Mobile devices, methods and computer systems for ensuring that a pickup order is freshly prepared when a consumer arrives to pick it up

A method for ordering an item on a mobile device, the method comprising:

• on the mobile device, receiving an order from a user of the mobile device and causing the order to be placed with a retail entity associated with a plurality of establishments;
• on the mobile device, determining spatial relationships between the mobile and each of the plurality of establishments;
• on the mobile device, determining one of the establishments convenient for the user to pick up the order based at least in part on the spatial relationships;
• and
• on the mobile device, transmitting a notification over a network to notify the determined one of the plurality of establishments that the user of the mobile device will arrive at the determined one of the plurality of establishments.

A mobile device comprising:

• an input/output (I/O) interface;
• at least one input element coupled to the I/O interface for receiving input entered on the input element by a user;
• a radio frequency (RF) subsystem configured to allow the mobile device to communicate wirelessly over a telecommunications network, the RF subsystem including an RF antenna, a receiver (Rx) module and a transmitter (Tx) module;
• at least one memory device, the memory device having pickup order data stored therein corresponding to a pickup order entered by the user on the input element;
• and
• at least one processor electrically coupled to the I/O interface, to the RF subsystem and to the memory device, the processor being configured to determine spatial relationships between the mobile device and each of a plurality of establishments, and wherein the processor uses the spatial relationships to determine one establishment of the plurality of establishments that is convenient for the user and transmits the pickup order to the determined one of the plurality of establishments.

A mobile device comprising:

• an input/output (I/O) interface;
• at least one input element coupled to the I/O interface for receiving input entered on the input element by a user;
• a radio frequency (RF) subsystem configured to allow the mobile device to communicate wirelessly over a telecommunications network, the RF subsystem including an RF antenna, a receiver (Rx) module and a transmitter (Tx) module;
• at least one memory device;
• and
• at least one processor electrically coupled to the I/O interface, to the RF subsystem and to the memory device, the processor being configured to determine spatial relationships between the C-A MD and each of a plurality of establishments associated with the retail entity and to use at least the spatial relationships to determine one establishment of the plurality of establishments convenient to the user of the mobile device to pick up a pickup order that was previously placed by the mobile device, and wherein the mobile device transmits a notification to the determined one of the plurality of establishments that the user will arrive at the determined one of the plurality of establishments to pick up the previously-placed order.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer code stored thereon for execution by a processor of a mobile device for ordering an item on the mobile device, the computer-readable medium comprising:

• a first code segment that receives input entered by a user on an input element of the mobile device;
• a second code segment that stores a representation of the entered input in a memory of the mobile device, the representation stored in the memory corresponding to a pickup order to be placed with a retail entity;
• a third code segment that determines spatial relationships between the mobile device and each of a plurality of establishments associated with the retail entity;
• a fourth code segment that uses the spatial relationships to determine one of the plurality of establishments that is convenient for the user to pick up an order;
• and
• a fifth code segment that causes the mobile device to place a pickup order with the determined one of the plurality of establishments corresponding to the representation stored in memory.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer code stored thereon for execution by at least one processor of a mobile device for ordering an item on the mobile device, the computer-readable medium comprising:

• a first code segment that receives input entered by a user on an input element of the mobile device;
• a second code segment that causes the mobile device to place a pickup order associated with the entered input with a retail entity associated with a plurality of establishments;
• a third code segment that determines spatial relationships between the mobile device and each of the establishments;
• a fourth code segment that uses the spatial relationships to determine one establishment of the plurality of establishments that is convenient to the user;
• and
• a fifth code segment that sends a notification from the mobile device over the network to notify the one of the plurality of establishments of a likely arrival of the user of the mobile device at the one of the plurality of establishments.

A method for ordering an item on a mobile device, the method comprising:

• in a mobile device, receiving an item order entered into the mobile device by a user of the mobile device;
• in the mobile device, using historical data collected by the mobile device over time to determine one or more retail establishments along a travel route that is convenient to the user;
• on the mobile device, displaying said one or more retail establishments on a display device of the mobile device;
• in the mobile device, detecting a selection by the user of one of said one or more retail establishments;
• and
• with the mobile device, transmitting a pickup order of the item with the selected retail establishment.

A mobile device comprising:

• an input/output (I/O) interface;
• at least one input element coupled to the I/O interface for receiving input entered on the input element by a user of the mobile device;
• a radio frequency (RF) subsystem configured to allow the C-A MD to communicate wirelessly over a telecommunications network, the RF subsystem including an RF antenna, a receiver (Rx) module and a transmitter (Tx) module;
• at least one memory device having historical data stored therein associated with travel routes and retail establishments along the travel routes;
• and
• at least one processor electrically coupled to the I/O interface, to the RF subsystem and to the memory device, the processor being configured to collect the historical data, and wherein the processor uses the historical data in combination with an estimated pickup time entered on the input device by the user to determine one of the retail establishments that is convenient to the user and causes the mobile device to transmit an order to the determined one of the retail establishments.

A method for use by a retail establishment for scheduling preparation tasks associated with preparing a pickup order, the method comprising:

• in a host computer of a computer system located at the retail establishment:
• receiving a notification from a mobile device that a user will arrive at the establishment to pick up a pickup order;
• creating a schedule of preparation tasks associated with preparing at least one food product of the pickup order;
• and
• displaying the schedule on a display device of the computer system for viewing by a preparer of said at least one food product.

A computer system located at a retail establishment for scheduling preparation tasks associated with preparing a pickup order, the computer system comprising:

• a display device;
• a memory device;
• and
• a host computer, the host computer executing an order scheduling computer program that:
• receives a notification from a mobile device that a user will arrive at the establishment to pick up a pickup order;
• creates a schedule of preparation tasks associated with preparing at least one food product of the pickup order;
• and
• displays the schedule on the display device for viewing by a preparer of said at least one food product.