Portable autonomous rental store
First Claim
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1. A method of managing rental equipment, comprising:
- sensing an identity of a customer accessing a portable container;
detecting removal of a piece of equipment from the portable container; and
tracking usage of the piece of equipment based on the identity and the removal detection.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method provides rental equipment to a customer including providing a portable container containing a piece of equipment at a location chosen by the customer and authorizing the customer to access the portable container. The method detects removal of the piece of equipment from the portable container and/or return of the piece of equipment to the portable container. Usage of the piece of equipment is tracked.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method of managing rental equipment, comprising:
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sensing an identity of a customer accessing a portable container;
detecting removal of a piece of equipment from the portable container; and
tracking usage of the piece of equipment based on the identity and the removal detection. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of managing rental equipment, comprising:
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sensing an identity of a customer accessing a portable container;
detecting replacement of a piece of equipment to the portable container; and
tracking usage of the piece of equipment based on the identity and the replacement detection. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of providing rental equipment to a customer, comprising:
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providing a customer-specific rental facility containing a piece of equipment at a location chosen by the customer;
authorizing the customer to access the customer-specific rental facility;
detecting removal of the piece of equipment from the customer-specific rental facility;
detecting return of the piece of equipment to the customer-specific rental facility; and
tracking usage of the piece of equipment. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A system for managing rental equipment comprising:
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a portable container containing a piece of equipment for rent;
an access controller that selectively allows a customer to access the portable container; and
a sensor that detects removal of the piece of equipment from the portable container. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A system for providing a portable wireless communications infrastructure to a customer, comprising:
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a local communication interface provided at a customer site;
a remote computer connected to the local communication interface via a wide area network; and
a wireless device at the customer site that communicates data about the equipment to the remote computer via the local communication interface. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A system for managing rental equipment comprising:
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a portable container containing a piece of equipment for rent and a local communication interface;
an access controller that selectively allows a customer to access the portable container; and
a remote computer that receives data about the piece of equipment from the local communication interface via a wide area network. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
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Specification