초록 ▼

A control system for a vending machine which accepts coins or bills of different denominations assigns a given amount of credit to each such monetary unit (i.e., a coin or a bill) accepted. The novel structure of the invention allows operation with monetary units in different monetary systems and al

A control system for a vending machine which accepts coins or bills of different denominations assigns a given amount of credit to each such monetary unit (i.e., a coin or a bill) accepted. The novel structure of the invention allows operation with monetary units in different monetary systems and alterations of the amount of credit assigned to each monetary unit accepted to be effected easily and simply. The control system responds in the same fashion to either a request for refund or change or a selection of an article to be vended: by comparing the accumulated credit from monetary units accepted with the price of each selected article and the request for a refund or change and allowing or inhibiting the dispensing of an article and/or dispensing of a refund or change accordingly. The pricing of articles may also be readily altered to accommodate different articles or changed prices. The control system is embodied in a special purpose computer or microprocessor, cooperating with an encoder circuit for monetary unit valuation and article pricing which comprises a programmable matrix array such as a ROM. Suitable interfacing circuits between the computer or microprocessor and other elements of the control system and of the vending machine itself are also provided.

대표청구항 ▼

In a vending machine or the like having a plurality of money accepting means each for accepting a monetary unit of a different denomination, means for selecting articles to be vended and for requesting refunds, and means for dispensing the selected articles and for dispensing refunds, a conrol syste

In a vending machine or the like having a plurality of money accepting means each for accepting a monetary unit of a different denomination, means for selecting articles to be vended and for requesting refunds, and means for dispensing the selected articles and for dispensing refunds, a conrol system comprising: money input circuit means coupled to said money accepting means and responsive to each acceptance of a monetary unit for producing a monetary unit input signal corresponding to the acceptance of said monetary unit, selection input circuit means coupled to said article selecting means and to said refund requesting means and responsive both to selection of each article and to each refund request for producing a corresponding selection and refund request input signal indicating either that an article has been selected or a refund requested, encoding circuit means responsive respectively to said monetary input circuit means and to said selection input circuit means for producing respective encoded signals representing respectively the values of the monetary units accepted and the prices of articles selected, control circuit means responsive to said monetary unit input signal, to said encoded signals and to said selection and request input signal for identifying each article selected or refund requested, for determining the amount of credit initially available or remaining for selection of a first article or further articles or for refund and for producing a plurality of control signals and circuit means interposed between said control circuit means and said dispensing means and responsive to said control signals for dispensing as many articles as selected and for dispensing requested refunds so long as said initial or remaining credit is sufficient, and wherein said control circuit means comprises a special purpose computer.