Patent ID: 8433440

Claim:
An apparatus to control a vending machine, said apparatus comprising: a playback device; a display device coupled to said playback device; and an interface between said playback device and said vending machine, wherein said playback device is a device that can play back digital encoded video assets, and is operated by a graphical user interface that supports at least a level of user interactivity and navigation features to navigate within menus, select a specific chapter/movie scene and play back a video clip, wherein said graphical user interface of said playback device provides user interactivity and navigation features to select items in said vending machine, wherein said interface provides a protocol between said playback device and said vending machine, said protocol comprises a vending command set to control said vending machine from said playback device over said interface, said playback device to use said vending command set to control said vending machine, and wherein said vending command set comprises a vending command for said vending machine to dispense an item selected in said graphical user interface.