JP3100515B2 - Counting inspection method of vending machine system with counting function - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a counting and inspection method for a vending machine system having a counting function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There is a vending machine system in which a plurality of vending machines are connected to a host computer via a communication line, and the host computer manages sales contents, totals, and the like of each vending machine.

Immediately after installing such a vending machine system, it is necessary to check whether the total at each vending machine matches the total obtained at the host computer for each vending machine.

In the conventional inspection method, a clerk is attached to each vending machine, the clerk manually operates a total printing button of the vending machine at a scheduled time counted by the host computer, and a journal printer built in each vending machine is used. At present, the total amount of money for the prescribed period is printed out, and the print result and the total amount of the host computer are manually collated.

[0005]

As described above, in the inspection, a lot of human resources are required in order for the clerk to stick to all the vending machines of the vending machine system at the scheduled time of aggregation.
If the clerk manually operates the total print button of the vending machine earlier or later, even if the system is operating normally, there is a problem that the count does not match with the counting by the host computer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a counting and checking method that can check the count of a host computer accurately and without an attendant attached to a vending machine.

[0007]

According to the present invention, a plurality of vending machines are connected to a host computer via a communication line, and when the host computer starts counting, sales data for a specified period is transmitted from each vending machine. At the time of loading and totaling, the host computer takes in the sales data for the specified period from each vending machine at the start of counting, and instructs each vending machine to print the total for the specified period, the total printing result printed by each vending machine and the host computer And checking the counting function by checking the counting result of each vending machine.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of vending machines are connected to a host computer via a communication line, and when the host computer starts counting, sales data for a specified period is acquired from each vending machine and totalized. At the start of counting, the host computer takes in sales data for a specified period from each vending machine, and instructs each vending machine to write the total amount of the specified period to a memory or a recording medium, and the vending machine writes the total amount to the memory or the recording medium. The totalizing amount is compared with the totaling result of each vending machine in the host computer, and the totalizing function is inspected.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of vending machines are connected to a host computer via a communication line, and when the host computer starts counting, sales data for a specified period is acquired from each vending machine and counted. At the start of counting, the host computer takes in sales data for a specified period from each vending machine, and instructs each vending machine to write the total amount of the specified period to a memory or a recording medium, and the vending machine writes the total amount to the memory or the recording medium. The host computer reads the total amount through a communication line and checks the totaling function by checking the totaling result of each vending machine in the host computer.

[0010]

According to the configuration of the first aspect, the host computer which takes in the sales data for the specified period from each vending machine instructs each vending machine to print the total for the specified period at the start of the counting. The vending machine detects an instruction from the host computer and performs total printing. The total print result of each vending machine is compared with the total result of each vending machine in the host computer to make a determination.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a host computer which takes in sales data for a specified period from each vending machine,
At the start of counting, each vending machine is instructed to write the total amount of the specified period into a memory or a recording medium. The vending machine detects an instruction from the host computer and writes the total amount into a memory or a recording medium. The total amount read from the memory or the recording medium of each vending machine is compared with the total result of each vending machine in the host computer to make a determination.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a host computer which takes in sales data for a specified period from each vending machine,
At the start of counting, each vending machine is instructed to write the total amount of the specified period into a memory or a recording medium. The vending machine detects an instruction from the host computer and writes the total amount into a memory or a recording medium. The total price of each vending machine is read into the host computer via the communication line, and is determined by collating the total result of each vending machine with the host computer.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A total inspection method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to a specific embodiment shown in FIGS.

In the card-type vending machine system shown in FIG. 2, first to n-th vending machines 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d,... Are connected to a host computer 3 via a communication line 2. The host computer 3 includes first to n-th vending machines 1a,
1b,..., And receives billing information from post-paid sales users, and distributes cash sales obtained by using cash or subtracting from prepaid amounts to owners of vending machines. Have.

The first to n-th vending machines 1a, 1b,...
.. Is configured to store the sales date and sales contents in the internal memory. The sales contents referred to here include a payment method, a sales amount, and information for specifying a sales product.

When the host computer 3 instructs a total inspection, the host computer 3 detects the instruction of the total inspection at # 1 and the communication line 2 at # 2, as shown in FIG.
, And instruct the first to n-th vending machines 1a, 1b,. In step # 3, the sales contents in the internal memory of the first vending machine 1a which has been switched to the sales suspension state are read. In step # 3, the sales from the closing date to the latest determined for the first vending machine 1a are read out, and the payment method, the sales product, and the total sales are totaled.

In step # 4, the total printing is instructed to the first vending machine 1a via the communication line 2. In # 5, the sales contents of the internal memory of the second vending machine 1b which has been switched to the sales suspended state are read out, and the totaling process is performed in the same manner as in # 3, which is executed for the first vending machine 1a.

In step # 6, the total printing is instructed to the second vending machine 1b via the communication line 2 in the same manner as instructed to the first vending machine 1a in # 4. In the same manner, the remaining vending machines are instructed to read the sales contents from the vending machines and to perform a totaling process, and to print the totals in each vending machine.

In the vending machines below the second vending machine 1b, the totaling from the closing date to the latest determined for each vending machine and the total printing in each vending machine are performed. The total printing in each vending machine is printed by a journal printer built in the vending machine.

The journal printed out by each vending machine is then collected and visually compared with the totaling result of each vending machine in the host computer 3, and a match between the two is detected and the totaling process is correctly performed. Can be determined.

After the host computer 3 completes the counting and total printing instructions to all vending machines via the communication line 2, the host computer 3 instructs all vending machines via the communication line 2 to resume sales at # 7. Then, each vending machine receiving this returns during sale.

As described above, since the contents of sales of each vending machine are read out and printed in total from the host computer 3 via the communication line 2, it is possible to print out the total amount without having to attach a clerk to each vending machine. It is only necessary to collect and rotate journals printed out at each vending machine, and the number of personnel required for tabulation inspection can be greatly reduced.
Further, since the sales are stopped in # 2 and the host computer 3 performs the counting, the sales are generated while the counting is performed by the host computer 3 and printed out at the vending machine side, so that there is a discrepancy between the counting of the two. Accidents can be avoided.

In the above embodiment, the vending machine prints out the total amount with a journal printer. This is performed by writing the total amount on a floppy disk via a floppy disk drive built in each vending machine.
The floppy disk on which the total amount has been written can be collected and collated with the total on the host computer for total inspection. Also, instead of floppy disks, removable memory built into vending machines, specifically,
It is also possible to perform a process of writing the total amount to a RAM card or the like, collect the memory of the RAM card or the like in which the total amount is written, collate it with the total on the host computer side, and perform a total inspection.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the total sales from the closing date determined for each vending machine to the latest are executed. However, from the previous closing date to the closing date immediately before the counting instruction is detected from the host computer 3. Can be configured to carry out the tallying.

In the above embodiment, since the vending machine is discontinued during the counting inspection by performing steps # 2 and # 7, the counting inspection can be performed even in the daytime when the vending machine is frequently used. If the time of the total inspection is set to a time when the vending machine is not used, such as at midnight, steps # 2 and # 7 become unnecessary.

In the above embodiment, the total print result or the memory is collected from each vending machine and compared with the total result of the host computer. However, the host computer writes the data on the floppy disk of each vending machine or the memory via the communication line. It is also possible to read the total amount obtained and compare the read total amount with the total result of the host computer. In this case, the collation result is displayed or printed out.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, at the start of counting, the host computer fetches sales data for a specified period from each vending machine, and stores the total printing of the specified period or the total amount of the specified period in each vending machine. Or, instruct the vending machine to write to the recording medium and check the totalization result or the total amount written to the memory or the recording medium with the totaling result of each vending machine in the host computer to check the totaling function. You can inspect the tally of the host computer without a sticky person.

Further, by stopping the sales of each vending machine when the host computer starts counting, more accurate counting inspection can be realized. Also, at the start of counting, the host computer takes in the sales data for the specified period from each vending machine, and instructs each vending machine to write the total amount of the specified period to the memory or the recording medium, and writes the total amount written to the memory or the recording medium. Since the host computer reads the sum via a communication line and checks the totaling function against the totaling result of each vending machine in the host computer, the totalizing function is inspected, so that automatic inspection can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an aggregation inspection method according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine system of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a, 1b, 1c, 1d,... First to n-th vending machines 2 Communication line 3 Host computer

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] When a plurality of vending machines are connected to a host computer via a communication line, and when the host computer starts counting, the vending machine acquires sales data for a specified period from each vending machine and counts them. In addition to importing sales data for the specified period from, the total printing for the specified period is instructed to each vending machine, and the total printing result printed by each vending machine is compared with the totaling result of each vending machine at the host computer, and the counting function is performed. Tally inspection method for vending machine system with tally function to inspect. 2. A method in which a plurality of vending machines are connected to a host computer via a communication line, and the host computer collects sales data for a specified period from each vending machine at the start of tabulation of the host computer and compiles the data. From the sales data of the specified period, and instruct each vending machine to write the total amount of the specified period to the memory or the recording medium, and in each vending machine, the total amount written to the memory or the recording medium and the host computer. A tallying inspection method for a vending machine system with a tallying function that checks the tallying function by checking the tallying result of each vending machine. 3. A plurality of vending machines are connected to a host computer via a communication line, and at the start of counting by the host computer, sales data for a specified period is fetched from each vending machine and counted. , And instructs each vending machine to write the total amount of the specified period to a memory or a recording medium, and the host computer communicates the total amount written to the memory or the recording medium at each vending machine. A tallying inspection method for a vending machine system with a tallying function that checks the tallying function by reading it via a line and comparing it with the tallying result of each vending machine at the host computer. 4. A counting and inspection method for a vending machine system with a counting function according to claim 1, wherein sales of each vending machine are stopped when counting by a host computer is started.