Vehicle Vending Machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020040597-A1
Application number	US-201916598520-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 10, 2019
Priority date	Aug 31, 2016
Publication date	Feb 6, 2020
Grant date	—

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.

2 . The vehicle vending machine of claim 1 , further comprising a delivery system configured to move a vehicle pallet between the tower and the first delivery bay, wherein the delivery system is configured to rotate the vehicle pallet ninety degrees to align with the first delivery bay.

3 . The vehicle vending machine of claim 2 , further comprising:
a second delivery bay, and wherein the delivery system is configured to move a vehicle pallet between the tower and the second delivery bay.

4 . The vehicle vending machine of claim 3 , wherein the delivery system comprises a at least one delivery hitch configured to move a vehicle pallet.

5 . The vehicle vending machine of claim 4 , wherein the second delivery bay is oriented ninety degrees to the first delivery bay relative to the tower.

6 . The vehicle vending machine of claim 1 , further comprising:
a lift-able shuttle configured to rotate and move a platform, supporting a vehicle thereon, within the tower to the first delivery bay or a second delivery bay offset less than 180 degrees from the first delivery bay.

7 . The vehicle vending machine of claim 6 , further comprising:
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.

8 . The vehicle vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the series of storage locations are each configured to store and display a vehicle.

9 . A method for operating a vehicle vending machine, comprising:
retrieving a vehicle positioned on a vehicle pallet from a storage location within a tower of the vehicle vending machine; and 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.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of delivery bays are a first delivery bay and a second delivery bay.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the second delivery bay is oriented ninety degrees to the first delivery bay relative to the tower.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, via a loading door of the tower, a 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 less than 180 degrees to an appropriate orientation; and placing the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet in a storage location in the rotated appropriate orientation.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising, prior to receiving the vehicle via the loading door, receiving the vehicle, via an exterior door of the tower, into a vehicle preparation area of the vehicle vending machine, wherein the vehicle preparation area is separated from the tower by the loading door of the tower.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein retrieving the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet from the storage location within the 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 from the rotated appropriate orientation; and positioning the vehicle positioned on the vehicle pallet onto the robotic carrier.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first delivery bay and the second delivery bay are each associated with a respective delivery hitch configured to move the vehicle pallet.

16 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the storage location is vertically offset from the plurality of delivery bays.

17 . The method of claim 16 , 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.

18 . The method of claim 17 , 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

• E04H6/12

  with mechanical means for shifting or lifting vehicles · CPC title

• E04H6/424 Primary

  Positioning devices · CPC title

• E04H6/40

  characterised by use of turntables or rotary rings · CPC title

• E04H6/287 Primary

  using comb-type transfer means · CPC title