Disc Rental Kiosk Product

Overview

A disc rental kiosk is a self-service automated terminal that rents DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K media discs (movies, TV series, documentaries) on a per-night or multi-day basis. Customers browse a digital catalog on a large touchscreen, select a title, pay via card or digital wallet, and a robotic picker arm retrieves the disc from an internal carousel and presents it via a motorized tray. To return a rented disc, customers insert it into a dedicated slot where a barcode/RFID scanner validates that the correct disc is being returned (preventing fraud and mix-ups), and the disc is automatically stored in a return chamber for later restocking. These kiosks are deployed in retail parking lots (supermarkets, convenience stores), transit stations, and entertainment venues. The competitive advantage is instant availability and no staff interaction, allowing rentals outside business hours. The primary challenge is maintaining inventory accuracy (preventing duplicate rentals of the same physical copy), validating returns, and managing late fees and lost discs.

The customer selects a membership level (existing member or new sign-up), browses the Customer Interface Display catalog (displayed as cover art on a 10 inch touchscreen), and selects a disc. The Master Control Board index the Disc Storage Carousel Tower to the correct physical disc location. The Robotic Picker Arm, a motorized robotic arm, retrieves the disc from its slot and places it onto the Disc Dispensing Tray. The tray slides forward, presenting the disc case to the customer through a window. Payment is processed via the Rental & Payment Processing (credit card or digital wallet). Once confirmed, the kiosk prints or emails a due date receipt. The rental window remains open for 60 seconds; if the customer doesn't remove the disc, the tray automatically retracts and the disc is returned to the carousel.

To return a rented disc, the customer inserts it into the Return Slot & Validator. The Barcode & RFID Scanner (barcode + RFID scanner) reads the disc's ID, confirming it matches an outstanding rental. A Return Acceptance Gate motorized door opens, accepting the disc into an internal return chamber. The customer receives a confirmation on the screen showing the rental marked as returned (late fees applied if applicable). The disc remains in the return chamber until an operator empties it and restocks the carousel.

How it works

The Disc Storage Carousel Tower is a tall cylindrical magazine (1.8 m tall, 0.6 m diameter) holding 200–400 discs in a vertical rotating arrangement. Each disc sits spine-forward in a narrow vertical slot, secured by spring-loaded clips on either side. The slots are indexed from 0 to N−1 around the circumference and are stacked vertically. For example, slots 0–19 may be positions around the base, slots 20–39 one level up, and so on.

The Carousel Drive Motor, a stepper motor (NEMA 23 or larger) connected to a 10:1 gearbox, rotates the carousel. The Master Control Board calculate the target slot index from the customer's disc selection (stored in a local database: disc title maps to physical slot position). The control board sends step pulses to the stepper motor. For example, to rotate from position 10 to position 47 (37 positions forward), the motor receives 37 step commands. Each step advances the carousel by 360°/N degrees (e.g., 360°/200 = 1.8° per slot for a 200-slot carousel). An optical home sensor provides reference; after every transaction, the carousel is homed to a known position to reset cumulative position error.

Once the carousel is indexed, the Robotic Picker Arm, a motorized articulated arm (two or three segments linked by servo joints), reaches into the carousel at a fixed position (e.g., the "pickup position" at 3 o'clock). The arm extends and grasps the disc with the Disc Gripper Mechanism, a soft rubber-padded clamping mechanism. The gripper applies pressure (50–100 N) to secure the disc case without deforming it. The arm then retracts and rotates, moving the disc to the Disc Dispensing Tray, a motorized horizontal tray at the front of the machine.

The tray, positioned inside the machine, is where the gripper releases the disc. A Tray Drive Motor, a DC servo motor with limit switches, then drives the tray outward via a smooth linear bearing slide. The tray extends 300–400 mm beyond the machine's front face, into a customer-accessible aperture. The disc, now visible and graspable, remains on the tray. A light or chime signals the customer that their disc is ready.

The customer has 60 seconds to remove the disc. A weight sensor or beam sensor under the tray detects when the disc is taken. Once removed, the Master Control Board signal the tray motor to reverse, retracting the tray back into the machine. The carousel is homed to its starting position, and the machine is ready for the next rental.

To return a disc, the customer navigates the Customer Interface Display and selects "Return Rental" (or simply inserts the disc without navigating the screen). The disc is inserted into the Return Slot & Validator, a motorized feeder mechanism. The Return Slot Feeder Motor, a stepper motor, pulls the disc deeper into the machine. As the disc passes through the Barcode & RFID Scanner, a barcode + RFID scanner positioned on either side of the disc path, the scanner reads the disc's unique ID (typically a barcode on the case and/or an RFID tag embedded or glued on the disc surface).

The Master Control Board check if this disc ID matches an outstanding rental (queried against a cloud database via the 4G Modem Module, a 4G cellular module). If yes, the Return Acceptance Gate, a motorized solenoid-actuated door, opens, allowing the disc to drop into a secure return chamber. The Customer Interface Display displays "Return confirmed. Late fees: $0" (or "$X if overdue"). If the disc ID doesn't match any rental, the return gate remains closed, the feeder reverses, and the disc is ejected. This prevents customers from returning discs they don't actually have rented (fraud prevention).

The Customer Interface Display, a 10 inch IPS LCD touchscreen, provides the customer-facing interface. The home screen displays categories (New Releases, Popular, Action, Comedy, Family, Drama). The customer navigates via touch, scrolling through cover art. Tapping a cover image shows the synopsis, rating, rental price, and availability (e.g., "3 copies available"). The search function allows filtering by title, actor, or director. Once selected, the screen shows rental terms (1 night for $2, 3 days for $5) and the customer's membership status (if logged in). A login screen allows existing members to scan their membership barcode or enter a phone number + PIN. New customers can sign up with a credit card (one-time membership setup, typically free or $1).

Payment is processed via the Rental & Payment Processing, which accepts EMV chip cards, magnetic-stripe swipe, and contactless NFC (Apple Pay, Google Pay). The terminal is connected to a payment processor (Adyen, Stripe) via the 4G Modem Module, a 4G LTE cellular module. The transaction is authorized in real time. If the card is declined, the screen displays "Payment failed. Please try again" and the disc is returned to the carousel.

Once payment is confirmed, the Master Control Board calculate the due date (current date + rental days, e.g., next morning at 11:59 PM for 1-night rentals) and log the rental to the cloud database. A receipt is printed (if a printer is installed) or emailed to the customer's address on file. The rental window opens, the tray presents the disc, and the customer takes it.

Inventory accuracy is maintained by syncing the physical carousel state with the cloud database. After every transaction, the Master Control Board send a state update: which physical slot is now empty, which slot holds a returned disc, and the current outstanding rentals. The cloud database tracks copy-level inventory (e.g., "Disc ID 12345 is checked out to member 98765; due date 2025-06-15"). If a disc is lost or damaged, the operator marks it as "unavailable" in the system, and the carousel slot is flagged "do not rent" until the disc is replaced.

Daily late-fee automation: the cloud backend checks at 11:59 PM each night which rentals are due. If a disc due that day has not been returned, a late fee ($1–2 per day, configurable) is automatically charged to the member's card on file. An SMS/email notification is sent to the member.

Power is supplied by a 1 kW industrial switched-mode power supply converting 240 V AC single-phase to 24 V DC (controls, solenoids) and 12 V DC (motors). Peak draw during simultaneous carousel rotation, picker arm movement, and tray extension is 700–800 W. Idle draw (display, cellular modem background) is 80 W.

Maintenance is semi-weekly: inspecting the carousel for jammed discs, cleaning the barcode scanner lens, and checking spring clips for rust. Monthly: lubricating pivot points with light machine oil and replacing any worn foam pads on the gripper. Quarterly: replacing the barcode scanner if it fails (typical cost ~$150). Annually: updating the disc catalog and pricing via a secure admin interface and backing up the local rental database to cloud storage.