Self-service beverage and snack dispensing using identity-based access control

• US 8,972,048 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Canora, David J., Rench, Scott W.
• Primary Examiner(s): WAGGONER, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US12/275,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20100125362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,294 Days
• Field of Search: 700/236, 700/237, 700/240, 700/241
• US Class Current: 700/237
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A token-based system providing self-service vending of snacks or beverages. The system includes a vending machine with a controller selectively dispensing goods. A token reader is linked to the controller. Tokens are provided to users of the system that each includes access data. During use, the token reader reads the access data and provides it to the controller. The controller dispenses a unit of the goods based on the access data read from the token. The system provides token-based vending with the token being a handheld or wearable object providing the access data, such as with an RFID tag on a bracelet or pin or with a barcode or magnetic stripe on a card or room key. The vending machine may be a beverage dispenser that dispenses a drink with a user obtaining a disposable container near the dispenser and presenting their token to the token reader.

Claims

1. A system for providing self-service vending of snacks or beverages, comprising:

a self-service vending machine with a controller selectively dispensing goods;

a token reader linked to the controller; and

a plurality of tokens each including a set of access data,

wherein the token reader reads the access data and provides the read access data to the controller,

wherein the controller dispenses a unit of the goods based on the read access data,

wherein the read access data includes an access code used by the controller to determine whether one of the tokens can be used to access the self-service vending machine, the controller denying access when one of the tokens is determined to not authorize access to the self-service vending machine; and

wherein the access data comprises a defined entitlement to access the self-service vending machine, the defined entitlement including a counter indicating a number of units of the goods obtainable from the self-service vending machine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-service vending machine comprises a beverage dispenser, wherein the unit of goods comprises a volume of a liquid beverage dispensed into a container, and wherein the tokens comprise a portable object separate from the container.

3. The systems of claim 1, wherein the access data is stored on each of the tokens.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the token reader is operable to write data to the tokens and wherein the controller operates the token reader to modify the counter to reflect the dispensing of the unit of the goods.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is communicatively linked to data storage storing user records each defining an entitlement for a user to access the self-service vending machine and wherein the access data includes a link to one of the user records, whereby the controller performs a look up to selectively control the dispensing of the unit of the goods.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tokens comprise portable objects adapted for transport with a user and the access data is stored within an RFID tag, a magnetic stripe, or a barcode portion of the objects.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the defined entitlement further includes a geographic use area defining one or more geographic areas and wherein the controller provides access to the self-service vending machine only when the self-service vending machine is located within boundaries of the one or more geographic areas.

8. A token for use in accessing a plurality of self-service vending machines with a memory reader, comprising:

a body;

a data storage element on the body readable by the memory reader; and

a set of access data stored in the data storage element, the access data comprising an access code and a user entitlement defining access rights to the self-service vending machine, whereby the token provides access to the vending machine based on a combination of the access code and the user entitlement,

wherein the plurality of self-service vending machines are located in a first geographic location and in a second geographic location,

wherein user entitlement defines access rights limiting access to the self-service vending machines in one of the first and second geographic locations, and

wherein the access rights further include data defining an access time period for accessing the vending machine.

9. The token of claim 8, wherein the body is selected from the group consisting of a plastic card, a ticket media, a wireless communication device, and a wearable object and wherein the data storage element comprises a magnetic stripe, a barcode, or a passive RFID tag.

10. The token of claim 8, the access rights comprises a number of units associated with beverages or snacks dispensed by the vending machine.

11. A token-based vending method, comprising:

operating a token activation module to write access data in a data storage element of a token, the access data defining a number of units available to a token holder;

at a dispensing location, reading the access data from the data storage element with a token scanner;

with a controller, processing the access data to determine whether to grant access to a good based on the available number of units;

dispensing the good to the token holder; and

modifying the access data in the data storage element of the token to reduce the available number of units based on the dispensing,

wherein the good is associated with a unit value greater than one of the units and the modifying comprises decrementing the available number of units by the unit value.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dispensed goods include a plurality of goods with differing characteristics and wherein the dispensed goods are each associated with a single unit value that is decremented from the available number of units in the modifying step.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the data storage element comprises an RFID tag, a barcode, or a magnetic stripe.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the dispensing is performed with a self-service vending machine.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the self-service vending machine comprises a self-service beverage dispenser and wherein the token comprises a body spaced apart from a container used to receive the dispensed good.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the access data further comprises preference data corresponding to the dispensed good and wherein the dispensing of the good comprises preparing the dispensed good based on the preference data.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising prior to the writing of the access data, displaying a plurality of entitlement options to a user and receiving a selection of one of the entitlement options from the user, and wherein the written access data is chosen based on the received selection of one of the entitlement options.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the access data further includes a geographic use area defining one or more geographic areas and wherein the dispensing of the good is performed only when the dispensing location is within boundaries of the one or more geographic areas.