Vending machine having a biometric verification system for authorizing the sales of regulated products

• US 6,711,465 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pharma Holdings International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Robert Tomassi
• Inventors: Tomassi, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O
• Application Number:
  US10/038,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 700/236, 700/237, 700/241, 700/244, 235/379, 235/380, 235/381, 235/382
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A vending machine system and its associated method of operation. In the vending machine system, customers are provided with identification cards having statistical information regarding the age of the card owner. Also contained on the card is data corresponding to a biometric characteristic of the card owner. Vending machines are provided that contain card readers and biometric characteristic verifiers. When a customer wants to use the vending machine, that customer inserts their identification card into the vending machine. That customer also subjects themselves to a biometric scan from the biometric characteristic verifier contained within the vending machine. The vending machine reads both the statistical age information from the identification card and the biometric characteristic data. A systems processor in the vending machine compares the biometric characteristic data on the identification card with the biometric characteristic data just gathered.

Claims

1. A method of permitting only authorized users to use an automated vending machine, comprising the steps of:

providing each of the authorized users with an identification card that contains age data and fingerprint data of the authorized user;

providing a vending machine having an identification card reading device and a finger print scanner, wherein said vending machine vends an age restricted product selected from a group consisting of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages;

reading said age data and said fingerprint data from an identification card inserted into said identification card reading device in said vending machine by a potential user;

scanning an actual fingerprint from the potential user using finger print scanner;

comparing scanned actual fingerprint of the potential user to said fingerprint data contained on said identification card;

enabling the vending machine if said scanned actual fingerprint of the potential user matches said fingerprint data contained on said identification card and if said age data contained on said identification card indicates that the potential user is older than some predetermined minimum age.

2. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of providing the vending machine with a money validation system for receiving and validating money from the potential user.

3. The method according to claim 2, further including the step of enabling the vending machine only after the potential user has deposited a predetermined fee into said money validation system.

4. A method of permitting only authorized users to use an automated vending machine that vends an age restricted product, comprising the steps of:

providing each of the authorized users with an identification card that contains age data and hand data of the authorized user;

providing a vending machine that vends an age restricted product selected from a group consisting of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, wherein said vending machines has an identification card reading device and a hand scanner;

reading said age data and said hand data from an identification card inserted into said identification card reading device in said vending machine by a potential user;

scanning an actual hand characteristic from the potential user using said hand scanner;

comparing the scanned hand characteristic of the potential user to said hand data contained on said identification card;

enabling the vending machine if said scanned hand characteristic of the potential user matches said hand data contained on said identification card and if said age data contained on said identification card indicates that the potential user is older than some predetermined minimum age.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said hand scanner is selected from a group consisting of palm scanners, fingerprint scanners and knuckle scanners.

6. A method of permitting only authorized users to use an automated vending machine that vends an age restricted product, comprising the steps of:

providing each of the authorized users with an identification card that contains age data and retina data of that authorized user;

providing a vending machine that vends an age restricted product selected from a group consisting of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, wherein said vending machine has an identification card reading device and a retina scanner;

reading said age data and said retina data from an identification card inserted into said identification card reading device in said vending machine by a potential user;

scanning an actual retina from the potential user, using said retina scanner;

comparing the scanned actual retina of the potential user to said retina data contained on said identification card;

enabling the vending machine if said scanned actual retina of the potential user matches said retina data contained on said identification card and if said age data contained on said identification card indicates that the potential user is older than some predetermined minimum age.

7. A method of permitting only authorized users to use an automated vending machine that vends an age restricted product, comprising the steps of:

providing each of the authorized users with an identification card that contains age data and voice pattern data of that authorized user;

providing a vending machine that vends an age restricted product selected from a group consisting of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages, wherein said vending machine has an identification card reading device and a voice pattern scanner;

reading said age data and said voice pattern data from an identification card inserted into said identification card reading device in said vending machine by a potential user;

scanning an actual voice pattern from the potential user, using said voice pattern scanner;

comparing the scanned actual voice pattern of the potential user to said voice pattern data contained on said identification card;

enabling the vending machine if said scanned actual voice pattern of the potential user matches said voice pattern data contained on said identification card and if said age data contained on said identification card indicates that the potential user is older than some predetermined minimum age.