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Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ) Chief Executive Steve Jobs wants to patent a process that will save customers the hassle of waiting to order a cup of coffee at a local Starbucks (nasdaq: SBUX - news - people ) or a fresh burger at the nearest fast food restaurant. Even better: The technology would let you jump the line of those ordering in person.
In an application with the U.S. Patent Office filed on Dec. 20, the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer and gadget company described a wireless system that would allow customers to place an order at a store using a wireless device such as a media player, a wireless personal digital assistant or a cellphone.
Think You Hate iPhone Users Now?
Seeded on Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:42 AM EST
Article Source: Forbes- Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.
- Public Discussion (27)
If this were just some feature that'd be fine, but I can already imagine Calvin and Brian Ford grinning smugly at me across their beverages as I wait for my order to be filled.
Sigh.....
- 12 votes
#1 - Fri Dec 28, 2007 7:53 AM ESTHeh. Who said we'd order only for ourselves? All you need is to go in with a friend who has an iPhone.
- 8 votes
AdipicAcid: You assume that Killfile would ever set foot into a coffee shop with Calvin or Brian again? That wound is deep and still painful, my friend; and it is more bitter and acidic than even the boldest of Arabica blends. I'll spare you the details, but lets just say that even though the coffee itself is cold, the hatred is still boiling hot. The events of that day were grounds for turning friendship into dripping hatred.
Oh, anyway... big deal? I already order my sandwich or burrito online via a web browser and go pick it up. Though I'm not sure of the exact mechanism Apple is claiming here, it seems like there's prior art for the "order ahead."
- 12 votes
AdipicAcid: You assume that Killfile would ever set foot into a coffee shop with Calvin or Brian again? That wound is deep and still painful, my friend; and it is more bitter and acidic than even the boldest of Arabica blends. I'll spare you the details, but lets just say that even though the coffee itself is cold, the hatred is still boiling hot. The events of that day were grounds for turning friendship into dripping hatred.
*Slow Reverant Applause*
- 7 votes
*Slow Reverant Applause*
…and yet no vote love, despite multiple coffee puns. *sigh*
Well, what can I say? It's my last day at my old job and I'm feeling a bit spry. Just thought I'd try and liven things up. If only Brian and Calvin came around these parts anymore…
- 2 votes
Guess I'm glad I have no clue what you're talking about, I like to think of Newsvine as more of a community that this seems to imply.
Its nothing new, a lot of takeaways allow you to order by text message anyway. This is a little redundant. I don't think they will get the patent, after all its incredibly obvious.
- 1 vote
We don't have anyplace that has text ordering around here (that I'm aware of) but I take advantage of internet ordering with any restaurant that has it. It allows me to peruse the menu without feeling pressured, to check with others who might be ordering or eating with me without tying up the phone line, and in most cases it allows me to pay by credit card before I even leave the house or leave work. The only complaint that I've heard from one restaurateur is that he gets more bogus internet orders on Friday and Saturday nights than he ever got in phone orders. At that, some sort of validation system needs to be in place so that the restaurant will know that a legitimate order has been made.
The events of that day were grounds for turning friendship into dripping hatred.
Wow, what on earth did I miss?? I've been too busy to pay attention to the Vine for a while but it sounds really intense :|
- 1 vote
At that, some sort of validation system needs to be in place so that the restaurant will know that a legitimate order has been made.
With text messages, the number is included with the message. Since all phones required registration with approved ID, then its not much of an issue. Sure, you may get the odd prank, but that phone can be found by police, switched off by the phone company, etc.
It also provides people the choice of paying by credit card, or cash should they wish to do so.
Also, most taxi services allow ordering by text message as well.
What I would be concerned about is what happens if someone steals my iPhone and goes on a spending spree???
It won't be long before people are getting kicked half to death just so they can't report the device has been taken.
- 2 votes
Faruk (and possibly Jim): Haven't you ever heard the one where the Virginian, the Kansan, and the Seattlite walk into a coffee bar? No? Too bad. It's a good one…
'Three men enter,one man leaves… with a Venti Mocha Frap.'
- 1 vote
Jason,
you suck so much right now. You cannot leave people with such a good teaser and not give us answers. Not everyone can hang on the vine all day :-)
at least send those interested an e-mail about it!
- 1 vote
More efficiency in getting that first cup in the morning is a good thing.
- 2 votes
#2 - Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:33 AM ESTiPhones are great, for this, and finding places you've never heard of. I was at a school event, and we found out where our first competition will be, and noone had any idea where that was, so we went on my friend's iPhone to find out. Very cool I thought, and I've been jealous of her since she got it.
- 1 vote
#3 - Fri Dec 28, 2007 9:41 AM ESTI think it's a great idea. Anything to speed the process for some could speed the process for all.
- 1 vote
#4 - Fri Dec 28, 2007 10:49 AM ESTMaybe I missed it in the article, does it charge the order to a pre arranged card or one's itunes account or something?
#5 - Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:17 AM ESTI don't think it said, but it could certainly charge to your phone bill. That used to be really common.
As I understand it, it is identical to buying music through the iPhone's iTunes app -- it will charge to the credit card tied to your iTunes account.
- 1 vote
And soon, no talking allowed in public places, only text messaging.
#6 - Fri Dec 28, 2007 11:23 AM ESTMany countries have had this for years.. paying for everything from the cell phone, from vending machines to taxis..
why is america so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology use?
and dont worry about the iphone.. it will take off here for everyone.. just if iphone is first to be adopted widly they will have a good standing to set the standards.
There is competition already but not as widely adopted as i would like... mobilecash
one problem is how much the cell companies will want for the ability to use their networks for payments..
yea these guys are about to make even more money hands over fist and they still want to tier up our internet.
- 1 vote
#7 - Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:16 PM ESTExactly - a friend of mine runs one of those companies in SE Asia. Prior art alert! I suppose they could claim some interesting innovation as a component of the system, but the patent would only cover that innovation and not the concept overall.
Then again, I'm not a patent lawyer, and these things don't always seem to follow common sense!
- 1 vote
I have mixed feelings about this, but it reminds me of the first time the other night when my wife and I had finished watching Talk to Me, on DVD. When the credits rolled, I simply reached over and pulled out my iPod touch and downloaded a few of the sound tracks from the movie. Now I think about what a powerful marketing tool Apple has developed. Without the iPod touch download, I might not have ordered those tracks so quickly. But I got caught up in the moment simply because Apple has provided a slick, efficient way for me and other do impulse buying.
- 2 votes
#8 - Fri Dec 28, 2007 12:24 PM ESTI hope that prior art prevents this. But as was seen with "one click" purchase on amazon the patent office isn't always the keenest when it comes to Information Technology patents. The worst part about this is that any coder I know could develop this system and integrate it with the instore devices in very little time.
- 1 vote
#9 - Thu Jan 3, 2008 1:01 PM ESTAnd anyone could build a carburetor once Mr. Benz got his inspiration (from of all things a perfume bottle). Simplicity in implementation does not invalidate a patent.
- 1 vote
Correct, but a patent to be valid has to be proven to a point where it would not be apparent to a professional of the intended field to be done. If there looking at this from the perspective of a food industry worker it holds ground. But from an IT stand point I know others myself included who have thought of similar systems. It wouldn't surprise me if this was implemented in one way or another elsewhere.
You could order pizza on line for years. Hell, a friend of mine worked on a system for Gumbys back in college.
Wireless internet access + online pizza ordering (for pickup) = this patent.
Not quite, Kill. Have you read the application? There's some stuff in there about real-time status updates on the order so that the customer can arrive at the counter when it is complete without waiting in line, and some other stuff about preference tracking and finding the nearest local store that can fulfill the order. I'm not 100% certain that this isn't all covered by prior art, but this is a far more complex system than Pizza Hut's online ordering.
[0007]A processing system is described that includes a wireless communication interface that wirelessly communicates with one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment. The wireless communication interface receives a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices. A local server computer located in proximity to the establishment receives the remote order from the wireless communication interface and generates instructions for processing the remote order. The local server computer then passes the processing instructions to an order processing queue in preparation for processing of the remote order.
[0008]In a particularly useful embodiment, an acknowledgement is forwarded to the originating wireless client device indicating that the remote order has been successfully received. Furthermore, an estimate order completion time can then visually displayed by the wireless client device and/or audibly rendered by way of a speaker or earphone.
[0009]In another embodiment, a method of processing an order provided by one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment is described. The method is carried out by receiving a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices at a wireless communication interface that is in communication with a local server computer in proximity to the establishment. The remote order is then passed to and processed by the local server computer and is then stored in a processing queue in preparation for processing of the remote order.
[0010]In yet another embodiment, a processing system is described. The processing system includes a wireless communication interface arranged to wirelessly communicate with one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment. The wireless communication interface receives a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices that is then passed to a local server computer located in proximity to the establishment having a memory arranged to store data that includes a customer preference file listing customer preferences. The local server computer consults the customer preference file in order to generate processing instructions for processing of the remote order. The local server computer passes the processing instructions to a processing center for processing the remote order in response to the processing instructions.
[0011]In still another embodiment, a method of processing a remote order provided by one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment is described. The method is carried out by receiving a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices, consulting a customer preference file that lists customer preferences by way of a local server computer located in proximity to the establishment, generating a processing instruction for processing the remote order by way of the local server computer based upon the consultation of the customer preference file, and processing the remote order in response to the processing instruction.
[0012]In another embodiment, a wireless client device suitable for wirelessly providing a remote order to an establishment is described. The wireless client device includes a wireless communication interface arranged to send and receive wireless signals, a processor for processing executable instructions, and a wireless range evaluator unit in communication with the wireless communication interface and the processor arranged to determine if the wireless client device is within wireless range of the establishment, wherein when the wireless range evaluator unit determines that the wireless client device is within wireless range of the establishment, the processor sends the remote order to the establishment by way of the wireless communication interface.
[0013]Another embodiment provides a computer program product executable by a processor for processing an order provided by one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment. The computer program product includes computer code for receiving a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices at a wireless communication interface in communication with a local server computer in proximity to the establishment, computer code for processing the remote order by the local server computer, computer code for storing the remote order in a processing queue in preparation for processing of the remote order, and a computer readable medium for storing the computer code.
[0014]Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.
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