Processing method for vending machine with substitutable magazines

• US 7,660,647 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2003
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Anton K. Simson, Frank Ruskin, Henri J.A. Charmasson, Peter C. Brusso
• Original Assignee: Anton K. Simson, Frank Ruskin, Henri J.A. Charmasson, Peter C. Brusso
• Inventors: Simson, Anton K., Ruskin, Frank, Brusso, Peter C., Charmasson, Henri J. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mackey; Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Butler; Michael E.
• Application Number:
  US10/682,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20040108329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,316 Days
• Field of Search: 700/236, 700/238
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/42 the articles being delivered by motor-driven means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• 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 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A method for centralized mass processing of substitutable, good-holding magazines used in conjunction with computer-controlled vending machines. A memory-chip-mounting smart-card is used, not only to enter into the machines the magazine location and price of the various goods, but also to carry a sales transaction record of the replaced magazine, thus avoiding the need for magazine locking mechanisms and other security measures.

Claims

1. A method for processing vending machines from a central location in connection with a plurality of vending sites, each site having at least one of said machines, said method comprising the steps of:

assigning to each machine an identification code;

establishing a plurality of price-and-location menus for said machines, each of said menu listing the locations in a machine of a series of different goods and a sale price of each of said goods;

keeping a record of each of said machines by identification numbers and related ones of said menus;

at said central location;

recording on a storage medium a route distribution database including machine identification codes, menus and site identification codes;

at each of said sites and in at least one of said machines,

compiling an account of good-selling transactions of goods previously installed in said machine;

downloading from said machine and onto said medium, said compiled account;

reading from said medium and writing into said machine, a price and location menu corresponding to said identification code;

inventorying the contents of said machine;

refilling said machines in accordance with said menus;

at said central location;

reconciling said inventoried contents with said downloaded, compiled account;

applying said identification codes to said machine in a machine-readable form; and

wherein said machine-readable form comprises a bar-coded indicium.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of inventorying comprises machine-reading said indicium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of recording a database comprises recording a machine opening pass-word.

4. The method of claim 1, which further comprises, at site, opening said machine by reading from said medium said pass-word.

5. The method of claim 1, which further comprises programming each of said machines to periodically require a modified pass-word.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of establishing menus comprises listing a combination of at least two locations under a single price;

whereby two goods may be dispensed by a machine at a discount price.

7. The method of claim 1, which further comprises:

maintaining an inventory of said goods available for refilling said machines; and

integrating said refilling and inventorying with said inventory.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps of recording on, downloading onto and reading from, said medium comprises recording on, downloading onto and reading from a smart-card.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said steps of recording on, downloading onto and reading from said medium comprises recording on, downloading onto and reading from a single smart-card for all machines on said route.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of compiling comprises accumulating a record of payments received by said machine.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said step of accumulating comprises calculating the amount of currency collected by said machine.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said step of inventorying comprises counting currency accumulated in said machine.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of compiling comprises indexing said sales transactions with time information.

14. The method of claim 1, which further comprises generating from said downloaded compiled account, statistical sales data.

15. A method for processing vending machines from a central location in connection with a plurality of vending sites, each site having at least one of said machines, said method comprising the steps of:

assigning to each machine an identification code;

establishing a plurality of price-and-location menus for said machines, each of said menus listing the locations in a machine of a series of different goods and a sale price of each of said goods;

keeping a record of each of said machines by identification numbers and related ones of said menus;

at said central location;

recording on a storage medium a route distribution database including machines identification codes, menus and site identification codes;

at each of said sites and in at least one of said machines,

compiling an account of good-selling transactions of goods previously installed in said machine;

downloading from said machine and onto said medium, said compiled account;

reading from said medium and writing into said machine, a price and location menu corresponding to said identification code;

inventorying the contents of said machine;

refilling said machines in accordance with said menus;

at said central location;

reconciling said inventoried contents with said downloaded, compiled account; and

wherein said step of refilling comprises replacing a good-holding magazine in said machine with a full one.

16. In a method for exploiting at least one vending machine having means for electrically accumulating records of good-selling transactions and means for electronically assigning selling prices to different goods loaded in a plurality of dispensing locations, an improvement which comprises:

recording on a machine-readable medium a database of machine programming information including an item price for each of said locations;

contemporaneously with the refilling of said machines, causing said machine to read from said medium and to write into said machine said information; and

downloading from said machine onto said medium accumulated records of good-selling transactions;

wherein said steps of reading and recording comprise using a single Smartcard as said medium.