Method and system for interfacing a machine controller and a wireless network

• US 20030003865A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crane Payment Innovations, Inc. (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Isochron Inc.
• Inventors: Wu, Jizhi, Godwin, Bryan W., English, William A., Defosse, Erin M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,164,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/02 using transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers

Abstract

A wireless interface module interfaces a machine control system, such as a vending machine controller, with one of plural wireless networks through one of plural removably coupled wireless transceivers. Communication between geographically distributed vending machines and a desired wireless network is supported by coupling a transceiver associated with the desired network to the wireless interface module. This advantageously provides flexibility in selecting from one of plural wireless networks for a distributed vending machine so that communication between the control system and a distal operating center is supported over a preferred wireless network through a standardized wireless interface module incorporated in the vending machine by changing the wireless transceiver removably coupled to the wireless interface module.

Claims

1. A system for interfacing a machine controller with a desired one of plural wireless networks, the system comprising:

a wireless interface module in communication with the machine controller, the wireless interface module having an interface operable to communicate with one of plural wireless transceivers, each of the plural transceivers associated with one or more of the plural wireless networks; and

plural wireless transceivers adapted to removably couple to the interface of the wireless interface module, each wireless transceiver operable to send and receive wireless signals associated with one or more of the wireless networks.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the machine controller comprises a vending machine controller.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising an antenna coupled to the wireless interface module, the wireless interface module communicating wireless signals between the wireless transceiver and the antenna.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising a coaxial cable to communicate wireless signals between the wireless transceiver and the wireless interface module.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising an antenna coupled to the wireless transceiver, the antenna operable to communicate wireless signals with the wireless network associated with the wireless transceiver.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising first and second wireless transceivers removably coupled to the wireless interface module, the first wireless transceiver providing a primary wide area network interface, the second wireless transceiver providing a local or personal area network interface.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a second wireless transceiver removably coupled to the wireless interface module, the second wireless transceiver associated with a second one of the plural wireless networks.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a multi-drop bus interface associated with the wireless interface module.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the multi-drop bus comprises a serial port.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the machine controller comprises a vending machine controller installed in a vending machine and the serial port comprises a USB port, the USB port providing an interface for a BLUETOOTH module.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the machine controller comprises a vending machine controller installed in a vending machine, the serial port providing an interface for a BLUETOOTH module.

12. The system of claim 8 further comprising an IEEE 802.11 compliant wireless device interfaced with the multi-drop bus.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless interface module is adapted to accept power from the machine controller.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein determining one of the plural networks comprises:

removably coupling plural wireless transceivers to the wireless transceiver port to test the compatibility of the geographic location and the plural wireless networks associated with the plural wireless transceivers; and

selecting the wireless transceiver based in part on the communication reliability test of the wireless transceivers.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the machine controller comprises a vending machine controller installed in a vending machine.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the wireless interface module comprises a multi-drop bus, the method further comprising interfacing a wireless device with the multi-drop bus of the wireless interface module.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the multi-drop bus comprises a USB bus and interfacing a wireless device comprises interfacing a BLUETOOTH device with the USB bus.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the wireless device comprises an IEEE 802.11 compliant bus.

14. A method for interfacing a machine controller with one or more of plural wireless networks distributed over a geographic area, the method comprising:

integrating a wireless interface module with the machine controller, the wireless interface module having a wireless transceiver port;

deploying the machine controller to a predetermined geographic location;

determining one of the plural wireless networks as preferred for the geographic location; and

removably coupling a wireless transceiver associated with the preferred wireless network to the wireless transceiver port.

17. The method of 16 further comprising:

re-locating the vending machine to a new geographic location;

determining a new one of the plural wireless networks as preferred for the new geographic location; and

replacing the wireless transceiver removably coupled to the wireless transceiver port by removably coupling to the wireless transceiver port a new wireless transceiver associated with the new wireless network.

21. A vending machine operable to communicate with one of plural wireless networks, the vending machine comprising:

a controller operable to control the operations of the vending machine and to monitor vending machine information, the controller having a bus interface adapted to communicate vending machine information and provide power to wireless interface module;

a wireless interface module removably coupled into the controller bus interface, the wireless interface module in electrical communication with the controller to receive the vending machine information, the wireless module having a wireless transceiver interface; and

a wireless transceiver removably coupled to the wireless transceiver interface, the wireless transceiver operable to communicate vending machine information with a desired one of the plural wireless networks.

22. The vending machine of claim 21 further comprising:

an antenna operable to send and receive signals with the wireless network, the antenna coupled to the wireless interface module; and

an antenna cable interfacing the wireless interface module and the wireless transceiver.

23. The vending machine of claim 21 wherein the wireless transceiver communicates with only one of plural wireless networks and wherein the vending machine is convertible to another one of the plural wireless networks by replacing the removably coupled wireless transceiver with another wireless transceiver that is compatible with the desired wireless network.

24. The vending machine of claim 21 further comprising first and second wireless transceivers removably coupled to the wireless interface card, the first wireless transceiver compatible with a wide area wireless network, the second wireless transceiver compatible with a local area wireless network.