Abstract: A vending machine with a security barrier and a wireless-enabled currency acceptor is disclosed. The security barrier comprises a mechanical enclosure that surrounds, and restricts access to, items within the vending machine. The items enclosed in the vending machine inside the security barrier include a product, a currency acceptor, and a currency within the currency acceptor. Mechanical access through the security barrier is provided through a locked access port. The vending machine includes a wireless connectivity device that is coupled to the currency acceptor within the security barrier. The wireless connectivity device provides for password-protected wireless access to the currency acceptor from outside the security barrier. Also disclosed is a method of limiting access to items stored within a vending machine that includes programming the currency acceptor to provide currency acceptor data to the wireless connectivity device.

Abstract: A system including a collection of local data processing devices and a collection of remote data processing devices. At least one local data processing device executes instructions configuring the at least one local data processing device to implement a resource manager, a virtual machine, and a virtual machine manager. The resource manager associates application threads of a software application executing on a data processing device with local processors. The virtual machine includes a plurality of virtual processors, and each virtual processor emulates a data processing device. The virtual machine associates local processors with virtual processors. Finally, the virtual machine manager associates at least one virtual processor with a local data processing device and at least one virtual processor with a remote data processing device.