Abstract: A safety stop device for limiting the movement of a window or sliding door that is fitted with a glass pane. The safety stop has a housing with a top plate. The top plate is flat. Support walls extend from the top plate and terminate in a common plane. A protected area is defined between the support walls and under the top plate. A suction cup is disposed within the protected area. A suction control assembly is coupled to the top plate. The suction control assembly selectively controls air pressure within the suction cup when the suction cup is engaged with the glass pane.

Abstract: A safety stop device for limiting the movement of a window or sliding door that is fitted with a glass pane. The safety stop has a housing with a top plate. The top plate is flat. Support walls extend from the top plate and terminate in a common plane. A protected area is defined between the support walls and under the top plate. A suction cup is disposed within the protected area. A suction control assembly is coupled to the top plate. The suction control assembly selectively controls air pressure within the suction cup when the suction cup is engaged with the glass pane.

Abstract: A vending machine system and its associated method of operation. In the vending machine system, customers are provided with identification cards having statistical information regarding the identity of the card owner. Also contained on the card is a digital data code corresponding to a biometric characteristic of the card owner. Vending machines are provided that contain card readers and biometric characteristic scanners. When a customer wants to use the vending machine, that customer inserts their identification card into the vending machine. That customer also subjects themselves to a biometric scan from the biometric characteristic verifier contained within the vending machine. The vending machine reads both the identification data and the biometric characteristic data from the card. A systems processor in the vending machine compares the biometric characteristic data on the identification card with the biometric characteristic data just gathered.

Abstract: A vending machine system and its associated method of operation. In the vending machine system, customers are provided with identification cards having statistical information regarding the age of the card owner. Also contained on the card is data corresponding to a biometric characteristic of the card owner. Vending machines are provided that contain card readers and biometric characteristic verifiers. When a customer wants to use the vending machine, that customer inserts their identification card into the vending machine. That customer also subjects themselves to a biometric scan from the biometric characteristic verifier contained within the vending machine. The vending machine reads both the statistical age information from the identification card and the biometric characteristic data. A systems processor in the vending machine compares the biometric characteristic data on the identification card with the biometric characteristic data just gathered.

Abstract: A vending machine system and its associated method of operation. In the vending machine system, customers are provided with identification cards having statistical information regarding the age of the card owner. Also contained on the card is data corresponding to a biometric characteristic of the card owner. Vending machines are provided that contain card readers and biometric characteristic verifiers. When a customer wants to use the vending machine, that customer inserts their identification card into the vending machine. That customer also subjects themselves to a biometric scan from the biometric characteristic verifier contained within the vending machine. The vending machine reads both the statistical age information from the identification card and the biometric characteristic data. A systems processor in the vending machine compares the biometric characteristic data on the identification card with the biometric characteristic data just gathered.