Patent ID: 6920431

Claim:
A system for the remote ordering of items from a menu for delivery from an order fulfillment center located in a large venue having identifiable delivery locations, said system enabling a patron to self-order selected menu items, via voice and/or keypad input on a wireless, hand-held communication device over the public wireless and Internet communications infrastructure, for delivery to an identified delivery location, comprising: an order-taking computer for interactively communicating with said device over the public wireless and Internet communications infrastructure, including means responsive to the patron's input to assemble an order, means for associating a delivery location identification code for the identified delivery location with said order, means for use with said delivery location identification code for determining availability of delivery service to the identified delivery location, an order-processing computer, apart from said order-taking computer, for receiving orders from said order-taking computer and displaying orders for selected items, including delivery locations, to order fulfillment personnel, means for confirming order receipt by said order-processing computer to said device, at least one wireless transceiver node, which is part of the public wireless and Internet communications infrastructure, for receiving orders from a plurality of said communication devices and communicating them to said order-taking computer, and means for providing patron payment account information to associate with the order when placed and automatically charging the cost of the order to the patron account upon occurrence of a predetermined event without intervention by the patron or order fulfillment personnel apart from delivery confirmation.