System and kiosk for commerce of optical media through multiple locations

• US 8,626,614 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2006
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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: Barber, William H., Tomasi, Philip J.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEIKH, ASFAND M
• Application Number:
  US11/584,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20070050266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,633 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/163 for film projection apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/305 for record players
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/069 by box-like containers, e.g. videocassettes, books

Abstract

A kiosk dispenses and receives recorded optical media using an interconnected central server, through an Internet Service Provider. The central server has databases and processing capabilities and is connected to a credit verification system. The databases collect inventory administration information and customer data (e.g., credit card information and email addresses) from the kiosks. The central server initiates credit verification, sends receipts to customers via email and maintains databases for remote inventory control and administration of the kiosk network. A kiosk may identify a recorded disk for automated restocking and perform quality assessment of a recorded disk. The kiosk may provide publishing-on-demand or act as a portal for remotely served advertisements. The kiosk preferably includes a rotatable carousel with a selection of DVDs. A digital camera captures a digital image of a disk barcode and internal software rotates the image to “read” the barcode, to control inventory and access issues.

Claims

1. A coordinated kiosk system for distributing optical recorded media to users at a plurality of locations, a central server controlling the system, the system comprising:

a first kiosk for storing, dispensing and receiving optical recorded media;

a processor controlling the first kiosk in communication with the central server;

an inventory database comprising inventory information of optical recorded media within the first kiosk; and

a second kiosk for storing, dispensing and receiving optical recorded media, the second kiosk remote from the first kiosk, the second kiosk comprising;

a user interface for accepting a user input, including a request for optical recorded media;

a processor controlling the second kiosk in communication with the central server and configured for querying the inventory database when the requested optical recorded media is not contained within the second kiosk; and

a display for displaying a location of the first kiosk to the user when the requested optical recorded media is located in the inventory of optical recorded media within the first kiosk,

wherein the central server comprises the inventory database, and

wherein at least the second kiosk comprises an internal memory for backing up the inventory information stored in the inventory database of the central server, said inventory information including real-time inventory of the first and second kiosks, such that inventory information of the first and second kiosks may be directly accessed by a user at the second kiosk without having to communicate with the central server.

2. The system of claim 1, the user interface comprising a reader for scanning user authorization information.

3. The system of claim 2, the reader comprising a mag-stripe reader for reading one or more of a user identification number, a credit card number, a club card number and a debit card number.

4. The system of claim 1, the user interface comprising a touch screen.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a transaction database for profiling user transactions.

6. The system of claim 1, the first kiosk comprising a rotatable carousel with a plurality of slots for housing the optical recorded media.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising a motor for rotating the carousel.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a case presence sensor for detecting whether a case containing the optical recorded media is within a slot of the carousel.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising an input/output mechanism for dispensing and receiving optical recorded media between the slots of the carousel and a user-accessible door of the first kiosk, wherein the carousel rotates in response to commands by the processor to align a slot housing the requested optical recorded media with the input/output mechanism.

10. The system of claim 9, the input/output mechanism comprising feedback sensor and an eject arm, the feedback sensor sensing position of the eject arm for dispensing or retrieving optical media through the input/output mechanism.

11. The system of claim 1, one or both of the first and second kiosks comprising a case sensor for sensing characteristics of a case housing a returned optical recorded media.

12. The system of claim 11, the case sensor configured for sensing one or more holes and one or more blocked regions in the case, the processor determining whether the case may be accepted within an input/output mechanism in the kiosk and between the slots of the carousel and a user-accessible door in a housing of the kiosk, based on signals from the first case sensor.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a case sensor light for illuminating light through a case containing a returned optical recorded media, the processor determining whether the case may be accepted within an input/output mechanism in the kiosk and between the slots of the carousel and a user-accessible door in a housing of the kiosk, based on signals from the first case sensor.

14. The system of claim 1, one or both of the first and second kiosks comprising a digital camera for capturing a digital image of a returned optical media.

15. The system of claim 14, one or both of the first and second kiosks further comprising a scanner for electronically scanning the digital image to decode one or more bar codes on the returned optical recorded media, the processor determining whether the case may be accepted within an input/output mechanism in the first or second kiosk, between the slots of the carousel and a user-accessible door in a housing of the first or second kiosk, based on signals from the scanner.

16. The system of claim 15, one or both of the first and second kiosks further comprising internal software for rotating a scanned digital image if the processor fails to decode the bar codes, the scanner configured for re-scanning the rotated digital image.

17. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alarm state recognition device alarm for recognizing and indicating an alarm state associated with the first or second kiosk.