Kiosk network in a kiosk management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9984352-B2
Application number	US-201314038710-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2013
Priority date	Sep 26, 2013
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
if the inventory status indicates that the requested item is excluded from the plurality of items which the kiosk is pre-stocked,
receiving, at the kiosk, a delivery message from the kiosk management system, the delivery message including delivery information for the requested item that was excluded and including a generated code for the transaction;
receiving, at the kiosk, the requested item that was excluded;
following receipt of the requested item that was excluded, transmitting, from the kiosk, a delivery confirmation for the requested item that was excluded to the kiosk management system;
reserving, at the kiosk, the requested item that was excluded from the plurality of items with which the kiosk is pre-stocked;
receiving, at the kiosk, a code from the portable device when the consumer initiates retrieval of the requested item that was excluded from the kiosk;
verifying that the code received from the portable device corresponds to the generated code;
initiating a payment process for the requested item that was excluded; and
instructing release of requested item that was excluded, from the kiosk to the consumer when the payment process is complete.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
generating transaction history information related to the transaction; and
transmitting the transaction history information and the pre-registered account information to the kiosk management system.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a malfunction at the kiosk; and
transmitting a repair request to the kiosk management system, the repair request including information associated with the malfunction.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the kiosk, that the requested item is associated with at least one promotional offer; and
transmitting, to the kiosk management system, an indication of the at least one promotional offer to be provided to the portable device.

6. A computer-implemented method comprising:
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.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein initiating the payment process further comprises:
identifying payment information associated with the consumer within the pre-registered account information;
initiating an authorization process using the payment information; and
receiving a payment confirmation from the kiosk management system, the payment confirmation indicating that the payment process can be completed.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving a reservation request from the kiosk management system, the reservation request instructing the kiosk to reserve the item from the plurality of items stored at the kiosk.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein initiating the payment process further comprises:
transmitting the code to the kiosk management system for verification;
receiving a confirmation from the kiosk management system that the code received at the kiosk is verified; and
authorizing release

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Ackerman Neil Scott

Classifications

• G06Q20/12 Primary

  specially adapted for electronic shopping systems · CPC title

• G06Q20/18

  involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals · CPC title

• G06Q10/087 Primary

  Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders · CPC title

• G06Q30/0641

  utilising user interfaces specially adapted for shopping · CPC title

• G07F9/026

  for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty · CPC title