Article dispensing – With recorder – register – indicator – signal or exhibitor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-31
2001-02-06
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
With recorder, register, indicator, signal or exhibitor
C221S005000, C221S254000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182857
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a vending system for distribution of products. More specifically, the invention relates to an integrated product supply network consisting of intelligent vending or dispensing machines linked through a computer network to the entire channel of distribution for particular products. The intelligent dispensing machines include an improved product discharge mechanism allowing the machines to accommodate a variety of products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many varieties of automatic vending devices are in common, everyday use. These include not only machines for vending snack foods, soft drinks, or other food items, but also machines that vend services, such as vending photocopiers, pay telephones and laundry machines.
Varieties of merchandise dispensing devices have been developed for many different types of products. Most typically such assemblies operate with uniformly packaged products. Depending upon the packaging, an attendant electro-mechanical assembly sequentially advances the product requested by a user. Refrigerated and heated products have also been maintained in enclosures having mechanical support units which dispense the product at a preferred temperature.
While vending machines have consistently provided a convenient means for obtaining a variety of products, most suffer from numerous drawbacks. For starters, most machines consist of individual units whose inventory must be checked manually every so often. This creates a significant labor cost in running vending machines as one or more people must travel to each vending machine location. Either a person checks the machine too many times to ensure it never depletes its inventory or the machine is not checked enough and the inventory runs short angering potential customers. The manual effort involved in keeping track of the vending machine's inventory also applies to ensuring the machine is operating correctly. In addition, the inventory data must then be manually collected and re-entered into an inventory tracking system if any automation is to be implemented, which also requires additional time and manpower.
The mechanical mechanisms for actually dispensing products from prior art vending machines has also fallen short as to the number of different products which can be dispensed. Typical vending machines employ a spiral guide device that rotates and pushes products to the front of the machine until they fall from a shelf to an opening in the bottom of the machine. Sometimes individual doors are used which require the customer to open and reach into the door to obtain the product. The prior art typically only allows movement of products in one direction or another, usually horizontally. The mechanisms found in the prior art tend to limit the products which can be made available through vending or dispensing machines.
Therefore, in light of the foregoing and other deficiencies in the prior art, the applicant's invention is herein presented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is an integrated product supply network comprised of a computer network linked through a variety of methods to a plurality of intelligent vending or dispensing machines. The computer network also connects to and communicates with each component of the overall product supply network, i.e., product suppliers, warehouses, local partners, banks and any other entities included in the supply network. In the preferred embodiment, the integrated product supply network takes advantage of the Internet to accomplish automated control of and communication with the components of the network.
The intelligent vending or dispensing machine of the preferred embodiment is comprised of a combination of dispensing mechanisms. One of the dispensing mechanisms is unique to the present invention in that it allows for both vertical and horizontal displacement of products to allow a wider variety of products to be offered for sale. In particular, the dispensing mechanism allows paper and art supplies to be dispensed. The intelligent dispensing machine is particularly useful in catering to small offices that need supplies any time, day or night. The nature of most small businesses is such that employees work strange hours, usually after most office supply stores have closed. The intelligent office supply dispensing machine of the preferred embodiment fills the need for office supplies no matter when they are needed.
These along with other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from a reading of the detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings and the claims.
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Hamm Doug A.
Swift William O.
Crawford Gene O.
Ellis Christopher P.
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