SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SIMULTANEOUS ARTICLE RETRIEVAL AND TRANSACTION VALIDATION

• US 20130325176A1
• Filed: 06/05/2012
• Published: 12/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2012
• 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: Polubinski, Jim Jr., Ptacek, William
• Granted Patent: US 9,747,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/237
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3276 using a pictured code, e.g. barcode or QR-code, being read by the M-device
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/006 Details of the software used for the vending machines

Abstract

A system and method for dispensing an article from an article dispensing machine by reducing the amount of time for completing a transaction involving the article is provided. A request related to a selected article and payment information for a balance related to the selected article may be received at the article dispensing machine through a user interface. The payment information may be validated, and simultaneously and in parallel, the selected article may be retrieved from a storage unit in the article dispensing machine. The selected article may be dispensed from the article dispensing machine if the payment information is valid. If the payment information is not valid, the selected article may be returned to the storage unit. Quicker dispensing of articles during consumer transactions with the article dispensing machine may result. The articles may include media articles, such as DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, and video game discs.

Claims

1. A method of dispensing a selected article of a plurality of articles from an article dispensing machine, the article dispensing machine comprising a user interface, a processor, and a storage unit for holding the plurality of articles, the method comprising:

receiving a request related to the selected article through the user interface at the processor;

receiving payment information for a balance related to the request through the user interface at the processor;

determining whether the payment information is valid, using the processor;

retrieving the selected article from the storage unit simultaneously with the step of determining whether the payment information is valid;

dispensing the selected article from the article dispensing machine, if the payment information is valid; and

returning the selected article to the storage unit, if the payment information is not valid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request related to the selected article comprises at least one of a rental transaction request or a purchase transaction request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment information comprises one or more of a payment card or a credit.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the payment information is valid comprises:

authorizing a payment capability of the payment card for the balance, using the processor;

processing the payment card for the balance, using the processor, if the payment card is authorized; and

transmitting from the processor that the payment information is not valid, if the payment card is not authorized.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the payment information is valid comprises:

determining whether the credit is available, using the processor; and

redeeming the credit for the balance, if the credit is available, using the processor.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the payment information is valid comprises:

redeeming the credit for an initial portion of the balance, using the processor;

authorizing a payment capability of the payment card, using the processor;

processing the payment card for a remaining portion of the balance, using the processor, if the payment card is authorized, wherein the remaining portion is equal to the initial portion subtracted from the balance; and

transmitting from the processor that the payment information is not valid, if the payment card is not authorized.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the payment information is valid comprises:

determining whether a customer passes a fraud check, wherein the fraud check comprises whether the customer is eligible to receive the selected article; and

transmitting from the processor that the payment information is not valid, if the customer does not pass the fraud check.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the selected article from the storage unit comprises:

determining a location of the selected article in the storage unit; and

moving the selected article from the location in the storage unit to an article transfer opening.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein moving the selected article comprises moving, using a picker device, the selected article from the location in the storage unit to the article transfer opening.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein dispensing the selected article from the article dispensing machine comprises dispensing the selected article through an article transfer opening, if the payment information is valid.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the selected article is physically located in the article dispensing machine, using the processor; and

querying for the payment information through the user interface, using the processor, if the selected article is physically located in the article dispensing machine.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected article comprises at least one of a digital video disc, a Blu-Ray disc, or a video game disc.

13. A computer readable medium for dispensing a selected article of a plurality of articles from an article dispensing machine, the article dispensing machine comprising a user interface, a processor, and a storage unit for holding the plurality of articles, the computer readable medium comprising:

a first code segment for receiving a request related to the selected article through the user interface at the processor;

a second code segment for receiving payment information for a balance related to the request through the user interface at the processor;

a third code segment for determining whether the payment information is valid, using the processor;

a fourth code segment for retrieving the selected article from the storage unit simultaneously with the step of determining whether the payment information is valid;

a fifth code segment for dispensing the selected article from the article dispensing machine, if the payment information is valid; and

a sixth code segment for returning the selected article to the storage unit, if the payment information is not valid.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the request related to the selected article comprises at least one of a rental transaction request or a purchase transaction request.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the payment information comprises one or more of a payment card or a credit.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the third code segment for determining whether the payment information is valid comprises:

a seventh code segment for authorizing a payment capability of the payment card for the balance, using the processor;

an eighth code segment for processing the payment card for the balance, using the processor, if the payment card is authorized; and

a ninth code segment for transmitting from the processor that the payment information is not valid, if the payment card is not authorized.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the third code segment for determining whether the payment information is valid comprises:

a tenth code segment for determining whether the credit is available, using the processor; and

an eleventh code segment for redeeming the credit for the balance, if the credit is available, using the processor.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the third code segment for determining whether the payment information is valid comprises:

a twelfth code segment for redeeming the credit for an initial portion of the balance, using the processor;

a thirteenth code segment for authorizing a payment capability of the payment card, using the processor;

a fourteenth code segment for processing the payment card for a remaining portion of the balance, using the processor, if the payment card is authorized, wherein the remaining portion is equal to the initial portion subtracted from the balance; and

a fifteenth code segment for transmitting from the processor that the payment information is not valid, if the payment card is not authorized.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the third code segment for determining whether the payment information is valid comprises:

a sixteenth code segment for determining whether a customer passes a fraud check, wherein the fraud check comprises whether the customer is eligible to receive the selected article; and

a seventeenth code segment for transmitting from the processor that the payment information is not valid, if the customer does not pass the fraud check.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the fourth code segment for retrieving the selected article from the storage unit comprises:

an eighteenth code segment for determining a location of the selected article in the storage unit; and

a nineteenth code segment for moving the selected article from the location in the storage unit to an article transfer opening.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the nineteenth code segment for moving the selected article comprises a twentieth code segment for moving, using a picker device, the selected article from the location in the storage unit to the article transfer opening.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the fifth code segment for dispensing the selected article from the article dispensing machine comprises a twenty-first code segment for dispensing the selected article through an article transfer opening, if the payment information is valid.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

a twenty-second code segment for determining whether the selected article is physically located in the article dispensing machine, using the processor; and

a twenty-third code segment for querying for the payment information through the user interface, using the processor, if the selected article is physically located in the article dispensing machine.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the selected article comprises at least one of a digital video disc, a Blu-Ray disc, or a video game disc.