Abstract:
Methods and apparatuses for providing service availability information to a waiting customer using the customer&#39;s wireless device are generally introduced herein.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     Embodiments of the invention relate to communication of service (e.g., restaurant, hair dresser) information to a waiting customer and improving provision of service by a service provider. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to providing information (e.g., scheduling information) related to service availability to a waiting/potential customer using wireless communication.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     When attempting to obtain services from a service establishment that allows customers to obtain services without a reservation/appointment (e.g., a restaurant, a hair dresser, a mechanic), a potential customer can be informed that a significant waiting period will be required before the customer can receive the desired services. If the customer wishes to wait to obtain the services, the customer then adds his/her name to a waiting list and determines what to do during the waiting period.  
         [0003]     Some establishments provide basic wireless devices that notify a customer that the desired services are available. However, these wireless devices suffer from multiple disadvantages. For example, these wireless devices are single purpose and are typically large with limited range. That is, a customer is required stay within a close proximity of the establishment and carry a large wireless device. This can have a detrimental effect on a customer&#39;s experience with the establishment.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]     Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements.  
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a high-level diagram of one embodiment of an architecture for providing improved service availability information using wireless devices.  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for providing service availability information to a customer via a wireless device.  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic system having a scheduling agent that can be used by a service establishment to provide service availability information to a customer via a wireless device.  
         [0008]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic system having a service availability agent that can be used by a service establishment to provide service availability information to a customer via a wireless device.  
         [0009]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a wireless device.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]     In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth. However, embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description.  
         [0011]     The techniques and devices described herein that may provide service availability information to a waiting customer using a wireless device to benefit both the customer and to the service establishment. The benefits to the waiting customer may include, for example, a wider selection of activities that are available during the waiting period, greater information regarding the availability of services and/or the ability to reschedule services. The benefits to the service establishment may include, for example, increased efficiency in providing limited services, increased customer satisfaction and/or increased opportunities for word of mouth advertising from the waiting customer.  
         [0012]      FIG. 1  is a high-level diagram of one embodiment of an example architecture for providing improved service availability information using multi-purpose wireless devices. Service establishment  100  may be any type of establishment that provides goods and/or services to a customer without requiring reservations for all customers. Service establishment  100  may be, for example, a restaurant, a hair salon, an automobile service facility, an amusement park (or individual attractions within the amusement park), a spa, a bar, a club, a golf course, a bowling facility, a tennis court, a Las Vegas wedding hall, etc.  
         [0013]     In one embodiment, service establishment  100  may have an electronic scheduling capability (hereinafter “scheduling agent  110 ”), for example, seating and scheduling software for a restaurant. As described in greater detail below, scheduling agent  110  may be any combination of hardware and software. In one embodiment, scheduling agent  110  may communicate with wireless service provider  120  to provide scheduling information for service establishment  110  that can be selectively transmitted to customer  130  by wireless service provider  120 . In an alternate embodiment, service establishment  100  may communicate with customer  130  using wireless protocols.  
         [0014]     Wireless service provider  120  may be, for example, a cellular telephone service provider, a paging service provider, or a wireless Internet service provider. Wireless service provider  120  receives scheduling information from scheduling agent  110  and uses the received scheduling information to provide service availability information to a wireless device belonging to, or carried by, customer  130 .  
         [0015]     In one embodiment, customer  130  may receive service availability information from wireless service provider  120  using any wireless device capable of receiving various types of information, for example, a cellular telephone, a pager, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a watch, a wireless electronic mail device, etc. Any wireless communication protocol known in the art can be used to communicate information from wireless service provider  120  and the wireless device corresponding to customer  130 .  
         [0016]     While the architecture of  FIG. 1  is described in terms of a service establishment providing service availability information to a wireless service provider for informing the customer, alternate architectures without wireless service providers can also be used. For example, the service establishment may have the ability to communicate directly with the wireless device using the same protocol as the wireless service provider, or the service establishment and the wireless device can communicate using a protocol other than the protocol used by the wireless service provider.  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of one embodiment of a technique for providing service availability information to a customer via a wireless device. The example of  FIG. 2  includes optional features that desirable for certain embodiments of the invention, but are not necessary or are optional for other embodiments of the invention. Also, the example of  FIG. 2  is provided in terms of a customer waiting for a table at a restaurant; however, as described above, the techniques and devices described herein are applicable to a broad range of service establishments including, but not limited to, restaurants.  
         [0018]     A customer having a wireless device may initially register for alert services,  200 . According to one example embodiment, such registration need not require any particular action on behalf of the user, but may be automatic or inherent in a service agreement, for example. As described in greater detail below, the alert services may also include a tracking service. The alert service can be provided, for example, by a wireless service provider as part of a wireless communications service. Registration may occur any time before use of the alert services. That is, a user may register for alert services when purchasing a cellular telephone, or a user may register for alert services shortly before entering a restaurant providing service availability information, or at any other time.  
         [0019]     The customer may be added to a restaurant scheduling system,  205 , e.g., as a result of such prior registration. In one embodiment, in order to be added to the restaurant scheduling system, the customer may provide a wireless device identifier (e.g., a cellular telephone number, a wireless PDA identifier, a wireless network address, an electronic mail address, a pager number), a number of people in the party, and seating preferences (e.g., smoking/non-smoking, table/booth). In one embodiment, the wireless device identifier is provided by the wireless device and not by the customer. In alternate embodiments, the wireless device identifier is provided by the customer. Other and/or different information can be provided when a customer is added to the scheduling system.  
         [0020]     The customer may not be required to be present at the restaurant when providing information to the restaurant. For example, a customer may call a restaurant, for example, using a cellular telephone and be added to the scheduling system as a waiting customer. Service availability information can then be provided to the customer via the cellular telephone.  
         [0021]     The customer reservation information may be sent to the customer alerting system,  210 . The customer alerting system can then provide service availability information to the customer using the wireless device registered for alerting services. In one embodiment, the customer reservation information may include the wireless device identifier, an estimated wait time and location coordinates of the restaurant, although the scope of the invention is not limited in this regard. Other and/or different information can be included in the customer reservation information.  
         [0022]     In one embodiment, an alert may be sent to the customer&#39;s wireless device from the alerting system,  215 . This initial alert is optional and allows the alerting system to notify the customer that the reservation request has been entered and is active in the customer alerting system. The initial alert may be used to provide information related to the information request, for example, restaurant name, party size, or other information as well as provide an indication of the estimated wait time. The initial alert may also allow the customer to select additional services and/or features, for example, a tracking and/or travel directory service can be provided to the customer.  
         [0023]     In one embodiment, the customer may acknowledge the initial alert,  220 . The acknowledgement may also include a request for additional and/or optional features, for example, a tracking service. In one embodiment, the acknowledgment may enable the customer alerting services. The acknowledgment may also allow the customer alerting system to determine whether the customer&#39;s wireless device is functioning properly.  
         [0024]     In one embodiment, the customer alerting system may begin a countdown based on the estimated wait time provided by the restaurant scheduling system,  225 . If the tracking option has been enabled, the customer alerting system may also track the location of the customer&#39;s wireless device. Tracking may be accomplished using any type of location-aware technology, for example, GPS, triangulation techniques, directional transmission, etc.  
         [0025]     If the tracking option has not been enabled, the customer alerting system may alert the customer, via the wireless device, that the estimated wait time has elapsed. In alternate embodiments, the customer alerting system may provide alerts prior to expiration of the estimated wait time (e.g., a five minute warning). In another alternate embodiment, the restaurant scheduling system may periodically update the estimated customer wait time provided to the customer alerting system based on conditions at the restaurant, which may be factored into alerts provided to the customer&#39;s wireless device.  
         [0026]     If the tracking option has been enabled, the customer alerting system may determine the location of the customer&#39;s wireless device during the estimated waiting period to determine whether the customer is within range of the restaurant,  235 . In one embodiment, the customer alerting system may factor in travel conditions such as speed and traffic conditions to determine whether the customer is within range of the restaurant. For example, if an estimated wait time is 30 minutes and the customer has driven away from the restaurant for 15 minutes, the customer alerting system can alert the customer that they may not be able to return to the restaurant at the appointed time,  240 .  
         [0027]     The restaurant may also be provided with location information related to waiting customers. For example, the restaurant may be notified when a waiting customer is not within close range of the restaurant. This may allow the restaurant to, for example, extend the customer&#39;s wait time (or change his appointment time) with or without consulting with the waiting customer, or it may allow the restaurant to notify subsequent potential customers that a table may be available sooner than their previously-assigned wait time. With sufficient tracking ability, the restaurant can estimate when a customer in motion will arrive, and modify his and others&#39; wait times accordingly.  
         [0028]     Various techniques may be used for determining travel conditions including, for example, periodic GPS or triangulation determinations of location, monitoring of traffic flow in various locations, etc. If a customer is going out of proximity to the restaurant, the customer may be provided with the option to extend the wait time in order to not lose their place in the restaurant queue. If this option is selected, the wait time may be modified,  270  and updated information may be provided to the customer alerting system and/or restaurant scheduling system.  
         [0029]     If, when the countdown in complete,  230 , the customer is at the restaurant location,  250 , the customer may be notified that they have reached the head of the queue and monitoring can be stopped  255 . If, when the countdown is complete,  230 , and the customer is not at the restaurant location,  250 , the customer may be given the option of extending the wait time,  260 .  
         [0030]     If the customer opts to extend the wait time,  260 , the wait time may be modified ( 265 ,  270 ) by the customer alerting system and/or restaurant scheduling system. In one embodiment, if the customer declines extending the wait time,  260 , the customer effectively ends the alert service and the alert and/or monitoring service is stopped,  255 . The customer may also be provided the opportunity to extend the wait time if an unanticipated delay is encountered. For example, if the waiting customer experiences automobile troubles, the wait time can be extended while the customer waits for a tow truck. In one embodiment, if the restaurant is notified or can determine that no table will be available at the scheduled time, the customer can be notified of a delay.  
         [0031]     If the customer opts to extend the wait time, the restaurant can offer the customer&#39;s table to another waiting customer. This communication between the waiting customer and the restaurant may allow the restaurant to provide limited service resources in a more efficient manner, which can result in benefits to the restaurant including, for example, increased customer satisfaction and increased revenue.  
         [0032]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic system having a scheduling agent that can be used by a service establishment to provide service availability information to a customer via a wireless device. The electronic system illustrated in  FIG. 3  is intended to represent a range of electronic systems including, for example, computer systems. Alternative electronic systems can include more, fewer and/or different components.  
         [0033]     The electronic system of  FIG. 3  can be, for example, a computer system in a restaurant that is used for table scheduling or other restaurant management purposes. In other types of service establishments (i.e., other than restaurants), the electronic system and scheduling agent can provide other scheduling and/or management functionality specific to the type of service establishment in which the system may be used.  
         [0034]     Electronic system  300  includes bus  305  or other communication device to communicate information, and processor  310  coupled to bus  305  to process information. While electronic system  300  is illustrated with a single processor, electronic system  300  can include multiple processors and/or co-processors. Electronic system  300  further includes read-only memory (ROM) or other static storage device  320 , coupled to bus  300 .  
         [0035]     Electronic system  300  further includes input/output (I/O) device(s)  340  for receiving input data and/or signals and for providing output signals. I/O device(s)  340  can include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube, a wireless interface, or any other type of I/O device known in the art. Network interface(s)  350  provides an interface to one or more networks (not shown in  FIG. 3 ) that are external to electronic system  300 . Network interface(s)  350  can be, for example, an Ethernet interface, a wireless local area network interface, etc.  
         [0036]     Electronic system  300  also includes memory  330  coupled with bus  305 . Memory  330  can include any combination of random access memory (RAM), including one or more cache memories, and static memory, for example, a hard disk drive, a flash memory device, etc. In one embodiment, memory  330  stores operating system  335 , which provides system level software to be executed by processor  310  to control electronic system  300 . Operating system  335  can be any operating system known in the art or an application-specific operating system.  
         [0037]     Memory  330  further includes management application  337  which interacts with one or more components of electronic system  300  to provide functionality for a service establishment. For example, if the service establishment is a restaurant, management application  337  can provide functionality for tracking tables, customers, wait staff, kitchen inventories, gross revenue, hourly profit/loss, etc. In one embodiment, management application  337  maintains a list of waiting customers and either stores or generates an estimated wait time for the waiting customers.  
         [0038]     Electronic system  300  further includes scheduling agent  110  that can be any combination of software stored in memory  330  and/or hardware coupled with bus  305  or other component of electronic system  300 . Scheduling agent  110  operates as described above to provide service availability information related to waiting customers. In one embodiment, scheduling agent  110  operates using network interface  350  to provide scheduling information to a remote wireless service provider. In an alternate embodiment, scheduling agent  110  includes a dedicated interface (e.g., a wireless network interface) to provide scheduling information to the remote wireless service provider.  
         [0039]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic system having a service availability agent that can be used by a service establishment to provide service availability information to a customer via a wireless device. The electronic system illustrated in  FIG. 4  is intended to represent a range of electronic systems including, for example, computer systems. Alternative electronic systems can include more, fewer and/or different components.  
         [0040]     In one embodiment, electronic system  400  is located a wireless service provider facility. The electronic system of  FIG. 4  can be, for example, a computer system in a network node of the wireless service provider that processes information received from a service establishment for forwarding and/or otherwise communicating with the wireless device corresponding to the waiting customer.  
         [0041]     Electronic system  400  includes bus  405  or other communication device to communicate information, and processor  410  coupled to bus  405  to process information. While electronic system  400  is illustrated with a single processor, electronic system  400  can include multiple processors and/or co-processors. Electronic system  400  further includes read-only memory (ROM) or other static storage device  420 , coupled to bus  400 .  
         [0042]     Electronic system  400  further includes input/output (I/O) device(s)  440  for receiving input data and/or signals and for providing output signals. I/O device(s)  440  can include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube, a wireless interface, or any other type of I/O device known in the art. Network interface(s)  450  provides an interface to one or more networks (not shown in  FIG. 4 ) that are external to electronic system  400 . Network interface(s)  450  can be, for example, an Ethernet interface, or a wireless local area network interface.  
         [0043]     Electronic system  400  also includes memory  430  coupled with bus  405 . Memory  430  can include any combination of random access memory (RAM), including one or more cache memories, and static memory, for example, a hard disk drive, a flash memory device, etc. In one embodiment, memory  430  stores operating system  435 , which provides system level software to be executed by processor  410  to control electronic system  400 . Operating system  435  can be any operating system known in the art or an application specific operating system.  
         [0044]     Memory  430  further includes customer alert/tracking application  437  which interacts with one or more components of electronic system  400  to provide functionality for a wireless service provider. For example, if the wireless service provider is a cellular telephone service provider, customer alert/tracking application  437  can provide functionality for tracking customer location, providing an indication of estimated wait time, estimating travel time, etc.  
         [0045]     Electronic system  400  further includes service availability agent  125  that can be any combination of software stored in memory  430  and/or hardware coupled with bus  405 . Service availability agent  125  operates as described above to provide service availability information related to waiting customers. In one embodiment, service availability agent  125  operates using network interface  450  to receive scheduling information to a remote service establishment. In an alternate embodiment, scheduling agent  110  includes a dedicated interface (e.g., a wireless network interface) to provide scheduling information to the remote wireless service provider.  
         [0046]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of one embodiment of a wireless device. Wireless device  500  may be any type of wireless device that allows a user to communicate with a remote device using wireless protocols. For example, wireless device  500  can be a cellular telephone, a cellular-enabled personal digital assistant, a cellular-enabled automobile, etc.  
         [0047]     In one embodiment, wireless device  500  may include processor  540  that provides processing functionality to support operation of the wireless device. Processor  540  may be coupled with input/output (I/O) interface(s)  550  that allow a user of wireless device  500  to provide and receive information. For example, I/O interface(s)  550  may be coupled with a keypad and/or a display device. Processor  540  may also be coupled with memory  560 , which can include dynamic, static, flash and/or any other type of memory. Memory  560  can provide storage for instructions executed by processor  540  as well as data.  
         [0048]     In one embodiment, processor  540  may be coupled with digital signal processor (DSP) circuitry  530 . DSP circuitry  530  can be any type of DSP circuitry known in the art. DSP circuitry  530  may be coupled with speaker  570  and microphone  580  that may be used in transmitting of voice communications DSP circuitry  530  may be coupled with radio frequency (R/F) circuitry  510  that may be used in receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals using antenna  520 , which can be any type of antenna known in the art, for example, one or more omnidirectional antenna(e).  
         [0049]     Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.  
         [0050]     While the invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.