Patents Assigned to Alpha Corp.
  • Patent number: 6010064
    Abstract: A set of lockers allows a customer to drop off commodities for a service company to pick up. An order is input using an operation screen, and an order sheet which specifies the locker number is issued. A commodity, for example undeveloped film, and the order sheet are put in a transparent request bag and deposited in the locker. When the service company picks up the request bag, the request bag is taken out of the locker, and a bar code on the order sheet is read by a hand scanner. When the order sheet is scanned, the locker it came from is automatically locked, and the next locker which has an undeveloped film order is automatically opened. After processing the film, the developed film and prints are put in a delivery bag, with an attached slip having the locker number to which the bag is to be delivered. Upon delivery to the locker, a first bar code on a slip is read by a hand scanner, and a first locker is unlocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2000
    Assignees: Alpha Corp., Kodak Imagex Ltd., Direct Marketing Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoshiaki Umeda, Takeshi Yoshizawa