Mobile computing device network of multi-vendor, multi-interface computers
A central or “core” application a fulfillment application at a venue, and a wireless communication application hosted on a computing device, such as a cell phone, of an attendee at an event at that venue communicate via a network. Customers may sign up online, through a various types of web applications or dedicated applications to receive information, such as menus, catalogs, or the like of available products to be at the event. The core application may manage a database of records of customers, products, and fulfilment locations. The core application may send to fulfilment applications hosted by other computers at fulfilment locations instructions to dispatch “runners” to deliver products to seat locations of customers who may order products (e.g., food, merchandise, etc.) over cell phones or other internet-connected wireless computer devices.
1. A method comprising:
providing a database comprising a database engine, executable on a processor, and records, containing data for processing by a processor;
creating, by a database engine executing on a processor, records corresponding to a venue, customers at the venue, customer devices corresponding to individual customers, products available at the venue, fulfillment terminals, and fulfillment processors corresponding to each of the fulfillment terminals configured to direct the delivery of the products to the customers;
storing the records in a memory device;
receiving a request from a customer device corresponding to a customer at a core terminal;
generating customer data for the customer from the request via the core terminal, the customer data including an identifier uniquely identifying the customer, contact information corresponding to the customer, and at least one electronic communication channel operably communicative between the customer device corresponding to the customer and the core terminal;
receiving, at the core terminal, an order for a product and a delivery instruction from the customer device corresponding to the customer, the delivery instruction directed to controlling delivery of the product to a customer location within the venue corresponding to the customer;
selecting, by the core terminal, a delivery terminal at the venue from the fulfillment terminals, based on at least one of capacity, proximity, availability, time, stock, and the delivery instruction; and
communicating order information defining the order and specifying the customer, the product, and the delivery instruction from the core terminal to the delivery terminal at the venue.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at the core terminal, a delivery report from the delivery terminal, the delivery report describing a status of the order.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the status of the order reflects a status of delivering the product to the customer.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
processing, by the core terminal, a financial transaction reflecting delivery of the product of the order and an electronic exchange of value corresponding to delivery of the product of the order.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the order received at the core terminal includes information identifying the product and an authorization for the core terminal to charge a credit card account corresponding to the customer.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving the identifier at the core terminal from the customer device via the at least one electronic communication channel;
providing a list of products including prices corresponding to one or more products obtained from the stored records from the core terminal directly to the customer device.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
communicating a message from the core terminal to the customer device via the at least one electronic communication channel.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing the identifier from the customer device to the core terminal via the at least one electronic communication channel; and
reading, by the core terminal, the identifier and location data from the customer device.
9. A method comprising:
storing records generated by a by a database engine executing on a processor in a memory device, the records corresponding to a venue, identifying customers at the venue, identifying customer devices corresponding to individual customers, identifying products available at the venue, identifying fulfillment terminals at the venue, and identifying fulfillment processors at the venue corresponding to each of the fulfillment terminals configured to direct the delivery of the products to the customers within the venue;
receiving, at a core terminal, an order for a product from a customer device corresponding to a customer via an electronic communication channel operably communicative between the customer device corresponding to the customer and the core terminal, the order including an identifier uniquely identifying the customer and a delivery instruction directed to controlling delivery of the product to a customer location within the venue corresponding to the customer;
selecting, by the core terminal, a delivery terminal at the venue from the fulfillment terminals from the stored records based on at least one of capacity, proximity, availability, time, stock, and the delivery instruction; and
communicating order information defining the order and specifying the customer, the product, and the delivery instruction from the core terminal to the delivery terminal at the venue.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving, at the core terminal, a delivery report from the delivery terminal, the delivery report describing a status of the order.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the status of the order reflects a status of delivering the product to the customer.
12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
processing, by the core terminal, a financial transaction reflecting delivery of the product of the order and an electronic exchange of value corresponding to delivery of the product of the order.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the order received at the core terminal includes information identifying the product and an authorization for the core terminal to charge a credit card account corresponding to the customer.
14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
receiving the identifier at the core terminal from the customer device via the at least one electronic communication channel;
providing a list of products including prices corresponding to one or more products obtained from the stored records from the core terminal directly to the customer device.
15. A system comprising:
one or more fulfillment terminals, a fulfillment terminal configured to execute a fulfillment module configured to direct delivery of products within a venue; and
a computer programmed to execute a core module maintaining a database on a memory device, the database including customer records corresponding to customers, product records corresponding to products, and fulfillment records corresponding to data describing delivery of products, the computer configured to:
receive customer data from a customer device via the network, the customer data identifying the customer device and a location of the customer device within the venue;
receive transaction information from the customer device via the network, the transaction information including the customer data and selection data indicating a purchase of a product by a customer controlling the customer device;
select a delivery terminal at the venue from the fulfillment terminals based on the fulfillment records, product records, and at least one of capacity, proximity, availability, time, stock, and the delivery instruction; and
provide the selection data and the customer data to the delivery terminal via the network.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the delivery terminal is configured to provide the computer with confirmation data reflecting consummation of delivery of the product to the location of the customer device within the venue.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein receive transaction information from the customer device via the network, the transaction information including the customer data and selection data indicating a purchase of a product by a customer controlling the customer device comprises:
provide the customer device with information characterizing one or more products and prices corresponding to each of the one or more products; and
receive the selection data including a selection of the product from the provided information and the customer data.
18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the computer is further configured to:
provide one or more messages to the consumer device via the network.