The present disclosure is directed generally to methods and systems for recycling mobile phones and other consumer electronic devices and, more particularly, to methods and systems for providing information about coupons, promotions and/or other offers for such devices to remotely located kiosks.
Consumer electronic devices, such as mobile phones, laptop computers, notebooks, tablets, MP3 players, etc., are ubiquitous. Currently there are over 6 billion mobile devices in use in the world; and this number is growing rapidly as more than 1.8 billion mobile phones were sold in 2013 alone. By 2017 it is expected that there will be more mobile devices in use than people on the planet. In addition to mobile phones, over 300 million desk-based and notebook computers shipped in 2013, and for the first time the number of tablet computers shipped exceeded laptops. Part of the reason for the rapid growth in the number of mobile phones and other electronic devices is the rapid pace at which these devices evolve, and the increased usage of such devices in developing countries.
As a result of the rapid pace of development, a relatively high percentage of electronic devices are replaced every year as consumers continually upgrade their mobile phones and other electronic devices to obtain the latest features or a better operating plan. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, consumers in the United States alone dispose of over 370 million mobile phones, PDAs, tablets, and other electronic devices every year. Millions of other outdated or broken mobile phones and other electronic devices are simply tossed into junk drawers or otherwise kept until a suitable disposal solution arises.
Although many electronic device retailers and cell carrier stores now offer mobile phone trade-in or buyback programs, many old mobile phones still end up in landfills or are improperly disassembled and disposed of in developing countries. Mobile phones and similar electronic devices, however, typically contain substances that can be harmful to the environment, such as arsenic, lithium, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc. If not properly disposed of, these toxic substances can seep into groundwater from decomposing landfills and contaminate the soil with potentiality harmful consequences for humans and the environment.
an alternative to retailer trade-in or buyback programs, consumers can now recycle and/or sell their used mobile phones using self-service kiosks located in malls, retail stores or other publically accessible areas. Such kiosks are operated by ecoATM, Inc., the assignee of the present application, and are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,463,646, 8,423,404, 8,239,262, 8,200,533, 8,195,511, and 7,881,965, which are commonly owned by ecoATM, Inc. and are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The following disclosure describes various embodiments of systems and methods for providing coupon/promotion information to a number of kiosks that purchase electronic equipment from users.
In order to entice users to exchange their used electronic equipment for cash or other consideration, coupons, promotions or other incentives are often offered to the users. Such coupons/promotions are often tied to the demographics of the users who are likely to encounter the kiosks. In addition, because the kiosks are often located in retail spaces that may have their own promotions in effect, it is useful to be able to tie the coupons/promotions offered by the kiosk to those offered by the particular retail space in which a kiosk is located. Due the wide geographic area in which kiosks are located and the large number of different retail spaces associated with the kiosks, the task of updating the kiosks with the current coupons/promotions can be significant.
In order to facilitate the placement of kiosks in favorable business locations, incentives are often provided to the landlord or owner of the business at the kiosk location. Such incentives can be in the form of coupons, promotions, bonus dollars, gift cards etc. (all referred to generically herein as “coupons/promotions”) that are redeemable at the business or location. Each type of coupon/promotion is designed to increase the likelihood that a kiosk user will spend at least a portion of a payment that is received for a redeemed electronic device at the business or location. With thousands of kiosks placed all over the country, there is a need for a cost effective and convenient mechanism to update the programming of the kiosks with updated or customized coupons/promotions.
Embodiments of the methods described herein can be performed by or with consumer-operated kiosks, networked processing devices, retailer-assisted machines, and/or the like. Some embodiments of the present technology, for example, are directed to consumer-operated kiosks that can perform automatic visual and/or electrical inspections of mobile phones and/or other consumer electronic devices that are submitted to the kiosks for sale or recycling. As described in greater detail below, the visual evaluation or inspection can be performed using one or more cameras or other imaging devices, and the electrical analysis can be performed using a suitable processing device connected to the subject electronic device via, e.g., a suitable electrical connector.
Certain details are set forth in the following description and in
The accompanying Figures depict embodiments of the present technology and are not intended to be limiting of its scope. The sizes of various depicted elements are not necessarily drawn to scale, and these various elements may be arbitrarily enlarged to improve legibility. Component details may be abstracted in the Figures to exclude details such as the position of components and certain precise connections between such components when such details are unnecessary for a complete understanding of how to make and use the invention.
In the Figures, identical reference numbers identify identical, or at least generally similar, elements. To facilitate the discussion of any particular element, the most significant digit or digits of any reference number refers to the Figure in which that element is first introduced. For example, element 110 is first introduced and discussed with reference to
In the illustrated embodiment, the kiosk 100 is a floor-standing self-service kiosk configured for use by a user 101 (e.g., a consumer, customer, etc.) to recycle, sell, and/or perform other operations with a mobile phone or other consumer electronic device. In other embodiments, the kiosk 100 can be configured for use on a countertop or a similar raised surface. Although the kiosk 100 is configured for use by consumers, in various embodiments the kiosk 100 and/or various portions thereof can also be used by other operators, such as a retail clerk or kiosk assistant to facilitate the selling or other processing of mobile phones and other electronic devices.
In the illustrated embodiment, the kiosk 100 includes a housing 102 that is approximately the size of a conventional vending machine. The housing 102 can be of conventional manufacture from, for example, sheet metal, plastic panels, etc. A plurality of user interface devices are provided on a front portion of the housing 102 for providing instructions and other information to users, and/or for receiving user inputs and other information from users. For example, the kiosk 100 can include a display screen 104 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) or light emitting diode (“LED”) display screen, a projected display (such as a heads-up display or a head-mounted device), and so on) for providing information, prompts, etc., to users. The display screen 104 can include a touch screen for receiving user input and responses to displayed prompts. In addition or alternatively, the kiosk 100 can include a separate keyboard or keypad for this purpose. The kiosk 100 can also include an ID reader or scanner 112 (e.g., a driver's license scanner), a fingerprint reader 114, and one or more cameras 116 (e.g., digital still and/or video cameras, identified individually as cameras 116a-c). The kiosk 100 can additionally include output devices such as a label printer having an outlet 110, and a cash dispenser having an outlet 118. Although not identified in
A sidewall portion of the housing 102 can include a number of conveniences to help users recycle or otherwise process their mobile phones. For example, in the illustrated embodiment the kiosk 110 includes an accessory bin 128 that is configured to receive mobile device accessories that the user wishes to recycle or otherwise dispose of. Additionally, the kiosk 100 can provide a free charging station 126 with a plurality of electrical connectors 124 for charging a wide variety of mobile phones and other consumer electronic devices.
In the illustrated embodiment, the inspection plate 244 is configured to translate back and forth (on, e.g., parallel mounting tracks) to move an electronic device, such as the mobile phone 250, between a first position directly behind the access door 106 and a second position between an upper chamber 230 and an opposing lower chamber 232. Moreover, in this embodiment the inspection plate 244 is transparent, or at least partially transparent (e.g., formed of glass, Plexiglas, etc.) to enable the mobile phone 250 to be photographed and/or otherwise optically evaluated from all, or at least most viewing angles (e.g., top, bottom, sides, etc.) using, e.g., one or more cameras, mirrors, etc. mounted to or otherwise associated with the upper and lower chambers 230 and 232. When the mobile phone 250 is in the second position, the upper chamber 230 can translate downwardly to generally enclose the mobile phone 250 between the upper chamber 230 and the lower chamber 232. The upper chamber 230 is operably coupled to a gate 238 that moves up and down in unison with the upper chamber 230. As noted above, in the illustrated embodiment the upper chamber 230 and/or the lower chamber 232 can include one or more cameras, magnification tools, scanners (e.g., bar code scanners, infrared scanners, etc.) or other imaging components (not shown) and an arrangement of mirrors (also not shown) to view, photograph and/or otherwise visually evaluate the mobile phone 250 from multiple perspectives. In some embodiments, one or more of the cameras and/or other imaging components discussed above can be movable to facilitate device evaluation. The inspection area 108 can also include weight scales, heat detectors, UV readers/detectors, and the like, for further evaluation of electronic devices placed therein. The kiosk 100 can further include an angled binning plate 236 for directing electronic devices from the transparent plate 244 into a collection bin 234 positioned in a lower portion of the kiosk 100.
The kiosk 100 can be used in a number of different ways to efficiently facilitate the recycling, selling and/or other processing of mobile phones and other consumer electronic devices. Referring to
Referring next to
After the visual and electronic analysis of the mobile phone 250, the user is presented with a phone purchase price via the display screen 104. If the user declines the price (via, e.g., the touch screen), a retraction mechanism (not shown) automatically disconnects the connector 242 from the mobile phone 250, the door 106 opens, and the user can reach in and retrieve the mobile phone 250. If the user accepts the price, the door 106 remains closed and the user may be prompted to place his or her identification (e.g., a driver's license) in the ID scanner 112 and provide a thumbprint via the fingerprint reader 114. As a fraud prevention measure, the kiosk 100 can be configured to transmit an image of the driver's license to a remote computer screen, and an operator at the remote computer can visually compare the picture (and/or other information) on the driver's license to an image of the person standing in front of the kiosk 100 as viewed by one or more of the cameras 116a-c (
As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, the foregoing routines are but some examples of ways in which the kiosk 100 can be used to recycle or otherwise process consumer electronic devices such as mobile phones. Although the foregoing example is described in the context of mobile phones, it should be understood that the kiosk 100 and various embodiments thereof can also be used in a similar manner for recycling virtually any consumer electronic device, such as MP3 players, tablet computers, PDAs, and other portable devices, as well as other relatively non-portable electronic devices such as desktop computers, printers, devices for implementing games, entertainment or other digital media on CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, etc. Moreover, although the foregoing example is described in the context of use by a consumer, the kiosk 100 in various embodiments thereof can similarly be used by others, such as a store clerk, to assist consumers in recycling, selling, exchanging, etc. their electronic devices.
The Figures described herein and below include representative flow diagrams and other information that depict processes used in some embodiments of the present technology. These flow diagrams may not show all functions or exchanges of data, but instead they provide an understanding of commands and data exchanged under the systems described herein. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that some functions or exchange of commands and data may be repeated, varied, omitted, or supplemented, and other (less important) aspects not shown may be readily implemented. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the blocks shown in the flow diagrams discussed below may be altered in a variety of ways. For example, while processes or blocks are presented in a given order, alternative implementations may perform routines in a different order, and some processes or blocks may be rearranged, deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified to provide alternative or sub-combinations. Each of these processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different ways. Also, although processes or blocks are at times shown as being performed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performed or implemented in parallel, or may be performed at different times. The steps depicted in the flow diagrams and/or represented by other tables, formulas, etc. can themselves include a sequence of operations that need not be described herein. Those of ordinary skill in the art can create source code, microcode, program logic arrays and/or or computer-readable instructions to implement the depicted steps and routines based on the flowcharts and the detailed description provided herein. The routines and portions thereof can be stored in non-volatile memory that forms part of a processor contained in the kiosk 100 or otherwise associated with the kiosk 100 (e.g., a remote processor operably connected to the kiosk 100 via a wired/wireless communication link, etc.), or they can be stored in removable media, such as disks, or hardwired or preprogrammed in chips, such as EEPROM semiconductor chips.
The kiosk server(s) 450 include a database 452 that stores information about promotions, rebates, special offers, bonus dollars or the like that can be used by one or more of the kiosks. The coupons/promotions may include information and artwork that is specific to a particular business (e.g. its trademarks, logos etc.) or location (e.g. images of a particular region). Information stored for a coupon/promotion can include but is not limited to indications of fonts or colors to be used, the placement of words and images on a screen or printed version of the coupon/promotion, times at which the coupon/voucher is to be promoted, expiry date of the coupon/promotion etc. In one embodiment, the coupons/promotions are customized for demographics of the customers who frequent the business or live in the geographic region.
In the embodiment shown, the kiosk 100a is connected via a wireless link to a communication channel 410 such as the Internet. The kiosk 100a may be a single kiosk that is located in a single retail store. The kiosk 100b is connected to the communication channel 410 via a wired communication link. The kiosk 100b may be located for instance in a public place such as library, community center, school etc. The kiosks 100c-100d etc. may be located in a chain of stores and connected to a communication channel via a wired or wireless link.
In the embodiment shown, the server 450 is configured to transmit information regarding promotions, coupons, rebates, bonus dollars and the like to the kiosks associated with a particular store or location. For example, special coupons or promotions can be transmitted to all kiosks located in Walmart® stores, while information for different coupons or promotions can be transmitted to kiosks located in Target® stores. Because each kiosk is separately addressable from the server 450, variations in the terms or rules associated with each coupon or promotion can be made depending on the location or store affiliation of the kiosk. For example, kiosks in New Orleans may be programmed to offer special coupons/promotions during Mardi Gras, while kiosks in Chicago or Boston may be programmed to offer special coupons/promotions on St. Patrick's Day.
In one embodiment, the server 450 runs a software program that provides a web-based application that provides a user interface 451 to a Business Development and Marketing staff for the purpose of defining promotions, cross promotions and couponing programs. The user interface allows operators to select the applicable retail stores, geographic regions, marketing channels or any combination thereof in order to define parameters for the coupons/promotions that are unique to the applicable retail stores or other locations. Any number of unique promotional deals may be defined and active simultaneously, each with their own parameters.
Supported promotions and cross-promotions may include: dispensing additional cash dollars from a kiosk to a confirmed customer of the retail store in which the kiosk is located; dispensing a coupon which entitles the customer to a discount off certain products or services provided at the retail store; dispensing a coupon which entitles the customer to a dollar-value worth of purchasing power with the applicable retail store; and dispensing a voucher or gift card which requires the customer to exchange for cash within the retail store thereby providing the store additional opportunities to spend money in the store.
The details of the promotions including one or more rules, forms, data for web pages or other screens to be shown or items to be printed for a user at a particular kiosk are stored in the database 452. Upon selection of a particular coupon or promotion, the information associated with the selected coupon/promotion is transmitted to the kiosk(s). In one embodiment, the database 452 stores a relation between particular stores and coupons/promotions. In another embodiment, the database 452 stores information for generic coupons/promotions that can be sent to any kiosk.
Each kiosk includes a processor that is programmed to display ads for a particular coupon/promotion. For example, the processor can use a calendaring program with references to particular coupons/promotions that are to be displayed on a particular day or at a particular time. Information about the coupon/promotion is stored in a memory (preferably non-volatile flash, solid state or mechanical hard drive or the like) at the kiosk when it is received from the server computer 450. Any particular coupon/promotion may include data for a start and end date as well as times at which the promotion is to be run or prevented from running.
In one example, promotions for discounts on wine/liquor that are presented at kiosks in a grocery store may be preferably shown after work hours when customers are doing their dinner shopping. Alternatively, such coupons/promotions may be prevented from running on Sunday mornings or other times when they may seem in poor taste or are not redeemable under local laws.
The CPU 500 can provide information and instructions to kiosk users via the display screen 104 and/or an audio system (e.g., a speaker) 504. The CPU 500 can also receive user inputs via, e.g., a touch screen 508 associated with the display screen 104, a keypad with physical keys, and/or a microphone 510. Additionally, the CPU 500 can receive personal identification and/or biometric information associated with users via the ID reader 112, one or more of the external cameras 116, and/or the fingerprint reader 114. In some embodiments, the CPU 500 can also receive information (such as user identification and/or account information) via a card reader 512 (e.g., a debit, credit, or loyalty card reader having, e.g., a suitable magnetic stripe reader, optical reader, etc.). The CPU 500 can also control operation of the label dispenser 110 and systems for providing remuneration to users, such as the cash dispenser 118 and/or a receipt or voucher printer and an associated dispenser 520.
As noted above, the kiosk 100 additionally includes a number of electronic, optical and electromechanical devices for electrically, visually and/or physically analyzing electronic devices placed therein for recycling. Such systems can include one more internal cameras 514 for visually inspecting electronic devices to, e.g., determine the external dimensions and condition, and one or more of the electrical connectors 242 (e.g., USB connectors) for, e.g., powering up electronic devices and performing electronic analyses. As noted above, the cameras 514 can be operably coupled to the upper and lower chambers 230 and 232, and the connectors 242 can be movably and interchangeably carried by the carrousel 240 (
In the illustrated embodiment, the kiosk 100 further includes a network connection 522 (e.g., a wired connection, such as an Ethernet port, cable modem, FireWire cable, Lightning connector, USB port, etc.) suitable for communication with, e.g., all manner of remote processing devices via a communication link 550, and a wireless transceiver 524 (e.g., including a Wi-Fi access point, Bluetooth transceiver, near-field communication (NFC) device, and/or wireless modem or cellular radio utilizing GSM, CDMA, 3G and/or 4G technologies) for data communications suitable for communication with, e.g., all manner of remote processing devices via the communication link 550 and/or directly via, e.g., a wireless peer-to-peer connection. For example, the wireless transceiver 524 can facilitate wireless communication with handheld devices, such as a mobile device 530 (e.g., a smartphone) either in the proximity of the kiosk 100 or remote therefrom. By way of example only, in the illustrated embodiment the mobile device 530 can include one or more features, applications and/or other elements commonly found in smartphones and other known mobile devices. For example, the mobile device 530 can include a CPU and/or a graphics processing unit (“GPU”) 534 for executing computer readable instructions stored on memory 536. In addition, the mobile device 530 can include an internal power source or battery 532, a dock connector 546, a USB port 548, a camera 540, and/or well-known input devices, including, for example, a touch screen 542, a keypad, etc. In many embodiments, the mobile device 530 can also include a speaker 544 for two-way communication and audio playback. In addition to the foregoing features, the mobile device 530 can include a mobile operating system (OS) 531 and/or a device wireless transceiver that may include one or more antennas 538 for wirelessly communicating with, for example, other mobile devices, websites, and the kiosk 100. Such communication can be performed via, e.g., the communication link 550 (which can include the Internet, public and private intranet, a local or extended Wi-Fi network, cell towers, the plain old telephone system (POTS), etc.), direct wireless communication, etc.
Unless described otherwise, the construction and operation of the various components shown in
As described above, the processor 500 is configured to communicate with one or more remote server computers through a communication link 550 such as the internet through a network connection 522 or wireless transceiver 524. The processor 500 receives information about a particular coupon/promotion and stores it in memory 506. The memory 506 also stores the executable instructions for the operation of the kiosk as discussed above. The processor executes the instructions to determine which ads to display on a screen 104.
In one embodiment, the processor 500 looks in the memory 506 for any particular coupons or promotions once the kiosk has determined the type of electronic equipment that is being purchased from a user by its inspection system. The processor retrieves the rules for the particular promotion. The rules may specify the amount and type of rebate being offered and the dates the promotion is in effect. Other rules may also be provided. For example, a promotion that offers discounts or savings on alcohol should be limited to customers who can provide documentation showing they are age 21 and over. Therefore, the kiosk may request confirmation of the user's age prior to printing coupons on a printer 520 for such a rebate.
The kiosk 100 can receive updated information about coupons and promotions when the operators of the system use the server computer 450 to push such information to the kiosks. In another embodiment, the kiosk sends data that uniquely identifies it to the remote server. The data may be an alphanumeric code or serial no. that is associated with a particular location or store. In another embodiment, the kiosk includes a GPS receiver (not shown) that receives GPS signals in order to determine the location of the kiosk. The processor 500 is programmed to send the GPS coordinates of the kiosk 100 to the server 450, which uses the information to determine the identity of the kiosk and if there is any new coupon/promotion information to be sent to the kiosk.
In yet another embodiment of the disclosed technology, the wired or wireless communication link can be used to inform the server computer 450 that the kiosk is out of cash in the cash dispenser 118, that the kiosk needs additional ink in its printer, that it needs to be emptied of redeemed electronic items or is otherwise in need of service. This reduces unnecessary trips by service personnel to the kiosk.
The database 452 at the server location stores the location of each kiosk. If a region, such as the Northeast United States is selected, the database is searched for all kiosks that are located in that geographic area. Alternatively, all the kiosks in the entire country can be selected or kiosks that are located in a particular city or in a particular neighborhood or with some other level of granularity can be selected. In another embodiment, the control 602 allows kiosks to be selected according to the particular store in which the kiosks are located. For example, all kiosks located in Kroger® or in QFC® grocery stores can be selected. In yet another embodiment, kiosks can be selected based on the likely demographics of customers where the kiosks are located. For example, kiosks can be selected where customers are more likely to drive pickup trucks and have dogs as pets. The map 610 may display the location of each selected kiosk.
The exemplary user interface also includes a control 604 that can be used to bring up a list 612 of coupons/promotions that can be sent to the kiosks. The list of coupons/promotions may be available to all of the kiosks. Alternatively, the list of coupons/promotions may be client specific. For example, some coupons/promotions may be used in kiosks that are located in Kroger® grocery stores but not QFC® grocery stores or vice versa.
In one embodiment, information for a particular coupon/promotion can be sent to the selected kiosks by dragging a description from the list onto the map. In one embodiment, the coupon/promotion information is sent to all the kiosks shown on the map. Alternatively, coupon/promotion information can be sent to fewer than all the kiosks shown—including sending coupon/promotion information to a single kiosk.
Upon detection that a user has selected a particular coupon/promotion to be transmitted to a particular set of kiosks, a processor of the server computer 450 sends the coupon/promotion information to the address of each selected kiosk.
As will be appreciated, the disclosed technology provides an operator with an easy way to push coupon/promotion information out to selected kiosks. In this way, all kiosks associated with a particular retailer can advertise the coupon/promotion at the same time without having to wait until the kiosks can be manually updated. In addition, the operator of the kiosks can start a coupon/promotion in one area of the country and easily roll the promotion out to other areas of the country. Similarly, coupon/promotions that are tailored to regional buying habits can be easily sent to kiosks in the corresponding geographic region.
The foregoing description of the electronic device recycling system illustrates but one possible network system suitable for implementing the various technologies described herein. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other systems consistent with the present technology can omit one or more of the facilities described.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the routines and other functions and methods described above can be performed by various processing devices, such as the kiosk processor 500 (
The kiosks 100, mobile devices 330, server computers, user computers and/or other user devices, etc. may include one or more central processing units or other logic-processing circuitry, memory, input devices (e.g., keyboards and pointing devices), output devices (e.g., display devices and printers), and storage devices (e.g., magnetic, solid state, fixed and floppy disk drives, optical disk drives, etc.). Such computer devices may include other program modules such as an operating system, one or more application programs (e.g., word processing or spread sheet applications), and the like. The user computers may include wireless computers, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), palm-top computers, etc., which communicate with the Internet via a wireless link. The computers may be general-purpose devices that can be programmed to run various types of applications, or they may be single-purpose devices optimized or limited to a particular function or class of functions. Aspects of the invention may be practiced in a variety of other computing environments.
While the Internet is shown, a private network, such as an intranet may likewise be used herein. The network may have a client-server architecture, in which a computer is dedicated to serving other client computers, or it may have other architectures such as peer-to-peer, in which one or more computers serve simultaneously as servers and clients. A database or databases, coupled to the server computer(s), stores much of the web pages and content exchanged between the user computers. The server computer(s), including the database(s), may employ security measures to inhibit malicious attacks on the system and preserve the integrity of the messages and data stored therein (e.g., firewall systems, message encryption and/or authentication (e.g., using transport layer security (TLS) or secure socket layers (SSL)), password protection schemes, encryption of stored data (e.g., using trusted computing hardware), and the like).
One skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that the concepts of the invention can be used in various environments other than location based or the Internet. In general, a display description may be in HTML, XML or WAP format, email format or any other format suitable for displaying information (including character/code-based formats, algorithm-based formats (e.g., vector generated), and bitmapped formats). Also, various communication channels, such as local area networks, wide area networks, or point-to-point dial-up connections, may be used instead of the Internet. The system may be conducted within a single computer environment, rather than a client/server environment. Also, the user computers may comprise any combination of hardware or software that interacts with the server computer, such as television-based systems and various other consumer products through which commercial or noncommercial transactions can be conducted. The various aspects of the invention described herein can be implemented in or for any e-mail environment.
Although not required, aspects of the invention are described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as routines executed by a general-purpose data processing device, e.g., a server computer, wireless device or personal computer. Those skilled in the relevant art will appreciate that aspects of the invention can be practiced with other communications, data processing, or computer system configurations, including Internet appliances, hand-held devices (including personal digital assistants (PDAs)), wearable computers, all manner of cellular or mobile phones (including Voice over IP (VoIP) phones), dumb terminals, media players, gaming devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, set-top boxes, network PCs, mini-computers, mainframe computers, and the like. Indeed, the terms “computer,” “server,” “host,” “host system,” and the like, are generally used interchangeably herein, and refer to any of the above devices and systems, as well as any data processor. Input devices may include a touchpad, keyboard and/or a pointing device such as a mouse. Other input devices are possible such as a microphone, joystick, pen, game pad, scanner, digital camera, video camera, and the like. The data storage devices may include any type of computer-readable media that can store data accessible by a computer, such as magnetic hard and floppy disk drives, optical disk drives, magnetic cassettes, tape drives, flash memory cards, digital video disks (DVDs), Bernoulli cartridges, RAMs, ROMs, smart cards, etc. Indeed, any medium for storing or transmitting computer-readable instructions and data may be employed, including a connection port to a network such as a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) or the Internet.
Aspects of the invention can be embodied in a special purpose computer or data processor that is specifically programmed, configured, or constructed to perform one or more of the computer-executable instructions explained in detail herein. While aspects of the invention, such as certain functions, are described as being performed exclusively on a single device, the invention can also be practiced in distributed environments where functions or modules are shared among disparate processing devices, which are linked through a communications network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or the Internet. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.
Aspects of the invention may be stored or distributed on tangible computer-readable media, including magnetically or optically readable computer discs, hard-wired or preprogrammed chips (e.g., EEPROM semiconductor chips), nanotechnology memory, biological memory, or other data storage media. The data storage devices may include any type of computer-readable media that can store data accessible by a computer, such as magnetic hard and floppy disk drives, optical disk drives, magnetic cassettes, tape drives, flash memory cards, DVDs, Bernoulli cartridges, RAM, ROMs, smart cards, etc. Indeed, any medium for storing or transmitting computer-readable instructions and data may be employed, including a connection port to a network such as a LAN, WAN, or the Internet. Alternatively, computer implemented instructions, data structures, screen displays, and other data under aspects of the invention may be distributed over the Internet or over other networks (including wireless networks), on a propagated signal on a propagation medium (e.g., an electromagnetic wave(s), a sound wave, etc.) over a period of time, or they may be provided on any analog or digital network (packet switched, circuit switched, or other scheme). The terms “memory” and “computer-readable storage medium” include any combination of temporary, persistent, and/or permanent storage, e.g., ROM, writable memory such as RAM, writable non-volatile memory such as flash memory, hard drives, solid state drives, removable media, and so forth, but do not include a propagating signal per se.
The above Detailed Description of examples and embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above. While specific examples for the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. References throughout the foregoing description to features, advantages, or similar language do not imply that all of the features and advantages that may be realized with the present technology should be or are in any single embodiment of the invention. Rather, language referring to the features and advantages is understood to mean that a specific feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present technology. Thus, discussion of the features and advantages, and similar language, throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the present technology may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the present technology can be practiced without one or more of the specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other instances, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the present technology.
Any patents and applications and other references noted above, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further implementations of the invention.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to.” As used herein, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” or any variant thereof, means any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect, between two or more elements; the coupling or connection between the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. Additionally, the words “herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used in this application, refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. Where the context permits, words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or plural number may also include the plural or singular number respectively. The word “or,” in reference to a list of two or more items, covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the items in the list.
The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various examples described above can be combined to provide further implementations of the invention. Some alternative implementations of the invention may include not only additional elements to those implementations noted above, but also may include fewer elements. Further any specific numbers noted herein are only examples—alternative implementations may employ differing values or ranges.
While the above description describes various embodiments of the invention and the best mode contemplated, regardless how detailed the above text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Details of the system may vary considerably in its specific implementation, while still being encompassed by the present disclosure. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed examples, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention under the claims.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, but that various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the various embodiments of the invention. For example, the disclosed technology can be used to push additional information to a kiosk besides coupon/promotion information. Price information for a particular make/model of electronic equipment can be pushed to kiosks either as part of the coupon/promotion information or as separate information. In this way, a central server computer can easily change the prices offered for different types of electronic equipment in response to changing market conditions. A user may select kiosks in a particular geographic region, located in a particular store or individual kiosks that should receive the updated price information. Further, while various advantages associated with certain embodiments of the invention have been described above in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments need necessarily exhibit such advantages to fall within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited, except as by the appended claims. Although certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the applicant contemplates the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the applicant reserves the right to pursue additional claims after filing this application to pursue such additional claim forms, in either this application or in a continuing application.
This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Provisional Application No. 62/090,855, titled “METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION REGARDING COUPONS/PROMOTIONS AT KIOSKS FOR RECYCLING MOBILE PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES” filed Dec. 11, 2014, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62090855 | Dec 2014 | US |