Unattended automated bicycle rental station
First Claim
1. An automated bicycle rental station for the unattended rental of bicycles, comprising:
- a bicycle rack;
at least one rental bicycle insertable into and removable from the bicycle rack, the rental bicycle having a locking element disposed thereon;
a locking assembly associated with said bicycle rack for locking the rental bicycle to said bicycle rack, the rental bicycle locking element being insertable into and removable from the locking assembly, said locking assembly being operable between first and second positions wherein in the first position, said locking assembly engages said rental bicycle locking element and locks said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack and wherein in the second position, said locking assembly disengages said rental bicycle locking element and unlocks said rental bicycle from said bicycle rack, thereby permitting it to be used by a customer; and
, control means for operating said locking assembly between said first and second positions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An unattended, automated bicycle rental system utilizes a bicycle rental station having a locking bicycle rack and a control tower. The bicycle rack has an inventory of rental bicycles of non standard size as inventory and the bicycles are locked in place on the rack in distinct bicycle-receiving bays. The control tower incudes a credit card reader that unlocks a specific bicycle from its bay upon insertion of a bank or credit card and begins timing the period of time in which the bicycle is away from the rental station. When the bicycle is returned, it is placed into the bay and in contact with the rack so that an identification sensor can determine if it is a system bicycle and lock it in place in the rack and bill the credit card for the rental charge.
165 Citations
42 Claims
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1. An automated bicycle rental station for the unattended rental of bicycles, comprising:
- a bicycle rack;
at least one rental bicycle insertable into and removable from the bicycle rack, the rental bicycle having a locking element disposed thereon;
a locking assembly associated with said bicycle rack for locking the rental bicycle to said bicycle rack, the rental bicycle locking element being insertable into and removable from the locking assembly, said locking assembly being operable between first and second positions wherein in the first position, said locking assembly engages said rental bicycle locking element and locks said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack and wherein in the second position, said locking assembly disengages said rental bicycle locking element and unlocks said rental bicycle from said bicycle rack, thereby permitting it to be used by a customer; and
, control means for operating said locking assembly between said first and second positions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
- a bicycle rack;
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26. An automated bicycle rental system comprising:
- a plurality of automated bicycle rental stations, each of the rental stations having a lockable bicycle rack and a control means associated therewith, each of the bicycle racks including a plurality of bicycle-receiving bays, each of said bicycle racks having a preselected number of rental bicycles operatively associated therewith so that a single rental bicycle is disposed in a single bicycle-receiving bay, each said rental station having a plurality of locking assemblies associated with each said rental station bicycle rack thereof so that a single locking assembly is associated with a single bicycle-receiving bay, each said control means of each said rental station being operatively connected to said locking assemblies of said rental station, said control means controlling operation of said associated rental station locking assemblies between first and second positions wherein said locking assemblies respectively lock and unlock said rental bicycles to said rental station by respectively engaging and disengaging locking elements disposed on said rental bicycles, said system further including a central control center for monitoring bicycle rental that occur at each of said rental stations, said central control center being located remote from any of said rental stations, each of said rental station control means being operatively linked to said control center.
- View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An automated, unattended bicycle rental system, comprising:
- a locking bicycle rack having a bicycle-receiving bay;
a rental bicycle received in said bicycle-receiving bay and locked to said bicycle rack;
locking means securing said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack, the locking means being movable between an unlocked position and a locked position to selectively release said rental bicycle from said bicycle rack and to lock said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack;
control means for controlling said locking means in said locked and unlocked positions;
a card reader means for reading information from a bank card to enable a user to pay for a rental of said rental bicycle by way of a bank card, said control means being operated in response to insertion of a user'"'"'s bank card into said card reader means, whereby insertion of said bank card conditions said locking means for movement to said unlocked position;
timer means for recording a length of time said rental bicycle is rented and removed from said bicycle rack; and
, calculating means for calculating a rental charge based said recorded rental time.
- a locking bicycle rack having a bicycle-receiving bay;
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32. A locking assembly for a bicycle rental station, the rental station having a bicycle rack, the bicycle rack having a housing with at least one receptacle disposed therein that is adapted to receive a locking element extending from a frame portion of a rental bicycle therein, the locking assembly comprising:
- a frame, a latch member movably mounted on the frame, between first and second operative positions, the latch member partially extending into said housing receptacle, said locking assembly further including a spring biasing said member toward said second position, and a selectively operable latch pin for securing said latch member in said first position.
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33. An automated, unattended bicycle rental station for the unattended rental of bicycles, comprising:
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a bicycle rack, the bicycle rack including an elongated housing supported on a base, said bicycyle rack having a preselected number of bicycle-receiving bays disposed thereon, said housing and said base cooperating to define portions of said bicycle-receiving bays; a preselected number of rental bicycles, a single rental bicycle being received in a single bicycle-receiving bay of said bicycle; a plurality of locking assemblies disposed along said lock housing, a single locking assembly being associated with a single bicycle-receiving bay, each said locking assembly having a latching member movable between first and second operative positions, wherein in said first position said latching member engages a locking portion of an associated rental bicycle and locks said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack lock housing via said rental bicycle locking portion, and wherein in said second position said latching member disengages said associated rental bicycle portion to unlock said rental bicycle from said bicycle rack; and
, first means for actuating locking assembly latching member into said second position, the first actuating means including means for reading information from a credit card and means for verifying the validity of the credit card, whereupon determining that a credit card read by said credit card reading means is valid, said first actuating means actuates said locking assembly and said latching member moves into said second position and unlocks said rental bicycle portion from said bicycle rack. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method of renting bicycles in an unattended manner, comprising the steps of:
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providing a bicycle rental station having at least one rental bicycle, the rental bicycle having at least one locking element disposed thereon and a locking bicycle rack, the locking bicycle rack having a locking assembly associated therewith adapted to selectively lockingly engage and disengage the rental bicycle locking element; providing a control means in association with said bicycle rental station, the control means including means for reading information of a bank card; reading the information from a bank card inputted into said control means by a rental bicycle user; establishing the validity of said bank card; disengaging said locking assembly from said rental bicycle locking element to permit said user to remove said rental bicycle from said locking bicycle rack; recording the amount of time said rental bicycle is removed from said locking bicycle rack; calculating a rental charge based upon said recorded time; and
,charging said rental charge to said bank card.
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39. An automated bicycle rental station for the unattended rental of bicycles, comprising:
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a bicycle rack, the bicycle rack having a base for supporting said bicycle rack in place on a ground surface, a lock housing spaced apart from and disposed above said base, said bicycle rack including at least one bicycle-receiving bay disposed on said bicycle rack; at least one rental bicycle insertable into and removable from the bicycle rack, the rental bicycle having a locking portion formed on a frame of said rental bicycle; a locking assembly associated with said lock housing for locking said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack, said lock housing including at least one opening disposed thereon that defines a receptacle for receiving said rental bicycle locking portion, the locking assembly being operable between first and second positions wherein in the first position, said locking assembly locks said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack by engaging said rental bicycle locking portion, and wherein in the second position, said locking assembly unlocks said rental bicycle from said bicycle rack by disengaging said rental bicycle locking portion, thereby permitting it to be used by a customer, said locking assembly including a latch partially moveable in and out of said receptacle and engageable and disengageable with said rental bicycle locking portion to respectively lock said rental bicycle to said rental station and unlock said rental bicycle from said rental station; and, control means for operating said locking assembly between said first and second positions.
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40. An automated bicycle rental station for the unattended rental of bicycles, comprising:
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a bicycle rack; at least one rental bicycle insertable into and removable from the bicycle rack, the rental bicycle having a locking element associated therewith; a locking assembly associated with said bicycle rack for locking the rental bicycle to said bicycle rack, the locking assembly being operable between first and second positions wherein in the first position, said locking assembly locks said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack and wherein in the second position, said locking assembly unlocks said rental bicycle from said bicycle rack, thereby permitting it to be used by a customer; a lock housing having a receptacle adapted to receive the rental bicycle locking element therein, said locking assembly including a latch that is partially disposed in said receptacle, the latch being moveable into and out of engagement with said rental bicycle locking element present in said receptacle, said locking assembly including means for sensing the presence of said rental bicycle locking element in a proper position for locking in said receptacle; and control means for operating said locking assembly between said first and second positions.
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41. An automated bicycle rental station for the unattended rental of bicycles, comprising:
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a bicycle rack; at least one rental bicycle insertable into and removable from the bicycle rack; a locking assembly associated with said bicycle rack for locking the rental bicycle to said bicycle rack, the locking assembly being operable between first and second positions wherein the first position, said locking assembly locks said rental bicycle to said bicycle rack and wherein the second position, said locking assembly unlocks said rental bicycle from said bicycle rack, thereby permitting it to be used by a customer; an elongated housing that houses said locking assembly and receives a portion of said rental bicycle when said locking assembly is in said first position, the housing having a surface that is angularly disposed with respect to said bicycle rack, said housing including at least one opening disposed on the angled surface, the housing opening including a receptacle for receiving said rental bicycle portion, and said locking assembly including a latch partially moveable in and out of said receptacle to respectively lock said rental bicycle to said rental station and unlock said rental bicycle from said rental station; and
,control means for operating said locking assembly between said first and second positions.
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42. An automated bicycle rental system comprising:
- a plurality of automated bicycle rental stations, each of the rental stations having a lockable bicycle rack and a control means associated therewith, each of the bicycle racks including a plurality of bicycle-receiving bays, each of said bicycle racks having a preselected number of rental bicycles operatively associated therewith so that a single rental bicycle is disposed in a single bicycle-receiving bay, each said rental station having a plurality of locking assemblies associated with each said rental station bicycle rack thereof so that a single locking assembly is associated with a single bicycle-receiving bay, each said control means of each said rental station being operatively connected to said locking assemblies of said rental station, said control means controlling operation of said associated rental station locking assemblies between first and second positions wherein said locking assemblies respectively lock and unlock said rental bicycles to said rental station, said system further including a central control center for monitoring bicycle rental that occur at each of said rental stations, said central control center being located remote from any of said rental stations, each of said rental station control means being operatively linked to said control center.
Specification