Unattended automated system for selling and dispensing with change

Abstract

A system for an unattended automated service station for selling and dispensing products, primarily motor fuel, cards, from a service island, whereby a purchaser may purchase any selected quantity of motor fuel and pay for such quantity of fuel by a credit or debit card and may receive change in the form of currency and coins from his payment or as a result of a cash advance on the credit or ATM card. The station includes a security building housing a work station to control the dispensation of specific quantities of motor fuel from one or more fuel dispensers on associated service islands. The system includes fuel dispensing means, card reader means, coin and currency acceptor means, card verification means, coin and currency dispensing means, receipt printing means, processor control means, fuel dispensing activating and selection means, display means, audio means, receipt generating means, data transmission means, and a processor control means. The components interact to enable a consumer to select a specific fuel or product purchase and pay for the purchase by either indirect payment through a credit card or by direct payment through any combination of coins or currency, have the fuel dispensing automatically activated, enable delivery of a preselected quantity of fuel, provide a cash or credit card receipt, and provide other information concerning other products or services for sale during the fuel delivery process.