 |
Claims  |
|
|
What is claimed is:
1. A method for registering a subscription to purchase a plurality of items
dispensed by a vending machine, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving an indication of payment for said subscription;
receiving a request to register said subscription;
determining a redemption code; and
storing subscription registration data including said redemption code.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of receiving an indication of
payment includes receiving currency.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of receiving an indication of
payment includes reading data from a magnetic stripe.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said data from said magnetic stripe
represents a financial account number.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving an indication of
payment includes reading data from a stored value device.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving an indication of
payment includes receiving an identifier associated with a pre-paid
financial account.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said subscription registration data
includes a quantity.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein said subscription registration data
includes a product identifier.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of determining a
quantity of items available for said subscription.
10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of outputting said
redemption code.
11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
determining a subscription expiration date; and
outputting said subscription expiration date.
12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of
receiving a product identifier associated with the subscription; and
evaluating inventory data associated with said product identifier.
13. A method for dispensing an item by a vending machine, the method
comprising the steps of:
receiving a request to redeem said item;
receiving a redemption code corresponding to said item;
updating subscription registration data associated with said redemption
code to reflect said request to redeem said item;
retrieving inventory data associated with said redemption code, said
inventory data including a quantity;
updating said inventory data to reflect said redemption; and
storing said inventory data; and
dispensing said item.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of evaluating the
validity of said redemption code.
15. A method for processing a purchase of an item dispensed by a vending
machine, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving an indication of payment for said item;
receiving a request to purchase said item;
evaluating inventory data associated with said item to determine
availability including:
determining a forecast demand value;
determining forecast subscription redemption value;
determining a forecast inventory quantity based on said demand value and
said subscription redemption value;
determining an adjusted inventory quantity; and
comparing said forecast inventory quantity to said adjusted inventory
quantity; and the method further comprising:
dispensing said item.
16. A method for purchasing a subscription for a plurality of items of a
product from a vending machine, the method comprising the steps of:
providing payment for said subscription;
transmitting a request to purchase said subscription; and
providing a redemption code.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of receiving a
redemption code.
18. The method of claim 16 wherein said request to purchase includes an
indication of said product and a quantity.
19. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of providing payment includes
the step of inputting currency.
20. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of providing includes the step
of inputting credit data.
21. A vending machine, comprising:
an input device for receiving a request to register a subscription to
purchase a specified quantity of items of a specified product from said
vending machine;
an output device for outputting a redemption code corresponding to said
subscription;
a payment receiver for receiving a user-supplied payment;
a dispenser for storing and dispensing said at least one item of said
product;
a storage device for storing subscription registration data pertaining to
said subscription, said subscription registration data including a
redemption code, a product identifier and a subscription quantity; and
a processor connected to said input device, said output device, said
payment receiver, said storage device and said dispenser, said processor
operative to
receive said request to register a subscription from said input device,
determine said redemption code,
store said redemption code in said subscription registration data, and
store said specified quantity in said subscription registration data.
22. The vending machine of claim 21 wherein said processor is further
operative to operate said output device to output said redemption code.
23. A vending machine, comprising:
at least one input device for receiving a request to redeem an item and a
user-supplied redemption code;
a dispenser for storing and dispensing at least one item of a product;
a storage device storing subscription registration data pertaining to a
subscription corresponding to said product, said subscription registration
data including a redemption code, a product identifier and a subscription
quantity; and
a processor connected to said storage device, said input device and said
dispenser, said processor operative to
receive said user-supplied redemption code from said input device,
determine if said user-supplied redemption code matches a stored redemption
code, and
operate said dispenser to dispense said item.
24. A vending machine, comprising:
at least one input device for receiving a request to purchase an item and a
user-supplied redemption code;
a dispenser for storing and dispensing at least one item of a product;
a storage device storing subscription registration data pertaining to a
subscription corresponding to said product, said subscription registration
data including a redemption code, a product identifier and a subscription
quantity; and
a processor connected to said storage device, said input device and said
dispenser, said processor operative to
receive an indication of payment for said item,
receive a request to purchase said item, and
determine if said item is reserved based on said subscription registration
data.
25. The vending machine of claim 24 wherein said processor is further
operative to operate said dispenser to dispense said item.
26. A processing module for use with a vending machine, comprising:
request receiving means for receiving a request to register a subscription
to purchase a specified quantity of a specified product from said vending
machine;
output means for outputting a redemption code corresponding to said
subscription;
payment receiving means for receiving a user-supplied payment;
dispenser activation means for causing said vending machine to dispense
said at least one item of said product;
memory means for storing subscription registration data pertaining to said
subscription, said subscription registration data including a redemption
code, a product identifier and a subscription quantity; and
processing means connected to said request receiving means, said output
means, said payment receiving means, said memory means and said dispenser
activation means, said processor operative to
receive said request to register a subscription from said request receiving
means,
determine said redemption code,
store said redemption code in said subscription registration data, and
store said specified quantity in said subscription registration data.
27. The processing module of claim 26 wherein said processor is further
operative to operate said output means to output said redemption code.
28. A processing module for use with a vending machine, comprising:
request receiving means for receiving a request to redeem an item;
input means for receiving a user-supplied redemption code;
dispenser activation means for dispensing at least one item of a product;
memory means for storing subscription registration data pertaining to a
subscription corresponding to said product, said subscription registration
data including said redemption code, a product identifier and a
subscription quantity; and
processing means connected to said request receiving means, said input
means, said dispenser activation means and said memory, said processing
means operative to
receive said user-supplied redemption code from said input means, and
determine if said user-supplied redemption code matches a stored redemption
code.
29. The processing module of claim 20 wherein said processor is further
operative to operate said dispenser activation means to dispense said
item.
30. A processing module for use with a vending machine, comprising:
at least one input device for receiving a user-supplied redemption code and
a request to redeem an item;
a dispenser for storing and dispensing at least one item of a product;
a storage device storing subscription registration data pertaining to a
subscription corresponding to said product, said subscription registration
data including a redemption code, a product identifier and a subscription
quantity; and
a processor connected to said storage device, said input device and said
dispenser, said processor operative to
receive an indication of payment for said item;
receive a request to purchase said item; and
determine if said item is reserved based on said subscription registration
data.
31. The processing module of claim 30 wherein said processor is further
operative to operate said dispenser to dispense said item.
32. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions
for implementing a method for registering a subscription to purchase a
plurality of items dispensed by a vending machine, said processing
instructions for directing a computer to perform the steps of:
receiving an indication of payment for said subscription;
receiving a request to register said subscription, said request including
an indication of said plurality of items;
determining a redemption code; and
storing subscription registration data including said redemption code, a
product identifier and said quantity.
33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 32 further including an
instruction for directing a computer to perform the step of outputting
said redemption code.
34. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions
for implementing a method for processing a redemption of an item dispensed
by a vending machine, said processing instructions for directing a
computer to perform the steps of:
receiving a request to redeem said item;
receiving a redemption code corresponding to said item;
updating subscription registration data associated with said redemption
code to reflect said request to redeem said item;
retrieving inventory data associated with said redemption code, said
inventory data including a quantity;
updating said inventory data to reflect said redemption;
storing said inventory data;
dispensing said item.
35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 34 further including
processing instructions for directing a computer to perform the step of
dispensing said item.
36. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions
for implementing a method for processing a purchase of an item dispensed
by a vending machine, said processing instructions for directing a
computer to perform the steps of:
receiving an indication of payment for said item;
receiving a request to purchase said item;
evaluating inventory data associated with said item to determine
availability including:
determining a forecast demand value;
determining forecast subscription redemption value;
determining a forecast inventory quantity based on said demand value and
said subscription redemption value;
determining an adjusted inventory quantity; and
comparing said forecast inventory quantity to said adjusted inventory
quantity, said method further comprising the step of:
dispensing said item. |
|
 |
|
 |
Claims |
|
|
|
Description |
|
|
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vending machines. More
particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for
establishing and managing subscriptions to purchase items from a vending
machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vending machines are well known and have existed since the late 1880s. Some
of the first vending machines were rudimentary devices primarily designed
to dispense cigarettes and postcards. Modern vending machines are employed
to store and dispense a vast array of merchandise in response to a
customer request and appropriate payment. Such merchandise includes
drinks, candy, frozen deserts, snacks, video tapes and children's toys.
Many vending machines are located in factories, office buildings, bowling
alleys and other locations that repeat customers regularly frequent.
Vending machine operators have found that by locating a vending machine in
a high traffic area that is regularly frequented by the same customers,
they can not only take advantage of habitual sales, but also take
advantage of brand loyalty.
Although machine location, machine loyalty and brand loyalty influence the
amount of revenue generated by a vending machine, vending machine
operators are confronted with a number of problems which are not
adequately addressed by the prior art. One such problem is predicting
sales and determining how to stock a particular machine. Although habitual
sales and brand loyalty help keep vending machine sales constant, there is
no assurance that the regular customers won't purchase their favorite
brand from another source. Another problem with prior art vending machines
is the inability to complete a sale with a customer who has little or no
cash. Yet another problem with the prior art is the inability to reward a
customer for regularly frequenting the machine or for purchasing products
in bulk over a predetermined time period.
The prior art has attempted to address the problem of predicting sales and
determining stock quantities by providing vending machine management
software. One such software product is "Windows for Vending PRO with
Inventory" produced by VendMaster. This product enables a vending machine
operator to report and analyze various historical sales data. VendMaster's
product is intended to enhance a vending machine operator's ability to
identify high-demand inventory, determine preferable times to stock the
machine, and calculate suggested prices.
The VendMaster software, like other attempts to solve the problems of
predicting sales and selecting products, utilizes historical sales data to
estimate future sales. Using the VendMaster software, a vending machine
operator has no assurance that historical trends will continue. A need,
therefore, exists for a method or apparatus for more reliably determining
future stocking requirements for a vending machine.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,008,792 of Levasseur et al. and 4,498,570 of King et al.
attempt to solve the problem of providing bulk discounts to vending
machine customers. Levasseur et al. discloses a control circuit for a
vending machine that enables the vending machine to vend different items
costing different amounts and in different quantities at a quantity
discount. King et al. discloses a switching device for establishing a
first price for a first item sold during a sales transaction and for
establishing at least a second price for additional items sold in the same
transaction. While these patents generally disclose enabling quantity
discounts at a vending machine, they fail to solve the previously
described problems facing vending machine operators. A significant
shortcoming of these patents is that they both require a customer to take
delivery of the bulk purchase at the time of the sale.
The prior art vending machines have attempted to address the problem of a
user's shortage of change by providing local change machines, stored value
card dispensers and magnetic stripe readers. These attempted solutions
enable a vending machine to accept alternative modes of payment for
products purchased from a vending machine. Change machines generally allow
customers with paper currency to convert their small denomination bills
into coinage. Stored value card dispensers and magnetic stripe readers
allow users to use stored value cards and conventional credit cards to
purchase products from a vending machine.
These approaches fail to completely abate the loss of potential customers.
Specifically, prior art solutions have not addressed the loss of a sale to
a regular customer who would make a purchase but for an immediate shortage
of cash. Solutions employing stored value card dispensers and readers not
only require a customer to carry a physical object in order to complete a
purchase, but also present significant counterfeit and fraud issues.
Magnetic stripe readers configured to accept conventional credit cards
have the same problem, but are further limited by the sophisticated
equipment and network connections that are required for proper validation.
In addition, cards may be easily lost or stolen.
A need therefore exists for a method and apparatus that provides consumers
additional payment options for vending machine purchases. A need further
exists for a method and apparatus that allows consumers who make frequent
purchases at a vending machine to receive items without depositing
currency or presenting a physical form of payment every time a customer
requests a purchased item. A need also exists for a method and apparatus
for more accurately and efficiently managing and predicting inventory of a
vending machine.
Accordingly, the shortcomings associated with the related art have
heretofore not been adequately addressed. The present invention addresses
such problems by providing an apparatus and processing approach that have
not previously been proposed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for registering a
subscription to purchase a plurality of items dispensed by a vending
machine. According to the method of the present invention, the apparatus
receives an indication of payment for the subscription and a request to
register the subscription. During the registration process, the apparatus
determines a redemption code that may be used to redeem items associated
with the subscription. The apparatus then stores subscription registration
data including the determined redemption code.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is disclosed a
method and apparatus for dispensing an item by a vending machine. The
method includes the steps of receiving, by the apparatus, a request to
redeem an item that is associated with a subscription and a redemption
code corresponding to the item. The method also includes the step of
updating subscription registration data associated with the redemption
code to reflect the request to redeem the item. The method concludes with
the step of dispensing the requested item.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a method for
processing non-subscription transactions is disclosed. An apparatus for
implementing the above described method is also disclosed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus
for establishing and managing subscriptions for purchasing products from a
vending machine. Another object of the present invention is to provide a
method and apparatus for processing single item sales to customers based
on inventory forecasts which compensate for registered subscriptions. The
above object and other objects features and advantages are readily
apparent from the detailed description when taken in connection with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant
advantages thereof may be readily obtained by reference to the following
detailed description when considered with the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a vending machine according to one
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 1B is a schematic block diagram illustrating the components of the
vending machine of FIG. 1A according to one embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating the components in
connection with the processing module of the vending machine of FIG. 1A;
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate exemplary output displayed on an output device
of the vending machine of FIG. 1A;
FIG. 4 is a table illustrating the structure of a subscription option table
stored in the memory of the vending machine of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a table illustrating the structure of a subscription registration
table stored in the memory of the vending machine of FIG. 2;
FIG. 6 is a table illustrating the structure of an inventory table stored
in the memory of the vending machine of FIG. 2;
FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to
register a subscription to purchase items from the vending machine of FIG.
1;
FIGS. 8A and 8B contain a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented
steps used to validate a subscription registration request;
FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to
process the redemption of an item, pursuant to an outstanding
subscription, from the vending machine of FIG. 1;
FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to
verify a subscription redemption.
FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to
process a purchase of a single item from the vending machine of FIG. 1;
FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to
evaluate the inventory of a product in the vending machine of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating the computer implemented steps used to
maintain the subscription table of FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Apparatus Architecture
An embodiment of the method and apparatus of the present invention will now
be discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-10. FIGS. 1A-3B illustrate the
components of one exemplary vending machine 100 including the features of
the present invention. Although specific exemplary vending machine 100 is
referred to throughout the detailed description, the present invention is
directed to any automatic sales machine that allows payment to be
exchanged for goods. Payment can be presented through a variety of media
including, but not limited to, coins, bills and other currencies, magnetic
stripe cards, smart cards (whether pre-paid or linked to an account) and
identification codes. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of vending machine
100; FIG. 1B is a schematic block diagram of vending machine 100; and FIG.
2 is a schematic block diagram of the processing module of vending machine
100.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, vending machine 100 is a "bubble front"
vending machine similar to Vendo model 392140004. Vending machine 100
includes an input device 110 for receiving input from a customer including
a product selection, a subscription selection, a redemption code and
credit information. Input device 110 may also be used for receiving input
from an operator during stocking or maintenance of vending machine 100.
Although input device 110, as illustrated, includes a set of alphanumeric
keys for providing input to vending machine 100, input device could
include a selector dial, a set of buttons associated with a respective set
of item dispensers, or any other conventional input device commonly
employed by a vending machine designer. Further, vending machine 100 may
include more than one input device 110. For example, vending machine 100
may include an exterior input device 110 for receiving customer input and
an interior input device (not shown) for receiving operator input. In the
illustrated embodiment, input device 110 receives input data from both
operators and customers.
Vending machine 100 also includes several mechanisms for receiving payment
and dispensing change, including coin acceptor 112, bill validator 114,
magnetic stripe reader 116 and change dispenser 118. Magnetic stripe
reader 116 is a conventional reader for reading data on the magnetic
stripe of a credit or debit card, and it may cooperate with conventional
remote point-of-sale credit card processing equipment (not shown) to
validate credit based purchases through a conventional credit
authorization network. Coin acceptor 112, bill validator 114 and change
dispenser 118 communicate with currency storage apparatus 120 and may be
conventional devices such as Mars models AE-2400, MC5000, TRC200 or CoinCo
model 9300-L. Coin acceptor 112 and bill validator 114 receive and
validate currency that is stored by currency storage apparatus 120.
Referring now to FIGS. 1B and 2, coin acceptor 112, bill validator 114,
magnetic stripe reader 116 and change dispenser 118 communicate with, and
are controlled by, processing module 144. Processing module 144 includes
communication port 142 for communicating with a central controller via a
network (not shown).
In addition to the elements previously mentioned, processing module 144
includes a central processing unit 126 ("CPU") connected to communication
port 142. CPU 126 communicates with random access memory (RAM) 128, read
only memory (ROM) 130, clock 132 and storage device 134. CPU 126 also
communicates with at least one item dispenser 122 and at least one display
124. Display 124 is preferably a liquid crystal display ("LCD") or a light
emitting diode ("LED") display such as the display employed by vending
machine model #631 manufactured by FastCorp. Display 124 may provide a
static message or a scrolling message so as to provide extensive
information using a relatively small display area.
As shown, vending machine 100 includes a single item dispenser 122 and
display 124. Other vending machines, having multiple item dispensers and
multiple displays may be employed to practice the present invention with
minor design modifications. As in many conventional vending machines, item
dispenser 122 may be activated by CPU 126 after a customer has purchased
an item, causing the item to be transferred to receptacle 140, as
illustrated in FIG. 1A. A customer has access to a purchased item in
receptacle 140 via door 138. Purchased item can then be removed by a
customer from receptacle 140 through door 138.
As shown in FIG. 2, storage device 134 stores a database of inventory and
subscription management data, including a subscription option table 400, a
subscription registration table 500 and an inventory table 600. Tables
400, 500 and 600 comprise at least a portion of the data stored by storage
device 134 and are described more fully with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and
6, respectively. Storage device 134 further includes instructions for
implementing the process steps of the present invention. Specifically,
storage device 134 includes subscription registration process instructions
700, subscription redemption process instructions 900, non-subscription
purchase process instructions 1100 and periodic maintenance process
instructions 1300. Storage device 134 is preferably a magnetic disk drive,
but could be a CD-ROM drive, optical disk drive, RAM drive or any other
conventional storage device as would be deemed appropriate by one of
ordinary skill in the art.
FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary output of display 124. As shown, the
illustrated output sets forth the terms of the various subscriptions
available using vending machine 100. FIG. 3B illustrates the output of
display 124 after registering a subscription. These and other output
messages are described more fully with reference to the process steps
described below.
Data Tables
FIG. 4 illustrates the contents of an exemplary subscription option table
400 in tabular format. Each record of subscription option table 400
defines the terms of a valid subscription to purchase merchandise from
vending machine 100. Subscription option table 400 includes subscription
identifier field 410 containing data that uniquely identifies a
subscription record. Subscription option table 400 further includes a
subscription price field 414 for storing the price of the subscription, a
subscription duration field 416 for storing the amount of time for which
the subscription is valid, and a subscription quantity field 418 for
storing the number of items that can be purchased with the subscription.
Although the preferred fields of subscription option table 400 are
illustrated in FIG. 4, other alternatives are possible. For example,
according to one variation, the data stored in subscription price field
could represent a unit price instead of the total price of the
subscription. This would emphasize the per unit discount for purchasing in
bulk. According to another variation, subscription option table 400 may
include a product identifier field in order to customize subscription
prices according to specific products.
FIG. 5 illustrates the contents of an exemplary subscription registration
table 500. Each record of subscription registration table 500 represents a
registered subscription purchased by a customer of vending machine 100.
Subscription registration table 500 is indexed by the contents of
redemption code field 510 that uniquely identifies a registered
subscription. Subscription registration table 500 includes product
identifier field 512 for storing a product identifier associated with the
registered subscription. Subscription start date field 514 and
subscription expiration date field 516 store data defining the term of the
subscription. Of course, multiple expiration dates could be stored to
encourage a more predictable redemption schedule resulting in better
inventory management. Quantity remaining field 518 stores the number of
items available under the registered subscription, and subscription status
field 520 stores data that defines whether the subscription is still
valid. Although the preferred embodiment associates a specific product
with a registered subscription via product identifier field 512, the
present invention may be used to provide subscriptions that are not linked
to a specific product. Of course, such an embodiment would not require
field 512.
Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated an exemplary inventory table
600. Each record of inventory table 600 represents inventory data
associated with an item dispenser 122 of vending machine 100. The contents
of dispenser identifier field 610 uniquely identify an item dispenser 122
associated with a record of table 600. Product identifier field 612 stores
a product identifier defining the product dispensed by the item dispenser
122 identified by the contents of field 610. Field 614 stores data
defining the number of items available for sale from the dispenser. Field
616 defines the non-subscription price of each item associated with the
dispenser. Demand rate field 618 stores the rate of demand for items
associated with the dispenser, and re-stock date field 620 defines the
date on which the dispenser is scheduled to be re-stocked. Alternatively,
the re-stock date field 620 could be replaced or supplemented with a field
used to define an expiration date for a product.
Process Steps
Having thus described the system architecture and components of the present
embodiment, the operation of the system will now be described in greater
detail with reference to FIGS. 7-13 and continuing reference to FIGS. 1-6.
It is to be understood that the software instructions necessary to provide
the functionality described herein are preferably stored in storage device
134 of vending machine 100, but may be stored in ROM 130.
Referring now to FIG. 7, a flowchart is depicted illustrating the steps of
subscription registration process instructions 700. The exemplary
subscription registration process includes the step of displaying
subscription options available for purchase. The step of displaying,
identified by reference numeral 710, may be accomplished using a flyer, a
pre-printed sign or other collateral material associated with vending
machine 100 or it may be accomplished electronically via display 124.
At step 712, vending machine 100 receives payment via coin acceptor 112,
bill validator 114 or magnetic stripe reader 116. Alternatively, payment
could be accomplished via input device 110 by receiving user input of a
predefined debit or credit account number. Regardless of the form of
payment, an indication of payment receipt is transmitted to CPU 126.
The subscription registration process further includes the step of
receiving a request to purchase a subscription, as indicated by step 714.
The request to purchase the subscription includes an identification of the
subscription option to be purchased. In the present embodiment,
identification of the subscription is accomplished simply by receiving a
subscription identifier, such as "*2," that identifies the terms of the
subscription via input device 110. The user then presses a button
identifying the product to be associated with the subscription. In
alternate embodiments, the user may be required to input the specific
terms of the desired subscription, including a product identifier, a
payment amount, and a quantity.
At step 716, CPU 126 verifies the request to purchase the subscription. The
step of verifying the request to purchase the subscription may include a
number of sub-steps, including validating that the received subscription
identifier matches a subscription identifier stored in field 410 of
subscription option table 400, that the received payment is sufficient to
purchase the identified subscription, and that vending machine 100 can
support the identified subscription based on present demand for the
subscribed product. These sub-steps are described more fully with
reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B.
After verifying the validity of the subscription request, CPU 126 generates
a redemption code associated with the subscription, as shown by step 718.
The generated redemption code could be a personal identification number
("PIN") received from the customer, a number determined by CPU 126
according to registration process instructions, the customer's credit card
number, or any other unique identification code. At step 719, CPU 126
calculates the subscription expiration date using the current system
date/time and the subscription duration stored in field 416 of the
subscription option table record associated with the selected
subscription. It should be understood that although a single expiration
date is illustrated, a subscription may have multiple expiration dates,
such as an expiration date for each item to be redeemed.
At step 720, the subscription status field 520 is populated to indicate a
status of "active." At step 721, subscription registration data,
preferably including the generated redemption code, a product identifier,
a quantity remaining, a subscription start date and a subscription
expiration date, is stored in storage device 134. Finally, the
subscription registration process concludes with step 722 in which the
generated redemption code is output to the subscriber via display 124.
Alternatively, the redemption code could be printed on a paper receipt or
provided in audio form.
FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate the sub-steps of the subscription request
validation process represented by reference numeral 716. This process is
performed to ensure the validity of the subscription to be registered. At
sub-step 810, CPU 126 compares the received subscription identifier to the
subscription identifiers stored in subscription option table 400. As
indicated by decision b | | |
