A system for dispensing one or more products can include one or more product containers, each with a port for dispensing a product, a housing with one or more container cavities for removably receiving the product containers, one or more quantity sensors for detecting a quantity of product within one or more product containers, one or more actuators for dispensing product from one or more product containers, and a controller configured to monitor or control one or more aspects of the system.

Described herein are a cash register and a ticket vending mechanism that require little or no merchant infrastructure resulting in dramatic cost reduction for merchants. These are made possible through a payer-centric payment paradigm where the payer—as opposed to the merchant—completes the payment transaction without depending on the merchant, resulting in increased payer convenience and payment security.

A system and method for creating a mixed consumable item may include displaying a first set of selectable indicia on a touchscreen, where the indicia may be (i) indicative of respective consumable ingredients and (ii) distinctly positioned relative to one another. A swype gesture may be received from a user via the touchscreen that forms a path extending between a first position and a second position that touches or passes close to multiple selectable indicia. From the first set of consumable ingredients, a plurality of combinations of consumable ingredients most likely to have been intended to be selected by the user based on the path of the swype gesture may be predicted. Selectable predicted combinations of consumable ingredients may be displayed on the touchscreen to enable one of the selectable combinations of consumable ingredients to be selected by the user for mixing by a dispenser of consumable items.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request from a user computing device associated with a user for one or more items from an in-vehicle vending apparatus during a ride. The method also includes sending information associated with the user to start a vending session using the in-vehicle vending apparatus. The method also includes receiving an indication that the user associated with the user computer device accessed the in-vehicle vending apparatus. The method also includes determining that the user associated with the user computing device is the only user associated with the ride, determining that the user associated with the user computing device is one of a plurality of users associated with the ride, or determining that the user associated with the user computing device is associated with the in-vehicle vending apparatus.

A systems and method for reconfigurable and/or updatable lightweight electronic devices are disclosed for a computer system for facilitating financial transactions and reducing the opportunity for fraud. Via use of such a device, system, or method, various capabilities for a user are provided, simplified, secured, and/or made more convenient. The system may interact with various other devices or systems, including those that are cloud-based or communicate through the cloud, and may utilize various local sensors, in order to provide one or more of improved access, monitoring, user diagnostics, and so forth.

In an example embodiment, a beverage vending device is provided that includes a network interface and one or more processors. The beverage vending device also includes a computer-readable tangible medium with instructions stored thereon that direct the one or more processors to establish contact with an available network and locate a second beverage vending device on the network. The computer-readable tangible medium also has instructions stored thereon that direct the one or more processors to establish contact with the second beverage vending device on the network, and communicate with the second beverage vending device via the network.

A system and associated method are provided for maintenance of a plurality of washroom facilities by maintenance personnel, wherein each of the washroom facilities has one or more consumable product dispensers that require periodic refill. For each of the washroom facilities, the product dispensers are configured with a sensor that detects a product level or amount condition of the product dispenser, the sensors in communication with a monitoring station assigned to the washroom facility. A set of instructions unique to each of the washroom facilities is generated based upon the detected product level or amount conditions of the dispensers in the respective washroom facility, the set of instructions including instructions as to the amount of product refill to be added to the dispensers. With an identification (ID) system configured within each washroom facility, maintenance personnel that enter the washroom facility are identified and provided with the unique set of instructions in a message via a mobile smart device carried by the maintenance personnel or an audio or visual display device within the washroom facility.

Systems, apparatus, methods, and articles of manufacture provide for modular vending systems utilizing reloadable product dispensing modules, including, but not limited to, vertical product dispensing modules comprising a vertical conveyor and a mounting structure for releasably engaging with module holder structures of modular vending machines, and a central controller device for communicating with a plurality of modular vending machines.

A novel food station comprises first and second pluralities of cubbies, each sized to enclose a food portion container, and a food collection hatch that is selectively externally accessible. A heating system can controllably heat one or more of the first plurality of cubbies independently of the first plurality of cubbies, and a cooling system can cool one or more of the second plurality of cubbies independently of the first plurality of cubbies. An internal transport system including an end effector that temporarily couples to the portion container carrier of a selected cooled cubby of the second plurality of cubbies and can controllably move the food portion container carrier to a selected heated cubby or to the food collection hatch.

A beverage container recycling system has a housing with an advertising display, a user feedback display and a deposit opening. An imaging region is connected to the deposit opening. The imaging region has a camera to take an image of a deposited beverage container. A processor, network interface circuit and memory are associated with the housing. The memory stores instructions executed by the processor to analyze the image of the deposited beverage container to characterize the deposited beverage container as one of glass, aluminum or plastic. A carriage directly deposits a glass beverage container in a glass bin. The carriage directs aluminum and plastic beverage containers to a crusher with a blade to pierce aluminum and plastic beverage containers prior to compaction. The crusher selectively directs compacted beverage containers to a plastic bin and an aluminum bin. The memory stores instructions executed by the processor to maintain a count of deposited beverage containers and communicates the count of deposited beverage containers to the network interface circuit for routing to a networked machine.