Patent ID: 11941955
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Field: Control (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 19:
20. A method for a vending machine management system that manages stock information for a vending machine, the method comprising:
acquiring, from a communication terminal via a network, i) a user ID for identifying a user of the communication terminal, ii) identification information for identifying the vending machine, iii) type information indicating product names of a plurality of drinks stored in the vending machine, and iv) the stock information indicating quantities of stock of the plurality of drinks stored in the vending machine, the identification information, the type information, and the stock information being acquired at the communication terminal from the vending machine by using short-range wireless communication in response to receipt of a beacon signal from the vending machine;
transmitting the user ID to a first server that securely manages personal information, the personal information including preference information on drinks of the user of the communication terminal, the preference information on drinks of the user including information on goods purchased by the user at a sales site managed by a business operator affiliated with a management operator of the first server, the preference information being stored by the first server in time series in association with the user ID in advance of the transmitting of the user ID;
acquiring from the first server, the preference information on drinks of the user corresponding to the user ID, when the first server confirms that acquisition of the preference information on drinks of the user is permitted by the user;
acquiring biological information of the user via a network, the biological information being stored in time series in advance of the transmitting of the user ID;
generating information of a push notification screen, based on the identification information, the type information, the stock information, the preference information, and the biological information, wherein the push notification screen recommends at least one drink that matches a preference of the user indicated by the preference information in relation to a current physical condition of the user indicated by a most recent record of the biological information, from among the plurality of drinks stored in the vending machine indicated by the identification information; and
outputting the information of the push notification screen to the communication terminal to display the push notification screen on a display of the communication terminal,
wherein the information of the push notification screen, which is output to the communication terminal, is configured to, via at least one operation to the communication terminal via at least the push notification screen displayed on the display, cause at least one of the plurality of drinks stored in the vending machine to be purchased, whereby the vending machine is configured to transport the at least one of the plurality of drinks to a pick-up port for receipt by the user.