Item vending machine and method

• US 20030233168A1
• Filed: 04/07/2003
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GTECH Corporation (GTECH SpA)
• Original Assignee: Interlott Technologies Incorporated (International Game Technology)
• Inventors: Roberts, Brian J., Wagoner, David G., Perin, Joseph C. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,797 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing items from a pack of items wherein the pack of items has parameters associated therewith such as pack size, an item dimension and an item price. The apparatus includes an item dispenser, a cash acceptor, input and output devices, and a controller. The controller has an item load table for storing data corresponding to the parameters associated with the pack of items. Thus, the parameters in the item load table can be displayed by the output device in lieu of the parameters being manually entered.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing items from one of a plurality of packs of items, wherein each of the plurality of the packs of items has parameters associated therewith such as a number of items in the pack and item price, the apparatus comprising:

an item dispenser adapted to dispense the items from the one of the plurality of packs of items;

a payment acceptor adapted to receive a payment from a customer to pay for an item;

an input device;

an output device; and

a controller in electrical communications with the item dispenser, the payment acceptor, the input device and the output device, the controller having memory for storing an item load table containing data corresponding to at least one of the parameters associated with the plurality of the packs of items.

2. A lottery ticket vending machine for dispensing lottery tickets from one of a plurality of packs of lottery tickets, wherein each of the plurality of packs of lottery tickets has parameters associated therewith such as a number of tickets in the pack, ticket size and ticket price, the ticket vending machine comprising:

a ticket dispenser adapted to dispense the lottery tickets from the one of the plurality of packs of lottery tickets;

a payment acceptor adapted to receive a payment from a customer to pay for a lottery ticket;

a user operable input device;

a display device; and

a controller in electrical communications with the item dispenser, the payment acceptor, the input device and the display device, the controller having a lottery ticket load table for storing data corresponding to the parameters associated with the plurality of packs of lottery tickets.

3. A method of loading a pack of new items in an item vending machine having a bins and a controller with a user I/O interface permitting a user to enter data and view output data displayed by the controller, the method comprising:

providing one type of a pack of new items to be loaded in one of the bins of the item vending machine;

initiating an item load process comprising

operating the user I/O interface to identify the one of the bins,

automatically displaying an identity of a type of items previously stored in the one of the bins,

operating the user I/O interface to provide one of the following;

an acceptance indicating that the one type of the pack of new items is identical to the type of items previously stored in the one of the bins, and

an identity of the one type of the pack of new items indicating that one type of the pack of new items is different from the type of items previously stored in the one of the bins; and

loading the one type of the pack of new items into the one of the bins of the ticket vending machine in response to receiving the acceptance.