GB2319874A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A vending machine comprises means to receive a coin or coins, a database containing information, a touch screen 2, and possibly a keyboard 3, activated in response to the insertion of a coin or coins to enable selection of information from the database, a printer, for printing the selected information onto a sheet or the like and means for dispensing the printed sheet. As described the database contains information relating to family names, first names, poems or personalised messages. Any inserted money may be returned should the machine not operate successfully within a prescribed time.

Description

SELECTIVE INPORMATION VENDING APPARATUS The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for purchasing selected and personalised information by unattended marketing and supplying said information onto a customer supplied print-out.

Vending machines are well known. Examples of known vending machines include vending machines that dispense food, drink, cigarettes, confectionary photographs and the like. In each of these prior art devices, money is inserted into said vending machine and a product is selected, subsequently dispensed and deposited in a receiving bin or the like.

Problems exist with prior art vending machines, in that after a number of sales said machine must be serviced so as to replenish product stock, thereby requiring service personnel to attend and conduct such functions.

Coin operated vending machines can be termed "automaton", that is a machine which in action, in this case the deposit of a coin sets off a programmed series of effects. In some vending units, such as a cigarette or food dispensing machines, pulling a selector rod releases a package into an access tray. Other machines, especially those dispensing food, have small compartments, the door flaps of which, can be opened after the correct change has been inserted and accepted.

The mechanical dispenser is usually triggered by a complicated linkage system that is normally locked by a pin. The pin is displaced by the correct number of coins, thus permitting a selector rod to travel the full distance so as to actuate the linkage. In electric vending machines said linkage may be replaced by a series of switches that are actuated by a coin triggered microswitch. When a specific selection is made, a locking mechanism prevents the simultaneous operation of other selectors.

An important feature of such automatic machines is a coin tester, which rejects counterfeit or defective coins before they can enter the release compartment. The size of a coin slot limits the size of the coins that can be inserted. The coins normally roll/slide down a chute to a checking system for weight, diameter, and thickness. In most machines the coin then rolls down an incline past a strong permanent magnet, where its speed is correctly retarded by a magnetic field if it is of the correct alloy composition. If the coin has the right mass, it will have just have the right amount of kinetic energy to rebound from a plate and jump over a final rejection pin before proceeding into a release mechanism. A coin found to be irregular at any stage of the testing procedure is rejected and discarded through a return slot, thus preventing a user from selectively requesting items from a vending machine.

The prior art discloses vending machines that require user interaction via a press button selection pad displaying only limited response options partly by virtue of the space/dimensions required to accommodate said selection pad adjacent or in an area displaying merchandise. Additionally a problem associated with prior art keyboard press selection pads/buttons is the frequency of jamming and ingress of dirt and foreign matter around the periphery of each button thus also presenting an unhygienic user grid.

The use of touch-screen user interaction is known in the selection and vending of travel tickets, juke-box and/or video selection. When a selection is made, light behind a selection unit is illuminated by sensing the position of a finger (or pressure) over a touch panel. Alternative methods include resistive or capacitive coatings or surface acoustic wave (ultrasound) technologies.

A touch-screen interface can take the form of an I/O port and multiplexing and de-multiplexing circuits. The interface allows each row and/or column of infra red beams and/or sensors to be enabled in turn under software control, and the back-lighting system to be controlled so as to provide a positive identifier of a command by a user.

Selective and personalised information such as a name derivation, poems, zodiacal data, star-charts, messages and the like are generally available via person to person or written request at manned stations or from remote sites.

The customequser is subsequently supplied with the information either directly or by post by provision of printed material or the like. Hence, quite frequently an initial request may be misinterpreted by an illegibly written or unclear oral request supplied by a customer, additionally the user/customer may experience delay in receiving the requested material in attendance or by post.

The present invention overcomes problems in the prior art in an inventive and elegant way by providing a vending machine with an integral coin testing means, a touch-screen user interaction panel linked to a stand-alone database so as to provide selective and personalised information in the form of printed material thereby eliminating the need for attended marketing and providing user-friendly interaction for receipt of accurate information and subsequent prompt dispensing of results.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide simple and easy access for a user so as to make a direct selection of information.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for vending selective and personalised information.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for vending selective information which avoids replenishment of stock.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which reduces the requirement of personnel to perform the act of selection on a user's behalf.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method so as to sell products with specific information and of personalised interest to a user.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a touch-screen mode of user interaction, thereby increasing the option selectivity.

It is a further object of the invention to reduce the time involved in accessing and obtaining personalised information.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an information vending apparatus comprising:a) an information dispensing unit associated with a payment receiving/returning means, whereby upon informing a user/client of a negative response to a request from said information dispensing unit, currency may be returned to said user/client, b) additionally associated or integral with said information dispensing unit is an information store comprising at least one database containing specific and selectable information c) further integral with said information dispensing unit there is provided, a user interaction means, a display means and an information printing means; whereby upon receipt of appropriate currency and validated responses a user/client can acquire personalised data information.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said personalised information appertains to i) first name and history thereof and/or ii) surname and history thereof, and/or iii) coat of arms and history thereof, and/or iv) personalised message/poem, and/or v) clan history, and/or vi) horoscope and/or zodiacal predictions, and/or vii) star-chart computation, and/or viii) specified days/dates and history associated therewith.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention said information vending apparatus comprises a kiosk/housing sized and shaped so as to accommodate a display means at a position that is commensurate with a user/clients eye level and a user interaction means positioned below said display means so that said user interaction means is commensurate with a user/clients hands and/or fingers in a manner that does not require abnormal and/or excessive stretching and/or bending. Preferably said kiosk/housing may be provided with screens, curtains, doors or the like so as to provide user/client privacy or ideally may be a walk-in variety. Furthermore, said housing is constructed of a material such that it is durable, fire-resistant, vandal-proof and tamperproof.

The payment receiving means, is further provided with a facility for returning currency to an external pouch/pocket if a negative response is elicited from an information store.

The user interaction means comprises a touch screen format of a keyboard displayed on a visual display unit so as to enable a user to input selective information by digital pressure. Furthermore said visual display unit is sufficiently illuminated so as to enable a user/client to visualise information despite a variety of different light conditions, such as that experienced in churches, bus stations, train stations and the like additionally at a variety of time periods including daylight and night time.

The information printing means comprises a printer of standard laser/dot matrix nature and is not intended to be limited by the variety employed but merely used to provide a printed product, ideally a coloured, high definition product, presented on paper as a printout. Said printout is presented to the user/client via an exit port and collected in an external pouch/pocket.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method for obtaining selective information from a vending apparatus comprising: i) inserting at least one pre-selected unit of currency in said apparatus in order to activate same; ii) providing information to a user/client of said apparatus concerning the nature of information that is available; iii) selecting the appropriate information via user/client using a touch screen facility; iv) optionally, repeating stages ii) and iii) with a view to obtaining more information from a user/client; v) enabling a user/client to validate the information that has been selected; vi) printing the selected information on suitable printed matter; and vii) dispensing the printed information to the user/client.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method for obtaining selective information from a vending apparatus comprising a series of sequential questions/prompts presented on a visual display unit and responses to be received by touch screen input responses/commands and comprises the following steps; (i) inserting at least one preselected unit of currency in order to activate a program, ii) initialising/activating of program sequence; iii) selecting by touch screen interaction by a user/client of appropriate database; iv) prompting for male or female requester/user/client/intended recipient, appearing on touch screen; v) user/client data input via an alphabetical and/or numerical keyboard presented on a touch screen; vi) prompting user for validation of data input, and optionally; vii) prompting user for addition of a personal message; viii) prompting user/client whether the display is appropriate or requires addition/amendinents/deletion or the like; ix) delaying an appropriate time period for user/client deliberation; x) displaying a print command; xi) downloading data from a central database store; xii) selecting appropriate paper from a paper store determined by step iii); xiii) delivering appropriate paper to printing means, xiv) transferring data onto paper; xv) delivering print-out to userlclient; xvi) if at anytime during the process the request is not available from the database a facility is available for returning currency hence sequence terminates at step vi).

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided an unattended marketing stand-alone information vending apparatus providing and issuing selective personalised information regarding i) surnames and history thereof, and/or ii) first names and history thereof, and/or iii) coats of arms and history thereof, and/or iv) personalised messages/poems and/or v) clan history and/or vi) horoscope and/or zodiacal predictions, and/or vii) star-chart computation, and/or viii) specified days/dates and history associated therewith.

The present invention as hereinbefore described will now be described with reference only to the Figures in which; Figure 1 represents a perspective view of an information vending apparatus; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a block diagram representing the essential components; Figure 3 represents a flow chart diagram of software for controlling the transaction of selected personalised information output from a vending unit; and Figure 4 represents a sample of a print out of a selective personalised information request.

With reference to Figure 1, which represents a perspective view of an information vending apparatus and is intended to illustrate one embodiment of the invention of a stand-alone kiosk. It will be understood that alternative embodiments include walk-in type booths and/or kiosks with means to provide some degree of privacy for a user/client by means of curtains, screens of the like.

With reference to the information vending apparatus, there is provided a housing unit 1 which is sized and shaped so as to accommodate the essential components of the present invention. Housing 1 is constructed of a material so as to be durable, fire-resistant, vandal-proof and tamper-proof. Contained within housing 1 there is associated or integral therewith or attached thereto a touch screen display unit 2 positioned so as to be at an eye-level position for a user/client, which whilst in a non-initialised state presents an attract screen to the user/client in a manner so as to advertise/exemplify/illustrate the product(s) available upon appropriate currency receipt. It will be understood by those skilled in the art of providing touch screen displays that the type/variety/model employed in the apparatus of the invention is non-limiting and merely acts to provide a screen of coloured high definition images to be presented to a user/client.

Additionally housed within or associated therewith unit 1 there is provided a touch/pressure sensitive keyboard panel 3. Said keyboard panel 3 can be separate or integral with touch screen display unit 2, and in the current embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 is shown to be separate therefrom, it will be understood that this particular embodiment is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Information is recorded from touch/pressure sensitive keyboard panel 3 and transmitted to a control store from which downloaded data is transmitted to a printer, subsequently printed and dispensed to receptacle/receiving pouch 4 via print-out exit port 5. No power supply or coin receiving/dispensing means is presented in Figure 1, but it will be understood that both of said features are present on the apparatus.

Referring now to Figure 2 which represents a diagrammatic block diagram of the essential components of the invention there is presented a central microprocessor 6 connected to an electrical power supply source 10 and a coin-operated mechanism 7, and a database store 8. It will be understood that receipt of appropriate currency in unit 7 initialises a positive feed-back to database store 8 so as to permit a sequence of commands/prompts questions to be presented to the user/client, failure to receive the appropriate currency returns the system to the attract screen mode.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that said database store may be of various formats including cartridge, compact-disc, floppy-disc or any other means available on which to store a data bank which may be updated and/or replaced regularly. It will be understood that said database store 8 may be provided integral therewith or separate therefrom central microprocessor 6, however ideally it is preferred to be separate therefrom so as to facilitate removal for updating and/or replacement.

Additionally said microprocessor which may be of any type/variety, for example Apple/Mackintosh/IBM, or any other microprocessor known to those skilled in the art of providing such a microprocessor and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, is integrated with a visual display unit 9, the construct of a said visual display unit is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Further associated with central microprocessor 6 is a touch/pressure sensitive keyboard panel 3 which in the embodiment presented in Figure 2 is separate from visual display unit 9, but it will be understood may be provided integral therewith.

Referring now to Figure 3 which represents a flow diagram of software for controlling the transaction of selective personalised information output from a vending unit, wherein a central database store 8 is connected to an electrical/power supply source 10 along route A which in turn is integrated with an attract screen 11 depicting the choice of product(s) available and information regarding the nature of the products to be purchased in either still frame or multiple frame representations thereof. It will be understood that attract screen 11 is coloured and preferably of suitable design so as to attract attention of a user/client. Said attract screen 11 is integrated with a payment receiving/dispensing means 12 which in turn is linked to a coin validation mechanism 13, upon receipt of the appropriate currency said payment receiving/dispensing means 12 actuates a validation control unit 14 thereby initialising the system via system initialisation unit 15 along route B1, B2, B3, B4 respectively.

Data is input by a user/client via a touch/pressure keyboard panel 3, said input is fed into said central database store 8 and said database store 8 upon receipt of an invalid request returns to the user/client so as to prompt a reentry of input data, alternatively upon receipt of a request for data not available on the database data, a response is transmitted to the payment receiving/dispensing means so as to instigate payment return to said user/client by route D1, D2 and D3 respectively.

Initiation of a valid request/data input (route C) via touch/pressure sensitive keyboard/panel displayed permits access to the database store, subsequently a series of questions/prompts/commands are interlinked by routes E1-E6 enabling touch validation 16 responses and completion of a series of input entries required to determine the nature and content of the product. It will be understood that touch display screen 2 and touch/pressure sensitive keyboard panel 3 may be integral; but in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 they are shown to be separate, accordingly in an alternative embodiment where said two features are integral the circuitry will be adapted accordingly so as to accommodate an integrated unit.

Touch screen 2 prompts a user/client for a preview display 17 of the final product as that to be subsequently issued. Upon receipt of the print command, information from the central database store 8 is downloaded/released from said store via paper store 19 to printer 18 along route F1, F2 and F3 respectively. Printed material is fed via paper store 19 the type/variety of paper is predetermined by route C and F1 to F3. Said paper store 19 holds a variety of different formatted pages appropriate and specific for each database. Requested and validated information is printed on paper in printer 18 and a finished article is presented via exit port 4, which can then be retrieved by the usericlient.

Referring now to Figure 4 which represents a sample of a print-out of a selected personalised information request, wherein said print-out material comprises a peripheral perimeter scroll/motif/pattern 20 dependent on information requested from the database store 8. Contained within the peripheral perimeter scroll/motif/pattern 20 is first name/surname/clan name/poem personalised message 21 and presented thereunder is text 22 expanding upon and describing the history/genealogy and derivation thereof.

Type-script and ornamental/decorative edges are interchangeable and selectable by the user/client.

The invention as hereinbefore described is not intended to be limited by the software and/or hardware available and/or input means so as to produce said selected personalised information, merely the examples hereinbefore described are intended to be illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

The present invention therefore represents a novel and elegant means of accessing selective data and personalised information from a vending machine by means of touch screen input data and printed-out material in a manner so as to reduce personnel involvement and reduce time in user/client receipt of information.

Claims (6)

1. The inventors make the claim that their system called VM5 is novel and unique. It incorporate a range of computer software linked electro-mechanical units in such a manner as to be able to produce (almost) instantly saleable printed information, accessed from a prepared database, to individual customer order.
2. 2. Built within a (usually) steel cabinet or monoque construction, the VM5 system incorporates "Touch Screen" or pressure sensitive key pad operation, with or without voice recognition, and is linked by a computer hardware and the relevant software programme, with a money collection mechanism, a multi information database, and a commercial printer, which can be mono lazer, bubblejet, deskjet, thermal or colour lazer, according to requirement.
3. 3. The VM5 system allows the selection and ultimate purchase or a range of prints, limited only at any one time by the information contained within the database(s). These can be altered, ammended, and updated on request by use of a CD-ROM disk, in conjunction with a Dongle security device which prevents or severely restricts unauthorised entry to the encripted databases.
4. 4. The VM5 software on which the inventors and their partners hold copyright, incorporates several separate sector databases. These databases can be selected on request by use of an entry programme not available to the user customer. Specific examples of the databases include Surname origins, or First name profiles, or Celebratory poems or Personalised Messages, but this claim is not limited by these databases.
5. 5. The operation is very simple. When money is paid equivalent to the sum shown on the screen (software), the VM5 is then primed and available. Access to the stored information is then obtained by use of the Touch Screen and following the instructions thereon. This in turn when completed brings up the required information on the screen allowing the customer to view, and where applicable, to edit for personalisation. Should the customer wish to proceed they press the YES box, or if not, the NO box, when their money is returned. Once YES is accessed, the printer prints the required information, and delivers the finished print to the customer through a "letter box" on the cabinet facia.

   The approximate time taken allowing for personalisation averages two minutes, but where no personalisation takes place, this can be less than thirty seconds. The machine has an operation time of three minutes. If for some reason the would be customer does not complete the transaction in this time, then the machine "Zero's " itself and is non operable until the correct monies are again entered.
6. 6. The VM5 machine can be re-stocked with blank scrolls and any monies collected by access through the rear of the machine. This is obtained using a special key and code.