Restaurant waiter paging system

Abstract

A waiter paging system is provided for use in a restaurant. The system includes a plurality of table transmitters (there being one transmitter at each table) which transmit a “waiter call” signal and a plurality of pager units (there being one pager unit for each waiter). The pager unit notifies the waiter via a vibrator or buzzer that a request has been received and displays the request. In one embodiment, the system includes a central unit which receives the “waiter call” signal from the table transmitter and which effectively relays the “waiter call” signal to the pager units. In a second embodiment, there is no central unit. Rather, the waiter pager units receive the “waiter call” signal directly from the table transmitters. Each pager unit is associated with a set of tables (and hence table transmitters), each set of tables being fewer than all the tables in the restaurant. In either of the two systems, the set of tables with which an individual pager is associated can be selectively altered. In the first (centralized) system, the central unit can be selectively switched between a programming mode and a non-programming mode and includes means for altering the pager/table associations. In the second (non-centralized) system, the pager units are programmable, and can be switched between a programming mode and an operational mode.