Commodity rental apparatus, commodity rental system, and commodity rental method

• US 20050261977A1
• Filed: 08/16/2002
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Media Net System Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Media Net System Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Fujinawa, Kimio, Kiji, Ryozo
• Application Number:
  US10/486,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20050261977A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/069 by box-like containers, e.g. videocassettes, books

Abstract

A commodity rental apparatus includes an input unit, a containing unit, and a return unit. The input unit selects a predetermined commodity and inputs commodity rental information. The containing unit has a commodity containing column having a data carrier, reads an identification number of a commodity selected by a commodity number input by a user via an antenna arranged at the column, and specifies a commodity. Furthermore, the specified commodity is carried from the containing column to the commodity pick-up unit, so that the user can picks it up. The return unit reads rental information recorded on the data carrier of the commodity returned through a return hole via an antenna arranged in the vicinity of the return hole, accepts the commodity, and contains it in a stocker to which it is conveyed by a predetermined convey mechanism.

Claims

1. A commodity rental apparatus comprising:

an input unit that selects a commodity to input rental information for renting the selected commodity;

a containing unit that contains a commodity with a record tag on which identification information for identifying the commodity is recorded in advance to deliver the commodity selected by the input unit after executing reading/writing of predetermined information onto the record tag;

a return unit that accepts a commodity to be returned, and reads rental information recorded on the record tag of the commodity to generate return information; and

a control unit that is connected to the input unit to control the containing unit and the return unit, wherein the control unit reads identification information recorded on the record tag based on rental information sent from the input unit, identifies the commodity to be delivered from the containing unit, records rental information on the record tag of the commodity, and records return information sent from the return unit on the record tag of the commodity when the commodity is accepted by the return unit.

2. The commodity rental apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a card processing unit that executes reading/writing of predetermined information onto a membership card, wherein the control unit is connected to the card processing unit, records rental information on the membership card at the time of delivering the commodity from the containing unit, and updates rental information of the membership card based on return information sent from the return unit when the commodity is accepted by the return unit.

3. A commodity rental apparatus comprising:

input means for selecting a predetermined commodity to input rental information for renting the selected commodity;

containing means, which includes a column containing a commodity with a record tag on which identification information for identifying the commodity is recorded in advance and a first reader/writer section that is wirelessly communicable with the record tag, for identifying the commodity selected by the input section based on identification information recorded on the record tag to deliver the commodity from the column after writing rental information of the commodity sent from the input means;

return means, which includes a return hole through which a commodity to be returned is accepted, a stocker that contains the commodity, and a second reader/writer section that is wirelessly communicable with the record tag of the commodity, for reading rental information recorded on the record tag of the commodity to generate return information; and

information management means, which is connected to the input means and the return means, for recording rental information sent from the input means to update the recorded rental information based on return information sent from the return means.

4. The commodity rental apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first reader/writer section and the second reader/writer section read information recorded on the record tag via antennas respectively arranged in the vicinity of the column and the return hole, and produce a radio wave for recording predetermined information on the record tag.

5. The commodity rental apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

storage means for storing stock information for each commodity; and

stock management means for detecting a response radio wave from each record tag of the commodities contained in the column using the first recorder/writer section to read identification information of the commodities to obtain the number of stocks according to the kind of commodity to generate stock information, and store the stock information by the storage means.

6. A commodity rental system comprising:

a commodity rental apparatus that rents a commodity; and

a management server that is connected to the commodity rental apparatus via a network, wherein the commodity rental apparatus comprises return means, which includes a return hole through which a commodity to be returned is accepted, a stocker that contains the commodity, and a second reader/writer section that is wirelessly communicable with the record tag of the commodity, for reading rental information recorded on the record tag of the commodity to generate return information, and containing means, which includes a column containing a commodity with a record tag on which identification information for identifying the commodity is recorded in advance and a first reader/writer section that is wirelessly communicable with the record tag, for identifying the commodity selected by the input section based on identification information recorded on the record tag to deliver the commodity from the column after writing rental information of the commodity sent from the input means, the commodity rental apparatus transmits identification information and rental information of the commodity to the management server when the commodity is delivered by the containing means, the management server stores rental information sent from the commodity rental apparatus to be associated with identification information, the commodity rental apparatus sends the management server sends the management server a request for rental information corresponding to the identification information of a commodity when the return means accepts the commodity, generates return information by the return means based on rental information sent from the management server in response to the request, and transmits the return information to the management server, and the management server updates rental information based on return information sent from the commodity rental apparatus.

7. The commodity rental system according to claim 6, wherein the management server is communicable with a terminal via the network, when receiving a commodity name indicating a predetermined commodity and rental information of the commodity, the management server generates a reservation number, stores rental information to be associated with the reservation number, and transmits the reservation number to the terminal, and when the reservation number is input by the input means, the commodity rental apparatus sends the management server a request for rental information corresponding to the reservation number, and selects the commodity to deliver by the containing means based on rental information sent from the management server in response to the request.

8. The commodity rental system according to claim 6, wherein the management server further comprises an advertisement database that stores advertisement information of the commodity, the commodity rental apparatus further comprises display means for outputting advertisement information, and requests advertisement information of the commodity of the management server with a predetermined timing, the management server extracts the advertisement information of a predetermined commodity from the advertisement database in response to the request and transmits it to the commodity rental apparatus, and the commodity rental apparatus receives advertisement information sent from the management server and output it by the display means.

9. A commodity rental method comprising:

the input step of selecting a kind of a predetermined commodity with a record tag on which identification information for identifying the commodity is recorded in advance to input rental information for renting the commodity corresponding to the selected kind;

the rental step of reading identification information recorded on the record tag to select a commodity corresponding to the kind of the commodity selected in the input step and record rental information of the commodity input in the input step on the record tag of the selected commodity to deliver;

the rental information storage step of storing identification information and rental information of the commodity;

the return step of accepting a commodity to be returned to read identification information of the commodity;

the return information generation step of reading rental information corresponding to identification information of the commodity read and returned in the return step to generate return information based on the rental information; and

the update step of updating rental information stored in the rental information storage step based on the return information.

10. A computer program product that records a computer program on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program functioning as:

means for detecting the kind of commodity and the number of commodities with a record tag on which identification information for identifying the commodity is recorded based on the identification information;

means for reading identification information recorded on the tag record based on rental information input by a user to select one commodity of a kind corresponding to rent information and record rental information on the record tag of the commodity;

means for recording rental information on a membership card;

means for accepting a commodity to be returned to read rental information recorded on the record tag of the commodity and generate return information based on the rental information; and

means for updating the rental information of the membership card based on the return information to record the return information on the record tag of the accepted commodity.