Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – For bicycle
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-19
2002-05-07
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
For bicycle
C340S427000, C340S568100, C194S205000, C194S247000, C194S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06384717
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to methods and procedures utilized to monitor use of rental items and identify damage to the rental items by customers, and to methods to prevent theft of the rental items, and, more particularly, to a self service system and procedure, incorporating bi-directional communications, to automatically monitor use of and damage to individually identifiable rental items including bicycles and other recreational articles, and correlate such use or damage to a particular customer. And further, where the self-service system and procedure is able to secure the rental items from theft, yet is convenient to use.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Operation of a service for the rental of recreational articles such as bicycles, sailboats and powered watercraft is labor intensive often limiting the rental activities to the hours of operation of the rental service when an employee is able to monitor the rental articles and attend to the process of renting articles and receiving return of the rental articles.
In a typical operation for rental of recreational articles, the unrented rental articles are secured by mechanical locks, are kept within the rental shop, or otherwise require an attendant to constantly watch the articles during hours of operation when the articles are not secured, to prevent theft. An attendant is further required to unlock or allow access to the rental articles for customers, calculate and collect fees for the rental of the recreational articles, and to inspect the rental articles for damage sustained during the period of rental. Additionally, an attendant is necessary to record the identity of the customer renting a particular rental article and to receive credit or debit card information, cash, or other like deposit, for use in the event the rental article is damaged or not returned by the customer. Further, a typical operation for rental of recreational articles does not lend itself to the convenience of customers, as an attendant is required to process rentals and returns thereby limiting customers' ability to rent articles to the hours such operation is open, and since such operations are often limited to a single location where articles are rented and returned, customers are not able to rent an articles at one location and return it at another location for customer convenience or commuting purposes.
Attempts have been made to automate the rental and security of bicycles and other recreational articles. Two examples of attempts to automate the rental and security of rental bicycles are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,841,351 to Rey, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,407 to Squire et al. In both the Rey and Squire devices, an identifier is attached to the rental bicycle which is read by the rental and security system to identify the rental bicycle. In the Squire et al. device a bar code is attached in some fashion to the bicycle and is read by a bar code reader upon return of the bicycle; in the Rey device an integrated circuit is attached in some fashion to the bicycle and is read by the system upon return of the bicycle. Although the Rey device also teaches the use of a further portable key with identification information that can be read, both the Rey and Squire devices suffer from the one way communication method through which the bicycle identification information is read.
Under less than ideal conditions, one way communication methods cannot insure that the data intended to be read is in fact properly read; communication noise can affect various means of data communication including direct electrical contact, optical transmission and radio frequency transmission. Where rental articles such as bicycles, may be returned in a dirty condition or within less than ideal environmental conditions, communication noise encountered with one way communication methods of the bicycle identification information becomes a significantly limiting factor with unattended bicycle rental and security systems. The occurrence of communication noise in direct electrical, radio frequency, and optical communications, is well known. Where one way communications methods are employed, data verification through handshaking and error correction schemes cannot be utilized to combat such communication noise, and failure of correct data communication results.
Although certainly not the only instance, one readily appreciated example of communication failure encountered in a one way communication method involves the bar code scanners that are frequently employed in grocery stores; where the bar code is frosted, dirty or bent, the scanner does not recognize that the item is present and the scan must be attempted repeatedly by an operator until the item is recognized.
Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved system to facilitate the rental of bicycles and other recreational articles in which, the rental articles can be individually recognized by an automated system utilizing a bi-directional communications method that employs data verification through handshaking and error correction, the rental articles are secured from theft, yet can be rented regardless of whether an attendant is present, possible damage to the rental articles can be identified and associated to an identifiable customer, and a number of separate automated locations are provided which are in communication with one another so that rental and return need not occur at the same location.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The objects of the present invention are accomplished by the bicycle rental and security system which comprises: a number of rental articles which have individual article identification means and mechanical shock sensors incorporated within a semiconductor circuit which is programmed with information which uniquely identifies the rental article to which it is attached; one or more kiosks containing security racks, with alarm sensors, to releasably secure the rental items from theft and tampering; a control center at each kiosk, which can communicate, in a bi-directional fashion with the semi conductor circuit of the individual article identification means and shock sensors of each rental article secured to the security rack, and can perceive the alarm sensors of the security rack, and can provide a signal to the security rack to selectably release and secure individual rental items; and a system processor to receive information from and send information to the one or more control centers.
The control center has means for input of customer and payment information for a customer seeking to rent a particular rental article. The control center's means for input of customer and payment information may be accomplished through use of a keypad or touch screen utilizing individual codes or by insertion of a card encoded with customer and payment information, such as a credit or debit card or pre-paid rental card, into a card reader incorporated into the control center.
The system controller receives information from the control centers, indicating which rental articles are unrented and in bi-directional communication with the control center, which rental articles are being rented and removed from the security rack and by what customers, and indicating which rental articles are being returned and secured to the security racks and whether a returned rental articles shock sensor indicates an impact during the rental period. The system controller maintains a permanent record of the rental articles including rental time, return time, shock sensor activation, location and customer history upon a disk drive, EEPROM or similar recording device.
Upon entry of a pass code or insertion of a card into a card reader of a control center, the system controller receives customer and payment information for a customer seeking to rent a particular rental article. A permanent record for each customer is maintained by the system controller which record could indicate, a determined rental credit authorization for the customer, which rental articles are currently in
Huang Sihong
Wu Daniel J.
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