Remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system including handheld wireless equipment

• US 20020016829A1
• Filed: 10/04/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• 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 7,181,501 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• 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

Abstract

A remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system including handheld wireless equipment to obtain operational data and the status of remote machines is disclosed. A plurality of application controllers are interfaced with the remote machines from which operation data is acquired by the application controllers. The application controllers communicate with an application host via a local area network. The application host may communicate with a network operations center using a wide area network. The handheld wireless equipment may be used to obtain operational information for each remote machine from the network operations center.

Claims

1. A remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system, comprising:

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

at least one application host operable to communicate with the application controllers via a local area network;

the application host communicating with a network operations center using a wide area network interface; and

handheld wireless equipment operable to communicate with the network operations center using a wide area network to obtain information concerning the status of the remote machines.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

the local area network supported by wireless transmissions; and

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

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising the application host and the handheld wireless equipment using the same wide 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 with the application host.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the application controllers and the application host operate to auto configure the local area network upon initialization.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the auto configuration 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, further comprising the application host communicating with the network operations center using a wide area network which is different from the wide area network used by the handheld wireless equipment to communicate with the network operations center.

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 digital paging network.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wireline interface.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote machine further comprises a vending machine.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each application controller interfaces with the vending machine via a serial interface to a vending machine controller.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the information obtained by the handheld wireless equipment from the network operations center using the wide area network comprises product sales and inventory data for the vending machine.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the information obtained by the handheld wireless equipment from the network operations center using the wide area network comprises the operational status of the vending machine.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a network operations center communicating with the application host via a wide area network to receive the data acquired by the application controllers.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising the network operations center operable to maintain a database storing the operation data and provides access to the database by the handheld wireless equipment.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising access provided to the handheld wireless equipment via an application connecting across a wireless network.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising access provided to the handheld wireless equipment via a wireless packet based network.

19. The system of claim 16, further comprising access provided to the handheld wireless equipment via an internet based network.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising access provided to the handheld wireless equipment via a web browser connected with an internet based network.

21. A remote data acquisition transmission and analysis system for vending machines, comprising:

a plurality of application controllers, each application controller interfacing with a vending machine controller of a vending machine 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 auto configure the local area network upon initialization;

the network operation center maintaining a database for the operation data and providing third party access to the database;

handheld wireless equipment operable to communicate with the network operations center using a wide area network to obtain information from the database; and

the handheld wireless equipment operable to communicate with the application controllers using the local area network.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

the local area network supported by wireless transmissions; and

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

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wireless transceiver.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the wireless transceiver communicates across a digital paging network.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wireline interface.

26. The system of claim 21, further comprising each application controller interfaces via a serial interface.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising the handheld wireless equipment operable to obtain information for each vending machine including product dispensing and inventory data and cash levels.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the information obtained by the handheld wireless equipment comprises operation comprises equipment status data.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the handheld wireless equipment obtains information from the network operations center via a web browser connecting across an internet based network.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the handheld wireless equipment obtains information from the network operations center via e-mail communications supported by the respective wide are network.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the information obtained from the network operations center further comprises data contained in the e-mail communication in as an XML document.

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

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

communicating between an application host and each application controllers;

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

communicating with the network operations center using handheld wireless equipment and a wide area network to allow the handheld equipment to request new or updated data for the remote machines.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

interfacing at least two of the application controllers with respective remote equipment; and

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

34. The method of claim 33, wherein communicating via the local area network is supported by wireless transmissions using wireless LAN transceivers.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein communicating via the local area network is supported by transmissions over a wireline interface using wireline LAN transceivers.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein communicating between the application host and a network operations center uses a wide area network interface comprising a WAN wireless transceiver.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the WAN wireless transceiver communicates across a digital paging network.

38. The method of claim 32, wherein communicating between the application host and a network operations center uses a wide area network interface comprising a WAN wireline interface.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein each application controller interfaces with a remote machine that comprises a vending machine.

40. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

obtaining an initial status of the remote machines from the network operations center; and

using the handheld wireless equipment to obtain current status of the remote machines prior to servicing one or more of the remote machines.

41. The method of claim 32 further comprising the handheld wireless equipment using a wide area network to obtain the current status of one or more of the remote machines.

42. The method of claim 32 further comprising communicating with the network operations center using the handheld wireless equipment and the respective wide area network to allow the handheld wireless equipment to execute operational commands with respect to the remote machines.

43. The method of claim 32 further comprising using the handheld wireless equipment to purchase a product from the remote machine.

44. The method of claim 32 further comprising using the handheld remote equipment and the respective wide area network to allow the handheld wireless equipment to start and stop operation of the remote machines.

46. The system of claim 45 further comprising:

at least one of the remote machines comprising a vending machine; and

the handheld wireless equipment operable to communicate with the application host to control operation of the vending machine.

47. The system of claim 45 further comprising:

at least one of the remote machines comprising a vending machine; and

the handheld wireless equipment operable to communicate with one of the application controllers via the local area network to control operation of the vending machine.

45. A remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system comprising:

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

at least one application host operable to communicate with the application controllers via a local area network;

the application host communicating with a network operations center using a wide area network interface;

handheld wireless equipment operable to communicate with the network operations center using a wide area network to obtain information concerning the status of the remote machines; and

the handheld wireless equipment operable to control operation of the remote machines.

48. A data acquisition, transmission and analysis system for use with vending machines comprising:

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

at least one application host operable to communicate with the application controllers via a local area network;

the application host communicating with a network operations center using a wide area network interface; and

handheld wireless equipment operable to communicate with the vending machines to obtain data and issue commands to the vending machine by communicating with the network operations center using the wide area network.