Camera audit accepter mechanism and camera audit dispensing mechanism

• US 9,317,989 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2013
• Issued: 04/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kiosk Information Systems Incorporated (Posiflex Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kiosk Information Systems Incorporated (Posiflex Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Grow, Roger H., Malone, Richard L., Newsom, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Cicchino, Patrick
• Application Number:
  US14/044,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20140163728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 700231-244
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24097 Camera monitors controlled machine
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A system for receiving and auditing objects according to an embodiment of the invention includes a housing having a front panel, a receiving area, an auditing area, and a drop chute, wherein the receiving area includes a shelf, the front panel includes an opening, a door assembly having a pushing wall and a second pushing wall and assembly moveable between an open position in which an object can be inserted through the opening and into the receiving area, and a closed position in which the door assembly prevents access to the receiving area, wherein the pushing wall moves the object from the shelf into the auditing area as the door assembly closed; and a control system coupled to a camera and switch, wherein the door assembly activates the switch when it is in the closed position, the control system images the object with the camera in response to switch activation.

Claims

1. A system for receiving and auditing objects, comprising:

a housing having a front panel, a receiving area, an auditing area, and a drop chute, wherein the receiving area includes a stationary shelf forming a bottom portion of the receiving area, wherein the front panel comprises an opening;

a door assembly having a first pushing wall and a second pushing wall, the door assembly moveable with respect to the housing between an open position in which the opening at least partially aligns with the receiving area to permit an object to be inserted through the opening and onto the stationary shelf of the receiving area, and a closed position in which the door assembly prevents access to the receiving area through the front panel;

wherein the first pushing wall is configured to move the object from the stationary shelf into the auditing area as the door assembly is moved from the open position to the closed position; and

a control system communicably coupled to a camera and a switch, wherein the door assembly is configured to activate the switch when the door assembly is in or near the closed position, the control system configured to capture a representation of the object with the camera in response to activation of the switch;

wherein the second pushing wall is configured to move the object from the auditing area to the drop chute as the door assembly is moved from the closed position to the open position.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first pushing wall and the second pushing are rigidly interconnected such that they move as a single unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the auditing area is below the receiving area, such that the first pushing wall is further configured to move the object from the stationary shelf to cause it to fall into the auditing area.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the stationary shelf is substantially flat.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the switch is a mechanical switch.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first pushing wall contacts the mechanical switch to activate the mechanical switch when the door assembly is in the closed position.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the representation of the object is a photographic image of the object.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an actuator, the actuator coupled to the door assembly and configured to move the door assembly between the open and closed positions.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the actuator comprises a knob, wherein the knob is on an opposite side of the front panel from the door assembly.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the front panel includes a slot through which the knob moves as the door assembly is moved between the open and closed positions, wherein the slot is configured to limit movement of the door assembly.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein movement of the door assembly between the open and closed positions is a sliding along a substantially horizontal direction.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more drop sensors communicably coupled to the control system, the one or more drop sensors configured to detect the product passing through the drop chute.

13. A system for receiving and auditing objects, comprising:

a housing having a front panel, a receiving area, an auditing area, and a drop chute, wherein the receiving area includes a shelf forming a bottom portion of the receiving area, wherein the front panel comprises an opening;

a door assembly having a pushing wall and a second pushing wall, the door assembly moveable with respect to the housing between an open position in which the opening at least partially aligns with the receiving area to permit an object to be inserted through the opening and onto the shelf of the receiving area, and a closed position in which the door assembly prevents access to the receiving area through the front panel;

wherein the pushing wall is configured to move the object from the shelf into the auditing area as the door assembly is moved from the open position to the closed position; and

a control system communicably coupled to a camera and a switch, wherein the door assembly is configured to activate the switch when the door assembly is in or near the closed position, the control system configured to capture an image of the object with the camera in response to activation of the switch.

14. A system for product delivery and audit, the system comprising:

a door assembly, the door assembly coupled to a product delivery chute at a pivot axis, the door assembly moveable between a closed position and an open position by pivoting about the pivot axis;

wherein the door assembly comprises an audit area, and wherein in the closed position the door assembly prevents access to the audit area, and the audit area is configured to receive product from the product delivery chute;

a control system communicably coupled to a camera, a door sensor, and a product sensor, wherein the control system is configured to capture a representation of the product with the camera when the door sensor senses that the door assembly is in the closed position and the product sensor senses that the product is in the audit area;

wherein in the open position the door assembly permits access to the product for which a representation had previously been captured, and wherein in the open position the door assembly also prevents access to the audit area and prevents access to additional products delivered through the product delivery chute while the door assembly is in the open position.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the door assembly is biased toward the closed position.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the product sensor is a through-beam sensor.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the door assembly comprises a curved top wall and a rear panel, wherein the rear panel is configured to receive the product when the product is received into the audit area from the product delivery chute, and wherein the curved top wall and the rear panel block access to the audit area when the door assembly is in the open position.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein a product receiving surface of the rear panel is at a first angle when the door assembly is in the closed position, wherein an inner bottom surface of the product delivery chute is at a second angle, and wherein the first angle is substantially the same as the second angle so as to permit the product to slide smoothly from the inner bottom surface to the product receiving surface.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the door assembly further comprises a handle, wherein pulling of the handle moves the door assembly from the closed position to the open position.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the camera is mounted at a top of the audit area above the door assembly.