US 2014/0279093 A1 · INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND REAL TIME SYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS HOSPITALITY SOFTWARE APPLICATION BASED SYSTEM WITH SPECIALIZED ORDERING FUNCTIONALITY AS PART OF A SYNCHRONIZED ECOSYSTEM OF MULTIPLE TYPES OF COMPUTING DEVICES WITH VARYING NON PC-STANDARD DISPLAY SIZES OPERATING IN EQUILIBRIUM VIA THE INTERNET AND WITH A MASTER DATABASE STORED IN A CENTRAL LOCATION

Abstract

An information management and synchronous communications system and method facilitates database equilibrium and synchronization with wired, wireless and Web-based systems, user-friendly and efficient generation of computerized menus and reservations with handwritten/voice modifications for restaurants and other applications that utilize equipment with nonstandard graphical formats, display sizes and/or applications for use in remote data entry, information management and communication with host computer, digital input device or remote pager via standard hardwired connection, the internet, a wireless link, printer or the like. Various operations employing automated telephone calls and/or messaging may, for instance, be performed. For example, desired reservation and/or appointment information may be automatically converted and conveyed to one or more entities via automated telephone call and/or messaging. As another example, information regarding reservation acceptability may be received and automatically converted via automated telephone call and/or messaging. Telephones may, for instance, be the only equipment required by the entities.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An information management and real time synchronous communications system for use with multiple types of computing devices with varying display sizes via the Internet comprising:

a.) at least one hospitality software application with specialized ordering functionality,
b.) a master database containing data of the said at least one hospitality software application pursuant to a master database file structure,
c.) at least one computer server, with associated data storage capabilities for said at least one hospitality software application, and said master database,
d.) at least one web server enabled by web server software to communicate via the internet data from the said master database of the said at least one hospitality software application to and from multiple linked elements of the same connected system,
e.) at least two wireless handheld computing devices in the same connected system with different sized displays from one another,
f.) application software enabled to provide the functionality to combine fixed and at least one unanticipated, dynamic ordering option into the same order, said unanticipated dynamic ordering option not being present in the said master database file structure of (b),
g.) application software enabled to format and configure the said at least one hospitality software application for wireless transmission to and display on the said at least two different wireless handheld computing devices, by leveraging data and parameters from the said master database file structure and display parameters of the said at least two different wireless handheld computing devices to generate a programmed handheld menu configuration of linked graphical user interface cascading screens in conformity with a customized display layout unique to each of the said at least two different wireless handheld computing devices and which facilitates user operations of the said at least one hospitality software application on each of the said two different wireless handheld computing devices,
h.) at least one web page which is generated from parameters and data in the said master database file structure and which is capable of being wirelessly transmitted to and displayed on at least one wireless handheld computing device of the connected system,
i.) at least one web page which is generated from parameters and data in the said master database file structure and which is wirelessly transmitted to and displayed on at least one other computing device with a different display size from the said at least two different wireless handheld computing devices,
j.) an Application Program Interface (API) enabled to connect the said at least one hospitality software application with at least one third party software application via the internet,
k.) application software enabled to provide functionality from the said at least two wireless handheld computing devices of (e) inclusive of the ability to select any available printer directly from the touch-sensitive display interface on the wireless handheld computing devices user interface screen for the printing of any information relative to the hospitality application,
l.) application software enabled to provide functionality from the said at least two wireless handheld computing devices of (e) inclusive of the ability to associate a specific customer with a specific location for an order, or reservation or ticket, such functionality enabled to occur directly from a touch-sensitive display user interface on the wireless handheld computing devices user interface screen,
m.) application software enabled to interface the said (a-l) elements via at least two different communications protocols and wherein an application software based communications control module is enabled to link and synchronize the said at least one hospitality software application and its data in real time between the said (a-l) elements and
wherein a cascaded set of linked graphical user interface screens for at least one of the said two different wireless handheld computers in the same connected system has a different number of user interface cascading screens from at least one other wireless handheld computing device in the same connected system and
wherein the system is enabled for realtime transmission to and realtime receipt via the internet and processing of responses or initiated communications from at least the said two wireless handheld computing devices of the same connected and synchronized system such that substantially the same data of the said at least one hospitality software application is capable of being be displayed consistently on each of the system elements with user displays of the connected and synchronized system.

12 more elements

An information management and real time synchronous communications system for use with multiple types of computing devices with non PC-standard display sizes via the internet comprising:

a.) at least one hospitality software application with specialized ordering functionality,
b.) a master database containing data of the said at least one hospitality software application pursuant to a master database file structure,
c.) at least one computer server, with associated data storage capabilities for said at least one hospitality software application, and said master database,
d.) at least one web server enabled by web server software to communicate via the internet data from the said master database of the said at least one hospitality software application to and from multiple linked elements of the same connected system,
e.) at least two wireless handheld computing devices in the same connected system with non PC-standard sized displays which are different from one another in size,
f.) application software enabled to provide the functionality to combine fixed and at least one unanticipated, dynamic ordering option into the same order, said unanticipated dynamic ordering option not being present in the said master database file structure of (b),
g.) application software enabled to format and configure the said at least one hospitality software application for wireless transmission to and display on the said two different wireless handheld computing devices, by leveraging data and parameters from the said master database file structure and display characteristics of the said two different wireless handheld computing devices to generate a programmed handheld menu configuration of linked graphical user interface cascading screens in conformity with a customized display layout unique to each of the said two different wireless handheld computing devices and which facilitates user operations of the said at least one hospitality software application on each of the said two different wireless handheld computing devices,
h.) application software enabled to format and configure the said at least one hospitality software application for wireless transmission to and display on at least one other computing device with another different non PC-standard display size from the said two different wireless handheld computing devices,
i.) an Application Program Interface (API) enabled to connect the said at least one hospitality software application with at least one third party software application via the internet,
j.) application software enabled to provide functionality from the said at least two wireless handheld computing devices of (e) inclusive of the ability to associate a specific customer with a specific location for an order, or reservation or ticket, such functionality enabled to occur directly from a touch-sensitive display user interface on the wireless handheld computing devices user interface screen,
k.) application software enabled to interface the said (a-j) elements via at least two different communications protocols and wherein an application software based communications control module is enabled to link and synchronize the said at least one hospitality software application and its data in real time between the said (a-j) elements and
wherein a cascaded set of linked graphical user interface screens for at least one of at least the said two different wireless handheld computers in the same connected system has a different number of user interface cascading screens from at least one other wireless handheld computing device in the same connected system and
wherein the system is enabled for realtime transmission to and realtime receipt via the internet and processing of responses or initiated communications from the said two wireless handheld computing devices of the same connected and synchronized system.

10 more elements

An information management and real time synchronous communications system for use with multiple types of computing devices with varying display sizes via the internet comprising:

a.) at least one hospitality software application, with specialized ordering functionality,
b.) a master database containing data of the said at least one hospitality software application pursuant to a master database file structure,
c.) at least one computer server, with associated data storage capabilities for said at least one hospitality software application, and said master database,
d.) At least one other computer server with its own database that is connected to the said computer server in (c) which stores the said master database of the system and which is enabled by application software to automatically synchronize in real time via the internet with the data in the said master database when relevant changes occur in the master database or in the database of the one other computer server,
e.) at least one web server enabled by web server software to communicate via the internet data from the said master database of the said at least one hospitality software application to and from multiple linked elements of the same connected system,
f.) at least two wireless handheld computing devices in the same connected system with different sized displays from one another,
g.) application software enabled to provide the functionality to combine fixed and at least one unanticipated, dynamic ordering option into the same order, said unanticipated dynamic ordering option not being present in the said master database file structure of (b),
h.) application software enabled to format and configure the said at least one hospitality software application for wireless transmission to and display on the said at least two different wireless handheld computing devices, by leveraging data and parameters from the said master database file structure and display parameters of the said at least two different wireless handheld computing devices to generate a programmed handheld menu configuration of linked graphical user interface cascading screens in conformity with a customized display layout unique to each of the said at least two different wireless handheld computing devices,
i.) at least one web page which is generated from parameters and data in the said master database file structure and which is capable of being wirelessly transmitted to and displayed on at least one of the said two wireless handheld computing devices,
j.) at least one web page which is generated from parameters and data in the said master database file structure and which is wirelessly transmitted to and displayed on at least one other computing device with a different display size from the said at least two different wireless handheld computing devices,
k.) an Application Program Interface (API) enabled to connect the said at least one hospitality software application with at least one third party software application via the internet,
l.) application software enabled to provide functionality from the said at least two wireless handheld computing devices of (e) inclusive of the ability to associate a specific customer with a specific location for an order, reservation or ticket, such functionality enabled to occur directly from a touch-sensitive display user interface on the wireless handheld computing devices user interface screen,
m.) application software enabled to interface the said (a-l) elements via at least one communications protocol and wherein an application software based communications control module is enabled to link and synchronize the said at least one hospitality software application and its data in real time between the said (a-l) elements and
wherein a cascaded set of linked graphical user interface screens for at least one of the said two different wireless handheld computers in the same connected system has a different number of user interface cascading screens from at least one other wireless handheld computing device in the same connected system and
wherein the system is enabled for realtime transmission to and realtime receipt via the internet and processing of responses or initiated communications from at least the said two wireless handheld computing devices of the same connected and synchronized system such that substantially the same data of the said at least one hospitality software application is capable of being be displayed consistently on each of the system elements with user displays of the connected and synchronized system

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20