Real-time internet capable device information interchange for coordinated queuing at locations
Among other things, a central server maintains information representative of requests communicated through the Internet from devices at request locations. Each of the requests represents a proposed reservation for services to be managed by devices at delivery locations.
1. A central server system to interact with two or more point-of-sale systems in two or more respective different physical retail stores and with two or more mobile devices of respective different customers and staff of the respective different physical retail stores, to coordinate the operations of and to enable a server of the central server system, a database of the central server system, the point-of-sale systems, and the mobile devices together to
(a) present, in real-time and electronically through the mobile devices, steps of a shopping experience for customers for physical products in inventory at the respective different physical retail stores, the steps of the shopping experience including (i) the customers searching, comparing, and reserving physical products in inventories of the respective different physical retail stores, and (ii) the staff handling reservations of the customers for physical products in inventories of the respective different physical retail stores, and
(b) to coordinate opportunities for immediate electronic communication between customers and staff physically present in the respective different physical retail stores in real time as the customers search, compare, and reserve physical products in inventories at the respective different physical retail stores, or as the staff handles reservations of the customers for physical products in inventories at the respective different physical retail stores,
the central server system comprising:
the server including
a processor,
a communication device coupled to a communication network,
a database to be accessed by the processor and configured to receive from the point-of-sale systems, to store, and to update data about changing available inventories of the physical products at the respective different physical retail stores, the data being updated as the customers reserve physical products from inventories at the respective different physical retail stores, and
storage containing instructions executable by the processor to coordinate the operations of the server, the database, the point-of-sale systems, and the mobile devices to present in real-time the steps of the shopping experience for the customers, the executable instructions implementing:
an application programming interface through which the data about changing available inventories of the physical products at the respective different physical retail stores passes between the point-of-sale systems and the database and between the mobile devices of the customers and staff and the database,
a page server to serve pages to the mobile devices of customers to present the shopping experience for customers of the physical retail stores and to serve pages to the mobile devices of staff to enable the staff to participate in the presentation of the shopping experience in real time while the customers are searching, comparing, and reserving physical products in inventory, the serving of pages enabling
(a) the customers to view information about physical products subject to reservations and to invoke immediate communication with the physical retail store handling the physical products subject to the reservations of the customers, and
(b) the staff physically present in the physical retail stores and responsible for handling the physical products subject to the reservations of the customers to view reservations of physical products subject to the reservations and invoke immediate communication with the customers,
an inventory manager to maintain the data in the database about the changing available inventories of the physical products at the respective different physical retail stores, and
a reservation platform to manage reservations for physical products received from customers and to be fulfilled at the different physical retail stores.
2. The system of claim 1 in which the database, the store platform, the inventory manager, and the reservation platform cooperate to maintain accurate real-time information about physical products in inventory at the respective different physical retail stores.
3. The system of claim 1 in which the database, the store platform, the inventory manager, and the reservation platform cooperate to maintain accurate real-time information about reservations for physical products in inventory at the respective different physical retail stores.
4. The system of claim 1 in which the server comprises a cloud server.
5. The system of claim 1 in which the database is coupled to the application programming interface.
6. The system of claim 1 in which the server sends catalog data through the communication network to the mobile devices of the customers, the catalog data comprising displayable information representing inventories of the physical available at the respective different physical retail stores.
7. The system of claim 1 in which the server sends control data through the communication network to point-of-sale systems at the respective different physical retail stores that enables the point-of-sale systems at the respective different physical retail stores to control the servicing of reservations.
8. The system of claim 1 in which the physical retail stores comprise competitive physical retail stores.
9. The system of claim 1 in which the server sends management data through the communication network to the point-of-sale systems at the respective different physical retail stores that enables the point-of-sale systems at the physical retail stores to manage allocation of reservations among staff of the physical retail stores.