Interactive self-service vending system

A stand-alone interactive self-service kiosk for underwriting, creating and issuing insurance policies directly to customers without external authorization, said kiosk comprising:

• a kiosk housing;
• a data base in the kiosk housing for storing data as to available insurance policies, insurance premiums, insurance eligibility criteria, insurance underwriting criteria, insurance policy texts, insurance policy application data, policies sold, and receipts;
• an interactive multimedia device in said kiosk housing operable for conducting a dialogue with the customer, without any external control;
• a computer in said kiosk housing for, in response to the interactive multimedia device:
• establishing a customer's initial eligibility for insurance based on dialogue with the customer and on insurance underwriting criteria stored in said data base,
• quoting premiums for an amount and time period of coverage indicated by the customer during said dialogue,
• determining whether said customer meets more stringent underwriting criteria for said particular coverage indicated by the customer during said dialogue, and
• soliciting a decision by said customer as to purchase of insurance for which said customer is eligible and for which the customer has met the underwriting criteria;
• a device for receiving a customer's payment card for payment of the insurance;
• a verification system for capturing information corresponding to the person taking out the insurance policy, said verification system includes a device for capturing a signature of the customer on a copy of final, issued insurance policy;
• a printer in said kiosk housing for printing a final, issued insurance policy for said insurance, conditioned on full payment by the customer;
• a device in said kiosk housing for delivering said printed final, issued insurance policy to said customer through the kiosk housing;
• said device for capturing said customer's signature on a copy of said final, issued insurance policy comprises a device for causing said printer to Print said final, issued insurance, said printed final, issued insurance policy having a customer's copy portion and an insurance company's copy portion and, after said final, issued insurance policy is delivered to said customer at the kiosk, causing said interactive multimedia device to instruct the customer to separate said printed final, issued insurance policy into said customer's copy portion and said insurance company's copy portion, to keep the customer's copy portion, to sign the insurance company's copy portion and to return the signed insurance company's copy portion to said kiosk;
• and
• a memory in said kiosk which stores captured information and other information obtained through dialogue with the customer regarding the insurance coverage.