Interactive vending machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11354965-B2
Application number	US-201816179327-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2018
Priority date	Nov 2, 2018
Publication date	Jun 7, 2022
Grant date	Jun 7, 2022

Abstract

A vending machine has an interactive customer experience. Some embodiments of the vending machine include a transparent front wall with a plurality of display units located behind the front wall. Each of the display units may contain an example of a product available for vending. Based on input received from a customer and other information, the vending machine may provide a recommendation for a product or products to select for purchase. The vending machine may highlight the recommendation by selectively illuminating the product display units that contain the recommended products.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vending machine, comprising:
a housing;
a display section disposed in a front portion of the housing, the display section comprising a plurality of display units configured to contain a product such that the product is visible from an exterior of the housing;
a transparency control element disposed in the front portion configured to selectively vary the transparency of a portion of a front wall through which at least one of the plurality of display units are visible;
a product storage section disposed in a rear portion of the housing configured to releasably store a plurality of the products;
a plurality of display products, each of the plurality of display products disposed in one of the plurality of display units;
a delivery portal disposed on a front of the housing such that the delivery portal is horizontally centered on a front wall of the housing;
a user interface disposed on the housing;
a controller configured to receive input from the user interface and to display a product recommendation based on the input by commanding the transparency control element to selectively modify the transparency of the front portion corresponding to the product recommendation to make the display unit containing the product corresponding to the product recommendation visible through the front portion, wherein the product recommendation is different from the input; and
a product delivery system disposed in the product storage section configured to deliver the product from the product storage section to the delivery portal, wherein any of the products disposed in the display units are not able to be delivered to the delivery portal.

2. The vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the product display units are rectangular in shape and are arranged in a grid pattern.

3. The vending machine of claim 1 , wherein at least one of each of the products disposed in the rear portion is disposed in one of the display units.

4. The vending machine of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of display lights configured to selectively illuminate each of the plurality of display units.

5. The vending machine of claim 1 , wherein the user interface is disposed on the front portion.

6. The vending machine of claim 4 , wherein the controller is configured to display the product recommendation by selectively illuminating the display units that contain the recommended products using the display lights.

7. A vending machine with an interactive product display, comprising:
a housing comprising a transparent portion;
a display unit disposed inside the housing, wherein the display unit comprises a wall that separates an interior of the display unit from an interior of an adjacent display unit disposed inside the housing, wherein the display unit is configured to hold a product, and wherein the display unit is visible from an exterior of the housing;
a display light disposed inside the display unit that is configured to illuminate the display unit;
a product storage system disposed in the housing, wherein the product storage system is configured to releasably store a plurality of products;
a delivery portal disposed on the housing;
a user interface disposed on the housing;
a product delivery system disposed in the housing configured to deliver one of the plurality of products from the product storage section to the delivery portal; and
a controller, wherein the controller is operatively linked to the display light, and wherein the controller is configured to illuminate the display light in response to a query received by the user interface, wherein the controller is further configured to display a product recommendation based on an input from a user by commanding a transparency control element to selectively modify the transparency of the front portion to make the product in the display unit that corresponds to the product recommendation visible from the exterior of the housing, wherein the product recommendation is different from the input.

8. The product dispenser of claim 7 further comprising:
a plurality of display units; and
a plurality of display lights configured to illuminate the plurality of display units.

9. A vending machine, comprising:
a housing;
a display section disposed in a front portion of the housing, the display section comprising a plurality of display units configured to contain a product such that the product is visible from the exterior of the housing through a front wall of the housing;
a product storage section disposed in a rear portion of the housing configured to releasably store a plurality of the products;
a delivery portal disposed on the front portion of the housing;
a user interface disposed on the exterior of the front portion of the housing;
a controller configured to receive an input from the user interface and to display a product recommendation that is different from the input and that is based on the input by selectively reducing the transparency of portions of the front wall corresponding to products that are not recommended when displaying the product recommendation; and
a product delivery system disposed in the product storage section configured to deliver the product from the product storage section to the delivery portal, wherein any of the products disposed in the display units are not able to be delivered to the delivery portal.

10. The vending machine of claim 9 , wherein the product display units are rectangular in shape and are arranged in a grid pattern.

11. The vending machine of claim 9 , wherein at least one of each of the products disposed in a rear portion is disposed in one of the display units.

12. The vending machine of claim 9 , further comprising a plurality of display lights configured to selectively illuminate each of the plurality of display units.

13. The vending machine of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to display the product recommendation by selectively illuminating the display units that contain the recommended products using the display lights.

Assignees

• Pepsico Inc

Inventors

• Jafa Emad
• Li Xuejun
• Serock Yong
• Lau Cheuk Chi
• Mitchell Martyn Thomas
• Morrison Euan
• Chan Wai Ting
• Johnstone Samuel Luke
• Williams Erik David

Classifications

• G06Q30/0631 Primary

  Recommending goods or services · CPC title

• G07F11/62

  in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles · CPC title

• G07F9/10

  Casings {or parts thereof}, e.g. with means for heating or cooling · CPC title

• G07F9/0235

  the arrangements being full-front touchscreens · CPC title

• G07F9/006

  Details of the software used for the vending machines · CPC title