A powder feeding apparatus drops powder from a tank storing the powder to an oblique portion, and accumulates the powder on a plate disposed below the oblique portion. The plate is provided with a flat surface portion and a groove portion which is inverted from the flat surface portion to a lower part. The scraper moves powder which has accumulated to a higher level than a constant height on the flat portion and the groove portion, to an outer-side of the flat portion and smoothes the powder on the flat portion and the groove portion to a constant height. An ejector takes in powder which has accumulated on the groove portion of the plate by a suction opening, disposed at a front side of the scraper, in a relative moving direction of the plate, and discharges the powder from the discharge opening.

A powder feeding apparatus drops powder from a tank storing the powder to an oblique portion, and accumulates the powder on a plate disposed below the oblique portion. The plate is provided with a flat surface portion and a groove portion which is inverted from the flat surface portion to a lower part. The scraper moves powder which has accumulated to a higher level than a constant height on the flat portion and the groove portion, to an outer-side of the flat portion and smoothes the powder on the flat portion and the groove portion to a constant height. An ejector takes in powder which has accumulated on the groove portion of the plate by a suction opening, disposed at a front side of the scraper, in a relative moving direction of the plate, and discharges the powder from the discharge opening.

A beverage supplying apparatus having a beverage supplying unit, for making a beverage and supplying the beverage into a container placed in the beverage supplying unit. The beverage supplying apparatus includes a supply instruction button configured to be pressable for giving an instruction for making and supplying the beverage, a presenting operation unit configured to present a plurality of pieces of information and to receive an operation, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to, responsive to a pressing operation of the supply instruction button, cause the presenting operation unit to present a message for placing the container in the beverage supplying unit, and to present an input unit for confirming that the container has been placed in the beverage supplying unit, and responsive to receipt of the operation by the presenting operation unit after presenting the input unit, control the beverage supplying apparatus to dispense the beverage into the container.

A dispenser is provided for dispensing a hygiene product. The dispenser includes, comprising a time-of-flight sensor for measuring a position of an object relative to the dispenser; and a controller configured to selectively operate at least one function of the dispenser based on the measured position of the object relative to the dispenser. A method of operating at least one function of a dispenser for dispensing a hygiene product is also provided. The method includes measuring with a time-of-flight sensor a position of an object relative to the dispenser; and using a controller to selectively operate the at least one function of the dispenser based on the measured position of the object relative to the dispenser.

A dispenser is provided for dispensing a hygiene product. The dispenser includes, comprising a time-of-flight sensor for measuring a position of an object relative to the dispenser; and a controller configured to selectively operate at least one function of the dispenser based on the measured position of the object relative to the dispenser. A method of operating at least one function of a dispenser for dispensing a hygiene product is also provided. The method includes measuring with a time-of-flight sensor a position of an object relative to the dispenser; and using a controller to selectively operate the at least one function of the dispenser based on the measured position of the object relative to the dispenser.

A networked system for providing and maintaining a set of liquid dispenser stations is described. The fluid dispensers communicate with a managing/supervisory cloud server via an interposed base station. The fluid dispensers communicate locally with the base station via wireless communication network links. The base station operates as an accumulator of status/usage information provided by the dispenser stations and bridge for passing information and control commands between the cloud server and the individual dispenser stations. The dispenser stations are configured with control processors (controllers) to facilitate performing a variety of local control operations associated with dispensing liquids that have been cooled (or heated) prior to dispensing by the dispenser stations. Additionally, the dispenser stations cooperatively operate with the cloud server (via the base station) to support a variety of real time control and maintenance operations relating to the dispenser stations operating at potentially thousands of distinct geographic locations.

A networked system for providing and maintaining a set of liquid dispenser stations is described. The fluid dispensers communicate with a managing/supervisory cloud server via an interposed base station. The fluid dispensers communicate locally with the base station via wireless communication network links. The base station operates as an accumulator of status/usage information provided by the dispenser stations and bridge for passing information and control commands between the cloud server and the individual dispenser stations. The dispenser stations are configured with control processors (controllers) to facilitate performing a variety of local control operations associated with dispensing liquids that have been cooled (or heated) prior to dispensing by the dispenser stations. Additionally, the dispenser stations cooperatively operate with the cloud server (via the base station) to support a variety of real time control and maintenance operations relating to the dispenser stations operating at potentially thousands of distinct geographic locations.

There is described a precision dispenser for liquids, in particular medications, which allows the remote control of all operations associated with dispensing the medication to the patient so as to avoid abuses.

There is described a precision dispenser for liquids, in particular medications, which allows the remote control of all operations associated with dispensing the medication to the patient so as to avoid abuses.

A maintenance monitoring apparatus includes: a maintenance management part that manages, based on a monitoring result of a current or power of a vending machine that provides a beverage by extracting the beverage from a raw material, whether an operation performed on the vending machine is a predetermined maintenance operation and whether the maintenance has been executed at an appropriate time interval and as many times as necessary; and a notification part that notifies that a maintenance has been executed or not.