US5262938A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Food services routing system including seating location display
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1990-11-16
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Granted: 1993-11-16
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Expires: 2010-11-16
Abstract
Abstract A method for routing food orders in a dining establishment using a computer having a monitor and a first printer at an ordering location and a second printer located at a food preparation location and linked to the computer, including the steps of: (a) displaying on the monitor a main screen having a principal display region presenting a display of patron seating locations in the establishment and a function region presenting a display of targets which can be selected to control the ordering of food items and the production of a bill; (b) selecting a seating location on the principal display region to display on the monitor an order screen displaying menu items in an order region and a bill in a bill region for the selected location; (c) selecting menu items on the food order screen in order to transfer each food item to the bill region; (d) causing at least selected items appearing in the bill region to be printed on the second printer; and (e) generating a printed bill on the first printer.
Inventors
- 👤 Lawrence D. Rapoport
- 👤 Pascal Demilly
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 10:49
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06Q; G06Q10/00; G06Q10/08; G06Q10/087; G06Q50/00; G06Q50/10; G06Q50/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
171 words
A method for routing food orders in a dining establishment using a computer having a monitor and a first printer at an ordering location and a second printer located at a food preparation location and linked to the computer, said method comprising: displaying on the monitor a main screen having a principal display region presenting a graphic display of patron seating locations in the establishment and a function region presenting a display of targets which can be selected to control the ordering of menu items and the production of a bill; selecting a seating location on the principal display region to display on the monitor an order screen displaying menu items in an order region and a bill in a bill region for the selected location; selecting menu items on the order screen in order to transfer each selected menu item to the bill region; causing at least selected items appearing in the bill region to be printed on the second printer; and generating a printed bill on the first printer.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
171 words
A method for routing food orders in a dining establishment using a computer having a monitor and a first printer at an ordering location and a second printer located at a food preparation location and linked to the computer, said method comprising: displaying on the monitor a main screen having a principal display region presenting a graphic display of patron seating locations in the establishment and a function region presenting a display of targets which can be selected to control the ordering of menu items and the production of a bill; selecting a seating location on the principal display region to display on the monitor an order screen displaying menu items in an order region and a bill in a bill region for the selected location; selecting menu items on the order screen in order to transfer each selected menu item to the bill region; causing at least selected items appearing in the bill region to be printed on the second printer; and generating a printed bill on the first printer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
52 words
A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising: inputting to the computer an identification of a selected server assigned to each seating location; and displaying adjacent the display of each seating location on the principal display region of the main screen an identification of the server assigned to that seating location.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
56 words
A method as defined in claim 2 further comprising: inputting to the computer an indication of the current status of service to each seating location; and displaying adjacent the display of each seating location on the principal display region of the main screen a representation of the current status of food service at that seating location.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as defined in claim 3 wherein said step of displaying includes displaying each seating location in the form of an icon.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as defined in claim 4 wherein at least certain seating locations are tables and each icon representing a table has a shape corresponding to that of the table.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as defined in claim 4 wherein each icon has a location on the principal display region which corresponds to the physical location of the associated seating location in the establishment.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as defined in claim 4 wherein each icon is associated with an alphanumeric identification of the associated seating location.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as defined in claim 4 wherein said step of displaying comprises including in the principal display region representations of fixed landmarks in the establishment.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as defined in claim 1 wherein said step of displaying includes displaying each seating location in the form of an icon.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method as defined in claim 9 wherein at least certain seating locations are tables and each icon representing a table has a shape corresponding to that of the table.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
32 words
A method as defined in claim 9 wherein each icon has a location on the principal display region which corresponds to the physical location of the associated seating location in the establishment.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method as defined in claim 9 wherein each icon is associated with an alphanumeric identification of the associated seating location.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method as defined in claim 9 wherein said step of displaying comprises including in the principal display region representations of fixed landmarks in the establishment.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
61 words
A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the order region of the order screen includes a category subregion displaying all available consumable item categories and a consumable item subregion displaying all available consumable items in a selected category, and said step of selecting menu items comprises selecting a displayed category and then selecting a displayed item in the selected category.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
A method as defined in claim 14 wherein said step of causing items to be printed comprises causing items in different categories to be printed at different selected times.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-11-15 | 1997-05-17 | 1997-11-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-11-15 | 2001-05-17 | 2001-11-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-11-15 | 2005-05-17 | 2005-11-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |