Drive-thru system implementing location tracking
Embodiments are disclosed to determine customer's prescription information and their position while waiting in a drive-thru lane. The drive-thru lane 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 prescription information from recently filled and/or called in prescriptions, each customer's prescription order may be retrieved. Furthermore, by analyzing the ranging data, the position of each customer in the drive-thru lane may be determined. A drive-thru computing device is disclosed that may display each customer's position in the drive-thru lane along with their prescription order information.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, for each respective customer of a plurality of customers, ranging data that is associated with a mobile computing device associated with the customer, wherein the ranging data associated with each mobile computing device includes signal strength values for signals communicated between the mobile computing device and one or more wireless communication devices that are positioned at one or more locations within an order pickup system;
determining, by the one or more processors, ordered positions of the mobile computing devices associated with each of the plurality of customers within the order pickup system relative to one another based upon a comparison of the ranging data associated with each of the mobile computing devices;
determining, by the one or more processors, for each respective customer of the plurality of customers, whether a photo identification of the customer is required to be verified based on a type of order for the customer; and
displaying, by the one or more processors, (i) a first ordered position of a first mobile computing device, and a first order, associated with a first customer of the plurality of customers, within the order pickup system, (ii) a second ordered position of a second mobile computing device, and a second order, associated with a second customer of the plurality of customers, within the order pickup system, and (iii) that the photo identification of the first customer is required to be verified for the first order, without displaying that the photo identification of the second customer is required to be verified for the second order.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by one or more processors, for each respective customer of the plurality of customers, a customer profile transmitted from the mobile computing device including (i) a photo identification associated with the customer and (ii) prescription information corresponding to a prescription order associated with the customer, wherein the customer profile further includes one or more of a customer identity, a customer username, a patient identification number, a medical record, doctor contact and/or information, prescription history, health insurance information, or payment information.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving a customer profile and/or receiving ranging data includes receiving the customer profile and/or receiving the ranging data via one or more of: a personal area network (PAN) protocol, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, a radio frequency identification (RFID) protocol, or a near field communication (NFC) protocol.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the order pickup system is associated with a drive-thru lane and/or a pickup location at a pharmacy location.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
for each respective customer of the plurality of customers,
accessing, by the one or more processors, payment information associated with the customer; and
processing a payment associated with the prescription order of the customer within the order pickup system.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more processors, (i) initial ranging data associated with initial mobile computing devices, associated with initial customers, for which respective ordered positions within the order pickup system have already been determined, and (ii) additional ranging data associated with additional mobile computing devices, associated with additional customers, within the order pickup system for which respective ordered positions have not yet been determined; and
determining a respective ordered position of each of the additional mobile computing devices based upon a comparison of the initial ranging data and the additional ranging data.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
for each respective customer of the plurality of customers,
determining, by the one or more processors, a dwell time of the customer based on the ranging data and timestamp data included in the ranging data; and
indicating, by the one or more processors, the dwell time of the customer.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein, for each respective customer of the plurality of customers, a customer profile includes instructions corresponding to how to take the prescription order associated with the customer, further comprising:
indicating, by the one or more processors, the instructions corresponding to how to take the prescription order associated with the customer.
9. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions that are stored thereon in a computing device, and that when executed by one or more processors, cause the computing device to:
receive, for each respective customer of a plurality of customers, ranging data associated with a mobile computing device associated with the customer, wherein the ranging data associated with each mobile computing device includes signal strength values for signals communicated between the mobile computing device and one or more wireless communication devices that are positioned at one or more locations within an order pickup system;
determine an ordered position of the mobile computing devices associated with each of the plurality of customers within the order pickup system relative to one another based upon a comparison of the ranging data associated with each of the mobile computing devices;
determine, for each respective customer of the plurality of customers, whether a photo identification of the customer is required to be verified based on a type of order for the customer; and
display (i) a first ordered position of a first mobile computing device, and a first order, associated with a first customer of the plurality of customers, within the order pickup system, (ii) a second ordered position of a second mobile computing device, and a second order, associated with a second customer of the plurality of customers, within the order pickup system, and (ii) that the photo identification of the first customer is required to be verified for the first order, without displaying that the photo identification of the second customer is required to be verified.
10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 9 , further including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing device to:
receive, for each respective customer of a plurality of customers, a customer profile that includes (i) a photo identification associated with the customer and (ii) prescription information that corresponds to a prescription order associated with the customer, wherein the customer profile further includes one or more of: a customer identity, customer username, patient identification number, medical record, doctor contact and/or information, prescription history, health insurance information, or payment information.
11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 9 , wherein a customer profile and/or the ranging data is received via one or more of: a personal area network (PAN) protocol, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, a radio frequency identification (RFID) protocol, or a near field communication (NFC) protocol.
12. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 9 , wherein the order pickup system is associated with a drive-thru lane and/or a pickup location at a pharmacy location.
13. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 9 , further including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the computing device to:
for each respective customer of the plurality of customers,
access payment information associated with the customer; and
process a payment associated with the prescription order of the customer.
14. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:
receive (i) initial ranging data associated with initial mobile computing devices, associated with initial customers, for which respective ordered positions within the order pickup system have already been determined, and (ii) additional ranging data associated with additional mobile computing devices, associated with additional customers, within the order pickup system for which respective ordered positions have not yet been determined; and
determine a respective ordered position of each of the additional mobile computing devices based upon a comparison of the initial ranging data and the additional ranging data.
15. A system comprising:
a retail computing device associated with an order pickup system, the retail computing device configured to:
receive, for each respective customer of a plurality of customers, ranging data that is associated with a mobile computing device associated with the customer, wherein the ranging data associated with each mobile computing device includes signal strength values for signals communicated between the mobile computing device and one or more wireless communication devices that are positioned at one or more locations within the order pickup system;
determine ordered positions of mobile computing devices associated with each of the plurality of customers within the order pickup system relative to one another based upon a comparison of the ranging data associated with each of the mobile computing devices;
determine, for each respective customer of the plurality of customers, based on a type of order included in a prescription order, associated with the customer, whether photo identification of the customer is required to be verified; and
display (i) a first ordered position of a first mobile computing device, and a first order, associated with a first customer of the plurality of customers, within the order pickup system, (ii) a second ordered position of a second mobile computing device, and a second order, associated with a second customer of the plurality of customers, within the order pickup system, and (iii) that the photo identification of the first customer is required to be verified for the first order, without displaying that the photo identification of the second customer is required to be verified for the second order.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the retail computing device is further configured to, for each respective customer of the plurality of customers, obtain the prescription order associated with the customer based on a customer profile, the customer profile including one or more of: a customer identity, a customer username, a patient identification number, a medical record, doctor contact and/or information, prescription history, health insurance information, or payment information.
17. The system of claim 15 , wherein a customer profile is locally stored with the order pickup system.
18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the mobile computing device transmits a customer profile and transmits the ranging data, using one or more of: a personal area network (PAN) protocol, a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, a radio frequency identification (RFID) protocol, or a near field communication (NFC) protocol.
19. The system of claim 15 , wherein the retail computing device is further configured to, for each respective customer of the plurality of customers, access payment information associated with the customer, and to process a payment associated with the prescription order corresponding to a customer profile.
20. The system of claim 15 , wherein:
the order pickup system includes (i) initial mobile computing devices, associated with initial customers, for which respective ordered positions within the order pickup system have already been determined, and (ii) additional mobile computing devices, associated with additional customers, within the order pickup system for which respective ordered positions have not yet been determined; and
the retail computing device is further configured to:
receive (i) initial ranging data that is transmitted from each of the initial mobile computing devices and (ii) additional ranging data that is transmitted from each of the additional mobile computing devices, and
determine the respective ordered position of each of the additional mobile computing devices within the order pickup system based upon a comparison of the initial ranging data and the additional ranging data.