Method to activate a vending machine

• US 6,850,816 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Issued: 02/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott Edward James Garratt
• Original Assignee: Scott Edward James Garratt
• Inventors: Garratt, Scott Edward James
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/415,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20040089669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 700/237, 700/231, 700/232, 700/241
• US Class Current: 700/237
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00

Abstract

A method of activating a vending machine or automatic dispenser of products or services, comprising an authorization acceptance means that operates in the machine or dispenser and an authorization issuance means that operates in a computer or calculating device remote from said machine or dispenser, wherein the issuance means produces a seemingly random code that will be accepted by the acceptance means to authorize the vending of a product or service.

Claims

1. A method of activating a vending machine or automatic dispenser of products or services, comprising the steps of:

providing at least one dispensing device;

providing a remotely located calculating device;

running a first synchronous math function or lookup table in the said at least one dispensing device to produce a first solution and running a second synchronous math function or lookup table in the said remotely located calculating device to produce a second solution,

the first solution and the second solution being identical to one another,

conveying the second solution running in the remotely located calculating device to a purchaser;

receiving the second solution from the purchaser at the at least one dispensing device;

confirming at the at least one dispensing device that the second solution is identical to the first solution; and

activating the dispensing device to dispense the product or service.

2. A system for activating a vending machine or automatic dispenser of products or services, said system comprising:

an authorization acceptance means that operates in the machine or dispenser;

an authorization issuance means that operates independently and in synchrony with said authorization acceptance means and has no network connection to said authorization acceptance means;

a first solution produced by said authorization issuance means;

a second solution produced by said authorization acceptance means at about the same point in time and identical to said first solution; and

wherein said authorization acceptance means receives said first solution and compares said first solution and said second solution and,

where said first solution and said second solution are identical, said authorization acceptance means authorizes the vending of a product or service; and

where said first solution and said second solution are other than identical, said authorization acceptance means takes at least one action from the set of actions of providing a notice of an invalid solution, inviting a new receiving of said first solution, and inviting a problem report.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said vending machine or automatic dispenser of products further comprises a keypad entry device and

wherein said authorization acceptance means receives said first solution via said keypad entry device.

4. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein said vending machine or automatic dispenser of products further comprises a wireless receiver entry device and

wherein said authorization acceptance means receives said first solution via said wireless receiver entry device.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said wireless receiver entry device comprises an infrared receiver entry device.

6. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said wireless receiver entry device comprises an audio receiver entry device.

7. A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said wireless receiver entry device comprises a radio receiver entry device.

20. An apparatus for use by a purchaser in a system as claimed in claim 2, said apparatus comprising:

said authorization issuance means; and

a conveying means for conveying said first solution to the purchaser.

21. A vending machine or automatic dispenser of products or services for use by a purchaser in a system as claimed in claim 2.

8. A method of activating by a purchaser a vending machine or automatic dispenser of products or services, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing at least one dispensing device running a first solution generating means to produce a first solution which varies in time;

(b) providing a remotely located calculating device running a second solution generation means independent of said first solution means to produce a second solution identical to said first solution at a given point in time, said second solution generation means having no network connection to said first solution generating means;

(c) conveying said second solution to the purchaser;

(d) receiving at the at least one dispensing device;

an input solution via an action of the purchaser;

(e) checking at the at least one dispensing device that said received input solution is identical to said first solution; and

(f) in the case that the received input solution is identical to said first solution, then activating the dispensing device to dispense the product or service; and

(g) in the case that the received input solution is not identical to said first solution, then avoiding activating the dispensing device to dispense the product or service.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said conveying step comprises using at least one of the set of a telephone, a cellular telephone, and a handheld computer.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said first solution means comprises at least one of a math function and a table lookup.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said second solution means comprises at least one of a math function and a table lookup.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said action of the purchaser comprises entering said input solution via a keypad on said at least one dispensing device.

13. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein said action of the purchaser comprises entering said input solution via triggering a wireless transmission to said at least one dispensing device.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein said wireless transmission comprises an infrared transmission.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein said wireless transmission comprises an audio transmission.

16. A method as claimed in claim 13 wherein said wireless transmission comprises a radio transmission.

17. A method as claimed in claim 8 further having a step immediately following step (g), said following step comprising;

(h) notifying the purchaser that said input function is invalid.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 further having a step following step (h), said following step comprising:

(i) inviting the purchaser to re-input said function.

19. A method as claimed in claim 17 further having a step following step (h), said following step comprising:

(j) inviting the purchaser to report a problem.