Integrated real estate showing scheduling and key management system

• US 10,026,248 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2017
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MFTB Holdco Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ShowingTime.com, Inc. (Zillow Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Woodard, Scott E, Caputo, Michael P, Kellogg, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Timory, Kabir A
• Application Number:
  US15/669,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20180061160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 347 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A system and method for dispensing a key from a key kiosk disposed at a realtor'"'"'s office near a real property based on a showing appointment scheduled with a showing scheduling system. The appointment, including a date and time, as well as an authorized user is communicated from the showing scheduling system to the key kiosk. The user then authenticates herself or himself to the kiosk at the appropriate time, and the key is dispensed. The kiosk authenticates the user by scanning a QR code or using the physical location of the user. The kiosk will not dispense the key if the user has a different key that is checked out, but not returned yet. The key can be returned to the kiosk where it is dispensed, or a different key kiosk. The kiosk also dispenses a single common key when the user shows multiple properties.

Claims

1. A method for managing real estate property keys, the method performed by a key kiosk, the method comprising:

1) providing a first status of a first key within a set of keys to a server within a showing appointment management system over the Internet, said key kiosk containing said set of keys for a set of real estate properties, said first status indicating said first key available for accessing a first real estate property within said set of real estate properties;

2) receiving a showing appointment for showing said first real estate property and a fingerprint based authentication code from said server over the Internet, said showing appointment including a date, time, and user identifier, said appointment requested by a showing agent and generated by said showing appointment management system, said fingerprint based authentication code generated from a fingerprint of said showing agent;

3) receiving a fingerprint identifier from a mobile communication device, said fingerprint identifier generated from image features derived from a fingerprint image of said showing agent captured by said mobile communication device;

4) authenticating said showing agent based on said showing appointment, said fingerprint authentication code, and said fingerprint identifier;

5) where said showing agent is authorized, dispensing said first key; and

6) communicating to said server a second status of said first key as dispensed to said authorized showing agent from said key kiosk.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said mobile communication device is adapted to prompt said showing agent to submit a fingerprint, capture an image of a finger of said showing agent, extract image features from said image, and generate said fingerprint identifier from said image features.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said finger is a thumb of said showing agent.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said mobile communication device prompts said showing agent to submit said fingerprint when said mobile communication device recognizes that it is in a close range of said key kiosk based on GPS locations of said mobile communication device and said key kiosk.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said mobile communication device prompts said showing agent to submit said fingerprint when said mobile communication device reads a RFID signal from a RFID tag of said key kiosk, said RFD signal indicating a request for fingerprint authentication.

6. A method for managing real estate property keys, the method performed by a key kiosk, the method comprising:

1) receiving a showing appointment for showing a real estate property from a server within a showing appointment management system over the Internet, said showing appointment including a date, time, and user identifier, said appointment requested by a showing agent and generated by said showing appointment management system;

2) receiving a set of key measures from said server over the Internet;

3) receiving a fingerprint based authentication code from said server over the Internet, said fingerprint based authentication code generated from a fingerprint of said showing agent;

4) receiving a fingerprint identifier from a first mobile communication device, said fingerprint identifier generated from image features derived from a fingerprint image of said showing agent captured by said first mobile communication device;

5) authorizing said showing agent based on said showing appointment, said fingerprint based authentication code, and said fingerprint identifier;

6) where said showing agent is authorized, creating a copy key based on said set of key measures; and

7) dispensing said copy key for accessing said real estate property.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said server determines said set of key measures by receiving said set of key measures from a second mobile communication device, wherein said second mobile communication device is adapted to capture a set of images of a physical key for said real estate property, derive said set of key measures from said set of images, and send said set of key measures to said server.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said server determines said set of key measures by deriving said set of key measures from a set of images of a physical key for said real estate property, wherein said set of images is captured by and received from a second mobile communication device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said first mobile communication device is adapted to prompt said showing agent to submit a fingerprint for generating said fingerprint identifier from said image features.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said first mobile communication device prompts said showing agent to submit said fingerprint when said first mobile communication device recognizes that it is in a close range of said key kiosk based on GPS locations of said first mobile communication device and said key kiosk.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein said first mobile communication device prompts said showing agent to submit said fingerprint when said first mobile communication device reads a RFD signal from a RFID tag of said key kiosk, said RFID signal indicating a request for fingerprint authentication.