Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F9/00—Details other than those peculiar to special kinds or types of apparatus
  • G07F9/02—Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F9/00—Details other than those peculiar to special kinds or types of apparatus
  • G07F9/002—Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Definitions

• the present invention relates generally to a system for displaying information relating to products, such as edible goods or durable goods of various kinds, which can be distributed by automatic vending machines and an automatic vending machine of the aforesaid products comprising such a displaying system.
• the invention concerns to a display mode of the price, ingredients, and traceability of products on sale through automatic vending machines.
• vending machines for rental and sale of durable goods, such as books, videotapes, CDs, DVDs and the like, and/or sale of edible products, such as sweet and salty snacks, sweets, sandwiches, ice-creams, beverages of various kinds or sale of products such as cigarettes, instant lotteries tickets or coupons and even more, are currently widely used.
• these automatic machines of known type comprise a warehouse, arranged in several rows or lanes of housing, placed at various height levels or shelves, at each of which they are also facing each other.
• the products to be supplied are placed inside a plurality of support seats defined in each of the lanes of housing according to configurations able to receive a wide range of products or goods different each other by shape and packaging.
• the automatic vending machines are provided with a transparent front door, revolvingly coupled with the box envelope which contains the warehouse, in order to allow the end user to see the products available and thereby operate its own choice.
• each lane of housing or even, in certain constructive solutions, each single support seat defined in the warehouse of these vending machines is also marked by an alphanumeric code that the user types on a dedicated control panel, externally applied to the box envelope, in order to make the desired selection, of course after having paid the related amount, by means of special token machines or electronic supports of prepaid amount, such as rechargeable keys (with or without contact) and/or magnetic cards.
• the products aligned inside the lanes are moved, for a prefixed stretch, through transport means towards the transparent front door, so that the first product in the selected lane is released, usually by gravity, in a collection compartment made inside the box envelope and to which the user gains access by moving a safety door, provided below the door and which normally closes the inlet of the collection compartment.
• the safety door also prevents the unlawful removal of goods from the display warehouse.
• the conventional vending machines do not offer this possibility, both because it is not possible to clearly view from the outside the ingredients printed on the packaging of the products positioned inside the machine, and because some of the basic indications of the products on sale, such as those ones relating to the type and/or chain of production for the product traceability, sometimes, are not even provided.
• the present invention seeks to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art just complained and, in particular, main purpose of the invention is to make available a system for displaying information relating to products distributed by automatic vending machines, which allows to provide the vending machines users with all the information about the products on sale before their distribution.
• Other purpose of the invention is to create a system for displaying information relating to products distributed by automatic vending machines and, in particular way, fresh and/or health products, such as prepared vegetables, sandwiches and/or dairy products, which allows the end user to control from the outside the ingredients of the various products, as well as the information on the type and/or chain of product production and distribution, so as to get its traceability before the purchase.
• Further purpose of the invention is to provide an automatic vending machine which uses the aforesaid system for displaying information relating to the distributed products.
• Integral part of the invention is also an automatic vending machine that uses such a system of displaying and contributes to achieve the above cited purposes, as to the appended claim 9.
• the invention uses a hardware/software complex of low- cost type, which allows the automatic vending machines users with all the information on the products on sale inside the machine, such as type of product, ingredients, any traceability, price, remaining credit, and so on. This information can be obtained before making the actual purchase of the product and are quickly video accessible by the user, on a screen of the control panel associated with the automatic vending machine.
• the screen of the control panel is also connected with an electronic memory able to store all data and images coming from an electronic data microprocessor (CPU) control unit.
• CPU electronic data microprocessor
• the invention thus allows to manage a database of images, such as photographic icons and/or generalized drawings, accompanied by the descriptive and informative text referred to above, of a series of products on sale, which are then, associated with respective presentation cards of the product.
• microprocessor unit which also manages the other functions of the vending machine, so that the user can, by typing the code of the selected product on a keyboard, get the image and descriptive text of the product before purchasing it.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a possible displaying of information relating to products distributed by automatic vending machines, made through the system according to the present invention
• FIG. 2 shows a schematic front view of an automatic vending machine comprising a system for displaying information according to the present invention.
• an automatic vending machine is generically indicated with 4, which presents a substantially transparent front portion 8, a selection panel 9, a delivery outlet 10 of the products contained inside the front portion 8 and a colour and high resolution, preferably liquid crystal, screen 5.
• the images 1 can be produced in the shape of photographic icon or with generalized drawings and are associated, inside the related card 2, with a prefixed descriptive text 6, which can be directly plugged by the operator, which may include various items, such as name or type of product and/or description of ingredients and/or price and/or the remaining credit, and which can be placed above and/or below and/or laterally the image 1 of the product.
• the different cards 2 are pre-loaded inside the database and are available in the memory of a microprocessor control unit (CPU), which also manages the other functions of the automatic vending machine 4.
• CPU microprocessor control unit
• a proper application software allows the operator of the automatic vending machine 4 to retrieve each card 2, with related image 1 and descriptive text 6, directly on the screen 5 of the panel 9 of the vending machine 4, through a programming menu 3, which allows to associate each card 2 with each distribution compartment or drawer of the vending machine, inside which products of same type are placed.
• the programming 3 can be performed by scrolling the cards 2 available, through the function buttons 7 (usually the buttons of "arrow up” and “arrow down") of the selection keyboard 1 1 of the automatic vending machine 4 or through function buttons 7 of a special push-button panel 1 1 of the panel 9, confirming the desired card 2 (usually by an "enter” button on the keyboard or keypad) and also confirming the choice of the number or numbers of one or more compartments or drawers 2 of distribution of the automatic vending machine with which associate the given card 2, so that the aforesaid card 2 is automatically assigned at the selection of the correspondent product.
• Such a programming 3 can also be performed on a remote PC and subsequently transferred to the automatic vending machine 4 through a serial port or a USB device.
• the compartment or compartments 12 where the products under distribution are contained and, therefore, the related products are associated with the image 1 and descriptive text 6 of the selected card 2 and, once the choice of the card 2 suitable to the recognition of product on sale is confirmed, the card 2 of the product contained within the respective distribution compartment 12 resulting associated with such a card 2 will appear on the screen 5.
• the user may or not finalize the purchase (through the normal payment procedure).
• the imagine 1 (consisting of a photograph icon or drawing) for each selected product and descriptive text 6 of the product, which usually reports the ingredients of the product, its origin and other various information, arranged laterally, above and/or below the image 1 of the product, depending on the free fields present on each card 2, then, appear on the screen 5.
• descriptive text 6 may be introduced, in particular, all the elements of traceability of the respective product.
• system for displaying information may include one or more control panels and/or screens, shaped in various shapes and sizes, as well as various types of displaying each product which can be distributed by the automatic vending machine.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
• Management, Administration, Business Operations System, And Electronic Commerce (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=42138971

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Citations (3)

• 2009
  • 2009-11-27 IT ITVI2009A000283A patent/IT1396826B1/it active
• 2010
  • 2010-11-26 WO PCT/IT2010/000472 patent/WO2011064809A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2010-11-26 EP EP10805524A patent/EP2504820A1/en not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (3)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events