Dual band fixed point-of-sale terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10878396-B2
Application number	US-201816197636-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2018
Priority date	Nov 21, 2018
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A POS terminal includes wired communication elements, a state processor, an order processor, and a television whitespace (TVWS) communications element. The wired communication elements couple the fixed POS terminal to a network. The state processor queue state changes in one or more order queues that correspond to one or more orders in a restaurant. The order processor generates the state changes, and accesses and transmits the state changes in each one of the one or more order queues to a backend server, where the order processor comprises current order state fields corresponding to all of the orders. The television whitespace (TVWS) communications element enables the fixed POS terminal to communicate over a White-Fi network within the restaurant, where the fixed POS terminal operates as a White-Fi access point for one or more mobile POS terminals operating in a White-Fi mode within the restaurant.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual band fixed point-of-sale (POS) terminal, comprising:
wired communication elements, coupling said fixed POS terminal to a network;
a state processor, configured to queue state changes in one or more order queues that correspond to orders in a restaurant;
an order processor, coupled to said state processor, configured to generate said state changes, and configured to access and transmit said state changes in each one of said one or more order queues to a backend server, wherein said order processor comprises current order state fields corresponding to all of said orders; and
a television whitespace (TVWS) communications element, enabling the fixed POS terminal to communicate over a White-Fi network within said restaurant, wherein said fixed POS terminal operates as a White-Fi access point for one or more mobile POS terminals operating in a White-Fi mode within said restaurant.

2. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 1 , wherein said network comprises a wired network within said restaurant and the internet, and wherein said wired network comprises a gateway for access to the internet.

3. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 2 , wherein said backend server comprises a cloud-based server.

4. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 3 , wherein the fixed POS terminal and other POS terminals are configured to generate unique ones of said state changes corresponding to a same one of said one or more orders.

5. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 2 , wherein said order processor comprises a TVWS routing table that provides a designated TVWS channel for White-Fi communications with said one or more mobile POS terminals operating in a White-Fi mode.

6. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 5 , wherein said TVWS routing table comprises a list of mobile terminals that are assigned to the fixed POS terminal for White-Fi communications, and wherein said list comprises said one or more mobile POS terminals.

7. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 6 , wherein said TVWS routing table further comprises a routing table for other fixed POS terminals within a mesh network configuration that are configured as other White-Fi access points for purposes of forwarding message traffic.

8. A dual band fixed point-of-sale (POS) terminal, comprising:
wired communication elements, coupling said fixed POS terminal to a network;
a state processor, configured to queue state changes in one or more order queues that correspond to orders in a restaurant;
a touchpad display/camera circuit, configured to input menu selections and/or payment options;
an order processor, coupled to said state processor, configured to generate said state changes, and configured to access and transmit said state changes in each one of said one or more order queues to a backend server, wherein said order processor comprises current order state fields corresponding to all of said orders; and
a television whitespace (TVWS) communications element, enabling the fixed POS terminal to communicate over a White-Fi network within said restaurant, wherein said fixed POS terminal operates as a White-Fi access point for one or more mobile POS terminals operating in a White-Fi mode within said restaurant.

9. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 8 , wherein said network comprises a wired network within said restaurant and the internet, and wherein said wired network comprises a gateway for access to the internet.

10. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 9 , wherein said backend server comprises a cloud-based server.

11. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 10 , wherein the fixed POS terminal and other POS terminals are configured to generate unique ones of said state changes corresponding to a same one of said one or more orders.

12. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 9 , wherein said order processor comprises a TVWS routing table that provides a designated TVWS channel for White-Fi communications with said one or more mobile POS terminals operating in a White-Fi mode.

13. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 12 , wherein said TVWS routing table comprises a list of mobile terminals that are assigned to the fixed POS terminal for White-Fi communications, and wherein said list comprises said one or more mobile POS terminals.

14. The fixed POS terminal as recited in claim 13 , wherein said TVWS routing table further comprises a routing table for other fixed POS terminals within a mesh network configuration that are configured as other White-Fi access points for purposes of forwarding message traffic.

15. An order fulfillment method using a dual band fixed point-of-sale (POS) terminal, the method comprising:
queuing state changes in one or more order queues that correspond to orders in a restaurant;
generating the state changes, and accessing and transmitting the state changes in each one of the one or more order queues to a backend server, from oldest to youngest, when operably connected to a network and maintaining current order state fields corresponding to all of the orders; and
employing a television whitespace (TVWS) communications element that enables the fixed POS terminal to communicate over a White-Fi network within the restaurant, and wherein the fixed POS terminal operates as a White-Fi access point for one or more mobile POS terminals operating in a White-Fi mode within the restaurant.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the network comprises a wired network within the restaurant and the internet, and wherein the wired network comprises a gateway for access to the internet.

17. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the backend server comprises a cloud-based server.

18. The method as recited in claim 17 , wherein the fixed POS terminal and other POS terminals are configured to generate unique ones of the state changes corresponding to a same one of the one or more orders.

19. The method as recited in claim 16 , wherein the order processor comprises a TVWS routing table that provides a designated TVWS channel for White-Fi communications with the one or more mobile POS terminals operating in a White-Fi mode.

20. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the TVWS routing table comprises a list of mobile terminals that are assigned to the fixed POS terminal for White-Fi communications, and wherein the list comprises the one or more mobile POS terminals, and wherein the TVWS routing table further comprises a routing table for other fixed POS terminals within a mesh network configuration that are configured as other White-Fi access points for purposes of forwarding message traffic.

Assignees

• Toast Inc

Inventors

• Vick Ronald
• Papa Steven P

Classifications

• G06Q20/208 Primary

  Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04W84/18

  Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks · CPC title

• G06Q20/20

  Point-of-sale [POS] network systems · CPC title

• G06Q20/202

  Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR · CPC title