Disk Dispensing And Retrieval System And Associated Methods

• US 20090048932A1
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Barber, William H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,639,578 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• 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 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/305 for record players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/18 Error detection or correction; Testing , e.g. of drop-outs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 Web browsing , e.g. WebTV

Abstract

A kiosk dispenses and receives recorded optical disk media using an interconnected system central server computer through an Internet Service Provider. The system central server contains databases and processing, and is connected to a credit verification system. The central databases collect inventory administration information and customer data from the kiosks including creditcard and email addresses. The central server initiates credit verification and sends receipts to customers via email. The central server maintains databases that are used for remote inventory control and administration of the kiosk network. A kiosk has the capability to identify a recorded disk for automated restocking and may also perform quality assessment of a recorded disk. A kiosk may also provide publishing-on-demand or-act as a portal for remotely served advertisement.

Claims

1. A system for dispensing optical storage media from, and maintaining inventory in, a kiosk, the kiosk remote from a system server and communicatively connected to said system server, said system comprising:

a plurality of optical storage media each storing data for a particular program;

a storage carousel in the kiosk for storing said plurality of optical storage media, the kiosk inventory comprising an inventory of said plurality of optical storage media;

a first central processing unit in said kiosk;

a database including information representative of the kiosk inventory and accessible by a user via a kiosk interface and the Internet;

a first media readable by said first central processing unit, having a first set of instructions for directing said first central processing unit to;

read data from a selected one of said plurality of optical storage media stored in said kiosk;

dispense said selected one of said plurality of optical storage media and/or display data from said selected optical medium on a display in said kiosk; and

receive a returned optical medium, identify said returned optical medium, and transmit identity of said returned optical medium to said system server;

maintain information of the kiosk inventory;

remove a one of said optical storage media from said kiosk inventory information when dispensing said selected one;

add a one of said optical storage media to said kiosk inventory information when receiving said returned optical medium;

a second central processing unit in said system server, having a second media including a second set of instructions for directing said second central processing unit to;

maintain an inventory of optical storage media in said kiosk in said database;

receive a message indicating said returned optical storage medium has been returned to the kiosk;

receive an update of the kiosk inventory from said first central processing unit when said first central processing unit updates said kiosk inventory information; and

cause optical storage media to be added to the kiosk inventory based on said kiosk inventory information.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an optical reading device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said second set of instructions further comprises instructions for directing said second central processing unit to provide access to a database of a third central processing unit.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a media identification reader in said kiosk that is operable to detect an identification marking on one of said selected and returned optical storage media.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said first set of instructions includes instructions for directing said first central processing unit to:

read said identification marking on a one of said selected and returned optical storage medium using said media identification reader, and

identify said selected or returned optical storage medium.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said first set of instructions further comprises instructions for directing said first central processing unit to maintain a record of a position of said optical recording storage media in the kiosk based upon said identification of said selected and returned optical storage media.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein said identification marking on said optical storage media includes a concentric marking around a center of an optical storage medium.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said concentric marking is a bar code.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said media identification reader is a bar code scanner.

10. A method for maintaining an inventory of a plurality of optical storage media in a kiosk for dispensing, the kiosk remote from a system server and communicatively connected to the system server, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a user with information representative of the inventory of the kiosk, said inventory information contained in a database that is user-accessible from one of the kiosk and the Internet;

dispensing a selected optical storage medium or receiving a returned optical storage medium from a user of the kiosk;

updating said kiosk inventory information to remove said selected optical storage medium or to add said returned optical storage medium;

notifying the system server of said updated kiosk inventory information; and

alerting the system server when said kiosk inventory information indicates that a number of a particular one of the plurality of optical storage media falls below a first identified threshold.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of displaying on a display of the kiosk advertisements relating to a particular optical storage medium in the inventory when the number of said particular optical medium reaches a second identified threshold.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

reading an identification marking on said selected or returned optical storage medium using a media identification reader in the kiosk; and

identifying said selected or returned optical storage medium.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of maintaining a record of a position of said returned optical storage medium in said kiosk based upon said identification of said returned optical storage media.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said step of reading said identification marking includes reading a concentric marking around a center of said selected or returned optical storage medium.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of reading said concentric marking includes reading a bar code printed concentrically around said optical storage media with a bar code scanner in the kiosk.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein said advertisements are promotions for optical media available at the kiosk.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said kiosk inventory information is viewable at a kiosk display and/or over the Internet.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein a rental price to dispense said selected optical storage medium from said kiosk is based upon said kiosk inventory information.