Patent attributes
A system and method for vending products to a customer that encompasses a group of vending machines managed by a vending company, a database of the inventory of products in the vending machines and information about customer purchase history from the vending machines; and the use of a personal electronic device by the customer. Embodiments include the customer selecting either products or vending machines from a list of options provided via the user interface of the personal electronic device, wherein the list of options depends on the actual available inventory on vending machines co-located with customer, and the customer purchase history. Methods are described to permit advance purchases with deferred dispensing, and methods of payment that are both fast and automatic. Also described are methods of identifying vending machines and ordering a group of products as single request.
