Contactless Beverage Vending via Mobile App and NFC
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vending machines, particularly beverage vending machines, pose a risk of germ and virus transmission due to the need for direct hand contact with touchscreen interfaces, especially in crowded settings like coffee breaks, where hygiene is a concern.
Innovation Solution
A mobile application, Coffee APPeal, allows consumers to select and control beverage delivery from their mobile devices, using short-range wireless communication technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy, NFC, and QR codes to minimize direct contact with the vending machine interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If consumers use touchscreen interfaces on vending machines to select beverages, then ease of operation is improved, but hygiene is worsened due to direct hand contact and risk of pathogenic micro-organism transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile terminal as an intermediary device between the consumer and the vending machine. The terminal communicates with the machine via short-range wireless communication (Bluetooth, NFC, or QR code scanning), allowing consumers to select beverages and receive notifications without direct contact with the machine's touchscreen interface, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and hygiene
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a mobile application with short-range wireless communication is implemented, then hygiene is improved by reducing contact, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vending machine system performs automated functions including wireless communication initiation, beverage preparation, and push notification delivery to the consumer's mobile terminal. The system self-manages the entire transaction process from selection to delivery notification without requiring complex manual intervention or additional hardware interfaces, thereby improving hygiene while controlling complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
A product vending system (1) comprising: - a product vending machine (2); - a mobile application (Coffee APPeal) designed to be downloaded and executed on a consumer's personal mobile terminal (3) and designed to cause, when executed by the user terminal (3), the user terminal (3) to become configured to communicate and cooperate with the product vending machine (2) to allow a consumer to request the product vending machine (2) to deliver a product; and - a tag (4) to be associated with the product vending machine (2) and containing communication information to allow a communication to be established between the product vending machine (2) and the mobile terminal (3). The mobile application (Coffee APPeal) is designed to cause, when executed by the the mobile terminal (3), the mobile terminal (3) to become configured to: - read the tag (4) to extract information contained therein; - establish a communication with the product vending machine (2) based on the communication information read from the tag (4); - communicate with the product vending machine (2) to receive therefrom information on the products delivered thereby; - display a graphical user interface to allow the consumer to request the product vending machine (2) to deliver a product; and - communicate with the product vending machine (2) to provide it with information on a product to be delivered. The product vending machine (2) is designed to: - establish a communication with the user terminal (3); - communicate with the user terminal (3) to receive therefrom information on a product to be delivered; and - deliver a requested product.