Large bottle vending apparatus and method
OwnerR. Edward Rose, JR., R. Edward Rose, III +1inventors
InventorsR. Edward Rose, JR., R. Edward Rose, III, Michael James Verrochi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A combination vending/return apparatus and method. The apparatus includes a combination of rows and columns for receiving, storing and dispensing unfilled and filled large-volume fluid-containing bottles from and to consumers. The apparatus includes a processor-controlled vending keyboard/screen for making bottle selections for purchase and returns, and to handle electronic payment and credit transactions. Also disclosed is a method to vend large-volume fluid-containing bottles and retrieve used and emptied large-volume water bottles.
Claims21
A combination bottle vending/return apparatus comprising:
- an enclosure comprising a front wall, a back wall, and side walls that connect the front wall to the back wall;
- at least one bottle vending conveyor secured in the enclosure and configured to support and deliver fluid-filled bottles;
- at least one bottle return conveyor secured in the enclosure and superposed about the at least one bottle vending conveyor, wherein the return conveyor is configured to support and hold return bottles;
- a customer interface panel configured to permit customer-initiated bottle vend and/or return transactions;
- and,
- a processor connected to the interface panel to send and receive signals to and from the interface panel and connected to a credit/debit/pre-paid card processor.
A combination bottle vending/return apparatus comprising:
- an enclosure comprising a front wall, a back wall, and side walls that connect the front wall to the back wall;
- a secondary back wall spaced away from the back wall;
- at least one column of a plurality of bottle vending conveyors secured in the enclosure and configured to support and deliver fluid-filled bottles, wherein one of the plurality of vending conveyors is a top vending conveyor positioned above the other vending conveyor(s), and wherein the top vending conveyor extends from the front wall to a plane separated from the secondary back wall, wherein the space defined between the secondary back wall and a back end of the top vending conveyor is larger than the cross-sectional diameter of a bottle configured for use in the apparatus;
- at least one bottle return conveyor secured in the enclosure and superposed about the plurality of vending conveyors, wherein the return conveyor is configured to support and hold return bottles;
- a customer interface panel configured to permit customer-initiated bottle vend and/or return transactions;
- and,
- a processor connected to the interface panel to send and receive signals to and from the interface panel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.