`MeN ally et al.
`
`111111
`
`1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
`US006871325Bl
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 6,871,325 Bl
`*Mar.22,2005
`
`(54)
`
`(75)
`
`INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND
`SYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS
`SYSTEM WITH MENU GENERATION
`
`Inventors: Keith R. McNally, Santa Clarita, CA
`(US); William H. Roof, San Diego, CA
`(US); Richard Bergfeld, Chatsworth,
`CA(US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Ameranth Wireless, Inc., San Diego,
`CA(US)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 706 days.
`
`This patent is subject to a terminal dis(cid:173)
`claimer.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 10/015,729
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Nov. 1, 2001
`
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`6,107,944 A
`
`8/2000 Behr et a!.
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`EP
`wo
`wo
`
`0 779 759 A2
`wo 98/20434
`wo 98/41936
`
`6/1997
`5/1998
`9/1998
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`"Graphic User Interface Builder Menu Construction Using A
`Tree-View Container" IBM Technical Disclosure Bullentin,
`vol. 38, No. 09 Sep. 1995.
`"Entertainment Industry Leder Rich Rank Takes Helm At
`Cybermeals, World's Largest Online Meal Ordering Sys(cid:173)
`tem" Sep. 15, 1998, <URL:Http://www.food.com/food.sph/
`saisp ... s/aboutus/pressrelease.jsp?id=228>, printed on
`Apr. 20, 2001.
`"W3C Putting Compact HTML, HDML to Test for Net
`Access-Mobile Markup Langueages Face Off", Yoshiko
`Hara, Apr. 6, 1998, <URL:http://www.techweb.com/se/
`directlink.cgi?eet19980406s0089>, printed Sep. 2, 1999.
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner---Cao (Kevin) Nguyen
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Morgan & Finnegan, LLP
`
`(63) Continuation of application No. 09/400,413, filed on Sep.
`21, 1999, now Pat. No. 6,384,850.
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`(51)
`(52)
`(58)
`
`(56)
`
`Int. Cl? . ... ... .. ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... . G06F 3/00
`U.S. Cl. ........................................ 715/810; 715/841
`Field of Search ................................. 715/810, 841,
`715!765, 781; 705/26, 27, 37
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`5,724,069 A *
`3/1998
`9/1998
`5,802,526 A
`6/1999
`5,912,743 A
`5,991,739 A * 11/1999
`
`Chen .......................... 345/172
`Fawcett et a!.
`Kinebuchi et a!.
`Cupps eta!. ................. 705/26
`
`An information management and synchronous communica(cid:173)
`tions system and method facilitates database equilibrium and
`synchronization with wired, wireless and Web-based
`systems, user-friendly and efficient generation of computer(cid:173)
`ized menus and reservations for restaurant and other appli(cid:173)
`cations that utilize equipment with nonstandard graphical
`formats, display size and application for use in remote data
`entry, information management and communication with
`host computer, digital input device or remote pager via
`standard hardwired connection, the internet, a wireless link.
`
`15 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
`
`l VIEW
`I
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`II Soups
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`
`Petitioners' Exhibit 1003,Page 1
`
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`Petitioners' Exhibit 1003,Page 2
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`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar.22,2005
`
`Sheet 2 of 6
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`US 6,871,325 Bl
`
`Modifier
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`
`FIG.3
`
`Petitioners' Exhibit 1003,Page 3
`
`
`
`Menu Item
`
`long Nome:
`l Chicken Alaska
`Short Name:
`\ ChxAis
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`Recipe
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`topped with a creamy cilantro sauce. Served with
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`
`Spices include lemon pepper, paprika, ginger.l
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`Available Columns:
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`Petitioners' Exhibit 1003,Page 5
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`Mar.22,2005
`
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`Petitioners' Exhibit 1003,Page 7
`
`
`
`US 6,871,325 Bl
`
`1
`INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND
`SYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS
`SYSTEM WITH MENU GENERATION
`
`The present application is a continuation of application
`Ser. No. 09/400,413, filed Sep. 21, 1999 U.S. Pat. No.
`6,384,850. The contents of application Ser. No. 09/400,413
`are incorporated herein by reference.
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`This invention relates to an information management and
`synchronous communications system and method for gen(cid:173)
`eration of computerized menus for restaurants and other
`applications with specialized display and synchronous com(cid:173)
`munications requirements related to, for example, the use of
`equipment or software with non-PC-standard graphical
`formats, display sizes and/or applications for use in remote
`data entry, information management and synchronous com(cid:173)
`munication between host computer, digital input device or
`remote pager via standard hardwired connection, the
`internet, a wireless link, smart phone or the like.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`While computers have dramatically altered many aspects
`of modem life, pen and paper have prevailed in the hospi(cid:173)
`tality industry, e.g., for restaurant ordering, reservations and
`wait-list management, because of their simplicity, ease of
`training and operational speed. For example, ordering pre(cid:173)
`pared foods has historically been done verbally, either
`directly to a waiter or over the telephone, whereupon the
`placed order is recorded on paper by the recipient or
`instantly filled.
`Although not previously adapted for wide-scale use in the
`hospitality industry, various forms of digital wireless com(cid:173)
`munication devices are in common use, e.g., digital wireless
`messengers and pagers. Also in common use are portable
`laptop and handheld devices. However, user-friendly infor(cid:173)
`mation management and communication capability not
`requiring extensive computer expertise has not heretofore 40
`been available for use in everyday life such as for restaurant
`ordering, reservations and wait-list management. Hundreds
`of millions of dollars have been spent on personal digital
`assistant ("PDA") development seeking to produce a small,
`light-weight and inexpensive device that could be adapted to 45
`such uses; yet none have yielded a satisfactory solution.
`One of the inherent shortcomings of PDA type devices is
`that, as they strive for small size, low weight and low cost,
`they must compromise the size and clarity of the operator
`display medium interface itself, which in most cases is one
`of a variety of LCD (liquid crystal display) type devices. As
`the size of the display shrinks, the amount of information
`that may be displayed at any one point or time is commen(cid:173)
`surately decreased, typically requiring multiple screens and
`displays to display information to the operator. This reduces
`the overall utility of the device. Additionally, the smaller
`display and keyboard results in a non-optimal operator
`interface, which slows down operation and is thus unaccept(cid:173)
`able for the time criticality of ordering, reservation and
`wait-list management and other similar applications. This
`necessitates many design compromises which in the aggre(cid:173)
`gate have resulted in limited acceptance of PDA type
`devices in the restaurant and hospitality fields.
`Many of the negatives prevalent in earlier devices have
`been eliminated, but, to date, there is still no integrated
`solution to the ordering/waitlist/reservation problem dis(cid:173)
`cussed above. With the advent of the Palm® and other
`
`10
`
`2
`handheld wireless devices, however, the efforts to make such
`devices ubiquitous have begun to bear fruit at least in some
`areas, e.g., personal calendars. However, substantial use of
`such devices in the restaurant and hospitality context has not
`5 occurred to date. As discussed above, at least one of the
`reasons PDAs have not been quickly assimilated into the
`restaurant and hospitality industries is that their small dis(cid:173)
`play sizes are not readily amenable to display of menus as
`they are commonly printed on paper or displayed on, e.g.,
`large, color desktop computer screens. Another reason is that
`software for fully realizing the potential for wireless hand(cid:173)
`held computing devices has not previously been available.
`Such features would include fast and automatic synchroni(cid:173)
`zation between a central database and multiple handheld
`devices, synchronization and communication between a
`15 World Wide Web ("Web") server and multiple handheld
`devices, a well-defined application program interface
`("API") that enables third parties such as point of sale
`("POS") companies, affinity program companies and inter(cid:173)
`net content providers to fully integrate with computerized
`20 hospitality applications, real-time communication over the
`internet with direct connections or regular modem dialup
`connections and support for batch processing that can be
`done periodically throughout the day to keep multiple sites
`in synch with the central database. A single point of entry for
`25 all hospitality applications to communicate with one another
`wirelessly has also previously been unavailable. Such a
`single point of entry would work to keep all wireless
`handheld devices and linked Web sites in synch with the
`backoffice server (central database) so that the different
`30 components are in equilibrium at any given time and an
`overall consistency is achieved. For example, a reservation
`made online would be automatically communicated to the
`backoffice server and then synchronized with all the wireless
`handheld devices wirelessly. Similarly, changes made on
`35 any of the wireless handheld devices would be reflected
`instantaneously on the backoffice server, Web pages and the
`other handheld devices.
`For the foregoing reasons, paper-based ordering, waitlist
`and reservations management have persisted in the face of
`widespread computerization in practically all areas of com(cid:173)
`merce. At most, computerization of these functions has been
`largely limited to fixed computer solutions, i.e., desktop or
`mainframe, because of the problems heretofore faced in
`configuring wireless handheld devices and maintaining data(cid:173)
`base synchronization for such applications. Specifically, the
`unavailability of any simple technique for creating restau-
`rant menus and the like for use in a limited display area
`wireless handheld device or that is compatible with ordering
`over the internet has prevented widespread adoption of
`50 computerization in the hospitality industry. Without a viable
`solution for this problem, organizations have not made the
`efforts or investments to establish automated interfaces to
`handheld and Web site menus and ordering options.
`A principal object of the present invention is to provide an
`55 improved information management and synchronous com(cid:173)
`munications system and method which facilitates user(cid:173)
`friendly and efficient generation of computerized menus for
`restaurants and other applications that utilize equipment
`with non-PC-standard graphical formats, display sizes and/
`60 or applications.
`A further object of the present invention is to provide an
`improved information management and synchronous com(cid:173)
`munications system and method which provides for entry,
`management and communication of information from the
`65 operator as well as to and from another computer, Web page
`menu, remote digital device using a standard hardwired
`connection, the internet or a wireless link.
`
`Petitioners' Exhibit 1003,Page 8
`
`
`
`US 6,871,325 Bl
`
`3
`A further object of the present invention is to provide an
`improved information management and synchronous com(cid:173)
`munications system which is small, affordable and light(cid:173)
`weight yet incorporates a user-friendly operator interface
`and displays menus in a readily comprehensible format.
`A further object of the present invention is to provide a
`synchronous information management and communications
`system which enables automatic updating of both wireless
`and internet menu systems when a new menu item is added,
`modified or deleted from any element of the system.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`10
`
`4
`between a Web server and multiple handheld devices, a
`well-defined API that enables third parties such as POS
`companies, affinity program companies and internet content
`providers to fully integrate with computerized hospitality
`5 applications, real-time communication over the internet with
`direct connections or regular modem dialup connections and
`support for batch processing that can be done periodically
`throughout the day to keep multiple sites in synch with the
`central database.
`The communication module also provides a single point
`of entry for all hospitality applications, e.g., reservations,
`frequent customer ticketing, wait lists, etc. to communicate
`with one another wirelessly and over the Web. This com(cid:173)
`munication module is a layer that sits on top of any com-
`15 munication protocol and acts as an interface between hos(cid:173)
`pitality applications and the communication protocol and
`can be easily updated to work with a new communication
`protocol without modifying the core hospitality applications.
`A single point of entry works to keep all wireless handheld
`20 devices and linked web sites in synch with the backoffice
`server applications so that the different components are in
`equilibrium at any given time and an overall consistency is
`achieved. For example, a reservation made online can be
`automatically communicated to the backoffice server and
`25 then synchronized with all the wireless handheld devices
`wirelessly. Similarly, changes made on any of the wireless
`handheld devices are reflected instantaneously on the back(cid:173)
`office server Web pages and the other handheld devices.
`
`The foregoing and other objects of the present invention
`are provided by a synchronous information management and
`communications system and method optimized for simplic(cid:173)
`ity of operation which incorporates menu generation for
`creation of menus to be used with wireless remote handheld
`computer and PDA devices, the internet or any application
`where simple and efficient generation of menus is appropri(cid:173)
`ate. The menu generation approach of the present invention
`includes a desktop software application that enables the
`rapid creation and building of a menu and provides a means
`to instantly download the menu configuration onto, e.g., a
`handheld device or Web page and to seamlessly interface
`with standard point of sale ("POS") systems to enable
`automatic database updates and communication exchanges
`when a change or input occurs in any of the other system
`elements. To solve the above and other related problems, an
`information management and communications system is
`provided which results in a dramatic reduction in the amount
`of time, and hence cost, to generate and maintain comput(cid:173)
`erized menus for, e.g., restaurants and other related appli(cid:173)
`cations that utilize non-PC-standard graphical formats, dis(cid:173)
`play sizes or applications.
`The menu generation approach of the present invention
`has many advantages over previous approaches in solving
`the problem of converting paper-based menus or Windows®
`PC-based menu screens to small PDA-sized displays and
`Web pages. In one embodiment, the present invention is a 40
`software tool for building a menu, optimizing the process of
`how the menu can be downloaded to either a handheld
`device or Web page, and making manual or automatic
`modifications to the menu after initial creation.
`The use of wireless handheld devices in the restaurant and 45
`hospitality industry is becoming increasingly pervasive as
`restaurant owners and managers become more aware of the
`benefits. With the proper wireless handheld system in place,
`restaurants can experience increased table turns from
`improved server productivity and shorter order taking and 50
`check paying times. Restaurants and POS companies seek(cid:173)
`ing to provide a wireless handheld interface to their desktop(cid:173)
`based POS systems or a Web page equivalent face several
`challenges. These challenges include building a menu using
`their existing database and transferring the menu onto hand- 55
`held devices or Web pages that will interface with servers
`wirelessly or to restaurants/customers over the internet. The
`menu generation approach of the present invention is the
`first coherent solution available to accomplish these objec(cid:173)
`tives easily and allows one development effort to produce 60
`both the handheld and Web page formats, link them with the
`existing POS systems, and thus provides a way to turn a
`complicated, time-consuming task into a simple process.
`The information management and synchronous commu(cid:173)
`nications system of the present invention features include
`fast synchronization between a central database and multiple
`handheld devices, synchronization and communication
`
`30
`
`35
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The foregoing features and advantages of the present
`invention can be appreciated more fully from the following
`description, with references to the accompanying drawings
`in which:
`FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a window dis(cid:173)
`played on a computer display screen which shows a hierar(cid:173)
`chical tree menu, modifier window and sub-modifier win(cid:173)
`dow in conformity with a preferred embodiment of the
`present invention.
`FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a modifier dialog
`box in conformity with a preferred embodiment of the
`present invention.
`FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a menu category
`dialog box in conformity with a preferred embodiment of the
`present invention.
`FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a menu item dialog
`box in conformity with a preferred embodiment of the
`present invention.
`FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a display customi(cid:173)
`zation dialog box in conformity with a preferred embodi(cid:173)
`ment of the present invention.
`FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a communications
`control window in conformity with a preferred embodiment
`of the present invention.
`FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a point of sale
`interface on a wireless handheld device for use in displaying
`page menus created in conformity with a preferred embodi(cid:173)
`ment of the present invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`Most personal computers today run under an operating
`65 system that provides a graphical user interface ("GUI") for
`accessing user applications. A GUI is used in the preferred
`embodiment of the present invention. Through an interface
`
`Petitioners' Exhibit 1003,Page 9
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`US 6,871,325 Bl
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`6
`may be several windows and icons simultaneously present
`on the desktop and displaying information that is generated
`by different applications.
`
`The window environment is generally part of the operat(cid:173)
`ing system software that includes a collection of utility
`programs for controlling the operation of the computer
`system. The computer system, in turn, interacts with appli(cid:173)
`cation programs to provide higher level functionality,
`including a direct interface with the user. Specifically, the
`application programs make use of operating system func(cid:173)
`tions by issuing task commands to the operating system
`which then performs the requested task. For example, an
`application program may request that the operating system
`display certain information on a window for presentation to
`the user.
`
`An aspect of the preferred embodiment of the information
`management and communications system of the invention is
`shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows an example of the GUI
`provided by the operating system of the preferred embodi(cid:173)
`ment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 1, the
`preferred embodiment includes an intuitive GUI 1 from
`which to build a menu on a desktop or other computer. A
`hierarchical tree structure 2 is used to show the different
`relationships between the menu categories 3 (e.g., soups,
`salads, appetizers, entrees, deserts, etc.), menu items 4 (e.g.,
`green salad, chicken caesar salad, etc.), menu modifiers 5
`(e.g., dressing, meat temperature, condiments, etc.) and
`menu sub-modifiers 6 (e.g., Italian, French, ranch, bleu
`cheese, etc.).
`
`5
`of windows, pull-down menus, and toolbars, GUI operating
`systems have simplified PCs and have rendered computer
`technology more user friendly by eliminating the need to
`memorize keyboard entry sequences. In addition, GUis
`allow users to manipulate their data as they would physical 5
`entities. For example, a window can represent a file and the
`contents of the window can represent the records of the file.
`The window can be opened, closed, or set aside on a desktop
`as if it were an actual object. The records of the file can be
`created, deleted, modified and arranged in a drag-and-drop 10
`fashion as if they also were physical objects. The most
`common GUI operating systems that provide this "object(cid:173)
`oriented" environment for personal computers are Microsoft
`Windows® systems, including Windows CE® for handheld
`wireless devices and the like. Generally, a particular appli- 15
`cation program presents information to a user through a
`window of a GUI by drawing images, graphics or text within
`the window region. The user, in turn, communicates with the
`application by "pointing" at graphical objects in the window
`with a pointer that is controlled by a hand-operated pointing 20
`device, such as a mouse, or by pressing keys on a keyboard.
`The use of menus is conventional in GUis for software
`applications. Menus are typically utilized to provide end
`users of applications with available choices or processing
`options while using the applications. For example, in a 25
`typical desktop or interactive application, selection of a
`"file" from a menu bar may cause display of a context menu
`which provides "file" options. File options can have addi(cid:173)
`tional subordinate or child options associated with them. If
`a file option having subordinate options is selected, the child 30
`options are displayed in context in a child menu or submenu
`proximate to the selected parent option. One or more of the
`child options provided in the child menu may have further
`subordinate options. Thus, such a menu system comprises
`cascading sets of menus which are displayable in context to
`show the parent/child relationships between options of the
`context menu. A menu system of this type is incorporated
`into the preferred embodiment of the invention.
`The preferred embodiment of the present invention uses
`typical hardware elements in the form of a computer 40
`workstation, operating system and application software ele(cid:173)
`ments which configure the hardware elements for operation
`in accordance with the present invention. A typical work(cid:173)
`station platform includes hardware such as a central pro(cid:173)
`cessing unit ("CPU"), e.g., a Pentium® microprocessor, 45
`RAM, ROM, hard drive storage in which are stored various
`system and application programs and data used within the
`workstation, modem, display screen, keyboard, mouse and
`optional removable storage devices such as floppy drive or
`a CD ROM drive. The workstation hardware is configured 50
`by software including an operating system, e.g., Windows®
`95, 98, NT or CE, networking software (including internet
`browsing software) and application software components.
`The preferred embodiment also encompasses a typical file
`server platform including hardware such as a CPU, e.g., 55
`Pentium® microprocessor, RAM, ROM, hard drive,
`modem, and optional removable storage devices, e.g., floppy
`or CD ROM drive. The server hardware is configured by
`software including an operating system, e.g., Windows® 95,
`98, NT or CE, networking software (including Web server 60
`software) and database software.
`A computer workstation for use in the preferred embodi(cid:173)
`ment also includes a GUI. As is conventional, the GUI is
`configured to present a graphical display on the display
`screen arranged to resemble a single desktop. Execution of 65
`an application program involves one or more user interface
`objects represented by windows and icons. Typically, there
`
`The procedure followed in configuring a menu on the
`desktop PC and then downloading the menu configuration
`35 onto the POS interface on the handheld device in conform-
`ance with the preferred embodiment is as follows.
`
`The menu configuration application is launched by click(cid:173)
`ing on the appropriate icon on the desktop display screen.
`FIG. 1 will then be displayed. There are three windows on
`the screen shown in FIG. 1. The left window is the menu tree
`7, also called the tree view. The top right window is the
`Modifiers window 8 and the bottom right window is the
`Sub-Modifiers window 9. The Sub-Modifiers window lists
`the sub-modifiers that correspond to the modifier that is
`selected. The views on the right are referred to as list views.
`There are several ways of invoking a command, including
`using the menu options; using the context menu (right
`mouse click); using the keyboard or using the toolbar icons.
`For example, if it is desired to add a category to the menu,
`the following four options are available: (1) clicking on Edit,
`Add Category; (2) right mouse clicking on Menu, then
`clicking on Add Category; (3) highlighting Menu, then
`typing Ctrl+ T or ( 4) clicking on the Add Category icon on
`the toolbar. To add an item to a category, the following
`options are available: (1) highlighting the category to which
`it is desired to add an item and then clicking on Edit>Add
`Item; (2) right mouse clicking on the desired category and
`then clicking on Add Item; (3) highlighting the desired
`category, then typing Ctrl+N or ( 4) clicking on the Add icon
`on the toolbar.
`
`When building a menu, it should be kept in mind that the
`menu items are stored using a tree metaphor similar to how
`files are stored on a PC with folders and subfolders. The
`menu structure is similar to the Windows® File Explorer in
`the way the items are organized hierarchically. Below is an
`example of how an item may be configured:
`
`Petitioners' Exhibit 1003,Page 10
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`US 6,871,325 Bl
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`7
`
`Menu
`>> Entrees
`>> Red Meat
`>> NY Strip
`>> Vegetables
`>> Tomato
`>> Lettuce
`Meat Temperature
`>> Medium Rare
`
`8
`fields will then be filled with the information from the
`database. Clicking on OK again will add the item as a
`sub-modifier. To delete a sub-modifier, the sub-modifier is
`selected and the Delete key depressed on the keyboard. To
`5 edit a sub-modifier, either the sub-modifier is double clicked
`or the Enter key is pressed.
`Menu categories are created from the root. Some
`examples of categories are Appetizers, Soups, Salads,
`Entrees, Desserts, etc. The first step is to click on Menu in
`10 the menu tree window. Categories are added by (1) clicking
`on the Add Category icon from the toolbar; (2) clicking on
`Edit> Add Category or (3) pressing Ctrl+ T. As shown in FIG.
`3, Menu Category dialog box 11 then appears in which to
`enter the Long and Short names for the menu category.
`To add menu items to categories, the menu category
`which is being built is clicked. For example, if items are
`being added to Appetizers, the Appetizers branch is clicked
`on. Then the Edit> Add Item is clicked on or Ctrl+N pressed.
`As before, if a menu is being built from scratch, the
`20 procedure is to enter the Long Name, Short Name, Code,
`Prep Time, Recipe and Price into the Menu Item dialog box
`12 shown in FIG. 4. The Long Name is the full descriptive
`name of the item. The Short Name is the abbreviated name
`that will be displayed on the handheld device. The Code is
`25 the numeric or alphanumeric code for the item. Prep Time is
`the time it takes to prepare the meal and Recipe would
`include preparation methods and ingredients that are used in
`the preparation of the item. If there is an existing database,
`the existing database can be browsed and menu items
`30 retrieved from the database. Clicking on the Browse button
`will bring up the existing database of menu items. The item
`to be added is then selected and OK is clicked. The fields
`will then be filled with the information from the database.
`Clicking on OK again will add the item to the category.
`Once the menu items have been entered, it may be desired
`to assign some modifiers to the menu items. For example, it
`may be desired to assign meat temperature to a steak order.
`To accomplish this, first the modifier to be assigned is
`selected, then the menu item on the tree view that is to be
`40 assigned the modifier is clicked on and then Edit>Assign
`Modifier is clicked on. Or, the modifier can simply be
`dragged and dropped onto the menu item to link them. A
`dialog box is then displayed asking if this modifier is a
`required modifier. If it is a required modifier, the display
`45 icon will be red but if it is a non-required modifier the
`display icon will be green. As many modifiers as are
`applicable can be assigned. If any changes are made to the
`modifiers, those changes will be automatically reflected
`throughout the menu tree.
`Once the modifiers have been entered, it may be desired
`to assign sub-modifiers to the modifiers items. For example,
`it may be desired to add Honey Mustard as a sub-modifier
`to Dressing. T