Quick stop mass retail system

Claim 2

A quick-stop mass retail system for ordering and purchasing articles from a remote location for pickup at an article pickup area at an automated store, comprising: interactive means for communicating a customer's purchase order for at least one article; a host computer including means for receiving the customer's purchase order, means for processing the customer's purchase order, and means for storing the customer's purchase order in a database; means for retrieving said article ordered by said customer from a storage location for said article at the automated store in response to customer purchase order information received from said host computer; and means for retrieving identification information from said customer and communicating the same to said host computer; whereby said host computer enables said means for retrieving said article to provide said article to the article pickup area upon obtaining said identification information and comparing said identification with the customer's purchase order.

Claim 3

The quick-stop mass retail system recited in claim 1, wherein a plurality of articles are stored in a plurality of storage locations associated with the automated store and said means for retrieving said articles includes a network of dispensing stations interconnected by at least one means for transporting said articles from said storage locations to the article pickup area.

Claim 4

The quick-stop mass retail system recited in claim 2, wherein said storage locations include means for detecting when inventory is to be restocked, said means for detecting communicating with said host computer such that said host computer initiates a purchase of additional inventory in response to the low inventory detection.

Claim 5

The quick-stop mass retail system recited in claim 1, wherein said host computer tracks inventory of said articles and enables restocking of said respective storage locations when detecting inventory below a certain level.

Claim 6

The quick-stop mass retail system recited in claim 1, wherein said means for retrieving identification information reads said identification information from an identification card or a code associated with the customer.

Claim 7

A quick-stop mass retail system for ordering and purchasing articles from a remote location for pickup at an article pickup area at an automated store, comprising: interactive means for communicating a customer's purchase order for at least one article, said interactive means including at least one of an interactive telephone network for receiving touch-tone input signals from a telephone keypad in response to requests for purchase information communicated to the customer, and a modem connection over a data network in response to requests for purchase information communicated to the customer; a host computer including means for receiving the customer's purchase order; means for processing the customer's purchase order; and means for storing the customer's purchase order in a database; means in communication with said host computer for retrieving said article ordered by said customer from a storage location for said article at the automated store, wherein a plurality of articles are stored in a plurality of storage locations associated with the automated store and said means for retrieving said articles includes a network of dispensing stations interconnected by at least one means for transporting said articles from said storage locations to the article pickup area; means in communication with said host computer for retrieving identification information from an identification card associated with said customer; means associated with said storage locations for detecting inventory of articles stored therein and communicating with said host computer such that said host computer initiates a purchase of additional inventory in response to the low inventory detection; whereby said host computer enables said means for retrieving said article to provide said article to the article pickup area upon obtaining said identification information and comparing said identification with the customer's purchase order.

Claim 8

A quick-stop mass retail system for ordering and purchasing articles from a remote location for pickup at an article pickup area at an automated store, comprising: interactive means for communicating a customer's purchase order for at least one article, said interactive means including at least one of an interactive telephone network for receiving touch-tone input signals from a telephone keypad in response to requests for purchase information communicated to the customer, and a modem connection over a data network in response to requests for purchase information communicated to the customer; a host computer including means for receiving the customer's purchase order; means for processing the customer's purchase order; and means for storing the customer's purchase order in a database; means in communication with said host computer for retrieving said article ordered by said customer from a storage location for said article at the automated store, wherein a plurality of articles are stored in a plurality of storage locations associated with the automated store and said means for retrieving said articles includes a network of dispensing stations interconnected by at least one means for transporting said articles from said storage locations to the article pickup area; means in communication with said host computer for retrieving identification information from an identification card associated with said customer; means associated with said storage locations for detecting inventory of articles stored therein and communicating with said host computer such that said host computer initiates a purchase of additional inventory in response to the low inventory detection; whereby said host computer enables said means for retrieving said article to provide said article to the article pickup area upon obtaining said identification information and comparing said identification with the customer's purchase order.

Claim 11

The method recited in claim 7, further comprising the step of said host computer detecting an inventory level threshold below which inventory of said article is to be restocked.