KIOSK NETWORK IN A KIOSK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20150088694A1
• Filed: 09/26/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ackerman, Neil Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,984,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26.62
• 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 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A kiosk apparatus, method and system of providing and distributing a plurality of items to one or more consumers is provided. Each kiosk in a plurality of kiosks may be configured to communicate with a kiosk management system to provide inventory data, which is provided to consumers such that one or more requested items may be reserved in a transaction. The kiosk may be further configured to interact with the consumer to retrieve the reserved items, where the consumer may use a portable device to interact with the kiosk, or the consumer may be prompted by the kiosk to enter account information and/or a generated code associated with the transaction provided by the kiosk management system. Then, a payment process is initiated with the kiosk management system or other entity, and when the payment process is verified, release the requested items to the consumer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for conducting a transaction, with a consumer using a portable device, for an item stored among kiosks pre-stocked with items available for purchase, comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

receiving, at a kiosk, a query from a kiosk management system for an item requested for purchase by the consumer in a transaction;

transmitting, from the kiosk, an inventory status for the requested item to the kiosk management system via a network;

if the inventory status indicates that the requested item is included in the items with which the kiosk is pre-stocked,

receiving, at the kiosk, a message from the kiosk management system, the message instructing the kiosk to reserve the item and including a generated code for the transaction;

reserving, at the kiosk, the requested item from the items with which the kiosk is pre-stocked;

receiving, at the kiosk, a code from the portable device when the consumer initiates retrieval of the requested item from the kiosk;

verifying that the code received from the portable device corresponds to the generated code;

initiating a payment process for the requested item; and

instructing release of the requested item from the kiosk to the consumer when the payment process is complete.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the inventory status indicates that the requested item is excluded from the items which the kiosk is pre-stocked,

receiving, at the kiosk, a delivery message from the kiosk management system, the delivery message including delivery information for the requested item that was excluded and including a generated code for the transaction;

receiving, at the kiosk, the requested item that was excluded;

following receipt of the requested item that was excluded, transmitting, from the kiosk, a delivery confirmation for the item that was excluded to the kiosk management system;

reserving, at the kiosk, the requested item that was excluded from the items with which the kiosk is pre-stocked;

receiving, at the kiosk, a code from the portable device when the consumer initiates retrieval of the requested item that was excluded from the kiosk;

verifying that the code received from the portable device corresponds to the generated code;

initiating a payment process for the requested item that was excluded; and

instructing release of requested item that was excluded, from the kiosk to the consumer when the payment process is complete.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the code is received at the kiosk from the portable device via a wireless communication connection.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving account information for the consumer from the portable device;

generating transaction history information related to the transaction; and

transmitting the transaction history information and the account information to the kiosk management system.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a malfunction at the kiosk; and

transmitting a repair request to the kiosk management system, the repair request including information associated with the malfunction.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:

under control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,

when an item from a query is included in a plurality of items stored at the kiosk, wherein the plurality of items were selected for storage in the kiosk based at least in part on at least one of inventory information, transaction history information, and kiosk information; and

wherein the plurality of items were distributed to the kiosk by a distribution agent assigned to the kiosk based at least in part on the geographic area,

reserving, at the kiosk, the item from the plurality of items stored at the kiosk;

initiating, at the kiosk, a payment process for the item when a consumer initiates retrieval of item at the kiosk; and

instructing release of the item for the kiosk to the consumer when the payment process is completed.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein initiating the payment process further comprises:

receiving at least one of account information or payment information associated with the consumer;

transmitting the at least of the account information or the payment information to the kiosk management system; and

receiving a payment confirmation from the kiosk management system, the payment confirmation indicating that the payment process can be completed.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a reservation request from the kiosk management system, the reservation request instructing the kiosk to reserve the item from the plurality of items stored at the kiosk.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein initiating the payment process further comprises:

generating a code for a computing device of the consumer;

receiving, at the kiosk, the code from the computing device of the consumer, to initiate retrieval of the item;

transmitting the code to the kiosk management system for verification;

receiving a confirmation from the kiosk management system that the code received at the kiosk is verified; and

authorizing release of the item for the kiosk to the consumer.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, at the kiosk, a code from the computing device of the consumer, to initiate retrieval of the item;

verifying the code at the kiosk;

transmitting a confirmation to the kiosk management system that the code received at the kiosk is verified; and

authorizing release of the item for the kiosk to the consumer.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

when the item from the query is excluded from the plurality of items stored at the kiosk,

receiving, at the kiosk, a delivery message from the kiosk management system, the delivery message including delivery information related to the item that was excluded;

receiving, at the kiosk, the item that was excluded, from the distribution agent assigned to the kiosk; and

transmitting a delivery confirmation to the kiosk management system when the item that was excluded is received at the kiosk.

12. A kiosk comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a plurality of selected items, wherein the plurality of selected items were selected for storage in the kiosk based at least in part on at least one of inventory information, transaction history information, and kiosk information; and

wherein the plurality of items were distributed to the kiosk by a distribution agent;

a dispensing unit configured to release a requested item to the consumer from the storage unit;

a communication interface configured to communicate with a management system and with other computing devices;

a memory configured to store inventory information for the plurality of selected items stored in the storage unit; and

a processor device in communication with the storage unit, dispensing unit, communication interface, and memory, the processor device configured to at least;

receive a request for a consumer to conduct a transaction for the requested item;

if the requested item is among the plurality of selected items stored in the storage unit of the kiosk,

receive a code for the transaction from a separate computing device via the communication interface, the code being unique to the transaction and to the consumer;

initiate verification of the code;

release the requested item to the dispensing unit for retrieval when the code is verified; and

send updated inventory information for the kiosk, to the management system via the communication interface.

13. The kiosk of claim 12, further comprising:

if the requested item is among the plurality of selected items stored in the storage unit of the kiosk,

receiving a reservation request from the management system via the communication interface to reserve the requested item in the storage unit of the kiosk; and

reserving the requested item in the storage unit of the kiosk for a predetermined amount of time.

14. The kiosk of claim 12, wherein the processor device is further configured to at least:

if the requested item is excluded from the plurality of selected items stored in the storage unit of the kiosk,

receiving a delivery message from the management system via the communication interface, the delivery message including information related to delivery of the requested item to the kiosk, and a code for the transaction;

receiving the requested item;

transmitting a delivery confirmation to the management system via the communication interface when the requested item received; and

reserving the requested item in the storage unit of the kiosk.

15. The kiosk of claim 12, wherein in the kiosk is located in proximity to a preferred item provider, and wherein the consumer is made eligible for a promotion offered by the item provider.

16. The kiosk of claim 12, wherein the kiosk is one of a plurality of kiosks located in a geographic area, wherein the distribution agent is one of a plurality of distribution agents, and wherein the distribution agent is assigned from the plurality of distribution agents to the kiosk based at least in part on the geographic area.

17. The kiosk of claim 16, wherein the kiosk is maintained by the distribution agent assigned from the plurality of distribution agents.

18. The kiosk of claim 12, wherein the consumer is a first consumer, wherein the request identifies a second consumer specified by the first consumer, wherein the separate computing device from which the code is received is associated with the second consumer, and wherein the requested item is released to the dispensing unit for retrieval by the second consumer when the payment process is complete.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer system, configure the computer system to perform operations comprising:

maintaining inventory information for a plurality of items stored in a kiosk, wherein the plurality of items were selected for storage in the kiosk based at least in part on at least one of the inventory information, transaction history information, and kiosk information; and

wherein the plurality of items were distributed to the kiosk by a distribution agent assigned to the kiosk based at least in part on a geographic area in which the kiosk is located;

processing an order from a consumer for an item stored in the kiosk among the plurality of items distributed to the kiosk by the distribution agent;

dispensing the item from the kiosk to the consumer when the consumer presents a verifiable code associated with the order to the kiosk;

following dispensing the item from the kiosk to the consumer, updating the inventory information for the kiosk to reflect that the item is no longer stored in the kiosk; and

transmitting the updated inventory information to a management system.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the transaction history includes transaction information associated with one or more items dispensed from the kiosk, and the operations further comprise transmitting the transaction history to the management system.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, the operations further comprise:

collecting account information; and

transmit the plurality of transaction history and the account information to the kiosk management system.