New payment modes have been added to vending machines over time as vending items became more expensive, and as the technology for reliable bill validators and card readers developed. Thus, for example, modern day vending machines may contain a coin slot for depositing coins, a bill entryway for inserting paper currency, and a card reader opening for inserting a debit or credit card.
Customarily, a separate bezel for each form of payment having an insertion slot or opening has been attached to the front panel of a vending machine. For example, payment acceptance devices for coins, bills and cards each are connected to separate bezels, with the three bezels located on the right side of the front panel. This area is sometimes referred to as the control panel.
As new forms of payment acceptance devices have been retrofit to existing machines, it has become more difficult to attach them to the control panel because the amount of space available is finite, and because of internal component space restrictions. Thus, some vending machines have bezels with currency insertion slots and/or credit card swipe slots located in areas other than the control panel. Consequently, one type of vending machine may differ from another by having bezels connected in different designated areas for payment, by accepting different forms of payment, and further may be marked in an entirely different manner.
In view of the various available bezel arrangements, consumers can become confused when it comes to the method and types of acceptable payments to enable a vend. Such non-uniformity may frustrate a customer, resulting in lost profits by the vending machine owners.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds