Beverage dispensing system

• US 8,245,739 B1
• Filed: 05/29/2009
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Validfill LLC
• Original Assignee: Validfill LLC
• Inventors: Dorney, Peter, Wade, Jeremy, Ostema, Loren, Kemski, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Huson, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): Arnett, Nicolas A
• Application Number:
  US12/474,561
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 141/94, 141/104, 141/235, 141/237, 141/351, 141/360, 222/23, 222/129.1, 222/640
• US Class Current: 141/94
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 1/0888 Means comprising electronic circuitry (e.g. control panels, switching or controlling means)
• CPC Class Codes: B67D 2001/0811 provided with coded information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/065 for drink preparation
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 13/10 with associated dispensing of containers, e.g. cups or other articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader

Abstract

A beverage dispensing system comprising a dispensing port for dispensing a beverage, a drip tray located below the dispensing port for collecting the beverage dispensed and an antenna located between the dispensing port and the drip tray is provided. The beverage dispensing system is RFID-enabled by configuring the antenna to receive signals from radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.

Claims

1. A dispensing control of a beverage dispensing system, comprising:

a processor configured to receive information indicating actuation of a switch that is associated with one particular dispensing port of a plurality of dispensing ports and is not associated with the other dispensing ports of the plurality of dispensing ports; and

a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader, wherein the processor directs the RFID tag reader to obtain information from an antenna associated with the particular dispensing port associated with the activation of the switch.

2. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 1, wherein the processor and the RFID tag reader are part of a retrofit kit that is retroactively installed into the beverage dispensing system.

3. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 1, wherein the processor is a central processing unit that is configured to receive the information indicating actuation of the switch from an input/output (IO) board, and wherein the central processing unit is configured for providing a calculated amount of dispensing time to the IO board to instruct the IO board to allow dispensing from the dispensing port for the calculated amount of dispensing time.

4. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 1, wherein the processor is part of an IO board, wherein the IO board is configured for activating dispensing of beverage from the dispensing port, wherein the processor is configured to receive information indicating actuation of a switch that is associated with an ice dispenser, wherein the IO board is configured for activating dispensing of ice for a predetermined time period in response to actuation of the switch associated with the ice dispenser.

5. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 1, wherein the RFID tag reader is configured for sending a radio frequency (RF) signal to the antenna to cause information to be written to an RFID tag.

6. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a processor power supply for providing power to the processor;

an RFID power supply for providing power to the RFID tag reader; and

a multiplexer in communication with the RFID tag reader;

wherein the switch is a dispensing button that is depressed.

7. A dispensing control component of a beverage dispensing system, comprising:

a plurality of antennas that are configured to receive a signal from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, wherein each one of the antennas is associated with a particular and different one of a plurality of dispensing ports; and

a multiplexer configured to control communication with the plurality of antennas, wherein the multiplexer is configured for sending signals to an RFID tag reader, and wherein a processor directs the RFID tag reader to obtain information from at least one of said antennas.

8. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 7, further comprising an RFID tag reader configured for reading from and writing to the RFID tag, wherein the multiplexer controls transmission and receipt of signals to and from the plurality of antennas, wherein the multiplexer is integrated with the RFID tag reader.

9. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 7, wherein the plurality of antennas and the multiplexer are part of a retrofit kit that is retroactively installed into the beverage dispensing system.

10. The dispensing control component as set forth in claim 7, further comprising:

a hood assembly having a touch screen monitor and speakers;

an IO board in communication with the speakers of the hood assembly, wherein the IO board controls actuation of the dispensing ports;

said processor in communication with the IO board, wherein the processor instructs the IO board to allow actuation of a particular dispensing port for a calculated amount of time;

an RFID tag reader configured for reading from and writing to the RFID tag, wherein the multiplexer controls transmission and receipt of signals to and from the plurality of antennas; and

a user selectable switch for selectively enabling and disabling functioning of the RFID tag reader such that the beverage dispensing system is capable of functioning with RFID tag reading and without RFID tag reading.