Patent ID: 6845907

Claim:
Apparatus comprising: a self-service merchandise dispensing machine selectively operative to dispense merchandise; a user interface associated with the dispensing machine, wherein the interface includes an article reading device, wherein the article reading device is operative to read a machine readable article associated with a user and including a stored value memory, wherein the machine readable article corresponds to a source of monetary value, and wherein the interface includes at least one input device operative to receive at least one input from a user; a cash value dispensing mechanism associated with the dispensing machine; a controller operatively connected to the dispensing machine, the user interface and the cash value dispensing mechanism; wherein the controller is operative to cause a merchandise dispense from the merchandise dispensing machine having an associated charge and to cause a cash value dispense of an amount from the cash value dispensing mechanism, responsive to at least one input to the at least one input device, wherein the article reading device is operative responsive to the cash value dispense to include data representative of the amount in the stored value memory, and wherein the controller is operative responsive to reading the machine readable article with the article reading device to cause generation of a charge record, wherein the charge record includes data representative of the source of monetary value, the charge, and the amount.