JPH10261169A - Ordering and cashier device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly perform ordering in the case of being crowded, to reduce the work of a person in charge of customer service and to simplify an accounting operation or the like further by performing ordering directly from a customer, reporting the ordering contents to a kitchen or the like, storing the ordering contents for the respective customers and automatically performing accounting. SOLUTION: The customer checks a menu and selects a dish or the like to be ordered first. A number corresponding to the dish is inputted by using ten keys 3. Then, the quantity of the dish or the like to be ordered is inputted, and at the time of confirming that an ordering item number and the quantity are correctly inputted, an ordering/OK key 4 is pressed. The information, that is in ordering command, is transmitted through a CPU to a display device and an accounting device for the kitchen and the person in charge of the customer service. The display screen of the display device is viewed, cooking is started in the kitchen and the person in charge of the customer service obtains the information or the like for delivering the dishes ordered by the customer after they are cooked. The accounting device calculates the total money amount of the menu ordered by the customer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically accepting an order from a customer at a restaurant or the like, transmitting the order to a kitchen, writing a slip, performing accounting, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a restaurant, a pub, or the like, a waiter or waiter listens to an order from a customer near the customer, writes the order on a slip, transmits the order to a kitchen, and cooks the order. After it was completed, a method of carrying it to the customer's seat and delivering it was used. In addition, a person at a cash register entered a cash register and made a calculation.

[0003]

In the conventional method, all information transmission between the customer and the store has to be performed via a customer service clerk. For this reason, there is an inconvenience that the customer waits for a considerable amount of time when the service clerk does not come to hear the order due to being crowded, or when the seat and the service clerk have a positional relationship that is difficult to see each other. In addition, the customer clerk is responsible for receiving the customer's order, writing it on the slip, delivering the order to the kitchen, delivering the order to a predetermined table, cleaning the returned seats, and accounting. However, it is necessary to prepare an appropriate number of service clerks according to the assumed number of customers, and there is a problem in that the store also requires labor costs.

[0004]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an electronic device such as a mobile phone prepared for each group of customers is used to place an order directly from a customer without going through a service clerk. Ordering device capable of transmitting, displaying and transmitting means for informing the kitchen and the service clerk of the order contents, means for transmitting and displaying information from the kitchen or the service clerk to the customer, and storing the order details for each customer. Use a device that automatically performs accounting in association with the price, displays the result, and issues a slip.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a conceptual diagram of the ordering device.
Such a device is prepared for each group of customers. The ordering device 1 may be provided with a display unit 2 composed of liquid crystal or the like, a numeric keypad 3, an order / OK key 4, a cancel key 5, and an ordering device number display unit 6. The ordering operation can be performed as follows using each key provided on the ordering device.

[0006] First, the customer selects a dish or the like to order from the menu. Of course, it is convenient to include not only dishes but also other necessary chopsticks, plates, glasses, etc. as part of the menu. It is assumed that the menu is given a number corresponding to each dish. For example, assume that green soybean is number 37. This number 37 is shown in FIG.
Is input using the numeric keypad 3 shown in the example of FIG. It is easy to understand that the characters "order number" are displayed on the display from the beginning. When a number is entered with the ten keys 3, the entered number 37 may be displayed below the portion of the display unit 2 where "order number" is displayed. Next, the quantity of the dish to be ordered is input, and it is also preferable to display "quantity" on the display unit in advance similarly to the order number, and display the input quantity near the bottom.

[0007] Generally, the number of menus for a dish is about 100, so that three digits are prepared for the input part of the order number. Also, it is unlikely that the number of orders is more than 100, but since the number of orders of 10 or more is a normal situation for small and medium-sized organizations, two digits are prepared. It is preferable to input the order number automatically when a three-digit number is input first, and then to input the number of the order item when a two-digit number is input next. 0 for single digit numbers
Input as 2 or 3 digits such as 2 or 007.

[0008] If the input is incorrect, it is possible to start over from the beginning. That is, in the case of an error, it is preferable to input the order number and the number of the order in succession so that the correct number can be input at a predetermined position. That is,
It is preferable that the order number and the number of items are handled by a set of five digits, and that when a new set of five digits is input, the previous number is automatically canceled.

After confirming that the order number and the quantity have been correctly entered, the order / OK key 4 is pressed. When the order / OK key 4 is pressed, the information, ie, the order command, is
The information can be transmitted to a display device for a kitchen and a service clerk, and a checkout device via the device 1. When the CPU 11 receives these information and checks the order against the internal memory, the display of "OK" appears when the order is accepted, and the display of "order / cancellation impossible" appears when the order is not accepted due to lack of stock. It is good to do. FIG. 1 shows a case in which both the understanding and order / cancellation are displayed for simplicity. The transmission of the contents of the order from the customer or the transmission of information such as the order acknowledgment from the store to the customer can be performed by the following method.

[0010] Order information from a customer, acknowledgment information from a store, and the like can be transmitted by wire or wirelessly. FIG. 2 shows an example of a wired method. FIG. 2 shows an example of a configuration diagram of the entire system, including an ordering apparatus 1, a multiplexer 10, a CPU 11, a kitchen terminal 12, a customer service terminal 13, an accounting terminal 15, a simple keyboard 16, a printer, and the like. 17, a keyboard 18, and a bus 19.

The order number, quantity, etc., input by the ordering apparatus 1 can be determined by installing a wire for each key of the ordering apparatus and determining which key has been pressed. Also, information such as the order acknowledgment for the customer can be displayed by installing a dedicated electric wire from the multiplexer side to the ordering device. In the case of this method, the number of electric wires to be laid is more than ten per ordering device, so a multi-core cable in which ten or more thin cables are incorporated in one cable may be used. A cable may be connected from the ordering device to the multiplexor for each group of customers, and the key directly pressed by the multiplexor may be detected.

In the multiplexer, signals from many connected ordering devices are sequentially switched to read data. That is, the data from the ordering device 1 may be switched first, then the data of the ordering device 2 and the data of the ordering device 3 sequentially, and the data from all the ordering devices may be read. The read data may be sequentially stored in a memory prepared for each ordering device. Reading one piece of data is possible in a recent electronic circuit in about several tens of microseconds, so that hundreds of sets of data can be read in less than several milliseconds. Since this is an extremely short time in consideration of human operation, all necessary keys such as the order details and the number of orders are not pressed while reading signals from the same ordering device. That is,
Multiple multiplexing will bring together all the data for a particular group of customers.

Whether or not all of the order contents have been completed can be determined by whether or not the order / OK key 4 has been pressed. This determination can be made by the CPU 11. That is, the multiplexer 10 periodically reads an input and performs an operation of writing to a predetermined memory. The CPU periodically checks the contents of the memory independently of the multiplexer 10 and obtains predetermined information. In the case of having, the contents are transmitted through the bus 19 to the kitchen terminal 12, the customer service terminal 13,
What is necessary is just to transmit to the accounting terminal 15. Since the CPU 11 transmits the information from the predetermined information to the bus 19, the information is transmitted in the order of the order. Information transmission to the bus 19 can also be controlled by the CPU 11.

The kitchen terminal 12, the customer service terminal 13, and the checkout terminal 15 fetch the signal carried on the bus 19, collate the signal with the internal memory, and display the specific dish name, quantity, and customer number instead of the number. Good.

However, in the above-mentioned method, when assuming about 100 sets of customers, one hundred and several hundred electric wires must be connected to the multiplexer, and the amount of connectors and the like is considerably increased. Therefore, the number of electric wires can be reduced by using the following method.

One method is to convert the number of keys of the ordering device into a number expressed in a binary system and transmit the converted data. Four bit lines are prepared, and bits corresponding to the number of the pressed key are prepared. This is a method of conducting a wire. That is, when 1 is pressed, only the signal line of bit 1 is conductive, and when it is 2, the bit line of 2 is
In the case of (1), the bit lines of 1 and 2 are used, and similarly in the case of 9, the bit line is 8 and 1 This method is generally
The method used for computer keyboards, etc.
With the ordering device of the present invention, 16 keys are sufficient, so that only four wires need to be laid per ordering device, and wires and connectors can be easily procured. Can also be done easily. Signal transmission after the multiplexer may use the method described above.

The following method is a method in which the ordering device converts the signal into a digital signal which changes with time and transmits the digital signal. The order item number and quantity input by the order apparatus 1 are collectively transmitted as a digital signal. In the above example, the order number 37 and quantity 2 are 1001 in binary notation.
01 and 10, but it must be possible to transmit even in the case of other numbers. Therefore, the format of the digital signal may be determined by assuming the range of the order number and the quantity.
Generally, it is sufficient for the number of ordered items, that is, the number of menus, to be about 100 as described above. Therefore, for an ordered product, it is sufficient to prepare 7 bits that can cover 128 numbers. However, in general, digital signal data is 8 bits in consideration of the fact that 8 bits are treated as one unit and a margin. It is good to prepare. In addition, since it is considered that ten or more pieces are sufficient, it is sufficient to prepare five bits capable of covering 32 pieces. In the case of the number of orders, it is meaningless to say 0, so even if it is 5 bits, it exactly represents 31 numbers, but it is 32 for simplicity of explanation. The same applies hereinafter. For quantity,
If it is 8 bits, it means 256 orders, and since it is an unnecessary number in a general store, it is 5 bits, and it is better to add the following information to 8 bits. That is, if three bits are prepared for other information such as an order / OK key, a signal of a total of 16 bits, that is, 2 bytes can be used. Furthermore, since it is necessary to transmit the number of the ordering device, assuming that this is also a group of about 100 customers, that is, about 100 ordering devices, 7 bits are required.
If 8 bits are prepared in the same manner as the data for the ordered item, a total of 24 bits, that is, 3 bytes is required. To this signal,
It is preferable to additionally transmit information for a header portion used for normal data transmission and a signal for error checking.

FIG. 3 shows the state of this data. It can be composed of a header signal 31, order item number data 32, order quantity data 33, various command signals 34, order device number data 35, and an error check signal 36. Since the signal 31 in the header portion and the error check signal 36 are generally widely used in LANs and the like, they are not described in detail.

As described above, a 4-byte signal may be created by the ordering device and transmitted to the multiplexer 10 shown in FIG. 2, but in this case, serial transmission, that is, the signal changes with time. Since the transmission method can be used, only two signal transmission lines are required. Since digital data transmission can generally be performed at a speed of several megabits / second, in the case of the present invention, transmission can be performed in a time of about several tens of microseconds for one data transmission. Therefore, if the number of groups of customers is about 100 sets, it is considered that they will place orders at random, and the probability that two groups of customers will place orders at exactly the same time will be very small. There is no need, and a multiplexer is not required. Instead of a multiplexer, a buffer memory may be prepared, and data may be written to and read from this memory once. Since writing and reading of data can be performed in a very short time of about several microseconds, it is not necessary to consider the overlapping of two or more data in the state where data is written to the buffer memory. In such a case, it is general that the data cannot be written until the data is read.

When normal data is received, it is necessary to transmit a signal such as an order acknowledgment to the customer's ordering device, but this may also be transmitted as a digital signal as described above. In this case, since only the consent and the information on order / cancellation need to be transmitted, the data may be further reduced, but the data of the order device number and the reverse direction of the order are received so that only the specific order device can receive the data. It is also necessary to transmit data indicating communication at the same time. Further, the ordering apparatus requires a circuit for identifying and receiving communication for the ordering apparatus for each ordering apparatus.

Another method of transmitting order information from a customer or transmitting information from a store to a customer is a method of transmitting the information by radio waves or light. In the case of radio waves, the digital signal described above may be modulated at a high frequency, and in the case of light, the digital signal may be modulated with an optical signal such as infrared light. As the modulation, a method such as AM modulation, FM modulation, or PPM modulation can be used. PPM
The modulation is a pulse-phase modulation or a phase modulation.
Among the above, in the case of AM modulation by radio waves, FM modulation or PPM modulation is more advantageous because it is susceptible to noise. In the case of radio waves, it is necessary to install a radio wave transceiver in place of the multiplexer 10 in FIG. In addition, when using light, it is necessary to prepare an optical transceiver, and in this case, it is necessary to install it in a place where light can be reached from the ordering device. If the room is winding and the ordering device and the optical transceiver cannot be seen in a straight line, it is necessary to install the optical receiver in a position that can be seen straight from the customer seat. The signal received by the wireless transceiver or the optical transceiver may be processed by the method described above. Even in the case of radio waves, if the frequency used is, for example, about several hundred megahertz, a data transmission speed of several megabytes / second is sufficiently possible, and data transmission can be performed in a very short time. There is no need for multi-pressing on the machine. Even in the case of an optical signal, it is easy to transmit a signal of about several megabytes / second, so the same can be said for the case of wireless radio waves.

Next, other functions and operations will be described. The items ordered by the ordering apparatus 1 of FIG. 1 are, as described above, the kitchen terminal 12 and the customer service terminal 13.
It is good to display not only the number but also the quantity and the ordering device number by the article name. This display may be performed by displaying the same screen on the kitchen terminal 12 and the customer service terminal 13 and in the order of order. The ordering device number should correspond to the seat one-on-one, so that the service clerk can easily find the place where the order is delivered. FIG. 4 shows an example of display on the kitchen terminal 12 and the customer service terminal 13. The display screen 41 allows each order item, quantity, and order device number to be seen at a glance. In FIG. 4, the order device number is shown as a customer number.

Looking at the display screen 41 described above, cooking starts in the kitchen, and the waiter knows which customers have ordered what, so that after the dish is completed, information and the like for delivering it are obtained. Will be done. When cooking is started and the state is irreversible (or may be irreversible at the same time as cooking starts depending on the store), the cursor 43 is moved to the position of the corresponding menu, and the return key is pressed there. Then, it is easy to understand that the color of the menu portion changes to indicate that the menu cannot be canceled. Here, it is preferable to prepare a simple keyboard 16 in the kitchen terminal 12 for moving the cursor or pressing the return key, and use the simple keyboard 16 for this purpose. The simple keyboard should have at least a return key and an arrow key for moving the cursor. In FIG. 4, the cursor is shown in a state where a part where the cursor is located is surrounded by a frame. Further, a state in which the color is changed and cannot be canceled is indicated by a hatched line as a cancellation impossible state 42. Further, when the return key is pressed, if it is wrong, it is convenient to press the return key again at the same position to return to the original position.

A simplified keyboard 16 is also provided at the customer service terminal so that the return key is pressed when the food has been delivered to the customer. When the key is pressed, a color different from the above-mentioned irreversible case is used. It is convenient to change it. The same screen is displayed on both the kitchen terminal 12 and the customer service terminal 13 so that both parties can see the state that changes to a different color. Regardless, it is possible to clarify things that cannot be delivered indefinitely, etc., which can be useful for transmitting information between the kitchen and the customer service staff.

As described above, the order / OK key 4 in the ordering apparatus shown in FIG. 1 may be used not only for ordering but also for canceling an order. That is, when an order is made once but it is desired to cancel later, it can be used as follows. To cancel, first press the cancel key 5. Then, signal transmission is performed in the reverse order of the information transmission from the ordering device to the terminal, and the menu number and quantity ordered immediately before are preferably displayed on the display unit 1.
When the cancel key 5 is pressed again, the contents ordered before that are displayed sequentially. Since these pieces of information are stored in each terminal or the accounting terminal, they can be easily displayed. When the menu you want to cancel appears,
The order can be canceled by pressing the order / OK key 4. However, even if the menu is to be canceled, it cannot generally be canceled if cooking has already started in the kitchen. In this state, as described above, the menu selected on the kitchen terminal 12 is changed in color by pressing the return key, that is, the menu cannot be canceled. In this case, information indicating that the order cannot be canceled may be transmitted from the terminal, and a message indicating that the order cannot be canceled may be displayed.

It is convenient to provide the accounting terminal 15 with the following functions. First, of course, the total price of the menu ordered by the customer may be automatically calculated for the customer's payment. For example, it is preferable that the total amount is automatically displayed when the ordering device number is input on the accounting terminal keyboard 18 and that the order details are also printed by the printer 17. If the item number is entered when the item is out of stock, it is preferable that an indication of non-ordering / cancellation is displayed when the customer places an order. Also, it is convenient to automatically display the change amount when the customer's deposit amount is input so that the change amount can be used as a substitute for the register.

Further, it is more convenient to provide the following functions. That is, it is a calculation function for total sales of one day, total of sales items for each day or day of the week, total of monthly sales and total for each item, and the like. By enabling such tabulation, it becomes possible to plan what kind of items should be focused on weekly or monthly. The above description relates to sales, that is, payments. However, if it is possible to separately input payments, it is also possible to automatically calculate all the cash flow states of the store. In addition, it is possible to input quantities of cooked foods, drinks, and the like, and to automatically calculate the quantity sold and the deduction to the customer, which can be used for inventory management. Furthermore, it is extremely convenient to be able to automatically create a final income tax return document by inputting various data necessary for tax declaration.

[0028]

By using the order accounting device according to the present invention, it is possible to promptly place an order even in a crowded state, to reduce the work of the customer service staff, and to simplify the accounting operation and the like. As a result, it is possible to save labor in restaurants and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an ordering device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the entire apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a digital signal transmitted according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen on a kitchen / service clerk terminal according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1- ordering device, 2--display unit, 3-numeric keypad, 4-
-Order / OK key, 5--Cancel key, 6-Order device number display, 10-Multiplexer, 11-C
PU, 12-kitchen terminal, 13-customer service terminal, 15
--- Accounting terminal, 16--Simplified keyboard, 17--Printer, 18--Keyboard, 19--Bus, 31--
Header signal, 32--Order number data, 33
--- Order quantity data, 34--Various command signals, 35--Order device number data, 36--Error check signal, 41
--- display screen, 42--cancellable state, 43--cursor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A portable ordering device which can be fixedly installed at a customer seat in a restaurant or the like or provided for each group of customers, and the ordering device generates information on ordered items and their quantities. Means for displaying, means for transmitting the generated information to the kitchen and the customer service by wire or wireless, and when transmitting information wirelessly, identification information for specifying a group of customers is generated and generated by the ordering device. Means for transmitting the information, means for displaying these information to the kitchen and the service clerk, means for transmitting information for the customer from the kitchen and the service clerk to the ordering device, and display these information on the ordering device An order accounting device comprising: means for performing an ordering process;