Patent ID: 10671986

Abstract:
Systems and method are described herein for self-serve retail locations (e.g., interactive vending machines or kiosks) that are capable of handling the distribution, collection, and diagnosis of mobile devices in an on-demand manner. The self-serve retail locations may operate continuously (e.g., 24 hours a day, seven days a week). The mobile devices that are rentable and/or purchasable from the self-serve retail location may be equipped and/or activated with service plans (e.g., call, messaging, and/or data plans) offered by a local telecommunications service provider. The service plans may be pre-configured or may be customized in real-time by a user. The self-service retail locations may operate without human intervention, and may be deployed with minimal overhead at several destinations with a much smaller footprint than typical retail locations. A user may access the self-serve retail location to rent and/or purchase mobile devices as well as return previously rented and/or purchased mobile devices.