AUTOMATED BATTERY AND DATA DELIVERY SYSTEM

• US 20120045303A1
• Filed: 04/15/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Storefront.com Online, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Storefront.com Online, Inc.
• Inventors: Macdonald, Murray
• Granted Patent: US 8,922,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/373
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 10/00 Furniture or installations specially adapted to particular types of service systems, not otherwise provided for conveyor aspects B65G; building aspects E04H; coin-freed apparatus G07F
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that use a mobile robotic device (120, 220, 800) to transport rechargeable batteries (322, 422, 530, 570, 610, 722) between a base station (110, 600, 700), which charges the batteries, and a battery operated device (130, 230, 300, 400, 500, 550), such as battery powered kiosk (400) or signage system (300), which uses a charged battery as a power source. After traveling to a battery operated device, the mobile robotic device removes any discharged batteries from the battery operated device and installs a charged battery. The mobile robotic device then travels to the base station and attaches the discharged battery to the base station for recharging. The mobile robotic device may be configured to perform other transfers, such as data transfers and paper transfers. In addition, the mobile robotic device may be configured to perform a photographic and spatial survey of the isles, retail shelves, and surrounding environment for various purposes, such as generating three-dimensional store models and remote viewing.

Claims

1. An automated battery exchange system for exchanging a discharged battery coupled to a battery operated device with a charged battery, comprising:

a battery operated device positioned within a retail environment, the battery operated device comprising a display for presenting data to one or more users in the retail environment and a rechargeable battery for powering the battery operated device;

a base station remotely located from the battery operated device, the base station electrically coupled to a power source and configured to charge a rechargeable battery; and

a mobile robotic device comprising a transportation system for moving the mobile robotic device between the battery operated device and the base station, a storage platform for supporting a set of rechargeable batteries that include at least one charged battery, and a battery exchange system configured to decouple from the battery operated device the rechargeable battery, couple to the battery operated device a charged battery from the set of rechargeable batteries supported on the storage platform, decouple from the base station a rechargeable battery, and couple to the base station a rechargeable battery from the set of rechargeable batteries supported on the storage platform,

wherein the mobile robotic device is configured to travel between the battery operated device and the base station so that the battery exchange system can exchange a discharged battery from the battery operated device with a charged battery from the set of rechargeable batteries supported on the storage platform after the mobile robotic device travels to the battery operated device and exchange a charged battery from the base station with a discharged battery from the set of rechargeable batteries supported on the storage platform after the mobile robotic device travels to the base station.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery operated device further comprises an input device for accepting data from a user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery operated device comprises a photo kiosk system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile robotic device is configured to travel between the battery operated device and the base station only during a specified period of time to thereby minimize interference with the users.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery operated device is positioned within the retail environment in a location having no readily accessible electrical receptacle for powering the battery operated device, and the base station is positioned in a location having a readily accessible electrical receptacle for powering the base station so that the base station can charge a rechargeable battery.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station is configured to charge a plurality rechargeable batteries.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the base station includes a transmitter for guiding the mobile robotic device toward the base station.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery operated device includes a memory for storing data, the base station includes a network interface for communicatively coupling to the base station a remote data store, the mobile robotic device includes a memory for storing data, and the mobile robotic device includes a data exchange system configured to transfer between the memory of the battery operated device and the memory of the mobile robotic device data and transfer between the memory of the mobile robotic device and the remote data store data so that data can be relayed between the remote data store and the memory of the battery operated device as the mobile robotic device travels between the base station and the battery operated device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery operated device includes a removable memory, the base station includes a removable memory, the base station includes a network interface configured to transfer between a remote data store and the removable memory of the base station data, the storage platform is configured to support a set of removable memories, and the mobile robotic device includes a data exchange system configured to decouple from the battery operated device the removable memory, couple to the battery operated device a removable memory from the set of removable memories supported on the storage platform, decouple from the base station a removable memory, and couple to the base station a removable memory from the set of removable memories supported on the storage platform so that data can be relayed between the remote data store and the battery operated device as the mobile robotic device travels between the base station and the battery operated device and exchanges at the base station and the battery operated device the removable memories.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery operated device includes a mechanical fastener for coupling the rechargeable battery to the battery operated device and the battery exchange system is configured to disengage the mechanical fastener so that a rechargeable battery can be decoupled from the battery operated device and engage the mechanical fastener so that a rechargeable battery can be coupled to the battery operated device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the battery operated device includes a transmitter proximate the mechanical fastener, the transmitter configured to guide the mobile robotic device toward the battery operated device and the mechanical fastener.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile robotic device further comprises:

a camera system configured to capture a plurality of images as the mobile robotic device travels between the battery operated device and the base station; and

a memory for storing the plurality of captured images.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery operated device includes a printing device and paper for the printing device, the base station includes a paper source, the storage platform is configured to support paper, and the mobile robotic device includes a paper delivery system configured to transfer paper from the paper source to the storage platform and transfer paper from the storage platform to the battery operated device.

14. An automated energy delivery system operating within a retail environment to deliver to one or more battery operated devices electrical energy, comprising:

a battery operated device positioned within the retail environment, the battery operated device comprising a display for presenting data to one or more users in the retail environment and a rechargeable battery for powering the battery operated device; and

a mobile robotic device comprising a transportation system for moving the mobile robotic device between the battery operated device and a power source, an energy storage device configured to store electrical energy from the power source, and an energy exchange system for transferring from the power source to the energy storage device electrical energy and transferring from the energy storage device to the rechargeable battery electrical energy,

wherein the mobile robotic device is configured to travel between the battery operated device and the power source so that the energy exchange system can transfer from the power source to the energy storage device electrical energy after the mobile robotic device travels to the power source and the energy exchange system can transfer from the energy storage device to the rechargeable battery electrical energy for charging the rechargeable battery after the mobile robotic device travels to the battery operated device.