PRODUCTS AND PROCESSES FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO VENDING MACHINE PRODUCTS

• US 20080161082A1
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Jorasch, James A., WALKER, JAY S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Tedesco, Robert C., Breitenbach, Paul T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention includes receiving a request to purchase a product from a vending machine. At least one question to be output is determined, and the determined question is output.

An interface is provided which that permits at least one answer to the at least one question to be entered by a customer. At least one answer to the at least one question is received via the interface.

Based on the answer, a level of access to one or more products available for sale by the vending machine is determined. A product is provided if the level of access permits providing of a product.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a question device operable to;

provide one or more questions to a customer;

receive, from the customer, an indication of one or more answers to the one or more questions; and

provide, in the case that the one or more indicated answers are determined to be correct, a code to the customer; and

a vending machine operable to;

receive the access code from the customer;

validate the access code; and

provide, in the case that the access code is validated and in exchange for the code, one or more products to the customer via the vending machine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the question device comprises an IVRU device and wherein the vending machine is further operable to:

prompt the customer to call the IVRU device; and

prompt the customer to input the access code.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the question device comprises one or more of a (i) personal computer, (ii) a kiosk, and (iii) a website, in communication with a server, and wherein the one or more questions are provided by the server and wherein the server is operable to determine whether the one or more answers are correct.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the question device comprises a telephone.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more questions comprise a quiz.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more products comprise one or more unhealthy products and the one or more questions comprise a question that solicits informed consent from the customer regarding the unhealthiness of the one or more products.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more questions are provided to the question device by a teacher of a class in which the customer is enrolled.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more questions are selected based on questions previously presented to the customer.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the question device is remote from the vending machine.

10. A vending machine operable to:

register a plurality of customers for a multi-transactional game tournament;

determine for each of the registered customers, based on a plurality of transactions conducted by each customer at the vending machine during a time period defined by the tournament, a standing of each customer in the game tournament;

determine, at the end of the time period and based on the standings of the registered customers, at least one winning customer; and

provide a prize to the at least one winning customer.

11. The vending machine of claim 10, wherein the prize comprises all of the currency currently stored in the vending machine.

12. The vending machine of claim 10, wherein the at least one winning customer comprises a subset of the customers with the highest standings and wherein the prize comprises entry into a second multi-transactional game tournament that only includes the subset of customers with the highest standings.

13. The vending machine of claim 10, wherein the vending machine is further operable to:

determine for each of the subset of customers, based on a plurality of transactions conducted by each customer at the vending machine during a time period defined by the second tournament, a standing of each customer;

determine, at the end of the time period and based on the standings of the subset of customers, at least one winning customer for the second tournament; and

providing a prize to the at least one winning customer for the second tournament.

14. A method of operating a vending machine, comprising:

receiving, at the vending machine, an indication of a product selected by a customer;

outputting, in response to the receiving of the indication of the selected product, a plurality of questions to the customer;

receiving, at the vending machine and from the customer, an indication of an answer to each of the plurality of questions;

scoring, by the vending machine, the customer'"'"'s answers, thereby determining a score for the customer;

determining, by the vending machine and based on the customer'"'"'s score, which of a plurality of pre-determined levels of access the customer has achieved, wherein each of the plurality of pre-determined levels of access defines a different subset of products that may be purchased from the vending machine; and

selling to the customer, via the vending machine and in the case that the product selected by the customer is a member of the subset of products that corresponds to the specific pre-determined level of access achieved by the customer, a unit of the product.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

preventing a selling to the customer, via the vending machine and in the case that the product selected by the customer is not a member of the subset of products that corresponds to the specific pre-determined level of access achieved by the customer, a unit of the product.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the plurality of questions based on the product selected by the customer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of questions are stored in a memory of the vending machine.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of questions are downloaded by the vending machine from a remote computer.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of questions are accessed by the vending machine from a removable memory medium.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of questions are read by the vending machine from a packaging of the selected product.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the plurality of questions based on an identifier of the customer.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the plurality of questions based on an amount of money provided by the customer to the vending machine.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selecting the plurality of questions from a plurality of available questions, randomly.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving of the indication of the answer to each of the plurality of questions comprises receiving the indication wirelessly from an electronic device operated by the customer.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the receiving of the indication of the answer to each of the plurality of questions comprises receiving, via the vending machine, a paper substrate upon which the customer has indicated the answers.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the outputting comprises:

outputting the paper substrate to the customer, wherein the paper substrate is printed with indications of the plurality of questions.