A system of conversion of a mobile electronic payment terminal into a fixed electronic payment terminal. The system includes: first and second support elements having first hooking elements and a first reversible locking element. The support elements are configured to receive the electronic payment terminal or a charging base for charging the electronic payment terminal and to be fixedly attached to the charging base or to a fixed pedestal. The system also includes a lower hatch to be fixed beneath the electronic payment terminal and having second hooking elements configured to cooperate with the first hooking elements of the first and second support elements, and further having a second reversible locking element configured to cooperate the first the reversible locking element the support elements.

This disclosure relates to a feedback and authentication system and method for vending machines. In one example system, the system includes a vending machine configured to dispense an item purchased by a user. The item contains identifying tag which, when scanned, allows the user access to information about the item. Such information may include the creation date of the item, the expiration date of the item, and/or tracking information. The user can thus make an informed decision as to the freshness of the item, which is particularly useful when the item is a perishable item, such as a salad. By offering access to this sort of information, food distributors gain credibility with their customer base.

Consumer operated kiosks for recycling electronic devices are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the kiosk includes a rotatable inspection plate configured to receive an electronic device when the inspection plate is in a first position. The kiosk can include a camera having a field of view including at least a portion of the inspection plate. The kiosk can include a wired and/or wireless connectivity device configured to connect to the electronic device and one or more processors configured to: receive characteristic information about the electronic device via the wired and/or wireless connectivity device; cause the inspection plate to rotate to a second position; receive one or more images of the electronic device via the camera when the inspection plate is in the second position; and facilitate determination of an offer price for the electronic device based at least in part on the characteristic information and the one or more images.

In a medication dispensing system, pills of different medications are stored in different chambers of a pill bottle. An assembly of a non-moving disc having holes corresponding to each chamber, a rotatable disc having a hole for dispensing pills therethrough, and a motor, dispenses the pills according to a prescribed schedule. The motor controls the rotations of the rotatable disc according to a user-specified schedule.

A product storage device includes: a main gate that is swingably provided to advance and move away from a product storage column, that advances to an advanced position, and that allows a downstream-most product to be taken out; a sub-gate that is swingably provided in association with the main gate; a sliding member that regulates the main gate from moving away and retracting from the product storage column; and a lever that allows the sliding member to be present at a regulation position, that switches to a regulation posture which regulates the sliding member from returning to the regulation position, and that then, when the main gate moves away from the product storage column in response to a take-out operation, switches to a standby posture when the main gate advances to the product storage column to allow the sliding member to return to the regulation position.

A group of inventions relates to a field of use of communication information technologies in a financial activity and discloses a provision of a separate module for realizing precious metal bars that is an OEM-component and that may be used to equip self-service apparatuses, while at the same time integrated into a plurality of banking or financial systems, and to a method for realizing by means of said module. Implementation of the invention enables to automatically provide wide opportunities to select both a provider of a service for selling precious metal bars and to pay for their purchase in any acceptable way.

A method is performed at an electronic payment module with one or more processors, memory, a slave interface that couples the module with an unattended machine via a multi-drop bus (MDB), and one or more host interfaces that couple the module with at least one payment peripheral of the unattended machine. The method also includes: receiving, from a refund center, a request to issue an approved refund of a predetermined amount and one or more criteria that must be satisfied before dispensing the predetermined amount. In accordance with a determination that the one or more criteria are met, the method includes issuing (i) a signal to the unattended machine, via the slave interface, that the at least one payment peripheral is unavailable and (ii) a signal to the at least one payment peripheral, via the one or more host interfaces, to dispense the predetermined amount.

In a medication dispensing system, pills of different medications are stored in different chambers of a pill bottle. An assembly of a non-moving disc having holes corresponding to each chamber, a rotatable disc having a hole for dispensing pills therethrough, and a motor, dispenses the pills according to a prescribed schedule. The motor controls the rotations of the rotatable disc according to a user-specified schedule.

A system of conversion of a mobile electronic payment terminal into a fixed electronic payment terminal. The system includes: first and second support elements having first hooking elements and a first reversible locking element. The support elements are configured to receive the electronic payment terminal or a charging base for charging the electronic payment terminal and to be fixedly attached to the charging base or to a fixed pedestal. The system also includes a lower hatch to be fixed beneath the electronic payment terminal and having second hooking elements configured to cooperate with the first hooking elements of the first and second support elements, and further having a second reversible locking element configured to cooperate the first the reversible locking element the support elements.

A pickup and delivery or selling apparatus is transportable, and includes: a reserving section in which an article can be reserved; a receiving part in which the article to be reserved in the reserving section is received; a delivering part in which the article is delivered; a plurality of support members each used for supporting the article in the reserving section; a transfer unit configured to transfer the support members each supporting the article between the reserving section and either the receiving part or the delivering part; and an abnormality-managing unit configured to perform a predetermined response to an abnormality occurring in the support members.