Apple patent is for wireless communication system

Posted by Dennis Sellers Dec 20, 2007 at 6:12am

An Apple patent (number 20070291710) for a wireless communication system has appeared at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. It relates generally to personal, portable electronic devices such as media players, radios, cell phones and the like.

According to Apple, a processing system is described that includes a wireless communication interface that wirelessly communicates with one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment. The wireless communication interface receives a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices. A local server computer located in proximity to the establishment generates instructions for processing the remote order received from the wireless communication interface. The local server computer then passes the processing instructions to an order processing queue in preparation for processing of the remote order.

Here’s Apple’s summary of the invention: “A processing system is described that includes a wireless communication interface that wirelessly communicates with one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment. The wireless communication interface receives a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices. A local server computer located in proximity to the establishment receives the remote order from the wireless communication interface and generates instructions for processing the remote order. The local server computer then passes the processing instructions to an order processing queue in preparation for processing of the remote order.

“In a particularly useful embodiment, an acknowledgement is forwarded to the originating wireless client device indicating that the remote order has been successfully received. Furthermore, an estimate order completion time can then visually displayed by the wireless client device and/or audibly rendered by way of a speaker or earphone.

“In another embodiment, a method of processing an order provided by one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment is described. The method is carried out by receiving a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices at a wireless communication interface that is in communication with a local server computer in proximity to the establishment. The remote order is then passed to and processed by the local server computer and is then stored in a processing queue in preparation for processing of the remote order.

“In yet another embodiment, a processing system is described. The processing system includes a wireless communication interface arranged to wirelessly communicate with one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment. The wireless communication interface receives a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices that is then passed to a local server computer located in proximity to the establishment having a memory arranged to store data that includes a customer preference file listing customer preferences. The local server computer consults the customer preference file in order to generate processing instructions for processing of the remote order. The local server computer passes the processing instructions to a processing center for processing the remote order in response to the processing instructions.

“In still another embodiment, a method of processing a remote order provided by one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment is described. The method is carried out by receiving a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices, consulting a customer preference file that lists customer preferences by way of a local server computer located in proximity to the establishment, generating a processing instruction for processing the remote order by way of the local server computer based upon the consultation of the customer preference file, and processing the remote order in response to the processing instruction.

“In another embodiment, a wireless client device suitable for wirelessly providing a remote order to an establishment is described. The wireless client device includes a wireless communication interface arranged to send and receive wireless signals, a processor for processing executable instructions, and a wireless range evaluator unit in communication with the wireless communication interface and the processor arranged to determine if the wireless client device is within wireless range of the establishment, wherein when the wireless range evaluator unit determines that the wireless client device is within wireless range of the establishment, the processor sends the remote order to the establishment by way of the wireless communication interface.

“Another embodiment provides a computer program product executable by a processor for processing an order provided by one or more wireless client devices in the vicinity of an establishment. The computer program product includes computer code for receiving a remote order corresponding to an item selected by at least one of the wireless client devices at a wireless communication interface in communication with a local server computer in proximity to the establishment, computer code for processing the remote order by the local server computer, computer code for storing the remote order in a processing queue in preparation for processing of the remote order, and a computer readable medium for storing the computer code.”

The inventor is Anthony M. Fadell. The graphic below showss a portable media player according to one embodiment of the invention.

Advanced Search

Article Information

Comment on this Article Print this Article Email this Article Digg This

Contributor

Recent Articles