A system for data transfer between a server, a remote vending machine and a user computing device includes a remote vending machine for selectively providing an item stored therein to a user, a user computing device, an accounting server, a transaction server, and a data transfer network, wherein the vending machine comprises a door, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) antenna, a communication module, a memory, and a controller. The controller is communicatively coupled by a data transfer bus with the memory, the communication module and the RFID antenna. The user computing device comprises an authorization module and is configured to transfer to and receive data from the accounting server. The accounting and transaction servers, the vending machine and the user computing device are communicatively interconnected with one another by the data transfer network.

Disclosed are a device enabling coffee preparing apparatus to provide user with ordered coffee and method for operating same, which may enable the coffee preparing apparatus to block a user other than an orderer from picking up the prepared coffee and provide the prepared coffee to the orderer by generating identification information matched to a coffee order requested from each of user terminals to enable picking-up of the coffee corresponding to the coffee order, transmitting the identification information matched to the coffee order requested from each of the user terminals to each of the user terminals, transmitting an identification information input request message to a user terminal requesting a coffee order corresponding to a coffee preparation completion message from the coffee preparing apparatus, comparing identification input from a user of the user terminal in response to the identification information input request message with identification information transmitted to the user terminal, and requesting the coffee preparing apparatus to perform a provision operation on the coffee corresponding to the identification information transmitted to the user terminal when the input identification information is the same as the transmitted identification information.

A vending machine for dispensing heated granular foodstuffs includes a receptacle dispensing assembly for dispensing a receptacle into a receiving zone. A cooled storage hopper stores granular foodstuffs, and has an open bottom end. A discharge assembly is in communication with the open bottom end for transporting the quantity of the granular foodstuffs away from the cooled storage hopper. A heating assembly receives the quantity of the granular foodstuffs from the discharge assembly, heats the quantity of the granular foodstuffs with a heating fluid, and dispenses the quantity of the granular foodstuffs into the receptacle in the receiving zone. A heating fluid generator supplies heating fluid to the heating assembly. A condiment dispenser dispenses at least one condiment into the receptacle in the receiving zone.

Disclosed are exemplary embodiments for monitoring for and/or detecting freeze-up and/or paddle wear conditions within dispensers and mixers associated with soft frozen desserts (broadly, edibles or edible products) and crushed ice drinks (broadly, drinkables or potable products).

A system for providing nourishment to pets is provided. The system includes a base component and an electrically operated platform including a scale configured to move along one or more vertical shafts which brings one or more reservoirs positioned on the platform to various levels of height. The system further includes an affixed mount configured to retain a computing device which controls components of the system, particularly the movement of the platform along the one or more vertical shafts and the taking and storage of weight data of the nourishment.

Disclosed herein is beverage dispensing system including, in some embodiments, a housing including a dispensing platform, one or more valves at least partially below the dispensing platform, one or more valve-controlling modules respectively disposed in one or more cutouts of the housing, and an embedded system including the one or more valve-controlling modules and a central module communicatively coupled to the one or more valve-controlling modules. Each valve may include a beverage-container coupler extending from the valve through a corresponding opening in the dispensing platform configured to couple with bottom-fillable beverage containers for use with the beverage dispensing system. Each valve-controlling module may include a user-facing touchpad with one or more buttons configured to control a corresponding valve of the one or more valves. The embedded system may be configured for beverage dispensation as well as analytics, communications, payment processing, or a combination thereof related to beverage dispensation.

A system for dispensing a beverage into a cup. Dispensing hardware is configured to dispense the beverage into the cup. A vision system captures an image of the cup within a dispensing area of the system. A model contains data corresponding to the cup being full. A control system compares the image of the cup to the model and controls the dispensing hardware to dispense the beverage into the cup based on the comparison of the image of the cup to the model.

A beverage maker and a method for operating a beverage maker are provided. The beverage maker comprises a sensor of a 1st category which provides only one individual measuring value S1 at a specific time, a sensor of a 2nd category which provides a plurality of measuring values S2 at a specific time, a data memory and a control unit. The control unit is configured to compare the measuring values S2 with target values which are stored in the data memory and, based on this comparison, to trigger or not to trigger at least one event. If the comparison does not lead to an event being triggered, detection of at least one measuring value S1 is effected by the control unit, the measuring value S1 being used to assign the measuring values S2 to at least one event and to store these measuring values S2 as target values for the assigned event in the data memory.

A control method for a viscous semi-liquid frozen or hot food dispenser comprising a stirring means configured to stir the food, a motor (50) configured to drive the stirring means to rotate, a refrigerating means or heating means configured to input cold energy or heat energy into the food, a rotation speed sensor (80) configured to detect a stirring speed, and a temperature sensor (13) configured to detect the food temperature, the control method comprising the steps of: a) refrigerating or heating the food by the refrigerating means or heating means; b) comparing the food temperature detected by the temperature sensor (13) with a target preset value of the food temperature, and determining to continue the refrigeration or heating, or to stop the refrigeration or heating and to keep stopping for a preset time; c) intervening by corresponding adjustment of the target preset value when a data set collected from the rotation speed sensor (80) shows that change trend of the rotation speed meets predefined intervention conditions; and d) returning to step a) for the next cycle. The control method for a viscous semi-liquid food dispenser is capable of controlling viscosity of food accurately and reliably to maintain consistence of the characteristics of the dispensed product and minimize the influence from the environment as much as possible.

Technologies are disclosed herein for providing content management for deploying and updating a fleet of resources. A system for providing content management may include a web server or other apparatus configured to receive a local content request from a local device of a fleet of resources, the local content request comprising a canonical uniform resource locator (URL) that uniquely identifies the local device. The web server may be further configured to analyze the local content request to determine if the URL matches one or more rewrite rules, formulate a response to the local content request based on the analyzing, and transmit the formulated response.