Order management system with automatic menu updating

Claim 1

A method of operating an order management system including a main management equipment for order management and a plurality of terminal devices connected to said main management equipment by lines, said method comprising: storing in said main management equipment image data for an order management screen created for at least one of said terminal devices and an operating program for reproducing said image data in accordance with predetermined rules and managing data transmission for order management; transmitting said image data and said operating program to at least one of said terminal devices upon a system start-up; storing said image data and said operating program in said at least one terminal device; reading said image data based on said operating program and displaying an order management screen on said terminal device; receiving an order on said terminal device in response to display of said order management screen and transmitting said order to said main management equipment; and wherein said step of displaying an order management screen comprises displaying a hierarchical menu screen representing a plurality of ordering categories; and wherein said image data includes information divided into a number of major categories according to type, items belonging to each of said major categories further divided into a tree structure within each said major category, so as to display order management menu screens in a hierarchy; and displaying a menu screen representing items in a level next to a hierarchical level corresponding to one of a root and node portion of a displayed tree structure, said next level belonging to a category selected by a user from categories of said hierarchical level, receiving a screen changing order and switching menu screens representing each of items belonging to a leaf portion of said tree structure to display a menu screen; and wherein display contents of each item belonging to a hierarchical level corresponding to said one of root and node portions comprises an image representing contents of said item, at least part of said image comprising an icon; and selecting an icon and displaying a menu containing an item corresponding to said selected icon; and displaying said selected icon distinctly from at least one non-selected icon; displaying a display change area on a screen, selecting said display change area, and switching from an image being displayed so as to display different items corresponding to a leaf portion of said tree structure; and displaying explanatory information overlaid on display information, and moving said explanatory information to reveal said display information.

Claim 2

A method of operating an order management system including a main management equipment for order management and a plurality of terminal devices connected to said main management equipment by lines, said method comprising: storing in said main management equipment image data for an order management screen created for at least one of said terminal devices and an operating program for reproducing said image data in accordance with predetermined rules and managing data transmission for order management; transmitting said image data and said operating program to at least one of said terminal devices upon a system start-up; storing said image data and said operating program in said at least one terminal device; reading said image data based on said operating program and displaying an order management screen on said terminal device; receiving an order on said terminal device in response to display of said order management screen and transmitting said order to said main management equipment; and wherein said step of displaying an order management screen comprises displaying a hierarchical menu screen representing a plurality of ordering categories; and wherein said image data includes information divided into a number of major categories according to type, items belonging to each of said major categories further divided into a tree structure within each said major category, so as to display order management menu screens in a hierarchy; and displaying a menu screen representing items in a level next to a hierarchical level corresponding to one of a root and node portion of a displayed tree structure, said next level belonging to a category selected by a user from categories of said hierarchical level, receiving a screen changing order and switching menu screens representing each of items belonging to a leaf portion of said tree structure to display a menu screen; and wherein display contents of each item belonging to a hierarchical level corresponding to said one of root and node portions comprises an image representing contents of said item, at least part of said image comprising an icon; and selecting an icon and displaying a menu containing an item corresponding to said selected icon; and displaying said selected icon distinctly from at least one non-selected icon; displaying a display change area on a screen, selecting said display change area, and switching from an image being displayed so as to display different items corresponding to a leaf portion of said tree structure; and displaying explanatory information overlaid on display information, and moving said explanatory information to reveal said display information.