System for accomplishing product detection

• US 6,732,014 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2001
• Issued: 05/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Crane Merchandising Systems Incorporated (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Crane Company
• Inventors: Whitten, David Boyd, Griner, Paul Kevin, Duncan, Brian Lee, Booth, William Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US09/935,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20020117509A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 700/231, 700/232, 700/236, 700/243, 700/244, 221/2, 221/7, 221/8, 221/21, 221/75
• US Class Current: 700/244
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 provides for a vending system wherein a monitoring system verifies that a product ordered by a vending customer is actually delivered through a delivery area to the customer. If the product ordered is unavailable either because of an out of stock situation or a blockage of the delivery path for that product, the present invention allows the customer to request a refund or order a second product. Additionally, the present invention helps to prevent theft of product from the vending system.

Claims

1. A vending machine for verifying the delivery of a ordered product, the system comprising:

an ordering system for receiving a customer order of a product;

a product delivery system for sending the product located in a first product storage position through a delivery path to a second product receiving position;

a monitoring system located along the delivery path for detecting when the product passes through the delivery path from the first position to the second position, the monitoring system optically scanning the delivery path for the product transition using a plurality of discrete light beams each emitted by one of a plurality of light emitters and detected by at least one of a corresponding plurality of light detectors; and

a reporting circuitry electronically coupled to the monitoring system wherein the reporting circuitry reports the result of the customer order.

2. The vending system of claim 1 wherein each light detector detects interruption of a light beam emitted by a corresponding light emitter.

3. The vending system in claim 2 wherein the monitoring system further comprises:

a logic circuit electronically coupled to the optical circuitry for determining whether the product passed through the delivery path, the determining occurring by receiving a first logic result when light is detected, and a second logic result when light is not detected.

4. The vending system in claim 2 wherein the light is an infrared light.

6. The vending system in claim 2 wherein each of the plurality of light emitters is aligned approximately across from the the corresponding light detector, wherein the delivery path lies in between the the plurality of light emitters and the the corresponding light detectors.

7. The vending system in claim 2 wherein the plurality of discrete light beams are aligned such that the spacing between the beams accounts for a smallest product that transitions through the delivery path.

9. The vending system in claim 2 wherein the power of the plurality of light beams is adjusted to compensate for ambient light effects.

10. The vending system in claim 2 where in the power of the plurality of light beams is adjusted to compensate for reflected light effects.

11. The vending system in claim 3 wherein the logic circuitry further comprises:

an input from the product delivery system;

an input from the optical circuitry; and

an output from a comparison circuit, whereby the output comprises of a resulting comparison between the input from the product delivery system and the input from the optical circuitry, wherein the resulting comparison determines if a delivery attempt by the product delivery system resulted in an actual delivery of the product to the receiving position.

12. The vending system in claim 1, wherein the reporting circuitry further comprises a data storage device for storing information concerning the customer order.

13. The vending system in claim 1, wherein the reporting circuitry further comprises a logic circuit for determining whether to offer another vend attempt to the customer based upon a comparison between the result and a predetermined rule.

14. The vending system in claim 12 wherein the reporting circuitry further comprises a display device wherein an operator can retrieve the information.

17. The vending system of claim 13 wherein the delivery of a set of products is prevented if a product delivery is not detected.

5. A vending system for verifying the delivery of an ordered product, the system comprising:

an ordering system for receiving a customer order of a product;

a product delivery system for sending the product located in a first product storage position through a delivery path to a second product receiving position;

a monitoring system located along the delivery path for detecting when the product passes through the delivery path from the first position to the second position, the monitoring system optically scanning the delivery path for the product transition and including;

at least one light emitting source;

at least one light detection source, wherein the at least one light detection source detects a change in a light from the light-emitting source; and

an optical detection aperture, wherein the aperture is used to reduce the range of incident angles of light that may be detected by the at least one light detection source; and

a reporting circuitry electronically coupled to the monitoring system, wherein the reporting circuitry reports the result of the customer order.

8. A vending system for verifying the delivery of an ordered product, the system comprising:

an ordering system for receiving a customer order of a product;

a product delivery system for sending the product located in a first product storage position through a delivery path to a second product receiving position;

a monitoring system located along the delivery path for detecting when the product passes through the delivery path from the first position to the second position, the monitoring system optically scanning the delivery path for the product transition and including;

at least two light emitting sources;

at least two light detecting sources; and

a controller that sends a signal to a first one of the at least two light emitting sources activating and then deactivating the first one of at least two light emitting sources

wherein the signal is cycled by the controller to a next emitting source of at least two light emitting sources after expiration of a first set time period, and

wherein an emitter cycle in which the signal is cycled by the controller to all of the at least two light emitting source is completed within a second time period, wherein the second time period is determined by a shortest delivery path travel time of a product; and

a reporting circuitry electronically coupled to the monitoring system, wherein the reporting circuitry reports the result of the customer order.

15. A vending system for verifying the delivery of an ordered product, the system comprising:

an ordering system for receiving a customer order of a product;

a product delivery system for sending the product located in a first product storage position through a delivery path to a second product receiving position;

a monitoring system located along the delivery path for detecting when the product passes through the delivery path from the first position to the second position, the monitoring system optically scanning the delivery path for the product transition and including;

at least one light emitting source;

at least one light detection source, wherein the at least one light detection source detects a change in a light from the light-emitting source, and

wherein the at least one light emitting source and the at least one light detection source are aligned such that the spacing between detectible beams accounts for the smallest product that transitions through the delivery path,

wherein the detectible beams comprise light emitted from the at least one light emitting source and detected by an aligned detector and two detectors adjacent to the aligned detector; and

a reporting circuitry electronically coupled to the monitoring system, wherein the reporting circuitry reports the result of the customer order.

16. A vending system for verifying the delivery of an ordered product, the system comprising:

an ordering system for receiving a customer order of a product;

a product delivery system for sending the product located in a first product storage position through a delivery path to a second product receiving position;

a monitoring system located along the delivery path for detecting when the product passes through the delivery path from the first position to the second position, the monitoring system optically scanning the delivery path for the product transition and including;

at least two light emitting sources; and

at least two light detecting sources; and

a reporting circuitry electronically coupled to the monitoring system, wherein the reporting circuitry reports the result of the customer order,

wherein the reporting circuitry further comprises a logic circuit for determining whether to offer another vend attempt to the customer based upon a comparison between the result and a predetermined rule, and

wherein delivery of all products is prevented if a product delivery is not detected.

18. An apparatus for monitoring an operation of a vending machine, the apparatus comprising:

an ordering system for accepting customer orders;

a delivery path through which a product ordered by a customer from the ordering system travels;

a set of signal emitting devices located along the delivery path and sequentially emitting a signal;

a set of signal detecting devices located across the delivery path from the set of signal emitting devices, at least one signal detecting device of the set of signal detecting devices being aligned with a corresponding signal emitting device of the set of signal emitting devices, the at least one signal detecting device having at least one adjacent signal detecting device, the at least one signal detecting device and the at least one adjacent signal detecting device operable to receive the signal from the corresponding signal emitting device; and

a logic circuit connected to set of the signal detecting devices, the logic circuit determining whether a product is delivered along the delivery path from an output of the set of signal detecting devices.