Systems and methods for tool activation and display cabinet locking

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12592134-B2
Application number	US-202519019278-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2025
Priority date	Jul 21, 2020
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for tool activation and display cabinet locking. In one aspect, a method for activating a product is performed at the product. The product includes a power supply, a controller, a persistent memory coupled to the controller, and a radio module. The product is configured to be operable in a plurality of states, and a state of the product is in an inactivated state. The method includes receiving via the radio module an activation message and an authorization token. The method includes attempting to validate the authorization token based on a preset authorization information and the state of the product. The method includes, (i) when the validation is not successful, rejecting the activation message without changing the state of the product; and (ii) when the validation is successful, changing the state of the product from the inactivated state to an activated state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A retail display case that stocks physical products, comprising:
a power supply that provides power to the retail display case; an electronic lock with a state, wherein the state is selected from one or more states including:
a locked state, in which access to the physical products is prevented; and
an unlocked state, in which access to the physical products is enabled;
a radio module configured to broadcast short-range wireless messages including a unique identifier of the retail display case and a unique authorization request without use of wide area network communications, receive short-range wireless messages from one or more mobile devices in proximity to the display case, and control the state of the electronic lock via a control signal output by the radio module; wherein, when the state of the electronic lock is the locked state and the retail display case receives by the radio module an unlock message and a trusted token, the radio module is configured to:
determine whether an authorization grant included in the trusted token is valid, wherein the authorization grant is valid if the authorization grant includes the unique identifier of the retail display case and the unique authorization request;
when the authorization grant is not valid, reject the unlock message without changing the state of the electronic lock; and
when the authorization grant is valid, change the state of the electronic lock from the locked state to the unlocked state.

2 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the radio module is further configured to:
after changing the state of the electronic lock to the unlocked state:
change the state of the electronic lock from the unlocked state to the locked state after a predefined time duration.

3 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the radio module is further configured to broadcast short-range wireless messages specifying the state of the electronic lock.

4 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the radio module receives the unlock message from an electronic device that is located in proximity to the retail display case.

5 . The retail display case of claim 4 , wherein the validation is successful when the trusted token identifies a user of the electronic device as either an authorized consumer or an authorized store personnel.

6 . The retail display case of claim 5 , wherein the user of the electronic device is an authorized consumer who receives the trusted token from a merchant server that is hosting the retail display case.

7 . The retail display case of claim 5 , wherein the user of the electronic device is an authorized buyer who receives the trusted token from an activation service of a merchant that is hosting the retail display case.

8 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the radio module is further configured to:
transmit a short-range wireless message to a camera in proximity to the retail display case when the state of the electronic lock changes from the locked state to the unlocked state.

9 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the power supply is a wired power supply.

10 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the power supply is a battery.

11 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the electronic lock is selected from the group consisting of: a magnetic lock, an electromagnetic lock, a Bluetooth electronic lock, and a solenoid lock, and an electromechanical lock.

12 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the electronic lock is connected to a relay.

13 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the radio module is configured to broadcast a unique identifier of the retail display case.

14 . The retail display case of claim 1 , further comprising:
a door sensor coupled to a door of the retail display case, wherein the radio module is further configured to broadcast short-range wireless messages specifying a state of the door, wherein the state of the door comprises a door open state and a door close state.

15 . The retail display case of claim 1 , wherein the radio module includes a processor and memory.

16 . A method of unlocking an offline retail display case that stocks physical products, comprising:
at the offline retail display case that includes a processor, memory, an electronic lock, a relay coupled to the electronic lock, and a radio module configured to (i) broadcast short-range wireless messages including a unique identifier of the retail display case and a unique authorization request without use of wide area network communications, (ii) receive short-range wireless messages from one or more mobile devices in proximity to the display case, and (iii) control a state of the electronic lock via a control signal output by the radio module:
receiving via the radio module an unlock message and a trusted token;
determining whether an authorization grant included in the trusted token is valid, wherein the authorization grant is valid if the authorization grant includes the unique identifier of the retail display case and the unique authorization request;
in accordance with a determination that the authorization grant is not valid, rejecting the unlock message without changing the state of the electronic lock, and
in accordance with a determination that the authorization grant is valid, changing the state of the electronic lock.

17 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of a display case control system having a radio module configured to (i) broadcast short-range wireless messages including a unique identifier of the retail display case and a unique authorization request without use of wide area network communications, (ii) receive short-range wireless messages from one or more mobile devices in proximity to the display case, and (iii) control a state of the electronic lock via a control signal output by the radio module; and a lock control circuit that is electrically connected to an electronic lock of a display case, cause the display case control system to:
receive an unlock message and a trusted token;
determining whether an authorization grant included in the trusted token is valid, wherein the authorization grant is valid if the authorization grant includes the unique identifier of the retail display case and the unique authorization request;
when the authorization grant is not valid, reject the unlock message without changing a state of the electronic lock; and
when the authorization grant is valid, change the state of the electronic lock.

Assignees

• Payrange Inc
• Payrange Llc

Inventors

• Patel Paresh K

Classifications

• G06Q20/40

  Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists · CPC title

• G06Q20/401

  Transaction verification · CPC title

• G06Q20/3821

  Electronic credentials · CPC title

• G06Q20/38

  Payment protocols; Details thereof · CPC title

• G07F9/002

  Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines · CPC title