Douglas Harold Hunt

US Patent:

6708879, Mar 23, 2004

Filed:

Nov 16, 2001

Appl. No.:

10/015193

Inventors:

Douglas Harold Hunt - Redondo Beach CA

Assignee:

Audio Visual Services Corporation - Long Beach CA

International Classification:

G06F 1760

US Classification:

235385, 235381, 235383

Abstract:

An automated unmanned rental system enables the automatic tracking of rental activity and equipment movement. Each unmanned rental site has a computer system that monitors rental activity and monitors the available inventory and the rented, or checked out, inventory, and automatically generates invoices for items rented. The computer system controls an RFID tracking system that utilizes the RFID tags on each piece of audio visual equipment in cooperation with one or more antennas. The antennas send and receive signals that interact with the RFID tags when the equipment containing the RFID tag passes through a portal. The computer system has a user interface to allow for associating equipment rental activity with a user and a reference document. A reporting module may automatically communicate equipment movements. A security alarm module may trigger an audible alarm under defined circumstances.