System for queue and service management

Abstract

A system for service queue management is disclosed including a terminal controlled by the system having a processing platform to generate service queue information for a user, and a mechanism for the user to request or receive the service queue information. The processing platform preferably transmits promotions related to goods and services associated with the service queue information to a user. The mechanism for the user to request or receive service queue information may preferably include a user's mobile communications device or a manually-activated device located on the terminal. Service queue information may include a queue number, next queue number to be issued, estimated wait time for service, a predicted time of service, time of issuance of ticket, predicted queue-waiting time, marketing messages, instructions for use of said ticket dispenser, and average queue-waiting time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for service queue management, said system comprising:
 a terminal controlled by said system having a processing platform to generate service queue information for a user; and   a mechanism for said user to request or receive said service queue information.   
     
     
         2 . The system for service queue management of  claim 1 , wherein said mechanism is selected from the list of:
 a mobile communications device, an optical card reader, a magnetic card reader, a biometric sensing device, a keypad, a touch screen, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface.   
     
     
         3 . The system for service queue management of  claim 1 , wherein said processing platform of said terminal transmits promotions related to goods and services associated with said service queue information to said user. 
     
     
         4 . The system for service queue management of  claim 1 , wherein said terminal is a ticket dispenser. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , said service queue information comprising:
 a queue number, next queue number to be issued, estimated wait time for service, a predicted time of service, time of issuance of ticket, predicted queue-waiting time, marketing messages, instructions for use of said ticket dispenser, and average queue-waiting time.   
     
     
         6 . A system for delivering media based on user identification, said system comprising:
 a ticket dispenser controlled by said system for delivering media to a user, said ticket dispenser including at least one display, a control computer, and a mechanism for receiving identification information from a user,   wherein upon receipt of said identification information, said control computer authenticates said user and transmits media tailored to said user for viewing by said user.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein said mechanism for receiving identification information is arranged in connection with said ticket dispenser and selected from the list of:
 an optical card reader, a magnetic card reader, a biometric sensing device, a keypad, a touch screen, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein said mechanism for receiving identification information is an interface that communicates with a mobile device of said user. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein said identification information is selected from the list of:
 a telephone number, an email address, a text message address, a personal identification number (PIN), a bar code, and a loyalty/reward card number.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8  wherein said user views said media tailored to said user on said mobile device. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 6  wherein said user views said media tailored to said user on said at least one display of said ticket dispenser. 
     
     
         12 . A ticket dispenser comprising:
 a housing;   at least one manually-activated device arranged on said housing; and   a communications interface arranged in said housing for interfacing with a control computer controlling operation of said ticket dispenser,   wherein said control computer generates queue and service related information for said ticket dispenser.   
     
     
         13 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein said control computer is arranged in said housing in commication with said at least one manually-activated device, wherein a signal is sent from said at least one manually-activated device to said control microcomputer to request generation of queue and service related information. 
     
     
         14 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 13 , wherein said control computer is remote from said ticket dispenser. 
     
     
         15 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 13  wherein said interfacing with said control computer is via a wireless connection. 
     
     
         16 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 12  wherein a user is identified to said ticket dispenser through a mechanism selected from the list of:
 RFID sensor, telephone, pager, PDA, and said manually-activated device selected from the list comprising, a keypad, an optical card scanner, a magnetic card scanner, a touch screen, at least one button, and at least one knob. 
 
     
     
         17 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 12 , said ticket dispenser further comprising:
 a printer arranged in said housing and controlled by said control microcomputer for printing said queue and service related information.   
     
     
         18 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 12 , said ticket dispenser further comprising:
 at least one display screen arranged in connection with said housing for displaying said queue and service related information received from said control microcomputer.   
     
     
         19 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 12 , said queue and service related information comprising:
 a queue number, next queue number to be issued, estimated wait time for service, a predicted time of service, time of issuance of ticket, predicted queue-waiting time, marketing messages, instructions for use of said ticket dispenser, and average queue-waiting time.   
     
     
         20 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein alerts related to said service and queue related information are transmitted to a mobile device of said user. 
     
     
         21 . A ticket dispenser for managing more than one service queue, said ticket dispenser comprising:
 a housing;   a plurality of manually-activated devices, wherein each of said plurality of manually-activated devices is associated with a separate service queue; and   a communications interface arranged in said housing for interfacing with a control computer controlling operation of said ticket dispenser,   wherein upon selection of one of said plurality of manually-activated devices a signal is sent from said ticket dispenser to said control computer to return service queue information associated with said selected manually-activated device.   
     
     
         22 . The ticket dispenser of  claim 21 , wherein each of said plurality of manually-activated devices is associated with a separate display screen arranged in connection with said housing. 
     
     
         23 . A system for alerting a user to service queue related information, said system comprising:
 a terminal controlled by said system for transmitting said service queue related information upon said user establishing position in a service queue through said terminal; and   a mechanism controlled by said user for receiving said service queue related information.   
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23  wherein said terminal controlled by said system is a ticket dispenser. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein said mechanism is a mobile communications device.