A sanitizing device having a microcontroller 2 receiving information from the opening sensor 1 of the access status door to the interior of the vending machine activating at least one radiation module 4 or at least one sprayer 5 for a first stage of sanitization of the stored products. The microcontroller 2 operates the control mechanism of the upper doors 7 and the opening and closing mechanism 10 of the front door 9 of a disinfection compartment 6, closing both to start a second disinfection stage that is applied only on the product selected by the consumer when detected by the product sensor 11. The microprocessor 2 opens the front door 9 at the end of the stage, and upon receiving the signal from the empty disinfection compartment 6, triggers the opening and closing mechanism 10, closing the front door 9 and the control mechanism 8 by opening the upper doors 7. The presence detection sent by proximity sensors 3 to the machine to the microcontroller 2, interrupts the cycle of ultraviolet radiation. The microcontroller 2 is linked to a communication interface 14 and a network communication interface 15.

An automatic vending machine for boxed frozen and hot food includes a cupboard, a refrigeration device, racks, an oven, a robotic picking system, a feeding slot and a conveyor board. The refrigeration device and the oven are installed in a first accommodation space and a second accommodation space of the cupboard respectively, and the interior of the first accommodation space is formed into a placing space by a rack for putting food boxes. The robotic picking system picks one of the food boxes and moves it sideway into the oven for heating, and a moving tray in the oven and the conveyor board move the food box into the feeding slot in a seesaw gravitational sliding manner for delivery.

A secure storage and retrieval system has a vault with a frame, one or more platters rotatably mounted about the frame, storage bins arranged radially about each of the one or more platters, and mounting surfaces arranged about a perimeter of the vault; and at least one user terminal connected to the vault at one of the mounting surfaces of the vault, the at least one user terminal including an elevator system that vertically moves the plurality of storage bins between any of the one or more platters and an opening formed through an outer shell of the user terminal.

A vending machine includes a refrigerated enclosure including a housing for storage of an associated pre-packaged food product. The housing has a sidewall with a sidewall opening A door is mounted to the sidewall for closing and opening the sidewall opening. A drive mechanism is operably connected to the door and adapted to mechanically mow the door between a closed position and an opened position. The drive mechanism includes at least one sensing device adapted to determine whether the door is in one of the closed position and the opened position. A door rail is mounted to the sidewall and has a guide track. The door is movably received in the guide track.

A vending machine includes a refrigerated enclosure including a housing for storage of an associated pre-packaged food product. The housing has a sidewall with a sidewall opening A door is mounted to the sidewall for closing and opening the sidewall opening. A drive mechanism is operably connected to the door and adapted to mechanically mow the door between a closed position and an opened position. The drive mechanism includes at least one sensing device adapted to determine whether the door is in one of the closed position and the opened position. A door rail is mounted to the sidewall and has a guide track. The door is movably received in the guide track.

A food management system includes a cabinet having a chamber, a lift, and an ejector. The chamber is defined, in part, by a front wall including a chute defining a first end of a dispensing region along the cabinet. At least one lift is disposed within the chamber, and is configured to receive a plurality of containers therein. The lift is operable to sequentially present at least one of the containers to the dispensing region of the cabinet. The ejector includes a bumper disposed within the dispensing region. The bumper is operable to translate through the dispensing region from a retracted position on an opposite side of the at least one lift from the chute, to an extended position between the retracted position and the chute to bias the at least one of the containers from the at least one lift through the chute.

A novel food station comprises a plurality of cubbies sized to enclose food portion containers, and an externally accessible collection hatch. An internal transport system uses an end effector to temporarily couple to a portion container carrier of a selected cubby, and to controllably move the food portion container carrier within the food station from the selected cubby to the collection hatch. The food station includes heating and cooling systems that selectively provide or remove heat to or from each of the plurality of cubbies independently of the other cubbies, with a heating or cooling rate, or for a heating or cooling duration, that is independently scheduled and controllable for each of the plurality of cubbies.

A vending machine has an interactive customer experience. Some embodiments of the vending machine include a transparent front wall with a plurality of display units located behind the front wall. Each of the display units may contain an example of a product available for vending. Based on input received from a customer and other information, the vending machine may provide a recommendation for a product or products to select for purchase. The vending machine may highlight the recommendation by selectively illuminating the product display units that contain the recommended products.

A handle for a product vending system includes a housing configured to be secured to a door of a product storage cabinet having a lock. The handle includes a display arranged on the housing, that is configured to show product information. A payment processing unit is arranged on the housing and is configured to detect or receive a payment. A control unit is configured to communicate with the lock of the product storage cabinet, such that when the payment is detected by the payment processing unit, the control unit is configured to unlock the lock of the product storage cabinet so as to provide access to a product stored in the product storage cabinet.

A novel food station comprises a plurality of cubbies, each sized to enclose a food portion container (FPC). Each cubby includes a cubby door and a door actuation mechanism that can open and close the cubby door independently from that of other cubbies. A heating system that can controllably heat the FPC within at least a first cubby, and a cooling system can perform cooling within at least a second cubby. The food station includes an internal transport system with an end effector that temporarily couples to the FPC, and controllably moves the FPC in a common transport space within the food station. The food station includes a control system that controls the heating, the cubby doors, and the movement of the internal transport system. Each cubby door, when closed, closes off the corresponding cubby interior space sufficiently to enable independent temperature control within the cubby interior space.