摘要:
Accordingly to an embodiment, a method includes providing an offer to receive a benefit in lieu of receiving change that is due from a transaction with a vending machine.
摘要:
According to some embodiments, an allocation of inventory for a vending machine (e.g., a mix or set of types of products and respective quantities of products to be loaded into a snack or beverage vending machine) is determined.
摘要:
A wagering method is provided that allows players or gaming establishments to specify conditions which when satisfied, reconfigure the gaming device to change game play from a first game to a second game. The condition may depend upon the value of a parameter -generally related to game play—to determine if the condition is valid and triggers the reconfiguration. The second game may be selected from a game on the same gaming device, from a game on a different gaming device, or a game played by a specific player.
摘要:
One embodiment of the present invention provides for a method comprising determining sales data associated with a sales device (e.g., a vending machine) and adjusting a level of sensitivity of a currency validator based on the sales data.
摘要:
According to an embodiment, a jackpot may be available as a prize and/or incentive via a vending machine. In some embodiments, a network of vending machines may contribute to and/or define the jackpot.
摘要:
A customer acquisition system is disclosed that allows an offeror service provider to acquire new customers by making acquisition offers to customers through the billing statements of other businesses (“billing statement issuers”). An “acquisition offer” is an offer by the offeror service provider to pay an amount owed by the customer to the billing statement issuer, or a portion thereof, provided the customer agrees to become a customer of the offeror service provider. Predetermined criteria are used to automatically include an acquisition offer for eligible potential new customers of the offeror service provider with a billing statement or on associated promotional materials, and allows the customer to accept the acquisition offer using the billing statement. The customer acquisition system optionally ensures that the customer is not an existing customer of the offeror service provider before extending an acquisition offer. The acquisition offers can be tailored to the amount owed by the customer, and targeted to customers based on financial, geographic or historical data.
摘要:
One or more proxy bidders is associated with a rule which determines a time to place a bid. The proxy bidder places a bid at the determined time, instead of immediately after the bidder's prior bid is exceeded. Such rules may be selected for all proxy bidders to encourage a desired auction behavior. By controlling the placement of bids based on rules associated with the desired auction behavior, bids may be placed in a manner that seems natural and competitive to bidders in the auction when, in fact, they are placed in accordance with the selected rules. The desired auction behavior may be selected statically for an auction or dynamically during the auction. Historical auction data maybe analyzed to characterize the behavior of an auction, such as the average period of time between bids and the average increment between bids. Rules may be generated to correspond to a behavior so as to provide the same average time and increment between bids.
摘要:
In accordance with one or more embodiments, a method for outputting a confirmation message at a gaming device is presented. The method comprises determining whether a trigger condition has occurred, outputting a confirmation message at a gaming device, determining a response to the confirmation message, and initiating play at the gaming device.
摘要:
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for issuing and redeeming a gift certificate drawn on a credit card or other financial account. The present invention includes a first aspect directed to a merchant card authorization terminal and a second aspect directed to a credit card issuer central controller. According to the first aspect, a method for redeeming a gift certificate drawn on a financial account is disclosed including the steps of receiving a gift certificate for payment of an identified value, transmitting a request for authorization to a central server, receiving an authorization signal, representing an indication that redemption of the gift certificate is authorized, from said central server and receiving a payment from the account issuer based on said identified value. A system is also disclosed for implementing the methods in all aspects of the present invention.
摘要:
According to some embodiments, systems, methods, and/or articles of manufacture are associated with identifying a product associated with a first rebate, the first rebate being redeemable by mailing a predetermined document associated with the first rebate to a first entity associated with the product, determining whether a second rebate is associated with the product, wherein the second rebate is not identified by the predetermined document associated with the first rebate, offering, in the case that the second rebate is determined to be associated with the product, the second rebate to a consumer in exchange for the first rebate, and issuing the second rebate to the consumer in exchange for the first rebate. Embodiments may also or alternatively be associated with obtaining and/or altering the predetermined document, surrendered or provided by the consumer at a retailer terminal operated by a second entity, such that the consumer can no longer redeem the first rebate by mailing the document to the first entity.