System for the remote monitoring of vending machines

A system for the remote monitoring of sensors in a coin-operated vending machine and for automatically communicating the condition of said sensors to a central computer complex comprising:

• a plurality of storage compartments for containing products to be vended;
• means for sensing each vend of a product from each of said compartments;
• changer means for dispensing the correct change to a customer in response to the request for a selected vend accompanied by the insertion into a coin slot of an amount of coinage in excess of that required for the selected vend, said changer means generating a changer return signal during the period that change is being dispensed;
• means for sensing the presence or absence of a vend during and following the dispensing period of said change;
• and
• means for generating and transmitting an alarm signal to said central computer complex in the absence of a sensed vend during and following said change dispensing period.

A system for the remote monitoring of sensors in a vending machine and for automatically communicating the condition of said sensors to a central computer complex comprising:

• a plurality of storage compartments for containing products to be vended;
• means for sensing each vend of a product from each of said compartments;
• register means for counting the total number of vends from each of said compartments;
• vend actuator means associated with each of said storage compartments for causing a vend from said compartments when said associated vend actuator means is on;
• sold-out sensor means associated with each of said storage compartments for generating a sold-out signal when the last product in said compartment has been dispensed;
• logic means for determining which of said vend actuator means was on when a sold-out signal was generated to correlate said sold-out signal to a specific storage compartment;
• and
• said central computer complex including;
• means for scanning inventory records for said respective columns stored in the memory thereof at the time of occurrence of a sold-out signal for said column;
• and
• means for classifying said sold-out signal as a sold-out condition when said inventory records indicate a near empty condition for the column and as a jam condition when said inventory records do not indicate a near empty condition for that column.