Patent ID: 8401932

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving articles in a storage area associated with a laundry service, the storage area being associated with an identifier that was assigned to the storage area prior to a customer visiting the storage area, the storage area having a purely mechanical lock and a purely mechanical key, the key mechanically locking and mechanically unlocking the lock, the laundry service having one or more laundry machines and one or more machines for communicating with customers, the one or more machines for communicating with the customer having a processor system including one or more processors and a memory system; allowing the customer to take the key with the customer, without being required to be at a location associated with the laundry service; receiving, at the one or more machines for communication with customers, a notification that the articles are associated with the storage area, the notification including the identifier associated with the storage area and an identifier associated with the customer at the one or more machines for communicating with customers prior to receiving the notification; the notification being generated by the customer, and the notification being received via Internet; associating the customer with the articles based on the identifier associated with the storage area, and the identifier that is associated with the customer at the one or more machines for communicating with customers prior to receiving the notification; removing the articles from the storage area at any time after receiving the articles in the storage area or any time after receiving the notification; servicing, by the one or more laundry machines, the articles; and returning the articles to the storage area.