Title of Invention

A WIRELESS NETWORKING SYSTEM FOR RESTAURANT ORDER MANAGEMENT

Abstract

ABSTRACT 824 MAS 04 A wireless networking system lor restaurant order management comprising, in combination, at (east one wireless transmission PDA ; means for printing and displaying data transmitted by wireless from the PDA; at least one touch screen display for wireless transmission of data to the said means; a closed loop circuit connecting, by wireless, the PDA the said means and the touch screen display together.

Full Text

This invention relates to a wireless networking system for restaurant order management and is eminently suitable for restaurants, fast food outlets, coffee shops and bars, even for small and medium size businesses. The use of the system proposed herein results in quicker processing of orders placed by a customer; increased customer satisfaction; lower costs; and increase in revenue. Billing is equally quick; and once an order is placed and processed there will be no possibility of the same order being repeated and misused. Various other features of mis invention will be apparent from the followmg further description. The wireless networking system for restaurant order management, according to this invention, comprises, in combination, at least one wireless transmission PDA; means for printing and displaying data transmitted by wireless from the PDA; at least one touch screen display for wireless transmission of data to the said means; a closed loop circuit connecting by wireless the PDA, the said means and the touch screen display together. This invention will now be described with reference to the single Figure in the accompanying drawings which illustrates by way of example and not by way of limitation one of possible embodiments of the system proposed herein. The order taker m a restaurant, such as the waiter or steward, carries a palm top computer (FDA) C in his hand. As this FDA is wireless based, the order taker is free to move about on the floor of the restaurant from table to table punching in the orders he receives from customers. The orders punched into the PDA will detail the kind of food ordered, the table at which a customer is seated and other preferences/messages. Instead of being tied down to one table or moving from the dining floor to the kitchen, back and forth, the order taker has only to attend to the tables assigned to him. All orders and messages are punched into the PDA. The data punched into the PDA as aforesaid are communicated instantaneously to the kitchen by wireless where (1) the data is received by a printer P along with other instructions on which the order is printed straightaway and billed (if the command is to prepare the bill also). The printer P used will either be of the dot matrix, an inkjet or a laser type. (2) the data is displayed on a display board B in the kitchen for the convenience of the cooking staff in executing the order. At strategic places in the dining room, there will be touch screen displays provided which can be operated by the customer directly, thereby cutting across time barriers even more, making the whole procedure even quicker. The touch screen displays are in the nature of self-service points at which customers in ahurry can directly place and execute orders with speed. The whole menu card will also be available at a glance for such self-service customers on such touch screen displays. In view of the closed loop circuit L which connects the palm computer C, the printer P and the display board B and the touch screen S, there is two way traffic. Thus the kitchen can send a message to the palm top P , for example, stating that the food is ready and will be served very soon; or enquiring whether a specific food item should have a particular kind of seasoning or not and so on. Changes in the menu on a day to day basis or on a time to time basis per day will be simple because the need for printing menu cards will not arise, because all that has to be done is to make the necessary entries of the food items using die PDAs and the touch screens. Optionally, menu displays M (included in the closed loop circuit L) will also be provided at the tables, where the customer can switch on or off the displays at will while placing an order with the order taker. Again, optionally (included in the closed loop circuit) will be a delivery computer station Y placed at the exit point of the kitchen for tracking deliveries going out of the kitchen and for sending messages from the kitchen back to the PDA. It will be appreciated that this invention isnotconfmed to the embodiment illustrated and described, but various other embodiments of this invention are possible without departing from the scope and ambit of this invention. We Claim: 1. A wireless networking system for restaurant order management comprising, in combination, at least one wireless transmission PDA ; means for printing and displaying data transmitted by wireless from the PDA; at least one touch screen display for wireless transmission of data to the said means; a closed loop circuit connecting, by wireless, the PDA, the said means and the touch screen display together. 2. A wireless networking system as claimed in Claim 1 wherein amenu display is provided. 3. A wireless networking system as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the said means comprise a dot matrix, Inkjet or laser printer. 4. A wireless networking system as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims 1 to 3 wherein the said means comprise a display board. 5. A wireless networking system as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims wherein the said means comprise a delivery computer station. 6. A wireless networking system for restaurant order management substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

0824-che-2004 abstract.pdf

0824-che-2004 claims duplicate.pdf

0824-che-2004 claims.pdf

0824-che-2004 correspondence-others.pdf

0824-che-2004 correspondence-po.pdf

0824-che-2004 description (complete) duplicate.pdf

0824-che-2004 description (complete).pdf

0824-che-2004 drawings duplicate.pdf

0824-che-2004 drawings.pdf

0824-che-2004 form-1.pdf

0824-che-2004 form-26.pdf