System for rewriting control program in vending machine

• US 7,228,536 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanden Corporation (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sanden Corporation (Qingdao Huatong State-Owned Capital Operation (Group) Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen; Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SATISH
• Application Number:
  US09/736,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20010012975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,363 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178, 711/111, 711/114, 711/163, 700/12, 700/169, 700/79, 700/244, 700/3, 700/1, 700/238, 710/8, 712/248, 320/110, 705/26
• US Class Current: 717/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 19/201 Accessories of ATMs
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• 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

The present invention provides a vending machine control program rewriting system that facilitates the rewriting of a control program in the vending machine. The vending machine comprises a communication controller which receives a new control program sent from a host computer 200 at a remote location. The memory storing the control program is a rewritable memory. The current control program in the rewritable memory is easily rewritten to the new one of the control program sent from the host computer. The control program rewrite is readily performed, making it possible to greatly reduce the time and trouble required for updating the control program in the vending machine.

Claims

1. A vending machine control program rewrite system for rewriting a control program of a vending machine, comprising:

a storage unit that stores a control program;

a receiver adapted to receive from a host computer

a new version of the control program, and

new data mapping information associated with the new version of the control program;

a rewriter adapted to rewrite said storage unit to update a current version of the control program to said new version of the control program;

a remapping portion that remaps data used by said current version of the control program based on said new data mapping information, so that data remapped by the remapping portion is capable of being used by said new version of said control program; and

a controller for executing said new version of the control program stored in said storage unit.

2. The vending machine control program rewrite system recited in claim 1, wherein

the receiver is adapted to receive new attribute information for said new version of the control program;

and

said rewriter includes a rewrite determinator adapted to determine, based on said new attribute information received from the host computer, whether or not to rewrite said storage unit to update a current version of the control program to said new version of the control program.

3. The vending machine control program rewrite system recited in claim 1, further comprising

a rewriting portion that stores a rewrite program therein, and

wherein said rewriter rewrites said storage unit to update a current version of the control

program to said new version of the control program by executing said rewrite program.

4. The vending machine control program rewrite system recited in claim 1, wherein

said receiver is adapted to receive from the host computer a rewrite program with said new version of the control program, and

said rewriter rewrites said storage unit to update a current version of the control program to said new version of the control program by executing said rewrite program received from the host computer.

5. The vending machine control program rewrite system recited in claim 1, wherein

said receiver is adapted to receive from the host computer a data remapping program for carrying out remapping of said data with said new version of the control program, and

said rewriter performs data remapping by executing said received data remapping program.

6. The vending machine control program rewrite system recited in claim 1, wherein said storage unit is a rewritable memory.

7. A vending machine control device, comprising

a storage unit that stores a control program;

an arithmetic and logic unit for executing said control program stored in the storage unit,

a communication controller adapted to control communication with a host computer in which the control device receives from the host computer

a new version of the control program, and

data mapping information associated with the new version of the control program;

a rewriter adapted to rewrite the control program from a current version stored in said storage unit to said new version of the control program received from the host computer via said communication controller, and execute a data remapping program with reference to said data mapping information received from the host computer to remap data used by said current version of said control program so that said data is capable of being used by said new version of the control program.

8. The vending machine control device recited in claim 7, wherein

said communication controller is adapted to control communication with a host computer in which the control device receives from the host computer attribute information of said new version of the control program;

and

said rewriter has a rewrite determinator adapted to determine based on said attribute information received from the host computer whether or not said current version of the control program should be rewritten to said new version of the control program.

9. The vending machine control device recited in claim 7, wherein said rewriter

includes a rewrite program store previously storing a rewrite program for rewriting the control program, and

performs rewrite of the control program by executing said rewrite program.

10. The vending machine control device recited in claim 7, wherein said rewriter performs rewrite of the control program by executing a rewrite program received from the host computer.

11. The vending machine control device recited in claim 7, wherein said rewriter, when performing rewriting of the control program to new one of the control program, executes said data remapping program with reference to data mapping information received from the host computer to remap data used by said current version of the control program so that said data can be used by said new version of the control program.

12. A vending machine control program rewrite system for rewriting a control program of a vending machine, comprising:

a storage unit storing a control program;

a receiver adapted to receive

a new version of the control program from a host computer, and

new data mapping information used by said new version of the control program, and

a remapping program;

a rewriter adapted to rewrite said control program in said rewritable memory from a current version of said control program to a new version of the control program;

a data remapping portion that executes the remapping program in order to remap data used by said current version of the control program, based on current and said new data mapping information, so that said data is capable of being used by said new version of the control program; and

a control device including a controller for executing said new control program.

13. The vending machine control program rewrite system according to claim 12, wherein said receiver receives said new version of the control program to in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

14. The vending machine control program rewrite system according to claim 12, wherein:

said receiver receives a new attribute information for said new version of the control program; and

said rewriter includes a rewrite determinator adapted to determine, based on said new attribute information, whether or not a current version of said control program should be rewritten to said new version of the control program.

15. The vending machine control program rewrite system according to claim 12, said control device having a rewrite program previously stored therein, wherein said rewriter performs rewrite of the control program to said new one by executing said rewrite program.

16. The vending machine control program rewrite system according to claim 12, wherein:

said receiver receives a rewrite program for rewriting to said new one of the control program; and

said rewriter performs rewrite of a current version of said control program to said new version of said control program by executing said rewrite program received from the host computer.

17. The vending machine control program rewrite system according to claim 12, wherein said rewriter performs data remapping by executing said data remapping program received from the host computer.