Cart management system and method

A method for vending and returning carts in a cart management system, comprising the steps of:

• (a) retaining selectively at least one of the carts;
• (b) identifying carts retained by a cart identification sensor;
• (c) controlling the vending and returning of carts and maintaining a queue of carts identified by the cart identification sensor;
• (d) dispensing a reward when a cart is returned to the cart management system;
• and
• (e) counting a number of times that an identification of the cart is missed from the queue of carts to prevent the dispensing of the reward when the number of times exceeds a predetermined value.

A queue management system for managing a queue of objects, comprising:

• (a) an identification sensor uniquely identifying the objects;
• (b) a controller, coupled to the identification sensor, maintaining an order of the objects in the queue identified by the identification sensor;
• and
• (c) a pattern detector, coupled to the controller, determining a pattern when a number of deviations from a predetermined queue have occurred so as to prevent a regular subsequent event directed by the controller from happening.

A cart management system for vending and returning carts, comprising:

• (a) a retainer selectively retaining at least one of the carts;
• (b) a cart identification sensor uniquely identifying carts retained by the retainer;
• (c) a controller, coupled to the retainer and to the cart identification sensor, to control the vending and returning of carts, wherein the controller maintains a queue of carts identified by the cart identification sensor and retained by the retainer;
• (d) a reward mechanism, coupled to the control means, operable to dispense a reward when a cart is returned to the retainer;
• and
• (e) a counter, coupled to the controller, counting a number of times that an identification of the cart is missed from the queue of carts so as to prevent the reward mechanism from dispensing a reward when the number of times exceeds a predetermined value of the counter.