Dispensing machine control method

• US 20120059511A1
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tuttoespresso, Srl (Larene SRL)
• Original Assignee: Tuttoespresso, Srl (Larene SRL)
• Inventors: Majer, Doglioni
• Granted Patent: US 8,800,867 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

In order to control the status and the operation of a dispensing machine assembly comprising one or more modules or sub-assemblies, at least one of modules or sub-modules is provided with an electronic tag and the machine is provided with a tag controller device for interacting with said tag by reading, writing and transmitting information data comprising initialization data on or through said tag and operating said dispensing machine according to the information gathered from said tag or tags.

Claims

1. A dispensing machine assembly comprising one or more modules or sub-assemblies, at least one of said modules being provided with a readable memory device, or tag, having a read-only memory portion and a writeable memory portion, said machine comprising a controller device for interacting with said memory device, wherein said tag contains a re-writable memory portion containing data concerning an amount of consumables, said data being progressively altered by said controller device in said tag re-writable memory portion with the module use.

2. A dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein said module is selected from a food container and a machine module and said consumable data comprise the machine cycles.

3. A dispensing machine according to claim 2, wherein the consumable data include the life span of a machine module.

6. A dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein said module comprises a food product container and wherein the tag of said food product container is detached from said container and has data concerning the amount of food.

7. A dispensing machine according to claim 1, wherein said tag comprises a read-only memory containing first data and a second, writable, memory portion containing second data, said second data containing said first data written through a coding algorithm, to provide at least part of said module identification data.

4. A dispensing machine assembly comprising one or more modules or sub-assemblies, at least one of said modules being provided with a readable memory device, or tag, having a read-only memory portion and a writeable memory portion, said machine comprising a tag controller device for interacting with said memory device, wherein said tag contains identification data to identify said module, characterized in that said identification data of the module comprise initialization data.

5. A dispensing machine according to claim 4, wherein said initialization data are selected from date of production of said module, date of pre-delivery inspection and date of first use of said module or their combination.

8. A method of controlling the operation of a dispensing machine assembly comprising one or more modules or sub-assemblies, having a readable memory device, or tag;

said machine having a tag controller device for interacting with said module tag by reading and/or writing and/or transmitting information data on or through said tag, characterized in that said module is associated with a tag having a re-writable memory portion initially containing data concerning an amount of consumables and in comprising the steps of progressively altering said data with the module use and of denying said module use after all the data have been altered.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein said module comprises a food product container and said consumables data are an amount of food.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein said data on consumables is selected from the number of performable operations and/or the number of remaining cycles before exhaustion of the module life-span.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein said tag is provided with a read-only memory comprising first data and with a writable memory, wherein said identification data are obtained by reading said first data, elaborating said first data through an algorithm and writing said algorithm coded data in a portion of the write-once memory on the said tag.

12. A method of controlling the operation of a dispensing machine assembly comprising one or more modules or sub-assemblies, having a readable memory device, or tag;

said machine having a tag controller device for interacting with said module tag by reading and/or writing and/or transmitting information data on or through said tag, characterized in comprising the steps of providing said tag with identification data to identify the module to said machine, wherein said data are obtained by writing in said tag memory an initialization date and wherein said controller reads the data of a module tag, compares said data with information provided to said controller and operates said dispensing machine according to the information gathered from said tag and the result of said data comparison.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said initialization data are selected from date of production of said module, date of pre-delivery inspection and date of first use of said module or their combinations.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein said initialization data comprise the production date and the module is selected from a food container and a pump.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein said module is associated with a tag having a re-writable memory portion containing data concerning an amount of consumables, said data being progressively altered by said tag controller with the module use and said module use being denied after all the data on said re-writable portion have been altered.