A vending device (10) that can respond to selection of various vending commodities during the vending process by recalculating an amount of time that yet remains in the vending process as a function of proration of an original amount of compensation and new calculation parameters that are associated with the newly chosen commodity selections. This newly calculated amount of time can then be displayed.

A method of calculating a combination of coins to be dispensed as change comprises evaluating different possible combinations and selecting the most favorable one. One combination is determined according to priority, giving higher priority to higher-denomination coins. In other combinations, the number of coins of one or more denominations is one less than would be determined by priority.

A method and apparatus to control the selective opening of one of a multiple of door accessible newspaper vending cabinets (6a-6e) through a single vend control mechanism (7). The method provides for signaling a selected door from a multiple of doors (18a-18e) to unlock when the proper total denomination of coins or monetary credits has been inserted into the vend control mechanism (7). The apparatus provides for an electronic coin totalizer (14) and/or a bill acceptor (16), and/or a debit/credit card acceptor (17), and a central processing unit (CPU) (10) to receive and process signals relating to total monies received into the vend control mechanism (7) and to selectively unlock one of a multiple of door-accessible cabinets (6a-6e), the cabinets containing different newspapers.

A bank of vending machines has an associated debit card reader of vend card reader, with its associated card reader controller. The card reader controller interfaces between the money handling mechanism of one or more of the vending machines, and the vending machine controller circuitry. The vending machine controller does not connect directly to the money accepting or change making equipment. As an incentive to stimulate card purchases rather then cash purchases, the card reader controller can credit the card holder with bonus points when purchases are made. These can be discounts and added directly into the card purchase credit balance, or can be bonus points to be recorded in a separate field on the vend card, and separately redeemed.

A control panel drawer for a consumer-operated vending machine of a type having a cabinet defining an internal volume in which vendable products are held for selectable vending, a front display at which vendable products are designated with price and selection indicia and a money acceptance and product selection panel at which an amount of money corresponding to the price of a desired product selection and instructions for dispensing the desired product selection are entered by the consumer and an operatively associated vending mechanism connected through an electronic circuit to vend the selected product to the consumer in response to insertion of money and instructions from a consumer to the control panel drawer includes a drawer which is slidably connected to the vending machine cabinet having a first position at which the drawer is inserted within the vending machine cabinet adjacent to the internal product holding volume and a second position slidably extended forward of the front display. The selection panel is attached to a front surface of the drawer which is substantially parallel to the product front display when the drawer is in the first position. The electronic circuit board is attached to the drawer and movable therewith, so that it is enclosed within the cabinet when the drawer is in the first position and so that it is accessibly exposed when the drawer is in the second position. Flexible connectors extend between the electronic circuit board and the vending mechanism so that the drawer is slidable between the first and the second positions without disconnecting the electronic circuit board from the vending mechanism.