MOBILE KIOSK FOR INTELLIGENT SECURABLE DEVICES SYSTEM

• US 20150356801A1
• Filed: 06/02/2015
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Best Lockers, LLC (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Best Lockers, LLC (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Zaniker, John, Nitu, Christian, Finney, Cory
• Granted Patent: US 10,096,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00277 opening of different locks separately
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00349 and the lock having only one limited data transmission range
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00904 for hotels, motels, office buildings or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00912 for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system and method of controlling a securable device in a set of securable devices may include establishing a centralized data repository with data representative of status of each securable device. Communications with a mobile kiosk application executing on a mobile device of a user may be established. Responsive to receiving a request from the mobile kiosk to identify an available securable device local and accessible to the user, the centralized data repository may be accessed, at least one securable device that is available may be identified, and data associated with the identified available securable device(s) may be communicated to the mobile kiosk to cause the mobile kiosk to communicate at least a portion of the data to one of the securable device(s). Responsive to receiving a status update of the securable device, the centralized data repository may be updated with the status update of the associated securable device.

Claims

1. A securable device within a set of securable devices that enable users to secure items, said securable device comprising:

a computing unit;

a memory unit in communication with said computing unit;

a charge device in communication with said computing unit and said memory unit;

a short-range communications device in communication with said computing unit, and configured to communicate a short-range wireless communications protocol; and

an electromechanical lock device in communication with said computing unit, said short-range communications device configured to enable a user operating a mobile kiosk on a mobile device capable of communicating using the short-range communications protocol to communicate data with the computing unit, said computing unit configured to;

process data received from the mobile device;

responsive to determining that the data is addressed to the securable device from among the set securable devices, (i) process the data to control said electromechanical lock device of the securable device and (ii) update status data of the securable device; and

communicate status data via said short-range communications protocol to the mobile kiosk to cause the mobile kiosk to update a data repository inclusive of status data of the set of securable devices with the status data of the securable device.

2. The securable device according to claim 1, wherein the status data is a lock state of said electromechanical lock device.

3. The securable device according to claim 1, wherein the data includes a network address and PIN.

4. The securable device according to claim 3, wherein said computing unit, in processing the data, is further configured to determine whether the PIN matches a PIN previously stored by said memory unit, and responsive to determining that the PIN matches the PIN previously stored by said computing unit, cause the electromechanical lock to transition from a locked state to an unlocked state.

5. The securable device according to claim 1, further comprising a user interface in communication with said computing unit, and configured to enable a user to submit a PIN, and wherein said computing unit is configured to compare the submitted PIN with a previously stored PIN, and responsive to said computing unit determining that the submitted PIN matches the stored PIN, cause said electromechanical lock to transition from a locked state to an unlocked state.

6. The securable device according to claim 1, wherein said status data is representative of lock state of the electromechanical lock.

7. A method of controlling a securable device in a set of securable devices, said method comprising:

establishing a centralized data repository with data representative of status of each securable device in the set of securable devices;

establishing communications with a mobile kiosk application executing on a mobile device of a user;

responsive to receiving a request from the mobile kiosk to identify an available securable device local and accessible to the user;

accessing the centralized data repository;

identifying at least one securable device that is available; and

communicating data associated with the identified at least one available securable device to the mobile kiosk to cause the mobile kiosk to communicate at least a portion of the data to one of the at least one securable devices to enable the user to access the securable device; and

responsive to receiving a status update of the securable device accessed by the user from the mobile kiosk, updating the centralized data repository with the status update of the associated securable device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein causing the mobile kiosk to communicate at least a portion of the data includes causing the mobile kiosk to communicate with the securable device via a local communications protocol.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein receiving a request from the mobile kiosk includes receiving an identifier associated with the set of securable devices.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein establishing a centralized data repository includes establishing a centralized data repository with status data indicative of an enclosure of the securable devices being locked or unlocked.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein receiving the request further comprises:

receiving a request to rent an available securable device for a predetermined period of time;

receiving payment information associated with the user;

performing a payment transaction using the payment information for the predetermined period of time; and

responsive to completion of the payment transaction, communicating the data associated with the available securable device to the mobile kiosk.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining that each of the securable devices local to the user are unavailable;

adding the user to a queue inclusive of users waiting for a securable device;

determining, based on status information stored in the centralized data repository, an estimated time that a securable device will be available for the user based on a position of the user in the queue; and

communicating the estimated time that a securable device will be available to the mobile kiosk of the user.

13. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, responsive to updating the centralized data repository with the status update of the associated securable device, communicating the status update to other mobile kiosks.

14. The method according to claim 7,

wherein receiving the request includes receiving a request with a type of securable device desired;

and

wherein identifying at least one securable device that is available includes identifying at least one securable device of the type requested

15. The method according to claim 7, wherein receiving a request from the mobile kiosk to access a securable device includes receiving a request from the mobile kiosk to access a securable device that is securing a mobility device.

16. A mobile kiosk, comprising:

machine-readable instructions configured to execute on a mobile device, and, when the machine-readable instructions are executed by the mobile device, cause the mobile device to;

communicate a request via a long-distance communications path to a management server, the request including an identifier associated with a plurality of securable devices;

responsive to one of the securable devices being assigned to a user of the mobile kiosk, communicate a control signal via a local communications path with the assigned securable device, the control signal causing the securable device to transition from a locked state to an unlocked state; and

responsive to receiving a status update from the securable device via the local communications path of the securable device transitioning from the locked state to the unlocked state, communicating, via the long-distance communications path to the management server, the status update of the securable device.

17. The mobile kiosk according to claim 16, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the mobile device, are further configured to enable a user to enter payment information for renting the securable device.

18. The mobile kiosk according to claim 16, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the mobile device, are further configured to enable a user to enter a type of securable device the user wants to rent and amount of time that the user wants to rent the securable device.

19. The mobile kiosk according to claim 16, wherein the securable device is a locker or room safe.

20. The mobile kiosk according to claim 16, wherein the securable device is a mobility device or other device secured by a smart lock.

21. The mobile kiosk according to claim 16, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the mobile device, are further configured to display information indicative of an estimate amount of time that the user has prior to a securable device becoming available.

22. The mobile kiosk according to claim 16, wherein the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the mobile device, are further configured to display status information of each of the securable devices local to the mobile kiosk.