Remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system including handheld wireless equipment

• US 8,631,093 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Crane Merchandising Systems Incorporated (Crane Company)
• Original Assignee: Crane Merchandising Systems Incorporated (Crane Company)
• Inventors: Defoss, Erin M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kyle, Tamara T
• Assistant Examiner(s): VOSTAL, ONDREJ C
• Application Number:
  US11/560,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20070112907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,616 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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

A remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system including handheld wireless equipment to obtain operational data and the status of remote machines is disclosed. A plurality of application controllers are interfaced with the remote machines from which operation data is acquired by the application controllers. The application controllers communicate with an application host via a local area network. The application host may communicate with a network operations center using a wide area network. The handheld wireless equipment may be used to obtain operational information for each remote machine from the network operations center.

Claims

1. A remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system, comprising:

a plurality of application controllers, each application controller configured to interface with a respective vending machine from which operation data is acquired by the application controller, each vending machine located at one of one or more geographical sites, each application controller including a serial interface configured to communicate with the respective vending machine using a Data EXchange/Uniform Communication Standard (DEX/UCS) protocol, and a RFID transceiver configured to scan inventory associated with the respective vending machine using the DEX/UCS protocol; and

at least one application host configured to communicate with the application controllers via a local area network and communicate with a network operations center remote from the one or more geographic sites using a wide area network, wherein a first of the application controllers is configured to function as a relay for communication between the at least one application host and a second of the application controllers when the second application controller is not capable of direct communication with the at least one application host,

wherein the network operations center is configured to maintain a database storing the operation data and to communicate an alert message regarding at least one of the vending machines, the alert message comprising a real-time notification of at least one of an out-of-stock condition, a power outage and an incident of vandalism at the at least one vending machine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the local area network is configured to communicate by wireless transmissions and the application host and each application controller include a wireless LAN transceiver for communicating via the local area network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application host is configured to communicate with handheld wireless equipment using the wide area network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the application controllers and the application host operate to auto configure the local area network upon initialization.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the auto configuration comprises application controllers operating as relays when necessary to establish communication between the application host and other application controllers.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein during auto configuration, each application controller is configured to:

determine a list of other application controllers that are in direct communication range with the each application controller; and

transmit the list to the application host;

wherein the application host uses the list from each application controller to create a routing table for the local area network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wireless transceiver.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the WAN wireless transceiver communicates across a digital paging network.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the wide area network interface of the application host comprises a WAN wireline interface.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the application host is configured to store a copy of firmware used by the application controllers.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each application controller interfaces with the respective vending machine via the serial interface to an associated vending machine controller.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the network operations center communicates the alert message to handheld wireless equipment, the alert message comprising information regarding product sales and inventory data for the at least one vending machine.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the network operations center communicates the alert message to handheld wireless equipment, the alert message comprising information regarding an operational status of the at least one vending machine.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein an application connecting across a wireless network provides handheld wireless equipment access to the remote network operations center.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein a wireless packet based network provides handheld wireless equipment access to the remote network operations center.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein an Internet-based network provides handheld wireless equipment access to the remote network operations center.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein a web browser connected with an Internet-based network provides handheld wireless equipment access to the remote network operations center.

18. A method for remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis, comprising:

interfacing a plurality of application controllers with vending machines from which operation data is acquired by the application controllers, the vending machines located at one or more geographical sites, each application controller communicating between a serial interface and the respective vending machine using a Data EXchange/Uniform Communication Standard (DEX/UCS) protocol and scanning, by a RFID transceiver of each application controller, inventory associated with the respective vending machine using the DEX/UCS protocol;

communicating between an application host and each of the application controllers, wherein a first of the application controllers functions as a relay for communication between the application host and a second of the application controllers when the second application controller is not capable of direct communication with the application host;

communicating the operation data between the application host and a network operations center remote to the one or more geographical sites using a respective wide area network;

storing the operation data in a database associated with the network operations center; and

communicating, by the network operations center, an alert message regarding at least one of the vending machines, the alert message comprising a real-time notification of at least one of an out-of-stock condition, a power outage and an incident of vandalism at the at least one vending machine.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

interfacing at least two of the application controllers with respective vending machines; and

communicating between the application host and the application controllers via a local area network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein communicating via the local area network is supported by wireless transmissions using wireless LAN transceivers.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein communicating via the local area network is supported by transmissions over a wireline interface using wireline LAN transceivers.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein communicating between the application host and the network operations center uses a wide area network interface comprising a WAN wireless transceiver.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the WAN wireless transceiver communicates across a digital paging network.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the digital paging network comprises a narrowband PCS network.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein communicating between the application host and the network operations center uses a wide area network interface comprising a WAN wireline interface.

26. The method of claim 18 further comprising handheld wireless equipment using a wide area network to obtain the current status of one or more of the vending machines.

27. The method of claim 18 further comprising communicating with the network operations center using the handheld wireless equipment and the respective wide area network to allow the handheld wireless equipment to execute operational commands with respect to the vending machines.

28. The method of claim 18 further comprising using the handheld wireless equipment to purchase a product from the vending machine.

29. The method of claim 18 further comprising using the handheld wireless equipment and the respective wide area network to allow the handheld wireless equipment to start and stop operation of the vending machines.

30. A remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system comprising:

a plurality of application controllers, each application controller interfacing with a respective vending machine from which operation data is acquired by the respective application controller, the vending machines located at a geographical site, each application controller including a serial interface configured to communicate with the respective vending machine using a Data EXchange/Uniform Communication Standard (DEX/UCS) protocol, and a RFID transceiver configured to scan inventory associated with the respective vending machine using the DEX/UCS protocol; and

at least one application host configured to communicate with the application controllers via a local area network defined in part by electrical power lines and communicate with a network operations center remote to the site using a wide area network interface, wherein a first of the application controllers is configured to function as a relay for communication between the at least one application host and a second of the application controllers when the second application controller is not capable of direct communication with the at least one application host,

wherein the network operations center is configured to maintain a database storing the operation data and to communicate an alert message regarding at least one of the vending machines, the alert message comprising a real-time notification of at least one of an out-of-stock condition, a power outage and an incident of vandalism at the at least one vending machine.

31. The system of claim 30 further comprising:

handheld wireless equipment configured to communicate with the application host to control operation of at least one of the vending machines.

32. The system of claim 30 further comprising:

handheld wireless equipment configured to communicate with one of the application controllers via the local area network to control operation of the at least one of the vending machines.

33. A remote data acquisition, transmission and analysis system comprising:

a plurality of application controllers, each application controller interfacing with a respective vending machine from which operations data is required by the respective application controller, the vending machines located at a geographical site, each application controller including a serial interface configured to communicate with the respective vending machine using a Data EXchange/Uniform Communication Standard (DEX/UCS) protocol, and a RFID transceiver configured to scan inventory associated with respective vending machine using the DEX/UCS protocol;

at least one application host configured to communicate with a plurality of application controllers via a local area network defined in part by electrical power lines, wherein a first of the application controllers is configured to function as a relay for communication between the at least one application host and a second of the application controllers when the second application controller is not capable of direct communication with the at least one application host; and

the application host communicating with a network operations center remote to the site using a wide area network interface,

wherein the remote network operations center is configured to maintain a database storing the operation data, to provide access to the database, and to communicate an alert message regarding at least one of the vending machines, the alert message comprising a real-time notification of at least one of an out-of-stock condition, a power outage and an incident of vandalism at the at least one vending machine.