Secure repair kiosk system and method

• US 9,452,884 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• 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:
  US14/974,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20160101939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 284 Days
• Field of Search: 340 551- 554, 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 system comprising:

at least one processor to;

generate a graphical user interface (GUI) to receive user input and based on the user input, generate a movement instruction identifying a particular transfer box of a plurality of transfer boxes, each transfer box comprising an internal compartment to hold a mobile device and a motorized locking mechanism to control access to the internal compartment;

control a robotic arm to move the particular transfer box from a corresponding holding slot to a pick-up bay based on the movement instruction;

actuate the motorized locking mechanism to unlock when the particular transfer box is moved to the pick-up bay;

determine that the mobile device is in the internal compartment of the particular transfer box;

generate a report comprising information associated with the mobile device; and

transmit the report to a remote computer.

2. The system of claim 1, the at least one processor further to receive mobile device repair information associated with the mobile device and transmit the mobile device repair information to the remote computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the mobile device repair information indicates at least one mobile device repair request associated with the mobile device.

4. The system of claim 3, the at least one processor further to receive a selection of a device manufacturer and a particular mobile device associated with the device manufacturer for repair.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one mobile device repair request comprises one of a mobile device diagnostic, mobile device full repair, mobile device back repair, mobile device headphone jack repair, mobile device battery repair, mobile device home button repair, mobile device front facing camera repair, mobile device rear facing camera repair, mobile device charging port repair, mobile device power button repair, mobile device earpiece repair, mobile device speaker repair, mobile device water damage repair, and mobile device silent/ringer switch repair.

6. The system of claim 1, the at least one processor further to display an estimated repair timeframe for the mobile device.

7. The system of claim 1, the at least one processor further to open a pick-up bay door based on the movement instruction and close the pick-up bay door after a particular period of time.

8. A method comprising:

generating, by at least one processor, a graphical user interface (GUI) to receive user input and based on the user input, generating a movement instruction identifying a particular transfer box of a plurality of transfer boxes, each transfer box comprising an internal compartment to hold a mobile device and a motorized locking mechanism to control access to the internal compartment;

controlling, by the at least one processor, a robotic arm to move the particular transfer box from a corresponding holding slot to a pick-up bay based on the movement instruction;

actuating, by the at least one processor, the motorized locking mechanism to unlock when the particular transfer box is moved to the pick-up bay;

determining, by the at least one processor, that the mobile device is in the internal compartment of the particular transfer box;

generating, by the at least one processor, a report comprising information associated with the mobile device; and

transmitting, by the at least one processor, the report to a remote computer.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving mobile device repair information associated with the mobile device and transmitting the mobile device repair information to the remote computer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile device repair information indicates at least one mobile device repair request associated with the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a selection of a device manufacturer and a particular mobile device associated with the device manufacturer for repair.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one mobile device repair request comprises one of a mobile device diagnostic, mobile device full repair, mobile device back repair, mobile device headphone jack repair, mobile device battery repair, mobile device home button repair, mobile device front facing camera repair, mobile device rear facing camera repair, mobile device charging port repair, mobile device power button repair, mobile device earpiece repair, mobile device speaker repair, mobile device water damage repair, and mobile device silent/ringer switch repair.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying an estimated repair timeframe for the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising opening open a pick-up bay door based on the movement instruction and closing the pick-up bay door after a particular period of time.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

generating a graphical user interface (GUI) to receive user input and based on the user input, generating a movement instruction identifying a particular transfer box of a plurality of transfer boxes, each transfer box comprising an internal compartment to hold a mobile device and a motorized locking mechanism to control access to the internal compartment;

controlling a robotic arm to move the particular transfer box from a corresponding holding slot to a pick-up bay based on the movement instruction;

actuating the motorized locking mechanism to unlock when the particular transfer box is moved to the pick-up bay;

determining that the mobile device is in the internal compartment of the particular transfer box;

generating a report comprising information associated with the mobile device; and

transmitting the report to a remote computer.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising receiving mobile device repair information associated with the mobile device and transmitting the mobile device repair information to the remote computer.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the mobile device repair information indicates at least one mobile device repair request associated with the mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, the operations further comprising receiving a selection of a device manufacturer and a particular mobile device associated with the device manufacturer for repair.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the at least one mobile device repair request comprises one of a mobile device diagnostic, mobile device full repair, mobile device back repair, mobile device headphone jack repair, mobile device battery repair, mobile device home button repair, mobile device front facing camera repair, mobile device rear facing camera repair, mobile device charging port repair, mobile device power button repair, mobile device earpiece repair, mobile device speaker repair, mobile device water damage repair, and mobile device silent/ringer switch repair.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising displaying an estimated repair timeframe for the mobile device.