Systems for requesting service of a vending machine

• US 6,430,268 B1
• Filed: 06/22/1998
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Statsignal IPC LLC (Statsignal)
• Original Assignee: Statsignal Systems Incorporated (Statsignal)
• Inventors: Petite, Thomas D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Application Number:
  US09/102,178
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/91-1-, 379/93.05, 379/93.08, 379/93-2-, 379/93.22, 379/106.01, 379/110.01, 379/39-40, 455/31.3, 455/38.3, 455/412, 455/414, 455/426, 455/466, 455/553, 455/557, 455/566, 455/455-456, 455/41, 705/28, 235/385, 364/479.01, 364/479-1-4, 340/5.22, 340/5.9
• US Class Current: 379/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/02 involving a neutral party, e.g. certification authority, notary or trusted third party [TTP]
• 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

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to an automated system for requesting service of a vending machine. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the system includes a set of sensors configured to detect a variety of service conditions, including products being low or out of stock, as well as out of order conditions. The sensors generate output signals that are input to a transmitter disposed at (typically within) the vending machine. The transmitter includes circuitry that encodes the signals received from the sensors into a message that includes an instruction code. The transmitter further includes circuitry for transmitting the encoded message, preferably via radio frequency transmission (although other forms of transmission are consistent with the invention). The system further includes a transceiver located remotely (but nearby) from the transmitter, and configured to receive the transmitted signal. The transceiver includes circuitry for accessing the public switched telephone network and circuitry for controlling the transceiver to dial a defined telephone number. The transceiver further includes circuitry that, after the connection is established, controls the transmission of the encoded message to the central station. Accordingly, the central station includes an interface to the PSTN and circuitry configured to receive the encoded message transmitted from the transceiver. The central station further includes circuitry (which may be programmable —e.g., in the form of a computer) that evaluates the encoded message, and from that evaluation determines the state of the vending machine sensors.

Claims

1. A system for requesting service of a vending machine comprising:

at least one product sensor configured to detect a product inventory status;

at least one operational sensor configured to detect an operational condition of the vending machine;

an encode circuit configured to encode a message in response to and based on a predetermined status condition of the at least one production sensor and the at least one operational sensor;

a wireless transmitter configured to transmit a first signal containing the encoded message;

an interface circuit configured to interface the at least one product sensor and the at least one operational sensor to the transmitter;

a transceiver located remotely from the wireless transmitter and configured to receive the first signal, said transceiver including a line interface circuit configured to inter face with a telephone line that is part of the public-switched telephone network (PSTN) and initiate a phone call over the telephone line to a predetermined location, said transceiver further including a controller configured to control the reception of the first signal and a control the communication of a second signal over the telephone line, the second signal containing the encoded message, wherein said transceiver is disposed within a public pay-type telephone; and

a central station located remote from said transceiver but being in communication with said transceiver via the PSTN, said central station having an interface to the telephone line configured to receive the second signal, said central station further having an apparatus configured to evaluate the encoded message.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first signal further includes a phone number for the transceiver to dial in order to establish connection with the central station.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first signal further includes a logic address for the central station.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a RF transmitter configured to transmit a low-power RF signal.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first signal further includes a transmitter identifier code.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the second signal further includes a transceiver identification code.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a look-up table.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the central station further includes means for notifying service personnel of a service condition, in response to a communication from the transceiver.

9. A method for performing an automated service request comprising the steps of:

disposing sensors within a vending machine to sense a service condition;

sensing a service condition;

transmitting a first signal from a wireless transmitter to a remotely-located transceiver, the first signal including a message encoded based on the service condition;

disposing the transceiver within a public, pay-type telephone;

communication at least the encoded message from the transceiver to the central station via the PSTN; and

decoding the encoded message at the central station to identify the service request.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, further including the step of communicating a transceiver identification code from the transceiver to the central station.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the transceiver identification code is a logical IP address of the transceiver.

12. The method as defined in claim 10, further including the step of evaluating the transceiver identification code at the central station to determine a geographic location of the transceiver.

13. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the first signal further includes a transmitter identification code.

14. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the first signal further includes a phone number of the central station.

15. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the decoding step more specifically includes decoding both the encoded message and the transmitter identification code to identify the service request.

16. The method as defined in claim 13, further including the step of evaluating the transmitter identification code at the central station to determine a geographic location of the transmitter.

17. The method as defined in claim 9, further including the step of initiating a service call in response to the decoding step.

18. A method for performing an automated service request of a vending machine comprising the step of:

transmitting a first signal from a wireless transmitter to a remotely-located transceiver, the first signal including message encoded based on a service condition associated with the vending machine;

disposing the transceiver within a public, pay-type telephone;

establishing a connection between the transceiver and a central station over a phone line comprising a part of the public switched telephone network (PSTN); and

communicating the encoded message from the transceiver to the central station.

19. A system for requesting service of a vending machine comprising:

at least one product sensor configured to detect a product inventory status;

at least one operational sensor configured to detect an operational condition of the vending machine;

an encode circuit configured to encode a message in response to and based on a predetermined status condition of the at least one product sensor and the at least one operational sensor, the encoded message including information associated with a destination location;

a wireless transmitter configured to transmit a first signal containing the encoded message;

an interface circuit configured to interface the at least one product sensor and the at least one operational sensor to the transmitter;

a transceiver located remotely from the wireless transmitter and configured to receive the first signal, said transceiver including a line interface circuit configured to interface with a telephone line that is part of the public-switched telephone network (PSTN) and initiate a phone call over the telephone line to a predetermined location, said transceiver further including a controller configured to control the reception of the first signal and to control the communication of a second signal over the telephone line based on the information associated with a destination location, the second signal containing the encoded message wherein said transceiver is disposed within a public, pay-type telephone; and

a central station located remote from said transceiver but being in communication with said transceiver via the PSTN, said central station having an interface to the telephone line configured to receive the second signal, said central station further having an apparatus configured to evaluate the encoded message.

20. The system as defined in claim 19, wherein the information associated with a destination location comprises a telephone number corresponding to the central station.

21. The system as defined in claim 19, wherein the information associated with a destination location comprises an IP address corresponding to the central station.

22. A method for performing an automated service request comprising the steps of:

disposing sensors within a vending machine to sense a service condition;

sensing a service condition;

transmitting a first signal from a wireless transmitter to a remotely-located transceiver, the first signal including a message encode based on the service condition, the encoded messaging including information associated with a destination location;

disposing the transceiver within a public, pay-type telephone;

communicating at least the encode message from the transceiver to the central station based on the information associated with a destination location via the PSTN; and

decoding the encoded message at the central station to identify the service request.

23. The method as described in claim 22, wherein the information associated with a destination location comprises a telephone number corresponding to the central station.

24. The method as described in claim 23, wherein the information associated with a destination location comprises an IP address corresponding to the central station.