Method and apparatus for a biometrically-secured self-service kiosk system for guaranteed product delivery and return

• US 6,595,342 B1
• Filed: 12/07/2000
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation, Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Maritzen, L. Michael, Ludtke, Harold Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice; Kenneth R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JASMIN, LYNDA C
• Application Number:
  US09/733,585
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 705/16,18,43 235/382 194/906,212,205,210 700/237 340/825.35
• US Class Current: 194/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3572 Multiple accounts on card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/363 with the personal data of a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0886 the card reader being portable for interacting with a POS or ECR in realizing a payment transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 194/906 Video cassette vendor

Abstract

An apparatus including a secure kiosk capable of containing products and a consumer access device to unlock and retrieve a product from the kiosk is disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a secure kiosk to receive a product and data associating a product identifier with a consumer access device identifier from a product provider who is unaware of an identity of a consumer of the product; and

a consumer access device to send information identifying the consumer access device to the secure kiosk, wherein the secure kiosk is to release the product if the information sent by the consumer access device is in conformity with the data received from the product provider.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the secure kiosk is to receive the product that the consumer submitted for return using the consumer access device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the consumer access device comprises a digital wallet.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the consumer access device further comprises:

a biometric device to identify the consumer.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a secure communication channel between a vendor and the secure kiosk to transmit a consumer identification associated with the product released from the secure kiosk to prevent the consumer from repudiating receipt of the released product.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a device to deliver the product from a vendor to the secure kiosk.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a device to track a delivery of the product from the vendor to the secure kiosk to prevent vendor fraud or theft.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the secure kiosk further comprises:

a secure, transportable storage box which receives products.

9. A method comprising:

receiving a product and data associating a product identifier with a consumer access device identifier from a product provider who is unaware of an identity of a consumer of the product;

receiving information identifying a consumer access device from the consumer access device; and

releasing the product from a secure kiosk if the information received from the consumer access device is in conformity with the data received from the product provider.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the information received from the consumer access device identifies a product selected by the consumer from available products in the secure kiosk.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the provider of the product is any one of a vendor of the product and a distributor of the product.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

notifying the consumer that the product is due for arrival at the secure kiosk by a transaction privacy clearing house acting as an intermediary between the consumer and the product provider; and

enabling the consumer to remotely redirect the product to another shipping destination.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the product submitted by the consumer for return.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the product identifier and the consumer access device identifier are supplied to the product provider by a transaction privacy clearing house acting as an intermediary between the consumer and the product provider.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the consumer access device utilizes a biometric device to ensure privacy of the consumer.

16. A computer readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed on a processor, perform a method comprising:

receiving a product and data associating a product identifier with a consumer access device identifier from a product provider who is unaware of an identity of a consumer of the product;

receiving information identifying the consumer access device from a consumer access device; and

releasing the product from a secure kiosk if the information received from the consumer access device is in conformity with the data received from the product provider.