Public use pet tag marking kiosk
View Patent ↗Implementations of a public use tag marking kiosk. Aspects associated with particular implementations of a tag marking kiosk comprise, among others, automatically marking two sides of a tag within the kiosk, receiving the tag to be marked from the customer, providing a closeable door between the marking implement and the customer while the tag is being marked, ejecting the tag from a tag holder after the tag is marked, and aligning the tag so that a desired tag side is required to be initially facing up on the tag holder. Housing for the kiosk may surround all of the system parts or may be split into a housing shell and a marking unit that fits inside the shell. Marking implements may be laser, mechanical stylus, paint, or others. Tags may be suspended in a cantilevered manner during marking.
1. A public use pet tag marking kiosk, comprising:
a housing;
a tag receiver in a fixed position on an outside of the housing and accessible to a customer from outside the housing;
a marking implement enclosed within the housing, the housing and tag receiver forming a protective barrier such that the customer cannot access the marking implement from outside the housing, the marking implement responsive to signals received from a controller;
a graphical user interface coupled to the housing and responsive to the controller, the graphical user interface configured to prompt a customer to put the pet tag in the tag receiver and to supply information about an image to mark on a pet tag; and
a tag holder within the housing, the tag holder configured to extend to the tag receiver in response to instructions received from the controller, receive the pet tag from the customer from outside the housing through the protective barrier via the tag receiver, and move the pet tag to a marking position, wherein the tag holder extends vertically to the protective barrier and comprises a receiving pin having an alignment feature extending therefrom, the receiving pin and alignment feature combination comprising a cross-sectional shape that:
is asymmetrical for all cross sections of the shape when the alignment feature extends vertically with respect to the receiving pin; and
is asymmetrical for all but not more than two cross sections of the shape when the alignment feature extends non-vertically with respect to the receiving pin.
2. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the tag holder is configured to move the pet tag to the marking position by retracting to the marking position.
3. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the tag holder is configured to rotate, in response to at least one signal received from the controller, from a first marking position in which a first side of the pet tag is marked to a second marking position in which a second side of the pet tag is marked.
4. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the tag holder is configured to rotate the pet tag, in response to at least one signal received from the controller, from a first marking position in which a first side of the pet tag is marked to a second marking position in which a second side of the pet tag is marked.
5. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the tag holder is configured to suspend the pet tag in a cantilevered manner while marking the pet tag.
6. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , the tag receiver further comprising a door having an open position and a closed position, the door responsive to signals received from the controller.
7. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , further comprising a door coupled to the tag receiver.
8. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the marking implement is a mechanical stylus.
9. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the marking implement is a laser.
10. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the marking implement is a paint spray marking implement.
11. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the tag holder comprises an alignment feature sized and shaped to mate with an alignment feature associated with a pet tag, wherein the tag holder alignment feature is configured to accept placement of the pet tag in the tag holder with only a first marking surface facing up and reject placement of the pet tag with any other than the first marking surface facing up.
12. A public use pet tag marking kiosk comprising:
a housing;
a tag return in a fixed position on an outside of the housing and accessible to the customer from outside the housing;
a graphical user interface coupled to the housing and responsive to a controller, the graphical user interface configured to prompt the customer to supply information about an image to mark on a pet tag;
a marking implement enclosed within the housing, the housing and tag return forming a protective barrier such that the customer cannot access the marking implement from outside the housing, the marking implement responsive to signals received from the controller; and
a tag holder within the housing and responsive to instructions received from the controller, the tag holder configured to receive a pet tag from the customer through the protective barrier, position the pet tag in a first marking position in relation to the marking implement to mark a first side of the pet tag, and automatically dispense the pet tag to the tag return through the protective barrier after the pet tag is marked by the marking implement, wherein the tag holder extends vertically to the protective barrier and comprises a receiving pin having an alignment feature extending therefrom, the receiving pin and alignment feature combination comprising a cross-sectional shape that:
is asymmetrical for all cross sections of the shape when the alignment feature extends vertically with respect to the receiving pin; and
is asymmetrical for all but not more than two cross sections of the shape when the alignment feature extends non-vertically with respect to the receiving pin.
13. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , wherein the tag holder is further configured to automatically reposition the pet tag within the tag holder to a second marking position in relation to the marking implement to mark a second side of the pet tag different from the first side.
14. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , wherein the tag holder is further configured to extend toward the tag return prior to receiving the pet tag from the customer through the protective barrier.
15. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , wherein the tag holder is configured to move the pet tag to the marking position by retracting to the marking position.
16. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , wherein the tag holder is configured to rotate, in response to at least one signal received from a controller, from the first marking position to a second marking position in which a second side of the pet tag is marked.
17. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , wherein the tag holder is configured to suspend the pet tag in a cantilevered manner while marking the pet tag.
18. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , the tag return further comprising a door having an open position and a closed position, wherein the customer can access the returned tag when the door is in the open position.
19. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , wherein the marking implement is a mechanical stylus.
20. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , wherein the marking implement is a laser.
21. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 12 , wherein the marking implement is a paint spray marking implement.