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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
First Claim
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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, whereinthe 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, whereinthe 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, whereineach 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, whereinthe 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, whereinthe 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 whereinthe coin deposit acceptance and return devices are outfitted in each instance with an individual video monitor for displaying operating instructions.

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