System for vending physical and information items
View Patent ↗A vending machine handles a purchase transaction by receiving a payment, receiving a product selection from the customer, and dispensing the product indicated by the product selection. As part of the same transaction, the vending machine offers an information item such as an audio recording or a video recording. The vending machine also receives from the customer a destination address, which may be an e-mail address. The vending machine or a system of which it is part transmits the information item to the received destination address.
1. A method, comprising:
offering a plurality of physical products for sale via a vending machine;
maintaining an inventory of a plurality of data files available via the vending machine;
defining a first package by packaging a first subset of the plurality of offered physical products with a first subset of data files from the inventory of data files;
defining a second package by packaging a second subset of the plurality of offered physical products with a second subset of data files from the inventory of data files;
receiving an indication, from a customer, of a selection of the first package;
receiving an indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the first package;
dispensing, after the receiving of the indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the first package, the first subset of the plurality of offered physical products; and
providing, to the customer, after the receiving of the indication of payment provided by the customer in exchange for the first package, the first subset of data files.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of offered physical products comprises one or more of the offered physical products that are associated with a first sales performance level, and wherein the second subset of the plurality of offered physical products comprises one or more of the offered physical products that are associated with a second sales performance level that is greater than the first sales performance level.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first subset of data files is associated with a first popularity, and wherein the second subset of data files is associated with a second popularity that is less than the first popularity.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
determining the first and second popularities.