Patent Publication Number: US-2013238451-A1

Title: Systems and methods for delivering prepared food products

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA 
     The present application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 13/301,390, filed Nov. 21, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to systems and methods for ordering prepared food products, e.g., via a network, such as a telecommunications network and/or the Internet, using an electronic device, such as a wireless and/or mobile device, e.g., a cellular telephone, tablet computer, and the like. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Vendors of some prepared food products allow customers to order their products using electronic devices, such as computers, mobile telephones, and the like. Generally, the systems available involve providing a menu to the customer on a display and allowing the customer to select items of interest. The interfaces used in such systems may simply involve displaying word lists of the menu of food items available, and allowing customers to check boxes adjacent the items of interest. Some systems may provide a visual image of menu items, but generally such images are merely examples and do not actually reflect the customer&#39;s order. 
     Accordingly, systems and methods for ordering prepared food products that provide an enhanced visual experience would be useful. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention is directed to systems and methods for ordering prepared food products, e.g., via a network, such as a telecommunications network and/or the Internet. Such systems and methods may involve use of electronic devices, such as wireless and/or mobile devices, e.g., a cellular telephone, tablet computer, and the like. The systems and methods herein may provide an enhanced experience for customers ordering prepared food products, e.g., providing a visually accurate representation of a customer&#39;s order and/or providing animations that simulate preparation of the customer&#39;s order, which may provide an experience similar to ordering food items in person and watching them be prepared. 
     In accordance with one embodiment, a method is provided for ordering prepared food products, e.g., a sandwich, burger, pizza, taco, and the like, via a network, by a customer using an electronic device. A menu of available prepared food products may be presented on a display of the electronic device to the customer, and one of the prepared food products may be selected using an interface of the electronic device. The electronic device may present a menu of bread items available for making the selected prepared food product on the display, the menu including visual representations of each of the available bread items. One of the bread items may be selected using the interface, whereupon the electronic device may present a visual representation of the selected bread item on the display, e.g., in an open orientation for receiving ingredients. One or more ingredients for the selected food product may be selected using the interface, whereupon the electronic device may present visual representations of the one or more ingredients superimposed on the visual representation of the selected bread item. 
     The customer may then input into the interface that the selected food product is complete, whereupon the electronic display may present a visual representation of the selected food product in a packaged configuration. An order including the selected food product may then be transmitted via a network to a vendor server for fulfillment. Optionally, one or more additional food items may be added to the order before transmitting the order to the vendor server. 
     In one embodiment, the visual representations of the one or more ingredients may be superimposed on one another, e.g., in a predetermined layering scheme, that enhances identification of the selected ingredients when superimposed onto one another and/or over the visual representation of the selected bread item. Such a layering scheme may also facilitate modification of the order, e.g., showing deselected ingredients being removed while the remaining selected ingredients remain in the visual representation being displayed, without having to replace the entire displayed image. 
     In addition or alternatively, the visual representations of the available bread items and ingredients may be stored in separate files in memory of the electronic device. For example, one or more databases may be stored in memory of the electronic device, which may include a list of available food products and ingredients, one or more of image files associated with respective food products and ingredients, animation files associated with respective food products and ingredients prices associated with respective food products and ingredients, and/or nutritional information associated with respective food products and ingredients. The one or more databases may be substantially static or may be updated periodically, e.g., when an order is placed, and/or may be customized based on a selected vendor&#39;s available food products. 
     In accordance with another embodiment, a method is provided for ordering prepared food products, e.g., a salad, via a network, by a customer using an electronic device. A menu of available prepared food products may be presented on a display of the electronic device. One of the prepared food products may be selected using an interface of the electronic device, whereupon the electronic device may present a receptacle in an open configuration for receiving ingredients of the selected prepared food product on the display. One or more ingredients for the selected food product may be selected using the interface, whereupon the electronic device may present visual representations of the one or more ingredients superimposed on the visual representation of the receptacle. 
     The customer may then input into the interface that the selected food product is complete, whereupon the electronic display may present a visual representation of the selected food product with the receptacle in a closed configuration. An order including the selected food product may then be transmitted via a network to a vendor server for fulfillment. 
     In accordance with still another embodiment, an electronic device is provided for ordering prepared food products via a network. Generally, the electronic device includes an interface; a display; one or more processors coupled to the interface and display, and a transmitter for transmitting an order including a selected food product via a network to a vendor server for fulfillment. For example, the electronic device may be configured to present a menu of available prepared food products on the display; allow selection of one of the prepared food products using the interface, whereupon the electronic device may present a menu of bread items available for making the selected prepared food product on the display, the menu including visual representations of each of the available bread items; allow selection of one of the bread items using the interface, whereupon the electronic device may present a visual representation of the selected bread item on the display in an open orientation for receiving ingredients; allow selection of one or more ingredients for the selected food product using the interface, whereupon the electronic device may present visual representations of the one or more ingredients superimposed on the visual representation of the selected bread item; and/or allow input into the interface that the selected food product is complete, whereupon the electronic display may present a visual representation of the selected food product in a packaged configuration. 
     In accordance with another embodiment, a method is provided for ordering prepared food products via a network by a customer using a wireless electronic device that includes presenting, on a display of the electronic device, a menu of available prepared food products. Using an interface of the electronic device, the customer may select one or more prepared food products to be included in an order, and may indicate that the order is complete. The customer may also select, using the interface, a desired vendor location to fulfill the order. A drop-off menu may be presented on the display including a plurality of physical locations and drop-off times available for the desired vendor location. The customer may select a desired physical location and a desired drop-off time from the drop-off menu. An order including the one or more selected food products may be transmitted via a network to a vendor server for the desired vendor location to arrange delivery of the order to the desired physical location at the desired drop-off time. 
     In accordance with yet another embodiment, a method is provided for ordering prepared food products via a network that includes receiving a drop-off schedule for a vendor location, the drop-off schedule including a plurality of physical locations available for drop-off orders from the vendor location, and a schedule of drop-off times for the physical locations; and adding the drop-off schedule to a vendor database. The drop-off schedule may be sent to a customer electronic device, and an order may be received from the customer electronic device, the order including one or more prepared food products and identifying a desired physical location and a desired drop-off time from the drop-off schedule. The order may be transmitted to the vendor location for the vendor location to arrange for delivery of the order to the desired physical location at the desired drop-off time. 
     In accordance with another embodiment, a method is provided for ordering prepared food products via a network using a wireless electronic device that includes accessing a default database stored in memory of the electronic device to generate a menu of available prepared food products, and presenting, on a display of the electronic device, the menu. A customer may select, using an interface of the electronic device, one or more prepared food products from the menu, and a desired vendor location from the local database. The customer may indicate, using the interface, that the order is complete. The electronic device may communicate with a remote server to reconcile the order with a vendor database including the menu for the desired vendor location. The reconciled order may be presented on the display, and an order including the one or more selected food products may be transmitted via a network to a vendor server for the vendor location to arrange for delivery of the order. 
     In accordance with still another embodiment, an electronic device is provided for ordering prepared food products via a network. Generally, the device includes a user interface; a display; and one or more processors coupled to the interface and display for presenting on the display a menu of available prepared food products; receiving via the user interface one or more prepared food products to be included in an order; receiving via the user interface a desired vendor location to fulfill the order; presenting on the display a drop-off menu including a plurality of physical locations and drop-off times available for the desired vendor location; and receiving via the user interface a desired physical location and a desired drop-off time from the drop-off menu. In addition, the device may include a communications interface coupled to the processor for transmitting an order including the one or more selected food products via a network to a vendor server for the desired vendor location to arrange delivery of the order to the desired physical location at the desired drop-off time. 
     In accordance with yet another embodiment, computer program products are provided that may be configured for performing the various methods described herein and/or may be used by any of the devices or systems described herein. 
     Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent from consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic drawing showing a network architecture providing an exemplary embodiment of a system for ordering prepared food products. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic of an exemplary wireless device that may be used to order prepared food products via a network. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart showing an exemplary method for using a wireless device for ordering prepared food products. 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart showing an exemplary method for selecting and/or building a prepared food product to be included in an order. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) showing initial images that may be displayed when an electronic device initially launches an application performing a method, such as that shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 6A  shows an exemplary screen shot that may be displayed of an initial menu for ordering various food products, presented in a vertical (portrait) scrolling orientation. 
       FIGS.  6 B( 1 )- 6 B( 3 ) show left, center, and right portions of an exemplary screen shot that may be displayed of an initial menu for ordering various food products, presented in a horizontal (landscape) scrolling orientation. 
         FIGS. 6C and 6D  are exemplary screen shots that may be displayed, e.g., when a customer selects “My Favorites” from the exemplary initial menus shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . 
         FIG. 6E  is an exemplary screen shot that may be displayed, e.g., when a customer selects “Past Orders” from the exemplary initial menus shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . 
         FIGS. 6F and 6G  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) that may be displayed when “Specials” is selected from the exemplary initial menus shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . 
         FIG. 6H  is an exemplary screen shot that may be displayed when “Settings” is selected from the initial menus of  FIGS. 6A and 6B . 
         FIGS. 6I-6L  are exemplary screen shots that may be displayed when the user selects one of the Settings fields for editing. 
         FIGS. 7A-7Q  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) that may be displayed when an electronic device performs a method for selecting a prepared food product, i.e., a sub sandwich, for purchase, e.g., using the method shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIGS. 7R and 7S  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) that may be displayed when selection of the sandwich of  FIGS. 7A-7Q  is complete, e.g., to display vertically scrolling submenus of additional food products that may be purchased with the selected sandwich. 
         FIGS. 7T-7W  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) that may be displayed when an order is completed, including options to save an order to a favorites list and/or to provide special instructions. 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) that may be displayed when an electronic device performs a method for selecting a prepared food product, i.e., a salad, for purchase, e.g., using the method shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIGS. 8C and 8D  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) that may be displayed when selection of the salad in  FIGS. 8A and 8B  is complete, e.g., to display vertically scrolling submenus of additional food products that may be purchased with the selected salad. 
         FIGS. 8E and 8F  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) that may be displayed when the order of  FIGS. 8A-8D  is completed, showing a price breakdown and a caloric breakdown, respectively. 
       FIGS.  9 ( 1 ) and  9 ( 2 ) are upper and lower portions of an exemplary screen shot, showing multiple prepared food products included in an order. 
         FIGS. 10A-10D  are exemplary screen shots that may be displayed, showing available “Delivery/Drop-Off/Pick-Up” options that may be selected by a user. 
         FIGS. 11A-11C  are exemplary screen shots that may be displayed, showing an alternative embodiment of “Drop-Off” options that may be selected by a user. 
         FIG. 12  is an exemplary screen shot showing information related to a selected vendor location. 
         FIGS. 13A and 13B  are exemplary screen shots (landscape orientation) that may be displayed, showing final “Checkout” including confirmation of payment and scheduling for the completed order. 
         FIGS. 14A and 14B  are exemplary screen shots that may be displayed on a manager device for editing information regarding Drop-Off locations. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     Turning to the drawings,  FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment of a system  8  that includes one or more vendor servers  12 , vendor physical locations  14 , (one exemplary server  12  and physical location  14  shown merely for simplicity), and various electronic devices, such as customer electronic devices  20 ,  30 , . . . n, one or more manager devices  18  (one shown for simplicity), and the like, connected to and/or communicating via a network  10 . In addition or alternatively, the system  8  may also include one or more additional devices, such as a settlement house  16  for processing payments on behalf of vendors and/or customers, and the like. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the network  10  may be a telecommunications network, including a wide area network (“WAN”), a local area network (“LAN”), an intranet, a wireless network, and/or a telephony network. For example, the network  10  may incorporate several different types of networks including a WAN, a LAN, and/or a wireless network; one such network including multiple different types of networks is the Internet. 
     Each of the customer electronic devices  20 - n  (and each manager device  18 ) may be an electronic and/or computing device, such as a mobile, smart, and/or cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a wi-fi device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an interactive television, a kiosk, and the like, capable of communicating via the network  10 . Generally, the customer devices  20 - n  (and each manager device  18 ) may include one or more processors  22 , memory and/or other storage devices  24 , communication interfaces  26 , and/or user interfaces  28 , as shown in  FIG. 2  and described further below. Users or “customers” using the customer devices  20 - n  may interact with the vendor server(s)  12  and/or settlement house  16 , e.g., submitting and/or modifying orders, updating menu and/or other information, and the like, as described elsewhere herein. 
     The vendor server  12  may include one or more computer systems including one or more processors, memory and/or storage devices, and communication interfaces for communicating via the network  10 , e.g., with the customer devices  20 - n , manager device(s)  18 , vendor location  14 , and/or settlement house  16 . In addition or alternatively, the vendor server  12  may communicate directly with the vendor location  14 , and/or may be operated directly by or communicate directly with the vendor location  14 , in addition to or instead of via the network  40 , e.g., if the vendor server  12  is at the same physical location as the vendor location  14 , as represented by dashed line  15 . The vendor server  12  may include one or more hardware-based components and/or software-based modules for performing the various functions related to the system  8 , as described elsewhere herein. Although only one vendor server  12  and vendor location  14  are shown, it will be appreciated that a single vendor server  12  may communicate with multiple vendor locations  14  (not shown), and/or that multiple vendor servers (also not shown) may be provided for the same or different vendors. 
     Turning to  FIG. 2 , an exemplary embodiment of a customer electronic device  20  is shown that includes one or more hardware and/or software components for performing the methods described herein. As shown, the electronic device  20  may be a wireless device, e.g., a mobile, smart, and/or cellular telephone, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a Wi-Fi device, a laptop computer, and the like, capable of communicating via the network  10  (not shown, see  FIG. 1 ). The electronic device  20  includes one or more processors, such as exemplary processor  22 , for completing the various tasks described herein, e.g., to place orders for prepared food products, download, upload, and/or save information, and the like, as described further below. Additional processors may be provided, such as an auxiliary processor to manage input/output or perform floating point mathematical operations, a special-purpose microprocessor having an architecture rapid execution of signal processing algorithms, a slave processor subordinate to the main processing system (“back-end processor”), and/or a coprocessor (not shown). Such auxiliary processors may be discrete processors or may be integrated with the processor  22 . 
     The processor  22  is generally connected to a communication bus  23 . The communication bus  23  may include a data channel for facilitating information transfer between storage and/or other components of the electronic device  20 . The communication bus  23  may also provide signals required for communication with the processor  12 , including a data bus, address bus, and/or control bus (not shown). The communication bus  23  may include any known bus architecture, for example, industry standard architecture (ISA), extended industry standard architecture (EISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus, IEEE 488 general-purpose interface bus (GPIB), IEEE 696/S-100, and the like. 
     The electronic device  20  also includes memory and/or storage devices, e.g., main memory  24  and secondary memory or storage devices  25 . The main memory  24  may provide storage of instructions and/or data for programs executed on the processor  22 . In exemplary embodiments, the main memory  24  may be semiconductor-based memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or static random access memory (SRAM). In addition, other semiconductor-based memory may also be provided, such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), Rambus dynamic random access memory (RDRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), and the like, as well as read only memory (ROM). 
     The secondary memory  25  may include a hard disk drive  25   a  and/or a removable storage drive  25   b , for example, a flash drive, a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a CDROM drive, a DVDROM drive, and the like (not shown). The removable storage drive  25  may read from and/or write to a removable storage unit (not shown) in a well-known manner. In exemplary embodiments, the removable storage unit may include a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, CDROM disk, DVDROM disk, and the like that may be read from and/or written to by removable storage drive  25   b . Additionally, the removable storage unit may include a computer usable storage medium with computer software and computer data stored thereon. 
     Optionally, the secondary memory  25  may include other components allowing computer programs and/or other instructions to be loaded into the electronic device  20 . For example, such components may include semiconductor-based memory such as programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory (block oriented memory similar to EEPROM). Also included are any other interfaces and removable storage units that allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit to the electronic device  20 . 
     The electronic device  20  also generally includes one or more communication interfaces  26 , e.g., one or more transceivers, receivers, and/or transmitters. Communication interface(s)  26  may allow software and/or data to be transferred between the electronic device  20  and the vendor server  12  and/or other external devices, networks, or information sources. Examples of communication interface  26  include but are not limited to an infrared or radiofrequency (“RF”) interface (such as those that use the Bluetooth standard), a modem, a network interface (for example an Ethernet card), a communications port, a PCMCIA slot and card, and the like. The communication interface(s)  26  may implement industry promulgated architecture standards, such as Ethernet IEEE 802 standards, Fibre Channel, digital subscriber line (DSL), asymmetric digital subscriber line (ASDL), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), integrated digital services network (ISDN), personal communications services (PCS), transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), serial line Internet protocol/point to point protocol (SLIP/PPP), and the like. Software and/or data transferred via the communication interface  26  may be transferred using signals  27 , such as electronic, electromagnetic, optical signals, and the like. The signals  27  may be implemented using wires, cables, fiber optics, telephone lines, cellular phone links, radio frequency (RF) links, and/or other communications channels. 
     Computer programming instructions, e.g., computer programs, software, or firmware, may be stored in the main memory  24  and/or the secondary memory  25 . Computer programs may also be received via the communication interface  26 . Such computer programs, when executed, may enable the electronic device  20  to perform one or more of the features described elsewhere herein. 
     As used herein, “computer program product” may refer to any media used to provide programming instructions to the electronic device  20 . Examples of such media include removable storage units in removable storage drive  25   b , a hard disk installed in hard disk drive  25   a , and signals  27 . Thus, a computer program product may include means for providing programming instructions to the electronic device  20 . 
     Where the methods and/or features described herein are completed using software, the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into the electronic device  20 , e.g., using the hard disk drive  25   a , removable storage drive  25   b , and/or communication interface  26 . The computer programming instructions, when executed by the processor  22 , may cause the processor  22  to perform the methods and/or features described herein. In addition or alternatively, one or more of the methods and/or features may be implemented primarily in hardware using hardware components, such as application specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”). 
     In addition, the electronic device  20  may include one or more user interfaces  28 , e.g., a keyboard  28   b , mouse, touch screen, touch pad (not shown), and/or other input device. The user interface  40  may allow a customer using the electronic device  20  to download software, launch one or more programs, place and/or pay for orders, and/or otherwise communicate with the vendor server  12  and/or settlement house  16 , as described elsewhere herein. 
     Further, the electronic device  20  may include one or more output devices, e.g., a display  28   a , speaker (not shown), and the like. The output device(s)  28   a  may facilitate a customer controlling and/or otherwise communicating with the processor  22  or other components of the electronic device  20 . In addition, the output device(s)  28   a  may allow information to be presented and/or manipulated in a desired manner, e.g., to present a series of menus and/or images, as described elsewhere herein. In one embodiment, the electronic device  20  may include a touch screen (not shown) that may act as a display  28   a  and as an input device  28   b , allowing the customer to scroll through menus and/or select icons, e.g., by touching the corresponding images on the touch screen, as described elsewhere herein. 
     Optionally, the electronic device  20  may include one or more additional hardware components and/or software modules. For example, the electronic device  20  may include a GPS  29  or other device or system for identifying a location of the electronic device  20 , e.g., to facilitate identifying vendor locations based on proximity to the customer. 
     Turning to  FIG. 3 , an exemplary method is shown for using an electronic device, such as the electronic device  20  of  FIG. 2  (also referenced below), to place an order for one or more prepared food products, e.g., using an application downloaded or otherwise stored in the memory  24  and/or  25  of the electronic device  20 . For example, the application may be initially downloaded via the network  10 , e.g., from the vendor server  12 , a general application server, or other available server. When the application is downloaded or otherwise stored in memory  24  and/or  25 , the application may include a long-term or indefinite database, e.g., stored in memory  25 , and optionally, a short-term or temporary database, e.g., stored in memory  24  and/or  25 . For example, the long-term database may include a menu of standard food products available from the vendor(s) accessible using the application, prices, nutritional and/or other information regarding the food products, images of food products and available ingredients, standard animations, and the like, as described further below. The temporary database may be used to store information during a particular transaction, e.g., when the electronic device  20  contacts a vendor server  12 , such as specials, modifications to the menu of standard food products (e.g., new products not included in the long-term database, food products in the long-term database not available at a selected vendor location  14 ), price changes, and the like, also as described further below. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the application may be a specialized program dedicated to ordering food products from a single vendor or its affiliates, e.g., a company that operates multiple outlets directly, or franchisees of a franchisor, such as Subway® restaurants. In this embodiment, the application may be downloaded from the vendor server  12 , e.g., via a website or other location accessible via the network  10  and maintained and/or operated by the vendor server  12 . Alternatively, the application may be available from a website providing multiple applications for various vendors, e.g., a website specializing in food service, or from a general applications store, such as the iTunes® store or other vendor. In another embodiment, the application may provide menus and ordering services for multiple vendors, e.g., such that desired vendors may be selected from the application and orders then placed for products from that particular vendor&#39;s menu, e.g., as described elsewhere herein. 
     Returning to  FIG. 3 , once the application is stored on the electronic device  20 , at any time, the application may be used to place orders for prepared food products. Initially, at step  110 , the application may be launched, e.g., by selecting the desired application from a menu of available applications displayed on the display  28   a . For example, the customer using the electronic device  20  may use a touch screen, touch pad, keyboard, or other input device  28   b  to navigate through a menu of applications stored in memory  24  or  25  on the electronic device  20 , and select the application by touching an icon representing the application on a touch screen, clicking on a touch pad, pressing “enter” on a keyboard or keypad, or otherwise using the input device  28   b  (similar methods may be used to select items from any of the menus or methods described elsewhere herein). 
     As described further below, the images related to the application may be displayed on the electronic device  20  in landscape or portrait orientation, as desired. For example, the display  28   a  may have an aspect ratio in which the width is greater than the height (landscape orientation) or in which the width is smaller than the height (portrait orientation). Optionally, the electronic device  20  may include a display  28   a  that may be operated in either landscape or portrait orientation. For example, the electronic device  20  may include one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, and/or other sensors that may determine the orientation of the display  28   a , and the application may automatically display the images in the appropriate orientation based on the sensor information. 
     Next, at step  120 , a vendor location may be selected. For example, the GPS  29  on the electronic device or other device or system may provide the location of the electronic device  20 , which may be transmitted via the communication interface  26  to the vendor server  12  or other location. The vendor server  12  may return one or more vendor locations  14  based on the GPS data, e.g., by proximity to the electronic device  20 , which may be presented to the customer as a list or other menu on the display  28   a . Alternatively, a database of vendor locations may be included in the long-term database of the application, e.g., downloaded and stored in the memory  25 . A list or menu of available vendor locations may be displayed on the display  28   a  when the processor  22  accesses the GPS data and the database, e.g., based on proximity to the location of the electronic device  20 . From the list or menu, the customer may select a desired vendor location  14 , e.g., using the input device  28   b.    
     In a further alternative, the electronic device  20  may have one or more favorite vendor locations stored in the long-term database, e.g., in the memory  25 , saved by the user.  FIGS. 6I and 6J  show exemplary images that may be displayed of a saved or favorite vendor location, e.g., by accessing the “Settings” icon  132   e  from the main menu  132 , as described further below. The favorite vendor location(s) may be displayed on the display  28   a  or automatically selected when the application launches. The customer may simply accept a default vendor location using the input device  28   b  or may override the default and request a list of vendor locations, e.g., based on proximity to the electronic device  20  (from GPS data) or based on proximity to a location input by the customer using the input device  28   b , e.g., a Zip or postal code, city, state, and the like. 
     Once a vendor location  14  is selected, the electronic device  20  may communicate with the vendor server  12  and/or vendor location  14 , e.g., to receive updates and/or other information, relevant to the selected vendor location  14 . For example, the processor  22  may transmit an inquiry to the vendor server  12  and/or vendor location  14  requesting any special offers, menu updates, and the like, which may be downloaded via the communication interface  26  and stored in the memory  24  and/or  25 , e.g., in the long-term or temporary database of the application. 
     In yet another alternative, the application may defer requesting or selecting a vendor location, e.g., until an order is completed, and the customer is ready to check-out and pay for the order. In this alternative, the application may use a default database, e.g., already stored in the memory  24  and/or  25 , or downloaded from the vendor server  12 . For example, the vendor server  12  may send the electronic device  20  a default database when the application is initially downloaded (which may be updated periodically, as described elsewhere herein), or the electronic device  20  may automatically contact the vendor server  12  each time the application is launched, and an entire default database or default updates may be transferred to the memory  24  and/or  25 . In this alternative, a user may select items for an order using the default database, which may be reconciled with any changes for a particular vendor location when the order is complete, as described elsewhere herein. 
       FIG. 5A  shows an exemplary initial image that may be displayed on the display  28   a  of the electronic device  20 , where a location of a Subway® restaurant in Laguna Beach, Calif. has been selected. An image, such as that shown in  FIG. 5A , may be displayed for a predetermined time, if desired, e.g., to allow time for any menu updates or other information to buffer and/or at least partially download into memory  24  and/or  25 . In addition or alternatively, when the application is launched, a greeting may be presented, e.g., emitted by a speaker (not shown) on the electronic device  20  and/or presented on the display  28   a . For example, a greeting may be provided similar to that used by staff when a customer enters a physical vendor location, e.g., “Welcome to Subway. What can I make for you?” and the like. Other audio greetings or messages may be presented at other times during use of the application, e.g., to further enhance the experience and/or simulate being served in person and/or personally, as described elsewhere herein. 
     If the vendor location  14  (or the default database) has any special offers, e.g., included in the information downloaded from the vendor server  12 , the application may automatically direct the processor  22  to present such offers on the display  28   a , e.g., sequentially after the initial screen. For example, the image of  FIG. 5A  includes a notice to the customer that a drink and chips can be added to a sub for $2.50.  FIG. 5B  shows another exemplary image of a special offer (“12 cookies for $5.00”) that may be displayed alone or as part of a sequence of special offers on or after the initial image, e.g., superimposed on the image of  FIG. 5A . The special offer(s) may be displayed for a predetermined time, e.g., to allow additional time, if needed, for menu updates, image files or other graphics, and the like to further download into the memory  24  and/or  25  of the electronic device  20 . Optionally, a user may use the input device  28   b  to select a special offer, e.g., by touching a touch screen over the image of the special offer, or otherwise using the input device  28   b , to bypass at least some of the subsequent menus and jump immediately to a special offer of interest. Alternatively, the user may select “Specials” from the main menu  131 , as described further below, at any time while the application is running to access the list of available special offers, which may be displayed, e.g., as shown in  FIGS. 6F and 6G . 
     As described above, in an exemplary system and method, the application may include a long-term database of standard products; product images, animations, or other graphics; prices; nutritional information; and the like. The long-term database may be set-up and/or stored in the memory  24  and/or  25  of the electronic device  20 , e.g., when the application is initially downloaded or otherwise stored. During step  130 , the processor  22  may check if any of the standard menu items, prices, and/or other information has changed, and, if so, the new menu items, prices, and/or other updated information may be downloaded and added to the long-term database in memory  24  and/or  25 , e.g., indefinitely replacing previous prices or other information. Alternatively, the new prices may be saved temporarily, e.g., into the temporary database, such that the long-term database remains unchanged, while allowing the temporary prices charged by the vendor location  14  to be saved, displayed, and used during an order. For example, the processor  22  may download any such special prices or other deals via the communications interface  26 , which may be offered by the vendor location  14 , e.g., for a limited time, and/or added to the long-term and/or temporary databases. 
     In addition or alternatively, the processor  22  may download any new products offered by the vendor location  14  that are not already included in the long-term database, e.g., for indefinite addition to the long-term database, or temporarily saved solely for the current transaction, e.g., in the temporary database. Alternatively, the processor  22  may determine from the data received from the vendor server  12  that certain products in the long-term database are not offered by the selected vendor location  14 , whereupon the processor  22  may leave such products off of the menus subsequently displayed and offered to the customer by the application on the electronic device  20 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 3 , at step  140 , one or more food products may be selected for purchase, e.g., added to an order being placed by the customer. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6A , after presenting an initial image (e.g.,  FIG. 5A ) and/or any special offer images (e.g.,  FIG. 5B ), an initial menu  131  may be displayed on the display  28   a , e.g., to present menu options to the customer. As shown in  FIG. 6A , the menu  131  may be displayed in a portrait or vertical stacked orientation, e.g., which may be scrolled vertically to present a plurality of menu categories, such as “subs”  131   a , “salads”  131   b , “drinks”  131   c , and “cookies”  131   d . Alternatively, as shown in FIGS.  6 B( 1 )- 6 B( 3 ), the initial menu  131 ′ may be displayed in a landscape or side-by-side orientation, e.g., which may be scrolled vertically (or alternatively horizontally, not shown) to present menu categories, such as “subs”  131   a , “salads”  131   b , “kid&#39;s menu”  131   c , “breakfast”  131   d , “cookies”  131   e , “cookies”  131   f , “soups &amp; more”  131   g , “giant subs”  131   h , and “platters”  131   i  on the display  28   a  to the customer. 
     Optionally, as shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , a shortcut or main menu  132  (and/or other menus, not shown) may be included in the image presenting the initial menu  131 , e.g., along the bottom of the image, as shown, or alternatively, along the top or one of the sides of the image (not shown). The shortcut menu  132  may provide additional options to the customer in addition to selecting individual food products from the initial menu  131 . 
     For example, the customer may select “new order”  132   a  from the shortcut menu  132  to begin placing a new order and canceling any unsaved order information to date (e.g., after confirmation from the customer). Alternatively, the customer may simply select one of the displayed categories on the initial menu  131  to initiate a new order and select one or more prepared food products for purchase. For example, the customer may select a sandwich for purchase, e.g., by touching the image over or adjacent the region labeled “subs”  131   a ,  131   a ′ (or over the image of the exemplary sandwich or elsewhere in the field shown adjacent the corresponding text), or otherwise inputting a selection using the input device  28   b , whereupon the electronic device  20  may perform a method to select the prepared food product of choice, such as that shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  7 A- 7 Q, and described further below. When such a selection is made, the application may again present a message simulating being served in person, e.g., an audio message stating “What would you like on your sandwich?” and the like. 
     Alternatively, the customer may select “past order”  132   b  from the shortcut menu  132  to repeat a previous order that the customer has placed using the electronic device  20 , e.g., saved in memory  25 . For example, if the customer selects past order  132   b  using the input device  28   b , the processor  22  may access the memory  25 , and present a submenu of previous orders on the display  28   a , such as that shown in  FIG. 6E . The customer may then select one of the previous orders, or cancel and exit the submenu and return to the initial menu  131 . Optionally, the customer may select to edit the previous order, e.g., by selecting an “edit” button or highlighted text link included in the displayed image (not shown), whereupon the order may be edited using methods similar to those used to place a new order, as described further elsewhere herein. 
     In yet another option, the customer may select “favorites”  132   c  from the shortcut menu  132 , whereupon the processor  22  may cause a list or submenu of favorite food products previously saved in memory  24  and/or  25  of the electronic device  20 . For example,  FIG. 6C  shows an exemplary image including a submenu of favorite food products previously saved in memory  25  of the electronic device  20 . Any of the favorites may be selected, may be edited, and/or may be deleted, e.g., by selecting appropriate icons adjacent the respective favorite food products. 
     For example, turning to FIGS.  6 D( 1 ) and  6 D( 2 ), an image of an exemplary favorite prepared food product, e.g., a sandwich, is shown and described, e.g., by selecting an expand icon  133  to the left of the favorite food product (e.g., changing from a “&gt;” in  FIG. 6C  to a “V” in FIGS.  6 D( 1 ) and  6 D( 2 )). If the customer wants to order the favorite food product identified as previously ordered, the customer may add the product to their order, e.g., by selecting (e.g., touching or clicking) the “+” icon  134   a  shown in FIG.  6 D( 1 ). Alternatively, if the customer wants to modify the favorite food product, the customer may select a “pencil” icon (not shown) and modify the food product, using methods similar to those described elsewhere herein. In a further alternative, the customer may delete the favorite food product, e.g., by selecting the “−” icon  134   c , and then confirming by selecting the “Delete” icon  134   d  (e.g., to reduce the risk of accidental selection), as shown in FIG.  6 D( 2 ). 
     In still another option, the customer may select “specials”  132   d  from the shortcut menu  132 , whereupon the processor  22  may access the memory  24  and/or  25  and/or communicate with the vendor server  14  for special offers. The processor  22  may then present a list or submenu of special deals, such as the exemplary images shown in  FIGS. 6F and 6G , offered by the vendor location  14  on the display  28   a . The customer may select one of the specials included in the display image, if desired, and may then modify the special order, e.g., to add and/or change ingredients, and the like, similar to other methods herein. 
     Finally, the customer may select “Settings”  132   e  from the shortcut menu  132 , e.g., to set or change other settings related to operation of the application and/or electronic device  20 . For example, when Settings  132   e  is selected, the customer may be able to save preferred vendor locations, update payment information, e.g., credit or debit card, or online payment service information, such as PayPal® information, and the like. For example,  FIG. 6H  shows an exemplary image that may be initially displayed when “Settings”  132   e  is selected from the main menu  132 , showing saved user information, e.g., saved favorite vendor location(s)  150 , account information  152 , customer information  154 , saved (or default) delivery/drop-off/pick-up option(s)  156 , and saved (or default) payment information  158 . The user may select any of these fields or the corresponding “&gt;” icons to review additional details and/or make any desired changes. After the user has made any desired changes, the user may return to the main Settings page of  FIG. 6H  by selecting the “Settings” icon  148 , e.g., as shown in  FIGS. 6I-6L . 
     For example, if the “Account or “User” icons or fields  152 ,  154  are selected from the Settings menu shown in  FIG. 6H , an image including information regarding the account or user, e.g., including their contact information, such as e-mail address, phone number, address, and the like, may be displayed, similar to the image shown in  FIG. 6K . 
     If the user selects the “Store” icon or associated field  150  shown in  FIG. 6H , an image including information related to any saved favorite vendor location(s) may be displayed, such as the image shown in  FIG. 6J . For example, as shown in  FIG. 6I , a map of the area of the saved vendor location(s) may be displayed including one or more pins, corresponding to the saved store location(s). Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 6J , the saved store location(s) may be displayed as a list. The user may be able switch between the map and list views, e.g., by selecting the “Map” or “List” icon  150   a  in  FIGS. 6I and 6J . Optionally, the user may conduct searches for vendor locations, e.g., by selecting the “Search by postal code, city, street add . . . ” icon  150   b , shown in  FIGS. 6I and 6J , whereupon additional search screens (not shown) may be displayed. 
     If the “Payment Type” icon or field  158  is selected, an image including saved payment information may be displayed, such as the image shown in  FIG. 6L . The user may then modify, add, and/or delete information, as desired from the displayed fields. 
     If the “Delivery/Drop-Off/Pick-Up” icon or field  156  is selected, an image including delivery options for the customer to receive their order may be displayed, similar to the images or pages shown in  FIGS. 10A-10D . A similar image may be presented upon completing an order that is ready to be transmitted to the vendor server  12 , e.g., as described elsewhere herein. 
     As shown, a delivery submenu  160  may be presented on the page including available options for receiving the order from a particular vendor location, such as the store displayed in the Store field on the main Settings page shown in  FIG. 6H . As shown, the submenu  160  includes three options: delivery  160   a , drop-off  160   b , and pick-up  160   c . If the user selects the delivery icon  160   a , an image similar to that shown in  FIG. 6K  may be presented, allowing the user to select a saved address previously entered or enter a new address. When an order is placed, i.e., transmitted and/or confirmed, the delivery information may be provided to the selected vendor location, e.g., along with the other order information such that the staff of the vendor location may arrange for delivery of the order to the identified address. 
     When the user selects the “Settings” icon  148  to return to the Settings page, the “Delivery/Drop-Off/Pick-Up” field  156  may be updated to indicate that the order is to be delivered to the listed address. Similar pages and/or menus may be presented before an order is actually placed, as described elsewhere herein, in which case the “Settings” icon  148  shown in  FIGS. 6I-6L  may be replaced with a “Back” icon  148  to return to the order summary pages, also as described elsewhere herein. 
     For example, if the user selects the pick-up icon  160   c , the “Delivery/Drop-Off/Pick-Up” field  156  may be updated to indicate that the order is to be picked-up at the selected store identified in the Store field  154 . Under this option, the customer (or their representative) may go in person to the vendor location to receive the food items for the order. 
     If the user selects the Drop-Off icon  160   b , additional menus may be presented, such as those shown in  FIGS. 10A-10D  and  11 A- 11 D, including available options for having the order dropped off by the selected vendor location. Under this option, the selected vendor location may have a number of physical locations within a desired distance from the vendor location to which staff of the vendor location may deliver orders. For example, delivery personnel from the vendor location may travel using available methods, e.g., automobile, bicycle, and the like, through a prearranged course or path, stopping at one or more locations at predetermined times. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the drop-off locations may be described points of public areas, such as beaches, parks, and the like. Alternatively, the drop-off locations may be specific addresses, buildings, room, and the like of schools, businesses, and the like. For example, a delivery person may pick up all orders for a set of scheduled drop-offs and locations and travel along a predetermined course such that the delivery person arrives and remains at the identified drop-off locations at the identified times. Customers may then arrange to meet the delivery personnel at a drop-off location and time selected when they place their orders. The delivery course may require that the customer pay for their orders when placed or may accommodate payment at the time of drop-off, as described elsewhere herein. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 10A , a location menu  162  may be presented when the Drop-Off icon  160   b  is selected, which may include available drop-off locations to which the selected vendor location may delivery orders. Similar to other menus herein, the location menu  162  may be a scrolling menu allowing a customer to scroll through the available drop-off locations before selecting desired drop-off location. Optionally, the user may select the Map icon  150   a , whereupon an image similar to that shown in  FIG. 10B  may be presented, replacing the Drop-Off information (e.g., on the right half of the image, as shown) with a map that includes pins or other icons  163  showing the drop-off locations available. The Map icon  150   a  may be replaced with a “Time” icon or button  150   c , which may be selected to return to the previous image of  FIG. 10A , again showing the selected Drop-Off information. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , within a field identifying each drop-off location (examples  162   a ,  162   b  shown), a submenu of drop-off times  164  may be presented that includes time icons  165  that may be selected by the user. For example, in the example shown in  FIG. 10A , a user may select the “1:30 pm” icon  164   a  in the drop-off submenu  164 . When the user selects a desired time, e.g., the 1:30 pm icon  164   a , Drop-Off information may be populated or updated in the fields on the right side of the image, e.g., displaying the selected date and time in the Drop-off Time field  167 . 
     If certain drop-off times have passed for the day, the now-unavailable times may no longer be highlighted, e.g., grayed or otherwise deactivated (not shown), so the user cannot select one of them. When the user selects the Settings or Back icon  148  to return to the Settings menu (shown in  FIG. 6H ), the delivery information, i.e., drop-off location and time, may be presented in the delivery field  156 . 
       FIGS. 10A and 10B  include non-addressed drop-off locations, e.g., described by their relationship to landmarks at public places. For example, for a beach that may be several miles long, multiple drop-off locations may be available that are spaced apart from one another along the beach, and distinguished from one another by local landmarks (e.g., next to the gate keycode structure” or “next to the gate entrance” as shown). Optionally, a photo icon  166  may be associated with each drop-off location, which may be selected to see one or more photographs of the drop-off location, which may also facilitate a customer identifying the drop-off locations and/or meeting the delivery personnel at the selected drop-off location. 
     Similarly,  FIGS. 10C and 10D  show a drop-off submenu  162  including a plurality of school locations  162   c - 162   f  that are available for delivery. In the submenu  162  shown, each school location only includes a single drop-off time  164   c - 164   f , e.g., corresponding to a lunch time or other prearranged time at which the location allows orders to be dropped-off. Customers at the selected locations may arrive at the prearranged times to pick-up the orders that have been dropped off. 
     In addition or alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B , when Drop-Off icon  160   b  is selected from the delivery menu  160 , a Group Menu  168  of available groups of drop-off locations may be presented on the display  28   a . For example, as shown, two available groups or “classes” of drop-off locations are listed, namely Beach Delivery locations, icon  168   a , and School Delivery locations, icon  168   b . It will be appreciated that other groups or classes may be listed in addition to or instead of those shown, e.g., based on seasonal or other schedules. For example, the group Beach locations  168   a  may only be available and included on the Group Menu  168  from spring to fall (e.g., since such locations may not be available during the winter season), while School locations may only be available and included from fall to spring (and not available during the summer). Thus, similar types or classes of drop-off locations may be placed within individual groups, which may facilitate organization and/or selection of the drop-off locations. Optionally, the Group Menu  168  may also include one or more individual drop-off locations, such as the Bluebird Beach icon  168   c  shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , which may not be included in one of the listed groups. 
     When a user selects one of the groups, e.g., the Beach locations icon  168   a  as shown in  FIG. 11B , the Group Menu  168  may be expanded to present a submenu  169  of individual drop-off locations  169   a  within the identified group. Also, as shown, the icon  168   a  may be changed from a “&gt;” to a “V” to indicate the selected group. The user may then be able to scroll through the submenu  169  to select a desired drop-off location and available drop-off time (not shown). When a drop-location and time are selected, information regarding the selection may be presented in Drop-off Time field  167 , as shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B . The information may include the drop-off location, the selected drop-off time, e.g., including the date, any delivery charges associated with the selection, and the like. If the user wants to close the selected group submenu  169 , the user may select the “V” icon  168   a , which may return the “&gt;” icon  168   a  and collapse the group submenu  169 , and return the user to the Group Menu  168 . Similar to the images in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , the user may select the Map icon  150   a  to replace the Drop-Off information with a map showing the selected drop-off location, if desired. 
     In addition, as shown in  FIG. 11B , each available drop-off location  169   a  may include a photo icon  169   b , which may be selected, whereupon a photograph of the corresponding drop-off location  169   a  may be presented on the display  28   a , e.g., as shown in  FIG. 11C . Optionally, multiple photographs may be available, e.g., taken from different perspectives to facilitate identifying the drop-off location. When the user has finished reviewing the photograph(s), the user may select the “Done” icon  169   c  and return the Drop-Off menus shown in  FIGS. 11A and 11B . 
     Returning to  FIG. 3 , once an order is complete (e.g., using any of the methods described elsewhere herein), at step  150 , the electronic device  20  may transmit the order to the vendor server  12  for processing. For example, the electronic device  20  may transmit a data file including the order via the communication interface  26  and the network  10  to the vendor server  12 . The customer may pay for the order with the vendor server  12  directly, or via the settlement house  16  using conventional methods. For example, the electronic device  20  may include payment information in the memory  25 , such as that shown in  FIG. 6L , which may be transmitted with the order or may be subsequently transmitted when prompted during communications with the vendor server  12 . Alternatively, the customer may opt to pay for the order, e.g. when they arrive at the vendor location  14  or selected drop-off location, to pick up their order, or when the order is delivered, e.g., if authorized by the vendor location. 
     If items for the order were selected without first selecting a vendor location, the information regarding the order, e.g., price, etc., may be displayed based on information taken from the default database. Before the final order is transmitted, the application may compare the information from the default database with that for the actual vendor location selected. For example, if the user completes selecting items for an order, and then selects a desired vendor location, the electronic device  20  may communicate with the vendor server  12  to reconcile any differences or conflicts between information from the default database with that for the selected vendor location. For example, the vendor location may have prices and/or menu offerings that differ from the default database. If so, the application may update the information and present it to the customer on the display  28   a , e.g., presenting an update price for individual items and/or the complete order. If a menu change requires the customer to modify one or more items for the order, the application may warn the customer and return them to the order menus described elsewhere herein to change the item(s) based on the available choices. 
     Optionally, the differences between the current default database and the selected vendor location may be reconciled in the permanent database of the electronic device  20 . For example, prices and/or menu changes for the selected vendor location may replace conflicting entries in the default database, thereby creating a new, updated default database that may be used by the application the next time the user places an order. In this manner, bandwidth and/or energy use may be conserved since an order may be selected locally (without having to go back and forth with the vendor server  12 ) and then reconciled once the order is complete and ready to be transmitted. 
     Once the order has been successfully transmitted and acknowledged by the vendor server  12  (and optionally paid for), the vendor server  12  may communicate the order to the selected vendor location  14 , for example, via the network  10  or directly via link  15 , e.g., if the vendor server  12  is located physically at the vendor location  14 . The order may be presented to the vendor location  14  in any desired format, e.g., a text file, image file, and the like, that may be integrated into the existing systems and/or procedures at the vendor location  14 . Optionally, the vendor location  14  may send an acknowledgment to the electronic device  20 , e.g., a text, e-mail, or other communication, acknowledging receipt of the order. Optionally, the vendor location  14  may send a communication to the electronic device  20 , e.g., when the order has been prepared and is ready for pick up, when an drop-off order is en route, and/or any other desired communication, for example, via the vendor server  12 , the network  10 , and the like. 
     Turning to FIGS.  4  and  7 A- 7 Q, an exemplary method will now be described for selecting and building a desired prepared food product, e.g., a sandwich from a Subway® restaurant, for inclusion in a customer&#39;s order. Although the illustrated method shows an individual sandwich being ordered, it will be appreciated that the process may be repeated as many times as desired to add additional food products to an individual customer order. In addition,  FIGS. 7A-7Q  show images that may be displayed on a display in a landscape orientation (although alternatively, similar images may be displayed in a portrait orientation, not shown). 
     As described above, an initial menu  131  of available product categories may be presented by the processor  22  on the display  28   a , e.g., such as those shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . The customer may select a desired product category to add to an order, e.g., from the initial menu  131 . For example, the customer may select “subs”  131   a  from the initial menu  131  to select a sandwich. Again, when a selection is made, the application may present a message simulating being served in person, e.g., emitting an audio message from a speaker of the electronic device  20 , e.g., asking “What kind of sandwich would you like,” “What would you like on your sandwich?,” and the like. 
     In response to the selection, at step  210  in  FIG. 4 , the processor  22  may access the memory  24  and/or  25  to identify available sandwiches, and may present a menu  212  of available sandwiches on the display  28   a . The menu  212  may be obtained and presented for a selected vendor location or for a default database, as described elsewhere herein. As shown in  FIG. 7A , the menu  212  may be presented in a vertical orientation that may scroll vertically to allow the customer to peruse the available products. Alternatively, the menu  212  may be provided in a side-by-side orientation (not shown), which may be scrolled horizontally (both alternatives may be used for any of the menus and/or images shown and described herein, as will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art). 
     Although only a “tuna” sub and a “melt meatball” sub are shown in  FIG. 7A , many different sandwiches may be presented and selected from the menu  212 , e.g., by scrolling through the menu  212 . It will also be appreciated that many different food products may be provided in addition to or instead of “subs” or sandwiches and that such products may be selected and ordered using similar methods to those described herein. For example, other food products that include a bread item, e.g., burgers, pizzas, tacos, and the like, may be selected and “built to order” in a similar manner to those described herein. In addition or alternatively, other food products may be selected and built to order, e.g., that are provided in a receptacle. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 8A and 8B , a salad may be selected and built to order, e.g., after selecting “salad”  131   b  from the initial menu  131  in  FIG. 6A , as described further below. 
     Along with images of the available subs (or other food products), additional information may be presented to the customer on the display  28   a . For example, as shown in  FIG. 7A , the menu  212  may include prices, e.g., of different sizes and/or configurations, of the food products available. As shown, a first “&gt;” icon  213   a  is shown that identifies a 6″ sub for $4.99, a second “&gt;” icon  213   b  is shown that identifies a 12″ sub for $6.99, and a third “&gt;” icon  213   c  is shown that identifies a salad configuration for $6.99. Optionally, an information icon “i”  214  may be associated with each food product on the menu  212 , which may be selected by the customer to obtain additional information. For example, if the customer selects icon  213  in  FIG. 7A , the processor  22  may access the long-term and/or temporary database in the memory  24  and/or  25 , and present another image on the display  28   a , including nutritional and/or other information regarding the selected food product, such as that shown in  FIG. 7B . 
     Turning to step  220  in  FIG. 4 , one of the subs (or other prepared food products) may be selected, e.g., from the menu  212  shown in  FIG. 7A , using the input device  28   a . In response, at step  220  in  FIG. 4 , the processor  22  may access the database(s) in memory  24  and/or  25  and present a list or submenu  222  of bread items, ingredients, and/or other components available for the subs on the display  28   a , e.g., for making the selected prepared food product.  FIG. 7C  shows exemplary images of a first submenu  223  including visual representations of each of the available bread items. The customer may scroll through the available bread items, as desired, similar to the other menus. 
     Turning to step  240  in  FIG. 4 , one of the bread items may be selected using the input device  28   b , whereupon the processor  22  may access the database(s) and present a visual representation of the selected bread item  224  on the display  28   a , e.g., as shown in  FIG. 7D . Optionally, the processor  22  may access and present an animation of the selected bread item, e.g., being directed to an open orientation for receiving ingredients. For example, as represented by the images in  FIGS. 7D-7F , the animation may show an enlarged image  224  of the selected bread item, e.g., adjacent the menu  222  of available bread items, in an initial closed configuration ( FIG. 7D ), show the selected bread item being cut with a knife in the closed configuration ( FIG. 7E ), and then opened to the open configuration ( FIG. 7F ) to receive other ingredients. Optionally, the animation may include placing the meat or other main ingredient(s) for the selected sandwich on the open bread. Thus, the animation may simulate preparation of the selected bread item, e.g., as if the customer were in a Subway® restaurant and ordering the sandwich in person. 
     One or more ingredients may then be selected for the selected food product using the input device  28   b  and the menu  222 . For example, in step  250  of  FIG. 4 , the processor  22  may access the database(s) and present one or more sections  242 - 246  of the submenu  222  showing available ingredients on the display  28   a , as shown in  FIGS. 7G-7Q  and  10 E- 10 L, e.g., adjacent the enlarged image  224  of the selected bread item in the open configuration (which will become the image of the prepared food product being built). Similar to other menus described herein, the submenus  242 - 246  may be scrolled or otherwise navigated, e.g., to search and select desired ingredients. 
     The available ingredients and/or components may be provided in a single scrolling submenu  222 , e.g., with similar ingredients collected together in groups or sections  242 - 246 , etc. If desired, the user may jump to different sections of the submenu  222  to review different groups of ingredients by selecting one of the options  232   a - 232   e  from the shortcut menu  232 , as described further below. Alternatively, a series of separate submenus may be presented sequentially on the display  28   a  for each of the groups of ingredients, e.g., by selecting one of the options  232   a - 232   e  using the shortcut menu  232 , as shown in step  260  of  FIG. 4 . For example, if the user selects “cheese”  232  from the shortcut menu  232 , the application may jump to the section  242  of the menu  222  where the first cheese option is shown. Alternatively, if separate submenus are used, a second submenu  242  labeled “cheese” may be presented that includes cheese, meat, and/or other initial options, as shown in  FIGS. 7G ,  71 , and  10 E- 10 G. Thereafter, a third section  244  of the menu  222  labeled “veggies” of vegetables and/or other toppings may be presented, as shown in  FIGS. 7J-7P  and  10 H- 10 K, and/or a fourth section  246  labeled “sauce” of available sauces, condiments, and the like may be presented, as shown in  FIGS. 7Q and 10L . Thus, with a single continuous loop scrolling menu, the user may scroll through the entire menu  222  and/or use the shortcut menu  232  to jump to desired sections of the menu  222 , as desired. 
     For example, after selecting a desired bread item, the processor  22  may present the second section  242  of the menu  222  (or a separate cheese/meat submenu, not shown) adjacent the enlarged image  224  of the selected bread item, as shown in  FIG. 7G . The second section  242  may present available cheese items, as well as other options, such as extra meat, e.g., adding bacon, pepperoni, and the like, and/or special preparation options, such as toasting the sandwich. As shown in  FIG. 7G , the meat of the selected sandwich may be shown in the section  242 , along with a toggle icon  243 , which may show how much meat has been selected. For example, initially only one button on the toggle icon  243  may be highlighted, representing a standard portion of meat, and a first layer of meat may be added to the enlarged image of the selected bread item (not shown). If the customer selects or clicks on the meat image or the icon  243 , “extra meat” may be selected to add another portion of meat, e.g., which may result in highlighting the second button of the icon  243  (not shown). Optionally, a second layer of meat may be added to the enlarged image  224 , e.g., at least partially over the first layer, to provide a visual representation that an extra portion of meat has been added to the sandwich, in addition to or instead of the icon  243 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 7I , an exemplary image is shown that may be presented on the display  28   a , e.g., when cheese has been selected from the second section  242  of the menu  222 . As shown, the selected cheese may be added to the enlarged image  224  of the selected bread item, e.g., over the meat. Optionally, a toggle icon (not shown) may be associated with each cheese item displayed, e.g., if the customer wants to select extra cheese, similar to other toggle icons described elsewhere herein. In addition,  FIG. 7I  shows a toasting rack  248  under the selected bread item in the enlarged image  224 , e.g., to provide a visual representation that a toasted sandwich has been selected from the submenu  242 .  FIG. 7I  shows a “check” icon  249  adjacent the toasting rack, which may be activated when the customer selects toasting to provide a visual confirmation in addition to or instead of the toasting rack added to the enlarged image  224 . 
     Optionally, the processor  22  may access an animation file in the database(s), which may be presented on the display  28   a  when toasting (or other ingredient or procedure) is selected by the customer. For example, the animation may show the toasting rack  248  being slid under the selected bread item in the enlarged image  224 , e.g., without moving the selected bread item and selected ingredients, or by lifting them, sliding the toasting rack  248  under them, and lowering them onto the toasting rack  248 . The toasting rack  248  may then be shown glowing and/or images of steam may be temporarily imposed on the enlarged image  224 , e.g., to simulate heating the toasting rack  248  and sub. Optionally, the original cheese image superimposed on the enlarged image  224  may be replaced with a melted cheese image. If the user changes their mind and unselects the toasting option  249 , the toasting rack may be removed and the melted cheese image replaced with the original cheese image. 
     Turning to  FIG. 7J , an exemplary image is shown that may be presented on the display  28   a , including the enlarged image  224  showing cheese and meat superimposed on the selected bread item. In one embodiment, the database(s) and/or memory  24  and/or  25  may include separate image files of each available ingredient, in addition to separate enlarged image files for the available bread items. For example, as ingredients are added to the sandwich being selected, the processor  22  may access the database(s) and load the appropriate image files such that the corresponding image(s) are superimposed onto the enlarged image  224  of the selected bread item. In this manner, the image of the sandwich being selected may be customized to reflect the customer&#39;s choices by superimposing the images from the image files on top of one another. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the processor  22  may superimpose the images in a predetermined layering scheme, e.g., that may enhance identification of the selected ingredients when superimposed onto one another over the image of the selected bread item. For example, the image of selected cheese may be superimposed over the selected meat item, which may, in turn, be superimposed over the selected bread item, e.g., as shown in  FIG. 7J . As shown in  FIGS. 7K-7Q , subsequent ingredients may be superimposed over these images, e.g., in a manner that allows the different layers and/or ingredients to be identified by the customer. One of the advantages of providing separate image files that may be superimposed on one another is that the number and size of image files included in the database(s) of the application may be reduced, e.g., compared to having image files for ever possible combination of sandwiches and ingredients available for purchase. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 7J-7P , the third section  244  of the menu  222  (or a separate third submenu) labeled “veggies” is shown, e.g., including vegetables and other ingredients that may be added to the sandwich. As vegetable ingredients are added, a corresponding image of the selected vegetable may be superimposed on the enlarged image  224  adjacent the menu  222 . For example,  FIGS. 7J and 7K  show lettuce being added,  FIGS. 7L and 7M  show tomatoes being added,  FIG. 7N  shows cucumbers being added, and  FIGS. 7O and 7P  show olives being added. 
     Similar to the toggle icon described above for extra meat, each of the vegetable or other ingredients may include a toggle icon  252 - 255  (or other button or input) adjacent an image of the vegetable in the menu  222 . For example, when a desired vegetable is selected, the default may be to provide an average portion of that vegetable, which may be represented by an image of the selected vegetable on the enlarged image  224  of the sandwich adjacent the menu  222 . Optionally, the customer may select the vegetable again (or its toggle icon), to change the amount of the vegetable added to the sandwich. For example,  FIG. 7K  shows an average portion of tomato added to the sandwich, as represented by two buttons being highlighted in toggle icon  254 , while  FIG. 7M  shows extra tomato selected, as represented by three buttons being highlighted in the icon  254 . Also as shown, a second image file of tomatoes has been superimposed or otherwise added to the enlarged image  224  in  FIG. 7M  (or a new image file of tomatoes may replace the previous standard image of tomatoes), providing a visual representation that extra tomatoes have been selected. 
     If the vegetable is selected again, the vegetable may be removed (which may be represented by none of the buttons being highlighted in the associated toggle icon). If selected again, a less than average portion of the vegetable may be selected. For example,  FIG. 7O  shows average olives, as represented by two buttons being highlighted in toggle icon  255 , and  FIG. 7P  shows “easy” on the olives, as represented by one button being highlighted in the icon  255 , and fewer olives being included in the enlarged image  224 . 
     After selecting desired vegetables, the processor  22  may present the fourth section  246  of the scrolling menu  222  (or a fourth submenu) on the display, e.g., as shown in  FIG. 7Q , which may allow the customer to select sauces, condiments, and the like to add. For example, the section/submenu  246  may include options, such as salt and pepper, mustard and mayonnaise, oil and vinegar, and the like. Optionally, similar to the other sections of the menu  222 , toggle icons  257  may be presented to allow the customer to select extra, easy, or none of any of the ingredients, as shown adjacent to Mayonnaise in  FIG. 7Q . 
     In an alternative embodiment, to move from one section of the menu  222  to the next (or sequentially between separate submenus), the customer may select the “Order” icon or button  256 , as shown in  FIGS. 7C-7Q . For example, when the Order icon  256  is selected using the input device  28   b , the processor  22  may jump to or replace the previous section or submenu with the next sequential section submenu. Alternatively, the Order icon  256  may be selected to indicate that the selected food product is complete and ready to be added to an order, as described further below. 
     Optionally, as shown in  FIGS. 7C-7Q , the processor  22  may include a shortcut menu  232 , e.g., along the bottom of the display  28   a  while the menu  222  is displayed, which may facilitate a customer moving between the various sections or submenus. If desired, the shortcut menu  232  (or other menus added to images on the display) may fade or otherwise be removed (not shown), e.g., during inactive periods. For example, it may be desirable to remove the shortcut menu  232  when the user is inactive, e.g., to maximize the space on the display  28   a  available for the enlarged image  224  and/or scrolling menu  222 . If the user does not provide any input for a predetermined amount of time, e.g., one to three ( 1 - 3 ) seconds, the shortcut menu  232  may be removed. Once the user selects an item or otherwise inputs any information, the shortcut menu  232  may be displayed again. 
     For example, to use the shortcut menu  232 , a first button  232   a  may return the customer to the beginning of the bread section  223  of the menu  222 , as shown in  FIG. 7C , e.g., if the customer wants to change the selected bread item except with any ingredients appearing in the enlarged image  224  remaining (rather than showing the selected bread item empty). If the customer selects a different bread item from the menu  222 , any ingredients selected and included in the enlarged image  224  may remain while the selected bread item is replaced. For example, in one embodiment, the processor  22  may access and present an animation showing the images of the selected ingredients being lifted off the selected bread item, moving the image of the previously selected bread item out from under the ingredients, moving an image of the newly selected bread item under the selected ingredients (already in the open configuration, or alternatively in the closed configuration and then cut and opened), and lowering the images of the selected ingredients back onto the newly selected bread item. Thereafter, the application may return to the normal sequence of menus, or the customer may select one of the shortcut menu options to select ingredients, as desired. 
     Similarly, a second button  232   b  on the shortcut menu  232  may return the customer to the beginning of the cheese section  242  of the menu  222 , shown in  FIGS. 7G and 7I , a third button  232   c  may return the customer to the beginning of the veggies section  244  of the menu  222 , and a fourth button  232   d  may return the customer to the beginning of the sauce section  246  of the menu  222 . In this option, the Order icon  256  may be used to indicate the selected food product is complete or that the current menu selections are complete, as desired by the vendor(s) distributing the application. 
     In addition, the shortcut menu  232  (or other icons presented on the display  28   a  during the building process) may include one or more displays of information related to the selected prepared food product being built. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 7A-7I , button or icon  215  may include the total calories of the sandwich being selected and button or icon  216  may include a current total price for the sandwich. In an exemplary embodiment, as ingredients are added to or removed from the sandwich, the processor  22  may access the database(s) and add or subtract any calorie or price changes based on the selected items. For example, some vegetables and sauces may increase the calorie total but not change the price, while some ingredients (e.g., extra meat or cheese, adding bacon, avocado, and the like, not shown) may increase the calorie total and price total. Thus, the icons  215  and  216  may provide a running total to the customer of the calories and price. 
     Optionally, if the customer selects the icons  215  or  216 , they may be presented with a breakdown of the numbers and/or other information related to the selected ingredients, e.g., subtotals of calories and/or prices. For example,  FIG. 7H  shows an exemplary image of nutritional information for a six inch “cold cut trio” sub, itemizing ingredients added to the sandwich, and the calories associated with each of the base food product and added ingredients. 
     Turning to step  270  in  FIG. 4 , once the selected prepared food product is complete, the customer may provide an indication via the input device  28   b . For example, the customer may select the Order icon  256  included in the images presented on the display  28   a , e.g., as shown in  FIGS. 7C-7Q . The processor  22  may then add the completed food product to the customer&#39;s order. 
     In addition or alternatively, the processor  22  may present a visual representation of the completed food product. In one embodiment, the processor  22  may access the database(s) and present an animation showing the completed food product being packaged. For example, the animation may show the selected bread item being closed around the selected ingredients and/or a wrapper or other package may be applied around the food product, e.g., similar to the enlarged image  224  in  FIG. 7R . 
     Optionally, the processor  22  may present other options to the customer on the display  28   a . For example, the customer may be asked whether they want to save the selected food product to their favorites, as described above. In addition or alternatively, the customer may be asked whether they want to select another prepared food product. If the customer selects that they want to select another food product, the method of  FIG. 4  and similar images and menus may be presented to the customer, as described above. 
     In addition or alternatively, the processor  22  may prompt the customer to inquire whether the customer would like to order a combo and/or other food items to include in their order. For example, as shown in  FIG. 7R , the enlarged image  224  of the packaged food product may be presented along with one or more submenus  282 ,  284 , e.g., of food items that may be added to create a “combo” or “meal.” In addition or alternatively, the application may prompt the user with an audio inquiry, e.g., emitting from a speaker, such as “Would you like to make it a meal?” and the like. As shown, submenu  282  may include a variety of beverages that may be available, while submenu  284  may include a variety of sides, e.g., cookies, chips, soups, and the like that may be added to the order. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7S , a small Coke beverage has been selected from the beverage submenu  282  and a bag of Lay&#39;s chips has been selected from the sides submenu  284 , as indicated by the checks  283 ,  285  shown adjacent the submenus  282 ,  284 . In addition, when the customer selects a desired beverage and side, the processor  22  may access the database(s) and add images of the items to the enlarged image  224  adjacent the submenus  224 , thereby providing a visual representation to the customer of the selected order. It will be noted that the processor  22  may update the information in the calorie and price icons  215 ,  216  to reflect the addition of the beverage and side, as shown in  FIG. 7S .  FIGS. 8C and 8D  show similar images and submenus  282 ,  284 , except that the selected food product is a salad rather than a sandwich. 
     If satisfied with the items selected, the customer may select the Order icon  256 , whereupon the selected items will be added to the current order. Alternatively, if the customer does not want a beverage or side, the customer may select a “No Thanks!” (or other) icon or button  286 , e.g., displayed on the shortcut menu or bar  281  along the bottom of the display  28   a.    
     Turning to  FIG. 7T , when the Order icon  256  is selected, the processor  22  may present an image including a summary of the items included in the order, e.g., a text summary  292 , which may be expandable to present ingredient and/or price breakdowns, and an image  294  providing a visual representation of the food items. On this page the Order icon  256  has been replaced with a “Checkout” icon  256   a.    
     If the customer changes their mind, they may select the “Pencil/Edit” icon  291  adjacent to “My Order” to return to the previous menus and make changes to the entire order. Optionally, the customer may select the “Star” icon  295   a  to add individual items in the order to their favorites, the “Pencil” icon  295   b  to edit the associated individual items (e.g., returning to the order menus described above), or the “−” icon to delete the item. Thus, the Pencil/Edit icon  291  may be selected to return the entire order into edit mode to allow changes to any and/or all of the items, while the Pencil icon  295   b  may be selected to edit a single item, leaving any other items in the order unchanged. 
     For example, if the icon is selected to add the sandwich to the customer&#39;s favorites, the processor  22  may present an image, such as that shown in  FIG. 7U , which includes an active field  296  into which the customer may enter a name for the order. The customer may then select the Checkout icon  256   a , whereupon the processor  22  may save the sandwich and/or order in the database(s) for future reference. At any time, the customer may select the Checkout icon  256   a  in  FIGS. 7T-7V  to proceed to the final steps in order to place the order, e.g., similar to the image or page shown in  FIG. 7W . In another option, as shown in  FIGS. 8E and 8F , the summary of the order may be toggled between a price breakdown and a caloric breakdown, if desired. 
     Optionally, as shown in  FIG. 7T , the order pages or images may include a “shared cart” or “bump” feature, such as that represented by the icon  298 , which may be used to compile an order including items from multiple electronic devices. For example, after a user has selected items to be included in an order, the user may select the “shared cart” icon  298 , whereupon the electronic device  20  may search for other nearby electronic devices  20  including other items, e.g., selected using a similar application on the other electronic device(s)  20 . In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic devices  20  may communicate with one another wirelessly, e.g., using radiofrequency signals, such as those generated using Bluetooth or other protocols. The devices may then communicate with one another to send one or more additional items to the receiving device, which may add the item(s) to the order. 
     Turning to  FIG. 7V , before the order is transmitted, e.g. to the vendor server  12 , as described above, the processor  22  may present a screen, such as that shown, which may include one or more active fields, such that the customer may include comments or special instructions in the order. For example, as shown, a first active field  297   a  may be used to provide a name for a selected prepared food product, and a second active field  297   b  may be used to provide special instructions to the vendor. 
     Finally, when the customer selects the Checkout icon  256   a , e.g., as shown in  FIGS. 7T-7V , an image or page such as that shown in  FIG. 7W  may be displayed with a final summary of the order, i.e., including the customer, store, and payment information fields  152 - 158 , e.g., similar to the Settings page shown in  FIG. 6H , except with information specific to the order about to be placed. On this page, the Checkout icon  256   a  is replaced with a “Place Order” icon  256   b . When the customer selects the Place Order icon  256   b , the order is transmitted, as described elsewhere herein. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 8A and 8B , exemplary screen shots are shown that may be presented by the processor  22  on the display  28   a  when the customer has selected a salad configuration, e.g., from one of the menus  131  or  212 . Generally, the submenus and shortcut menus, e.g., menus  252  and  232  may function similarly to those described above. Unlike the procedure for selecting a sandwich, an enlarged image  224 ′ of the salad receptacle or container may be presented adjacent the submenu(s)  252 , e.g., with the receptacle in an open configuration, as shown in  FIG. 8A . Ingredients may be selected to add to the salad, whereupon the processor  22  may superimpose images of the selected ingredients into the receptacle in the enlarged image  224 ′ as shown. When the selection is complete, an animation (or still image) may be presented, e.g., showing a lid of the receptacle being closed over the salad, as shown in  FIG. 8B . 
       FIG. 9  shows an exemplary screen shot (FIG.  9 ( 1 ) being an upper portion and FIG.  9 ( 2 ) being a lower portion of the single scrollable image) of an order including several salads, as well as sandwiches and beverages, similar to the single item order shown in  FIG. 7T . As described above, the items may be selected using a single electronic device  20  or by combining items from several electronic devices  20 . 
     Once completed, the user may select a desired vendor location to make the order, if not already selected, select a delivery option, pay for the order, and the like, as described elsewhere herein. For example,  FIGS. 13A and 13B  show exemplary images that may be displayed before an order has been finally placed. For example,  FIG. 13A  includes a summary of payment information for the order, while  FIG. 13B  includes delivery information, e.g., including a vendor location, time and date when the order may be picked up at the selected vendor location. 
     In addition or alternatively, as described above with reference to  FIGS. 10A-10D , before an order is transmitted, the user may select the delivery menu  160  shown in  FIG. 13B , allowing the customer to select one of the available delivery options before the order is finally transmitted to the vendor server  12 , similar to the other embodiments herein. At any time, the user may select the “Back” icon  148  to return to the order summary and select the Checkout icon  256   a  to complete and place the order, e.g., similar to the image or page shown in  FIG. 7W . 
     Turning to  FIGS. 14A and 14B , exemplary images are shown that may be used to enter and/or modify available delivery options for a particular vendor location. For example, a manager or other authorized personnel for the vendor location may use an electronic device, such as the manager device  18 , a device at the vendor location  14 , and the like, which may communicate with the vendor server  12 . For example, a manager may add drop-off groups, drop-off locations, and/or drop-off times for the vendor location, which may be added to the database maintained by the vendor server  12 . Thus, thereafter, when a customer selects the vendor location and selects a “Drop-Off” delivery option, as described elsewhere herein, the added and/or updated drop-off groups, drop-off locations, and/or drop-off times may be provided to the customers for selection. The manager may also include information related to the drop-off locations, e.g., whether a delivery charge will be applied to orders delivered to the drop-off location, whether the delivery personnel will accept payment at the drop-off location (cash, credit, and the like), and the like.  FIG. 12  shows exemplary information that may be presented to a customer requesting information about a particular vendor location. The manager device may be used to modify any of these fields and/or information regarding vendor locations. 
     In another embodiment, the systems and methods herein may be used in a simulated environment, e.g., to test the application, database, and/or other features, to train personnel at vendor locations, and the like. For example, a fully operationally simulation database may be maintained by the vendor server  12 , e.g., which may be accessed by authorized personnel. For example, general customers may not be able to find the simulated database, but managers or other vendor personnel may be able to select the simulation database using an application similar to that described herein for use by general customers. 
     For example, if the vendor is considering adding new menu items (e.g., at predetermined intervals, e.g., every six weeks, or as desired), changing prices, and the like, any such changes may be made only to the simulation database. Thus, the main database used by the vendor server  12  to receive, fulfill, and/or otherwise arrange orders for general customers may remain unaffected by changes made to the simulation database. Once the final changes have been approved and/or updates have been tested, the vendor server may replace the main database with the simulation database. This may be accomplished by replacing the entire main database or by replacing only items that have been changed, e.g., added, deleted, and the like. Alternatively, once the simulation database is authorized for use by customers, the vendor server may simply point subsequent requests to the simulation database (which may be renamed or otherwise identified as the new main database). Thus, when customers initially download the application and receive a database or when customer electronic devices request updates, the simulation database becomes the database that is used, rather than the outdated previous main database. 
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications, and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular forms or methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims.