Abstract:
One embodiment comprises a method for conveying information to patrons in an establishment. The method comprises deploying a plurality of caddies at the establishment, wherein each of the plurality of caddies includes an electronic display and at least one compartment for storing items for use by patrons. The method further comprises obtaining, by a content server located remotely from the establishment, content from at least one third party, wherein the content comprises advertisements corresponding to at least one item sold by the establishment. The method further comprises transmitting, by the content server, the content to the plurality of caddies via a network according to at least one predetermined time interval allocated by the content server to the at least one third party.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/029,192 entitled “CADDIE APPARATUS WITH DISPLAY CAPABILITIES,” filed Feb. 17, 2011, which claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional patent application entitled, “Media Bar Caddie,” having Ser. No. 61/318,369, filed on Mar. 29, 2010, and to U.S. Provisional patent application entitled, “Caddie with Display,” having Ser. No. 61/383,476, filed on Sep. 16, 2010, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure generally relates to a caddie apparatus, and more particularly to caddie of the type used in restaurants and bars or lounges. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Restaurants, bars, and other establishments frequently rely on paper advertisements provided on dining tables and counters for patrons to view. One perceived shortcoming, however, is that such advertisements are static in nature and display only a very limited amount of information. Furthermore, paper advertisements can be relatively expensive to print. A need therefore exists for a more efficient means of conveying information to patrons in an establishment. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Briefly described, one embodiment, among others, is a system for conveying digital content to patrons in an establishment. The system comprises a plurality of caddies located in the establishment, wherein each of the caddies comprises a display unit and at least one compartment for storing items for use by the patrons. The system further comprises a content server communicatively coupled to each of the caddies via a network, the content server being configured to transmit content to each of the caddies to be rendered for display on the display units of each caddie. The content server is further configured to obtain content from at least one third party to be rendered for display on the display units of the caddies, wherein the content server is located remotely from the establishment, and wherein the content server controls transmission of the content obtained from the at least one third party to each of the caddies according to an arrangement controlled by the content server. 
         [0005]    Another embodiment is a method for conveying information to patrons in an establishment. The method comprises deploying a plurality of caddies at the establishment, wherein each of the plurality of caddies includes an electronic display and at least one compartment for storing items for use by patrons. The method further comprises obtaining, by a content server located remotely from the establishment, content from at least one third party, wherein the content comprises advertisements corresponding to at least one item sold by the establishment. The method further comprises transmitting, by the content server, the content to the plurality of caddies via a network according to at least one predetermined time interval allocated by the content server to the at least one third party. 
         [0006]    Another embodiment is a system for conveying content to patrons in an establishment. The system comprises a plurality of caddies located in the establishment, wherein each of the caddies comprises a touchscreen display unit. The system further comprises a content server controlled by the establishment and communicatively coupled to each of the caddies via a network, the content server being configured to transmit content to each of the caddies to be rendered for display on the touchscreen display units responsive to input obtained from the patrons. The content server is further configured to obtain the content from at least one third party to be rendered for display on the display units of the caddies, and the content server controls transmission of the content obtained from the at least one third party to each the caddies. 
         [0007]    Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a caddie constructed in accordance with one embodiment. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the caddie in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a top view of an embodiment of the caddie in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  illustrates the caddie in operation. 
           [0013]      FIGS. 5-7  depict a block diagram of a networked environment in which embodiments of the caddie shown in  FIG. 1  may be implemented. 
           [0014]      FIG. 8  shows various components of the caddie depicted in  FIGS. 5-7 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 9  illustrates an embodiment of the caddie system whereby the content server conveys different media content to different caddies. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Having summarized various aspects of the present disclosure, reference will now be made in detail to the description of the disclosure as illustrated in the drawings. While the disclosure will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 
         [0017]    Caddies or carriers are frequently used in restaurants or bars for holding utensils, salt and pepper shakers, napkins, straws, coasters, condiments, or other items. Various embodiments are described that are broadly directed to caddies or carriers having an integrated electronic display for actively displaying information to patrons. The use of active displays allows establishments to reduce or eliminate paper marketing items and the corresponding expense for producing such items. Significantly, the use of displays with actively changing content allows a much larger number of ads or other materials to be presented to patrons. While the content display to patrons may comprise audio/video, the content display may also comprise static content such as non-moving text in order to avoid being a distraction to patrons. The caddies (e.g., restaurant caddies, bar caddies, etc.) disclosed herein allow establishments to convey information in a simple and efficient means in a centralized manner. 
         [0018]    In addition to marketing materials, such content as menu items and specials can also be displayed. In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the display is a flat-panel display comprising, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) that is sized appropriately for the particular caddie/carrier. It should be emphasized that while various embodiments are described herein in the context of a restaurant or bar, the caddie apparatus may be implemented in any type of establishment (e.g., coffee shops, stores) where a need exists for communicating information to patrons or customers. Modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims. 
         [0019]    Reference is made to  FIG. 1 , which is a perspective view of a caddie constructed in accordance with one embodiment. The caddie  10  includes a display unit  12 , which may comprise, for example, an LCD. The body  22  of the caddie  10  may comprise a casing/mold, which can be of any of a number of shapes, sizes, or storage configurations. The body  22  houses one or more display units  12  of a variety of shapes. With reference to  FIG. 2 , the display  12  in the caddie  10  may be constructed to include a series of connection holes  14  for mounting the display  12  into the body  22  of the caddie  10  in the cavity  24  shown. As will be discussed in more detail later, the caddie  10  may include various interfaces, including, but not limited to, a USB port  16  and a mini USB port  18 . The display  12  further comprises an audio port  20 . 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the caddie  10  includes a number of compartments formed by wall members for storing such items as straws  302 , coasters  304 , and napkins  306 . Other items may include utensils, salt/pepper shakers, condiments, etc. for patrons to use. The body of the caddie  10  is defined by the housing  22 , which may be constructed of plastic (e.g., via injection molding) or other suitable material. As described earlier, the display unit  12  is coupled to the housing  22  such that the compartments in the caddie  10  are in close proximity to the display unit  12 . The display unit  12  is preferably a flat-panel display, such as an LCD, in order to minimize the amount of space required for the display unit  12 . The caddie  10  is configured to actively display a variety of content including advertisements (generated, for example, by the establishment or by a third party), menu items, restaurant specials, news, weather, sports, etc. 
         [0021]    Reference is made to  FIG. 4 , which illustrates the caddie in use in a bar or restaurant setting. In the case of advertisements, the use of an active, content-controllable display allows the restaurant or bar to exhibit a greater variety of advertisements to patrons than traditional print media at a fraction of the cost. Restaurants and bar frequently provide a paper advertisement such as a tri-fold ad on the table top. Such advertisements, however, are static, and consequently only display a very limited amount of information to a given patron. Furthermore, once the advertisements are no longer relevant, the paper advertisements are discarded. Paper advertisements are also relatively expensive to produce. In contrast, an active, electronic display is capable of cycling through a variety of different ads or other content during the course of a single meal. Furthermore, the restaurant/bar can control the timing of messages/ads shown to patrons. For example, in the illustration depicted in  FIG. 4 , the restaurant configures the caddie to notify patrons that appetizers are currently half off in an effort to generate more sales. The restaurant/bar may later configure the caddie to display a different message (e.g., the dinner special for that day). Note that the caddie can also be configured to display other general information such as weather information, news, game scores, and so on. 
         [0022]    Reference is made to  FIG. 5 , which depicts a block diagram of a networked environment in which embodiments of the caddie  102 A-C may be implemented. The network generally includes a plurality of caddies  102 A-C, where each caddie  102 A-C comprises a content manager  104 A-C and a display unit  106 A-B. The content manager  104 A-C is configured to interface with a content server  132  controlled by the restaurant. The content server  132  provides centralized control over the caddies  102 A-C in the network. Each of the caddies  104 A-C are communicatively coupled to the content server  132  via a network  118 . The content manager  104 A in each of the caddies  102 A-C includes a communication port  122 , which may comprise a USB port, mini-USB port, Ethernet port, network interface controller (N IC), and other interfaces for transmitting and receiving data. Each caddie  102 A-C receives media content  116  from the content server  132  via the communication port  122 . The media content  116  comprises such audio/video content as advertisements, announcements, news, game scores, and so on. The communication port  122  may also be connected, for example, to a general purpose computer to receive data uploads or program updates. In some embodiments, the communication portion (e.g., Ethernet port) may be coupled to a computer network, where content updates are regularly provided or changed. 
         [0023]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the networked environment may further comprise a third party  142  coupled to the network  118 . In some cases, a supplier/vendor for the restaurant (for example, a beverage supplier) may wish to send the restaurant specific ads for patrons to view. As an example, consider the scenario where a brewery provides a particular brand of beer to the restaurant. The brewery may wish for patrons to view ads on other beers offered by that brewery. The brewery (i.e, the third party  142  in  FIG. 5 ) provides the media content  116  to the content server  132  (i.e., the restaurant). The content server  132  then controls the transmission of the media content  116  (advertisements) to the caddies  102 A-C for the patrons to view. In this regard, the restaurant is able to control transmission of all the content viewed by its patrons via the content server  132 . Note, however, that in accordance with alternative embodiments, the content server  132  may give third parties  142  permission to convey media content  116  directly to the caddies  102 A-C. 
         [0024]      FIG. 6  illustrates a networked environment in which the third party  142  is at a remote location with respect to the content server  132 , which is typically incorporated in the restaurant or establishment. The third party  142  communicates with the content server  132 , and in some embodiments, directly with the caddies  102 A-C. Note, however, that the system may be configured such that the content server  132  operates as a gateway through which content from the third party  142  must pass. This allows the content server  132  (i.e., the establishment) to maintain full control over the content delivered to the caddies  102 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 7  illustrates a networked environment in which the caddies  102 A-C communicate with the content server  132  via a wireless network. As shown, the caddies  102 A-C and the content server  132  may be wirelessly connected via an access point  130 . Although not specifically illustrated, a wired port may be provided in addition to the wireless transceiver. A wireless transceiver integrated in the communication port  122  within each caddie  102 A-C may be configured to communicate with the content server  132 . In one embodiment, the wireless transceiver may communicate with other devices via an IEEE 802.11 network, a cellular network, or via other communication protocols. Media content  116  may be provided to the caddie  102 A-C for display via the wireless transceiver with the data being stored in memory. 
         [0026]      FIG. 8  shows various components of the caddie depicted in  FIGS. 5-7 . The caddie  102  may be embodied in any one of a wide variety of wired and/or wireless computing devices, multiprocessor computing device, and so forth incorporated into the body of the caddie  10  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . As shown in  FIG. 8 , each caddie  102  comprises memory  214 , a processing device  202 , a number of input/output interfaces  204 , a display unit  106 , and mass storage  226 , wherein each of these devices are connected across a local data bus  210 . The mass storage  226  may be configured to store such data as the content media  116  depicted in  FIG. 5 . The processing device  202  may include any custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU) or an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with the caddie  102 , a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip), a macroprocessor, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a plurality of suitably configured digital logic gates, and other well known electrical configurations comprising discrete elements both individually and in various combinations to coordinate the overall operation of the computing system. 
         [0027]    The memory  214  can include any one of a combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random-access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, and SRAM, etc.)) and nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, etc.). The memory  214  typically comprises a native operating system  216 , one or more native applications, emulation systems, or emulated applications for any of a variety of operating systems and/or emulated hardware platforms, emulated operating systems, etc. For example, the applications may include application specific software which may comprise some or all the components (e.g., the content manager  104 ) of the caddie  102  depicted in  FIG. 1 . In accordance with such embodiments, the components are stored in memory  214  and executed by the processing device  202 . One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the memory  214  can, and typically will, comprise other components which have been omitted for purposes of brevity. 
         [0028]    Input/output interfaces  204  provide any number of interfaces for the input and output of data. For example, where the caddie  102  comprises a personal computer, these components may interface with one or more user input devices  204 , which may comprise a keyboard or a mouse. Note that for various embodiments, however, the caddie  10  may be constructed without an input/output interface so that the patrons cannot change the content being shown on the display unit  106 . This allows the content server  132  full control over what media content  116  is displayed on the caddies  102 . In alternative embodiments, the user can scroll through media content  116  via a touch screen. 
         [0029]    The display unit  106  may comprise a liquid crystal display (LCD) or other display device. In the context of this disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores programs for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples of a computer-readable medium may include by way of example and without limitation: a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM, or Flash memory), and a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical). With further reference to  FIG. 8 , network interface device  206  comprises various components used to transmit and/or receive data over a network environment. By way of example, the network interface  206  may include such devices as a modem, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, a telephonic interface, a bridge, a router, network card, etc. The network interface  206  may also comprise embedded chip technology which provides wireless capabilities such that the caddie  102 A-C acts as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that a number of implementation details may be varied. For example, the caddie  102 A-C may be battery operated or wired to a power source. For some installations, the caddies  102 A-C may be fixed to tables, counter tops, or may be freestanding. In battery-operated embodiments, re-chargeable battery packs may be used, and the entire units may be configured to be recharged during off-hours of the restaurant. 
         [0030]    Similarly, the content server  132  may be embodied in any one of a wide variety of wired and/or wireless computing devices, such as a desktop computer, portable computer, dedicated server computer, multiprocessor computing device, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), digital camera, and so forth. As with the caddie  102 , the content server  132  comprises various components (not shown), including but not limited to, a processing device, I/O interfaces, a network interface, a display, memory, and mass storage connected across a data bus. 
         [0031]    Reference is made to  FIG. 9 , which illustrates an embodiment of the caddie system whereby the content server  132  is configured to transmit different media content  116  to different caddies  102 A-C. In some scenarios, it may be advantageous to send media content  116  that is customized according to the make-up of the customers. To illustrate, suppose that the patrons  902 A, B seated in “ZONE 1” in  FIG. 9  are all adults. “ZONE 1” may be, for example, the bar area in a restaurant. Suppose also that the patrons  904 A, B seated in “ZONE 2” comprise both adults and children. (“ZONE 2” may be, for example, the general dining area where families are seated.) The content server  132  may be configured to convey MESSAGE 1 to the patrons  902 A, B in “ZONE 1” and convey MESSAGE 2 to the patrons  904 A, B in “ZONE 2.” MESSAGE 1 may comprise, for example, drink specials (e.g., “Draft beer now for only $1.”), while MESSAGE 2 may comprise dinner specials (e.g., “Buy one entrée now and get one free.”). The content server  132  allows the restaurant to customize the content media  116  for different parts/sections of the restaurant. 
         [0032]    It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.