Data processing: generic control systems or specific application – Specific application – apparatus or process – Article handling
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-04
2001-10-16
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Data processing: generic control systems or specific application
Specific application, apparatus or process
Article handling
C700S236000, C700S244000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06304796
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly, to a vending machine operated by a chip card by induction.
2. Description of Related Art
Early vending machines were coin-operated for selling small articles, such as beverages, candy bars or cigarettes. Faults with these vending machines were generally associated with the coin mechanism. They generally failed to identify counterfeit or invalid coins, and coins got stuck in the slots.
Vending machines were developed later, which were operated by inserting a suitable magnetic card into the machine. The card had a magnetic strip from which the vending machine could read the sum of money remaining on the card, and onto which the vending machine could deduct the amount of the purchase and record the remaining sum of money after the transaction. Even though the improved conventional vending machine does not suffer from accepting counterfeit coins, it still has the following disadvantages:
1. wearing out the card:
Because the card must be inserted into and engaged with parts of the vending machine each time it is used, it will be scraped or worn gradually, especially at the magnetic surface. Eventually, information can hardly be read from the card.
2. having high maintenance cost:
Because conventional vending machines, generally in public places such as near schools or shopping centers, are operated in independent mode, a lot of replenishment and repair personnel are required to travel among them to examine whether the goods are out of stock or the vending machines th,*,elves are out of order.
3. timely repairing and restocking the vending machines in a timely manner:
Because the replenishment is done manually at regular intervals, such as every three days, machines out of order or needing to be restocked sit idle until the normal rounds.
Therefore, it is an objective of the invention to provide an improved vending machine operated by communicating with a chip card to mitigate and obviate the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that is operated by communicating by induction with a chip card that will not be worn by the machine.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that communicates with an administrative center without a inspection.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that can inform the administrative center of the problem with the vending machine and depleted stock in a timely manner.
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West, Stephen, Card Technology Overview, Journal :ID Systems European Edition, v2 n4, pp20-22, 24, Sep. 1994.
Butler Michael E.
Ellis Christopher P.
Kolisch Hartwell Dickinson & McCormack & Heuser
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