Vending system with a given number of compartments

• US 5,386,462 A
• Filed: 05/10/1994
• Issued: 01/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shopping.com
• Original Assignee: Accumulata Verwaltungsgesellschaft GmbH
• Inventors: Schlamp, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US08/240,389
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 379/106, 379/93, 379/91, 379/95, 379/96, 379/97, 379/98, 364/401, 364/479, 348/13, 348/14
• US Class Current: 379/93.12
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/12 comprising lockable containers, e.g. for accepting clothes to be cleaned

Abstract

The invention pertains to a vending system in which a compartment unit (1) with a given number of compartments (2) each of which is provided with a door (4) that can be locked by a locking device is assembled in a room (6) together with a computing unit (3). A presentation device (40) is assigned to the computing unit (3), whereby the presentation unit comprises at least one memory device (42, 49) in which text and/or visual information about the goods offered in designated compartments (2) are stored. The compartment number of the compartment (2) containing the corresponding goods as well as the price of these goods can be assigned to the text and/or visual information. The presentation device (40) can receive information to reserve a compartment (2), the offer number assigned to certain text and/or visual information and information pertaining to the identification of the customer by an input device (43, 47).

Claims

1. A vending system located in a room, comprising:

a compartment unit including

compartments, each of the compartments having a locking device and a door that can be locked by the locking device and storing goods to be purchased, and each of the compartments assigned an offer number and a price for the goods contained therein; and

a computing unit connected to the locking device of each of the compartments, and assigning the offer number and the price to each of the compartments containing the goods using at least one of text and visual information; and

a presentation unit connected to the computing unit, the presentation unit including

at least one memory device connected to the computing unit and storing the at least one of text and visual information about the goods stored in the compartments;

communication means for communicating the offer number and the price to a customer assigned by the computing unit; and

an input device connected to the at least one memory device, and receiving from the customer reservation information to reserve one of the compartments, the reservation information including the offer number and identification information to identify the customer,

wherein the computing unit receives the reservation information from the presentation unit and updates the at least one of text and visual information stored in the at least one memory device preventing previously purchased goods from being offered for sale to the customer.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one memory device has a voice memory in which the text information pertaining to the goods offered in the compartments can be stored.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the voice memory is a digital voice memory.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one memory device has an image memory in which the visual information pertaining to the goods offered in the compartments can be stored.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the presentation unit has a microphone which a merchant uses to enter text information into the voice memory.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the presentation unit can be accessed by a public telephone network by telephones of customers participating in the vending system, the at least one of text and visual information stored in the at least one memory device is transmitted to the telephones through the public telephone network, and a selection of certain goods and the reservation information for reserving one of the compartments containing the certain goods is executed by entering the offer number using a telephone as the input device.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the customer enters a customer number in addition to the offer number using a number pad of the telephone in order to identify the customer to the vending system.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the customer enters digits indicating an account number and the customer number for security reasons which are transmitted to the vending system, and the computing unit compares the customer number and the account number stored in a second memory with stored information entered before the one of the compartments is reserved.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein transmission of the information entered using the telephone by the public telephone network is executed according to a multifrequency process.

10. Vending system according to claim 6, wherein transmission of the information entered using the telephone through the public telephone network is executed according to an impulse selection process.

11. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one memory device includes an image memory, and a data display device is connected to the telephone, and the information transmitted from the image memory by the public telephone network is displayed on the data display device.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the telephone and the data display device are components of a terminal, and the offer number is entered into the terminal.

13. The system according to claim 2, wherein a part of the presentation unit is arranged outside of the room accessible to the customer and provided with a loud speaker used to announce the text information stored in the voice memory.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the part of the presentation unit comprises a monitor on which visual information stored in an image memory of the at least one memory device is displayed.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein a presentation input device is connected to the presentation unit and a merchant enters the offer number and the price while placing the goods into the compartments in order to assign the one of text and visual information stored in the at least one memory device to the compartments having the goods contained therein.

16. The system, according to claim 15, wherein the presentation input device includes one of a keyboard and a touch-sensitive screen.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the part of the presentation device includes one of a coin and money testing device for displaying prices and receiving payment for the goods, so that the customer can enter the offer number of the goods at the input device after receiving the one of text and visual information stored in the at least one memory device and insert the payment corresponding to one of the prices into the one of coin and money testing device, and an access door of the room and the door of one of the compartment assigned to the offer number are opened after the payment has been inserted by the customer.