Patent ID: 7937290

Claim:
A method for selling medical items comprising: (a) providing at least one vending machine; (b) providing a service center having at least one communication device; (c) providing a communications network configured to allow communication between a communication device located at a vending machine and a communication device located at the service center; and (d) at a processor accessible over the communications network: (i) for a specified vending machine from among the at least one vending machine, receiving as an input at least one search criteria relating to items offered for sale at the specified vending machine; and (ii) searching a searchable database related to medical items offered for sale at the at least one vending machine, for at least one item offered for sale at the specified vending machine satisfying the input search criteria; and (iii) communicating identification of the at least one item which satisfied the input search criteria to a user at the specified vending machine; and (d) wherein one or more of the search criteria are selected from any one or more of the following: (i) a medical item having an input active ingredient; (ii) a medical item for use in one or more input medical indications; (iii) a medical item having an active ingredient found in an input medical item having an input brand name; (iv) a medical item for use treatment of one or more medical indications treatable by a medical item having a predetermined brand name; (v) a medical item having a composition found in a medical item having an input brand name; and (vi) a medical item having a composition found in an input medical item having the input brand name.