Self service access controller

• US 4,999,763 A
• Filed: 04/25/1988
• Issued: 03/12/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey J. Ousborne
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey J. Ousborne
• Inventors: Ousborne, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Application Number:
  US07/186,032
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/410, 364/479, 364/140, 364/143, 364/478, 235/381, 134/57 R, 134/123, 15/DIG. 2
• US Class Current: 700/11
• CPC Class Codes: B60S 3/04 for exteriors of land vehicles B60S3/002, B60S3/004 take precedence; specially adapted for railway vehicles B60S3/006
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/20 for washing or drying articles, e.g. clothes, motor cars
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/105 Heating or cooling means, for temperature and humidity control, for the conditioning of articles and their storage dispensers for food articles requiring a processing by temperature treatment or conditioning before they are ready for dispensing G07F17/0064
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 15/02 Car cleaning plants

Abstract

The present invention provides for an improved access, control and monitoring system for a facility with multiple apparatus that are activated by the customer. It provides a consolidated means to control the activation of each apparatus and interface with the customer. It provides a consolidated means to configuration operations on the facility and a consolidated means to record activities occurring at the facility. It provides for system reconfiguration and review of activity at the site or from a remote location and can automatically notify a remote site on the occurrence of a preset event.

Claims

1. A computer controlled system providing customer access to, control and monitoring of self service equipment providing respective car wash functions within a car wash facility which includes at least one car wash bay, the system comprising:

a computer;

means coupled to said computer for allowing a customer to select and to change specific ones of the car wash functions thereby defining a car wash cycle;

means to implement access, control and monitoring functions in the computer;

a plurality of respective apparatuses for respectively providing the respective carwash functions; and

means coupled to the computer and responsive to signals therefrom for enabling specific ones of said apparatuses for providing selected ones of the car wash functions in accordance with the defined car wash cycle.

2. The computer controlled system of claim 1 further comprising means coupled to the computer to preset at least the cost to activate each of the apparatuses.

3. The computer controlled system of claim 1 wherein the computer further comprises means to control at least amount of time given for each activation of a time cycle for at least one of the apparatuses and means coupled to the computer to preset the amount of time.

4. The computer controlled system of claim 1 further comprising means coupled to the computer to preset an automatic change of cost per unit time of each of the apparatuses as a function of at least of time of day and day of week.

5. The computer controlled system of claim 1 further comprising means coupled to the computer to open a customer account, means coupled to the computer to generate a customer voucher, and means coupled to the computer to authenticate accounts in the facility wherein the account is used to access various ones of the apparatuses.

6. The computer controlled system of claim 1 further comprising means coupled to the computer to store and review usage statistics and cash deposited information.

7. The computer controlled system of claim 1 further comprising means coupled to the computer to monitor at least one liquid level in at least one of the apparatuses.

8. The computer controlled system of claim 1 further comprising means coupled to the computer for monitoring at least one parameter at the car wash facility and means coupled to the computer to automatically notify at least one remote site when the monitored parameter is outside of operator preset range.

9. The computer controlled system of claim 1 further comprising means coupled to the computer to sense a computer malfunction and restore normal operations.

10. A computer controlled system providing customer access to, control and monitoring of self service equipment providing respective car wash functions within a car wash facility which includes at least one car wash bay, the system comprising:

a computer;

means coupled to said computer for allowing a customer to select and to change specific ones of the car wash functions thereby defining a car wash cycle;

means to implement access, control and monitoring functions in the computer;

means to store and retrieve data in nonvolatile storage coupled to the computer;

a plurality of respective apparatuses for respectively providing the respective car wash functions;

means coupled to the computer and responsive to signals therefrom for enabling specific ones of said apparatuses for providing respective ones of the car wash functions in accordance with the defined car wash cycle; and

means coupled to the computer to preset a cost per unit time independently for each individual wash function to the respective apparatuses.