VENDING KIT AND METHOD

• US 20170011384A1
• Filed: 04/27/2016
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Byte Foods, Inc. (Garten,Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pantry Retail, Inc. (Garten,Inc.)
• Inventors: New, Christopher Alika Ah, Tkachenko, Artem, Yancher, Alexander, Chen, Zhongning
• Granted Patent: US 9,934,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/18 involving self-service terminals [SST], vending machines, kiosks or multimedia terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0223 based on inventory
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0237 at kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/02 from non-movable magazines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/38 in which the magazines are horizontal
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

One variation of a method for controlling access to products from a vending machine includes: locking a door of the vending machine; recording an initial inventory of products arranged within the vending machine based on signals received by a radio antenna arranged within the vending machine and read by a radio frequency identification reader; initiating a transaction in response to receiving a cashless payment mechanism from a patron; unlocking the door in response to authentication of the cashless payment mechanism; in response to closure of the door, recording a final inventory of products within the vending machine based on signals received by the radio antenna and read by the radio frequency identification reader; and initiating a payment with the cashless payment mechanism for a difference between the initial inventory and the final inventory to complete the transaction.

Claims

1. A vending kit for controlling access to products from a vending machine, the vending kit comprising:

a locking mechanism to be installed between a door of a kiosk and a casing of the kiosk;

a door sensor;

a housing to be installed on an external surface of the kiosk;

a display arranged within the housing and displaying pricing information for products within the kiosk;

a payment collection module coupled to the housing and comprising a short-range wireless communication module configured to identify a mobile computing device proximal the kiosk;

a radio antenna to be installed within the kiosk to broadcast a signal toward radio frequency identification tags arranged on products within the kiosk;

a radio frequency identification reader arranged within the housing and reading identification signals received from radio frequency identification tags via the radio antenna; and

a processor arranged within the housing and configured to record an initial inventory of products within the kiosk based on signals read by the radio frequency identification reader, to communicate with a the mobile computing device through the payment collection module to authenticate a cashless payment mechanism associated with the mobile computing device, to trigger the locking mechanism to unlock the door in response to authentication of the cashless payment mechanism, to record a final inventory of products within the kiosk based on signals read by the radio frequency identification reader in response to closure of the door detected at the door sensor, and to initiate a payment with the cashless payment mechanism for a difference between the initial inventory and the final inventory.