Automated dry cleaning delivery system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An automated self-service dry cleaning and laundry drop-off and retrieval system for use by a dry cleaning establishment for receiving and returning goods to be laundered, the system comprising:
- a system computer;
an upright kiosk for both receiving goods dropped off by customers and returning processed goods back to customers, the kiosk comprising;
an external access door through which customers drop off items for cleaning or retrieve items that have already been cleaned;
an internal rotary door for transferring goods through said kiosk within said dry cleaning establishment, the internal door supporting a delivery hook for holding items;
a touch screen display monitor for displaying customer options and recognizing customer selection inputs;
a card reader for identification and facilitating financial and identification transactions;
a printer for preparing customer receipts; and
,means for assigning dropped off goods a unique order number and transferring the number to said computer;
a conveyor within said establishment proximate said kiosk for storing goods and delivering cleaned goods to said kiosk for customer pick-up;
a customer user interface program adapted to run on said computer that is responsive to said touch screen monitor;
means for scanning goods transferred through said kiosk into said establishment;
the conveyor within said establishment comprising a plurality of garment hanging racks for supporting hangers with items attached;
garment transfer means for transferring items both from the conveyor to the delivery hook and, in the case of customer-rejected or forgotten items, from the delivery hook back to the conveyor;
means of loading processed items onto the conveyor by an operator through a load station for assignment of location and tracking for later retrieval;
wherein a program executes the following steps;
(a) executing a display welcome screen on said touch screen display prompting the customer to press a start button on the computer touch screen or to swipe a magnetic card in the card reader;
(b) executing a “
Wait for card swipe”
step to monitor the magnetic card reader for a valid customer input, and if not, returning to the welcome screen;
(c) if a valid card input is detected, processing Card Swipe information, then prompting the customer for their phone number and looking up the customer in a database, or, if a new phone number is determined, obtaining new customer information;
(d) executing a “
Check for Ready Items”
step to determine if a valid order for this customer is ready for delivery, and, if so, delivering the order to the customer through said access door;
(e) executing a process drop off step if the customer indicates they have items to be dropped off by prompting the customer to enter details about the order, then processing the order by assigning a unique order number, printing receipts and transferring the order number through the kiosk; and
,(f) executing a finish transaction step by determining if the customer wishes to reject a delivered order, and , if so, opening the access door to allow the rejected order to be reprocessed, and if not, returning to said step (a).
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated, self-service dry cleaning delivery system accepts and records items dropped off through a kiosk for cleaning, and returns cleaned items to the same kiosk for customer pick-up. A computer software program operates the conveyors, the loading doors, and material transporting equipment. To facilitate maximum customer satisfaction, numerous customer feedback choices are displayed to maximize system dexterity.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An automated self-service dry cleaning and laundry drop-off and retrieval system for use by a dry cleaning establishment for receiving and returning goods to be laundered, the system comprising:
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a system computer; an upright kiosk for both receiving goods dropped off by customers and returning processed goods back to customers, the kiosk comprising; an external access door through which customers drop off items for cleaning or retrieve items that have already been cleaned; an internal rotary door for transferring goods through said kiosk within said dry cleaning establishment, the internal door supporting a delivery hook for holding items; a touch screen display monitor for displaying customer options and recognizing customer selection inputs; a card reader for identification and facilitating financial and identification transactions; a printer for preparing customer receipts; and
,means for assigning dropped off goods a unique order number and transferring the number to said computer; a conveyor within said establishment proximate said kiosk for storing goods and delivering cleaned goods to said kiosk for customer pick-up; a customer user interface program adapted to run on said computer that is responsive to said touch screen monitor; means for scanning goods transferred through said kiosk into said establishment; the conveyor within said establishment comprising a plurality of garment hanging racks for supporting hangers with items attached; garment transfer means for transferring items both from the conveyor to the delivery hook and, in the case of customer-rejected or forgotten items, from the delivery hook back to the conveyor; means of loading processed items onto the conveyor by an operator through a load station for assignment of location and tracking for later retrieval; wherein a program executes the following steps; (a) executing a display welcome screen on said touch screen display prompting the customer to press a start button on the computer touch screen or to swipe a magnetic card in the card reader; (b) executing a “
Wait for card swipe”
step to monitor the magnetic card reader for a valid customer input, and if not, returning to the welcome screen;(c) if a valid card input is detected, processing Card Swipe information, then prompting the customer for their phone number and looking up the customer in a database, or, if a new phone number is determined, obtaining new customer information; (d) executing a “
Check for Ready Items”
step to determine if a valid order for this customer is ready for delivery, and, if so, delivering the order to the customer through said access door;(e) executing a process drop off step if the customer indicates they have items to be dropped off by prompting the customer to enter details about the order, then processing the order by assigning a unique order number, printing receipts and transferring the order number through the kiosk; and
,(f) executing a finish transaction step by determining if the customer wishes to reject a delivered order, and , if so, opening the access door to allow the rejected order to be reprocessed, and if not, returning to said step (a). - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An automated self-service dry cleaning and laundry drop-off and retrieval system for use by a dry cleaning establishment for receiving and returning goods to be laundered, the system comprising:
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a system computer; an upright kiosk for both receiving goods dropped off by customers and returning processed goods back to customers, the kiosk comprising; an external access door through which customers drop off items for cleaning or retrieve items that have already been cleaned; an internal rotary door for transferring goods through said kiosk within said dry cleaning establishment, the internal door comprising a delivery hook for holding items; a touch screen display monitor for displaying customer options and recognizing customer selection inputs; a card reader for identification and facilitating financial transactions; a printer for preparing customer receipts; means for assigning dropped off goods an unique order number and transferring the number to said computer; a dispenser accessible from said kiosk for vending disposable bags for customers; a clothes drop ram for discharging dropped off items or forgotten items from said kiosk through said rotary door; a door sensor for detecting whether the access door is open or closed; a returned item sensor for detecting the presence of customer-rejected items on said transfer hook; a conveyor within said establishment proximate said kiosk for storing goods and delivering cleaned goods to said kiosk for customer pick-up; a customer user interface program adapted to run on said computer that is responsive to said touch screen monitor; means for scanning goods transferred through said kiosk into said establishment; the conveyor within said establishment for handling goods comprising a plurality of garment hanging racks for supporting hangers with items attached; garment transfer means for transferring items between said delivery hook and said conveyor, the garment transfer means responsive to said program for recognizing the customer order number so that the order can be properly loaded onto said conveyor; wherein the program executes the following steps; (a) executing a display welcome screen on said touch screen display prompting the customer to press a start button on the computer touch screen or to swipe a magnetic card in the card reader; (b) executing a “
Wait for card swipe”
step to monitor the magnetic card reader for a valid customer input, and if not, returning to the welcome screen;(c) if a valid card input is detected, processing Card Swipe information by prompting the customer for their phone number and looking up the customer in a database, or, if a new phone number is determined, obtaining new customer information; (d) executing a “
Check for Ready Items”
step to determine if a valid order for this customer is ready for delivery, and, if so, delivering the order to the customer through said access door;(e) executing a process drop off step if the customer indicates they have items to be dropped off by prompting the customer to enter details about the order, then processing the order by assigning a unique order number, printing receipts and transferring the order number through the kiosk; and
,(f) executing a finish transaction step by determining if a customer wishes to reject a delivered order, and, if so, opening the access door to allow the rejected order to be reprocessed, and if not, returning to said step (a). - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification