Abstract:
A consumer user interface for a point of sale food selection system is modified based on certain dietary requirements. The system and method may be applied to point of sale kiosks as well as wireless data devices for use in restaurants, delis, cafeterias, coffee shops and other food retail environments. During the process of ordering, the interface determines a user&#39;s preference for one or more dietary requirements. Once the preferences are determined, subsequent choices for an order may be suggested, highlighted, recommended, parsed, or otherwise modified to aid the consumer in selecting meals that are tailored to their individual preferences.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/492,522 entitled “Nutritional Assistant for Kiosk” by Paul Knight and Larry Salmen, filed Aug. 4, 2003, the entire contents of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference for all it discloses and teaches. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     a. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention pertains to point of sale kiosks and specifically to point of sale kiosks for food products that include nutritional information.  
         [0004]     b. Description of the Background  
         [0005]     Point of sale kiosks are used in many restaurant applications, especially for fast food restaurants where speed and low cost are important. In a typical kiosk, the consumer may be presented with a series of menu screens from which the consumer may select their meal. The menu screens may have graphical and text images to assist the consumer in selecting the appropriate items and navigating through the process. A kiosk may include a touch screen interface that presents graphically based menu items. The kiosk may display one or more buttons that the consumer can press to make selections. A typical system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,071 issued Sep. 8, 1998 to Balderrama, Salmen, and Schneider entitled “Process and System for Configuring Information for Presentation at an Interactive Electronic Device” which is hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference for all it discloses and teaches.  
         [0006]     Additionally, an interactive point of sale kiosk is generally connected to a computer system for the transmission of the consumer&#39;s order as well as processing any financial transactions. Such a computer system may have connections to a network that is internally or externally connected.  
         [0007]     Many consumers have dietary preferences that may pose some difficulty in selecting a meal from a very broad menu of choices. For example, those consumers with a diabetic or other condition may require them to eat foods particularly low in sugar or other ingredients such as some forms of carbohydrates. Those consumers may have difficulty finding appropriate menu choices that are consistent with their dietary needs.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention overcomes the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art by providing a system and method for aiding a consumer in the selection of food items using an interactive, computerized user device such as a consumer interactive user point-of-sale interface that is consistent with the consumer&#39;s dietary requirements or preferences. The system and method may be applied to point of sale kiosks, as well as wireless data devices, for use in restaurants, delis, cafeterias, coffee shops and other retail environments. During the process of ordering, the interface obtains a user&#39;s preference for one or more dietary requirements or preferences and provides choices that meet those requirements or preferences. The choices for an order may be suggested, highlighted, recommended, parsed, or otherwise modified to aid the consumer in selecting meals that are tailored to individual preferences. Multiple requirements and preferences can be combined to generate custom selections for the purchaser.  
         [0009]     An embodiment of the present invention may therefore comprise a method for assisting a consumer in selecting food items for purchase from a restaurant using an interactive, computerized user device based on dietary needs comprising: displaying a plurality of food items and menus together with a plurality of dietary menus based on specific dietary considerations on the interactive, computerized user device; identifying the specific dietary considerations on the interactive, computerized user device for each of the plurality of dietary menus; identifying dietary preferences from the plurality of dietary menus that correspond to specific dietary needs of the consumer whenever the consumer has provided preference information; and allowing the consumer to select at least one of the plurality of dietary menus using the interactive, computerized user device that meets the specific dietary needs of the consumer.  
         [0010]     Another embodiment of the present invention may comprise a method of assisting a consumer in selecting food items and beverages from restaurants and coffee shops using an interactive, computerized user device based on dietary concerns of said consumer comprising: displaying the food items from an interactive, computerized menu on the interactive, computerized user device; displaying nutritional values for at least one of the food items on the interactive, computerized user device; determining preferences of said consumer based upon specific dietary concerns of the consumer; identifying a set of the food items that meet the specific dietary concerns of the consumer; and displaying the set of food items that meet the specific dietary concerns of the consumer on the interactive, computerized user device for selection by the consumer.  
         [0011]     Yet another embodiment of the present invention may comprise a system for assisting a consumer in selecting food items based on dietary needs using an interactive, computerized menu comprising: a computerized, interactive display device; an input device coupled to the computerized, interactive display device; and, a computer program adapted to determine a set of dietary menus, and display, on the computerized, interactive display device, said food items corresponding to and based at least in part on the set of dietary menus for selection by the consumer, the set of dietary menus defined by a set of rules that specify maximum amounts of specified ingredients.  
         [0012]     The advantages of the present invention are that the powerful database and sorting capability of a computer system may be used to assist a consumer in selecting a food product based on the consumer&#39;s particular dietary constraints. A very large selection of food may be presented in a manageable menu formats that are tailored for the consumer, enabling the consumer to select items that meet specific criteria in a speedy yet educated manner. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]     In the drawings,  
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing a method for ordering food on an interactive computer system that uses customer dietary preferences to aid in selection.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing a method for assisting a consumer in selecting food items that meet consumer dietary preferences.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  is an illustration of another embodiment of the present invention showing a method for assisting a consumer in selecting food items that meet consumer dietary preferences.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing a food ordering system.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing a user interface for selecting dietary preferences.  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing a user interface that may be used for modifying or setting dietary preference rules.  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing a user interface for ordering food items.  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  is an illustration of an embodiment of the present invention showing a user interface for modifying an order for an item that is an assembly of various components. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates an embodiment  100  of the present invention showing a method for ordering food on an interactive computer system that uses customer dietary preferences to aid in selection. The session begins in a start screen  102 . Activation of the start screen cause the process to proceed to a main menu  104 . The customer may be identified in block  106 , a database may be queried in block  108 , and their particular nutritional preferences or requirements may be displayed in block  110 . In some cases, the customer may select dietary preferences in block  112  directly. When the preferences are displayed in block  110 , the preferences may be modified in block  114 . The criteria and preferences  116  are passed to the portion of the system where food selection is performed by the consumer in block  116 . Subsequently, the process proceeds to completed order screen  118 .  
         [0023]     The embodiment  100  illustrates a method in which a customer&#39;s dietary preferences may be determined so that those preferences may be used to assist the customer in selecting food that corresponds to the customer preferences. Such a system may be useful for people with certain ailments or conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, or other maladies. Such a system may also be adapted to help athletes with the proper nutrition for training as well as aiding the casual dieter in keeping on a particular diet plan.  
         [0024]     The embodiment  100  may be used for the selection of food at a restaurant or other food venue. For example, such a system may be useful for a point-of-sale kiosk located in a fast food restaurant or other interactive menu system that may be used to order food.  
         [0025]     In the embodiment  100 , the consumer may have a predefined dietary preference that is stored in a database. When the consumer identifies himself or herself to the system in block  106 , the database of consumer information may be queried in block  108  to bring up that particular customer&#39;s preferences. In some cases, the preferences may be strict, such as a vegan requirement where no animal proteins are tolerated or a particular medical condition where absolutely no more than a certain amount of salt is to be consumed. In other cases, the preferences may be general consumer preferences, such as preferring low fat items over greasy foods.  
         [0026]     The consumer may identify himself or herself to the system by a number of different methods. For example, the consumer may insert a credit card, a debit card, an affinity card (such as a frequent card that identifies the customer and lists the customer&#39;s preferences), discount card, or other type of card issued by the restaurateur or association. Such cards may be used for collecting points based on the number of purchases or other such promotional card. In another embodiment, the consumer may enter or swipe a credit card or debit card that may be used to simultaneously identify the consumer as well as pay for the purchase. Additionally, the consumer may enter a code such as a password and pin or just a pin or name under which their preferences are stored. Further, biometrics may be used. For example, the system may include a fingerprint reader, a face recognition device, a retinal or iris scan device, a handprint reader, or other identifying device that uses biometrics.  
         [0027]     In embodiments wherein the consumer places an order using their own electronic device, such as in electronic commerce applications or when ordering over the Internet, their electronic device may contain personalized data that may store the preferences on their device or in the restaurant&#39;s consumer database such as a data warehouse. In a web based application, a cookie or small data file may be stored in the consumer&#39;s web enabled device wherein the cookie may contain a link to the consumer&#39;s record in the database or the cookie itself may contain all of the preferences.  
         [0028]     In other embodiments, the consumer may swipe a data card, such as an affinity card, that may have their specific preferences stored on the card itself. In such an embodiment, a remote database with personalized information may not be necessary as the specific dietary requirements are located within the card.  
         [0029]     The predefined preferences may be determined by explicitly querying the consumer about their preferences, such as enabling the consumer to select their preferences in block  112 . In other cases, the preferences may be determined off-line by logging onto a website whereby the consumer may define the preferences and save them for future visits to a restaurant that accesses the website. In still other cases, a medical practitioner, athletic trainer, or other third party may define the specific preferences, requirements, or other criteria and force such criteria to be applied when the consumer selects their meals. In yet other embodiments, the consumer&#39;s previous choices may be used to determine their specific preferences. For example, a consumer&#39;s history of previous orders may be analyzed to determine that a consumer may have specific dietary preferences such as done in data warehouse systems.  
         [0030]      FIG. 2  illustrates an embodiment  200  of a method for ordering food wherein dietary preferences are used to assist the consumer in selecting items that match the preferences. The preferences or criteria  202  and the database of food items  204  are combined to produce a sorted list of food items in block  206 . The items are displayed in block  208 , the items selected in block  210 , modified in block  212 , and repeated as indicated by arrow  213  as necessary to produce a completed order in block  214 .  
         [0031]     The preferences and criteria  202  are combined with the database of available food items  204  to classify the food items prior to display. The classification process may involve removing unacceptable items, ranking items based at least in part on how well the items met the criteria, or some other classification process.  
         [0032]     In some cases, the dietary preferences  202  may be combined with other unrelated dietary criteria to yield a sorted list. Such criteria may include factors as profitability, available inventory, special sales promotions, or any other non-dietary related factor. For example, if the consumer indicates a preference for low fat meals, within the group of ‘low fat’ meals, certain meals may have a higher profit margin. The higher profit margin meals may be offered preferentially while still using consumer preferences to aid in the selection of high profit meals.  
         [0033]     The items may be displayed in block  208  in several different ways. For example, low ranking items may be removed in block  216 , high ranking items may be highlighted in block  218 , and high ranking items may be displayed preferentially in block  220 . For the example of a point of sale kiosk, the consumer may be interacting with a display and a touch screen interface. When the menu is presented to the consumer using their preferences, some menu items may be deleted from the display or relegated to a secondary menu. In other embodiments, certain items that meet the criteria may be placed in ranked order or otherwise located in a preferential location. In some cases, the ranked order may not be readily apparent to the consumer, but may involve subtle changes to the display that encourage the consumer to select one item over another. Those skilled in the arts will appreciate that many different embodiments of modifying the manner of displaying items for selection may be accomplished while keeping within the spirit and intent of the present invention.  
         [0034]      FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment  300  of the present invention showing a method for assisting a consumer in selecting food items that meet consumer dietary preferences. The preferences  302  and database of food items  304  are used in the selection and display of items in block  306 . The items may be modified in block  308  and more items ordered as indicated by the arrow  310  to produce a completed order  312 .  
         [0035]     The embodiment  300  provides an indicator of certain parameters of interest during the ordering process in block  306 . Such indicators may be graphical enhancements to the screen or tabulated numerical values that count calories, fat, sodium, or other calculable values for the particular order.  
         [0036]     When the consumer defines certain parameters of interest, those parameters may be added to the description of the food items and may be tabulated and summed for all of the items in a particular meal order. For example, if the consumer indicates that carbohydrates are of interest, some or all of the food choices may be listed with the carbohydrate information for each of the items. As several items are selected for a meal, the carbohydrates may be displayed for each item and a running total may also be displayed.  
         [0037]      FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment  400  of the present invention showing a food ordering system. A point of sale kiosk  402  may be connected to an order processing server  404  that results in an order delivery. Other interfaces to the order processing server  404  include a wireless PDA interface  408 , a cellular phone interface  410 , a laptop computer  412 , or other interactive device  414 .  
         [0038]     The point of sale kiosk  402  may be located in a restaurant, deli, shopping center, cafeteria, or the like where a consumer may place an order. The completed order is then transmitted to the order processing server  404  that may be located in or near the kitchen so that the food order may be prepared according to the order. When the order is completed, the order may be delivered or the consumer may pick it up.  
         [0039]     The user interface experienced by the consumer may be a dedicated interface such as the point of sale kiosk  402 , a web page interface, or any other interactive computer interface as can be contemplated. A web page interface may be readily adapted to different devices.  
         [0040]     Various wireless devices such as a PDA  408 , cellular phone  410 , a wireless enabled laptop  412 , or other such device may be used in an electronic commerce application with the present invention. For example, a user may come into a coffee shop or restaurant with a wireless enabled laptop  412 , log onto the web page for the coffee shop or restaurant using the wireless link in the coffee shop or restaurant, and place an order using a wireless device. The order may be delivered right to the consumer&#39;s table.  
         [0041]     In some embodiments, the food items may be ready to eat, such as at a fast food restaurant, or the food items may be for later consumption or preparation. For example, a selection of food items for a deli, butcher shop, take out restaurant, pizza delivery house, or other food venue may be made at home over the Internet using a home computer and one of the various embodiments of the present invention. The ordered items may be prepared and ready for pick up or delivery to the consumer.  
         [0042]     In accordance with one embodiment, aspects of the present invention may be located in a hospital or assisted living center where each patient or resident may be able to order a meal over an interactive interface. In such an embodiment, the interface may be through a web based interface such as a computer terminal, through an interactive television session, or any other interactive interface that may be adapted to the application.  
         [0043]      FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment  500  of the present invention showing a user interface for selecting dietary preferences. The user interface  502  contains selection buttons  504 ,  506 ,  508 ,  510 ,  512 , and  514  which may constitute displayed touch screen buttons, hard wired buttons or other interactive buttons capable of selection in various ways. For each button, there is a corresponding set of dietary rules  516 ,  518 ,  520 ,  522 ,  524 , and  526 . The user interface  502  also contains navigation buttons  528  and  530  which may also be displayed touch screen buttons or other interactive buttons capable of selection by various ways.  
         [0044]     The user interface  502  may be a touch screen or other type of interactive interface. In the embodiment of a touch screen, each of the various buttons may be an active area of the screen wherein the consumer may simply touch the button to select. In a web based interface, the consumer may use a mouse, trackball, or other pointing device to select the button area.  
         [0045]     For each button, there may be a set of corresponding rules that may be used to screen, sort, or otherwise modify or assist a consumer in selecting food products that meet the criteria. For example, the rules  518  corresponding to button  506  entitled “Quick Energy” comprise carbs=max, sugar=max, and caffeine=max. When these rules are applied to a database of food products that have values for carbohydrates, sugars, and caffeine, those food products with the highest amounts of the three variables may be ranked the highest.  
         [0046]     Many different types of rules may be constructed by those skilled in the arts. For example, a rule may indicate that a value is to be maximized, minimized, held to zero, attain at least a minimum value, does not exceed a maximum value, or other types of rules or expressions of a dietary preference. Those skilled in the arts may express a dietary preference using many different expressions while keeping within the spirit and intent of the present invention.  
         [0047]     The set of rules may be a computational representation of the dietary preferences. The purpose of the rules is to enable a computer to sort a database of food items based on the set of rules. The database may contain variables such as ‘calories’ that have specific numerical values on which computations may be performed. A database may contain Boolean variables such as ‘vegetarian’ that are either true or false. Those skilled in the art may use any variable suited to their particular application while keeping within the spirit and intent of the present invention.  
         [0048]     Many types of dietary preferences may be defined for a consumer. In some cases, the dietary preferences are guidelines or recommendations that are not hard and fast. For example, a “Low Fat” preference may guide a consumer towards selections that are lower in fat, but still enable the consumer to select otherwise high fat foods. In other cases, the dietary preferences may specify that certain foods are absolutely prohibited and would therefore be completely eliminated from choice. In such an example, a diabetic selection may completely eliminate foods that exceed a certain level of sugar.  
         [0049]     More than one selection may be made by the consumer. For example, a consumer may select the diabetic button  510 , the vegan button  526 , and the latest fad diet button  512  to create an aggregate of all the rules associated with those selections. In some embodiments where multiple selections are enabled, an arbitration method may be employed between conflicting sets of rules for particular circumstances and a particular user interface.  
         [0050]      FIG. 6  illustrates an embodiment  600  of the present invention showing a user interface that may be used for modifying or setting dietary preference rules. The user interface  602  has a series of buttons having a check box  604 , the parameter name  606 , a maximum button  608 , a minimum button  610 , a drop down list with “at least” and “no more than” button  612 , a numerical value  614 , and navigation buttons  616 .  
         [0051]     The embodiment  600  may be an interactive interface whereby a consumer may view and edit various rules that define their dietary preferences. Such an embodiment may be used by a nutritionist, physician, trainer, dietitian, or other healthcare professional to prepare a specific regimen for the consumer.  
         [0052]     Each row of items may be used to create or modify a rule. For example, in the row  618  where the parameter  606  is “fats”, the check box  604  is checked indicating that the rule defined by the row  618  is active. The min button  610  is highlighted indicating that the button is active. The rule defined by row  618  is to minimize fats. Likewise, row  620  is checked and defines a rule that HDL should be no more than 15.0 g.  
         [0053]     The embodiment  600  is an example of a user interface that may be used to interactively define a set of rules that can be subsequently used to sort, categorize, or otherwise assist a consumer in selecting food products. Various different methods may be used for the consumer to define the specific rules while keeping within the spirit and intent of the present invention. For example, a set of rules may be defined by mere text or many different layouts and options are available for interactive mechanisms by which consumers may define their preferences.  
         [0054]      FIG. 7  illustrates an embodiment  700  showing a user interface for ordering food items. The user interface  702  contains buttons  704 ,  706 ,  708 ,  710 ,  712 ,  714 ,  716 ,  718 , and  720 . An icon  721  is used to indicate a preference for the item displayed in button  720 . The fat value  724  is displayed in the button  720  and likewise for the other buttons. The fat counter  726  indicates the total fat content of the selected meal and in a similar fashion, the cost summary  728  contains the current total cost for the order. The order summary  730  contains all of the selected items for the current session.  
         [0055]     The embodiment  700  illustrates several different ways in which consumers may be aided in selecting products that meet their requirements. Various graphical devices plus displayed data are demonstrated.  
         [0056]     One manner in which a product may be promoted is by placing the most desirable product in the most desirable position. For example, the lowest fat item, carrot sticks, are placed in button  712  at the center of the screen. Two other low fat items are placed in buttons  704 ,  706 , and  718  immediately to the side, above, and below the most preferred item. The product with the least appeal is placed in button  720  in the lower right hand corner and in the least desirable position.  
         [0057]     The example of placing the most desirable item in the center of the screen may be appropriate for some screen layouts and inappropriate for other screen layouts. For example, the most prominent position on the screen may be the upper right hand position in some layouts.  
         [0058]     A second manner in which a product may be promoted is to graphically highlight those items that are preferred. Button  712  for carrot sticks has two highlighting rings  722 . Button  718  for veggie burger has one highlight ring  723 .  
         [0059]     A third manner in which a product may be promoted is the placement of overlays, icons, or other additional graphical indicators on the screen. For example, the icon  721  may be placed over an item that meets or exceeds the preferences. In other embodiments, the icon  721  may be a recognized icon that indicates that the item is in a special dietary category, such as a ‘heart healthy’ icon or other such designation.  
         [0060]     A fourth manner in which a product may be promoted is the addition of calculable factors to the display, where the factors are of specific interest to the consumer. In the embodiment  700 , the factor of interest is fat. The specific consumer has indicated a preference for low fat items, so fat is indicated on each item by a fat value  724  and the total amount of fat for the order is listed in the fat counter  726 . In some embodiments, a recommended maximum or other helpful value may be added to the user interface  702  to help the consumer in their choices.  
         [0061]     A fifth manner in which a product may be promoted may be by changing the color, intensity, or other graphical alteration to draw attention to or divert attention from a favorable or unfavorable item, respectively. For example, an item to be promoted may be specially colored or raised in intensity while an item to be demoted may be ‘grayed out’ or darkened slightly. In some embodiments, the color or intensity changes may be very subtle and designed to operate subliminally while in other embodiments, the contrast may be very sharp.  
         [0062]     A sixth manner in which a product may be promoted may be by using animated graphical elements. Blinking highlights  722 , animated graphics, and other moving and eye catching elements may be employed to help the consumer pick food items that meet their criteria.  
         [0063]     A seventh manner in which a product may be promoted or demoted may be changing the amount of area on the screen dedicated to the product. Items to be promoted may be larger while items to be demoted may be made smaller and less significant.  
         [0064]     Additional methods may be employed to promote items. For example, audible sound clips may be played that direct the consumer to specific items over another. Additionally, promoted items may be presented in a pop up window over the main ordering window. Those skilled in the arts will appreciate that many different embodiments may promote or demote various items while keeping within the spirit and intent of the present invention.  
         [0065]      FIG. 8  illustrates an embodiment  800  of the present invention showing a user interface for modifying an order for an item that is an assembly of various components. The selected item  804  has a list of condiments  806  and add buttons  808  and subtract buttons  810  that effect the quantity  812 . The amount of fat added by each item is displayed in the fat counter  814 . Icons  816  indicate suggestions for meeting the consumer&#39;s goals.  
         [0066]     The embodiment  800  is an interface by which a consumer may alter the quantity of components that make up a specific item. In the present example, the chicken burger  804  may be adjusted by adding or removing the various condiments  806 . The consumer may press one the corresponding add button  808  or subtract button  810  to add or subtract the condiment from the sandwich.  
         [0067]     The fat content  814  of the individual condiments are listed in the user interface  802 . The fat content  814  enables the consumer to make an informed choice about their selected and customized food item. By enabling the consumer to see how much fat is added by each condiment, the consumer may thereby be directed toward ordering condiments that are lower in fat, presuming that the consumer wishes to minimize fat intake.  
         [0068]     Icons  816  may be used to direct the consumer away from some items and towards other items. Various other methods may be used, as described in the discussion of  FIG. 7 , to graphically enhance specific items based on the nutritional preferences. Such methods may be applicable to the embodiment  800  to indicate condiments that would be preferred or not preferred.  
         [0069]     The embodiment  800  may be used to suggest modifications to any food product that may be assembled into a single unit. In the case of an embodiment used for the selection of ingredients for a dish to be prepared at home, the consumer may have selected a bake-at-home turkey dinner that is made up of several different ingredients such as stuffing, rolls, various vegetables, the obligatory cranberries, and a selection of pies. The embodiment  800  may assist the consumer in selecting a particular type of cranberries that is low in fat or sugar content, or otherwise is more suited to their particular dietary requirements. When the consumer has completed their order, the store may prepare the order to be picked up. Another example is the selection of ingredients for a sandwich, pizza, or other type of food.  
         [0070]     The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art.