Patent ID: 6959230

Claim:
A process for controlling the operation of a vending machine based on the amount of credit entered without the necessity for hardwired connections between all of the components of the vending machine, the vending machine including a machine control component operable to control other vending machine components, the process including, establishing a way to transmit and receive signals over a wireless communications bus within the vending machine to control the performance of a vend operation, including providing a communications and control system for effecting an interchange of information between and among a plurality of the vending machine components over the wireless communications bus, said communications and control system including, for each of a plurality of the vending machine components, an associated receiver portion for receiving short distance communication signals transmitted over said wireless communications bus by others of said plurality of vending machine components and a transmitter portion for transmitting over said wireless communications bus short distance communications signals that can be received by the receiver portions of others of said plurality of vending machine components, said plurality of vending machine components being disposed within the vending machine to define a peer-to-peer network for the point-to-point interchange of information with others of said plurality of vending machine components over said wireless communications bus, establishing an entry of credit, effecting a vend operation depending upon the amount of credit entered and the cost of the operation, said machine control portion of said communications and control system being operable to establish the amount of credit entered in excess of the vend operation effected in order to determine an amount of credit to be returned to the customer in excess of the cost of the operation effected, at least certain of the actions of said plurality of vending machine components including the interchange of information over said wireless communications bus.