Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/862,738, filed on Oct. 24, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/974,900, filed on Sep. 25, 2007. The disclosures of these applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    New payment modes have been added to vending machines over time as vending items became more expensive, and as the technology for reliable bill validators and card readers developed. Thus, for example, modern day vending machines may contain a coin slot for depositing coins, a bill entryway for inserting paper currency, and a card reader opening for inserting a debit or credit card. 
         [0003]    Customarily, a separate bezel for each form of payment having an insertion slot or opening has been attached to the front panel of a vending machine. For example, payment acceptance devices for coins, bills and cards each are connected to separate bezels, with the three bezels located on the right side of the front panel. This area is sometimes referred to as the control panel. 
         [0004]    As new forms of payment acceptance devices have been retrofit to existing machines, it has become more difficult to attach them to the control panel because the amount of space available is finite, and because of internal component space restrictions. Thus, some vending machines have bezels with currency insertion slots and/or credit card swipe slots located in areas other than the control panel. Consequently, one type of vending machine may differ from another by having bezels connected in different designated areas for payment, by accepting different forms of payment, and further may be marked in an entirely different manner. 
         [0005]    In view of the various available bezel arrangements, consumers can become confused when it comes to the method and types of acceptable payments to enable a vend. Such non-uniformity may frustrate a customer, resulting in lost profits by the vending machine owners. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example of area allocation on a bezel  10  according to the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating the relative positioning of the various components according to the example of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates an example of a flashing sequence of LEDs. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view of a bezel assembly installed on a bill validator in an upstacker version. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  illustrates the bezel assembly of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of the bezel assembly and bill validator of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of the bezel assembly of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  is a section view of the bezel assembly of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  is an isometric view of a bezel assembly installed on a bill validator in an downstacker version. 
           [0015]      FIG. 10  illustrates the bezel assembly of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 11  illustrates a front view of the bezel assembly and bill validator of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 12  is an exploded view of the bezel assembly of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 13  is a section view of the bezel assembly of  FIG. 9 . 
       
    
    
     SUMMARY 
       [0019]    Various aspects of the invention are set forth in the claims. 
         [0020]    For example, in one aspect, a multi media payment device includes a banknote acceptor (e.g., a bill validator) and a RF card reader. In some implementations, the device further includes a magnetic card reader. 
         [0021]    The disclosure also describes a bezel assembly for connection to a bill validator. The bezel includes a reader unit to read a contactless chip card. In some implementations, the reader unit also is operable to read a magnetic swipe card. The bezel assembly can include a first slot for insertion of a bill, a second slot for swiping a magnetic swipe card, and a loop antenna to read a contactless chip card placed in proximity to the bezel assembly. 
         [0022]    A vending machine can be upgraded with the capability of reading contactless chip cards and magnetic swipe cards by installing a bezel assembly comprising hardware to read the contactless chip cards and magnetic swipe cards connecting the bezel assembly to an input port of a data collecting module. 
         [0023]    By integrating a contactless smart card reader into the bezel assembly of a banknote validator to be connected to a vending machine, some implementations facilitate reading contactless smart cards for credit card applications in the vending machine. 
         [0024]    Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0025]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example of area allocation on a bezel assembly  10  that includes a contactless smart card reader integrated into the bezel of a banknote acceptor (e.g., a validator) configured for connection to a vending machine.  FIG. 2  is a side view illustrating the relative positioning of the various components. 
         [0026]    The bezel assembly  10  includes a horizontal slot  12  for the insertion of banknotes into the validator, which is connected to the control board of the vending machine that manages the credit and the vending of goods or services. 
         [0027]    The bezel assembly  10  also includes a vertical slot  14 , which partly overlaps the bill slot  12 . When a credit card (or other type of card) having a magnetic stripe is swiped through the vertical slot, information stored by the magnetic stripe is read by the card reader, which includes a low profile magnetic head  16 . The card reader is separate from the bill validator processing unit and is connected directly to a data processing module which, apart from other vending machine audit functions, processes the card data and connects to a network such as a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) to contact a server and process the credit card operations. 
         [0028]    The card reader also includes an antenna loop  18  to read information stored in a contactless smart card  26  containing a radio frequency (RF) microchip  28  ( FIG. 2 ). The smart card  26  can be conform, for example, to ISO standard 14403. The antenna  18  is made, for example, of a multi-layer printed circuit board and should be located in very close proximity to the location where the user will present the smart card  26  to the machine (e.g., approximately at the center of the bezel area, which should correspond to the gravity center of the antenna loop). Thus, the antenna  18  should be close to the front wall of the bezel assembly  10 . 
         [0029]    The bezel assembly  10  further includes a display to provide information or instructions to the user, and a button  22  that can be pressed to allow a customer to terminate or cancel the transaction. The display, which can be implemented, for example, as an alpha-numeric display or a dot matrix graphic display, should be located at the front of the bezel assembly so as to be visible to the user. 
         [0030]    The approximate size of the aperture for the bezel assembly in a typical vending machine in the United States is about 86 mm by 108 mm, although the precise dimensions vary slightly among manufacturers. In a particular implementation, the aspect ratio of the bezel assembly is about 84.5 mm by 107.5 mm. Thus, the bezel assembly has an external form factor that is compatible with an industry standard footprint. 
         [0031]    The various components compete for the real estate space available for the bezel assembly. For example, the capability to read a smart card without contact at a minimum distance from the antenna  18  imposes a minimum size to the antenna, which may be larger than the available aperture for the bezel assembly. To accommodate the components, some of the components overlap one another at least partially. That needs to be accomplished, however, without altering their operability in an undesirable way. 
         [0032]    A viable implementation can be obtained by sizing the antenna loop  18  to approximately the available area of the aperture remaining after space has been allocated to the bill entry slot  12  and the magnetic stripe slot  14 , and laying the display  20  on top of it in an overlapping fashion. The display  20  should be sufficiently thin to minimize the spacing it creates between the antenna  18  and a smart card held by a customer in front of the bezel. For example, a suitable display technology can be implemented using chip-on-glass LCD technology. Such a display uses back-lighting, which can be obtained by integrating light emitting diodes (“LEDs”)  30  on the printed circuit board (“PCB”) for the antenna  18 . 
         [0033]    The typical radiating area of the antenna  18  is a loop around the perimeter of a rectangular area. In some implementations, the internal area defined by the loop is empty. Alternatively, as in the illustrated example, the internal area defined by the loop can be used for other components (e.g., the cancel button  22  and back-lighting LEDs  30 ), so long as those other components create minimum interference with the optimum, or desired, radiation pattern. In the illustrated layout of  FIG. 2 , the size of the antenna PCB is approximately 64.2 mm by 61.85 mm. 
         [0034]    Reading and decoding of the credit card or smart card information is performed by a controller that includes a microcomputer mounted on a control board  24  ( FIG. 2 ) installed in the bezel assembly  10 . Each of the magnetic head  16 , the antenna loop  18 , the cancel button  22 , the display  20 , the back-lighting LEDs  30  and a light pipe strip (discussed below) is electrically connected to the controller. The controller is connected to a data processing unit installed as a module of the vending machine. The controller and the data processing unit interact, for example, via a serial protocol and a set of command language. For compatibility with existing systems, the card reader controller can connect to the same port that earlier designs used for a single magnetic card swipe reader. Depending on the type of card presented by the user, the controller reads either the contact-less smart card chip data or the swipe card data. In the case of a smart card, the controller authenticates the card using public and private encryption keys. 
         [0035]    Another feature of the bezel assembly provides a predetermined visual effect through use of a light pipe strip  32  on the side of the credit card swipe slot  14 . The light pipe strip  32  includes a set of LEDs flashing in accordance with a predetermined sequence. Illuminating sections of the light pipe  32  in this manner creates the effect of an airplane runway strip and suggests the direction of movement for insertion of a credit card in the swipe slot  14 . The molded light pipe elements can be made, for example, of a material with a volume diffusion property such as the commercially available material sold under the trade name Acrylite™. Use of a volume diffusing material can produce a more aesthetically pleasing effect than surface texturing, which can leave visual hotspots. An example of a flashing sequence of the LEDs is illustrated in  FIG. 3  for three times T 1 , T 2  and T 3 , where T 1 &lt;T 2 &lt;T 3 . The sequential flashing is repeatedly performed. Thus, at least some of the indicator lights (LEDs) are operable to flash in a strobe pattern and sequence to create an optical illusion of motion. 
         [0036]    The bezel assembly also can include an optical light pipe that directs light emitted by status LEDs mounted on the banknote acceptor chassis to the front face of the bezel assembly. This feature is useful because it facilitates the design of the bezel assembly as a standalone accessory that can be retrofitted to banknote acceptors already in service. The light from the status LEDs and appearing at the front face of the bezel assembly can be used by service personnel for diagnostic purposes. 
         [0037]    The bezel assembly further can be equipped with a small audio buzzer to provide additional feedback to the user about the progress of the transaction and to enable the system to conform to common user interface standards. 
         [0038]      FIG. 4  illustrates a bezel assembly  100  installed on a bill validator  102 . A removable cassette  104  receives, stacks and stores bills received from the validator  102 . The cassette  104  is attached to the validator  102  in an “upstacker” version.  FIGS. 5 ,  6 ,  7  and  8  illustrate additional views and details of the components according to the upstacker version. As shown in the example of  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the bezel assembly  100  includes a bezel  128 , a control PCB  112  and an antenna board  140 . The control PCB  112  controls the card reading devices and bezel lights. 
         [0039]    Components for the display include a Hantronix HDG1602F-1 chip-on-glass flat display  143 , a lens  142 , a light bar  147  for backlighting, a transmissive right angle film (“TRAF”)  145  and an enhanced specular reflector (“ESR”)-PT film  146 , both of which are commercially available from 3M. In addition, a prism  138  serves as a light pipe to direct light from status LEDs to the front face of the bezel  128 . 
         [0040]    Components for the credit card reader include a card swipe channel  130 , a LED PCB  133  and a light bar  135 . 
         [0041]    Other features of the upstacker version include the an upper spacer plate  137 , a spring  114  connected to the vend cancel button  132 , and an antenna holder  131 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 9  illustrates a bezel assembly  200  installed on a bill validator  202 . A removable cassette  104  receives, stacks and stores bills received from the validator  202 . The cassette  204  is attached to the validator  202  in an “downstacker” version.  FIGS. 10 ,  11 ,  12  and  13  illustrate additional views and details of the components according to the downstacker version. As shown in the example of  FIGS. 12 and 13 , the bezel assembly  200  includes a bezel  225 , a control board  224  and an antenna assembly  223 . 
         [0043]    Components for the display include a LCD display  222 , a display holder  228  and a backlight PCB  229 . In the downstacker version, the display  222  is at an upward angle to facilitate viewing of displayed information by a customer. In addition, a prism  232  serves as a light pipe to direct light from status LEDs to the front face of the bezel  225 . 
         [0044]    Components for the credit card reader include a card swipe channel  234 , a magnetic head  226  and a spring  237 . 
         [0045]    Other features of the downstacker version include a vend cancel button  231 , a bezel insert  227 , an antenna and control board holder  230  and a bezel plate  233 . 
         [0046]    Various modifications can be made to the foregoing example(s) without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of the claims.

Technology Category: 4