Gilbarco Inc.

Marconi Commerce Systems Inc.

Crane Merchandising Systems, Inc.

Gibarco, Inc.

William C Royal, Jr

Russel Dean Leatherman

Randall O Watkins

James M Canter

Kenneth Ringeman

Bryan W Godwin

Steven Joel Blachman

Troy Doom

Victor Partyshev

Automatic planogram programming for a glass front snack or cold drink vending machine is accomplished using tray, product and price barcodes, each preferably a different type of barcode. Trays within the vending machine are labeled with unique barcodes, and a set of price barcodes for predetermined prices is provided together with a USB-connected scanner. The barcode label affixed to any tray is scanned by the route driver. The UPC/EAN barcodes on products are then scanned for each selection progressing across the tray, together with a price barcode for the first selection and each subsequent selection having a different price from the prior selection on the tray. Planogram data for the tray may be reviewed and corrected on a customer interface display for the vending machine before moving on to another tray, with the trays programmed in any order. The planogram for the entire vending machine is quickly and accurately programmed.

Method for automated planogram programming in a vending machine

Synchronization of activities requiring coordinated timing across a bank of vending machines, such as harmonious actuation of illumination elements, is performed by specifying, in an application layer (e.g., Zigbee) of a network protocol, actions to be synchronized to a distributed timing event and distributing notice of the specified timing event using physical and media access control layers of the network protocol.

Synchronization of time critical activities across vending machine networks

The invention relates to an interactive fuel dispenser system having a plurality of fuel dispensers operating in conjunction with a local server. Each dispenser generally has two fueling positions, each with a graphical user interface through which a customer interacts. In contrast with efforts to turn fuel dispensers into super computers, applicants' provide a dispenser architecture that need only be sufficient to establish interactivity with a server to create multimedia applications and carry out POS functions with a browser interface. Each fueling position acts as a client of a local server at the fuel station store. In the preferred embodiment, each fueling position client also may access remote servers connected to the same network in which the fueling position clients and the local server are connected. Preferably, this network is connected to the Worldwide Web of the Internet.

Internet capable browser dispenser architecture

The invention relates to an interactive fuel dispenser system having a plurality of fuel dispensers operating in conjunction with a local server. Each dispenser generally has two fueling positions, each with a graphical user interface through which a customer interacts. In contrast with the recent trend in turning fuel dispensers into super computers, applicants' provide a dispenser architecture that need only be sufficient to establish interactivity with a server to create multimedia applications and carry out POS functions with a browser interface. Each fueling position acts as a client of a local server at the fuel station store. In the preferred embodiment, each fueling position client also may access remote servers connected to the same network in which the fueling position clients and the local server are connected. Preferably, this network is or is connected to the Worldwide Web of the Internet.

A fuel dispenser includes data type aware SGML processing capabilities allowing it to efficiently process received data having a variety of data types. Such received data typically includes fuel dispenser configuration information. Further benefits related to data type aware SGML processing within the fuel dispenser include the ability to transfer information in a data type aware SGML format from the fuel dispenser, such as diagnostics data, to a remote system. Data type aware SGML data definitions facilitate conversion of the data type aware SGML-formatted diagnostics data into a machine format usable by the remote system. Preferably, the fuel dispenser includes an HTTP server for communicating with remote client's systems that employ data type aware SGML-capable, web browsers.

Remote-access fuel dispenser using data type aware mark-up language

Remote-access fuel dispenser using a data type aware mark-up language

A fuel dispenser having a server is disclosed. The fuel dispenser server is adapted to dynamically or periodically create electronic documents reflecting fuel dispenser data for viewing remote to the fuel dispenser. A network connection provides connectivity of the server to remote clients. The fuel dispenser with a server is relatively inexpensive to produce and is ideally suited for remote troubleshooting and for interaction with a dispenser customer.

Fuel dispenser architecture having server

The present invention provides communication servers at each device in a fueling environment and connecting the servers to a common network. The network may be a local network or a largely remote network, such as the Internet. Preferably, in either embodiment, primary communications between these devices and any devices accessible via the Internet use the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) and hypertext markup language (HTML). In particular, each device server is adapted to facilitate real-time access between the device server and the remote device upon access of a particular page, script or function. In particular, the present invention relates to embedding executable content onto an HTML page so that when the page is loaded into an HTML browser after being accessed, the executable content starts running automatically.

Growing community of inventors

Greensboro, NC, United States of America

William C Royal, Jr