Superstar singer Michael Jackson co-patented a "Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion" in 1993.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8089346 | System and method for managing restaurant customers and placing orders A system and method is provided to facilitate the owners of the restaurants in managing their restaurant business and facilitate customers of the restaurants in at least placing orders. The system comprises a local server, plurality of hand held devices and an inter... | 01/03/2012 |
| 8072316 | Table accessory for signaling that service is required An apparatus for providing a silent signal to a waiter/waitress that one of service is required and service is not required. The apparatus comprises a base member having a first predetermined shape and formed of a first predetermined material. A signaling member is ... | 12/06/2011 |
| 7978055 | Virtual mesero POS table A table designed for use in a restaurant. The table enables a patron of such restaurant to communicate with at least one of a hostess, waiter, waitress, chef and manager at such restaurant. The said table includes at least one leg member. A table top, having a prede... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7652558 | Multi-function customer satisfaction survey device A multi-function customer satisfaction survey device, system, and method. A restaurant management system includes a plurality of electronic tip trays and a base unit. Each of the tip trays electronically obtains and stores customer contact information, customer paym... | 01/26/2010 |
| 7439857 | Bathroom servicing request communication devices and method The present invention describes a restroom attendant system. The restroom attendant system utilizes a notification device placed in a restroom. A patron would select a request for service button when the patron recognizes that the restroom needs servicing. The notif... | 10/21/2008 |
| 7430411 | Transmission of service availability information Methods and apparatuses for providing service availability information to a waiting customer using the customer's wireless device are generally introduced herein. ... | 09/30/2008 |
| 7400228 | Retail service/server annunciator/pager, centerpiece and system A retail customer service annunciator/pager includes a base to recline on a retail tabletop; a tapered body extending upwardly from the base; a combination switch/light adjacent the apex of the tapered body, the switch/light alternately switching a visible light on ... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7385479 | Service personnel communication system A data processing system for analyzing customer and employee interactions in a service establishment is disclosed. The data processing system, comprises a plurality of remote customer, employee units and a central unit. The units each include a transceiver to send a... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7372361 | Restaurant service management system A restaurant service management system, for facilitating efficient communication between a customer and service staff in an establishment such as a restaurant. The service staff is equipped with a communication station having a display, and each customer is equipped... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7369039 | Waiter call light (WCL) The restaurant business is often a fast paced, stressful, and confusing business to work in. Servers frequently have a hard time guessing patron needs and patrons often find it difficult to gain the servers attention. Sometimes patrons want to be left alone with the... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7324958 | Information administering system for an eating house A customer of an eating house orders refreshments by pressing a first touch panel provided at a customer's seat, watching a liquid-crystal monitor on which a menu of the refreshment and an average cooking time thereof are displayed. A cook inputs cooking-state infor... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7324905 | Apparatus, system and method for automating an interactive inspection process An apparatus, system and method to automate an interactive quality control inspection process. The apparatus may query a user for a response to an audit question integral to a quality control inspection process, such as, for example, a regulatory compliance question... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7284037 | Survey method Provided is a generation and implementation system for the survey program, in which multi-faceted questions are easily generated as a survey program and distributed to portable terminals, a survey can be performed in a non-communicating state, and survey results of ... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7271728 | Method for assessing improvement in hand hygiene practices A method for assessing improvement in hand hygiene practices using sanitation solution dispensers deployed within particular areas of interest in a healthcare facility or the like. Each of the dispensers has a counter associated therewith, with the counter producing... | 09/18/2007 |
| 7258064 | Food product timing system A food timing system is disclosed that includes a number of timer modules associated with food holding devices in a restaurant. The timer modules are connected in a network for communicating information about the food being held in food holding compartments of the f... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7259655 | Service attendant signalling device A signal device for attracting the attention of a service provider. The signal device has a body with a tapered base adapted to fit into a neck of a bottle and a slot in a lower end of the base for balancing the signal device on a rim of a drinking vessel. An interm... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7257547 | Service managing system A service managing system comprises: order terminals for enabling customers to view contents of service items and to order desired items, and being portable and driven by a battery; order-receiving terminals for receiving and indicating orders from the order termina... | 08/14/2007 |
| 7236087 | On-premises pager and charging unit, and methods for using same On-premises pager loss is reduced by alerting patrons they are out of range. Pagers include an LCD with messages or promotions. An LED on the pager emits different colors indicating the level of battery charge. Circuitry in the pager causes a higher charge to be del... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7225193 | Method and apparatus for retrieving event data related to an activity A method and apparatus that processes time series, event and/or activity data of a process according to a data structure is disclosed. The data structure defines one or more activities that frame the time series, event and/or activity data. Each activity and each ev... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7212295 | Keyboard for imaging devices A removable and re-attachable keyboard device for interfacing with an imaging device in a position adjacent to a display on the imaging device is presented. The keyboard device docks or otherwise couples the imaging device as opposed to residing on the table or base... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7204259 | Dishwasher operable with supply distribution, dispensing and use system method An appliance supply distribution and dispensing system and method for distributing appliance supplies to a home or business and which involves a computerized system which facilitates dispensing or using one or more supplies from an appliance. The computerized system... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7180405 | Interactive communication and data processing system for restaurant services An interactive local and wide area network system is for communications between the restaurant service elements providing service to a customer and for recording of selected related service data for real time information and for review and analysis and for managemen... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7150156 | Product simulating probe and method A probe and method for simulating refrigerated product temperature includes a housing containing a thermal mass having thermo-physical properties similar to refrigerated food product, a temperature sensing element operable to measure the temperature of the thermal m... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7152068 | Method and apparatus for retrieving time series data related to an activity A method and apparatus that processes time series, event and/or activity data of a process according to a data structure. The data structure defines one or more activities that frame the time series, event and/or activity data. Each activity and each event has one o... | 12/19/2006 |
| 7132926 | Smart tray system and method for restaurant inventory management A smart tray system includes a plurality of information tags and a plurality of communication devices, which can communicate with each of the information tags when the information tags are located in the proximity of the communication devices. Each information tag i... | 11/07/2006 |
| 7109858 | Method and system for efficiently regulating data transmissions A remote device or module sends data to a base station when the change in data from the last transmission exceeds a predetermined threshold. The invention also allows for transmission at a minimal specific time interval. Additionally, the device allows for transmiss... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7094995 | Oven system with automated customer messages In an in-store oven system audible customer messages are automatically generated based upon a food product cooked in an oven within the store. ... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7026916 | Tabletop signaling device for restaurants The tabletop signaling device for restaurants comprises a tabletop signaling device for visually signaling at least one of a plurality of messages to a waiter or waitress quickly and wordlessly, without requiring the service provider to physically respond and inquir... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7027954 | Method and apparatus for retrieving activity data related to an activity A method and apparatus that processes time series, event and/or activity data of a process according to a data structure. The data structure defines one or more activities that frame the time series, event and/or activity data. Each activity and each event has one o... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7026929 | Food information monitoring system Systems and methods for gathering data, representative of food condition information, from a plurality of remote locations and providing the information to a user together with information about the locations from which the information was gathered. The sensors may ... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7019638 | Food information monitoring system Two-stage systems and methods are provided for gathering food information and communicating the food information to a data collection apparatus. A system includes a remote unit, having a sensor device and a wireless transmitter; a translator or intermediate unit, ha... | 03/28/2006 |
| 6980088 | Restaurant table turn system network A restaurant table turn control and display system for providing real-time communication to staff personnel throughout key areas of a restaurant, comprising two or more monitoring consoles, each having a restaurant layout display having indicia representative of tab... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6976004 | Interactive kitchen control system and method A system and method for controlling preparation of a plurality of food items on a cooking apparatus such as a grill. A food order consisting of the plurality of food items is input to a controller which retrieves cooking times for the items from a database. A primar... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6975207 | Waiter calling apparatus combined with a receptacle for holding various table utensils and combined with a lighted advertising display A commercially viable calling apparatus which is placed on all tables of a restaurant, tavern or other establishment which serves food and/or drink so that if someone is waiting for a waiter or if someone has not been served, then there is a method to signal a centr... | 12/13/2005 |
| 6973410 | Method and system for evaluating the efficiency of an air conditioning apparatus Air conditioning chiller operating efficiency is evaluated in response to chiller operating parameters input to a computing device which calculates separately the efficiencies of the condenser and evaporator components of the chiller. Additional efficiency calculati... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6973437 | Computer integrated communication system for restaurants A computer integrated communication system for restaurants that includes a central server and a series of table units and staff units. The table and staff units each include a display and wireless communication device that enables customer request information and ot... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6960988 | Multi-function customer satisfaction survey device A multi-function customer satisfaction survey device, system and method. A plurality of stackable tip trays in a restaurant each include a survey device and a calculator. Survey questions are presented on a display screen, and a survey keypad is used by the customer... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6940393 | System and method for improved queuing, service-time, and capacity in drive-through operations A system and method of queuing orders locates data-entry modules relative to a pickup location such that a customer who places an order after a customer who placed an earlier order can be signaled to approach a pickup location before the first customer if the order ... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6940394 | Computerized system for the management of personnel response time in a restaurant The present invention relates to restaurants, computer networks, wireless portable computers and more specifically to a restaurant service and transaction monitoring; time management; and processing system and method. ... | 09/06/2005 |
| 6927750 | External display device of refrigerator and method for controlling the same An external display device of a refrigerator which includes a microprocessor enabling a serial data transmission/reception between the external display device and a control unit included in the refrigerator. The microprocessor is coupled with a second microprocessor... | 08/09/2005 |