Abstract:
The invention relates to a method for returning a rental including receiving a communication about a rental from a client operated by a renter. The method further includes the steps of determining the source of the rental, or rental store, obtaining the rental, and delivering the rental to the source.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to rentals. In particular, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for returning rentals that a customer rents from a rental store.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The movie rental industry has exploded over the past several decades and now provides an additional revenue stream for movies following their theatre showing. Rental stores such as Blockbuster Inc.® enable people to rent one or more rentals (e.g., movies or video games) from the store. After watching or playing a rental, the customer typically has to travel back to the rental store to return the rental. As people today lead increasingly busy lives, the trip back to the rental store often causes unneeded stress and aggravation. For example, the returning of the rental may be another item on the already full list of chores that the renter has to complete. Besides potentially increasing the renter&#39;s irritation, a video store may also increase the fees charged to the renter when the renter does not return the rental by its due date. Specifically, a rental store typically charges late fees for each day that the renter is late in returning the rental.  
         [0003]     Recently, companies such as Netflix® have enabled customers to receive one or more rentals in the mail, watch or use the rentals for any amount of time, and then mail the rentals back to the company. Thus, these companies typically eliminate late fees. These companies, however, also eliminate all trips to a rental store. Therefore, these companies rob a customer from experiencing the initial trip to the rental store to rent an item. For example, a customer of one of these companies cannot read what a rental is about (e.g., by reading the back cover of the rental box) before deciding to rent the rental. In effect, the customer has to select a rental based on external influences, such as reviews of the movie by friends, family, or critics. The renter cannot, unfortunately, hold the movie&#39;s box in his or her hands before deciding whether to rent the movie.  
         [0004]     Thus, there remains a need of providing more flexibility than conventional approaches offered to a customer of a rental store after the customer rents a rental.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     The present invention potentially helps decrease the stress and aggravation often felt by people who have the chore of returning rentals.  
         [0006]     In one aspect, the invention relates to a method for returning a rental including receiving a communication about a rental from a client operated by a renter. The method further includes the steps of determining the source of the rental, or rental store, obtaining the rental, and delivering the rental to the source.  
         [0007]     In one embodiment, the communication from the client includes login information, such as a username of the renter, a password of the renter, and/or information about the renter. The communication from the client can also include information about the rental and/or information about the source. The information about the renter can include the renter&#39;s telephone number, address, and/or email address. The information about the rental can include the title of the rental. The information about the rental store can include the name of the store, the telephone number of the store, the address of the store, the closing time of the store, directions to the store, hours of operation of the store, web page address of the store, and/or a contact at the store.  
         [0008]     In some embodiments, the method includes determining the current time that the communication is made. The method can also include determining a predetermined time at which the communication from the client has to be received to return the rental on the same day that the communication was received. The method can also include determining whether the communication is received before the predetermined time. The method can also include providing a credit to the renter if the communication is received before the predetermined time and the rental is not returned until at least one day after the communication was received. The determining of the source of the rental can occur by retrieving information about the source of the rental from a database. In one embodiment, the source can be determined based on previous communications (e.g., a default source of the rental for a particular user). In one embodiment, the obtaining of the rental further includes determining a location of the rental.  
         [0009]     In another aspect, the invention relates to a rental return module for facilitating the return of a rental. The rental return module can include a client communications module receiving a communication from a client about a rental, a source determining module determining the source of the rental, and a returning device communications module communicating, to a returning device, information about at least one of the rental and the source of the rental.  
         [0010]     In one embodiment, the rental return module receives, as the communication from the client, login information for a renter of the rental. The login information can also include a username of the renter, a password of the renter, and information about the renter. The communication from the client can also include information about the rental, information about the source, and/or information about a renter operating the client. The information about the renter can include, for instance, the renter&#39;s telephone number and/or address.  
         [0011]     In one embodiment, the source determining module determines a name of the rental store, telephone number of the store, address of the store, closing time of the store, directions to the store, hours of operation of the store, and/or contact at the store. In further embodiments, the rental return module includes a database maintaining information about the rental, the source of the rental, the renter, and/or the client. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a client computer interacting with a rental return module to facilitate the return of a rental to a rental store.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart of an embodiment of the steps performed when returning the rental back to the rental store.  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a more detailed block diagram of the rental return module.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an embodiment of a screen provided by the rental return module to facilitate the return of the rental. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a rental return system  100  includes a client  105 , a server  108  having a rental return module  110 , and a rental source (or store)  115 . A customer, also referred to below as a renter, of the rental store  115  travels to the rental store  115  to rent an item (i.e., a rental)  120 . The movement of the rental  120  to the renter is shown with a renter directional arrow  123 . The renter uses the rental  120 , such as by watching or playing the rental  120 . The renter (i.e., the client  105 ) then, at some later time, communicates with the rental return module  110  executing on the server  108  to facilitate the return of the rental without requiring the renter to travel back to the rental store  115 . The movement of the rental  120  back to the rental store  115  is shown with rental store directional arrow  124 .  
         [0017]     Examples of the rental  120  include a movie (e.g., stored on a Video Home System (VHS) tape or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), music (e.g., stored on a Compact Disk (CD)), a video game (e.g., a Sony® Playstation® game or an Xbox® game), a video game system (e.g., a Sony® Playstation® system or an Xbox® system), a sound system, electronic equipment, a computer, computer-related equipment (e.g., a printer), a telephone, or any other item that a user can rent from a rental store  115 .  
         [0018]     The rental store  115  is a video store, such as Blockbuster Inc.®. Although described above and below as a video store, the rental store  115  can be any physical location that a customer has to travel to return a rental  120 .  
         [0019]     The client  105  is typically a personal computer that can download information from the server  108  over a network  125 . The client  105  can be any personal computer (e.g., based on a microprocessor from the 680x0 family, PowerPC, PA-RISC, MIPS families, an Intel microprocessor, an Advanced Micro Devices microprocessor), smart or dumb terminal, network computer, wireless device, information appliance, workstation, minicomputer, mainframe computer, cellular phone, personal digital assistant, mobile computing device (e.g., a Blackberry® device developed by Research In Motion Limited of Waterloo, Ontario or a Treo® manufactured by palmOne, Inc. of Milpitas, Calif.), or any other device that can communicate with the server  108 . Although the renter is described above and below as the individual who rented the rental  120  from the rental store  115 , the renter may alternatively be another individual who is operating the client  105  and requests a return of the rental  120 . For example, the renter may be the rental store customer&#39;s friend who makes a request for the return of the rental  120  after the customer and friend watch or play the rental  120 .  
         [0020]     The client  105  is in communication with the server  108  (and, therefore, the rental return module  110 ) over a client-server communication channel  130 . In one embodiment, the communication channel  130  is established over the network  125 . The network  125  can be a local-area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a network of networks such as the Internet or the World Wide Web (i.e., web).  
         [0021]     In one embodiment, the client  105  includes a web browser  135 , such as INTERNET EXPLORER® developed by Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Wash., to connect to the web. In one embodiment, the client  105  uses the web browser  135  to communicate with the server  108  (i.e., the rental return module  115 ). In a further embodiment, the web browser  135  uses the existing Secure Socket Layer (SSL) support for communications to the server  108 . SSL is a secure protocol developed by Netscape Communication Corporation of Mountain View, Calif., and is now a standard promulgated by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Further, the server  108  can be any device described above for the client  105 .  
         [0022]     To facilitate the return of the rental  120 , the renter communicates with the rental return module  110 . The rental return module  110  can then determine the location of the rental store  115 . In one embodiment, an individual (i.e., someone other than the renter and somehow associated with the rental return module  110 ) picks up the rental  120  from the renter and delivers the rental  120  back to the rental store  115 .  
         [0023]     The rental return module  110  can be a software module that enables the renter to, using the client  105 , request the return of the rental  120 . In one embodiment, the rental return module  110  is or provides a web page that the renter accesses to request the return of the rental  120 . The rental return module  110  can be written in any computer language, such as C++, Perl, Java, HTML, and the like.  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the steps performed to return a rental  120  to the rental store  115 . The rental return module  110  receives login information that the renter communicates over the network  135  (step  205 ). The login information can be any information that identifies a renter. Examples of the login information can include one or more of a renter&#39;s user name, password, telephone number, address, social security number, and/or email address. Another example includes biometric information, such as a renter&#39;s voice pattern, a renter&#39;s retina (e.g., obtained via a retinal scan), and a renter&#39;s fingerprints.  
         [0025]     In one embodiment, the renter receives a username and password from the rental return module  110  and then provides information about himself, such as the renter&#39;s address and telephone number. At subsequent login attempts, the renter logs in using the username and password. Moreover, in one embodiment, the renter does not have to provide information about himself. Further, the renter can change any information about himself (e.g., the renter&#39;s address) at any time.  
         [0026]     For example, if the renter is someone who has previously communicated with the rental return module  110 , the renter already has login information that the renter can enter. If, however, the renter has not previously communicated with the rental return module  110 , the rental return module  110  assigns new login information (e.g., a new user name and a new password) to the renter.  
         [0027]     After receiving the login information from the renter, the rental return module  110  then receives communication from the renter about the rental  120  (step  210 ). As further described below with respect to  FIG. 4 , the communication about the rental  110  can include the rental&#39;s title, the rental store  115 , and/or the location at which the renter is leaving the rental  120  for pickup, such as in the renter&#39;s mailbox. In one embodiment, all communications between the client  105  and the rental return module  110  are secure.  
         [0028]     In one embodiment, the rental return module  110  determines the rental source  115  of the rental  120  (step  215 ). For example, if this is the first time that the renter communicates with the rental return module  110 , the renter inputs the rental store  115  that the renter rented from. If the renter has communicated with the rental return module  110  in the past, the rental return module  110  can determine that the rental store  115  for this rental  120  is the same rental store  115  as the store  115  from the previous rental  120  (i.e., a default rental store  115  for the particular renter). In further embodiments, the renter can change this default rental store at any time. In one embodiment, the rental return module  110  locates information about the rental store  115  for the particular renter from a database.  
         [0029]     The rental  120  is then obtained from the renter (step  220 ). As described in more detail below, in one embodiment a driver associated with the rental return module  110  (e.g., in communication with the rental return module  110 ) drives to the address of the renter (e.g., the address provided by the renter as part of the login information) and picks up the rental  120 . The driver can be an individual driving a vehicle, such as a car, bus, taxi, truck, tractor, motorcycle, bicycle, boat, skateboard, airplane, rollerblades, skates, moped, or skis. The driver can also be walking, jogging, running, rollerblading, etc. In yet another embodiment, the driver can be an automated or controlled machine, such as a robot or radio controlled vehicle. Once the driver obtains the rental  120 , the driver then delivers the rental  120  to the rental store  115  (step  225 ).  
         [0030]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the rental return module  110  can include a client communications module  305 , a source determining module  310 , a database  315 , and a returning device communications module  320 . The client communications module  305  receives and transmits communications from and to the client  105  over the network  125 . For example, the client communications module  305  receives the renter&#39;s login information and the information about the rental  120  over the network  125 .  
         [0031]     In one embodiment, the client communications module  305  is in communication with the database  315 . The client communications module  305  can, for instance, receive the renter&#39;s login information and retrieve specific account information for the renter from the database  315 , such as if the renter has an outstanding balance or any credits not yet used (as described in more detail below with respect to  FIG. 4 ). The client communications module  305  can then communicate the specific account information back to the renter, such as by displaying information specific to the renter on the web page being viewed by the client  105 .  
         [0032]     In one embodiment, the client communications module  305  communicates with the source determining module  310  in order to determine the rental source  115  for the rental  120 . For example, the source determining module  310  communicates with the client communications module  305  to determine which renter&#39;s account to access and then retrieves information about the previous rental store  115  that the renter rented from. The rental store information can include the rental store&#39;s address, phone number, directions to the rental store  115 , and the like. In another embodiment, the source determining module  310  enables the renter to input the rental store  115  for returning the rental  120  as a communication from the client  105 .  
         [0033]     In one embodiment, the returning device communications module  320  communicates with a returning device after receiving the communication(s) from the client  105  to facilitate the return of the rental  120 . For example, upon a request from the client  105  to return a particular rental  120  and upon the determination of the rental source  115 , the rental return module  110  communicates information about the rental  120  to a returning device. The returning device is any device that can help facilitate the returning of the rental  120  to the rental store  115 , such as any of the devices described above for the client  105 . Thus, a driver, as described above, carrying the returning device can receive a communication (e.g., email, page, call) on the returning device from the rental return module  110 . The driver can use the communication(s) from the rental return module  110  to locate and return the rental  120  to the correct rental store  115 . In one embodiment, the returning device is part of the vehicle driven by the driver.  
         [0034]     The information sent by the rental return module  110  to the returning device can include the rental source&#39;s phone number, address, time of request (i.e., communication) received from the client  105 , time until the rental store  115  closes for the day, location of the rental  120  (e.g., where the renter is going to leave the rental  120  for pickup, such as in the renter&#39;s mailbox), and the like.  
         [0035]     In one embodiment, these modules  305 ,  310 ,  315 ,  320  are independent modules operating on the rental return module  110 . Alternatively, one or more of the modules  305 ,  310 ,  315 ,  320  are combined into a single module. Moreover, although illustrated as part of the rental return module  110 , the modules  305 ,  310 ,  315 ,  320  can be executing on another computer and be in communication with the rental return module  110 .  
         [0036]      FIG. 4  illustrates an embodiment of a screen shot  400  of the rental return module  110 . The screen shot  400  is an example of a user interface after the renter logs into the rental return module  110 . In one embodiment, the screen shot  400  includes a clock  405  and a “Latest Return Time for Same Day Return” box  410 . The clock  405  displays the current time of day. The “Latest Return Time for Same Day Return” box  410  displays a predetermined time at which a renter can request returning the rental  120  and the return occurs on the same day that the request is made. The predetermined time may be, for instance, a particular time before the closing of the rental store  115 . Thus, the predetermined time may vary depending on the rental store  115  (e.g., if different rental stores  115  have different store hours).  
         [0037]     The screen shot  400  also includes a credit(s) box  415 . The credit(s) box  415  displays the amount of credit that a renter has towards future charges. A renter can receive a credit when, for instance, the renter requests a return before the time displayed in the “Latest Return Time for Same Day Return” box  410  and the rental  120  is not returned on the same day. In one embodiment, the renter incurs a late fee because the rental  120  had not been returned on its due date (if its due date was the day the request was made or one or more days after the request was made). The amount of the late fee can be credited to the renter&#39;s account so that the renter can obtain a discount to a return or a free return in the future.  
         [0038]     The screen shot  400  can also include a rental input box  420 . The rental input box  420  enables the renter to enter the rental  120  that the renter requests to have returned. In one embodiment, the rental input box  420  has a list of rental titles that the renter can choose from. In another embodiment, the renter types in the title of the rental  120  in the rental input box  420 . Moreover, after a renter enters in the title of a rental  120  for return, the rental return module  110  can then list the title, such as below the rental input box  420 . This way, the renter can enter multiple titles into the rental input box  420  and see which titles the renter had previously entered. In some embodiments, the renter does not submit input for the rental input box  420 , such as if the renter is only requesting the return of a single rental  120 .  
         [0039]     The screen shot  400  can also include a “Total Amount Due” box  425  that displays the total amount due for the returns of the rental(s)  120 . The “Total Amount Due” box  425  can also take into account the credit(s). In alternative embodiments, the screen shot  400  has one display box illustrating the total amount due before any credits are applied and another display box illustrating the total amount due after the credits are applied.  
         [0040]     In one embodiment, the screen shot  400  also includes a Rental Store Input Box  430 . The Rental Store Input Box  430  enables a renter to enter the rental store  115  at which the rental  120  has to be returned. The Rental Store Input Box  430  can also have a default entry for each renter. For example, if a renter usually rents from a particular rental store  115 , the Rental Store Input Box  430  can display this rental store  115  as a default. Moreover, the Rental Store Input Box  430  can have a selection list listing all of the rental stores  115  in the renter&#39;s area. This list may include the name of the rental store as well as the address and phone number. In further embodiments, the renter can notify the rental return module  110  when information associated with the rental store  115  has changed. In some embodiments, the rental return module  110  can communicate with the rental stores  115  themselves (e.g., computers at the stores  115 ) to update the information that the rental return module  110  stores and/or displays. Thus, the rental store  115  can communicate with the rental return module  110  if its information has changed, such as if the store  115  has moved or has obtained a new telephone number.  
         [0041]     The screen shot  400  can also include a “Location You Are Placing Rental” input box  435 . This input box  435  enables a renter to designate a location that the renter will leave the rental  120  for return to the rental store  115 . For example, the renter may enter that the renter is going to leave the rental  120  in the renter&#39;s mailbox for pickup. Thus, when a driver associated with the rental return module  110  wants to obtain the rental  120  for return, the driver knows where to find the rental  120 . Moreover, this input box  435  (and the other input boxes mentioned above) may have a default setting, such as if the renter has always left previous return rentals  120  in the default setting (e.g., the renter&#39;s mailbox). This input box  435  may also have a drop down list containing common locations that renters leave the rental  120 , such as a renter&#39;s mailbox, outside of the renter&#39;s door, outside of the renter&#39;s building&#39;s door, and the like.  
         [0042]     Having described certain embodiments of the invention, it will now become apparent to one of skill in the art that other embodiments incorporating the concepts of the invention may be used. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to certain embodiments, but rather should be limited only by the spirit and scope of the following claims.