Kiosk network in a kiosk management system
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for conducting a transaction, with a consumer using a portable device, for an item stored among kiosks pre-stocked with items available for purchase, comprising:
- obtaining, at a kiosk management system, pre-registered account information, the pre-registered account information including at least payment information and an identification number of the portable device;
storing, by the kiosk management system, an association between the pre-registered account information and the portable device based on the identification number of the portable device;
receiving, at a kiosk, a query from the kiosk management system for a requested item requested for purchase by the consumer in a transaction;
transmitting, from the kiosk, an inventory status for the requested item to the kiosk management system via a network; and
upon determining the inventory status indicates that the requested item is included in a plurality of items with which the kiosk is pre-stocked;
receiving, at the kiosk, a message from the kiosk management system, the message instructing the kiosk to reserve the requested item and including a generated code for the transaction, the code being unique to the transaction;
reserving, at the kiosk, the requested item from the plurality of items with which the kiosk is pre-stocked;
providing, to the portable device, the code and instructions to cause the portable device to prompt the consumer to initiate retrieval of the requested item upon determining the portable device is in proximity of the kiosk, wherein the instructions further cause the portable device to transmit the code to the kiosk via wireless transmission upon receiving a response to the prompt without further interaction by the consumer;
upon receiving, at the kiosk, the code from the portable device, and without further interaction from the consumer, performing the following steps;
identifying the requested item based on the code;
verifying that the code received from the portable device corresponds to the generated code;
initiating a payment process for the requested item using the pre-registered account information associated with the portable device; and
instructing release of the requested item from the kiosk to the consumer when the payment process is complete by;
determining an item storage location associated with the requested item;
identifying a mechanical releasing mechanism associated with the item storage location; and
instructing the mechanical releasing mechanism to release the requested item from the item storage location.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A kiosk apparatus, method and system of providing and distributing a plurality of items to one or more consumers is provided. Each kiosk in a plurality of kiosks may be configured to communicate with a kiosk management system to provide inventory data, which is provided to consumers such that one or more requested items may be reserved in a transaction. The kiosk may be further configured to interact with the consumer to retrieve the reserved items, where the consumer may use a portable device to interact with the kiosk, or the consumer may be prompted by the kiosk to enter account information and/or a generated code associated with the transaction provided by the kiosk management system. Then, a payment process is initiated with the kiosk management system or other entity, and when the payment process is verified, release the requested items to the consumer.
40 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for conducting a transaction, with a consumer using a portable device, for an item stored among kiosks pre-stocked with items available for purchase, comprising:
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obtaining, at a kiosk management system, pre-registered account information, the pre-registered account information including at least payment information and an identification number of the portable device; storing, by the kiosk management system, an association between the pre-registered account information and the portable device based on the identification number of the portable device; receiving, at a kiosk, a query from the kiosk management system for a requested item requested for purchase by the consumer in a transaction; transmitting, from the kiosk, an inventory status for the requested item to the kiosk management system via a network; and upon determining the inventory status indicates that the requested item is included in a plurality of items with which the kiosk is pre-stocked; receiving, at the kiosk, a message from the kiosk management system, the message instructing the kiosk to reserve the requested item and including a generated code for the transaction, the code being unique to the transaction; reserving, at the kiosk, the requested item from the plurality of items with which the kiosk is pre-stocked; providing, to the portable device, the code and instructions to cause the portable device to prompt the consumer to initiate retrieval of the requested item upon determining the portable device is in proximity of the kiosk, wherein the instructions further cause the portable device to transmit the code to the kiosk via wireless transmission upon receiving a response to the prompt without further interaction by the consumer; upon receiving, at the kiosk, the code from the portable device, and without further interaction from the consumer, performing the following steps; identifying the requested item based on the code; verifying that the code received from the portable device corresponds to the generated code; initiating a payment process for the requested item using the pre-registered account information associated with the portable device; and instructing release of the requested item from the kiosk to the consumer when the payment process is complete by; determining an item storage location associated with the requested item; identifying a mechanical releasing mechanism associated with the item storage location; and instructing the mechanical releasing mechanism to release the requested item from the item storage location. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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maintaining, at one or more computer systems, pre-registered account information that includes at least payment information for a consumer; assigning a distribution agent to a kiosk based at least in part on a geographic area associated with the kiosk; causing the distribution agent to distribute a plurality of items to the kiosk based at least in part on at least one of inventory information, transaction history information, or kiosk information; when an item from a query is included in the plurality of items stored at the kiosk, reserving, at the kiosk, the item from the plurality of items stored at the kiosk upon receiving a request for the item from a portable device, the portable device associated with the pre-registered account information; providing, to the portable device, a code unique to the transaction and instructions to cause the portable device associated with the consumer to prompt the consumer to initiate retrieval of the item upon determining the portable device is in proximity of the kiosk, wherein the instructions further cause the portable device to provide the code to the kiosk without further consumer interaction upon receiving a response to the prompt; initiating, at the kiosk upon identifying the transaction based on receiving the code from the portable device, a payment process for the item using the pre-registered account information when the consumer initiates retrieval of the item at the kiosk, retrieval of the item at the kiosk being initiated upon receiving the code from the portable device associated with the consumer via a wireless communication; and instructing release of the item from the kiosk to the consumer when the payment process is completed by, without further interaction from the consumer; determining an item storage location associated with the item based upon the code; identifying a releasing mechanism associated with the item storage location; and instructing the releasing mechanism to release the item from the item storage location. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A kiosk comprising:
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a storage unit configured to store a plurality of selected items, wherein the plurality of selected items were selected for storage in the kiosk based at least in part on at least one of inventory information, transaction history information, and kiosk information; and
wherein the plurality of items were distributed to the kiosk by a distribution agent;a dispensing unit configured to release a requested item to the consumer from the storage unit; a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with a management system and with other computing devices; a memory configured to store inventory information for the plurality of selected items stored in the storage unit; and a processor device in communication with the storage unit, dispensing unit, wireless communication interface, and memory, the processor device configured to at least; maintain, with respect to a consumer, pre-registered account information that includes at least payment information and an identification number of a separate computing device; receive a request for the consumer to conduct a transaction for the requested item; and upon determining the requested item is among the plurality of selected items stored in the storage unit of the kiosk; provide, to the separate computing device indicated in the pre-registered account information for the consumer, a code for the transaction and instructions to cause the separate computing device to prompt the consumer to initiate retrieval of the requested item upon determining the separate computing device is in proximity of the kiosk and transmit the code to the kiosk upon receiving a response to the prompt without further consumer interaction, the code being unique to the transaction and to the consumer; receive the code for the transaction from the separate computing device associated with the pre-registered account information for the consumer via the wireless communication interface; upon identifying the transaction based on the code, initiate verification of the code; upon verifying the code, dispense the requested item without further interaction by the consumer by; identifying a releasing mechanism associated with the requested item; causing the identified releasing mechanism to release the requested item to the dispensing unit for retrieval; and causing payment for the requested item to be initiated using the pre-registered account information maintained with respect to the consumer; and send updated inventory information for the kiosk, to the management system via the wireless communication interface. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer system, configure the computer system to perform operations comprising:
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maintaining pre-registered account information for a consumer, the pre-registered account information including at least payment information and an indication of a portable device; maintaining inventory information for a plurality of items stored in a kiosk, wherein the plurality of items were selected for storage in the kiosk based at least in part on at least one of the inventory information, transaction history information, and kiosk information; and
wherein the plurality of items were distributed to the kiosk by a distribution agent assigned to the kiosk based at least in part on a geographic area in which the kiosk is located;providing, to the portable device indicated by pre-registered account information for the consumer, a code unique to an order transaction and instructions to cause the portable device to prompt the consumer to initiate retrieval of an item upon determining the portable device is within a proximity of the kiosk and to transmit the code to the kiosk upon receiving a response to the prompt without further user interaction; initiating the order transaction from the consumer for the item stored in the kiosk among the plurality of items distributed to the kiosk by the distribution agent, the order transaction being initiated upon receiving the code from the portable device associated with the consumer via a wireless communication connection and identifying the order transaction based on the code; dispensing the item from the kiosk to the consumer when the consumer presents the code associated with the order to the kiosk, without further interaction by the consumer, by; determining an item storage location associated with the item from the kiosk based on the code; identifying a releasing mechanism associated with the item storage location; instructing the releasing mechanism to release the item from the item storage location; and initiating payment for the item using the pre-registered account information; following dispensing the item from the kiosk to the consumer, updating the inventory information for the kiosk to reflect that the item is no longer stored in the kiosk; and transmitting the updated inventory information to a management system. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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Specification