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, engaging and aligning the tag to be marked, 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 marking implement enclosed within the housing, the marking implement responsive to signals received from a controller;
a tag holder assembly within the housing, the tag holder assembly configured to receive the tag from outside the housing, move the tag from outside the housing to a fixed marking position within the housing and secure the tag in the fixed marking position between two clamp elements while the tag is marked by the marking implement, and automatically and axially rotate the tag 180 degrees with the two clamp elements from a first pet tag side to a second pet tag side in response to instructions received from the controller; and
a graphical user interface coupled to the housing and responsive to the controller, the graphical user interface configured to prompt a customer to supply information about an image to mark on the pet tag;
wherein the tag holder assembly further comprises a first support positioned to support the second pet tag side while the clamp elements are engaged with the pet tag and the marking implement is marking the first side of the pet tag, the first support comprising an opening through the first support that allows the marking implement to mark the second side of the pet tag through the opening.
2. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the marking implement is enclosed within the housing such that the customer cannot access the marking implement from outside the housing.
3. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the marking implement comprises a mechanical stylus.
4. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the marking implement comprises a laser marking implement.
5. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , further comprising a tag receiver on the outside of the housing and accessible to a customer from outside the housing, and wherein the tag holder is configured to extend to the tag receiver and receive the pet tag from the customer from outside the housing via the tag receiver.
6. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 5 , further comprising a track configured to allow the tag holder assembly to travel from the marking position to the tag receiver, and from the tag receiver to the marking position.
7. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 1 , wherein the tag holder assembly further comprises a reentrant opening shaped to engage with at least a portion of the first support while the tag is marked by the marking implement.
8. A method of marking a pet tag at a public use pet tag marking kiosk, the method comprising:
receiving a pet tag with a tag holder assembly within a kiosk housing;
moving the pet tag to a marking position adjacent to at least one marking implement;
engaging the pet tag with two clamps of the tag holder assembly;
marking a first side of the pet tag with the marking implement enclosed within the housing such that a customer cannot access the marking implement from a outside the housing when interacting with the kiosk;
supporting the pet tag with at least one support while the marking implement is marking the pet tag, the support comprising an opening therethrough that allows the at least one marking implement to mark the pet tag through the opening;
marking a second side of the pet tag with the marking implement through the opening in the support; and
delivering the pet tag to the customer.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising rotating the pet tag 180 degrees by engaging the pet tag with clamps of the tag holder assembly and rotating the pet tag and tag holder assembly 180 degrees by axially rotating the clamps of the tag holder.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein receiving the pet tag with the tag holder comprises receiving the pet tag, with the tag holder assembly, from the customer through a tag receiver on the kiosk housing.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein receiving the pet tag with the tag holder comprises receiving the pet tag with the tag holder from inside the kiosk.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising engaging the tag holder assembly with the support with a reentrant opening in the support shaped to engage a portion of the tag holder assembly while the tag is marked by the marking implement.
13. A public use pet tag marking kiosk, comprising:
a housing;
a tag receiver on an outside of the housing accessible to a customer from outside housing;
at least one marking implement enclosed within the housing, the at least one marking implement responsive to signals received from a controller;
a tag holder assembly 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 via the tag receiver, move the pet tag to a marking position, and secure tag in a fixed marking position between two clamp elements to mark both a first side and a second side of the pet tag;
wherein the tag holder assembly further comprises a first support positioned to support the second pet tag side while the clamp elements are engaged with the pet tag and the at least one marking implement is marking the first side of the pet tag, the first support comprising an opening therethrough that allows the at least one marking implement to mark the second side of the pet tag through the opening;
a graphical user interface coupled to the housing and responsive to the controller, the graphical user interface configured to prompt a customer to submit the pet tag to the tag holder and to supply information about an image to mark on the pet tag.
14. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 13 , wherein the tag holder assembly clamp elements directly engage the pet tag.
15. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 14 , wherein the clamp elements axially rotate 180 degrees to rotate the tag 180 degrees.
16. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 15 , wherein the marking implement is enclosed within the housing such that the customer cannot access the marking implement from outside the housing.
17. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 13 , wherein the marking implement comprises a mechanical stylus.
18. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 13 , wherein the marking implement comprises a laser marking implement.
19. The public use pet tag marking kiosk of claim 13 , wherein the tag holder further comprises a reentrant opening shaped to engage with at least a portion of the first support while the pet tag is marked by the at least one marking implement.