System for controlling vending machine

• US 6,498,965 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2001
• Issued: 12/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sanden Retail Systems Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sanden Corporation (Hisense Home Appliances Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sato, Tomonobu, Matsumoto, Naoto, Ohkubo, Masaru, Ushigome, Kazuyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Application Number:
  US09/850,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20010044675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• Field of Search: 700/231, 700/232, 700/233, 700/3, 700/9, 700/19, 700/20, 700/23, 194/217, 221/129
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/006 Details of the software used for the vending machines
• 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

Abstract

A rewriting program is transferred from a main control apparatus to a terminal control apparatus and the terminal control apparatus executes the rewriting program. The rewriting program receives a new control program from the main control apparatus and rewrites a control program with a received new control program. This makes it possible to easily and reliably rewrite the control program even if a specification of the control program is changed.

Claims

1. A control system for vending machine, comprising:

a terminal control apparatus that controls controlled apparatuses of the vending machine; and

a main control apparatus that is connected to the terminal control apparatus via a transmission path and controls the terminal control apparatus through communication with the terminal control apparatus,

wherein the main control apparatus includes transferring means for transferring a control program of the terminal control apparatus and a rewriting program that rewrites the control program to the terminal control apparatus via the transmission path,

the terminal control apparatus includes first storing means for storing the control program of the controlled apparatuses, second storing means for storing said rewriting program and rewriting program receiving/executing means for storing said rewriting program received from the main control apparatus into the second storing means and executing said rewriting program, and

the rewriting program executed by said rewriting program receiving/executing means receives the control program from the main control apparatus and rewrites the control program stored in said first storing means with the control program received from the main control apparatus.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said rewriting program receiving/executing means releases the storage area of the rewriting program in the second storing means after the operation by the rewriting program is completed.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said rewriting program receiving/executing means compares the rewriting program to be sent from the main control apparatus with the rewriting program stored in the second storing means prior to reception of the rewriting program from the main control apparatus and when both programs are identical, executes the rewriting program stored in the second storing means without receiving any rewriting program.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said main control apparatus includes inputting means for inputting said control program from a detachable storage medium that stores the control program to said transferring means.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said main control apparatus includes inputting means for inputting the control program received from a remote place via a communication line to said transferring means.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said terminal control apparatus further includes third storing means for storing data necessary to execute the control program,

said transferring means of the main control apparatus transfers data necessary to execute. said control program together with the control program to the terminal control apparatus, and

said terminal control apparatus rewrites the data stored in the third storing means with the data received from the main control apparatus by executing said rewriting program.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said terminal control apparatus further includes third storing means for storing data necessary to execute the control program,

said transferring means of the main control apparatus transfers a conversion program to convert said data so that said control program can access data stored in said third storing means together with the control program to the terminal control apparatus, and

said terminal control apparatus converts the data stored in the third storing means by executing said conversion program received from the main control apparatus.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said terminal control apparatus further includes third storing means for storing data necessary to execute the control program,

said transferring means of the main control apparatus transfers information of access to said data so that said control program can access data stored in said third storing means together with the control program to the terminal control apparatus, and

said terminal control apparatus accesses the data stored in the third storing means based on said access information when the control program received from the main control apparatus is executed.