Secure repair kiosk system and method

• US 9,256,997 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2014
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FoxPaw Co.
• Original Assignee: FoxPaw Co.
• Inventors: Rutledge, Richard S., Glover, Dave
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Allen T
• Application Number:
  US14/504,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20150145642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.51, 340/5.52, 340/5.53, 340/5.54, 340/5.2, 340/5.3, 340/568.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00936 for key cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/32 in combination with an identity check

Abstract

A secure repair kiosk system is provided for receiving items/devices for repair. The secure repair kiosk system includes a kiosk that receives items for repair. The kiosk includes multiple holding slots that each contains a transfer box used as a secure and traceable means for transferring devices to and from a remote repair site. A customer interacts with a user interface of the Kiosk to generate repair drop-off request and gain access to an empty transfer box. An empty particular transfer box is presented to a user during drop-off of the device that will typically accompany the device during transfer to the repair site, during repair of the device, during transfer back to the Kiosk, and delivery to the user. The customer interacts with the user interface of the Kiosk to generate repair pick-off request and gain access to a transfer box that contains that customers repaired device.

Claims

1. A repair kiosk comprising:

a plurality of transfer boxes, each of the plurality of transfer boxes comprising;

an internal compartment for holding an electronic device;

a motorized locking mechanism for controlling access to the internal compartment; and

a communication device storing a unique serial number;

a chassis having an internal cavity, the internal cavity including a plurality of holding slots each for storing one of the plurality of transfer boxes;

a pick-up bay providing access to the internal cavity and having a first electronic reader configured to communicate with the communication device to actuate the motorized locking mechanism;

a robotic arm configured to move an identified transfer box between a pick-up window and the first slot of the holding slots;

a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising an input device and display; and

a computing system comprising a processor executing a kiosk application comprising modules executable by the processor and controlling the robotic arm, the kiosk application comprising;

a graphical user interface (GUI) module to operate the GUI and responsive to user input received locally via the GUI to generate a movement instruction, wherein the movement instruction identifies a particular one of the plurality of transfer boxes;

a transfer box module configured to control the robotic arm to move the particular transfer box between a corresponding holding slot and the pick-up bay according to the movement instruction and to cause the electronic reader to actuate the motorized locking mechanism when the particular transfer box is in the pick-up bay; and

a logging module configured to generate a report including the customer input and send the report to a remote computing system.

2. The repair kiosk of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of holding slots comprises a light configured to indicate the presence of a customer electronic device in the particular transfer box residing in a particular slot.

3. The repair kiosk of claim 1, wherein the robotic arm further comprises a second electronic reader configured to communicate with the communication device to read the unique serial number.

4. The repair kiosk of claim 3, wherein the transfer box module is further configured to cause the robotic arm to move to a slot to read a particular unique serial number of the particular transfer box and provide the logging module with a slot location and the unique serial number.

5. The repair kiosk of claim 1, wherein the customer input comprises:

at least one customer identifier;

an electronic device identifier; and

at least one repair service.

6. The repair kiosk of claim 5, wherein the remote computing system comprises a data storage system configured to store data related to the at least one customer identifier, the electronic device identifier, the at least one repair service, and the unique serial number.

7. The repair kiosk of claim 1, further comprising a payment device configured to conduct an electronic financial transaction, wherein the transfer box module is further configured to operate according to an outcome of the electronic financial transaction.

8. The repair kiosk of claim 1, wherein the pick-up bay further comprises a camera configured to take a picture of an electronic device entering and exiting a particular transfer box at the pick-up bay.

9. A repair kiosk comprising:

a plurality of transfer boxes, each of the plurality of transfer boxes comprising;

an internal compartment for holding an electronic device;

a first camera;

a motorized locking mechanism for controlling access to the internal compartment; and

a communication device storing a unique serial number;

a chassis having an internal cavity, the internal cavity including a plurality of holding slots each for storing one of the plurality of transfer boxes;

a pick-up bay providing access to the internal cavity, having a first electronic reader configured to communicate with the communication device to actuate the motorized locking mechanism, and a second camera;

a robotic arm configured to move an identified transfer box between a pick-up window and the first slot of the holding slots;

a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising an input device and display; and

a computing system comprising a processor executing a kiosk application comprising modules executable by the processor to;

operate the display according to a customer input provided using the input device;

provide the robotic arm with a movement instruction, the movement instruction identifying a particular one of the plurality of transfer boxes; and

generate a report including the customer input and send the report to a remote computing system.

10. The repair kiosk of claim 9, wherein the customer input includes at least one customer identifier, an electronic device identifier, and at least one repair service, and the remote computing system is a remote repair system that dispatches a courier to retrieve the particular transfer box.

11. The repair kiosk of claim 10, wherein the GUI is further configured to accept an authentication input from the courier and unlock a chassis door that provides access to the internal cavity and the particular transfer box.

12. The repair kiosk of claim 11, wherein the robotic arm further comprises a second electronic reader configured to communicate with the communication device to read the unique serial number.

13. The repair kiosk of claim 12, wherein the GUI is further configured to:

control the robotic arm to move to a first slot to read a first unique serial number associated with the particular transfer box located in the first slot, compare the unique serial number to a second unique serial number, the second unique serial number being defined by input received at the graphical user interface;

generate and display an alert on the display when the first unique serial number is not the same as the second unique serial number; and

generate a second report including the first unique serial number and send the second report to a remote computing system.

14. The repair kiosk of claim 9, wherein the second camera is configured to take a picture of an electronic device entering and exiting the particular transfer box at the pick-up bay.

15. A method of operating a secure kiosk system comprising:

receiving a customer input including at least one customer identifier, an electronic device identifier, and at least one repair service using a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising an input device and display;

controlling a robotic arm to retrieve a transfer box from a holding slot in an internal cavity of a chassis having a plurality of holding slots each for storing one of a plurality of transfer boxes, and move the transfer box to a pick-up bay that provides access to the internal cavity;

unlocking a motorized locking mechanism controlling access to an internal compartment of the transfer box by using an electronic reader at the pick-up bay to communicate with a communication device operating on the transfer box;

controlling the robotic arm to retrieve the transfer box from the pick-up bay and place the transfer box back into the holding slot after an electronic device has been received by the transfer box; and

generating a report including the customer input and sending the report to a remote computing system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising taking a picture of the electronic device at the pick-up bay after the electronic device has been received.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising scanning a unique serial number of the transfer box and including the unique serial number in the report.