Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
  • G07F7/06—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by returnable containers, i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles
  • G07F7/069—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by returnable containers, i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles by box-like containers, e.g. videocassettes, books
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
  • G06Q20/30—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
  • G06Q20/34—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
  • G06Q20/342—Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
  • G07F7/02—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by keys or other credit registering devices
  • G07F7/025—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by keys or other credit registering devices by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Definitions

• the overall system includes a plurality of rental units, and. a housing in which units are stored while they are available for rent.
• the rental units can be electronic games, or similar educational devices such as electronic chess games, tape recorders, or the like.
• each of the units is portable, and accordingly a user renting one is not restricted to using it at a single location.
• the housing includes releasable locking means. During a dispensing mode of operation, the releasable locking means releases a selected unit so that it can be carried away from the housing, and during a return-accepting mode of opera ⁇ tion the releasable locking means captures a rental unit being returned to the housing.
• the locking means forms part of an interactive access-control means. Being interactive, the access- control means plays an important role in making the system user operated, and does so during both the dis ⁇ pensing mode and the return-accepting mode.
• the inter- active access-control means includes displaying means, data input means, and data processing means.
• the displaying means provides prompting messages to guide the user to perform steps to rent a selected unit. Guided by these prompting messages, the user per- forms a few simple steps using the data input means and.
• the system includes memory means, and the data processing means includes means for storing data into the memory means to generate a data base for use in billing for the rental of the rental units.
• the system provides for renting units on a credit basis, and minimizes the need for handling cash.
• the combined data base can then be provided to a separate computer for sorting and the like.
• the locking means forms part of an interactive access-control means which further includes displaying means, data input means, and data processing means.
• the access-control means has a plurality of modes of operation, including a dispensing mode in which the displaying means prompts the manual use of the data input means to identify a selected rental unit, and the data processing means responds to the data input means to cause the locking means to release the selected rental unit so that it can be carried away from the housing.
• a card reader for reading prerecorded data from a record member such as a bank credit card having a mag- neti ⁇ stripe storing prerecorded personal identifica ⁇ tion (PIN) data.
• a person who wants to rent a unit is prompted by the displaying means to perform manual steps. These steps include inserting a credit card or other record member into the card reader, and manually selecting a desired rental unit.
• the displaying means prompts the user to select the language, whether ⁇ English, French, etc. , in which he wants to receive his instructions.
• the apparatus thereafter provides prompts to the user in the selected language. This feature is particularly advantageous in a preferred use - of this invention in a commercial aircraft where many of the passengers speak different languages.
• the access-control means further has a return- accepting operating mode in which a rental unit is returned to the housing and locked therein.
• the housing includes means for supplying battery recharging electrical power to the rental units while they are stored in the housing.
• Another advantageous feature resides in communication interfaces, each including means for receiving item identification data for use in keeping track of the rental items.
• the apparatus also comprises memory means.
• the data processing means includes reading means for de ⁇ riving the prerecorded (PIN) data from a record member, such as the above-mentioned bank credit card, and further includes means for storing data in the memory means to generate a data base for use in billing for the rental of rental units.
• PIN prerecorded
• the apparatus includes a real-time clock that the data processing means interrogates in the course of the dispensing mode of operation.
• the data processing means stores into the memory means data corresponding to the time that a rental unit is dispensed and related data identifying the selected rental unit and the related PIN data. Later, when the unit is returned, the data processing means again interrogates the real-time clock and performs a calculation to determine the billing charge for the rental of the unit and causes the displaying means to report those charges.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a housing for use in a system embodying this invention; the housing depicted in FIG. 1 is representative of a f ont-loading configuration and has 10 compartments each for storing a rental unit;
• FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of another housing for use in a system embodying this invention; the housing depicted in FIG. 2 also has a front-loading configuration and has 6 compartments each for storing a rental unit;
• FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the housing depicted in FIG. 2;
• FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a housing having the same general configuration as the housing depicted in FIG. 2, but having fewer .compartments;
• FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a control assembly portion of the housing depicted in FIG. 4;
• FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a stackable dispensing cell arrangement used in assembling a housing for use in a system embodying this invention, and shows the preferred electromechanical locking . arrangement used in an embodiment of this invention;
• FIG. 7 comprises FIGS. 7A-7C;
• FIG. 7A is a top plan view of the electromechanical locking mechanism showing it in a retracted position;
• FIG. 7B is a per ⁇ spective view of the electromechanical locking mechanism showing it in an extended position;
• FIG. 7C is an exploded perspective view of the electromechanical locking mechanism;
• FIG. 8 comprises FIGS. 8A-8C;
• FIG. 8A is an elevation view of an alternative front-loading configura ⁇ tion of a housing inset into a wall-mounted structure, and
• FIGS. 8B and 8C are side and top views thereof;
• FIG. 9 is a top plan view of a rental unit case;
• FIG. 10 is a right side elevation view of the rental unit case, and shows a-recess adapted for use in releasably locking the rental unit within a dispenser housing;
• FIG. 11 is an end elevation view of the rental unit case, and shows indicia provided to assist a person in selecting the rental unit during a dispensing operation;
• FIG. 12 is a bottom 'plan view of the rental unit case, showing an insert portion for affixing operating instructions
• FIG. 13 is a left side elevation view of the rental unit case
• FIG. 14 is an end elevation view of the rental unit case, and shows the portion of the case referred to herein as the front end;
• FIG. 15 is a block diagram of circuitry and associated electronically controlled input/output means contained in a rental unit;-
• FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing circuitry on and associated with board 51.
• the system is preferably used in a common carrier aircraft.
• the system provides for selectively dispensing hand-held rental units that passengers can select, use during a flight, and then return before the end of the flight, and do so on their own without the need for flight attendants to devote much, if any, attention to the use of the system during the flight.
• This feature of minimizing the involvement of flight attendants is particularly advantageous in comparison with the situation that prevails with the renting of headsets on flights. In that situation, the the flight attendants devote a great deal of time moving through the aisles collecting rental fees, making change, distributing the headsets and vouchers for refunds if necessary, and at the end of the flight the headsets need to be collected.
• each rental unit preferably includes timing means and means responsive to the timing means for disabling the intended operation of the rental unit.
• the system further provides a positive incentive for the passengers to return the rental unit in a timely manner.
• This advantage arises from an overall feature of the system whereby a passenger uses a conventional credit card to get access to a rental unit, and while doing so is presented with a display provided by the system to notify the passenger of a refundable deposit charge that will be billed to the credit card account unless the rental unit is returned.
• the rental units have other advantageous features in relation to the system as a whole.
• One such advantageous feature resides in a standardized case that can be used to house numerous types of electronic games having a keypad and a display.
• the standardized case is sized and configured to facilitate handling it in use- and to facilitate its releaseable storage,, dispensing, and return.
• each rental unit has on its case indicia such as the title of the game and a symbol indicating the nature of the game.
• the dispenser housing has, next to each storage compartment, a switch that the passenger can push to select the desired rental unit.
• the dispenser housing also includes a plurality of electromechanical locking mechanisms, one for each storage cavity, to hold the rental units captive.
• the dispenser housing has a language-selection feature.
• a message display and there are four language-labelled switches; the passenger pushes one of these to select a language desired for receiving further prompting instructions via this message display.
• the passenger inserts a credit card into a slot forming the mouth of a card reader in the dispenser.
• a data processing subsystem in the dispenser cooperates with the card reader to read prerecorded data on the credit card.
• this data includes expiration-date data that is checked to ensure that the 16042 -14- inserted card is valid.
• PIN personal identification number
• a check-sum procedure is involved in verifying that the PIN data is valid.
• the data processing system in the dispenser communicates via an interface to preset the timing means in the selected rental unit.
• This presetting operation takes into account factors such as the estimated time of arrival and the current time, and causes the timing means in the rental, unit to time out a maximum rental period that ends a predeter ⁇ mined period, such as fifteen minutes before the scheduled arrival time.
• FIG. 1 shows a housing 5 that constitutes a repre- sentative example of a housing for use in a system embodying this invention.
• Housing 5 has ten compartments, a representative one of which is indicated at 7.
• Each of the ten compartments provides for storing a rental unit.
• eight of the compartments are empty, and two of them are storing rental units 10a and 10b.
• Each such rental unit has a case shaped and sized in accordance with a standard configuration adapting the rental unit to be inserted into, stored in, and withdrawn from any one of the compartments 7.
• FIGS. 9-14 are various views of a representative rental unit case.
• the rental unit includes a chess game and has a display screen 11 oriented in a plane extending between the front end 12 of the case and an intermediate portion 13 of the case.
• a control keypad 14 is oriented in a plane extending away from the intermediate portion 13.
• housing 5 has a ront-loading configuration. That is, each of its compartments is oriented such that the front end 12 of a rental unit case enter the compartment first as the . rental unit is inserted into the compartment.
• Housing 5 can be hung on a wall of an aircraft; its overall configuration is particularly suited so as to be hung along a transversely extending wall of a large aircraft. Generally, there is more clearance space perpendicular to such a transverse wall than the clearance space perpendicular to a side wall of the aircraft. Housing 5 maximizes the use of such clearance space by having the longest dimension of each compartment extend per ⁇ pendicularly from the wall.
• An alternative side- loading arrangement depicted in FIG. 1, of the above- identified application Serial No. 541,998, has the long- est dimension of each compartment extending parallel to the aircraft wall on which it is hung. The side-
• FIGS. 2 and 3 Another alternative frontloading arrangement is involved in the housing depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3, and another alternative front-loading arrangement is depicted in FIG. 8.
• rental units load into and are withdrawn- from the compartments in the same way as the housing of FIG. 1.
• the housing of FIGS. 2 and 3 and in the housing of 5A of FIG. 8, rental units load into and are withdrawn- from the compartments in the same way as the housing of FIG. 1.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 is adapted to be hung from a side wall of an aircraft with the longest dimension of each compartment extending parallel to the wall.
• the overall size of the housing is of course subject to variation.
• the housing of FIGS. 2 and 3 is approximately two and one-half feet high, projects approximately eight and one-half inches from the side wall, and extends approxi ⁇ mately one foot along the wall.
• Housing 5 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a plastic shell 15 which surrounds various building block elements.
• One such building block element is a stackable tray 17 that defines the top of one compartment 7a and the bottom of another compartment 7b which is immediately above compartment 7a.
• stackable tray 17 is installed within a frame 18 during assembly of the housing and is supported therein by channels 19 extending along opposite side walls of the frame. Further details regarding stackable tray 17 are described below with reference to FIG. 6.
• Another building block element is a control assembly 20 which is shown in more detail in FIG. 5.
• the portion of control assembly 20 seen in FIG. 1 includes a display 21, a magnetic card credit card reader 23, and a bank of four membrane switches 25.
• the membrane switches 25 are provided to ⁇ enable a passenger to select one of four available languages which receive prompting messages via the display 21.
• the switches 25 are labelled to indicate the languages available, for example, English, Espanol, Deutsch, and Francais.
• display 21 comprises a commercially available alphanumeric fluorescent display manufactured by Industrial Electronic Engineers, Inc. as model number 03600-22-040.
• This display device responds to character- coded data signals to display alphanumeric characters 5 in dot matrix form to display messages of up to twenty characters per line on two lines.
• Display 21 forms part of an interactive access- control means which also includes data input means, data processing means, and locking means in the housing.
• the data input means includes the card reader 23 and a bank of membrane switches 27, each of which is positioned adjacent a respective compartment.
• the data processing means, described in more detail in a separate section below, 5 receives input data during a dispensing mode of operation by causing the display 21 to prompt the use of membrane switches 27 to select a rental unit and by causing the card reader 23 to derive data from a record member such as a conventional magnetic card credit card.
• control assembly 20 includes a hinged door 30 to cover a portion of the control assembly 20 that is intended to be used by attendants, such as flight attendants.
• This portion 5 includes a card reader 32 and a numeric keypad 34.
• a system embodying this invention generates a data base and these components are used to
• the control assembly 20 contains a number of printed circuit boards carrying electronic components incorporated into the data processing means and memory means. In a conventional manner of arranging such
• tray 17 is a molded plastic piece having a divider wall ' 40, the upper surface of which defines the floor of a compartment and the
• Divider wall 40 has a generally planar portion 41 that is inclined downwardly and a generally planar portion 42 that is inclined upwardly.
• 25 wall makes it easy to slide a rental unit into an empty compartment during a return-accepting mode of operation.
• the leading end of the rental unit butts into a nose portion 43 of an electromechanical locking mechanism 44 that is
• locking mechanism 44 is an assembly that is supported in tracks 45 within a generally rectangular pocket portion 47 of tray 17.
• Pocket portion 47 is defined by an outer side wall 48 and an
• a printed circuit board 51 also fits within pocket portion 47 and is held in place by tracks such as track 52. According to a highly advantageous feature, printed circuit board 51 supports power supply circuitry that receives unregulated 400 Hz a.c. aircraft power and produces a d. ⁇ . supply voltage. The a.c. power is supplied to each compartment by a daisy-chain cabling arrangement of standard length cable sections each having multi-pin connectors at opposite ends (the cables are not shown). Each printed circuit board 51 has a pair of multi-pin connectors 53i and 53o for connection to the multi-pin connectors of two cable sections. Board 51 has printed conductors interconnecting connectors 53i and 53o, and printed conductors that in effect constitute taps for applying the a.c.
• the d.c. voltage produced by the power supply circuitry is impressed on charging contacts 54 and 55 that are supported in notches within a rear wall 56 of tray 17. These contacts engage corresponding contacts on an end wall of a rental unit while the rental unit is stored within the compartment, and provide for re ⁇ charging a rechargeable battery within the stored rental unit. It will be appreciated that there is a separate printed circuit board 51 for each compart ⁇ ment and thus a separate d.c. power supply available for each stored rental unit.
• This modularization of the overall system power supply has substantial advan- tages. If only one power supply were to be used, it would need to be capable of supplying a substantial peak current on occasions and would accordingly require bulky, heavy components. Because of the modularization.
• each power supply needs to provide as a peak current only the amount needed for rapid charging of one unit's rechargeable battery.
• a further advantage of this modular approach arises from the daisy-chain cabling arrangement. Because standard-length cable sections are used, providing more or fewer compartments in a dispenser housing does not create any design problem with respect to distributing a.c. -power to the compart- ments.
• each printed circuit board 51 also carries circuitry used in effecting communication with a stored rental unit via infrared (IR) communication.
• IR infrared
• each printed circuit board 51 also carries circuitry used in effecting communication with a stored rental unit via infrared (IR) communication.
• IR infrared
• the intermediate wall 49 there is an infrared filter 49F through which the IR propagates during such communication.
• FIGS. 7A-7C for more details regarding the electromechanical locking mech- anism 44.
• the locking mechanism 44 is an assembly that includes a support member 60 having a generally rec ⁇ tangular portion 62 that is vertically oriented when installed in tracks 45 of wall 49.
• Support member 60 has two horizontally oriented tabs 63 and 64 that are in a common plane, and has two vertically oriented tab portions 65 and 66 each of which projects into pocket portion 47 of tray 17.
• the locking mechanism 44 further includes a slide plate 68 that rests on tabs 63 and 64.
• Slide plate 68 has a pair of collinear guide slots 70 and 72.
• a screw 74 fastened to tab 64 defines a guide post extending through slot 72.
• the guide slots are oriented at an angle of approximately thirty degrees relative to
• Locking mechanism 44 also includes a pair of springs 84 and 86, a solenoid 88, and a pivoted arm 90.
• Spring 84 is horizontally oriented and connected between slide plate 68 and tab 64 to provide a bias force urging slide plate toward its retracted position.
• Pivoted arm 90 has a tooth 96 that, while the slide plate is in its extended position, acts as a releasable stop ' to keep it in such position.
• the foregoing arrangement of locking mechanism 44 has substantial advantages.
• the dead bolt-type action of having dead bolt portion 80 move into and out of the compartment to engage and disengage the recess 82 is advantagesous. If someone tries to tamper with the system by pulling on a rental unit that the system has not dispensed, the pulling force applies loads as follows.
• the recess 82 applies a horizontally directed load on dead bolt portion 80 and, in turn, the end 97 of slide plate 68 applies a horizontally directed load on tooth 96.
• pivoted arm 90 applies a hori ⁇ zontally directed load on pin 94 of support member 60. Thus, there is little, if any, load on the solenoid 88.
• board 135 supports circuitry
• a PROM rather than a ROM is used in furtherance of the goal of uniformity of construction of board 135.
• Various mi.nor kinds of special functions required for compatibility with different purchased boards 131 are easily handled by adapting the programming- of PROM 144.
• each rental unit contains interfacing means including a data communications interfacing means preferably comprising an IR communications transmitter and receiver 150, and including the charging contacts 114 and 116.
• charging current received via the charging contacts 114 and 116 is applied to rechargeable battery 152.
• IR transmitter and receiver 150 can transmit and receive data through IR filters in the case and in the intermediate wall of the tray of the compartment.
• various data are communicated to the selected rental unit.
• Such data include data relating to billing and data relating to turn-off time.
• the data relating to billing include the personal identification number retrieved by card reader 22 (Fig. 1).
• the billing data communicated to the rental unit are stored in RAM 142 under control of the microprocessor in circuitry 140.
• a copy of the billing data is in effect hand carried by the passenger and during a return- accepting mode of operation can be transmitted out of the rental unit into any dispenser to which the passenger returns the rental unit.
• FIG. 16 shows a block diagram of circuitry on and associated with each board 51 (FIG. 6).
• a daisy chain arrangement is used to distribute a.c. power to each compartment.
• This daisy chain arrangement is represented in FIG. 16 as power source daisy chain 160.
• a conventional Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) filter 162 is preferably connected to daisy chain 160.
• EMI Electro-Magnetic Interference
• each compartment there is a board 51 having an input connector 531 and output connector 530, forming part of daisy chain 160, and standard-length cable sections interconnect the daisy chain 160 together between compartments.
• a local power supply 164 is on each board 51 to produce unregulated d.c. power from the ac power carried by daisy chain 160.
• the d.c. power so produced is applied to control electronics 166 which feeds it through to, among other things, charging contacts 54 and 55.
• d.c. power feeds from local power supply 164 to the rechargeable battery 152 (FIG 15) in the rental unit via a path including contacts 54 and 55 in the compartment and contacts 114 and 116 (FIG. 14) on the rental unit case.
• the IR transmitter and receiver 150 (FIG. 15) is in position to communicate with an IR transmitter and receiver 168 on board 51.
• each board 51 in the housing has a unique address, suitably defined in a convention way by a DIP (Dual In- line Package) switch (not separately shown) in I/O circuitry 170. Because each board 51 has a separate address, it is practical to employ a data daisy chain 172 to form a serial data flow path for communicating data between anyboard 51 and central data processing circuitry contained in control module 20 (FIG. 5).
• DIP Direct In- line Package
• I/O circuitry 170 receives signals from daisy chain 172, including an address signal. The receipt of an address signal corresponding to the DIP-switch defined address effects a selection of the board 51 for the purpose of distributing data. After this selection occurs I/O circuitry 170 receives billing data from daisy chain 172 and causes IR transmitter and receiver 168 to communicate it to the RAM 142 (FIG. 15) in the rental unit. Then, I/O circuitry 166 causes control electronics 166 to apply energizing current to solenoid 88 of the locking mechanism to release the selected rental unit so that it can be withdrawn from the compartment.
• microswitch 100 During a return-accepting mode of operation, microswitch 100 provides a signal to control electronics 166 indicating that the locking mechanism has been placed in its extended position.
• the mere fact that the locking mechanism is in the extended position is not enough to compel the conclusion that a rental unit has been returned. In other words, someone tampering with the- housing might push some object against nose 43 (FIG. 7A) to cause the locking mechanism into its extended position.
• the system of this invention preferably includes means for making extra checks as to whether a rental unit is in place within a compartment. A double check is provided by monitoring IR communication and a triple check is provided by monitoring the d.c. recharging interface.
• the IR transmitter • of the rental unit communicates with the IR receiver in the compartment, and the contacts 114 and 116 of the rental unit draw a trickle current from contacts 54 and 55.
• the central data processing circuitry receives data concerning these conditions via daisy chain 172.
• FIG. 17 shows a block diagram of circuit means in and associated with control module 20 (FIG. 5), and also shows equipment involved in retrieving a data base generated by the system.
• the data base is generated a record at a time, each record of which is stored in a non-volatile storage 200.
• a bubble memory is provided to perform the function of non-volatile storage 200.
• Data base records are stored in storage 200 under control of main processor 210 which comprises a conventional integrated circuit miroprocessor, ROM, and RAM (not individually shown).
• Main processor 210 responds to computer program instructions stored in the ROM in accordance with known program-control principles to control the input of data, the processing of data, the storage of data, and the outputting of data.
• Input data are provided via various conventional circuits and devices including the credit card reader 22, the numeric key pad 34, the service card reader 32 ⁇ and I/O circuitry 220.
• Main processor 210 forms part of the access-control means of a system in accordance with this invention.
• a passenger inserts a record member into card reader 22.
• the record member may be a conventional magnetic card credit card (represented in FIG. 17 as Mag Card 230) or a temporary card issued for cash by a flight attendant (the temporary card is represented in FIG. 17 as "Script" card 240).
• the script card feature is a practical way to deal with the situation in which a child, too young to have a bank credit card, wants to rent a rental unit.
• main processor 210 communicates with card reader 22 to obtain PIN data and store such PIN data in non-volatile storage- 200. As described above, such PIN data is also distributed to the affected rental unit. This is achieved via I/O circuitry 220 and daisy chain 172. Data as to which rental unit has been selected (by means of switches 27) is provided via I/O line 250.
• main processor 210 During a flight, most of the time, main processor 210 is in an ideal mode of operation awaiting action on the part of a passenger to start either a dispensing operation or a return-accepting operation. In such ideal modes, main processor 210 causes prompting display
• One such prompting message prompts the passenger to insert a -card into the card reader 22.
• main processor 210 causes card reader
• main processor 210 causes display 21 to present a sequence of instruction messages including, preferably, a warning. Such warning preferably advises the passenger as to a charge that will be incurred in the event that the rental unit is not returned, and as to charges for a rental unit that is temporarily rented and property returned.
• main processor 210 causes display 21 to present a message prompting the passenger to push one of the switches 27 to select a rental unit.
• Main processor 210 receives data as to such selection via I/O line . 250 and I/O circuitry 220. Such data is included within the record stored into the data base.
• data as to current time preferably in standard form (Greenwich Mean Time) is included in the record on the basis of time data made available by a real time clock 270.
• Such storage of data from real time clock 270 occurs also during the return-accepting mode of operation and provides a basis for calculating elapsed time of rental. Based on the elapsed time calculation, main processor 210 calculates a rental charge and causes display 21 to present a message concerning the charge.
• the numeric keypad 34 is used by service personnel.
• each person who is authorized to service the system has a special security card which is inserted into service card reader 32 where prerecorded information is read from the card.
• the card reader 32 communicates with processor 210 during such servicing and accepts keyed-in data from numerical key pad 34 to enable information to be dumped from the storage 210 via a conventional RS232 data communication port 300 into a hand-held data collection subsystem 310.
• the hand-held data collection system includes an RS-232 data communication port 320, a control processor 330, and a non-volatile storage 340.
• an electrical connector is provided on the housing at any convenient place (such as the bottom surface) so a mating electrical connector on a cable extending from the hand-held data collection subsystem can be connected to receive data from the data base generated in use of the access-control subsystem.
• main processor 210 causes display 21 to show information used by flight attendants in ensuring that all rental units have been returned. That is, the main processor retrieves records from the data base stored in storage 200 and, for each record that has a field indicating withdrawal, but no return, the processor causes the display to show information about the rental unit involved.

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• 1984
  • 1984-10-15 AU AU35082/84A patent/AU3508284A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1984-10-15 EP EP19840904030 patent/EP0159359A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1984-10-15 JP JP50391984A patent/JPS61500192A/ja active Pending
  • 1984-10-15 WO PCT/US1984/001668 patent/WO1985001812A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

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