Electronic locker system

• US 6,899,268 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Fulltime System
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Fulltime System
• Inventors: Hara, Kouichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US09/942,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20020027160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/379, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/383, 235/381, 235/380, 705/5, 705/418, 340/5.73, 340/5.81
• US Class Current: 235/382
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration

Abstract

An electronic locker system which is provided with: a locker for housing luggage; a reading means for electrically reading a depositor identifier that has been preliminarily determined by a contract between a managing company of the locker and a user of the locker; an electronic lock for locking the door of the locker after luggage has been deposited in the locker; and a central control unit which, based upon the depositor identifier read by the reading means, sends information of the corresponding depositor to a locker managing center through a communication line, and when, at the time of taking out the luggage, the read depositor identifier has been identified, releases the electric lock and sends necessary information such as a luggage deposit fee to the locker managing center through the communication line, and in this arrangement, the luggage depositing process and luggage taking-out process to and from the locker are carried out based upon only the depositor identifier. Thus, it is possible to provide an electronic locker system which can eliminate the need for any key that has been used for locking and unlocking the conventional coin locker, and automatically settle the bill for the use of the locker by using a credit card, etc., through a communication line.

Claims

1. An electronic locker system comprising:

a locker for housing luggage;

a reading means for electrically reading a depositor identifier that has been preliminarily determined by a contract between a managing company of the locker and a user of the locker;

an electronic lock for locking the door of the locker after luggage has been deposited therein; and

a central control unit which, when said reading means reads said depositor identifier preliminarily determined by the contract between the managing company of the locker and the user of the locker, and when, the depositor identifier read by said reading means is identified as said depositor identifier preliminarily determined by the contract, releases the electric lock to allow the door of the locker to open and sends necessary information such as a luggage deposit fee to the locker managing center through the communication line;

wherein the user is only able to deposit luggage into the locker after said central control unit performs the releasing of the electric lock.

2. The electronic locker system according to claim 1, wherein the luggage deposit fee is automatically drawn from the account of the depositor based upon the depositor identifier that has been determined by the contract between the managing company and the user of the locker.

7. The electronic locker system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the luggage deposit fee is calculated based upon an actual lapse of time from the depositing process to the taking-out process.

3. An electronic locker system comprising:

a locker for housing luggage;

a reading means for electrically reading a depositor identifier and a receiver identifier that have been preliminarily determined by a contract between a managing company of the locker and a user of the locker;

operation keys through which a luggage depositor and a luggage receiver input a specific number such as a member identification number;

an electronic lock for locking a door of the locker; and

a central control unit which, based upon a read depositor identifier and receiver identifier read by the reading means, and when the read receiver identifier or depositor identifier have been identified as said depositor identifier or said receiver identifier preliminarily determined by the contract between managing company and the user, opens the electronic lock to allow the door of the locker to open and sends necessary information such as a luggage deposit fee to the locker managing center through the communication line;

wherein the user is only able to deposit luggage into the locker after said central control unit performs the opening of the electronic lock.

4. The electronic locker system according to claim 3, wherein only a designated individual within a registered group specified by a specific number is allowed to be the luggage receiver who receives the luggage.

5. The electronic locker system according to claim 3, wherein any one of users of a registered group specified by a specific number is allowed to be the luggage receiver who receives the luggage.

6. The electronic locker system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the luggage deposit fee is automatically drawn from the account of the depositor based upon the depositor identifier and the receiver identifier that have been determined by the contract between the managing company and the user of the locker.