CA2309561A1

CA2309561A1 - Restaurant automated order taking method

Info

Publication number: CA2309561A1
Application number: CA002309561A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Charles Giguere; Carol Marcoux; Alain Normand; Denis Dumont
Original assignee: SERVI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Current assignee: SERVI TECHNOLOGIES Inc
Priority date: 1999-05-27
Filing date: 2000-05-26
Publication date: 2000-11-27

Abstract

There is provided a method and system for automating the order taking process at restaurants and in any other industries where customers have to choose items to order. The system allows customers to select items to order using a bar code scanner and a visible or invisible bar code. The system further enables navigation through a user interface using the same bar code scanner. Some of the features available to the customers in preferred embodiments of the invention are : requesting help, requesting the preparation of the order, identifying each order to each customer, displaying the list of items ordered and the total of the bill, selecting and de-selecting items, viewing publicity and item suggestions, viewing general information of the items selected, on the products suggested, on the local and current activities, from specific pages on the Internet, printing their bill, etc.

Description

RESTAURANT AUTOMATED
ORDER TAHING METHOD
Field of the Invention The invention relates to the field of automated order-taking systems.
More specifically, it relates to an automated order-taking method which simplifies the interaction between the customer and the interface in order for the customers to place their orders autonomously.
Background of the Invention Automated systems are now used to carry out repetitive tasks and are more and more common in the service industry. It is now almost impossible to imagine credit unions and banks without the automated teller machines for standard transactions. These automated service providers are also found in paying parking lots, movie theater entrance and gas stations.
We also use these automated tellers to replace and complete the information usually provided by an information clerk. The processing of the requests is then efficient, precise and complete. It is specifically the case with the directions given by automated stands in shopping centers where one can select a type or the name of a store to see the route to that store be traced or explained using the graphical interface in order to guide the customer through the levels and wings of the shopping center. The same type of apparatus is often available in hotel lobbies to guide the tourists towards neighboring attractions.
The design of the user interfaces for these types of apparatus is more and more common and the design is made in such a way as to prompt a customer which would normally not be inclined to use these type of apparatus to answer to his needs by himself. Since more and more people are also familiar with the Internet, they are less reluctant to use technologies which will help them find the information they need by themselves.
However, in the restaurant industry, these apparatus are almost completely non-existent. It is, of course, possible to pay using a debit card or a credit card in almost all restaurants and restaurant chains but this does not allow a true autonomy for the customer.
U.S. Patent No. 4,516,016 to Kodron explains how to install and build an apparatus for autonomous order taking. The system comprises a menu in which bar codes have been added, an optical scanner similar to those used in grocery stores and used to scan the bar codes of the menu, and a check printer to print the orders at the kitchen or at the counter. If the meal or the article chosen is available, a green light is lit up on the optical scanner and if the meal is not available anymore, a red light is lit up. The cooks in the kitchen can then prepare the meals and give them to an attendant for serving.
This system has major disadvantages. The customer does not have an interface which lets him review his order. In the case where the customer would have selected the wrong article, he must use a bar code for cancellation which de-orders all of the selections. Moreover, the customer must activate the optical scanner before placing his order. Since this system does not have a tool to identify the clients, it produces a global order for all members of a group sitting at a specific table. When the meals are ready, the customers sitting at this table have to identify which meals they ordered and tell the attendant.
Finally, the system does not enable displaying of information at the customer's table.
Summary of the Invention The present invention is concerned with the addition of applications enabling a more efficient and easy usage of an automated order-taking system.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to let a customer be autonomous and responsible for his actions in the restaurant industry.
Another object of the present invention is to allow a management of the orders in a restaurant to be more regular, automatic and reliable.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a networked system of order-taking terminal connected to an order-viewing station in the kitchen, an order-management station in a service area.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an interface for an automated order-taking system in which the items ordered can be displayed.
It is also another object of the present invention to use a user interface to show publicity and general information to the customer.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a choice between languages used in the user interface.
Another object of the present invention is to automatically detect the change of hands of the optical scanner.
It is also another object of the present invention to use a placemat to indicate the position of a customer at a table.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide bar codes and bar code detection in the optical scanner which allows bar codes to be scanned in two ways in order to select an item and deselect an item.
Also, another object of the present invention is to allow the customer to manage his meal experience by letting him choose when the items ordered should be brought to the table.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide additional features on the user interface, such as interactive games for kids, surfing of specific Internet websites, filling in a comments card.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for the automated order-taking comprising a bar code associated with an item, an optical scanner, a placemat, a menu, a user interface on a terminal, a server and a printer. The items can be meals in a restaurant, automobile parts in a garage, flower types at a florist, etc.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for the automated order-taking, the method comprising the steps of:
scanning a bar code corresponding to an item, storing an identification of the selected item, displaying an identification of the selected item, forwarding a request to obtain the selected item.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically placing an order for at least one selected item comprising: 1. providing a customer with a printed index of a plurality of at least one of a service item and a product item, the index comprising at least one bar code associated with the at least one of a service item and a product item, 2. providing a customer with a scanner for scanning at least one bar code corresponding to at least one selected item and capturing information contained in at least one bar code, 3. scanning the bar code and capturing the information contained in it, 4. extracting product information about at least one selected item from the information contained in at least one bar code, S. storing the product information about at least one selected item, 6. displaying the product information about at least one selected item on a customer order-taking terminal, and 7. repeating the steps of scanning the bar code and capturing the information for each one of at least one selected item; wherein at least one bar code associated with at least one selected item is scanned using the scanner to capture the information contained in the bar code and to identify which item is to be selected, the product information about at least one item selected being displayed using a user interface to a customer, and whereby the customer is autonomous in his order-taking process.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically placing an order for at least one selected item comprising: providing a customer with a printed index of a plurality of at least one of a service item and a product item, the index comprising one bar code associated with at least one of a service item and a product item; providing a customer with a scanner for scanning the bar code corresponding to at least one selected item in at least one of a forward and a reverse scanning direction and capturing information contained in the bar code;
scanning said at least one bar code in a scanning direction, capturing information contained in said at least one bar code, extracting product information about at least one selected item from the information contained in the bar code; extracting an indication of the scanning direction from the information contained in the bar code, the indication being one of a forward and a reverse scanning direction; storing the product information about at least one selected item and the indication of the scanning direction; canceling a selection of at least one selected item when the indication of the scanning direction is a reverse scanning direction; whereby the customer is autonomous in his order-taking process and can select and unselect items to be put in the order by scanning corresponding bar codes in respectively a forward and a reverse direction.
According to still another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for automatically placing an order for at least one selected item in a restaurant comprising: providing a customer with a menu comprising a plurality of at least one of a service item and a product item, the menu comprising at least one bar code associated with the at least one of a service item and a product item; providing the customer with a scanner for scanning at least one bar code corresponding to at least one selected item and capturing information contained in at least one bar code ; providing the customer with a placemat bearing a position bar code identifying a position of the customer at a table at which the customer is sitting; scanning the position bar code to capture information about a position of the customer; scanning said at least one bar code and capturing information contained in said at least one bar code, extracting product information about at least one selected item from the information contained in at least one bar code; storing the product information about at least one selected item and the information about a position of the customer; linking the information about a position of the customer to a group of at least one selected item to form an order for the customer; wherein the position bar code is scanned to determine a location of the customer and the at least one bar code associated with at least one selected item is scanned using the scanner to capture the information contained in the bar code and to identify which item is to be selected and to identify which group of at least one selected item corresponds to which customer.
The bar code used can be visible or invisible to the naked eye. It can be completed by dots centered on its height. The items can be accompanied by two bar codes, one to select and one to cancel the selection, or by only one bar code. If the items only have one bar code, the direction of the scanning of the bar code will indicate if the item should be selected or cancelled. The items can also be cancelled using a single bar code which cancels the last item chosen.
The user interface displayed on a screen of the terminal located at each table can show the list of the ordered items, the total for the bill which is modified throughout the item selection and de-selection process, product suggestions, information on ordered items, publicity or other pertinent messages. The special of the day can also be displayed on a screen together with information concerning the origin of the products and their characteristics.
The display can be set to any of a plurality of languages, potentially a language other than the language of the bill, of the printed order at the kitchen, or at the service area.
The placemat can be used to identify the location of customers at a table in the case of a group of people. It can bear a bar code which will be used to identify this customer. It can also bear other bar codes duplicated from the menu in order to give the customer a faster way to interact with the system.
Customers who place frequent orders can be given a frequent customer card which could contain information concerning the habits of the client, such as his preferred language of display, his preferred method of payment, and his preferences concerning the display of general information on the interface, such as the type of sport results he would like to view, the stock quotes he prefers, etc.
The optical scanners can be equipped with a direction detector which outputs information on the bar code scanned and the direction of the scanner in order to determine if the product has been ordered or cancelled. The optical scanner can also be equipped with a change of hands detector, which detects the length of time for which the optical scanner has been dropped. If this length of time is small enough, it will not request an identification of the customer. If this length of time is greater than a determined value, the customer will need to identify himself before performing any action using the optical scanner.
A menu needs to be adapted for this system. It comprises a list of products from which the items to be selected are chosen and it can comprise bar codes, visible or invisible, and a navigation zone. The navigation zone contains a list of services and/or complementary actions that can be performed on the order.
The terminals located at each table are connected using a network and printers and enable the display of preset information. The server controls the terminals and can manage the printing of bills and orders.
For the purpose of the present invention, the following terms are defined below.
The term "optical scanner" is intended to mean any apparatus used to extract meaning from a bar code. For example, it can be a bar code scanner in the shape of a pencil which uses a low power laser to capture the information contained in the bar code and to output it using conductors to a bar code decoder. It could also be a portable scanner, a bar code gun scanner, a steady scanner or a wireless scanner.
Brief Description of the Drawings These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 illustrates the architecture of the system applications;
FIG. 2 illustrates the programming model used;
FIG. 3 illustrates the flat screen mounted on a pivot for the terminal;
FIG. 4a illustrates the welcoming mode of the user interface;
FIG. 4b illustrates the order-taking mode of the user interface;
FIG. 5 illustrates the information mode of the user interface;
FIG. 6 illustrates an optical scanner with the detail of the conductors;
FIG. 7 illustrates a placemat used to identify a customer;
FIG. 8 illustrates the organization of the apparatus used in a restaurant;
FIG. 9 illustrates the decoding of a bar code;
FIG. l0a illustrates the navigation card included in a menu;
FIG. lOb illustrates the comments card;
FIG. 11 illustrates the Internet card; and FIG. 12 illustrates the service card used by the attendants.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Although the present invention will be described in relation with a system for taking orders automatically in a restaurant setting, it is to be understood that the same system and the methods related to it can also be used _g_ in other industries. For example, the system can be used to order automobile parts in a garage, to order certain types of flowers at a florist, etc.
Referring now to FIG. l, there is shown the architecture of the system applications. The system uses a multi-processes architecture comprising multiple applications communicating between each other using a communications protocol. All applications of the system are simple and have a precise goal facilitating the maintenance of the system.
There are three main categories of applications, the servers 17, the interfaces 18 and the complementary modules 19. The servers are the core of the system, the interfaces 17 are destined to the users and the complementary modules 19 add optional applications. The servers 17 and the interfaces 18 are at the core of the system, whereas the applications of the complementary modules 19 are optional, although they can be used in a punctual manner.
The servers 17 manage the whole of the activities and contain data structures which are essential to the operation of the system.
The interfaces 18 enable the users to interact with the system. It is the servers 17 which analyze the input of the users and manage the reaction of the interfaces 18. The internal data structures of the interfaces 18 are only reflections of the internal data structures of the servers 17.
The complementary modules 19 allow, among other things, to modify and question the system on its parameters and data structures, to add additional applications to the interfaces 18, etc.
The processing of data is entirely centralized between the interfaces 18 and the servers 17 and can either be centralized or distributed between the complementary modules 19 and the servers 17.
The database server (sbd) 20 manages the databases used by the core module 22 and the complementary modules 19 of the system. It allows sharing of one particular database between different applications and processes.

The message translation server (strad) 21 allows for multiple languages to be used when displaying messages to the user. The core module 22 (mbase) is the activities manager and comprises data structures which are essential to the system.
The registry server (ipcreg) 23 allows applications to register themselves in the system and ensures that queues used in communications are always clean.
The emergency shut-down server (surg) 24 constantly watches over the uninterruptable power supply (ups) for power outage and notifies the core module 22 if the outage is too long to allow saving the data. The bridge to the external management system 25 (bridge) allows a software link between the technological core of the order-taking system and an external management system. The technological core is able to transfer all accounting data (bills and ordered products) to the external management system using this bridge. The technological core also uses this bridge to obtain a unique bill number to be printed on each bill.
The user interface (irap) 26 is the interface used by the clients of the restaurant to place their order, review it on the screen and print their bill together with other activities, such as consulting pertinent information, etc.
The kitchen interface (icui) 27 is interfaced by the kitchen cook to receive the details of an order by a client, said order pertinent to a specific area of the kitchen. There is a kitchen interface for each preparation area in the restaurant. This interface also indicates to the system the time of beginning and ending for the preparation of an order.
The cash registers interface (icaisse) 28 is used by the cashier to let customers pay the amount shown on the printed bills, to display the assistance required request, the orders ready to be served, the problems encountered with the optical scanner, the list of available tables, modify the contents of an order, cancel an order, apply rebates and coupons to an order, close a table, etc.

The management module (palges) 29 is the module used by the restaurant owner to customize his system, manage his menu (products and prices) and to print reports.
The console (rapstat) 32 questions the system on its internal structures.
The publicity module (pubserver) 31 chooses which publicity items to display on the interface when it is inactive according to a pre-established schedule. The publicity module is composed of two distinct applications, a publicity server and publicity agents related to each of the interfaces.
The comments module (mcom) 34 allows the user of the interface to provide comments on different topics.
The telecommunication module (telecom) 33 is used to remotely manage the system when it is installed at the restaurant. It allows remote diagnostics on the system and allows the transmission of software updates, schedule updates and the transmission of new publicity items and information items.
The configuration module (configges) 30 is used to control and configure the complete environment of the system.
This architecture ensures that the system is composed of modules for which maintenance is easy. The system is also very stable because applications requiring complex processing, such as those included in the complementary modules 19, can crash without affecting the core activities of the system. In order to ensure that the link between the complementary modules 19 and the servers 17 is stable, a simple communications protocol (ims 41 ) is used. The architecture of the system could be distributed on many different computers, even remote computers, by only adapting the communications protocol (ims 41). The customer could design his own complementary modules 19 to be added to the system.

The system can be built using a programming model of the type shown in FIG. 2. The programming model shown in FIG. 2 was designed for the following reasons: to isolate the system from its development environment and the operating system, to provide tools which answer the needs of the system, to support the mufti-applications architecture of the system, to support the communications protocol between the applications.
The programming model is separated into three distinct portions, the communications 35, the display 36 and the printing 37. Each of these portions is composed of a group of layered libraries. Each layer offers services for the upper layers, the core layer (the most lower layer) uses the services of the operating system and development platform. The developers use the services of the upper layers to build their applications without ever dealing with the specifics of the development platform or the operating system. The preferred programming languages of the inventor for these applications are the C ANSI
language and the C++ (ISO/IEC 14882:1998(E)) which can be easily used on many different platforms. The unix ipcs library 43 is the communications protocol between the processes which is particular to the unix platform (ipcs is interprocess communication system). This layer belongs to the unix platform 51.
The tcp/ip 44 protocol is the communication protocol used on the Internet. This layer belongs to the IETF organization.
The ipcq is the interapplications communications system. It uses the services of the ipcs 43 from unix 51. The ims 4lis the interface for the modules developed to implement the communications protocol between the applications of the system. Ims 41 uses the services of ipcq 42.
Libmbase 38 is the core module 22 access library. This library allows direct questioning of the core module 22 without having to go through the ims 41. This library uses the services of the ims 41.

The libsbd 39 is the database server 20 access library. This library enables direct questioning of the database server 20 without going through the ims 41. This library uses the services of the ims 41.
The libstrad 40 is the message translator 21 access library. It allows direct questioning of the message translator 21 without going through the ims 41.
The unix curses 48 is the library for the management of the display of a terminal which only uses characters. This library belongs to the unix platform 51.
The unix X/Window 50 is a graphical environment for the management of high resolution color graphical screens. This layer belongs to the unix platform 51.
Win 47 is the window manager. This manager uses the services of curses 48 and X/Window 50 for the management of the terminal or the color graphical screen.
The xli 49 is used to display graphical files of the GIF type for example. This library belongs to the unix platform 51.
The form 46 is the form manager for the data entry on the screen.
This manager uses the services of win 47.
Gel 45 is the manager of lists for the manipulation of lists of elements on the terminal by the user. This manager uses the services of win 47.
The unix pipe 54 is the library for the exchange of information between processes. This library belongs to the unix platform 51.
The spooler 53 is the library for the creation of printing files. This library uses the services of the unix pipe 54.
The billet 52 is the library 52 for the printing of files on a printer.
This library uses the services of the spooler library 53. The advantages of this programming model are as follows: the technologies are isolated from one another, the applications can be used on different platforms by only redesigning the core layer since it isolates the applications from the specifications of the platform, the upper layers are very stable, it is easy to implement new services by adding an upper layer which uses the lower layers, the tools that are developed are independent of the commercial tools, it allows to restrain the quantity of functionalities used to a subset of those offered by the platform while entering a uniformity of the design of the applications, and it facilitates maintenance of the applications because each layer offers specific services using a few functions.
Because the system comprises a user interface which displays information on a screen of a terminal, it is possible to do the following:
proposing products according to the time of the day, the type of purchase, display publicity concerning local events, shows, international activities, etc., giving access to pertinent information and information of a general nature to entertain the customer, etc.
The goal of the concept is to maximize the efficiency and the profitability of the selling activities or the efforts while being very targeted, precise and specific in time.
In order to do so, the user interface enables the system to be simple and easy to use for the customer.
Since the system is built in modules and layers, it can be modified to answer the needs of customers from other industries which interact directly with customers, for example, in the catalog ordering industry, the warehouse stores, etc. These characteristics are made available to the customer using the display apparatus. An example of such a display apparatus is shown in FIG. 3.
The screen 59 is located on each of the tables which offer the system. The preferred screen is a flat screen with an active matrix which displays in color on a 12.1 inch screen. The casing is adapted to the industry in which it is to be used. The base 61 and the pivoting element 60 enable the screen to be rotated for better viewing of the information. Each terminal has its own display agent which requests display mandates for promotions , publicity and general information to the technological core.
The technological core distributes promotion mandates and publicity mandates according to a precise algorithm which uses meal scheduling.
Examples of these meal schedules are shown in Tables 1 through 4.
Breakfast 6:OOam to 11:OOam Typical Length 45 minutes per person Typical Busy Times 06:OOam 06:30am ~07:OOam 07:30am 08:OOam 08:30am PRO Product Promotion 30 seconds PUB Publicity 60 seconds COM Sponsors 60 seconds PER Customization 30 or 60 sec.
Duration Events 0 - 10 min. Arrival of customer PER /Restaurant Logo First round of coffee PRO/Coffee - AL Van Houtte PRO/ Orange Juice - Tropicana Menu consultation - Completion of order PRO/ Bread - Gadoua PRO/ Eggs -producers PRO/ Milk - producers PRO/ Sausage -Lafleur PRO/ Bacon - Maple Leafs Newspaper consulting PUB/ Newspaper - Le Soleil 05 - 07 min. Waiting period - 20 min. Eating period COM/ Local Activities and Shows 05 min. Second serving of coffee 03 - 05 min. Payment of bill PER/ Message : Requesting bill ...

PER/ Message ". Have a Great Day !

28 - 47 min. total End of Meal Table 1. Scheduling of a typical breakfast meal Lunch 11:OOam to 2:OOpm Typical Length 75 minutes per person Typical Busy Times 12:OOpm 12:30pm ~ 1:OOpm Duration Events 0 - 10 min. Welcoming of customers PER /Restaurant Logo Training on system PER /Restaurant Logo 1 st course Menu consultation 05 - 10 min. Order Taking for Alcoholic Beverages PRO/ Beers, Wines, Alcoholic beverages, seasonal drinks PER/ Liter of House Wine Order Taking for appetizers PER/ Snails PRO/ Tomato juice ex: Clamato Order Taking for main course PRO/ Pasta ex: Ital Pasta PRO/ Pizza ex: Saputo cheese PER/ Chicken ex: Chefs special for lunch PRO/ Seafood ex: FPI shrimps PRO/ Club Sandwich ex: mayonnaise Hellmann's PRO/ Extra poutine ex: McCain French fries PER/ Table d'Hote PER/ House Specialties PRO/ Soft drinks ex: Pepsi 05 - 07 min. Waiting period, newspaper consultation PUB/ Le Soleil newspaper 15 - 30 min. Eating period COM/ Local activities and shows PUB/ Corporations ex : National Bank COM/ Local businesses ex : Credit Union, Daoust Cleaners PER/ Interactive games for kids PER/ Specials to come ex: Summer Brunch PER/ Promotion of special events to come COM/ Seasonal themes 01 - 05 min. 2"d course, Menu consultation Order Taking for desserts PRO/ dessert : Sara Lee Cakes Order Taking for drinks PRO/ Drinks ex : Nestea Iced Tea 1 - 10 min. Eating period PER/ Events to come 03 - 05 min. Payment of bill PER/ Message : Requesting bill ...
PER/ Message : Good Night !
30 - 77 min. total End of Meal Table 2. Scheduling of a typical lunch meal Snack 2:OOpm to 5:OOpm Typical Length 60 minutes per person Typical Busy Times 02:OOpm 02:30pm ~03:OOpm 03:30pm Duration Events 0 - 10 min. Welcoming of Customers PER /Restaurant Logo Learning period on the system PER /Restaurant Logo Menu Consultation PRO/ Beverages ex : Cappuccino First helping of coffee PRO/ Assorted Desserts and specialties 05 - 10 min. Complete Order Taking 05 - 07 min. Waiting period 15 - 30 min. Eating period COM/ Local activities and shows COM/ local sponsorships ex : Corner Movie Theatre PER/ Promotion of special events ex : Easter COM/ Seasonal themes 05 min. Second helping of coffee 03 - 05 min. Payment of bill PER/ Message : Requesting bill ...
PER/ Message : Have a nice day !
33 - 67 min. total End of Meal Table 3. Scheduling of a typical snack meal Dinner 5:OOpm to 8:OOpm Typical Length 90 minutes per person Typical Busy Times 05:OOpm 05:30pm (06:OOpm 06:30pm 07:OOpm 07:30pm Duration Events 0 - 10 min. Welcoming of customers PER /Restaurant Logo Training on system PER /Restaurant Logo 1 st course Menu consultation 05 - 10 min. Order Taking for Alcoholic Beverages PRO/ Beers, Wines, Alcoholic beverages, seasonal drinks PER/ Liter of House Wine Order Taking for appetizers PER/ Snails PRO/ Tomato juice ex: Clamato Order Taking for main course PRO/ Pasta ex: Ital Pasta PRO/ Pizza ex: Saputo cheese PER/ Chicken ex: Chefs special for lunch PRO/ Seafood ex: FPI shrimps PRO/ Club Sandwich ex: mayonnaise Hellmann's PRO/ Extra poutine ex: McCain French fries PER/ Table d'Hote PER/ House Specialties PRO/ Soft drinks ex: Pepsi 05 - 07 min. Waiting period, newspaper consultation PUB/ Le Soleil newspaper 20 - 40 min. Eating period COM/ Local activities and shows PUB/ Corporations ex : National Bank COM/ Local businesses ex : Credit Union, Daoust Cleaners PER/ Interactive games for kids PER/ Specials to come ex: Summer Brunch PER/ Promotion of special events to come COM/ Seasonal themes 01 - 05 min. 2~d course, Menu consultation Order Taking for desserts PRO/ dessert : Sara Lee Cakes Order Taking for drinks PRO/ Drinks ex : Nestea Iced Tea - 20 min. Eating period PER/ Events to come 03 - 05 min. Payment of bill PER/ Message : Requesting bill ...
PER/ Message : Good Night !
44 - 97 min. total End of Meal Table 4. Scheduling of a typical dinner meal Table 1 shows the scheduling of a typical breakfast meal, Table 2 shows the scheduling of a typical lunch meal, Table 3 shows the scheduling of a typical snack and Table 4 shows the scheduling of a typical dinner meal.
When the display agent has received its promotion mandate, its publicity mandate or its display request, it displays it on the screen for a length of time determined by the mandate. The way of displaying this information depends on the type of mandate received. There are five types of mandates: the suggestive selling of products, the promotion of products, the activities and/or services publicity, the display of complementary information on the ordered items, and the display of general interest information.
FIG'S. 4a, 4b and 5 illustrate the three modes of the user interface.
The first mode is shown in FIG. 4a. It is the general image shown when no one occupies the table. It briefly explains how to use the system. Item 62 shows how to plug in the optical scanner in the proper device under the table. Item shows how to scan the bar code located on the placemat to identify the position of the customer. Item 64 shows how to choose an item from the menu. Item 65 shows how to send the order to the service area. FIG. 4b is an illustration of the image shown throughout the biggest portion of the order-taking process. It is divided into three zones: the upper zone 66 is the training zone, that is, the zone in which the customer is instructed on how to use the system, the left zone where the order is listed and the right zone in which the product is displayed or items are suggested. FIG. 5 illustrates an optional image for the display of publicity. It is divided into two zones: the upper zone 66 is the training zone identical to that of the order display and the lower zone 69 uses almost all of the screen to display publicity, general interest images, short games, Internet pages, etc.
The technological core of the system is able to produce messages in different languages using its database server (sbd). This server contains a special field type which is the multilingual field type. The main task of this server is usually to manage the relational databases.
We can define the multilingualism of the system as being the ability of the software interface to display its textual content in many different human languages and to enable the user to switch from one language to another at any point in time, dynamically. In other words, the interface displays the text in one language. When the user requests it, in any way, the text which was in one language becomes translated into the language requested by the user.
We can define a field of type multilingual as being a table of character strings. Each element of the table represents a chain in a precise language. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each language (French, English, Spanish, etc.) is associated to a number. This number is then used as the index for the field of type multilingual. The database structure for a database switch has a field of type multilingual is illustrated in Table 5.
#Definition of the fields >idproduit;N;6 >nomproduit;M;50 >prix;$;2 #Tuples 1;{;gomme; gum;};0.50 2;{;cafe; coffee;};1.45 3;{;tasse; cup;};6.75 Table 5. Table of character strings The nomproduit field represents a field of type multilingual. The first element is the text in French and the second element is the text in English.
The field idproduit is an identifier for the product. This field enables a unique identification of a product in the database. The field prix is the sale price of the product.
In the data portion of a table, a field of type multilingual follows an instruction of the type #tuples and starts with "{;" and ends with "};". Each item of the table of strings is ended by the semi-colon ";" character. In the code, the value of the multilingual field nomproduit can be referenced in two ways:
by simply using the name of the field nomproduit by itself. In that case, the chain returned by the database server will be the first index of the table or by using the index format nomchamp [index] where nomchamp is the name of the field that we wish to access and index is the number of the element in the table of the strings. For example, French would be number 0 and English would be number 1. If we wanted to obtain the string in French, we would use nomproduit [0] to reference the field in the server database. If we would like to obtain the string in English, we would use nomproduit [ 1 ] in order to reference the field in the server database.
The table of strings of characters is easy to maintain because each string is associated with the object it describes. Therefore, there is no confusion between the objects of different types. When one would modify the name of the product in the table of products, they would also change the name in all of the languages supported. This method is also efficient because the strings of characters are all located in the same table whatever their language.
The system uses an optical scanner to read bar codes as its main communication and navigation tool for the interface. This optical scanner and its main characteristics are shown in FIG. 6.
The customers wanting to order products and/or services use this optical scanner and share it. The system should be able to control the exchange of the scanner between the customers in order to assign the right products and/or services to the customers requiring them. In order to control this exchange, the optical scanner is provided with an activation/deactivation zone enabling the turning off or on of the scanner and the sending of a signal to the technological core which can then request an identification of the customer.
An example of how the optical scanner is used is now described. The customer picks up the optical scanner 84 which closely resembles a conventional pen. He grips the pen with his fingers on the activation zone 91 which turns on the scanner. The technological core receives the activation signal and sends a request for the display of a message to the display agent of the screen requesting the customer to identify himself. The customer identifies himself using the method described below and can then order products and/or services.
If the customer gives the scanner to another customer, he has to let go of the activation zone 91 sending a signal to the technological core. The technological core then knows that the scanner has been dropped or given to another customer. It will request the identification of the new customer when the scanner will be reactivated.
The technological core uses a timer function to prevent requesting an identification of a customer which would have only released the activation zone for a short period of time. It has been calculated that a delay of three seconds is preferred since it is considered to be the minimal period of time necessary to let go of the scanner and hand it to a new customer who then picks it up. It has also been found that three seconds is the preferred delay for applying a sufficient pressure to turn on the scanner.
The preferred scanner can be obtained from Welch Allyn, its model being F58 High Density Switch. It is about S'/2 inches long and is covered with stainless steel. The activation zone 91 is about 2 inches long and the control parameters for this zone can be modified to change the delay for sending the identification message. The activation/deactivation signal is communicated using a conductor of the scanner which is called the enable conductor 87. This conductor is connected to the micro-controller of the decoder. The activation zone is in fact a tactile plaque that can be triggered by the pressure of fingers.
The coiled cable is extendible and has a length of about 24 to 30 inches. It is composed of four conductors, the red one which is the 5 volt conductor 86, the blue one which is the enable/activation conductor 87, the white one which is the ground conductor 88, and the black one which is the pulse conductor 89.
The micro-controller receives the signal for the activation (or deactivation) using the blue conductor 87 of the scanner. It then performs the timer function on the signal to eliminate the signals due to sharp and quick pressures and release of the activation zone due to a learning of how much pressure is necessary on the activation zone 91.
The micro-controller then returns this information to the technological core using a special code. The code ">" means that the scanner is active and it is under pressure. The code "<" means that the pen is deactivated or released.
1 S Each customer using the system should identify himself in order for the technological core to assign the right products and services to the right customer. Each customer has his own placemat 97 and identifies himself by scanning the bar code 98 located on the placemat. This bar code is unique for each placemat at a table and, therefore, uniquely associates a customer to a certain location at the table. A typical placemat is illustrated at FIG. 7.
A typical table usually allows four people to be seated and using the system. Four different bar codes are then used on four different placemats to assign locations at the table. Together with the detection of the exchange of hands of the scanner, the technological core can force a customer to identify himself to ensure that the products and services are assigned to the right person.
The technological core differentiates clients at a particular table using the placemats and differentiates clients sitting at different tables using the number of the table and the placemats combined.

In order for the system to be used in a restaurant setting with more than one table where the service is available, the preferred embodiment of the invention uses a network of terminals with specific software and hardware requirements. The complete list of devices used and their technical data is listed in Table 6 and is illustrated in FIG. 8.
Terminals at Tables 103 Customized Casings made of plastic or metal Basis Pivoting Pillars Optical Scanner sockets Flat screens 110 12.1 inches diagonal, 800 x 600 pixels SVGA active matrix, 262,000 colors Optical Scanners Welch Allyn F58 High Density Switch Coiled Cable Military Male-Female U-174/U for Male, U-92/BU for Connectors Female Network for Terminals MaxStation Terminal 1 video card, 1 serial port, by MaxSpeed 1 parallel port, 1 keyboard SVGA-GWX model port, 1 network port 64 Mbits / sec Bar Code Decoder LBC-03 Symcod modified to enable bi-directional scanning and monitoring of activation/deactivation of the scanner 200 W Power Supply Technological Core Client Software I RAP

Kitchen (or service 104 area) or 1 standard SVGA screen 111 1 MaxStation terminal by MaxSpeed SVGA-GWX model 1 EPSON TM-T8811 bill 108 printer 1 MetroLogic Orbit fixed109 bar code scanner Technological Core Client Software ICUI

Cash Registers 105 1 SVGA tactile screen 115 1 MaxStation terminal by MaxSpeed SVGA-GWX model 1 EPSON TM-T8811 bill 108 printer 1 MetroLogic Orbit fixed109 bar code scanner Technological Core Client Software ICAISSE

Office (Management) 106 1 standard SVGA screen 111 1 SCO Unix certified 113 Pentium III 500 Mhz, 256 MB, HP server 4GB hard drive, Multiports card from MaxSpeed 64 Mbits/s, Zip drive -backup unit, External Modem US Robotics 56K

1 HP personal laser printer 112 Exploitation system SCO Unix OpenServer 5Ø5 X/Window release 5 Graphical Interface Technological Core Info-Pal Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) 114 Table 6. List of Devices used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention Using bar codes to navigate through the system is an interesting approach since it allows the reuse of existing material by adapting it with bar codes and by adding navigation zones. It is the case, for example, of the restaurant menu that the customer is already familiar with and which will have the same general visual aspect once the bar code is added.
The bar code carries the messages that are intended for the technological core. It can be used to indicate that we wish to order a product and/or a service, or that we wish to navigate in the system using the services bar codes.
In order to make the navigation in the system more user friendly, the direction and the scanning of the bar codes has a significance. When the bar code is scanned from left to right, the item is selected and when the bar code is scanned from right to left, the item is deselected. In the case of services, the service is turned on by the left to right scanning and turned off by the right to left scanning. The detection of the direction of scanning is done by adding an algorithm in the bar code decoder (SYMCOD - model HBST). The decoder uses an ASCII character to indicate the direction of scanning. Closing "}"
means that it is a left to right scanning and opening " {" means that it is scanning from right to left.
For example, if the information contained in the bar code contained by the customer is "AB", the decoder will send the following message to the technological core: "}AB" if the bar code is scanned from left to right or "{AB"
if the bar code is scanned from right to left.
FIG. 9 illustrates the process of scanning a bar code. The steps are as follows: The bar code is scanned 118 using the optical scanner, the decoder extracts the information contained in the bar code and the direction of the scanning 119 and the ASCII character string is then transmitted to the technological core 120.

The preferred algorithm to be added in the SYMCOD-HBST decoder to detect the direction of the scanning is as follows in Table 7:
Normal decoding of the pulses according to the SYMCOD-HBST
decoder standard algorithm IF the decoded string can be matched to an entry Output the character string of the entry preceded by the ASCII
character "}"
(left to right scanning) ELSE

Inverse the sequence of pulses received Decode the inverse sequence of pulses according to the standard SYMCOD-HBST
algorithm.

IF
the decoded inverse sequence can be matched to an entry Output the character string of the entry preceded by the ASCII character "~" (right to left scanning) ELSE

The decoder does not output any string. The pulses were white noise or illegible bar codes.

END
I
F

END
IF

Table 7.
Algorithm to detect the direction of scanning I

In order to navigate through the system and offer the possibility to order products and services, a services section is added to the menu or list of products and services available. These services can be used at any time. In the case of a restaurant setting, the services are shown in a special section of the menu which could be similar to the illustration of FIG. 10a. The services section 125 of the menu 124 offers the following services: the first portion explains how to scan the bar codes. Section 126 offers a choice of languages.
Section 127 has a bar code to be scanned when the order is ready to be sent to the preparation area. Section 128 requests help. Section 129 requests a display of the running bill for the items ordered. Section 130 allows a printing of the bill. Section 131 sends the list of items ordered to the kitchen or to the preparation area and specifies that this order should be prepared as a take-out order.
Throughout the menu, traditional or modified bar codes can be used.
A modified bar code bears two dots on each of the sides to facilitate the learning of the scanning of bar codes. Besides cashiers in grocery stores, only a few people are familiar with scanning bar codes. The modified bar code comprises a red dot to the left of the code and a green dot to the right of the code. These dots are centered on the height. Then, the user only has to, using the scanning device, trace a virtual line from the green dot to the red dot or from the red dot to the green dot. Eventually, the bar code could be invisible since the users would be familiar with scanning the bar codes using the red and green dots.
A fidelity card can be issued to regular customers. This card would contain information about this customer, such as, for example, its preferred language and could also include specific instructions for the system, such as not displaying the total amount for a bill as a businessman would prefer if he chose to bring clients to the restaurant very often.
The system can therefore do the following: display instructions on its operation, identify customers at a table, select a language and a location of the customer at the table, select items in an order, cancel items from an order, request help, display product suggestions, present a running total for the order as it is made, allow a change of user at any time during the order in session, confirm a final choice of items for the order, communicate with a device located in a preparation area for the orders, display information or promotions during the waiting period, display a status of the preparation of the order from the preparation area, modify the order at any time, display a list of items and of associated costs, automatic calculation of the amount to be left as a tip, automatic payment of bills using electronic tools such as credit cards, debit cards, and others, preparation of a running tab for different visits of a customer to the restaurant, and for different orders at the restaurant in a virtual credit file, detection of a waiting period in the service of the meal, displaying of information from information databases such as the Internet, use of an attendant card to identify a server in order to make changes to an order.
Example 1 The present invention will be more readily understood with particular reference to the following example which is given to illustrate the invention rather than to limit its scope. The following are suggested steps in the usage of the system.
The attendant assigns a table from the section which offers the automated order-taking system to a group of people. The people sit at the table equipped with a terminal and an optical scanner. Each person has a placemat identified with their location at the table together with one or more menus.
The people can see, at the terminal, general information on the proper usage of the system and, more specifically, on the way to identify a particular customer using the placemat.
A person consults the adapted menu and its list of services. This person identifies herself, using the optical scanner, and the bar code located on the placemat in front of her.
This person chooses the language that she prefers by scanning the appropriate bar code in the services section.
She then chooses, by scanning the bar codes, the product which she wants to order. For certain products, the system suggests a side order or a complementary product or displays more information on her choice. If the item chosen has more than one option, she can use the options section 132 of the service section 125 to choose the proper option. At any time, she can see the content of her order by selecting the displaying the order service.
She can also obtain the total of her bill by scanning the appropriate bar code.
If she realizes she has made a mistake in the items ordered, she can make the appropriate changes by scanning from right to left the bar code of the item already selected. Using the service section of the menu, she requests the preparation of her order. The order is then sent to the kitchen for preparation.

In the kitchen, a list of items ordered is printed together with the number of table and the location of the customer at that table. The customer then ends the optical scanner to another customer of the table or drops the optical scanner in the socket available for this purpose at the table if no one else is ready to order. While the terminal is not in use, different publicity segments are shown on the terminal. It can also be used to obtain information on the news or the stock market, for example. Another person, who has just identified herself correctly, decides to make comments on the service. She then uses the comment card 133, which can be similar to that shown on Fig. lOB. The system then guides the person step by step in the emission of comments. The question to be answered by the customer in the comment card is scanned 135 and the comment is then scanned 136 to express satisfaction.
Those that have requested that the order be prepared can request a status of the preparation of their meals on the terminal. When a meal is ready the attendant brings it to the table. At any time, someone who requires help can obtain assistance by scanning the appropriate bar code in the services section of the menu. Each person can order items as often as they desire after having identified themselves with the placemat. When a customer decides to leave the restaurant, they can require the printing of the bill by scanning the appropriate bar code in the service section of the adapted menu. When all customers have left the table, the system is brought back into the waiting mode and displaces general information on how to use the system.
It is to be understood that the steps described in example 1 are aimed at the particular embodiment of the present invention.
The customer can decide to interact with the system in a more pre-active way. For example, the customer can decide to use any of the services available to them. Once such service is to serve the Internet using the interface at the table. Because the system is already available in the restaurant, the architecture necessary to connect those terminals to the Internet is available to the owner and can be used to create an additional incentive to go to a particular restaurant.
An Internet service card on which are displayed different types of Internet site available to the customer would be used to navigate through the Internet. Such a card is shown on Fig. 11. Each type of information is identified by a different bar code, which can be scanned by the customer. For example, the news 141 bar code can be scanned on the Internet service card 140 in order to see information about the news from the Internet. When the customer is done with surfing the Internet, the bar code 142 quit Internet is used to return to the waiting mode of the user interface.
More specifically, when a bar code is scanned on the Internet service card, the application manages the Interface at the table, launches a new process which calls the application of the Internet browser. The Internet browser then launched displace the HTML page corresponds to the type of information chosen. This HTML page is located using an URL sent as a parameter to the browser.
It is to be understood that the surfing capacity of the system are limited by the type of information chosen on the Internet service card. The restaurant owner can choose to allow more or less freedom to the customer concerning the surfing of the web pages. A preformatted HTML model could be used to set relevant information from different web sites and build a customized HTML page with information concerning the type of information requested without allowing the client to use the Internet freely.
It is also to be understood that the Internet service card can be provided in different languages.
As shown in Fig. 12, there is a user card 145 to be used by the attendants. For example, this card can be used to identify the attendant which is finalizing the payment of a bill for a customer. This card can also be used to cancel help requests made by customers at the terminals. It can also allow the attendant to perform such activity as closing a table, canceling all of the orders of a table, applying rebates and coupons to bill, etc.
It is to be understood that short games could also be played using the interface and specific bar codes.
It could also be possible to use a wireless scanner. As stated before, a printer could be located at each table to print the bills, coupons, or any other tickets, for example, tickets to the movie theatre which could be bought at the restaurant following an agreement between the restaurant owner and the movie theatre owner.
While the invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of further modifications and this application intends to cover any variations, uses, and adaptation of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as commonly known as customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains and as it may be applied to the essential features herein before set forth, and as follows in the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for automatically placing an order for at least one selected item comprising:
providing a customer with a printed index of a plurality of at least one of a service item and a product item, said index comprising a bar code associated with each said at least one of a service item and a product item;
providing a customer with a scanner for scanning said at least one bar code corresponding to at least one selected item and capturing information contained in said at least one bar code ;
scanning said at least one bar code and capturing information contained in said at least one bar code;
extracting product information about said at least one selected item from said information contained in said at least one bar code;
storing said product information about said at least one selected item;
displaying said product information about said at least one selected item on a customer order-taking terminal;
repeating said steps of scanning and capturing each one of said at least one selected item;
wherein said at least one bar code associated with said at least one selected item is scanned using said scanner to capture the information contained in said bar code and to identify which item is to be selected, the product information about said at least one item selected being displayed using a user interface to a customer, and whereby the customer is autonomous in his order-taking process.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said identification of said at least one selected item is an image representing said at least one selected item.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said service item is at least one of a language selection for said displaying of said identification, an order preparation request, a customer identifier, a help request, a printing of the bill request and an option selection.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of displaying at least one of general information, publicity and product suggestion on said customer order-taking terminal.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a step of displaying at least one of general information, publicity and product suggestion on said customer order-taking terminal in a language corresponding to a language selection made by said customer by scanning said language selection bar code.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a step of preparing an order corresponding to said at least one selected item in response to a scanning of said order preparation request bar code.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising displaying an interactive game on said customer order-taking terminal in response to a scanning of a service item corresponding to a game request.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising displaying a browser on said customer order-taking terminal in response to a scanning of a service item corresponding to a surf the Internet request and providing an index of available options to navigate through Internet using said browser.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bar code can be visible or invisible to the naked eye.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bar code is completed by dots centered on its height.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said at least one item is associated with two of said at least one bar code, the first bar code being used to select said item and the second bar code being used to cancel a selection of said item.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said product is at least one of an item from a restaurant menu, an automobile part from a store listing, an item from a catalog and a flower type from a florist listing.

13. A method for automatically placing an order for at least one selected item comprising:
providing a customer with a printed index of a plurality of at least one of a service item and a product item, said index comprising a bar code associated with each said at least one of a service item and a product item;
providing a customer with a scanner for scanning said bar code corresponding to at least one selected item in at least one of a forward and a reverse scanning direction and capturing information contained in said bar code;
scanning said bar code in at least one of a forward and a reverse scanning direction and capturing information contained in said bar code;
extracting product information about said at least one selected item from said information contained in said bar code;

extracting an indication of said scanning direction from said information contained in said bar code, said indication being one of a forward and a reverse scanning direction;
storing said product information about said at least one selected item and said indication of said scanning direction;
canceling a selection of said at least one selected item when said indication of said scanning direction is a reverse scanning direction;
whereby the customer is autonomous in his order-taking process and can select and unselect items to be put in the order by scanning corresponding bar codes in respectively a forward and a reverse direction.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein said forward scanning direction is a left to right scanning direction.

15. A method for automatically placing an order for at least one selected item in a restaurant comprising:
providing a customer with a menu comprising a plurality of at least one of a service item and a product item, said menu comprising a bar code associated with each said at least one of a service item and a product item;
providing said customer with a scanner for scanning said at least one bar code corresponding to at least one selected item and capturing information contained in said at least one bar code;
providing said customer with a placemat bearing a position bar code identifying a position of said customer at a table at which said customer is sitting;
scanning said position bar code to capture information about a position of said customer;
scanning said at least one bar code and capturing information contained in said at least one bar code;

extracting product information about said at least one selected item from said information contained in said at least one bar code;
storing said product information about said at least one selected item and said information about a position of said customer;
linking said information about a position of said customer to a group of at least one selected item to form an order for said customer;
wherein said position bar code is scanned to determine a location of said customer and said at least one bar code associated with said at least one selected item is scanned using said scanner to capture the information contained in said bar code and to identify which item is to be selected and to identify which group of at least one selected item corresponds to which customer.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising steps of detecting a change-of hands of said scanner using a change-of hands detector and requesting a scanning of said position bar code by said customer to identify which customer is now in possession of said scanner.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of providing a network of at least two customer order-taking terminals wherein each order-taking terminal is connected to an order preparation area.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said network is further connected to a customer service area.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising providing a customer with a comments card bearing a group of at least one comment bar code and scanning said at least one comment bar code to send a comment to said customer service area.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising providing a customer order-taking terminal with a printer connected to said user interface for printing at least one of an identification of said at least one item selected and a total amount to be paid for said at least one item selected.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising providing a customer with a customer fidelity card bearing a customer bar code and scanning said customer bar code to identify a customer who places frequent orders and to retrieve his preferences.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21, wherein said preferences are at least one of his preferred language of display, his preferred method of payment, his preferences concerning the display of general information on the interface, the type of sport results he would like to view and the stock quotes he prefers.