Automated news rack inventory and alert management system

• US 7,529,597 B1
• Filed: 01/03/2006
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Allen David Hertz, Kim Marie Hertz
• Original Assignee: Allen David Hertz, Kim Marie Hertz
• Inventors: Hertz, Kim Marie, Hertz, Allen David
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford; Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waggoner; Timothy R
• Application Number:
  US11/324,568
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• Field of Search: 700/236, 700/241, 700/242
• US Class Current: 700/241
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/045 for sheet shaped or pliable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

The present invention describes various methods and apparatus to increase efficiency and sales of a Newspaper Rack. Newspaper Racks are generally placed within a close proximity to each other, and generally less than ½ mile apart providing the unique ability to create a local network. With hardware and monthly operation costs are critical within the industry, the present invention utilizes local network(s) which transmits information to a collector. The local network(s) can be a star network, a mesh network, or a trunking network. The collector uploads the information via any of a number of longer-range transmission methods, including cellular, paging, Wi-Fi, Internet, dial-up modem, and others. Using a local network shares the upload costs, drastically reducing the operating costs for the Newspaper Company. Because the Newspaper Racks are deployed throughout a region, it is convenient to utilize the local network created by the Newspaper Rack monitoring system to additionally monitor other objects. This cost effective network can be utilized for monitoring other objects that are not within range for a local network, by networking unlike objects together.

Claims

1. A monitoring Newspaper Rack network, said Newspaper Rack network comprising:

a plurality of Newspaper Racks, each Newspaper Rack comprising;

a logic circuit,

a stored power source, and

a wireless transceiving circuit powered primarily by the stored power source,

a communicating network provided wherein;

the wireless transceiving circuit of a first newspaper rack is in direct data communication with the wireless transceiving circuit of a second newspaper rack;

the wireless transceiving circuit of a second newspaper rack being in direct data communication with the wireless transceiving circuit of an nth newspaper rack;

the nth newspaper rack being in direct data communication with a network data transceiving collector; and

wherein said transceiving circuit is at least one of a star network configuration, a mesh network configuration, and a frequency hopping network configuration operating on a license free, short range spectrum.

2. The monitored Newspaper Rack network of claim 1, wherein said Newspaper rack network further interfaces with a transceiving circuit located in an object other than the Newspaper Rack.

3. The monitored Newspaper Rack network of claim 2, wherein said object other than the Newspaper Rack is at least one of:

a) vending machines,

b) parcel drop boxes,

c) electric meters,

d) water meters,

e) gas meters,

f) gas storage tanks,

g) alarm systems,

h) parking meters, and

i) traffic monitoring devices.

4. The monitored Newspaper Rack network of claim 3, wherein said network monitors at least one of:

a) inventory of at least one vending machine,

b) unwarranted motion of at least one vending machine,

c) parcel deposition into at least one parcel drop box,

d) unwarranted motion of at least one parcel drop box,

e) current meter data of at least one electric meter,

f) current meter data of at least one water meter,

g) current meter data of at least one gas meter, and

h) current gas balance of at least one gas storage tank.

5. The monitored Newspaper Rack network of claim 1, wherein said Newspaper Rack further comprising at least one sensor, wherein said at least one sensor monitors at least one of:

a) tilt of the newspaper rack,

b) unwarranted motion of the newspaper rack,

c) battery status,

d) newspaper inventory,

e) coin mechanism,

f) number of times a newspaper rack door opens, and

g) newspaper rack door left open.

6. The monitored Newspaper Rack network of claim 2, the network providing a self healing process, wherein said self healing process comprising an acknowledge transmission step and wherein a transmitting transceiver fails to receive said acknowledge transmission, said transmitting transceiver comprising the ability to redirect said transmission from being directed toward a first transceiver to being directed toward a second transceiver.

7. A monitored Newspaper Rack, said Newspaper Rack comprising:

a plurality of Newspaper Racks, each Newspaper Rack comprising;

a logic circuit,

at least one sensor,

a stored power source, and

a transceiving circuit powered primarily by the stored power source,

wherein said transceiving circuit is at least one of a star network configuration, a mesh network configuration, and a frequency hopping network configuration

a communicating network provided wherein;

the wireless transceiving circuit of a first newspaper rack is in direct data communication with the wireless transceiving circuit of a second newspaper rack;

the wireless transceiving circuit of a second newspaper rack being in direct data communication with the wireless transceiving circuit of an nth newspaper rack;

the nth newspaper rack being in direct data communication with a network data transceiving collector;

wherein the transceiving circuit operates on a license free, short range spectrum; and

the newspaper rack further comprising at least one of;

a) an inventory management sensor sensing a presence of a newspaper;

b) an audio output device presenting audio data obtained via the communicating network,

c) a visual output device presenting visual images generated from data obtained via the communicating network.

8. The monitored Newspaper Rack of claim 7, wherein said at least one sensor monitors at least one of:

a) tilt of the newspaper rack,

b) unwarranted motion of the newspaper rack,

c) battery status,

d) newspaper inventory,

e) coin mechanism,

f) number of times a newspaper rack door opens, and

g) newspaper rack door left open.

9. The monitored Newspaper Rack of claim 7, wherein said Newspaper Rack is at least one of a vending type, honor rack and a storefront rack.

10. The monitored Newspaper Rack of claim 7, said Newspaper Rack further comprising a sensor located in at least one of:

door paper holder,

paper holder platform, and

a position to indicate when a Newspaper Rack door is opened.

11. The monitored Newspaper Rack of claim 7, said Newspaper Rack further comprising a least one of a tilt sensor and an acceleration sensor, wherein the transceiving circuit transmits a notification indicating a potential vandalism.

12. The monitored Newspaper Rack of claim 7, said Newspaper Rack further comprising at least one of a circuit and software for providing data respective to each time a Newspaper Rack door is opened.

13. A monitoring network, said monitoring network comprising

a plurality of Newspaper Racks, each Newspaper Rack comprising:

a logic circuit,

a stored power source, and

a wireless transceiving circuit powered primarily by the stored power source,

a communicating network provided wherein;

the wireless transceiving circuit of a first newspaper rack is in direct data communication with the wireless transceiving circuit of a second newspaper rack,

the wireless transceiving circuit of a second newspaper rack being in direct data communication with the wireless transceiving circuit of an nth newspaper rack;

the nth newspaper rack being in direct data communication with a network data transceiving collector;

a non-newspaper rack object comprising;

a second object logic circuit,

a second object stored power source, and

a second object wireless transceiving circuit, wherein the second wireless transceiving circuit is in direct data communications with the wireless transceiving circuit of any of the newspaper racks,

wherein said transceiving circuit is at least one of a star network configuration, a mesh network configuration, and a frequency hopping network configuration operating on a license free, short range spectrum.

14. The monitoring network of claim 13, wherein said non-newspaper rack object is at least one of:

a) a vending machine,

b) a parcel drop box,

c) an electric meter,

d) a water meter,

e) a gas meter,

f) a gas storage tank,

g) an alarm system,

h) a parking meter, and

i) a traffic monitoring device.

15. The monitoring network of claim 13, wherein said collector is interfaced to at least one of for uploading the information:

a) a cellular transmitter,

b) a paging transmitter,

c) an Internet connection,

d) a Wi-Fi connection, and

e) a dial up modem.

16. The monitoring network of claim 13, said monitoring network further comprising a notification system which at least one of directly and indirectly notifies a Service Person.

17. The monitoring network of claim 16, wherein said notification system utilizes at least one of:

a) a world wide web/internet access,

b) an internal network/intranet,

c) email,

d) a wireless selective call receiver,

e) a cellular phone,

f) a pager, and

g) a wireless personal data assistant.

18. The monitoring network of claim 13, the network providing a self healing process, wherein said self healing process comprising an acknowledge transmission step and wherein a transmitting transceiver fails to receive said acknowledge transmission, said transmitting transceiver comprising the ability to redirect said transmission from being directed toward a first transceiver to being directed toward a second transceiver.

19. The monitoring network of claim 13, wherein at least one of said at least one first monitored object and at least one second monitored object comprising at least one of:

a) tilt of said monitored object,

b) unwarranted motion of said monitored object,

c) status of said stored power source,

d) inventory status, and

e) vending mechanism status.