Drive-thru system implementing location tracking
Embodiments are disclosed to determine customer's pick-up information and their position while waiting at a brick-and-mortar store. The brick-and-mortar store may have one or more transmitters installed at predetermined locations. By utilizing an application installed on each customer's mobile computing device, each mobile computing device may transmit customer information and ranging data when within range of one or more of the transmitters. The ranging data may include an indication of a range between each of the customer's mobile computing device and one or more proximate transmitters. By correlating the customer information to pick-up information, each customer's pick-up order may be retrieved. Furthermore, by analyzing the ranging data, the position of each customer at the brick-and-mortar store may be determined. A brick-and-mortar store computing device is disclosed that may display each customer's position at the brick-and-mortar store along with their pick-up order information.
1. A method of determining a position of a plurality of customers waiting in vehicles at a brick-and mortar store, the method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, customer information identifying each customer of the plurality of customers, the customer information being sent from a plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices is associated with a respective customer;
based upon the customer information, determining, by the one or more processors, respective pickup order information associated with each customer of the plurality of customers;
receiving, by the one or more processors, ranging data transmitted from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices
(i) receives a signal transmitted by a transmitter that is positioned at a predetermined location, the signal including a calibrated received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value that indicates a calibrated RSSI value at a predetermined distance from the transmitter, and
(ii) in response to receiving the signal, generates the ranging data based on the calibrated RSSI value in conjunction with a respective received signal strength of the signal at each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices;
in response to receiving the ranging data, determining, by the one or more processors, the position of each customer of the plurality of customers; and
displaying, on a display associated with the brick-and-mortar store, the position of each customer of the plurality of customers and the respective pickup order information.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the customer information includes a patient identification for each customer of the plurality of customers, and
the act of determining the respective pickup order information comprises correlating, by the one or more processors, the patient identification with prescription information associated with each customer of the plurality of customers.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the prescription information corresponds to unfilled prescriptions.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the respective pickup order information comprises one or more of:
a prescription order;
a type of prescription drug associated with the prescription order; or
a prescription drug dosage.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the signal is transmitted by the transmitter in accordance with a personal area networking (PAN) communications protocol.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the transmitter is one of a plurality of transmitters and each transmitter of the plurality of transmitters is positioned at a respective predetermined location, and
the ranging data is indicative of a plurality of respective received signal strengths corresponding to a plurality of signals that are received by each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices from each transmitter of the plurality of transmitters.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a respective time of arrival at the position at the brick-and-mortar store and a respective time of departure from the position at the brick-and-mortar store associated with each customer of the plurality of customers.
8. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for determining a location of a plurality of customers waiting in vehicles at a brick-and mortar store that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, causes the computer system to:
receive customer information identifying each customer of the plurality of customers, the customer information being sent from a plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices is associated with a respective customer;
based upon the customer information, determine respective pickup order information associated with each customer of the plurality of customers;
receive ranging data transmitted from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices
(i) receives a signal transmitted by a transmitter that is positioned at a predetermined location, the signal including a calibrated received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value that indicates a calibrated RSSI value at a predetermined distance from the transmitter, and
(ii) in response to receiving the signal, generates the ranging data based on the calibrated RSSI value in conjunction with a respective received signal strength of the signal at each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices;
in response to receiving the ranging data, determine the location of each customer of the plurality of customers; and
display, on a display associated with the brick-and-mortar store, the location of each customer of the plurality of customers and the respective pickup order information.
9. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein:
the customer information includes a patent identification for each customer of the plurality of customers, and
the executable instructions further cause the computer system to correlate the patent identification with prescription information associated with each customer of the plurality of customers.
10. The tangible, non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the prescription information corresponds to unfilled prescriptions.
11. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the respective pickup order information comprises one or more of:
a prescription order;
a type of prescription drug associated with the prescription order; or
a prescription drug dosage.
12. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the signal is transmitted by the transmitter in accordance with a personal area networking (PAN) communications protocol.
13. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein:
the transmitter is one of a plurality of transmitters and each transmitter of the plurality of transmitters is positioned at a respective predetermined location, and
the ranging data is indicative of a plurality of respective received signal strengths corresponding to a plurality of signals that are received by each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices from each transmitter of the plurality of transmitters.
14. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , further storing executable instructions that cause the computer system to:
determine a respective time of arrival at the location at the brick-and-mortar store and a respective time of departure from the location at the brick-and-mortar store associated with each customer of the plurality of customers.
15. A computer system for determining a position of a plurality of customers waiting in vehicles at a brick-and-mortar store, the system comprising:
one or more processors;
a plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices is associated with a respective customer of the plurality of customers; and
a program memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to:
receive customer information identifying each customer of the plurality of customers, the customer information being sent from the plurality of mobile computing devices;
based upon the customer information, determine respective pickup order information associated with each customer of the plurality of customers;
receive ranging data transmitted from each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices, wherein each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices:
(i) receives a signal transmitted by a transmitter that is positioned at a predetermined location, the signal including a calibrated received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value that indicates a calibrated RSSI value at a predetermined distance from the transmitter, and
(ii) in response to receiving the signal, generates the ranging data based on the calibrated RSSI value in conjunction with a respective received signal strength of the signal at each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices;
in response to receiving the ranging data, determine the position of each customer of the plurality of customers; and
display, on a display associated with the brick-and-mortar store, the position of each customer of the plurality of customers and the respective pickup order information.
16. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein:
the customer information includes a patient identification of each customer of the plurality of customers, and
the executable instructions that cause the computer system to determine the respective pickup order information further cause the computer system to correlate the patient identification with prescription information associated with each customer of the plurality of customers.
17. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the prescription information corresponds to unfilled prescriptions.
18. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein the respective pickup order information comprises one or more of:
a prescription order;
a type of prescription drug associated with the prescription order; or
a prescription drug dosage.
19. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein:
the transmitter is one of a plurality of transmitters and each transmitter of the plurality of transmitters is positioned at a respective predetermined location, and
the ranging data is indicative of a plurality of respective signal strengths corresponding to a plurality of signals that are received by each mobile computing device of the plurality of mobile computing devices from each transmitter of the plurality of transmitters.
20. The computer system of claim 15 wherein the executable instructions further cause the computer system to determine a respective time of arrival at the position at the brick-and-mortar store and a respective time of departure from the position at the brick-and-mortar store associated with each customer of the plurality of customers.