Vehicle vending machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10465408-B2
Application number	US-201916257863-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2019
Priority date	Aug 31, 2016
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

Systems, methods, non-transitory processor-readable storage media, and devices of the various embodiments enable a vehicle vending machine to retrieve a vehicle from a storage location and deliver the vehicle to a delivery bay for delivery to a customer. Various embodiments may include a vehicle vending machine including a tower, a robotic carrier, a corridor extending from the tower, a plurality of delivery bays positioned along the corridor, a customer interaction kiosk, and/or a video system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle vending machine, comprising:
a first delivery bay;
a tower comprising a series of storage locations on different vertically arranged levels, wherein at least a portion of the series of storage locations are on at least one of the different vertically arranged levels of the tower that is vertically offset from the first delivery bay;
a first robotic carrier configured to move a vehicle pallet between the tower and the first delivery bay;
a second delivery bay; and

a second robotic carrier configured to move a vehicle pallet between the tower and the second delivery bay,
wherein the first robotic carrier and the second robotic carrier each comprise a respective delivery hitch configured to move a vehicle pallet.

2. The vehicle vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the second delivery bay is oriented ninety degrees to the first delivery bay relative to the tower.

3. A vehicle vending machine, comprising:
a first delivery bay; and
a tower comprising a series of storage locations on different vertically arranged levels, wherein at least a portion of the series of storage locations are on at least one of the different vertically arranged levels of the tower that is vertically offset from the first delivery bay;
a vehicle preparation area;
an exterior door providing access to the vehicle preparation area from outside the vehicle vending machine; and
a tower loading door providing access to the tower from the vehicle preparation area,
wherein the first delivery bay comprises:
a personnel door; and
a delivery bay exterior door, wherein the personnel door and the delivery bay door are separate accesses to the first delivery bay from outside the vehicle vending machine.

4. A method for operating a vehicle vending machine, comprising:
receiving, via an exterior door of the tower of the vehicle vending machine, a vehicle into a vehicle preparation area of the vehicle vending machine, wherein the vehicle preparation area is separated from the tower by a loading door of the tower;
receiving, via the loading door of the tower, the vehicle for storage in a storage location within the tower, the vehicle being positioned on a vehicle pallet;
lifting the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet to an appropriate level of the tower with a lift-able shuttle of the tower;
rotating the vehicle pallet to an appropriate orientation;
placing the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet in a storage location;
retrieving the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet from the storage location within the tower;
navigating a robotic carrier to an appropriate one of a plurality of delivery bays of the vehicle vending machine while the robotic carrier carries the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet;
wherein:
the plurality of delivery bays are a first delivery bay and a second delivery bay;
the robotic carrier is one of a first robotic carriers associated with the first delivery bay or a second robotic carrier associated with the second delivery bay according to which of the first or second delivery bays is the appropriate delivery bay.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein retrieving a vehicle positioned on a vehicle pallet from a storage location within a tower of the vehicle vending machine comprises:
retrieving the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet from the storage location with a lift-able shuttle;
rotating the vehicle pallet to an appropriate orientation; and
positioning the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet onto the robotic carrier.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first robotic carrier and the second robotic carrier each comprise a respective delivery hitch configured to move the vehicle pallet.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the storage location is vertically offset from the plurality of delivery bays.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
unlocking a personnel door in the appropriate delivery bay in response to determining the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet is in a final position in the appropriate delivery bay; and
opening an external door of the appropriate delivery bay in response to the personnel door being relocked after its unlocking.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
closing the external door of the appropriate delivery bay after confirmation that the vehicle is removed from the appropriate delivery bay.

Assignees

• Carvana Llc

Inventors

• Garcia Iii Ernest C
• Sassenberg Bret
• Huston Benjamin E

Classifications

• E04H6/40

  characterised by use of turntables or rotary rings · CPC title

• E04H6/287 Primary

  using comb-type transfer means · CPC title

• E04H6/424 Primary

  Positioning devices · CPC title

• E04H6/12

  with mechanical means for shifting or lifting vehicles · CPC title