Real-time wait estimation and prediction via embedded sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10217174-B2
Application number	US-201514862223-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 23, 2015
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

A management system receives inputs over a period of time from outputs of one or more sensors placed within a proximity to a service area, the one or more sensors for detecting at least one of at least one weight and at least one sound. The management system dynamically estimating, based on a rate of a percentage of change of the at least one weight over the period of time and types of sounds of the at least one sound for the service area, one or more wait times until a completion of use of the service area. The management system dynamically generating one or more wait time estimates in real time for a particular user requesting a particular service area size met by a current service area size of the service area based on the one or more wait times and a current number of other users waiting for the particular service area size.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
a computer system receiving, one or more inputs over a period of time from one or more outputs of one or more sensors placed within a proximity to a service area, the one or more sensors for detecting at least one of at least one weight and at least one sound;
the computer system dynamically estimating, based on a rate of a percentage of change of the at least one weight over the period of time and one or more types of sound of the at least one sound for the service area, one or more wait times until a completion of use of the service area; and
the computer system dynamically generating one or more wait time estimates in real time for a particular user requesting a particular service area size met by a current service area size of the service area based on the one or more wait times and a current number of other users waiting in a queue for the particular service area size.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer system dynamically generating the one or more wait time estimates in real time for the particular user requesting the particular service area size met by the current service area size of the service area based on the wait time for the service area, other wait times estimated for other service areas of a plurality of service areas of the particular service area size in a restaurant, and the current number of other users waiting in the queue for the particular service area size.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer system dynamically estimating the one or more wait times until the completion of use of the service area based on the rate of a percentage of change of the at least one weight specifying a weight of a service area and specifying a separate weight of each of a plurality of items placed on the service area.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer system receiving the one or more inputs from the one or more outputs of the one or more sensors each placed on a particular item placed on the service area to measure a change in weight of a consumable item within the particular item of the at least one weight during the period of time.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer system receiving the one or more inputs from the one or more outputs of the one or more sensors placed to detect relative changes in a total weight placed on the service area of the at least one weight during the period of time.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer system receiving the one or more inputs from the one or more outputs of the one or more sensors placed to detect the one or more types of sounds from among a metallic sound and a non-metallic sound around the service area during the period of time, wherein the metallic sound indicates use of cutlery.

7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer system controlling an interface through which a separate identifier for each of the one or more sensors is dynamically registered in association with a particular service area identifier for a particular service area from among a plurality of service areas, each of the one or more sensors removable.

8. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising:
program instructions to receive, one or more inputs over a period of time from one or more outputs of one or more sensors placed within a proximity to a service area, the one or more sensors for detecting at least one of at least one weight and at least one sound;
program instructions to dynamically estimate, based on a rate of a percentage of change of the at least one weight over the period of time and one or more types of sound of the at least one sound for the service area, one or more wait times until a completion of use of the service area; and
program instructions to dynamically generate one or more wait time estimates in real time for a particular user requesting a particular service area size met by a current service area size of the service area based on the one or more wait times and a current number of other users waiting in a queue for the particular service area size.

9. The computer system according to claim 8 , the stored program instructions further comprising:
program instructions to dynamically generate the one or more wait time estimates in real time for the particular user requesting the particular service area size met by the current service area size of the service area based on the wait time for the service area, other wait times estimated for other service areas of a plurality of service areas of the particular service area size in a restaurant, and the current number of other users waiting in the queue for the particular service area size.

10. The computer system according to claim 8 , the stored program instructions further comprising:
program instructions to dynamically estimate the one or more wait times until the completion of use of the service area based on the rate of a percentage of change of the at least one weight specifying a weight of a service area and specifying a separate weight of each of a plurality of items placed on the service area.

11. The computer system according to claim 8 , the stored program instructions further comprising:
program instructions to receive the one or more inputs from the one or more outputs of the one or more sensors each placed on a particular item placed on the service area to measure a change in weight of a consumable item within the particular item of the at least one weight during the period of time.

12. The computer system according to claim 8 , the stored program instructions further comprising:
program instructions to receive the one or more inputs from the one or more outputs of the one or more sensors placed to detect relative changes in a total weight placed on the service area of the at least one weight during the period of time.

13. The computer system according to claim 8 , the stored program instructions further comprising:
program instructions to receive the one or more inputs from the one or more outputs of the one or more sensors placed to detect the one or more types of sounds from among a metallic sound and a non-metallic sound around the service area during the period of time, wherein the metallic sound indicates use of cutlery.

14. The computer system according to claim 8 , the stored program instructions further comprising:
program instructions to control an interface through which a separate identifier for each of the one or more sensors is dynamically registered in association with a particular service area identifier for a particular service area from among a plurality of service areas, each of the one or more sensors removable.

15. The computer system according to claim 8 , the stored program instructions further comprising:
program instructions to output the one or more wait time estimates for the particular user in an output interface illustrating a map comprising a location of a restaurant comprising the service area, the wait time estimate output in association with the location of the restaurant within the map, the wait time estimate output dynamically updated in real-time for each of the one or more wait time estimates.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Ghosh Rahul
• Lariccia William R
• Muthukrishnan Ravi K
• Quirk Aaron J
• Zhu Xian Jun

Classifications

• G01G19/44

  for weighing persons · CPC title

• G01G19/52

  Weighing apparatus combined with other objects, e.g. furniture (with walking sticks A45B3/08) · CPC title

• G06Q50/12 Primary

  Hotels or restaurants · CPC title