Computer controlled machine for vending personalized products or the like
First Claim
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1. A method of the on-site manufacture and vending of social expression cards, comprising the steps of:
- inputting a plurality of social expression card designs into an information storage and retrieval system for storing, referencing, and retrieving the social expression card designs, where each of the social expression card designs comprises a front page and an inside page and each social expression card design is uniquely identified by a plurality of special occasion parameters, and where the special occasion parameters are used to group social expression card designs with like special occasion parameters into fields;
querying the customer for a plurality of input data set items, all of the plurality of input data set items being special occasion parameters to identify a field of social expression card designs;
searching the information storage and retrieval system for social expression card designs having special occasion parameters that match those input by the customer;
displaying those social expression card designs having special occasion parameters that match those input by the customer;
selecting a social expression card design to be reproduced; and
reproducing said selected social expression card design in tangible form.
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Abstract
A machine for vending greeting cards or other personalized or customized products includes audio and video presentations of available products and options available to a customer, provisions for payment and apparatus for automatic delivery of products. Base products such as preprinted forms are stored for selective transfer by a robot device to modifying apparatus such as a printer, modified products being delivered to a delivery receptacle, all operations being under computer control and being changeable as desired for adding or substituting new forms of products.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A method of the on-site manufacture and vending of social expression cards, comprising the steps of:
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inputting a plurality of social expression card designs into an information storage and retrieval system for storing, referencing, and retrieving the social expression card designs, where each of the social expression card designs comprises a front page and an inside page and each social expression card design is uniquely identified by a plurality of special occasion parameters, and where the special occasion parameters are used to group social expression card designs with like special occasion parameters into fields; querying the customer for a plurality of input data set items, all of the plurality of input data set items being special occasion parameters to identify a field of social expression card designs; searching the information storage and retrieval system for social expression card designs having special occasion parameters that match those input by the customer; displaying those social expression card designs having special occasion parameters that match those input by the customer; selecting a social expression card design to be reproduced; and reproducing said selected social expression card design in tangible form. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Apparatus for the on-site reproduction and vending of social expression cards in response to a plurality of input data set items provided by a customer, comprising:
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information storage and retrieval means for storing, referencing, and retrieving a plurality of social expression card designs, each of said social expression card designs being uniquely identified by a plurality of special occasion parameters; querying means for querying the customer to select from among the plurality of input data set items, where all of said plurality of input data set items are special occasion parameters that identify types of social expression card designs; display means for displaying those social expression card designs that have special occasion parameters that match those special occasion parameters selected by the customer; reproducing means for reproducing special expression card designs in tangible form; and control means connected to said information storage and retrieval means, querying means, display means, and reproducing means for controlling and coordinating the operation thereof. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification