A system for managing performance of a service establishment, the service establishment having multiple servers and multiple customers. Each server has a server queue with zero or more customers. Servers take orders from customers when they reach the head of the server's queue. The system includes: an order input interface for obtaining orders from the servers as the servers take orders from the customers; one or more digital video cameras positioned and configured to capture video of the server queues; a public view monitor viewable by the customers; a management monitor viewable by one or more managers of the service establishment; and a customer tracking processor. The customer tracking processor is configured to: receive video of server queues; identify customers in the video data; track customer progress in the server queues; and calculate and display expected wait times of the server queues on the public view monitor.

According to an embodiment, an information processing apparatus registers, upon input of identification information of a commodity to be purchased via a mobile terminal, data of the commodity to be purchased identified by the identification information in a list. The information processing apparatus notifies, upon receiving an instruction to execute checkout from the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal of a checkout code for specifying the list. The information processing apparatus outputs, upon input of the code in a checkout machine, the list specified by the code to the checkout machine. The information processing apparatus counts the number of codes that are notified to the mobile terminal but not input in the checkout machine. The information processing apparatus executes processing for notifying the user of the mobile terminal of the count value.

A method and system for viral identification of evacuees are provided. The method is recursive and involves bringing an emergency warden and a midstream evacuee in close proximity with one another to enable a handheld computing device belonging to one of the two to read information from the other, enabling the handheld computing device to read the information, having the handheld computing device read the information to enable an identification of the midstream evacuee, providing the identifier of the midstream evacuee to a central mustering server, whereby the midstream evacuee is enabled to act as an emergency warden, and performing the method with the midstream evacuee acting as an emergency warden with respect to another evacuee before the central mustering server. The method provides the advantage of virally identifying evacuees within the confines of a muster point in an efficient and reliable manner.

A weighing system for a retail grocery environment is provided. The system includes a scale device with a weighing station and a scale device controller associated with the weighing station for determining a price of an item based upon the item weight, wherein the scale device further includes a first wireless transmitter/receiver associated with the scale controller. A portable, wireless communication module is carried by a scale operator, the wireless communication module including a display screen, a module controller with a memory, at least one operator control input and a second wireless transmitter/receiver.

A queue analyzing method is applied to an image monitoring apparatus for determining whether a rear object belongs to a queue of a front object. The queue analyzing method includes computing an angle difference and an interval between the rear object and the front object, transforming an original interval threshold into an amended interval threshold via the angle difference, comparing the interval with the amended interval threshold, and determining the rear object and the front object belong to the same queue when the interval is smaller than the amended interval threshold.

A baggage handling system includes a multi-tiered carousel system, an input conveyor system, an output conveyor system and a control system. Each tier of the multi-tiered carousel system includes an array of addressable storage cells movable along a loop having a charge point and a discharge point. Each storage cell is configured to store a single baggage item. The input conveyor system transfers baggage items selectively to the addressable storage cells of the multiple tiers at the respective charge points, for storage therein. The output conveyor system retrieves baggage items selectively from the addressable storage cells of the multiple tiers at the respective discharge points and conveys the retrieved baggage items in a queue. The storage and retrieval of baggage items is controlled by the control system such that the retrieved baggage items are queued to conform to a determined sequence.

A queue control system controls a queue structure of a queue in an amusement park. The queue control system includes a controller and a queue structure control associated with the queue structure. The controller receives, from an input device that monitors a queue characteristic of the queue, data feedback indicative of the queue characteristic. The queue characteristic is indicative of a queue length, queue wait time, queue rate, or queue throughput. The controller also outputs a control command based on the data feedback. The queue structure control receives the control command and changes at least one aspect of the queue structure based on the control command.

A technique for controlling access to one or more attractions is achieved using a number of access keys, each being issued to one or more users. An electronic queue management part manages a virtual queue in respect of each attraction and receives electronic requests for attraction access, each request relating to an access key and being for the users associated with it to access a particular attraction. Receipt of each request causes the respective users to be added to a corresponding virtual queue. A time at which each group of users reaches the front of the virtual queue and can access the attraction is determined. The users access the attractions by presenting an access key to an access control part, in communication with the electronic queue management part. Only a user presenting an access key at the correct time for accessing the attraction is allowed access to the attraction.

A queue management system in accordance with present embodiments may include a data server system including a processor and memory. The queue management system may include an interface system of the data server system configured to receive a reservation request including an indication of a general time period of arrival of a guest to an area. Additionally, the queue management system may include a reservation right allotment system of the data server system configured to correlate a reservation slot for accessing an attraction to identification information for the guest. Further, the queue management system may include a detection system of the data server system configured to determine when a portable identification feature associated with the identification information has arrived to the area, and a reservation assignment system of the data server system configured to establish a reservation to access the attraction at a specific time window.

A queue analyzing method is applied to an image monitoring apparatus for determining whether a rear object belongs to a queue of a front object. The queue analyzing method includes computing an angle difference and an interval between the rear object and the front object, transforming an original interval threshold into an amended interval threshold via the angle difference, comparing the interval with the amended interval threshold, and determining the rear object and the front object belong to the same queue when the interval is smaller than the amended interval threshold.