Programming presets in a vending machine

• US 20060074523A1
• Filed: 02/26/2003
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Munroe Chirnomas
• Original Assignee: Munroe Chirnomas
• Inventors: Chirnomas, Munroe
• Granted Patent: US 7,251,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/232
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/004 Restocking arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/02 from non-movable magazines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/165 using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/1657 the picking arrangements using suction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/10 Casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling

Abstract

A vending machine apparatus comprising a housing defining an internal cavity and an article storage area where predetermined groups of stored articles are located at predetermined positions within the housing. An article retrieval device is associated with the housing for moving articles to be vended from the storage area to a dispensing area. A user interface and control apparatus allows a user of the dispensing apparatus to initiate an article dispensing operation, and generates control signals for causing controlled movement of the article retrieval device so that a user selected article is retrieved from a predetermined location in the article storage area and moved to the dispensing area. The user interface and control apparatus includes a memory for storing therein a plurality of sets of control information, each of a plurality of sets of control information being required for generating proper control signals for the retrieval device when the storage area has disposed therein a corresponding predetermined arrangement of the groups of stored articles. A selection device coupled to the control apparatus allows selection of a given one of the sets of control information in the memory when a corresponding predetermined arrangement of the groups of articles are stored therein, so that when a desired article is selected by a user, it is properly retrieved from the predetermined location in the article storage area and moved to the dispensing area.

Claims

5. A method for reloading a vending machine with articles to be vended, comprising:

placing one of a predetermined group of articles at a predetermined position within a storage area of the vending machine, said placing corresponding to a given plan-o-gram;

programming an article retrieval device of said vending machine to retrieve a proper one of said stored articles, by selecting one of a plurality of sets of control information, each of said sets of control information being required for generating the proper control signals for the retrieval device when the storage area has disposed therein a corresponding given plan-o-gram of articles.

6-1. The method of claim 6, wherein said selecting comprises accessing a memory that is located in the machine and which has been pre-programmed with the control information.