Dispensing System User Interface for Custom Beverage Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional beverage dispensers struggle to efficiently provide information and dispense a wide variety of beverages to users, as the number of available options increases, leading to complexity in user selection and information presentation.
Innovation Solution
A dispensing system equipped with a display screen that allows users to select and dispense custom beverages by choosing from a variety of brands and flavorings, presenting all necessary information simultaneously, including icons for brands, modifier buttons for additives, and a pour button for dispensing, thereby simplifying the selection process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the number of available drinks is increased in a conventional dispenser, then product variety is improved, but information presentation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional physical signage/labels attached to dispenser heads to an electronic display screen that presents beverage information in a structured, multi-dimensional format. The display organizes numerous beverage options across multiple categories (carbonated, non-carbonated, coffee, tea, etc.) with hierarchical navigation, allowing users to efficiently browse and select from expanded product varieties without overwhelming information presentation complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The display screen segments beverage information into distinct categories and sections (carbonated beverages, non-carbonated beverages, coffee, tea, etc.), with each category further divided into specific product options. This segmentation allows the system to present a large number of beverage varieties in an organized, manageable format that reduces information complexity while maintaining high product variety.
2Loss of information
If traditional signage or labels are used for each drink type, then information about available drinks is provided, but efficiency decreases as the number of drinks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical information provision methods (physical signage, labels, and tags attached to dispenser heads) with an electronic display system. This substitution enables dynamic, programmable presentation of beverage information that can efficiently accommodate a large number of drink options through software-controlled organization and navigation, significantly improving information provision efficiency compared to static physical signage.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic display screen serves multiple functions: it displays beverage names and descriptions, organizes options by category, provides nutritional information, and guides users through the selection process. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate signage systems into a single efficient information provision interface.
3Loss of information
If a multi-layered method is used to present beverage selection information, then comprehensive details are provided, but user selection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The display system employs dynamic navigation that adapts to user interactions. The interface allows users to drill down from broad categories to specific beverage options through intuitive, context-sensitive navigation. Information is presented in layers that users can access progressively, with the system dynamically adjusting the display based on selection depth and user preferences, maintaining both information completeness and operational simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
A dispensing system may be configured to dispense a custom product based on a user selection. The user selection may be provided via a user interface of the dispensing system. The user interface may simultaneously display selectable icons for the available types of products (e.g., types of beverages) and other icons for modifying a chosen product (e.g., a flavoring or additive to a beverage, such as a sweetener or a cherry flavoring). The user interface may receive input from a user in order for the user to select a custom product (e.g., a custom drink) and the dispensing system may dispense the custom product to the user.