Commodity distributing locker apparatus

• US 6,010,064 A
• Filed: 07/01/1997
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alpha Corporation, Direct Marketing Laboratories Incorporated, Kodak Imagex Limited
• Original Assignee: Alpha Corporation, Direct Marketing Laboratories Incorporated, Kodak Imagex Limited
• Inventors: Umeda, Yoshiaki, Yoshizawa, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): TREMBLAY, MARK STEPHEN
• Application Number:
  US08/886,411
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/381, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/383
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/12 comprising lockable containers, e.g. for accepting clothes to be cleaned
• 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 set of lockers allows a customer to drop off commodities for a service company to pick up. An order is input using an operation screen, and an order sheet which specifies the locker number is issued. A commodity, for example undeveloped film, and the order sheet are put in a transparent request bag and deposited in the locker. When the service company picks up the request bag, the request bag is taken out of the locker, and a bar code on the order sheet is read by a hand scanner. When the order sheet is scanned, the locker it came from is automatically locked, and the next locker which has an undeveloped film order is automatically opened. After processing the film, the developed film and prints are put in a delivery bag, with an attached slip having the locker number to which the bag is to be delivered. Upon delivery to the locker, a first bar code on a slip is read by a hand scanner, and a first locker is unlocked. When a second bar code is scanned, a second locker is automatically unlocked, and the first locker is automatically locked.

Claims

1. A commodity distributing locker apparatus comprising:

a plurality of lockers, each for depositing a commodity therein;

a control means for controlling the locking and unlocking of the lockers;

a recorded sheet on which is recorded a specific code corresponding to each of the lockers, the recorded sheet being deposited together with the commodity in one of the lockers; and

a code reading means for reading the code on the recorded sheet;

wherein

in a commodity pickup mode, the control means for unlocking the locker having the commodity deposited therein, and for locking the unlocked locker by reading the code on the recorded sheet which was accommodated in the unlocked locker by the code reading means.

2. A commodity distributing locker apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of containers, each for containing the commodity therein and attaching the recorded sheet thereto when the commodity is deposited in one of the lockers.

3. A commodity distributing locker apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the code is a bar code;

and the code reading means is a scanner.

4. A commodity distributing locker apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the commodity pickup mode, when one of the of lockers is unlocked, the other thereof is locked.

5. A commodity distributing locker apparatus comprising:

a plurality of lockers, each for depositing commodities therein;

a control means for controlling the locking and unlocking of the lockers;

a recorded sheet on which is recorded a specific code corresponding to each of the lockers, the recorded sheet being attached to the commodity when the commodity is delivered to one of the lockers; and

a code reading means for reading the code on the recorded sheet;

wherein

in a commodity delivery mode, when the code reading means reads the code on the recorded sheet attached to the commodity to be delivered, the control means for unlocking the locker corresponding to the read code, and when the code reading means reads the next code, the control means for unlocking the next locker corresponding to the next read code and for locking the last unlocked locker.

6. A commodity distributing locker apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising;

a plurality of containers, each for containing the commodity therein and attaching the recorded sheet thereto when the commodity is delivered to one of the lockers.

7. A commodity distributing locker apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the code is a bar code;

and the code reading means is a handy scanner.

8. A commodity distributing locker apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

a data reading device for reading a data about commodities to be delivered from a recording medium having the data.

9. A commodity distributing locker apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, in the commodity delivery mode, when one of the pularity of lockers is unlocked, the other thereof is locked.