Portable Toilet Access Control With Dynamic Queue Pricing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable toilet facilities at large outdoor events often experience long queues due to insufficient capacity, leading to increased wait times and lack of sanitary alternatives, with no efficient way to skip or shorten the line, especially for emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A pay-for-use portable toilet system with a unique flex pricing algorithm and locking mechanism, utilizing a control system with a processor to manage access and pricing based on demand, allowing users to pay for reduced wait times through a payment device and communication system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If portable toilet capacity is increased to reduce wait times, then user service quality improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The portable toilet facility is divided into multiple individual stalls, each equipped with independent locking mechanisms. This segmentation allows the system to serve multiple users simultaneously while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design, directly reducing wait times without requiring an overwhelming increase in overall facility complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic pricing that adjusts in real-time based on current demand and queue length. During peak times when wait times would naturally increase, higher prices incentivize users to arrive at off-peak times, dynamically balancing demand across different time periods and reducing overall wait times without permanently increasing facility capacity.
2Productivity
If portable toilet capacity is increased to reduce queues, then user service quality improves, but space requirements and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the pricing parameter dynamically based on demand conditions. By adjusting prices rather than physically expanding capacity, the system maintains high service throughput during peak demand without requiring additional physical space, effectively decoupling productivity from footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of adding more physical toilet stalls with an electronic/digital pricing mechanism. The control system uses sensors to monitor queue length and automatically adjusts pricing, substituting a complex mechanical expansion with a simpler electronic control system that achieves the same goal of increasing effective capacity.
3Ease of operation
If traditional queue management is used, then facility operation is simple, but users in emergency situations cannot access toilets quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides self-service through automated locking mechanisms and dynamic pricing that operate without human intervention. Sensors automatically detect queue length and adjust pricing, while the locking system automatically grants access based on payment, eliminating the need for manual queue management and enabling rapid access for paying users including those in emergencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system continuously monitors queue length through sensors and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust pricing in real-time. This closed-loop feedback mechanism automatically responds to changing conditions, simplifying operation by removing manual intervention while rapidly adapting to emergency situations through automated price adjustments that incentivize faster turnover.
4Loss of time
If dynamic pricing is implemented to reduce wait times, then user convenience improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex manual queue management and pricing negotiation with an automated electronic system. Sensors detect queue length and automatically trigger pricing adjustments through a control system, substituting mechanical human operations with electronic automation that reduces wait times while managing complexity through standardized algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system performs multiple functions: it monitors queue length, calculates dynamic prices, controls locking mechanisms, and manages payments all through a single integrated system. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems into one unified device, improving user convenience through reduced wait times while containing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable toilet facility generally includes an enclosure comprising a floor, a ceiling, at least one side wall, and at least one door positioned within the at least one side wall, a holding tank disposed inside the enclosure for the storage of waste, and at least one toilet structure disposed inside the enclosure, the at least one toilet structure being in fluid communication with the holding tank. The portable toilet facility further includes at least one lock disposed within the enclosure, the at least one lock preventing and allowing selective access to the toilet structure.