Interactive vending system(s) featuring product customization, multimedia, education and entertainment, with business opportunities, models, and methods

Abstract

Individual or multiple-unit vending systems/kiosks with the ability to create highly customized products at the time of sale, with audio-visual features, handicap access and additional abilities and/or components; with multiple delivery abilities of tangible and/or intangible product(s); new real estate opportunities and business models, including business opportunities and/or jobs for disadvantaged people. This invention provides products for humans, animals and plants, and takes in one or more of the following product categories, without limitation: water, beverages, foodstuffs, toys, games contests, greeting cards, photography/video, audio/music, personal care products; using converging technologies such as, but not limited to: telecommunications, wireless data transmission, smart cards, etc. Benefits include, without limitation: test marketing, focus groups, and new product introductions using consumer interaction; education, entertainment, rewards, promotions, advertising, contests, charitable support, etc.

1 . A personalized restricted purchase method comprising the steps of: 
 providing a wearable or carriable data storage device for storing personal, medical and financial data;    storing at least one of personal data representing identity of an owner individual and purchase restriction, medical data representing medical conditions and restrictions relating to an owner-individual and financial data relating to the owner-individual on said data storage device;    providing an automatic vending unit in communication with a reading apparatus capable of reading said data stored on said storage device; and    having the owner-individual to present said data storage device to the reading apparatus whereby purchase of an item from the vending unit can be made provided the stored financial data authorize the cost of the purchase and provided the stored personal and/or medical data authorize the item.    
   
   
       2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said data storage device is selected from the group consisting a magnetic data storage device, a microelectronic data storage device, and an optical data storage device.  
   
   
       3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said data storage device further comprises automatic communication facilities for reporting location and identity of the owner-individual.  
   
   
       4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein medical data are stored and the medical data prescribe medication for the owner-individual and wherein the automatic vending unit dispenses medications appropriate to the individual.  
   
   
       5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein the medications are intended for emergency use.  
   
   
       6 . The method according to  claim 5 , the vending unit automatically makes an emergency report to authorities providing identifying and medical data from the data storage device in response to dispensing medications intended for emergency use.  
   
   
       7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the medical data and/or the personal data contain a list restricting consumption of certain foods and beverages and wherein the automatic vending unit will not dispense foods and beverages on the list to the owner-individual.  
   
   
       8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the medical data and/or the personal data contain a list ranking foods and beverages in terms of healthiness for the owner-individual and wherein the automatic vending unit rewards the owner-individual for selecting foods or beverages with a high healthiness ranking.  
   
   
       9 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the owner-individual receives a free item as a reward.  
   
   
       10 . The method according to  claim 8 , wherein the owner-individual receives a financial rebate as a reward.  
   
   
       11 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said vending unit further comprises an individual verification device that detects a physical character of an individual presenting the data storage device to verify identity between the individual and the owner-individual.  
   
   
       12 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the physical character is selected from the group consisting of fingerprints, palmprints, retinal scans, iris scans, and voiceprints.  
   
   
       13 . An automated vending system for creating a customized graphic design comprising: 
 means for displaying a plurality of graphic sub-components that can be assembled to create a graphic design;    means for inputting images;    means for displaying inputted images;    means for selecting and manipulating graphic sub-components and inputted images to create a graphic design; and    means for storing the graphic design.    
   
   
       14 . The automated vending system of  claim 13 , wherein the graphic design is for a personalized version of official government documents and means are supplied to render said official documents to ensure said documents' legal validity.  
   
   
       15 . The automated vending system of  claim 14 , wherein said official documents are rendered onto special governmentally authorized paper.  
   
   
       16 . The automated vending system of  claim 14 , wherein the official government documents are selected from the group consisting of currency and customied postage stamps.  
   
   
       17 . The automated vending system of  claim 13 , wherein the means for inputting photographs is selected from the group comprising a scanning device, a port to attach a personal digital assistant, a port to attach a personal computer and a digital camera.  
   
   
       18 . The automated vending system of  claim 13 , wherein the graphic sub-components include celebrity images trademarks, logos, copy written material, licensable media characters, with a means for royalty compensation for the use of the image to the artist.  
   
   
       19 . The automated vending system of  claim 13 , wherein the graphic sub-components are automatically obtained from a network  
   
   
       20 . The automated vending system of  claim 13  further comprising means to render the graphic design into or on to a product.  
   
   
       21 . The automated vending system of  claim 20 , wherein the means to take possession of the product is within the confines of the vending system or remotely located from the vending system.  
   
   
       22 . The automated vending system of  claim 13 , wherein the means to render is selected from a two-dimensional printing device and a three-dimensional printing device.  
   
   
       23 . The automated vending system of  claim 13 , wherein the graphic design is selected from the group consisting of a card design, a playing card design, a trading card design, product label design, a fabric transfer, and a T-shirt design.  
   
   
       24 . The automated vending system of  claim 20  further comprising means to transmit the card design over the Internet electronically.  
   
   
       25 . The automated vending system of  claim 24 , wherein the electronically transmitted product includes sound.  
   
   
       26 . The automated vending system of  claim 20 , wherein the system presents preset graphic designs to serve as test marketing for said preset designs.  
   
   
       27 . The automated vending system of  claim 20 , wherein the system collects customer demographic data.  
   
   
       28 . An automated vending system for creating a customized foods or beverages comprising: 
 means for displaying a plurality of food or beverage components that can be assembled to create a food or beverage;    means for displaying suggested food or beverage combinations recipes;    means for a consumer to select suggested combinations recipes and food and beverage components to create new food or beverage combinations recipes or to modify or keep suggested recipes thereby selecting chosen recipes; and    means for dispensing components to create food and beverages according to chosen recipes.    
   
   
       29 . The vending system according to  claim 28  further comprising means for storing the chosen recipes.  
   
   
       30 . The vending system according to  claim 28  further comprising means for transmitting the chosen recipes to third parties with the consumer's permission and in return for a reward.  
   
   
       31 . The vending system according to  claim 28 , wherein the means for dispensing components are located in a plurality of separate units in data communication with each other.  
   
   
       32 . The vending system according to claim  31 , wherein the consumer receives a partial product from each of the separate units and sequentially assembles a final product.  
   
   
       33 . The vending system according to  claim 28 , wherein beverages are made by combining water and additives inside the integrated system whereupon the finished product is dispensed  
   
   
       34 . The vending system according to  claim 33 , wherein the water is municipal water which is purified first.  
   
   
       35 . The vending system according to  claim 28 , wherein the system supplies containers into which the beverage is dispensed.  
   
   
       36 . An automated vending system for creating a customized accessory comprising: 
 means for displaying a plurality of ornament sub-components that can be assembled to create a personal ornament;    means for displaying suggested ornament designs;    means for a consumer to select suggested designs and ornament sub-components to create new ornament or to modify or keep suggested designs thereby selecting a chosen ornament design; and    means for dispensing sub-components to a personal ornament from the chosen ornament design.    
   
   
       37 . The vending system according to  claim 36 , wherein data derived from consumer selection of the suggested accessory designs is used to test market those designs.  
   
   
       38 . The vending system according to  claim 36  further comprising means for storing the chosen ornament design.  
   
   
       39 . The vending system according to  claim 36  further comprising means for transmitting the chosen ornament design to third parties with the consumer's permission and in return for a reward.  
   
   
       40 . The vending system according to  claim 36  further comprising means for transmitting the chosen ornament design to third parties with the consumer's permission on which to build a consumer product for a business.  
   
   
       41 . The vending system according to  claim 36 , wherein the means for dispensing ornament sub-components are located in a plurality of separate units in data communication with each other.  
   
   
       42 . The vending system according to  claim 41 , wherein the consumer receives a partial product from each of the separate units and sequentially assembles a final accessory.  
   
   
       43 . The vending system according to  claim 36 , wherein the accessory is selected from the group consisting of home accessories, ornaments, jewelry, and hair ornaments.  
   
   
       44 . An automated vending system for creating a customized media collection comprising: 
 means for displaying and sampling a plurality of audio and video media components that can be assembled to create a customized media collection    means for a consumer to select and order audio and video media components to create a customized media collection; and    means for delivering the customized media collection to the consumer.    
   
   
       45 . The vending system according to  claim 44 , wherein the customized media collection is delivered through storage on a tangible medium which is dispensed by said system.  
   
   
       46 . The vending system according to  claim 44 , wherein the customized media collection is delivered through transmission to the consumer from the vending system, a remote location over a network.  
   
   
       47 . The vending system according to  claim 44 , wherein the customized media collection contains multiple language support allowing consumers speaking different languages to use and enjoy the customized media collection.  
   
   
       48 . A business method using the vending system according to  claim 44 , comprising the step of lowering a price paid by a consumer when at least some of the displayed media components contain advertising promotional material or otherwise compensating the consumer when including media components containing advertising promotional material in the customized collection.  
   
   
       49 . The vending system according to  claim 44 , wherein demographic data relating the consumer and selection and order of media components are collected.  
   
   
       50 . The vending system according to  claim 49 , wherein the demographic data are used to test market new artists.  
   
   
       51 . A business method of reducing the cost of recorded media comprising the steps of by having a pre-recorded advertisement, message, jingle, song, play one or more times over the course of the recorded media play, and allowing the consumer to select the contents of the recorded media other than the advertisement, message, jingle or song  
   
   
       52 . The business method according to  claim 51  further comprising the step of a company with a product or service providing the free downloading of music whereby their advertisement is attached to each track or specific intervals.  
   
   
       53 . The business method according to  claim 51  further comprising the step of a recording company introducing a new artist by attaching material from the new artist to pre-recorded advertisement, message, jingle, song.  
   
   
       54 . The vending system according to  claim 49 , wherein suggested media collections are offered the consumer and the demographic data are used to test market such collections.  
   
   
       55 . An automated vending system for creating a design and/or prototype of a wearable item comprising: 
 means for displaying a plurality of design and/or prototype sub-components that can be assembled to create a wearable item;    means for selecting and manipulating design sub-components to create a novel wearable item means for originating design and or prototype components;    means for manipulating design and or prototype components; and    means for using the wearable item as a sample for production.    
   
   
       56 . An automated vending system of  claim 55  further comprising means for adding advertisement on wearable item to amortize the cost of the item.  
   
   
       57 . An automated vending system of  claim 55  further comprising means to add a charitable affiliation to the wearable item.  
   
   
       58 . An automated vending system of  claim 55 , wherein the wearable item is sent out to bid anywhere in the world for production by a company which owns the vending system and or their contractors  
   
   
       59 . A business method for time stamping an invention in the vending system according to  claim 55  to prove date and time of invention comprising the steps of 
 providing means for storing the novel invention wherein the means for storing can be used to prepare a machine readable version of the invention    means for transmitting the novel invention wherein the means for transmitting the invention is over the internet; and    means preparing a document copy of the novel invention for authentication purposes.    
   
   
       60 . An automated vending system optimized for gardening comprising: 
 means for displaying a plurality of garden-related decorative ornaments, tools, custom compositions, plant food, plants and pesticides;    means inputting customer selection of decorative ornaments, tools, custom compositions, plant food, plants and pesticides;    means for compounding custom compositions in response to said selection; and    means to dispense at least one of decorative ornaments, tools, compositions, plant food, plants and pesticides in response to said input customer selection.    
   
   
       61 . The vending system according to  claim 60 , wherein plants are selected from the group consisting of vegetative plants, seeds, bulbs, tubers, corms, rhizomes and roots.