Monitoring system with particular application to monitoring a cash-basis operation

• US 5,694,323 A
• Filed: 04/04/1995
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eran Vinter Company, Inc., Lital Electronics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Persyst, Inc.
• Inventors: Koropitzer, Ariel, Viner, Eran
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US08/418,095
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 235/381, 340/506, 340/679, 340/825.06, 340/825.07, 340/825.35, 340/825.55, 364/130, 364/400, 364/403, 364/406, 364/464.01, 364/479, 364/550, 364/551.01, 364/401 R, 364/402, 364/479.01, 364/479.06, 364/464.1, 395/207, 395/224
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2294 by remote test
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/10 using counting means
• 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

The invention enables an operation to be monitored directly by a single person at a monitoring site. Certain predefined activities at one or more operating sites are automatically monitored. Information regarding these activities is conveyed to the monitoring site as directed by the person doing the monitoring. The information collected at the monitoring site is used to describe the status of the operation at a given time or the change in status of the operation over a period of time, and to verify information about the conduct of the operation supplied by third parties to the person monitoring the operation. The operation can be conducted at any number of operating sites and the operating sites can be separated by any distance. The monitoring site can be, and frequently is, geographically remote from the operating sites. Further, the monitoring site can be mobile, without affecting the monitoring capabilities of the invention. The invention is useful in monitoring a variety of commercial operations such as, for example, a chain of restaurants or multiplicity of car washes. Further, the invention is particularly useful in monitoring commercial operations that operate on a cash-basis or that are conducted primarily on a self-serve basis such as, for example, laundromats or arcades. However, the invention can be used to monitor any type of operation.

Claims

1. A system for automatically monitoring the conduct a cash-basis operation that takes place at an operating site, comprising:

means for automatically determining the amount of cash that should have been deposited in at least one machine located at the operating site during a specified period of time;

means for maintaining information regarding the amount of cash collected from each of the at least one machines during the specified period of time; and

means for comparing the amount of cash collected to the amount of cash that should have been deposited.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein the determining means further comprises means for sensing each activation of each of the at least one machines during the specified period of time.

3. A system as in claim 1, further comprising means for uniquely identifying each of the at least one machines, so that the means for determining, maintaining and comparing enable comparison of the amount of cash collected to the amount of cash that should have been deposited for each of the at least one machines.

4. A system as in claim 3, further comprising means for identifying the type of each of the at least one machines, so that the means for determining, maintaining and comparing enable comparison of the amount of cash collected to the amount of cash that should have been deposited for each type of machine.

5. A system as in claim 1 further comprising means for monitoring the operation of one or more machines at the operating site.

6. A system as in claim 5, wherein the machine operation monitoring means further comprises means for sensing an opening or closing of a service door on each of the one or more machines.

7. A system as in claim 5, wherein the machine operation monitoring means further comprises means for monitoring each repair made to one or more of the machines.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein the repair monitoring means further comprises:

means for recording the date of the repair;

means for recording the name of the person who performed the repair; and

means for recording a description of the repair.

9. A system as in claim 5, wherein the machine operation monitoring means further comprises means for determining when one of the machines is out of order.

10. A system as in claim 9, wherein the out-of-order machine determining means further comprises means for sensing each activation of each of the one or more machines.

11. A system as in claim 9, wherein the out-of-order machine determining means further comprises means for monitoring an out-of-order switch located on each of the one or more machines.

12. A system as in claim 9, wherein the machine operation monitoring means further comprises:

means for determining the date that a machine becomes out of order;

means for determining the time of day that a machine becomes out of order;

means for determining the operating site at which each out-of-order machine is located; and

means for determining identifying information regarding each out-of-order machine.

13. A system for managing the operation of a plurality of laundromats, comprising:

means for remotely monitoring from a monitoring site a first set of predefined aspects of the operation of the plurality of laundromats; and

means for remotely controlling from the monitoring site a second set of predefined aspects of the operation of the plurality of laundromats.

14. A system as in claim 13, wherein the remote monitoring means further comprises:

means for monitoring cash receipts at each laundromat; and

means for monitoring the operation of one or more machines at each laundromat.

15. A system as in claim 13, wherein:

one or more machines includes a display; and

the remote controlling means further comprises means for controlling the contents of the display.

16. A system as in claim 13, wherein

the remote controlling means further comprises means for establishing an activation price of one or more machines at each laundromat.

17. A system as in claim 16, wherein the price establishing means further comprises means for establishing different prices for different time periods during the day.

18. A system as in claim 13, wherein:

a plurality of machines are located at each laundromat; and

the remote controlling means further comprises means for testing the operation of one or more machines at each laundromat.

19. A system as in claim 18, wherein the remote controlling means further comprises means for placing a machine out of service when the machine does not perform acceptably well during the testing.

20. A system for acquiring data regarding the operation of a cash-basis operation that takes place at an operating site, comprising:

means for automatically acquiring data regarding cash receipts at the cash-basis operation;

means for automatically acquiring data regarding the operation of one or more machines at the cash-basis operation; and

means for automatically transferring the acquired data from the operating site to a remote monitoring site for use in monitoring the cash-basis operation.

21. A system as in claim 20, wherein the data is acquired automatically at each of a plurality of predetermined times according to a single instruction by a user.

22. A system as in claim 21, wherein the data can also be acquired automatically a single time at the instruction of a user, the data acquisition beginning immediately after the user instruction.

23. A system for monitoring from a monitoring site the conduct of a cash-basis operation that takes place at an operating site, comprising:

means for automatically determining, for a machine at the operating site, the amount of cash that should have been deposited in the machine during a specified period of time; and

means for monitoring the operation of a machine at the operating site.

24. A system as in claim 23, wherein the operation takes place at a plurality of operating sites.

25. A system as in claim 23, wherein the monitoring site is geographically remote from the operating site.

26. A system as in claim 23, wherein the determining means further comprises means for sensing each activation of the machine during the specified period of time.

27. A system as in claim 23, wherein the monitoring means further comprises means for sensing openings or closings of a service door on the machine.

28. A system as in claim 23, wherein the operation is a self-service operation.

29. A system for monitoring the conduct of an operation that takes place at an operating site, a plurality of devices to be monitored being located at the operating site, comprising:

a plurality of sensors, at least one sensor being mounted on each device, each sensor adapted to acquire data regarding the operation of the device on which the sensor is mounted;

a plurality of internal control units, at least one internal control unit being mounted on each device, each internal control unit adapted to receive data from at least one sensor;

a site controller unit located at the operating site;

a plurality of communications devices for transferring data between each of the internal control units and the site controller unit;

a main controller unit located at a monitoring site; and

a communications device for transferring data between the site controller unit and the main controller unit.

30. A system as in claim 29, further comprising means for monitoring communications between the main controller unit and the site controller unit and communications between the site controller unit and the internal control units.

31. A system as in claim 29, wherein the monitoring site is geographically remote from the operating site, the system further comprising means for synchronizing the time of day at the location of the monitoring site to the time of day at the location of the operating site.

32. A system as in claim 29, wherein the communications device for transferring data between the site controller unit and the main controller unit comprises:

a modem; and

a telephone line.

33. A system as in claim 29, wherein the plurality of communications devices for transferring data between each of the internal control units and the site controller unit comprises a second plurality of communications devices, one of the second plurality of communications devices transferring data between the site controller unit and one of the internal control units, each of the remainder of the second plurality of communications devices transferring data between a pair of internal control units, such that less than all of the internal control units are directly connected to the site controller unit by a communications device.

34. A system as in claim 29, wherein the communication monitoring means further comprises:

means for detecting communication conditions, the types of communication conditions including a successful communication, a communication problem and a communication error; and

means for recording communication conditions.

35. A system as in claim 34, wherein the communication condition detecting means further comprises:

means for determining the type of a detected communication condition;

means for determining the date of occurrence of a detected communication condition;

means for determining the time of day of a detected communication condition;

means for identifying the operating site with which a detected communication condition is associated;

means for identifying the device with which a detected communication condition is associated;

means for obtaining a description of a detected communication condition; and

means for determining, if a communication condition is a communication error or communication problem, when the communication condition has been corrected.

36. A method for automatically monitoring the conduct a cash-basis operation that takes place at an operating site, comprising:

automatically determining the amount of cash that should have been deposited in at least one machine located at the operating site during a specified period of time;

maintaining information regarding the amount of cash collected from each of the at least one machines during the specified period of time; and

comparing the amount of cash collected to the amount of cash that should have been deposited.