AU2021376443A1

AU2021376443A1 - System and method for the supply of reusable products

Info

Publication number: AU2021376443A1
Application number: AU2021376443A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Andreas Nikitas Economopoulos; Kerri-Anne Economopoulos
Original assignee: Hyra Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Hyra Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2020-11-05
Filing date: 2021-11-05
Publication date: 2023-06-15
Also published as: WO2022094665A1

Abstract

A method for the supply of reusable products, the method including at least one server and comprising the steps of: a) Providing an electronic interface associated with an electronic tracking system on an electronic device associated with a consumer; b) Associating, with the electronic tracking system, reusable products with the consumer; c) Dispensing the reusable products from a source of the reusable products to the consumer for use; d) Retrieving used reusable products from the consumer and de-associating, with the electronic tracking system, the reusable products from the consumer; e) Cleaning the used reusable products to form cleaned reusable products; and f) Returning the cleaned reusable products to the source and/or the consumer.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE SUPPLY OF REUSABLE PRODUCTS

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001 ] The present invention relates to a system and method for the supply of reusable products. In particular, the present invention relates to an electronic system (hardware and software) and method for the supply of reusable products.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In recent times, many retailers have, in response to community expectations and government regulations, reduced their reliance on single use plastics, including through the provision of plastic shopping bags, packaging and containers to their customers in which to carry purchases.

[0003] While a reduction in the availability of single use plastics has significant environmental benefits, it has lead to new issues such as the over-purchase and under-utilisation of reusable options, or the purchase of less sustainable products (such as may occur if a consumer forgets to bring their reusable products or brings insufficient reusable products for the size of their purchase). Furthermore, there is no clear measure of the effectiveness of current solutions.

[0004] In addition, the onset of Covid-19 has brought attention to issues surrounding the hygiene and cleanliness of reusable products, with the handling of reusable products by both retail staff and customers increasing the risk of transmission of bacteria and viruses.

[0005] At present, there are some services that pay a user for the return of recyclable materials, or materials that require safe disposal. However, these services are typically standalone services for specific types of goods only, and do not cover a broad range of materials to be recycled or disposed of.

[0006] Thus, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a method for the supply of reusable products that reduces the current issues of over-purchase and under-utilisation of existing reusable products, but also reduced or eliminated the potential health issues surrounding the use of reusable products, while also being able to more accurately measure the efficacy of these products as well as provide them in a circular economy method for maximum re-use of materials in their manufacture.

[0007] In addition, there would be an advantage if it were possible to provide a method for the return and/or recycle of multiple types or classes of goods to the same location.

[0008] It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0009] The present invention is directed to a system and method for the supply of reusable products, which may at least partially overcome at least one of the abovementioned disadvantages or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

[0010] With the foregoing in view, in a first aspect the present invention resides broadly in a method for the supply of reusable products comprising the steps of: a) Providing a source of reusable products to a consumer; b) Dispensing reusable products from the source to the consumer for use; c) Retrieving used reusable products from the consumer; d) Cleaning the used reusable products to form cleaned reusable products; and e) Returning the cleaned reusable products to the source and/or the consumer.

[0011] The source of reusable products may be of any suitable form, and in some embodiments of the invention a plurality of sources of reusable products may be provided. In some embodiments of the invention, the consumer may be required to go to the source to obtain the reusable products. For instance, the source of the reusable products may be a store, distribution centre, vending machine or the like. In other embodiments of the invention, the source may be located remote to the consumer. In this embodiment of the invention, the source may dispense the reusable products to the consumer by, for instance, delivering the reusable products to the consumer, such as via a postal service, courier, ride share service or similar delivery service. In some embodiments of the invention, the delivery of the reusable products may be associated with an existing delivery service, such as a grocery delivery service, prepared food delivery services and the like. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a plurality of sources of reusable products may be provided, and a consumer may be able to select from which of the plurality of sources the reusable products will be dispensed.

[0012] In some embodiments of the invention, the method may be configured so that any consumer may access the source of reusable products. More preferably, however, a consumer may be required to register before the consumer is able to access the source of reusable products.

[0013] The consumer may register in any suitable manner. Preferably, however, the consumer may be required to register using an electronic interface. The electronic interface may be of any suitable form and may be accessed in any suitable manner. For instance, the electronic interface may be provided on a screen or display provided on a vending machine or at a terminal or computer within a store. In other embodiments, the electronic interface may be accessed using an electronic device (such as a computer, smart watch, mobile telephone, computing tablet or the like). Thus, in this embodiment of the invention, the electronic interface may be provided on a website, or on an app downloaded to the electronic device. Preferably, registration is automated using the electronic interface. In some embodiments of the invention, the consumer’s registration may be associated with an existing registration or membership, such as a store loyalty program, rewards program or the like.

[0014] It is envisaged that, in order to register, the consumer may be required to supply one or more pieces of information such as name, date of birth or address. In some embodiments of the invention, a buyer may also be required to register one or more payment credentials (financial institution account, credit or debit card, an account with an online payment system, a gift card, or any other account from which money may be withdrawn). [0015] In some embodiments of the invention, the consumer may access the reusable products directly from the supplier. Alternatively, the consumer may access the reusable products from the supplier via an intermediary.

[0016] In embodiments of the invention in which the consumer accesses the reusable products from the supplier, it is envisaged that the supplier may provide and operate the sources of the reusable products. Alternatively, the supplier may provide the reusable products to an intermediary, and the intermediary may provide and/or operate the sources of the reusable products. In some embodiments of the invention, at least some of the sources of reusable products may be provided and operated by the supplier, while others may be provided and operated by one or more intermediaries.

[0017] The intermediary may be of any suitable type. For instance, the intermediary may be a distributor. In this embodiment, the supplier may supply the reusable products to the distributor and receive used reusable products from the distributor for cleaning, while the distributor provides and operates the sources (or distributes the reusable products to one or more further intermediaries, such as shopping centre management, retailers and the like, or any suitable combination thereof).

[0018] In other embodiments of the invention, the intermediary may be a shopping centre management body, a retail group, individual retailers or the like. In these embodiments, the supplier may supply the reusable products to the intermediary which may then provide a source of the reusable products within their shopping centre, retail chain, store and the like. Thus, the consumer may be a customer of the intermediary rather than a customer of the supplier. It is envisaged that the supply of reusable products to intermediaries in this manner may allow for the customisation of the reusable products. For instance, the reusable products may be provided with indicia (words, such as the name of the intermediary, images, logos etc.) associated with the intermediary. Thus, the reusable products may be used as promotional or advertising tools. Alternatively, the size and/or shape of the reusable product may be customised to hold a particular product or products sold by the intermediary. [0019] In some embodiments, the consumer may return the used reusable products to the supplier and/or the intermediary. If used reusable products are returned to the intermediary, the intermediary may then return the used reusable products to the supplier for cleaning.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic interface may be associated with an electronic tracking system. It is envisaged that the electronic tracking system may be housed on a server (such as, but not limited to, a cloudbased server), and consumers may gain access to the electronic tracking system through an internet connection whereby the consumer remotely accesses the electronic tracking system. Preferably, the electronic tracking system is provided with one or more user interfaces that are displayed on the display of the electronic device the consumer uses to access the electronic tracking system.

[0021] It is envisaged that the electronic tracking system may maintain a database of consumers that have registered with the electronic tracking system using the electronic interface. In addition, it is envisaged that the electronic tracking system may maintain a database of reusable products.

[0022] It is envisaged that the electronic tracking system may record and/or store any suitable information therein. The information may be stored in any suitable location, such as in the database of consumers, the database of reusable products, a different database, or any combination thereof.

[0023] Any suitable information may be recorded and/or stored by the electronic tracking system. In some embodiments, the information may include requests generated by consumers to have reusable products inspected (such as when the reusable products are dirty or damaged), how often the reusable products have been used, distance or geography travelled by the reusable products, number of cleaning and/or repair cycles, the nature of any goods returned for recycling and/or disposal with the reusable products and so on.

[0024] It is envisaged that the information recorded and/or stored by the electronic tracking system may be analysed. The information may be analysed in any suitable manner and using any suitable device. Preferably, however, the information may be analysed using one or more computing devices. The information may be analysed to generate any suitable analysis, although in a preferred embodiment of the invention the information may be analysed to generate analysed information relating to the use, reusability and/or recycling of the reusable products.

[0025] Preferably, the analysed information may be utilised to allow the electronic tracking system to identify reusable products within the system that require repair or recycling before this is identified by a consumer. In this way, it is envisaged that the consumer may substantially always be provided with clean and/or undamaged reusable products. The analysed data may identify reusable products for cleaning or repair through a combination of information relating to the previous use, distance travelled, previous cleaning, previous repair and so on of the reusable products in order to determine when the reusable products may require further cleaning and/or repair.

[0026] In some embodiments of the invention, the electronic tracking system may further comprise one or more machine learning modules. The machine learning modules may use any suitable algorithm, although in a preferred embodiment of the invention the one or more machine learning modules may utilise natural language processing techniques in order to process the information and generate the analysed information.

[0027] In embodiments in which the electronic tracking system comprises one or more machine learning modules, it is envisaged that the machine learning modules may comprise an intelligent agent including artificial intelligence, machine learning algorithms, deep learning models, computer vision algorithms, and the like. It is envisaged that the machine learning modules may be configured to identify and analyse relevant information and that, as the amount of information received by the electronic tracking system increases over time, the ability of the machine learning modules to rapidly, accurately and/or efficiently identify relevant information and generate analysed information may improve.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, the reusable products dispensed from the source may be associated with the consumer. In a more preferred embodiment of the invention, the reusable products may be electronically associated with the consumer. For instance, the reusable products may be provided with an identifier (such as, but not limited to, a barcode, serial number, electronic tag or the like, or any suitable combination thereof) that allows the reusable products to be associated with the consumer (for instance, via a form of identification of the consumer such as a driver licence, a payment credential such as a credit card, a telephone number and so on, or any suitable combination thereof). In this way, the reusable products may be monitored to ensure that it is retrieved following use.

[0029] In other embodiments, the consumer may be issued with an electronic pass (such as a swipe card, near field communication (NFC) tag, RFID tag or the like) that may allow reusable products to be associated with the consumer. For instance, a consumer may use the electronic pass to dispense reusable products from a vending machine. Alternatively, the consumer may use an electronic device to associate the reusable products with themselves. For instance, the electronic device may be used to scan an authorisation token (such as a barcode, QR code, serial number, electronic tag or the like) to authorise the dispensing of reusable products. The authorisation token may be provided at any suitable location, such as on a vending machine or similar dispenser.

[0030] It is envisaged that the method may be configured to allow a consumer to order reusable products for delivery to an address nominated by the consumer, or for collection at a location convenient to the consumer (such as a shopping centre, distribution centre or store). The consumer may order reusable products on an as- needs basis or may schedule a regular delivery and/or collection of reusable products.

[0031] In embodiments of the invention in which the reusable products are delivered to the consumer, the electronic tracking system may electronically associate the reusable products with the consumer. This may be done, for instance, when reusable products are assigned for delivery to the consumer. In other embodiments, including when reusable products are delivered, collected or obtained from a vending machine, the consumer may be required to associate the reusable products with their account in the electronic tracking system. This may be achieved using any suitable technique, such as entering a serial number associated with the reusable products into the electronic interface or scanning a two-dimensional identifier (such as a barcode, QR code or the like) using the consumer’s electronic device. In other embodiments of the invention, the reusable products may be provided with an electronic tag. In this embodiment, it is envisaged that the consumer may associate the reusable products with their account by holding their electronic device in abutment with, or close proximity to, the electronic tag. Thus, the present invention may make use of near field communication in order to associate the reusable products with the consumer (and, more specifically, with the electronic device of the consumer).

[0032] In some embodiments of the invention, the consumer may be required to pay a fee for the reusable products as they are dispensed, or when they are associated with the consumer’s account with the electronic tracking system. In other embodiments of the invention, the consumer may be required to pay a fee for the reusable products when delivery of the products is requested. In further embodiments of the invention, the consumer may be required to pay a fee (a one-off fee or a recurring fee) to maintain their account with the electronic tracking system. In this embodiment, it is envisaged that the payment of the fee to maintain a consumer’s account may allow the consumer to have reusable products dispensed to them. On payment of the fee, the consumer may be able to access any number of reusable products. Alternatively, a number of fee levels may be provided, with the fee levels corresponding to the number of reusable products a consumer may access during a predetermined period of time. In this embodiment, the consumer may elect to pay a fee at the fee level corresponding to the number of reusable products they will use during the predetermined time period. In some embodiments, the consumer may be required to pay a fee for the collection of used reusable products. These fees may be paid in full by a user, or may be subsidised by an associated loyalty program or delivery partner. In other embodiments, the fees may be paid (or at least subsidised) by a program that receives reusable products that must be removed from the supply chain (such as a recycling service, waste disposal service or the like).

[0033] Once dispensed, and associated with the consumer, the reusable products may be used for any suitable purpose. Thus, the reusable products may be of any suitable form. For instance, the reusable products may comprise shopping bags (or similar receptables such as boxes, containers or the like), postal packaging, food trays and packaging, beverage containers (such as coffee cups, water bottles and the like), linen, towels, clothing (such as uniforms), batteries and the like. In some embodiments of the invention (such as when the reusable product comprises postal packaging) it is envisaged that the consumer to whom the reusable product was dispensed may not be the consumer from whom the used reusable product is retrieved. Instead, a different consumer may arrange for the retrieval of the reusable product, although the reusable product will remain associated with the account in the electronic tracking system of the consumer to whom the reusable product was dispensed.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reusable products may be at least partially fabricated from recyclable, biodegradable and/or compostable materials. In this way, at the end of their service lives, the reusable products may be disposed of or remanufactured in an environmentally friendly manner.

[0035] Once the consumer is in possession of the reusable products, the consumer may use the reusable products in any suitable manner, for any suitable purpose and for any period of time. However, once the consumer has finished with the reusable products, the reusable products may be retrieved from the consumer. The retrieval of the reusable products does not necessarily need to occur as soon as, or even shortly after, the consumer has finished using the reusable products. Instead, the consumer may delay the retrieval of the reusable products for any reason, such as convenience, gathering multiple reusable products for retrieval or the like. In some embodiments, the consumer may be provided with an incentive to return the used reusable products. Any suitable incentive may be provided, although it is envisaged that the incentive may be provided using the electronic tracking system. Incentives may include monetary rewards, discounts on future transactions using the electronic tracking system, store discounts or vouchers and the like, or any suitable combination thereof. In other embodiments of the invention, incentives may be provided through the provision of materials, such as educational materials explaining the benefits (environmental, financial or the like) of returning the reusable products and/or the adverse effects of not returning the reusable products. [0036] Retrieving used reusable products from the consumer may be achieved using any suitable technique. For instance, the used reusable products may be retrieved from an address nominated by the consumer, such as, but not limited to, the consumer’s home, place of work, or the like by a courier, delivery service and so on. Alternatively, the consumer may return the used reusable products to a collection point (such as a shopping centre, shop, distribution centre or the like). In other embodiments of the invention, the consumer may return the used reusable products via a postal service, a courier service, an associated partner network and so on.

[0037] In embodiments of the invention in which the used reusable products are retrieved from an address nominated by the consumer, it is envisaged that the consumer may make a telephone call, send an SMS message, send an email and so on to arrange collection of the used reusable products. More preferably, the consumer may access the electronic tracking system using an electronic device associated with the consumer. The electronic tracking system may be access through an app downloaded to the electronic device, or via a website accessed using the electronic device. In other emboiments, the consumer may access he electronic tracking system through a platform (such as an app or website) hosted by an associated business (such as a grocery delivery surface, prepared food delivery service or the like). The consumer may nominate the location from which the used reusable products are to be retrieved. Other information, such as a preferred time of collection, may also be entered. In some embodiments of the invention, the consumer may, using the electronic tracking system, identify the used reusable products to be collected. This may be achieved using any suitable technique, such as entering a serial number associated with the used reusable products into the electronic interface or scanning a two-dimensional identifier (such as a barcode, QR code or the like) using the consumer’s electronic device. In other embodiments of the invention, the used reusable products may be provided with an electronic tag. In this embodiment, it is envisaged that the consumer may identify the used reusable products to be retrieved by holding their electronic device in abutment with, or close proximity to, the electronic tag. Thus, the present invention may make use of near field communication in order to identify the used reusable products to be returned. [0038] In other embodiments, the used reusable products may be scanned automatically or manually once retrieved. This may be done by, for instance, the courier or delivery driver or may be performed in a collection centre or the like to which the used reusable products are delivered.

[0039] In embodiments of the invention in which the used reusable products are returned by the consumer to a shop, shopping centre, distribution centre or the like, the consumer may identify the used reusable products being returned in the same manner as described above. Alternatively, the used reusable products retrieved from the consumer may be scanned automatically or manually to identify the used reusable products that have been retrieved.

[0040] It is envisaged that, regardless of the technique used, once the used reusable products have been scanned, the used reusable products will be removed from the consumer’s account with the electronic tracking system.

[0041] Although the reusable products retrieved from the consumer are described as “used” reusable products, it will be understood that the reusable products do not necessarily have to have been used for their usual purpose. For instance, if the reusable product comprises a shopping bag, the shopping bag does not necessarily have to have been used to carry shopping to be considered a “used” reusable product. Instead, the term “used” in this context is intended to indicate that the reusable product is no longer sanitised in that it has been handled by the consumer. Thus, even reusable products that have not been used for their usual purpose may be considered to be “used reusable products” in that they must be cleaned before they can be returned to service.

[0042] As previously stated, the used reusable products are cleaned once retrieved from the consumer in order to form cleaned reusable products. The used reusable products may be cleaned using any suitable technique and using any suitable cleaning products. It will be understood that the cleaning technique and cleaning products used to clean the use reusable products may vary depending on the type of reusable products to be cleaned. [0043] Preferably, the used reusable products may be cleaned in order to at least remove visible soil, debris, micro-organisms and/or organic substances from the surface thereof. More preferably, the used reusable products may be cleaned so as to reduce bacteria present on the used reusable products to safe levels (for instance, set by public health standards) to decrease the risk of infection to subsequent consumers. Still more preferably, the used reusable products may be cleaned so as to substantially eliminate pathogens and micro-organisms. Thus, the terms “cleaned” or “cleaning” used throughout the specification are intended to encompass cleaning, sterilisation and/or disinfection of the used reusable products.

[0044] The used reusable products may be cleaned at any suitable location. For instance, the cleaned reusable products may be cleaned at the location to which the consumer returns them. Alternatively, one or more cleaning facilities may be provided to which the used reusable products are transported for cleaning. Thus, the used reusable products may be cleaned at the source of the reusable products or at a location remote to the source of the reusable products.

[0045] After cleaning, the cleaned reusable products are returned to the source of reusable products from where a consumer may again access the reusable products for use. In other embodiments of the invention, the reusable products may be returned directly to the customer, or to a different customer.

[0046] It will be understood that, from time to time, reusable products may need to be removed from the supply chain. This may be for a number of reasons: damage to the reusable products (whether reparable or not), a reusable product that cannot be effectively cleaned, the phasing out of old styles of reusable products, the age of the reusable product and so on. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method may include the further step of identifying and removing waste reusable products. The waste reusable products may be removed at any suitable point in the method. However, it is preferred that the waste reusable products may be removed upon retrieval from the consumer. The waste reusable products may be removed from the supply chain before or after cleaning, although it will be understood that in some embodiments of the invention, it would be more efficient and cost effective to remove waste reusable products from the supply chain before incurring the cost of cleaning the waste reusable products. In other embodiments, however, defects with the waste reusable products (such as damage of the inability to effectively clean the waste reusable products) may only become apparent after the cleaning process.

[0047] The waste reusable products may be identified using any suitable technique. For instance, a consumer may identify reusable products that should be removed from the supply chain using the electronic tracking system. For instance, the consumer may scan a tag (such as an NFC tag) of the reusable product and indicate within the electronic tracking system that the reusable product needs to be removed from the supply chain. Alternatively, the consumer may manually identify a reusable product that needs to be removed from the supply chain, such as by providing photographs, written descriptions etc. of the problem with the reusable product. The identification of the reusable product that requires removal from the supply chain may be achieved using any suitable technique, although in a preferred embodiment, the identification is provided to the electronic tracking system (for instance, via an app downloaded to the electronic device of the consumer, or via a website).

[0048] In other embodiments of the invention, waste reusable products may be identified by a worker, such as a delivery driver, courier, cleaning station operator or the like. Still further, it is envisaged that, upon the delivery of the used reusable products to the cleaning station, the used reusable products may be scanned to track their location within the supply chain. Upon scanning, the electronic tracking system may identify that the used reusable product should be removed from the supply chain (for instance, if damage has been reported by a consumer, if the used reusable product has reached a predetermined age, or has been used a predetermined number of times, or the used reusable product has been superseded by a new line of reusable products).

[0049] Although reusable products removed from the supply chain are termed “waste reusable products”, the waste reusable products need not necessarily be discarded. For instance, the waste reusable products may be repaired, recycled or remanufactured into new reusable products (or different products). Thus, the term “waste” as applied to the waste reusable products simply indicates that the reusable products are no longer fit for their intended purpose and should be removed from the supply chain.

[0050] In some embodiments of the invention, the system and method of the present invention may be used to return two or more types of goods simultaneously. In this embodiment of the invention, the two or more types of goods may be reusable products. Alternatively, at least one of the two or more types of goods may be reusable. In this embodiment of the invention, the other of the two or more types of goods may be returned for recycling or disposal (and, in particular, for safe or specialised disposal).

[0051] In this embodiment of the invention, the two or more types of goods may be of any suitable form. Preferably, at least one of the two or more types of goods comprises reusable packaging (such as, but not limited to, shopping containers, bags, boxes or the like). Preferably, at least one of the two or more types of goods comprises goods for recycling or disposal. These goods may be of any suitable form, and may include bottles, cans or similar receptacles (such as those fabricated glass, plastic or aluminium), products made from paper or cardboard, batteries and so on. In embodiments of the invention in which batteries are returned, it is envisaged that the batteries may be returned in packaging specific to batteries. This may be done to reduce or eliminate the possibility of chemical leakage onto other goods from old or damaged batteries, to reduce or eliminate the risk of fire, and other similar safety concerns.

[0052] It is envisaged that, upon receipt of the returned goods (including the use reusable products) the separation of the used reusable goods from the other goods may be performed. The separation of goods may be performed manually or may be at least partially automated. The other goods (i.e. goods for recycling or disposal) may be collected and transported to a suitable recycling or disposal centre. Alternatively, the cleaning station for the used reusable goods may be located near (or associated with) a recycling or disposal facility. In this way, two or more different types or classes of goods may be returned to the same location, thereby providing a practical, efficient and sustainable way in which to return and sort products. [0053] As previously stated, the reusable products may be provided with an electronic tag, and preferably a near field communication (NFC) tag. It is envisaged that the NFC tag may be used with the consumer’s electronic device. However, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a further electronic tag may be provided on the reusable products. The further electronic tag may be of any suitable form, although in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the further electronic tag allows for relatively long-range tracking of the reusable products. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the further electronic tag may comprise an RFID tag.

[0054] Preferably, the electronic tracking system may be in electronic communication with the further electronic tag of each of the reusable products. The electronic tracking system may be in electronic communication with the further electronic tag of each of the reusable products at all times (i.e. including when the reusable products are in the possession of the consumer) or the electronic tracking system may interrogate the further electronic tag when the used reusable products are retrieved from the consumer.

[0055] Preferably, the electronic tracking system may obtain one or more pieces of information from the further electronic tags. Any suitable pieces of information may be obtained such as, but not limited to, how many times the reusable product has been used, the effective service life of the reusable product, whether the customer has logged any problems with the reusable product (such as damage, marks, stains etc.), how many times the NFC tag has been used, the locations in which the reusable product has been circulated and/or used (general geographical locations as well as specific retail locations) and so on.

[0056] In other embodiments, the further electronic tags may be used to obtain information relating to the consumer. For instance, the electronic tracking system may obtain information relating to the consumer’s shopping habits, including the retailers the consumer most commonly frequents. By obtaining this information, the electronic tracking system may provide the consumer with promotional material (including catalogues, sales offers, vouchers and the like) relating to the consumer’s favourite retailers, thereby improving the ability to provide only relevant promotional material to the consumer. [0057] In some embodiments of the invention, the information obtained from the further electronic tags may be used by the electronic tracking system to predict future need for reusable products. The future need may be need at a source or by an intermediary. Future need may also be the need for a supplier to produce new reusable products, such as when a certain number of reusable products are close to being removed from service, or have been removed from service. In these embodiments, it is envisaged that the electronic tracking system may alert the supplier to manufacture (or otherwise obtain) new reusable products.

[0058] In other embodiments, the information obtained from the further electronic tags may be used by the electronic tracking system to provide targeted material (such as promotional material, business development material, product material etc.) to an intermediary or consumer. For instance, if a new reusable product is available (or soon to be available) the information obtained from the further electronic tags may allow the supplier to promote the new reusable product to intermediaries and/or consumers that are most likely to use it.

[0059] Further, the information obtained from the further electronic tags may allow for the calculation of certain metrics associated with one or more intermediaries. Any suitable metrics may be calculated, such as, but not limited to, corporate social responsibility (CSR). The calculated CSR may be used to promote an intermediary’s business, or may be used by the supplier to encourage an intermediary to improve its CSR.

[0060] In a most preferred embodiment of the invention, each of the reusable products may comprise an NFC tag and an RFID tag. In this embodiment of the invention, the NFC tag may be configured to communicate with the electronic device of the consumer, while the RFID tag may be configured to store information relating to the reusable products (and, by extension, the consumer).

[0061] In a preferred embodiment, it is envisaged that the electronic tracking system may comprise a processor and an electronic database operatively associated with the processor. Preferably, the database stores information relating to the reusable products and, more specifically, information stored by the RFID tag. Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic tracking system may comprise one or RFID readers. Any suitable RFID reader may be provided, although it is preferred that the one or more RFID readers are configured to read the information stored on the RDID tags and transmit the information to the database for storage. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the one or more RFID readers may transmit the information to a file server which may, in turn, transmit the information to the database for storage.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the electronic interface may be housed on the file server and accessed via remote internet connection by the electronic device of the consumer.

[0063] By obtaining the one or more pieces of information, it is envisaged that the electronic tracking system may be configured to determine when a reusable product must be removed from service (e.g. for repair, recycling, discarding and so on), or moved to or from locations of greater or lesser demand for reusable products (for logistical planning purposes) and the like based on the information.

[0064] Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides for the arranging, conducting and/or tracking of recycling of the reusable products and/or the additional goods. In particular, the present invention provides for this when the reusable products and/or additional goods have reached the end of their usable life. Thus, the present invention provides for the use, reuse and recycling of goods in the manner of a circular economy.

[0065] In some embodiments of the invention, the reusable products may be provided with a locating device. Any suitable locating device may be provided, such as, but not limited to, a GPS device or a geolocation device. In these embodiments, the locating device may allow for tracking of the location of the reusable products. This may be of use in situations in which the customer loses the reusable products, including in the case of theft.

[0066] In a second aspect, the invention resides broadly in a method for the supply of reusable products, the method including at least one server and comprising the steps of: a) Providing an electronic interface associated with an electronic tracking system on an electronic device associated with a consumer; b) Associating, with the electronic tracking system, reusable products with the consumer; c) Dispensing the reusable products from a source of the reusable products to the consumer for use; d) Retrieving used reusable products from the consumer and de-associating, with the electronic tracking system, the reusable products from the consumer; e) Cleaning the used reusable products to form cleaned reusable products; and f) Returning the cleaned reusable products to the source and/or the consumer.

[0067] In a third aspect, the invention resides broadly in an electronic tracking system including at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: a) Receive, from an electronic device associated with a consumer, a request to dispense a reusable product to the consumer; b) Electronically associate the reusable product with an account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer; c) Receive, from the electronic device associated with the consumer, a request to retrieve the reusable product from the consumer; and d) Upon receipt of the reusable product, electronically disassociate the reusable product with the account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer.

[0068] In a fourth aspect, the invention resides broadly in a method, in a communication environment including a third-party transaction server comprising a processor and a memory, for importing and sorting data to an electronic tracking system, the method comprising:

Receiving, by the third-party transaction server, a request from an electronic device associated with a consumer to dispense a reusable product to the consumer;

Associating, by the third-party transaction server, the reusable product with an account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer;

Receiving, by the third-party transaction server, a request from the electronic device associated with the consumer to retrieve the reusable product from the consumer; and

Upon receipt of the reusable product, disassociating, by the third-party transaction server, the reusable product from the account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer.

[0069] In a fifth aspect, the invention resides broadly in a third-party transaction server for importing usage data to an electronic tracking system, the third-party transaction server comprising:

A file server configured to receive the usage data from a plurality of reusable products;

A database that stores the received usage data;

A data backend communicatively coupled to the database, the data backend managing access and retrieval of the usage data;

A data collection module associated with the data backend, the data collection device configured to collect and sort the usage data into a plurality of usage categories;

An electronic interface communicatively coupled to the data backend and to a consumer client device, the electronic interface configured to send a dispensing request to dispense at least one of the plurality of reusable products to a consumer; Wherein when the data backend receives the dispensing request, the data backend electronically associates the at least one of the plurality of reusable products with an account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer;

Wherein the electronic interface is further configured to send a retrieval request to retrieve the at least one of the plurality of reusable products from the consumer;

And wherein when the data backend receives the retrieval request, the data backend electronically disassociates the at least one of the plurality of reusable products with the account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer.

[0070] The present invention provides numerous advantages over the prior art. Firstly, the present invention eliminates the problem of forgetting to take reusable products (or taking insufficient reusable products) when going shopping when a source of reusable products is located within a shop or shopping centre. In addition, the present invention reduces the under-utilisation of existing reusable products (and the associated waste of resources) by allowing a consumer to order only the volume of reusable products that they require. Additionally, the present invention offers a solution to supplying reusable products through online ordering of purchases where typically, the consumer is usually forced to purchase lesser alternatives such as plastic bags or single use packaging. Further, the cleaning of used reusable products before they are returned to service reduces or eliminates the risk of the transmission of bacteria or viruses between consumers and retail staff. Finally, from a business perspective, the present invention not only allows for the tracking of the reusable products in order to monitor their usage, service life, geographical location and so on, but also allows for the tracking of a consumer’s spending habits in order to provide the consumer with promotional material most relevant to their habits. In addition, the present invention offers an extension to existing logistic and supply chains (such as waste management and recycling) by providing an improved process for the separation of goods, as well as a connected collection mechanism. [0071 ] Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention.

[0072] The reference to any prior art in this specification is not and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that the prior art forms part of the common general knowledge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0073] Preferred features, embodiments and variations of the invention may be discerned from the following Detailed Description which provides sufficient information for those skilled in the art to perform the invention. The Detailed Description is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Detailed Description will make reference to a number of drawings as follows:

[0074] Figure 1 illustrates a method for the supply of reusable products according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] Figure 2 illustrates steps in a method for the supply of reusable products according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0076] Figure 1 illustrates a method 10 for the supply of reusable products according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this Figure, before a consumer may gain access to the reusable products, the consumer must create an account with the electronic tracking system by signing up 1 1 . While a consumer may request the dispensing of reusable products on an as-needs basis, Figure 1 embodies a situation in which the consumer subscribes 12 to the electronic tracking system and chooses their level of subscription (which may include factors such as the type of reusable products required, the number of reusable products required, the frequency with which reusable products are required and so on).

[0077] The consumer may choose how they wish to have the reusable products dispensed to them. For instance, the consumer may elect to collect the reusable products in store 13, to have the reusable products shipped 14 to their chosen address or to have reusable products dispensed to them from a vending machine 15. Once the reusable products are dispensed to the consumer, the reusable products are electronically associated with the consumer’s account with the electronic tracking system. This association may be made when the products are shipped 14 to the consumer (such as by mail or courier), or the consumer may associate the reusable products with their account through near field communication between an NFC tag associated with the reusable product and the electronic device of the consumer.

[0078] The dispensing of reusable products to the consumer may be linked to a commercial partner 36 and, in particular, the consumer’s registration with a commercial partner 36. For instance, the dispensing of reusable products may be linked to a loyalty program or rewards program provided by the commercial partner 36.

[0079] Once the consumer is in possession of the reusable products, the consumer may use 16 the reusable products. At the completion of use, the used reusable products are retrieved from the consumer. This may be done either by the consumer returning the used reusable products to a store or collection centre 17 or requesting collection 18 of the used reusable products from a nominated location.

[0080] Once retrieved, the used reusable products are disassociated from the account of the consumer in the electronic tracking system and cleaned 19. If any of the used reusable products cannot be effectively cleaned, are damaged or are otherwise unusable, these used reusable products are discarded or, more preferably, recycled 20.

[0081 ] Once the used reusable products have been cleaned, the cleaned reusable products are returned to service. The cleaned reusable products may be returned to a vending machine 15 or store 13 or may be returned directly to the consumer 21 . In other embodiments, the cleaned reusable products may be shipped to a different consumer 22.

[0082] After the consumer uses 16 the reusable products and returns 17, 18 the used reusable products, the consumer may also elect to return one or more additional goods 28. The goods 28 may include bags, food trays/packaging, coffee cups, product packaging, postal satchels and boxes or specialised transport containers (such as for old or damaged batteries), and may be returned by the consumer with the used reusable goods for recycling or disposal.

[0083] While it is envisaged that the goods 28 could be cleaned 19 and returned to service, it is envisaged that the goods 28 may be sorted for recycling or disposal. In particular, the goods 28 may be sent to a recycling or disposal centre 34 and, in particular, a recycling or disposal centre associated with the station at which the reusable goods are cleaned 19. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1 , a monetary value 35 (for instance, a monetary value equivalent to the value of the recycled goods) may be paid to the consumer.

[0084] An electronic database 33 is associated with the method 10 illustrated in Figure 1 . The database 33 collects information from RFID tags (not shown) and NFC tags (not shown) associated with the reusable products to track certain information regarding the reusable products, such as the number and timing of requests generated by consumers to have reusable products inspected (such as when the reusable products are dirty or damaged), how often the reusable products have been used, distance or geography travelled by the reusable products, number of cleaning and/or repair cycles and so on. The electronic database 33 is configured to analyse the information received in order to allow the electronic tracking system to identify reusable products within the system 10 that require repair or recycling before this is identified by a consumer. In this way, it is envisaged that the consumer may substantially always be provided with clean and/or undamaged reusable products.

[0085] Figure 2 illustrates steps in a method 10 for the supply of reusable products according to an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 2, retrieved used reusable goods are collected and transported 23 to a cleaning station 19. During this process, the RFID tags 24 associated with the used reusable products are read and the information contained on the RFID tags 24 is transmitted to the electronic tracking system (not shown) for processing and storage. In addition, the RFID tags 24 are used to deassociate the used reusable goods from the consumer’s account in the electronic tracking system. [0086] Once the reusable products have been cleaned, the cleaned reusable products are shipped 25 to where they are required to replenish dispensed stock, such as a distribution centre 32. This may be the same location at which the reusable products were previously dispensed from, or may be a different location. A consumer 26 may then request the dispensing of the reusable products by either picking up the reusable products or requesting delivery of the products to a nominated address. At this stage, the reusable products are associated with the account of the consumer in the electronic tracking system through near field communication 27 between an NFC tag associated with the reusable product and the electronic device of the consumer.

[0087] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 2, the consumer 26 may return two or more types of goods 28 at the same time. The goods 28 may include bags, food trays/packaging, coffee cups, product packaging, postal satchels and boxes or specialised transport containers (such as for old or damaged batteries). At least one of the two or more goods 28 returned by the consumer 26 is for recycling or disposal.

[0088] The two or more goods are collected and transported to a cleaning station 19. The transportation of the two or more goods may be achieved using the same transportation 23 as the used reusable goods, or may be through other transportation channels 29. Upon being received at the cleaning station 19, the two or more goods 28 are sorted 30 so that any used reusable goods are cleaned in the cleaning station 19 and returned to service in the manner described previously.

[0089] As stated above, at least one of the two or more goods 28 is returned for recycling or disposal. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 2, the at least one of the two more goods 28 is returned for recycling 31 . Ideally, the recycling of the at least one of the two or more goods 28 may take place at the same distribution centre 32 (or similar) to which the reusable goods that have been cleaned 19 are located prior to being distributed to consumers 26. In this way, a consumer 26 may send multiple types of goods 28 via a single return process. This may be particularly convenient when the goods 28 are destined for different processing once returned (cleaned, recycled or disposed of), and wherein the different processes are undertaken by different entities (companies or the like). Thus, there is an incentive for the consumer 26 to return multiple types of goods 28 in this way, knowing that each type of good will be correctly process without additional effort on the consumer’s part.

[0090] An electronic database 33 is associated with the method 10 illustrated in Figure 2. The database 33 collects information from the RFID tags 24 and NFC tags 27 to track certain information regarding the reusable goods, such as the number and timing of requests generated by consumers to have reusable products inspected (such as when the reusable products are dirty or damaged), how often the reusable products have been used, distance or geography travelled by the reusable products, number of cleaning and/or repair cycles and so on. The electronic database 33 is configured to analyse the information received from the RFID tags 24 and the NFC tags 27 in order to allow the electronic tracking system to identify reusable products within the system 10 that require repair or recycling before this is identified by a consumer 26. In this way, it is envisaged that the consumer 26 may substantially always be provided with clean and/or undamaged reusable products.

[0091] The database 33 may include (or be associated with) one or more machine learning modules configured to identify and more accurately analyse information received from the RFID tags 24 and the NFC tags 27.

[0092] In the present specification and claims (if any), the word ‘comprising’ and its derivatives including ‘comprises’ and ‘comprise’ include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers.

[0093] Reference throughout this specification to ‘one embodiment’ or ‘an embodiment’ means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases ‘in one embodiment’ or ‘in an embodiment’ in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations. [0094] In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately interpreted by those skilled in the art.

Claims

27 CLAIMS

1 . A method for the supply of reusable products, the method including at least one server and comprising the steps of: a) Providing an electronic interface associated with an electronic tracking system on an electronic device associated with a consumer; b) Associating, with the electronic tracking system, reusable products with the consumer; c) Dispensing the reusable products from a source of the reusable products to the consumer for use; d) Retrieving used reusable products from the consumer and de-associating, with the electronic tracking system, the reusable products from the consumer; e) Cleaning the used reusable products to form cleaned reusable products; and f) Returning the cleaned reusable products to the source and/or the consumer.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the source of the reusable products comprises a supplier of the reusable products or an intermediary.

3. The method according to claim 3 wherein the intermediary comprises a shopping centre management body, a retail group or an individual retailer.

4. The method according to claims 3 or claim 4 wherein the used reusable products are retrieved from the consumer by the consumer returning the used reusable products and/or the intermediary.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the electronic tracking system maintains a database of consumers that have registered with the electronic tracking system and a database of reusable products. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein reusable products are provided with an identifier that allows the reusable products to be associated with the consumer. The method according to claim 7 wherein the identifier comprises a barcode, serial number or electronic tag. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the reusable products are associated with the consumer using an electronic pass or by scanning an authorisation token using the electronic device. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the reusable products are provided with an NFC tag configured to communicate with the electronic device of the consumer. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the reusable products are provided with an RFID rag configured to store information relating to the reusable products. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the electronic tracking system comprises a processor and an electronic database operatively associated with the processor. The method according to claim 1 1 when dependent on claim 10 wherein the electronic is configured to store information stored by the RFID rag relating to the reusable products. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the electronic tracking system comprises one or more RFID readers. The method according to claim 13 when dependent on claim 11 wherein the one or more RFID readers are configured to read the information stored on the RFID tags and transmit the information to the electronic database for storage. The method according to claim 14 wherein the electronic tracking system is configured to determine future need for the reusable products based on the information stored in the electronic database. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the used reusable products are cleaned to substantially eliminate pathogens and microorganisms. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the used reusable products are cleaned at the source of the reusable products or at a location remote to the source of the reusable products. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the reusable products comprise shopping bags, postal packaging, food trays and packaging, beverage containers, linen, towels, clothing and batteries. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein two or more types of goods are retrieved from the consumer at the same time. The method according to claim 19 wherein at least one of the two or more types of goods comprises goods for recycling or disposal. An electronic tracking system including at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: a) Receive, from an electronic device associated with a consumer, a request to dispense a reusable product to the consumer; b) Electronically associate the reusable product with an account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer; c) Receive, from the electronic device associated with the consumer, a request to retrieve the reusable product from the consumer; and d) Upon receipt of the reusable product, electronically disassociate the reusable product with the account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer. A method, in a communication environment including a third-party transaction server comprising a processor and a memory, for importing and sorting data to an electronic tracking system, the method comprising:

Upon receipt of the reusable product, disassociating, by the third-party transaction server, the reusable product from the account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer. A third-party transaction server for importing usge data to an electronic tracking system, the third-party transaction server comprising:

A database that stores the received usage data;

An electronic interface communicatively coupled to the data backend and to a consumer client device, the electronic interface configured to send a 31 dispensing request to dispense at least one of the plurality of reusable products to a consumer;

Wherein when the data backend receives the dispensing request, the data backend electronically associates the at least one of the plurality of reusable products with an account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer;

And wherein when the data backend receives the retrieval request, the data backend electronically disassociates the at least one of the plurality of reusable products with the account in the electronic tracking system associated with the consumer. A method for the supply of reusable products comprising the steps of: a) Providing a source of reusable products to a consumer; b) Dispensing reusable products from the source to the consumer for use; c) Retrieving used reusable products from the consumer; d) Cleaning the used reusable products to form cleaned reusable products; and e) Returning the cleaned reusable products to the source and/or the consumer.