To-go cubby unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Restaurant to-go cubbies are often unattended and exposed to the ambient environment, leading to issues like food being taken by unauthorized individuals and temperature fluctuations that can spoil or overheat food.
Innovation Solution
A cubby unit with a plurality of cubbies, each equipped with a processing circuit that acquires access information, determines if it's associated with a specific order, and activates a light through a transparent portion of the door to indicate the location of the order.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If to-go cubbies are left open and unattended, then customers can easily access their orders, but food can be taken by unauthorized individuals and temperature cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables customers to independently access their orders by scanning QR codes or entering order numbers, eliminating the need for staff assistance while maintaining security through automated verification and identification mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
A microcontroller unit acts as an intermediary between the customer and the food, controlling door locks and identification lights to grant access only to authorized customers while maintaining temperature through controlled door openings
2Reliability
If to-go cubbies are secured with locks, then food theft is prevented, but customers cannot easily access their orders
Solution Approach 1:
Customers independently unlock their cubbies by scanning QR codes or entering order numbers, eliminating the need for staff intervention while maintaining secure access control through automated verification
Solution Approach 2:
LED identification lights change color or illuminate to indicate which cubby contains a specific order, allowing customers to quickly locate and access their food without searching through multiple locked compartments
3Reliability
If multiple identification methods are implemented, then customer verification is more secure, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The microcontroller unit serves multiple functions including QR code scanning, order number verification, door lock control, and LED identification, consolidating what could be separate complex systems into a single multi-functional device
Solution Approach 2:
QR codes serve as digital copies of order information that can be scanned and verified electronically, replacing more complex physical verification methods while maintaining security and accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A cubby unit includes a plurality of cubbies and one or more processing circuits. Each of the plurality of cubbies includes a cubby housing defining an internal compartment, a light disposed within the internal compartment, and a door. The door facilitates accessing the internal compartment of the cubby housing. At least a portion of the door is transparent. The one or more processing circuits are configured to to acquire access information, determine whether the access information is associated with a respective order within a respective cubby of the plurality of cubbies, and activate the light of the respective cubby in response to the access information being associated with the respective order such that light emitted by the light shines through the portion of the door that is transparent of the respective cubby to indicate in which one of the plurality of cubbies the respective order is located.