Patent ID: 6604085
Filing Date: 2003-08-05
Classification: G06Q,G07F

Abstract:
A vending control system for use with an interactive network and for permitting a vend of at least one product associated with at least one vending machine having one or more products, comprising:a) a plurality of public access electronic commerce terminals, each of said plurality of terminals i) allowing a user to select said vend of said at least one product from said at least one vending machine and ii) facilitating an incentive-based vend of said at least one product through said vending machine, each said public access electronic commerce terminal including: a controller for controlling vending by said at least one vending machine, equipment control means interconnected with said controller for interfacing said controller to said at least one vending machine, identification means for i) accepting at least one of a plurality of identification inputs from said user and ii) effectuating a selective dynamic identification interchange of said at least one of said plurality of identification inputs from said user, storage means in communication with said controller for storing a plurality of incentive-based advertising referencing terms for an incentive for said user, presentation means in communication with said controller for presenting said user with said incentive-based advertising, comparison means for comparing said user selection to said terms for said incentive, controlling means for controlling a delivery of said incentive to said user in response to said comparison means, first determining means for determining whether a period of non-use of said electronic commerce terminal has occurred, second determining means for determining if said period of non-use exceeds a predetermined time period and generating an output signal, and generating means for generating an error message based on the output signal from said second determining means; b) networking means for interconnecting said plurality of public access electronic commerce terminals over said interactive network; c) third determining means for determining if at least one of a system limit and an authorization limit of said user is at least one of reached and exceeded; d) reauthorizing means for reauthorizing said user based on an output of said third determining means; and e) reprocessing means for reprocessing said vend based on said reauthorization.