Enhanced service system for a drive through facility

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11288649-B2
Application number	US-202117335448-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2021
Priority date	Jun 3, 2020
Publication date	Mar 29, 2022
Grant date	Mar 29, 2022

Abstract

An enhanced service system comprises a pair of first wires between a first position proximal to an entry point of a drive through facility and a second position proximal to a receiving window in the drive through facility, and an aerial host unit coupled to the pair of first wires using a pair of first and second host wires. The aerial host unit is longitudinally movable between the first position and the second position and includes an aerial host member moveably supported by the first and second host wires to move laterally between the pair of first wires to approach an incoming customer vehicle, facilitate the customer to place an order, receive payment from the customer, and direct the customer to the receiving window where the aerial host member retrieves the items corresponding to the placed order from the receiving window and transfers the retrieved items to the customer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An enhanced service system for a drive through facility, the enhanced service system comprising:
a wiring system comprising:
a pair of first wires in a laterally spaced apart arrangement and extending longitudinally between a first position proximal to an entry point of the drive through facility and a second position proximal to a receiving window in the drive through facility; and
an aerial host unit coupled to the pair of first wires using a pair of first and second host wires, wherein the aerial host unit is movable in a longitudinal direction between the first position and the second position along a length of the pair of first wires and the aerial host unit includes an aerial host member moveably supported by the first and second host wires to move in a lateral direction between the pair of first wires to permit the aerial host member to:
approach an incoming customer vehicle,
facilitate a customer to place an order,
receive payment from the customer based on the placed order, and
direct the customer to the receiving window where the aerial host member retrieves one or more items corresponding to the placed order from the receiving window and transfers the one or more items to the customer.

2. The enhanced service system of claim 1 , wherein the laterally spaced apart arrangement of the pair of first wires includes a co-planar vertical arrangement of the pair of first wires, and wherein the pair of first wires includes an upper wire and a lower wire respectively.

3. The enhanced service system of claim 2 further comprising:
first and second upper anchoring members for supporting the longitudinally extending upper wire between the first and second positions; and
first and second lower anchoring members for supporting the longitudinally extending lower wire between the first and second positions and in the laterally spaced apart arrangement with respect to the upper wire.

4. The enhanced service system of claim 3 further comprising:
a first electric motor mounted at the first upper anchoring member and coupled to a first end of the upper wire;
a second electric motor mounted at the second upper anchoring member and coupled to a second end of the upper wire;
a third electric motor mounted at the first lower anchoring member and coupled to a first end of the lower wire; and
a fourth electric motor mounted at the second lower anchoring member and coupled to a second end of the lower wire.

5. The enhanced service system of claim 4 , wherein the first and second electric motors are synchronized to simultaneously move with respective ones of the third and fourth electric motors to cause coterminous movement of the upper and lower wires in the longitudinal direction such that the upper and lower wires together move the aerial host unit between the first and second positions.

6. The enhanced service system of claim 4 , wherein the aerial host unit comprises:
a fifth electric motor mounted at a first suspension point located at a first intermediary position on the upper wire between the first and second electric motors, wherein the fifth electric motor is coupled to a first end of the first host wire;
a sixth electric motor mounted at a second suspension point located at a second intermediary position on the lower wire between the third and fourth electric motors, wherein the sixth electric motor is coupled to a first end of the second host wire;
a seventh electric motor mounted at a first end of the aerial host member proximal to the first suspension point, wherein the seventh electric electric motor is coupled to a second end of the first host wire; and
an eighth electric motor mounted at a second distal end of the aerial host member proximal to the second suspension point, wherein the eighth electric electric motor is coupled to a second end of the second host wire.

7. The enhanced service system of claim 6 , wherein the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth electric motors are synchronized to simultaneously cause coterminous movement of the first and second host wires in the lateral direction such that the first and second host wires together move the aerial host unit between the pair of first wires.

8. The enhanced service system of claim 7 further comprising a control unit having one or more controllers in communication with each of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth electric motors.

9. The enhanced service system of claim 8 further comprising one or more video cameras disposed in communication with the control unit, the video cameras configured to monitor an area between the first and second positions, and wherein the control unit is configured to stop movement of the aerial host unit and the aerial host member on detection of an obstacle intruding within the area between the pair of first wires.

10. The enhanced service system of claim 1 , wherein the aerial host member includes:
a visual display unit adapted to display a menu of items to the customer, allow the customer to place the order for one or more items from the menu, calculate a bill for the placed order, and display the bill to the customer; and
a contactless card reader unit adapted to receive contactless payment from the customer through their payment card.

11. The enhanced service system of claim 1 , wherein the aerial host member includes a robotic gripping device adapted to:
retrieve one or more items corresponding to the placed order from the receiving window; and
transfer the retrieved one or more items to the customer.

12. A method for installing and operating an enhanced service system for a drive through facility, the method comprising:
providing a wiring system having a pair of first wires in a laterally spaced apart arrangement and extending longitudinally between a first position in the drive through facility proximal to an entry point of the drive through facility and a second position proximal to a receiving window in the drive through facility; and
moving an aerial host unit having an aerial host member in a longitudinal direction on the pair of first wires and moving the aerial host member in a lateral direction between the pair of first wires using a pair of first and second host wires to permit the aerial host member to:
approach an incoming customer vehicle,
facilitate a customer to place an order,
receive payment from the customer based on the placed order, and
direct the customer to the receiving window where the aerial host member retrieves one or more items corresponding to the placed order from the receiving window and transfers the one or more items to the customer.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising positioning the laterally spaced apart pair of first wires in a co-planar vertical arrangement, and wherein the pair of first wires includes an upper wire and a lower wire respectively.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising providing:
first and second upper anchoring members for supporting the longitudinally extending upper wire between the first and second positions; and
first and second lower anchoring members for supporting the longitudinally extending lower wire between the first and second positions and in the laterally spaced apart arrangement with respect to the upper wire.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
mounting a first electric motor at the first upper anchoring member and coupling the first electric motor to a first end of the upper wire;
mounting a second electric motor at the second upper anchoring member and coupling the second electric motor to a second end of the upper wire;
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Assignees

• Everseen Ltd

Inventors

• O'Herlihy Alan
• Pescaru Dan Alexandru
• David Ciprian
• Cernazanu-Glavan Cosmin
• Gui Vasile
• Allen Joe
• Ciubotaru Bogdan
• Ibbotson Mark
• Hegarty Raymond
• Hartnett Margaret

Classifications

• G09F23/06

  the advertising matter being combined with articles for restaurants, shops or offices (on paper articles G09F23/10) · CPC title

• G09F11/18 Primary

  the display elements being carried by belts, chains, or the like other than endless · CPC title

• G09F9/30

  in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements (panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00) · CPC title

• G06Q20/201

  Price look-up processing, e.g. updating · CPC title

• G06Q50/12

  Hotels or restaurants · CPC title