Patent ID: 7679522

Claim:
A system for securing a position in a service queue from locations in a store remote from the service queue, said system comprising: an electronic queue number request signal generator integrated with a shopping cart and operable by a customer from locations in the store remote from the service queue; the electronic queue number request signal generator configured to generate an electronic queue number request signal, wherein the electronic queue number request signal is employed to obtain a queue number; at least one queuing number processor comprising an electronic queue number request signal receiver for receiving the electronic queue number request signal; an electronic queue number generator to generate the queue numbers in response to the electronic queue number request signal, wherein the queue numbers are generated and assigned on a basis other than in response to sequential requests for queue numbers; an electronic queue number provider to communicate the queue number generated pursuant to the electronic queue number request signal to components of the system; and a display component for displaying information concerning the queue number to the customer.