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.-- 8th of 7, Apr 25 2010 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_20CreamPrior Art [8th of 7, Apr 25 2010] Latte art http://coffeegeek.c...thingguide/examplesprint the name directly into the coffee [metarinka, Apr 26 2010] Or even a sticker...?
{Edit: fair enough, [8th]}-- Jinbish, Apr 25 2010 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.-- 8th of 7, Apr 25 2010 No, jam is only an option if you select "porridge".-- 8th of 7, Apr 25 2010 how about a sticker printer instead of those little punch-in bubbles-- Voice, Apr 25 2010 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.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 25 2010 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.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 25 2010 What you want is a cup of liquid which is almost - but not quite - entirely unlike tea.
"Share And Enjoy".-- 8th of 7, Apr 25 2010 [+] 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.
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."-- mouseposture, Apr 25 2010 \+/-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 25 2010 // change it to "Go stick your head in a pig." //
... but only at times of special celebration.-- 8th of 7, Apr 25 2010 (my politically insensitive comment for the day) Like Ramadan?-- RayfordSteele, Apr 25 2010 I sure do. Why?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Apr 25 2010 Am I the only one who took this literally and expected a 3D (rapid prototype) cup generator?-- phoenix, Apr 26 2010 I'm new to 2 frie's bun notation. How shall I read that?
+-- Mustardface, Apr 26 2010 I'm guessing he printed the cup with a plus.-- jurist, Apr 26 2010 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. (+)-- xenzag, Apr 26 2010 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.-- hippo, Apr 26 2010 // frothy milk //
That implies a better class of vending machine. Besides, the contents could then be indicated by the pattern of chocolate sprinkles.-- 8th of 7, Apr 26 2010 + 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...)-- xandram, Apr 26 2010 On April 1st, this machine will print the beverage type upside-down on the side of the cup - "What does this say? - Oh damn!".-- hippo, Apr 26 2010 couldn't the dispenser use those little "bubble" lids that most places hand out with soft drinks?
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.
or howabout latte art that prints the order directly into the coffee with the milk-- metarinka, Apr 26 2010 it could spray a QR code made of mini marshamallows on the beverage surface, respond quickly to get another complimentary beverage-- beanangel, Nov 29 2011 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.-- Ling, Nov 29 2011 (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]?-- neutrinos_shadow, Nov 29 2011 "A concoction that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea "-- nomocrow, Nov 30 2011 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.-- jutta, Jul 15 2012 random, halfbakery