The invention provides methods and apparatus for dispensing items from a dispensing unit. According to the invention, the dispensing unit comprises a plurality of locations in which the items are held, a processor in which records corresponding to the items on the unit are stored, and a plurality of item switches corresponding to the locations in which the items are held. The item switches are connected to the processor so that a user of the dispensing unit can input records of items removed from the unit into the processor. The apparatus described is particularly suited for dispensing medical supplies although the apparatus will be usable for other types of items as well. Preferred embodiments will include a plurality of visual indicators, typically in the form of light emitting diodes, corresponding to the locations in which the items are held. Upon selection of a desired item from a list of items held by the unit, the visual indicator corresponding to the item is actuated so that the user can locate the desired item quickly and conveniently with the help of the visual indicator.

The present invention discloses and claims a method and system for vending products which prompt a customer to enter selection criteria relating to the type of product the customer would like to purchase, use the customer's selection criteria to determine which products are potentially suitable for the customer's purposes, needs, interests, and tastes, and rank the products based on their suitability to facilitate the customer's final selection of a product. The system includes a computer having a storage device which is used to store products to be vended or data relating to products to be vended, an input/output ("I/O") device, a payment device, and a manufacturing device. Initially, through the I/O device, a customer is prompted to enter selection criteria relating to the type of product the customer would like to purchase. After receiving the customer's selection criteria, the computer determines which products are potentially suitable for the customer's purposes, needs, interests, and tastes, and ranks the products based on their suitability. Then, the I/O device displays a list of the ranked products to the customer, prompts the customer to make a final selection of a product, and inputs the customer's final selection.

An improved apparatus and method of storing, selectively retrieving and delivering product data includes a database of product data files and a computer that causes the data to be retrieved, displayed and delivered to the customer. The customer is asked to specify certain criteria relating to the kind of product he desires. Stored with the data relating to each product is an expert judgment factor that indicates how well the product would fill each possible criteria specified by the customer. Upon receiving the criteria entered by the customer, the computer calculates a suitability rating for each product by combining those judgment factors that relate to the customer entered criteria. The computer then presents to the customer the data relating to a limited number of the highest rated products. The customer selects the product that he wants and is preferably allowed to make changes to the product data. The computer then causes the product or data relating to the product to be delivered to the customer.

An improved apparatus and method of storing and selectively retrieving and delivering product data is disclosed. Product data files, product lists, product directories and allowable customer data entry sets are stored in a data storage device. The customer is asked to specify one or more criteria relating to a product need or desire and one or more allowable customer data entry sets are selected that best correspond to these criteria. The customer data entry sets are connected to product directories and the directories are in turn connected to product lists that reference the data files of products having anticipated common uses. The product directories correspond to connected customer data entry sets with different degrees of specificity and the product lists correspond to connected product directories with different degrees of specificity or applicability. The apparatus is thus able to retrieve and display a variety of products in response to any given customer input and is also able to respond to many different kinds of customer entered criteria.

A machine and method are provided for selecting product or service design, such as a social expression product. The machine and method each (i) stores a plurality of product or service designs and a plurality of descriptors for each of the plurality of product or service designs, each of the descriptors representing an application scale; (ii) stores an expert-predetermined optimum applicability value for each combination of the application scales and the product or service designs; (iii) presents, to a customer, selection criteria options for one or more application scales; (iv) stores customer preference values for one or more application scales used for describing the product/service design, the customer preference values to be predetermined by expert judgment and assigned to application scales where such values correspond to the selection criteria options chosen by the customer; (v) quantitatively correlates, by means of a correlation algorithm, each of the customer preference values with corresponding expert-predetermined optimum applicability values to calculate an average suitability rating for each of the product or service designs based on the customer-chosen selection criteria options; and (vi) displays for the customer a group of identified product or service designs based on the average suitability ratings for those identified product or service designs. In the case of a product, the apparatus and method solicit the customer to select one of the identified product designs, verify the selection and possibly modify the selected product design. The selected or modified product design may then be dispensed to the customer.