Vending machine, dispense product determination method, stock product determination method, and system thereof, and cartridge for vending machine

• US 7,357,314 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Aisel Corporation
• Inventors: Kusakawa, Sadao
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koyama; Kumiko C.
• Application Number:
  US10/482,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20040232227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: 235/381, 235/375, 235/383, 700/231, 700/233, 700/241, 700/242, 705/16
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/42 the articles being delivered by motor-driven means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A storage compartment contains a variety of products. In a vending machine, once a product is selected at a product selection part, a dispense product determination part determines a product to dispense based on a selected product data from the product selection part, data on products contained in each storage compartment, and a product dispense rule. If a plurality of storage compartments can dispense a selected product, or, none of the first-to-be-dispensed products in any storage compartments matches the selected product, the vending machine determines a product to dispense based on a given product dispense rule.

Claims

1. A vending machine for vending a plurality of products, comprising:

a selection unit for selecting and purchasing products, the selection unit including a product selection part and a currency insertion part;

a plurality of storage compartments, each of which comprises a mechanically detectable identifier, and containing a plurality of types of products selectable by the selection unit;

a plurality of product identification sub-units for identifying a type of each product to be dispensed first from the plurality of storage compartments, wherein at least one product identification sub-unit is located within each of the storage compartments; and

a determination unit for determining a product to dispense based on a result of identification by the product identification sub-unit in response to selection by the selection unit.

2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of storage compartments comprise storage compartments preselected from storage compartments of the vending machine to preferentially dispense products.

3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the vending machine previously cools and/or heats only a portion of the storage compartments selected from the storage compartments of the vending machine, and the storage compartments preferentially dispensing products are included in the selected storage compartments previously cooled and/or heated.

4. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the vending machine dispenses products only from the storage compartments preferentially dispensing products.

5. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines a product to dispense based on a result of identification by the product identification sub-unit and a predetermined product dispense rule in response to selection by the selection unit.

6. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein, when more than one storage compartments of the plurality of storage compartments dispenses a product selected by the selection unit, a product to be dispensed is determined so as to increase a variety of products to be dispensed first from the plurality of storage compartments after a selected product is dispensed.

7. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein, when more than one storage compartments of the plurality of storage compartments dispenses a product selected by the selection unit, a product is dispensed from a storage compartment in which a next product to be dispensed after the selected product is not included in products to be dispensed first from any other of the plurality of storage compartments.

8. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein, when more than one storage compartments of the plurality of storage compartments dispenses a product selected by the selection unit, a product to be dispensed is determined based on past sales data and a product to be dispensed after the selected product.

9. The vending machine according to claim 8, wherein, when more than one storage compartments of the plurality of storage compartments dispenses a product selected by the selection unit, the selected product is dispensed from a storage compartment in which sales of a next product to be dispensed after the selected product are the same as or greater than sales of a next product to be dispensed after the selected product in any other storage compartments which can dispense the selected product.

10. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein, when more than one storage compartments of the plurality of storage compartments dispenses a product selected by the selection unit, a product is dispensed from a storage compartment containing a largest variety of products.

11. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein, when first products to be dispensed from the plurality of storage compartments do not include a product selected by the selection unit, the selected product is dispensed from a given storage compartment after a first product to be dispensed is dispensed from the given storage compartment.

12. The vending machine according to claim 11, wherein the first product to be dispensed from the given storage compartment is dispensed into a product delivery port.

13. The vending machine according to claim 11, wherein the first product to be dispensed from the given storage compartment is collected within the vending machine.

14. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of storage compartments is a container removable from the vending machine.

15. The vending machine according to claim 14, wherein the removable container contains products arranged according to a predetermined product arrangement pattern, and the product identification sub-units identify a type of each next product to be dispensed based on a product arrangement pattern applied to the removable container.

16. The vending machine according to claim 14, wherein, when more than one storage compartments of the plurality of storage compartments dispenses a product selected by the selection unit, a product is dispensed from a storage compartment which has been installed first.

17. A vending machine for vending a plurality of products, comprising:

a selection unit for selecting and purchasing products, the selection unit including a product selection part and a currency insertion part;

a storage compartment for containing a plurality of types of products selectable by the selection unit, the storage compartment having a mechanically detectable identifier;

a product identification sub-unit for identifying a type of a product to be dispensed first from the storage compartment, wherein at least a portion of the product identification sub-unit is located within the storage compartment; and

a determination unit for determining a product to dispense based on a result of identification by the product identification sub-unit in response to selection by the selection unit.

18. The vending machine according to claim 17, wherein the storage compartment contains products arranged in a predetermined order, and the product identification sub-unit identifies a type of the first product to be dispensed by identifying the storage compartment containing a plurality of types of products.

19. The vending machine according to claim 17, wherein the product identification sub-unit identifies a type of the first product to be dispensed based on an identifier placed on the first product to be dispensed.

20. A method for determining a product to dispense in a vending machine having a plurality of storage compartments and a selection unit for selecting and purchasing products, the selection unit including a product selection part and a currency insertion part, the method comprising steps of:

selecting and purchasing a product, the selecting and purchasing being done by a purchaser by using the product selection part and the currency insertion part;

identifying a type of each product to be dispensed first from the plurality of storage compartments, each of the plurality of storage compartments comprising a mechanically detectable identifier and at least one product identification unit for identifying a type of a product to be dispensed first from the storage compartment, each of the storage compartments containing a plurality of types of products selectable in the selecting step; and

determining a product to dispense based on a result of identification in the identifying step in response to selection in the selecting step.