Patent · US Expired

Automatic vending system

US4120452A · kind A · utility

99Cited by
6References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 12, 1976
Grant dateOct 17, 1978
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 12, 1996

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG07F9/002
  • WIPO fieldControl
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A vending system is disclosed which is adapted to be installed in a hotel or the like for permitting the guests to buy articles in a refrigerator or vending machine in a guest room without use of coins. When a guest inserts his memory holder into a vending machine and selects an article, an article code or codes representative of the article or articles he bought are transferred from a transmitter in the vending machine into the memory holder, and an accounting machine reads out the data in the memory holder to prepare a bill. Optical, magnetic or high frequency data transmission is used between the vending machine and the memory holder and between the memory holder and the accounting machine so that no data transmission line is required.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.