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BorgCo present our latest line, a beverage vending machine incorporating a printing mechanism.
When the customer selects a beverage, the cup is automatically printed with a brief description of the contents - "White Tea", "White Coffee, One Sugar" etc.
And thus when collecting a multiple order,
confusion about whos cup is what is entirely eliminated.
Nutri-Matic machine
http://www.sput.nl/~rob/sirius.html "Go stick your head in a pig" [8th of 7, Apr 25 2010]
Copenhaagen-Dasz Ice Cream
Copenhaagen-Dasz_20Ice_20Cream Prior Art [8th of 7, Apr 25 2010]
Latte art
http://coffeegeek.c...thingguide/examples print the name directly into the coffee [metarinka, Apr 26 2010]
[link]
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{Edit: fair enough, [8th]} |
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We considered that, but (a) more consumables to replace (unless the stickers are somehow integrated into the bulk cup packaging), and (b) more complex, therefore more likely to fail or jam. |
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No, jam is only an option if you select "porridge". |
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how about a sticker printer instead of those little
punch-in bubbles |
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This is a good idea. I would make it possible, for the first
time, to correctly distinguish the tea, coffee and soup
dispensed by the vending machine in the lab. |
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On second thoughts, this might not be good. As things
stand, I can decide what the drink is meant to be. If I am
told that what I think is tea is actually meant to be oxtail
soup, I will be less happy. |
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What you want is a cup of liquid which is almost - but not quite - entirely unlike tea. |
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[+] but //a brief description of the contents// Is that really
the best you can think of? Jokes, fortunes, edutainment,
calorie counts, ingredients lists, sudoku .... There are so
many possibilities. I'd like to see this combined with a
camera, and print a portrait of the purchaser on the cup. |
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Or, for a joke, print exactly the same thing ("share and
enjoy") on every cup. If customers complain, the Complaints
Division can change it to "Go stick your head in a pig." |
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// change it to "Go stick your head in a pig." // |
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... but only at times of special celebration. |
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(my politically insensitive comment for the day) Like Ramadan? |
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Am I the only one who took this literally and expected a 3D (rapid prototype) cup generator? |
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I'm new to 2 frie's bun notation. How
shall I read that? |
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I'm guessing he printed the cup with a plus. |
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The back-up analogue version of this is an intermittently writing ball-pen, tied to the side of the machine with a length of that plastic string which goes all hairy and grubby in no time. (+) |
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That would work brilliantly, and bring back to life in people's minds all that stuff about Fourier transforms they learnt at school and have since forgotten, unless your coffee is covered in frothy milk and you can't read any of the modulated ripples. |
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That implies a better class of vending machine. Besides, the contents could then be indicated by the pattern of chocolate sprinkles. |
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+ clever!...but I think the cup should be printed first (after selection is made) to avoid spillage during the printing process. (maybe an added keypad to add your initials if you and a friend order the similar beverage with varied amounts of sugar, milk, salt, whatever...) |
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On April 1st, this machine will print the beverage type upside-down on the side of the cup - "What does this say? - Oh damn!". |
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couldn't the dispenser use those little "bubble" lids that most places hand out with soft drinks? |
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then a robotic finger would just have to pop down the bubble next to tea, and pop down the ones next to sugar and milk. |
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or howabout latte art that prints the order directly into the coffee with the milk |
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it could spray a QR code made of mini marshamallows on the beverage surface, respond quickly to get another complimentary beverage |
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Or it could pop bubble wrap to make the text. An advantage
would be that it is a good insulator. Plus one could pop the
bubbles afterwards. |
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(I somehow missed this one when it was fresh...)
Let me see... incredibly useful, well thought out, completely bakeable, safe for cats...
Who are you, and what have you done with the real [8th of 7]? |
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"A concoction that is almost, but not quite, entirely
unlike tea " |
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phoenix: No, I expected the same thing. One might
pick from a menu of classic and contemporary
demitasse or cup designs that are extruded before
one's eyes. |
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