Arrangement for dispensing luggage pushcarts in mass transportation facilities

• US 6,459,954 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1995
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Expresso Deutschland Transpotgeräte GmbH
• Original Assignee: Expresso Deutschland Transportgerate GmbH
• Inventors: Kratzenberg, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garland, Steven R.
• Application Number:
  US08/581,645
• Time in Patent Office: 2,469 Days
• Field of Search: 364/479, 364/460, 364/478.01, 364/478.02, 364/478.03, 340/933, 340/935, 340/323.R, 340/568, 340/460, 340/10.34, 340/10.1, 340/10.31, 340/505, 340/568.5, 701/300, 705/13, 705/22, 705/23, 705/26, 705/1, 345/501, 221/3, 221/9, 235/380, 235/375, 700/213-215, 700/28, 700/231, 700/232, 700/225, 700/236, 700/237, 700/241, 700/244, 194/220, 194/211, 194/302, 194/905, 194/205
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/10 for means for safe-keeping of property, left temporarily, e.g. by fastening the property
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/04 by paper currency
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0636 in which the trolleys or carts are kept in a restricted zone such as a coral-like enclosure, or are passing a gate before use is possible

Abstract

In extensive and complex installations such as airports or train stations, a sufficient quantity of luggage pushcarts is made available to passengers of arriving mass transportation means at the location of arrival and at the time of arrival of the mass transportation means with the smallest possible expenditure of time and personnel and the payment of a user fee or a security deposit by the individual travelers is facilitated in that the retrieval of individual luggage pushcarts is controlled by means of a cart tracking system comprising a stationary transmitter/receiver system and a mobile transmitter/receiver system and by at least one computer/display unit, and the security deposit acceptance device has a programmable money changing machine which accepts at least one foreign currency.

Claims

1. Arrangement for dispensing luggage pushcarts in extensive and complex mass transportation facilities such as airports or train stations in which a sufficient quantity of luggage pushcarts must be provided for and made available to passengers of arriving mass transportation means at allocation of arrival and at a time of arrival of the mass transportation means for a user for a purpose of transporting the passengers'"'"' luggage to individual means of transportation, the arrangement comprising:

devices for storing and providing luggage pushcarts formed by a number of cart stores comprising an individual locking rail and a mechanical removal blocking means structurally integrate therewith, the removal blocking means being released by means of coin deposit acceptance and return devices;

a cart tracking system comprising a stationary transmitter/receiver system with a plurality of stationary transmitter/receiver units which are arranged so as to be distributed at selected locations in the area of the installation with antennae of the stationary transmitter/receiver units being arranged at entrances, exits and crossings of passageways between individual areas of the facility;

a mobile transmitter/receiver system formed by active transponders arranged at the individual luggage pushcarts; and

at least one computer/display unit,

wherein

the transmitter/receiver units of the stationary transmitter/receiver system, which are arranged at the passageways or crossings between two areas of a facility, are formed of double stations and all of the transmitter/receiver units of the stationary transmitter/receiver system and the cart-providing devices and their coin deposit acceptance devices are connected to a network of electric lines,

wherein

the mobile transmitter/receiver system is formed by active transponders which are arranged at the individual luggage pushcarts and which can be activated at least by a prompting signal which can be sent by the stationary transmitter/receiver units,

wherein

each of the active transponders arranged at the individual luggage pushcarts carries a first group of unchangeable data and a second group of data which can be generated, read and erased by means of programming devices,

wherein

the coin deposit acceptance and coin deposit return devices arranged at the cart stores are outfitted in each instance with a part coding system for the active transponders of the luggage pushcarts and a transmitter/receiver unit which is coupled with a device which detects the part coding of the active transponders and erases the part coding of the active transponders,

wherein

the coin deposit acceptance device further comprises a programmable money changing machine which accepts at least one foreign currency and which is connected, via a computer arranged downstream, to a central programming device for continuously updating at least one operand, in particular at least one value setting which represents a currency exchange rate,

and wherein

the coin deposit acceptance and return devices are outfitted in each instance with an individual video monitor for displaying operating instructions.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein characterized in that the stationary transmitter/receiver units which are provided at all passageways and crossings between two areas of the installation are designed in each instance as double stations comprising two transmitter/ receiver stations which are arranged at a distance from one another in the direction of the passageway or crossing, the transmitter/receiver stations of a double unit being coupled with one another via a logic circuit in such a way that a movement direction signal is determined from the sequence of successive response signals intercepted from the cart and is added to the detection signal of the individual cart.

3. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter/receiver units of the stationary transmitter/receiver system are provided in each instance with a device for preventing data collisions which also enables a trouble-free identification of a plurality of luggage pushcarts entering a prompting field simultaneously.

4. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the antennae of the stationary transmitter/receiver units are arranged on a ground and the active transponders are arranged at an underside of the luggage pushcarts.

5. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the antennae of the stationary transmitter/receiver units are arranged at building walls defining entrances and exits of passageways and crossing between individual areas of the facility, and the active transponders are arranged at corresponding and suitable locations on the luggage pushcart.

6. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the stationary transmitter/receiver system of the cart tracking system and releasing devices of the cart stores which are outfitted with a coin deposit acceptance device are continuously connected with at least one of a display unit, command unit, and a supply unit formed by a host computer via a network formed by an existing telephone line system already installed in the facility.

7. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the stationary transmitter/receiver system of the cart tracking system and delivery devices of the cart stores outfitted with the coin deposit acceptance device and a quantity of one of display units, command units, and supply units contained in the system, and at least one central computer are constantly connected with one another by an open computer network, wherein the parts of the open computer network include existing networks and existing computer units, display units and switching units.

8. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the coin deposit acceptance device which is coupled with a device for releasing the individual carts in exchange for a coin deposit or borrower fee, which device controls the delivery opening of the cart store, comprises a money acceptance device which accepts at least one foreign currency, and a coin dispensing device which is controllable by a programmable computer which is connected downstream of the money acceptance device, wherein the money acceptance device has at least two insertion openings, one of which is designed to accept paper money, while the other is designed to accept coins, the insertion openings being combined, respectively, with a money or coin testing device, wherein a storage magazine containing only one type of coin is connected upstream of the coin dispensing device.

9. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a stationary transmitter/receiver units are arranged in each instance at an acceptance device of cart stores which are outfitted in particular with a coin deposit change-return mechanism, and the coin deposit return device of every cart store is controllable exclusively by a coded transmission signal of a cart.

10. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a central data processing system comprises a computer unit for detecting a pushcart demand and exchange rate requirements determined by a flight schedule or train schedule and for detecting a current whereabouts of the luggage pushcarts, as well as a comparison display and information device for displaying a current status of the arrangements for the supply of pushcarts.

11. An arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the display and information device comprises a video monitor.

12. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least a money testing device associated with a paper-money acceptance device is outfitted with means for detecting and testing at least two different types of currency notes and for generating, one of a signal and a corresponding series of signals derived therefrom and suitable for processing in a computer arranged downstream.

13. Arrangement according to claim 12, wherein a computer arranged downstream of the money testing device is connected to the central programming device for the continuous correction of the at least one operand, and in that a drive device for releasing carts and a drive device for the coin dispensing device are controllable at the same time by data generated by the computer.

14. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein first and second coin testing devices are provided, which second coin testing device can detect and evaluate only one coin or banknote, and in that there are two collecting containers which are connected with one another via a computer, one of which collecting containers is filled with coins of a specified currency, while another collecting container is constructed as a money collecting cassette.

15. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein provided three collecting containers which are interconnected via a computer, one of which collecting containers is filled with coins of a specified type or currency, another collecting container is constructed as a money collecting cassette, and a third collecting container is constructed as a deposit mark reservoir, and in that the collecting container filled with coins in the domestic currency and a supplying device associated with the deposit mark reservoir can be driven, respectively, in the manner of a step feed mechanism.

16. Arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a computing unit is connected to an exchange rate office and is continuously provided with current exchange values of coins to be dispensed in relation to an inserted payment and effects a control of the coin delivery and cart release in accordance with an actual exchange rate at that moment.