Systems and methods for providing network access

• US 9,911,267 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charge Fusion Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Signorelli, Paul D., Lee, Sih Y., Breitenbach, Paul T., Tedesco, Daniel E., Alderucci, Dean P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/365,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20120136479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 700237
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• 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 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

Some embodiments are associated with receiving, by a vending machine, a request from a customer to initiate a communication session, establishing a first communication link between the vending machine and a device associated with the customer, and establishing a second communication link between the vending machine and a remote network device, such that a communication session is established between the device associated with the customer and the remote network device. Some embodiments are associated with receiving, by a vending machine, an indication of a selection of a product sold by the vending machine, receiving, from a customer, payment for the selected product, dispensing the product to the customer, the product comprising an indication of a communication session activation code, receiving, by the vending machine, an indication of the communication session activation code, and establishing a communication session between a device associated with the customer and a remote network device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a vending machine and from a customer, an indication of a product for which a unit is desired to be purchased by the customer from the vending machine;

receiving, by a receiver device of the vending machine and from a portable electronic device of the customer, a wireless signal indicative of an account identifier of the customer;

transmitting, by the vending machine and in response to the receiving of the wireless signal, an indication of the account identifier of the customer to a remote network device;

receiving, by the vending machine in response to the transmitting and from the remote network device, an indication that a payment, by the customer and for the desired unit of the product, is validated; and

providing, by the vending machine and in response to the indication of the payment validation, the unit of the product to the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by the vending machine, an electronic signal that causes the wireless signal of the portable electronic device to be output by the portable electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication of the product for which the unit is desired to be purchased by the customer from the vending machine is conducted by:

receiving, by the receiver device of the vending machine and from the portable electronic device of the customer, a wireless indication of the desired unit of the product.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the indication of the product for which the unit is desired to be purchased by the customer from the vending machine is conducted via a customer interaction with an input device physically coupled to the vending machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a cellular telephone device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal indicative of the account identifier of the customer comprises an indication of a credit card account number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal indicative of the account identifier of the customer comprises an indication of an identifier of the portable electronic device of the customer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote network device comprises a credit card processing server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing of the unit of the product to the customer comprises:

dispensing, by a dispensing device of the vending machine, the unit of the product to the customer.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a receiver device of a vending machine and from a portable electronic device of a customer, a wireless signal indicative of a account identifier of the customer;

establishing, by the vending machine and in response to the receiving of the wireless signal, a communication session with a remote network device;

receiving, by the vending machine and from the remote network device, an indication that the account identifier of the customer is validated;

receiving, by the vending machine and from the customer, an indication of a product for which a unit is desired to be purchased by the customer from the vending machine; and

providing, by the vending machine and in response to the indication of the account identifier validation and the indication of the desired product, the unit of the product to the customer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

outputting, by the vending machine, an electronic signal that causes the wireless signal of the portable electronic device to be output by the portable electronic device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving of the indication of the product for which the unit is desired to be purchased by the customer from the vending machine is conducted by:

receiving, by the receiver device of the vending machine and from the portable electronic device of the customer, a wireless indication of the desired unit of the product.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving of the indication of the product for which the unit is desired to be purchased by the customer from the vending machine is conducted via a customer interaction with an input device physically coupled to the vending machine.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a cellular telephone device.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless signal indicative of the account identifier comprises an indication of a credit card account number.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the wireless signal indicative of the account identifier comprises an indication of an identifier of the portable electronic device of the customer.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the remote network device comprises a credit card processing server.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the providing of the unit of the product to the customer comprises:

dispensing, by a dispensing device of the vending machine, the unit of the product to the customer.