Drive-thru / point-of-sale automated transaction technologies and apparatus

Abstract

The present invention includes methods and apparatus for the automated provision of goods through the use of scanning systems. More specifically, the present invention provides a method for automatically conveying which goods are being ordered, where the goods will be picked up, an associated method of payment, kitchen fulfillment, item tracking, and automatic delivery by a dispenser apparatus. In preferred embodiments, the present invention is applied to the automated ordering and pick-up of food items at a fast food restaurant and delivery to a food dispenser at a customer location.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of dispensing food items prepared for consumption, the method comprising the steps of:
 a) causing a smart device to display, via programmable code executable on command, a list comprising at least one proposed restaurant chosen from the one or more possible restaurants based on a restaurant criterion, wherein the restaurant criterion comprises at least one of: one or more preferred restaurants; a first predetermined distance from the smart device to restaurants located within the first predetermined distance; and a second predetermined distance from a travel path to restaurants located within the second predetermined distance;   b) receiving from the smart device a selected restaurant chosen from the list;   c) generating an order comprising food items based on input into an interface on the smart device;   d) transmitting the order to the selected restaurant;   e) transmitting payment information associated with the order;   f) generating a unique identifier associated with the order for food items;   g) transmitting a first unique identifier to the selected restaurant;   h) transmitting a second unique identifier to the smart device;   i) registering the first and second unique identifiers with a first automated food locker located onsite of the selected restaurant, wherein the first automated food locker comprises a plurality of disparate bins, wherein the one or more bins consist of at least one of heating or cooling elements for temperature control, and wherein the first automated food locker is configured to:
 automatically unlock one or more bins based on conveyance of the first unique identifier; 
 receive a registration of placement of the food items comprising the order into the one or more unlocked bins of the first automated food locker; 
 transmit a notification to the smart device, wherein the notification comprises the registration of placement of the food items; and 
 automatically unlock the one or more bins based on conveyance of the second unique identifier. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the step of:
 j) receiving a list of a plurality of users which may participate in forming a food product order, based on a selection criterion, wherein the selection criterion comprises at least one of: proximity to a restaurant location; participation in an order schedule; time threshold; and invitation; 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the steps of:
 k) communicating with the plurality of users, wherein the communication offers an ordering session to two or more of the plurality of users; and 
 l) receiving orders from two or more of the plurality of users. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the steps of receiving payment information from each of the plurality of users from whom orders are received and transmitting the payment information to at least one of: the selected preferred restaurant and a selected delivery entity. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the steps of:
 j) scanning a license plate number with an image capture device; and 
 k) identifying the order for food based upon the scanned license plate number. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the step of transmitting the unique identifier from the smart device to the first automated food locker via at least one of: near field communication and Bluetooth protocols. 
     
     
         7 . A method of dispensing food items prepared for consumption, the method comprising the steps of:
 a) receiving a desired delivery destination from a smart device, wherein the delivery destination is at a location remote from one or more possible restaurants;   b) causing the smart device to display, via programmable code executable on command, a list comprising at least one proposed restaurant chosen from the one or more possible restaurants based on a restaurant criterion, wherein the restaurant criterion comprises at least one of: one or more preferred restaurants; a first predetermined distance from the smart device to restaurants located within the first predetermined distance; and a second predetermined distance from the desired delivery destination to restaurants located within the second predetermined distance;   c) receiving from the smart device a selected restaurant chosen from the list;   d) generating an order comprising food items based on input into an interface on the smart device;   e) receiving a list of a plurality of users which may participate in forming a food product order, based on a selection criterion, wherein the selection criterion comprises at least one of: proximity to a delivery location; participation in a delivery schedule; time threshold; and invitation;   f) transmitting the order to the selected restaurant;   g) transmitting payment information associated with the order;   h) generating a unique identifier associated with the order for food items;   i) transmitting the unique identifier to at least one of: the selected restaurant, the plurality of users, and a delivery driver;   j) receiving registration of placement of the food items comprising the order into a first automated food locker located at the delivery location; and   k) based on the conveyance of the unique identifier to the first automated food locker by one of more of the plurality of users, causing the first automated food locker to dispense the food items to the one of more of the plurality of users.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the steps of facilitating selection of a delivery driver based on a delivery driver criterion, wherein the delivery driver criterion comprises at least one of: position of the delivery driver relative to the plurality of users; position of the delivery driver relative to the selected restaurant; association of delivery driver with a delivery driver service; association of delivery driver with the selected restaurant; and approximated cost of delivery driver; 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the steps of:
 l) communicating with the plurality of users, wherein the communication offers an ordering session to two or more of the plurality of users; and 
 m) receiving orders from two or more of the plurality of users; 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the steps of receiving payment information from each of the plurality of users from whom orders are received and transmitting the payment information to at least one of: the selected preferred restaurant and a selected delivery entity. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the steps of:
 l) retrieving a geolocation of a plurality of delivery drivers; 
 m) displaying on the smart device, a delivery entity data associated with each of the delivery entities, wherein the delivery entity data comprises at least one of: a travel time from the geolocation of the delivery entity to a restaurant; a travel time from the geolocation of the delivery entity to a restaurant and from the restaurant to the desired delivery location; a review associated with the delivery entity; and an estimated delivery price. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the step of transmitting the unique identifier from the smart device to the first automated food locker via at least one of: near field communication and Bluetooth protocols. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 7  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the step of periodically updating a geographic position of the delivery driver and transmitting the updated geographic position to the plurality of users. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 7  for dispensing food items prepared for consumption additionally comprising the step of generating an indication of completion of preparation of the order for food. 
     
     
         15 . An automated food locker dispensing food prepared for consumption by a human, the automated food locker comprising:
 a) a container comprising multiple disparate bins, each bin suitable for storing prepared food and comprising thermal insulation from atmospheric temperature ambient to the respective bins;   b) a temperature-control component in each respective bin comprising at least one or more of a heating component and a cooling component;   c) a bin door attached to each respective bin providing access to the interior of the respective bin, the bin door openable by an opening mechanism;   d) a digital input device attached to the container or to each respective bin for receiving a first unique order identifier associated with an order; and   e) a processor in logical communication with the digital input device, the temperature-control component, a transceiver, and a storage device storing executable code for causing the processor to:
 i) receive a second unique order identifier from one or more of a delivery entity or a food-service provider; 
 ii) associate the order with a customer, the unique order identifier, and one or more of the delivery entity or the food-service provider; 
 iii) assign a designated locker bin to receive the prepared food items; 
 iv) actuate the temperature-control component based upon a desired temperature of the prepared food items; 
 v) register placement of the food items comprising the order into the designated locker bin; 
 vi) receive from the digital input device the first unique order identifier; 
 vii) verify a matching characteristic of the first and second unique order identifier; and 
 viii) engage the opening mechanism to open the bin door upon completion of the verification step. 
   
     
     
         16 . The automated food locker of  claim 15  wherein prepared food items stored in the bins are prepared specific to a user's specification and are ready for delayed consumption by the user based upon a predetermined travel time. 
     
     
         17 . The automated food locker of  claim 15  wherein the executable code causes the processor to:
 ix) assign a plurality of designated locker bins to receive the prepared food items based on a multiple-bin criterion, wherein the multiple-bin criterion comprises at least one of: a size of a food item; a size of the order; and a number of customers associated with the order; and 
 x) transmit a command to make contents of the plurality of designated locker bins available to the delivery entity. 
 
     
     
         18 . The automated food locker of  claim 15  wherein the executable code causes the processor to receive an estimated time of travel for the delivery entity to arrive at the automated food locker and then to travel to an automated food locker proximate to a customer location. 
     
     
         19 . The automated food locker of  claim 15  wherein the processor is additionally operative to transmit a control signal to cause the automation to move a bin based upon input of the unique order identifier. 
     
     
         20 . The food locker of  claim 15  wherein the processor is further operative to transmit a notification to at least one of: a customer or a delivery entity upon the occurrence of one of: food items being placed in a bin, or food items being removed from a bin.