Mobile transactions with a kiosk management system
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorNeil Scott Ackerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system of conducting a mobile transaction with a kiosk management system operating a plurality of kiosks for requested items is provided. A consumer may possess a portable device configured to communicate with the kiosk management system such that the kiosk management system may provide requested items to a selected kiosk from the plurality of kiosks. The portable device may operate a mobile application to display a list of available kiosks providing the requested items for the consumer to select a kiosk to reserve the requested items at. The consumer may then use the portable device to interact with the selected kiosk to retrieve the requested items reserved at the selected kiosk.
Claims23
A computer-implemented method for conducting a transaction, with a portable device, for an item stored among a plurality of kiosks pre-stocked with a plurality of items available for purchase, comprising:
- generating a request, at a portable device of a consumer, to conduct a transaction for a requested item;
- transmitting the request including the requested item from the portable device to a kiosk management system;
- receiving, at the portable device, information identifying a subset of kiosks in the plurality of kiosks within a predetermined proximity of a location, the requested item included in the plurality of items with which the subset of kiosks is pre-stocked;
- obtaining, at the portable device, a selection from the consumer of a designated kiosk from the subset of kiosks;
- transmitting the selection of the designated kiosk from the portable device to the kiosk management system to reserve the requested item at the designated kiosk;
- receiving, at the portable device, a code unique to the transaction for the requested item, the code indicating that the requested item is reserved at the designated kiosk;
- providing the code to the designated kiosk, using the portable device, to initiate retrieval of the requested item;
- and
- receiving, at the portable device, a confirmation indicating that the transaction is complete after the code is verified, a payment process for the transaction is completed, and the requested item is retrieved from the designated kiosk.
A computer-implemented method comprising:
- under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions,
- receiving, from a kiosk management system, a code unique to an order for an item placed by a consumer, wherein the code indicates that the item is reserved at a kiosk selected from a plurality kiosks by the consumer, wherein the item is reserved from a plurality of items that were selected for storage in the designated kiosk prior to the order for the item being placed, and wherein the plurality of items were distributed to the kiosk by a distribution agent assigned to the kiosk;
- providing the code to the designated kiosk via wireless communication to initiate retrieval of the item from the designated kiosk;
- and
- when the provided code is verified and the item is retrieved from the designated kiosk,
- receiving, from at least one of the kiosk management system or the designated kiosk, a confirmation that the order for the item is complete.
A portable device utilized by a consumer, the portable device comprising:
- a processor device;
- a display;
- an interface configured to at least communicate with a consumer;
- a communications unit configured to at least communicate with a kiosk management system operating a plurality of kiosks via a communications network;
- and
- a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising code executable by the processor, the processor device in communication with the display, the communications unit, and the interface to implement a method comprising at least:
- generating a request to conduct a transaction for a requested item;
- transmitting the request to the kiosk management system including the requested item;
- and
- when the requested item is excluded from the plurality of items currently provided by the plurality of kiosks, at least:
- receiving from the kiosk management system information about a subset of kiosks in the plurality of kiosks within a predetermined proximity of a location;
- transmitting a selection of the designated kiosk from the subset to the kiosk management system to request delivery of the at least one of the one or more requested items at the designated kiosk;
- and
- receiving a delivery message from the kiosk management system indicating that the one or more requested items will be delivered to the designated kiosk, including an estimated delivery time.
One or more non-transitory computer-readable media of a portable device of a consumer having collectively thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor device of the portable device, cause the portable device to, at least:
- generate a request to conduct a transaction for a requested item;
- transmit the request including the requested item from the portable device to a kiosk management system;
- and
- receive, from the kiosk management system, a code unique to the transaction and information about a designated kiosk in a plurality of kiosks, the designated kiosk having available the requested item.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.