Beverage dispensing apparatus with smartcup tag identification and verification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10031505-B2
Application number	US-201615167870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 27, 2016
Priority date	May 28, 2015
Publication date	Jul 24, 2018
Grant date	Jul 24, 2018

Abstract

In many aspects, a system for a beverage dispenser can include smartcups and smartcup application management systems configured to validate and identify smartcups for dispensing a beverage. Identifying and validating the authenticity of smartcups as well as identifying registered consumers associated with smartcups may provide more secure beverage dispensers that may be placed in public with minimal oversight. Additionally, by identifying registered users associated with a registered smartcup and providing an individualized and streamlined consumer experience, consumer interactions can be improved with a beverage dispenser/provider and may lead to increased usage by consumers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of dispensing a beverage at a beverage dispenser, the method comprising:
receiving, by the beverage dispenser, a smartcup identifier and a dynamic token from a smartcup reader, the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token being read from a smartcup tag;
sending, by the beverage dispenser, a smartcup authentication request including the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token to a smartcup server computer, wherein the smartcup server computer validates the authenticity of the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token and determines a dispense decision associated with the smartcup identifier;
receiving, by the beverage dispenser, a smartcup authentication response including the dispense decision, wherein the dispense decision indicates whether the beverage dispenser is authorized to dispense the beverage;
determining, by the beverage dispenser, that the dispense decision is affirmative;
determining, by the beverage dispenser, an updated dynamic token for the smartcup tag;
updating, by the beverage dispenser, the dynamic token of the smartcup tag with the updated dynamic token; and
dispensing, by the beverage dispenser, the beverage in a cup.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smartcup tag is embedded in the cup.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smartcup tag is embedded in a portable item that is separate from the cup.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the portable item includes a card, a fob, a watch, a bracelet, or a phone.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smartcup server computer validates the authenticity of the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token by:
parsing the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token from the smartcup authentication request;
searching a smartcup database for the smartcup identifier; and
comparing the dynamic token to a security token associated with the smartcup identifier, wherein the authenticity of the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token is validated where the dynamic token matches the security token.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the authenticity of the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token is not validated when the dynamic token and the security token do not match.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein if the authenticity of the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token is not validated, the dispense decision is negative and the beverage dispenser does not dispense the beverage.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the updated dynamic token for the smartcup tag further comprises:
parsing, by the beverage dispenser, the updated dynamic token from the smartcup authentication response, wherein the smartcup server computer generates the updated dynamic token and wherein the smartcup server computer stores the updated dynamic token as the security token associated with the smartcup identifier after validating the authenticity of the smartcup identifier and the dynamic token.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the updated dynamic token for the smartcup tag further comprises:
generating, by the beverage dispenser, the updated dynamic token; and
sending, by the beverage dispenser, the updated dynamic token to the smartcup server computer, wherein the smartcup server computer stores the updated dynamic token as the security token associated with the smartcup identifier.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the beverage is selected by a user from a list of options displayed by the beverage dispenser before dispensing the beverage.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the smartcup server computer determines the dispense decision by:
parsing the smartcup identifier from the smartcup authentication request;
searching a smartcup database for the smartcup identifier;
determining a dispense mode associated with the smartcup identifier and validating use conditions for the smartcup authentication request;
determining the dispense decision is affirmative;
updating the use conditions associated with the smartcup identifier;
generating the smartcup authentication response including the dispense decision; and
sending the smartcup authentication response to the beverage dispenser.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the dispense mode includes one of a time limit, a number of dispenses, and a dispense volume.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the use conditions include at least one of an expiration date, an expiration time, a number of dispense credits, and a remaining dispense volume.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
reporting, by the beverage dispenser, beverage dispense information including a brand of the dispensed beverage, an amount of beverage dispensed, and a time of the beverage dispense to the smartcup server computer after dispensing the selected beverage.

Assignees

• Automatic Bar Controls Inc

Inventors

• Martindale William Russell
• La Gloria Nicola

Classifications

• G05B19/042 Primary

  using digital processors (G05B19/05 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B2219/25294

  Part, workpiece, code, tool identification · CPC title

• G06K7/10861

  sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels (postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48) · CPC title

• G06Q50/12

  Hotels or restaurants · CPC title

• G06Q30/0635

  replenishment orders; recurring orders · CPC title