Method and system for providing laundry services

摘要

A method and system for providing laundry services makes use of a laundry station having an interactive point-of-sale device operably connected to one or more laundry unit containers for housing items to be laundered. The laundry station is used: to receive and accept orders for laundry services from a customer, including the collection of payment from the customer; to provide information directing the customer to place their laundry in a designated laundry unit container in response to the order received from the customer; to generate and communicate an electronic message to instruct a laundry station operator or laundry services provider to fulfill the order.

主权项

1. A method for providing laundry services, comprising the steps of:
providing a laundry station having an interactive point-of-sale device operably connected to one or more laundry unit containers for housing items to be laundered, such that a customer can place an order for laundry services; receiving and accepting the order for laundry services from a customer at the laundry station, including collecting payment information from the customer at the laundry station; providing information directing the customer to place their laundry in a designated or chosen laundry unit container in response to the order received from the customer; upon completion of the customer placing their laundry in the designated or chosen laundry unit container, generating an electronic message to the customer confirming the details of the order including the designated or chosen laundry unit container in which the order was originally placed; generating an electronic message to instruct a laundry station operator or a laundry services provider to fulfill the order; and communicating the electronic message and the order to the laundry station operator or the laundry services provider, whereby the laundry station operator or the laundry services provider can obtain the items to be laundered from the designated or chosen laundry unit container in which the order was originally placed to fulfill the order and return the laundered items to the same designated or chosen laundry unit container in which the order was originally placed, further comprising the step of collecting customer identifying information, and further comprising the step of, upon fulfillment of the order for laundry services by the laundry station operator or the laundry services provider, transmitting an electronic message to the customer to notify the customer of the completion of the order and its return to the designated or chosen laundry unit container in which the order was originally placed.