Long Range Systems, Inc.

Tez Presto, LLC

Kenneth James Lovegreen

Russell P Blink

James Livingston

James A Henderson

Kelley C Ogletree

Christopher W Baker

Kenneth J Todd

In various implementations, customer service may be provided using a pager and/or user device. Signal(s) associated with a pager and/or user device may be received. One or more metrics may be determined at least partially based on the received signals. The metric(s) may be monitored. In various implementations, a management system of a location may receive a signal from a pager and/or user device indicating that an event has occurred at the location. A time the signal is received by the management system may be determined. One or more time-related metrics may be determined based at least partially on the received signal, the determined time, or both.

Utilizing user devices in venues

An on-premises restaurant communication system for communicating a particular customer's table number to a food server at a central service station. Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) tags are mounted on the underside of the restaurant's tables. The customer is provided with a pager having a pager ID associated with the customer's food order. The pager is modified to include an RFID reader and an RF transmitter. When the customer places the pager on a selected table, the RFID reader reads an RFID number from the table's RFID tag. The RF transmitter transmits the pager ID and RFID number to the central station, which uses this information to associate the food order with the table number. The table number is provided to the food server for delivery of the food order to the proper table.

On-premises restaurant communication system and method

In various implementations, a pager may be coupled to a console. The pager may include a battery and coupling the pager to the console may provide power to the console. In some implementations, the power provided to the console may charge a battery of the console and/or allow the console to perform one or more operations.

Console power systems

A system, method and control unit for determining an order of a plurality of stacked electronic devices randomly ordered in a stack, for taking inventory of the devices, and for programming the devices according to the determined order. Each of the electronic devices is assigned a unique serial number, and the electronic devices are configured to report their serial numbers to the control unit in sequence, either upward or downward, in the stack. The control unit is configured to determine an order of the plurality of electronic devices in the stack based on the sequence in which the identifiers are received, to compare the sequence numbers to a known list to determine if any devices are missing, and to program the devices according to the determined order.

System and method for programming stacked programmable devices in a sequence

A restaurant customer-survey system and device, which reduces employee fraud when a customer-satisfaction survey embedded in the device is conducted. The survey may be implemented in a pager, tip tray, or other computing device that includes an internally mounted camera that covertly takes a photograph of the survey participant. The photograph is date/time stamped and associated with a table number so that the waiter for the table can be identified. The survey results together with the associated photograph are uploaded to a management database. The restaurant manager can review the photographs to ensure that employees are not fraudulently conducting the surveys rather than customers. The system also enables the customer to interface with the restaurant's point-of-sale (POS) system to retrieve the customer's current bill or wirelessly make a payment from the table.

Customer survey device with fraud prevention system

A multi-function customer satisfaction survey device, system, and method. A restaurant management system includes a plurality of electronic tip trays and a base unit. Each of the tip trays electronically obtains and stores customer contact information, customer payment information, and responses to a customer satisfaction survey. A data transceiver wirelessly transmits the information to the base unit. The base unit collects the information and sends the contact information to a correspondence server such as an e-mail server. The payment information is sent to an external authorization network and/or the restaurant's POS system. The survey responses are sent to an analysis unit. Particularly adverse or positive responses may be matched through the POS system to a food server and a food order.

Method of managing customer information

A method and a computer-controlled, multi-function device for generating and dispensing retail cards such as gift cards and loyalty cards and for collecting customer survey information. The device includes a reader such as a magnetic strip reader for receiving payment for the gift card from the customer. A card inspector determines whether the gift card is electronically readable and if not, disposes the card in a bad card hopper. If the card is readable, the device dispenses the card to the customer. An electronic survey apparatus obtains customer information and stores it in an external server. The customer information may include customer responses to survey questions or customer contact information. An external interface enables survey questions to be automatically uploaded to the device and for responses and customer contact information to be downloaded from the device.

Multifunction card dispenser and customer information collection device

Multi-function customer satisfaction survey device

A combination surveillance and alerting system and method in a restaurant that serves take-out customers. A video camera monitors a parking space for take-out customers, and sends video to an image recognition program, which detects when a vehicle enters the parking space. The detection triggers a controller to start a timer and instruct an on-premises paging transmitter to page an employee responsible for serving takeout customers. The image recognition program detects when the employee enters a greeting zone for greeting customers, and the controller prepares an elapsed greeting time report for management. The image recognition program also detects when the vehicle leaves the parking space, and the controller prepares a total service time report for management.

Surveillance and alerting system and method

Sombrero-shaped pager

A method and apparatus for generating and dispensing gift cards for an associated merchant. A customer enters a value for the gift card through a customer input pad, and pays for the card by swiping a credit card through a credit card reader. After authorization is received, a card transporter pulls a serialized gift card from a card stock hopper. The card transporter then moves the card to a gift card inspector, which determines whether the serial number of the gift card can be properly read. If not, the bad card is deposited in a bad card bin. If the serial number can be properly read, the card transporter moves the card to a good card dispenser, which dispenses the gift card to the customer.

Method and apparatus for generating and dispensing gift cards

A multi-mode paging system and method of selectively paging an individual through one of a plurality of paging mechanisms. An indication of a paging mechanism for each individual to be paged is stored in a memory device. When an input is received from a user to page the individual, a control processor retrieves the indication of a paging mechanism for the individual to be paged and determines which of the plurality of paging mechanisms is to be utilized to page the individual. The individual may be selectively paged through an on-premises paging system, a wide area paging system, or a telephone such as a cellular telephone. An autodialer may be remotely located and connected by a wireless link to the processor, or the system may dial out using a wireless subscriber unit.

Multi-mode paging system

A temperature tag and system for sensing and reporting an internal temperature reading inside a container. The temperature tag mounts on an outside surface of the container, and a shaft with a temperature sensor extends through the side of the container and senses the internal temperature reading. A plurality of readings may be recorded at a predefined sampling rate and stored in a data memory. The temperature tag then sends the temperature readings to a reader device that presents the temperature readings to a user. The reader device may trigger the temperature tag to send the temperature readings with a signal such as an infrared (IR) signal, a radio frequency (RF) signal, and the like. The temperature readings may be analyzed in the temperature tag, the reader device, or may be downloaded to a computer to determine if an alarm condition exists.

Temperature tag and system for monitoring, recording, and reporting temperature readings

A multi-function customer satisfaction survey device, system and method. A plurality of stackable tip trays in a restaurant each include a survey device and a calculator. Survey questions are presented on a display screen, and a survey keypad is used by the customer to enter responses. The responses are stored in a memory in the tray. The trays stack on a base unit that simultaneously collects the responses from the stacked trays, simultaneously programs the stacked trays with survey questions, and simultaneously recharges a battery in each tray.

Growing community of inventors

Lake Kiowa, TX, United States of America

Kenneth James Lovegreen