Method to activate a vending machine

• US 20040089669A1
• Filed: 04/29/2003
• Published: 05/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott Edward James Garratt
• Original Assignee: Scott Edward James Garratt
• Inventors: Garratt, Scott Edward James
• Granted Patent: US 6,850,816 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/1
• 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

Abstract

A method of activating a vending machine or automatic dispenser of products or services, comprising an authorization acceptance means that operates in the machine or dispenser and an authorization issuance means that operates in a computer or calculating device remote from said machine or dispenser, wherein the issuance means produces a seemingly random code that will be accepted by the acceptance means to authorize the vending of a product or service.

Claims

1. A method of activating a vending machine or automatic dispenser of products or services, comprising an authorization acceptance means that operates in the machine or dispenser and an authorization issuance means that operates in a computer or calculating device remote from said machine or dispenser, wherein the issuance means produces a seemingly random code that will be accepted by the acceptance means to authorize the vending of a product or service.

2. A method of activating a vending machine or automatic dispenser of products or services, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one dispensing device;

providing a remotely located calculating device;

running a first synchronous math function or lookup table in the said at least one dispensing device to produce a solution and running a second synchronous math function or lookup table in the said remotely located calculating device to produce a solution,

the said first solution and the said second solution being identical to one another;

conveying the second solution running in the remotely located calculating device to a purchaser,

receiving the second solution from the purchaser at the at least one dispensing device;

confirming at the at least one dispensing device that the second solution is identical to the first solution; and

activating the dispensing device to dispense the product or service.