Dispensing machine with data card scanner apparatus and enhanced features

• US 5,641,050 A
• Filed: 01/17/1995
• Issued: 06/24/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verifone, Inc. (Verifone Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Gerald W., Tran, Dich C.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARTUSKA, FRANCIS JOHN
• Application Number:
  US08/375,124
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 194/206, 194/207, 194/208, 194/209, 194/210, 194/217, 194/218, 235/381, 235/383
• US Class Current: 194/210
• 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

Abstract

A dispensing machine payment acceptance apparatus for dispensing products or services from a dispensing machine upon user request and payment is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a data card scanner apparatus for acquiring payment and other information. It also comprises an electrical signals interface between the scanner and the dispensing machine to indicate proper payment has been made. Cash payment, such as coins and paper bills, may also be accepted and apparatus is disclosed in the dispensing machine payment acceptance apparatus for generating electrical signals indicative of an amount of cash accepted. The invention discloses a card swallowing feature which enable the scanner to retain the card when the data card is defective or has other predetermined characteristics. In some embodiments the scanner has a geometrical form factor substantially similar to a standard bill validator apparatus. The scanner has selectable firmware and will be connector plug compatible with most vending machine signal requirements when used with the proper scanner interface. No structural or electrical modifications to the existing vending machine hardware are required beyond plugging and unplugging connectors.

Claims

1. A payment acceptance apparatus retrofittably adaptable to substitute for a standard bill validator apparatus in a dispensing machine for dispensing products upon user request and payment, said dispensing machine being of a type having a dispensing controller for controlling dispensing of product in response to first electrical signals indicative of an amount of payment accepted by a separate cash acceptance apparatus, a defined control signal characteristic, a dispensing machine interior volume defined by a dispensing machine housing having a surface, said payment acceptance apparatus comprising:

a data card scanning apparatus for scanning a magnetic stripe data card and acquiring cash payment information in the form of second electrical signals and information regarding the identification of said data card as a promotional use card;

said promotional card containing information encoded on said magnetic stripe of said card including information identifying it as a promotional use card and defining advanced features provided to the holder of said card upon acceptance of said card by said scanner apparatus;

means for providing advanced dispensing features including recognition and acceptance of said promotional use cards and provision of special dispensing and payment features in response to said recognition and acceptance, said advanced features including restricting use of said promotional data card to the purchase of a particular product or combination of products, restricting each use by limiting the purchase amount to a particular monetary value independent of the value remaining encoded on said promotional data card, restricting acceptance of said promotional data card to particular vending locations or to particular dispensing machines, and providing a price discount on predetermined products when said promotional card is used for the purchase of the predetermined products and thereby promoting a purchase of said predetermined products by a market segment of the general population for whom the price of said particular items have been attractively reduced without reducing the price of said particular items to the general population by virtue of distribution of said promotional use cards only to said market segment;

said scanner apparatus having height and width dimensions, in a plane of a surface of said dispensing machine housing when said scanner apparatus is inserted in said surface of said dispensing machine housing, and volume dimensions, smaller than or substantially equal to corresponding height and width and volume dimensions of a standard bill validator apparatus so that said scanner apparatus can be positioned within an opening in said dispensing machine designed for said standard bill validator apparatus to substitute for or replace said standard bill validator apparatus;

said scanner apparatus being disposed substantially within said interior perimeter of said dispensing machine housing but extending into said dispensing machine housing to a depth no greater than a depth said standard bill validator apparatus would extend;

means for interfacing said second electrical signals with said dispensing controller of said dispensing machine to indicate proper payment, said means for interfacing being reconfigurable to receive said second electrical signals and to generate and transmit third electrical signals to said dispensing machine which are specially adapted to said defined control signal characteristics of said dispensing machine;

said data card scanner apparatus and interface generating and coupling said second and third signals to said dispensing machine in substitution of said first electrical signals without either a bill validator apparatus or a coin acceptor apparatus connected to said dispensing controller or to said scanner apparatus;

means for swallowing said data card when said data card has predetermined characteristics including identification of said card as being defective and identification of said card as a promotional use card when the advanced dispensing feature(s) provided by that promotional card has been used up and independent of any remaining cash value present on the card or of the physical condition of the card; and

means for tracking the purchase patterns of consumers by collecting said swallowed promotional use cards having the nature of said card encoded upon the magnetic stripe of the card and tabulating the geographical distribution of said promotional card use;

whereby said payment acceptance apparatus is retrofittable to and electrical signal compatible with said plurality of different dispensing machine types.

2. In a dispensing machine for dispensing products or services, said dispensing machine being of the type having:

a housing defining an enclosed vending machine interior space and volume and having a first surface;

a mounting region on said first surface adaptable to mount an optional standard bill validator apparatus of the type having a width of between about 3 and about 4 inches, a height of between about 2 and about 4 inches, and a depth extending from said first surface into said interior volume of said housing of between about 4 inches and about 7 inches;

a bill validator mounting receptacle for mechanically attaching and receiving a standard bill validator apparatus and for containing said bill validator apparatus substantially internal to said housing, said mounting receptacle including an optionally removable panel region located within said first surface and when optionally removed defining an opening sized to receive said bill validator, said mounting receptacle further including a volume of unallocated space extending from said removable panel region into said interior of said housing so that a bill validator apparatus may be mounted within said mounting receptacle and occupy said unallocated space without mechanical interference;

said unallocated volume of space having dimensions at least sufficient to receive a standard bill validator apparatus when said bill validator apparatus is optionally mounted into said mounting receptacle; and

a dispensing controller for controlling dispensing of said products or services upon user request and proper payment contained within said housing;

the combination comprising;

a data card scanner apparatus for scanning a magnetic stripe data card and acquiring payment information from information stored on said card in the form of first electrical signals and information regarding the identification of said data card as a promotional use card;

said data card being a magnetic stripe data card and said data card scanner apparatus being a magnetic stripe data card scanner apparatus;

said promotional card containing information encoded on said magnetic stripe of said card identifying it as a promotional use card and defining advanced features provided to the holder of said card upon acceptance of said card by said scanner apparatus;

means for providing advanced dispensing and payment features including recognition and acceptance of said promotional use cards and provision of special dispensing features in response to said recognition and acceptance, said advanced features including restricting use of said promotional data card to the purchase of a particular product or combination of products, restricting each use by limiting the purchase amount to a particular monetary value independent of the value remaining encoded on said promotional data card, restricting acceptance of said promotional data card to particular vending locations or to particular dispensing machine, and providing a price discount on predetermined products when said promotional card is used for the purchase of the predetermined products and thereby promoting a purchase of said predetermined products by a market segment of the general population for whom the price of said particular items have been attractively reduced without reducing the price of said particular items to the general population by virtue of distribution of said promotional use cards only to said market segment;

a scanner interface for interfacing said first electrical signals of said data card scanner with said dispensing controller to indicate proper payment including payment made in the form of advanced features identified by said promotional use data card, said scanner interface electrically interposed between said scanner apparatus and said dispensing controller;

said scanner interface being adapted to be contained entirely inside said housing and being programmatically configurable to receive said first electrical signals and to generate and transmit third electrical signals in response thereto to any one of a plurality of different types of predetermined dispensing controllers which are specially adapted to predefined control signal characteristics of said any one of said predetermined dispensing controllers;

said data card scanner apparatus and interface generating and coupling said third electrical signals to said dispensing machine in substitution of said first electrical signals without either a bill validator apparatus or a coin acceptor apparatus connected to said dispensing controller or to said scanner apparatus;

said data card scanner apparatus having length, width, and depth dimensions so as to permit said scanner to be inserted into said bill validator apparatus mounting receptacle to substitute for or replace said bill validator apparatus in said vending machine;

said data card scanner being contained substantially within said interior of said dispensing machine housing when mounted in said mounting receptacle, except that a fractional portion of the depth of said data card scanner may extend exterior to said housing from said opening to enable access to said data card scanner by a data card presented to said scanner for acceptance external to said housing;

said scanner interface having a disengagably mating interface first connector socket/plug adapted for connection to said dispensing controller connector plug/socket of opposite gender to said first connector so that said scanner interface may be disengagably electrically coupled to said dispensing controller without altering existing wires in said dispensing machine;

said data card scanner being electrically installed into said interior of said dispensing machine housing by engaging said scanner interface first connector socket/plug with said dispenser connector, plug/socket; and

said data card scanner being mechanically installed into said interior of said dispensing machine housing by mounting said data card scanner into said bill validator mounting receptacle, including by removing said optionally removable panel region if said panel region has not been previously removed for mounting of a bill validator to open said opening, and by removing one of said bill validators from said opening if one of said bill validators had been mounted so that said data card scanner is electrically and mechanically retrofittable into the interior of a dispensing machine designed to accept a standard bill validator apparatus;

said data card scanner apparatus further comprising means for swallowing said data card when said data card has predetermined characteristics including identification of said card as being defective and identification of said card as a promotional use card when the advanced dispensing feature(s) provided by that promotional card has been used up and independent of any cash value present the card and independent of the physical condition of the card; and

means for tracking the purchase patterns of consumers collecting said swallowed promotional use cards having the nature of said card encoded upon the magnetic stripe of the card and tabulating the geographical distribution of said promotional card use;

said data card scanner apparatus identifying said data card as having said predetermined characteristics; and

said means for swallowing being responsive to said data card scanner apparatus to swallow said data card.

3. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein said dispensing machine is of the type having a coin acceptor apparatus for accepting coins as cash payment and generating second electrical signals indicative of an amount of cash accepted, said coin acceptor apparatus including a coin acceptor interface for interfacing said second electrical signals with said dispensing controller to indicate proper cash payment;

said coin acceptor interface including a coin mechanism connector coupled to said coin mechanism and a disengagably mating dispensing controller connector coupled to said dispensing controller for coupling said coin acceptor apparatus to said dispensing controller; and

wherein

said scanner interface further being programmatically configurable to receive said first and second electrical signals and to generate and transmit said third electrical signals in response thereto;

said scanner interface further having a second disengagably mating interface connector adapted for connection to said coin mechanism connector so that said interface may be disengagably electrically coupled between said coin changer apparatus and said dispensing controller; and

said data card scanner being electrically installed into said interior of said dispensing machine housing by disengaging said mating connectors coupling said coin changer apparatus with said dispensing controller and by engaging said scanner interface second connector with said coin mechanism connector and engaging said scanner interface first connector with said dispenser connector.

4. The apparatus in claim 2, wherein said data card scanner apparatus is the only payment acceptance means for acquiring payment information coupled to said dispensing controller.

5. A dispensing system for dispensing products or services using a data card as payment means;

said dispensing system comprising;

a dispensing machine of the type having;

a dispensing machine housing defining and enclosing an interior space and an interior volume, said housing having a first surface;

a mounting receptacle configurable to accept a standard bill validator apparatus substantially internal to said interior volume of said housing, said receptacle including an optionally removable panel region within said first surface and a volume of unoccupied space extending from said panel region into said interior of said housing;

said removable panel region being an area on said first surface of said housing sufficient in size so as to define, when said optionally removable panel is removed, an opening in said first surface of said housing sized to permit insertion of a standard bill validator apparatus;

said volume of unoccupied space extending from said removable. panel region into said interior of said dispensing machine housing, said unoccupied volume of space having dimensions at least sufficient to receive a standard bill validator apparatus when said apparatus is optionally mounted into said receptacle;

said standard bill validator being of the type having a width of between about 3 and about 4 inches, a height of between about 2 and about 4 inches, and a depth extending from said front surface into said interior volume of said housing of between about 4 inches and about 7 inches;

a dispensing controller responsive to first electrical signals indicating proper payment for controlling dispensing of said products or services upon user request and proper payment contained within said housing;

said dispensing system further comprising;

a magnetic stripe data card scanner apparatus for scanning a magnetic stripe data card and acquiring payment information of a cash value stored on said card in the form of second electrical signals and information regarding the identification of said data card as a promotional use card;

said promotional card containing information encoded on said magnetic stripe of said card identifying it as a promotional use card and defining advanced features provided to the holder of said card upon acceptance of said card by said scanner apparatus;

means for providing advanced dispensing and payment features including recognition and acceptance of said promotional use card and provision of special dispensing and payment features in response to said recognition and acceptance, said advanced features including restricting use of said promotional data card to the purchase of a particular product or combination of products, restricting each use by limiting the purchase amount to a particular monetary value independent of the value remaining encoded on said promotional data card, restricting acceptance of said promotional data card to particular vending locations or to particular dispensing machines, and providing a price discount on predetermined products when said promotional card is used for the purchase of the predetermined products and thereby promoting a purchase of said predetermined products by a market segment of the general population for whom the price of said particular items have been attractively reduced without reducing the price of said particular items to the general population by virtue of distribution of said promotional use cards only to said market segment;

said data card scanner apparatus further comprising means for swallowing said data card when said data card has predetermined characteristics including identification of said card as being defective and upon identification of said card as a promotional use card when the advanced dispensing feature provided by that promotional card has been used up and independent of any remaining cash value present on the card and independent of the physical condition of the card; and

means for tracking the purchase patterns of consumers collecting said swallowed promotional use cards having the nature of said card encoded upon the magnetic stripe of the card and tabulating the geographical distribution of said promotional card use;

said means for swallowing being contained within said interior volume of said dispensing machine housing;

said data card scanner apparatus identifying said data card as having said predetermined characteristics; and

said means for swallowing being responsive to said data card scanner apparatus to swallow said data card; and

a second interface for interfacing said second electrical signals with said dispensing controller to indicate proper payment;

said second interface being adapted to be contained inside said housing and being software or firmware programmatically configurable to receive said second electrical signals from early one of a plurality of different types of predetermined dispensing controllers and to generate and transmit third electrical signals to said dispensing controller which are specifically adapted to defined control signal characteristics of said any one of said predetermined dispensing controller;

said data card scanner apparatus having length, width, and depth and volume dimensions sized so as to permit said scanner apparatus to be inserted into said bill validator apparatus slot, whereby said scanner can optionally replace and be installed instead of said bill validator apparatus in said housing;

said data card scanner being mounted within said standard bill validator receptacle to replace said bill validator in the same manner that said standard bill validator apparatus is normally mounted and being contained substantially within said interior of said dispensing machine housing, except that a portion of said data card scanner may extend exterior to said housing provide access to said scanner apparatus from the exterior of said dispensing machine so that said data card may be inserted into said scanner apparatus.