Wireless-enabled kiosk for recycling consumer devices

• US 10,496,963 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecoatm Incorporated (Coinstar Asset Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ecoatm Incorporated (Coinstar Asset Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Silva, John, Ploetner, Jeffrey, Bowles, Mark Vincent, Beane, John Andrew, Librizzi, Michael, Erman, Randal
• Primary Examiner(s): Obaid, Fateh M
• Application Number:
  US15/630,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20170286920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/06 by returnable containers , i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/82 Recycling of waste of electrical or electronic equipment [WEEE]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

Wireless-enabled kiosk systems and associated methods for recycling and performing other processes with mobile phones and other electronic devices are described herein. In various embodiments, the present technology includes systems and methods for wirelessly connecting a consumer-operated kiosk with an electronic device to facilitate processing (e.g., purchasing) the device. In some embodiments, the present technology includes using a wireless link to identify a device, evaluate a device, resolve device issues to enable purchase of the device, locate a device, etc. Various other aspects of the present technology are described herein.

Claims

1. A method of operating a kiosk for evaluating and purchasing a used electronic device, the method comprising:

prompting a user of the electronic device to establish a wireless link between a wireless transceiver of the kiosk and a wireless transceiver of the electronic device;

prompting the user to load a software application onto the electronic device;

receiving, via the software application, characteristic information about the electronic device, wherein the characteristic information includes at least one of a make, a model, a hardware configuration, or an identifier of the electronic device;

receiving the electronic device in an internal inspection area of the kiosk;

imaging the electronic device via an imaging device of the kiosk while the electronic device is within the inspection area to obtain information associated with the physical condition of the electronic device; and

purchasing, via the kiosk, the electronic device for a price based at least partially on the characteristic information and the condition information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein prompting the user to establish the wireless link includes prompting the user via a display screen of the kiosk.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein prompting the user to load the software application includes prompting the user via a display screen of the electronic device after the user has established the wireless link.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a wireless network for the electronic device to communicate with a remote server via the wireless transceiver of the kiosk, wherein prompting the user to establish the wireless link includes prompting the user to join the wireless network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, via a display screen of the kiosk, instructions to the user for activating and/or configuring the wireless transceiver of the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving account information for a remote account associated with the user, wherein the account information indicates whether the electronic device is associated with the remote account; and

prompting, after the user has established the wireless link, the user to disassociate the electronic device from the remote account if the account information indicates that the electronic device is associated with the remote account.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising providing instructions to the user for disassociating the electronic device from the remote account.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting, via a display screen of the electronic device after the user has established the wireless link, a notification to the user, wherein the notification includes an incentive to submit the electronic device for processing at the kiosk.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a wireless signal from the electronic device via the wireless link; and

determining a location of the electronic device based at least partially on a strength and/or a continuity of the wireless signal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a wireless signal from the electronic device via the wireless link while the electronic device is within the inspection area; and

confirming that the electronic device is within the inspection area based at least partially on a strength and/or a continuity of the wireless signal.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein purchasing the electronic device includes dispensing cash via the kiosk.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein purchasing the electronic device includes receiving, via the kiosk, an acceptance of the price.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising moving the electronic device into a secure receptacle of the kiosk after receiving the acceptance.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the characteristic information is first characteristic information; and

the method further comprises—

receiving second characteristic information about the electronic device from the electronic device after receiving the electronic device in the inspection area, and

comparing the first characteristic information to the second characteristic information to confirm the first characteristic information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the second characteristic information is not received via the software application.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein:

the first characteristic information includes at least one of a make or a model of the electronic device;

the second characteristic information includes the at least one of a make or a model of the electronic device; and

the second characteristic information is obtained via the imaging of the electronic device while the electronic device is within the inspection area.

17. A system for evaluating and purchasing a used electronic device, the system comprising:

a kiosk including an internal inspection area and an inspection camera operably associated with the inspection area, wherein the inspection area is configured to receive the electronic device; and

one or more processors configured—

to cause the kiosk to prompt a user of the electronic device to establish a wireless link between a wireless transceiver of the kiosk and a wireless transceiver of the electronic device,

to cause the kiosk and/or the electronic device to prompt the user to load a software application onto the electronic device,

to receive, via the software application, information about the electronic device, wherein the information includes at least one of a make, a model, a hardware configuration, or an identifier of the electronic device,

to cause the inspection camera to capture an image of the electronic device while the electronic device is within the inspection area,

to determine a compensation to dispense in exchange for the electronic device based at least partially on the information and the image, and

to cause the kiosk to dispense the compensation in exchange for the electronic device.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein:

the information is characteristic information; and

the one or more processors is/are configured—

to inspect the electronic device while the electronic device is within the inspection area at least partially by gathering condition information about the electronic device from the image, and

to determine the compensation to dispense in exchange for the electronic device further based at least partially on the condition information.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to cause the kiosk to display instructions to the user for activating and/or configuring the wireless transceiver of the electronic device.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors is/are configured:

to receive account information for a remote account associated with the user, wherein the account information indicates whether the electronic device is associated with the remote account; and

to cause the kiosk to prompt the user to disassociate the electronic device from the remote account if the account information indicates that the electronic device is associated with the remote account.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to cause the kiosk to display instructions to the user for disassociating the electronic device from the remote account if the account information indicates that the electronic device is associated with the remote account.

22. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors is/are configured to cause the electronic device to display a notification to the user, wherein the notification includes an incentive to submit the electronic device for processing at the kiosk.

23. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors is/are configured:

to receive a wireless signal from the electronic device via the wireless link; and

to determine a location of the electronic device based at least partially on a strength and/or a continuity of the wireless signal.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors is/are configured:

to receive a wireless signal from the electronic device via the wireless link while the electronic device is within the inspection area; and

to confirm that the electronic device is within the inspection area based at least partially on a strength and/or a continuity of the wireless signal.

25. The system of claim 17 wherein the kiosk is configured to dispense the compensation as cash.

26. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more processors is/are configured:

to cause the kiosk to present an offer to purchase the electronic device after determining the compensation;

to receive, via the kiosk, an acceptance of the offer; and

to cause the kiosk to dispense the compensation in exchange for the electronic device after receiving the acceptance.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein:

the kiosk includes a storage receptacle operably associated with the inspection area; and

the one or more processors is/are configured to cause the kiosk to transfer the electronic device from the inspection area to the storage receptacle after receiving the acceptance.