APPARATUS FOR TRANSACTING BUSINESS

• US 3,826,344 A
• Filed: 08/09/1971
• Issued: 07/30/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eric C. Wahlberg
• Original Assignee: Eric C. Wahlberg
• Inventors: Wahlberg, Eric C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kocovsky, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US05/170,279
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 186/1 194/4,DIG.9,2 221/2 222/2 340/149A
• US Class Current: 194/206
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/40 for devices for accepting orders, advertisements, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/22 electrically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

Apparatus for transacting business by the use of a standard currency, credit cards, checks, bank drafts, deposit vouchers, large denomination paper currency or foreign currency including means for registering a credit against an account or the cost of items to be purchased and means for remotely controlling a plurality of such apparatuses.

Claims

1. A business transaction apparatus comprising in combination means for receiving data for representing the identity of the subject of the transaction and providing an output representative thereof;

cost means connected with said means for receiving data for totaling the cost of the subject of the transaction;

credit means connected with said cost means and including first means for receiving and totaling money inserted in the apparatus, and second means for receiving credit representing means;

cost satisfying means connected with said first means for comparing the total money inserted in the apparatus with the total cost of the subject of the transaction, and credit validation means connected with said second means; and

transaction completion means connected with said cost satisfying means for constraining the business transaction apparatus to complete said transaction when the total money inserted is equal to or greater than the total cost of the subject of the transaction or when the credit representing means is validated.

2. A business transaction apparatus comprising first means for identifying an item and providing an output representative of the identity thereof;

cost representing means;

secon means for determining the cost of said item from said cost representing means in response to the output of said first means and providing and output representative thereof;

credit receiving means including third means for receiving and totaling money inserted into said apparatus, and fourth means for receiving credit representing means including means for generating a signal representative of the validity of said credit representing means and means for generating a signal representative of the value charged against said credit representing means; and

matching means responsive to said output of said second means and connected with said credit receiving means for comparing the total money inserted in the apparatus with the total cost of the items identified, and means for receiving said signals representative of the validity of and value charged against said credit representing means including means responsive to said signals whereby said credit receiving means is operative until the value charged against said credit representing means and said cost cause said matching means to indicaTe they are equal.

3. A business transaction apparatus as recited in claim 2 wherein the apparatus further includes a means for issuing a receipt in response to said matching means.

4. A vending machine comprising in combination item selection means for preselecting one or a plurality of items;

cost means connected with said item selection means for totaling the cost of the items selected;

credit receiving means including first means for receiving and totaling money inserted in the vending machine, and second means for receiving credit representing means including means for generating a signal representative of the validity of said credit representing means and value charged means for generating a signal representing the value charged against said credit representing means;

matching means connected with said cost means and said credit receiving means for comparing the total money inserted in the vending machine with the total cost of the items selected, and means for receiving said signals representative of the validity of the value charged against said credit representing means including means responsive to said signals whereby said credit receiving means is operated until said credit receiving means and said cost means cause said matching means to indicate they are equal; and

item issue means connected to and responsive to said matching means for issuing the selected items.

5. The vending machine recited in claim 4 wherein said credit receiving means includes manually controlled lock means for connecting manual means for insertion of cost satisfaction information into said credit receiving means.

6. The vending machine as recited in claim 4 wherein said first means includes means for receiving coins and paper currency.

7. The vending machine as recited in claim 6 and further including change dispensing means connected with said matching means to dispense change in coins and paper currency in accordance with the difference between the total money inserted in the vending machine and the total cost of the items selected.

8. The vending machine as recited in claim 4 wherein said first means includes means for receiving and totaling paper currency including validating means for validating the paper currency, storage means for the paper currency, first conveyor means for delivering paper currency to the storage means and second conveyor means for delivering the paper currency from the storage means to a change receptacle.

9. The vending machine is recited in claim 8 wherein said storage means includes means for selectively storing the paper currency in said storage means or delivering the paper currency to said second conveyor means.

10. The vending machine as recited in claim 9 wherein said storage means includes a hopper, and limit switches are disposed adjacent said second conveyor means to detect the presence or absence of paper currency therein and said selective means is responsive to said limit switches to control the storage of the paper currency or the delivery of the paper currency to aid second conveyor means whereby said second conveyor means is full of paper currency additional paper currency inserted in the vending machine is stored in said hopper.

11. The vending machine is recited in claim 4 wherein said credit receiving means includes third means for receiving a negotiable instrument connected to said matching means and including means for generating signals representative of the validity and value of said negotiable instrument;

said matching means including means for receiving said signals representative of the validity and value of said negotiable instrument including means responsive to said signals whereby said credit receiving means is operated until said credit receiving means and said cost means cause said matching circuit to indicate they are equal.

12. The vending machine as recited in claim 11 wherein said credit receiving means includes fourth means for receiving paper currency, said validation means is connected with said fourth means, and said item issue means issues the selected items when the paper currency is validated and the value of the paper currency is equal to or greater than the cost of the items.

13. The vending machine as recited in claim 12 wherein said first means includes means for receiving coins and paper currency of denominations less than the paper currency received by said fourth means.

14. The vending machine as recited in claim 13 and further including change dispensing means connected with said matching means to dispense change in coins and paper currency of denominations less than the paper currency received by said fourth means in accordance with the difference between to total money inserted in the vending machine and the total cost of the items selected.

15. A business transaction apparatus for depositing values into a bank account, paying loan installments or paying bills comprising in combination first means for receiving an account representation;

validating means connected with said first means for providing a signal representative of the validity of said account representation;

a cost representing means including second means for receiving a cost value upon generation of said signal by said validating means;

said second means including means for generating a signal representative of said cost value;

cost satisfying means for receiving a cost satisfaction value including signal generating means for providing a signal representative of the cost satisfaction value for the business transaction;

matching means connected to said cost representing means and said cost satisfying means for comparing the cost value of the cost representing means and the cost satisfaction value of the cost representing means and the cost satisfaction value of the cost satisfying means whereby said cost satisfying means is operated until said cost representing means and said cost satisfying means cause said matching means to indicate said cost satisfaction value and said cost value are equal; and

receipt issue means connected with said matching means for issuing a receipt in response to said matching means when said cost satisfaction value is equal to said cost value and responsive to said signal representative of the validity of said account representation.

16. The business transaction apparatus as receited in claim 15 wherein said matching means includes change determination means responsive to the difference between said cost satisfaction value and said cost value and connected to a change issue means which is responsive to said matching means.

17. A business transaction apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein said cost satisfying means includes means for receiving and generating a signal representing the validity and value of a negotiable instrument, said means being connected to said cost satisfying means.

18. A business transaction apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein said cost satisfying means includes means for receiving and totaling legal tender connected to said cost satisfying means.

19. A business transaction apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein said receipt issue means includes data storage means.

20. A remote control transaction system comprising a plurality of transaction stations;

each of said transaction stations including item selection means, cost means connected with said item selection means for totaling the cost of the items selected, credit receiving means including first means for receiving and totaling money inserted in the station and second means for receiving credit representing means including validating means for generating a signal representative of the validity of said credit representing means and a signal representing the value charged against said credit representing means;

matching means connected to said cost means and said credit receiving means, for comparing the total money inserted in the station with the cost of the items selecteD, and means for receiving said signal representative of the validity of and value charged against said credit representing means including means responsive to said signal whereby said credit receiving means is operated until value charged against said credit representing means and said cost means cause said matching means to indicate they are equal, item issue means connected with said matching means and responsive thereto to dispense the selected item after the matching means indicates the cost of the items and the value and value charged inserted into the credit receiving means are equal, and monitoring means for monitoring the receiving of said credit representing means and the generation of signals corresponding thereto;

a remote control station including receiver means for receiving said signals from said monitoring means and said validating means is connected with said receiver means for generating signals indicating authenticity of the value charged against said credit representing means; and

means connecting said remote station with said plurality of transaction stations to supply said signals from said monitoring means to said receiver means, and to supply said signals from the validating means to said matching means.

21. The remote control transaction system recited in claim 20 wherein said monitoring means includes a television camera.

22. The remote control transaction system as recited in claim 20 wherein each transaction includes currency dispensing means connected with said matching means for dispensing currency of a first country, said credit receiving means includes means for receiving currency of a second country, said monitoring means includes means for monitoring the currency of the second country and generating a signal corresponding to the value thereof and said validating means includes means for generating signals corresponding to the authenticity of the currency of the second country and value of the currency of the second country expressed in the currency of the first country.

23. The remote control transaction system as recited in claim 22 wherein said matching is connected with said currency dispensing means for comparing the total cost of the items selected and the value of the currency of the second country expressed in the currency of the first country and generates signals received by said currency dispensing means to cause currency of the first country to be dispensed in accordance with the difference between the value of the currency of the second country expressed in the currency of the first country and the total of the items selected.

24. The remote control transaction system as recited in claim 20 wherein said credit representing means includes a negotiable instrument, said validating means includes means for generating signals representing the value of the negotiable instrument, said matching means compares the total cost of the items selected and the value of the negotiable instrument, and said item issue means is connected with said matching means to dispense the selected item if the value of the negotiable instrument is equal to or is greater than the total cost of the items selected.

25. The remote control transaction system as recited in claim 24 wherein change dispensing means is connected with said matching means to dispense change in accordance with the difference between the value of the negotiable instrument and the cost of the items selected.

26. The remote control transaction system as recited in claim 24 wherein said monitoring means includes a microphone.