WO2004086261A1

WO2004086261A1 - Interactive terminal for creating orders

Info

Publication number: WO2004086261A1
Application number: PCT/AU2004/000261
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tien Xam Ho; Anesley John Clarke; Minh Quang Nguyen
Original assignee: Ordatronics Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2003-03-28
Filing date: 2004-03-01
Publication date: 2004-10-07
Also published as: AU2003901627A0; NZ543208A

Abstract

Systems for processing orders at an outlet for goods or services, such as orders for takeaway meals. Interactive terminals are used to present customers with a menu of available items and to receive the customer selections. The items are generally basic ingredients or preparations of each meal. Each customer is provided with an order document including an indication of the selected items and their cost. The document is presented at a serving station or transmitted by a wired or wireless connection. The completed meal or other item is delivered to the customer. The available items are indicated to the customer by photo realistic representations.

Description

INTERACTIVE TERMINAL FOR CREATING ORDERS

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the process of placing an order at a retail outlet, in particular but not only to the placement of an order in a fast food outlet.

In many fast food premises, there exists a menu board which patrons visually examine and use to select the items that they would like to order, choosing to exclude some ingredients or include additional ingredients according to their personal preference. This process is fairly efficient, however, when patrons order 'build to order' items, i.e. meals composed of ingredients chosen by the patron in real time, the ordering process can become difficult and more time consuming. The types of items that fall into this category are typically sandwich like products, noodle dishes, rice dishes, pizzas, and similar types of food stuffs.

The number of patrons that a single staff member can serve is limited by the time it takes to process these 'build to order' requests. During peak periods, the number of patrons requiring serving often exceeds the labour and/or infrastructure available to meet their needs. It would be an advantage to reduce the time it takes to complete an order and hence increase the number of patrons that can be serviced in any given time. This frees up staff to concentrate on meal preparation and collecting payments and other tasks. It would also be an advantage to reduce waiting times in queues, reduce time pressure on patrons to select the ingredients for their meal, and reduce mis- communication to the serving staff.

Some interactive terminal systems for ordering food do exist, but involve pre-set combinations of ingredients that constitute a meal. Customers can only select from a limited range of meals. There are limited possibilities for creating meals from basic ingredients or varying the manner in which the ingredients are prepared.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide improvements to the process of placing an order at fast food outlets, particularly outlets selling fast food of the "build-to-order" variety, or at least to provide an alternative to existing processes.

In one aspect the invention may be said to consist in a method of processing an order at an outlet for goods or services, comprising: presenting a menu of available items at a customer operated terminal, receiving a selection of items on the menu from the customer at the terminal, providing an order document to the customer including an indication of the selected items and their cost, providing the selected items to the customer according to the order document, and receiving payment for the cost of the order.

In one embodiment the available items are indicated to the customer by photo realistic representations. Preferably the available items include multiple ingredients of a meal, and possibly modes of preparation of one or more of the ingredients. Providing the selected items includes creating a meal for the customer.

In another aspect the invention consists in an order preparation system for an outlet for goods or services, comprising: a database of items and their costs that are available for ordering by a customer, an interface by which a customer selects from a menu of the available items to create an order of goods or services, a processor for receiving and calculating details of the order, and an output generator that provides the customer with a record of the order.

Preferably the interface displays photo realistic images of the items available for ordering by a customer. The items available to the customer preferably include multiple ingredients of a meal. The available items may include modes of preparation of one or more of the ingredients. The order then represents creation of a meal for the customer.

In some embodiments the customer may order pre-set meals and may also modify preset meals by removing or adding one or multiple ingredients to suit their dietary, health and monetary requirements. Primarily however, the customer can build an entire meal from basic ingredients. LIST OF FIGURES

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with respect to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figures 1a and 1 b show interactive terminals that could be used to enable an ordering process according to the invention, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main hardware components of a terminal as in Figure 1a or 1 b, Figures 3a, 3b and 3c outline methods of creating and placing an order using the terminal,

Figures 4 outline a method of apply a loyalty system to the terminal,

Figures 5a-h are screenshots showing operation of a prototype terminal in a take away noodle shop,

Figures 6a-d are screenshots showing operation of a prototype terminal in a burger food shop, and

Figure 7 shows an order document that has been created by a customer using the system of Figures 5a-h. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings it will be appreciated that the invention can be implemented in many forms for a variety of purposes, not just fast food outlets. This specification describes a take away noodle system and a burger system by way of example only. Details of the touch screen devices and other hardware involved in the invention will be known to a skilled reader and need not be explained in detail.

Figures 1a and 1b are alternative forms of an interactive terminal that can be placed in a fast food outlet to enable customers to create orders from a range of items that are available for combination and sale. The items might be sandwiches with a range of filings for example, or components of a box of Asian food. Each terminal has a touch screen or other interface for presentation of options to the customer, and for input of selections by the customer. They are intended to be stand alone or counter based terminals respectively, with possibilities for addition of advertising material. In an alternative example, the terminal may have two screens, one being a touch screen for interaction with customers, the other being an advertising screen that may be operated in conjunction with the touchscreen.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main electronic components of a typical terminal in Figure 1. The components include a microprocessor and memory with connections to a range of peripheral devices. In this example the peripherals include a video monitor with a touch screen, a bar code reader, a printer, and a hard drive. A database of available items and related information such as a screen logo and price is stored on the hard drive. The information may be updated in a range of ways, including a wired or wireless network connections, a portable disc, data accepted via a connection such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB), a remote computer (potentially anywhere in the world) utilizing a internet connection to enable communications. The configuration can be changed by staff members on entering a 'maintenance' mode on the customer terminal. This allows limited modifications of the ingredients that are selectable.

Figures 3a, 3b and 3c are flowcharts outlining how an interactive ordering process can take place. Figure 3a represents a general flow for a customer interacting with a terminal and staff at an outlet. Figure 3b shows a "build-to-order" system while Figure 3c represents a general flow for "pre-configured" systems. These flowcharts are generally self explanatory.

In Figure 3a patrons approach a terminal, they activate the touch sensitive computer screen with their finger and are guided through a selection process to build their meals. A printed docket of their selection is generated and the patron presents this printed docket at the counter and pays for the meal. The printed docket can also contain a unique bar-code, which is used to record the in-store purchasing activities of the customer. In other deployments the meal request may be transmitted to another computer/printer situated remotely for staff to process. The patrons take a seat and wait while their meals are prepared. The patrons approach the order counter when their meals are ready for collection. It is preferable but not necessary that the customers be provided with a paper record of their order, or at least a queue number which indicates that their order is underway.

An example is a noodle takeaway store. Patrons may be offered at least two methods of ordering through a terminal. If they prefer to build their own box from basic ingredients, they approach a terminal and configure their meal as desired, as shown in Figure 3b. Alternatively they can order directly off a pre-set menu board and apply changes, as indicated in Figure 3c. Entirely manual methods of ordering would also normally be available in an outlet of this kind. Multiple terminals are normally provided to enable larger numbers of customers to be served in quick succession.

In Figure 3b, the customer is presented with a series of selections: a rice or noodle based box, vegetable ingredients, seafood ingredients, a meat combination, sauces, chilli, drinks and then conclusion of the order. At any point the customer can restart or move forwards or backwards through the screens using the "restart", "prev" or "back" commands. In Figure 3c a range of pre-configured meals are initially presented for selection, followed by an allowed variation of some ingredients.

Figure 4 outlines a system incorporating a loyalty scheme with validation capabilities. This part of the methodology uses the customer interactions procedures as described above but is extended by incorporating a customer identification and redemption facility. The main purpose of this addition is to promote and reward customer expenditure within the store, via a loyalty scheme. All activities of validation, meal purchasing, docket printing, customer redemption is performed via the interactive terminal. The terminal can be networked in order to facilitate the same scheme throughout various stores. The customer first applies and is presented with a card having a unique barcode. For the customer to initiate the loyalty scheme, he/she validates their information by scanning their card via the bar-code scanner, for this example via the stand-alone kiosk. The customer orders by using the process as indicated above under the 'generic system operation' heading, and prints out the ingredients of the meal with the associated price on a docket. The docket for this process will have a unique barcode. The purchase price is stored against the customer's details within the software database, whereby each dollar spent is related to an increment in points against their name. Once sufficient points have been accumulated, the customer may redeem their prize via the printer, once a prize is redeemed, the points for that prize will be deducted from the total points against the customer's name. The points associated with a particular prize will be determined by the details of the scheme being operated. Each prize printed via a terminal will have a unique bar-code to identify the validity of the prize. Customers can view their accumulated points via the terminal, by scanning their card on the bar-code reader of the system which validates their authenticity. Figures 5a-h are example screen shots of what a patron might see when configuring an order at an interactive terminal in a noodle take away store. The items available to a customer are generally presented using photo realistic displays on a touchscreen although terminals may also be operated in other ways. Figure 5a is a default screen, containing simple instructions and a touch point for starting the ordering process. Figure 5b offers pre-set meals, build-to-order meals, and a special alternative such as a children's meal. Figures 5c and 5d indicate how standard ingredients may be excluded from an order, or included with varying amounts. The manner of their preparation might also be varied, such as rare, medium or well-done meat components, and steamed or fried vegetables. In Figure 5e, a screen showing how a wide range of variations may be presented for one of the ingredients. Additional items are offered In Figure 5f, being drinks in this example. A screen for finalisation of the order is presented in Figure 5g, and the process ends in Figure 5h. Figures 6a-d are example screen shots of what a patron might see when configuring an order at a fast food burger store. Figure 6a shows a range of largely pre-set meals, using photo realistic images. The process then allows variation of at least some of the main ingredients in Figure 6b. Other information such as dietary values may also be indicated. Other main ingredients may also be varied such as the kind of bread used in the burger, and whether the bread is fresh or toasted, for example. Figure 6c presents add-on items, being desserts in this case. Figure 6d sets out the completed order for review with an indication of the price.

Figure 7 is an example of the order document or receipt that might be presented to a customer as a result of an ordering process at a noodle outlet. The customer then presents the document at a serving station if necessary, and awaits preparation of the meal. Payment is normally made at the time of presentation of the document, but otherwise at the time of collection.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A method of processing an order at an outlet for goods or services, comprising: presenting a menu of available items at a customer operated terminal, receiving a selection of items on the menu from the customer at the terminal, providing an order document to the customer including an indication of the selected items and their cost, providing the selected items to the customer according to the order document, and receiving payment for the cost of the order.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the available items are displayed to the customer using photo realistic representations.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the available items include multiple ingredients of a meal.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the available items include modes of preparation of one or more of the ingredients.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein providing the selected items includes creating a meal for the customer.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the outlet is a food outlet and the items are ingredients of build-to-order meals.

7. A method according to claim 1 further comprising receiving the order document from the customer at a serving station.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein multiple customer terminals are provided spatially separate from the serving station.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the customer operated terminal receives selection of items from the customer via a touch screen.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein the customer operated terminal redeems loyalty rewards.

11. An order preparation system for an outlet for goods or services, comprising: a database of items and their costs that are available for ordering by a customer, an interface by which a customer selects from a menu of the available items to create an order of goods or services, a processor for receiving and calculating details of the order, and an output generator that provides the customer with a record of the order.

12. A system according to claim 11 wherein the database contains photo realistic images of the items available for ordering by a customer.

13. A system according to claim 11 wherein the items available to the customer include multiple ingredients of a meal.

14. A method according to claim 11 wherein the available items include modes of preparation of one or more of the ingredients.

15. A system according to claim 11 wherein the order represents creation of a meal for the customer.

16. A system according to claim 11 wherein the outlet is a food outlet, the goods are build-to-order meals, and the items are ingredients of the meals.

17. A system according to claim 11 further comprising a transmitter that sends the order to a station for preparation of the items and/or a station for serving the customer.

18. An order preparation system including two or more terminals according to claim 11 for use by two or more customers simultaneously.

19. A system according to claim 11 wherein the interface is a touch screen.

20 A system according to claim 11 wherein the interface provides customer functions including "restart", "previous" and "next" screen controls.

21. A system according to claim 11 including a subsystem for redeeming loyalty rewards.