System and method for remotely controlling dispensing of product(s) from a vending device

• US 10,497,200 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2017
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vendekin Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Vendekin Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• Inventors: Gaur, Anshoo, Khatter, Aroon Ashish
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/662,340
• Publication Number:
  US 20180300981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 700231-244
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06112 the marking being simulated using a light source, e.g. a barcode shown on a display or a laser beam with time-varying intensity profile
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3224 Transactions dependent on location of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40155 for triggering transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system and method for remotely controlling dispensing of product(s) from a vending device is disclosed. The system may identify a vending device within predefined range of a location of a user device. The system may enable auto pairing of the user device with the vending device. The system may enable the user to select a product from a product list displayed on the user device, wherein the product list is received either from a processing unit of the vending device or the system. The system may transmit the information to the processing unit after completion of transaction associated with the product selected by the user. The processing unit may decode the vending data from the information to trigger dispensing of the product from the vending device. The dispensing of the product is facilitated via a vending machine controller (VMC) of the vending device or directly through the processing unit.

Claims

1. A processing unit to enable controlling of dispensing of product(s) from a vending device, the processing unit comprising:

a processor;

a communication port/interface, wherein the communication port/interface is configured to enable retrofitting of the processing unit with a Vending Machine Controller (VMC) in order to control dispensing of the product(s) from the vending device;

a transceiver configured to communicate with a user device; and

a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory for

enabling auto-pairing of the vending device with the user device;

receiving a unique alphanumeric code from the user device, wherein the user device is configured to receive the unique alphanumeric code in response to transaction corresponding to one or more products selected from a product list displayed on the user user device;

decoding vending data from the unique alphanumeric code; and

auto-pressing the keys of a keypad electronically coupled with the processing unit based upon the vending data decoded, wherein the auto-pressing triggers the Vending Machine Controller (VMC) to dispense a product from the vending device.

2. The processing unit of the claim 1, wherein the transceiver is a router or a short-range transceiver, wherein the short-range transceiver is configured to communicate with the user device using a short-range communication protocol selected from a group comprising, Bluetooth communication protocol, Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency (RF) protocol, an infra-red (IR) protocol, and ZigBee protocol.

3. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the auto-pairing is performed based upon either of scanning of a QR code displayed on the vending device, or auto-polling of vending devices, or tactile inputs received from the user, or voice commands received from the user, or gesture inputs received from the user, or geo-spatial data associated with the user device and the vending devices, and wherein the auto-pairing enables the receipt of the information from the user device.

4. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured for:

transmitting the product list to be displayed on the user device, wherein the product list is generated based upon inventory information, stored in the processing unit, associated with the vending device,

tapping of the vending data either through the VMC or the keypad, wherein the vending data is associated with one of a cash transaction or a cashless transaction and

updating the inventory information associated with the vending device based upon tapping of the vending data.

5. The processing unit of claim 4, wherein the processing unit is configured to perform tapping through a keypad connector port associated with the keypad or through a thin film of a silicon attached to the keypad.

6. A processing unit to enable controlling of dispensing of product(s) from a vending device, the processing unit comprising:

a processor;

a transceiver configured to communicate with a user device; and

a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory for

enabling auto-pairing of a vending device with the user device;

receiving a unique alphanumeric code from the user device, wherein the user device is configured to receive the unique alphanumeric code in response to a transaction corresponding to one or more products selected from a product list displayed on the user user device;

decoding vending data from the unique alphanumeric code; and

auto-pressing the keys of a keypad electronically coupled with the processing unit based upon the vending data decoded to enable dispensing of the product from the vending device.

7. The processing unit of the claim 6, wherein the transceiver is a router or a short-range transceiver, wherein the short-range transceiver is configured to communicate with the user device using a short-range communication protocol selected from a group comprising Bluetooth communication protocol, Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency (RF) protocol, an infra-red (IR) protocol, and ZigBee protocol.

8. The processing unit of claim 6, wherein the auto-pairing is performed based upon either of scanning of a QR code displayed on the vending device, or tactile inputs received from the user, or voice commands received from the user, or gesture inputs received from the user, or geo-spatial data associated with the user device and the vending devices, and wherein the auto-pairing enables the receipt of the code from the user device.

9. The processing unit of claim 6, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

transmit the product list to be displayed on the user device, wherein the product list is generated based upon inventory information, stored in the processing unit, associated with the vending device,

tap the vending data either through the VMC or the keypad, wherein the vending data is associated with one of a cash transaction or a cashless transaction and

update the inventory information associated with the vending device based upon tapping of the vending data.

10. A system for remotely controlling dispensing of product(s) from a vending device, the system comprising

a processor;

and

a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute programmed instructions stored in the memory for

identifying a vending device within a predefined range of the location of a user device;

enabling the user to select, via the user device, a product of a plurality of products capable of being vended through the vending device; and

transmitting, via the user device, a unique alphanumeric code to a processing unit of the vending device, wherein the processing unit is configured to decode vending data from the unique alphanumeric code and auto-press the keys of a keypad electronically coupled with the processing unit based upon the vending data decoded in order to trigger dispensing of a product from the vending device.

11. The processing unit of the claim 10, wherein the transceiver is a router or a short-range transceiver, and wherein the short-range transceiver is configured to communicate with the user device using a short-range communication protocol selected from a group comprising Bluetooth communication protocol, Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency (RF) protocol, an infra-red (IR) protocol, and ZigBee protocol.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor further executes a programmed instruction for displaying, via the user device, a product list in order to enable the user to select one or more products of the plurality of products in the product list, wherein the product list is received either from the processing unit or from the system.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor further executes a programmed instruction for enabling auto-pairing of the user device with the vending device, wherein the auto-pairing is performed based upon scanning of a QR code displayed on the vending device, or tactile inputs received from the user, or voice commands received from the user, or gesture inputs received from the user, or geo-spatial data associated with the user device and the vending devices, and wherein the auto-pairing enables transmission of the information to the processing unit of the vending device in order to trigger the dispensing of the products from the vending device, and wherein the auto-pairing is performed either before or after the selection of the one or more products and the completion of associated electronic transaction.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the vending device and the user device are configured to provide voice enabled commands to enable function of the vending device or the user device.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing unit of the vending device is configured to control dispensing of the product(s) from the vending machine through a vending machine controller (VMC) associated with the vending device.

16. A method for remotely controlling dispensing of product(s) from a vending device, the method comprising

identifying, by a processor, a vending device within a predefined range of the location of a user device;

enabling, by the processor, the user to select, via the user device, a product of a plurality of products capable of being vend through the vending device;

enabling, by the processor, to transmit a unique alphanumeric code to a processing unit of the vending device via the user device, wherein the processing unit is configured to decode vending data from the unique alphanumeric code and auto-press the keys of a keypad electronically coupled with the processing unit based upon the vending data decoded in order to trigger dispensing of a product from the vending device.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising displaying, via the user device, a product list in order to enable the user to select one or more products of the plurality of products in the product list, wherein the product list is received either from the processing unit or from a system communicatively coupled with the user device.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising enabling, by the processor, auto-pairing of the vending device with the user device, wherein the auto-pairing is performed based upon scanning of a QR code displayed on the vending device, or tactile inputs received from the user, or voice commands received from the user, or gesture inputs received from the user, or geo-spatial data associated with the user device and the vending devices, wherein auto-pairing enables transmission of information to the processing unit of the vending device in order to trigger the dispensing of the products from the vending device, and wherein the auto-pairing is performed either before or after the selection of the product(s) and completion of associated electronic transaction.