Vending system

• US 20040050648A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 03/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Gilbarco Incorporated (Vontier Corp.)
• Inventors: Carapelli, Giovani
• Application Number:
  US10/363,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20040050648A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 194/205
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides a vending system (1) comprising a master unit (4) and at least one service provider unit (2) connected through a network, comprising means (12) automatically configure a communication interface between said service provider unit and a client unit (7) when the latter is connected to the network. The client unit (7) typically being a mobile phone to which a vending transaction can be charged.

Claims

1. A vending system (1) comprising a master unit (4) and at least one service provider unit (2) connected through a network (3), characterised in that the system further comprises means (12) to automatically configure a communication interface (9) between said service provider unit (2) and a client unit (7) when the latter is connected to the network.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said means (12) to automatically configure a communication interface between said client unit (7) and said service provider unit (2) comprises:

driver software (10) of the client unit provided at the client unit and transmitted to the master unit (4) through said interfaces;

driver software (12) of the service provider unit (2) provided at the master unit (4);

means (12) to associate said driver software of the client unit and of the service provider unit in order to automatically configure a communication interface between said client unit and said service provider unit.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said means (12) to associate said driver software of the client unit and of the service provider unit comprise discovery and lookup software (13) able to discover, join and make available to each other said client and service provider unit.

6. A system according to claim 1 further comprising remote controller (5) connected to said network from which remote controller said driver software (11) of said service provider unit is downloaded to said master unit

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein said controller in connected to said network through the Internet (6).

8. A system according to at least one of claims 1-7, wherein said master unit (4) is a control station of a gas station and at least one of said service provider units (2) is a fuel dispenser.

4. A system according to any proceeding claim wherein said master unit (4), said client unit (7) and said service provider unit (2) are connected through a TCP/IP enabled network.

5. A system according to any proceeding claim wherein said driver software of the client unit (7) and of the service provider unit (2) comprises a proxy code respectively of the client unit and of the service provider unit.