GB2472018A - Ordering System - Google Patents

Abstract

An ordering system that consists of a webpage(s) placing orders and two other devices process the order in a remote location such as a takeaway or restaurant. The invention sends the order by only sending encoded SMS messages to a printer device which is the first device receive the order via the GSM network and then decode the order with the embedded hardware and print the order with all kinds of formation required. This order is then can be accepted or rejected by the device user and the status is sent back to the SMS sender via coded SMS. The second device referred as the satellite navigator with barcode reader manage to read the order address from the printed barcode and can set the destination of the navigation system automatically.

Description

ORDERING SYSTEM

This invention relates to an ordering system for ordering goods and/or services from a remote supplier.

The desire to be able to order goods and/or services from home via the internet is growing. Typically, a customer accesses a remote website provided by a supplier, which lists the goods and/or services on offer and allows an order to be placed.

Details of the order are then available electronically on a computer terminal of the supplier.

A disadvantage of this arrangement is that some suppliers, such as those that supply take-away food, either do not have a computer, an internet connection or time to continuously check a computer terminal for orders placed online.

W02006/1 33713 discloses an ordering system in which suppliers are alerted of all orders taken online from a remote server by an SMS (short message service) message: the order details can then be accessed by the supplier on a remote database by following a link given in the SMS message: this again requires the supplier to have specialist computer hardware as well as an internet connection to access and view the order on the remote database.

I have now devised an ordering system which alleviates the above-mentioned problems.

In accordance with the present invention, as seen from the first aspect, there is provided an ordering system which enables clients to order one or more items of goods and services provided by a supplier, the system comprising: -a plurality of client terminals for prospective clients; -a remote server; -a database comprising details of said items available to order; and -a plurality of supplier terminals, wherein the client terminals are connectable to said remote server via a data network, the remote server being arranged to interrogate the database and present a list of available items to a client on a said client terminal and to receive an order for one or more selected items from the said client terminal, the remote server further being arranged to transmit an order to a selected supplier via a cellular telephone network as an SMS message, the SMS message comprising details of one or more items ordered by the said client, the supplier terminal being arranged to display details of the order to the supplier.

In this manner, an order is directly transmitted to the supplier upon receipt of the order as an SMS message and hence the supplier only needs a simple terminal capable of receiving SMS messages and only needs to be located in an area where there is a cellular telephone network coverage.

Preferably, the remote server is connected to a transmitter for transmitting SMS messages to the supplier terminal of a selected supplier.

Preferably, the transmitter is arranged to transmit a plurality of SMS messages to a supplier if an order for items exceeds a predetermined length.

Preferably, at least one of the SMS messages comprises data indicating a number of SMS messages making up an order.

Preferably, at least one of the SMS messages comprises an order number.

Preferably, at least one of the SMS messages comprises data indicating the geographical location of the client placing the order: this may be a house number and postal code or the longitude and latitude of the client.

Preferably, the database comprises details of the SMS address or number of the supplier of each item to which an order should be sent.

Preferably, each supplier terminal comprises a display and/or printer for displaying an order to a supplier.

Preferably, the printer is a thermal printer.

Preferably, each supplier terminal comprises means for enabling a supplier to accept or reject an order, said terminal being arranged to transmit data pertaining to the acceptance or rejection of the order to the client who placed the order, the data being sent from the supplier terminal as an SMS message to a receiver, the data being sent from the receiver to said client via said data network.

Preferably, each supplier terminal comprises means for enabling a supplier to update a client on progress of an order, said terminal being arranged to transmit data pertaining to the progress of the order to the client that placed the order, the data being sent from the supplier terminal as an SMS message to a receiver, the data being sent from the receiver to said client via said data network. In this manner, the supplier can update the client when, for example, the order is being despatched.

Preferably, the printer comprises means for reading an optical code, the printer being arranged to print the optical code along with details of the order. Thus, following completion of an order, the supplier merely has to scan the printed code on the order into the supplier terminal whereupon the client is notified that the order is being despatched.

Preferably, the printer is arranged to print an optically readable code containing the geographic location of the client to which the order should be despatched: this optically readable code can then be scanned by a delivery person to indicate the address to which the order should be delivered.

Preferably, each supplier terminal is arranged to transmit radio signals comprising data, for example, which may alert passers-by of offers available from the supplier.

The radio signals may be Bluetooth signals which can be received by mobile telephones of passers-by or by other persons within the vicinity of the supplier.

The supplier terminal may comprise a single unit comprising a transmitter and receiver for SMS messages and a printer. Alternatively, the printer may be remote from the unit and connectable thereto via a wireless link.

The supplier terminal may also be connectable to a computer terminal.

Also in accordance with the present invention, a seen from a second aspect, there is provided a method of ordering one or more goods and/or services items, the method comprising accessing a remote server over a data network from a client terminal, displaying on the client terminal the items available to order, placing an order for one or more selected items on the client terminal, receiving an order for one or more selected items on the remote server and sending details of the or each ordered item from the remote server to a supplier terminal via an SMS message over a cellular telephone network.

Also in accordance with the present invention, as seen from a third aspect, there is provided a satellite navigation system comprising means for determining a current location via wireless data, an optical code reader for reading an optical code provided on a carrier, means for determining a geographic location from said code and for computing a route from the current location to the geographic location.

In this manner, a person simply has to scan an optically readable code into the system to determine the location of a desired destination. In this manner, a precise location can be avoided and any risk of incorrect manual data entry is avoided.

The optically readable code can be printed onto stationery, business cards, orders or any other carrier where it is desirable to provide an indication of location.

Preferably, the optically readable code comprises details of the longitude and latitude of the destination. In this manner a very precise indication of the location can be provided.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of an example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a food ordering system in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a table of a remote database entry of the system of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front view of a supplier terminal of the system of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a front of an order printout provided by the terminal of Figure 3; and Figure 5 is a front view of a satellite navigation device embodying the satellite navigation system in accordance with the third aspect of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings, there is shown an ordering system for ordering items of food from take-away restaurants. The system comprises a plurality of client computers 10 connected via the internet 11 to a remote server 12 having a known IP address or DNS name (e.g. wwww.indianfoodonline.co.uk). The remote server 12 is connected to a database 13 which stores the details and menus of a plurality of restaurants as will be described hereinafter. The remote server 12 is also connected to a transceiver device 14 which is arranged to transmit and receive short message system (SMS) messages via antennas e.g. 15 of a cellular telephone network.

The system also comprises a plurality of supplier terminals 16 located in the respective restaurants. Each supplier terminal 16 comprises an antenna 17 for receiving SMS messages from the transceiver 14 and for transmitting SMS messages back to the transceiver 14. Each supplier terminal 16 comprises a printer 18 for printing details of the received order for the supplier to view and action.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, the database 13 is arranged to store a plurality of tables containing at least the following data: the location of the restaurant, the type of food offered by the restaurant, the SMS (cellular) number of the supplier terminal of that restaurant as well as a list of the food items, the related item number/cost of the food items on offer.

Referring to Figure 3 of the drawings, each supplier terminal 16 comprises a thermal printer 18 for printing out an order ticket as will be described hereinafter. Optionally, the terminal 16 may comprise a display 30 for displaying the order. The terminal 16 also comprises a plurality of function keys 32 and a plurality of alpha-numeric keys 33. Up/down/left/right navigation keys 35 are also provided. The terminal 16 also comprises a transmitter 31 for transmitting Bluetooth signals to nearby cellular telephones or articles of computer hardware. An optical barcode reader 34 is also provided.

Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings, each supplier terminal is arranged to print an order ticket 20 containing a barcode 21 indicating an order number 22, a barcode 23 indicating the address or geographic location 24 of the client that placed the order and a list 25 of the ordered items.

In use, a client accesses, via the internet 11, the remote server 12 by entering the relevant DNS name (e.g. wwwndanfoodonnecouk). The client can then input their approximate geographic location (e.g. by postcode or town) and the type of food which they desire (e.g. Indian). The server 12 will then interrogate the database 13 and display a list of the available restaurants matching this criteria on the client terminal 10. The client can then select their desired restaurant, whereupon a list of the menu items and associated cost is displayed for selection. The client can then select the desired items and indicate whether collection or delivery is required.

Following checkout and payment, an order number is allocated to the order and details of the order is then passed to the transceiver 14 along with the SMS (cellular) number of the selected restaurant. The transceiver 14 then transmits the order details via a relevant antenna 15 over the cellular telephone network as a coded SMS message. Since SMS messages have a limited character length, the order may be broken down into a number of successive SMS messages, with at least the first message indicating the number of messages that will makeup the order. At least one of the SMS messages contains the order number and an indication of the geographic location of the client in the event that delivery is required. The items making up the order are preferably abbreviated or coded to reduce the overall character length of the message, for example by just transmitting the item number corresponding to the ordered item.

The SMS messages are also coded with formatting information so that the order details can be printed on the ticket 20 in a predefined format. The SMS messages are also coded so that the supplier terminal 16 only accepts and prints orders that are sent from the server 12 via the client computers 10, and thus which comprise the correct code. This prevents SMS messages that are sent directly to the supplier terminal 16 from a cellular phone (not shown) for example, from being printed.

Upon receipt of an order, the supplier terminal 16 in the selected restaurant will analyse the SMS message to determine how many messages to expect for the order.

The terminal 16 then waits to receive the relevant number of SMS messages before printing out the aforementioned ticket 20. The order data can also be displayed on the display 30. The supplier can then choose whether to accept or reject the order by pressing a relevant function key 32. This then transmits a relevant SMS message back to the transceiver 14 and onto the relevant client 10 via the internet 11.

If the order is accepted, the ticket can then be passed to the kitchen for completion of the order. Upon completion of the order, the ticket 20 is scanned by the optical reader 34: this then causes a further SMS message be transmitted to inform the client that their order is ready for delivery/collection.

Referring to Figure 5 of the drawings, there is shown a satellite navigation device 26 of the kind provided in a delivery vehicle of the restaurant, embodying the satellite navigation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device 26 comprises a display 27 for displaying a map and/or route guidance instructions, an antenna 28 for receiving GRPS signals from satellites, and an optical code reader 29. In the event that an order is to be delivered, the aforementioned ticket 20 is attached to the order and handed to the delivery driver. The delivery driver then scans the barcode 23 into the satellite navigation device 26, sO that the desired delivery address is immediately input into the system, thereby avoiding the need for manual input and alleviating any risk of error. Preferably the barcode 23 contains details of the longitude and latitude of the client, so that a very precise delivery destination can be provided.

It would be appreciated that the system embodied in the device 26 of Figure 5 can be used to determine the geographic location from any barcode, such as one provided on a business card or other printed article.

An ordering system in accordance with the present invention is relatively inexpensive and utilises existing data communication networks. The use of SMS messages to convey orders to suppliers alleviates the need for suppliers to have an internet connection and computer equipment in their premises.