DE10337603B3 - Waiting time information method for medical or dental surgery, hairdressing establishment or official office using mobile telephone call for alerting waiting person at end of waiting time - Google Patents

Abstract

The waiting time information method has the mobile telephone number of a waiting person entered in an informing device (1) at the beginning of the waiting time, with an automatic call placed to the mobile telephone number of the waiting person at the end of the waiting time by a mobile radio transmitter (13) of the informing device. An independent claim for a waiting time information system is also included.

Description

The The invention relates to a method and a system for automatic Notify a waiting person.

at For example, visiting a doctor, visiting a hairdresser, going to the authorities or the like is often forced to wait before actually dealing with his request. This is common indispensable even if z. B. made a specific appointment with a doctor's office has been. Such waiting times can often be a half Hour and longer be.

In This time you are forced to move directly to the area to stop where you want to do something, for example with a doctor in the waiting room or at the vehicle registration office in a waiting room. Because if you moved away from this place, you would no longer be over that Progress of being informed in front of a waiting person and running the risk to miss his appointment.

Though For example, there are usually magazines in the waiting rooms of doctors in which one can bridge the Scroll waiting time and which you can read, but in most cases it is Waiting time "wasted Time "in the better other things would have to be done. In addition, for example Medical practices wait for other patients who may be contagious Suffer from diseases so that during the There is a certain risk of infection in the waiting room.

In the JP 2001 167307 A describes a waiting notification system. In this system, information is transmitted from a base station via radio to waiting persons equipped with appropriate receivers, such as how many people are in the queue or how long the expected waiting time is. However, there is no specific notification of the end of the waiting period. Instead, information is constantly being transmitted that those waiting have to keep in mind to determine the end of the waiting time.

The JP 2002 312474 A discloses a system in which waiting persons who have registered at a receiving point and received a waiting number can retrieve the currently called waiting number from the homepage of the institution at which they are waiting for further treatment. Those waiting can also query this homepage, for example, using a function integrated in the mobile radio technology with the mobile phone. Here too, however, the waiting person is forced to track the progress of the queue and is not specifically informed when his waiting time has expired.

On in a similar way Wise system for notifying passengers of the Status of a flight is described in WO02 / 31726 A1. Also at This system only provides the waiting person with information about the Status of flight transmitted, which he then has to keep track of when he is about to depart has to find. A concrete, one-time notification in the sense of a The call does not take place even with this previously known system.

It the aim is therefore to find a method or a system which enables the Wait outside the immediate area of the place where something needs to be done is, e.g. B. outside the doctor's office or the authority, to spend. Then could the time until the appointment is finally free is to be used sensibly, e.g. by doing shopping, making phone calls or similar. In particular, the person waiting should only wait with a given lead time.

With the invention is such a method as a method with the Features of claim 1 specified. Such a system is in the independent Claim 4 described.

advantageous Embodiments of the method and the system are in dependent claims 2 and 3 or 5 to 7 specified.

The The clou of the invention lies in the fact that one is in large parts anyway the population existing technology, namely to use the cellular technology (the cell phone) to the waiting one To allow leaving the immediate area of the job where he is waiting to be admitted.

Instead of to spend the entire waiting time in the area of this place and Waiting for his call, the waiting person can use his mobile phone identification (phone number) Enter (have) in the notification facility and the immediate Leave the waiting area. He can do his shopping or others activities To run. The notification system will expire as soon as the waiting period expires is (possibly including a lead time to the waiting person) to allow return in time for his free appointment), be over to the waiting Contact mobile phone.

This can be a call in which the person waiting via an announcement about the expiry of his Waiting time is informed, a voice message, a text message or any other form of the message that can be transmitted with the mobile radio technology. Within the scope of the invention, however, the sending of an SMS by the notification device is preferred. The text for such a text message can be specified in a standardized manner by the agency that issues the appointments, for example an authority, a doctor's office or the like. He may be able to ask for personal data relating to the waiting person, such as B, the form of address "Mr. Meyer". This personal data can be entered into the notification device by entering the mobile radio identification.

to Mobile data is preferably used to enter the data, which is in the possession of the waiting person. In addition to this store the cell phone identifier of the waiting person's cell phone further data be saved, such as the salutation mentioned above or other for administration the system, e.g. B. when using the system for a fee for billing, required data. As mobile storage is in A chip card is preferred within the scope of the invention. It should be a format have, as is already widely used in everyday life, e.g. B. at the health insurance cards. The notification facility then has in return about a memory reader, preferably a card reader.

The Notification device can be connected to an automatic waiting number management system be connected, as is done, for example, by authorities (vehicle registration offices, Registry office) knows. With such a system, the waiting person receives one at the beginning Number he is waiting to be called. If the number is called, it's his turn. These systems are automated today and it can Interfaces are provided. Then the notification device automatically send a notification when one by one certain number lower number of the waiting number management system is waiting for the call. The number of numbers before his waiting number in order that of the waiting people earlier can be notified, from the authority issuing the waiting numbers based on empirical values so that the person waiting when notified also arrives in time for his free appointment if he has moved further away from the point of his concern. Can also also be provided that (under consideration a specification of waiting time per waiting number) by the waiting person himself this "lead time" in the sense of the waiting number in front of his number, which he notifies when called want to be determined can. This has the advantage that the Waiting considering its for the waiting time planned activity and the resulting return time can determine the time of notification so that it does not too early, but return to his free date on time can.

There, where there is no automatic waiting number management system, For example, in a doctor's office, this can be done by organizing the appointments entrusted staff (e.g. the assistants in a doctor's office) by actuation a trigger function initiate the automatic notification of the waiting person by the notification device. Again, the notification can be made before the actual one Calls are made to give the waiting person enough time to return enable. This time can be set by the appointing body or determined by the person waiting based on his plans for the waiting time his.

Conceivable is finally also that the Method or system for the simultaneous notification of several Waiting is used. So it can e.g. B. in air travel occur that a complete flight is canceled. The passengers waiting in vain can now in a system according to the invention by entering the cell phone code and register the airport leave. If something new arises, such as a replacement flight, everyone can Passengers of the canceled flight simultaneously via the notification system be notified on their mobile phones.

With the system and method of the invention can of course also in addition to the mere announcement At the end of the waiting period, further information can be distributed about the system. So can in the case of the last example, the flight data of the replacement flight is transmitted become. In medical practices, the treatment room can do the same, in the case of authorities, the free one Clerk (room / counter) are transmitted, to make the process even more efficient.

An exemplary structure of a system according to the invention is in the single figure, 1 , shown and will be described below with reference to this figure.

In 1 An embodiment variant for the system according to the invention is shown as three parts. It consists of the components notification device 1 , Mobile phone 2 and memory chip card 3 , The latter is not absolutely necessary for the implementation of the invention, but it is a convenient option for the relevant data to be sent to the notification device 1 enter.

The mobile phone 2 and also the memory chip card 3 are assigned to the waiting person, whereas the notification device 1 the Allocate the location at which the appointment to be waited for takes place and is preferably stationary there.

The notification facility 1 , whose "boundaries" are indicated by dashed lines, contains various components which do not necessarily have to be combined in a single housing. The heart of the notification device 1 is the control 10 , for example a CPU. With the control 10 is a smart card reader 11 connected as the first input device. With that between the memory chip card 3 and the smart card reader 11 drawn arrow indicates that the former can be inserted into the second.

The notification device also contains 1 a memory 12 (preferably a RAM), a mobile radio transmitter 13 , a keyboard 14 as an additional input device and a display 15 , The arrows on the lines connecting the individual elements indicate the communication directions.

at 4 finally, the cellular connection is between the cellular transmitter 13 and the mobile phone 2 indicated.

A possible connection of the notification device is not shown here 1 (more precisely the control 10 ) to an automatic waiting number management system, which is basically possible in the manner described above.

As already mentioned, the individual components of the notification device 1 not be arranged in a single housing. In particular, the mobile radio transmitter 13 where its radiation is potentially dangerous (e.g. in hospitals), separately from the rest of the notification facility 1 be arranged. It can either be connected via a simple cable connection or via an interposed fixed telephone network. In particular, if so-called SMS are to be sent, can act as a mobile radio transmitter 13 of the notification system 1 a mobile radio transmitter from a general provider can also be used, to which the SMS message is transmitted via the fixed telephone network using the appropriate interface software.

The system shown works as follows:
At the beginning or in the course of his waiting time, a waiting person uses his memory chip card to assign it 3 and the smart card reader 11 the identifier of his cell phone 2 into the notification facility 1 or let a third party do it for you. There the control data 10 fed them in the store 12 stores.

The waiting person can now, for example, leave the doctor's waiting room and perform other activities during his waiting time. If a waiting date approaches for the waiting person, it will be notified by the notification facility 1 automatically notified. The controller reads for this 10 the data belonging to the person waiting from the memory 12 and initiates the automatic notification of the waiting person using his mobile phone 2 , In the example shown, this is done using the mobile radio transmitter 13 sent an SMS to the waiting person (indicated by 4 ).

The standard text for such an SMS can be created by the appointing body itself. The keyboard can do this 14 be used. This text is then also in memory 12 saved and from the controller 10 accessed as needed. The standard text can be from the controller 10 then the memory chip card 3 removed, also in the memory 12 Personal data of the person waiting, such as the salutation, are added.

On the cell phone 2 a message then appears to the person waiting, he can go to his appointment without having to spend time waiting in a waiting room, for example.

On the display 15 the status of the device can be checked at any time or, for example, an entered SMS text can be checked. With self-service of the notification device 1 The waiting person can also show instructions for the operating steps on the display.

All in all open the inventive method and the system has the advantage that a Waiting outside the immediate area around the location of the appointment is possible, without risk, the appointment when called (end of the waiting time) due to absence to be missed. The waiting person gains a high degree of freedom and can do it Time - the waiting time would often be wasted Time - more efficient plan and use.

1

notifier

2

mobile phone

3

Memory chip card

4

radio link

10

control

11

Smart card reader

12

Storage

13

Mobilfunksender

14

keyboard

15

display

Claims (7)

Automatic notification procedure a waiting person about the end of his waiting time with the aid of his mobile radio terminal (mobile phone), the identifier (telephone number) of the mobile phone being entered at the beginning or in the course of the waiting time into a notification device and the notification device only when the waiting time has expired or at a predetermined time (Lead time) earlier time automatically notifies the waiting person via his mobile phone. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the Notification device to the mobile phone a text message (SMS) sends. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the Lead time is determined by the person waiting. System for automatically notifying a waiting person about the end of his waiting time with: a mobile radio terminal (mobile phone) assigned to the waiting person ( 2 ) and a notification facility ( 1 ), the notification device ( 1 ) has the following components: a mobile radio transmitter ( 13 ), one to the mobile radio transmitter ( 13 ) for communication and for controlling the same connected controller ( 10 ), one with the control ( 10 ) connected storage ( 12 ) for storing the identification (phone number) of the mobile phone ( 2 ) of the waiting person and a first one with the control ( 10 ) connected input unit ( 11 ) to enter the ID of the mobile phone ( 2 ) of the waiting. System according to claim 4, characterized in that it further comprises the identification of the mobile telephone ( 2 ) containing mobile storage unit ( 3 ), in particular a chip card, and that the first input unit ( 11 ) a memory reader for reading the mobile memory unit ( 3 ), preferably a card reader. System according to claim 5, characterized by a second, with the controller ( 10 ) connected input unit ( 14 ) for entering message texts in the memory. System according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the control ( 10 ) is additionally connected to an automatic waiting number management and calling system so that it can at least read the waiting numbers called by the calling system.