Vending machine system and method for encouraging the purchase of profitable items

• US 7,451,892 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PayPal, Inc. (PayPal Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Bemer, Keith, Walker, Jay S., Tedesco, Daniel E., Van Luchene, Andrew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Waggoner, Timothy R
• Application Number:
  US11/456,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20060241965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 700/237, 700/236
• US Class Current: 221/237
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0237 at kiosk
• 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

This invention relates generally to systems and methods for delivering products-on-demand to individuals and, more particularly, to delivery via vending machines. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the method of the instant invention is initiated when a customer makes an initial product selection. Based the customer'"'"'s product choice, a determination is made as to whether or not that product qualifies for an alternate product offer. If it does not so qualify, the customer'"'"'s original selection will be dispensed and the transaction ends. On the other hand, if the product does so qualify, the customer will be presented with an offer message that suggests that he or she should try an alternative product. Typically, the product that is offered as an alternative will be the one whose sale is most beneficial to the vending machine operator, e.g., the one yielding the greatest profit. If the customer accepts the alternate offer, the alternate product will be dispensed. However, if the customer declines the alternate product offer, the originally requested item will be vended. The particular circumstances under which an alternate product offer is presented to the customer are quantified by representing them as a collection of rules, the evaluation of which depends preferably on previously collected sales data.

Claims

1. A method of dispensing an item from a vending apparatus, comprising the acts of:

delivering a code to a user which will enable the vending apparatus to dispense an item, wherein the code is delivered to the user in the absence of an identification of the item which will be dispensed upon receipt of the code;

receiving the code at a user interface;

determining, on behalf of the user, an item associated with the code, wherein the determining is at least partially in response to receipt of the code at the user interface; and

delivering the item from the vending apparatus, thereby revealing to the user which item from a plurality of items sold via the vending apparatus is associated with the code.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of delivering the code is performed by the vending apparatus.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user interface is located at the vending apparatus.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the act of delivering the code is performed by dispensing a machine-readable coupon.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the machine-readable coupon does not visibly indicate the item that will be dispensed upon receipt of the code.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user interface comprises a reader configured to read the coupon, and wherein the act of receiving the code is performed through use of the coupon reader.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the code is subject to an expiration date.

8. A method of dispensing an item from a vending apparatus, comprising the acts of:

delivering a code from a vending apparatus to a user, the code of a type which may be input to a vending apparatus to cause a dispensing of a mystery product;

receiving input of the code at a vending apparatus, wherein the mystery product to be dispensed in response to the receiving of the code is unknown to the user prior to the receiving of the code at the vending apparatus; and

in response to the receipt of the code and not in response to any product selection by the user, delivering a unit of the mystery product from the vending apparatus.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mystery product to be dispensed in response to the receipt of the code is not disclosed by the code-receiving vending apparatus prior to receipt of the code.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the act of delivering the code to the user is performed by the same vending apparatus which subsequently receives input of the code.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the act of delivering the code is performed by dispensing a coupon to the user by the vending apparatus.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the coupon is a printed coupon.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the coupon comprises a magnetic strip.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the coupon is machine-readable.

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

16. The method of claim 10, wherein a user interface is associated with the vending apparatus receiving the code, and wherein the code is received at the user interface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the user interface is integrated into the vending apparatus receiving the code.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the mystery product to be dispensed in response to the receipt of the code is not disclosed by the coupon or the code-receiving vending apparatus prior to such receipt of the code.

19. The method of claim 8, further comprising the act of determining the mystery product to be delivered in response to receipt of the code by the vending apparatus.

20. A method of dispensing a good from a vending machine having the capability of dispensing a good to a user, comprising the acts of:

delivering a code which may received by the vending machine;

receiving the code at the vending machine;

selecting a good, from a plurality of available goods, to be delivered in response to the code, wherein the good to be delivered in response to the code is not identified by a printed coupon associated with the code or the vending machine prior to receipt of the code by the vending machine; and

in response to the receipt of the code and not in response to any product selection by the user, delivering the selected good from the vending machine.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the good to be dispensed in response to the receipt of the code is unknown to the user prior to receipt of the code.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of delivering the code is performed by the vending machine.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the act of delivering the code is performed at least in part by delivering the printed coupon.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the printed coupon is machine-readable.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the printed coupon comprises a magnetic strip.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the vending machine further comprises a card reader, and wherein the printed coupon is readable by the card reader.

27. A method of dispensing a good from a vending machine having the capability of dispensing a good to a user, comprising the acts of:

delivering a code to a user, which code may redeemed by the vending machine to enable at least in part the dispensing of a good, wherein the code is delivered without identifying to the user the good which will be dispensed;

receiving the code at the vending machine; and

at least partially in response to the receipt of the code but not in response to any selection of a good by the customer, dispensing the good from the vending machine.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the act of delivering the code to the user is performed by the vending machine.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the code may only be redeemed at the vending machine at a future time from when the code is delivered to the user.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the code has an expiration date.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the code expiration date is embedded with the code.

32. A method, comprising:

providing a code to a customer of a vending machine, wherein the code is redeemable for a unit of an undisclosed one of a plurality of products sold via the vending machine;

receiving, by the vending machine and from the customer, an indication of the code;

determining, by the vending machine and based on the code, the one of the plurality of products sold via the vending machine that is associated with the code; and

revealing, to the customer, which of the plurality of products sold via the vending machine is associated with the code.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the revealing, comprises:

dispensing, by the vending machine, a unit of the one of the plurality of products sold via the vending machine that is determined to be associated with the code.