GB2642511A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A vending machine 100 for dispensing gemstones comprises a housing unit 110 to store a plurality of gemstone, storage circuitry (130, fig 2) to store gemstone information and pricing information, a display unit 120 to display one or more images comprising at least some of the gemstone information and processing circuitry (140, fig 2) to receive one or more inputs indicative of selection by a user to select a respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones. Control circuitry (150, fig 2) is configured to control the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to an extraction port 160 in response to selection of the respective gemstone and received payment for the respective gemstone by a payment unit 170. The vending machine may comprise communication circuitry to enable the ending machine to receive updated pricing information from a server (700, fig 7) via a network (710, fig 7).

Description

[0001] VENDING MACHINE

[0002] Field of the Disclosure

[0003] The present disclosure relates to vending machines. In particular, the present disclosure relates to vending machine apparatus, systems and methods for dispensing gemstones.

[0004] Description of the Prior Art

[0005] The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior against the

[0006] present disclosure.

[0007] Vending machines (sometimes referred to as automatic vending machines) are typically arranged in public spaces for vending of various products such as food, beverages and other suitable items. Buttons and other similar inputs are provided for interfacing with the vending machines to instruct vending of a product and typical payment methods may use coin, bank note and bank card payment.

[0008] Vending machines are generally formed of a housing including shelves for carrying items and a mechanism, such as a coil, grabber or other suitable mechanism, controlled by one or more electric motors for allowing dispending of items. Traditional vending machines rely on users viewing each of the available items via a transparent window so as to browse prior to purchasing.

[0009] Whilst such browsing can be effective for suitably sized products such as food items and beverages, for gemstones (such as diamonds) there is often little, if anything, to be gained from observation by the human eye from such distances.

[0010] It is in this context that the present disclosure arises. Summary of Invention Various aspects and features of the present disclosure are defined in the appended claims and within the text of the accompanying description. Example embodiments include at least a vending machine apparatus, a vending machine system, a method, a computer program and a machine-readable, non-transitory storage medium which stores such a computer program.

[0011] An aspect of the present disclosure provides a vending machine for dispensing gemstones, the vending machine comprising: a housing unit to store a plurality of gemstones; storage circuitry to store gemstone information and pricing information; a display unit to display one or more images comprising at least some of the gemstone information; processing circuitry to receive one or more user inputs indicative of selection by a user with respect to one or more of the images and select a respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones; and control circuitry, wherein in response to selection of the respective gemstone and received payment for the respective gemstone, the control circuitry is configured to control the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to an extraction port, the extraction port being accessible to the user.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-implemented method for a vending machine comprising a housing unit storing a plurality of gemstones and storage circuitry storing gemstone information and pricing information, the method comprising: displaying one or more images comprising at least some of the gemstone information; receiving one or more inputs indicative of selection by a user with respect to one or more of the images; selecting a respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones in dependence on one or more of the user inputs; and responsive to the selecting of the respective gemstone and receiving payment for the respective gemstone, controlling the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to an extraction port accessible to the user.

[0013] Brief Description of the Drawinas

[0014] A more complete appreciation of the disclosure and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a front view of a vending 25 machine; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating parts of the vending machine; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example image that may be displayed by a display unit; Figures 4 and 5 are schematic flowcharts illustrating methods for interacting with the vending machine; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of association information; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system comprising the vending machine and a server; Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an arrangement in which the vending machine comprises one or more image sensors; and Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a method for the vending machine. Description of the embodiments In the following description, a number of specific details are presented in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to a person skilled in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice the present invention. Conversely, specific details known to the person skilled in the art are omitted for the purposes of clarity where appropriate.

[0015] Sales of gemstones (such as diamonds) have previously been restricted to traditional shop-based sales. This is at least partly because there is an added degree of complexity for gemstones compared to sales of mass-produced items such as food items and beverages. Sales of gemstones may typically involve a manual evaluation process for each gemstone and negotiation between shop staff and customers. Furthermore, shop-based sales typically incur both the expense and environmental impact associated with running a shop premises.

[0016] Embodiments of the disclosure provide a vending machine for dispensing gemstones. The vending machine may dispense any suitable type of gemstone. Examples of suitable gemstones include diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and other similar precious stones. Comparative to traditional shop-based sales, the vending machine in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure is capable of dispensing gemstones and has a reduced operating cost and environmental impact.

[0017] In some examples, the vending machine may store a mixture of different types of gemstones for providing a range of options. In other examples, the vending machine may store one specific type of gemstone. A vending machine may be provided which stores only diamonds and a potentially wide range of different diamonds may be available at the vending machine. In some examples, a vending machine may be provided which stores diamonds, in which the diamonds may each be loose diamonds and/or one or more of the diamonds may be part of a jewellery item. The term loose diamond refers to a diamond without an accompanying element (e.g. a ring or other similar structure). In particular, a vending machine may be provided which stores diamonds, in which each stored diamond is a round brilliant cut diamond. In some cases, each of the stored diamonds may have been graded and certified (e.g. GIA graded and certified). In some cases, each of the stored diamonds may be triple X (or triple excellent) in terms of cut, polish and symmetry and may have a range of different weights.

[0018] In the following discussion, the techniques of the present disclosure will generally be discussed with reference to a vending machine for dispensing diamonds. However, it will be appreciated that the techniques of the present disclosure are not limited to diamonds and references herein to diamonds can be interchanged with references to other suitable types of gemstones. Hence, any references herein to diamonds can be interchanged with reference to gemstones, and vice versa.

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a front view of a vending machine 100. In the example of Figure 1, the vending machine has a housing 110 having a generally rectangular front profile. The housing may have any suitable shape and is not limited to the example shown in Figure 1. The housing may have any suitable number of external walls for enclosing the components of the vending machine. The housing may be made of any suitable material. For example, galvanised steel and other suitable materials may be used for the housing.

[0020] The vending machine 100 also comprises a display unit 120 for displaying one or more images to a user. The display unit may have any suitable dimensions and image resolution (number of pixels) for allowing display of 2D digital images to a user. For example, the display unit may be operable to display 20 images with an image resolution such as 2160p, 1440p, 1080p, 720p or any other suitable image resolution.

[0021] Figure 1 represents an example of the display unit 120. The display unit may have a smaller or larger relative size than that shown in Figure 1. In some examples, the display unit may be provided in a recessed portion of the housing 110 for enhanced user privacy. In some examples, the vending machine may comprise two or more display units. For example, the vending machine may comprise a first display unit (e.g. display unit 120 in Figure 1) and a second display unit, in which the second display unit may be arranged below the first display unit or on a lateral sidewall of the vending machine (not shown in Figure 1). The first and second display units may be used to display different information (e.g. different information types). For example, the first display unit 120 may display user interface (UI) images to be viewed by a user for allowing selection and purchasing of items (gemstones) from the vending machine, whereas the second display unit may display general information for gemstones (such as pricings for gemstones, or live-pricing information for gemstones, or in some cases a real-time price index for diamonds).

[0022] More generally, the vending machine 100 comprises at least one display unit. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the display unit 120 may be a touchscreen operable to detect touch input from a user. Touch input from a user may be used to provide selection input with respect to information included in the display images. Hence, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the vending machine may comprise a touchscreen to display one or more images comprising gemstone information and to receive touch input indicative of selection by a user with respect to one or more of the images.

[0023] Alternatively or in addition, in some embodiments of the disclosure the vending machine may comprise one or more input units (not shown in Figure 1) for receiving user inputs. For example, one or more buttons (user actuated buttons), one or more touchpads and/or one or more control sticks (e.g. joysticks) may be provided for allowing user input to the vending machine. For example, a mouse pointer in a display image may be controlled by a user using any of buttons, touchpads, control stick(s) or a touchscreen, or any combination thereof to provide selection input.

[0024] Alternatively or in addition, the vending machine may comprise one or more audio sensors for allowing user input comprising one or more voice commands. The vending machine may execute one or more voice recognition algorithms (e.g. any suitable natural language processing algorithm) to detect voice commands based on speech input. Alternatively or in addition, the vending machine may comprise one or more cameras for capturing one or more images of a region expected for a user when operating the vending machine. One or more cameras can be arranged with a field-of-view (FOV) for capturing images including a user. In this way, gesture input by the user can be detected. The vending machine may execute one or more gesture recognition algorithms for detecting one or more gestures by a user in a captured image sequence. For example, one or more gestures may be detected based on hand movements and/or head movements in a captured image sequence. In some cases, one or more of the cameras may be used for security purposes. For example, a live image feed may be communicated to a remote user for security monitoring purposes.

[0025] Hence more generally, the vending machine 100 comprises input means for allowing user input to the vending machine. The input means may comprise one or more of: one or more touchscreens, one or more buttons, one or more control sticks, one or more touchpads, one or more audio sensors, and one or more cameras. The vending machine comprises processing circuitry (e.g. one or more CPUs) for processing user inputs, as discussed in more detail below.

[0026] The vending machine 100 also comprises an extraction port 160. The vending machine is operable to dispense a gemstone to the extraction port, in which the extraction port is accessible to a user. The extraction port is shown in Figure 1 as having a rectangular shape and being positioned at a lower portion of the vending machine. The shape and positioning of the extraction port is not particularly limited.

[0027] The vending machine 100 also comprises a payment unit 170. The payment unit 170 may support any suitable payment method. Vending machine payment methods are generally known and are not discussed in specific detail. The payment unit 170 may be operable to process any of a cash payment, a chip card payment and a mobile device payment and generate a signal indicative of a received payment. The payment unit 170 may comprise a card reader for supporting chip-and-PIN payment and/or a near-field-communication (NFC) reader for supporting chip card and mobile device (e.g. smartphone) payment. The vending machine may communicate with one or remote servers (e.g. merchant servers and card issuer servers) to process a payment.

[0028] Hence more generally, payment can be instructed by a user via the payment unit 170 and in response to a received payment (e.g. cash payment or transfer of funds from an account to a merchant account) the payment unit is operable to generate a signal indicative of received payment. In some cases, a digital wallet (also referred to as a software wallet) storing financial information (e.g. credit and/or debit card information, and/or cryptocurrency account information) on a mobile device (e.g. smartphone device, tablet or smartwatch) may be used as a payment method. In particular, a near-field-communication chip of the vending machine may communicate with a near-field-communication chip of the mobile device for allowing payment using a digital wallet. In some cases, the payment unit 170 may support payment using cryptocurrency (such as Bitcoin0). For example, a digital cryptocurrency wallet may be used for payment. In particular, a digital cryptocurrency wallet with encryption (e.g. two-step encryption) for storing one or more private keys for accessing crypto coins may be used. More generally, the payment unit 170 can be operable to communicate with a mobile device via NFC for a digital wallet payment.

[0029] The vending machine 100 is operable to store a plurality of gemstones. The gemstones may be packaged in any suitable form. For example, the housing unit may be capable of storing a number of gemstones in the range of 10-500. In some examples, the housing unit may be operable to store up to 100 gemstones. The housing unit may comprise a storage unit (e.g. one or more trays) with positions (e.g. respective compartments) for up to 100 packaged gemstones such that the vending machine can dispense a packaged gemstone from any of the positions. A plastic casing may be used to enclose a respective gemstone, or a presentation box may be used in a similar manner. During use of the vending machine, in response to selection of a respective gemstone and payment being received, the vending machine is operable to dispense that respective gemstone to the extraction port 160.

[0030] Various vending machine mechanisms exist for dispensing a product. The vending machine 100 may use any suitable dispensing mechanism. For example, the gemstones may be individually packaged and held in place within a portion of the housing 110 by respective structures (e.g. rods, coils and so on). For example, the individual packages may be arranged in rows in a tray. Using electric motors, one or more respective structures can be moved as needed in order to dispense a respective gemstone. More generally, the control circuitry is operable to control the vending machine (e.g. by controlling one or more electric motors) to dispense a respective gemstone.

[0031] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the vending machine 100 may comprise a housing having a transparent portion (e.g. one or more transparent window portions). The transparent portion can potentially allow viewing of one or more gemstones prior to purchase. For example, in response to user inputs, the vending machine may be controlled to position a gemstone within a portion of the housing 110 being viewable to a user via the transparent portion.

[0032] In other embodiments of the disclosure, the vending machine 100 does not comprise a transparent portion for the housing. Moreover, in some embodiments of the disclosure the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing are not capable of being viewed from outside the vending machine. The plurality of gemstones may be concealed from observation by the vending machine such that observation may be permitted only for a dispensed gemstone.

[0033] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the vending machine 100 may have a housing defining an enclosed region suitable for accommodating a user (not shown in Figure 1). For example, the housing 110 may define a compartment (e.g. booth) for allowing user privacy. The compartment may optionally include a chair or other similar seating.

[0034] The display unit 120 displays images for allowing selection by a user with respect to one or more of the images. The images include gemstone information indicative of one or more gemstone properties. As explained in more detail below, one or more images may include gemstone information indicative of gemstone properties for one or more gemstones in the vending machine. Alternatively or in addition, one or more images may include gemstone information for gemstone categories.

[0035] A plurality of different gemstone categories may be defined according to one or more gemstone properties. In some cases, the vending machine may store at least one gemstone for each of a plurality of gemstone categories (e.g. a 1:1 correspondence). In other cases, the vending machine may not store a gemstone for some of the plurality of gemstone categories. The gemstone categories may be predetermined gemstone categories defined in advance and irrespective of the specific contents of the vending machine. Upon setting up or re-stocking the machine, gemstones in the vending machine can be associated with the corresponding gemstone categories (e.g. storage circuitry may store association information which can be input by a user when restocking the machine -such as using the display unit 120 in a setup mode -to associate a given gemstone with a respective gemstone category). In some embodiments of the disclosure, the gemstone categories may be predetermined diamond categories corresponding to the 100 diamond categories associated with the USDE 100 index, which is discussed in more detail later.

[0036] The vending machine 100 comprises storage circuitry to store at least gemstone information and pricing information. The storage circuitry may comprise any suitable memory. Non-volatile memory (such as flash memory) and/or volatile memory (such as SRAM or DRAM) may be used. The storage circuitry is accessible to processing circuitry (e.g. one or more CPUs).

[0037] The gemstone information stored by the storage circuitry may be input by a user when setting up or stocking the machine and/or via live updates via a communications network. This is discussed in more detail later. There are number of possibilities for the gemstone information and pricing information.

[0038] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the gemstone information is indicative of one or more gemstone properties for a respective gemstone in the vending machine and the pricing information is indicative of a gemstone price (e.g. in USD or any suitable currency) for that respective gemstone. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the gemstone information is indicative of one or more gemstone properties for each respective gemstone in the vending machine and the pricing information is indicative of a gemstone price for each respective gemstone in the vending machine. In some cases, a single price value may be stored for each of the plurality of gemstones in a base currency, and a currency exchange calculation may be used for conversion to price values in suitable currencies.

[0039] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the gemstone information is indicative of one or more properties for a gemstone category and the pricing information is indicative of at least one of a price per unit weight for the gemstone category and/or a single price value for the gemstone category. The gemstone information for a gemstone category may be indicative of one or more properties such as one or more of a weight (or weight range), a clarity (or clarity range), a cut (or cut range) and a colour (or colour range). For example, the storage circuitry 130 may store gemstone information for one or more of: a gemstone weight categorisation, a gemstone weight-colour classification, a gemstone weight-clarity classification, a gemstone weight-cut classification, a gemstone weight-colour-clarity classification and so on.

[0040] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the storage circuitry may store gemstone information indicative of at least a weight range for a gemstone category and the pricing information may be indicative of a price per unit weight for the gemstone category. Storage of gemstone information for one or more gemstone categories and pricing information indicative of price per unit weight for gemstone categories can contribute to a number of technical advantages associated with improving ease and speed of setup, maintenance and restocking, as well as improved efficiency of operation. Techniques involving gemstone categories are discussed in more detail later.

[0041] The vending machine 100 also comprises processing circuitry for performing processing operations for selecting a gemstone to be dispensed according to one or more user inputs with respect to one or more of the images displayed by the display unit 120. The vending machine also comprises control circuitry for controlling the vending machine to dispense a gemstone. In some examples, the processing circuitry and control circuitry may be implemented as physically separate processor components (e.g. separate IC chips). For example, the control circuitry may be implemented as a separate microcontroller. In other examples, the processing circuitry and control circuitry may be implemented by a same processor component, such as a system-on-chip (SoC).

[0042] Figure 2 schematically illustrates an example of components for the vending machine including the display unit 120, the storage circuitry 130, the processing circuitry 140 (e.g. one or more CPUs) and the control circuitry 150 (e.g. one or more CPUs). In the following discussion, operations discussed with respect to the processing circuitry 140 generally refer to operations responsive to user inputs for selecting a gemstone. Operations discussed with respect to the control circuitry 150 generally refer to operations for controlling the vending machine to dispense a gemstone for which payment has been received. The control circuitry 150 is operable to control the vending machine to dispense a respective gemstone to the extraction port, in response to selection of the respective gemstone by the processing circuitry and received payment for the respective gemstone. It will be appreciated that the processing circuitry and control circuity may be implemented by a same processing unit or by separate processing units. More generally, the vending machine comprises one or more processors (generally a multi-core processor) for performing the operations.

[0043] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a vending machine comprising: a housing unit (e.g. 110) to store a plurality of gemstones; storage circuitry (e.g. 130) to store gemstone information and pricing information; a display unit (e.g. 120) to display one or more images comprising at least some of the gemstone information; processing circuitry (e.g. 140) to receive one or more user inputs indicative of selection by a user with respect to one or more of the images and select a respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones; and control circuitry (e.g. 150), wherein in response to selection of the respective gemstone and received payment for the respective gemstone, the control circuitry is configured to control the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to an extraction port (e.g. 160), the extraction port being accessible to the user.

[0044] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the display unit 120 may display one or more images comprising gemstone information for one or more of the gemstones stored in the vending machine. An image may be displayed which lists some (or all) of the gemstones available for purchase and at least some of the properties of those gemstones. For example, an image may comprise diamond information indicative of one or more properties for one or more respective diamonds. The diamond information may be indicative of properties including one or more of: weight (e.g. in units of carat), clarity, cut, colour, polish, symmetry and/or fluorescence. Optionally, a price may also be displayed, or the price may be displayed in response to selection by the user with respect to a diamond. Optionally, the pricing information may also be included in the one or more images, or pricing information may be displayed responsive to selection of a respective diamond.

[0045] The display unit 120 may display at least one image comprising gemstone information for a plurality of gemstone categories. Properties such as weight, colour, inclusions (also referred to as clarity), transparency/opacity, cut, polish and symmetry may be used (e.g. by jewellers and/or recognised institutes) to categorise gemstones. For some coloured gemstone types, colour may be sub-divided into intensity, hue and saturation for categorisation. Generally, the following discussion will refer to diamonds when discussing gemstone categories (specifically diamond categories), however it will be appreciated that such techniques are not limited to diamonds and may be applicable to other types of gemstones.

[0046] Weight (carat), clarity, colour, cut, polish, symmetry and fluorescence are properties used for diamond grading by recognised institutes. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a recognised institute that grades diamonds according to these properties. Other similar institutes also exist for grading of diamonds. Carat represents a measure of the weight of a diamond. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. The clarity scale (or inclusion scale) may be as follows: flawless (FL), internally flawless (IF), very very slightly included (VVS1, VVS2), very slightly included (VS1, VS2), slightly included (SI1, S12), and included (11, 12, 13). The cut scale may be as follows: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. The colour scale may range from D-Z, with D-F being considered colourless, G-J being considered near colourless, K-M being considered faint, N-R being considered very light, and S-Z being considered light. A so-called triple X (or triple excellent) diamond is graded as excellent for each of cut, polish and symmetry.

[0047] The display unit 120 may display at least one image comprising gemstone information (e.g. diamond information) for a plurality of gemstone categories (e.g. diamond categories). The diamond information for a respective diamond category may include one or more of weight information, clarity information, colour information, cut information, polish information, symmetry information and fluorescence information, and any combination thereof. For example, an image may display gemstone information including a weight range (carat range), clarity (or clarity range), cut (or cut range) and colour (or colour range) for a respective diamond category. In some cases, an image may display gemstone information including only different weight categories for diamonds (e.g. it may be assumed that each category is for a triple X diamond of round shape with different categories corresponding to different weight ranges). Optionally, pricing information may also be included in the images, or pricing information may be displayed responsive to selection of a respective diamond category. The display unit 120 may display an image comprising first diamond information for a first diamond category and second diamond information for a second diamond category. For example, the first diamond category may have the following properties: weight range: 0.30 to 0.39 carats, colour: D, clarity: IF, cut/polish/symmetry: Ex, Ex, Ex, fluorescence: none. The second diamond category may have the following properties: weight range: 0.60 to 0.69 carats, colour: F, clarity: SI1, cut/polish/symmetry: Ex, Ex, Ex, fluorescence: none. This represents an example of different diamond properties for two different diamond categories.

[0048] Moreover, the display unit 120 may display an image comprising diamond information for each of a plurality of diamond categories, in which a first diamond category has a weight range of 0.30-0.39 carat, a second diamond category has a weight range of 0.40 to 0.49 carat, and so on. The pricing information may comprise a different price per unit weight for each of the plurality of diamond categories. An image may comprise both the diamond information for each of a plurality of diamond categories and also the pricing information for each of a plurality of diamond categories. Alternatively, pricing information may be displayed in response to selection of a diamond category. In the above example, the terms first diamond category and second diamond category are used to distinguish the two categories and there may be one or more other categories corresponding to smaller weight ranges.

[0049] Accordingly, the display unit 120 may display any of: i) an image comprising diamond information for one or more of the diamonds stored in the vending machine; and ii) an image comprising diamond information for a plurality of diamond categories.

[0050] The storage circuitry 120 may store image data for one or more images. Any suitable image data storage format for storing digital images may be used such as J PEG, PNG or SVG. The image data may be stored in a compressed or uncompressed format. Image data stored by the storage circuitry 120 can be caused to be displayed by the display unit 120. For example, in response to receiving user inputs, the processing circuitry 140 may select from the image data, one or more images to be displayed by the display unit 120.

[0051] In some examples, the storage circuitry may store image data for one or more template images. A template image may be provided including an image region with one or more respective fields to be populated with information. Using a template image and the gemstone information (and optionally the pricing information) stored by the storage circuitry 120, the processing circuitry 140 may populate the template image with relevant gemstone information. For example, an image region may include fields to be populated with weight information, cut information, clarity information and colour information (or any combination thereof and/or other gemstone properties) for a respective gemstone in the vending machine or a respective gemstone category. Hence more generally, a template image may be populated with at least some of the gemstone information stored by the storage circuitry 120 and caused to be displayed by the display unit 120.

[0052] In some examples, a template image may comprise a number of image regions so that gemstone information for a number of respective gemstones and/or respective gemstone categories can be displayed. Selection by a user with respect to an image region can be used for selection of a respective gemstone or respective gemstone category. The template images may comprise various user interface (UI) elements (e.g. buttons, icons, text, sliders, input fields, toggle switches and so on) for facilitating user interaction.

[0053] Figure 3 schematically illustrates an example of an image 300 that may be displayed by the display unit 120. The image 300 comprises six image regions. In some examples, each respective image region may correspond to a respective diamond stored in the housing unit and may include diamond information for that respective diamond. In other examples, each respective image region may correspond to a different diamond category and may include diamond information for that diamond category. In other examples, a one or more (e.g. a first subset) of the six image regions may correspond to one or more respective diamonds stored in the housing unit, and one or more (e.g. a second subset) of the six image regions may correspond to one or more different diamond categories (i.e. a hybrid or combined image).

[0054] Figure 3 shows an example including six image regions. It will be appreciated that images may be displayed with a smaller or larger number of image regions. In some examples, a user may be able to provide a scroll input (e.g. touch and drag on a touchscreen or a gesture input) to scroll (e.g. vertically and/or horizontally) and view other image regions. Other similar inputs such as a pinch to zoom and/or spread input may similarly be used.

[0055] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the vending machine 100 may display a default image comprising a plurality of respective image regions each comprising respective gemstone information corresponding to a respective gemstone category. The default image is generally an image that is displayed when the vending machine has been idle (i.e. without interaction by a user) for at least a threshold time duration. A user may thus interact with the vending machine to select a gemstone category to thereby view a subsequent image, in which the subsequent image may be an image comprising one or more image regions including gemstone information for one or more gemstones stored in the vending machine and/or an image comprising an option to purchase a gemstone corresponding to the selected gemstone category.

[0056] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a method 400 for user interaction with a vending machine. The method comprises: displaying (at a step 410) an image (e.g. image 300) comprising gemstone information for a plurality of gemstone categories, receiving (at a step 420) a user input indicative of selection of a respective gemstone category; selecting (at a step 430), from the plurality of gemstones stored by the vending machine, a subset of the plurality of gemstones corresponding to the respective gemstone category; and displaying (at a step 440) at least one of: i) one or more images comprising gemstone information for at least some of the subset of the plurality of gemstones; and ii) an image comprising information for confirming availability of at least one gemstone corresponding to the respective gemstone category (also referred to as a confirmation image).

[0057] At the step 430, the selected subset may correspond to a single gemstone or a plurality of gemstones. Hence in some examples, the step 430 may comprise selecting, from the plurality of gemstones stored by the vending machine, at least one of the plurality of gemstones corresponding to the respective gemstone category. In response to selection of at least one gemstone, the method may proceed to the step 440.

[0058] The method 400 may be performed under the control of the processing circuitry 140. Accordingly, the processing circuitry 140 may: receive a user input indicative of selection of a respective gemstone category; select a subset of the plurality of gemstones corresponding to the respective gemstone category; and cause the display unit to display at least one of: i) one or more images comprising gemstone information for at least some of the subset of the plurality of gemstones; and ii) an image comprising information for confirming availability of at least one gemstone corresponding to the respective gemstone category.

[0059] Figure 4 represents an example method in which selection of a gemstone category can assist in quickly and efficiently selecting one or more gemstones from the gemstones available at the vending machine.

[0060] Dispensing of diamonds via a vending machine may be negatively impacted by users being unable to (or at least not easily and quickly able to) identify a suitable diamond. Unlike other products typically seen in vending machines, gemstones (and in particular diamonds) are unique in that no two are the same. For example, whereas traditional products are each made to a same size (weight, volume) and same content, diamonds for example can vary based on any of carat, cut, clarity and colour and this poses a problem for allowing a user to identify a suitable diamond. Simply displaying an image listing each available diamond and each of the different properties may be costly in terms of processing workload on the vending machine and time required, and may also result in users being unable to identify a suitable gemstone and thus not proceeding with a purchase. The method 400 contributes to reducing processing workload and power consumption and more generally provides improved efficiency for operation of the vending machine.

[0061] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart illustrating another method 500 for user interaction with a vending machine. The method comprises: displaying (at a step 510) one or more images comprising one or more input fields for receiving a user input indicative of one or more target gemstone properties; receiving (at a step 520) one or more user inputs indicative of one or more target gemstone properties; selecting (at a step 530) a subset of the plurality of gemstones corresponding to one or more of the target gemstone properties; and displaying (at a step 540) at least one of: i) one or more images comprising gemstone information for at least some of the subset of the plurality of gemstones: and fi) an image comprising information for confirming availability of at least one gemstone corresponding to the respective gemstone category (also referred to as a confirmation image).

[0062] At the step 530, the selected subset may correspond to a single gemstone or a plurality of gemstones. Hence in some examples, the step 530 may comprise selecting, from the plurality of gemstones stored by the vending machine, at least one of the plurality of gemstones corresponding to the respective gemstone category. In response to selection of at least one gemstone, the method may proceed to the step 540.

[0063] The method 500 may be performed under the control of the processing circuitry 140. Accordingly, the processing circuitry 140 may: receive one or more user inputs indicative of one or more target gemstone properties; select a subset of the plurality of gemstones corresponding to the target gemstone properties; and cause the display unit to display at least one of: i) one or more images comprising gemstone information for at least some of the subset of the plurality of gemstones; and ii) an image comprising information for confirming availability of at least one gemstone corresponding to the respective gemstone category. The one or more target gemstone properties may comprise one or more of: i) a weight range, ii) a colour or colour range; Hi) a clarity or clarity range; iv) and a cut or cut range. One or more of the target properties may be input by the user controlling one or more graphical user interface (GUI) elements in an image. For example, a slider element or other similar GUI element may be used.

[0064] Figure 5 thus represents another example method for assisting in quickly and efficiently selecting one or more gemstones from the gemstones available at the vending machine. Whereas the method 400 allows gemstone category selection, the method 500 instead allows one or more target properties to be specified by a user.

[0065] In some examples, another method may allow a user to specify one or more target properties and select one or more gemstone categories corresponding to one or more of the target properties. Hence, a method may comprise the steps 510 and 520 followed by the steps 410, 420, 430 and 440 On which the step 410 displays gemstone categories corresponding to one or more of the target properties).

[0066] The methods of Figure 4 and Figure 5 represent different possibilities for user interaction with the vending machine which contribute to providing improved efficiency for operation of the vending machine. In some examples, a menu image may be displayed comprising an option asking a user to select to view one or more images gemstone information for a plurality of gemstone categories or select to view an image comprising one or more input fields for receiving a user input indicative of one or more target gemstone properties. Hence, a user may provide selection with respect to the menu image to choose one of the method 400 and the method 500.

[0067] More generally, in one mode of operation the vending machine may display one or more images comprising gemstone information for a subset (or all) of the gemstones stored in the vending machine so that a user directly selects respective gemstones. In another mode of operation, the method 400 may be performed. In another mode of operation, the method 500 may be performed. In another mode of operation, the above-mentioned method comprising steps 510, 520, 410, 420, 430 and 440 may be performed.

[0068] In some examples it may be the case that the steps 430 and 530 result in selection of a single gemstone (e.g. because the vending machine currently only stores one gemstone for the selected gemstone category and/or because the processing circuitry 140 is programmed to do so even if more than one gemstone is available for the selected gemstone category). For example, the vending machine may be stocked so as to store a single gemstone (e.g. a single diamond) for a given gemstone category (e.g. a given diamond category).

[0069] In some examples the steps 440 and 540 may comprise one or both of: A) displaying an image comprising gemstone information for a respective gemstone corresponding to the given gemstone category; and/or B) displaying an image comprising an option to confirm a purchase. In the case of A), the image allows display of one or more specific properties for the gemstone (e.g. the specific weight and other properties) from which the user may decide to proceed to a with a purchase (e.g. by confirming selection of that gemstone and proceeding to B)). In the case of just B), the image may simply confirm presence (availability) in the vending of a gemstone corresponding to the gemstone category (or one or more of the target properties) and an option to purchase. Therefore, in the case of just B), a user may be aware of the properties for the category of the gemstone or the target properties specified by the user (e.g. weight range and other properties) without knowing the exact specifications of a specific gemstone that is to be dispensed. This can be beneficial for the efficiency of operation of the vending machine in that the vending machine may not be required to store detailed information for each of the stored gemstones.

[0070] Moreover, still referring to the methods 400 and 500, processing circuitry 140 may select a respective gemstone category (e.g. based on a user directly selecting a gemstone category or a user entering one or more target properties which correspond to a gemstone category) and select a subset of currently stored gemstones corresponding to the respective gemstone category. This may be achieved using the association information as discussed below with respect to Figure 6. In response to the processing circuitry 140 determining that none of the currently stored gemstones correspond to the selected gemstone category, the processing circuitry 140 may cause the display unit 120 to display an image confirming that the vending machine does not currently have availability for a gemstone corresponding to the selected gemstone category. In response to the processing circuitry 140 determining that at least one of the currently stored gemstones corresponds to the selected gemstone category, the processing circuitry 140 may cause the display unit 120 to display an image (also referred to as a confirmation image) comprising information for confirming availability of at least one gemstone corresponding to the respective gemstone category.

[0071] In some examples, as part of the above-mentioned confirmation image (or another image displayed in response to a user selecting a confirmation option in the confirmation image), a price may be displayed. The price may be displayed in any of USD, GBP, EUR and so on. In some examples, a price in units of a cryptocurrency may be displayed. In some examples, the price may be displayed as a price range or a single price value. For example, a price per unit weight for the gemstone category may be multiplied by each of a lower weight value for a weight range associated with the gemstone category and upper weight value for the weight range to obtain a price range. For example, in the case of a weight range of 0.30 to 0.39 carat, a price per unit weight may be multiplied by 0.30 to obtain the lower price and multiplied by 0.39 to obtain the upper price. The lower and upper prices may be displayed. For example, the lower and upper prices may be displayed as part of the above-mentioned confirmation image and, in response to selecting confirmation, a next image may be displayed including a price value calculated for a respective gemstone (e.g. potentially in a single currency or multiple different currencies as discussed above). The price value for the respective gemstone may be calculated in advance or may be calculated responsive to the user selecting the confirmation option. The price value for the respective gemstone may be calculated using weight information for the respective gemstone and a price per unit weight for the gemstone category, or using a weight range associated with the gemstone category and the price per unit weight for the gemstone category. This is discussed in more detail later.

[0072] Rather than storing detailed gemstone information for each available gemstone, the storage circuitry 130 may store gemstone information for different gemstone categories and for each available gemstone may store association information indicative of an association for that available gemstone with a gemstone category. This may be beneficial in reducing time for, and improving ease of, setup, maintenance and restocking of the vending machine. This may also allow for more efficient processing associated with storage of data and accessing of stored data.

[0073] Hence, in some embodiments of the disclosure the storage circuitry 130 may store gemstone information for each of a plurality of gemstone categories and association information for each of a plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit, in which the association information for a respective gemstone is indicative of a respective gemstone category for the respective gemstone. For example, rather than storing of diamond information indicative of diamond properties such as carat, colour, cut, clarity, polish, symmetry and fluorescence for each diamond stored in the vending machine, the storage circuitry 130 may store the association information for each diamond in the vending machine.

[0074] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the association information. In the example of Figure 6, the association information comprises a diamond identifier (diamond ID) for uniquely identifying each available diamond, and a diamond category identifier (diamond category ID) for uniquely identifying a respective diamond category. In the example shown, diamonds are uniquely identified by respective numbers and diamond categories are uniquely identified by different letters (e.g. where A, D and F represent different diamond categories). It will be appreciated that this is one example and the identifiers may take any suitable form. Accordingly, when setting up and/or restocking the vending machine, the association information can be specified quickly and easily.

[0075] Figure 7 schematically illustrates a system comprising the vending machine 100 and a server device 700 operable to communicate via a communications network 710 (e.g. the internet). The vending machine may comprise communication circuitry to receive live pricing information via the communications network 710 for allowing updating of pricing information stored at the vending machine.

[0076] The communication circuitry may receive the live pricing information via one or more of a wired and/or wireless communication. The communication circuitry may comprise one or more data ports (e.g. any of a USB or Ethernet port) and/or wireless communication circuitry (e.g. a wireless network card) for wireless communication (e.g. any of W-Fie or Bluetoothe). For example, the vending machine may be located at a venue such as an airport terminal and may communicate directly with one or more network devices (e.g. wireless access points "WAP") such as a router to thereby communicate with the server device 700.

[0077] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the live pricing information received via the network may be indicative of a price value for a respective gemstone (e.g. diamond) stored in the vending machine. Moreover, the live pricing information received via the network may be indicative of one or more price values manually specified by a remote user. In this way, the vending machine can be deployed at a given location and updated so that one or more price values for one or more gemstones can be manually updated by a remote user.

[0078] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the live pricing information may be indicative of a price per unit weight for a respective one of the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit (e.g. manually defined by a remote user or automatically defined by an algorithm that receives trade price information for gemstones and calculates price per unit weight values). A price per unit weight can be used as part of a calculation (using either weight information for a diamond or weight information for a diamond category) at the vending machine to calculate one or more prices for one or more diamonds. The live pricing information may be indicative of a current price per unit weight to be used by the vending machine or a relative change to a stored price per unit weight currently in use at the vending machine. For example, the live pricing information may specify an amount by which to increase or decrease a stored price per unit weight.

[0079] Whereas traditional vending machine products are each made to a same size (weight, volume) and same content, diamonds for example can vary based on any of carat, cut, clarity and colour and this poses a problem for allowing live price updating. In particular, the markets for small diamonds, medium diamonds and large diamonds exhibit different behaviours. Larger diamonds are generally more rare than smaller diamonds, and the market can be considered a being formed of a number of distinct markets for different diamond sizes. This can be further complicated by variability in other properties, such as colour, cut and clarity for the different diamond sizes. More generally, some diamond properties are rarer than others and thus have a higher price. Therefore, whilst it is possible for the vending machine to be initially configured with set price values for the different diamonds, there is challenge in that price updating may require manual evaluation of the properties of each diamond at regular intervals to update prices at the vending machine.

[0080] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the live pricing information received via the network may be indicative of a price per unit weight for a predetermined gemstone category (e.g. diamond category). Communication of live pricing information indicative of price per unit weight can be particularly beneficial in that price updating can be implemented both in a controlled manner and also quickly and efficiently. For example, comparative to communication of unique price values for each gemstone, the techniques of the present disclosure can reduce usage of communication bandwidth and more generally reduce an amount of data transmitted via a communications network and can also achieve reduction in data stored by the vending machine.

[0081] The live pricing information received via the network may be specific to the vending machine. For example, the live pricing information may be indicative of a price per unit weight for each of the gemstone categories associated with the vending machine.

[0082] For example, the vending machine may be operable to communicate information to the server device 700 to indicate a plurality of gemstone categories associated with the vending machine. In response to the communicated information, the server device 700 may communicate the live pricing information specifically for the plurality of gemstone categories associated with the vending machine. This can avoid potential wasteful use of processing resources (e.g. server resources, communication network resources and/or vending machine resources) that may be incurred by communication of live pricing information not relevant to the vending machine (e.g. live pricing information for diamond categories not available at the vending machine).

[0083] The live pricing information received via the network may be non-specific to the vending machine. For example, the server 700 may manage real-time data for a gemstone index. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the server 700 may manage real-time data for a diamond index. An example of a suitable diamond index is the Universal Standard Diamonds Evaluation 100 (USDE 100) Index. Details of the USDE 100 index can be found at https://wvvw.marketvectorcorniruiebooksidownioad/USDE Index Guide.pcif, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The USDE 100 index algorithm manages live pricing information for 100 diamond categories using market data. In some embodiments of the disclosure, the vending machine may store at least one respective diamond corresponding to each of the 100 diamond categories of the USDE 100 index. In other embodiments, the vending machine may store at least one respective diamond corresponding to each of the top 10 diamond categories of the USDE 100 index.

[0084] More generally, in some embodiments of the disclosure the live pricing information received by the vending machine via the network may correspond to real-time data for a diamond index for which index constituents correspond to different predetermined diamond categories.

[0085] In some cases the live pricing information (e.g. the real-time data for a diamond index) may be displayed by the vending machine. For example, the live pricing information may be displayed by the display unit 120 (e.g. as shown in Figure 1). Alternatively or in addition, a second display unit (e.g. on a sidewall of the housing 110) may be provided for displaying live pricing information. In some cases, the second display unit may be a display unit dedicated to displaying only live pricing information.

[0086] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the vending machine 100 may display a default image comprising live pricing information for gemstones. The default image is an image displayed when the vending machine has been idle for at least a threshold time duration (e.g. at least five minutes). The live pricing information may be received by the vending machine via a communications network. The live pricing information may be indicative of a price per unit weight (e.g. USD per carat) for at least one gemstone category. The live pricing information may be indicative of a change in the price per unit weight for at least one gemstone category. The live pricing information may be indicative of a change in the price per unit weight over one or more given periods of time (such as 12 hours, 24 hours, 1 week, 1 month, 1 year). The live pricing information may be represented using one or more graphics (graphical elements) in one or more images, such as one or more graphs (e.g. 2D graphs with price per unit weight and time on respective axes) and/or one or more arrows (e.g. colour coded arrows with green indicating an increase and red indicating a decrease). The live pricing information may correspond to real-time data for a diamond index for which index constituents correspond to different diamond categories (e.g. the USDE 100 index). The price index may be displayed as a 20 graph showing changes in prices over a period of time. For example, one or more of a daily, monthly, half-daily trend for the USDE 100 index may be displayed. Alternatively or in addition, economic data from one or more other sources (e.g. currency markets) may be displayed. For example, trends from various currency markets may be displayed.

[0087] Hence more generally, the vending machine may comprise one or more display units to display one or more images to include graphics representing at least some of the live pricing information. The graphics may represent one or more of a price index showing changes in prices over a period of time and/or an amount of change in the price per unit weight for one or more diamond categories.

[0088] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the processing circuitry 140 may calculate updated pricing information for at least one respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones stored in the vending machine in response to at least one of: i) the vending machine receiving the live pricing information via the network; ii) interaction by a user with the vending machine; and iii) selection by the processing circuitry 140 of at least one respective gemstone in response to one or more selection inputs by a user. More generally, in response to receiving live pricing information, the vending machine can be operable to act on the live pricing information and calculate updated pricing information for one or more gemstones, or store the live pricing information to the storage circuitry 130 for use at a later time (such as when a user starts to interact with the vending machine and/or when the processing circuitry 140 selects a gemstone based on selection input by a user).

[0089] The processing circuitry 140 may calculate updated pricing information for each of the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit in dependence on the live pricing information and a weight for each of the plurality of gemstones and store the updated pricing information to the storage circuitry 130. Such a calculation may be performed in response to at least one of the events i), ii) or iii) discussed above.

[0090] The vending machine may periodically receive the live pricing information. For example, live pricing information may be received at regular intervals ranging from 5 minute intervals to 24 hour intervals. In some examples, live pricing information may be received once per hour. Accordingly, calculating updated pricing information in response to receiving live pricing may in some cases represent wasteful use of processing resources. For example, price updating operations could potentially be performed a number of times between users interacting with the machine. Accordingly, using detection of user interaction with the vending machine and/or selection by the processing circuitry 140 (items ii) and iii) mentioned above) as a trigger condition for calculating updated pricing information can improve processing efficiency for the vending machine.

[0091] The processing circuitry 140 may calculate updated pricing information for at least one respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit in dependence on a weight of the respective gemstone and the live pricing information. For a gemstone corresponding to a given gemstone category (e.g. defined by a weight range and optionally one or more other gemstone properties), the processing circuitry 140 can multiply the weight of that gemstone by a price per unit weight indicated by the live pricing information to calculate a price value.

[0092] For example, the vending machine may store a first diamond having a weight of 0.62 carats and a second diamond having a weight of 0.68 carats and a diamond category may have a weight range of 0.60 to 0.69 carat. In such a case, the processing circuitry 140 may calculate updated pricing information for each of the first diamond and the second diamond using the calculation: PV = diamond weight x price per unit weight, where PV is the price value (e.g. in USD). In this way, unique price values can be calculated for the diamonds by categorising diamonds and using a price per unit weight for diamond categories and associating diamonds stored in the vending machine with the diamond categories. Weight information for a diamond (or any other gemstone type) can be input by a user when setting up or restocking the machine, and/or communicated as an update via a communications network. For example, the display unit 120 may display one or more setup images for setting up the vending machine and may allow a user to specify weight information and also a diamond category for that diamond. A user when setting up the vending machine may consult a verification document (e.g. certificate) for a diamond providing information of a carat weight and manually enter the carat weight. Alternatively or in addition, a captured image of the verification document may be analysed using image recognition processing to obtain such information.

[0093] Referring to the association information in Figure 6, in addition to the diamond ID and diamond category ID fields shown in Figure 6, another field corresponding to diamond weight may be included to indicate a weight (e.g. in carats or grams) for at least some of the respective diamonds.

[0094] More generally, in some cases, the vending machine may store two or more diamonds corresponding to a same diamond category. In this case, updated pricing information can be calculated for each of the two or more diamonds using a same price per unit weight. In particular, whilst one possibility is to receive specific updated pricing information via the network for each of the diamonds, the techniques of the present disclosure a use diamond categories and price per unit weight to allow efficient and quick price updating at the vending machine.

[0095] Hence more generally, in some embodiments of the disclosure for a first gemstone and a second gemstone both corresponding to a same predetermined gemstone category, the processing circuitry 140 may calculate updated pricing information for the first gemstone in dependence on a weight of the first gemstone and a price per unit weight for the predetermined gemstone category and also calculate updated pricing information for the second gemstone in dependence on a weight of the second gemstone and the price per unit weight for the predetermined gemstone category.

[0096] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the stored pricing information (and/or live pricing information) may be indicative of different respective price per unit weight for each of a plurality of diamond categories (e.g. diamond weight classification, or diamond weight-colour classifications, or diamond weight-clarity classifications and so on). For example, diamond weight ranges such as 0.30-0.39 carat, 0.40-0.49 carat, 0.50-0.59 carat and so on may be defined and a different price per unit weight (price per carat) may be stored for each of the diamond weight ranges.

[0097] A diamond category may be defined by both a weight range and at least one other diamond property (e.g. colour, cut, clarity). Hence, in some examples the pricing information may be indicative of a price per unit weight for different diamond categories each defined by a weight range and at least one other diamond property. For example, a first price per unit weight may be stored for a diamond category having a weight range 0.30-0.39 carat and a colour range D-F, and a second price per unit weight may be stored for a diamond category having a weight range 0.300.39 carat and a colour range G-J.

[0098] In some embodiments of the disclosure, the processing circuitry 140 may calculate an updated gemstone price for at least one respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit in dependence on a weight range for a gemstone category and a price per unit weight for the gemstone category. A price for a respective diamond may be calculated by multiplying a price per unit weight for a respective diamond category with one of a mean weight for the respective diamond category (i.e. midpoint or the weight range for the category) or a maximum weight for the weight range for the respective diamond category. Hence, in this case the storage circuity 130 may not be required to store weight information for a respective diamond. In this case, each diamond corresponding to a same category has a same calculated price.

[0099] Referring to the association information in Figure 6, the storage circuitry 130 may store pricing information indicative of a price for one or more (or each) diamond categories (e.g. in USD or any other suitable currency). Therefore, the association information may associate a respective diamond to a respective diamond category, and a stored price (which may be a single price value for the category or a price per unit weight for the category) may be used for calculation of a price value.

[0100] In the above technique, the processing circuitry 140 may be operable to add a certain percentage to a calculated price for a gemstone to obtain a final price. For example, a percentage in the range 5-20% may be added.

[0101] Referring again to Figure 7, in some embodiments of the disclosure the system may comprise the server device 700 and a plurality of vending machines each having the properties discussed above. In other words, a system may comprise a first vending machine at a first location, a second vending machine at a second location and the server device 700, in which each of the first and second vending machines is operable to communicate with the server device 700 via the communications network 710. The server device may thus transmit live pricing information for gemstones to each of the first and second vending machine via a communications network.

[0102] One or more vending machines in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure may be deployed at any suitable location. Generally, airport terminals are one suitable location having high security measures in place. The vending machine may comprise one or more security features. For example, the housing unit may be made of reinforced materials and/or may include one or more anchor points. One or more cameras may capture images surrounding the vending machine.

[0103] A given user can approach to the vending machine (e.g. in an airport terminal) and interact with the vending machine (e.g. according to any of the methods 400 and 500 discussed above). In response to selection by the processing circuitry 140 of a first respective diamond based on one or more received user inputs for that given user and received payment from that given user, the control circuitry 150 controls the vending machine to dispense the first respective diamond. At a subsequent time, another user may approach and interact with the vending machine. In a similar manner to that discussed above, in response to selection by the processing circuitry 140 of a second respective diamond based on one or more received user inputs for the another user and received payment from the another user, the control circuitry 150 controls the vending machine to dispense the second respective diamond. In the above discussion, the terms first and second respective diamond are used to refer to two different diamonds stored in the vending machine. More generally, in embodiments of the disclosure, the vending machine may store respective diamonds that are individually packaged and stored so as to be capable of being individually dispensed by the vending machine. Therefore, the control circuitry can control the vending machine to perform a first dispensing operation for dispensing a first respective diamond stored in the vending machine and can also control the vending machine to perform a second dispensing operation for dispensing a second respective diamond stored in the vending machine, and so on.

[0104] In some examples, the vending machine may store a plurality of diamonds and any of the plurality of diamonds may be capable of being dispensed by a next dispensing operation. For example, the plurality of diamonds may be stored in a 2D or 3D grid arrangement comprising a plurality of item locations with the vending machine being capable of dispensing from any of the plurality of item locations. In other examples, the vending machine may store a plurality of diamonds, in which at least some the plurality of diamonds may be stored in an ordered series so that the at least some of the plurality of diamonds are to be dispensed in order. For example, the vending machine may store two or more diamonds corresponding to a same diamond category, and the two or more diamonds may be stored in order (e.g. by being placed in a same row in a tray or other similar holding structure) so that a first ordered diamond is to be dispensed before a second ordered diamond, and the second ordered diamond is to be dispensed before a third ordered diamond, and so on. This can potentially reduce time for, and improve ease of, setup, maintenance and restocking of the vending machine. Moreover, one or more respective rows may each be associated with a different diamond category. Accordingly, in some cases the techniques discussed above with respect to Figures 4, 5 and 6 may be performed by receiving a user selection of a diamond category (or one or more target diamond properties), and the selection at the steps 430 and/or 530 may comprise selecting the first ordered diamond in a row. For a scenario in which the vending machine does not currently store a diamond for the row, then an image may be displayed confirming that the vending machine does not currently have availability for a diamond corresponding to the selected diamond category (or one or more target diamond properties). An association between any of a respective gemstone (e.g. diamond), respective gemstone category (e.g. respective diamond category), respective row or respective item location may used so that the control circuitry controls the vending machine to perform a suitable dispensing operation for dispensing an appropriate gemstone. This may be achieve using one or more of middleware, software and hardware. In some examples, one or more look-up tables may be programmed by a user when setting up the machine.

[0105] In some embodiments of the disclosure the housing unit 110 is configured to store the plurality of gemstones and also one or more verification documents for one or more of the plurality of gemstones. In some examples, a gemstone and an associated verification document may be packaged together and thus dispensed together. In other examples, the housing unit 110 may comprise a first compartment for storing gemstones for being dispensed by the vending machine and may also comprise a second compartment for storing one or more verification documents for one or more of the plurality of gemstones. Accordingly, in response to selection of a respective gemstone by a user and received payment for the respective gemstone, the control circuitry 150 controls the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to the extraction port and may also control the vending machine to dispense a respective verification document to the extraction port. Verification documents may be stored for some or all of the gemstones stored in the vending machine.

[0106] The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is a recognised institute that grades diamonds and issues verification documents for graded diamonds. A GIA certified diamond may have an associated verification document (sometimes referred to as a certificate) including properties of the diamond among other possible information. Such verification documents can also be dispensed by the vending machine either by being packaged with a diamond or packaged separately from the diamond.

[0107] A diamond and the associated verification document may be dispensed to a same extraction port. Alternatively, the vending machine may comprise a first extraction port to which diamonds are dispensed to and a second extraction port to which verification documents are dispensed to.

[0108] Referring now to Figure 8, in some embodiments of the disclosure the vending machine comprises each of the display unit 120, processing circuitry 140 and control circuitry 150 (which have already been discussed) and also comprises one or more image sensors 155. The one or more image sensors 155 may be arranged within the housing unit 110 to perform detection with respect to a respective gemstone and a respective verification document prior to being dispensed to the extraction port.

[0109] The one or more image sensors may detect one or more visible symbols associated with a respective gemstone by detecting one or more visible symbols inscribed on a surface of the respective gemstone or by detecting one or more visible symbols on a printed label associated with the respective gemstone. Some image detection technologies may have difficulty in detecting a laser inscription on a gemstone. A printed label may be provided for allowing detection with a relatively inexpensive image sensor. The one or more image sensors may also detect one or more visible symbols on a respective verification document. For example, images may be captured with respect to each of the gemstone and the verification document for this purpose.

[0110] The processing circuitry 140 can verify whether the visible symbols for the gemstone match with the visible symbols for the verification document. This can act as a security measure and/or also provide customer reassurance with respect to the properties of the dispensed diamond. During setup and/or restocking of the vending machine, the potential risk of human error may result in incorrect setup. For example, human error may result in incorrect setup and the above-mentioned verification processing can guard against incorrect setup and potential misselling.

[0111] In response to a mismatch (which may arise from incorrect setup) the vending machine can be operable to prevent dispensing of the diamond. In such a case, the vending machine may be operable to communicate an error report via a communications network to an admin device associated with an admin user. Conversely, in response to a match, the control circuitry 150 can control the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to the extraction port.

[0112] Figure 9 is a schematic flowchart illustrating a computer-implemented method 900 for a vending machine comprising a housing unit storing a plurality of gemstones and storage circuitry storing gemstone information and pricing information. The method comprises: displaying (at a step 910) one or more images comprising at least some of the gemstone information; receiving (at a step 920) one or more inputs indicative of selection by a user with respect to one or more of the images; selecting (at a step 930) a respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones in dependence on one or more of the user inputs, and responsive to the selecting of the respective gemstone and receiving payment for the respective gemstone, controlling (at a step 940) the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to an extraction port accessible to the user.

[0113] It will be appreciated that example embodiments can be implemented by computer software operating on a general purpose computing system. In these examples, computer software, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to carry out any of the methods discussed above is considered as an embodiment of the present disclosure. Similarly, embodiments of the disclosure are provided by a non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium which stores such computer software.

[0114] It will also be apparent that numerous modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the disclosure may be practised otherwise than as specifically described herein.

Claims (24)

1. CLAIMS1. A vending machine for dispensing gemstones, the vending machine comprising: a housing unit to store a plurality of gemstones; storage circuitry to store gemstone information and pricing information; a display unit to display one or more images comprising at least some of the gemstone information; processing circuitry to receive one or more user inputs indicative of selection by a user with respect to one or more of the images and select a respective gemstone of the plurality of 10 gemstones; and control circuitry, wherein in response to selection of the respective gemstone and received payment for the respective gemstone, the control circuitry is configured to control the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to an extraction port, the extraction port being accessible to the user.

2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is configured to display at least one image comprising gemstone information for a plurality of gemstone categories.

3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the gemstone information for a respective gemstone category is indicative of at least a weight range for the respective gemstone category and the pricing information is indicative of a price per unit weight for the respective gemstone category.

4. The vending machine according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to: receive a user input indicative of selection of a respective gemstone category; select a subset of the plurality of gemstones corresponding to the respective gemstone category; and cause the display unit to display at least one of: i) one or more images comprising gemstone information for at least some of the subset of the plurality of gemstones; and ii) an image comprising information for confirming availability of at least one gemstone corresponding to the respective gemstone category.

5. The vending machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to: receive one or more user inputs indicative of one or more target gemstone properties; select a subset of the plurality of gemstones corresponding to one or more of the target gemstone properties; and cause the display unit to display at least one of: i) one or more images comprising gemstone information for at least some of the subset of the plurality of gemstones; and ii) an image comprising information for confirming availability of at least one gemstone corresponding to the respective gemstone category.

6. The vending machine according to claim 5, wherein the one or more target gemstone properties comprise at least one of: a weight range, a colour or colour range; a clarity or clarity range; and a cut or cut range.

7. The vending machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the display unit is configured to display at least one image comprising gemstone information indicative of one or more gemstone properties for one or more of the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit and the processing circuitry is configured to receive a user input indicative of selection of a respective one of the plurality of gemstones.

8. The vending machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the pricing information is indicative of a price per unit weight for each of a plurality of respective gemstone categories.

9. The vending machine according to any preceding claim, comprising communication circuitry to receive, via a communications network, live pricing information for gemstones, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to update the pricing information in dependence on the live pricing information.

10. The vending machine according to claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to calculate an updated gemstone price for at least one respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit in dependence on a weight of the respective gemstone and the live pricing information.

11. The vending machine according to claim 10, wherein for a first gemstone and a second gemstone both corresponding to a same gemstone category, the processing circuitry is configured to calculate an updated gemstone price for the first gemstone in dependence on a weight of the first gemstone and a price per unit weight for the gemstone category and to calculate an updated gemstone price for the second gemstone in dependence on a weight of the second gemstone and the price per unit weight for the gemstone category.

12. The vending machine according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to calculate an updated gemstone price for at least one respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit in dependence on a weight range for a gemstone category and a price per unit weight for the gemstone category.

13. The vending machine according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the live pricing information corresponds to real-time data for a diamond index for which index constituents correspond to different predetermined diamond categories.

14. The vending machine according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to calculate an updated gemstone price for at least one respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones in response to at least one of the vending machine receiving the live pricing information; interaction by a user with the vending machine; and selection by the processing circuitry of the at least one respective gemstone.

15. The vending machine according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to calculate an updated gemstone price for each of the plurality of gemstones stored in the housing unit in dependence on the live pricing information and a weight for each of the plurality of gemstones and to store the updated gemstone prices to the storage circuitry.

16. The vending machine according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein the display unit is configured to display one or more of the images to include graphics representing at least some of the live pricing information.

17. The vending machine according to claim 16, wherein one or more of the images include one or more graphics representing an amount of change in the price per unit weight for one or more gemstone categories.

18. The vending machine according to claim 13, wherein the housing unit is configured to store at least one respective diamond corresponding to each of the different predetermined diamond categories.

19. The vending machine according to any preceding claim, wherein the housing unit is configured to store one or more verification documents for one or more of the plurality of gemstones, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to control the vending machine to dispense a respective verification document to the extraction port.

20. The vending machine according to claim 19, comprising one or more image sensors to detect one or more visible symbols associated with the respective gemstone and one or more visible symbols associated with the respective verification document, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to verify whether one or more of the visible symbols associated with the respective gemstone match one or more of the visible symbols associated with the respective verification document.

21. A system comprising the vending machine according to any preceding claim; and a server configured to transmit live pricing information for gemstones to the vending machine via a communications network.

22. A computer-implemented method for a vending machine comprising a housing unit storing a plurality of gemstones and storage circuitry storing gemstone information and pricing information, the method comprising: displaying one or more images comprising at least some of the gemstone information; receiving one or more inputs indicative of selection by a user with respect to one or more of the images; selecting a respective gemstone of the plurality of gemstones in dependence on one or more of the user inputs; and responsive to the selecting of the respective gemstone and receiving payment for the respective gemstone, controlling the vending machine to dispense the respective gemstone to an extraction port accessible to the user.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of displaying comprises displaying at least one image comprising gemstone information for a plurality of gemstone categories.

24. Computer software which when executed by a vending machine causes the vending machine to perform the method according to claim 22 or claim 23.