Patent ID: 8380347

Claim:
A method comprising the steps of: providing a vending machine having a plurality of product dispensing devices, each of the product dispensing devices has a product dispensing location which holds the next product to be dispensed from the product dispensing device and a plurality of product storage locations which hold products to be sequentially moved to the product dispensing location after the next product to be dispensed is moved from the product dispensing location, positioning products in the product dispensing locations and in the product storage locations, thereafter, operating a plurality of imaging devices disposed in the vending machine to obtain visual images of the next products to be dispensed from each of the product dispensing locations in the product dispensing devices, comparing features of the visual images of each of the next products to be dispensed from the dispensing locations in the product dispensing devices to a data base of features to determine the identity of the next product to be dispensed from each of the dispensing devices, thereafter, moving the next product to be dispensed from the product dispensing location in one of the product dispensing devices to a product retrieval location where a customer has access to the product, moving a second product from a storage location in the one product dispensing device to the product dispensing location in the one product dispensing device, operating one imaging device of the plurality of imaging devices to obtain a visual image of the second product at the dispensing location in the one dispensing device, and comparing features of the visual image of the second product to the data base of features to determine the identity of the second product.