초록 ▼

The invention enables an operation to be monitored directly by a single person at a monitoring site. Certain predefined activities at one or more operating sites are automatically monitored. Information regarding these activities is conveyed to the monitoring site as directed by the person doing the

The invention enables an operation to be monitored directly by a single person at a monitoring site. Certain predefined activities at one or more operating sites are automatically monitored. Information regarding these activities is conveyed to the monitoring site as directed by the person doing the monitoring. The information collected at the monitoring site is used to describe the status of the operation at a given time or the change in status of the operation over a period of time, and to verify information about the conduct of the operation supplied by third parties to the person monitoring the operation. The operation can be conducted at any number of operating sites and the operating sites can be separated by any distance. The monitoring site can be, and frequently is, geographically remote from the operating sites. Further, the monitoring site can be mobile, without affecting the monitoring capabilities of the invention. The invention is useful in monitoring a variety of commercial operations such as, for example, a chain of restaurants or multiplicity of car washes. Further, the invention is particularly useful in monitoring commercial operations that operate on a cash-basis or that are conducted primarily on a self-serve basis such as, for example, laundromats or arcades. However, the invention can be used to monitor any type of operation.

대표청구항 ▼

A system for automatically monitoring the conduct a cash-basis operation that takes place at an operating site, comprising: means for automatically determining the amount of cash that should have been deposited in at least one machine located at the operating site during a specified period of time;

A system for automatically monitoring the conduct a cash-basis operation that takes place at an operating site, comprising: means for automatically determining the amount of cash that should have been deposited in at least one machine located at the operating site during a specified period of time; means for maintaining information regarding the amount of cash collected from each of the at least one machines during the specified period of time; and means for comparing the amount of cash collected to the amount of cash that should have been deposited.