Patent ID: 8655485

Claim:
A refrigerated vending system for installation in a taxicab, the taxicab having a driver area, a trunk area, and a rear passenger salon having a rear passenger seat, the vending system comprising: a refrigerated vending machine disposed in the trunk area, the vending machine being capable of vending items stored within the vending machine; an elevator in communication with the refrigerated vending machine and in communication with the rear passenger salon, wherein the elevator receives a vended item from the vending machine at a first position in the trunk area and is capable of moving a vended item to a second position that is accessible from the rear passenger salon; wherein the taxicab includes a rear deck extending behind the rear passenger seat and separating the trunk area and the rear passenger salon, the elevator having a duct that has one end in communication with the vending machine and the duct extends through an access defined by the rear deck into the passenger salon at a location behind the rear passenger seat so that the other end of the duct is in communication with the rear passenger salon; a user interface accessible from the rear passenger salon, the user interface having a display for displaying information and selection controls corresponding to the information displayed on the display; a processor; a memory; at least one module comprising code stored in the memory and executable in the processor so as to: update the display with information concerning the items stored within the vending machine; and respond to the selection controls of the user interface by causing the vended item to move to the first position and thereafter causing the elevator to move to the second position.