초록 ▼

A centralized method for selling items through a plurality of vending machines installed at various companies' sites comprises using vending machines having a substitutable goods-holding magazines from which goods can be extracted only when fully installed inside a vending machine and only by use of

A centralized method for selling items through a plurality of vending machines installed at various companies' sites comprises using vending machines having a substitutable goods-holding magazines from which goods can be extracted only when fully installed inside a vending machine and only by use of a special key when the magazines are outside their machines. The magazines are filled at the supply center and distributed along pre-established delivery routes. The servicing of each machine consists essentially of opening the machine, removing the previously installed magazine, substituting a new full magazine and securely locking the machine without any accounting of goods or currency or any other maintenance work.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for selling goods from a supply center to employees and customers of a plurality of entities at a number of locations, said method comprising the following steps:installing at each one of said locations at least one vending machine engineered to dispense a set of said goods out of a remo

1. A method for selling goods from a supply center to employees and customers of a plurality of entities at a number of locations, said method comprising the following steps:installing at each one of said locations at least one vending machine engineered to dispense a set of said goods out of a removable magazine upon acceptance of a payment; at said supply center, filling a plurality of said magazines with sets of a diversity of said goods; establishing routes, each of said routes linking a given number of said locations; transporting said full magazines to said locations along said routes, and, at each of said locations, mounting one of said magazines in each of said vending machines in place of any other magazine previously mounted therein; returning each of said previously mounted magazines to said supply center; and servicing said returned magazines; wherein, for each of said vending machines, said step of mounting one of said magazines essentially consists of: opening said vending machine; removing said previously mounted magazine; inserting said full magazine in place of said previously mounted one; and securely locking said vending machine; in the absence of any currency or discrete goods handling or counting at said locations.