US 2013/0270979 A1Published application

Carpet Cleaning Machine Rental Kiosk

AssigneeRug Doctor, LLC

InventorsDavid A. Kropp, Timothy J. Wall, Michael E. Shin

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A self-service kiosk enables customers to conduct rental transactions for carpet cleaning machines without the need of assistance from store personnel. The kiosk comprises a housing having several stalls or bays that hold and display carpet cleaning machines and carpet cleaning accessories for rental. The kiosk controls whether such carpet cleaning machines and carpet cleaning accessories can be removed from or returned to the kiosk. The kiosk also optionally includes a control panel for conducting a rental transaction. The self-service kiosk may also include automatic dispensing of cleaning products purchased by the customer at the kiosk. Still further, the self-serve kiosk may include shelving for holding cleaning products that can be purchased separately at a checkout counter.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A self-service carpet cleaning machine rental kiosk comprising:

a plurality of storage stalls, at least some of the storage stalls being each configured and adapted to contain at least one carpet cleaning machine, at least one of the storage stalls comprising at least one retaining mechanism that is configured and adapted to selectively prevent and allow the removal of a carpet cleaning machine from the kiosk;
a control system, the control system comprising at least one user input device that is configured and adapted to receive rental data from a customer, the control system being operatively connected to the retaining mechanism in a manner such that the control system can activate the retaining mechanism to allow a carpet cleaning machine to be removed from the at least one of the storage stalls;
at least one detection device, the detection device being adapted and configured to detect when a carpet cleaning machine has been removed from a stall of the kiosk, the detection device also being operatively connected to the control system in a manner such that the control system is responsive to whether a carpet cleaning machine has been removed from the at least one of the storage stalls of the kiosk;
and
a communication system operatively connected to the control system, the communication system being adapted and configured to communicate with a remote processing system.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/914,864Filed 11 Jun 2013
Priority: 24 Nov 2010
Published: 17 Oct 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

G07F 7/005
Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus:…
G06Q 10/00
Administration
G07F 17/0042
Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services: for hiring of objects
G07F 17/20
Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services: for washing or drying articles, e.g. clothes, motor cars

Family

Application61/416,797Us provisional application · filed 24 Nov 2010
Application13/303,807Division · filed 23 Nov 2011
Application13/914,864Division
US 2012/0130535 A1Published application
US 8,483,871 B2Related patent
US 9,135,767 B2Related patent
US 2013/0270979 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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