AU2012101242A4 - A machine for dispensing a food product - Google Patents

Abstract

A vending machine is disclosed which is operable to provide a soft serve food product to a customer in a receptacle. The machine includes automated receptacle dispensing means operable to dispense the receptacle to receive the food product therein. The machine also includes automated delivery means operable to dispense into the receptacle a predetermined amount of the food product, whereby after the predetermined amount of the food product is dispensed into the receptacle the customer can take the receptacle containing the food product. The machine further includes automated utensil dispensing means operable to dispense a utensil which can be used by the customer to consume the food product. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Description

A MACHINE FOR DISPENSING A FOOD PRODUCT TECHNICAL FIELD [00011 The present invention relates generally to apparatus and machines for dispensing soft serve ice cream, frozen yoghurt and other (frozen or non-frozen) soft serve food products which can be dispensed in a similar manner. By way of non-limiting example, the invention may be embodied in the form of a machine which is operable to dispense soft serve ice cream desserts to a customer in a cup or other receptacle. For convenience, the invention will be described largely with reference to, and in the context of, this non-limiting example (except where the context implies otherwise). However, it is to be clearly understood that the use of, and reference to, this example in describing the invention is merely for convenience and the invention is not necessarily limited to or by this example in any way. [00021 It is also to be clearly understood that mere reference herein to previous or existing machines, apparatus, products, systems, methods, practices, publications or to any other information, or to any associated problems or issues, does not constitute an acknowledgement or admission that any of those things individually or in any combination formed part of the common general knowledge of those skilled in the field or that any of those things are admissible prior art. SUMMARY OF THE [NVENTION 10003] In one form, the present invention relates broadly to a vending machine which is operable to provide a soft serve food product to a customer in a receptacle, the machine including: automated receptacle dispensing means operable to dispense the receptacle; automated delivery means operable to dispense into the receptacle a predetermined amount of the food product, whereby after the predetermined amount of the food product is dispensed into the receptacle the customer can take the receptacle containing the food product, and automated utensil dispensing means operable to dispense a utensil which can be used by the customer to consume the food product. 100041 In the present context, the term "automated" used in reference to the machine or part of it should be understood to mean that the said machine or part of it is able to perform the stated function without the need for physical human involvement or manipulation. Therefore, in the form of the invention described above, the machine may be able, for example (and usually after receipt of payment from the customer and also following completion of any required input from the customer), to do each of the following automatically and without human involvement: (i) dispense the receptacle, (ii) dispense the utensil, and (iii) dispense the soft serve food product into the receptacle so that thereafter the receptacle (containing the food product) can be taken by the customer to consume the food product. For the avoidance of doubt, the utensil may be dispensed at any point; for example before the receptacle is dispensed, while the food product is being dispensed into the receptacle, after the food product has been dispensed into the receptacle, etc. Also, use of the term "automated" in relation to part of the machine does not necessarily imply that all other parts of the machine are automated or that the machine can necessarily operate entirely without human involvement. [00051 Machines for dispensing soft serve ice cream, soft serve frozen yoghurt and the like existed prior to the present invention. For example, such machines were and are commonly used in ice cream parlours, fast food restaurants, ice cream vans, etc. However, such machines generally require human involvement in dispensing the soft serve food product. For instance, soft serve ice cream dispensing machines such as those which existed prior to the present invention typically have a hand-operated lever (or some other manually operable control such as one or more button(s), switch(es), etc) which a person using the machine must operate by hand in order to cause the soft serve ice cream to be dispensed from a nozzle of the machine (i.e. in order to start and stop the flow of ice cream from the nozzle and thus manually control the amount of ice cream dispensed). 100061 The automated vending machine described above removes the need for human involvement, firstly, in operating the machine to cause the receptacle and utensil to be dispensed, and secondly, in operating the machine to cause the soft serve food product to be dispensed into the receptacle. Therefore, whereas previous machines have generally been used in ice cream parlours, fast food restaurants, ice cream vans, etc, where there is a person who operates the machine to dispense the food product into the receptacle before it is served to the customer, the present invention provides a vending machine which does not require human involvement in dispensing the receptacle and utensil, or in dispensing the food product into the receptacle, after which the food product in the receptacle can be taken by the customer and consumed. 100071 Therefore the present invention provides a new distribution model or distribution channel for soft serve food products. It also provides certain other benefits. For example, labour costs may be significantly reduced as a person need no longer be employed to serve the food product to the customer. Also, the machine may contain all the necessary equipment for the production and storage of the food product, and therefore apart from the need to periodically add more base ingredients into the machine (e.g. the ready-to-mix powders, liquids, etc, which are mixed and refrigerated to make soft serve ice cream), there may be no need for off-site storage (e.g. cold storage) or other logistical requirements. 100081 In this regard, it is envisaged that, often, the soft serve food product will be a form of refrigerated or frozen dessert product such as, for example, soft serve ice cream or frozen yogurt. The term "soft serve" should therefore be understood to refer to food products which are similar in consistency to soft serve ice cream, or food products which are otherwise able to be dispensed in a similar manner. However, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to refrigerated or frozen food products, and nor is it necessarily limited to dessert-type foods. Indeed, some embodiments of the invention might operate to provide non-refrigerated or non-frozen soft serve food products, and the food products could be sweet or savoury. 100091 Additionally, vending machines in accordance with the above-described form of the invention are operable to provide the soft serve food product (whatever it may be) to a customer in a receptacle. The receptacle will typically (although not necessarily) be a non-edible receptacle for containing the food product and which a customer can take by hand in order to consume the food product. The receptacle may take any form which is suitable for this. For instance, it is envisaged that, often, the receptacle will be a cup. The cup may be made from, for example, plastic or cardboard, and will generally be disposable (although reusable cups e.g. cups which can be washed and reused by the customer may also be possible). In any event, and for the avoidance of doubt, the receptacle need not necessarily be a cup and could instead take a wide range of other forms such as, for example, plates, trays, etc. And again, such receptacles may be made from plastic or card (or indeed a range of other possible materials) and may be disposable or reusable. 100101 Vending machines in accordance with the above-described form of the invention include (automated) receptacle dispensing means for dispensing the receptacle (e.g. cup). The receptacle dispensing means may also be referred to as the receptacle dispenser. The machine may be adapted to receive and store a large number of the receptacles. For example, where each receptacle is, for example, a cup or tray, the cups/trays may be stacked closely together (possibly with each one partially inside another) so as to occupy a minimum amount of space, and hence allow the maximum number to be stored, inside the machine. However, the receptacle dispensing means may also be configured to dispense a single receptacle at a time so that the machine can provide one serving of the food product at a time.

100111 In some embodiments, the receptacle dispensing means may dispense a single empty receptacle (e.g. as a first step or stage in the machine's operation), and the customer may then take the empty receptacle and place or position it (e.g. on or in a separate or different part of the machine) to receive the soft serve food product (e.g. as a second step or stage in the machine's operation). Alternatively, the receptacle dispensing means may have the ability to automatically position each dispensed receptacle to receive the food product from the machine's delivery means. The receptacle dispensing means may include a range of electronic controls, mechanical actuators, sensors, etc, to enable it to function as described. However, the details of any such electronic controls, mechanical actuators, sensors, etc (and the interaction/interconnection/interoperation thereof) which may be used in, or which may form part of, the receptacle dispensing means are not critical to the present invention and therefore need not be described in detail. [00121 The machine includes (automated) delivery means for dispensing into the receptacle a predetermined amount of the food product. The food delivery means, which may also be referred to as the food dispenser, may take any form suitable for dispensing a predetermined amount of the food product. Naturally, the form which the delivery means takes may depend on the nature of the food product to be dispensed. The delivery means may also incorporate.means for producing and/or storing the food product therein (under appropriate conditions for the given food product) before it is dispensed. Further explanations relating to the delivery means will be given with reference to the example where the food product is soft serve ice cream. 100131 In embodiments where the food product is soft serve ice cream, the delivery means may be generally similar to (and may work in generally the same way as) existing machines which dispense soft serve ice cream, except that the delivery means in the present invention should be modified or different in comparison so that rather than requiring human manipulation to dispense the ice cream, the delivery means is automatically operated (typically it will be controlled by the machine's electronic/computerised control system such that the flow of ice cream from a delivery nozzle is automatically started and stopped) to dispense the predetermined amount of ice cream into the receptacle when the receptacle is positioned to receive it. The food delivery means may include a range of electronic controls, mechanical actuators, sensors, etc, to enable it to function as described. However, the details of any such electronic controls, mechanical actuators, sensors, etc (and the interaction/interconnection/interoperation thereof) which may be added to, or used instead of, the manual/hand operated lever or other control on existing soft serve ice cream machines are not critical to the present invention and therefore need not be described in detail. Also, as in many existing soft serve ice cream dispensing machines, the delivery means of the present invention may include the mechanisms and equipment necessary to receive the ingredients/substances from which the soft serve ice cream is mixed/made (e.g. ready-to-mix ice cream powder etc), and to mix, refrigerate and store the ice cream. Again, the details of such mechanisms and equipment are not critical the present invention and therefore need not be described in detail. 100141 The machine may further be provided with signalling/messaging means for issuing signals or alerts, or for sending messages or information, in various circumstances. For example, the machine may be provided with an alarm which sounds in the case of vandalism or if an attempt is made to force access to the money stored within the machine, etc. Alternatively, or additionally, the machine may be equipped to send a signal or message in the event of such an occurrence. The signal could be sent to the owner/operator/manager of machine, or to a responsible security service provider, etc. The signal could be sent in any way, e.g. over "landline" telephone cables or over fibre-optic/coaxial data transmission cables, or as an SMS or e-mail in some other wireless manner, etc. The machine's signalling/messaging means may also be used for other non-security related purposes. For example, a signal may be sent to a maintenance provider in the event of an internal malfunction of equipment within the machine, or if the-amount food product (or the amount of one or more ingredients) within the-machine runs out or is becoming low or is approaching a use-by date, or if the physical volume of the machine's cash storage capacity is becoming full, or if the total monetary value of cash stored within the machine reaches a certain predetermined value, or if the number of receptacles and/or utensils in the machine is becoming low, etc. The signalling/messaging means could further be used for other purposes; for example to provide the machine's owner/operator/manager with regular updates or reports regarding sales volumes, sales frequency, sales level/frequency at different times of day, customer preferences, maintenance reports or any other such statistical information. [00151 The delivery means will generally include one or more nozzles or outlets from which the soft serve ice cream is dispensed into the receptacle. As with previous soft serve ice cream dispensing machines, the nozzle/outlet (or one or some of them) may have a particular shape (e.g. a star shape) such that the flow of ice cream leaving nozzle has that shape. This may give the dispensed ice cream a pleasing aesthetic. Optionally, the one or more nozzles/outlets may also be adapted to move relative to the receptacle as the ice cream is dispensed such that ice cream is dispensed into the receptacle in a spiral or in some other pattern. This may be done for aesthetic reasons and/or so that the ice cream is delivered into (and distributed in) the receptacle in a desired manner.

100161 The machine may also be provided with means for controlling or limiting the amount of the soft serve food product that can be dispensed within a certain amount of time. For example, where the food product is soft serve ice cream, if more than a certain amount of the soft serve ice cream stored in the machine is dispensed in a given time, this may cause or allow the temperature of the remaining stored ice cream to rise more than is desirable/allowable. Therefore, in this example, in order to prevent such undesirable temperature rises, the machine may prevent more than a certain quantity of ice cream from being dispensed in a given time. For instance, in some specific embodiments in which the machine can store up to 5 litres of ice cream, the machine may be operable to limit the amount of ice cream that can be dispensed to no more than one serving every 45 seconds. Naturally, this is simply an example for illustrative purposes, and these timings may be varied for machines of different sizes or specifications. Also, the means for controlling the amount of food product that can be dispensed in a given time could be similarly useful for other forms of soft serve food product. For instance, it may be useful to limit the amount of a hot food product that can be dispensed in any given time so as to prevent undesirable/unallowable drops in the overall temperature of the remaining food stored in the machine. The ability to limit the amount of the food product that can be dispensed within a certain period of time may be controlled by the machine's electronic/computerised control system. It should be noted that the details of the machine's electronic/computerised control system (e.g. the hardware, software, programming, etc) are not critical to the present invention and therefore need not be described in detail. 10017] As explained above, the machine is operable to dispense a predetermined amount of the food product into the receptacle. This may ensure that the correct amount is dispensed and may prevent overfilling/wastage. It may also prevent under-filling. In some embodiments, the machine may have the ability to dispense more than one predetermined amount. For example, the machine may be able to dispense predetermined amounts which correspond to different serving sizes (e.g. small, large, etc). The amount of the food product which is dispensed may be controlled by controlling the rate at which the food product is dispensed, or by controlling how long the food product is dispensed for (i.e. the length of time between starting and stopping the flow of the food product), or by a combination of both. 100181 In the embodiments just mentioned, the machine may further include input means by which the customer can select the desired serving size. The input means may take any form suitable or able to allow the customer to input their selection. Therefore, it is envisaged that the input means could comprise one or more buttons, an electronic keypad, a touch sensitive screen, a voice or gesture activated system, or indeed any other means by which the customer can input their selection into the machine's electronic/computerised control system. 100191 The input means may enable the customer to make selections about things other than serving size. This may be instead of, or in addition to, the ability to select serving size. For instance, in embodiments where the food product dispensed by the machine is soft serve ice cream, the machine (or the machine's delivery means) may further have the ability to dispense one or more different toppings/sauces. The machine may therefore produce an ice cream sundae. The different toppings could be, for example, differently flavoured toppings. The toppings may be dispensed before, at the same time as, or after the ice cream is dispensed (so that the toppings can be at the bottom of, mixed/distributed in with, or on top of the ice cream). The customer may be able to select either their chosen topping (or possibly their chosen combination of two or more available toppings) or to instead have plain ice cream without topping. Embodiments of the invention might also be devised in which the machine's dispensing means is able to dispense different flavours of ice cream. The machine might also be able to dispense different additional toppings (nuts, sprinkles, etc). This may be as well as, or instead of, the one or more toppings. Naturally, where the machine has these capabilities, the input means should enable the customer to make appropriate selections. [00201 The machine includes (automated) utensil dispensing means operable to dispense a utensil. The utensil dispensing means may also be referred to as the utensil dispenser. The utensil may be anything which can be used by the customer to consume the food product. Typically, the utensil will be a small spoon. However, other forms of utensil are also possible, for example, forks, other forms of scoops, etc. The utensil (whatever its form) may be made from plastic, wood or any other appropriate material. The machine may be adapted to receive and store a large number of the utensils. For example, where each receptacle is, for example, a small spoon, the spoons may be stacked closely together so as to occupy a minimum amount of space, and hence allow the maximum number to be stored, inside the machine. However, the utensil dispensing means may be configured to dispense a single utensil at a time so that the machine can provide one utensil per serving of food product dispensed. 100211 The machine may further incorporate means for receiving payment from the customer. Any suitable means for receiving payment may be used. For instance, the payment receiving means might include a coin-receiving mechanism for receiving coins, a note-receiving mechanism for receiving notes/bills, card-operated means for receiving payment by debit card or credit card, means for receiving payment from gift cards or loyalty cards, means for receiving payment by way of other forms of smartcard or RFID (radio frequency identification) based technologies, or a combination of any of these. If the machine includes mechanisms for receiving cash (particularly coins) it may also be provided with equipment for calculating and providing the customer with the correct change. [00221 It is envisaged that, at least usually, the payment receiving means will be operable to receive payment from the customer after the customer has entered any necessary selections. This is so that, if the amount of payment required (i.e. if the cost of the serving of food product) depends on the selections made by the customer (serving size, topping, etc), the customer can provide payment of the required amount after being prompted by the machine. Often, the machine will be provided with display means. The display means may display to the customer options which are available to select from, and after the customer has made the selection(s) using the input means, the display means may display the amount of payment required. The display means will typically be a screen, although other forms of display means are also possible (e.g. illuminated lights next to buttons representing available options or costs, LED displays, etc). Of course, the display means may operate in conjunction with the input means to enable the customer to view and select from any relevant options. If the input means takes the form of a touch sensitive screen, the input means and the display means may comprise one and the same screen, although they could of course still also be different/separate screens. [0023] The display means may also be operable, especially when not being used by a customer to make selections or to display required payments etc, to display advertising or promotional material (e.g. video or motion picture advertising, with or without sound). One or more additional screens may also be provided (i.e. in addition to the screen or other display means which displays options to the customer) exclusively for displaying advertising. [00241 Any of the features described herein can be combined in any combination with any one or more of the other features described herein within the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 100251 The following Description of the Drawings is not to be regarded as limiting the scope of the preceding Summary of the Invention in any way. The Description of the Drawings will make reference to at least some of the following drawings: [0026] Figure 1 is a perspective illustration of an automated soft serve ice cream vending machine in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 100271 Figure 2 is a front-on illustration of the machine in Figure 1.

100281 Figure 3 illustrates part of the machine's ice cream dispenser. [00291 Figure 4 illustrates ice cream being dispensed into a cup by the machine's ice cream dispenser. 100301 Figure 5 illustrates two different servings of the soft serve ice cream; both the same size and both produced using the machine, but each having a different topping. 100311 Figure 6 illustrates a portion of the machine's cup dispensing mechanism. [00321 Figures 7 and 8 illustrate portions of the machine's spoon dispensing mechanism. [00331 Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the machine's coin receiving/changing mechanism. [00341 Figures 1 and 12 illustrate the machine's note acceptor. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0035] As mentioned above, Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an automated soft serve ice cream vending machine 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. On the front of the vending machine 10 there is a large upper screen 12. The screen 12 in this embodiment is used exclusively for displaying advertising or news or the like. The advertising, news, etc, may comprise one or more still-frame images or a motion picture (video) displayed on the screen 12. The screen 12 may operate to display numerous such advertising or news items etc, for example by cycling through them. 100361 The advertisements or news items etc may or may not have sound associated therewith. In any case, the machine may include a speaker (not illustrated) for emitting sound. Any sound emitted by the speaker may be sound associated with one or more advertisements or news items etc, or sound associated with the operation of the machine. For example, the machine may make a sound such as a "beep" or "bing" when a customer makes a selection, or the machine may emit pre-recorded spoken words confirming a particular selection, etc. Preferably, if the machine emits any sounds associated with the customer's interaction with the machine, and if there is sound associated with the advertisements or news items etc, sound associated with the advertisements or news items etc should be muted (or reduced in volume) while the customer is interacting with the machine so that the sounds associated with the customer interaction can be heard. [00371 The front of the machine 10 also includes a second screen 14 which is smaller than, and located beneath, the larger screen 12. The screen 14 functions as the machine's display means. In other words, the screen 14 displays to a customer any options which the customer can select from. Then, after the customer has made the selection(s), the screen 14 displays to the customer the amount of payment required based on any selection(s) made. 100381 Also located on the front of the machine 10, slightly below and to the right of the small screen 14, is a pair of pushbuttons 16. These pushbuttons function as the machine's input means. Thus, the pushbuttons 16 enable a customer to select from any options shown on the screen 14. In this embodiment where there are two pushbuttons, one of the buttons (hereafter the "selection button") may operate to enable the customer to choose between (or cycle through) any available options shown on the screen, and the other button (hereafter the "confirmation button") may operate to enable the customer to confirm a selection. This may be further understood from the following example. Note that whilst the following example should not be construed as limiting in any way, it is nevertheless an example which may correspond to the way the machine will actually operate in particular embodiments. [0039] Let it be assumed that the machine 10 can dispense two serving sizes; "small" and "large". Let it also be assumed that the machine 10 can dispense one of four different flavoured toppings, or alternatively no topping if the customer desires just plain ice cream. (Where the ice cream is dispensed with a topping, the thus-produced desert may be described as an ice cream sundae.) The flavoured toppings could be, say, chocolate, strawberry, caramel and passionfruit, although it will be clearly understood that these are just examples and a wide range of other alternative toppings are possible. [00401 In this example, the screen 14 may initially display the option to select the serving size (i.e. small or large). A cursor (or highlighting or some other indication) on the screen 14 may initially point to, for example, "large". If this is the customer's desired serving size, then the customer can press the confirmation button to thereby confirm this selection. Alternatively, if the customer instead desires the "small" serving size, they can push the selection button thereby causing the cursor (or highlighting etc) on the screen 14 to move from "large" to "small". Then, the customer can push the confirmation button to confirm this chosen selection. 100411 After the customer has made the above serving size selection, the screen 14 may then display the following options (or something equivalent) relating to toppings: "no topping", "chocolate", "strawberry", "caramel" and "passionfruit". (Obviously, the order could be different to this.) The cursor (or highlighting etc) may initially point to the top or first one of the options which may be, say, "no topping". If this is the customer's desire, the customer can press the confirmation button to confirm this. Alternatively, if the customer desires one of the flavoured toppings, the customer can push the selection button until the cursor (or highlighting) on the screen 14 reaches the desired topping. Then, the customer can push the confirmation button to confirm the selection. 100421 After this, the amount of payment required based on the selections made by the customer is displayed on the screen 14. To enable the customer to provide the payment, coins can be inserted into the coin slot and/or notes/bills can be inserted into the note acceptor which receives notes/bills. The coin slot, and the opening through which notes/bills are inserted into the note acceptor, are incorporated into the payment receiving unit 18 which is visible above the buttons 16 in this embodiment. Also, the note acceptor is illustrated in Figures 11 and 12, and the coin changer is illustrated in Figures 9 and 10. 100431 Once the customer has entered the full required payment amount, the machine 10 in this embodiment next dispenses a single cup into the opening 20. Also, in this embodiment, the spoon is also dispensed into the opening 20 just before or just after the cup. Portions of the spoon dispensing mechanism are illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. After the cup and soon have been dispensed, the customer can take the cup and place it in the opening 22. This positions the cup with the open mouth of the cup beneath the nozzle of the ice cream dispenser (a portion of the ice cream dispenser is illustrated in Figure 3). 10044] Next, the ice cream dispenser begins the flow of ice cream as illustrated in Figure 4. In this embodiment, if the customer has selected a topping, the topping is dispensed at the same time as the ice cream, meaning that the topping becomes distributed throughout the serving of ice cream, thus producing an ice cream sundae like the ones shown for example in Figure 5. Thus, in this embodiment, if the customer has chosen a topping, the ice cream and topping are dispensed together to produce an ice cream sundae as shown. [00451 Finally, after the ice cream has been dispensed into the cup as described above, the customer can take the cup containing the ice cream, and can use the previously-dispensed spoon to consume the ice cream (sundae). [0046] Also, if the amount of payment provided by the customer (before the ice cream was dispense as descried above) exceeds the amount required, the correct change is calculated by the machine's electronic/computerised control system (not illustrated) and the change is returned to the customer (typically in coins) from the coin changer (illustrated in Figures 9 and 10) through the change return slot 24. 100471 In the present specification and claims (if any), the word 'comprising' and its derivatives including 'comprises' and 'comprise' include each of the stated integers but does not exclude the inclusion of one or more further integers. 100481 Reference throughout this specification to 'one embodiment' or 'an embodiment' means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases 'in one embodiment' or 'in an embodiment' in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations. 100491 In compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific to structural or methodical features. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to specific features shown or described since the means herein described comprises preferred forms of putting the invention into effect. The invention is, therefore, claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the proper scope of the appended claims (if any) appropriately& interpreted by those skilled in the art.

Claims (5)

1. A vending machine which is operable to provide a soft serve food product to a customer in a receptacle, the machine including: automated receptacle dispensing means operable to dispense the receptacle; automated delivery means operable to dispense into the receptacle a predetermined amount of the food product, whereby after the predetermined amount of the food product is dispensed into the receptacle the customer can take the receptacle containing the food product, and automated utensil dispensing means operable to dispense a utensil which can be used by the customer to consume the food product.

2. A vending machine as claimed in claim I wherein the machine can dispense more than one different predetermined amount of the food product, each said different amount corresponding to a different sized serving of the food product, and the machine also includes input means via which the customer can select the desired serving size.

3. A vending machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the food product is soft serve ice cream, the machine has a topping, or multiple different toppings, which it can dispense, and the input means further allows the customer to make one or more of the following selections: a selection of whether or not topping is desired, and if there are multiple different toppings which the machine can dispense, a selection of the desired topping or combination of toppings.

4. A vending machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including signalling/messaging means operable to transmit signals/messages about or concerning the state or operation of the machine to a location remote from the machine.

5. A vending machine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further including means for limiting the amount of the soft serve food product that can be dispensed in a certain amount of time.