Vending machine purchase via cellular telephone

• US 6,584,309 B1
• Filed: 12/16/1999
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Coca-Cola Company (The Coca-Cola Company)
• Original Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
• Inventors: Whigham, Roger Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tu X
• Application Number:
  US09/465,359
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414, 455/407, 455/408, 705/40
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/16 Payments settled via telecommunication systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/32 using wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

There is disclosed a system and method for purchasing a product from an automatic vending machine by means of a consumer'"'"'s cellular telephone. The consumer requests a product available from the vending machine by dialing a specified telephone number which connects the consumer'"'"'s cellular telephone to a server operated by a billing agency. The billing agency may include the provider of the product, the telephone company that provides the cellular telephone service, a credit card company, or a bank that has issued a debit card. The server recognizes the request for the product, creates a transaction record, and communicates a vend code to the consumer. The transaction record includes a billing record that the billing agency uses to bill the consumer for the requested product and an inventory record that the product provider uses in connection with restocking the vending machine. Upon receiving the vend code from the server, the consumer transmits the vend code to the vending machine. The vend code may be an RF code, an audible tone code, or a manual code. Upon receipt of the vend code from the consumer, the vending machine dispenses the requested product.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating a credit-based purchase of a product by a consumer from a vending machine absent a dedicated online connection between the vending machine and a financial institution, the system comprising:

a vending machine that has the product available for sale, wherein the vending machine comprises;

a local receiver for receiving a vend code from the consumer via a local link; and

means for dispensing the product in response to the receipt of the vend code;

a server remote from and not in communication with the vending machine and accessible via a telephone network by a cellular telephone operated by the consumer;

wherein the server receives from the cellular telephone via the telephone network a request for the purchase of the product from the vending machine, creates a transaction record for the request, and communicates the vend code to the cellular telephone,

whereby the consumer may then transmit the vend code to the local receiver of the vending machine via the local link in order to authorize the vending machine to dispense the product without currency being provided to the vending machine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone accesses the server by dialing a number that corresponds to the product requested;

and

wherein the server determines the product requested by capturing the number dialed by the consumer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the server determines the product requested by interpreting one or more signals generated by the cellular phone.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display that displays a telephone number to be called to request purchase of the product.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone includes a local radio frequency transmitter;

wherein the local receiver in the vending machine comprises a local radio frequency receiver; and

wherein the vend code is transmitted from the local radio frequency transmitter to the local radio frequency receiver.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone includes a local audio transmitter;

wherein the local receiver in the vending machine comprises a local audio receiver; and

wherein the vend code is transmitted from the local audio transmitter to the local audio receiver.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the cellular telephone includes a local infrared transmitter;

wherein the local receiver in the vending machine comprises a local infrared receiver; and

wherein the vend code is transmitted from the local infrared transmitter to the local infrared receiver.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the local receiver in the vending machine comprises a manual input device;

and

wherein the vend code is an alpha-numeric code communicated to the cellular telephone for manual input by the consumer into the manual input device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the transaction record includes a billing record that is posted to an account associated with the consumer.

10. A method for facilitating a credit-based purchase of a product from a vending machine absent a dedicated online connection between the vending machine and a financial institution comprising the steps of:

at a server remote from and not in communication with the vending machine;

receiving via a telephone network a call from a cellular telephone identified with a consumer, the call being for the purpose of requesting purchase of a product from the vending machine;

based on the call, identifying the product and a purchase price associated with the product;

in response to identifying the purchase price, creating a transaction record that includes a billing record that may be used to bill the consumer and to collect funds from the consumer in relation to the purchase price;

in response to identifying the product, generating a vend code for instructing the vending machine to dispense the product; and

transmitting the vend code to the cellular telephone via the telephone network,

whereby the consumer may then input the vend code to the vending machine via a local link in order to receive the product therefrom without having to provide currency to the vending machine.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least a portion of the funds collected from the consumer are remitted to a provider of the vending machine.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the call from the cellular telephone is initiated by dialing a telephone number that corresponds to the product;

and

wherein the product is identified based on the telephone number dialed by the consumer.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the product is identified based on one or more input signals received from the cellular telephone during the call.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more input signals comprise one or more touch tone signals generated by the cellular phone in response to the consumer dialing additional numbers.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more input signals comprise one or more voice signals generated by the cellular phone in response to the consumer providing a verbal response.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumer inputs the vend code to the vending machine by transmitting the vend code from the cellular telephone to the vending machine via a radio frequency link.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumer inputs the vend code to the vending machine by transmitting the vend code from the cellular telephone to the vending machine as an audible signal.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumer inputs the vend code to the vending machine by transmitting the vend code from the cellular telephone to the vending machine via an infrared link.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the vend code comprises an alpha-numeric code.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumer'"'"'s cellular telephone has an associated account maintained by a provider of telephone services;

and

wherein the billing record is posted to the associated account in order to bill the consumer.

21. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumer has an associated credit account maintained by a financial institution;

and

wherein the billing record is posted to the associated credit account in order to bill the consumer.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumer has an associated debit account maintained by a financial institution;

and

wherein the billing record is posted to the associated debit account in order to bill the consumer.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumer has an associated charge account maintained by a provider of the vending machine;

and

wherein the billing record is posted to the associated charge account in order to bill the consumer.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein the call requesting purchase of the product further identifies the vending machine;

and

wherein the transaction record further comprises an inventory record that indicates that the product has been dispensed from the identified vending machine.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of transmitting the transaction record to a provider of the vending machine for reporting and analysis.

26. A server maintained by a billing agency for facilitating a credit-based purchase of a product from a vending machine absent a dedicated online connection between the vending machine and a financial institution comprising:

a communication device for receiving via a network a call from a cellular telephone identified with a consumer, the call being for the purpose of requesting purchase of a product from a vending machine that is remote from and not in communication with the server;

a memory storing product identifiers and associated product purchase prices; and

a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of;

based on the call, accessing the memory to determine a product identifier and a purchase price associated with the product,

in response to identifying the purchase price, storing in the memory a transaction record that includes a billing record that may be used to bill the consumer and to collect funds from the consumer in relation to the purchase price,

in response to identifying the product, generating a vend code for instructing the vending machine to dispense the product, and

instructing the communication device to transmit the vend code to the cellular telephone via the network,

whereby the consumer may then input the vend code to the vending machine via a local link in order to receive the product therefrom without having to provide currency to the vending machine.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein at least a portion of the funds collected from the consumer are remitted to a provider of the vending machine.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the call from the cellular telephone is initiated by dialing a telephone number that corresponds to the product;

and

wherein the product identifier is determined based on the telephone number dialed by the consumer.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the product identifier is supplied by the consumer in the form of one or more signals generated by the cellular telephone during the call.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the one or more signals comprise one or more touch tone signals generated by the cellular phone in response to the consumer dialing additional numbers.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the one or more signals comprise one or more voice signals generated by the cellular phone in response to the consumer providing a verbal response.

32. The system of claim 26, wherein the consumer owns an account maintained by a third-party;

and

wherein the processor is further configured to instruct the communication device to transmit the billing record to the third-party for posting to the account in order to bill the consumer.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the call requesting purchase of the product further identifies the vending machine;

and

wherein the transaction record further comprises an inventory record that indicates that the product has been dispensed from the identified vending machine.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the communication device is further instructed to transmit the transaction record to a provider of the vending machine for reporting and analysis.