Abstract: A system (10) for determining a presence, identity, and duration of presence in a given area of an object includes one or more mobile transmitters (12) that periodically send out a beacon signal. A node (14) includes a receiver (16) that receives a beacon signal whenever a mobile transmitter (12) is within a threshold range of the node (14). The node (14) includes a controller (18) that determines a signal strength of each received beacon signal. The controller (18) compares the signal strength of each received beacon signal to a reference signal strength associated with the threshold range in order to determine whether the mobile transmitter (12) was within the desired detection area of the node (14). A base unit (24) sorts received information packets for processing by a base computer (28) in order to determine what mobile transmitter (12) was at what node (14) and for how long.

Abstract: A smart table to be utilized is disclosed. The smart table includes a patron presence detector, a patron counter, a staff presence detector, and a transmitter. The patron presence detector detects information regarding the presence of patrons sitting at the table. The patron counter counts the number of patrons sitting at the table. The staff presence detector detects information regarding the presence of a staff member serving the table. The above-mentioned detected information are subsequently transmitted by the transmitter to a remotely located data processing system.