Photography – Studio structure – Photo booth
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-27
2001-08-28
Rutledge, D (Department: 2851)
Photography
Studio structure
Photo booth
C396S564000, C396S567000, C355S027000, C355S040000, C355S041000, C358S422000, C358S487000, C235S385000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282373
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to methods and systems for tracking items entrusted to an establishment for service or repair and, more particularly, to methods and systems for tracking film entrusted to an establishment for development.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many casual photographers use camera film that they have developed by commercial vendors. These vendors typically have the customers write data onto an envelope in which their photographs and negatives are returned. A record of the deposit is filed at the deposit site under the customer's last name. The film roll container is then placed in the envelope and sent to a photo processing lab. At the lab, the film roll is developed and the negatives and developed photographs are sealed in the envelope from which the film was retrieved. The envelope is then returned to the vendor's location where the customer deposited the film roll container, which is typically a retail store. There the envelope containing the developed film is placed in a bin or file marked with the customer's last name.
When a customer deposits the film roll container, a sign usually informs the customer that film deposited on that day is returned to that location on a particular date. The customer then knows to return to the store on or after that date to pick up the developed film and photographs. This method puts the onus on the customer to check with the store and see if the film has been returned from the processing lab. Customer frustration arises whenever the customer returns after the designated date for the developed photographs and the envelope with the developed film is not available. A variety of reasons exist for this problem. For one, the photo processing lab may have been inundated with significant number of film containers and delays in processing occur from the unanticipated volume. For example, holidays and graduations cause people to take many photographs and submit their film for development. Customers are informed by the personnel at the deposit location that they are unaware of the cause of the delay at the processing lab and that the customer must call or return to the deposit location at a later time for the processed film. Other reasons for film processing delays include development equipment failure and errors in handling film rolls during processing.
Another customer problem may occur when a customer deposits more than one film container. Each film container requires a separate envelope. Handling of the envelope, either during shipment or processing, by various personnel may cause envelopes containing film containers deposited at the same time to be separated. Consequently, the film may be processed at different times and returned to the location where they were deposited at different times. Again, the customer must check with the deposit location until all of the envelopes are returned. If the customer wants to view some of the photographs before all of them are returned, multiple trips must be made to the deposit location. Frustration with multiple trips or telephone calls to determine when a customer may retrieve developed photos may cause a customer to shop and have film developed at a business other than the deposit location.
One way of addressing these problems would be to notify customers directly when envelopes containing their developed film have been received at the location where the film was deposited. Such service would require someone to inventory the received envelopes each day. Then the person would need to call each person identified on the envelope to inform them of the arrival of the envelope. If the customer's phone was busy or the customer did not have an answering machine, the person at the deposit location may expend a significant amount of time on the notification tasks rather than tasks that might contribute more directly to the profitability of the business. Consequently, the overhead costs associated with such service are usually deemed too cost prohibitive for implementation of such service.
Another problem with the previously known systems for tracking film rolls while film is being processed is a file by last name method used to identify the bin for storing the records and the envelope containing the developed film. This method requires updating of labels to reflect customer names and may be time-consuming. Where records or envelopes are stored in bins that are marked by a few letters and arranged alphabetically, the bins may become quite full when a significant number of customers having similar last names deposit film rolls for development. Sorting through all of the records and envelopes in a bin to retrieve all of the envelopes for one particular customer may be a troublesome and inefficient process for a store employee.
What is needed is a way of identifying bins so a customer's records and envelopes are easily stored in a bin and retrieved from the bin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-noted limitations of previously known methods for identifying a storage bin for developed film have been overcome by a system and method that operate in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The method of the present invention includes reading customer identification and film roll data for a customer depositing a film roll at a deposit site for development, and generating a bin identifier from the customer identification data, the film roll data, and deposit site identification data, and determining whether the generated number is within a reserved list of bin identification numbers. If the number is in the list, another number is generated and checked against the list. This continues until an unreserved number is located and assigned to the bin for the customer's developed film. The bin so identified may be used to store records and envelopes for the corresponding film roll only. When a customer receives a notification message that the developed film is available for retrieval at the deposit site, retrieval of the developed film for the customer is thereby facilitated.
The method may be implemented with a system made in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The system includes a data receiver for receiving customer identification data, film roll data, and deposit identification data, a bin identification number generator for generating a bin identifier, and an identification number mapper. The mapper is used to determine whether the generated number exists in a list of reserved bin numbers. The bin identifier generator may use the customer identification, film roll, and deposit site data with a hashing function to generate a bin number in an address space of bin numbers and then determine whether the number is currently reserved. Alternatively, the generator may select the next available bin number in the space of bin numbers. Preferably, the bin identifier is stored in a data record for the film roll that is stored in a database at the deposit site. By selecting a bin for any hard copy records generated at film roll deposit, the system of the present invention assigns a unique storage location for the developed film roll once it is returned. This makes locating the developed film easier for retrieval because the customer's name may be used to find the data record with the bin identifier. As only the customer's film is stored in the corresponding bin, the contents of the bin may be retrieved and given to the customer. A signal indicating the contents of the bin have been retrieved causes the bin identifier generator to reassign the bin number to the space of available bin numbers. In this manner, bin numbers may be used continuously without having to re-label the bins.
The bin identifier is preferably used in a system that notifies a customer when a developed film roll is available for retrieval. Such a system includes a data capture device for reading customer identification and film roll data, a data server for storing the data in a data repository, and a notification message generator for generating a
Glogovsky Terence M.
Martin Desmond A.
Maginot Addison & Moore
NCR Corporation
Rutledge D
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