System and method for monitoring and control of beverage dispensing equipment

• US 20010054083A1
• Filed: 08/06/2001
• Published: 12/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crane Merchandising Systems Incorporated (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Isochron Data Corporation (Isochron Data Corp /Harris/)
• Inventors: Defosse, Erin M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,020,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0878 Safety, warning or controlling devices B67D1/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0888 Means comprising electronic circuitry (e.g. control panels, switching or controlling means)
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00089 Remote control means, e.g. by electromagnetic signals
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2210/00091 Bar management means
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/065 for drink preparation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• 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: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/10 Casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling

Abstract

A remote data acquisition and transmission system and method are disclosed. A plurality of application controllers are interfaced with remote beverage dispensing equipment from which operation data is acquired by the application controllers. The application controllers communicate with an application host via a local area network, and the application host can communicate with a network operations center using a wide area network interface.

Claims

1. A remote data acquisition and transmission system for beverage dispensing equipment, comprising:

a plurality of application controllers, each application controller interfacing with remote beverage dispensing equipment from which operation data is acquired by the application controller; and

an application host communicating with the application controllers via a local area network, the application host comprising a wide area network interface for communicating with a network operations center.

2. The system of

claim 1

, wherein:

the local area network is supported by wireless transmissions; and

the application host and each application controller comprise a wireless LAN transceiver for communicating via the local area network.

3. The system of

claim 1

, wherein:

the local area network is supported by wire-line transmissions; and

the application host and each application controller comprise a wire-line LAN transceiver for communicating via the local area network.

4. The system of

claim 1

, wherein at least one of the application controllers operates as a relay for another application controller for communications to the application host.

5. The system of

claim 4

, wherein the application controllers and the application host operate to autoconfigure the local area network upon initialization.

6. The system of

claim 5

, wherein the autoconfiguration comprises application controllers operating as relays when necessary to establish communication between the application host and other application controllers.

7. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the application host is directly connected to and associated with one of the application controllers.

8. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wireless transceiver.

9. The system of

claim 8

, wherein the WAN wireless transceiver communicates across a narrowband PCS network.

10. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wire-line interface.

11. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the operation data acquired from the beverage dispensing equipment comprises product dispensing and inventory data.

12. The system of

claim 1

, wherein the operation data acquired from the beverage dispensing equipment comprises equipment status data.

13. The system of

claim 1

, further comprising a network operations center communicating with the application host via a wide area network to receive the operation data acquired by the application controllers.

14. The system of

claim 13

, wherein the network operation center maintains a database storing the operation data and provides secure third party access to the database.

15. A remote data acquisition and transmission system for beverage dispensing equipment, comprising:

a plurality of application controllers, each application controller interfacing with a beverage dispensing controller of a beverage dispensing device from which operation data is acquired by the application controller;

an application host communicating with the application controllers via a local area network, the application host comprising a wide area network interface for communicating with a network operations center; and

the network operation center communicating with the application host via a wide area network to receive the operation data acquired by the application controllers;

the application controllers and the application host operating to autoconfigure the local area network upon initialization, the application controllers operating as relays when necessary to establish communication between the application host and other application controllers; and

the network operation center maintaining a database storing the operation data and providing third party access to the database.

16. The system of

claim 15

, wherein:

the local area network is supported by wireless transmissions; and

the application host and each application controller comprise a wireless LAN transceiver for communicating via the local area network.

17. The system of

claim 15

, wherein:

the local area network is supported by wire-line transmissions; and

the application host and each application controller comprise a wire-line LAN transceiver for communicating via the local area network.

18. The system of

claim 15

, wherein the application host is directly connected to and associated with one of the application controllers.

19. The system of

claim 15

, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wireless transceiver.

20. The system of

claim 15

, wherein the wireless transceiver communicates across a wide area wireless data network.

21. The system of

claim 15

, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wire-line interface.

22. The system of

claim 15

, wherein the operation data acquired by each beverage dispensing device comprises product dispensing and inventory data.

23. The system of

claim 19

, wherein the operation data acquired by each beverage dispensing device comprises equipment status data.

24. The system of

claim 19

further comprising operation data communicated to each beverage dispensing device including configuration information, firmware and other information used to operate the beverage dispensing device.

25. A method for remote data acquisition and transmission, comprising:

interfacing at least one of application controller with at least one remote beverage dispensing device from which operation data is acquired by the application controller;

communicating between an application host and each application controller; and

communicating between the application host and a network operations center using a wide area network interface.

26. The method of

claim 25

further comprising:

interfacing at least two of the application controllers with respective remote beverage dispensing devices; and

communicating between the application host and the application controllers via a local area network.

27. The method of

claim 26

, wherein communicating via the local area network is supported by wireless transmissions using wireless LAN transceivers.

28. The method of

claim 26

, wherein communicating via the local area network is supported by transmissions over a wire-line interface using wire-line LAN transceivers.

29. The method of

claim 26

, further comprising operating at least one of the application controllers as a relay for another application controller for communications to the application host.

30. The method of

claim 26

, further comprising autoconfiguring the local area network upon initialization.

31. The method of

claim 30

, wherein the autoconfiguring comprises application controllers operating as relays when necessary to establish communication between the application host and other application controllers.

32. The method of

claim 25

, further comprising directly connecting the application host with at least one of the application controllers.

33. The method of

claim 25

, wherein communicating between the application host and a network operations center uses a wide area network interface comprising a WAN wireless transceiver.

34. The method of

claim 33

, wherein the WAN wireless transceiver communicates across a digital paging network.

35. The method of

claim 25

, wherein communicating between the application host and a network operations center uses a wide area network interface comprising a WAN wire-line interface.

36. The method of

claim 25

further comprising communicating firmware from the network operations center to the application host.

37. The method of

claim 36

further comprising communicating the firmware from the application host to the application controller.

38. The method of

claim 25

, further comprising communicating between a network operation center and the application host via a wide area network to receive the operation data acquired by the application controllers.

39. The method of

claim 25

, further comprising, at the network operation center, maintaining a database storing the operation data and providing secure third party access to the database.

40. The method of

claim 39

, wherein the secure third party access is provided via a web browser connecting across an internet based network.

41. An application controller for use as part of a remote data acquisition and transmission system for a beverage dispensing device, the controller comprising:

a microprocessor connected with a memory unit;

a number of sensors to acquire data and a serial interface connected with the microprocessor to provide data thereto from the sensors;

a hardware interface bus for providing information to the microprocessor from other components of the system;

a LAN transceiver for communicating over a local area network; and

a power supply.

42. A remote data acquisition and transmission system for beverage dispensing equipment, the system comprising:

an application controller;

an application host operably coupled to the application controller;

the application controller operably coupled to and interfacing with remote beverage dispensing equipment from which operating data is acquired by the application controller; and

the application host including a wide area network interface for communicating with a network operations center.

43. The system of

claim 42

, wherein the application host is directly connected to and associated with the application controller.

44. The system of

claim 42

, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wireless transceiver.

45. The system of

claim 44

, wherein the WAN wireless transceiver communicates across a wireless data network.

46. The system of

claim 42

, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wire-line interface.

47. The system of

claim 42

, wherein the operation data acquired from the beverage dispensing equipment comprises product dispensing and inventory data.

48. The system of

claim 42

, wherein the operation data acquired from the beverage dispensing equipment comprises equipment status data.

49. The system of

claim 42

, further comprising a network operations center communicating with the application host via a wide area network to receive the operation data acquired by the application controllers.

50. The system of

claim 42

, wherein the network operation center maintains a database storing the operation data and provides secure third party access to the database.