Customer retention system and process in a vending unit, retail display or automated retail store

• US 8,463,431 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Swyft Inc.
• Original Assignee: Utique, Inc. (Swyft Inc.)
• Inventors: Segal, Mara Clair, Mockus, Darrell Scott, Greenberg, Russell Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): WAGGONER, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US12/798,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20100262282A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 700/232, 700/236, 700/237, 700/240, 700/241
• US Class Current: 700/237
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 9/02 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 system comprising numerous remote vending machines, retail displays, and automated retail stores connected to a communication network access a central database so that each remote machine provides and responds to personalized customer information. Each machine comprises a display containing products to be vended and a plurality of touchable product viewing areas for initiating a vend. A computer recognizes customer data derived from peripheral inputs. Software communicates with the database for establishing customer profiles and either recognizing customers or registering customers by generating a global unique identifier. Subroutines initiate the dispensing of items in response to preselected conditions associated with each GUID.

Claims

1. A vending system comprising:

a communication network;

a centralized database accessible through said network that stores inputted customer data; and

,

a plurality of remote vending machines, retail displays, and automated retail stores connected to the network that access said database, each of said vending machines, retail displays, and/or automated retail stores comprising;

a display module containing items to be vended and a plurality of touchable product viewing areas;

means for physically dispensing items;

a computer for activating and controlling the vending machine, the computer comprising means for inputting customer data, the means for inputting data selected from the group consisting of magnetic card readers, RFID readers, Bluetooth receiving units, touch screens, keypads, motion sensors, and touch sensors mounted in the housing;

software run by said computer that communicates with said database for establishing customer profiles in response to data input, the software comprising;

a subroutine for recognizing registered users and for registering new users by generating a global unique identifier (GUID) for individual customers that uniquely identifies the user from personally identifiable information such as parts of a credit card number, a non-identifying calculated number based off that number, a user'"'"'s name, a cell phone number, email addresses, MAC addresses from wireless enabled devices; and

,

subroutines for activating said means for physically dispensing items in response to preselected conditions associated with each GUID;

wherein said subroutine for recognizing registered users and for registering new users comprises the steps of;

executing a user lookup subroutine that determines whether a user is registered, the user lookup routine comprising the steps of;

recognizing when a user attempts to access an area or feature restricted to registered users of the system or when a user actively touches the touch screen indicating they wish to identify themselves as a registered user;

presenting a screen prompting users to register or identify themselves;

collecting identifying information including user names, passwords, or credit card, membership card, and/or driver'"'"'s license information;

transmitting information from said latter step to said database;

determining if a match exists in said database;

if a match is found by said database, recognizing a registered user and updating their account;

wherein if a match is not found by said database, steps attempt to identify an array of possible users, and if an array of possible users is found, steps prompt the user to input secondary information to further identify themselves, and steps check secondary information to determine a possible match, wherein if a match is found, steps direct the user to update his or her account information, and, if a match is not found steps direct the user to the user registration process.

2. The vending system as defined in claim 1 wherein said step of directing the user to a registration process includes the steps of:

presenting a legal agreement and requesting acceptance;

evaluating the user'"'"'s answer to preceding step;

if the user did not accept the legal agreement, denying use of the system and providing a failed registration message;

if the user accepts the agreement, prompting the user to input additional information and preferences; and

providing the registered user privileges associated with an account on the machine.

3. A vending system comprising:

a communication network;

a centralized database accessible through said network that stores inputted customer data; and

,

a plurality of remote vending machines, retail displays, and automated retail stores connected to the network that access said database, each of said vending machines, retail displays, and/or automated retail stores comprising;

a display module containing items to be vended and a plurality of touchable product viewing areas;

means for physically dispensing items;

a computer for activating and controlling the vending machine, the computer comprising means for inputting customer data, the means for inputting data selected from the group consisting of magnetic card readers, RFID readers, Bluetooth receiving units, touch screens, keypads, motion sensors, and touch sensors mounted in the housing;

software run by said computer that communicates with said database for establishing customer profiles in response to data input, the software comprising;

a subroutine for recognizing registered users and for registering new users by generating a global unique identifier (GUID) for individual customers that uniquely identifies the user from personally identifiable information such as parts of a credit card number, a non-identifying calculated number based off that number, a user'"'"'s name, a cell phone number, email addresses, MAC addresses from wireless enabled devices; and

,

subroutines for activating said means for physically dispensing items in response to preselected conditions associated with each GUID;

wherein said subroutine for recognizing registered users and for registering new users comprises the steps of;

executing a user lookup subroutine that determines whether a user is registered, the user lookup routine comprising the steps of;

recognizing when a user attempts to access an area or feature restricted to registered users of the system or when a user actively touches the touch screen indicating they wish to identify themselves as a registered user;

presenting a screen prompting users to register or identify themselves;

collecting identifying information including user names, passwords, or credit card, membership card, and/or driver'"'"'s license information;

transmitting information from said latter step to said database;

determining if a match exists in said database;

if a match is found by said database, recognizing a registered user and updating their account;

wherein if a match is not found by said database, steps attempt to identify an array of possible users, and if an array of possible users is found, steps prompt the user to input secondary information to further identify themselves, and steps check secondary information to determine a possible match, wherein if a match is found, steps direct the user to update his or her account information, and, if a match is not found steps direct the user to the user registration process;

wherein said step of directing the user to a registration process includes the steps of;

presenting a legal agreement and requesting acceptance;

evaluating the user'"'"'s answer to preceding step;

if the user did not accept the legal agreement, denying use of the system and providing a failed registration message;

if the user accepts the agreement, prompting the user to input additional information and preferences; and

providing the registered user privileges associated with an account on the machine;

wherein said step of determining if a match exists in said database comprises a subroutine for determining if a user, while registered, failed to be recognized because he or she used an alternative method of identification that is not stored in the database system yet.

4. The vending system as defined in claim 3 wherein said software comprises a subroutine for preventing abuse of a free sample dispensing program in an automated vending machines, the last mentioned subroutine comprising:

steps for recognizing when a user requests a sample;

steps for querying said database to determine if the last mentioned user is a registered user;

steps for requiring unregistered users to register;

steps for establishing rule sets governing the qualification of registered users to obtain specific free samples;

steps for querying said database to determine if the registered user qualifies for specific free samples in accordance with said rule sets;

steps for vending qualified samples to qualified registered users when said rule sets are satisfied;

steps for storing information about dispensed qualified samples in said database proximity or touch sensors described hereinafter that are used for customer selection.