Cart management system and method
US6024203A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 19, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 15, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S194/905
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A cart management apparatus and method for retaining and vending carts such as luggage carts, shopping carts, and strollers, includes a retaining device for selective retaining at least one of the carts; a cart identification sensor for uniquely identifying carts retained by the retaining device; a control device for controlling the vending and returning of carts, wherein the control device maintains a queue of carts identified by a cart identification sensor and retained by the retaining device; a reward device for dispensing a reward when a cart is returned to the retaining device; and a counter for counting a number of times that an identification of the cart is missed from the queue of carts so as to prevent the reward device from dispensing a reward when the number of times exceeds a predetermined value of the counter.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.