Facilitating individualized user interaction with an electronic device

1. A method of determining that a user is ready to commence interacting with an electronic device and facilitating an individualized interaction for the user at the electronic device, comprising:

establishing a continuous communication session between the electronic device and a server;

receiving at the server an identity of the electronic device from a smartphone associated with the user, wherein the smartphone has retrieved the identity of the electronic device from the electronic device by one or more of:

scanning a barcode visible on the electronic device;

scanning a symbol visible on the electronic device;

reading a Near Field Communication Tag associated with the electronic device;

receiving a user input into the smartphone of information associated with the identity of the electronic device;

determining at the server, based on the received identity of the electronic device, that the smartphone is proximate the electronic device; and

initiating, in response to the determination at the server that the smartphone is proximate to the electronic device, an individualized interaction with the user at the electronic device via communications between the server and the electronic device utilizing the continuous communication session between the server and the electronic device, using one or more server push techniques and preference data associated with the user at the server.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein scanning a barcode visible on the electronic device comprises one or more of:

scanning a barcode rendered on a display of the electronic device;

scanning a barcode made visible on one or more surfaces of the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein scanning a symbol visible on the electronic device comprises one or more of:

scanning a symbol rendered on a display of the electronic device;

scanning a symbol made visible on one or more surfaces of the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving at the server an identity of the electronic device from a smartphone associated with the user comprises receiving:

the device identification of the electronic device;

a user identification associated with the smartphone; and

preference data for conducting an individualized interactive session with the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the individualized interaction is an individualized beverage dispensing session with the user associated with the smartphone.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein using one or more server push techniques comprises utilizing one or more of:

long polling techniques;

web socket techniques;

Comet techniques;

Berkeley socket techniques.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein establishing a continuous communication session between the electronic device and the server comprises establishing the continuous communication session prior to receiving, at the smartphone associated with the user, the identity of the electronic device.

8. An apparatus for initiating an individualized interaction for a user at a consumer electronic device, comprising:

a memory for storing executable program code; and

a processor, functionally coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program code and operative to:

receive an identity of the consumer electronic device, wherein the identity of the consumer electronic device is retrieved from the consumer electronic device by one or more of:

scanning a barcode visible on the consumer electronic device;

scanning a symbol visible on the consumer electronic device;

reading a Near Field Communication Tag associated with the consumer electronic device;

receiving a user input into the apparatus of information associated with the identity of the consumer electronic device; and

send the identity of the consumer electronic device to a server such that the server can determine that the apparatus is proximate the consumer electronic device and initiate an individualized interaction for a user associated with the apparatus at the consumer electronic device using preference data associated with the user stored at the server and communicated to the consumer electronic device via a previously established communication session between the server and the consumer electronic device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the apparatus comprises a smartphone.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the consumer electronic device comprises a beverage dispensing machine.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the consumer electronic device comprises a vending machine.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the apparatus comprises a tablet.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the processor, in sending the identity of the consumer electronic device to the server, is operative to send the device identification of the consumer electronic device, a user identification associated with the user, and preference data associated with the user for conducting an individualized interactive session with the consumer electronic device, to the server.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the individualized interaction is initiated via the previously established communication session due to the utilization of a server push technique by the consumer electronic device.

15. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the individualized interaction is an individualized beverage dispensing session with the user.

16. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing computer executable instructions which, when executed by a computing device, will cause the computing device to perform acts comprising:

allowing a user to retrieve an identity of an electronic device with which the user would like to interact, by one or more of:

allowing the user to scan a barcode visible on the electronic device;

allowing the user to scan a symbol visible on the electronic device;

reading a Near Field Communication Tag associated with the electronic device; and

sending the identity of the electronic device to a server such that the server can determine that the computing device is proximate the electronic device and initiate an individualized interaction for the user at the electronic device via a previously open communication session between the server and the electronic device utilizing one or more server push techniques, the individualized interaction being initiated in response to the determination that the computing device is proximate to the electronic device.

17. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16 , wherein allowing the user to scan a barcode visible on the electronic device comprises one or more of:

allowing the user to scan a barcode rendered on a display of the electronic device;

allowing the user to scan a barcode made visible on one or more surfaces of the electronic device.

18. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16 , wherein allowing the user to scan a symbol visible on the electronic device comprises one or more of:

allowing the user to scan a symbol rendered on a display of the electronic device;

allowing the user to scan a symbol made visible on one or more surfaces of the electronic device.

19. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16 , wherein initiating the individualized interaction for the user at the electronic device comprises facilitating an individualized beverage dispensing session with the user at the electronic device.

20. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16 , wherein sending the identity of the electronic device from the computing device to a server comprises sending the device identification of the electronic device, a user identification associated with the computing device, and preference data for conducting an individualized interactive session with the electronic device, to the server.

21. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the individualized interaction is an individualized beverage dispensing session with a user of the computing device.