Facility and method of use for a transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive-thru
11966876 ยท 2024-04-23
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
G06Q20/18
PHYSICS
A61L2202/14
HUMAN NECESSITIES
H04W4/44
ELECTRICITY
A47J36/321
HUMAN NECESSITIES
G06K7/1095
PHYSICS
A47J44/00
HUMAN NECESSITIES
E04H3/04
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
G06Q10/0832
PHYSICS
G06Q10/087
PHYSICS
F25D13/06
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
G05B19/4155
PHYSICS
A61L2/24
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A61L2202/16
HUMAN NECESSITIES
G06Q20/209
PHYSICS
B60P3/0257
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
A61L2202/11
HUMAN NECESSITIES
International classification
G06Q10/087
PHYSICS
A47J36/32
HUMAN NECESSITIES
A47J44/00
HUMAN NECESSITIES
B60P3/025
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
E04H3/04
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
F25D13/06
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
G05B19/4155
PHYSICS
G06K7/10
PHYSICS
Abstract
The present invention is a transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru wherein merchandise is loaded into said facility and dispensed to a customer through an ordering app downloaded on a mobile device or ordered at a facility site. Said drive thru facility is unmanned and completely computer and robotically operated utilizing no humans within said facility. Said facility is operated via computer processor and requires internet but no utility connections such as water, sewage, electric or gas. The current invention has a three part sanitizing system: interiorly, in each serving compartment and at each exterior touchscreen.
Claims
1. A transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility comprising: a computer processor, located in a utility compartment of said facility is configured to communicably connect sending and receiving data to and from a customer application, where said customer application is downloadable to a personal mobile device, and where said computer processor is configured to communicably connect transmit and receive information such as drive thru facility consumer orders, sales, inventory, temperature, operational details and predetermined merchandise storage temperatures, cooking and packaging parameters to a plurality of merchandise lockers, and packaging material lockers, one or more coolers, one or more freezers, one or more cooking devices, one or more beverage dispensing devices, one or more packaging devices, one or more conveying systems, one or more touchscreens each with a code scanner, a sanitizing and cleaning system, a merchandise distribution hub, a service application, where said service application is downloadable to a delivery driver's mobile device, and where said service application sends and receives inventory information and autonomous drive thru facility operational reports and where said service application communicably connects, sending and receiving information with corporate headquarters and each drive thru facility that is dedicated to each service driver, and said computer processor also communicably connects to a corporate headquarters, and where said computer processor receives data with order details from said customer application and generates a code per data received and where said code is linked to an order, and the computer processor issues instruction for one or more coolers and freezers, one or more merchandise lockers, one or more packaging material lockers, one or more cooking devices, one or more drink dispensing devices, one or more packaging devices, one or more conveying systems and where said code scanner reads an order code visible on a customer's mobile device and where said code reader communicates with the computer processor and the computer processor sends instruction to a robotic conveying system to retrieve an order linked to said code, and said computer processor receives data that said order was removed and sends instruction to said sanitizing system to sanitize a serving compartment; wherein said sanitizing system is three part: where a first part is a plurality of sprayers arranged throughout the interior of the facility but not in the utility compartment, one or more freezers, one or more coolers and not in the merchandise and packaging material locker areas and where said sanitizing system part is programmed to sanitize once per 24 hour period and where said facility's computer processor sends instruction for shut down to all cooking devices, beverage dispensing devices, conveying systems and packaging devices during the sanitizing cycle, and where said facility computer processor continues to receive orders and adds time to a customer pickup time, and where any water and/or debris resulting from said sanitizing cycle is drained into said grey water compartment, where a second part of said sanitizing system is a UV light in each serving compartment that sanitizes said serving compartment after each order is removed by a customer, and where a third part of said sanitizing system is a UV light located above each touchscreen and code scanner and where said UV light is run over the touchscreen and code scanner after each customer has used it; and where said computer processor sends data containing inventory, order information and facility operational health to a merchandise distribution hub and corporate headquarters, and where said drive thru facility is pre-manufactured with various merchandise handling devices specific to such merchandise to prepare, package and serve said merchandise before said drive thru facility is transported and wherein said drive thru facility is transportable via vehicle hauling and where said drive thru facility is established at a desired location and said facility is mechanically fastened to a ground surface via anchors and where said facility is self-leveling and said facility is connected to a world wide web for remote information transmission, sending and receiving and where when said facility is connected to the world wide web and operational, no humans are required within said facility to operate, prepare, package, serve and clean said merchandise and said drive thru facility.
2. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein a utility compartment contains a generator, a battery bank where said battery bank is linked to one or more solar panels and said computer processor and where said utility compartment is isolated from all merchandise lockers, packaging material lockers, coolers, freezers, cooking devices, conveying systems, beverage dispensing devices, serving compartments, touchscreens and sanitizing/cleaning devices.
3. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein an exterior wall contains one or more windows for drive thru customers to pick up an order and where said window is sealed with a vertical sliding door and where a serving compartment is located behind said sliding door and where said serving compartment is completely enclosed and where said serving compartment has an interior vertical sliding door and where said serving compartment is sealed from an interior and an exterior of said facility when both sliding doors are in a closed position and where at least one sanitizing sprayer is located on exterior said serving compartment and where UV light sanitizer is used on said interior of the serving compartment every time an order is removed from said serving compartment after said exterior and interior sliding doors are closed.
4. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein an exterior wall opposite and parallel to said exterior wall with one or more windows is comprised of one or more doors and where said doors are utilized to stock the facility with merchandise lockers and packaging material lockers and where said lockers each are electronically programmable and record item specific data including but not limited to quantity, temperature, expiration date, a specific item identification code and location and where said lockers are received by an electronic rack that reads locker content information and sends data to said computer processor and where said electronic rack can be located within a cooler or freezer and where said rack can be part of a conveying system for moving lockers within said facility and where said lockers are loaded and removed at the exterior of the facility.
5. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein a potable water compartment is located in a bottom of said facility and where a separate grey water compartment is adjacent said potable water compartment and where said sanitizing system drains into said grey water compartment and where each potable and grey water compartments are accessible through respective openings on an outside of said facility and where potable and grey water can be pumped in or out of each compartment through said openings.
6. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein said cooking devices are heated by rotating a disc with a plurality of magnets and where said plurality of magnets are attached to the disc and where said magnets are arranged in multiple circles around the disc so that poles are alternating NSNSNSNS and where when the disc is rotated near a copper surface said magnets create a large magnetic field that heats said copper surface and where said disc and magnets remain cool.
7. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 6, wherein said disc is rotated and heat created on the copper surface is controlled by a speed of rotation and distance between said copper surface and disc with attached magnets.
8. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 3, wherein a touchscreen with a code scanner is attached to the exterior of said facility and located near each serving window with sliding door and where each touchscreen and code scanner are sanitized by a UV light after each use.
9. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein a window is located on an end of said facility and said window is a walk up window and where said walk up window has a touchscreen and code scanner next to said window and where an order can be entered at said walk up window and where said walk up window has a sliding door and a serving compartment and where said touchscreen is adapted to accept payment for an order in a form of cash or a debit/credit card and where said touchscreen is adapted to produce and dispense an order code and pick up time on a paper ticket.
10. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 2, wherein said facility is autonomous and does not require utility connection and where said facility supplies it's own energy via solar panels and grease collection for generator fuel.
11. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein aforementioned merchandise and packaging material lockers are sanitized, stocked with an item and sealed at a merchandise distribution hub and delivered sealed to said drive thru facility, and where said lockers are configured to dispense an item when instructed by said facility computer processor.
12. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein said facility computer processor is configured to receive a plurality of orders simultaneously and where instruction is sent to one or more merchandise lockers, one or more cooking devices, beverage dispensing devices, packaging devices and conveying systems, and where said facility computer processor sends a code with an order pickup time, and where cooking instruction and time required to perform each individual task to prepare an order are predetermined.
13. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility of claim 1, wherein said facility is operated completely electronically and requires no employees internally to operate said facility and where any device or merchandise locker within said facility can be remotely controlled.
14. A method to communicably connect a transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru computer processor, a corporate headquarters, a customer application, where said customer application is downloadable to a personal mobile device, and where said computer processor is configured to communicably connect transmit and receive information to a plurality of merchandise lockers, and packaging material lockers, one or more electronic racks, one or more coolers, one or more freezers, one or more cooking devices, one or more beverage dispensing devices, one or more packaging devices, one or more conveying systems, one or more touchscreens each with a code scanner, a sanitizing and cleaning system, a merchandise distribution hub, a service application, where said service application is downloadable to a delivery driver's mobile device, the method including: receiving an order through the customer application the computer processor issues an order code and pickup time that is sent back through the customer application, then instruction is issued to the merchandise lockers, one or more cooking devices, one or more beverage dispensing devices, one or more packaging devices, one or more conveying systems, and order code information is received at one or more touchscreens each with a code scanner, merchandise and packaging material locker send information including, but not limited to, inventory, item specifications, item location, item expiration and item temperature, information received by the computer processor regarding inventory is sent to a merchandise distribution hub and through the service application to a delivery driver's mobile device, and where the computer processor receives inventory specific information through the service application during delivery of lockers to a facility, inventory specific information is received to the computer processor as each merchandise and packaging material locker is loaded in the electronic rack, when an order code is read by a code scanner, order code information is received by the computer processor and instruction is issued to one or more conveying systems to retrieve the order received for that order code, and where data is received by the computer processor as an order is picked up and a door on a window closes, the computer processor issues instruction for sanitizing of a serving compartment and sanitizing of a touchscreen and code scanner, and where after 23 hours of operation of said drive thru facility the computer processor issues instruction for a shut down during cleaning and sanitizing, communicating with one or more cooking devices, one or more beverage dispensing devices, one or more conveying systems and packaging devices for lockdown during sanitizing cycle, communication between the computer processor and each cooking device, beverage dispensing device, conveying system, sanitizing system, electronic rack, merchandise and packaging material lockers, touchscreens and code readers, generator, battery bank, solar panels, freezers, coolers, where data includes but is not limited to temperature, motion, instruction, location, operation error, humidity, quantity, device specific operation information, and liquid levels, wherein said sanitizing system is three part: where a first part is a plurality of sprayers arranged throughout the interior of the facility but not in the utility compartment, one or more freezers, one or more coolers and not in the merchandise and packaging material locker areas and where said sanitizing system part is programmed to sanitize once per 24 hour period and where said facility's computer processor sends instruction for shut down to all cooking devices, beverage dispensing devices, conveying systems and packaging devices during the sanitizing cycle, and where said facility computer processor continues to receive orders and adds time to a customer pickup time, and where any water and/or debris resulting from said sanitizing cycle is drained into said grey water compartment, where a second part of said sanitizing system is a UV light in each serving compartment that sanitizes said serving compartment after each order is removed by a customer, and where a third part of said sanitizing system is a UV light located above each touchscreen and code scanner and where said UV light is run over the touchscreen and code scanner after each customer has used it; and the computer processer sends information to a customer application to alter a menu of items when an operation error has been received by the computer processor from the aforementioned devices or systems when a shut down message is received by a device or system, and all data received or sent by the computer processor is sent to a corporate headquarters.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(6) The current invention is a transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility, as seen in
(7) The current invention is run by a computer processor 21 designed to communicate with a customer preferably through an app downloaded by the customer via internet connection with a mobile device, tablet etc or through a walk up window 4 with touchscreen 24. Upon ordering off the merchandise menu and processing payment via credit/debit card or cash, the customer will receive an order number/code either to their mobile device, personal computing device etc or in paper form if ordering from designated walkup window 4 with touchscreen 24. The customer will also be quoted an exact time and drive thru window 2 number to pickup the order. To retrieve the order, the customer drives up to a designated drive thru window 2 or walk up window 4 with a touchscreen 24 secured to the facility adjacent said window, each touchscreen 24 is equipped with a scanner where said customer scans the code received at time of purchase. The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru computer 21 then signals a robotic retrieval arm to locate the meal attached to the scanned code and delivers it to the window where the customer scanned his/her code. When the order arrives at said window a first door closes behind a compartment where said order was positioned and a second exterior serving compartment door 12 opens for the customer to remove their order. After the customer has retrieved their order, the second exterior serving compartment door 12 closes and a built in UV light sanitizes all surfaces, within the serving compartment 3 that were accessible to the customer. Interior walls, bottom and ceiling of said serving compartment 3 are constructed to flip and receive a washing/sanitizing to remove any food debris that may have been left behind leaving the serving compartment 3 clean and dry. This small but important sanitizing step will greatly reduce the spread of communicable diseases by customers of the transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru.
(8) The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility is comprised of at least four exterior walls, a ceiling structure and a floor structure. As seen in
(9) Located in a second end of said facility, opposite and parallel the utility compartment 6, is a walk-up order window 4 used for ordering while paying with cash/debit card or cash without the use of the customer app where the customer will receive an order number/code in the form of a paper receipt. Said walk-up customer will pick up their order from the walk-up window 4. Said walk-up window 4 has a touchscreen with scanner as well as a cash-accepting device. All touchscreens are sanitized by a UV light after each customer uses them.
(10) Located between the merchandise storage compartment 10 and said exterior wall with drive thru windows 2 can be cooking (frying, baking, deep frying, and warming) devices 5, packaging materials, packaging devices, conveyors (utilized for moving individual products or to complete orders) and beverage making devices. Each transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility can have a variety of menu choices including but not limited to beef, poultry, pork, fish, seafood, soups, hot and cold sandwiches, breakfast items (eggs, bacon, pancakes etc.) breads, vegetables, salads, drinks (hot or cold) soda, desserts (ice cream, cakes, pies, cookies, pastries etc), vegan, paleo and gluten-free foods and beverages and non-food items. In each transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility, depending on a specific menu, cooking and packaging devices 5 will be arranged and stocked with foods, beverages, merchandise and packaging materials to suit said menu. Due to a wide variety of menu options, said cooking devices 5 and product retrieval devices can vary at each facility. Because combinations of cooking devices 5, chilling devices, beverage devices, condiment dispensing devices and packaging devices and materials are so numerous; an example of a couple different combinations of said devices and materials will be discussed hereinafter as well as a sequence of communications between customer, a customer app, a facility operating computer 21, robotic cooking and packaging devices 5, conveyors, merchandise hubs, delivery drivers, a service app and a corporate headquarters.
(11) When an order is processed through a transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru customer app, the transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru computer 21 operating system processes said order based on preloaded parameters (example: cooking time, cooking temperature, cooking device, and merchandise locker placement for retrieval) based on said menu item. Said menu item, for example a chilled hamburger patty, is robotically indexed from designated merchandise locker and onto a frying device surface. Said item is cooked for a proper length of time and in the example of a hamburger, the hamburger is cooked from above and below by two heated surfaces to eliminate the process of flipping said hamburger. After the hamburger is cooked it is indexed onto a conveyor to receive any ordered toppings and condiments and moved into a robotic packaging station where said hamburger receives a wrapper and is packaged with any other warm food items ordered. Once an order is complete it is then loaded on a conveyor system with multiple individual platforms to hold said order's hot and cold items until the customer scans his/her code for pickup or until a predetermined time period has passed. As the order is placed on a platform of said conveyor, order information and the customer code is digitally attached to said platform. Upon retrieval of the order the digital information is then removed from said designated platform and recorded as processed and a new order can now be loaded on said platform. In the event an order is not picked up and remains on it's designated platform for longer than the predetermined period of time, the order information is processed by the facilities operating system as a discounted order for a predetermined period of time. The facilities computer 21 operating system will then load the order information onto a discounted order section on the customer app for that particular facility's location for all customers to see and purchase. If the discounted order is not repurchased within a predetermined time period, the order is then discarded within said facilities refuse to be compacted and stored until a delivery driver retrieves said refuse. Multiple customer orders can be processed and cooked simultaneously as each cooking device 5 has multiple independent cooking surfaces and each cooking device surface is electronically communicated with by said computer 21 operating system. Each cooking device 5 receives individual information based on a particular order until said food item is cooked and indexed to packaging station. At every stage of merchandise movement, from the time merchandise locker 7 are packaged at a merchandise hub to an order being picked up by a customer; the merchandise item product information, processing (cooking, packaging) information and order code is passed each time said merchandise item is moved within the transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru, serving merchandise exactly as ordered and at the specific time quoted.
(12) The transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru customer application is downloaded on a mobile device by a customer. The application provides information such as said facility nearest the user. Once the user chooses the location of a given transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru within the app, the menu for that particular location is loaded on the customer's mobile device screen as well as any specials or discounted food items/orders. Once the customer has entered their order, payment with a bank/savings account or credit/debit card is required to process the order. After payment is received through the customer app, the location of the transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru chosen receives the order information and the customer receives an order code and time the order can be picked-up. All order information is recorded within said facility's computer 21 processor/operating system and is processed within the facility to produce the order as well as communicating with said facility's merchandise hub and corporate headquarters. A merchandise hub is a facility where merchandise items are packaged and stored within said merchandise lockers 7 to serve a number of transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facilities in a given geographic region. Each merchandise hub has a number of delivery drivers that are responsible for stocking each transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility. Because all order information is communicated to said merchandise hub, inventory is easily tracked and restocked or exchanged if said merchandise item is expired or found to be contaminated. Each delivery driver has a transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru service app on their mobile device communicating which merchandise items need replenished through a merchandise and packaging loading door 11 at each of the transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facilities they service. Delivery drivers are also responsible for replenishing merchandise including water and retrieving waste water and refuse from each facility they service, all such information is communicated to the driver through service app. The service app sends and receives digital information from each merchandise locker 7 whether its being taken out of said facility or installed, every item is scanned. Said service app communicates all information to said merchandise hub and said corporate headquarters. Each transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility is in constant communication with a merchandise hub and corporate headquarters. In the event a facility encounters a mechanical problem, information is sent to a designated food hub and corporate headquarters and a technician is dispatched to correct the problem. If the problem requires the transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility to shut down, said facility is taken off line and will not show up on the customer app until fixed and put back on line or another facility is brought to the location and exchanged with said problematic transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru. Because the design of each transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility is set up with multiple independent devices, a certain device may encounter a problem that does not affect the other devices within a said facility and may not be required to be taken off line to fix said problem. Should the problem encountered force the facility be taken offline, the technician can work on the facility on site or if it requires multiple hours of work, a different facility can easily and quickly be brought to the site and exchanged with the problematic facility. Then the problematic facility can be taken back to a manufacturing facility to be fixed and sent back out to a different location to be utilized and put back online.
(13) Each type of cooking device 5; frying, deep frying, baking or heating utilizes heat created by rotating magnets 16 arranged on a disc 18 in a plurality of circles with opposite poles facing the last magnet (NorthN and SouthS) creating a N S N S N S N S N pattern as seen in
(14) In order to stop the spread of disease and bacteria, conventional QSRs require daily cleaning of cooking, prepping, packaging and beverage surfaces; normal tasks performed by employees if they do their job correctly. In a transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility, a sanitizing and cleaning cycle is preformed daily. During said cleaning cycle, said facility goes into lockdown. During said lockdown, the facility shows on its app to be in a cleaning cycle and a time when it will be receiving new orders as the cleaning cycle is complete. Within a transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru facility there are many cooking devices 5 and conveyers with surfaces that can come into contact with food or beverage items and all of them are located within an inner compartment of said facility. Said cooking devices 5 and conveyors' inner compartment is enclosed by the aforementioned merchandise storage compartment 10 and an inner wall where said serving compartment interior doors 8 are utilized to accept food orders. During the cleaning cycle the serving compartment interior doors 8 are sealed creating an air and water-tight wall, and where said merchandise storage compartment 10 wall is air and water-tight because all the merchandise lockers 7 are closed and locked down. All packaging materials used to cover merchandise are retracted and stored behind said inner wall with merchandise. After all inner walls and compartments are locked down, a cleaning cycle begins. Strategically placed sprayers begin a sanitizing procedure where any and all merchandise debris is blasted from all surfaces within the locked down compartment. Grey water and merchandise debris is rinsed from all surfaces and into a drain that is connected to a grey water storage compartment 13. Used grease can be strained and used as fuel to run the facility generator 22. A drying system then blows any remaining moisture from cooking devices 5 and conveyor surfaces. After said sanitizing and drying is complete, interior walls and windows unlock and the transportable autonomous robotic merchandise dispensing drive thru is ready to resume fulfilling orders. It is important to consumers to receive bacteria and virus free meals. The current invention is equipped with a three-part cleaning/sanitizing system, where all surfaces that come in contact with humans or merchandise, and/or food are sanitized and cleaned at least daily or as needed.