Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F13/00—Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs
  • G07F13/02—Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs by volume
  • G07F13/025—Coin-freed apparatus for controlling dispensing or fluids, semiliquids or granular material from reservoirs by volume wherein the volume is determined during delivery
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F5/00—Coin-actuated mechanisms; Interlocks
  • G07F5/24—Coin-actuated mechanisms; Interlocks with change-giving
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to customer controlled facilities for selling and dispensing consumer products and services, and more particularly to a system for an unattended automated service or selling station for selling and dispensing products, particularly motor fuel, by card or cash and returning any change that may be due.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for use with unattended service stations for the unattended and automated dispensing and selling of motor fuel which include, audio and visual instructions and information concerning the present selling and dispensing activities, as well as other available items for purchase and other useful information concerning local businesses and activities.
• Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a system of the type described that is operable with either cash or credit card by a user and which is capable of delivering correct change to a user by dispensing currency and coins in any amount of cash or credit applied toward the purchase.
• Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide an unattended purchase site having high security and reliability and user-friendly components to facilitate the unattended sales transaction.
• the present invention encompasses a system for an unattended automated service station for the selling of and dispensing of products and services, primarily motor fuel, which includes means indicating the quantity of fuel dispensed; card reader means identifying indicia carried by credit card and generating signals indicative of the indicia; card verification means for verifying the credit state of a card; coin and currency acceptor means for receiving direct payment for a quantity of fuel to be dispensed; receipt printing means for generating credit card and cash purchase receipts; fuel dispensing activating means for enabling the fuel dispensing means to dispense fuel; data transmission means interconnecting the various components of the system with other components to remote verifying and information services; and a process control means interconnected to the credit card reader means, the coin and currency acceptor means, the credit card verification means, coin and currency dispensing means, the receipt printing means, the display means, the audio means, and the receipt generating means, the process control means being responsive to receive data transmitted from the card verification means and the card acceptor means to activate the fuel dispens
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a motor fuel service station incorporating an unattended selling and dispensing system constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention
• FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a fuel island of the service station of FIG. 1 illustrating a customer in place at the customer console thereof;
• FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an alternate customer engaging console embodying a portion of the present invention in place at a fuel island with a dispensing facility which enables the unattended purchase of other consumer products in addition to fuel;
• FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustration of the connected components comprising the present invention;
• FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the basic control sequence executed by the components represented in FIG. 4, and
• FIG. 6 is an enlarged and isolated view of the customer engaging console constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention used in the unattended service station of FIG. 1. Detailed Description of the Invention
• an unattended service station 10 which includes a plurality of gasoline dispensing islands 13, 15, 17 each of which is shown as having a separate, two-sided gasoline dispensers 19, 21, 23 shown generally in the Figures as fuel pump dispensers 35.
• Each side of the dispensers 19, 21, 23 may have anywhere from between one to five fuel outlets 12 for dispensing separate types of fuels, for example, regular, midgrade, premium, and diesel fuel.
• Apparatus of the present invention includes a customer engaging console 25 closely associated in proximity and function with gasoline dispensers 19, 21, 23 and are shown illustrated in FIGS. 2 & 3 as in place upon one of the islands.
• This console 25 is preferably soundly constructed to be theft-and weatherproof and designed to house most of the components of the system shown more specifically in FIG. 4.
• a facility server 27 is located in a separate and remote closed facility 29 in order to provide a control center for all of the consoles and fuel islands sites of the service station 10.
• the facility server 27, by way of a suitable transmission means 33, has suitable wide area network connections to gather all off-site information necessary for the efficient operation of the system including, but not limited to, credit card verification and other information needed in day-to-day operation of the service station 10.
• Server 27 through another transmission means, preferably in the form of a suitable local area network (“LAN") 37, also connects with a customer interface controller 39 in order to clear a credit sale transaction and activate fuel dispensation after such transaction has been cleared, or after a cash purchase has been initiated.
• LAN local area network
• a PC controller 39 is connected to a cash coin controller 41 which in turn has two-way communication with a cash acceptor 43.
• Controller 41 also receives input from coin acceptor 45, and has two-way communication with cash dispenser 47, as shown in FIG. 4 in order to controls coin dispensation through coin dispenser 47.
• the credit card reader 51 transmits information to controller 39, and an optional numerical pad 53 for the entering by a purchaser of a PIN ("personal identification number") is similarly connected to prohibit fraudulent access to the credit card reader and mechanism associated therewith.
• a receipt printer 55 is also provided which is activated by the controller 39 to provide a transaction receipt of the purchase regardless of whether the purchase is credit card or cash-based.
• a video display 57 may be provided on the console 25 which is controlled by controller 39 in order to provide additional fueling instructions or other important information about products for sale or locations of interest to the purchaser. There is an optional provision for a touch-panel type display to facilitate customer selections by touching simulated buttons on the screen.
• controller 39 controls the processing and management of the customer control console 25.
• the operational activities may be summarized as follows:
• (1) data is received from card reader 51 which includes information read from the customer's credit card, by way of its magnetic stripe, and is manipulated to provide output commands to the server 27 for off-site verification;
• cash such as either currency or coins are inserted into either the currency acceptor 43 and/or the coin acceptor 45.
• the dispenser 35 is then activated through interface 31 by the facility server 27 via controllers 39 and 41 once the amount deposited by the purchaser into the acceptors 43, 45 is determined.
• cash and/or coins that are due from the transaction are returned by way of activation of four currency dispensers 49 and/or four coin dispensers 47 upon initiation by controller 41.
• the currency and coin dispensers 47, 49 preferably contain distinct supplies of different denominations of currencies and coins.
• the currency dispenser 47 contains a supply of the following different denominations of currency: 1-dollar bills, 5-dollar bills, 10-dollar bills and 20-dollar bills
• the coin dispenser 49 contains a supply of the following different denomination coins: pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.
• the dispensers 47, 49 will make appropriate change to the purchaser, which may be dispensed to the purchaser by way of a slot 18 on the customer console 25. Any convenient amount of cash may be utilized for the purchase such as a $20.00 bill even though the sales transaction totals only $18.50.
• the cash and coin acceptors 43, 45 will have the ability, as is known in the art of such acceptors, to distinguish between and identify different denominations of currency and coins as illustrated in FIG. 4.
• An optional receipt is again available, and after a suitable time elapses, the system recycles to the start position.
• the console 25 preferably is partially embedded in a concrete base of the service station island and is also preferably physically constructed to resist vandalism and weather.
• the customer engaging screen 14 of the console 25 is preferably recessed within front wall 59 thereof to protect it from wind and rain and to facilitate its visibility to a purchaser.
• the console 25 and fuel island will be suitably covered with a protective roof 16 to further insure minimum weather damage to the unit.
• All interconnecting transmission lines such as copper wires, fiber optic cables or the like 18 which may make up part of the LAN 37 may be sealed in a protective conduit and buried in concrete extending from the console 25 to the separate closed facility 29 and to all dispensers 35.
• the customer console 25 may also be incorporated into an additional product vending station 26 disposed on the service station islands in proximity to the fuel dispensers 35 at which the purchaser may purchase drinks, snacks, personal items, etc.
• an appropriate facility server 27 may be a Dell PT90 personal computer with 500 megabyte hard drive and 32 megabytes of RAM (random access memory) . Larger memory applications may be required dependent upon the member of islands and dispensers served.
• a suitable interface 31 operable with this type of PC server may include a conventional GPCC manufactured by Progressive International, Inc.
• a compatible customer interface controller 39 may be a PSI Pieces and Parts PC.
• a Hess GmbH MCMC Controller Board (TIPS 280) may be used as suitable cash coin controller 41.
• a suitable coin dispenser 47 suitable for use and the present invention is the Universal Hopper MK11 made by Coin Controller, Ltd.
• a suitable cash dispenser 49 may be the Model 13234 banknote dispenser made by DeLaRu Ltd.
• Additional acceptable components for the present invention include a credit card reader 51 may include a Model No. MT 215232 made by Magtee Corporation, while suitable receipt printer 55 for use with the present invention may be the Model FTP 421 (WMCR 512) Printer by Fugitsu. Any number of suitable units for video display 57, for example Potronix, model 2400, are available and the PIN pad 53 may be of the type utilized by banks in automatic teller machines such as by Atalla. Numerous alternative components for each of the operational functions are currently available and can be utilized in the present inventive concept.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
• Loading And Unloading Of Fuel Tanks Or Ships (AREA)
• Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=23594952

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Families Citing this family (22)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (10)

• 1996
  • 1996-03-13 BR BR9607216A patent/BR9607216A/pt unknown
  • 1996-03-13 CA CA002244953A patent/CA2244953A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1996-03-13 WO PCT/US1996/003397 patent/WO1996028791A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1996-03-13 EP EP96908773A patent/EP0815523A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 1996-03-13 NZ NZ304652A patent/NZ304652A/en unknown
  • 1996-03-13 AU AU52505/96A patent/AU720829B2/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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