Secondary Market And Vending System For Devices

• US 20100169231A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecoatm Incorporated (Coinstar Asset Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: ECO ATM Incorporated
• Inventors: Bowles, Mark, Librizzi, Michael, Rooyen, Pieter Van
• Granted Patent: US 7,881,965 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/306
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0237 at kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0278 Product appraisal
• 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: H04M 1/0287 being disposable or recyclable
• 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

A recycling kiosk for recycling and financial remuneration for submission of a mobile telephone is disclosed herein. The recycling kiosk includes an inspection area with at least one camera and a plurality of electrical connectors in order to perform a visual analysis and an electrical analysis of the mobile telephone for determination of a value of the mobile telephone. The recycling kiosk also includes a processor, a display and a user interface.

Claims

1. A kiosk for analysis of a mobile phone and financial remuneration to a user for submission of the mobile phone, the kiosk comprising:

a housing having an inspection area for placement of a mobile phone therein;

a user interface on an exterior surface of the housing for the user to input information;

at least one camera focused on a field of view within the inspection area of the housing, the at least one camera capable of acquiring an image of a portion of a mobile phone placed within the inspection area including at least an image of a display of the mobile phone;

a plurality of electrical connectors, at least one electrical connector of the plurality of electrical connectors capable of connecting to the mobile phone placed within the inspection area;

an electrical connector dispensing device for dispensing one electrical connector of the plurality of electrical connectors to the inspection area;

a processor within the housing and in communication with the at least one camera, each of the plurality of electrical connectors and the user interface, the processor configured to identify the brand and model number of the mobile phone based on at least one of the information from the user and the images from the at least one camera, the processor configured to determine the at least one electrical connector to dispense to the inspection area, the processor configured to perform a visual analysis of the display of the mobile phone, the processor configured to perform an electrical analysis of the mobile phone, and the processor configured to determine a financial remuneration value for the mobile phone.