Vending machine system and method

• US 6,959,230 B1
• Filed: 07/27/2004
• Issued: 10/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: COIN Acceptors Incorporated
• Original Assignee: COIN Acceptors Incorporated
• Inventors: Leibu, Mark H., Van Cleve, Gilbert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US10/899,938
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: 700/231, 700/232, 700/236, 700/237, 700/241, 700/244, 221/131, 340/5.9, 340/5.92, 340/3.1
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/08 Counting total of coins inserted

Abstract

A system and process for controlling one or more vending machine devices, including the provision of a communications and control system for effecting an interchange of information over a wireless bus between and among the vending machine devices, the communications and control system including a plurality of communications portions associated with respective vending machine components and operable to transmit and receive short distance communications signals, the vending machine components being positioned within range of the short distance communications signals to define a peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible through the communications portions interconnecting the positioned vending machine components for point-to-point communications.

Claims

1. A process for controlling the operation of a vending machine based on the amount of credit entered without the necessity for hardwired connections between all of the components of the vending machine, the vending machine including a machine control component operable to control other vending machine components, the process including, establishing a way to transmit and receive signals over a wireless communications bus within the vending machine to control the performance of a vend operation, including providing a communications and control system for effecting an interchange of information between and among a plurality of the vending machine components over the wireless communications bus, said communications and control system including, for each of a plurality of the vending machine components, an associated receiver portion for receiving short distance communication signals transmitted over said wireless communications bus by others of said plurality of vending machine components and a transmitter portion for transmitting over said wireless communications bus short distance communications signals that can be received by the receiver portions of others of said plurality of vending machine components, said plurality of vending machine components being disposed within the vending machine to define a peer-to-peer network for the point-to-point interchange of information with others of said plurality of vending machine components over said wireless communications bus, establishing an entry of credit, effecting a vend operation depending upon the amount of credit entered and the cost of the operation, said machine control portion of said communications and control system being operable to establish the amount of credit entered in excess of the vend operation effected in order to determine an amount of credit to be returned to the customer in excess of the cost of the operation effected, at least certain of the actions of said plurality of vending machine components including the interchange of information over said wireless communications bus.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the transmitter and receiver portions of the communications and control system operate at a radio frequency.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the vending machine includes a credit entry component a vend delivery component, and a payback component and the communications and control system includes a radio frequency transmitter and a radio frequency receiver for and associated with each of said credit entry component, said vend delivery component, and said payback component.

4. A process for controlling the operation of a vending machine based upon the amount of credit available to a customer without the necessity for hardwired connections between all of the components of the vending machine, such vending machine including a credit entry component, a vend performance component, and a machine control component for controlling a vend operation, the process including establishing a way to transmit and receive short distance communications signals over a wireless communications bus within the vending machine to control the performance operations of the vending machine, including providing a communications and control system for effecting an interchange of information between and among a plurality of the vending machine components over the wireless communications bus, the communications and control system including a plurality of communications portions associated with respective vending machine components, positioning said vending machine components with respect to one another within the vending machine to define a peer-to-peer network for point-to-point exchange of information with others of said vending machine components over said wireless communications bus, establishing the amount of credit available to a customer, and, upon a determination that the amount of credit available at the time of a desired vend operation is at least equal to the price associated with such vend operation, effecting and controlling performance of such vend operation.

5. The process of claim 4 wherein said communications portions include a baseband control firmware portion, a link manager firmware portion, a host controller interface firmware portion, and a transport firmware portion.

6. The process of claim 4 wherein said short distance communications signals are short range radio frequency signals.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said communications portion is Bluetooth-compliant.

8. The process of claim 4 wherein said vending system machine includes a coin payout portion operable under control of said machine control component to effect the payback of credit in excess of the price of a vend operation.

9. A vending machine comprising a plurality of distinguishable vending machine portions including a credit entry portion for accepting credit entries, an operation request portion responsive to customer activation to request performance of a vend operation, a machine control portion operable to accumulate the amount of credit entered by and available to a customer and to control performance of a vend operation by said vending machine, and a vend delivery portion for performing a vend operation when the amount of credit available to a customer at least equals the cost of the operation to be performed, at least a plurality of said vending machine portions each having an associated communications control portion configurable to effect the interchange of information over a wireless bus and operable to transmit and receive short distance communications signals, said plurality of vending machine portions being positioned with respect to one another to be within range of said short distance communications signals, said positioned portions defining a peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible through said communications control portion interconnecting said positioned portions for point-to-point communications among the vending machine portions, said communications control portions including transmitting and receiving devices that communicate with one another over said wireless bus.

10. The vending machine of claim 9 wherein said communications control portions include a baseband control firmware portion, a link manager firmware portion, a host controller interface firmware portion, and a transport firmware portion.

11. The vending machine of claim 9 wherein said communications signals transmitted by said communications control portion are short range radio frequency signals.

12. The vending machine of claim 11 wherein said communications control portion is Bluetooth-compliant.

13. A method of enabling wireless communications among a plurality of distinguishable portions of a vending machine and operation of such vending machine, wherein such vending machine includes a credit entry portion for accepting credit entries, an operation request portion responsive to customer activation to request performance of a vend operation, a machine control portion operable to accumulate the amount of credit entered by and available to a customer and to control performance of a vend operation by said vending machine, and a vend delivery portion for performing a vend operation when the amount of credit available to a customer at least equals the cost of the operation to be performed, comprising

providing and associating with a plurality of vending machine portions a communications control portion configurable to effect the interchange of information over a wireless bus and operable to transmit and receive short distance communication signals,

configuring the plurality of vending machine portions and their associated communications control portions to be able to communicate with other vending machine portions in a peer-to-peer network over a wireless communications bus accessible through said communications control portions interconnecting the vending machine portions,

positioning the plurality of vending machine portions with respect to one another to be within range of said short distance communication signals, the positioned plurality of vending machine portions defining a peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible through said communications control portions interconnecting the positioned plurality of vending machine portions for point-to-point communications,

configuring the credit entry portion of the vending machine to receive credit deposits made by a customer and to provide data representative of credit deposits to said machine control portion,

configuring the machine control portion to determine the amount of credit available to a customer for vend purchasing,

configuring the vend delivery portion to effect a vend dispensing operation of a product selected by a customer upon verification of appropriate vend conditions including sufficient credit availability for the vend selection made by the customer.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said communications control portions include a baseband control firmware portion, a link manager firmware portion, a host controller interface firmware portion, and a transport firmware portion.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein said communications signals transmitted by said communications control portion are short range radio frequency signals.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said communications control portion is Bluetooth-compliant.

17. A method for enabling wireless communications among a plurality of component portions within a vending machine, including

providing and associating with each of a plurality of vending machine portions a communications control portion configurable to effect the interchange of information over a wireless communications bus and operable to transmit and receive short distance communications signals,

positioning said plurality of vending machine portions with respect to one another within the vending machine to be within range of said short distance communication signals,

said positioned portions defining a peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible through said communications control portion interconnecting

said positioned portions for point-to-point communications among the vending machine portions.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said communications control portions include transmitting and receiving devices that communicate with others of said communications control portions over said wireless communications bus.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said plurality of vending machine components includes a credit entry portion, a vend control portion, and a vend delivery portion.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said plurality of vending machine components further includes an excess credit payback portion.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein said communications control portion includes a baseband control firmware portions, a link manager firmware portion, a host controller interface firmware portion, and a transport firmware portion.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein said communications control portion is Bluetooth compliant.

23. In a vending machine having a number of component portions for effecting actions during a vend operation, the improvement comprising a plurality of communications control portions each associated with a respective one of a plurality of said component portions, said communications control portions each being configurable to effect the interchange of information over a wireless communications bus and operable to transmit and receive short distance communications signals, said plurality of said component portions being positioned within the vending machine to be within range of said short distance communications signals, said positioned component portions defining a peer-to-peer network having a wireless communications bus accessible by said component portions through the communications control portion associated therewith and being interconnected with one another through said wireless communications bus for point-to-point communication, said communications control portions including transmitting and receiving portions that communicate with the communications control portions of others of said plurality of component portions.

24. The improvement of claim 23 wherein said communications control portion includes a baseband control firmware portions, a link manager firmware portion, a host controller interface firmware portion, and a transport firmware portion.

25. The improvement of claim 23 wherein said short distance communications signals are short range radio frequency signals.

26. The improvement of claim 23 wherein said communications control portion is Bluetooth compliant.

27. The improvement of claim 23 wherein the component portions include at least a credit entry portion, a machine control portion, and a vend delivery portion, each of which portions are included within said plurality of component portions.