Article dispensing – With discharge assistant – Article adhering or gripping type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-13
2001-07-03
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
With discharge assistant
Article adhering or gripping type
C186S053000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253956
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to an automated dispenser for dispensing retail products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Often during the course of travel a driver, and/or other vehicle occupants, may desire a refreshment or travel aid. The driver must detour the vehicle into a rest stop or a road-side business and, in most cases, must also park and exit the vehicle to obtain a refreshment or desired item. For instance, although conventional vending machines are commonplace at travel stops and are also easy-to-use, they are designed for the pedestrian customer and cannot be accessed by the driver from within a vehicle. Some businesses, such as fast-food restaurants, may dispense their products through a drive-through window service wherein an employee takes the order, accepts the payment, and delivers the goods. However, despite the use of advance ordering techniques, these employee-intensive transactions require a person to place the product within reach of the vehicle occupant. As a result, a driver seeking a simple refreshment during travel must suffer either an inconvenience or a travel delay by exiting the vehicle to collect the products, or businesses must have a human or other labor intensive method to deliver the products to the vehicle occupant.
Therefore, what is needed is dispensing apparatus that provides the driver, and other vehicle occupants, with a quick and convenient means for collecting refreshments and other basic consumer products for use in the course of travel without exiting their car and without human interaction. Such a system should operate under the constraints of traffic safety, space limitations, driver interfacing, and high vehicle volume and through-put.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises apparatus for the automated retailing of refreshments and other basic consumer products to a vehicle occupant as the vehicle passes through an automated retail product dispensing station. Examples of locations that could accommodate such automated retail product dispensing stations include tollbooths, parking facilities, roadside rest areas, and fast-food “drive-through restaurants”. In each case, a vehicle occupant places a retail product order (remotely, with an automated interface, or through human interaction), drives within reach of an automated retail product dispenser, and the retail product is dispensed by a mechanism that places it within reach of the vehicle driver. The invention thus is a mechanism or apparatus that enables vehicle occupants to collect retail products while they are on the road or roadside, without leaving the confines of their vehicle. This is particularly useful for customers who routinely pass through an automated retailing station and therefore benefit by the time-saving features of the retail product delivery mechanism.
In the preferred embodiment, the invention is incorporated into a toll plaza equipped with an electronic toll collection (ETC) system and automated retailing infrastructure (automated ordering, billing, and dispensing hardware and software systems). See application Ser. No. 09/241,998, filed Feb. 9, 1999, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Those skilled in the art will recognize that this invention has applications in toll systems without ETC and in stand-alone locations. Preferably, a vehicle occupant places a remote order for one or more products prior to vehicle entry into the toll lane, through a transponder, on-board computer, or hand-held electronic device, modified to transmit a product order to the automated retailing system. An automated product dispenser, typically located within the toll lane, dispenses the ordered product(s) within reach of the driver of the vehicle. In certain situations, such as at highway toll lanes, the product dispenser may be located outside of the toll lane to prevent vehicle congestion.
As part of the automated product dispenser, there is a retractable mechanism to deliver retail products to the vehicle. Linked to the automated retail product dispenser and the tollbooth is a device that moves the retail product from the dispenser to within reach of the driver of the vehicle. This mechanism places the retail product in position such that the driver can complete the toll transaction and retrieve the retail product at one location with one stop. This mechanism delivers the product to the driver while seated in the vehicle and may be activated mechanically by the weight of the retail product, electrically, or pneumatically. In some versions, the retail product dispenser will be positioned to deliver the product after the tollbooth.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3647026 (1972-03-01), Alexander et al.
patent: 403288991 (1991-12-01), None
Chadwick Melissa
Khan Zafar
Cesari and McKenna
Momentex, LLC
Noland Kenneth W.
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