Vend control with escrow until available product selection

Claim 2

A control circuit for vending or other similar devices which have coin units capable of accepting coins of selected denominations, said coin unit including means for producing output signals corresponding to the value of each coin deposited, accumulator means having an input connected to receive the output signals of the coin unit and including means to accumulate the amount of credit entered in the coin unit during each vending operation, means under control of the accumulator whenever an amount accumulated at least equals the amount of a selected vend price for establishing a condition to enable a vend operation to take place, said last named means including operator actuatable vend selection means including switch means and associated vend producing means under control thereof, a vend enabling circuit having a first portion operatively associated with the operator actuatable switch means and a second portion under control of the first portion, said first portion being connected in circuit with the vend producing means when the vend switch means are actuated, said second portion and said accumulator each having an output where output signals are produced, means responsive to the simultaneous occurrence of output signals at the outputs of both said second portion and said accumulator to enable a vend operation, actuation of said switch means at a time when the amount accumulated in the accumulator means at least equals the vend price associated therewith energizing the said first portion of the vend enabling circuit to thereby change the condition of and enable the second portion thereof so that said second portion produces an output signal which in association with an output signal from the accumulator means establishes a circuit condition that initiatEs a vend operation.

Claim 3

The control circuit of claim 1 including means to enable full escrow of an amount accumulated in the accumulator means until a vend operation is initiated.

Claim 4

The control circuit of claim 1 wherein said first portion of said vend enabling circuit includes relatively high impedance circuit means connected in series with the vend producing means, the impedance of said first portion being selected to be too high to enable sufficient current flow through the associated vend producing means in series therewith for the vend producing means to be able to initiate a vend operation.

Claim 5

The control circuit of claim 1 wherein said operator actuatable switch means include a plurality of switches, one of which is associated with each different product to be vended.

Claim 6

The control circuit defined in claim 4 wherein said first portion of said vend enabling circuit includes a magnet coil and said second portion includes switch means movable from an open to a closed condition whenever the coil is energized by a customer actuating a selected one of the plurality of switches in the vend selection means at a time when the accumulator has an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the vend price.

Claim 7

The control circuit defined in claim 1 wherein said first portion of said vend enabling circuit includes a photo-diode, and said second portion includes means responsive to the light produced when said photo-diode is energized by operation of the switch means in the vend selection means at a time when the accumulator has an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the vend price.

Claim 8

The control circuit defined in claim 1 wherein said first and second portions of said vend enabling circuit respectively are electromagnetically coupled coils, one of which has a relatively high impedance as compared to the other.

Claim 9

The control circuit defined in claim 1 wherein said first and second portions of said vend enabling circuit respectively include a silicon controlled rectifier circuit including a silicon controlled rectifier having cathode, anode and gate electrodes and circuit means operatively connected to the gate electrode, said second portion includes circuit means connected to the cathode and anode electrodes of the silicon controlled rectifier.

Claim 10

The control circuit of claim 8 wherein said second portion includes a relatively high impedance circuit element connected in series with the anode and the cathode electrodes.

Claim 11

The control circuit of claim 1 including a price relay having a relay coil operatively connected to the second portion of the vend enabling circuit, said price relay having contacts connected in circuit with the vend producing means to control the operation thereof.

Claim 12

Improvements in a vend control circuit for a vending machine having a coin unit for receiving coins of at least one denomination, said vending machine having an accumulator operatively connected to the coin unit and responsive to outputs produced thereby when coins are deposited to accumulate the value thereof, said accumulator including means to control the refunding of amounts deposited in excess of the vend price of a selected product and means for producing an accumulator output signal whenever the amount accumulated therein at least equals the price of a selected vend, means including at least one price selection switch actuatable by a customer to initiate a vend cycle whenever the amount accumulated in the accumulator at least equals the vend price, the improvements comprising means to inhibit the accumulator from initiating a vend or refund operation until after the customer has actuated one of the product selection switches at a time when the amount accumulated in the accumulator at least equals the selected vend price, said accumulator inhibit means including a control monitor circuit having an input control portion connected in circuit with the product selection switch and energized by actuating said product selection switch at a time when the aMount accumulated at least equals the selected vend price, energization of the input control portion of the monitor circuit by itself being insufficient to cause a vend operation to take place, an output portion of said control monitor circuit including means for generating a control output signal whenever the input control portion is energized, and means including a gate circuit and vend control means, said vend control means being energized whenever the gate circuit simultaneously receives input signals from the output of the accumulator and from the output portion of the control monitor, said vend control means including means in circuit with the vend producing means operable to enable vend and refund operations to take place.

Claim 13

Improvements in a vend control circuit for a vending machine having a coin unit for receiving coins of at least one denomination, said vending machine having an accumulator operatively connected to the coin unit and responsive to outputs produced thereby when coins are deposited to accumulate the value thereof, said accumulator including means to control the refunding of amounts deposited in excess of the vend price of a selected product and means for producing an accumulator output signal whenever the amount accumulated therein at least equals the price of a selected vend, means including at least one price selection switch actuatable by a customer to initiate a vend cycle whenever the amount accumulated in the accumulator at least equals the vend price, the improvements comprising means to inhibit the accumulator from initiating a vend or refund operation until after the customer has actuated one of the product selection switches at a time when the amount accumulated in the accumulator at least equals the selected vend price, said accumulator inhibit means including a control monitor circuit having an input control portion connected in circuit with the product selection switch and energized by actuating said product selection switch at a time when the aMount accumulated at least equals the selected vend price, energization of the input control portion of the monitor circuit by itself being insufficient to cause a vend operation to take place, an output portion of said control monitor circuit including means for generating a control output signal whenever the input control portion is energized, and means including a gate circuit and vend control means, said vend control means being energized whenever the gate circuit simultaneously receives input signals from the output of the accumulator and from the output portion of the control monitor, said vend control means including means in circuit with the vend producing means operable to enable vend and refund operations to take place.

Claim 14

The improvements in a vend control circuit defined in claim 11 including separate escrow means operatively connected to the accumulator, said escrow means including an escrow switch operable by a customer, and means under control of said escrow switch to cause total refund of an amount deposited up to the capacity of the accumulator, and means to disable the escrow means when said price selection switch is operated at a time when the accumulator has an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the vend price.

Claim 15

Improvements in a vend control circuit for a vending machine having a coin unit for receiving coins of at least one denomination, said vending machine having an accumulator operatively connected to the coin unit and responsive to outputs produced thereby when coins are deposited to accumulate the value thereof, said accumulator including means to control the refunding of amounts deposited in excess of the vend price of a selected product and means for producing an accumulator output signal whenever the amount accumulated therein at least equals the price of a selected vend, means including at least one price selection switch actuatable by a customer to initiate a vend cycle whenever the amount accumulated in the accumulator at least equals the vend price, the improvements comprising means to inhibit the accumulator from initiating a vend or refund operation until after the customer has actuated one of the product selection switches at a time when the amount accumulated in the accumulator at least equals the selected vend price, said accumulator inhibit means including a control monitor circuit having an input control portion connected in circuit with the product selection switch and energized by actuating said product selection switch at a time when the amount accumulated at least equals the selected vend price, an output portion of said control monitor circuit including means for generating a control output signal whenever the input control portion is energized, means including a gate circuit and vend control means, said vend control means being energized whenever the gate circuit simultaneously receives input signals from the output of the accumulator and from the output portion of the control monitor, said vend control means including means in circuit with the vend producing means operable to enable vend and refund operations to take place, said vend control means include a vend control relay having a relay contact which goes from a normal to a transferred condition when the relay is energized under control of the gate circuit, a credit relay having a coil connected in circuit with the vend control relay contacts and energized when said contacts are in their transferred condition, said credit relay including means establishing a hold circuit therefor and other means including contact means connected in circuit with the vend control relay contacts in the normal condition thereof and with the said price selection switch to establish a circuit to cause a vend operation to take place.

Claim 16

Improvements in a vend control circuit for a vending machine having a coin unit for receiving coins of at least one denomination, said vending machine having an accumulator operatively connected to the coin unit and responsive to outputs produced thereby when coins are deposited to accumulate the value thereof, said accumulator including means to control the refunding of amounts deposited in excess of the vend price of a selected product and means for producing an accumulator output signal whenever the amount accumulated therein at least equals the price of a selected vend, means including at least one price selection switch actuatable by a customer to initiate a vend cycle whenever the amount accumulated in the accumulator at least equals the vend price, the improvements comprising means to inhibit the accumulator from initiating a vend or refund operation until after the customer has actuated one of the product selection switches at a time when the amount accumulated in the accumulator at least equals the selected vend price, said accumulator inhibit means including a control monitor circuit having an input control portion connected in circuit with the product selection switch and energized by actuating said product selection switch at a time when the amount accumulated at least equals the selected vend price, an output portion of said control monitor circuit including means for generating a control output signal whenever the input control portion is energized, means including a gate circuit and vend control means, said vend control means being energized whenever the gate circuit simultaneously receives input signals from the output of the accumulator and from the output portion of the control monitor, said vend control means including means in circuit with the vend producing means operable to enable vend and refund operations to take place, said vend control means include a vend control relay having a relay contact which goes from a normal to a transferred condition when the relay is energized under control of the gate circuit, a credit relay having a coil connected in circuit with the vend control relay contacts and energized when said contacts are in their transferred condition, said credit relay including means establishing a hold circuit therefor and other means including contact means connected in circuit with the vend control relay contacts in the normal condition thereof and with the said price selection switch to establish a circuit to cause a vend operation to take place.

Claim 17

Means to enable full refund of a deposit in a vending machine until customer selection of an available product after an adequate deposit has been made, the vending machine including operator actuatable vend selection switch means corresponding to eAch product to be vended, means for entering a credit in the vending machine including accumulator means and means associated therewith for making an entry therein, said accumulator means having first and second outputs, escrow means including a customer actuatable escrow switch operatively connected to the first accumulator output, said escrow switch being actuable by the customer to obtain a refund of a deposit until product selection is made at a time when the accumulator means have an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the price of the selected vend, means energizable by the escrow switch including refund circuit means operatively connected to the accumulator means to initiate refund of an amount accumulated therein, vend producing means operatively connected to the second accumulator output including means to enable a vend operation to take place whenever the vend selection means are actuated at a time when the accumulator has an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the vend price as determined by operation of the vend selection means, said vend producing means including means to inhibit operation of the escrow means whenever a vend operation is initiated, and a monitor selector circuit having a relatively high impedance input circuit portion and a lower impedance output circuit portion, means connecting said high impedance input circuit portion in series circuit with the vend selection switch means, said high impedance input circuit portion including means to enable the lower impedance output circuit to initiate a vend operation whenever one of the vend selection switch means are actuated at a time when the accumulator means have an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the price of a selected vend, said last named means including a gate circuit having a first input connected to the second output of the accumulator means, a second input connected to the low impedance output of the monitor selector circuit and an output connected to the vend producing means, a vend operation taking place whenever input signals are present simultaneously on the first and second gate inputs.

Claim 18

Means to enable full refund of a deposit in a vending machine until customer selection of an available product after an adequate deposit has been made, the vending machine including operator actuatable vend selection switch means corresponding to eAch product to be vended, means for entering a credit in the vending machine including accumulator means and means associated therewith for making an entry therein, said accumulator means having first and second outputs, escrow means including a customer actuatable escrow switch operatively connected to the first accumulator output, said escrow switch being actuable by the customer to obtain a refund of a deposit until product selection is made at a time when the accumulator means have an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the price of the selected vend, means energizable by the escrow switch including refund circuit means operatively connected to the accumulator means to initiate refund of an amount accumulated therein, vend producing means operatively connected to the second accumulator output including means to enable a vend operation to take place whenever the vend selection means are actuated at a time when the accumulator has an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the vend price as determined by operation of the vend selection means, said vend producing means including means to inhibit operation of the escrow means whenever a vend operation is initiated, and a monitor selector circuit having a relatively high impedance input circuit portion and a lower impedance output circuit portion, means connecting said high impedance input circuit portion in series circuit with the vend selection switch means, said high impedance input circuit portion including means to enable the lower impedance output circuit to initiate a vend operation whenever one of the vend selection switch means are actuated at a time when the accumulator means have an amount accumulated therein at least equal to the price of a selected vend, said last named means including a gate circuit having a first input connected to the second output of the accumulator means, a second input connected to the low impedance output of the monitor selector circuit and an output connected to the vend producing means, a vend operation taking place whenever input signals are present simultaneously on the first and second gate inputs.

Claim 19

The means defined in claim 14 wherein the vend producing means include vend relay means having a vend relay coil operatively connected to the output of the gate circuit to be energized by the accumulator means whenever simultaneously enabled by the output circuit portion of the monitor selector, said relay means having relay contacts connected in circuit with the vend selector switch means.

Claim 20

The means defined in claim 14 including a tube for storing coins used in refunding and escrowing operations, switch means actuatable when the coin storage tube is empty, and means under control of said empty coin tube switch means to indicate to the customer that future deposits should be made only in the exact change required for the selected vend.

Claim 21

The means defined in claim 14 including switch means actuatable when the supply of a product to be vended by the vending machine is exhausted, said empty product switch means when actuated preventing a vend operation from taking place when the customer actuates the associated vend selection means.