Patent ID: 7912580
Filing Date: 2011-03-22
Classification: G06Q,G07F

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a vending machine, comprising: receiving, at the vending machine, an indication of a product selected by a customer; selecting, based on the product selected by the customer, a plurality of questions, wherein the plurality of questions are at least one of: outputting, in response to the receiving of the indication of the selected product, the plurality of questions to the customer; receiving, at the vending machine and from the customer, an indication of an answer to each of the plurality of questions; scoring, by the vending machine, the customer's answers, thereby determining a score for the customer; determining, by the vending machine and based on the customer's score, which of a plurality of pre-determined levels of access the customer has achieved, wherein each of the plurality of pre-determined levels of access defines a different subset of products that may be purchased from the vending machine; and selling to the customer, via the vending machine and in the case that the product selected by the customer is a member of the subset of products that corresponds to the specific pre-determined level of access achieved by the customer, a unit of the product.