Method for dynamically adjusting a price of a vended product

Abstract

One variation of a method for dynamically pricing vended products includes: identifying a purchase pattern of a user at a vending machine; in response to an approaching sell-by date for a unit of a product loaded into the vending machine and based on the purchase pattern, setting a discount rate for the unit of the product for the user; transmitting an electronic communication to an account associated with the user, the electronic communication indicating the discount rate for the unit of the product; identifying the user in a transaction initiated at the vending machine; and in response to selection of the unit of the product from the vending machine during the transaction, initiating a payment with a payment mechanism supplied by the user according to the discount rate.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method for dynamically pricing vended products, comprising:
 identifying a purchase pattern of a user at a vending machine;   in response to an approaching sell-by date for a unit of a product loaded into the vending machine and based on the purchase pattern, setting a discount rate for the unit of the product for the user;   transmitting an electronic communication to an account associated with the user, the electronic communication indicating the discount rate for the unit of the product;   identifying the user in a transaction initiated at the vending machine; and   in response to selection of the unit of the product from the vending machine during the transaction, initiating a payment with a payment mechanism supplied by the user according to the discount rate.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the discount rate for the unit of the product comprises setting a timer for selection of the unit of the product by the user, and wherein initiating the payment with the payment mechanism supplied comprises applying the discount rate to the transaction initiated at the vending machine prior to expiration of the timer. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising, in response to expiration of the timer, decreasing the discount rate for the unit for the user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising, in response to expiration of the timer prior to the sell-by date, identifying as interest in the product by a second user based on a purchase history of the second user at the vending machine, setting a second discount rate for the unit of the product for the second user according to the interest of the second user, and transmitting a second electronic communication to an account associated with the second user, the second electronic communication indicating the product and the second discount rate for the unit of the product. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the purchase pattern of the user comprises detecting a set of mobile computing devices within a threshold proximity of the vending machine and selecting a mobile computing device, from the set of mobile computing devices, linked to the account of the user based on a transaction history of the user at the vending machine. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein identifying the purchase pattern of the user comprises predicting a user interest in the product based on the transaction history of the user, and wherein setting the discount rate for the unit of the product for the user comprises setting a price for the unit at a discounted price predicted to provoke the user to purchase the unit of the product prior to the sell-by date based on the user interest in the product. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the discount rate for the unit of the product comprises assigning a discounted price for the unit of the product to a transaction with the user and assigning an original price for the unit of the product to a transaction with a second user, the original price greater than the discounted price, and a second purchase pattern associated with the second user indicating fewer transactions with the vending machine than the purchase pattern associated with the user. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the purchase pattern for the product by the user comprises identifying, from a purchase history of the user, a daily time window during which the user historically initiates a transactions within a set of local vending machine comprising the vending machine, and wherein transmitting the electronic communication comprises transmitting the electronic communication to the user within a threshold time prior to the daily time window on a current day and prior to the sell-by date. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein transmitting the electronic communication comprises transmitting the electronic communication that further identifies the vending machine within the set of local vending machines. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein transmitting the electronic communication comprises transmitting an electronic notification to a mobile computing device associated with the user, and further comprising transmitting a receipt for the transaction to the mobile computing device in response to completion of the transaction. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the discount rate for the unit of the product comprises inventorying a set of foodstuffs arranged on a particular shelf within the vending machine, the set of foodstuffs comprising the unit of the product, retrieving sell-by dates for the set of foodstuffs from a remote server, identifying a current time as within a threshold time of the sell-by date of the unit, and setting a percentage discount across the set of foodstuffs, wherein transmitting the electronic communication comprises transmitting the electronic communication indicating the percentage discount for the set of foodstuffs arranged on the particular shelf within the vending machine. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising setting a visual indicator coupled to the particular shelf to visually distinguish the percentage discount applicable to items arranged on the particular shelf from a second discount applicable to items arranged on a second shelf within the vending machine. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising locking a door of the vending machine, recording an initial inventory of products arranged within the vending machine, initiating the transaction in response to receiving the payment mechanism from the user, unlocking the door in response to authentication of the payment mechanism, and recording a final inventory of foodstuffs within the vending machine in response to closure of the door, wherein identifying the user in the transaction comprises identifying the user from the payment mechanism supplied by the user, and wherein initiating the payment comprises initiating the payment with the payment mechanism for a difference between the initial inventory and the final inventory. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein recording the initial inventory of products arranged within the vending machine comprises broadcasting a power signal into a volume of the vending machine containing the unit of the product, receiving a signal from a wireless transmitter arranged on the unit of the product, and identifying the unit stored within the vending machine based on the signal and product data stored on a computer network, and wherein setting the discount rate for the unit of the product comprises calculating the sell-by date according to a scheduled delivery of an additional unit of the product to the vending machine. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein initiating the payment comprises detecting removal of the unit of the product from the vending machine based on the difference between the initial inventory and the final inventory, and further comprising transmitting a restock order for the vending machine to a product supplier in response to removal of the unit of the product from the vending machine. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein transmitting the electronic communication to the user comprises transmitting the electronic communication indicating a number of units of the product currently stored in the vending machine. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein transmitting the electronic communication to the user comprises transmitting the electronic communication to a computing device linked to the account of the user, and further comprising receiving from the user a reservation for the unit in the number of units through the computing device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the purchase pattern of the user comprises collecting a transaction history of the user with a set of vending machines within a geographic location, the set of vending machines comprising the vending machine, and wherein setting the discount rate for the unit of the product comprises setting the discount rate for the product vended from each vending machine in the set of vending machines within the geographic location. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the discount rate for the unit of the product comprises calculating the sell-by date for the unit of the product according to detected temperatures within a volume of the vending machine over a period of time in which the unit is stored within the volume of the vending machine. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein setting the discount rate for the unit of the product comprises identifying a dietary restriction of the user, downloading a list of ingredients contained within the product, and setting the discount rate for the unit of the product containing the list of ingredients that do not conflict with the dietary restriction for the user.