Power and telecommunications access vending machine
First Claim
1. A vending machine for vending telecommunications channel access and electrical power to a customer, said vending machine comprising:
- an electronic payment mechanism for receiving payment information from the customer;
a display for indicating the status of said vending machine;
an electronic circuit for determining when the vending transaction is completed;
a switchable power circuit for turning power on at the beginning of a vending transaction and off at the end of the vending transaction;
a power connector receiving power from said switchable power circuit so as to supply power to at least one external electronic device of the customer;
a switchable telecommunications channel access circuit adapted to be connected to at least one external telecommunications channel for enabling access to the at least one external telecommunications channel at the beginning of the vending transaction and disabling access at the end of the vending transaction;
a telecommunications channel access connector connected to said switchable telecommunications channel access circuit for enabling connection to an external telecommunications device of the customer; and
a control unit having a storage device for storing the payment information received from the customer and for controlling said electronic circuit, said switchable power circuit and said switchable telecommunications channel access circuit.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vending machine for dispensing power and telecommunications access is disclosed. The vending machine has a switchable power circuit that receives power from a power source and delivers the power to the customer'"'"'s equipment via a power connector under the control of a central control unit. A customer interested in purchasing power or using the telecommunications access makes a payment into the payment processing unit which forwards the payment information to the central control unit. From time to time the central control unit reports the transaction information to a central computer system via its modem which is connected to a telecommunication channel. Access to the same telecommunication channel or another channel can be made available to the customer via a switchable telecommunications access circuit which is also under the control of the central control unit. The customer connects to the telecommunications channel via the telecommunications access connector. The central control unit provides information on the progress of the vending transaction to the customer via the user interface. The central control unit determines when the transaction is completed by sensing the cessation of power usage via the power usage detection circuit or via customer action at the user interface.
265 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A vending machine for vending telecommunications channel access and electrical power to a customer, said vending machine comprising:
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an electronic payment mechanism for receiving payment information from the customer; a display for indicating the status of said vending machine; an electronic circuit for determining when the vending transaction is completed; a switchable power circuit for turning power on at the beginning of a vending transaction and off at the end of the vending transaction; a power connector receiving power from said switchable power circuit so as to supply power to at least one external electronic device of the customer; a switchable telecommunications channel access circuit adapted to be connected to at least one external telecommunications channel for enabling access to the at least one external telecommunications channel at the beginning of the vending transaction and disabling access at the end of the vending transaction; a telecommunications channel access connector connected to said switchable telecommunications channel access circuit for enabling connection to an external telecommunications device of the customer; and a control unit having a storage device for storing the payment information received from the customer and for controlling said electronic circuit, said switchable power circuit and said switchable telecommunications channel access circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A storage locker for storing an electronic device for a customer, said storage locker comprising:
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a housing having a lockable door so as to protect the electronic device; a vending machine attached to said housing, said vending machine comprising; an electronic payment mechanism for receiving payment information from the customer; a display for indicating the status of said vending machine; an electronic circuit for determining when the vending transaction is completed; a switchable power circuit for turning power on at the beginning of a vending transaction; a power connector receiving power from said switchable power circuit so as to supply power to at least one external electronic device of the customer, said power connector being disposed inside said storage locker; a switchable telecommunications channel access circuit adapted to be connected to at least one external telecommunications channel for enabling access to the at least one external telecommunications channel at the beginning of the vending transaction and disabling access at the end of the vending transaction; a telecommunications channel access connector connected to said switchable telecommunications channel access circuit for enabling connection to an external telecommunications device of the customer, said telecommunications channel access connector being disposed inside said storage locker; and a control unit having a storage device for storing the payment information received from the customer and for controlling said electronic circuit, said switchable power circuit and said switchable telecommunications channel access circuit.
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23. A vending machine for vending telecommunications channel access to a customer, said vending machine comprising:
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an electronic payment mechanism for receiving payment information from the customer; a display for indicating the status of said vending machine; an electronic circuit for determining when the vending transaction is completed; a switchable telecommunications channel access circuit adapted to be connected to at least one external telecommunications channel for enabling access to the at least one external telecommunications channel at the beginning of the vending transaction and disabling access at the end of the vending transaction; a telecommunications channel access connector connected to said switchable telecommunications channel access circuit for enabling connection to an external telecommunications device of the customer; and a control unit having a storage device for storing the payment information received from the customer and for controlling said electronic circuit and said switchable telecommunications channel access circuit.
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Specification