ALLEN ROBERT LEWIS
Engineers in Easton, PA

4814592, Mar 21, 1989

May 29, 1986

6/868815

L. Jack Bradt - Easton PA
Robert L. Brown - Easton PA
Stephen Fogt - Easton PA
Ronald La Roy - Rockaway NJ
Allen R. Lewis - Easton PA
James S. Love - Newport News VA

Videomat Associates - Easton PA

G06K 500, G06F 1524

235381

A machine from which a customer can selectably purchase or rent a videocassette or return a previously rented videocassette. The machine comprises a videocassette storage device for storing a plurality of videocassettes in discrete, identifiable locations. A customer identification device, receives information about the customer. A mode selection device enable the customer to select among a vend mode, a rent mode and a return mode, and a videocassette selection device enable the customer to select a desired videocassette to be vended or rented. A customer access device is provided for dispensing the selected videocassette to the customer in the vend and rent modes and receiving the videocassette from the customer in the return mode. A videocassette identification device receives information representative of the identity of the videocassette being returned in the return mode. A videocassette transport device is provided for transporting the selected videocassette from the storage device to the customer access device in the vend and rent modes and transporting the videocassette from the customer access device to any available empty discrete location in the storage device in the return mode.

4839505, Jun 13, 1989

May 22, 1987

7/053380

L. Jack Bradt - Easton PA
Robert L. Brown - Easton PA
G. Stephen Fogt - Easton PA
Ron Laroy - Rockaway NJ
Allen R. Lewis - Easton PA
James S. Love - Newport News VA

Videomat Associates - Easton PA

G06F 1524, G11B 1726

235381

A machine from which a customer can selectably purchase or rent a videocassette or other such product, e. g. , blank videotapes, music disks, and the like, or return a previously rented videocassette. The machine comprises videocassette storage device for storing a plurality of videocassettes or other such products in discrete, identifiable locations. A customer identification device receives information about the customer. Mode selection device enables the customer to select among a vend mode, a rent mode and a return mode, and videocassette selection device enables the customer to select a desired videocassette to be vended or rented. Customer access device is provided for dispensing the selected videocassette to the customer in the vend and rent modes and receiving the videocassette from the customer in the return mode. Videocassette identification device receives information representative of the identity of the videocassette and its travel case being returned in the return mode. The videocassette is accepted for return only when its travel case has been identified as having originated from that particular machine.