摘要 |
An automated system for dispensing of beverages to customers which allows self-dispensing of beverages while maintaining accurate accounting of purchases by a number of individual credit card holders. A self service station includes a card reader to collect payment information from a user. The station also includes an RFID tag reader to collect a distinctive code from an RFID tag on the beverage container issued to the user desiring to purchase beverages at the self service station. A processor within the station links the payment information with the particular RFID tag on the user's beverage container and records the information in a memory coupled to the processor. The processor enables a dispensing mechanism to dispense a fixed quantity of beverage into the container associated with the particular RFID tag. In another embodiment, a point of sale station may collect the payment data and link it to the RFID tag on the user's beverage container. A dispensing station equipped with an RFID tag reader collects RFID code from a container brought into proximity of the dispensing station and then interrogates the point of sale station to determine if dispensing of beverage is to be permitted.
|