodiment, the profiles would be sent from a central location (either the
information
processing system (333) or a central location on the local network (339)) and
changes
to the profiles can be transferred from this central location with a regular
update sent
to each individual QSR location. The individual QSRs could then all have their
own
databases of the profiles. It may be desirable to include profiles of users
registered to
a particular QSR so that each local establishment has records of those having
profiles
2o that might be used at that particular restaurant. In addition, this local
storage can
allow regionalization of storage (for instance only storing certain profiles
in certain
geographical areas) to save resources, or could allow a single profile to be
quickly
added or updated across a wide geographical area.
Alternatively, the information processing system (333) or a central controller
on the local network (339) could be used to store the profiles, the data entry
device
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then accessing that central location to retrieve the profile via a network or
other
communication. This embodiment could be beneficial because it allows cheaper
central storage as well as the potential for quicker updating of the profiles.
For purposes of this application, examples will be used where the information
processing system (333) stores the profiles and is accessed to retrieve a
profile. It
should be noted that this is for convenience only and any statement of the
retrieval of
a profile and/or any other information from or by the information processing
system
(333) could easily be altered to retrieve the profile and/or information from
or by any
alternative storage location, and all such alterations are included within the
scope of
this disclosure. Further, any extra functionality attributed to the
information retrieval
system (333) could also be included on any other appropriate system on or off
the
local network (339) and all such embodiments are included in this disclosure.
In addition to the information processing system (333) providing profiles to
components of the local network (339), the local network (339) could also
provide
valuable information back to the information processing system (333). For
example,
the local network (339) could maintain records of when certain users retrieved
their
profiles and/or where they were retrieved (for example the specific QSR
retrieved, or
even the specific device used for retrieval). This information could be useful
to
predict customer behavior and future customer trends. Information related to
2o performance of the QSR for profile-based transactions could also be
returned to allow
a collection of data on a QSRs performance on the profile based transactions
to ensure
that sufficient customer service is being provided.
In addition, as shown in FIG. 2C the system could use this returned
information for marketing or other promotional purposes. In FIG. 2C, the
information
processing system (333) can receive information from either the data entry
device
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(353) and/or the local network (339) related to the retrieval of the profile,
or other
statistics related to the profile. This information can then be stored by the
information
processing system (333) and/or can be evaluated, tracked, mined, summarized or
in
any other way manipulated to generate useful statistics related to the
profile. These
statistics could then alternatively be sent back to the local network (339)
for use by
the provider to identify regular customers' patterns and purchasing habits,
could be
sent to the data entry device (353) for any purpose, or could be used by the
information processing system (333) or an operator of the information
processing
system for any purpose. The data could further be combined from profiles from
users
to across multiple providers in a similar industry, or across multiple
industries, to
compile more general statistics. The information could also be used in "on-the-
fly"
generation of marketing or other opportunities. For instance a user could
automatically receive a 10'~ purchase free, or could be provided with a
discount for
coming in so many times in a certain time period. Customer messages could also
be
IS generated based on the profile, for instance an out-of town user ordering
according to
their profile at a different location could be announced to staff so they
could ask the
visitor how their travel is going. Further, random games or contests could be
performed giving a user a chance to win a prize whenever they retrieved their
profile.
The system could also allow passive access to the data through terminal (343)
to allow
2o either the provider or an operator of the system to generate finance or
marketing
reports, sales data, usage rates, or any other type of collection of data that
may be
desired. Active access could also be provided through terminal (343) allowing
a
human operator to introduce special offers, marketing offers, offers for free
samples,
free products, bonus and special pricing, or anything that might be desired to
improve
25 the relationship with the user or to promote additional marketing to the
user. The
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terminal could also be used to generate, discontinue, or alter the on-the-fly
opportunities.
FIG. 2B more directly shows how the profile enables a transaction to be
completed when it is retrieved by the user (301). When the user (301) wishes
to
engage in a transaction based on her profile, she retrieves her profile at a
data entry
device (353). This will generally be done via some form of identifier which
uniquely
identifies the user to the data entry device (353). The data entry device can
be
anything allowing the user to access her profile, and it need not be able to
communicate directly with the user. For instance, the data entry device (353)
could be
I o a bar code reader and the user (301 ) could have a printed card with a bar
code thereon.
The user may be unable to provide any information to the bar code reader other
than
the bar code they have been presented with. This type of system could be
beneficial
because it can provide a lessened chance of data being incorrectly understood
by the
system, and can be more secure as the unknown bar code may have nothing to
identify
where it is useful. The data entry device then communicates with the
information
processing system (333) to retrieve the profile. Once retrieved, the
transaction
ordered by the profile can take place automatically. For instance, the central
controller could access an authorization system (335) to charge the user for
the order
contained therein and could communicate the order to the Local network (339)
or
2o directly to the provider to place the order. In a QSR system, this
communication
could comprise translating the order from the profile into a presentation on
the food
preparation area's presentation device (373) for the preparation of orders.
This
presentation can be of any form used in the art but will often be a computer
screen
listing the components of the order and the rank of the particular order with
regard to
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other orders to be prepared. The provider can then fulfill the order which has
been
presented to them which completes the transaction.
It should be clear that the user (301) using this system can bypass any
waiting
at a QSR or other provider by using this system. The user simply retrieves
their
profile and picks up their order. The system allows the user to bypass any
lines to
communicate with a cashier, and also allows the user to not be concerned their
order
will be misunderstood as it can be placed directly to the preparation area in
a format
that is familiar to those performing the preparation.
FIG. 3 shows one embodiment for creating a user profile. In FIG. 3, there is
t 0 provided a collection of data templates (201 ) that the user will populate
with specific
information they wish to store in the profile. Here there are three data
templates
(201); a payment information template (203), a personal identification
template (205),
and a provider's menu template (207). It is not necessary to include these
particular
three templates as part of the profile and the information requested by these
templates
could be provided on any number of templates in any order, or, a different
number of
templates could be provided asking for any information that may be desirable
for a
profile (209). In an alternative embodiment, the profile (209) could only
include a
single template from this set or a subset of templates, could include
additional
templates not shown here, or could comprise any combination of templates
provided
or not shown. Further, templates need not be used and the user could input
data
freehand in any order. The information collected comprises the profile (209)
and will
generally be the aggregate of the order outlined by the user based upon the
templates,
including the goods and services to be delivered to the user, the ways in
which the
user would like the goods and services to be modified, if at all, the manner
in which
the provider will be compensated by the user for the goods, and any other
information
CA 02380366 2002-O1-21
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provided by the user. If the manner of payment chosen by the user is to use a
third-
party payment system such as a credit or debit card, data may be included to
obtain
any needed authorizations for the expected amount of the transaction. None of
this
information, however, need be included. The system could also be configured to
take
in any information desired to be placed in the user's profile (209).
The sample templates presented in FIG. 3 are simplified but could represent a
system where the information collected relates to a regular or habitual
purchase of
food from a QSR with a relatively constant menu. The payment information
therefore
asks for information which could be used to perform the transaction for food.
Here
1 o the intended payment instrument is a credit, bank, or debit card although
other
payment schemes such as, but not limited to, prepaid transactions, smart card
or other
prepaid card transactions, cash transactions, bill-me-later type transactions,
transactions involving the extension of credit to the user, barter
transactions, or any
combination of these could be used instead of or in addition to the
credit/debit
transaction shown. In the credit/debit transaction shown, however, various
information is collected about the user to facilitate payment. In particular,
her card
type (231) and her name as it appears on the card (232). The mailing address
for the
user, or the billing address of the card (233). The telephone number of the
card holder
(235), and her e-mail address (237) are also included fields. These fields are
often
included as part of verification information with regards to credit cards,
although any
or all of them can not be provided. In addition, the payment information has a
field
for demographic information (239) which can be used to allow the user to enter
general information about herself which could be used for marketing, data
collection,
or promotional purposes. A user might be asked to provide demographic
information
such as, but not limited to, her sex, income, education, or purchasing
history. These
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questions could provide a limited answer set (for example sex can have the
options
"male" and "female") or could allow the user to enter any value she wanted to.
In
addition, the demographic information could change dependent on the provider
the
user wishes to create a profile for (for instance a donut shop could ask
different
questions than a take-out Chinese restaurant)
The next template provided asks for personal information. This information
could be used to uniquely identify the user or could be used to allow an
operator of
the system to contact the user directly. Such contact could be for, but is not
limited
to, providing special offers, verifying information, security concerns,
providing billing
information, or for any other purpose known in the art. The personal
information
requested includes the user's name (251), address (253), telephone number
(255), E-
mail address (257) and again demographic information (259). As discussed
previously, any selection of these fields or other fields may be present in a
template
without deviating from the scope of this invention.
The final template shown is the provider's menu template (207). Which is
where the user produces the order. The order is the particular purchase with
all
options that the user wishes to have recorded in the profile. This could be an
entire
meal, or simply a quick snack or single item. In most cases it is expected
that the user
will enter an order he regularly or habitually purchases. For example, a user
may stop
2o by a donut shop every day on his way to work for a small black coffee and a
glazed
donut with rainbow sprinkles. This order could be entered into the profile to
enable
its retrieval by the user on his morning stop. In the provided example, the
template is
one that might exist for a QSR with a very small menu, in particular, there
are only
two items provided, Item 1 (271) and Item 2 (272). This menu is by no means
dispositive and any listing of menu items in any number could be included. In
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addition, although the template is referred to as a "menu" there is no need
for the
items to be food items. Indeed this disclosure specifically covers menus of
items
including, but not limited to, retail goods, wholesale goods, services,
personalized
goods, personalized services, food items, tickets, rental items, charitable
donations or
causes, information services, news services, subscription services, or any
other type of
good, service or other thing that might be of interest to a user. A menu could
also
provide a plurality of different types of items, for instance a food service
menu might
also have options for plates, silverware, chopsticks, or other commonly
desired items
associated with food. The menu provided is also shown to be static. Although
the
l0 system would be useful for a relatively static menu, a variable menu could
also be
provided to a user (possibly with seasonal or other dynamic choices, or the
menu
could be updated when required, possibly requesting updates from the user if
necessary). This simple food service template is only provided as an easily
understood example. In this template, there are also attributes included for
the items
present which can be selected by a user. Item attributes are choices or
options that are
available for a particular item. In some cases, the selection of an attribute
might be
required (such as the size cup used for a beverage) while in other cases the
attributes
may be optional additions to the item (for example getting lettuce on a
hamburger).
Here the item attributes include size (273) for Item 1 (271) and color (275)
for item 2
(272). These attributes can correspond to different options for the items
provided on
the menu. Here the user has four different sizes of Item 1 (271) to select
from: small,
medium, large and extra large (277). The user here has selected to receive
Item 1
(271 ) and has selected (279) to receive a medium sized version of Item 1 (271
). The
user has also selected to receive Item 2 (272) and has chosen to receive (289)
a light
version (282) of item 2 (272). It should be clear that the attributes provided
may be
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dependent on the type of good or service offered. To provide some examples,
which
are not all inclusive, if an item was a hamburger such attributes as toppings
(for
example, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, ketchup, sauce, or bun),
cooking
level (rare, medium, well-done), and size (single, double, quarter-pounder)
could be
provided. In addition, sub-attributes could be provided. For instance, if the
user
selects to have cheese, a second selection for a type of cheese (American,
Cheddar,
Monterey Jack) could be provided. These sub-attributes could also be provided
as
part of the template allowing for virtually any collection of offerings that
the provider
is willing to provide. To get outside the food service arena, it is also clear
that
t o attributes could be provided for any good. A clothing item could have the
attributes
of color, size, fabric, brand name, or others. Services could also have
attributes such
as time, duration, requested servicer, etc. It should be clear to one of skill
in the art
that the only limitation on what could appear as attributes is limited only by
the type
of item on the menu and the imagination and willingness of the provider to
provide.
In addition, in the provider's menu template (207) the attributes are shown
with fixed
entries which are selected by the user. These fixed entries may be desirable
to provide
a limited universe of selections but in an alternative embodiment of the
invention,
blank fields could be provided that the user could fill in. These fields could
allow
virtually limitless selection options for the user, allowing him to type in
whatever he
2o desires.
Attributes need not be limited to textual statements but could instead provide
thumbnail sketches or other representations. The system could also select the
actual
good to be provided based on multiple attribute entries. As an example, let us
use the
purchase of coffee. Coffee can be provided in a multiplicity of cup sizes.
Coffee can
also have different amounts of cream or milk added to make the coffee a
particular
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color. Instead of asking the user how much cream to place in their coffee, the
system
could have a color guide showing pictures or other representations of many
popular
colors. The user could then select the appropriate color and cup size. With
both these
selections, the system could then translate the user's selection into what is
required in
the preparation. For instance the user's selection of a large coffee in the
third color
grade could be provided to the provider as large with 0.6 ounces of cream,
while a
small in the third color grade could be provided as small with 0.3 ounces of
cream.
These coffees being the same net color due to the ratio of coffee vs. cream.
Such a
system can make the order more intuitive to the user, while ensuring the
provider
l0 provides exactly the desired product.
This translation of what is understood by the user to what is actually seen by
the provider exists in one embodiment of the invention and goes beyond merely
allowing a customer to interrelate attributes. The system could translate from
a user
understandable code (for example: hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and no
onion) to a
I S code usable by the food preparer and expected by the food preparer (for
example H:
L,T,9~). In this way, the user can be insured that the food preparer sees the
order
displayed as they would expect the order to be displayed with the user's
desired order
and there is less chance of the order being misheard by a cashier, misentered
into the
system, or translated incorrectly. As part of this translation, it may be
necessary for
2o the information processing system (333) to even translate between different
computer
languages or operating systems to allow presentation of the order on the
presentation
system of the food preparer.
To return to FIG. 3, once the user has finished filling out the templates or
otherwise providing information for the profile (209), the information is
stored in a
25 profile (209) which is sent to the information processing system (333). The
CA 02380366 2002-O1-21
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information processing system (333) will then store the profile on some
storage device
whether local to the information processing system or on another network or
system.
On the information processing system (333), the storage would generally take
place in
a database (337) such as, but not limited to, a relational database, an object
database,
or any other type of database known in the art. It can also be any other type
of storage
medium known to the art.
In order to allow for quick retrieval of the profile (209), the profile (209)
may
be sorted with some unique identifier (213) to identify that profile (209).
This unique
identifier may be based on information entered in the profile (209) (such as
the value
1 o in the name field (251 )) or could be an assigned identifier placed
according to some
determination when the profile (209) is created. Systems for identifying data,
such as
the profile, for later retrieval are well known to the art and any method
could be used.
Here the unique identifier (213) is a unique number assigned to the profile by
the
system.
The user will then be provided with some method of accessing the profile
identified by this unique identifier, generally by being provided with some
type of
entry identifier which makes reference to the unique identifier or is the
unique
identifier. One example of an entry identifier is provided as part of FIG. 5.
FIG. 5
shows a tangible frequent buyer card including a plastic or other durable card
(501)
imprinted with a figure (503) depicting the use of the card (in particular
that this is a
Big Burger Corp. Meal X-press card). The card also has a printout of the
user's name
(505) and a barcode (506) which is the user's entry identifier and from which
the
user's profile can be retrieved. FIG. 5 includes a single example of an entry
identifier
and an entry identifier may be, but are not limited to, alphabetic, numeric or
alphanumeric codes; scannable or machine-readable codes such as bar codes,
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magnetic codes, or digital signatures; biometric identifiers such as voice
identification
or fingerprint identification; or any combination of entry identifiers. The
entry
identifier may be provided to the user in such a way that the entry identifier
could be
verbally communicated to the provider or entered by the user or the provider
into a
data entry device, for example the user could remember the entry identifier or
provide
a suitable body part for a biometric scan. The entry identifier may also be
provided to
the user in some tangible single use or reusable form as shown in FIG 5 such
as a
card, tag, sticker, printed page, or any other tangible form, which tangible
form can be
provided to the provider or presented to data-entry equipment provided for
this
1 o purpose. The entry identifier could also be provided internal to a machine
and stored
by a user on any electrical or mechanical machine, such as but not limited to,
a
computing device, a PDA, a cellular telephone, a watch, a device specifically
built for
the purpose of maintaining the entry identifier, or any other type of device
FIG. 4 shows an example of the system working in a QSR to complete a
transaction. In the system, the user (401 ) arrives at the restaurant and
presents their
entry identifier (403) to the data entry point. In this case, the entry
identifier (403) is a
bar code printed on a plastic card (404) that is presented to a bar code
reader (405).
The bar code reader (405) then contacts the information processing system
(333)
where the user's profile (209) is stored. The information processing system
(333)
2o then contacts an authorization system (335) which approves the transaction
and
charges the user's account that was provided in the profile. The profile (209)
is
retrieved and is translated into an order readable by a presentation device
(373) to be
presented to the food preparer (not shown). The order appears to the food
preparer
(not shown) on the presentation device (373) allowing the food preparer (not
shown)
to prepare the order and a product (415) is made available to the user (301)
for
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immediate pickup. The user (301) therefore simply retrieves their profile and
bypasses any lines waiting to order and instead goes directly to the order
pickup area
to receive the order which is already being prepared.
While the invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferred
embodiments shown and described in detail, various modifications and
improvements
thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly,
the
spirit and scope of the present invention is defined only by the following
claims.
28
