Abstract:
Exemplary embodiments provide a method and system for shifting a graphical user interface around a touch screen display so that the menus and icons can be utilized from a plurality of user access positions. A first locating touch from the user may be used to determine the user&#39;s access position and the graphical user interface may be located on the display based on this locating touch. Embodiments allow touch screen menus and icons to be automatically positioned around a user without having to move the entire display or forcing the user to reposition themselves. Exemplary embodiments provide large portrait-oriented displays for use in restaurants, and especially in drive through applications and may also contain an electrical connection to a second display located within the restaurant.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a non-provisional patent application and does not claim priority to any other applications. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]    Exemplary embodiments relate generally to a touch screen display capable of re-orienting its graphical user interface in order to accommodate a plurality of access positions. 
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0003]    Electronic displays have become popular for not only indoor entertainment purposes, but are now being utilized for indoor and outdoor advertising/informational purposes. For example, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma displays, and many other flat panel displays are now being used to display information and advertising materials to consumers in locations outside of their own home. An extension of this movement has been an increased use in touch screen technology, so that consumers may interact with these displays in a variety of ways. Exemplary flat panel touch screen displays can now be used in outdoor environments. 
         [0004]    One industry which has become increasingly interested in touch screen technology is the service industry, particularly food service. The taking of food orders by a restaurant employee is a time consuming task and the common methods present several issues for restaurant owners. Language barriers, inattentive restaurant personnel, and in the case of drive through restaurants, poor sound microphones and speakers can create inefficiency and mistakes in a customer&#39;s order. Thus, the industry has looked to touch screens as an alternative to the past methods. A touch screen is provided to the customer, and through a series of menus and icons, an order can be placed in an efficient manner with less opportunity for mistake. The screens are also capable of displaying the menus in a plurality of different languages, so that language barriers can easily be overcome. 
         [0005]    One issue that has been encountered has been how to present the menu icons to consumers who approach the display at a plurality of different heights. If the display is a drive through ordering device, consumers may pull up to the display in a low-profile sports car (such as a Corvette) or a very tall utility truck (such as a Hummer). Further, if the display is a walk-up display, consumers approaching the device may be anywhere from four feet to six feet ten inches tall. 
         [0006]    Exemplary embodiments provide a touch screen display where the position of the graphical user interface (GUI) may be shifted so that a plurality of different access positions can be accommodated. 
         [0007]    The exemplary embodiments herein disclosed are not intended to be exhaustive or to unnecessarily limit the scope of the embodiments. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles so that others skilled in the art may practice the embodiments. Having shown and described exemplary embodiments, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to affect the described invention. Many of those variations and modifications will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the exemplary embodiments. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the embodiments only as indicated by the scope of the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    A better understanding will be obtained from a reading of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein identical reference characters refer to identical parts and in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1A  is an illustration showing the access position from a low profile vehicle; 
           [0010]      FIG. 1B  is an illustration showing the access position from a truck; 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front view showing an exemplary display orientation and a plurality of access points on the display; 
           [0012]      FIG. 3A  is a front view of one embodiment for shifting the GUI to provide access from a plurality of access points; 
           [0013]      FIGS. 3B-3D  are front views showing the active and in-active portions of the display when each access point is selected; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4A  is a front view of another embodiment for providing access to the GUI from a plurality of access points; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4B  is a front view of the active portion of the display and the positioning points; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5A  is a front view of another embodiment for shifting the GUI to provide access from a plurality of access points; and 
           [0017]      FIGS. 5B and 5C  are front views showing the active and in-active portions of the display when each access point is selected. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0018]      FIG. 1A  shows a low profile vehicle  13  (such as a car) and its access position  15 , which is located at distance  14  above ground  10 .  FIG. 2A  shows a truck  18  and its access position  20  located at distance  19  above ground  10 . In some situations, distance  19  is larger than distance  14 . In some cases, the difference between distance  19  and distance  14  may be on the order of a foot or more. 
         [0019]      FIG. 2  shows an embodiment where a display  20  is oriented in a ‘portrait’ manner so that a plurality of access positions may be accommodated. Here, three access positions at three different heights,  25 ,  26 , and  27  relative to the ground  10  are shown. An exemplary embodiment may be capable of shifting the graphical user interface (GUI) to various GUI regions within the touch screen display  20 . As used herein, the GUI is considered the series of menus and selection icons which may be presented to the consumer for their selection. The terms ‘active’ and ‘inactive’ will also be used to describe the GUI regions of the display. An active GUI region of the display may contain the actual GUI, with its location based on the access position selected by the user. An inactive GUI region is capable of displaying the GUI but is not the region selected by the user for their access position. By inactive, it is not necessary that the screen remains blank or static in that area. Inactive may simply represent areas of the screen where the user is not presented with menus and icons for selection. Graphics and advertisement may still be present within inactive GUI regions of the display, but the consumer may not be presented with a GUI within inactive portions of the display (mostly because it may be difficult for consumers to reach the area of the display that has been deemed ‘inactive’). Some embodiments however may be adapted to receive input from the inactive portions of the display, so that a user may re-orient the display after an initial location for the GUI has been selected, or for other functions that the consumer may benefit from (ex. change languages or call restaurant personnel). 
         [0020]      FIG. 3A  shows one embodiment for the initial prompt to the user for selecting their access position. The display  20  is essentially divided into several GUI regions. Three positioning icons  30 ,  31 , and  32  correspond to their respective GUI regions on the display. The background  39  may be inactive, but may contain advertisements including static images and full motion video. Depending on which of the positioning icons  30 ,  31 , or  32  are selected, the GUI will be established on that particular GUI region. As shown in  FIG. 3B , if icon  30  is selected by the user, then the top portion of the display becomes the active GUI region  35 , and the remainder of the display becomes the inactive portion  36 . As shown in  FIG. 3C , if icon  31  is selected by the user, the center portion of the display becomes the active GUI region  35 , and the remainder of the display becomes the inactive portion  36 . Finally, as shown in  FIG. 3D , if icon  32  is selected by the user, the bottom portion of the display becomes the active GUI region  35 , and the remainder of the display becomes the inactive portion  36 . Of course, the display can be divided into more GUI regions than three, and correspondingly more icons may be provided. Icons may not be provided with some embodiments. 
         [0021]    The active GUI regions shown in  FIGS. 3B-3D  are where the GUI would be presented for the user as this region has been selected as their access point. Embodiments may create two separate coordinate systems for the system. An absolute coordinate system would cover the absolute positions of icons across the entire display and would be used to establish icons  30 ,  31 , and  32 . A relative coordinate system could cover the relative positions of icons and menus within the active GUI region only, and would be used to establish the icons and menus of the GUI. The relative coordinate system may be placed based on a first locating touch by the user. 
         [0022]      FIG. 4A  shows another embodiment for the initial prompt to the user for selecting their access point. In this embodiment, no specific icons may be presented for the user&#39;s selection. The user may touch any portion of the display  20 . The display may be partitioned into three sections  40 ,  41 , and  42 . The dashed lines which are shown in  FIG. 4A  are not visible on the display, but simply represent the partitioning lines for selecting the proper orientation of the active GUI region.  FIG. 4B  shows an active GUI region  50  layout and three positioning points  43 ,  44 , and  45  which may be used with this embodiment. Thus, an algorithm can be used to position the active GUI region based on a first locating touch by the user. An example for this algorithm could be the following. 
         [0023]    If the locating touch is within section  42 , positioning point  45  may be aligned with top edge  52  in order to place the active GUI region  50  near the top of the display. If the locating touch is within section  41 , positioning point  44  is aligned with the vertical location of the user&#39;s touch in order to place the active GUI region  50  in a centered position around the user&#39;s locating touch. Finally, if the locating touch is within section  40 , positioning point  43  is aligned with bottom edge  51  in order to place the active GUI region  50  near the bottom of the display. This approach is advantageous at least because it allows almost any position on the display to be selected as the user&#39;s desired position for the GUI. Thus, a large number of GUI regions are available for possible activation by the user. 
         [0024]      FIG. 5A  shows another embodiment for the initial prompt to the user for selecting their access point. In this embodiment, partitioning line  60  divides the display  20  into upper GUI region  61  and lower GUI region  62 . Partitioning line  60  may not be visible on the display  20 . The text  63  which is prompting the user to touch the display  20  may be located anywhere on the display  20  and may even be a moving graphic which moves all around the display  20  into both upper GUI region  61  and lower GUI region  62 . The user may touch any portion of the display  20 .  FIG. 5B  shows the active  65  and inactive  64  GUI regions of the display  20  if the user touches upper GUI region  61 .  FIG. 5C  shows the active  65  and inactive  64  GUI regions of the display  20  if the user touches lower GUI region  62 . 
         [0025]    It should be noted that any form of touch screen technology may utilize the exemplary embodiments. These technologies would include but are by no means limited to:  4  or  5  wire resistance, surface acoustic wave, infrared, and near field imaging. Further, embodiments may be practiced with any form of flat panel display, including but not limited to LCD, plasma, and organic LED. An exemplary embodiment would use LED-backlit LCD technology. 
         [0026]    It should also be noted that audio systems may be adapted for use with exemplary embodiments. These systems may transmit audio messages corresponding to the menus and icons which are presented to the user. These may include traditional loudspeaker technology as well as the hypersonic sound technologies which transmit sound waves above 20 kHz. Further, card readers may be used so that consumers can both place an order as well as pay for purchased items at the touch screen display. Some embodiments may include a device which will accept cash payment and return cash change to the consumer. One or more proximity sensors may also be used to sense the presence of a consumer or their vehicle to begin an audio/visual welcome message or the prompt to select a position on the screen for the GUI. Of course, for consumers which are having difficulty with the touch screen device, a traditional microphone and speaker arrangement can be provided so that a consumer may speak with an in-store associate for questions about items or problems with the display. 
         [0027]    Exemplary embodiments may also include electrical communication between the touch screen display and the establishment from which items are being ordered and/or purchased. This electrical communication may be wired or wireless. A second display may be provided for the employees of the establishment so that orders can be processed. This second display may or may not be a touch screen display. 
         [0028]    Embodiments are not limited to use in drive through applications. Embodiments may be used anywhere touch screen devices are used and a plurality of access positions is desired. Another example would be where walk-up touch screens are used and it is desired to account for users of a number of different heights. Further, the teachings herein can also be used to shift the GUI horizontally as well as vertically. 
         [0029]    Having shown and described preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to affect the described embodiments and still be within the scope of the claims. Thus, many of the elements indicated above may be altered or replaced by different elements which will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed embodiments. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims.