Refrigerated vending machine

• US 6,131,399 A
• Filed: 12/04/1998
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: M & E Manufacturing Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Donald M. Hall
• Inventors: Hall, Donald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tanner, Harry B.
• Application Number:
  US09/205,185
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 62/125, 62/126, 62/127, 62/129, 62/130, 62/131, 62/246, 62/249, 62/250, 221/1, 221/9, 221/150 R, 221/150 HC, 221/150 A, 221/2, 221/7, 221/8, 705/28
• US Class Current: 62/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/105 Heating or cooling means, for temperature and humidity control, for the conditioning of articles and their storage dispensers for food articles requiring a processing by temperature treatment or conditioning before they are ready for dispensing G07F17/0064

Abstract

Vending machine includes at least one food or perishable item compartment. A sensor is provided for detecting a condition in the food compartment and/or vending machine. The detector senses conditions such as temperature, motion, and the like. Food product bar code data, expiration date data, and product visual data may likewise be collected. Lock-out elements are provided for preventing access to the vended products when detected conditions warrant.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a) a vending machine;

b) at least one food compartment provided in said vending machine for dispensing a food product;

c) a temperature sensor located for sensing a condition inside said at least one food compartment; and

d) a lock-out element associated with said temperature sensor and with said at least one food compartment for regulating access to said vending compartment.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) said lock-out element prevents operation of said at least one food compartment when a temperature detected by said temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined temperature.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) said lock-out element prevents operation of said at least one food compartment when said temperature sensor detects a temperature which has exceeded a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time.

4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a remote calling device is associated with said temperature sensor for contacting a further device when said sensor detects a predetermined condition.

5. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a temperature recorder is associated with said at least one food compartment.

6. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) said at least one food compartment is configured for being washed at least one of internally and externally.

7. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) at least one of a cash, credit card, charge card, debit card and vendor token receiving device is associated with said vending machine.

8. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a remote calling device is operatively associated with said vending machine, said remote calling device being capable of sending out a call to a remote station when a theft of said vending machine has occurred, a burgling of said vending machine has occurred, and an act of vandalism on said vending machine has occurred.

9. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a monitor is associated with said vending machine, and said monitor includes one of an audio, a motion-sensitive, or a visual monitor.

10. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a date reader is associated with said vending machine.

11. A device as defined in claim 10, wherein:

a) said date reader includes a date code sensitive system including a bar code reader configured for reading a bar code on an item disposed in said at least one food compartment.

12. A device as defined in claim 11, wherein:

a) said bar code reader includes a trigger for locking said at least one food compartment for preventing access to said at least food compartment when a date corresponding to a bar code on a food item in said at least one food compartment exceeds a predetermined expiration date.

13. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a display is associated with said at least one food compartment and with said lock-out element for indicating to a user why said lock-out element was activated for preventing access to a food item in said at least one food compartment.

14. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a bar code reader is associated with said vending machine;

b) at least one of store location data and food product data is stored in a memory;

c) said memory stores the store location and food product data for use in managing inventory of items located in said at least one food compartment.

15. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a computer is associated with said at least one food compartment;

b) said computer tracks whether or not said lock-out element has provided access to said at least one food compartment to provide compartment access data; and

c) said computer compares the compartment access data and the expiration date of the food product so that a continually updated live inventory is provided, the live inventory including non-accessed products which have expired and which accessed products form a part of a dead inventory.

16. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a) a timing mechanism is provided so that after a predetermined period of time the food compartment may no longer be accessed.

17. A device as defined in claim 10, wherein:

a) said date reader is detachably attached to said vending machine.

18. A device comprising:

a) a vending machine;

b) a vending compartment provided in said vending machine for dispensing a food product;

c) a temperature sensor located for sensing a temperature inside said vending compartment;

d) a lock-out element associated with said sensor and with said vending compartment for regulating access to said vending compartment; and

e) said lock-out element preventing operation of said vending compartment when said temperature sensor detects a temperature which has exceeded a predetermined temperature for greater than a predetermined period of time.

19. A device as defined in claim 18, wherein:

a) a remote calling device is associated with said temperature sensor for contacting a further device when said sensor detects a predetermined condition.

20. A device as defined in claim 18, wherein:

a) a door is provided for accessing the vending compartment; and

b) the lock-out element prevents opening of the door when the temperature sensor detects the predetermined temperature for greater than the predetermined period of time.

21. A device as defined in claim 18, wherein:

a) a temperature history recorder is operatively associated with said temperature sensor, said temperature history recorder storing past and present temperature data; and

b) said lock-out element prevents access to said vending compartment when said temperature sensor detects a temperature which has exceeded a predetermined temperature for greater than a predetermined period of time in the past.

22. A device as defined in claim 18, wherein:

a) the vending compartment includes various sizes of food compartments.

23. A device comprising:

a) a vending machine;

b) a vending compartment provided in said vending machine for dispensing a food product;

c) a sensor located for sensing a condition inside said vending compartment;

d) a lock-out element associated with said sensor and with said vending compartment for regulating access to said vending compartment; and

e) a food condition display is associated with said vending compartment and with said lock-out element for indicating to a user why said lock-out element was activated for preventing access to a food item in said at least one vending compartment.

24. A device as defined in claim 23, wherein:

a) said lock-out element prevents operation of said vending compartment when said temperature sensor detects a temperature which has exceeded a predetermined temperature for a predetermined period of time.

25. A device comprising:

a) a vending machine;

b) a vending compartment provided in said vending machine for dispensing a food product;

c) a date reader system associated with said vending compartment; and

d) said date reader system being disposed for actively reading a date on an item when the item is present inside the vending compartment for assuring that the item present in the vending compartment corresponds to an item from which the date was read by the date reader system.

26. A device as defined in claim 25, wherein:

a) said date reader system includes a bar code reader.

27. A device as defined in claim 25, wherein:

a) a lock-out element is associated with said vending compartment and with said date reader system for regulating access to said vending compartment when said date reader system determines an item in the vending compartment has exceeded a predetermined expiration date.

28. A device as defined in claim 25, wherein:

a) said vending machine includes a refrigerated vending machine.

29. A device as defined in claim 25, wherein:

a) said date reader system actively reads a date on an item present in said vending compartment only when the item is present in said vending compartment.

30. A device comprising:

a) a vending machine;

b) a vending compartment provided in said vending machine for dispensing a food product;

c) a temperature sensor located for sensing a condition inside said vending compartment; and

d) an alarm operatively associated with said temperature sensor, said alarm signaling an unacceptable temperature condition when said temperature sensor has sensed a condition of increasing temperatures outside a predetermined range of acceptable increasing temperatures.

31. A device as defined in claim 30, wherein:

a) said alarm includes a remote calling device, and said remote calling device contacts a further device when said alarm is actuated.

32. A device as defined in claim 30, wherein:

a) a lock-out element is associated with said temperature sensor and with said vending compartment for regulating access to said vending compartment.

33. A device comprising:

a) a vending machine;

b) a vending compartment provided in said vending machine for dispensing a food product;

c) a sensor located for sensing a condition inside said vending compartment;

d) a lock-out element associated with said sensor and with said vending compartment for regulating access to said vending compartment; and

e) said lock-out element preventing future access to said vending compartment when said lock-out element has allowed access to said vending compartment and a user has accessed the said vending compartment, whether or not the user has removed a food product from the said vending compartment to which the lock-out element had allowed access.

34. A device as defined in claim 33, wherein:

a) a computer is operatively associated with said lockout element and said vending compartment;

b) said computer tracks an inventory of items placed in said vending compartment; and

c) said computer subtracts a food product from inventory when, in use, said lock-out element has allowed access to said vending compartment, whether or not a user has removed such food product from said at least one food compartment to which access had been allowed.

35. A device comprising:

a) a vending machine;

b) a product compartment provided in said vending machine for dispensing a perishable product;

c) a computer operatively associated with said vending machine for tracking the temperature history of the perishable product;

d) a lock-out element associated with said computer and with said product compartment for regulating access to said product compartment; and

e) said lock-out element preventing operation of said product compartment when said computer determines the perishable product has experienced a temperature history outside a predetermined temperature history.

36. A device as defined in claim 35, wherein:

a) said lock-out element prevents operation of said product compartment when said computer determines the perishable product has experienced a temperature greater than a predetermined temperature range for greater than a predetermined period of time.

37. A device as defined in claim 35, wherein:

a) said computer is provided on said vending machine;

b) a data port is operatively connected to said computer and is connectable to a hand-held scanner data lead; and

c) said scanner includes a hand-held scanner having a data lead connectable to said data port on said vending machine.

38. A device as defined in claim 37, wherein:

a) said computer tracks whether or not said lock-out element has provided access to said product compartment to provide compartment access data; and

b) said computer compares the compartment access data and the expiration date of the perishable product so that a continually updated live inventory is provided, the live inventory including non-accessed products which have expired and which accessed products form a part of a dead inventory.