The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 28, 2005
Filed:
Apr. 25, 2002
Lindsay A. Shur, Middletown, NJ (US);
Lindsay A. Shur, Middletown, NJ (US);
Other;
Abstract
The invention utilizes a data collection module, which can operate in conjunction with a wireless companion module to transmit information regarding a vending machine to a central location to enable management to determine the cash and inventory status of each dispensing unit within a bulk-vending machine. This enables servicing of the business to be delegated to low skilled employees who replace the canisters and return them to the centralized location for cleaning and re-stocking. The invention basically utilizes a counter which is coupled to the gear mechanism of the dispensing machine and provides a count for every coin inserted. The count is compared with programmable indicia in a microprocessor to determine when the signal is to be transmitted to the central location. In this manner, the central location can also have trained employees to repair the modules and manage the inventory business so that travel between the location of the vending machine and the central headquarters is minimized.