System and method for communicating vending information

• US 8,417,380 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Redbox Automated Retail LLC (Chicken Soup For The Soul Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Kuehnrich, Franz, Hoersten, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): WAGGONER, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US12/966,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20110145033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 700/236, 700/241, 700/242, 700/244
• US Class Current: 700/241
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/004 Restocking arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/007 wherein the storage and dispensing mechanism are configurable in relation to the physical or geometrical properties of the articles to be stored or dispensed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/04 in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/165 using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/26 Endless bands
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/48 the storage containers or supports, e.g. magazine, being pivotally mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/50 the storage containers or supports being rotatably mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 : for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/005 : for the hiring of content carriers, e.g. of DVDs or CDs reverse vending for box-like objects such as videocassettes G07F7/069
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 : for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/26 : for printing, stamping, franking, typing or teleprinting apparatus ticket printing or the like apparatus G07F17/42
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/069 : by box-like containers, e.g. videocassettes, books
• 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 9/023 : Arrangements for display, data presentation or advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 : for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/10 : Casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling

Abstract

A system and method for communicating vending information for a digital video disc is provided. A plurality of vending transaction data is received, wherein each of the plurality of data comprises a transaction timestamp and corresponds to a rental transaction for a digital video disc. The plurality of vending transaction data is stored in a memory of a vending apparatus, and is encrypted. It is determined whether a predetermined period of time has elapsed since a first transmission of transaction data from the vending apparatus, and a communication request is transmitted upon such determination to a remote control center. A signal is received at the vending apparatus from a control center in response to the communications request, and a plurality of vending transaction data is transmitted to the remote control center in response to receiving the signal.

Claims

1. A method of inventory rebalancing comprising the steps of:

receiving inventory data from a first vending controller disposed within a first vending apparatus, the inventory data comprising a listing of vendible media products within the first vending apparatus and data representing the percent of time that each vendible media product has been stored within the first vending apparatus over a fixed period of time;

receiving inventory data from a second vending controller disposed within a second vending apparatus, the inventory data comprising a listing of vendible media products within the second vending apparatus and data representing the percent of time that each vendible media product has been stored within the second vending apparatus over the fixed period of time;

determining from the inventory data a subset of high-demand vendible media products, wherein the percent of time that each high-demand vendible media product has been stored within its respective vending apparatus over the fixed period of time is less than a pre-determined value;

determining from the inventory data a disparity between the quantity of vendible media products within the subset contained within the first vending apparatus and the quantity of vendible media products within the subset contained within the second vending apparatus; and

relocating one or more of the high-demand vendible media products from one of the first and second vending apparatuses to the other for decreasing the disparity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inventory data is received at a central controller linked to each vending controller through a network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the inventory data is received in response to a request for the inventory data sent from the central controller to each of the respective vending controllers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the central controller sends the request for the inventory data in response to a digital query sent from a location remote to the central controller.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of generating an instruction to authorized personnel, wherein the instruction directs the authorized personnel to relocate a specific quantity of vendible media products from among the subset of high-demand vendible media products from the first vending apparatus to the second vending apparatus.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the central controller generates the instruction.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying specific vendible media products from among the subset of high-demand vendible media products for relocation between the first and second vending apparatuses.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the vendible media products that are relocated between the first and second vending apparatuses are the specific vendible media products.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said relocating step further comprises the step of entering a single command into a user interface of the first vending apparatus whereby entry of the command causes the first vending apparatus to remove the specific vendible media products for relocation.

10. A system for balancing the quantity of high demand vendible media products across a plurality of vending apparatuses comprising:

a vending controller disposed within each of the plurality of vending apparatuses, wherein each vending controller is adapted to monitor an inventory of the vendible media products within its respective vending apparatus; and

a central controller in communication with each of the vending controllers through a network, the central controller adapted to receive inventory data from the vending controllers and use the inventory data to identify specific high demand vendible media products to be relocated from a first vending apparatus to a second vending apparatus;

wherein the inventory data comprises the percentage of time that each vendible media product has been contained within its respective vending apparatus over a fixed period of time.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein each of the specific high demand vendible media products have been absent from the vending apparatus more than they have been present within the vending apparatus over the fixed period of time.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the central controller determines that the inventory of the first vending apparatus has at least two more of the specific high demand vendible media products than does the inventory of the second vending apparatus.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein each vending controller is adapted to signal to the central controller when the inventory of the specific high demand vendible media products identified by the central controller falls below a predetermined value.

14. The system of claim 10 further comprising an authorized personnel communication device for receiving instruction data from the central controller identifying the specific high demand vendible media products to be relocated from the first vending apparatus to the second vending apparatus.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the instruction data comprises an authorization code.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein entry of the authorization code into a user interface on the first vending apparatus will cause ejection of each of the specific high demand vendible media products to be relocated.

17. An inventory management system comprising:

a first vending apparatus containing an inventory of vendible media products;

a first vending controller disposed within the first vending apparatus for monitoring and recording the inventory of vendible media products contained within the first vending apparatus over a fixed period of time, and for determining a subset of high demand vendible media products that are absent from the first vending apparatus at least a predetermined percentage of the fixed period of time;

a second vending apparatus containing an inventory of vendible media products;

a second vending controller disposed within the second vending apparatus for monitoring and recording the inventory of vendible media products contained within the second vending apparatus over the fixed period of time, and for determining a subset of high demand vendible media products that are absent from the second vending apparatus at least the predetermined percentage of the fixed period of time; and

a central controller in communication with the first and second vending controllers through a network for determining an imbalance between the quantity of high demand vendible media products in the first vending apparatus and the quantity of high demand vendible media products in the second vending apparatus, and for generating an instruction to relocate a specific subset of high demand vendible media products from one of the first and second vending apparatuses to the other.

18. The inventory management system of claim 17, wherein the first and second vending controllers are adapted to signal the central controller when the quantity of high demand vendible media products in their inventory falls below a predetermined level.

19. The inventory management system of claim 17, wherein the instruction comprises a pin for entry into a user interface of the first vending apparatus.

20. The inventory management system of claim 19, wherein the first vending controller is adapted to instruct the first vending apparatus to eject the specific subset of high demand vendible media products upon entry of the pin into the user interface.