DESC:
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
The embodiments herein generally relate to a hot or cold beverage vending apparatus and more particularly to a canister jar placed within the beverage vending apparatus, here the canister jar can be locked or unlocked after authorization in order to prevent any unauthorized access to the canister jar and also eliminates possibility of inferior quality premixes to be filled within the jar, thus providing adulteration free beverage premixes to users.

Description of the Related Art
Portable vending machines are very useful devices for dispensing small, easily available and necessary edible food items for common man. Similarly a tea/coffee vending machine has become quite popular off late in various setups. However, there exist lots of problems related to tea/coffee vending machines which are available in the market today. Below are the three most important drawbacks of existing tea/coffee machines due to which retailers or sellers get chance to play with quality of the premix or coffee or any other beverages used in these machines. This in turn directly or indirectly degrades the user experience or brand value of the manufacturer.

1. Wrong/Duplicate Premix Refilling: Retailer or Seller has to refill the premix inside once the canister gets emptied in a similar way of filling the ink in the cartridge inside the printer. Therefore, most of the times they don’t fill the right quality premix or fill duplicate premixes and impact the status of the brand owner of the machine due to poor quality of tea/ coffee dispensed from such machine. Also unethical vending machine operators use substandard premixes, which has given bad name to the premix market and is also a major health hazard for the end users.
2. No Canister Locking provision: There is no canister locking mechanism provided in these vending machine therefore may give rise to poor user experience. For example, if the canister is loaded incorrectly or misplaced, then when the user presses beverage ‘A’, beverage B will get dispensed.

Accordingly, due to the aforementioned deficiency in the existing canister jar of the beverage vending machine there remains a need to provide an improved canister jar which has a locking mechanism as well as dispenses premix efficiently along with safety mechanisms.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a canister jar for beverage vending apparatus is provided. The canister jar includes a canister container having a notch on sides of the container, wherein the container holds premix power within the container and closed with an airtight lid, a canister Mount and Locking assembly, wherein the locking assembly includes a locking hook which helps a solenoid lock of the beverage vending apparatus to latch on to the jar for locking the canister container, wherein a flat pin is provided to keep the canister in place while removing and placing back; a canister Shaft 126 having spiral ribs on body is placed at bottom of the canister jar 102 connecting a motor through shaft end 118, wherein the shaft 126 collects premixes within the ribs and is rotated by the motor to deliver precise amount of premixes at other end of the shaft, wherein canister back nut 120 is used to hold the shaft; a canister shaft mounter122 to hold the canister shaft 126 in a position; a canister nozzle Mount 132 to hold a premix dispensing canister nozzle 112 is mounted on front side of the canister jar with the help of a Canister front nut 130, wherein the canister nozzle guides premix into a mixing bowl of the vending apparatus and prevent from dispersing; a canister wheel 128, mounted within the container through a notch 118, wherein the wheel rotates along the shaft and the premix powder is continuously mixed when to prevent lumps in the powder; and an O-ring 124 which is placed within the shaft to prevent leakage of the premix powder and smooth rotation of the shaft. In an embodiment, the flat pin 116 restricts access to the solenoid lock from front of the canister jar 102.
In an embodiment, the a canister Mount and Locking assembly 110 is made from a metal. A method to refill a canister jar, said method comprises following steps: a. vending machine is accessed in admin mode; b. Once login is successful, choose specific canister in the machine which needs to be refilled; c. Enter barcode which is provided on the packet with respect the premix refill pack; d. If in case the door is not able to open press hard the open door button on the admin menu, wherein the door will then get unlocked for 5 seconds; e. then repeat the procedure or steps for canister filling as mentioned above; f. in case the barcode is incorrect the door will remain locked until correct barcode is entered or verified. g. If the barcode is correct the door is opened, select the canister which needs to be refilled, and press the unlock button on the machine; h. the corresponding solenoid lock is opened for 5 seconds. i. Remove canister from the machine, then fill the canister with the premix. j. Once the premix is filled, put the canister in place, as soon as the canister is placed in the machine the canister is automatically locked by the solenoid lock. and k. Now close the door and press ok button on the machine, the premix refill process is now complete. In an embodiment, the refill process can be executed through online or offline mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in the accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in the context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments:

The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
FIG 1 is the front view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment
of the present invention
FIG 2 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of
the present invention
FIG 3 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of one of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention
FIG 1 is the front view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment
of the present invention
FIG 2 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of
the present invention
FIG 3 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of one of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view and schematic cross section view of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus, wherein placement of a canister is shown in schematic cross section view according to an embodiment mentioned herein;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a canister jar of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment mentioned herein;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the canister jar of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment mentioned herein;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front schematic view of the canister jar of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein;

FIG. 5 illustrates a back schematic view of the canister jar of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded perspective side schematic view of the canister jar along with various other components in an assembly of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein;

FIG. 7 is a process flow of filling the canister jar with a premix in a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein; and

FIG. 8 is a continued process flow of filling the canister jar with a premix in a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and may have not been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG 1 is the front view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment
of the present invention
FIG 2 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of an alternate embodiment of
the present invention
FIG 3 is the top view of the mechanical schematic diagram of one of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention
Although specific terms are used in the following description for the sake of clarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the particular structure of the invention selected for illustration in the drawings, and are not intended to define or limit the scope of the invention.

References in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” member that a particular feature, structure, characteristics, or function described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. That is, those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope. In some instances, detailed descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail. All statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.

Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that block diagrams herein can represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the technology. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer or processor, whether such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

Accordingly, due to the aforementioned deficiency in the existing canister jar of the beverage vending machine, there remains a need to provide an improved canister jar which has a locking mechanism as well as dispenses premix efficiently along with safety mechanisms.

The present embodiments herein provides a canister jar placed within the beverage vending apparatus, here the canister jar can be locked or unlocked after authorization in order to prevent any unauthorized access to the canister jar and also eliminates possibility of inferior quality premixes to be filled within the jar, thus providing adulteration free beverage premixes to users. Referring now to the figures, more particularly from FIG. 1 to FIG. 9, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, preferred embodiments are shown.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view and schematic cross section view of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus 100, wherein placement of a canister is shown in schematic cross section view according to an embodiment mentioned herein. The apparatus 100 includes a cabinet which has a hot/cold beverage dispensing sub units (not shown in the fig.), a user interactive screen, a filter unit and a cup dispensing area. In an embodiment of the present disclosure the apparatus may be capable of dispensing hot and cold beverages.

In the present embodiment, the canister refill process has been designed in such a way that to remove the canister, one needs to insert a barcode into the system placed on the premix refill packet, enter the barcode and give the command to unlock the canister. After the unlock command the canister will be unlocked automatically. Then one can fill the canister with premix and place the Canister in the vending machine which will dispense the beverage from premix loaded.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a canister jar 102 of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment mentioned herein. The canister jar 102 comprises at least one canister container 104 which may accommodate or store desired premix. In an embodiment, the premix dispenser may dispense only the desired quantity of the premix content from the canister. The desired quantity may be pre-determined as per the user requirement of the beverage or may be preset in the control unit. In an embodiment, water can may be placed on top of the filter unit for feeding the apparatus with water.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the canister jar 102 of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment mentioned herein. here, a locking assembly 110 is shown wherein the locking assembly includes a locking hook 114 which helps the solenoid lock to latch on to the jar for locking the canister jar 102 and a flat pin 116 to keep the canister in place while removing and placing back. The locking assembly is a made of a metal which may be an alloy. In an embodiment, the flat pin 116 also helps in restricting access to the solenoid lock from front of the canister jar 102.

FIG. 4 illustrates a front schematic view of the canister jar 102 of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein. Here, the canister nozzle 112 is provided and is used to guide premix dispensing. This prevents the premix from spreading anywhere.

FIG. 5 illustrates a back schematic view of the canister jar 102 of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein. Here canister back nut 120 is shown, wherein Can back Nut 120 is used to hold spine shaft.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exploded perspective side schematic view of the canister jar 102 along with various other components in an assembly of a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein. Here the canister jar includes a canister container 104 which is the main component of the canister locking system. It is used to store premix inside and close with a lid which may be also called as canister lid 106. Canister nozzle Mount 132 - Canister Nozzle Mount is used to hold the premix dispensing nozzle. It is mounted at the front side of the canister with the help of a holding nut.

Canister front nut 130 - Can front nut is used to hold canister Nozzle mount 132. Canister shaft 126 - This spine shaft is connected to the premix motor. It rotates by motor and is used to deliver the exact amount of premix. O ring 124 - This O-ring canister is mounted on the spline shaft to prevent leakage of the premix and smooth rotation of the shaft. Canister shaft Mounter122 - This Can shaft mounter is used to mount Spline Shaft at right position. Canister back Nut 120 - Can back Nut is used to hold spine shaft.
Canister Nozzle 112 - This is a canister nozzle, it is used to guide premix dispensing. This prevents the premix from spreading anywhere.
Canister Mount and Locking assembly 110 - This Canister container 104 mounter part. It is used to hold the canister assembly. As well main function is that it is connected solenoid Lock, so it helps the canister lock or Unlock Functions. Canister wheel 128 - The wheel of this canister is fitted in the c-container of the box. It rotates along the spinal shaft. The premix helps to get stuck inside the canister.

Though others have the canister design but the locking system described in the present embodiment is unique in a way that, it prevents unauthorized access and possible manipulations to the machine through use of state of art technology based on IOT.

In an embodiment, the canister may have a locking mechanism which may be released only to the authorized maintenance personnel or vendors or users. Therefore, offering additional safety and security to the apparatus. In an embodiment, the canister may include a scotch yoke mechanism plates in order to prevent the canister from choking with premixes during beverage dispensing operation.

The apparatus may include a motor which facilitates to acquire premix from the respective canisters. In an embodiment, the motor may be activated by the control unit upon receiving inputs from the user desiring a specific beverage. The canister may be refilled with the premixes which may be empty after dispensing desired amounts of beverages which was supposed to be disposed.

FIG. 7 is a process flow of filling the canister jar with a premix in a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein. For refill process the vending machine must be accessed in admin mode. Once login is successful, choose specific canister in the machine which needs to be refilled. Enter barcode which is provided on the packet with respect the premix refill pack.
If in case the door is not able to open press hard the open door button on the admin menu. The door will then get unlocked for 5 seconds. Then repeat the procedure or steps for canister filling as mentioned above. In an example embodiment, in case the barcode is incorrect the door will remain locked until correct barcode is entered or verified.

FIG. 8 is a continued process flow of filling the canister jar with a premix in a hot and cold beverage vending apparatus according to an embodiment herein. If the barcode is correct the door is opened, select the canister which needs to be refilled, and press the unlock button on the machine. The corresponding solenoid lock is opened for 5 seconds. Remove canister from the machine, then fill the canister with the premix. Once the premix is filled, put the canister in place, as soon as the canister is placed in the machine the canister is automatically locked by the solenoid lock. Now close the door and press ok button on the machine. The premix refill process is now complete.

In an embodiment, the network may be a cloud, internet, etc. whereby the user may command the vending apparatus to dispense the desired beverage. In another embodiment, the network may be used to remotely monitor the apparatus either by the user or any vendor, etc. The remote monitoring of the apparatus may provide the user with information regarding all the parameters and overall health of the apparatus.

In an example embodiment, the remote monitoring may also provide live tracking of the location of the apparatus. In yet another example embodiment, the user may also be able to determine remotely whether correct premixes or genuine premix are loaded into the apparatus. In an embodiment, the premix packets may be bar-coded and scanned within the apparatus in order to determine the genuineness of the premixes and quantity loaded inside the apparatus. The weight and premix composition may also be taken into consideration while determining the genuineness of the premixes.

The embodiments herein include both hardware and software elements. Preferably, the software embodiments include, but are not limited to, firmware, resident software, microcode, etc. Furthermore, the embodiments herein can take the form of a computer program product accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system. For the purposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be any apparatus that can comprise, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable medium include a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD.

A data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code will include at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements can include local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution.

Input/output (I/O) devices (including but not limited to keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modem and Ethernet cards are just a few of the currently available types of network adapters.
The advantages of the present embodiments are
1) the mechanism prevents unauthorized access;
2) restricts manipulations to machine leading to possible adulterations;
3) Authorized access through bar code based locking system helps in maintaining quality and quantity of the premix dispensed – which ensures quality and taste of the beverage.
The advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide a hot or cold beverage vending apparatus in the same apparatus. The apparatus is also integrated with an Internet of things (IOT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) based environment to provide seamless user experience while dispensing the hot or cold beverages.

In another advantageous embodiment of the present disclosure, the objective is to provide a self-cleaning beverage vending apparatus 100. The apparatus self-cleans the nozzle of the canister and other areas of the apparatus automatically. The present embodiments herein provides various advantages such as preventing wrong or duplicate premix refilling, canister locking provision, GPS tracking of the apparatus, auto cup dispensing system, self cleaning mechanism and more over provides hot and chilled beverages in the same apparatus.

Reference numeral list:
beverage vending apparatus 100
canister jar 102
canister container 104
canister lid 106
notch 108
Canister Mount and locking assembly 110
canister nozzle 112
locking hook 114
flat pin 116
Shaft end 118
canister back nut 120
canister shaft mount 122
O ring 124
Canister Shaft 126
Canister shaft ribs 127
Canister wheel 128
Canister wheel spring 129
Canister front nut 130
Canister nozzle Mount 132

The order in which the method is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method or alternate methods. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. However, for ease of explanation, in the embodiments described below, the method may be considered to be implemented in the above described system and/or the apparatus and/or any electronic device (not shown).

The above description does not provide specific details of manufacture or design of the various components. Those of skill in the art are familiar with such details, and unless departures from those techniques are set out, techniques, known, related art or later developed designs and materials should be employed. Those in the art are capable of choosing suitable manufacturing and design details.

Note that throughout the following discussion, numerous references may be made regarding servers, services, engines, modules, interfaces, portals, platforms, or other systems formed from computing devices. It should be appreciated that the use of such terms are deemed to represent one or more computing devices having at least one processor configured to or programmed to execute software instructions stored on a computer readable tangible, non-transitory medium or also referred to as a processor-readable medium. For example, a server can include one or more computers operating as a web server, database server, or other type of computer server in a manner to fulfill described roles, responsibilities, or functions. Within the context of this document, the disclosed devices or systems are also deemed to comprise computing devices having a processor and a non-transitory memory storing instructions executable by the processor that cause the device to control, manage, or otherwise manipulate the features of the devices or systems.

It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the discussion herein, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as “generating” or “monitoring” or “displaying” or “tracking” or “identifying” “or receiving” or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers and memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission or display devices.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope.
,CLAIMS:We claim:
1. A canister jar 102 for beverage vending apparatus, said jar comprising:
a canister container 104 having a notch 108 on sides of the container 104, wherein the container holds premix power within the container and closed with an airtight lid 106;
a canister Mount and Locking assembly 110, wherein the locking assembly includes a locking hook 114 which helps a solenoid lock of the beverage vending apparatus to latch on to the jar for locking the canister container 102, wherein a flat pin 116 is provided to keep the canister in place while removing and placing back;
a canister Shaft 126 having spiral ribs on body is placed at bottom of the canister jar 102 connecting a motor through shaft end 118, wherein the shaft 126 collects premixes within the ribs and is rotated by the motor to deliver precise amount of premixes at other end of the shaft, wherein canister back nut 120 is used to hold the shaft;
a canister shaft mounter122 to hold the canister shaft 126 in a position;
a canister nozzle Mount 132 to hold a premix dispensing canister nozzle 112 is mounted on front side of the canister jar with the help of a Canister front nut 130, wherein the canister nozzle guides premix into a mixing bowl of the vending apparatus and prevent from dispersing;
a canister wheel 128, mounted within the container through a notch 118, wherein the wheel rotates along the shaft and the premix powder is continuously mixed when to prevent lumps in the powder; and
an O-ring 124 which is placed within the shaft to prevent leakage of the premix powder and smooth rotation of the shaft.

2. The canister jar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flat pin 116 restricts access to the solenoid lock from front of the canister jar 102.

3. The canister jar as claimed in claim 1, wherein the a canister Mount and Locking assembly 110 is made from a metal.

4. A method to refill a canister jar, said method comprises following steps:
a. vending machine is accessed in admin mode;
b. Once login is successful, choose specific canister in the machine which needs to be refilled;
c. Enter barcode which is provided on the packet with respect the premix refill pack;
d. If in case the door is not able to open press hard the open door button on the admin menu, wherein the door will then get unlocked for 5 seconds;
e. then repeat the procedure or steps for canister filling as mentioned above;
f. in case the barcode is incorrect the door will remain locked until correct barcode is entered or verified.
g. If the barcode is correct the door is opened, select the canister which needs to be refilled, and press the unlock button on the machine;
h. the corresponding solenoid lock is opened for 5 seconds;
i. Remove canister from the machine, then fill the canister with the premix;
j. Once the premix is filled, put the canister in place, as soon as the canister is placed in the machine the canister is automatically locked by the solenoid lock; and
k. Now close the door and press ok button on the machine, the premix refill process is now complete.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the refill process can be executed through online or offline mode.