37 C.F.R. § 1.71(E) AUTHORIZATION
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the US Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
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REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX, IF ANY
Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, retail merchandise and vending systems, apparatus and methods. Particularly, the invention relates to a self service, self-checkout, micro to small retail market system, apparatus and methods. Most particularly, the invention relates to a self-service, self-checkout micro-market retail shopping system for disposition and use in an private or public office, factory or other workspace for use by employees, workers and the like. The micro-market may supply snacks, beverages, other food items and various convenience items for use by employees, workers and other during the work day, lunch and break time.
Background Information
Existing technology in this field is believed to have significant limitations and shortcomings.
All US patents and patent applications, and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a self-service, self-checkout micro market system, apparatus and methods which are practical, reliable, accurate and efficient, and which are believed to constitute an improvement over the background technology.
The invention provides a self-service, self-checkout micro-market retail shopping system for disposition and use in an private or public office, factory or other workspace for use by employees, workers and the like. The micro-market may supply snacks, candies, beverages, other food items and various convenience items such as toiletries for use by employees, workers and other during the work day, lunch and break time. The micro-market may also supply work related items such as uniforms and apparel, tools, office supplies, travel accessories and the like.
The invention provides a means for the customer user to order various services in addition to products. Such services may include, but are not limited to dry cleaning services, postal services, financial services, and the like.
The invention provides various hardware items for use in the micro-market including rack, shelving and related merchandise displays; kitchenette facilities and systems; checkout kiosk and other apparatus; security systems and apparatus; and merchandise and account management systems, apparatus and methods.
The invention provides enhanced vendor administration tools and functionality.
The invention provides enhanced user ability to use mobile devices and apps, and on-line tools for creating and managing accounts and for purchasing items.
The invention also provides a small market, which is kiosk based, for selling articles including, at least one display for storing and displaying articles for sale and a kiosk for checking out articles which are purchased by a user, the kiosk being communicatively connected to a control server via the Internet, and wherein a user and an administrator can access the control server via the Internet to establish, view and edit user and administrator accounts stored at the control server associated with the market.
The invention also provides a method of using small market for selling articles including the steps of:
providing a small market comprising, at least one display for storing and displaying articles for sale, a kiosk disposed adjacent to the display for checking out articles which are purchased by a user from the display, the kiosk being communicatively connected to a control server via the Internet, and a web interface communicatively connectible to the control server and the kiosk via the Internet, the control server including user, site administrator, and system administrator accounts stored at the control server associated with the market;
a user utilizing the kiosk to check out articles from the display and to access the control server via the Internet to establish, view and edit the user account;
a site administrator accessing the control server via the Internet to establish, view and edit the user account and site administrator account; and
a system administrator accessing the control server via the Internet to establish, view and edit the user account, the site administrator account, and a system administrator account.
The present invention is believed to involve novel elements, combined in novel ways to yield more than predictable results. The problems solved by the invention were not fully recognized in the prior art.
The aspects, features, advantages, benefits and objects of the invention will become clear to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description, claims and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the checkout area of an embodiment of the micro-market of the present invention, including an embodiment of a checkout kiosk for use in the micro-market.
FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of rack and display systems for merchandise for use in the micro-market, including bulk item bins, refrigerator cooler, freezer cooler and various other systems. Also shown is a audio-visual display apparatus.
FIG. 3 shows further embodiments of the merchandise rack and display systems, including wall hanging systems, weight measurement means, and various floor standing hangers and displays.
FIG. 4 is a front view of an embodiment of a checkout kiosk of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view (from the right side) of the checkout kiosk.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view (from the left side) of the checkout kiosk.
FIG. 7 is a left side view of the checkout kiosk.
FIG. 8 is a detail view of the customer interface elements of the kiosk.
FIG. 9 is a detail view of the touch-screen interface of the kiosk.
FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of the control interface of the kiosk, including an introductory or welcome screen with means to start shopping, create a new account, access an existing account, browse or search for items, review suggestions, and order services such as dry cleaning.
FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a checkout screen.
FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of a look up screen for finding various products for checkout.
FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of a payment inquiry screen.
FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of a payment method selection screen.
FIG. 15 shows an embodiment of a cash payment screen.
FIG. 16 shows an embodiment of an account balance screen.
FIG. 17 shows an embodiment of a credit card payment input screen.
FIG. 18 shows an embodiment of credit card payment finalization screen.
FIG. 19 shows an embodiment of a payment means selection screen.
FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of new account data input screen.
FIG. 21 shows an embodiment of a login-type screen.
FIG. 22 shows an embodiment of an email login screen.
FIG. 23 shows an embodiment of a quick-pin login screen.
FIG. 24 shows an embodiment of services ordering screen, for example dry-cleaning pickup scheduling.
FIG. 25 is a raetwork and hardware diagram of an embodiment of the retail convenience market system of the invention comprising kiosk, mobile device app, and website use (shopping) and management tools for use by the user (shopper) and administrators.
FIG. 26 is a logic diagram of an embodiment of the website management tool of the system.
FIG. 27 is a use case diagram of the website.
FIG. 28 is a use case diagram of an embodiment of the kiosk management tool of the system.
FIG. 29 is an activity diagram of the kiosk.
FIG. 30 is use case diagram of the kiosk.
FIG. 31 is a logic flow diagram of the kiosk.
FIG. 32 is a use case diagram of an embodiment of the mobile device app shopping tool of the system.
FIG. 33 is an activity diagram of the mobile device app.
FIG. 34 shows an embodiment of a user interface home screen for managing a user account by a user/customer or for monitoring the market by a market administrator.
FIG. 35 shows an embodiment of an account registration user interface therefor.
FIG. 36 shows an embodiment of a user interface for confirming registration of an account and for viewing the account and adding other information such as a link to a credit card.
FIG. 37 shows an embodiment of an Account—Home/Account screen or user interface for use by a market user/customer, the screen or page including links to Credit Card Info, Contact Info, Change Password, Requests, History, Coupons, Rewards and Garage Sale screens or pages.
FIG. 38 shows an Account—Credit Card Information screen therefor.
FIG. 39 shows an Account—Contact Information screen therefor.
FIG. 40 shows an Account—Change Password screen therefor.
FIG. 41 shows a Request—New Item screen therefor.
FIG. 42 shows a Request—Refund screen therefor.
FIG. 43 shows an embodiment of an Administrative Management Home screen for managing a market site for use by a market/sit administrator, the screen including links to Warehouse, Store, Catalogs, User, Accounting, Trust Accounting, Reports and Kitchen pages or groups.
FIG. 44 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Manage Warehouse Items page.
FIG. 45 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Manage Warehouse Inventory page.
FIG. 46 shows an embodiment of an Item Look Up dialog box therefor.
FIG. 47 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Import Catalog items to Warehouse page.
FIG. 48 shows an embodiment of a Create/Edit Warehouse Categories dialog box therefor.
FIG. 49 shows an embodiment of an Edit Demo Item Categories dialog box therefor.
FIG. 50 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Create Warehouse Order page.
FIG. 51 shows an embodiment of an Order Submitted Confirmation page therefor.
FIG. 52 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—View Warehouse Orders page.
FIG. 53 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Receive “Demo” (Store) Warehouse Order page.
FIG. 54 shows an embodiment of a Catalog—Add Item To Test Catalog page.
FIG. 55 shows an embodiment of a Scan To Add Items to “Demo” store page.
FIG. 56 shows an embodiment of a Store—Manage Store Items page.
FIG. 57 shows an embodiment of a Store—Manage Store Inventory page.
FIG. 58 shows an embodiment of a Store—Scan To Add Items to Demo Store page.
FIG. 59 shows a Store—Verify Store Inventory page.
FIG. 60 shows an embodiment of a Store—Import Items to Store page.
FIG. 61 shows an embodiment of a Store—Create/Edit Store Categories page.
FIG. 62 shows an embodiment of a Store—Edit Demo Store Item Categories page.
FIG. 63 shows an embodiment of a Store—Create Store Order page.
FIG. 64 shows an embodiment of a Store—Change Existing Order page/dialog box.
FIG. 65 shows an embodiment of a Store—Receive Demo Store Order page.
FIG. 66 shows an embodiment of a Store—View Store Item Information page.
FIG. 67 shows an embodiment of a Store—Store Settings page.
FIG. 68 shows an embodiment of a Store—Station (or Kiosk) Settings page.
FIG. 69 shows an embodiment of a User—User Management page.
FIG. 70 shows an Accounting—Account Credit/Reimbursement page.
FIG. 71 shows an Accounting—Cashbox Reconciliation page.
FIG. 72 shows an embodiment of a Trust Accounting—Tax Collected page.
FIG. 73 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Cashbox Reconciliation History page.
FIG. 74 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Cash Transactions page.
FIG. 75 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Credit Card Transactions page.
FIG. 76 shows an embodiment of a Reports—User Transactions page.
FIG. 77 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Market Account Deposits by Date page.
FIG. 78 shows an embodiment of a Reports—All Transactions page.
FIG. 79 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Average Customer Transactions page.
FIG. 80 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Sales By Item page.
FIG. 81 shows an embodiment of a touch screen user interface for an Apple iPod4 of a Home Screen for the mobile app for use by customers of the market of the invention.
FIG. 82 shows an embodiment of a user interface for Purchase Item for Searching for items or Scanning items.
FIG. 83 shows an embodiment of an Add Item via Scan screen following the screen of FIG. x50.
FIG. 84 shows an embodiment of a View Cart screen.
FIG. 85 shows an embodiment of an Initial Checkout screen.
FIG. 86 shows an embodiment of a final, Confirm Checkout screen.
FIG. 87 shows an embodiment of a Final or Transaction Completed screen.
FIG. 88 shows an embodiment of Login screen via scan barcode.
FIG. 89 shows an embodiment of an About information screen.
FIG. 90 shows an embodiment of an Account screen.
FIGS. 91-111 show yet another embodiment of the administrator interface, pages and sub-pages for a vendor to manage their market.
FIG. 112 shows a further embodiment of a Purchase Items page for a User Account.
FIG. 113 shows an example balance sheet for a market.
FIG. 114 is another view of the kiosk login screen.
FIGS. 115 to 118 are views of select mobile app interfaces for an Apple iPad.
FIGS. 119 to 125 are views of select mobile app user interfaces for an iPhone 5.
FIGS. 126 to 133 are view of select website user interfaces.
FIGS. 134 to 139 are views of select kiosk user interfaces.
FIGS. 140 to 143 are views of select mobile app interfaces.
FIGS. 144 to 153 are view of select website administrator interfaces.
FIG. 154 is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a kiosk, which utilizes a tablet PC.
FIG. 155 is a front view of the alternative kiosk with its front cover removed and showing a tablet PC embedded in a frame.
FIG. 156 is a front view of the alternative kiosk with the table PC removed.
FIG. 157 shows a Raspberry Pi type ARM GNU/Linux box that communicatively connects the table PC to a scanner module.
FIG. 158 is an alternative embodiment of use ease diagram relative to the embodiment of FIG. 32 for users using either a mobile device or a kiosk, including a deposit to account feature.
FIG. 159 is an alternative embodiment of a mobile application activity diagram relative to the embodiment of FIG. 33, including a deposit to account process steps.
FIG. 160 shows an embodiment of an alternative embodiment of mobile app Account Screen, relative to the screen shown in FIG. 90, including a deposit funds key.
FIG. 161 shows an embodiment of a deposit selection screen following the screen of FIG. 160, including several predetermined deposit amounts.
FIG. 162 shows an embodiment of a credit card selection screen following the screen of FIG. 161, including plural sample credit card accounts to be selected from.
FIG. 163 shows an embodiment of a deposit finalization screen following the screen of FIG. 162.
FIG. 164 shows an embodiment of a deposit confirmation or receipt screen following the screen of FIG. 163.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The invention provides a self-service, self-checkout micro-market retail shopping system for disposition and use in an private or public office, factory or other workspace for use by employees, workers and the like. The micro-market may supply items or articles such as snacks, candies, beverages, other food items and various convenience items such as toiletries for use by employees, workers and other during the work day, lunch and break time. The micro-market may also supply work related items such as uniforms and apparel, tools, office supplies, travel accessories and the like.
The invention provides a means for the customer user to order various services in addition to products. Such services may include, but are not limited to dry cleaning services, postal services, financial services, and the like.
The invention provides various hardware items for use in the micro-market including, rack, shelving and related merchandise displays; kitchenette facilities and systems; checkout kiosk and other apparatus; security systems and apparatus; and merchandise and account management systems, apparatus and methods.
The system provides enhanced vendor administration tools and functionality. The system also provides enhanced user ability to use mobile devices and apps, and on-line tools for creating and managing accounts and for purchasing items.
The system, apparatus and methods of the invention permits users such as employees, building and facilities staff, and organization members to quickly and conveniently shop for and purchase a variety of necessary or useful items, without having to leave the place of employment or other facility. The system permits the user to make purchases by a variety of means including cash or cash-less such as credit or debit cards, special accounts, payroll deduction and the like. Cashless card swiping permit faster checkout. A mobile device app permits faster login and account settlement. The system of the invention is beneficial to employers because the employees do not have to leave the premises and can checkout faster, thus increasing business and organizational productivity. Also, because the system is self-service, an additional employee or employees arc not necessary to staff the market. The system is automated to facilitate easier financial transaction processing and merchandise stocking and control.
FIGS. 1-9 show an embodiment of a micro-market 10 of the present invention, including an embodiment of a checkout kiosk 15 for use in the micro-market. FIGS. 2 and 3 show an embodiment of rack and display systems for merchandise for use in the micro-market, including bulk item bins 16, refrigerator cooler 17, freezer cooler 18 and various other systems. Also shown is a audio-visual display apparatus. The market may also include merchandise rack and display systems, including wall hanging systems 19, weight measurement means, and various floor standing hangers and displays 20. The market may have a toaster, oven 21A and/or microwave oven 21B. The market may have a TV/monitor 22, music system or other AV devices.
FIGS. 4-9 show an embodiment of a checkout kiosk 15 of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a detail view of the customer interface elements of the kiosk, including a touch screen interface 30, bar code scanner(s) 31, a card reader 32, a thumb print reader 33 and a cash deposit mechanism 34. A bagging station 35 is shown disposed on the side of the kiosk 15. FIG. 9 is a detail view of the touch-screen interface 30 of the kiosk.
FIGS. 10-24 show an embodiment of the control interface of the kiosk 15 which is used by the user/shopper to check out, including an introductory or welcome screen with means to start shopping, create a new account, access an existing account, browse or search for items, review suggestions, and order services such as dry cleaning. FIG. 10 shows the home or login screen 110 of the kiosk. FIG. 11 shows an embodiment of a checkout screen 118. FIG. 12 shows an embodiment of a look up screen 114 for finding various products for checkout. FIG. 13 shows an embodiment of a login prior to payment inquiry screen 118A. FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of a payment method selection screen 118A. FIG. 15 shows an embodiment of a cash payment screen 118B. FIG. 16 shows an embodiment of an account balance screen 118C. FIG. 17 shows an embodiment of a credit card payment input screen 118D. FIG. 18 shows an embodiment of payroll deduction payment screen 118E. FIG. 19 shows another payment means selection screen 118A. FIG. 20 shows an embodiment of new account data input screen 112. FIG. 21 shows an embodiment of a login-type screen 113. FIG. 22 shows an embodiment of an email login screen 134. FIG. 23 shows an embodiment of a quick-pin login screen 133. FIG. 24 shows an embodiment of services ordering screen, for example dry-cleaning pickup scheduling.
Referring to the network and hardware diagram of FIG. 25, one embodiment of the retail convenience market system 50 of the invention comprises kiosk 51, mobile device app 52, and website 53 use (shopping) and management tools for use by the user (shopper) 54 and administrators 55. One or more kiosks 51, preferably android OS based devices) are disposed at the market and are used by shoppers 54 to checkout at the conclusion of shopping. The users 54 may have a mobile device 52 such as a smart phone (android, iOS based), iPod or iPad. A shopping app (described in further detail below) of the system 50 may be installed on the device 54 to permit shopping and other tasks in place of or in cooperation with the kiosk 51. Users 54 may also access the system to manage their accounts via a website available via a web browser 53 either on the premises of the market or remotely. The kiosk 51, mobile app 52 and browser 53 are communicatively connected to a traffic load balancer 56 via the Internet. The load balancer 56 is preferably a software load balancer and most preferably a cloud based system such as Amazon Web Services load balancer. These user interface components 51, 52 and 53 are communicatively connected through firewall 57 to a master server 58 and a server 59. The master server 58 is an application server that acts as DNS for market activities and also handles global data transfer over the entire system 50. The server 59 handles database activities and traffic, and communication between each kiosk 51. The server 59 may comprise a plurality of server machines that may be added and dropped as the need for server services changes. Referring also to FIGS. 111-114, the system 50 may also include tablet based kiosks 60 utilizing ARM microcontrollers 60A. An exemplary microcontroller is preferably a Raspberry Pi microcontroller.
The means and method of users 54, site administrators 55A and super administrators 55B to access the system 50 via web access 53 is further shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 which show webs access features of the system 50. Referring to FIG. 26, the user 54 or administrator 55 logs in to the website for permission to access user 65, administrator 66A or super administrator 66B resources. FIG. 27 is a use case diagram of website 53 access. A standard user 54 may access the website to view or edit contact information 70 (See also FIG. 39) for their account, request new items 71 (See also FIG. 41), request a refund 72 (Sec also FIG. 42), deposit funds into their account 73 (payment portal function—Sec also FIG. 38), view purchase history 74 (See also FIG. 126), and view account balance 76 (See also FIG. 37). A site administrator (store vendor or owner) 55A has all of the tools available to the user, and can additionally manage warehouse inventory 77 (See also FIG. 45), manage warehouse orders 78 (See also FIGS. 50-53), perform global item management 79 (See also FIGS. 128 and 129), manage store inventory 80 (See also Figs 57-62 and 66), manage store orders 81 (See also FIGS. 63-65), view and edit store settings 82 (See also FIG. 67), view and edit station settings 83 (See also FIG. 68), remotely support kiosks 84 (See also FIG. 133), create items 85 (See also FIG. 144), manage users 86 (See also FIG. 69), credit and reimburse accounts 87 (FIG. 70), create reports for transactions and inventory 88 (See also FIG. 72-80) and access system user manuals and training resource 89 (See also FIGS. 151-153). A site super user (system administrator) 55B has all of aforementioned tools available to die site administrator 55A, and additionally can manage catalogs 90 (See also FIG. 146), manage android mobile devices 91 (See FIG. 145), manage vendors/administrators 92 (FIG. 148), create stores 93 (FIG. 147), create invoice reports 94 (FIG. 150) and manage tablet based kiosks 95 (FIG. 149).
The means and method of users 54 to shop and access the system 50 for other purposes via kiosk access 51 is further shown in FIGS. 28-31 which show kiosk access features of the system 50. Referring first to the use case diagram of FIG. 28, the user 54 can checkout to purchase items 96, view purchase history 97, change their account password 98, add a scan tag 99, make a credit card deposit to their account 100, change their email contact information 101 and suggest 102 items or the like to be added, deleted or changed to the market. Referring to the activity and logic diagrams of FIGS. 29 and 31, a user 54 approaches the kiosk 51 and is presented with a home screen 110A including a start button option 110B. Clicking start provides preferably five option: scan item 111, create account 112, log in to existing account 113, look up item 114 (configurable) and make suggestion 115. Upon scanning an item 111, if the item exists 116, the user can view their shopping cart 117. If the item being scanned does not exist in the database, the user has the option to rescan 111. Upon filling the user's virtual shopping cart of items, the user may checkout 118 by paying with cash, credit card or the user's system account (market account). If create account 112 is selected, the account is validated 120, an overview is presented 121, and the account is finalized 122, whereupon deposits may he made, credit card information added, email added, password added, purchase history viewed, and scan tags added. If log in to existing account 113 is selected, validation is checked 123, the overview presented 121, and finalization 122 in the same way as for new accounts. Referring also to the use case diagram of FIG. 30, for item scanning, if a credit card is used 124, the card is processed and the transaction completed. If cash 123 is used, the system inquires whether cash change is enabled 126. If so, an cash change which may be due is dispensed and the transaction finalized 127. If cash dispense is not enabled, the system checks whether the user is logged in 128. If the user is not logged in, the use is prompted for an email 129 and a match to the account email results in a deposit to the user's account. If yes, change is deposited in directly in the account 130. For payment by account 125, the system checks for log in 131 and if affirmative, payment via account is finalized 132. If not logged in, the system permits log in via a predetermined quick PIN code 133. For log-in 113 prior to scanning, the user may choose item scanning 111 or options of logging in via quick PIN 133, email or user name 134, credit card 135 or create account 136. Upon selection of one of these options, the system checks for log in success and returns to log in home if not. If successful, the system checks to see if a transaction is pending 138. If so, market account payment is finalized 132. If not pending, an account overview 139 is provided. If an item is scanned, the system routes to scan item home 111. If no item is scanned, the following options are made available to the user 54: make deposit to account 140, add credit card 141, change email 142, change password 143, display purchase history 144, add scan tag 145, and an optional site administrator log in 146. As is shown in FIG. 31, a mobile device such as an android mobile device may be registered 147 for use using the kiosk. An account barcode 149/149 is presented by the mobile device and scanned at the kiosk. If it is registered already 148, the main menu 110A is presented. If not registered, a registration page 150 is presented, at which the user can input a code for registration. If the code is valid 151, the home page 110A is presented. If not 159, the registration page 150 is presented once again. Examples of user interface screens for select kiosk elements and steps are shown in FIGS. 9-24.
The means and method of users 54 to shop and access the system 50 for other purposes via mobile device app access 52 is further shown in FIGS. 32 and 33 which show mobile app access features of the system 50. Referring first to the use case diagram of FIG. 32, the user 54 can checkout to purchase items 196, view purchase history 197, change their account password 98, suggest 102B items or the like to be added, deleted or changed to the market, scan items 160, request a refund 161 and initialize a withdrawal 162. Referring to the activity diagram of FIG. 33, for a user 54 to login 165, the system determines whether a user name and password input are valid 166. If not valid, re entry is required. If valid, warehouse information and settings are retrieved 169 and available options arc listed 168. For purchasing 169, purchase item option is selected 169 by the user whereupon items may be added to a cart from favorites 170, by search 171 and by scan 172. A subtotal can be viewed or checkout may occur thereafter 173. If the shopping cart does not contain items, the user is routed bay to select purchase item 169. If the shopping cart contains item 174 the user's account balance is compared to determine whether it is greater than the total cost of the shopping cart. If not, then an error is displayed 175. Of sufficient funds exist in the account to cover the purchase, the transaction is processed 176. For requesting a refund 161, the option is selected 177, a transaction is chosen from a history list. 178, and a refund request is confirmed 179. If not confirmed, and error is displayed 180, and if confirmed the request is sent 181. For bar code login 148/149, the option is selected 182, the bar code is looked up and displayed 183, and user then holds the bar code displayed on their mobile device for scanning by the kiosk 189, whereupon they are logged in to their account.
FIGS. 158 and 159 show an alternative of the system including an additional feature whereby the user can deposit funds to his or her account via a mobile device or the kiosk. FIGS. 160-164 show embodiments of screens implementing the deposit to account feature on a mobile device.
FIG. 34 shows an embodiment of a user interface home screen for managing a user account by a user/customer or for monitoring the market by a market administrator.
FIG. 35 shows an embodiment of an account registration user interface therefor.
FIG. 36 shows an embodiment of a user interface for confirming registration of an account and for viewing the account and adding other information such as a link to a credit card.
FIGS. 37-41 show account management tools whereby the user of a market can create and manage an account, purchase items, and perform other tasks. FIG. 34 shows an embodiment of an Account—Home/Account screen or user interface for use by a market user/customer, the screen or page including links to Credit Card Info, Contact Info, Change Password, Requests, History, Coupons, Rewards and Garage Sale screens or pages. FIG. 38 shows an Account—Credit Card Information screen therefor. FIG. 39 shows an Account—Contact Information screen therefor. FIG. 40 shows an Account—Change Password screen therefor. FIG. 41 shows a Request—New Item screen therefor. FIG. 42 shows a Request—Refund screen therefor.
FIG. 43 shows an embodiment of an Administrative Management Home screen for managing a market site for use by a market/sit administrator (“vendor”), the screen including links to Warehouse, Store, Catalogs, User, Accounting, Trust. Accounting, Reports and Kitchen pages or groups. In the exemplary embodiment shown and described the Store is identified as “Demo”.
FIGS. 44-55 disclose the Warehouse management tools whereby a vendor can select a warehouse from which to order items for their store (in this case store “Demo”) and administer warehouse functionality. FIG. 44 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Manage Warehouse Items page. FIG. 45 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Manage Warehouse Inventory page. FIG. 46 shows an embodiment of an Item Look Up dialog box therefor. FIG. 47 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Import Catalog Items to Warehouse page. FIG. 48 shows an embodiment of a Create/Edit Warehouse Categories dialog box therefor. FIG. 49 shows an embodiment of an Edit Item Categories for the Store “Demo” dialog box therefor. FIG. 50 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Create Warehouse Order page. FIG. 51 shows an embodiment of an Order Submitted Confirmation page therefor. FIG. 52 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—View Warehouse Orders page. FIG. 53 shows an embodiment of a Warehouse—Receive Warehouse Order at Store “Demo” page. FIG. 54 shows an embodiment of a Catalog—Add Item To Test Catalog page. FIG. 55 shows an embodiment of a Scan To Add Items to Store page.
FIGS. 56-68 show Store management tools for use by a vendor to manage their particular store. FIG. 56 shows an embodiment of a Store—Manage Store Items page. FIG. 57 shows an embodiment of a Store—Manage Store Inventory page. FIG. 58 shows an embodiment of a Store—Scan To Add Items to Demo Store page. FIG. 59 shows a Store—Verify Store Inventory page. FIG. 60 shows an embodiment, of a Store—Import Items to Store page. FIG. 58 shows an embodiment of a Store—Create/Edit Store Categories page. FIG. 62 shows an embodiment of a Store—Edit Demo Store Item Categories page. FIG. 63 shows an embodiment of a Store—Create Store Order page. FIG. 61 shows an embodiment of a Store—Change Existing Order page/dialog box. FIG. 65 shows an embodiment of a Store—Receive Demo Store Order page. FIG. 66 shows an embodiment of a Store—View Store Item Information page. FIG. 67 shows an embodiment of a Store—Store Settings page. FIG. 68 shows an embodiment of a Store—Station (or Kiosk) Settings page.
FIG. 69 shows an embodiment of a User—User Management page.
FIGS. 70-72 show Accounting functionality for the vendor/administrator. FIG. 70 shows an Accounting—Account Credit/Reimbursement page. FIG. 71 shows an Accounting—Cashbox Reconciliation page. FIG. 75 shows an embodiment of a Trust Accounting—Tax Collected page.
FIGS. 73-80 show various reports functions. FIG. 73 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Cashbox Reconciliation History page. FIG. 74 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Cash Transactions page. FIG. 75 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Credit Card Transactions page. FIG. 76 shows an embodiment of an Accounting—User Transactions page. FIG. 77 shows an embodiment of an Accounting—Market Account Deposits by Date page. FIG. 78 shows an embodiment of a Reports—All Transactions page. FIG. 79 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Average Customer Transactions page. FIG. 80 shows an embodiment of a Reports—Sales By Item page.
FIGS. 81-90 show embodiments of touch screen user interfaces for Apple iPhone 4-5. FIG. 81 shows an embodiment of a touch screen user interface of a Home Screen for the mobile app for use by customers of the market of the invention. FIG. 82 shows a Scan To Login Screen (via scan barcode) whereby the User/Customer can simply hold their iPhone next to the Market Kiosk and login to their account to purchase items or do other tasks. FIG. 83 shows an embodiment of a user interface for Purchase Item for Searching for items or Scanning items. FIG. 84 shows an embodiment of an Add Item via Scan screen. FIG. 85 shows an embodiment of a View Cart screen. FIG. 86 shows an embodiment of an Initial Checkout screen. FIGS. 87 and 88 shows an embodiment of final, Confirm Checkout screens. FIG. 89 shows an embodiment of an About information screen. FIG. 90 shows an embodiment of an Account screen.
FIGS. 91-111 show yet another embodiment of the administrator interfaces for a vendor to manage and control their market, on-line, via Warehouse, Store, Catalogs, Users, Accounting, Trust Accounting, Reports, Kitchen and Operators Manual screens and sub-screens. A preferred process for setting up accounts for one or more stores and one or more warehouses, using the on-line tools is described below.
FIG. 112 shows a further embodiment of an interface for a user account for Purchasing Items.
A preferred process for an administrator/vendor for setting up and administering warehouses and markets/stores is described below.
Setting Up a New Operation
The following information is preferred for setting up a warehouse and market store:
- 1. Warehouse name, EX: “Three Square Warehouse”.
- 2. First market site name, EX: “Three Square Breakroom”.
- 3. A full list of items currently being purchased by the vendor and which is desired to be made a part of the market(s). These lists can be provided as either excel file or as a CSV (comma separated value).
Initial Log In
Once the information above is provided, the vendor/administrator can register a user account in the master system of the Super User, for example Three Square Market of Hudson, Wis. USA (“32Market”) via a webpage such as www.32market.com, and create a user account associated with a first market location.
Once the user/administrator has created user account the SuperUser (for example, 32Market) grants additional permissions to oversee the warehouse and market sites.
After the elevated your permissions you (administrator/vendor) can elevate your staff permission level by going to 32Markets mobile site (for example www.32market.com/mobile”) and finding them in the user menu.
Managing A Warehouse
Import Catalog Items.
- After selecting your (the user/administrator) catalog and warehouse location you are ready to mark items for importing to your warehouse. If you are adding a lot of items it may be easier to use the “Check All” at the top of the screen and then un-check the items you do not need.
- All items require that you specify the minimum and maximum stock level for your warehouse. When setting the minimums and maximums enter values based on the boxes or cases you receive.
- For example: Orange Soda (case 24) min=0.5 max=1 This means that we want to stock a minimum of 12 bottles and a max of 24.
- To speed up min and max assignment you can use the “Set All” values at the top of the screen and then adjust select items to higher or lower values.
- For those operators that will not be using our warehouse for inventory control we do offer the ability to bypass using the warehouse ordering. Enter any min and max and the Super Administrator will apply the setting once you have items in your warehouse.
Manage Warehouse Items
- This menu allows you to edit product defaults for things not edited on a regular basis. Options include; product names, descriptions, primary UPC, default selling price, default sales tax rate, and re-order point.
- Name, description, and selling price are the three things your customers see and they can search by name so try not to abbreviate key words.
- The default selling price is what will import to a new store. You can always adjust the price to something different at the store for store specific pricing.
- Default sales tax rate is what will import to a new store. You can also adjust the tax rate to a different percent at the store level.
- Re-order point defaults to “Min” meaning an item will not show up on a store pick list until it is equal to or less than the minimum stock level specified. When set to “Max” the item will show up on all store pick lists whether one item is needed or the maximum stock level specified. “Max” is recommended for use on items that are customer sensitive and must “always be available”.
Manage Warehouse Inventory
- This menu allows you to edit products in your warehouse, some things you may change on a regular basis such as stock level minimums and maximums.
- Using the check box on the far left side of any item and then saving will remove all checked items from your warehouse. You can re-add them from the catalog if you wish.
- In the event that you change who you order a product from you can change which vendor supplies the product. Setting the vendor specifies to the system which items should show up when you create a warehouse order to a vendor.
- You can make manual adjustments to the inventory by adjusting the pieces on hand value or by adjusting the boxes on hand value. *Caution* it is only necessary to change one of the two on hand values, the other will update automatically once the save all inventory button is pushed.
Verify Warehouse Inventory
- This function can be performed on site using an Opticon handheld Bluetooth scanner and a mobile phone or tablet device.
- To access visit (32market.com/mobile) select The Warehouse then Verify Warehouse Inventory. Scan each item and enter the value on hand, submit to start the next item. The mobile or tablet device must have internet access.
- This function can also be performed on a laptop computer with a wired or wireless scanner; the laptop must have internet access and be logged into 32market.com or 32market.com/mobile.
Create/edit Warehouse Categories
- Through this menu you can create new categories or edit the names of existing categories and disable existing categories.
Edit warehouse item categories
- Through this menu you can assign categories to your warehouse items. Each item can have up to 4 categories assigned for items that are tracked separately from their standard category.
Warehouse Expiration Management
- First, select your warehouse. If you have not yet marked items as expirable you will see the phrase “There arc no close dated items!” To mark items as expirable click the blue “Mark Items as Expirable” button. This will bring up a list of every item in your warehouse. You may click the button next to each item to Mark Item as Expirable. When receiving these items on future orders you will now be prompted to input the expiration date of that product.
- To view expirable items that have already been ordered and received you can click the blue “View Item Expirations” button. This will bring up the list of all items that arc expirable and their expiration dates of each batch received into the warehouse.
- In order for you to print barcodes for your expirable items you will need to click the blue “Print Barcodes” button. This will allow you to print a barcode sticker for each expirable item that was received into the warehouse. These barcodes will include a hidden reference to the expiration date it has in the system.
Create Warehouse Order
- Select your warehouse location and vendor then click “Set all items to Recommended” to display an automatically generated pick list based on your current inventory levels and your par settings for each item. You can edit these results further to increase or decrease certain items before creating the order with the “Create Order” button.
- If you do not click the “Set all items to Recommended’ you can create an order manually by viewing the entire list. Once you have entered all desired items click the “Create Order” button to save the order in the system.
Viewing a Warehouse Order
- Select the order you want to review. You can now view the order, print the order, or email the order depending on how you submit your order.
Receiving a Warehouse Order
- Select your warehouse location and then select the vendor and order you want to receive. On this screen you have the ability to edit the received quantities before finalizing the delivery in the event product was short, damaged, or otherwise unable to be received into inventory. Click “Receive Items” at the bottom of the screen.
Warehouse Maintenance
- Product count audit
- We recommend auditing the warehouse product inventory at least once per month with a handheld Opticon scanner and a mobile phone or tablet. This will ensure accurate warehouse inventory information for store picks and for warehouse orders to re-supply the warehouse.
- If you are not using our warehouse feature this is not required,
- Product expiratory audit
- We recommend checking fresh food items weekly to bi-weekly. We recommend all operators check their shelf stable product monthly. Frozen items can be checked bi-monthly to quarterly.
Managing A Market
Import Items to Store
- Select your warehouse and target store. Check the box next to any item you want to import to the store, an item without a box is already in the target store. Once all items have been selected click “Copy Warehouse Items to Store.” If you are adding many items it may be more efficient to check the “Select All Items” at the top and uncheck the items not needed. Note that when you are editing your min/max pars at the store level that these are based on unit counts. A min and max of 3/6 means you stock a minimum of 3 units and a maximum of 6 units.
Create Store Order
- Select your market location and click “Set to Recommended” to display an automatically generated pick list based on your current inventory levels and your par settings for each item. You can edit these results further to increase or decrease certain items before creating the order with the “Create Store Order” button.
- If you do not click the “Set to Recommended” you can create an order manually by viewing the entire list. Once you have entered all desired items click the “Create Store Order” button to save the order in the system.
View Store Order/Editing a Store Order
- Select your market location and then select the order you want to view, print, or edit. On this screen you can print the order with the “Print” button. You can edit how many units of each item will be sent to the store (in the event of a shortage or sending extra). If you do make changes, click the “Saves Order Changes” button at the top.
Receiving a Store Order
- Select your market location and then select the order you want to receive. On this screen you have the ability to edit the received quantities before finalizing the delivery in the event product was short, damaged, or otherwise unable to be left at the market. Click “Receive Items” at the bottom of the screen.
General Maintenance
- Inventory Spot Checks
- We recommend route drivers complete an inventory spot check at least once a week to get a 10 item random sampling to check to for inventory count inaccuracies.
- Verify Store inventory
- We recommend operators complete a full inventory count of their markets on a monthly-quarterly basis. Utilizing a Bluetooth type handheld scanner and a mobile phone or tablet counting a section or a store can be completed during business hours with real-time updating of the inventory. Customers can purchase items while you count. In a medium or large sized market you may wish to do sections of the market during each visit to make the task more manageable or if you have limited availability to access the location.
- Facing Merchandise
- Route drivers should recover the store on each visit by doing the following:
- Front products by making sure the product face is towards the customers.
- Bring shelved or pegged items forward to maintain a full store image with an un-shopped look. This is especially important for theft prevention where it is much easier to identify a missing item on video footage if the shelves are neatly arranged and fully stocked.
- Expiration Checks
- In a micro market environment requests for refunds are rare. When they do happen it is most likely related to a customer purchasing an expired product. Expirable inventory should be checked regularly to prevent a negative customer image and to prevent unnecessary refund requests.
- Equipment Cleaning and Maintenance
- Air filters should be cleaned, water filters replaced, coffee brewers cleaned, and coolers/freezers temperatures checked at least monthly to maintain a safe environment.
Reporting
Admin
- Tax Collected—Pick a date range and check the box for each store you want to total tax.
Accounting Reports
- Balance sheet (See below)
- Cashbox Reconciliation History
- Select store location
- Select date range
- Resulting list will show each reconciliation, date, and amount.
Example Balance Sheet
Referring also to FIG. 110, Select a Location and Date Range.
Assets
Credit—Total credit card transactions.
Undeposited—Cash removed from the kiosk but not yet brought to the bank.
Adjusting—Reimbursements and credits issued during the date range specified.
Liabilities
Cashtill—Amount of cash collected by the kiosk.
Market Acct—Final balance of customer market accounts (stored customer credit).
Payroll—Amount of uncollected payroll purchase revenue.
Sold Product—Total value of sold products during date range.
Unclaimed Funds—Final value of unclaimed funds not yet claimed from non-account
cash customers.
Adjusting—Reimbursements and credits issued during the date range specified.
Inventory Reports (Store and Warehouse)
- Current Warehouse Items Report
- A list of all warehouse items becomes available for printing or export.
- Current Store Items Report
- A list of all store items (one store) becomes available for printing or export.
- Current Catalog Items Report
- Search, print, or export one of your catalogs.
Transaction Reports
- Cash Transactions
- Select a store and date range, Use the “select” button to see more detail.
- Credit Card Transactions
- Select a store and date range. Use the “select” Button to see more detail.
- User Account Transactions
- Select a store and date range. Displays each market user purchase with detail.
- Market Account Deposits
- Select a store and date range. Displays only cash and credit card transactions that specifically added to a market account (does not display “change” added to accounts).
- All Transactions
- Select a store and date range. Displays all kiosk sales (cash, credit, and market account) and shows the method of payment with item details.
- Average Customer Transactions
- Select a store and date range. Displays many store sales figures including number of market account holders and averages based on user status.
- View Recently Sold Items
- Select a store and date range. Shows sales historically with reference to purchasers.
- Sales by Item
- Select a store and date range. Results can be sorted to view sales by highest sellers and will calculate proceeds. Can be sorted by category.
- Sales by Vendor
- Select a vendor, store, and date range. Results show sales volume based on vendor selected.
Creating a New Market
Registering the Site Name
- Contact the Super Administrator, preferably 3-4 weeks before the scheduled install to allow time to build the stores in the system, set min and max, and configure tax percentages.
Store Settings
Min CC Trans Fee (Minimum Credit Card Transaction Fee)
- Allows the operator to specify a minimum purchase amount that will allow a credit card to be accepted. Example: If 5.00 is input, $5.00 minimum will be required on a purchase to allow credit card usage.
Show Create Account
- Entering a value of “true” will enable the “New Account” button the kiosk for customers to use. This can be disabled by entering a value of “false”.
Default email button for new sites
- Under “Store Settings” you can set a value for “Default_Email_Domain” to create a new button for your users to speed up email entry. For example, if you input; @32market.com a button will show on all screens asking for email with “@32market.com” on it. Users can click that button instead of typing out their email extension. Once you have created this setting it will require a kiosk reboot to show the new email button.
Show Add Dog Tag
- Entering a value of “true” will allow market customers to pair key ring dog tag barcodes to their account for quick login access.
Kiosk Background Image
- Speak with your Three Square Market representative to get us a copy of your logo or custom background. We can load this image onto our server and provide you the web address to customize your deployed kiosks. Reminder, the kiosk must be rebooted to display the newly assigned image.
Kiosk Background Color
- The backdrop color of the kiosk screen can be customized using hex color values. You can search Google to find these codes but below are some common color codes. Reminder, the kiosk must be rebooted to display the newly assigned color.
- Visit www.colorhexa.com to view more color options.
- Blue=#0000ff Grey=#eeeeee
- Red=#ff0000 Black=#000000
New Account Discount Percent
- Enter the discount percent value. Example; a value of “5” input equals a 5% discount to the mobile phone app customer who purchases using their phone app.
New Account Discount Period
- Enter the number of days a new user can receive the “New Account Discount Percent” described above. Example; a value of 30 would allow the new customer 30 days of getting a discount for making purchases using their mobile phone app.
Quick Pick Category image
- This item pairs an image with the “Category for Button on Kiosk” which allows you to create a customizable button on the kiosk linked to a category of your choosing. If you provide an image as a jpg or .png to your Three Square Market representative for your custom buttons we can provide you the web address to link the button with the image provided. Remember, the kiosk requires a reboot to display the new image.
Category for Button on Kiosk
- Select from the drop down list the category you want displayed on the kiosk as a button. The most common use of this feature is to add a “Fruit” or “Coffee” button. Once the kiosk is rebooted the new button will display and any item assigned to the category “Fruit” will show in that list. This is very useful for items that do not have barcodes or arc purchased very frequently.
Show QuickPIN on Kiosk
- Entering a value of “true” will display the user's quick pin on the kiosk screen after successfully logging in. By default this is disabled to prevent someone from trying to steal a quick pin and password from a user. Entering a value of “false” will hide the quick pin value after log in.
Ignore Warehouse Inventory
- By entering a value of “true” in this field your store orders will generate with all items needed regardless of your warehouse supply. This feature is for those operators that choose to not track inventory through the Super Administrator (for example Three Square Market) system. Entering a value of “false” will disable this feature.
Show Suggestion Button
- Entering a value of “false” will disable the suggestion button from showing on the kiosk screen. You can enter a value of “true” if you want the button to show again. Remember, it requires a kiosk reboot to make these changes take effect on die kiosk.
Kiosk Auto Payment
- Entering a value of “true” will eliminate the need for the customer to touch the “Pay” button after swiping a credit card or after inserting enough money to complete a cash purchase. Select market locations have customers who do not touch the “Pay” button.
Kiosk Font Color
- The text color of the on screen text can be customized using hex color values. You can search Google to find these codes but below are some common color codes. Reminder, the kiosk must be rebooted to display the newly assigned color.
- Visit www.colorhcxa.com to view more color options.
- Blue= #0000ff Grey=#eeeeee
- Red=#ff0000 Black=#000000
Customer Service Recommendations For Supporting a Market
Personnel
- Route staff should maintain good personal hygiene and will only visit sites when wearing clean attire.
Equipment Maintenance
- At least monthly check cooler drain hoses, evaporator grates, and temperature of equipment.
- Coffee brewers should be cleaned as should fountain soda machines at least every other week to maintain good cleanliness.
Product Management
- Inventory Spot Checks
- Through this mobile site feature a route driver can confirm the on hand value of 10 random items in the store. A great way to identify theft or inventory issues on items not in your top 10 sellers.
- Verify Inventory
- Through this mobile site feature a route driver can use their handheld scanner to scan the barcode of each item and enter the current store count in real-time. This allows for a full inventory of a store with minimal interruption to your customers and less room for errors resulting from product being purchased during the inventory.
- Expiration Checks
- Monthly checks are recommended of all perishable merchandise at each location. This will minimize refund requests for this reason and maintain a strong market image with the customers.
- Product Rotation Check
- Every quarter we recommend a site supervisor visit the market and check the date codes on random items not in your top 10 sellers to verify route drivers arc properly rotating stock,
- Slow Sellers
- Review your expired product lists, sales by item list, and expired fresh food items reports.
FIGS. 115 to 118 are views of select mobile app interfaces for an Apple iPad. FIGS. 119 to 125 are views of select mobile app user interfaces for an iPhone 5. FIGS. 126 to 133 are view of select website user interfaces.
FIGS. 134 to 139 are views of select kiosk user interfaces. FIG. 134 is for changing email address. FIG. 135 is for changing account password. FIG. 136 is for credit card deposit. FIG. 137 is for purchase history. FIG. 138 is for scan tag. FIG. 139 is for suggestions.
FIGS. 140 to 143 are views of select mobile app interfaces. FIG. 140 is for feedback. FIG. 141 is to request a refund. FIG. 142 is to view transaction history. FIG. 143 is for withdraw funds.
FIGS. 144 to 153 are view of select website administrator interfaces. FIG. 144 is for add item to catalog. FIG. 145 is android remote support. FIG. 146 is catalog management. FIG. 147 is create store admin. FIG. 148 is create vendor admin. FIG. 149 is device management. FIG. 150 is invoice report. FIG. 151 is operator's files. FIG. 152 is operators manual view. FIG. 153 is to access training videos.
FIGS. 154-157 show an alternative embodiment of a kiosk, which utilizes a tablet PC. FIG. 112 is a front view of the alternative kiosk with its front cover removed and showing a tablet PC embedded in a frame. FIG. 113 is a front view of the alternative kiosk with the tabic PC removed. FIG. 114 shows a Raspberry Pi type ARM GNU/Linux
microcontroller that communicatively connects the table PC to a scanner module.
The embodiments above are chosen, described and illustrated so that persons skilled in the art will be able to understand the invention and the manner and process of making and using it. The descriptions and the accompanying drawings should be interpreted in the illustrative and not the exhaustive or limited sense. The invention is not intended to be limited to the exact forms disclosed. While the application attempts to disclose all of the embodiments of the invention that arc reasonably foreseeable, there may be unforeseeable insubstantial modifications that remain as equivalents. It should be understood by persons skilled in the art that there may be other embodiments than those disclosed which fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Where a claim, if any, is expressed as a means or step for performing a specified function it is intended that such claim be construed to cover the corresponding structure, material, or acts described in the specification and equivalents thereof, including both structural equivalents and equivalent structures, material-based equivalents and equivalent materials, and act-based equivalents and equivalent acts.
Patent Grant
10074083
