Patent Publication Number: US-2013240084-A1

Title: Vending machine for refilling a container with liquid

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of Provisional Application No. 61/610,190 filed Mar. 13, 2012, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     It has been estimated that Americans drink about thirty gallons per person of bottled water per year. Unfortunately, this consumption has created environmental concerns. The plastic bottles have created a high volume of waste that has overflowed landfills and littered into oceans, rivers, streams, and on land. Plastic bottles further take centuries to decompose and if they are incinerated, toxic byproducts, such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals, are released into the atmosphere. Also, the bottled water requires millions of barrels of oil per year and the transportation of the bottled water from its source to stores releases thousands of tons of carbon dioxide. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following is a brief summary of subject matter that is described in greater detail herein. This summary is not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the claims. A vending machine for refilling a bottle with liquid is provided to help solve the above-mentioned problems. The vending machine includes a refilling station that is configured to receive and refill only a bottle from a set of bottles having the same configuration with the liquid. The vending machine includes a liquid source for supplying the liquid and a payment acceptor that is configured to accept payment to refill the bottle with liquid from the liquid source. A respective bottle from the set of bottles is refilled with liquid from the liquid source when received by the filling station in response to the payment acceptor receiving payment to refill the bottle with liquid from the liquid source. 
     Other aspects will be appreciated upon reading and understanding the attached figures and description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front schematic view of the vending machine according to an exemplary embodiment. 
         FIG. 2A  is a front perspective view of a portion of the vending machine of  FIG. 1  showing the refilling bottle station and related elements with the door in the open position. 
         FIG. 2B  is a view similar to  FIG. 2A  but with the door in the close position and a bottle positioned in the refilling station. 
         FIG. 3  is a front perspective view of a portion of the bottle station with the door in the open position. 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of a portion of the vending machine of  FIG. 1  showing the refilling bottle station and gate and related elements with portions removed for illustrative purposes. 
         FIG. 5  is a view similar to  FIG. 4  but with the bottle inserted in the recess of the platform of the refilling bottle station and the door in the closed position. 
         FIG. 6  is a front schematic view of the interior of the vending machine of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the bottle used in the vending machine of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom view of the bottle of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a front schematic view of the lid of the bottle of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 10  is a block diagram of elements connected to a controller of the vending machine of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Various technologies pertaining to the embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, where like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. In addition, several functional block diagrams of example systems are illustrated and described herein for purposes of explanation; however, it is to be understood that functionality that is described as being carried out by certain system components and devices may be performed by multiple components and devices. Similarly, for instance, a component/device may be configured to perform functionality that is described as being carried out by multiple components/devices. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the water bottle refilling vending machine  20  includes a recess or pocket that defines a bottle refilling station  22  that is configured to accept a water bottle  24  ( FIGS. 2B ,  5 , and  7 ), a display or digital interface  26 , a card reader  28 , and currency acceptor  30 . The card reader  28  is configured to read credit cards, debit cards or other types of payment cards for payment of the fee for refilling the bottle  24  with water. The card reader  28  may be a slide or swipe type reader, a dip type reader or other suitable type of card reader. The card reader  28  may include a slot for accepting the card and a processor  32  for processing the information. The vending machine  20  also includes a wireless internet connection  34  ( FIG. 6 ) to facilitate the credit card payment transaction. The currency acceptor  30  may be configured to accept bills and coins of various types of currency to be used as payment of the fee for refilling the bottle  24  with water. For example, the currency acceptor  30  may have a slot  36  that accepts bills such as one dollar bills and a coin slot  38 , quarters, dimes and nickels. The machine may have other types of payment acceptors such as one that accepts checks as payment. 
     The display or digital interface  26  may be configured to display messages to prompt or direct customers through the purchase of refilling their water bottle  24  with water. The interface  26  may include a touch screen display to allow customer to interact with the interface. Alternatively, or in addition, control buttons may be provided near the interface for the customers to use. The interface  26  may also be an LED interface. The display may display advertisements or prompt customers to sign up to purchase goods or services. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B, and  3 , the bottle refilling station  22  includes a platform  40  on the bottom upon which the bottle  24  rests during refilling of the bottle  24  with water. As seen in  FIGS. 2A and 3 , the platform includes a recess or inset  42  that is shaped to slidingly and snugly fit a similarly shaped lower portion  44  ( FIG. 7 ) of the bottle  24 . In this exemplary embodiment, the recess  42  is defined by a bottom face  46  and six side faces  48 . The side faces  48  of the recess  42  may slope downwardly and radially inwardly. The recess  42  is hexagonally shaped to match and slidingly receive a hexagonally shaped lower portion  44  of the bottle  24  as seen in  FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  5 , and  7 . The lower portion  44  of the bottle converges or tapers towards bottom end  52  to define six beveled side faces  50  that match the six side faces  48  of the recess  42 . The hexagonal shape of the recess and lower portion also prevents rotational movement of the bottle about its longitudinal axis. Other suitable ways of holding the bottle in the bottle refilling station  22  may be used. 
     As seen in  FIG. 8 , each water bottle  24  from a set of similarly shaped water bottles  24  includes a bar code label  54  that is attached by adhesive to bottom end  52  of the bottle  24 . Alternatively, the bar code  56  may be imprinted on the bottom end  52  or provided thereon by other suitable ways. A barcode scanner  58  ( FIGS. 2A and 3 ) is provided at the bottom face  46  of the recess  42  and is configured to read the bar code  56  on the bottom end  52  of the bottle  24 , when the bottle  24  is inserted in the recess  42 , to identify or verify and ensure that the water bottle  24  is from the set of bottles that are only permitted to be used in this system. The set of bottles maybe similarly shaped or have other similar features that identify them as belonging to the set. Alternatively, the vending machine may be configured to receive a variety of bottles of various shapes or configurations. A drain covered by a screen may be provided under the platform to drain water that may be spilled during the refilling process. 
     A sliding door  60  ( FIGS. 2A ,  2 B,  4 , and  5 ) is provided on the front of the bottle refilling station  22  and slidingly connected to the front of the vending machine  20 . The door  60  may be made of transparent plastic or other suitable material for viewing inside the bottle refilling station  22 . The door  60  slides vertically upward (see arrow A) in the open position ( FIG. 2A ) to allow the bottle  24  to be placed in or removed from the recess, and vertically downward in the closed position ( FIG. 2B ) to cover the bottle refilling station  22 . The door  60  is normally in the closed position when the vending machine  20  is not refilling a bottle  24  to prevent dirt or debris from entering the bottle refilling station  22  so as to ensure that the sanitary conditions are maintained in the bottle refilling station  22 . The door  60  may be operatively connected to a door actuator  62  that operates to move the door  60  between the open and close positions in response to certain conditions. Upper and lower door switches  64 ,  66  ( FIGS. 2A and 2B ) are provided on respective upper and lower ends of the bottle refilling station  22  to detect the position of the door  60 . Specifically, the upper door switch  64  detects when the door  60  is moved upward to the open position and sends a signal to programmable logic controller  118  indicating this door position. The lower door switch  66  detects when the door is in the closed and sends a signal to the controller  118  indicating this door position. Alternatively, the door  60  may be moved to the open and closed manually by the user. Also, the door  60  may be alternatively hinged or otherwise pivotally connected to the front of the vending machine  20 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a flexible water line  68  for supplying the water to refill the bottle  24  is positioned in the vending machine  20  just above the bottle refilling station  22 . The water line  68  includes an outlet  70  that is aligned over a top opening  100  of the bottle  24  ( FIG. 5 ) when the bottle is inserted into the recess  42  of the platform  40  of the bottle refilling station  22 . A stainless steel slide gate  72  covers and seals the outlet  70  of the water line  68  to protect the water line  68  from contamination. A gate actuator  74  is operatively connected to the slide gate  72  and is operative to control movement of the gate  72  between a blocked position ( FIG. 4 ) blocking the flow of water from the outlet  70  and an unblocked position unblocking the outlet  70  to allow water to flow out of the outlet  70 . The gate actuator  74  may be an electrically actuated cylinder, solenoid or other suitable actuator. Upon the barcode scanner  58  reading the bar code  56  on bottle  24 , the gate actuator  74  causes the slide gate  72  to slide away from the outlet ( FIG. 5 ) to the unblocked position. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the machine includes an interior  76  in which refillable water containers  78  are positioned. The interior may be accessible by a service door  80  ( FIG. 1 ). The containers  78  may be of any volume such as the standard five gallon volume. The water in the containers  78  may be natural spring water or distilled water. Alternatively or in addition, the vending machine containers  78  may be filled with other types of liquids such as soda, juice, coffee, tea, or sports drinks for refilling bottles  24 . 
     The containers  78  may be placed upon shelves  82  provided in the interior. In this exemplary embodiment, two shelves are positioned to divide the interior into three levels. Each shelf includes four containers  78 . Of course any other suitable number of shelves or containers may be used. The containers  78  may be exchanged with other similar containers  78 . For example, the containers  78  in the interior  76  and may be removed when empty and replaced with other containers filled with water. A water line  84  is fluidly connected to or plumbed from each of the containers to a reservoir  86  at the base of the machine. The reservoir  86  is filled with water from the containers  78 . The containers  78  are located above the reservoir  86  so that the water flows into the containers by gravity. The reservoir  86  may have a volume capacity of of six gallons. An electric powered water pump  88  is fluidly connected to the reservoir  86  and operates to pump water from the reservoir  86  to the outlet  70  of the water supply line  68 . The pump  88  operates after payment is accepted by the vending machine  20 , the barcode  56  on the bottom end  52  of the bottle  24  is verified by the scanner  58 , and the gate  72  is in the unblocked position. A check valve  90  is provided in an inlet  92  of the water line  84 , which is fluidly connected to a respective outlet  94  of each container  78  to prevent water from back flowing into the container  78 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the water bottle  24  is generally hexagonally shaped and includes a curved tapered grip portion  96  just above the middle of the container to aid in gripping the bottle. The water bottle  24  may be conveniently sized for travel by the consumer. The bottle may be a 20 ounce, a 12 ounce or other suitable bottle volume. As depicted in  FIGS. 5 and 9 , a removable lid  102  is threadily secured around the top of the bottle  24 . The lid  102  has an opening  104  that is of larger size than the outlet  70  of the water line  68 . The outlet  70  is aligned with the opening  104  when the lower portion  44  of the bottle  24  is seated in the recess  42  as seen in  FIG. 5 . A cover  106  is pivotally connected via a hinge  108  to an upstanding rim  110  surrounding the opening  104 . The cover  106  can be selectively pivoted between a covered position covering the opening (see phantom lines in  FIG. 9 ) and an uncovered position ( FIGS. 5 and 9 ) away from the opening to expose the entire opening to the outlet. A reflective coating  112  coats the top side of the cover  106  to communicate to the machine as to whether the opening  104  is covered or exposed. In particular, when the cover  106  is in the covered position, the coating  112  will reflect light (e.g. infrared light) shining down from a light source  114  located above the lid to an optical sensor  116  also located above the lid  102 . Upon receiving the light, the optical sensor  116  then sends a signal to the programmable logic controller  118  that the cover  106  is in the closed position. The controller  118  then sends a signal to the actuator  74  to prevent the gate  72  from moving to the unblock position and/or prevent the pump  88  from operating. When the cover  106  is in the open position, no light is reflected by the coating  112  to actuate the optical sensor  116  to send a signal to the controller  118  to prevent the gate  72  from moving to the unblock position and/or prevent the pump  88  from operating. The vending machine may alternatively be configured to refill containers other than bottles such as cups, mugs or glasses. The vending machine  20  may include a climate control system  120  ( FIG. 6 ) that maintains the temperature of the interior between 39 and 42 degrees Fahrenheit. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the programmable logic controller  118  is provided to control the operation of the components of the vending machine  20 . The controller  118  may be a processor, computer or circuitry that controls the operation of the components of the vending machine  20 . The interface  26 , sliding door actuator  62 , gate actuator  74 , card reader  28 , currency acceptor  30 , pump  88 , bar code scanner  58 , door switches  64 ,  66 , and optical sensor  116  are operatively connected to the controller  118 . A recorder  122  may also be operatively connected to the vending machine  20  to record vending activity. The recorder  122  may communicate this activity data to a remote location such as a terminal located at a corporate center or at a location of a vending partner. The activity data may be sent over an internet line or the wireless internet connection  34  to the remote location. 
     In operation, a user approaches the vending machine  20  to refill his or her water bottle  24  with the water. The interface  26  may display a message that prompts the user to enter payment to refill the water bottle  24 . The message may also warn the user that only a particular type of water bottle  24  may be used by the vending machine  20  to refill the water. The user may pay by swiping or inserting a credit or debit card in the card reader  28  and/or by inserting cash into the currency acceptor  30 . Upon receiving the correct payment, the card reader  28  and/or currency acceptor  30  sends a signal to the controller  118 , which in turn sends a control signal to or otherwise causes the sliding door actuator  62  to move the door  60  upward to the open position as seen in  FIG. 2A . The interface  26  may then display a message that prompts the user to place in the water bottle  24  into the recess  42 . The user then places the water bottle  24  in the recess  42  in a position such that the bar code scanner  58  can scan and read the bar code  56 . If the bar code scanner  58  does not detect a valid bar code, the scanner  58  may send a signal to the controller  118 , which in turn may cause the interface  26  to display a message that the bottle  24  is not a bottle belonging to the set of bottles that the vending machine  20  will refill. The operation then stops and the vending machine  20  returns the money or credits the credit or debit card of the user. The controller  118  also receives a signal or no signal from the optical sensor to determine whether the cover  106  on the lid  102  is in the uncovered or covered position. If the controller  118  determines from the optical sensor  116  that the cover  106  is in the covered position, the controller causes the interface  26  to display a message indicating to the user that cover  106  is covered or not opened and stops the operation. The user can then take the bottle  24  out, move the cover  106  to the uncovered position and reposition the bottle  24  in the recess  42 . The vending machine  20  may include a money return button for the user to operate to return his or her money, if the operation of the machine stops before it begins to refill the bottle  24  with water. 
     Upon reading a valid bar code  56 , the bar code scanner  58  sends a signal to the controller  118  that the bar code  56  is valid. In response to a valid bar code signal and determination that the cover  106  is in the uncovered position, the controller  118  sends a signal to the door actuator  62  to move the door  60  in the closed position (i.e. close the door  60 ). In response to the signal by the lower door switch detecting that door  60  is in the closed position and the bar code  56  is valid, the controller  118  sends a signal to the gate actuator  74  to move the gate  72  to the unblocking position (i.e. open the gate). In response to the valid bar code signal, the signal that the door  60  is in the closed position, and the signal from the gate actuator  74  that the gate  72  is in the unblocked position, the controller  118  sends a signal to the pump  88  to operate the pump  88 . The pump  88  operates to fill the bottle  24  with water from the reservoir  86  and stops operating by the controller  118  when the water is at a predetermined volume. The predetermined volume may be programmed in the memory of controller  118 . After the bottle  24  is filled with water, the controller  118  causes the gate actuator  74  to close or move the gate  72  in the blocked position and then causes the door actuator  62  to move the door  60  in the open position. After the user removes the bottle, the controller  118  causes the door actuator to move the door to the close position. Alternatively, the interface  26  may prompt the user to pay after the barcode scanner  58  scans a valid code and the optical sensor determines that the cover  106  is opened in the uncovered position. In this case, once payment is received, the controller  118  causes the gate actuator  74  to open or move the gate  72  in the unblocked position and the pump  88  to operate to fill the bottle  24  with water from the reservoir  86 . 
     The vending machine will be located in settings such as convenience stores, parks, learning institutions, and various other public and private settings. The vending machine may be conveniently located next to a vending machine or retail store that sells the water bottles that can be refilled with water by the vending machine. By having the same bottle be refilled with water, this vending machine reduces the environmental waste generated by the empty bottles and also appeals to the environmental concerns of the consumer. This maximizes health to the both the consumer and the environment. 
     It is noted that several examples have been provided for purposes of explanation. These examples are not to be construed as limiting the hereto-appended claims. Additionally, it may be recognized that the examples provided herein may be permutated while still falling under the scope of the claims.