METHOD OF OUTPUTTING OFFERS AT A VENDING MACHINE

• US 20080033824A1
• Filed: 10/16/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Daniel Tedesco, John Packes, Magdalena Fincham
• Original Assignee: Daniel Tedesco, John Packes, Magdalena Fincham
• Inventors: Tedesco, Daniel, Fincham, Magdalena, Packes, John
• Application Number:
  US11/873,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033824A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0223 based on inventory
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/40 for devices for accepting orders, advertisements, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

A network of vending machines is interfaced via a controller to a network of devices installed at retail establishments. When a customer goes to a vending machine and requests a transaction such as dispensing a product from the vending machine, the vending machines outputs an offer to the customer in response to the received request and based on a condition that has been identified at one of the retail establishments. The identified condition may be a lack of customer traffic at the retail establishment. The offer outputted at the vending machine may be a discount coupon to induce the customer to visit the retail establishment. Preferably, the retail establishment is nearby to the vending machine which outputted the offer. The vending machine may also output offers when the vending machine is out of stock of the item requested by the customer.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processing device associated with a retail establishment, the processing device being operable to determine whether a current time satisfies a predetermined criteria based on hours of operation of the retail establishment; and

a trigger device associated with the retail establishment, the trigger device being operable to transmit, to a vending machine and in the case that the current time satisfies the predetermined criteria based on hours of operation of the retail establishment, a trigger signal; and

the vending machine including;

a receiving device operable to receive the trigger signal;

a controller operable to determine, based on a receipt of the trigger signal, that a coupon is to be output to a customer of the vending machine; and

an offer device operable to selectively output the coupon in response to the controller; and

the retail establishment including;

a redemption device operable to accept the coupon for redemption at the retail establishment.

2. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a customer, a request to dispense an item at a vending machine;

determining, by the vending machine, that the item will not be dispensed by the vending machine;

determining, by the vending machine, whether a current time satisfies a predetermined criteria based on hours of operation of the retail establishment; and

outputting to the customer, in the case that the current time satisfies the predetermined criteria based on hours of operation of the retail establishment, a coupon for the item to be redeemed at the retail establishment, wherein the outputting is conducted based on the determination that the item will not be dispensed by the vending machine.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining that the item will not be dispensed by the vending machine comprises:

determining that the item cannot be dispensed by the vending machine due to the item being out of stock at the vending machine.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining that the item will not be dispensed by the vending machine comprises:

determining that an amount of inventory of the item at the vending machine is below a predefined inventory threshold.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the coupon is for a discount on the item if redeemed by the customer at the retail establishment.