A method for processing a payment transaction implemented by an autonomous electronic device for processing payment transactions, called a payment kiosk. The payment kiosk includes a processor connected to at least one rendering device for rendering offers of items or services being vended and linked to at least one communications interface and to at least one contactless payment terminal. The a method includes: transmission, by a browser installed within the payment kiosk, of a request for obtaining contents made to a contents server; reception, by the browser, coming from the contents server, of an HTML content including at least one payment tag; processing the HTML content, delivering a view of the HTML content on the at least one rendering device; and preparation, by anticipation, by the contactless payment terminal, of at least one payment transaction as a function of data attributes of the at least one payment tag.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to provide power to devices are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a display and an instruction presenter. The presenter is to generate a notification on the display. The notification indicates that delivery of power to the user device will be enabled in exchange for paying attention to the display during a media presentation. The apparatus also includes a detector to determine that a person associated with the user device is paying attention to the display. The charging station is to transmit power to the user device in response to the detector determining that the person is paying attention to the display.

A mobile device with a display, processor(s), and memory: displays promotional offers; detects a user input selecting one of the promotional offers; and initiates performance of a transaction with an automatic retail machine to purchase a product stocked by the automatic retail machine. The mobile device also: receives a transaction completion notification from the payment module indicating that the product corresponding to the selected promotional offer was vended by the automatic retail machine; and, in response to receiving the transaction completion notification, provides a prompt to the user of the mobile device to obtain a product code for the vended product to validate the promotional offer. The mobile device further: obtains the product code for the vended product; transmits the product code to the server; and, in response: receives promotion validation information from the server; and displays the promotion validation information indicating whether the respective promotion offer was validated.

Systems and methods provide for personalizing interaction between a provider using a integrated knowledge management (KM) system that tracks data exchanged between users and the provider over multiple communication channels. User requests to a provider can made via multiple different incoming channels, such as by using ATMs, PDAs, cell phones, computers accessing web sites or other Web Devices, Voice Response Units (VRUs), and others. User requests submitted over these multiple channels are routed into an integrated KM system that services these requests and selects personalized offers and/or personalized content and/or personalized format presentation to be provided to the users.

Embodiments of the disclosed technology comprise a cloud-hosted central service platform that interfaces and enables access to both central and distributed resources and peripherals for connected mobile applications. For example, this platform allows service providers and application developers to create a large number of new classes of applications, leveraging web access to devices, sensors, and/or actuators of any kind. This platform can be applied to virtually any vertical segment. Any of the disclosed features or aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be used in various combinations and subcombinations with one another or with other methods, apparatus, and systems.

Example gesture based cross-channel commerce retail systems and methods are provided. Some of the example systems and methods permit a consumer to complete a Store Pick Up order, i.e., an order placed by the consumer via computer, mobile device, telephone, fax, mail-order, etc., by gesturing with a mobile device near a digital kiosk and optical sensor at a store pick up location. The mobile device and/or the digital kiosk may display media content to the consumer while the consumer completes the Store Pick Up order. In another example system, a digital kiosk is located in a public area such as an airport, shopping mall, train station, or stadium. The digital kiosk displays media content to the consumer, and the consumer may transfer to a mobile device such media by gesturing with the mobile device near the digital kiosk.

Example embodiments of systems and methods for data transmission system between transmitting and receiving devices are provided. In an embodiment, each of the transmitting and receiving devices can contain a master key. The transmitting device can generate a diversified key using the master key, protect a counter value and encrypt data prior to transmitting to the receiving device, which can generate the diversified key based on the master key and can decrypt the data and validate the protected counter value using the diversified key.

A virtual golf system includes: a course creation device that creates original course data representing a virtual golf course on the basis of design information designated by a first user; and a management device that manages a course data group including the original course data and provides, to a simulation device, course data selected from the course data group by a second user who differs from the first user, the simulation device projecting, on a screen, a virtual golf course representing the selected course data and reproducing, on the screen, a trajectory of a golf ball corresponding to a shot hit by the second user, and the management device adds, to the original course data, advertisement data representing an advertisement which is to be placed at a location on the virtual golf course or on an item on the virtual golf course.

One variation of a method for controlling access to products from a vending machine includes: locking a door of the vending machine; recording an initial inventory of products arranged within the vending machine based on signals received by a radio antenna arranged within the vending machine and read by a radio frequency identification reader; initiating a transaction in response to receiving a cashless payment mechanism from a patron; unlocking the door in response to authentication of the cashless payment mechanism; in response to closure of the door, recording a final inventory of products within the vending machine based on signals received by the radio antenna and read by the radio frequency identification reader; and initiating a payment with the cashless payment mechanism for a difference between the initial inventory and the final inventory to complete the transaction.

A parking locator system providing variably priced parking includes one or more parking sensors and one or more parking kiosks. The parking sensors may generate parking information identifying one or more occupied parking spaces and one or more unoccupied parking spaces within a vicinity. Promotion information including one or more discounts to parking fees may be received at the parking kiosks. The parking kiosks may display the discounted parking fees and receive payment of the same. The discounts to parking fees may expire at particular times. The size of the discounts may be set based on traffic congestion, which may be determined based on the number of occupied parking spaces within the vicinity.