Automatic renting apparatus

• US 5,088,586 A
• Filed: 05/02/1988
• Issued: 02/18/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Original Assignee: OKI Electric Industry Company Limited
• Inventors: Suto, Shin-ichi, Isobe, Minoru, Kimura, Haruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Bartuska, F. J.
• Application Number:
  US07/189,168
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 194/205, 194/212, 364/403, 364/404, 364/407, 364/479
• US Class Current: 194/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/069 by box-like containers, e.g. videocassettes, books

Abstract

An automatic renting apparatus is for automatically renting rental articles and restoring returned rental articles. The automatic renting apparatus stores information concerning rental articles that have been rented out, rental articles to supplement or replace the stock, and the scheduled date of replacement or supplement. When the patron subscribes in advance for a rental article, information is displayed on a display unit to enable the patron to select a desired rental article for which the patron desires to make advance subscription. Upon the selection of the desired rental article and a desired renting date by the patron, information concerning the desired rental article and the desired renting date is stored in a subscription information storage unit.

Claims

1. An automatic renting apparatus for automatically renting articles and collecting returned articles, said apparatus comprising;

storage shelves for storing articles to be rented;

an input operation unit having input keys operable by a patron for entering rental information;

an information storage means for storing information concerning said articles stored on said storage shelves including storage positions of said articles, and for storing information concerning said patron;

a rental information storage unit for storing information concerning rented articles;

a replacement schedule information storage unit for storing information concerning new articles which are scheduled to replace specified articles stored in said storage shelves including dates in which said new articles are scheduled to replace said specified articles in said storage shelves;

a display unit for displaying guidance instructions for prompting said patron in the operation of said input operation unit, and for displaying said information concerning said new articles when an article selected by said patron is not located in said storage shelves and is not includes in said information concerning said rented articles;

a subscription information storage unit for storing information concerning articles to be rented in which advance subscriptions have been made, and for storing rental information concerning an advance subscription which has been inputted by said patron in said input operation unit.

2. A method of subscription of rented articles in an automatic renting apparatus which automatically rents articles and collects returned articles, said method comprising the steps of:

reading information written in a membership card, said membership card being insert into a card dispensing/returning opening of a card read/write unit;

judging the validity of the membership card on the basis of said information read from said member sip card;

monitoring input information entered into an input operation unit and displaying on a display unit guidance instructions in response to said input information entered into said input operation unit when said membership card is valid;

reading rental information concerning rented articles and scheduled dates of return of said rented articles from a rental information storage unit and displaying on said display unit said rental information when said input information indicates that a selected articles has been rented; and

storing in a subscription information storage unit advance subscription information concerning articles to be rented and scheduled dates in which said articles are to be rented when said advance subscription information is entered into said input operation unit.

3. A method of subscription of rented articles in an automatic renting apparatus which automatically rents articles and collects returned articles, said method comprising the steps of;

reading information written in a membership card, said membership card being inserted into a card dispensing/returning opening of a card read/write unit;

judging the validity of said membership card on the basis of said information read from said membership card;

monitoring input information entered into an input operation unit and displaying on a display unit guidance instructions in response to said input information entered into said input operation unit when said membership card is valid;

reading rental information concerning new articles which are scheduled to replace specified articles in the apparatus including the scheduled dates in which said new articles are to replace the specified articles in the apparatus from a replacement schedule information storage unit, and displaying on said display unit, said rental information when said input information indicates that a selected article is not in the apparatus and is one of the new articles; and

storing in a subscription information storage unit advance subscription information concerning articles to be rented and schedules dates in which said articles are to be rented when said advance subscription information is entered into said input operation unit.