Systems and methods for providing a vending network

• US 8,645,273 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
• Original Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
• Inventors: Antao, Leonard, Insolia, Gerard E., Merwarth, Stephen, Kolls, H. Brock
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaikh, Mohammad Z
• Application Number:
  US12/035,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 45, 235/381, 700231-244
• US Class Current: 705/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• 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

Embodiments of the invention can implement systems and methods for providing a vending network. In one embodiment, a system for providing a vending network can be provided. The system can include at least one transaction-type device associated with a vending machine, wherein the at least one transaction-type device is operable to facilitate cash transactions and/or cashless transactions associated with one or more products or services offered by the vending machine. The system can also include at least one server operable to communicate with the at least one transaction-type device, wherein the at least one server is operable to receive data associated with the transactions. Furthermore, the system can include at least one vend settlement server operable to communicate with the at least one server, wherein the at least one vend settlement server can settle some or all of the transactions.

Claims

1. A method for providing a vending network, comprising:

receiving inputs for monetary cashless transactions and non-monetary cashless transactions from a plurality of transaction-type devices associated with respective vending machines;

transmitting, to at least one remote server, first non-batch transaction data associated with at least a portion of the monetary cashless transactions and second non-batch transaction data associated with at least a portion of the non-monetary cashless transactions, wherein the at least one remote server is configured to inspect a class of transaction for each transaction in both at least the portion of monetary cashless transactions and at least the portion of non-monetary cashless transactions, and is further configured to permit further processing of an inspected cashless transactions when a class of transaction of the inspected cashless transaction has been previously approved to perform with the at least one transaction-type device; and

settling at least the portion of the cashless transactions via at least one vend settlement server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one vend settlement server is configured to reconcile vending machine inventory, cash transactions, and monetary cashless transactions and non-monetary cashless transactions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one vend settlement server is configured to reconcile pre-settled transactions and post-settled transactions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one vending machine comprises:

a multi-drop-bus (MDB) interface configured to communicate with the at least one transaction-type device; and

a DEX interface configured to communicate with the at least one transaction-type device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of transaction-type devices comprise at least one of a cash transaction reader, a cashless transaction reader, a combination cash and cashless transaction reader, a radiofrequency (RFID) reader, a biometric reader, an energy management system (EMS)-type device, a vending machine controller (VMC), or a payment transaction device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least a portion of the first non-batch transaction data or at least a portion of the second non-batch transaction data in at least one database or data storage device, wherein the first non-batch transaction data and the second non-batch transaction data comprise data indicative of one or more individual transactions.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the monetary cashless transactions comprise credit card transactions, and wherein the non-monetary cashless transactions comprise hotel key-card transactions.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a respective reconciliation token with some or all of the monetary cashless transactions and non-monetary cashless transactions.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating at least one reconciliation token to the at least one vend settlement server; and

communicating response data associated with a monetary cashless transaction or a non-monetary cashless transaction to the at least one server.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising implementing state machine logic to track some or all of the monetary cashless transactions or a non-monetary cashless transactions.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising permitting management of at least one operational function comprising vending machine fill-to-fill management, route management, and vend transaction management.

12. A system for providing a vending network, comprising:

at least one transaction-type device associated with a vending machine, wherein the at least one transaction-type device is configured to permit one or more of a monetary cashless transaction or a non-monetary cashless transaction, and wherein the monetary cashless transaction and the non-monetary transaction is associated with one or more products or services offered by the vending machine;

at least one server communicatively coupled with the at least one transaction-type device and configured to receive first non-batch data associated with the cashless transaction and second non-batch transaction data associated with the non-monetary cashless transaction,

the at least one server is further configured to inspect each class of transaction of both the monetary cashless transaction and the non-monetary cashless transaction, and permit further processing of the monetary cashless transaction when the respective class of transaction has been previously approved to perform with the at least one transaction-type device, and further permit further processing of the non-monetary cashless transaction when the respective class of transaction has been previously approved to perform with the at least one transaction-type device, and

the at least one server is further configured to associate a first unique identifier with each of the approved monetary cashless transactions, and further associated a second unique identifier with each of the approved non-monetary cashless transactions; and

at least one vend settlement server configured to communicate with the at least one server, wherein the at least one vend settlement server is configured to settle at least one of the approved monetary cashless transactions and at least one of the approved non-monetary cashless transactions.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one server is further configured to compare the respective class of transaction of the monetary cashless transaction and the respective class of transaction of the non-monetary cashless transaction with one or more allowed classes of transaction stored in a database in advance of the further processing.

14. A method for providing a vending network, comprising:

receiving inputs for monetary cashless transactions and non-monetary cashless transactions from a plurality of transaction-type devices associated with respective vending machines;

transmitting, to at least one server, first non-batch transaction data associated with at least a portion of the monetary cashless transactions and second non-batch transaction data associated with at least a portion of the non-monetary cashless transactions to at least one server, wherein the at least one server is configured to inspect class of transaction of each transaction of both at least the portion of the monetary cashless transactions and at least the portion of non-monetary cashless transactions, and further wherein the at least one server is further configured to permit further processing of at least one first transaction of the monetary cashless transactions when a respective first class of transaction has been previously approved to perform with the at least one transaction-type device, and is further configured to permit further processing of at least one second transaction of the non-monetary cashless transactions when a respective second class of transaction has been previously approved to perform with the at least one transaction-type device;

associating a respective first unique identifier with at least a portion of approved monetary cashless transactions;

associating a respective second unique identifier with at least a portion of approved non-monetary cashless transactions; and

settling at least the portion of the approved monetary cashless transactions via at least one vend settlement server; and

settling at least the portion of the approved non-monetary cashless transactions via the at least one vend settlement server.