Cloakroom management system and garment tracking device

Abstract

A cloakroom management system 10 for identification of stowed garments 36. There is a cloakroom management controller 12 having a wireless communicator 14 and being communicable with different custome

Claims

1. A cloakroom management system for identification of stowed garments in a cloakroom, the cloakroom management system comprising:a cloakroom management controller having a wireless communicator and being communicable with a plurality of different customer devices, the cloakroom management controller being configured to generate a unique customer identifier corresponding with each of the plurality of different customer devices or customers associated therewith, the cloakroom management controller further implementing an inventory management platform for managing an associated product inventory comprising purchasable items from the cloakroom; anda plurality of garment tracker devices formed as or formed to be engageable with a clothes hanger, each garment tracker device of the plurality of garment tracker devices having a wireless communicator to enable communication with the cloakroom management controller, each garment tracker device having a visual output element to permit identification by a user of the cloakroom management system, and each garment tracker device having a unique device identifier associated therewith to permit identification thereof by the cloakroom management controller;wherein the cloakroom management controller is configured to associate the device identifier of a said selected garment tracker device with a said customer identifier associated with a customer having a garment to be stowed with the said selected garment tracker device; andwherein the cloakroom management controller is configured to simultaneously activate the visual output element of the said selected garment tracker device and update the inventory management platform following receipt of a trigger signal received from a customer device associated with the unique customer identifier to permit simultaneous collection of the garment and at least one said purchasable item from the cloakroom.

2. A cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wireless communicator of the cloakroom management controller and / or the wirelesscommunicator of each of the plurality of garment tracker devices utilises RFID or NFC communications protocol.

3. A cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the cloakroom management controller comprises a main processor unit and a separate router communicable with the plurality of garment tracker devices.

4. A cloakroom management system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cloakroom management controller is configured to generate a machine-readable code associated with the unique customer identifier, the machine-readable code being readable via a customer device.

5. A cloakroom management system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cloakroom management controller comprises an image capture device configured to capture an image of the customer or the garment, the image at least in part acting as the unique customer identifier.

6. A cloakroom management controller as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a telephone number of each of the plurality of different customer devices at least in part acts as the unique customer identifier.

7. A cloakroom management system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cloakroom management controller comprises a scanner configured to read a machine-readable code displayed on a customer device to generate the said trigger signal.

8. A cloakroom management system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cloakroom management controller is configured to assign the unique device identifier upon initial communication with a selected garment tracker device.

9. A cloakroom management system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the unique device identifier of each garment tracker device is stored in a memory of the said garment tracker device, the unique device identifier being communicable to the cloakroom management controller.

10. A cloakroom management system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the garment tracker devices comprises a hanger receiver for releasable engagement with a clothes hanger hook.

11. A cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the hanger receiver is provided as a bounded aperture through a body of the garment tracker device.

12. A cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the visual output element is positioned at or adjacent to the hanger receiver.

13. A cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the visual output element is provided as an illumination element positioned around the hanger receiver.

14. A cloakroom management system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the garment tracker devices comprises an openable battery compartment to permit replacement of a battery thereof.

15. A cloakroom management system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the garment tracker devices comprises a secondary device identifier.

16. A cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the secondary device identifier is a human-readable code.

17. A cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16, wherein the secondary device identifier is a machine-readable code.

18. A method of implementing a cloakroom management system, the method comprising the steps of:a. providing a plurality of garment tracker devices formed as or formed to be engageable with a clothes hanger, each garment tracker device of the plurality of garment tracker devices having a wireless communicator and a triggerable output element, each garment tracker device having a unique device identifier associated therewith;b. providing a cloakroom management controller having a wireless communicator;c. pairing at least one garment tracker device with the cloakroom management controller by associating the unique device identifier with the cloakroom management controller to enable wireless communication between the said paired at least one garment tracker device and the cloakroom management controller;d. generating, via the cloakroom management controller, a unique customer identifier corresponding with each of a plurality of different customer devices or customers associated therewith, wherein the unique customer identifier comprises any of: an image of the customer and / or the garment; a telephone number of the customer device; a human-readable code; a machine-readable code; or a randomly generated identifier by the cloakroom management controller;e. associating the unique customer identifier associated with a customer having a garment to be stowed with the unique device identifier of a selected garment tracker device of the plurality of garment tracker devices; andf. triggering the selected garment tracker device associated with the unique customer identifier associated with one of a plurality of different customer devices following a trigger signal received by the cloakroom management controller.

19. A method of implementing a cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a step of providing a computer implemented inventory management platform at least in part implemented by the cloakroom management controller which is accessible via the plurality of customer devices to purchase cloakroom items simultaneously with generation of the trigger signal.

20. A method of implementing a cloakroom management system as claimed in claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the triggerable output element is a visual output element.

21. A garment tracker device for identification of a stowed garment, the garment tracker device comprising:a body either formed as or configured to engage with a clothes hanger;5 a wireless communicator configured to wirelessly communicate with acorresponding cloakroom management controller of a cloakroom management system; anda visual output element on the body to permit identification thereof by a user of the said cloakroom management system;10 wherein the visual output element is activatable following receipt by thewireless communicator of a trigger signal associated with a customer to identify the garment tracker device.

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