Systems and methods for data acquisition and transmission

• US 9,111,268 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Crane Payment Innovations, Inc. (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Crane Merchandising Systems Incorporated (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Blachman, Steven Joel, Canter, James M., Knudson, Jon Sven
• Primary Examiner(s): JENSEN, NICHOLAS A
• Application Number:
  US12/132,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20090303982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,631 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 700/223, 709/217, 709/230, 705/10, 221/9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

In a system for a field asset site having a plurality of field assets, a first transport module interfaces with a first field asset, the first transport module operable to communicate via a first transport with a communication center outside of the field asset site. A second transport module interfaces with the first field asset. A third transport module interfaces with an associated field asset and is operable to communicate via a second transport to the second transport module. Each of a plurality of audit devices interfaces with an associated field asset from which operation data is acquired by the audit device. Each of a plurality of routing modules interfaces between an associated field audit device and at least one of the second transport module and the third transport module, with each routing module operable to provide transport-agnostic communication between its associated audit device and at least one of the communication center and another audit device.

Claims

1. A vending machine associated with a group of vending machines, at least one vending machine of the group of vending machines including a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a remote operations center relative to the group of vending machines, the vending machine comprising:

a mesh network wireless transceiver configured to (i) detect mesh network wireless transceivers in other vending machines of the group of vending machines, and (ii) selectively establish wireless communications with one or more of the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines;

a hardware connection configured to selectively physically connect to the wireless transceiver; and

a communication routing application executing in one of one or more controllers within the vending machine, the communication routing application configured to control wireless communications from the vending machine via both the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine and, when present within the vending machine, the wireless transceiver,

wherein the one or more controllers are configured to;

control and monitor one or more payment devices and one or more vending devices within the vending machine,

collect information regarding one or more of sales by the vending machine, a status of the one or more payment devices and the one or more vending devices, currency accumulated within the one or more payment devices, and inventory remaining within the vending machine,

generate reports regarding the collected information for the operations center, and

transmit the reports regarding the collected information to the communication routing application for transmission to the operations center independent of whether the cellular communications wireless transceiver is present within the vending machine or within one of the other vending machines and independent of wireless communication connections established by the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine with the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines, and

wherein the communication routing application is configured to forward the reports received from the one or more controllers to the operations center using an available communications path comprising one or more of a wireless communication connection established by the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine with the mesh network wireless transceiver in one of the other vending machines and a wireless communication connection between the cellular communications wireless transceiver and the operations center.

2. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the communication routing application is configured to operate as a relay when necessary to establish communication between one of the other vending machines and the operations center.

3. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine and the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines each comprise a wide area network transceiver.

4. The vending machine of claim 2, wherein the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine and the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines are each selected from a group consisting of a 900 mega-Hertz (MHz) radio frequency transceiver, a 2.4 GHz radio frequency transceiver, an infra-red transceiver, a laser transceiver, and an 802.11 transceiver.

5. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the cellular communications wireless transceiver is selected from a group consisting of a narrowband personal communication system transceiver, a broadband personal communication system transceiver, a circuit switched cellular transceiver, and a cellular digital packet data transceiver.

6. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the operations center is a network operations center.

7. The vending machine of claim 6, wherein the network operations center is configured to receive operation data from the group of vending machines.

8. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the communication routing application is configured to automatically provide communications via a handheld device between the vending machine and the operations center.

9. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the communication routing application is configured to automatically provide communications via a service vehicle between the vending machine and the operations center.

10. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the communication routing application is part of a field audit device.

11. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers include a controller within a field audit device.

12. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers include a vending machine controller.

13. A method of operating a vending machine associated with a group of vending machines, at least one vending machine of the group of vending machines including a wireless transceiver configured to communicate with a remote operations center relative to the group of vending machines, the vending machine including a hardware connection configured to selectively physically connect to the wireless transceiver, the method comprising:

utilizing a mesh network wireless transceiver;

detecting mesh network wireless transceivers in other vending machines of the group of vending machines, and

selectively establishing wireless communication connections with one or more of the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines;

executing a communication routing application in one of one or more controllers within the vending machine to control wireless communications from the vending machine via both the mesh network wireless transceiver and, when present within the vending machine, the wireless transceiver, and transmitting communications from the vending machine to the operations center via the wireless transceiver when the wireless transceiver is present within the vending machine and via the mesh network wireless transceivers when the wireless transceiver is not present within the vending machine; and

utilizing the one or more controllers,

controlling and monitoring one or more payment devices and one or more vending devices within the vending machine,

collecting information regarding one or more of sales by the vending machine, a status of the one or more payment devices and the one or more vending devices, currency accumulated within the one or more payment devices, and inventory remaining within the vending machine,

generating reports regarding the collected information for the operations center, and

transmitting the reports regarding the collected information to the communication routing application for transmission to the operations center independent of whether the cellular communications wireless transceiver is present within the vending machine or within one of the other vending machines and independent of wireless communication connections established by the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine with the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines,

wherein the communication routing application is configured to forward the reports received from the one or more controllers to the operations center using an available communications path comprising one or more of a wireless communication connection established by the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine with the mesh network wireless transceiver in one of the other vending machines and a wireless communication connection between the cellular communications wireless transceiver and the operations center.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

operating the communication routing application as a relay when necessary to establish communication between one of the other vending machines and the operations center.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine and the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines each comprise a wide area network transceiver.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the mesh network wireless transceiver within the vending machine and the mesh network wireless transceivers in the other vending machines are each selected from a group consisting of a 900 mega-Hertz (MHz) radio frequency transceiver, a 2.4 GHz radio frequency transceiver, an infra-red transceiver, a laser transceiver, and an 802.11 transceiver.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the cellular communications wireless transceiver is selected from a group consisting of a narrowband personal communication system transceiver, a broadband personal communication system transceiver, a circuit switched cellular transceiver, and a cellular digital packet data transceiver.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the operations center is a network operations center.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the network operations center is configured to receive operation data from the group of vending machines.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

utilizing the communication routing application, automatically providing communications via a handheld device between the vending machine and the operations center.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

utilizing the communication routing application, automatically providing communications via a service vehicle between the vending machine and the operations center.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication routing application is part of a field audit device.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers include a controller within a field audit device.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers include a vending machine controller.