Systems and Methods for Vending Machine Control Using a Digital Panel

A method for providing feedback from a vending machine, the method comprising:

• receiving a selection of an item;
• confirming a digital purchase order for the selected item;
• forwarding the confirmed digital purchase order to a vending machine controller (VMC) of the vending machine;
• assessing change information for the digital purchase order, wherein the assessing is based at least on price and availability changes for the selected item in a prices and items database;
• determining if sufficient payment has been received at the vending machine for the selected item, wherein the determining is based on comparing a received payment to a price retrieved for the selected item from the prices and items database;
• initiating communication, by a communication module to access item delivery information;
• determining, based on the delivery information, if a delivery is confirmed for the selected item;
• and
• in response to determining that the delivery is not confirmed, displaying a message on a display of a computing device conveying the reason the selected item could not be delivered and prompting for an alternate another selection.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon for providing real time feedback from a vending machine, executable on a computing device, the instructions comprising

• instructions for receiving a selection of an item;
• instructions for confirming a digital purchase order for the selected item;
• instructions for forwarding the confirmed digital purchase order to a vending machine controller (VMC) of the vending machine;
• instructions for assessing change information for the digital purchase order, wherein the assessing is based at least on price and availability changes for the selected item in a prices and items database;
• instructions for determining if sufficient payment has been received at the vending machine for the selected item, wherein the determining is based on comparing a received payment to a price retrieved for the selected item from the prices and items database;
• instructions for initiating communication, by a communication module to access item delivery information;
• instructions for determining, based on the delivery information, if a delivery is confirmed for the selected item;
• and
• in response to determining that the delivery is not confirmed, instructions for displaying a message on a display of a computing device conveying the reason the selected item could not be delivered and prompting for an alternate another selection.