An inventory tracking and management system includes storage devices comprising carts, cabinets, or shelves, sensors and/or monitoring devices associated with the storage devices, a central database connecting the storage devices, sensors, and monitoring devices within a hospital, and a processing server associated with the central database. The processing server including a software system controlling operation of the inventory tracking and management system.

A consumable item dispenser and method may include an ingredient storage unit configured to store a consumable ingredient used to produce consumable items by the dispenser. A sensor may be configured to sense an amount of consumable ingredient remaining to be dispensed. An input/output unit may be configured to communicate data over a communications network. A processing unit may be in communication with the sensor, and be configured to authenticate an electronic device associated with an operator and register the electronic device associated with the operator. A determination as to whether an amount of the ingredient in the ingredient storage unit is at or below a threshold level. The processing unit may generate a notification indicative that the ingredient is at or below a threshold level, and communicate the notification to the operator in response to being generated.

Disclosed are a vending machine and a method of detecting height of a storage column. The vending machine may determine whether a sensor squarely faces the front end surface of the level plate of a storage column by detecting the type of an output signal of the sensor. When the sensor squarely faces the front end surface of the level plate of the storage column, the height of the level plate of the storage column may be obtained based on a height difference between the sensor and the bearing surface of a bucket and the height of the bucket. Thus, according to the height of the level plate of the storage column, the bearing surface of the bucket and the upper edge of the front end surface of the level plate of the storage column lie in the same level when dispensing an item.

A method of tracking inventory comprises providing a dispenser. The dispenser includes a body laterally extending between a first end and a second end. The dispenser also includes a stopper slidably coupled to the body to move between the first end and the second end and a biasing member coupled to the stopper to bias the stopper towards the second end. A plurality of identifiers are displayed on the biasing member. The method includes securing a plurality of units within the dispenser between the stopper and the second end, and displaying at least one of the plurality of identifiers to a user of the dispenser, the at least one of the plurality of identifiers corresponding to a total number of units in the dispenser.

A lottery ticket dispensing method provides an inventory of lottery tickets in an automated dispenser, the inventory comprising lottery tickets for a plurality of different lottery games. Upon a player making a selection of a lottery ticket from the dispenser, with a controller in communication with the dispenser, one or more companion lottery games for the lottery ticket selected by the player are assigned from the different lottery games in the inventory based on predefined filter values. The method verifies that the designated companion lottery games have lottery tickets available in the inventory and then presents one or more of the verified designated companion lottery games to the player as a suggestion or recommendation for an additional lottery ticket purchase.

A beverage dispensing apparatus for preparing a beverage and dispensing the prepared beverage into a container. The beverage dispensing apparatus includes a beverage reading device configured to read information indicating the beverage, the information including a kind and a volume of the beverage, a display operation device configured to display thereon the information indicating the beverage, and a control device configured to perform control to cause the display operation device to display the information indicating the beverage, and to cause the beverage to be prepared and dispensed into the container.

An equipment rental system comprising a kiosk, the kiosk comprising a user interface configured to receive user input and provide outputs to a user, a processor configured to receive the user input from the user interface, generate user output and control a locker system; and a locker system configured to store the equipment and allow access to the equipment under control of the processor, the processor configured to: receive log in and credential information form a user via the user interface, present the user a choice of equipment, receive a selection of equipment through the user interface, gather payment information from the user through the user interface, wherein the payment information corresponds to a period of use for the selected equipment, and control the locker system to make the selected equipment available to the user.

A method includes causing a computer of a communication terminal to perform a process including acquiring, in response to receipt of a beacon signal from a vending machine, identification information and type information and stock information of drinks from the vending machine by short-range wireless communication; acquiring preference information on drinks of a user of the communication terminal; acquiring current biological information of the user; generating, based on the identification information, the type information, the stock information, the preference information, and the biological information, a push notification screen that recommends at least one drink matching a preference of the user indicated by the preference information in relation to a current physical condition of the user indicated by the biological information from among the drinks stored in the vending machine indicated by the identification information; and displaying the push notification screen on a display of the communication terminal.

Methods and systems for replenishing a consumable include order satisfaction responsive to an indication of imminent failure or depletion of a consumable based on detected parameters. A sensor reading may indicate that a consumable is performing below a threshold, or has limited remaining capacity. Responsive to a determination that a replacement is necessary, the method may recommend one or more alternatives. The recommendation may be made based on how closely a candidate replacement's performance or other characteristic (e.g. cost, capacity) matches that of a currently-used consumable. The recommendation may be based on one or more attributes of a candidate replacement compared to a currently-used consumable. An order may be automatically placed according to the currently-used consumable or the recommended alternative(s). The order may be delivered with instructions regarding where and when to replace the consumable.

A method includes: monitoring outputs of sensors in a machine that receives magnetic stripe cards; determining the outputs of sensors indicate normal usage of the machine or abnormal usage of the machine; in response to determining the outputs of the sensors indicate abnormal usage of the machine, initiating a security action; in response to determining the outputs of the sensors indicate normal usage of the machine, determining the machine is in use or not in use; in response to determining the machine is not in use, initiating the security action; in response to determining the machine is in use, determining whether the use ends within a predefined monitor time; in response to determining the use does not end within the predefined monitor time, initiating the security action; and in response to determining the use does end within the predefined monitor time, returning to monitoring the outputs of the sensors.