Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REFINING VENDING OPERATIONS
BASED ON WIRELESS DATA
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Serial Number 60/549,018, entitled "Method and System for
Communicating Vending Information" and filed March 1, 2004. The subject
matter of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 601549,018 is
hereby
incorporated by reference.
This application is a continuation in part of U.S. Patent Application Serial
Number 10/770,326, entitled "System for Communicating Messages via a
Forward Ovexhead Control Channel for a Programmable Logic Control Device"
and filed February 2, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. Patent Application
Serial Number 09/666,042, filed September 20, 2000, now U.S. Patent Number
6,718,177, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial
Number 60/154,724, filed on September 20, 1999. The subject matter of U.S.
Patent Application Serial Number 10/770,326, U.S. Patent Application Serial
Number 09/666,042, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Number
60/154,724 is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to collecting information from one or more
vending machines, such as soft drink vending machines, via a wireless network
and more specifically to refining operations of one or more vending machines
based on information collected over a wireless network.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Organizations such as soft drink bottlers that distribute soft drinks or other
products via vending machines typically operate these vending machines at
geographically dispersed locations. Soft drink bottlers often distribute a
variety of
soft drink products to a city, region, or other area through a system or
network of
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vending machines. A bottler may locate these vending machines at storefronts,
building lobbies, neighborhood parks, movie theaters, beaches, or various
other
locations having requisite connectivity to an electrical power utility.
Preferred vending machine locations usually provide a robust flow of
potential customers in the vicinity of the vending machine. The traffic of
potential
customers at certain locations is often more receptive to purchasing vending
machine products than the traffic at other locations. For example, a soft
drink
vending machine located near a hot sports park might vend more soft drinks
than a
similar vending machine located in an air conditioned lobby. However, numerous
factors may contribute to the relative performance impact of a vending
machine's
location. Representative factors can include the affluence of the potential
customers that frequent the location, ambient temperature, nearby recreational
activities, stability of the electrical power utility, competitive or
complementary
product offerings in nearby business outlets, environmental setting, nearby
fixtures such as an adjacent bench, as well as numerous other known or unknown
factors. The impact of location on the profitability of a vending machine
provides
a motivation for a vending machine operator to select locations that deliver
strong
financial results. However, selecting a financially rewarding location for a
vending machine with little or no observed data, a priori, is often difficult
based
on conventional selection methods.
The factors affecting the desirability of a vending machine's location can
be numerous and convoluted. Furthermore, the operational environment of a
vending machine can be dynamic, varying with season, advertising campaigns,
weather, competitive product introductions, and numerous other influences. In
other words, a soft drink bottler or other vending machine operator has a
limited
ability to select vending machine locations that are likely to yield strong
financial
results using conventional selection methods. Conventional methods for
selecting
vending machine locations typically lack timely input to dynamic vending data
and further lack a capability to consider multiple, interrelated factors
associated
with a vending machine's performance.
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When the performance of a vending machine at a specific location
changes, conventional vending machine operations often cannot readily identify
the cause of the change and respond accordingly. If performance of a specific
vending machine declines, implementing timely corrective measures would
financially benefit operations. On the other hand, replicating conditions that
caused a performance increase in a specific vending machine would also have a
positive financial impact. However, conventional methods of managing vending
machine operations typically do not aggregate information from each vending
machine in a timely manner or process such information in a manner that can
sufficiently correlate cause and effect to facilitate responsive action that
is prompt
and effective.
In addition to the overall vending performance of each vending machine,
vending machine operations are also concerned with the mix of products that
each
vending machine offers and the stocking levels of these product offerings in
each
vending machine. The relative performance of each product offering in a
vending
machine usually depends upon numerous factors. Marketing-related influences
include the occurrence of sales promotions, marketing campaigns,
advertisements,
and tie-ins to complementary events. Competitive influences can include the
introduction of competitive products in nearby vending machines, competitive
marketing campaigns, and price wars. Season can also significantly impact a
product's relative contribution to total sales of a vending machine. For
example,
sport drink sales may increase in hot months and decline in colder times.
Oftentimes, a change in product sales is not easily attributable to one or
more
specific causes. While the occurrence of certain events effecting vending
performance are known in advance, other events can occur randomly and are not
easily foreseen.
Vending machine operators have a financial motive to stock each vending
machine with a mix of products that generates a high number of vends and a
corresponding level of profit. However, conventional technology for tracking
the
sales of each product in each vending machine in a system of geographically
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dispersed vending machines often lacks sufficient specificity and detail to
enable a
vending machine operator to effectively adjust this product mix to respond to
the
dynamic environment in which vending machines frequently operate.
Furthermore, conventional technologies for aggregating product-specific
vending
data from multiple vending machines and for analyzing such aggregated data
generally cannot recommend product offerings in each vending machine in a
geographically dispersed system of vending machines.
To address these representative deficiencies in the art, what is needed is a
capability for collecting timely data from each vending machine in a system of
vending machines, processing the collected data, and adjusting operational
aspects
of the vending machines based on the processed data. Such capabilities would
benefit vending machine operators, such as soft drink bottlers, by promoting
operational efficiency and enhancing profitability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention supports adjusting one or more operational aspects
of a vending machine, such as a soft drink vending machine, based on
collecting
data from the vending machine via a wireless network. In one aspect of the
present invention, each vending machine in a system of geographically
dispersed
vending machines can have a wireless link to a central data processing center
via a
system for communicating operational data specific to that vending machine.
That is, a data processing center can receive operational data originating
throughout a system of vending machines via a wireless communication network.
Operational data can include the number and type of the products sold through
each vending machine during a time period. Operational data from each vending
machine can also include sensor inputs such as temperature, power failure, and
hardware status. The data processing center can process or analyze data
acquired
via the wireless communication network and can provide or recommend
adjustments to vending machine operations based on such processing or
analysis.
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Processing and analysis can include compiling data from multiple vending
machines, tracking historical sales patterns, and statistical analysis.
In another aspect of the present invention, a data processing center can
adjust the operations of one or more of the vending machines based not only on
data collected from the vending machines but also on information from other
sources such as sources of market and competitor information having an impact
on vending operations. For example, the data processing center can consider a
vendor's market plans and promotional programs, a competitor's activities and
position, economic factors, weather conditions, or the season of the year in
determining an operational adjustment. Taking into account business,
environmental, or similar information into adjusting vending operations can
facilitate refining vending operations by making specific adjustments that are
likely to yield desirable results. That is, software in the data processing
center can
account for multiple factors that affect vending machine operations and can
analyze the contributions of these factors to refine the operations based on
the
pertinent factors.
The output of the data center's processing can be a recommendation that a
vendor or a manager of a vending machine operation can implement by directing
personnel to execute operational changes, redeploying resources, changing
business initiatives, or via other managerial action. Alternatively, automatic
systems at the data processing center can directly control a vending machine
operation, with or without human oversight. For example, a purchasing system
can purchase specific products under the direction of an automatic system,
which
can also issue product stocking specifications for each vending machine.
In another aspect of the present invention, a system coupled to a vending
machine via a wireless link can detect a variation in performance of the
vending
machine, for example a change in the vending machine's sales rate. If sales
have
declined, a computer-implemented process can facilitate isolating the source
of
the decline to enable corrective action. If sales have increased, a computer-
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implemented process can facilitate identifying the cause of the increase and,
if
. warranted, inducing a similar increase in other vending machines.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a process can refine the
product offerings and stocking levels in a vending machine based on data
acquired
from the vending machine via a wireless data link. In response to dynamic
conditions, the process can replace underperforming products with products
that
generate strong sales and corresponding profit.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a wireless communication
system can include a program that tracks the performance of each vending
machine in a system of vending machines at dispersed locations. The program
can identify preferential vending machine locations based on the performance
of
each machine in the system. For underperforming vending machines, the program
can specify relocation sites likely to provide improved performance.
The discussion of vending machine operations presented in this summary
is for illustrative purposes only. Various aspects of the present invention
may be
more clearly understood and appreciated from a review of the following
detailed
description of the disclosed embodiments and by reference to the drawings and
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating a cellular-based system
for wireless communication with one or more vending machines according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating a vending machine with
a wireless transceiver for communicating with a remote data processing system
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3A is a functional block diagram of a cellular communication
system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
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Figure 3B is a table that shows the format for a data message
communicated in the cellular communication system of Figure 3A according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of a cellular communication system
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of data processing software
programs for processing wirelessly transmitted data associated with one or
more
vending machines according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C illustrate a process for acquiring data from a
vending machine via a cellular network according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention.
Figure 7 illustrates a process for analyzing data acquired from a vending
machine via a cellular network according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention.
Figures 8A and 8B illustrate processes for identifying and responding to
anomalous conditions based on data acquired from a vending machine via a
cellular network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
Figure 9 illustrates a process for optimizing vending machine locations
based on data acquired from vending machines via a cellular network according
to
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 10 illustrates a process for optimizing stocking levels of a vending
machine based on data acquired from vending machines via a cellular network
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 11 illustrates a process for optimizing product offerings of a
vending machine based on data acquired from vending machines via a cellular
network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is directed to managing operations of a vending
machine or a system of vending machines based on vending machine data
acquired via a wireless data link.
Turning now to discuss each of the drawings presented in Figures 1-11, in
which like numerals indicate like elements throughout the several figures, an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.
Referring now to Figure 1, this figure is a functional block diagram
illustrating a cellular-based system 100 for wireless communication with one
or
more vending machines 105 according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention. In the case of multiple vending machines 105, only one of
which Figure 1 illustrates, the vending machines 105 are typically dispersed
across a geographic area, such as a city, portion of a city, region, state, or
larger
area. A business entity such as a soft drink bottler typically operates the
vending
machines 105, manages various business activities associated with the vending
machines 105, and receives operational profit. Such a vending machine operator
may employ service providers to assist in vending operations and have business
relationships with other organizations involved with vending soft drinks or
other
products. Using wirelessly aggregated information, this vending management
system 100 supports remote and automated refinement of multiple aspects of
managing a vending operation.
Each vending machine 105 has a microprocessor-based vending machine
controller 165 that controls the equipment of the vending machine 105,
including
dispensing products, maintaining a specified temperature, tracking inventory,
and
sales accounting. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
vending machine controller 165 is a programmable logic control device or a
controller device. A transceiver module 160 and its associated antenna 155 in
each vending machine 105 communicate data to and from the vending machine
controller 165 over a wireless link 140 in a cellular mobile radiotelephone
("CMR") system 8. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
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vending machine controller 165 and the transceiver module 160 function
together
as a programmable logic control device or a controller device. In one
exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, the transceiver module 160 functions as a
programmable logic control device or a controller device.
The CMR system 8 includes a cellular network 130 that supports wireless
communication between a communication gateway 135 and the transceiver
module 160. Communication 145 in the CMR system 8 from the communication
gateway 135 to the transceiver module 160 transmits in the cellular network's
paging channel. Communication 146 from the transceiver module 160 to the
communication gateway 135 transmits in the cellular network's control channel.
Communicating data to and from vending machines 105 in cellular paging
and control channels preserves the CMR system's communication bandwidth for
other communication functions. Thus, the data processing system 46 depicted in
Figure 1 can support multiple communication applications in tandem with
vending
machine communication, as described below in reference to Figures 3A, 3B, and
4. A single CMR system 8 can carry voice communication while carrying data
communications associated with vending machines 105 and a variety of other
equipment (not shown in Figure 1). Stated another way, the depicted
communication system 100 provides economical two-way communications
between remote equipment and a central facility using an underutilized portion
of
an advanced mobile phone system ("AMPS") cellular telephone system, the
overhead control channels.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a system other
than an AMPS cellular telephone system conveys data from the vending machine
105 to the data processing system 46. Such a non-AMPS system can be either a
cellular or a non-cellular system based on various transmission protocols. In
one
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, communication between the
vending machine 105 and the data processing system 46 comprises digital
transmission or short message service ("SMS") transport.
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The communication system 100 can comprise Digital AMPS (DAMPS),
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA/IS-95), Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA/IS-136), the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM),
Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE), General Packet Radio
Service (GPRS), and various two-way paging protocols. The wireless transport
can support a data capacity of 8,000 bits per second or more. In one exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, the communication system 100 is based on
the communication platform marketed by Numerex Corp. of Atlanta, GA under
the registered trademark CELLEMETRY and can have an uplink payload size of
32 bits. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
communication system 100 comprises a satellite data link, such as provided by
the
GlobalWave~ system that is available from Vistar Datacomm, and can have an
uplink payload size of 88 bits. In one exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the communication system 100 is linked to the MicroBurst~
communication service from Aeris.net of San Jose, CA.
The transceiver module 160 sends information acquired from the vending
machine controller 165 and other data sources in the vending machine 105 as
telemetry packets 146 through the cellular network's control channel to the
communication gateway 135. In one exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, each telemetry packet 146 comprises a 32-bit word or has a 32-bit
word
payload. However, each telemetry packet can have a larger payload such as a
payload in a range of 32 to 300 bytes. In one exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, each telemetry packet comprises 88 bits.
The transceiver module 160 receives data communicated in the form of
incoming pages 145 transmitted over the cellular network 130. Pages 145
received by the transceiver module 160 can include commands, programming, and
configuration data. These pages 145 can include requests for transmission of
sales
and inventory data from the vending machine 105 or a daily time setting for
the
vending machine 105 to autonomously upload data, for example.
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Communication between the communication gateway 135 and the cellular
network 130 can conform to any one of a variety of communication protocols
such as Signaling System 7 ("SS7") and Interim Standard 41 ("IS-41"). SS7 is a
communications protocol historically used to transfer public switched
telephone
network data traffic onto a separate wireline or wireless network rather than
the
originating network for the call. IS-41, as will be discussed in further
detail
below, is a standard for communications between cellular systems.
A data processing system 46, typically collocated with the communication
gateway 135, communicates with this gateway 135 via transmission control
protocol and Internet protocol ("TCP/IP") over a hardwire data link 48. TCP/IP
is
a communication method that combines TCP and IP functions. While IP handles
data delivery, TCP tracks packets, which are units of data, divided for
efficient
routing through a communication network, such as the Internet 120. More
specifically, TCP provides a transport function that matches the message sizes
on
either end of a communication link and thereby ensures that messages received
at
a destination are the correct messages intended for that destination. The IP
function includes a computer address on a network. Each computer in a TCP/IP
network has a specified address that may be permanently assigned or reassigned
at
each startup. Since TCP/IP messages contain an address of a destination
network
as well as an address of a destination station on the destination network,
TCP/IP
messages readily transmit across or between multiple networks, such as the
Internet 120 and the cellular network 130 of the vending management system 100
depicted in Figure 1.
The data processing system 46 includes a database 175 that stores raw and
processed data acquired from vending machines 105. Data processing
programs 170 linked to the database 175 process incoming data as well as data
archived in the database 175.
A connection of the data processing system 46 to the Internet 120
facilitates locating a web-based interface 125 for remote user interaction
with the
data processing system 46 as well as the other components of the vending
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management system 100. The web-based interface 125 includes a PC-based
graphical user interface ("GUI") 180 though which a user enters data, requests
information, performs other input-related interactions, and views displayed
data,
operational recommendations, and other information. The web-based
interface 125 further includes an analytics module 185 that performs high-
level
data processing in collaboration with the data processing programs 170 of the
data
processing system 46. The analytics module 185 outputs recommendations to the
user for managing a vending machine operation.
While the exemplary system architecture depicted in Figure 1 supports
remotely locating the web-based interface 125 with respect to the data
processing
system 46, these system components 125, 46 can be located in a common
facility,
building, or complex or in a single equipment enclosure. In one exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, the depicted Internet network 120 is
replaced with an intranet that communicates information within a campus and
thus
offers access to the data processing system 46 and the functions of the
analytics
module 185 to users throughout the campus. In one exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, a distributed computing network links the web-based
interface
125 to the data processing system 46.
Turning now to Figure 2, this figure is a functional block diagram
illustrating a vending machine 105 with a wireless transceiver 205 for
communicating with a remote data processing system 46 according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
A vending machine controller 165 interfaces with various vending
machine systems 255 including mechanisms and electronics that accept customer
payment from a payment subsystem 280, such as an array of coin slots, and
dispense purchased products. The vending machine controller 165 includes a
microprocessor (not shown) and associated firmware that controls these vending
machine systems 255, for example maintaining the vending machine's product
inventory (not shown) at a defined temperature. A data logging function tracks
and stores sales and inventory levels of each product stocked in the vending
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machine 105. A monitoring capability identifies and records the status of each
of
the vending machine subsystems 255, including device failures and warning
conditions.
A technician servicing and/or restocking the vending machine 105 can
acquire data accumulated and stored by the vending machine controller 165
since
a previous service call. That is, the vending machine controller 165 records
data
between service calls so that a service technician or route driver can acquire
this
recorded data at each service call. Recorded data can transfer from the
vending
machine controller 165 to a mobile data recorder (not shown) carried by the
technician over a hardwire connection (not shown).
The transceiver module 160 is electrically coupled to the vending machine
controller 165 to access the aforementioned data that the vending machine
controller 165 monitors and records. The interface between the vending machine
controller 165 and the transceiver module 160 can comprise a direct exchange
port
or another data port that supports multiple types of vending machine
controllers 165. The transceiver module 160 can receive data from vending
machine controllers 165 of various vending machine manufacturers that use a
common protocol.
In addition to product inventory and sales data or vend data, the
transceiver module 160 can receive a variety of codes indicative of
operational
conditions of the vending machine 105. For example, a code can provide a
notification of a product jam in a particular product column or chute; a
cabinet
temperature that is too high; a cabinet temperature that is too low; a coin
jam; a
jam in a bill validator; a blockage in a change inlet chute; or a card reader
communication error. The data processing system 46 can receive the
notification
of an abnormal machine state and prompt a service call to implement corrective
action. Analyses performed by the analytics module 185 can take into account
abnormal vending machine conditions that may adversely impact sales
performance. For example, a performance comparison between two vended
products or between two vending machines 105 can weigh the operational
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readiness of the vending machines 105 involved in the comparison. Properly
attributing equipment malfunctions and product problems to the appropriate
underlying conditions facilitates refining the operations of a system of
vending
machines 105 towards enhanced profit performance.
To facilitate auditing vending machine operations, the transceiver module
160 can receive detailed vending data from the vending machine controller 165.
Based on such detailed data, the data processing system 46 or the analytics
module 185 can identify an occurrence of fraud, theft, or suspicious
activities, in
addition to optimizing general operational performance. Such detailed
information can include accountings of transactions occurring since the last
reset
of the vending machine 105, such as: cash sales; coins and paper bills input
into
the vending machine 105; cash dispensed by the vending machine 105; credit or
debit card sales; or token-based sales. Optimization software routines of the
analytics module 185 can utilize this detailed information to refine a product
offering, a vending machine location, or other parameter of a vending
operation.
The transceiver module 160 transmits the data acquired from the vending
machine controller 165 along with other, independently acquired data to the
data
processing system 46 via the CMR telephone system 8 and the associated
communication gateway 135.
The transceiver module 160 independently acquires data from a variety of
sensors that monitor operations of the vending machine 105. Exemplary sensors
include a door switch 225, a restocking button 270, and a power detector 230.
By
monitoring the door switch 225, the transceiver module 160 can detect a
service
technician or other person opening the vending machine's door (not shown).
Opening the door of the vending machine 105 can be indicative of restocking
the
vending machine's inventory or of inappropriate access such as a product theft
intrusion. Detecting theft activities not only facilitates eliminating theft
by
increasing security, but also enables adjusting vending and inventory data
that has
been acquired from the vending machine controller 165 to correctly determine
the
number of products vended to actual customers.
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A power detector 230 is coupled to the vending machine's power bus 240
to monitor status of the electrical power supply 240. A power cord 245
connects
the power bus 240 to a power supply 250 such as a 110 volt wall socket 250.
Monitoring the vending machine's power status facilitates adjusting sales and
inventory data that the transceiver module 160 collects from the vending
machine
controller 165 to compensate for time periods during which the vending
machine 105 is inoperable. That is, identifying periods of time that a vending
machine 105 is inoperable due to lack of power enhances the accuracy of sales
performance comparisons between two or more vending machines 105.
When a service technician restocks a vending machine's product
inventory, the technician resets the restocking button 270 to enable tracking
sales
events and associated inventory depletions occurring between each service
call. A
battery backup 222 enables the transceiver module 160 to operate without
interruption during periods of electrical power loss from the primary power
supply 250.
The transceiver module 160 has an array of dual inline pin ("DIP")
switches 220 which a technician can configure to set a daily time that the
transceiver module 160 will autonomously acquire data from the vending machine
sensors 225, 270, 230 and the vending machine controller 165 for wireless
transmission over the CMR telephone system 8 to the data processing system 46.
To acquire data from the vending machine controller 165, the transceiver
module 160 serially interrogates the vending machine controller 165 which
responds in kind by providing data in an ASCII format. Using the processing
capabilities of an internal microprocessor 210, the transceiver module 160
parses
the data stream from the vending machine controller 165 and extracts relevant
data, including the number of sales recorded since the vending machine's
previous
service call. A wireless transceiver 205 in the transceiver module 160 and'
its
associated antenna 155 implements the transmission and reception of data via a
wireless data link 140.
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Turning now to Figures 3A, 3B, and 4, exemplary embodiments of CMR
systems will be discussed in the context of general applications that can
include
voice and data communication, mobile communication, data collection from
vending machines 105, utility monitors, and other equipment. In other words,
Figures 3A, 3B, and 4 illustrate CMR systems 8, 8' that can provide a wide
range
of voice and data services in addition to communication with a network of
vending machines 105. Likewise, the textual discussion of these three figures
is
somewhat generalized rather than directed specifically at the vending machine
application.
Turning now to Figure 3A, this figure illustrates a functional block
diagram of a data message system 10 in the operating environment of a CMR
system 8 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The data message system 10 communicates data collected from remote
data sources 30, such as vending machines 105 as depicted in Figures 1 and 2,
and
includes a set of data reporting devices 29, at least one mobile switching
center
("MSC") 24 of the CMR system 8, and a data collection system 40 connected to
the MSC 24. In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, each
reporting device 29 is a transceiver module 160 coupled to a vending machine
105
as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and discussed above. Furthermore, the data
collection system 40 can be the communication gateway 135 of Figures 1 and 2.
Each data reporting device 29 monitors operation of the remote data source 30
to
obtain selected data, such as the numbers and types of products that a vending
machine 105 has sold over a period of time.
The data reporting device 29 transmits data messages containing the
selected data to the MSC 24 via a cellular network control channel of the CMR
system 8. The MSC 24 receives data messages from data reporting devices 29
operating within coverage areas of the CMR system 8. The MSC 24 sends the
data messages to the data collection system 40 via a first communications link
for
processing of the information offered by the data messages.
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By operating within the environment of a CMR system 8, which is well
adapted for portable or mobile communications, one exemplary embodiment of
the present invention can take advantage of an existing wide area
communications
network and avoid the expense of communicating with each remote data site via
a
dedicated telephone facility or two-way radios. A remote data site can be a
shopping center, gymnasium, cafeteria, park, grocery store lobby, of other
site that
has one or more vending machines 105, for example.
The data message system 10 adapts the existing environment of a CMR
system 8 to communicate data from one or more remote sites to a central
location.
However, to conserve the use of voice channels of the CMR system 8 for
telephone conversations, the data collection system 40 uses the cellular
network
control channel of the CMR system 8 for data communications. The data message
is formatted to correspond to a call origination signal, which is normally
transmitted by a cellular radiotelephone unit when the device originates a
cellular
telephone call for communication via a CMR system 8. This permits conservation
of the valuable frequency spectrum dedicated to the voice channels of the
typical
CMR system 8.
In view of the foregoing, it will be understood that one exemplary
embodiment of the present invention can adapt existing architecture and
communications protocols of a typical CMR system 8 to supply an economical
approach to the communication of vending data collected from numerous remote
sites that have one or more vending machines 105. It will be further
understood
that the communication of data messages between an MSC 24 and the cellular
communications device can be based upon established techniques and known
protocols for CMR system communications. Accordingly, it will be useful to
review the primary components and operation of a typical CMR system 8.
A CMR system 8 is generally characterized by dividing a radio coverage
area into smaller coverage areas or "cells" 12 using low power transmitters
and
coverage-restricted receivers. The limited coverage area allows the radio
channels
used in one cell 12 to be reused in another cell (not shown). As a mobile
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radiotelephone within one cell 12 moves across the boundary of the cell 12 and
into an adjacent cell (not shown), control circuitry associated with each cell
12
detects that the signal strength of the mobile radiotelephone in the just-
entered
cell 12 is stronger, and communications with the mobile radiotelephone are
"handed-off' to the just-entered cell 12.
A CMR system 8 typically uses a pair of radio frequencies for each radio
channel and each cell 12. Each cell 12 typically includes at least one
signaling
channel, also referred to as a cellular network control channel or an access
channel, and several voice channels. The control channel is selected or
dedicated
to receive requests for service from mobiles and portables, to page selected
mobiles or portables, and to instruct the mobiles or portables to tune to a
predetermined voice channel where a conversation may take place. Accordingly,
the control channel is normally responsible for receiving and transmitting
data to
control the communication actions of the mobile and portable radiotelephones.
The control channel normally comprises a forward channel control
("FOCC") for communications from the MSC 24 to a radiotelephone unit and a
reverse channel control ("RECC") for communications from a radiotelephone unit
to the MSC 24. The FOCC supplies a multiplexed data stream of message data
words, a busy idle signal, and busy idle bits. The busy idle bits are useful
for
supplying an indication to monitoring radiotelephones about the current status
of
the RECC. If the RECC is in use by a radiotelephone unit, then the RECC is
considered to be busy and the busy idle bit is set to a binary one value.
Alternatively, if the RECC is not in use, then the RECC is considered to be
idle
and the busy idle bit is set to binary zero value. Mobile radiotelephones
monitor
the busy idle bits transmitted by the FOCC and, if the busy idle bit is set to
a
binary one value, then the mobile radiotelephone delays transmission on the
RECC until the busy idle bit is set to a binary zero value. Thus, a
radiotelephone
normally transmits on the control channel during the window of opportunity
that
is presented by a transition from the busy state to the idle state. In
particular, the
busy idle bit supplies an instantaneous view of the signaling activity on the
control
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channel, and the radiotelephone is responsive to this instant snapshot of
control
channel activity.
The data message and radio channel specifications for U.S. cellular
radiotelephone systems are set forth in Electronic Industries
Association/Telecommunications Industry Association ("EIA/TIA")
Standard 553, implemented in accordance with 47 C.F.R. Section 22, in the
Report and Orders pertaining to Federal Communications Commission ("FCC")
Docket No. 79-318. Copies of the EIA/TIA-553 may be obtained from the
Engineering Department of the Electronic Industries Association at 2001
Pennsylvania Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C., USA 20006.
When a cellular mobile radiotelephone originates a call, it transmits at
least one data message to the serving cell 12 of the CMR system 8. This
request
for a cellular voice channel, commonly referred to as a Call Origination
function,
is defined by EIA/TIA-553 and can be implemented as a message or signal having
certain defined fields. For example, this call origination message can contain
data
fields for the low-order seven digits of the unit's telephone number, known as
the
Mobile Identification Number ("MIN"), the unit's Station Class Mark ("SCM"),
which identifies functional characteristics of the unit, and the Called
Address, or
dialed telephone number. Cellular system operators typically also require
additional data words to be transmitted within a call origination message,
including the MIN2, which is the high order three digits or number planning
area
("NPA") of the cellular unit's telephone number, and the Electronic Serial
Number
("ESN").
The MIN is assigned to a particular radio telephone unit by the cellular
service provider selected by the subscriber. The MIN typically contains
information unique to the CMR system operator, for example, the first three
digits
of the MIN ("XXX") typically correspond to an area code, the next three digits
("XXX") typically correspond to a geographic location within the area code;
and
the final four digits ("XXXX") identify a particular piece of equipment.
Similarly,
the ESN is unique to each mobile cellular radiotelephone unit, and comprises a
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format that allows differentiation as to manufacturer and, in some cases, the
model
number, date of manufacture, and the like.
The call origination message is provided first to the serving cell 12 of the
CMR system 8, and then through a data link to a MSC 24, which is sometimes
referred to as a mobile telephone switching center or a "switch." The MSC 24
makes voice connections between mobile radiotelephones and other
telecommunications networks. At the MSC 24, a determination is typically made
whether the radiotelephone identified by the message is an authorized user or
subscriber by looking up the unit's telephone number, serial number, and other
information supplied by the message to see if there is an entry in the MSC's
user
database (not shown) corresponding to that particular telephone. An optional
function of an MSC 24 is to validate that the ESN and MIN received as part of
a
call origination message are valid. If the MIN is valid and the radiotelephone
is
identified as a subscriber within the given cellular system, i.e., a "home"
unit, the
MSC 24 compares the received ESN to a user database entry to detect fraud. If
these checks succeed, the cellular call is then allowed to proceed.
When a mobile radiotelephone first powers up or first enters a CMR
system 8 when already powered, the unit can identify itself as actively
present
within the system. The radiotelephone identifies itself or "registers" through
a
process known as Autonomous Registration by supplying a data packet of
information similar to that of a call origination message. The autonomous
registration signal, also referred to as a registration or an identification
signal,
typically comprises data fields for at least a mobile telephone number, i.e.,
the
MIN, and an ESN. Unlike the autonomous registration signal, the call
origination
signal can include a data field containing the digits of the telephone number
to be
called, and a flag within a data field to distinguish this message from a
registration
signal.
An original design goal of Autonomous Registration was to improve the
efficiency of potential future call deliveries by keeping the MSC 24 informed
of
the approximate whereabouts of each individual radiotelephone unit, and to
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reduce paging channel load by lessening the need to page all cells 12 to find
a
particular cellular unit. Thus informed, the MSC 24 can later "page" or
attempt to
ring the cellular unit only in the cell 12 or area of the cellular unit's last
known
location. Additional cells 12 would be paged only if the initial page did not
locate
the particular radiotelephone. Thus, the Autonomous Registration function is
implemented as messages periodically and autonomously sent from the mobile
radiotelephone to the serving cell 12 at an interval specified in data
parameters
previously received from the cell 12 by the cellular unit.
A subscriber using or attempting to use his or her mobile radiotelephone in
a service area outside the home service area is said to be "roaming," and he
or she
(and the associated mobile radiotelephone unit) is commonly referred to as a
"roamer." For example, if a subscriber enters the service area of another CMR
system service provider and powers on the radiotelephone, the radiotelephone
will
subsequently receive a message via the control channel of the particular cell
12 in
which the telephone then resides. This message will include a request that the
subscriber register for operation in the particular cellular system. In
response, the
radiotelephone unit transmits both the mobile telephone number and the serial
number as identifying information back to the cell site 12. The cell 12
forwards
this information to a MSC 24, which quickly ascertains whether the
radiotelephone unit is a customer of the local cellular service provider or
the
customer of another cellular system.
If the radiotelephone unit is a customer of another cellular service
provider, the MSC 24 will send a message packet to the home system for the
particular telephone unit. This message indicates that the particular radio
telephone unit has registered in another cellular system and requests
information
about the validity of the number and account information for the radio
telephone
unit. The home system responds by transmitting a responsive packet containing
the requested information. If valid, the MSC 24 at the foreign cellular system
will
then add the roamer to its list of registered users and the home cellular
system will
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add the subscriber associated with the radio telephone unit to a list of
roamers that
are out of the service area and registered in another area.
When this same radiotelephone unit registers with yet another system, the
user database at the MSC 24 for the home system will observe that the unit has
moved again and will update its list of where the roaming unit has most
recently
registered in a user database system. In addition, it will send a message to
the first
foreign system informing it that the roaming unit has now moved on and
registered in another system, and that the first foreign system should delete
the
particular unit from its list of registered roamers. In this manner, the user
databases at the various MSCs 24 are not cluttered with data identifying
previously registered roamers as valid accounts for which service should be
provided, when these roamers may have long since left the area of service.
The data message system 10 supports the collection and communication of
data to a central data collection site 40 by reporting systems associated with
numerous data sources 30. A typical CMR system 8 includes a geographic radio
service area, such as indicated by the cell 12, of which a plurality of cells
are
typically provided in a typical cellular service operator's system. The cell
12 is
served by a broadcast antenna 14 to permit communications between cellular
mobile radiotelephones operating within the cell 12 and a cell control 16. A
mobile telephone switching office, such as the MSC 24, can communicate with
the cell 12 either by dedicated telephone facilities (not shown) or, more
frequently, by a cell-to-mobile switching center data link 22 between the cell
control 16 and the MSC 24. At least a portion of the data link 22 is typically
supported by a wireless communications link, such as the microwave link 20,
located between the cell 12 and the MSC 24.
A typical CMR system 8 comprises at least one mobile telephone switch
coupled to an appropriate array of more or less identically equipped cell
sites 12.
The MSC 24 normally couples telephone conversations involving mobile
radiotelephones operating in the cell 12 to the public switched telephone
network
("PSTN") 26 through telephone facilities 28.
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The data collection system 40 includes a set of data reporting devices 29,
each comprising at least one monitor 32 for collecting data from remote data
sources 30 and a cellular communications device 34 for communicating the
collected data via a control channel of the CMR system 8 to the MSC 24. The
monitor 32 depicted in Figure 3A, which is connected to a corresponding remote
data source 30 via a signal path 31, obtains and records selected data
directed to
the operation or performance characteristics of the data source 30.
Referring briefly back to Figures 1 and 2, for collecting data in a vending
machine application, each data reporting device 29 can be a transceiver
module 160 coupled to a vending machine data source, as described above. The
monitor 30 can include one or more sensors, such as a coin slot sensor 280,
door
switch 225, restock button 270, or power detector 230 and can also include a
vending machine controller 165 that provides vend data, temperature, and/or
other
information relevant to the operation of a vending machine 105.
Referring now to Figure 3A, the cellular communications device 34, which
is connected to the corresponding monitor 32 via a signal path 33, prepares a
data
packet containing the selected data and transmits the packet as a data
message.
The selected data represents actual data acquired by the monitor 32 in
response to
monitoring the operation or performance of the data source 30. Alternatively,
the
selected data can represent predetermined data or a preprogrammed message that
is associated with the detection of a certain event by the monitor 32 for the
data
source 30.
The MSC 24 receives the data message via a cellular network control
channel 38 formed by the combination of the data link 22 and a cellular
communications link 36 between the broadcast antenna 14 and the cellular
communications device 34. This combination of communications links is
collectively referred to as the control channel. A cellular network control
channel
for a typical CMR system 8 comprises two radio channels that are commonly
described as a FOCC and a RECC, as described above. The FOCC serves
communications initiated by the MSC 24 to a radiotelephone unit, while the
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RECC serves communications from the radiotelephone to the MSC 24. The
communications operations between the MSC 24 and the cellular communications
device 34 also follow this convention. In particular, the control channel 38
comprises two separate data communications paths, an FOCC for communications
initiated by the MSC 24 and an RECC for communications initiated by the
cellular communications devices 34 (or mobile radiotelephones operating within
the cell 12). Accordingly, the cellular communications device 34 transmits
data
messages via the RECC, whereas the MSC 24 transmits command signals via the
FOCC.
In this manner, the MSC 24 receives data messages from each of the
cellular communication devices 34 operating within the coverage areas of an
array
of cells for the CMR system 8. Although the data messages contain selected
data
rather than the parameters normally contained in an actual radiotelephone
control
information, the MSC 24 operates upon the data messages as if they were
transmitted by a cellular radiotelephone unit operating within the coverage
area of
the CMR system 8 because the format of the data messages makes them appear as
typical call origination signals generated by a radiotelephone unit.
The MSC 24, in response to a data message, can conduct one or more of
the following operations: store the data message for processing at a later
date,
process the selected data supplied by the data message, or forward the data
message to a data collection system 40 via a first communications link 42. The
data collection system 40, which is connected to a memory storage device 44,
collects the selected data by storing the received data messages within the
memory
storage device 44. Similar to the MSC 24, the data collection system 40 also
can
process the selected data to obtain further information concerning the
operation or
performance of the data sources 30. Alternatively, the data collection system
40
can send the information of the data message to a data processing system 46
via a
second communications link 48. The data processing system 46 is typically
remotely located from the data collection system 40 and facilitates convenient
processing of the selected data at a central site. The second communications
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link 48 is typically implemented by a telephone facility, a dedicated data
lime, or
by a wireless communications link.
In addition to providing an efficient communication network for
interfacing with vending machines 105, the data collection system 40 can
acquire
data from a wide variety of data sources, such as utility meters, community
antenna television ("CATV") pay-per-view ("PPV") terminals, equipment
operating at isolated sites, and security alarm systems.
For example, in conjunction with collecting data from vending
machines 105, the data collection system 40 can monitor one or more loads of
an
electrical utility system and communicate energy consumption data to a central
site for processing. The utility industry typically determines the
effectiveness of
an electrical load management system for a selected control scenario by
collecting
or monitoring energy consumption data for certain customers during load
management activities. In particular, the utility compares the maximum energy
consumed by the selected customers for certain collection periods to the
maximum energy that would be consumed by those customers in the absence of
any load management activities. A utility typically uses a load profile
recorder
located proximate to each customer's electrical load for recording the
customer's
power consumption during predetermined time intervals. Upon the conclusion of
the collection period, the recorded energy consumption data is then forwarded
from each load profile recorder to a central data processing site such as the
illustrated data processing system 46, for data translation and evaluation.
The CMR system 8 can support the operations of such an electrical utility
application in tandem with the vending machine application. For the vending
machine application, select monitors 32 operate as recorders to obtain
operational
data from the data sources 30, in this case vending machines 105. The cellular
communications device 34 thereafter transmits a data message containing this
operational data to the MSC 24. The MSC 24 can then forward the data message
to the data collection system 40 for processing of the data or, in turn, the
data
collection system 40 sends the data message to the data processing system 46
for
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processing operations. In this manner, an operator of a system of vending
machines 105, such as a soft drink bottler, can collect operational data from
numerous vending machines 105 to support evaluating and optimizing the
effectiveness and profitability of its vending business operations.
In view of the foregoing general information about cellular system
operations, and referring still to Figure 3A, in response to the transmission
of a
data message by a cellular communications device 34, the MSC 24 typically
makes a determination whether the cellular communications device 34 that
transmitted the data message is an authorized user or subscriber of the
services
offered by the cellular system 8 or another system. As shown in Figure 3B, the
data message, formatted as a call origination signal associated with the call
origination function, can include certain information that identifies the
cellular
communications device 34 as a radiotelephone unit which normally operates
within a certain remote or "foreign" cellular system. Based upon this
information,
the MSC 24 decides that the cellular communications device 34 is a roamer
because it appears to subscribe to the cellular service offered by another
cellular
system, which, in this case, is the data collection system 40.
The MSC 24 can maintain a list or user database (not shown) having
entries corresponding to the identification information in the data message.
At
least a portion of the identification information identifies the source of the
call
origination signal as belonging to a particular cellular system. By checking
this
user database, the MSC 24 determines whether the cellular communications
device 34 is a subscriber or a roamer. A subscriber is typically listed as an
entry
in the user database, whereas a roamer is generally not initially listed in
the user
database. Thus, it will be understood that the MSC 24 interprets the data
message
as a transmission from a roaming mobile radiotelephone operating within the
CMR system 8 because the user database fails to contain an entry identifying
the
cellular source as a "home" unit.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the remote cellular
system identified by the data message can be dedicated to data collection
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applications, rather than voice communications, and is represented by the data
collection system 40. This data collection system 40 can be the communication
gateway 135 depicted in Figure 1 and described above.
The remote cellular system represents the home location register ("HLR")
for the cellular service responsible for transmission of the data message. In
recognition that the cellular communications device 34 is actually associated
with
the remote cellular system, the MSC 24 forwards the data message to the data
collection system 40 via the first communications link 42.
The data collection system 40 has now received the data message
containing selected data collected from the remote data source 30 and, unlike
the
MSC 24, recognizes that the data message actually contains the desired data
collected from a remote data source 30. Accordingly, the data collection
system 40 transmits a message to the MSC 24 that instructs the MSC 24 to
delete
the cellular communication device 34 from its list of registered roamers. It
will be
understood that the MSC 24 would normally receive this type of message when a
roaming radiotelephone has moved to another cellular system and subsequently
registered for operation on that other system. Thus, the user database of the
MSC 24 is no longer required to maintain the registration information
concerning
the cellular communications device 34 after transferring the data message to
the
data collection system 40.
Alternatively, the data collection system 40 can respond to the data
message by transmitting a message which confirms that the roamer is a valid
user
and further instructs the MSC 24 to delete the registration entry upon the
expiration of the certain time interval. As a separate option, the MSC 24 can
automatically delete a registration entry from the MSC user database upon
expiration of a certain time period without any instruction from the data
collection
system 40. In this manner, the data collection system 40 is not required to
send
yet another message to the MSC 24 after the data collection system 40 confirms
that the cellular communications device 34 represents a valid user.
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The MSC 24 and the data collection system 40 can be compatible with the
EIA/TIA Interim Standard 41 ("IS-41 standard"). The IS-41 standard defines a
communications protocol for communications between two cellular systems. The
IS-41 standard includes provisions that facilitate the handoff of cellular
calls
between dissimilar cellular systems, not unlike the way that calls are handed-
off
between cells 12 of a single CMR system 8. In addition, the IS-41 standard
permits call deliveries and communications exchange for verifying whether a
cellular caller is a valid cellular service subscriber. In this manner, the
MSC 24
implements the handoff by forwarding the data message to the data collection
system 40 via the first communications link 42, which can be implemented as an
IS-41-compatible network. In response, the data collection system 40 sends a
user
validation message via the link 42 to confirm that the source of the data
message,
specifically a cellular communications device 34, is a valid cellular source.
In particular, the data collection system 40 recognizes that the received
data message contains selected data which a cellular communications device 34
has transmitted. Accordingly, the data collection system 40 processes the
received data message and compares the predetermined identifying
characteristic
in its data message to a list of such characteristics in its user database.
This user
database can contain an entry of the predetermined identifying characteristic
for
each of the known cellular communications devices 34 and corresponding data
that identifies the associated device as a valid cellular source. Upon
obtaining a
positive match, the data collection system 40 responds to the received data
message by sending to the MSC 24 a validation message. The validation message
confirms that the roamer associated with the data message is a valid or
authorized
user of the remote cellular system. However, the data collection system 40
also
advises the MSC 24 to not complete the requested call because there is no need
to
connect the cellular communications device 34 to a voice channel of the CMR
system 8 for completing a voice-based telephone communication. Based on the
valid user response, the cellular communications device 34 is thereafter added
as a
registered cellular source to a user database of registered roamers at the MSC
24.
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It will be appreciated that the data collection system 40 also can forward to
the
MSC 24 a message confirming the absence of a valid entry for the cellular
communications device 34 in response to a negative match.
This validation message can also include a profile of communications
services that are authorized for use by the particular cellular source. For
example,
this user profile typically defines operational limitations for the cellular
source,
including access to long distance services, the capability for the source to
only
originate (and not receive) calls via the cellular system, etc. For example,
user
profile information can contain an instruction that commands the MSC 24 to
delete from its user database the registration entry for a particular cellular
communications device after the expiration of a defined time period. This
function allows the MSC 24 to clear from its user database entries cellular
communications devices 34 that have communicated data messages via the
MSC 24 when such devices no longer require continued communications support
from the MSC 24. For example, such devices do not require continued support
for
voice communications because they do not require assignment of a voice
channel.
The data collection system 40 can store selected data supplied by the
received data message within the memory storage device 44, can process the
selected data and store the resultant data, or can forward the selected data
to the
data processing system 46 for processing. Prior to sending the selected data
to the
data processing system 46, the data collection system 40 first converts the
data
message to an acceptable communications protocol for conveying the data
message to the data processing system 46. This step may be necessary prior to
communication with the data processing system 46 because, unlike the MSC 24
and the data collection system 40, neither the data processing system 46 nor
the
second communications link 48 may be compatible with the IS-41 standard.
Although the MSC 24 may be programmed to treat the cellular
communications devices 34 as roamers associated with a foreign cellular
system,
the user database of the MSC 24 also can be programmed to contain entries for
predetermined identifying characteristics of those cellular communications
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devices 34 operating within cells 12 of the cellular system 8. Upon receiving
a
data message via the control channel 38 from such a device 34, an MSC 24
containing such user database entries identifies the transmitting cellular
communications device 34 as a "home" unit rather than as a roamer because the
MSC user database contains an entry that corresponds to the predetermined
identifying characteristic supplied by the message. Thus, the MSC 24 registers
the transmitting cellular communications device 34 as a home unit of the
cellular
system 8. This provision avoids a need to contact a foreign cellular system,
such
as the data collection system 40, to inquire whether the cellular source is a
valid
user or subscriber of cellular services.
However, to initiate transfer of the information in the data message to the
data collection system 40, the MSC 24 can be adapted to recognize that data
messages should still be forwarded to the data collection system 40.
Specifically,
based upon a portion of the predetermined identifying characteristic that is
uniquely associated with the data collection system 40, the MSC 24 locates an
entry in its user database that commands the switch 24 to send all messages
containing such a characteristic to the data collection system 40.
Accordingly, the
MSC 24 thereafter forwards the data message via the first communications link
42
to the data collection system 40.
The data collection system 40 can be implemented by a computer. In one
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the data collection system 40
is
the computer of a service circuit node. Certain manufacturers of switches,
such as
the MSC 24, also offer devices for implementing communications with the data
collection system 40, including the Motorola EMX switch and other vendor
proprietary switches. Switch manufacturers include: AT&T Network Systems,
Whippany, N.J.; Ericsson Radio Systems, Richardson, Tex.; Hughes Network
Systems, Germantown, Md.; and Motorola, Schaumburg, Ill.
The cellular system 8 is can be implemented as an advanced mobile phone
system ("AMPS") or a digital advanced mobile phone system ("DAMPS")
cellular system. However, it will be appreciated that the cellular system 8
also can
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be compatible with alternative cellular systems implementing a control channel
for mobile to cell communications, including the cellular systems known as:
DCS 1800, IS 95-CDMA, JTACS, TAGS, ETACS, RC 2000, NMT 450, ESMR,
WACS, NMT 900, or other wireless systems.
It will be appreciated that the CMR system 8 includes an array of cells,
such as the cell 12, and that a set of reporting systems 29, each formed by
the
monitor 32 and the cellular communications device 34, are typically located in
a
cell 12. For each data source 30 within the cell 12, the monitor 32 and the
cellular
communication device 34 can be located proximate to the data source 30 to
minimize the lengths of the signal paths 31 and 33. To facilitate economical
installation of the reporting device, the monitor 32 and the cellular
communication
device 34 can be combined within the same housing and this housing can be
installed either adjacent to or as an integral part of the data source 30. For
an
installation proximate to the data source 30, the signal path 31 and the
signal
path 33 form hard-wired connections between the connected devices.
Nevertheless, it will be appreciated that the signal paths 31 and 33 also can
be
implemented as either infrared communications links or wireless communications
links.
It will be understood that a single cellular communications device 34 can
be connected to multiple monitors 32 to permit the transmission of selected
data
collected from associated data sources 30 located at a central site. For
example, a
single cellular communications device 34 can be mounted at a central location
within or along an office building and multiple monitors 32 can be distributed
throughout the building to permit the acquisition of data from the associated
data
sources 30, such as vending machines 105 dispersed within the building
facility.
The data collection system 40 can be located proximate to or as an integral
part of the MSC 24, in which case the first communication link 42 can form a
hard-wired connection between the devices. However, the data collection
system 40 also can be positioned at a remote site. For this remote
installation, the
first communications link 42 can be implemented as a wireless communications
31
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system, such as a microwave system, or as a dedicated data line, such as a
telephone facility. For the convenience of the party that is sponsoring the
collection of a particular type of data, the data processing system 46 is
typically
located at another remote site that is typically proximate to the sponsoring
party.
Figure 3B is a table that shows the format for the data message that is
communicated by the data message system 10. Referring now to Figures 3A and
3B, a data record 50 for the data message contains both a data field 54 for
the
selected data acquired from the remote data source 30 and another data field
52
for a predetermined identifying characteristic which uniquely identifies the
cellular communications device 34 that initiates the transmission of the data
message. The data fields can be separated by one or more selected characters
to
delimit the data fields. To take advantage of the existing architecture of a
CMR
system 8, the format for the data message can be identical to the message
format
(or data record) of a typical call origination signal that is transmitted by a
cellular
radiotelephone when it originates a cellular call for communication via a CMR
system 8.
By using the data message format associated with a call origination
message, the cellular communications device 34 can mimic the initiation of a
cellular telephone call by sending a data message that appears to contain a
valid
mobile telephone number and an ESN. Although it is not intended for the
cellular
communications device 34 to place a voiced-based cellular telephone call, the
cellular communications device 34 imitates a cellular radiotelephone device by
generating the call origination-formatted signal, thereby enabling a data
communication of selected data to the MSC 24.
As shown in the data record 50 in Figure 3B, the message format for a call
origination signal has been adapted by the data message to permit the
identification of the particular transmitting cellular communications device
34 and
the communication of the selected data. In particular, the data field 52 for
the
predetermined identifying characteristic corresponds to at least a portion of
a
mobile telephone number or MIN assigned to the cellular communications
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device 34. Thus, the predetermined identifying characteristic is substituted
within
the data field normally reserved for the MIN in the call origination signal.
This
predetermined identifying characteristic can belong to a set of unassigned
mobile
telephone numbers. Alternatively, the predetermined identifying characteristic
assigned to each cellular communications device 34 can be a telephone number
or
a set of 10 digits. The predetermined identifying characteristic facilitates
identifying the source of the data by uniquely specifying the cellular
communications device 34 associated with the remote data source 30. The
predetermined identifying characteristic also supplies information used by the
MSC 24 to recognize that the data message containing this predetermined
identifying characteristic is associated with the data collection system 40.
Furthermore, the data field 54 in the data message for remote data
corresponds to the location within the data record of a call origination
signal for
the ESN. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the typical ESN data
field is
32 bits long and includes 8 bits for a manufacturer code. For cellular systems
that
do not review or screen ESNs based upon the manufacturer code segment, it is
possible to manipulate the data field normally filled by an ESN to supply a
data
message having a data field 54 containing 32 bits of selected data. However,
if
the cellular system uses the manufacturer code segment of the ESN, the
selected
data within the data field 54 comprises a length defined by the remaining 24
bits
of the ESN. In most circumstances, it will not be necessary to manipulate the
manufacturer's code segment of the ESN because a data message having 24 bits
of
selected data (and, as required, 8 bits of the manufacturer code segment for a
ESN) should be sufficient to supply relevant data. As an option, a Called
Address
Field (not shown), which normally contains the digits for the called party's
telephone number, can be used for the placement of selected data within the
data
message.
Although adapting certain predefined data fields of a call origination signal
is one method for forwarding selected data in a data message to the MSC 24,
the
message protocol for a registration signal associated with the Autonomous
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Registration function also can be used to send desired information from the
cellular communications device 34 to the MSC 24 via the control channel 38.
The
call origination signal is substantially similar to the signal for the
Autonomous
Registration function, with the exception that the call origination signal
includes
the Called Address Field and a flag to distinguish it from the Autonomous
Registration function. This flag permits the CMR system 8 to determine whether
a call origination function or a registration function should be conducted in
response to a reception of these signals.
As an alternative to one type of ESN, an expandable ESN field has been
proposed by members of the cellular radiotelephone industry. The CMR system 8
can utilize an expandable ESN data field to increase the data carrying
capacity of
the call origination signal or autonomous registration signal. One source of
motivation behind this proposal is the potential depletion of available
distinctive
data sequences for the manufacturer's codes and for other data (e.g.,
identifying
characteristics of each radiotelephone). Because of the increasing popularity
of
radiotelephones, this depletion has recently become a more imminent concern to
the cellular radiotelephone industry.
As discussed, the ESN data field can be 32 bits long and can reserve 8 bits
for a manufacturer code. An expandable ESN data field permits a CMR system 8
to recognize a triggering mechanism within the call origination signal or
autonomous registration signal, which alerts the CMR system 8 to look
elsewhere
in the call origination or autonomous registration signal for additional data.
Such
an expandable ESN data field permits a manufacturer's code to fill the entire
ESN
data field while permitting the inclusion of additional data within the call
origination or autonomous registration signal. The additional data would be
accessible to a CMR system 8 that is alerted to the existence of the
expandable
ESN and to the location of the additional data within the call origination
signal or
autonomous registration signal.
The expandable ESN data field concept can also be utilized by the data
message system 10. To enable the use of expandable ESN data fields, the data
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message, formatted as either a call origination signal or an autonomous
registration signal, may contain a predetermined triggering mechanism that
indicates the ESN data field contained in the data message is an expandable
ESN
data field. In response to the triggering mechanism, the data collection
system 40
will be alerted that the ESN data field contains more data than that defined
by the
EIA/TIA Standard 553 protocol. The data collection system 40 will then look to
another portion of the call origination signal or autonomous registration
signal for
the additional data. An "expandable ESN data field", therefore, includes a ESN
data field as well as one or more additional data fields, such as an ESN2 data
field.
The triggering mechanism may be implemented in various ways. A first
method is to include an ESN flag bit in the call origination signal or
autonomous
registration signal data packet. For example, if the ESN flag bit is set to a
binary
one value, then the data collection system 40 will be alerted to "look for"
the
additional data in another portion of the data packet. If, on the other hand,
the
ESN flag bit is set to a binary zero value, then the data collection system 40
will
not look for additional data, and will merely process the data within the
standard
data packet.
Turning now to Figure 4, this figure illustrates a functional block diagram
of an alternative embodiment of data message system in the operating
environment of a CMR system 8' in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention. A paging acknowledgment system 10' operates within the
environment of a CMR system 8' for communicating acknowledgment messages
in response to reception of paging messages. With this functionality, a paging
party that uses the communications services offered by the system 10' can
receive
an acknowledgment that a paged party has actually received the paging message.
The paging acknowledgment system 10' takes advantage of the installed
equipment offered by a CIVIR system 8', to supply either a local area or wide
area
communications system for communicating acknowledgment messages. Because
the acknowledgment messages contain stored information rather than voice-based
information, the system 10' can communicate acknowledgment messages
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exclusively with the cellular network control channel of a CMR system 8'. By
avoiding any use of the valuable voice channels of a CMR system 8', the
system 10' conserves the use of the voice channels for telephone conversations
by
users of cellular radiotelephones. Accordingly, the system 10' facilitates
expanded
use of available resources offered by existing or adapted equipment for a CMR
system 8' while minimizing interference to voice-based applications, namely
telephone conversations.
As shown in Figure 4, the paging acknowledgment system 10' includes a
communications system 149 comprising at least one radiopaging terminal 150 and
a data collection system 40', one or more remote communications devices 152,
and at least one MSC 24 associated with the CMR system 8'. In general, the
communications system 149 responds to a paging message from a paging party by
preparing a data message that corresponds to the paging message. A particular
acknowledgment code, which is assigned by the communications system 149 to
the data message, is stored to support a subsequent determination of whether
the
data message has been properly acknowledged by one of the remote
communications devices 152. The communications system 149 thereafter
transmits the data message via a communications path 156 to a selected remote
communications device 152.
A selected remote communications unit 152 receives the data message and
thereafter prepares an acknowledgment message containing the acknowledgment
code taken from the data message. The selected remote communications
device 152 then transmits the acknowledgment message to the MSC 24' via the
cellular network control channel 38. The MSC 24' recognizes that the source of
the acknowledgment message is associated with the communications system 149
and forwards the acknowledgment message to the communications system 149 via
a first communications link 42'. The communications system 149 processes the
acknowledgment message and determines whether the acknowledgment message
corresponds to a particular one of the data messages. This determination
derives
from comparing the acknowledgment code in the acknowledgment message to the
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stored acknowledgment codes associated with data messages. Following a
successful match, the communications system 149 can store the acknowledgment
for later use.
Referring still to Figure 4 and reviewing in more detail the operation of the
paging acknowledgment system 10', a party desiring to contact another party at
a
remote site forwards a paging message via a communications network 151 for
eventual transmission by the radiopaging terminal 150. In response to the
paging
message, the radiopaging terminal 150 transmits a data message, which
corresponds to the paging message, via an antenna 154. The combination of the
radiopaging terminal 150 and the antenna 154 can operate as a radiopaging
system
having the capability of broadcasting data messages over a known geographical
area. A remote communications device 152, operating within the geographical
coverage area, is responsive to a data message containing its particular
address.
Specifically, the remote communications device 152 transmits an
acknowledgment message via a cellular network of the CMR system 8', namely
the control channel 38' and the MSC 24'. The reception of the acknowledgment
message by the MSC 24' enables the process for verifying the reception of the
data
message.
The radiopaging terminal 150 may receive a paging message via the
communications network 151, such as a specific PSTN. It will be appreciated
that
the communications network 151 can be implemented as other known
communications systems, including a data network, such as a value added
network ("VAN") (not shown), or a dedicated data line (not shown). The
radiopaging terminal 150 handles the special requirements for an
acknowledgment
system and responds to the paging message by preparing a corresponding data
message. The data message includes the following information: (1) an address
that uniquely identifies the intended receiving device, specifically a
selected
remote communication device 152; (2) an acknowledgment code that uniquely
identifies the particular data message and the corresponding paging message;
and
(3) paging data associated with the paging message.
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The paging party typically supplies the information associated with the
address for the selected remote communications device 152 and the paging data
for communication to the user of the selected device 152. In contrast, the
radiopaging terminal 150 is adapted to supply the acknowledgment code for use
with the data message and can store or archive the acknowledgment code to
permit later comparisons to an acknowledgment code returned in acknowledgment
messages from the remote communications devices 152. Each data message is
assigned a unique acknowledgment code to support the comparison of data
messages to a particular acknowledgment message. The radiopaging terminal 150
thereafter can transmit the data message via a radiopaging network to complete
the communication of the paging message to the intended paged party.
For local area communication of a paging message, the radiopaging
terminal 150 transmits the corresponding data message for direct reception by
a
selected remote communications device 152 that is known to normally operate
within the geographic coverage area of the radiopaging terminal 150. However,
if
the remote communications device 152 normally operates outside of the
geographical coverage area of the radiopaging terminal 150, then the terminal
150
forwards the data message to another paging terminal via a national paging
network (not shown) for transmission of the data message within the
appropriate
geographical area. This use of a group of paging terminals connected by a
radiopaging communications network to form a wide area communications
network is common within the paging industry. The following description of the
operation of the system 10' is based upon local distribution of the data
message to
the remote communications device 152.
The radiopaging terminal 150 communicates with the remote
communications devices 152 operating within its geographical coverage area via
a
radiopaging communications path 156, which can be implemented as a wireless
communications system, such as a microwave or radio frequency ("RF") radio
link. However, it will be understood that the radiopaging communications
path 156 also can be implemented by a wired communications system, including a
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dedicated data line or a telephone facility. For the communications path 156,
the
radiopaging terminal 150 transmits the data message via the antenna 154.
A remote communications device 152 responds to a data message
containing its particular address by supplying the paging data associated with
the
paging message to the user of the device 152. In a manner similar to a pager,
the
remote communications device 152 outputs an alert to the user to indicate the
reception of a data message and thereafter presents the paging data to the
user.
The alert can be a visual, audible, or tactile signal and the presentation of
the
paging data can be conducted in an audible or textual (or graphical) format.
The remote communications device 152 further responds to the data
message by sending via the CMR system 8' an acknowledgment message that
includes the acknowledgment code of the data message. It will appreciated that
the acknowledgment code permits a subsequent correlation between the outgoing
data message (and corresponding paging message) and the incoming
acknowledgment message. The acknowledgment message contains information in
a data-type format to permit communication of this information via the control
channel 38'. In particular, to take advantage of the architecture of a CMR
system 8, the acknowledgment message is formatted to appear as a call
origination
signal that is transmitted by a cellular radiotelephone unit for completing a
Call
Origination function, i.e., when the cellular unit originates a cellular
telephone call
for communication via the CMR system 8.
The remote communications device 152 sends the acknowledgment
message to the cell control 16 in the cell 12 via a cellular communications
link 36.
In turn, the cell control 16 forwards the acknowledgment message to the MSC
24'
via the data link 22. The control channel 38, which is formed by the data link
22
and the cellular communications link 36, permits the communication of control
signals between each remote communications device 152 within the cell 12 and
the MSC 24'.
The MSC 24' receives the acknowledgment message via the control
channel 38 and, based upon certain information supplied in the acknowledgment
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message, determines that the message appears to have been transmitted by a
roaming radiotelephone unit. Without any recognition that the acknowledgment
message was actually transmitted by an adapted cellular device, such as a
remote
communications device 152, the MSC 24' treats the acknowledgment message as
if the message had been transmitted by a "roamer"-type cellular device.
Accordingly, the MSC 24' forwards via a first communications link 42' the
acknowledgment message to another cellular system associated with this roamer,
a data collection system 40'. In turn, the data collection system 40'
recognizes that
the acknowledgment message contains an acknowledgment code and sends the
code via the communications link 174 to the radiopaging terminal 150 for
comparison with the stored acknowledgment codes assigned to the outgoing data
messages. A successful match confirms the reception of a data message
corresponding to a particular paging message.
In response to a data message, the remote communications device 152
either transmits the data message in an automated mode without subscriber
intervention or in a manual mode controlled by the subscriber. By transmitting
an
acknowledgment message having a message format associated with the fields of a
call origination signal, the remote communications device 152 mimics the "call
origination" function for a cellular radiotelephone. To the MSC 24', the
acknowledgment message appears to contain both a valid mobile telephone
number and an ESN. Although the remote communications device 152 is merely
attempting to send an acknowledgment as a data-type signal via the control
channel instead of placing a voice-based telephone call, the MSC 24' operates
on
the acknowledgment message as if it contained information found in the fields
of
a call origination signal. This enables communication of the acknowledgment
code via the cellular network control channel 38 of the CMR system 8'.
In response to an acknowledgment message, the MSC 24' determines
whether the device that transmitted the signal is an authorized user or
subscriber
of the services offered by the CMR system 8'. This determination is based upon
the acknowledgment code within the data record 172, which corresponds to the
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MIN information for a call origination signal. At least a portion of the
acknowledgment code indicates that the selected remote communications
device 152 is associated with another "remote" cellular system. Based upon
this
information, the MSC 24' checks its user database and determines that the
remote
communications device 152 subscribes to a remote cellular system, namely the
data collection system 40', which represents a home location register.
Accordingly, the MSC 24' can determine that the source of the acknowledgment
message should be treated as a roamer. Thus, it will be understood that the
MSC 24' interprets the acknowledgment message as a transmission from a
roaming mobile radiotelephone operating within the CMR system 8'.
The remote cellular system, which is identified by a portion of the
acknowledgment code, is not an actual operating cellular system for supporting
telephone conversations, but rather is dedicated to acknowledgment-based
applications and is represented by the data collection system 40'. In
recognition
that the remote communications device 152 is associated with this remote
cellular
system, the MSC 24' forwards the acknowledgment message to the data collection
system 40' via a first communications link 42'. The data collection system 40'
responds by sending to the MSC 24' a validation message which confirms that
the
source of the acknowledgment message is associated with the data collection
system 40' and that the MSC 24' should accept communications from that source.
This validation message also can indicate that the MSC 24' should deny
cellular
voice-based communications privileges for this source because no voice-based
call is actually associated with the acknowledgment message transmitted by the
responsible remote communications device 152. This type of validation message
prevents the MSC 24' from attempting to assign a cellular voice channel for
use by
the source of the acknowledgment message. It will be understood that the
remote
communications device 152 uses the format of the call origination signal to
forward acknowledgment data rather than to initiate a cellular telephone call.
In
turn, the remote communications device 152 is added to a user database of
registered roamers at the MSC 24'.
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The data collection system 40' can subsequently transmit a message to the
MSC 24' via the link 42' that instructs the MSC 24 to delete the remote
communications device 152 from its list of registered roamers. This entry is
deleted from the MSC user database because it is no longer necessary to
maintain
the registration information concerning the remote communications device 152
after the transfer of the acknowledgment message to the data collection
system 40'. Alternatively, the user database entry for the registered remote
communications device 152 is deleted by the MSC 24' upon the expiration of a
time interval.
Unlike the MSC 24', the data collection system 40' recognizes that the
acknowledgment message contains certain data which confirms that a selected
remote communications device 152 has received a data message and has
forwarded a response, specifically the acknowledgment message containing the
acknowledgment code and the operation data. Accordingly, the data collection
system 40' sends the acknowledgment code and the operation data via a
communications link 174 to the radiopaging terminal 150 to permit the paging
terminal to update its acknowledgment records.
In turn, the radiopaging terminal 150 can compare the acknowledgment
code supplied by the data collection system 40' to its list of acknowledgment
codes assigned to data messages (and corresponding paging messages). A
successful match indicates that the intended recipient of the paging message,
specifically a selected remote communications device 152, has received the
data
message and has forwarded an acknowledgment message to confirm the data
message reception. Based upon this comparison, the radiopaging terminal 150
stores acknowledgment information in a user database or in a memory storage
device to archive this acknowledgment of the paging message for access by the
paging party. The radiopaging terminal 150 can also store the operation data,
if
any, to permit access by the paging party to the response from the user of the
selected remote communications device 152.
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It will be understood that the data collection system 40' and the
radiopaging terminal 150 can be installed as separate systems located at
different
locations or as fully integrated equipment at the same site.
Although this description of the paging acknowledgment system refers to
the use of the remote communications unit 152 by a subscriber to a paging
service, it will be understood that the remote communications unit 152 also
can
supply paging information to vending machines 105 adapted to receive such
paging information as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and discussed above. More
specifically, the remote communications unit 152 can be the wireless
transceiver 205 in the transceiver module 160 of a vending machine 105. The
transmission of the data message by the radiopaging terminal 150 is useful for
initiating an operation by the adapted vending machine 105, such as the
recording
of data from a vending machine controller 165. In response to the data
message,
the vending machine controller 165 also can supply operation data to the
remote
communications unit 152 for transmission via the cellular system 8' to a
central
collection site such as a data processing system 46. The acknowledgment
message transmitted by the remote communications unit 152 can contain
operation data such as vend data, including recorded vend data. Thus, the
remote
communications unit 152 can be connected to an adapted vending machine 105
via a hard-wired connection or a wireless link to permit the exchange of data
messages and operation data.
Referring to Figure 4, similar to the data message system 10',
communications between the data collection system 40' and the MSC 24' can be
compatible with the IS-41 standard. Accordingly, the MSC 24' can hand-off or
forward the data message to the data collection system 40' via the first
communications link 42', which can be implemented as an IS-41 network.
However, it should also be understood that other devices and protocols are
useful
for implementing communications with the data collection system 40', including
the Motorola DMX protocol and other vendor proprietary protocols.
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Those persons skilled in the art will appreciate that the data collection
system 40' and the radiopaging terminal 150' can be separate systems located
at
different locations or can be installed at the same site as fully integrated
equipment.
Processes and components of an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention will be further described in reference to Figures 5 - 11, which
include
illustrations of flow charts and programs. The present invention can include
multiple computer programs that embody the functions described herein and that
are illustrated in the exemplary functional block diagrams and the appended
flow
charts. However, it should be apparent that there could be many different ways
of
implementing the invention in computer programming, and the invention should
not be construed as limited to any one set of computer program instructions.
Further, a skilled programmer would be able to write such a computer program
to
implement the disclosed invention without difficulty based on the exemplary
displays, functional block diagrams, and flow charts and associated
description in
the application text, for example.
Therefore, disclosure of a particular set of program code instructions is not
considered necessary for an adequate understanding of how to make and use the
invention. The inventive functionality of the computer program aspects of the
present invention will be explained in more detail in the following
description in
conjunction with the remaining figures illustrating the functions and program
flow.
Certain steps in the processes described below must naturally precede
others for the present invention to function as described. However, the
present
invention is not limited to the order of the steps described if such order or
sequence does not alter the functionality of the present invention. That is,
it is
recognized that some steps may be performed before or after other steps or in
parallel with other steps without departing from the scope and spirit of the
present
invention.
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Turning now to Figure 5, this figure is a functional block diagram of data
processing software programs 170 for processing wirelessly transmitted data
associated with one or more vending machines 105 according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention. As described above in reference to
Figure 1, the data processing programs 170 are typically located in the data
processing system 46 but can alternatively reside at another site that has
network
access to wirelessly acquired vending machine data.
The data processing programs 170 support and manage data acquisition,
wireless transfer of acquired data, and low-level data processing. The gateway
communications program ("GCP") 510 coordinates and executes data transfer
between the communication gateway 135 and the data processing system 46. For
messages outbound to a vending machine 105, the GCP 510 transfers to the
communication gateway 135 page requests that include a communication address
of a specific wireless transceiver 205 and one or more embedded commands. The
GCP 510 also receives incoming messages and extracts registration information
for subsequent processing by the registration processing program ("1RPP") 520
and
the other data processing programs 170 in the data processing system 46.
The RPP 520 processes incoming messages to extract vending machine
operational data, such as sales and inventory data, for tabulation and storage
in
dedicated files at the data processing system 46. The RPP 520 correlates each
incoming message with a wireless transceiver 205 and vending machine 105 by-
identifying a 32-bit, 10-digit serial number associated with the message that
is
unique to that specific transceiver 205.
The notification processing program ("NPP") 530 handles management
and implementation of notifications via e-mail based on simple mail transfer
protocol ("SMTP"), which is the standard e-mail protocol of the Internet. The
NPP 530 further supports transmitting e-mail messages containing vending
information to cell phones, pagers, desktop computers, another other devices
compatible with SMTP-based e-mail.
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The page processing program ("PPP") 540 manages commands outgoing
to one or more vending machine wireless transceivers 205 by placing outgoing
commands in a queue then processing each command in the queue in a serial
manner based on queue position. The PPP 540 can coordinate polling operational
information from a group of vending machines 105 by generating a command to
transmit information, replicating the command for each vending machine 105 in
the group, addressing each replicated command with a vending machine address,
and queuing the replicated commands for serial processing and transmission
over
the CMR telephone system 8.
The system monitoring program ("SMP") 550 monitors system-wide status
and provides notification of any identified errors to each of the system's ,
subsystems.
The GCP 510, RPP 520, NPP 530, PPP 540, and SMP 550 support not
only the vending machine application but also data services with other
equipment
connected to the CMR radio telephone system 8, such as electrical utility
monitors. That is, these programs 510, 520, 530, 540, and 550 process incoming
and outgoing messages from multiple applications that transmit data through
the
CMR telephone system 8 via the communication gateway 135.
In addition to the programs 510, 520, 530, 540, and 550 that serve multiple
applications, the data processing programs 170 can include programs, such as
the
vending reports generator program ("VRGP") 560, that are specific to the
vending
machine application. The VRGP 560 compiles vending machine operational data
and related messages and organizes this information for presentation and
viewing
on the PC-based GUI 180 or paper print out. The VRGP 560 facilitates managing
a set of vending machines 105 that may be located along a route that a route
driver
follows to provide routine restocking service. As a management aid, the VRGP
560 can provide calculations of estimated and actual fill values for a vending
machine 105.
At a time specified by a vending machine operator, usually in the evening,
the VRGP 560 calculates a number of stocked products, also referred to as
stock
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keeping units, needed to fill the vending machine 105. This calculation can be
based on raw vending data, specifically the number of vends for each machine
selection that occurred since the last restocking service. The VRGP 560
tabulates
the calculated data for storage in the database 175 and adds a margin of
stocked
products to the base calculations to account for sales projected to occur
prior to
the next scheduled opportunity to the restock vending machines 105 located
along
a service route. Based on restocking thresholds or other criteria discussed
herein,
a specific vending machine 105 can receive restocking service at the next
route
trip. Alternatively, the route driver can skip a vending machine 105 if
conditions
indicate that service is not needed.
A vending machine operator, such as a bottler, can receive route planning
data that the VRGP 560 generates via importation into the operator's
management
information system or proprietary route management systems. The analytics
module 185 can present such tabulated data at the vending machine level, at
the
route level, or at the truck level. Thus, a vending machine operator can
receive a
table that lists data for each vending machine 105 on a route of vending
machines
105. The operator can determine the vending machines 105 of a route that need
to
be restocked, the amount of products needed to restock each vending machine
105, and the quantity of products that should be loaded onto a truck that
transports
products for a route.
In conjunction with restocking each vending machine 105, the route driver
normally presses a restock button 270 coupled to the transceiver module 160.
Pressing this button 270 initiates sending a notification of the restocking
event to
the data processing system 46 along with current vend data. The VRGP 560
receives the transmitted vend data to track actual fill data for the serviced
vending
machine 105. The vending machine operator can review such actual data for each
vending machine 105 or for a route of vending machines 105 and compare the
projected amount of product needed to restock the vending machine 105 with the
actual amount of product used to restock the vending machine 105. Such
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comparison can facilitate adaptively refining vending forecasts to enhance
forecasting accuracy.
The data processing programs 170 can communicate and interact with the
analytics module 185. In response to a user prompt or automatically at a
predefined time, the analytics module 185 generates one or more tables or
reports
suitable for management review listing product selections, stock keeping unit
numbers, inventory, and sales for a group of vending machines 105. A report
can
show a bottler the quantity of each product vended for each day of a selected
month for a select vending machine 105, for example. Such a report can include
a
graphical button that a user can select via the PC-based GUI 180 to create
another
report or table populated with vend data stored on the database 174, for
example
describing another vending machine 105.
The analytics module 185 can assemble raw data into reports or
alternatively prepare reports that present sales and other data processed over
a
time period, for example presenting a monthly or an annual sales report that
includes trend analysis. A bottler can download from the PC-based GUI 180
report data provided as a flat file using bottler-specific data formatting.
The
bottler's computer-based information systems can import this data for planning
and operational management activities.
Tables or reports generated by the analytics module 185 include estimated
fill reports, route itineraries, and truck stocking reports that can be stored
in the
database 175 for viewing on the PC-based GUI 180 or for printout. The vending
management system 100 makes such reports available to personnel throughout a
bottling organization who are involved in logistical aspects of product
distribution
to assist their product delivery preparations.
The data processing programs 170 of the data processing system 46 can
also include other programs that manipulate, manage, organize, or process
operational data acquired from vending machines 105 via the CRM telephone
system 8. For example, while Figure 1 illustrates the analytics module 185
located at the web-based interface 125, in one exemplary embodiment of the
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present invention, the analytics module 185 resides in the data processing
system 46. Furthermore, the functions and programs of the vending management
system 100 can be distributed among multiple computers that can be spatially
dispersed on a distributed computing network such as the Internet 120,
intranet, or
other computing network known to those skilled in the art.
Turning now to Figures 6A, 6B, and 6C, these figures illustrate a
process 600, entitled Acquire Data, for acquiring data from a vending
machine 105 via a cellular network 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention. For clarity of explanation, Process 600 illustrates
exemplary steps for manually initiating data acquisition from a vending
machine 105. As described above, the vending management system 100 can also
automatically poll each vending machine 105 in a system of geographically
dispersed vending machines 105 at a programmed time interval such as at the
end
of each day or week.
At Step 605, the first step in Process 600, a soft drink bottler or other
manager of a vending machine operation enters a request for vending data from
a
specific vending machine 105 into the PC-based GUI 180. This user can be
located at a bottling facility such as an operational headquarters or at any
other
site that provides Internet connectivity. That is, the web-based interface 125
can
include an Internet portal with password-controlled access.
At Step 607, the request transmits over the Internet 120 to the data
processing system 46 for receipt at Step 610. At Step 612, the data processing
system identifies the unique address of the selected vending machine's
wireless
transceiver 205 and places this address and its associated "acquire vend data"
command in a queue.
The PPP 540 manages the queue and processes each queued command in
its assigned order. At Step 615, the bottler's request is in the queue's
execution
position, and the PPP 540 verifies that processing the request will not cause
a
timing conflict with other tasks. This queue position and the availability of
timing
resources results in a determination by the PPP 540 that the acquire vend data
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command should be communicated to the specified vending machine's wireless
transceiver 205.
At Step 618, the PPP 540 access the database 175 and matches the system
identification code ("SID") and switch of the wireless transceiver 205 with
the
vending machine 105 that the bottler selected at Step 605. At Step 620, the
PPP
540 translates the acquire vend command into command code that is formatted
for
transmission in the overhead control channel of the cellular network 130 as a
page
that is understandable by the firmware instructions in the transceiver module
160.
At Step 622, the PPP 540 flags the command record for processing by the GCP
510 in preparation for wireless transmission.
At Step 625, illustrated on Figure 6B, the GCP 510 transmits a sequence of
pages that incorporate the address of the selected vending machine's wireless
transceiver 205 and the acquire vend data command to the communication
gateway 135. A first page contains the SID and associated switch information
that
enables delivery of the command via the cellular network 130. One or more
subsequent pages contain the command that instructs the recipient wireless
transceiver 205 to acquire vending data and transmit the acquired vending data
back to the data processing system 46.
At Step 627, the communication gateway 135 receives the pages and
transmits the address page to the cellular network 130 using IS-41 or SS7
communication protocol as discussed above. At Step 630, the cellular
network 130 receives and transmits the address page 145 over the wireless
medium of air to the wireless transceiver 205.
At Step 633, the wireless transceiver 205 recognizes the address page 145
as being uniquely addressed to that transceiver 205. Receipt of this address
page 145 alerts the addressed wireless transceiver 205 to listen and respond
to the
subsequent command page 145.
At Step 640, the communication gateway 135 sends and the wireless
receiver 205 receives the command page 145. At Step 645, the transceiver
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module 160 decodes the command page 145 and recognizes the instruction to
acquire and transmit vend data.
At Step 647, the wireless transceiver 205 transmits a confirmation
registration in the form of a packet, such as a 32-bit word acknowledging
successful receipt and interpretation of the command page 147. At Step 650,
the
communication gateway 135 receives the confirmation registration and passes it
to
the data processing system 46. The GCP 510, which is one of the data
processing
system's programs 170 described above, accepts the confirmation registration
and
inserts it into an incoming registration table (not shown) for subsequent
processing by the RPP 520, which is another one of the data processing
programs
170. At Step 652, the RPP 520 attends to the confirmation registration's
arrival
and logs it as a record in a page log table (not shown).
At Step 655, illustrated on Figure 6C, the transceiver module 160
interrogates the vending machine controller 165 by transmitting a request to
communicate monitored data that the controller 165 has stored since its last
service call. The vending machine controller 165 responds by providing this
data
in ASCII format as a serial bit stream.
At Step 657, the transceiver module 160 receives the vending machine's
data from the controller 165 and parses the serial data stream to extract the
requested operational data that has accumulated since the last time the
vending
machine 105 was reset, typically during its most recent restocking service
call.
At Step 660, the transceiver module 160 reformats the parsed data and
compresses it into 32-bit packets for transmission as binary coded decimal. At
Step 665, the transceiver module's wireless transceiver 205 transmits the
monitored data as multiple registrations 146 via the cellular network 130 to
the
communication gateway 135. That is, this data transmits in a control channel
of
the cellular network 130.
At Step 670, the communication gateway 135 receives each of the data
registration packets. At Step 672, the GCP 510 accepts the operational data,
still
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in the form of registration packets, and inserts this data into a table for
subsequent
attention by the RPP 520.
At Step 675, the RPP 520 recognizes that the tabulated data is responsive
to the earlier request for data that was transmitted to the vending machine
105 at
Step 630. The RPP 520 validates the incoming data and stores it in a file on
the
database 175 for subsequent processing by the VRGP 560, typically at a preset
time or in response to a prompt by the bottler or other user.
At Step 677, the Internet 120 transmits this data to the PC-based GUI 180.
At Step 680, the GUI displays raw, unprocessed, or processed vend data to the
bottler. At Step 685, the bottler enters a request to process the data into
the
PC-based GUI 180. The bottler may request an alternate view of raw or
processed
data. The request entered at Step 685 initiates execution of Step 690, which
is a
process illustrated in Figure 7 and discussed below that performs data
processing
and provides operational recommendations and other output. At Step 695, the
PC-based GUI180 displays the output from Step 690. Process 600 ends
following Step 695.
Turning now to Figure 7, this figure illustrates a process 690, entitled
Analyze Data, for analyzing data acquired from a vending machine 105 via a
cellular network 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention. As discussed above, Process 690 can be a step 690 in Process 600.
At Step 710, the first step in Process 690, a bottler, having initiated
execution of this process 690, specifies a type of data processing by making
an
entry into the PC-based GUI 180. The bottler may request a statistical
analysis, a
historically trend analysis, a correlation between acquired data sets, an
operational
recommendation intended to increase profitability, operational or hardware
troubleshooting, inventory analysis, or sales analysis, for example. Process
800,
Process 816, Process 900, Process 1000 and Process 1100, which are illustrated
in
Figures 8A, 8B, 9, 10 and 11 respectively and described below, further
describe
exemplary processes that a bottler or other user may request
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At Step 720, the Internet 120 transmits the bottler's request to the data
processing system 46. After receipt of this request, the data processing
system 46
determines if the bottler's request can be accommodated using the data
available
on the database 175 or if the request requires acquiring data from one or more
vending machines 105 via the cellular network 130.
If the data is available on the database 175, inquiry Step 740 directs the
processing flow of Process 690 to Step 755. If the data is not available, at
Step 745 the data processing system 46 acquires the needed data from the
appropriate vending machines 105 via wireless communication over the cellular
network 130. At Step 750, following Step 745, the data processing system 46
receives the needed data and stores it in the database 175.
At Step 755, which executes following Step 750 or a positive
determination at Step 740, the data processing system 46 accesses the data
needed
to accommodate the bottler's request from the database 175 and sends this data
to
the analytics module 185 over the Internet 120.
At Step 760, the analytics module 185 receives the sent data and processes
it according to the bottler's request to generate data analysis results in the
form of
derived information. Derived information output by the analytics module 185
can
include a sales forecast for one or more vending machines 105, identification
of an
operational pattern, or a recommended change to one or more vending
machines 105, for example. Process 800, Process 816, Process 900, Process
1000,
and Process 1100, which are illustrated in Figures 8A, 8B, 9, 10 and 11
respectively and described below, further describe exemplary derived
information
that a bottler may receive as output from the analytics module 185.
At Step 770, the analytics module 185 provides the derived information to
the PC-based GUI 180 for display at Step 780. At Step 790, the bottler refines
the
vending operation of one or more vending machines 105 based on the derived
information. Refining a vending operation can include implementing an
operational change to a vending machine 105 via manual intervention, automatic
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or computer-based intervention, or a combination of manual and automatic
intervention. Following Step 790, Process 690 ends.
Turning now to Figure 8A, this figure illustrates a process, entitled
Identify Hardware Problem, for identifying and responding to anomalous
conditions based on data acquired from a vending machine 105 via a cellular
network 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
At Step 803 in Process 800, the transceiver module 160 detects an external
event that it directly monitors via a hardware sensor or receives an
indication from
the vending machine controller 165 of an event occurrence. The transceiver
module's hardwired sensors can detect events or conditions such as an open
door
or an alternating current ("AC") power failure, while the vending machine
controller 165 can provide notification of other conditions and events such as
a
cooling system failure.
At Step 805, the transceiver module 160 transmits a message to the
communication gateway 135 that includes notification of the event in the form
of
a hardware flag. At Step 807, the RPP 520 validates the message and detects
that
a hardware flag in the message has been set, indicating occurrence of the
event.
At Step 810, the RPP 520 triggers the NPP 530 to send an e-mail message
that provides an alert of the event to designated personnel and/or devices.
These
personnel or devices may receive the message and its incorporated event
notification via a desktop computer, cell phone, or other e-mail enabled
communication device that has appropriate connectivity.
As an alternative to sending the e-mail alert or in conjunction with sending
the e-mail alert, software operating on the data processing system 46 or on
the
web-based interface 125 can generate a control command or similar instruction
in
a message destined for the vending machine 105. The control command can
address, change, or correct the event detected in Step 803 or an operational
deviation such as a sales variation. The control command can be an instruction
to
acquire additional data from the vending machine 105 or a command to reset a
system associated with the vending machine 105, such as an apparatus at the
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vending machine 105. The control command can also initialize or restart a
microprocessor mounted at the vending machine 105, such as the
microprocessor 210 in the transceiver module 160, a microprocessor in the
vending machine controller 165, or a microprocessor associated with one of the
vending machine systems 255. The control command can initialize or reboot
software executing at the vending machine 105 for example triggering reloading
and restarting firmware-based code. The message can also include a software
patch for installing in a computer-based system of the vending machine 105.
Such
as software patch can be software that fixes a software problem or upgrades
software to a new revision, for example.
At Step 815, the RPP 520 stores the message in the database 175 to
facilitate subsequent analysis and to provide a historical log. Process 800
ends
following Step 815.
Turning now to Figure 8B, this figure illustrate a process 816, entitled
Respond to Vend Variance, for identifying and responding to anomalous
conditions based on data acquired from a vending machine 105 via a cellular
network 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
At Step 817, the analytics module 185 acquires and tracks vend data or
other operational data from one or more vending machines 105. The analytics
module 185 may undertake this activity in response to a prompt by a bottler or
other user, as described above, or alternatively may act autonomously at a
preset
time, for example.
At Step 820, the analytics module 185 performs a statistical analysis on the
acquired vend data, for example to identify a statistical pattern in the data.
At
Step 822, the analytics module 185 compares recent data with historical data
as
one or more steps of the statistical analysis.
At inquiry Step 825, the analytics module 185 determines if recent data is
within historical norm. In other words, the statistical analysis includes
checking
to see if the acquired data indicates a recent change in operations of the
vending
machine 105. If the analysis indicates that the vending machine 105 is
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within its normal pattern of operation, then Process 816 iterates Steps 817,
820,
and 822 and continues acquiring, tracking, and analyzing vending data. If the
analysis indicates that the vending machine 105 has undergone a recent
operational change, then inquiry Step 835 directs the processing flow of
Process 816 depending on whether performance of the vending machine 105 has
increased or decreased.
If recent performance has decreased, Step 850 follows Step 835.
Conversely, if performance has increased, then inquiry Step 837 follows Step
835
and determines if the increase was expected or attributable to a known cause.
A
variation in performance may be due to a marketing test, a routine seasonable
variation, or an expected departure of a competitor from a geographical
market,
for example. If the performance increase was expected, then the flow of
Process 816 loops back to Step 817 and the acquisition, tracking, and analysis
of
vending data continues. If the performance increase was unexpected, then at
Step 840, the analytics module 185 processes data accumulated in the
database 175 to ascertain the conditions causing the increase and to conduct
analysis on such conditions.
At Step 845, the vending manager, such as a manager employed by a soft
drink bottler, replicates in other vending machines 105 the conditions that
caused
the increase. In other words, knowing the cause of one vending machine's
heightened sales, profitability, or other performance metric, the operator of
a
system of vending machines 105 can subject other vending machines 105 to these
causes. If multiple conditions contribute to the increase, the vending manager
can
control operations based on a single condition selected on the PC-based GUI
180.
If analysis at Step 835 determines that performance has decreased rather
than increased, then at Step 850 the vending manager applies the processing
capabilities of the analytics module 185 to the database 175 to investigate
the
cause of the performance decline.
At inquiry Step 855 the vending manager determines if the vending
machine 105 has a site or environmental problem. To make this determination,
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the vending manager may conduct an analysis using the analytics module 185 to
compare operational results from multiple machines believed to operate in
similar
sites or under similar environmental conditions. The vending manager may also
send personnel to the vending machine site to investigate site conditions. If
a site
or environmental problem is identified, then at Step 885 the vending manager
addresses the problem and Steps 817, 820, and 822 continue collecting wireless
data and conducting data analysis.
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, at Step 885
software operating on the data processing system 46 or on the web-based
interface 125 generates a control command or similar instruction in a message
that
is transmitted to the vending machine 105. The vending manager can be
involved,
for example authorizing or requesting the control command transmission.
Alternatively, such software can automatically initiate sending this message
in an
attempt to address or correct a problem without human intervention.
Such a control command can be responsive to an operational deviation
such as a sales variation. The control command can include an instruction to
acquire additional data or fresh data from the vending machine 105 or a
command
to reset a system associated with the vending machine 105, such as an
apparatus at
the vending machine 105. The control command can also initialize or restart a
microprocessor mounted at the vending machine 105, such as the
microprocessor 210 in the transceiver module 160, a microprocessor of the
vending machine controller 165, or a microprocessor associated with one of the
vending machine systems 255. The control command can initialize or reboot
software executing at the vending machine 105 for example triggering reloading
and restarting firmware-based code.
If no problem is identified at Step 855, then Step 865 follows Step 855. At
Step 865 the vending manager uses the analytics module 185 to determine if a
product problem is responsible for the decreased performance. Stocking an
outdoor vending machine with a hot-weather sports drink in a winter season is
an
example of a product problem. If the vending manager attributes the problem to
a
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product problem, then the problem is addressed at Step 885, otherwise Step 870
follows Step 865.
At Step 870, the vending manager uses the analytics module 185 to
determine if a fraud problem is the potential cause of the vending machine's
performance decline. To uncover a fraud problem, the analytics module 185 can
determine if inventory has been depleted in an erratic pattern, if the door of
the
vending machine 105 has been opened at an inappropriate time, or if inventory
changes do not match cash collections, for example. If analysis indicates a
fraud
problem, the vending manager can address the problem at Step 885 by
disciplining the responsible party or changing the lock on the vending
machine 105, for example.
If the vending manager does not identify a fraud problem at Step 870, then
at Step 875 the vending manager uses the analytics module 185 to help
determine
if a competitive product is responsible for the problem. For example, the
analytics
module 185 may determine that sales of a specific soft drink have decreased
across a bottler's system of geographically dispersed vending machines 105.
With
this information, the vending manager may research the activities of other
bottlers
known to have products that compete with the soft drink. If the vending
manager
determines that the decrease is due to competitive activity, the manager may
address this condition at Step 885, for example initiating a defensive
advertising
campaign.
If the vending manager is unable to determine the cause of the decrease in
performance in any of Steps 855-875, then iterating Steps 817, 820, and 822
continues the process steps of collecting and analyzing data from vending
machines 105. And, Steps 855-875 continue troubleshooting until sufficient
information is available to isolate a cause or until performance returns to a
historical norm.
Turning now to Figure 9, this figure illustrates a process 900, entitled
Optimize Location, for optimizing vending machine locations based on data
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acquired from vending machines 105 via a cellular network 130 according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
At Step 905, the first step in Process 900, a vending manager, such as
manager at a soft drink bottler, locates vending machines 105 at a plurality
of sites
dispersed within a geographic market such as a metropolitan area,
neighborhood,
community, or state.
At Step 910, the vending manager sets prices for the products in each of
the vending machines 105 to a comparable level. While the prices of each
product
in each vending machine 105 may be identical, the prices may alternatively be
adjusted according to location, product brand, or other factors.
At Step 915, a route driver stocks each vending machine 105 with the
same inventory or with an inventory that is sufficiently similar to facilitate
an
operational comparison between at least two vending machines 105. A subset of
the total vending machines 105 operated by a bottler may have the same
products
selections, the same inventory, and the same prices, for example. In one
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the inventories of two vending
machines 105 that are undergoing an operational comparison have both common
product offerings and distinct product offerings.
At Step 920 the analytics module 185, in collaboration with the other
components of the vending management system 100, tracks sales of each of the
vending machines 105 that have comparable product prices and inventories. At
Step 925, the analytics module 185 compares the respective sales performance
of
each of the tracked vending machines 105. At Step 930, the analytics module
185
identifies tracked vending machines 105 that exhibit a sustained or
statistically
significant pattern of lower sales performance than other tracked vending
machines 105. The analytics module 185 queries the vending manager to
determine if any of the underperforming vending machines 105 are in a
marketing
experiment or have been purposely subjected to another imposed condition
impacting performance.
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Inquiry Step 935 skips Step 940 and branches to Step 945 if a marketing
experiment or °other imposed condition did not cause the
underperformance. At
Step 940, the analytics module 185 flags the underperforming vending
machines 105 that are known to be subject to a marketing experiment or other
imposed condition, thereby eliminating them from relocation consideration.
At Step 945, following either a negative determination at Step 935 or
Step 940, the analytics module 185 determines the locations of the
underperforming vending machines 105 that were not flagged in Step 940.
At Step 950, the analytics module 185 identifies vending machines 105
that consistently outperform other tracked vending machines 105. At Step 960,
the vending manager identifies characteristics of the site locations of these
outperforming vending machines 105. Exemplary characteristics of such
locations may be proximity to a sports arena, park, or shade tree; situation
in a
building lobby or busy hallway; customer demographic pattern; or other factor
revealed by human or computer analysis.
At Step 965, the vending manager identifies new locations that have
similar characteristics to those identified in Step 960 but that do not have
preexisting access to vending machine service. In other words, the vending
manager identifies sites that are underserved by vending machine operations
but
that have characteristics believed to be conducive to profit generation. Step
965
can proceed with manual site visits or with computer based analysis of
candidate
sites. At Step 970, in anticipation of higher performance, the vending manager
moves the underperforming vending machines 105 to the new locations identified
at Step 965. Following Step 965, Process 900 returns to Step 915 and the above
described steps of servicing vending machines 105, tracking performance, and
optimizing vending locations continues.
Turning now to Figure 10, this figure illustrates a process 1000, entitled
Optimize Stocking Levels, for optimizing stocking levels of a vending
machine 105 based on data acquired from vending machines 105 via a cellular
network 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
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While discussed below with reference to one vending machine 105, Process 1000
is applicable to each vending machine 105 in a system of vending machines that
are operated by an operator such as a beverage bottler.
At Step 1005, the first step in Process 1000, the vending manager defines
product offerings for a vending machine 105 and inputs these product offerings
into the analytics module 185.
At Step 1010, the vending manager defines stocking levels for each
product offering in the vending machine 105. In other words, the vending
manager dedicates a fraction of the vending machine's total product storage
capacity to each of the products that the vending machine 105 offers for
purchase.
At Step 1020, a route driver stocks the vending machine 105 according to the
defined stocking levels for each product offering.
At Step 1025, the vending manager establishes restocking thresholds for
each product offering in the vending machine 105 and inputs these thresholds
into
the analytics module 185 using the PC-based GUI 180. A restocking threshold is
an inventory level that triggers replenishing the vending machine's inventory.
For
example, a fully stocked vending machine 105 might have an inventory of fifty
cans of a specific soft drink, and the restocking threshold might be ten cans.
In
this example, depleting the inventory of this soft drink below ten cans would
initiate sending a driver to restock the vending machine 105. The restocking
threshold or trigger can be set based on a percentage of a single stock
keeping unit
that is sold or a percentage of the machine vending machine's total capacity.
Criteria for restocking can also include a fixed schedule or a number of days
since
the last onsite visit to the machine, for example.
At Step 1030 the analytics module 185, via the other components of the
vending management system 100, monitors inventory and sales of the vending
machine's products. The data processing system 170 stores the acquired data in
the database 175. At inquiry Step 1035, the VRGP 560 determines if the
inventory of any of the stocked products has crossed under, or has become less
than, the restocking threshold. If the inventory has not depleted below the
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restocking threshold, then Process 1000 iterates Step 1030 until the threshold
is
crossed. When the threshold is crossed, Process 1000 executes Step 1040 and
the
VRGP 560 posts notification on the PC-based GUI 180 that the vending
machine 105 needs to be restocked.
At Step 1050, a route driver responds to the posted notification and
restocks the vending machine 105. At Step 1060, the analytics module 185
determines if any of the vending machine's products are regularly or routinely
depleted before the other products. In other words, the analytics module 185
identifies any products that sell at a rate that triggers a restock more
frequently
than other products. If the analytics module 185 does not identify a stocked
product exhibiting a sales pattern that causes a restocking intervention more
frequently than other stocked products, then Process 1000 loops back and
executes
Step 1030 and the following steps.
If the analytics module 185 identifies a product that is responsible for a
disproportionate number of restocking interventions, then at Step 1070, the
analytics module 185 increases the stocking level of that product. In other
words,
the analytics module 185 increases the fraction of the vending machine's total
inventory capacity that is dedicated to a product that sells at a rate that
prematurely depletes inventory. The analytics module 185 can calculate and
provide a percent variation between an amount of product stock keeping.unit
sold
and the capacity associated with that stock keeping unit, for example. The
analytics module 185 can provide a suggestion for adjusting a stocking level
to
support an increase in sales. Following Step 1070, Process 1000 loops back to
Step 1030 and proceeds with that step 1030.
Turning now to Figure 11, this figure illustrates a process 1100, entitled
Optimize Product Offerings, for optimizing product offerings of a vending
machine 105 based on data acquired from vending machines 105 via a cellular
network 130 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
While discussed below with reference to one vending machine 105, Process 1100
is applicable to each vending machine 105 in a system of vending machines 105
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that are operated by an operator such as a beverage bottler. A bottler can
iterate
Process 1100 for each vending machine 105 in a system of geographically
dispersed vending machines 105. In one exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the illustrated steps in Process 1100 analyze or process
information
collected from two or more vending machine 105 operated by a common
organization.
At Step 1103, the first step in Process 1100, a vending manager defines
product offerings for a vending machine 105 and inputs these initial product
offering definitions into the PC-based GUI 180.
At Step 1105, the vending manager inputs product marketing and
promotional information into the analytics module 185 to provide notification
of
activities that could impact product or brand sales. The manager can further
notify the analytics module 185 of any other imposed or known conditions
expected to impact product sales or that are pertinent to optimizing the
vending
machine's product offerings.
At Step 1110, the data processing system 46 receives the input product
offerings data from the PC-based GUI 180 and stores this data in the database
175
where it is accessible by the analytics module 185. At Step 1115, the
analytics
module 185 receives sales data for each product offering in the vending
machine 105. This sales data is acquired via the cellular network 130 and is
stored in the database 175 for analytics module access.
At Step 1120, the analytics module 185 conducts an analysis on the
acquired sales data for each product that the vending machine 105 offers. The
analysis includes identifying the vending machine's lowest selling and/or
least
profitable product. In conjunction with this analysis, the analytics module
185
determines at inquiry Step 1130 if relative performance of the lowest-
performing
product is statistically significant. If the analysis determines that the
differences
between performances of the vending machine's products is not statistically
significant, then Process 1100 loops back to Step 1110 and monitoring and
analysis continues.
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If the performance difference is statistically significant, then at inquiry
Step 1140 the analytics module 185 determines if the lowest-performing product
is the subject of a marketing experiment, test condition, or other factor
identified
at Step 1105 with the potential to adversely impact sales performance. If the
determination of Step 1140 is positive, Process 1100 loops back to Step 1110.
If the determination of Step 1140 is negative, at inquiry Step 1150, the
analytics module 185 determines if sales of the lowest-performing product can
be
forecast to improve, for example due to a planned marketing campaign, a change
of season, or other known influence. If such forecast indicates that the
product's
sales might improve, then Process 1100 loops back to Step 1110.
If sales improvement is not anticipated, then at inquiry Step 1160, the
analytics module 185 determines if the lowest-performing product has performed
poorly in the vending machine 105 for an extended period of time. In other
words, the analytics module 185 investigates the possibility that the
condition of
poor performance is an irregularity or anomaly. If the analytics module 185
determines that the product has exhibited a long-term or recurring pattern of
poor
performance, then Step 1170 follows Step 1160. Otherwise, Process 1100 loops
back to Step 1110 and does not recommend or implement a change to the vending
machine's product selections in the current iteration of process steps.
At Step 1170, the analytics module 185 redefines the product offerings by
replacing the lowest-performing product offering with a new product selection.
The new product selection can be a product that the analytics module 185
identifies as a strong performer in other vending machines 105, for example.
While this output can be a recommendation to the vending manager, in one
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the identified new product is
automatically implemented as a directive. At Step 1180 a route driver
reconfigures the vending machine 105 according to the new product definition.
Following Step 1180, Process 1100 loops back to Step 1110 and continues
monitoring and analysis to optimize the vending machine's product offerings.
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In summary, the present invention can refine the operations of one or more
vending machines in a system of geographically dispersed vending machines by
collecting timely operational data from vending machines via wireless
communication and generating recommendations for operational adjustments
through processing the collected information with a computer system.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the present invention
overcomes the limitations of the prior art. From the description of the
embodiments, equivalents of the elements shown therein will suggest themselves
to those skilled in the art, and ways of constructing other embodiments of the
present invention will suggest themselves to practitioners of the art.
Therefore,
the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the claims below.
