METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A VENDING MACHINE

• US 20030125836A1
• Filed: 11/23/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Munroe Chirnomas
• Original Assignee: Munroe Chirnomas
• Inventors: Chirnomas, Munroe
• Application Number:
  US10/296,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20030125836A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

Abstract of Disclosure

A vending apparatus including a control system for dispensing articles, including one or more of the following features: 1. an article ID device which can identify articles being dispensed from the apparatus; 2. ability to disable dispensing of at least some of the articles stored therein, in a predetermined fashion, without the need for any communication or any disable code being input thereto external from the apparatus or its control system; ability to re-enable dispensing of articles when an authorization code is received and input into the control system of the apparatus. In another aspect of the invention, relevant parameters in the control system are pre-programmed (and can be adjusted, changed or eliminated) by an authorized party, in order to enforce agreements and rules that govern operation of the vending apparatus. For example: 1. determining the types of articles which are authorized to be dispensed, 2. adjusting the parameters which determine when or how the apparatus is partially or fully disabled, and 3. adjusting the programming in the control system to allow a apparatus to disable based on time intervals, or the amount of product sold, etc.

Claims

1. A data reporting and enforcement system for use with a plurality of article vending machines, each machine including an accumulator for collecting operational information concerning one or more operational parameters which describe the operational history of a corresponding one of the vending machines, and each machine having a control portion preprogrammed to at least partially cease its vending operation after accumulation of a predetermined amount of an operational parameter;

said system comprising;

a central database for;

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the central database verifies the authenticity of the received information, and only develops the authorization code for that given vending machine when its received information has been verified to be authentic.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the vending machine encrypts at least a portion of the operational information collected by the accumulator.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the received information comprises one or more of sales financial data, sales volume data, or security/tamper data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a given communication system is used by the central database for receiving said operational information, and said same communication system is used by the central database for replying to a request for an authorization code which allows the given vending machine to continue operating.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the vending machine collects data using an article ID system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the article ID system performs an Image based identification of vended articles.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the received information is communicated into and out of the vending machine using a communication system in contact with the vending machine, and

if said communication system is disabled or tampered with, said control portion inhibits operation of the vending machine.

36. The method of claim 6, wherein said article ID system performs self-checks, and

if evidence of tampering with proper operation of the ID system is detected, the control portion inhibits operation of the vending machine.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein said article ID system performs self-checks, and

38. if evidence of tampering with proper operation of the ID system is detected, the control portion inhibits operation of the vending machine.

8. A method of operating equipment which is pre-programmed to perform a repetitive task within a predetermined time period having one of fixed start/stop times, or a sliding window of time, comprising:

8. accumulating the time during which the equipment operates,

comparing the accumulated time with the predetermined time period, and

based upon said comparing indicating that the accumulated time has equaled or exceeded the predetermined time period, either inhibiting further operation of at least a portion of the equipment, or initiating a procedure which will inhibit further operation of at least a portion of the equipment.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the accumulation of the predetermined time period can be reset to a starting point using an authorization code made available to the vending machine purchaser by the third party.

11. A method of operating a vending machine having a usage meter which determines usage of the machine based on accumulation of a given operational parameter of the machine, comprising:

12. The method of claim 11, wherein,

13. The method of claim 12, further including:

14. The method of claim 13, wherein an authorized third party receives data concerning the sale of goods from the vending apparatus, determines whether the at least one contractual obligation with the at least one entity has been satisfied based at least in part on the received data, and makes the authorization code available to the vending apparatus if the at least one contractual obligation has been at least one of satisfied and waived.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the contractual obligation comprises vending of only authorized articles only from the machine, and sale of less than a predetermined accumulated value of unauthorized goods comprises the contractual obligation.

16. The method of claim 12, further including a remote site for controlling at least a portion of the operation of a plurality of said vending machines, said remote site,

17. The method of claim 16, wherein,

18. The method of claim 16, further including:

19. The method of claim 18 wherein there is a common owner/operator for the group of vending machines, said remote site calculating a common invoice for the common owner/operator which is representative of the total usage reported to the site from the group of vending machines.

20. The method of claim 16, further including:

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said remote site determines if the common owner/operator has deposited sufficient funds to satisfy the common invoice, and if it is, provides to each of the vending machines an appropriate reply code for resetting the usage meter of each of the vending machines.

35. The method of claim 20, wherein the received information is communicated into and out of the vending machine using a communication system in contact with the vending machine, and

35. if said communication system is disabled or tampered with, said control portion inhibits operation of the vending machine.

22. A vending apparatus, comprising:

23. A vending apparatus, comprising:

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processing unit is further operable to decode the disable code, the disable code having been encrypted prior to being received by the vending apparatus.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, further including a communications unit operable to connect the vending apparatus to a communications network, such that the disable code may be input into the vending apparatus over the communications network.

26. A method of operating a vending apparatus, comprising:

27. The method of claim 26, further including:

28. The method of claim 27, wherein an authorized third party receives data concerning the sale of goods from the vending apparatus, determines whether the at least one contractual obligation with the at least one entity has been satisfied based at least in part on the received data, and makes the disable code available to the vending apparatus if the at least one contractual obligation has not been at least one of satisfied and waived.

29. A processing system, comprising:

30. The processing system of claim 29, wherein a goods identification scanning device of the vending apparatus is used to obtain the information concerning the sale of goods.

31. The processing system of claim 29, wherein the code produced by the data processor is one of transmitted with our without human intervention, to the vending machine.

32. The processing system of claim 29, wherein the data processor is operable to determine that the received data from the vending apparatus are authentic prior to making the continuation code available to the vending apparatus.

33. The processing system of claim 32, wherein the determination that the received data are authentic is based on at least one of encryption and a code among the received data.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein said article ID system performs self-checks, and

37. if evidence of tampering with proper operation of the ID system is detected, the control portion inhibits operation of the vending machine.