System and method for dispensing samples and computer readable recording medium

• US 8,494,926 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2009
• Issued: 07/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Hsu, Chih-Hao, Lee, Yi-Shiou, Lin, Feng-Cheng
• Primary Examiner(s): AN, IG TAI
• Application Number:
  US12/636,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20110106639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,318 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.38, 705/22, 705/28
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/16 for devices exhibiting advertisements, announcements, pictures or the like

Abstract

A method and a system for dispensing samples and a computer readable recording medium are disclosed herein, the system can establish a feedback mechanism and recommend one or more suitable samples for a user on the basis of identification information that is inputted by the user.

Claims

1. A system for dispensing samples, the system comprising:

a machine main body having a dispenser;

a storage apparatus configured in the machine main body for storing a plurality of samples;

a display device disposed in the machine main body for displaying information;

an input device disposed in the machine main body for allowing a user to input identifying information;

a controller configured in the machine main body for selectively transferring at least one of the samples from the storage apparatus to the dispenser;

a communication device configured in the machine main body;

a user database for recording user identification data, intention data associated with the user identification data and user attribute data corresponding to the user identification data; and

a processor apparatus communicating with the communication device of the machine main body and comprising an attribute database, a relational database, a feedback module and a recommendation module, wherein the attribute database records a plurality of sample attribute data, the relational database correlates the sample attribute data with the user identification data and the user attribute data, the feedback module determines whether it is required to input feedback information according to the identifying information and turning on the recommendation module when it isn'"'"'t required, and the recommendation module determines that at least one of the samples is an authorized sample according to the identifying information, wherein the recommendation module commands the display device to display an intention questionnaire based on the identifying information, the input device allows the user to input intention information responsive to the intention questionnaire, and then the recommendation module generates a sample recommendation list based on the intention information with the samples and determines at least one of the samples is the authorized sample according to the sample recommendation list, and the controller further for transferring the authorized sample that is determined by the recommendation module from the storage apparatus to the dispenser,

wherein the processor apparatus further comprising;

an identification module for determining whether the identifying information conforms to one of the user identification data of the user database when the identifying information has acquired by the input device and turning on the feedback module when the identifying information conforms to said one of the user identification data, and wherein the recommendation module comprises;

a data-clustering module for grouping the user identification data into a plurality of groups according to a correlation between the user identification data and the user attribute data;

a fuzzy module for calculating a membership degree between the identifying information and the groups by utilizing the fuzzy theory, so as to generate weight values corresponding to the groups respectively;

a data analysis module for grouping each of the groups into a plurality of subgroups according to the intention information, determining that the intention information associated with the identifying information belongs to which one of the subgroups, acquiring one or more of the information of authorized sample corresponding to each of the intention data in said one of the subgroups according to said one of the subgroups and performing statistical analysis accordingly so as to generate a plurality of recommendation values of the samples, wherein the recommendation module generates the sample recommendation list according to the identifying information, the weight values corresponding to each of the groups respectively, and the recommendation values of the samples, determines the authorized sample according to the sample recommendation list, and records the intention data corresponding to the user identification data and the information of authorized sample into the user database and relational database when the controller transfers the authorized sample from the storage apparatus to the dispenser.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the user database is capable of recording the information of authorized sample corresponding to the user identification data and feedback data associated with the information of authorized sample, the feedback module determines that it is required to input the feedback information according to the identifying information when the user database records the information of authorized sample but doesn'"'"'t record the feedback data corresponding to the information of authorized sample, and the feedback module determines that it isn'"'"'t required to input the feedback information according to the identifying information when the user database records the information of authorized sample and the feedback data corresponding to the information of authorized sample.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the feedback module commands the display device to display a feedback questionnaire when determining that it is required to input the feedback information;

the input device allows the user to input feedback data responsive to the feedback questionnaire; and

the feedback module stores the feedback data into the user database after the feedback data are received, and further determine that it isn'"'"'t required to input the feedback information so as to turn on the recommendation module.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user identification data is a face image of the user, and the input device comprises an optical image input unit embedded in the machine main body for capturing the face image as the identifying information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the recommendation module commands the display device to display the sample recommendation list comprising a plurality of options corresponding to the samples respectively, the input device allows the user to select at least one of the options of the sample recommendation list, and the recommendation module determines the authorized sample corresponding to said at least one of the options in the sample recommendation list.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the feedback module commands the display device to display a feedback questionnaire when determining it is required to input the feedback information, the input device allows the user to input feedback data responsive to the feedback questionnaire, and the user database records the feedback data;

and wherein the processor apparatus further comprises;

a data acquisition module for classifying the feedback data and correlating the classified feedback data with the sample attribute data so as to generate key attribute data.

7. A method for dispensing samples, the method comprising:

(a) utilizing an input device of a machine main body for allowing a user to input identifying information, wherein the machine main body includes a storage apparatus for storing the samples, user identification data and intention data associated with the user identification data, user attribute data corresponding to the user identification data, a plurality of sample attribute data, the sample attribute data with the user identification data and the user attribute data;

(b) determining whether it is required to input feedback information according to the identifying information;

(c) commanding a display device of the machine main body to display an intention questionnaire based on the identifying information when it isn'"'"'t required to input the feedback information, wherein the input device allows the user to input intention information responsive to the intention questionnaire;

generating a sample recommendation list based on the intention information and the samples; and

then determining that at least one of the samples is the authorized sample according to the sample recommendation list; and

(d) transferring the authorized sample from the storage apparatus to a dispenser of the machine main body;

determining whether the identifying information conforms to one of the user identification data when the identifying information is acquired by the input device and performing the step (b) when the identifying information conforms to said one of the user identification data, and wherein the step (c) comprises;

grouping the user identification data into a plurality of groups according to a correlation between the user identification data and the user attribute data;

calculating a membership degree between the identifying information and the groups by utilizing the fuzzy theory, so as to generate weight values corresponding to the groups respectively;

grouping each of the groups into a plurality of subgroups according to the intention information, determining that the intention information associated with the identifying information belongs to which one of the subgroups, acquiring one or more of the information of authorized sample corresponding to each of the intention data in said one of the subgroups according to said one of the subgroups and performing statistical analysis accordingly so as to generate a plurality of recommendation values of the samples;

generating the sample recommendation list according to the identifying information, the weight values corresponding to each of the groups respectively, and the recommendation values of the samples;

determining the authorized sample according to the sample recommendation list; and

recording the intention data corresponding to the user identification data and the information of authorized sample when the step (d) is performed.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

(e) recording the information of authorized sample corresponding to the user identification data and feedback data associated with the information of authorized sample, wherein step (b) comprises;

determining that it is required to input the feedback information according to the identifying information when the information of authorized sample are recorded but the feedback data aren'"'"'t recorded; and

determining that it isn'"'"'t required to input the feedback information according to the identifying information when the information of authorized sample and the feedback data corresponding to the information of authorized sample are recorded.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein step (b) further comprises:

commanding a display device of the machine main body to display a feedback questionnaire when it is required to input the feedback information, wherein the input device allows the user to input feedback data responsive to the feedback questionnaire; and

storing the feedback data after the feedback data are received, and determining that it isn'"'"'t required to input the feedback information so as to perform the step (c).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user identification data is a face image of the user, and the step (a) comprises:

capturing the face image as the identifying information through an optical image input unit of the input device.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein step (c) further comprises:

commanding the display device to display the sample recommendation list comprising a plurality of options corresponding to the samples respectively, wherein the input device allows the user to select at least one of the options of the sample recommendation list;

determining the authorized sample corresponding to said at least one of the options in the sample recommendation list.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (b) further comprises:

commanding the display device to display a feedback questionnaire when determining it is required to input the feedback information, wherein the input device allows the user to input feedback data responsive to the feedback questionnaire, the method further comprising;

recording the feedback data; and

classifying the feedback data and correlating the classified feedback data with the sample attribute data so as to generate key attribute data.

13. A storage medium to store a plurality of instructions for commanding a machine main body to execute a method for dispensing samples, an input device of the machine main body for allowing a user to input identifying information, the machine main body including a storage apparatus for storing the samples, the method comprising:

(a) recording user identification data, intention data associated with the user identification data and user attribute data corresponding to the user identification data;

recording a plurality of sample attribute data; and

correlating the sample attribute data with the user identification data and the user attribute data; and

determining whether it is required to input feedback information according to the identifying information;

(b) commanding a display device of the machine main body to display an intention questionnaire based on the identifying information when it isn'"'"'t required to input the feedback information, wherein the input device allows the user to input intention information responsive to the intention questionnaire;

generating a sample recommendation list based on the intention information and the samples; and

then determining that at least one of the samples is the authorized sample according to the sample recommendation list; and

(c) transferring the authorized sample from the storage apparatus to a dispenser of the machine main body;

determining whether the identifying information conforms to one of the user identification data when the input device has acquired the identifying information and performing the step (a) when the identifying information conforms to said one of the user identification data, and wherein the step (b) comprises;

commanding the display device to display the sample recommendation list comprising a plurality of options corresponding to the samples respectively, wherein the input device allows the user to select at least one of the options of the sample recommendation list;

determining the authorized sample corresponding to said at least one of the options in the sample recommendation list;

grouping the user identification data into a plurality of groups according to a correlation between the user identification data and the user attribute data;

calculating a membership degree between the identifying information and the groups by utilizing the fuzzy theory, so as to generate weight values corresponding to the groups respectively;

grouping each of the groups into a plurality of subgroups according to the intention information, determining that the intention information associated with the identifying information belongs to which one of the subgroups, acquiring one or more of the information of authorized sample corresponding to each of the intention data in said one of the subgroups according to said one of the subgroups and performing statistical analysis accordingly so as to generate a plurality of recommendation values of the samples;

generating the sample recommendation list according to the identifying information, the weight values corresponding to each of the groups respectively, and the recommendation values of the samples;

determining the authorized sample according to the sample recommendation list; and

recording the intention data corresponding to the user identification data and the information of authorized sample when the step (c) is performed.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

(d) recording information of authorized sample corresponding to the user identification data and feedback data associated with the information of authorized sample, wherein step (a) comprises;

determining that it is required to input the feedback information according to the identifying information when the information of authorized sample are recorded but the feedback data aren'"'"'t record; and

determining that it isn'"'"'t required to input the feedback information according to the identifying information when the information of authorized sample and the feedback data corresponding to the information of authorized sample are recorded;

commanding a display device of the machine main body to display a feedback questionnaire when determining that it is required to input the feedback information, wherein the input device allows the user to input feedback data responsive to the feedback questionnaire; and

storing the feedback data after the feedback data are received, and determining that it isn'"'"'t required to input the feedback information so as to perform the step (c).