Patent ID: 8634951
Filing Date: 2014-01-21
Classification: B23C,G05B,G06Q,G07F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A network of self-service, fully-automatic kiosks for duplicating keys, individual kiosks comprising: a kiosk housing having a customer interface for receiving payment from a customer for the purchase of at least one duplicate of the customer's key, a key-receiving entry in said housing for receiving at least a portion of the customer's key to be duplicated, a key analysis system within said housing for analyzing the blade of a key inserted in said key-receiving entry to determine whether the inserted key matches one of a group of preselected key types and, if so, which preselected key type is matched, a key blank magazine within said housing for storing key blanks for each of said preselected key types, a key blank extraction system for extracting from said magazine a key blank for the preselected key type matched by the blade of said key inserted in said key-receiving entry, a key duplicating system within said kiosk for replicating the tooth pattern of the blade of said key inserted in said key-receiving entry, on the blade of said extracted key blank, a processor within said kiosk and coupled to at least said customer interface, said key analysis system and said key blank extraction system, and a communications port coupled to said processor for communicating with a remote central server, said processor being programmed to display multiple available manual commands in response to an input signal requesting such a display, and, in response to manual selection of said commands, to produce signals that energize and de-energize selected devices within said kiosk, thereby permitting remote manual control of said devices and mechanisms associated with those devices.