US-20260127568-A1 - SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMOTE ACTUATION OF A BULK VENDING MACHINE SYSTEM

US20260127568A1US 20260127568 A1US20260127568 A1US 20260127568A1US-20260127568-A1

Abstract

Electronic bulk vending machine assemblies and systems for remote actuation. A method includes receiving an indication that a payment has been processed for a product stored in a vending machine, wherein the vending machine is one of a plurality of vending machines in electronic communication with an electronic vending controller. The method includes providing a notification to the electronic vending controller indicating the payment for the product was processed. The method includes instructing the electronic vending controller to actuate a disbursement mechanism for the vending machine to automatically disburse the product.

Inventors

Gary Mills
Wayne Varga

Assignees

Gary Mills
Wayne Varga

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250616

Claims (20)

1 . A method comprising: receiving by a remote server an indication that a payment has been processed for a product stored in a vending machine, wherein the vending machine is one of a plurality of vending machines in electronic communication with an electronic vending controller; providing a notification to the electronic vending controller indicating the payment for the product was processed; and instructing the electronic vending controller to actuate a disbursement mechanism for the vending machine to automatically disburse the product; wherein there is bi-directional electronic communication between the remote server and the electronic vending controller, such that the remote server tracks inventory for the plurality of vending machines.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising rendering a graphical user interface of a customer platform associated with the plurality of vending machines in electronic communication with the electronic vending controller, wherein the customer platform comprises: an indication of current inventory available in the plurality of vending machines; an indication of pricing for the current inventory available in the plurality of vending machines; and an electronic commerce interface enabling a customer to purchase one or more products from the plurality of vending machines.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising rendering a graphical user interface of an administrator platform associated with the plurality of vending machines in electronic communication with the electronic vending controller, wherein the administrator platform comprises: an indication of current inventory available in the plurality of vending machines; an indication of pricing for the current inventory available in the plurality of vending machines; an indication of sensor data output by one or more of the electronic vending controller or any of the plurality of vending machines; and an indication of operational issues or maintenance alerts for the electronic vending controller or any of the plurality of vending machines.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic vending controller comprises a microcontroller executing bidirectional communication with the remote server, and wherein the method further comprises rendering, by the remote server, a customer platform to be displayed on one or more of: a display for the electronic vending controller; an application; or a web browser.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein rendering the customer platform comprises establishing an Application Program Interface (API) integration with a third-party payment processor to enable web-based payment for any products stored in the plurality of vending machines.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the indication that the payment has been processed comprises receiving confirmation from a third-party payment processor that the payment for the product has been executed.
7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving operational sensor data from the electronic vending controller indicating a current health of the electronic vending controller or any of the plurality of vending machines, wherein the sensor data comprises one or more of: a temperature output by a temperature sensor installed in any of the plurality of vending machines or the electronic vending controller; or a vibration reading output by a vibration sensor installed in any of the plurality of vending machines or the electronic vending controller.
8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving inventory sensor data from the electronic vending controller, wherein the inventory sensor data comprises one or more of: a product weight output by a weight sensor installed in any of the plurality of vending machines; an indication that an infrared beam sensor confirmed a product was disbursed from any of the plurality of vending machines; or an image of products stored within any of the plurality of vending machines.
9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving inventory sensor data from the electronic vending controller, wherein the inventory sensor data comprises information output by one or more of a magnetic sensor, a radio-frequency identification sensor, or a near field communication sensor indicating that a product has been disbursed from any of the plurality of vending machines.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the electronic vending controller to actuate the disbursement mechanism comprises instructing a microcontroller of the electronic vending controller to send an electrical pulse or digital command to a motor installed in the vending machine to cause the vending machine to disburse the product.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein instructing the electronic vending controller to actuate the disbursement mechanism comprises instructing a microcontroller of the electronic vending controller to send an electrical pulse or digital comment to a solenoid installed in the vending machine to cause the vending machine to disburse the product.
12 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving temperature sensor data from the electronic vending controller indicating a current temperature of any of the plurality of vending machines; determining the temperature sensor data exceeds a temperature threshold for optimal operation of the plurality of vending machines; and generating a notification for an administrator of the electronic vending controller indicating that at least one of the plurality of vending machines is overheated.
13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: tracking current inventory of the plurality of vending machines based upon inventory data output by a plurality of inventory sensors installed in the plurality of vending machines; determining that current product inventory of at least one of the plurality of vending machines fails to meet an inventory threshold; and generating a notification for an administrator of the electronic vending controller indicating the current product inventory of the at least one of the plurality of vending machines fails to meet the inventory threshold.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the payment is processed by way of one or more of credit card payment, mobile wallet payment, or bank transfer payment.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of vending machines comprises one or more of: a gravity-feed vending machine comprising a gate control; a spiral dispenser; a drop shelf system; a pusher mechanism; a conveyer belt system; a lift system; or a rotating drum system.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of vending machines comprises a gravity-feed vending machine system comprising a gate control.
17 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: rendering a customer interface for the electronic vending controller, wherein the customer interface comprises an indication of current inventory available across the plurality of vending machines; receiving a product selection from a user, wherein the product selection comprises the product stored in the vending machine; and initiating payment for the product by way of an Application Program Interface integration with a third-party payment processor.
18 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving an indication from the electronic vending controller that the disbursement mechanism for the vending machine successfully disbursed the product; and decrementing an inventory quantity for the vending machine based upon the successful disbursement of the product.
19 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving an indication from the electronic vending controller that the disbursement mechanism for the vending machine did not successfully disburse the product; and automatically initiating a payment refund based upon the unsuccessful disbursement of the product.
20 . A system comprising: an electronic vending controller in communication with a plurality of vending machines; and a remote server in communication with the electronic vending controller, wherein the server executes instructions stored in non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising: receiving an indication that a payment has been processed for a product stored in a first vending machine of the plurality of vending machines providing a notification to the electronic vending controller indicating the payment for the product was processed; and instructing the electronic vending controller to actuate a disbursement mechanism for the first vending machine to automatically disburse the product.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/660,000, filed Jun. 14, 2025, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, including but not limited to those portions that specifically appear hereinafter, the incorporation by reference being made with the following exception: In the event that any portion of the above-referenced provisional application is inconsistent with this application, this application supersedes said above-referenced provisional application. TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure relates generally to computer-based communications and particularly to communications between a remote server and an electronic bulk vending machine assembly. BACKGROUND Many in-person retail establishments include coin-operated vending machines that may be utilized to disburse candies, toys, snacks, and other articles. These vending machines typically rely on gravity-fed disbursement to enable the purchased article to fall into a disbursement channel and then be retrieved by a user. These vending machines have a long history of being enjoyed by users of many ages but have seen decreased use as customers have increasingly moved to electronic payment methods and are less likely to have coins or cash on-hand. Some conventional vending machines have been developed that allow for electronic payment methods. However, these conventional vending machines typically require onsite processing with a credit card or other electronic payment means. These conventional vending machines do not allow for remote management, aggregation, shopping, and payment processing of a plurality of independent vending machines that are located at different geographical locations. Additionally, these conventional vending machines do not allow for aggregating data from a plurality of gravity-fed vending machines and then assessing the data to determine sales metrics for various vending products. In view of the foregoing, disclosed herein are systems, methods, and devices for automated electronic bulk vending machines, and further for remote management, payment processing, and actuation of the electronic bulk vending machines. The systems, methods, and devices described herein may be leveraged to render a product interface to enable a user to select a vending product through a computing device, and then cause a vending machine to automatically disburse the selected product or enable the user to disburse the selected product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Non-limiting and non-exhaustive implementations of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. Advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood with regard to the following description and accompanying drawings where: FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system for remotely communicating with and actuating an electronic bulk vending machine assembly that includes an electronic vending controller; FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a system for remotely communicating with and actuating an electronic bulk vending machine assembly that includes an electronic vending controller; FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a process flow for receiving a product selection, initiating payment processing, and electronically initiating disbursement of a product from an electronic bulk vending machine assembly; FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary electronic bulk vending machine assembly that includes an electronic vending controller capable of communicating with a server by way of a network interface; FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating exemplary components and functionalities of a device aggregation platform that provides a customer interface and an administrator interface for managing and electronic bulk vending machine assembly; FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a system and process flow for automatically redirecting to a product interface and then processing an order for a product available at an electronic bulk vending machine assembly; FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a system and process flow for automatically redirecting to a product interface and then processing an order for a product available at an electronic bulk vending machine assembly; FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a method flow for automatically redirecting to a product interface and then processing an order for a product available at an electronic bulk vending machine assembly; and FIG. 9 illustrates components of an example computing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and devices for facilitating communications between an electronic bulk vending machine and an offsite server. Further described herein are systems, methods, and devices for improved data aggregation and data analysis regarding the sales and disburse