Patent ID: 7216089

Claim:
A method for promoting the sale of merchandise and services through an automatic vending machine, comprising the sequential steps of: 1) presenting, by a point issuing device in the automatic vending machine, point information determined by the automatic vending machine, the point information related to points issued for promotion of sale merchandise to a user at a time of merchandise sales to the user by the automatic vending machine; 2) transmitting to a center device, by operation by the user of a portable communication device carried by the user, the point information determined and presented by the point issuing device in the point information presenting step, together with identification information for the user; 3) receiving at the center device the point information transmitted from the portable communication device of the user in the point information transmitting step and the identification information for the user; 4) totaling and managing at the center device points corresponding to the point information received in the receiving step for the user; and, offering the merchandise and services to the user through the automatic vending machine by referring to the points totaled and managed in the totaling and managing step and relating the points to the merchandise and services, wherein: the point information includes a module code for identifying the automatic vending machine and a secret code related to the points, and the point information presenting step includes the step of encrypting by the point issuing device at least the secret code among the module code and the secret code before presentation of the point information to the user.