WO2012110880A1

WO2012110880A1 - A device and system for vending value token

Info

Publication number: WO2012110880A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/000261
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vahid Jacob MONADJEM
Original assignee: Nomanini Mobile Vending (Pty) Ltd
Priority date: 2011-02-14
Filing date: 2012-02-14
Publication date: 2012-08-23
Also published as: AP2013007098A0; AP3813A; ZA201306026B; WO2012110880A8

Abstract

A device (12) and system (10) for vending value tokens by means of printed vouchers is provided. The device includes a body (13) that has a digital processor (50), a memory unit (52), and a printer unit (22) housed therein and a selection interface (20) provided on an outer surface thereof. The selection interface displays a number of different prepaid options (21) for selection by a user, at least some of the prepaid options being provided by different suppliers of prepaid services (100, 102, 104, 106). The vending device is configured to wirelessly acquire a selection of different value tokens from a remotely accessible server (14) through a wireless communication network (16) and to store at least some of the value tokens on the memory unit subsequent to an owner or operator of the device crediting an operator account which the server has previously associated with the device, so that, in response to a user selecting one of the prepaid options and optionally selecting a print button (42), the device will vend a value token corresponding to the selected prepaid option by printing the value token onto a voucher (17). The device is portable and is operable to vend value tokens during a time in which a connection with the server has been lost, by using the value tokens already transferred to the device that are stored on the memory unit.

Description

A DEVICE AND SYSTEM FOR VENDING VALUE TOKENS FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the vending of value tokens, such as tokens that represent a predefined amount or value of airtime, electricity, water, data, or the like. More specifically, the invention relates to a portable device and a system for the vending of value tokens by means of printed vouchers.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Many prepaid devices, utilities and systems require prepayment for their use or operation. Examples include prepaid airtime in the instance of wireless communications devices such as mobile telephones; a value or quantity of water or electricity that can be consumed from a reticulated supply thereof; a quantity of data that may be downloaded over a network such as the Internet or period of online time that may be used in the instance of such networks, or any other consumable thing that is measurable and requires payment for its use or consumption.

All of these systems employ some means of converting money into an amount or value of airtime, data, electricity or the like, which in most cases involves a user purchasing a value token and then keying, entering or transmitting that token into an electronic metering system of some form to allow a person entitled to it to avail themselves of services such as telecommunications services, water, electricity and online network time.

Value tokens may be sold and acquired in various ways. One of these ways involves the use of so-called "scratch cards", in which the value token is printed on a card and initially obscured by a tamper-evident cover or foil which can then be obliterated by a user that has purchased the card to reveal the underlying value token. However, the use of scratch cards carries inherent risks in the transportation, storage and handling of the scratch cards as such cards are a target for theft.

Value tokens can also be sold through electronic means such as the Internet or telephone or data links. Users that have credit cards are able to purchase value tokens on websites or by means of call centres, where after payment has been made the value token is displayed on a computer screen, sent to a mobile phone by SMS or, in the case of pre-paid airtime, automatically credited to a user's mobile phone account. One problem with such electronic systems, however, is that they are not accessible to the unbanked, those without credit cards, or those who may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable conducting transactions electronically.

A third and very popular means of vending value tokens is using dedicated equipment for printing a voucher on which the value token is displayed, and then selling the voucher over the counter to a user. Typically such equipment is able to communicate with a central server through a secure communication channel to obtain an electronic token which is then printed out only after actual payment has been made by a user. As the tokens are not stored on the equipment, the equipment itself is less of a target for theft. However, the equipment is generally only provided at certain supermarkets, train stations or other public places and as such may not always be easily accessible or accessible at the time when it is needed. Such equipment is often expensive and requires trained operators, and is generally only operable to vend one specific type of token.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention there is provided a device for vending value tokens by means of printed vouchers comprising a body that has a digital processor, a memory unit, and a printer unit housed therein and a selection interface provided on an outer surface thereof, characterized in that the selection interface displays a number of different prepaid options for selection by a user, at least some of the prepaid options being provided by different suppliers of prepaid services, the vending device being configured to wirelessly acquire a selection of different value tokens from a remotely accessible server through a wireless communication network and to store at least some of the value tokens on the memory unit subsequent to an owner or operator of the device crediting an operator account which the server has previously associated with the device, so that, in response to a user selecting one of the prepaid options and optionally selecting a print button, the device will vend a value token corresponding to the selected prepaid option by printing the value token onto a voucher.

Further features of the invention provide for the selection interface to include a number of different zones each being associated with one of the suppliers of prepaid services, and a number of buttons within each zone where each button is associated with a particular one of the prepaid options provided by one of the suppliers of prepaid services, thereby enabling a user to purchase a desired denomination of a particular prepaid service by simply pressing the desired button on the selection interface and optionally pressing the print button.

Still further features of the invention provide for the selection interface to include an indication light adjacent to each button, wherein the device is operable to illuminate the lights adjacent to the buttons in respect of which the particular prepaid service associated with that button are available for purchase. The indication lights are preferably Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs).

Yet further features of the invention provide for the device to be portable and operable to vend value tokens during a time in which a connection with the server has been lost, by using the value tokens already transferred to the device that are stored on the memory unit. Further features of the invention provide for the device to be configured to communicate with the server to automatically balance the selection of value tokens provided on the device in the event that certain prepaid options are selected more often than others, the balancing occurring by the vending device being operable to transfer unused value tokens that are associated with particular prepaid options back to the server in the event that those prepaid options have been selected less frequently than others, and for other value tokens associated with prepaid options that were selected more often to be automatically and seamlessly transferred from the server back to the device.

Still further features of the invention provide for the device to have a unique network identifier such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) and to communicate with the server through a mobile telephone network such as a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) cellular network or a 3G (third generation) network; and for the value tokens to be transmitted from the server to the device by means of SMS (Short Message System) messages, USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Services Data) messages or data transmissions such as GPRS data connections.

Yet further features of the invention provide for the device to include a position detecting module which is able to determine the position of the device, and wherein the printer unit is operable to print advertising material on the voucher, the advertising material being selected from a number of advertising options transmitted from the server and stored on the vending device, where the selection of the advertising option to be printed at a particular time is based at least partially on the position of the vending device at the time that printing occurs, so as to provide location-based advertising on otherwise unused surfaces of the voucher. The position detecting module may be a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit, alternatively a unit which detects the position of the device by using nearby base station transmitters and trilateration techniques of a mobile telephone network. Further features of the invention provide for the printed voucher to be a printout strip from a roll of printer paper that may be of a sensitized type such as thermal paper; and for the device to include a mounting by means of which it may be fitted in a vehicle such as an automobile, bus or train.

Yet further features of the invention provide for the selection interface to be locked by an operator keying in a particular security code or sequence which has been programmed into the device.

The invention extends to a system for vending value tokens by means of printed vouchers comprising a remotely accessible server which is able to communicate with a plurality of vending devices as previously described, the system being characterized in that each vending device is associated with a particular operator or owner during a registration stage which occurs upon purchase of the device and before use thereof, the association including an association with an operator account which represents an operating balance of the vending device, the system being configured to enable an owner or operator of the device to credit the operator account by prepaying a certain amount of money without specifying which value tokens are to be acquired, and for the server to automatically allocate a selection of value tokens to the device based on the amount with which the account is credited.

Further features of the invention provide for the owner or operator of the device to credit the operator account associated with the device by prepaying a certain amount without specifying which value tokens are to be acquired, and for the server to automatically allocate a selection of value tokens so as to allocate value tokens associated with as many prepaid options as possible, starting with the prepaid options of lowest denomination, alternatively for the server to automatically allocate a selection of value tokens to the device based at least partly on information as to the popularity of prepaid options selected by users of that device in the past, so that value tokens of high popularity are allocated to the device in greater numbers than value tokens of low popularity.

Still further features of the invention provide for the owner or operator of the device to credit the account associated with the device at an over-the-counter location where dedicated equipment may be provided for that purpose; alternatively for the owner or operator of the device to credit the account associated with the device electronically by means of a credit card payment, bank transfer, bank account debit, mobile wallet payment or other transfer of value such as a transfer of a portion of a mobile phone account balance to the account associated with the device.

Each vending device is preferably associated with a particular individual and/or company during a registration stage which typically occurs upon purchase of the device by an individual or company and before use thereof. The association may include an association with a mobile phone account of the operator or owner of the device, to thereby enable messages to be transmitted to the mobile phone of the operator or owner to indicate, for example, a low operator account balance, a credit received into the operator account balance, low device battery power, low device printer paper, or the like.

Further features of the invention provide for the server to maintain an account balance associated with each vending device, for the server to be configured to automatically acquire a large selection of value tokens from each of the various suppliers of prepaid services to be kept in a pool; for the selection of value tokens allocated to each device to be obtained from the pool; and for the server to automatically acquire more value tokens from the suppliers so as to maintain a sufficient supply of value tokens from all suppliers and of all denominations. Yet further features of the invention provide for the system to automatically balance the selection of value tokens provided on the device in the event that certain prepaid options are selected more often than others; and for the balancing to occur by each vending device being operable to transfer unused value tokens that are associated with particular prepaid options back to the server so that they re-enter the pool and become available for use by other vending devices in the event that those prepaid options have been selected less frequently than others, for the account balance of the vending device to be credited by the value of those unused value tokens, for the system to automatically and seamlessly transfer other value tokens associated with prepaid options that were selected more often from the pool back to the device, and to debit the account balance of the vending device by the value of those other value tokens.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying representations in which: is a schematic diagram of a vending system according to the invention;

is a perspective view of a vending device according to the invention;

is a side elevation of the vending device of Figure 2; is an end view of the vending device;

is a top plan view showing a selection interface of the vending device; and

is a schematic diagram showing the various components of the vending device in block diagram form. DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWINGS

In this specification, the term "portable" is intended to include a situation where a device is mounted within a movable environment, such as fixed within a vehicle.

Figure 1 shows a system (10) for vending value tokens according to the invention. The system includes a number of devices (12) for vending value tokens (not shown) which are each operable to communicate with a remotely accessible server (14) through a wireless communications link (16) such as a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication) or 3G (third generation) cellular telephone network. By means of the cellular telephone network (16), each vending device is able to receive value tokens and print out the value tokens in the form of a printed voucher (17) on a carrier sheet such as thermal printer paper.

Each value token is associated with a particular supplier of prepaid services. In this embodiment, three suppliers of prepaid services are illustrated, a first mobile phone company, "CELL_1" (100), a second mobile phone company, "CELL_2" (102), a supplier of network services, "NET_1" (104) and an electricity provider, "ELEC" (106). The server (14) is operable to obtain the value tokens through a network which may include the Internet (15) or a dedicated encrypted communication channel, and then to send these value tokens to the vending devices by means of the cellular telephone network (16).

Figures 2 - 4 show different views of one possible embodiment of the vending device (12) in more detail. The vending device is a portable battery- powered unit that has a body (13) which includes an operatively upper surface (18) that has a selection interface (20) by means of which a user can select from a number of different prepaid options (21) displayed on the selection interface. A printer unit (22) is also provided in the device for printing out the vouchers (17). The printer paper for the vouchers may be housed in a roll (not shown) within the device and the appropriate length severed after printing by means of a serrated strip (24). The vending device may also include a mounting, which in this case is simply a pair of opposite recesses (26) by means of which the device may be mounted in a vehicle such as an automobile (in particular, a taxi), bus or train.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the vending device (12) of Figures 2-4 and shows the selection interface (20) in greater detail. The selection interface includes a number of different zones (28) indicated by broken lines, with each zone being associated with a particular supplier of prepaid services. Within each zone, a number of buttons (30) are provided with each button being associated with a particular prepaid option (21). In this illustration, a first zone (32) is associated with the first mobile phone company, "CELL_1" (100), which sells prepaid airtime with prepaid options of R2, R5, R10, R29 and R59, a second zone (34) is associated with the second mobile phone company, "CELL_2" (102), which sells prepaid airtime with prepaid options of R5, R10, R30 and R45, a third zone (36) is associated with the supplier of internet services, "NET_1" (104), which sells internet access time with prepaid options of R5, R10, R25 and R55, and a fourth zone (38) is associated with the electricity provider, "ELEC." (106), which sells prepaid electricity with prepaid options of R15, R25, R45 and R99. Three other buttons are provided on the selection interface, an "On/Off button (40) by means of which the device can be switched on and off, a "Print" button (42) which causes the printer to print a voucher for the selected prepaid option, and a "Lock" button for locking the interface to prevent accidental activation of other buttons. The selection interface also includes a number of indication lights (44) in the form of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) adjacent to each button. The LEDs (44) adjacent to the option buttons (30) indicate whether prepaid options of the particular supplier are particular denomination are available for purchase or not. In this illustration, users are able to purchase prepaid airtime from CELL_1 for values of R2, R5 and R10; prepaid airtime from CELL_2 for values of R5 and R10; internet access time from NET_1 for values of R5, R10 and R25 and electricity from ELEC for values of R15 or R25. Whether or not a prepaid option is available depends on the balance of an operator account associated with the device, as will be explained further below.

It will be appreciated that the illustrated selection interface (20) is very intuitive and easy to use, and a user thereof can purchase a desired value of a particular prepaid service by simply pressing one of the option buttons followed by the "Print" button, after which a voucher with the value token thereon will be printed. The value token can then be entered into the applicable electronic metering device or mobile phone in the usual manner associated with printed vouchers. The device may also provide audible or tactile feedback (such as vibration) to indicate to the user that certain actions have taken place, and may include security features such as the provision of a security code or sequence which has been programmed into the device and which permits an authorized operator to lock the selection interface by keying in the security code or sequence.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the various components of the vending device (12) in block diagram form. In addition to the selection interface (20) and the printer unit (22), the vending device houses a digital processor (50) which controls all the functionality of the device and a memory unit (52) on which, amongst other things, the value tokens are stored. The device also includes an antenna (54) for wireless communication and a network identifier in the form of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) (56) which uniquely identifies it on the cellular network. A rechargeable battery pack (58) is also provided for powering the device electronics and a position detecting module (60) is provided, the functionality of which will be described below.

During registration of the device on the network, which typically occurs upon purchase of the device, the device is uniquely associated with particular individual or company, which is usually the owner or operator of the device. In a preferred embodiment, this association also includes making a unique association between the device and a mobile phone of the operator or owner of the device. This enables the system to transmit messages, such as Short Message System (SMS) messages, to the operator or owner to indicate, for example, the current account balance of the device, low battery power, low printer paper, or the like.

Referring back to Figure 1 , each vending device (12) is configured to wirelessly acquire a selection of different value tokens from the remotely accessible server (14) and to store at least some of the tokens on the device. The value tokens can be transmitted from the server to the device by various means, including by means of SMS (Short Message System) messages, USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Services Data) messages or encrypted data transmissions using HTTP and HTTPS get-post protocols.

The server includes a memory (150) which maintains an operator account balance and other information in respect of a bank or other account associated with each device. An operator or owner of the device is able to credit the operator account associated with his or her vending device by prepaying an amount through various channels. It is envisaged that the account could be credited at an over-the-counter location where dedicated equipment (152) may be provided for that purpose, such as already may exist at an in-store checkout counter. Alternatively, the owner or operator of the device could credit the account associated with the device electronically by means of a credit card payment through an internet-enabled computer terminal (154), or otherwise by means of a bank account debit payment, mobile wallet payment or any other transfer of value such as a transfer of a portion of a mobile phone account balance to the account associated with the device. Since it is envisaged that the operator will collect cash payments for the vouchers sold, the applicant envisages that the account will most preferably be credited at a physical location (such as an in-store check-out counter) which accepts cash for this purpose.

Importantly, the owner or operator of the device is able to credit the account by prepaying a certain amount without specifying which value tokens are to be acquired. The server is operable to then automatically allocate a selection of value tokens to the device, so as to ensure that several of the prepaid options are available for purchase by a user. The determination of the selection of value tokens to be allocated to the device may be based at least partially on the amount with which the account is credited, so as to allocate value tokens associated with as many of the prepaid options as possible, starting with the prepaid options of lowest denomination. In addition, the determination of the selection of value tokens to be allocated to the device may be based on information as to the popularity of prepaid options selected by users of that device in the past.

In a preferred embodiment, the server is configured to automatically acquire a large selection of value tokens from each of the various suppliers of prepaid services (100, 102, 104, 106), which it keeps in a value token pool stored on the server memory ( 50). The selection of the value tokens to be allocated to each device are obtained from the pool, and the server is operable to automatically acquire more value tokens from the suppliers so as to maintain a sufficient supply of value tokens from all suppliers and of all denominations in the pool.

As value tokens are sent to the vending devices, the account balance in respect of each device is reduced by the denomination of the value tokens that have been sent to that device. In one possible embodiment, value tokens are only sent to the device as they are requested. However, the disadvantage of this arrangement is that the device will not be able to print any vouchers during periods in which it loses an active connection with the server, and there may be an appreciable wait time while the device acquires vouchers from the pool. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment, the server transmits at least some of the value tokens to the device in advance (up to a maximum value equal to the account balance), to allow the device to work during periods in which it is offline, by using the value tokens stored on the device. This arrangement also greatly speeds up the time between pressing one of the buttons (30) on the selection interface and the voucher being printed.

Because the system determines the selection of value tokens to be allocated to the device, it may happen that the device runs out of certain prepaid options even when the account balance is not exhausted. To prevent this from happening, the system is configured to automatically balance the selection of value tokens provided on the device by transferring unused value tokens that are associated with those unused prepaid options back to the server so that they re-enter the pool and become available for use by other vending devices, and crediting the account balance of the vending device with the value of those unused value tokens. The system then seamlessly and automatically transfers other value tokens (those associated with prepaid options that were selected more often) from the pool back to the device, and debits the account balance of the vending device by the value of those other value tokens. By applying this balancing, the owner or operator of the device is assured that they will not be left with value tokens in respect of prepaid options that are unused, while other prepaid options are desired.

A further feature of the invention is that the vending device is operable to print additional material, which may be advertising material, on otherwise unused surfaces of the voucher. The additional material to be printed may be selected from a number of advertising options transmitted from the server and stored on the device's digital memory (52). Various means of selecting the additional material to be printed may be employed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the additional material that is selected is determined based on the location of the vending device when the voucher is printed. In this embodiment, the vending device includes a position detecting module (60) built into the device, as shown in Figure 6. The position detecting module may be a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit or may be implemented by detecting nearby base station cell phone network transmitters and using trilateration or multilateration techniques. The position detecting module is able to determine the current position of the device with reasonable accuracy. Associated with each advertising option is a location tag which specifies a location within which the advertiser wishes to have the advertising material printed. At the time of printing each voucher, the device queries the position detecting module to determine the current position of the device, and then finds a best match out of the stored advertising options by comparing the determined position with the location tags. In this way, the system of the invention is able to provide location-based advertising on otherwise unused surfaces of each voucher. In additional to advertising, the location based material could include socially desirable information, for example, directions to the nearest health clinic or voting station, educational messages such as information on the postal code area in which the user finds him or herself, or any other relevant position-related information.

It will be appreciated that the electronic systems, components and programming instructions for enabling the functionality of the system and device described herein falls within the scope of a person of reasonable skill in the technology to which this invention relates, and that such detailed specifications are accordingly not provided herein. In addition, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein which nevertheless fall within the scope of the invention, particularly as regards the modes and sequences of interaction between the various components and the nature of the components, interfaces and details thereof.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A device (12) for vending value tokens by means of printed vouchers comprising a body (13) that has a digital processor (50), a memory unit (52), and a printer unit (22) housed therein and a selection interface (20) provided on an outer surface thereof, characterized in that the selection interface displays a number of different prepaid options (21) for selection by a user, at least some of the prepaid options being provided by different suppliers of prepaid services (100, 102, 104, 106), the vending device being configured to wirelessly acquire a selection of different value tokens from a remotely accessible server (14) through a wireless communication network (16) and to store at least some of the value tokens on the memory unit subsequent to an owner or operator of the device crediting an operator account which the server has previously associated with the device, so that, in response to a user selecting one of the prepaid options and optionally selecting a print button (42), the device will vend a value token corresponding to the selected prepaid option by printing the value token onto a voucher (17).

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 in which the selection interface includes a number of different zones (28) each being associated with one of the suppliers of prepaid services (100, 102, 104, 106), and a number of buttons (30) within each zone where each button is associated with a particular one of the prepaid options (21) provided by one of the suppliers of prepaid services, thereby enabling a user to purchase a desired denomination of a particular prepaid service by simply pressing the desired button on the selection interface and optionally pressing the print button.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 in which the selection interface includes an indication light (44) adjacent to each button, and wherein the device is operable to illuminate the lights adjacent to the buttons in respect of which the particular prepaid service associated with that button are available for purchase.

The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the device is portable and is operable to vend value tokens during a time in which a connection with the server has been lost, by using the value tokens already transferred to the device that are stored on the memory unit.

The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the device is configured to communicate with the server to automatically balance the selection of value tokens provided on the device in the event that certain prepaid options are selected more often than others, the balancing occurring by the vending device being operable to transfer unused value tokens that are associated with particular prepaid options back to the server in the event that those prepaid options have been selected less frequently than others, and for other value tokens associated with prepaid options that were selected more often to be automatically and seamlessly transferred from the server back to the device.

The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which has a unique network identifier (56) to facilitate communication with the server through a mobile telephone network (16), and for the value tokens to be transmitted from the server to the device by means of mobile telephone network messages or data transmissions.

The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the device includes a position detecting module (60) which is able to determine the position of the device, and wherein the printer unit is operable to print advertising material on the voucher, the advertising material being selected from a number of advertising options transmitted from the server and stored on the vending device, where the selection of the advertising option to be printed at a particular time is based at least partially on the position of the vending device at the time that printing occurs, so as to provide location-based advertising on otherwise unused surfaces of the voucher.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7 in which the position detecting module is a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit, alternatively where the position detecting module is a unit which detects the position of the device by using nearby base station transmitters and trilateration techniques of a mobile telephone network.

9. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the voucher is a printout strip from a roll of thermal printer paper, the device includes a mounting (26) by means of which it may be fitted in a vehicle such as an automobile, bus or train, and the selection interface can be locked by an operator keying in a particular security code or sequence which has been programmed into the device.

10. A system (10) for vending value tokens by means of printed vouchers comprising a remotely accessible server (14) which is able to communicate with a plurality of vending devices (12) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, the system being characterized in that each vending device is associated with a particular operator or owner during a registration stage which occurs upon purchase of the device and before use thereof, the association including an association with an operator account which represents an operating balance of the vending device, the system being configured to enable an owner or operator of the device to credit the operator account by prepaying a certain amount of money without specifying which value tokens are to be acquired, and for the server to automatically allocate a selection of value tokens to the device based on the amount with which the account is credited.

11. A system (10) as claimed in claim 10 in which the owner or operator of the device credits the operator account associated with the device by prepaying a certain amount without specifying which value tokens are to be acquired, and for the server to automatically allocate a selection of value tokens so as to allocate value tokens associated with as many prepaid options as possible, starting with the prepaid options of lowest denomination.

12. A system (10) as claimed in claim 10 or 11 in which the owner or operator of the device credits the operator account associated with the device by prepaying a certain amount without specifying which value tokens are to be acquired, and for the server to automatically allocate a selection of value tokens to the device based at least partly on information as to the popularity of prepaid options selected by users of that device in the past, so that value tokens of high popularity are allocated to the device in greater numbers than value tokens of low popularity.

13. A system (10) as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12 in which the owner or operator of the device is able to credit the operator balance at an over-the-counter location where dedicated equipment (152) is provided for that purpose.

14. A system (10) as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13 in which the server is operable to automatically acquire a large selection of value tokens from a number of different suppliers of prepaid services (100, 102, 104, 106) to be kept in a pool, the selection of value tokens allocated to each device to be obtained from the pool, and for the server to be operable to automatically obtain more value tokens from the suppliers so as to maintain a sufficient supply of value tokens from all suppliers and of all denominations, and for the server to automatically balance the selection of value tokens provided on each vending device in the event that certain prepaid options are selected more than others, the balancing occurring by each vending device being operable to transfer unused value tokens that are associated with particular prepaid options back to the server so that they re-enter the pool and become available for use by other vending devices in the event that those prepaid options have been selected less frequently than others, for the account balance of the vending device to be credited by the value of those unused value tokens, for the system to automatically and seamlessly transfer other value tokens associated with prepaid options that were selected more often from the pool back to the device, and to debit the account balance of the vending device by the value of those other value tokens.

A system as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14 in which the association of each operator or owner with each device includes an association between each device and a mobile phone account of the operator or owner of the device, the server being configured to transmit messages to the mobile phone of the operator or owner to indicate any one or more of: a low operator account balance, a credit received into the operator account balance, low device battery power or low device printer paper.