Vendors' structural complex

• US 5,158,155 A
• Filed: 10/11/1990
• Issued: 10/27/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vendor Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Hogan, Philip L. III, Domain, Thomas G., Saigh, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARTUSKA, FRANCIS JOHN
• Application Number:
  US07/595,553
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 186/36, 186/37, 186/35, 186/38, 186/41, 186/52, 186/53, 186/55, 186/56, 186/22, 235/383
• US Class Current: 186/53
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 14/00 Buildings for combinations of different purposes not covered by any single one of main groups E04H1/00-E04H13/00 of this subclass, e.g. for double purpose E04H3/02, E04H9/06 take precedence; Buildings of the drive-in type
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/02 Hotels; Motels; Coffee-houses; Restaurants; Shops; Department stores
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus

Abstract

A Vendors'"'"' Structural Complex that provides products and services to consumers in an efficient and cost effective manner comprises a central warehouse having facilities for several separate vendors to store their goods, prepare their goods and perform their services, customer order stations separate and remote from the central warehouse and accessible to consumers in their vehicles enabling the consumers to order the goods and services of the vendors housed in the central warehouse, and several pick-up station locations separate and remote from the central warehouse and accessible to consumers in their vehicles enabling the consumers to receive their ordered goods at the pick-up stations.

Claims

1. A structural complex arranged to provide products and services to consumers in an efficient and cost effective manner, the complex comprising:

warehouse means providing facilities for storing and preparing goods and preforming services;

order stations means separate and remote from the warehouse means and communicating with the warehouse means, the order station means being accessible to consumers to enable consumers to communicate with the warehouse means to order goods, services or both from the warehouse means;

pick up station means separate and remote from the warehouse means and separate and remote from the order station means, the pick up station means communicating with the warehouse means, the pick up station means being accessible to consumers to enable consumers to receive at the pick up station means goods, services, or both ordered from the warehouse means at the order station means;

the warehouse means being elevated relative to the order station means and the pick up station means, with the order station means and pick up station means being positioned below the warehouse means;

a vehicle route passing through the structural complex beneath the warehouse means and passing adjacent the order station means and then passing adjacent the pick up station means, the vehicle route enabling consumers in vehicles to access the order station means and the pick up station means from the vehicle route; and

,

the warehouse means having first and second doors supported over the vehicle route, the first and second doors being opened to provide access to the order station means and the pick up station means from the vehicle route and the first and second doors being closed to completely enclose the order station means and the pick up station means beneath the warehouse means.

2. The structural complex of claim 1, wherein:

a first communicating means is interconnected between the order station means and the warehouse means, the first communicating means including electrical communication means and mechanical communication means.

6. The structural complex of claim 1, wherein:

the order station means includes a plurality of order stations each accessible to consumers in vehicles from the vehicle route, and the pick up station means includes a plurality of pick up stations each accessible to consumers in vehicles from the vehicle route.

7. The structural complex of claim 6, wherein:

a traffic control means is provided adjacent to the vehicle route, the traffic control means provides consumers in vehicles with a present visual indication of each order station of the plurality of order stations currently being accessed by consumers.

8. The structural complex of claim 6, wherein:

the vehicle route is subdivided into a plurality of lanes with each lane passing adjacent to a single order station of the plurality of order stations.

3. The structural complex of claim 3, wherein:

a second communicating means is interconnected between the pick up station means and the warehouse means, the second communicating means including electrical communication means and mechanical communication means.

4. The structural complex of claim 3, wherein:

the electrical communication means includes electronic circuitry operatively connected between the order station means and the warehouse means, and the mechanical communication means includes a pneumatic dispatch system operatively connected between the order station means and the warehouse means.

5. The structural complex of claim 4, wherein:

the electrical communication means of the second communicating means includes electronic circuitry operatively connected between the pick up station means and the warehouse means, and the mechanical communication means of the second communicating means includes a dumbwaiter elevator system operatively connected between the pick up station means and the warehouse means.

9. A structural complex arranged to provide products and services to consumers in an efficient and cost effective manner, the complex comprising:

warehouse means providing facilities for storing and preparing goods and performing services;

order station means accessible to consumers;

first electrical communication means and first mechanical communication means operatively connected between the order station means and the warehouse means enabling consumers to communicate with the warehouse means from the order station means;

pick up station means accessible to consumers; and

second electrical communication means and second mechanical communication means operatively connected between the pick up station means and the warehouse means enabling consumers to communicate with the warehouse means from the pick up station means;

the warehouse means being elevated relative to the order station means and the pick up station means, with the order station means and pick up station means being positioned below the warehouse means;

a vehicle route passing through the structural complex beneath the warehouse means and passing adjacent the order station means and then passing adjacent the pick up station means, the vehicle route enabling consumers in vehicles to access the order station means and the pick up station means from the vehicle route; and

,

the warehouse means having first and second doors supported over the vehicle route, the first and second doors being opened to provide access to the order station means and the pick up station means from the vehicle route and the first and second doors being closed to completely enclose the order station means and the pick up station means beneath the warehouse means.

10. The structural complex of claim 9, wherein:

the first electrical communication means includes a two-way audio system enabling verbal communication between the order station means and the warehouse means and a video display and video camera in the order station means enabling visual communication between the order station means and the warehouse means.

11. The structural complex of claim 9, wherein:

the first mechanical communication means includes a pneumatic dispatch system having a carrier transferable through the system between the order station means and the warehouse means.

12. The structural complex of claim 9, wherein:

the second electrical communication means includes a two-way audio system enabling verbal communication between the pick up station means and the warehouse means.

13. The structural complex of claim 9, wherein:

the second mechanical communication means includes a dumbwaiter elevator system having an elevator transferable through the elevator system between the pick up station means and the warehouse station means.

14. The structural complex of claim 10, wherein:

the video camera in the order station means communicates a visual image of a consumer accessing the order station means to the warehouse means.

15. A structural complex arranged to provide products and services to consumers in an efficient and cost effective manner, the complex comprising:

warehouse means providing facilities for storing and preparing goods and performing services;

pick up station means separate and remote from the warehouse means and accessible to consumers;

mechanical communication means operatively connected between the pick up station means and the warehouse means enabling goods to be transferred from the warehouse means to the pick up station means and received by consumers with access to the pick up station means;

the warehouse means being elevated relative to the pick up station means with the pick up station means being positioned below the warehouse means;

a vehicle route passing through the structural complex beneath the warehouse means and passing adjacent the pick up station means enabling consumers in vehicles to access the pick up station means from the vehicle route; and

,

the warehouse means having first and second doors supported over the vehicle route, the first and second doors being opened to provide access to the pick up station means from the vehicle route and the first and second doors being closed to completely enclose the pick up station means beneath the warehouse means.

16. The structural complex of claim 15, wherein:

the mechanical communication means includes a dumbwaiter elevator system operatively connected between the pick up station means and the warehouse means.

17. The structural complex of claim 15, wherein:

the warehouse means includes at least one goods storage facility, at least one goods preparation facility, at least one service provision facility, and a goods compilation facility, all of the facilities being separate from each other, and the mechanical communication means being operatively connected between the goods compilation facility and the goods storage facility, the goods preparation facility, and the service provision facility.

18. The structural complex of claim 17, wherein:

the mechanical communication moans is a mechanical conveyor system.

19. The structural complex of claim 16, wherein:

the mechanical communication means includes a mechanical conveyor system operatively connected between the dumbwaiter elevator system and the warehouse means.

20. The structural complex of claim 17, wherein:

the mechanical communication means includes a mechanical conveyor and a dumbwaiter elevator system, the mechanical conveyor being operatively connected between the goods compilation facility and the dumbwaiter elevator system and the dumbwaiter elevator system being operatively connected between the mechanical conveyor and the pick up station means.

21. The structural complex of claim 15, wherein:

the pick up station means includes a plurality of pick up stations with each of the stations being accessible to consumers.

22. The structural complex of claim 21, wherein:

the mechanical communication means includes a plurality of dumbwaiter elevators with each elevator being associated with a pick up station.

23. The structural complex of claim 22, wherein:

the mechanical communication means includes a plurality of mechanical conveyors with each conveyor operatively connecting a dumbwaiter elevator with the warehouse means.

24. The structural complex of claim 23, wherein:

the warehouse means includes a plurality of goods storage facilities and a plurality of goods preparation facilities, the facilities being separate from each other and the plurality of mechanical conveyors being operatively connected between each of the facilities and the plurality of dumbwaiter elevators.