IP Library Granted Patent US 12,125,043
Granted Patent B2
US 12,125,043 · App. 16/267,039 · Granted Oct 22, 2024

Systems and methods for reservations at a vending machine

Inventors: Luke Saunders (Chicago, IL); Rajesh Kumar Karmani (Chicago, IL)
Assignee: ROMAINE EMPIRE, INC.
G06Q30/014G06Q10/087G07F9/001G07F9/002G06Q10/0832G06Q10/30G06Q30/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,125,043
App. No.
16/267,039
Granted
Oct 22, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for facilitating reservations at a vending machine. The systems and methods include detecting a reservation request indicating a list of items and a purchase code and querying an inventory database to determine that the list of items are available. The systems and method also include generating a record in a reservation database corresponding to the reservation request, the record indicating a unique identifier purchase code and receiving an input indicative of the unique identifier purchase code. Additionally, the systems and methods include querying the reservation database to identify a reservation record that includes a unique identifier purchase code that matches the input unique identifier purchase code; and issuing a command to vend the list of reserved item included in the identified reservation record.

Claims (58)

1. A vending machine comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more transceivers adapted to communicate with a management server over a one or more communication networks;

an inventory database configured to store item records of items offered by the vending machine;

a reservation database configured to store reservation records of a reservation for items corresponding to records stored in the inventory database, wherein each reservation record includes a purchase code and a list of reserved items; and

one or more non-transitory memories coupled to the one or more processors, the reservation database, the inventory database, and the one or more transceivers, the one or more non-transitory memories storing a set of computer executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vending machine to:

detect a reservation request received via the one or more transceivers, the reservation request indicating a list of items and a purchase code;

query the inventory database to determine that the list of items are available;

generate a record in the reservation database corresponding to the reservation request, the record indicating a unique identifier purchase code;

receive an input indicative of the unique identifier purchase code;

query the reservation database to identify a reservation record that includes a unique identifier purchase code that matches the input unique identifier purchase code; and

issue a command to vend the list of reserved items included in the identified reservation record, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the vending machine to:

detect a presence of a customer at the vending machine; and

while the presence of the customer is detected, prevent the detection of the reservation request.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein to prevent the detection of the reservation request, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vending machine to:

disable the one or more transceivers or route the request to a queue.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vending machine to:

detect that the customer is no longer present at the vending machine.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vending machine to:

responsive to detecting that the customer is no longer present, enable the detection of the reservation request.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein to enable the detection of the reservation request, the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vending machine to:

enable the one or more transceivers or access requests stored in a queue.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the list of items is obtained by a customer electronic device via a voice interface.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the record in the reservation database includes a reservation expiration indicator.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vending machine to:

detect the expiration of a reservation stored in the reservation database; and

modify the record of the expired reservation in the reservation database to indicate an expired status.

9. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more processors of a vending machine, the method comprising:

detecting, by the one or more processors, a reservation request indicating a list of items and a purchase code;

querying, by the one or more processors, an inventory database to determine that the list of items are available;

generating, by the one or more processors, a record in a reservation database corresponding to the reservation request, the record indicating a unique identifier purchase code;

receiving an input indicative of the unique identifier purchase code;

querying, by the one or more processors, the reservation database to identify a reservation record that includes a unique identifier purchase code that matches the input unique identifier purchase code; and

issuing, by the one or more processors, a command to vend the list of reserved items included in the identified reservation record;

wherein the method further comprises:

detecting, by the one or more processors, a presence of a customer at the vending machine; and

while presence of the customer is detected, preventing, by the one or more processors, the detection of the reservation request.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein preventing the detection of the reservation request comprises:

disabling, by the one or more processors, one or more transceivers associated with the vending machine or routing, by the one or more processors, the request to a queue.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

detecting, by the one or more processors, that the customer is no longer present at the vending machine.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

responsive to detecting that the customer is no longer present, enabling, by the one or more processors, the detection of the reservation request.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein enabling the detection of the reservation request comprises:

enabling, by the one or more processors, one or more transceivers of the vending machine or accessing, by the one or more processors, requests stored in a queue.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of items is obtained by a customer electronic device via a voice interface.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the vending machine to:

detecting, by one or more processors, an expiration of a reservation stored in the reservation database; and

modifying, by the one or more processors, the record of the expired reservation in the reservation database to indicate an expired status.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

detect a reservation request indicating a list of items and a purchase code;

query an inventory database to determine that the list of items are available;

generate a record in a reservation database corresponding to the reservation request, the record indicating a unique identifier purchase code;

receive an input indicative of the unique identifier purchase code;

query the reservation database to identify a reservation record that includes a unique identifier purchase code that matches the input unique identifier purchase code; and

issue a command to vend the list of reserved items included in the identified reservation record, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

detect a presence of a customer at the vending machine; and

while the presence of the customer is detected, prevent the detection of the reservation request.

Assignments (5)
AMENDED AND RESTATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Apr 27, 2026
From: ROMAINE EMPIRE, LLC
To: KENMORE INVESTOR, LLC
Reel/Frame 075475/0193 →
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 31, 2024
From: ROMAN EMPIRE, INC. (DBA "FARMER'S FRIDGE")
To: KENMORE INVESTOR, LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 067821/0809 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 27, 2022
From: ROMAINE EMPIRE, INC.
To: VENTURE LENDING & LEASING IX, INC.; WTI FUND X, INC.
Reel/Frame 061227/0744 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 9, 2019
From: ROMAINE EMPIRE, INC.
To: VENTURE LENDING & LEASING IX, INC.; VENTURE LENDING & LEASING VIII, INC.
Reel/Frame 049148/0272 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 11, 2019
From: SAUNDERS, LUKE; KARMANI, RAJESH KUMAR
To: ROMAINE EMPIRE, INC.
Reel/Frame 048295/0573 →
Continuity (3)
Provisional Application 62684342 · Jun 13, 2018
Provisional Application 62626292 · Feb 5, 2018
Related Publication 20190244465A1 · Aug 8, 2019