Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for registering a subscription to purchase a plurality of items dispensed by a vending machine. According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method and apparatus are disclosed for dispensing an item by a vending machine in response to a request to redeem at least a portion of a registered subscription. According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method and apparatus are disclosed for dispensing an item by a vending machine based on an estimated availability determined through an analysis of stored subscription data.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/353,269 filed Jul. 14, 1999 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/966,608 filed Nov. 10, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,346. The entire content of these applications are incorporated by reference herein 
     The present invention is related to the following United States Patent Application: “Method and Apparatus for Dynamically Managing Vending Machine Prices,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/947,798 filed Oct. 9, 1997, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to vending machines. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for establishing and managing subscriptions to purchase items from a vending machine. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Vending machines are well known and have existed since the late 1880s. Some of the first vending machines were rudimentary devices primarily designed to dispense cigarettes and postcards. Modern vending machines are employed to store and dispense a vast array of merchandise in response to a customer request and appropriate payment. Such merchandise includes drinks, candy, frozen deserts, snacks, video tapes and children&#39;s toys. 
     Many vending machines are located in factories, office buildings, bowling alleys and other locations that repeat customers regularly frequent. Vending machine operators have found that by locating a vending machine in a high traffic area that is regularly frequented by the same customers, they can not only take advantage of habitual sales, but also take advantage of brand loyalty. 
     Although machine location, machine loyalty and brand loyalty influence the amount of revenue generated by a vending machine, vending machine operators are confronted with a number of problems which are not adequately addressed by the prior art. One such problem is predicting sales and determining how to stock a particular machine. Although habitual sales and brand loyalty help keep vending machine sales constant, there is no assurance that the regular customers won&#39;t purchase their favorite brand from another source. Another problem with prior art vending machines is the inability to complete a sale with a customer who has little or no cash. Yet another problem with the prior art is the inability to reward a customer for regularly frequenting the machine or for purchasing products in bulk over a predetermined time period. 
     The prior art has attempted to address the problem of predicting sales and determining stock quantities by providing vending machine management software. One such software product is “Windows for Vending PRO with Inventory” produced by VendMaster. This product enables a vending machine operator to report and analyze various historical sales data. VendMaster&#39;s product is intended to enhance a vending machine operator&#39;s ability to identify high-demand inventory, determine preferable times to stock the machine, and calculate suggested prices. 
     The VendMaster software, like other attempts to solve the problems of predicting sales and selecting products, utilizes historical sales data to estimate future sales. Using the VendMaster software, a vending machine operator has no assurance that historical trends will continue. A need, therefore, exists for a method or apparatus for more reliably determining future stocking requirements for a vending machine. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,792 of Levasseur et al. and 4,498,570 of King et al. attempt to solve the problem of providing bulk discounts to vending machine customers. Levasseur et al. discloses a control circuit for a vending machine that enables the vending machine to vend different items costing different amounts and in different quantities at a quantity discount. King et al. discloses a switching device for establishing a first price for a first item sold during a sales transaction and for establishing at least a second price for additional items sold in the same transaction. While these patents generally disclose enabling quantity discounts at a vending machine, they fail to solve the previously described problems facing vending machine operators. A significant shortcoming of these patents is that they both require a customer to take delivery of the bulk purchase at the time of the sale. 
     The prior art vending machines have attempted to address the problem of a user&#39;s shortage of change by providing local change machines, stored value card dispensers and magnetic stripe readers. These attempted solutions enable a vending machine to accept alternative modes of payment for products purchased from a vending machine. Change machines generally allow customers with paper currency to convert their small denomination bills into coinage. Stored value card dispensers and magnetic stripe readers allow users to use stored value cards and conventional credit cards to purchase products from a vending machine. 
     These approaches fail to completely abate the loss of potential customers. Specifically, prior art solutions have not addressed the loss of a sale to a regular customer who would make a purchase but for an immediate shortage of cash. Solutions employing stored value card dispensers and readers not only require a customer to carry a physical object in order to complete a purchase, but also present significant counterfeit and fraud issues. Magnetic stripe readers configured to accept conventional credit cards have the same problem, but are further limited by the sophisticated equipment and network connections that are required for proper validation. In addition, cards may be easily lost or stolen. 
     A need therefore exists for a method and apparatus that provides consumers additional payment options for vending machine purchases. A need further exists for a method and apparatus that allows consumers who make frequent purchases at a vending machine to receive items without depositing currency or presenting a physical form of payment every time a customer requests a purchased item. A need also exists for a method and apparatus for more accurately and efficiently managing and predicting inventory of a vending machine. 
     Accordingly, the shortcomings associated with the related art have heretofore not been adequately addressed. The present invention addresses such problems by providing an apparatus and processing approach that have not previously been proposed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a method and apparatus for registering a subscription to purchase a plurality of items dispensed by a vending machine. According to the method of the present invention, the apparatus receives an indication of payment for the subscription and a request to register the subscription. During the registration process, the apparatus determines a redemption code that may be used to redeem items associated with the subscription. The apparatus then stores subscription registration data including the determined redemption code. 
     According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a method and apparatus for dispensing an item by a vending machine. The method includes the steps of receiving, by the apparatus, a request to redeem an item that is associated with a subscription and a redemption code corresponding to the item. The method also includes the step of updating subscription registration data associated with the redemption code to reflect the request to redeem the item. The method concludes with the step of dispensing the requested item. 
     According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method for processing non-subscription transactions is disclosed. An apparatus for implementing the above described method is also disclosed. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for establishing and managing subscriptions for purchasing products from a vending machine. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for processing single item sales to customers based on inventory forecasts which compensate for registered subscriptions. The above object and other objects features and advantages are readily apparent from the detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof may be readily obtained by reference to the following detailed description when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a vending machine according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1B is a schematic block diagram illustrating the components of the vending machine of FIG. 1A according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the components in connection with the processing module of the vending machine of FIG. 1A; 
     FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate exemplary output displayed on an output device of the vending machine of FIG. 1A; 
     FIG. 4 is a table illustrating the structure of a subscription option table stored in the memory of the vending machine of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a table illustrating the structure of a subscription registration table stored in the memory of the vending machine of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 6 is a table illustrating the structure of an inventory table stored in the memory of the vending machine of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to register a subscription to purchase items from the vending machine of FIG. 1; 
     FIGS. 8A and 8B contain a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to validate a subscription registration request; 
     FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to process the redemption of an item, pursuant to an outstanding subscription, from the vending machine of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to verify a subscription redemption. 
     FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to process a purchase of a single item from the vending machine of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to evaluate the inventory of a product in the vending machine of FIG. 1; and 
     FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to maintain the subscription table of FIG.  5 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Apparatus Architecture 
     An embodiment of the method and apparatus of the present invention will now be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-10. FIGS. 1A-3B illustrate the components of one exemplary vending machine  100  including the features of the present invention. Although specific exemplary vending machine  100  is referred to throughout the detailed description, the present invention is directed to any automatic sales machine that allows payment to be exchanged for goods. Payment can be presented through a variety of media including, but not limited to, coins, bills and other currencies, magnetic stripe cards, smart cards (whether pre-paid or linked to an account) and identification codes. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of vending machine  100 ; FIG. B is a schematic block diagram of vending machine  100 ; and FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the processing module of vending machine  100 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, vending machine  100  is a “bubble front” vending machine similar to Vendo model 392140004. Vending machine  100  includes an input device  110  for receiving input from a customer including a product selection, a subscription selection, a redemption code and credit information. Input device  110  may also be used for receiving input from an operator during stocking or maintenance of vending machine  100 . Although input device  110 , as illustrated, includes a set of alpha-numeric keys for providing input to vending machine  100 , input device  110  could include a selector dial, a set of buttons associated with a respective set of item dispensers, or any other conventional input device commonly employed by a vending machine designer. Further, vending machine  100  may include more than one input device  110 . For example, vending machine  100  may include an exterior input device  110  for receiving customer input and an interior input device (not shown) for receiving operator input. In the illustrated embodiment, input device  110  receives input data from both operators and customers. 
     Vending machine  100  also includes several mechanisms for receiving payment and dispensing change, including coin acceptor  112 , bill validator  114 , magnetic stripe reader  116  and change dispenser  118 . Magnetic stripe reader  116  is a conventional reader for reading data on the magnetic stripe of a credit or debit card, and it may cooperate with conventional remote point-of-sale credit card processing equipment (not shown) to validate credit based purchases through a conventional credit authorization network. Coin acceptor  112 , bill validator  114  and change dispenser  118  communicate with currency storage apparatus  120  and may be conventional devices such as Mars models AE-2400, MC5000, TRC200 or CoinCo model 9300-L. Coin acceptor  112  and bill validator  114  receive and validate currency that is stored by currency storage apparatus  120 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1B and 2, coin acceptor  112 , bill validator  114 , magnetic stripe reader  116  and change dispenser  118  communicate with, and are controlled by, processing module  144 . Processing module  144  includes communication port  142  for communicating with a central controller via a network (not shown). 
     In addition to the elements previously mentioned, processing module  144  includes a central processing unit  126  (“CPU”) connected to communication port  142 . CPU  126  communicates with random access memory (RAM)  128 , read only memory (ROM)  130 , clock  132  and storage device  134 . CPU  126  also communicates with at least one item dispenser  122  and at least one display  124 . Display  124  is preferably a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) or a light emitting diode (“LED”) display such as the display employed by vending machine model #631 manufactured by FastCorp. Display  124  may provide a static message or a scrolling message so as to provide extensive information using a relatively small display area. 
     As shown, vending machine  100  includes a single item dispenser  122  and display  124 . Other vending machines, having multiple item dispensers and multiple displays may be employed to practice the present invention with minor design modifications. As in many conventional vending machines, item dispenser  122  may be activated by CPU  126  after a customer has purchased an item, causing the item to be transferred to receptacle  140 , as illustrated in FIG. 1A. A customer has access to a purchased item in receptacle  140  via door  138 . Purchased item can then be removed by a customer from receptacle  140  through door  138 . 
     As shown in FIG. 2, storage device  134  stores a database of inventory and subscription management data, including a subscription option table  400 , a subscription registration table  500  and an inventory table  600 . Tables  400 ,  500  and  600  comprise at least a portion of the data stored by storage device  134  and are described more fully with reference to FIGS. 4,  5  and  6 , respectively. Storage device  134  further includes instructions for implementing the process steps of the present invention. Specifically, storage device  134  includes subscription registration process instructions  700 , subscription redemption process instructions  900 , non-subscription purchase process instructions  1100  and periodic maintenance process instructions  1300 . Storage device  134  is preferably a magnetic disk drive, but could be a CD-ROM drive, optical disk drive, RAM drive or any other conventional storage device as would be deemed appropriate by one of ordinary skill in the art. 
     FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary output of display  124 . As shown, the illustrated output sets forth the terms of the various subscriptions available using vending machine  100 . FIG. 3B illustrates the output of display  124  after registering a subscription. These and other output messages are described more fully with reference to the process steps described below. 
     Data Tables 
     FIG. 4 illustrates the contents of an exemplary subscription option table  400  in tabular format. Each record of subscription option table  400  defines the terms of a valid subscription to purchase merchandise from vending machine  100 . Subscription option table  400  includes subscription identifier field  410  containing data that uniquely identifies a subscription record. Subscription option table  400  further includes a subscription price field  414  for storing the price of the subscription, a subscription duration field  416  for storing the amount of time for which the subscription is valid, and a subscription quantity field  418  for storing the number of items that can be purchased with the subscription. 
     Although the preferred fields of subscription option table  400  are illustrated in FIG. 4, other alternatives are possible. For example, according to one variation, the data stored in subscription price field could represent a unit price instead of the total price of the subscription. This would emphasize the per unit discount for purchasing in bulk. According to another variation, subscription option table  400  may include a product identifier field in order to customize subscription prices according to specific products. 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the contents of an exemplary subscription registration table  500 . Each record of subscription registration table  500  represents a registered subscription purchased by a customer of vending machine  100 . Subscription registration table  500  is indexed by the contents of redemption code field  5   10  that uniquely identifies a registered subscription. Subscription registration table  500  includes product identifier field  512  for storing a product identifier associated with the registered subscription. Subscription start date field  514  and subscription expiration date field  516  store data defining the term of the subscription. Of course, multiple expiration dates could be stored to encourage a more predictable redemption schedule resulting in better inventory management. Quantity remaining field  518  stores the number of items available under the registered subscription, and subscription status field  520  stores data that defines whether the subscription is still valid. Although the preferred embodiment associates a specific product with a registered subscription via product identifier field  512 , the present invention may be used to provide subscriptions that are not linked to a specific product. Of course, such an embodiment would not require field  512 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated an exemplary inventory table  600 . Each record of inventory table  600  represents inventory data associated with an item dispenser  122  of vending machine  100 . The contents of dispenser identifier field  610  uniquely identify an item dispenser  122  associated with a record of table  600 . Product identifier field  612  stores a product identifier defining the product dispensed by the item dispenser  122  identified by the contents of field  610 . Field  614  stores data defining the number of items available for sale from the dispenser. Field  616  defines the non-subscription price of each item associated with the dispenser. Demand rate field  618  stores the rate of demand for items associated with the dispenser, and re-stock date field  620  defines the date on which the dispenser is scheduled to be re-stocked. Alternatively, the re-stock date field  620  could be replaced or supplemented with a field used to define an expiration date for a product. 
     Process Steps 
     Having thus described the system architecture and components of the present embodiment, the operation of the system will now be described in greater detail with reference to FIGS. 7-13 and continuing reference to FIGS. 1-6. It is to be understood that the software instructions necessary to provide the functionality described herein are preferably stored in storage device  134  of vending machine  100 , but may be stored in ROM  130 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 7, a flowchart is depicted illustrating the steps of subscription registration process instructions  700 . The exemplary subscription registration process includes the step of displaying subscription options available for purchase. The step of displaying, identified by reference numeral  710 , may be accomplished using a flyer, a pre-printed sign or other collateral material associated with vending machine  100  or it may be accomplished electronically via display  124 . 
     At step  712 , vending machine  100  receives payment via coin acceptor  112 , bill validator  114  or magnetic stripe reader  116 . Alternatively, payment could be accomplished via input device  110  by receiving user input of a predefined debit or credit account number. Regardless of the form of payment, an indication of payment receipt is transmitted to CPU  126 . 
     The subscription registration process further includes the step of receiving a request to purchase a subscription, as indicated by step  714 . The request to purchase the subscription includes an identification of the subscription option to be purchased. In the present embodiment, identification of the subscription is accomplished simply by receiving a subscription identifier, such as “*2,” that identifies the terms of the subscription via input device  110 . The user then presses a button identifying the product to be associated with the subscription. In alternate embodiments, the user may be required to input the specific terms of the desired subscription, including a product identifier, a payment amount, and a quantity. 
     At step  716 , CPU  126  verifies the request to purchase the subscription. The step of verifying the request to purchase the subscription may include a number of sub-steps, including validating that the received subscription identifier matches a subscription identifier stored in field  410  of subscription option table  400 , that the received payment is sufficient to purchase the identified subscription, and that vending machine  100  can support the identified subscription based on present demand for the subscribed product. These sub-steps are described more fully with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. 
     After verifying the validity of the subscription request, CPU  126  generates a redemption code associated with the subscription, as shown by step  718 . The generated redemption code could be a personal identification number (“PIN”) received from the customer, a number determined by CPU  126  according to registration process instructions, the customer&#39;s credit card number, or any other unique identification code. 
     At step  719 , CPU  126  calculates the subscription expiration date using the current system date/time and the subscription duration stored in field  416  of the subscription option table record associated with the selected subscription. It should be understood that although a single expiration date is illustrated, a subscription may have multiple expiration dates, such as an expiration date for each item to be redeemed. 
     At step  720 , the subscription status field  520  is populated to indicate a status of “active.” At step  721 , subscription registration data, preferably including the generated redemption code, a product identifier, a quantity remaining, a subscription start date and a subscription expiration date, is stored in storage device  134 . Finally, the subscription registration process concludes with step  722  in which the generated redemption code is output to the subscriber via display  124 . Alternatively, the redemption code could be printed on a paper receipt or provided in audio form. 
     FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate the sub-steps of the subscription request validation process represented by reference numeral  716 . This process is performed to ensure the validity of the subscription to be registered. At sub-step  810 , CPU  126  compares the received subscription identifier to the subscription identifiers stored in subscription option table  400 . As indicated by decision block  812 , if there is no match CPU  126  causes display  124  to display a message indicating that the entered subscription identifier is invalid step  814 . If the received subscription identifier is valid, the data in the associated subscription option record is retrieved step  816 . 
     At block  818 , the payment received is compared to the value stored in subscription price field  414  of the retrieved record. If the received payment is insufficient to pay for the identified subscription, decision block  820  directs CPU  126  to execute step  822  and display a message indicating the insufficiency of payment to the buyer via display  124 . If the received payment is sufficient, CPU  126  executes step  824  and retrieves the data in the associated inventory record from table  600 . 
     At step  826 , CPU  126  determines the number of days until the next restocking. At step  828 , CPU  126  determines the number of items likely to be redeemed until the restocking based on the demand rate stored in field  618  of inventory table  600 . These sub-steps are performed to ensure that sufficient inventory is available to support the requested subscription in view of all of the outstanding subscriptions as well as the likely non-subscription sales. If the number of items likely to be redeemed is greater than the available inventory, determined at step  830  CPU  126  executes step  832  and directs display  124  to display a message indicating that the subscription is not available. Customers are thus spared the inconvenience of using the vending machine for a subscription redemption only to find that the machine is out of inventory. 
     The subscription request evaluation process described by FIGS. 8A and 8B is only one exemplary embodiment of such a process. The illustrated process is designed to provide a subscription only if the present inventory is likely to support the registered subscriptions and the forecasted non-subscription sales. This process values forecasted non-subscription sales, which typically have a higher profit margin, over subscription sales. Of course, if a vending machine operator valued subscriptions sales, which are pre-paid and enable more predictable inventory management, over non-subscription sales, the process could be easily modified so as to only consider registered subscriptions in forecasting available inventory. 
     Referring now to FIG. 9, a flowchart is depicted illustrating the steps of subscription item redemption process instructions  900 . The exemplary subscription redemption process includes the step of receiving a request to redeem a subscribed product as indicated by reference numeral  910 , for example by a customer entering “22516” into input device  110 . In the present embodiment, the request to redeem the subscribed product includes a previously registered redemption code. At step  912 , the step of verifying the validity of the received redemption code is illustrated. Step  912  may include a variety of sub-steps including: verifying that the received redemption code matches a previously registered redemption code stored in field  510  of subscription registration table  500 , ensuring that the subscription identified by the received redemption code has not expired, and verifying that vending machine  100  has not sold out of the product associated with the received redemption code. These sub-steps are described more fully with reference to FIG.  10 . 
     At steps  914  and  916 , respectively, CPU  126  updates the subscription registration data and the inventory data associated with the redemption. When the subscription registration data is updated to reflect the redemption, CPU  126  decrements the value stored in quantity remaining field  518 . If the value of quantity remaining field  518  is zero, or if field  516  stores a subscription expiration date that is chronologically prior to the system date/time, CPU  126  updates subscription status field  520  to reflect the expiration of the subscription registration. Preferably, if the subscription registration expires, CPU  126  causes display  124  to provide a message to the subscriber indicating the expiration of the subscription. At the conclusion of the redemption process, CPU  126  updates available inventory field  614  of inventory table  600 , and at step  918 , CPU  126  activates item dispenser  122  to complete the redemption. 
     FIG. 10 illustrates the sub-steps of the subscription item redemption validation process represented by reference numeral  912 . At sub-step  1010 , CPU  126  compares the received redemption code to the redemption codes stored in field  510  of subscription registration table  500 . As indicated by decision block  1012 , if there is no match CPU  126  executes step  1014  and causes display  124  to display a message indicating that the input redemption code is invalid. The user may then be prompted to re-enter the code. If the received redemption code is valid, the data in the associated subscription registration record is retrieved as shown at block  1016 . 
     At step  1018 , CPU  126  determines whether the identified subscription registration has expired. This is accomplished by accessing the system date/time and comparing it to the date/time stored in field  516  of subscription table  500  for the associated subscription registration record. If the system date/time is later than the stored expiration date/time, the subscription has expired, and decision block  1020  directs CPU  126  to execute step  1022  and display a message indicating the expiration of the subscription registration to the customer via display  124 . 
     FIG. 11 illustrates the steps of exemplary non-subscription purchase process instructions  1100 . At step  1110 , the non-subscription purchase process begins when CPU  126  receives an indication of payment from coin acceptor  112 , bill validator  114  or magnetic stripe reader  116 . At step  1112 , CPU  126  receives a request to purchase a product. The request to purchase the product includes an identification of the product. In the present embodiment, the purchaser is required to input a product identifier via input device  110 . Of course, the requested product could be identified in other ways such as by requiring the purchaser to press a particular button associated with one of many product dispensers. 
     At step  1114 , CPU  126  uses the received product identifier to retrieve inventory data associated with the identified product. At step  1116 , CPU  126  employs inventory management techniques to evaluate the inventory data associated with the identified product. Specifically, CPU  126  executes the sub-steps described more fully with reference to FIG. 12 to analyze forecasted demand for an item to ensure that the current inventory of the identified product meets the demand of the registered subscriptions. At decision block  1118 , if vending machine  100  holds sufficient inventory to complete the requested non-subscription purchase, CPU  126  processes steps  1122  and  1124 . If vending machine  100  does not hold sufficient inventory to complete the requested non-subscription purchase, CPU  126  causes display  126  to output a message indicating “insufficient inventory.” Step  1120  in the preferred embodiment, the customer would then be prompted for an alternate product selection. 
     At step  1122 , CPU  126  updates the inventory data associated with the requested product in field  614  of inventory table  600  to reflect the purchase and stores the updated data in storage device  134 . At step  1124 , the product is dispensed via dispenser  122 , and the process is terminated. 
     FIG. 12 illustrates the sub-steps of the inventory management evaluation process represented by reference numeral  1116 . At sub-step  1210 , CPU  126  determines the total number of subscription items likely to be redeemed prior to the restocking date based on the demand rate stored in inventory table  600 . As shown by step  1212 , CPU  126  then determines an adjusted inventory value representing the remaining inventory if the non-subscription purchase should be completed. The adjusted inventory is calculated by subtracting the requested quantity of the item from the value stored in available inventory field  614 . At step  1214 , CPU  126  compares the adjusted inventory to the total number of subscription items likely to be redeemed. This comparison determines whether the non-subscription purchase should be completed in view of the inventory items reserved for subscription customers. 
     Referring now to FIG. 13, there is illustrated the steps of exemplary periodic subscription maintenance process  1300 . At step  1310 , CPU  126  retrieves the current date and time from clock  132 . At steps  1312  and  1314 , CPU retrieves a record from subscription registration table  500  and compares the contents of subscription expiration date field  516  to the current date retrieved at step  1310 . At decision block  1316 , if subscription expiration date field  516  contains a date earlier than the current date, CPU  126  updates subscription status field  520  to indicate that the subscription associated with the record has expired step ( 1318 ). The subscription registration record is then archived in storage device  134  for later auditing. 
     While the best mode for carrying out the invention has been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which the invention relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention. These alternative embodiments are within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention embodies the scope of the claims appended hereto.