초록 ▼

A system and method for alloying a customer to purchase or rent items from a locked cabinet without the intervention of store personnel. The authorized customer first inputs a membership card and a secret number. If these are correct, the system unlocks the locked cabinets, and the customer is allow

A system and method for alloying a customer to purchase or rent items from a locked cabinet without the intervention of store personnel. The authorized customer first inputs a membership card and a secret number. If these are correct, the system unlocks the locked cabinets, and the customer is allowed to examine all of the contents in the unlocked cabinet at his or her leisure. The computer continuously monitors the removal of all items from the unlocked cabinet. The customer reads in identifying information from each of the selected items. When the number of items that have been removed equals the number of items that have been read in by the customer, the computer allows the doors of the cabinet to be relocked, and the customer is provided with a customer slip indicating the items that have been selected. The system utilizes a similar method for the return of previously rented items. In the rental context, return of rental items can be performed in parallel with rental of items. High security is achieved without employee monitoring since the customer is held responsible for all items removed during the time that the cabinet is unlocked.

대표청구항 ▼

A computer-controlled system for distributing items to an authorized customer upon demand, the system comprising: (a) customer identification means for determining if a customer is an authorized customer, whereby said authorized customer may utilize the system; (b) access means, responsive to said c

A computer-controlled system for distributing items to an authorized customer upon demand, the system comprising: (a) customer identification means for determining if a customer is an authorized customer, whereby said authorized customer may utilize the system; (b) access means, responsive to said customer identification means, for providing the authorized customer with access during an access time period to the items contained within a locked cabinet, whereby the authorized customer may remove and/or replace any of the items contained within the accessed cabinet; (c) item monitoring means, associated with the accessed cabinet, for producing inventory information indicative of the removal and/or replacement of each item within said accessed cabinet during the access time period; (d) selection declaration means, associated with said item monitoring means, for producing selection information indicative of the identity of each item which the authorized customer declares for distribution; and (e) access termination means, responsive to said item monitoring means and to said selection declaration means, for terminating access to said accessed cabinet when a comparison of said selection information and inventory information indicated that the authorized customer has declared for distribution a number of items equal to the number of items said inventory information indicates have been removed during the access time period.