Environmentally controlled vending machine for humidity sensitive products

An environmentally controlled vending machine for selectively dispensing humidity sensitive products, comprising:

• a housing;
• a holding mechanism disposed within said housing for storing products in a manner for selective dispensement;
• a button operatively connected to said holding mechanism for enabling the dispensing from said holding mechanism of a selected product;
• and
• a microprocessor for monitoring and adaptively controlling environmental conditions within said housing to maintain a target temperature and a target humidity.

A method of controlling an environment within a vending machine for dispensing humidity sensitive products, comprising the steps of:

• storing said humidity sensitive products in a holding mechanism;
• enabling the dispensing from said holding mechanism of a selected product;
• monitoring humidity and at least one environmental parameter in said vending machine;
• with a microprocessor, evaluating a first difference between said monitored at least one environmental parameter and a target value defined for said at least one environmental parameter and evaluating a second difference between the monitored humidity and a target value defined for the humidity;
• and
• adjusting said at least one environmental parameter and the humidity to minimize said first difference and said second difference.

An environmentally controlled vending machine for dispensing humidity sensitive products comprising:

• a housing;
• a holding mechanism within said housing for storing products in a manner for selective dispensement;
• a selection mechanism operatively associated with said holding mechanism configured to facilitate the dispensing from said holding mechanism of a selected product;
• a sensor for monitoring humidity and at least one environmental parameter within said housing;
• processing means in communication with said sensor for obtaining a differential value approximately equal to a difference between said monitored at least one environmental parameter and a target value defined for said at least one environmental parameter;
• means in communication with said processing means for adjusting said at least one environmental parameter to minimize said differential value;
• an ultrasonic humidifier in communication with said processing means for maintaining said humidity;
• and
• a deionizer to supply said ultrasonic humidifier with deionized water.

An environmentally controlled vending machine for dispensing humidity sensitive products comprising:

• a housing;
• a holding mechanism disposed within said housing for storing products in a manner for selective dispensement;
• a button operatively connected to said holding mechanism for enabling the dispensing from said holding mechanism of a selected product;
• means for monitoring and adaptively controlling environmental conditions within said housing to maintain a target temperature and a target humidity;
• an ultrasonic humidifier in communication with said means for monitoring and adaptively controlling environmental conditions for maintaining said target humidity;
• and
• a deionizer to supply said ultrasonic humidifier with deionized water.

A method of controlling an environment within a vending machine for dispensing humidity sensitive products, comprising the steps of:

• storing said humidity sensitive products in a holding mechanism;
• enabling a dispensing from said holding mechanism of a selected product;
• monitoring humidity and at least one environmental parameter in said vending machine;
• evaluating a difference between said at least one environmental parameter and the humidity using a target value defined for each said at least one environmental parameter and the humidity;
• adjusting said at least one environmental parameter and the humidity to minimize said difference, wherein the humidity is adjusted using a humidifier;
• and
• deionizing water and supplying said water to said humidifier.