System for vending physical and information items

• US 7,726,562 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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: Walker, Jay S., Tedesco, Daniel E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US11/745,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20080173707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 Days
• Field of Search: 235/381, 235/375, 235/383, 235/379, 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 235/381
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/004 Restocking arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like
• 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

A vending machine handles a purchase transaction by receiving a payment, receiving a product selection from the customer, and dispensing the product indicated by the product selection. As part of the same transaction, the vending machine offers an information item such as an audio recording or a video recording. The vending machine also receives from the customer a destination address, which may be an e-mail address. The vending machine or a system of which it is part transmits the information item to the received destination address.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a customer, an indication of a selection of a product offered for sale by a vending machine;

receiving an indication of a payment amount provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product;

determining, based on the payment amount and a price associated with the product, an amount of change due to the customer;

dispensing, after the receiving of the indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product, a unit of the selected product;

determining, based on the amount of change due to the customer, a digital file; and

transmitting, after the receiving of the indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product, the digital file to a device associated with the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

offering, based on the amount of change due to the customer, the determined digital file to the customer; and

determining an acceptance of the offer by the customer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the offering comprises:

displaying a menu of a plurality of available digital files.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of the acceptance of the offer by the customer comprises:

determining an indication of a selection, by the customer, of the digital file from the menu of the plurality of available digital files.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the offering comprises:

offering a digital file search tool to the customer.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the determining of the acceptance of the offer by the customer comprises:

receiving an indication of a specific digital file that the customer desires to search for.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining of the digital file, comprises:

identifying the digital file as the specific digital file that the customer desires to search for.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identifying, comprises:

utilizing a digital file searching service to identify the digital file as the specific digital file that the customer desires to search for.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the digital file searching service comprises a service that allows searching of digital files via the Internet.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the digital file comprises determining an undetermined one of a type of digital file, and wherein the providing is conducted after the dispensing.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the determining of the digital file further comprises:

selecting, after the dispensing, the digital file from a plurality of available digital files associated with the type of digital file, based on data that is unavailable at the time of dispensing.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data that is unavailable at the time of dispensing comprises data defining a post-dispensing popularity associated with the digital file.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital file comprises one or more of:

(i) a music file;

(ii) a movie file;

(iii) a television program file;

(iv) an e-book file;

(v) a game software file;

(vi) a game cheat code; and

(vii) an access code.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting is conducted via the vending machine.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the digital file is stored at the vending machine.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting is conducted via a central controller.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital file is stored at the central controller.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting is conducted via a third-party digital file providing device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the digital file is stored at the third-party digital file providing device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the digital file, comprises:

selecting the digital file from a plurality of available digital files.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the digital file is selected based on the product selection.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises:

transmitting an indication of the digital file to a handheld device associated with the customer.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing comprises transmitting an indication of the digital file to a destination address associated with the customer, further comprising:

receiving, from the customer and via an input device of the vending machine, an indication of the destination address.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting is conducted in lieu of providing the change due to the customer.

25. A medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a processor to:

receive, from a customer, an indication of a selection of a product offered for sale by a vending machine;

receive an indication of a payment amount provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product;

determine, based on the payment amount and a price associated with the product, an amount of change due to the customer;

dispense, after the receiving of the indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product, a unit of the selected product;

determine, based on the amount of change due to the customer, a digital file; and

transmit, after the receiving of the indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product, the digital file to a device associated with the customer.

26. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor result in;

receiving, from a customer, an indication of a selection of a product offered for sale by a vending machine;

receiving an indication of a payment amount provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product;

determining, based on the payment amount and a price associated with the product, an amount of change due to the customer;

dispensing, after the receiving of the indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product, a unit of the selected product;

determining, based on the amount of change due to the customer, a digital file; and

transmitting, after the receiving of the indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the selected product, the digital file to a device associated with the customer.