AUTOMATIC PRODUCT DISPENSING MACHINE

• US 20130211583A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rheavendors Industries S.p.A. (Larene SRL)
• Original Assignee: Damian S.r.l. (Larene SRL)
• Inventors: Borra, Paolo
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/232
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/00 Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/023 Arrangements for display, data presentation or advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/0235 the arrangements being full-front touchscreens

Abstract

An automatic product dispensing machine comprises: a frame (2) delimiting at least a housing chamber (3); a magazine (4) arranged internally of the housing chamber (3), for containing a series of products (5); at least a display (8) interposed between the housing chamber (3) and the external environment; a control unit (9) active on the display (8) and configured such as to enable visualising images and/or information. The control unit (9) is further configured such as to switch the display (8) between at least two of the following three operative conditions: a visualising condition, in which it reproduces at least a datum and/or image that is externally visible, a condition of transparency, in which at least a product (5) contained in the magazine (4) is viewable via the display (8) and a superposing condition, in which at least a product (5) is viewable via the display (8) and at least a datum and/or image and/or film relating to the product is reproduced on the display.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. An automatic product dispensing machine, comprising:

a frame delimiting at least a housing chamber;

a magazine, operatively arranged internally of the housing chamber, the magazine being configured to contain a plurality of products;

a window engaged to the frame to enable direct visual access to the magazine and to the products contained there and to be dispensed;

at least a display associated to the frame and interposed between the housing chamber and an environment external to the dispensing machine;

a control unit acting on the display and configured to enable visualisation of images and/or items of information on the display;

wherein the display is a part of the window and in that at least a portion of the display is transparent, enabling visual access to the magazine and to the products contained there and to be dispensed, the control unit being configured to be selectively active on at least the portion of the display in order to visualise images and/or items of information.

17. The machine of claim 16, wherein the display and the window substantially coincide, a property of transparency and visual access to the magazine and to the products contained therein of the window being guaranteed by the transparency of the display.

18. The machine of claim 17, wherein the window is dimensioned and positioned with respect to the magazine in such a way as to guarantee visual access to all the real products ready for dispensing following selection by the user.

19. The machine of claim 16, wherein the control unit is configured to be active on at least the portion of the display in order to switch the display between at least two of following three conditions:

a visualising condition, in which the display reproduces on at least a portion thereof an item of information and/or an image which is visible externally by a user and there is no substantial visual access to the housing chamber through the portion;

a transparent condition, wherein at least a product contained in the magazine is visible through the portion of the display;

a superposing condition in which at least a portion of the display reproduces an item of information and/or an image which is visible externally to a user and at least a product contained in the magazine is at least partly visible through the portion.

20. The machine of claim 19, comprising:

a selecting device operatively associated to the frame to enable a user to select at least a product contained in the magazine;

a collecting compartment associated to the frame to enable collection of at least a product released from the magazine; and

wherein the control unit is configured to switch the portion of the display into the transparent condition in order to enable at least partial visibility of a real product contained in the magazine and predisposed to be released following a selection command emitted by the selecting device following an action of a user.

21. The machine of claim 19, wherein the machine comprises at least a release unit of at least a product selected via the selecting device, the release device being active to move a real product visible from the outside in the transparent condition of the display towards the collecting compartment.

22. The machine of claim 19, wherein the control unit is configured to switch the portion of the display into the visualizing condition in which the product contained in the magazine is not visible from outside.

23. The machine of claim 16, wherein the display is configured to reproduce at least an item of information and/or an image of the product, selectable by the user via the selecting device.

24. The machine of claim 19, further comprising at least a light source switchable between a non-operating condition, in which the light source does not emit light, and an operating condition, in which the light source illuminates a predetermined number of products contained in the magazine, the control unit switching the light source from the non-operative condition to the operative condition when the control unit switches the display into the transparent condition.

25. The machine of claim 24, wherein the light source is arranged internally of the housing chamber and acts on the magazine.

26. The machine of claim 24, wherein the control unit is configured to switch the light source from the non-operative condition to the operative condition, when the control unit switches the display into the superposing condition.

27. The machine of claim 26, wherein the control unit is configured to send to the display, when the display is in the visualising condition or in the superposing condition, a reproduction signal included in the group consisting of:

an interactive menu, an item of information indicating a price of a product contained in the magazine, an item of information describing a quality of at least a product contained in the magazine, an item of information describing a quantity of at least a product contained in the magazine, at least an item of information relating to one or more competitions, at least an item of information relating to one or more games with prizes, at least an item of information relating to one or more discounts, at least an item of information relating to one or more promotions, relating to at least a product contained in the magazine.

28. The machine of claim 16, wherein the display comprises a plurality of different areas, the control unit being configured to determine a contact condition or a proximity condition of a user to an area of the areas, for a purpose of activating specific actions associated to the respective areas.

29. The machine of claim 16, wherein the display is a touch-screen.

30. The machine of claim 16, comprising a plurality of release units, each active on a predetermined number of products in order to enable dispensing of at least a product thereof, the release unit moving the product to be released towards a passage zone configured to enable a transfer to the collecting compartment, the passage zone being interposed between the magazine and the display.

31. The machine of claim 30, wherein the transfer to the collecting compartment occurs by free fall, the release unit being a spiral device.

32. The machine of claim 16, wherein the display comprises a slim film which exhibits a substantially sandwich structure provided with:

a support including a glass pane or a transparent plastic film;

a transparent electrode having an anode function;

a predetermined number of organic strata, constituting an active light-emitting material; and

a second electrode, having a cathode function, including a reactive metal.

33. The machine of claim 32, wherein the film is encapsulated in a waterproof material resistant to water and oxygen and to pollutants, the material being shock-proof.

34. The machine of claim 16, wherein the display is an active matrix display in which a transistor structure is integrated into the display and is composed by at least two transistors for each pixel, the transistors being connected in sequence to anode lines and cathode lines and being able to keep each pixel active from a first scansion period to a following scansion period.

35. An automatic product dispensing machine, comprising:

a frame delimiting at least a housing chamber;

a magazine, operatively arranged internally of the housing chamber, the magazine being configured to contain a plurality of products;

a frontal window engaged to the frame to enable direct visual access to the magazine and to the products contained therein and to be dispensed;

at least a display associated to the frame and interposed between the housing chamber and an environment external to the dispensing machine;

a control unit acting on the display and configured to enable visualization of images and/or items of information on the display;

wherein the display is a part of the window and in that at least a portion of the display is transparent, enabling visual access to the magazine and to the products contained there and to be dispensed, the control unit being configured to be selectively active on at least the portion of the display in order to visualize images and/or items of information,

wherein the control unit is configured to be active on at least the portion of the display in order to switch the display between at least two of following three conditions;

a visualizing condition, in which the display reproduces on at least a portion thereof an item of information and/or an image which is visible externally by a user and there is no substantial visual access to the housing chamber through the portion;

a transparent condition, wherein at least a product contained in the magazine is visible through the portion of the display;

a superposing condition in which at least a portion of the display reproduces an item of information and/or an image which is visible externally to a user and at least a product contained in the magazine is at least partly visible through the portion.