JP4195845B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine capable of purchasing a product using a non-contact recording medium on which money amount information is recorded.

A vending machine that can purchase products using a non-contact recording medium such as a card that records amount information, and lights or blinks lamps indicating products that can be sold according to the recorded amount information Is conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Further, there is also known one that uses a card on which age information is recorded in addition to money amount information, and determines whether or not sale is possible from age information (for example, see Patent Document 2). Then, as a vending machine that sells products with a contactless card in which balance information and age information are recorded, when the card is held over, firstly the age check is performed to determine whether the product can be sold, and if it is determined that the product can be sold, The vending machine can be selected, and after the product is selected by the product selection button, the product amount is subtracted from the balance information recorded on the card by holding the card again, and the product is paid out. Is also known (not related to the literature known invention).
Japanese Patent No. 3296575 JP 2003-30725 A

By the way, in a vending machine that can purchase a product using a non-contact recording medium that records monetary information, a non-contact card on which monetary information and age information are recorded is used.
When deciding whether to sell from age information, as in the conventional vending machine above, if you hold the card, the age check will first determine whether it can be sold, and if it can be sold, you can select the item After the product is selected by the product selection button, the amount of the product is subtracted from the balance information recorded on the card by holding the card again, and the balance of the card is confirmed in advance. However, there is a problem that even if you hold the card and take the age check, select the product with the product selection button and hold the card again, you may not be able to purchase the product due to insufficient card balance .

  In the conventional vending machine, after checking the age and selecting a product with the product selection button, the balance cannot be confirmed unless the card is held again. There was a problem that it was not possible and was not convenient.

  The present invention is a vending machine capable of selling products using a non-contact type recording medium in which balance information and age information are recorded. The vending machine is highly convenient when purchasing products and is, for example, a minor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine capable of checking a card balance even when sales are not permitted.

Vending machine of the present invention is a non-contact type recording medium or cash Accordingly salable goods vending machine balance information and age information is recorded, the balance information and age information from said recording medium The reading means for reading, the balance display means for displaying the balance information read by the reading means, the age information read by the reading means and the preset sales permission age are compared to determine whether or not the sale is possible. Age determination means for determining, and saleable product display means for displaying a saleable product by comparing the balance information with a preset sale price of the product when sales are permitted by the age determination means If, on whether cash after salable commodity is displayed by the selling product display unit is turned on, when the cash has been inserted is determined to product sales cash, cash When it is determined that the product is sold by the recording medium when it is not entered, and when it is determined that the product is sold by cash by the determining unit, the input amount is displayed on the balance display unit and set in advance. Compared with the selling price of the product and the input amount, only the products that can be sold with the inserted cash are displayed on the sellable product display unit, and the sales unit with cash that sells the product with the inserted cash, When the determination unit determines that the product is sold by the recording medium, the determination unit includes a recording medium that sells the product based on the balance information of the recording medium , and the balance display unit is sold by the age determination unit. Is not permitted, the balance information read by the reading means is continuously displayed for a predetermined time, and then the display is stopped. .

  This vending machine reads balance information and age information when reading a recording medium such as a card, displays the balance information, and can sell based on the balance information if sales are permitted by age determination The right product. Therefore, the balance can be known before the product is selected, and the product can be selected based on the display, which improves convenience when purchasing the product. Further, even if the vending machine is not permitted for sale due to age determination, the balance information is continuously displayed for a predetermined time, so that it is possible to check the balance even for a minor, for example.

  In the vending machine according to the present invention, when cash is inserted after sales are permitted by the age determination means, the amount of money to be input or the amount of balance information recorded in the contactless recording medium When the cash is inserted after the sale is permitted by the age determination means, the saleable product display means displays the input amount or the input amount in a contactless manner. It is possible to display the products that can be sold by comparing the sum of the balance information recorded in the medium with the sales price of the product, and in doing so, Convenience is further improved.

  As described above, the vending machine of the present invention knows the balance before selecting a product and can select a product based on the display, so that convenience in purchasing a product is improved, and sales are made based on age determination. Since the balance information continues to be displayed for a predetermined time even if it is not permitted, for example, the balance can be confirmed even if it is a minor.

  In addition, the vending machine of the present invention displays a product that can be sold based on the amount of money to be added or the sum of the amount to be charged and the amount of balance information when cash is inserted after sales are permitted by age determination. By configuring so, convenience at the time of product purchase is further improved.

  1 and 2 show an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a control unit of the vending machine according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a sales flowchart.

  The vending machine according to this embodiment is a vending machine capable of selling products using either a non-contact type IC card or a cash which is a non-contact type recording medium in which balance information and age information are recorded. This vending machine is a reading means for reading balance information and age information recorded on a non-contact IC card (not shown) on the front door (not shown), and new balance information after purchasing the product. A non-contact type IC card reader 1 (see FIG. 1) that also serves as a writing means for writing a product to be purchased, and a product to be purchased so as to be positioned below a product display section (not shown) that displays a sample of the product to be sold Each product selection button 2 (see FIG. 1) for selecting a product is provided, and a sales lamp 3 (see FIG. 1) for displaying whether or not the product can be sold is provided corresponding to each product selection button 2. In addition, there is provided an amount display unit 4 (see FIG. 1) which is a balance display means for displaying the amount of cash entered and the balance amount recorded in the non-contact type IC card.

  On the front door (not shown), there are other outlets for throwing out purchased items, a cash-in slot for inserting cash when purchasing items with cash, and change for paying change if there is change after purchasing the item. A payout opening (both not shown) is provided.

  The price display unit 4 also displays the price of the product to be purchased and the amount of change. Moreover, you may make it display on the money amount display part 4 the money amount which added the balance in a non-contact-type IC card to the inserted cash.

  Further, a cash discrimination unit 5 (see FIG. 1) for discriminating cash from a cash inlet is provided inside the front door of the vending machine. And the control part 6 and the recording means 7 (refer FIG. 1) which records the price data of each goods sold are provided in the main body of a vending machine, and as shown in FIG. A contact type IC card reader 1, a product selection button 2, a sales lamp 3, an amount display unit 4, a cash identification unit 5, and a recording means 7 are connected to each other.

  Next, the flow of the sales operation of the vending machine according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description and the description of FIG. 2, S1 to S26 indicate each step of the sales operation.

  In the vending machine (S1), when the non-contact IC card reader 1 is placed over the non-contact IC card reader 1 provided in the vending machine, the non-contact IC card reader 1 The balance information and age information recorded in the contact IC card are read (S2).

  And the control part 6 displays the balance information of the non-contact type IC card read by the non-contact type IC card reader 1 on the money amount display part 4, and informs the customer of the balance of the non-contact type IC card (S3).

  And the control part 6 compares the age information read simultaneously with balance information with the sales permission age currently recorded on the vending machine, and whether age information is more than sales permission age (for example, 20 years old). Is determined (S4). If it is determined that the age information is equal to or higher than the sales permission age (for example, 20 years old), the sales are permitted and switched to the sales mode, and if it is determined that the age information is lower than the sales permission age, the sales standby state is not permitted. maintain.

  When the sale is not permitted and the standby state is maintained, the control unit 6 continues displaying the balance information of the non-contact type IC card by the amount display unit 4 for a predetermined time, and displays the amount display unit 4 when the predetermined time elapses. Is stopped (S5). By continuing the display for a predetermined time in this way, even a customer who is less than the sales permission age can know the balance of the non-contact IC card.

  When the sale is permitted and the sales mode is entered, the control unit 6 compares the lowest price of the product price data recorded in the recording means 7 with the balance information read from the non-contact IC card (S6). ).

  If the balance information is equal to or higher than the minimum price data, the price information is compared with the balance information, and the sales lamp 3 of the product selection button 2 corresponding to the product with the price below the balance information is flashed. Then, the customer is informed of the products that can be sold with the balance recorded in the non-contact IC card (S7).

  Further, if the amount of balance information of the non-contact type IC card is less than the minimum price data, the control unit 6 stands by in the sales mode for a predetermined time until the shortage of cash is inserted (S8, S9). If the shortage of cash is not inserted even after the predetermined time has elapsed, it is assumed that there is no intention to purchase the product, and the sales mode is switched to the standby state.

  Moreover, if the cash shortage is thrown in within predetermined time, it will transfer to the goods sales flow by the below-mentioned cash.

  In addition, when the sale lamp 3 of the product that can be purchased with the balance of the non-contact type IC card flashes, either the product sale flow with cash or the product sale flow with the IC card depending on whether or not new cash is inserted thereafter. (S10).

  Then, when shifting to the merchandise sales flow using the IC card, when the merchandise selection button 2 is pressed to select a merchandise (S11), the control unit 6 turns on the sales lamp 3 of the selected merchandise, and the like. The sales lamp 3 is turned off to inform the customer that the product has been selected (S12), and the price of the selected product is displayed on the money amount display unit 4 (S13).

  Thereafter, when the customer holds the contactless IC card over the contactless IC card reader 1 (S14), the contactless IC card reader 1 reads the balance information from the contactless IC card (S15).

  When the balance information is read, the control unit 6 compares the balance information with the price of the selected product (S16). If the balance information is equal to or higher than the price of the selected product, the control unit 6 selects the balance information. The price of the product is subtracted, and the new balance information obtained by the subtraction is overwritten on the balance information of the non-contact type IC card (S17).

  When the balance information is written on the non-contact type IC card, the control unit 6 pays out the selected product (S18), and displays the balance information newly written on the non-contact type IC card on the money amount display unit 4. (S19).

  Thereafter, when a predetermined time elapses, the control unit 6 turns off the money amount display unit 4 on which the balance information is displayed (S20), and switches the vending machine from the sales mode to the sales standby state.

  The balance information is read by holding the contactless IC card over the contactless IC card reader 1, and the balance information is selected when the control unit 6 compares the balance information with the price of the selected product (S16). If it is less than the price of the merchandise, the control unit 6 determines that the merchandise cannot be purchased and switches the vending machine from the sales mode to the sales standby state.

Also, when going to merchandise flow cash, the control unit 6 displays the inserted amount which has been identified by the cash identification unit 5 in the amount display unit 4 (S 21).

  Then, all the price data and the input amount are compared, the sales lamp 3 provided on the product selection button 2 corresponding to the product whose price is equal to or less than the input amount is blinked, and the price higher than the input amount The sales lamp 3 provided on the product selection button 2 corresponding to the product is turned off to inform the customer of the product that can be sold (S22).

  After that, when the product selection button 2 on which the sales lamp 3 is blinking is pressed and a product is selected, the control unit 6 lights the sales lamp 3 of the pressed product selection button 2, and the other sales lamps 3. Is turned off to inform the customer that a product has been selected (S23).

  When a product is selected, the control unit 6 throws out the selected product (S24), subtracts the price of the selected product from the amount of money that has been input, calculates change, and if there is change, The change amount is displayed on the display unit 4 (S25).

  After the change is paid out, the change amount is continuously displayed on the predetermined time amount display unit 4, and when the predetermined time has elapsed, the amount display unit 4 is turned off (S26).

  Thereafter, the control unit 6 switches the vending machine from the sales mode to the sales standby state.

  As described above, as an example of the embodiment, the vending machine capable of selling the commodity with either cash or the non-contact type IC card has been described. However, as another example of the embodiment of the present invention, cash is inserted. Sometimes a vending machine can be configured to sell merchandise using a combination of cash and a non-contact IC card.

  In this case, when cash is inserted after entering the sales mode, the control unit 6 displays an amount obtained by adding the amount of money inserted and the amount of balance information of the contactless IC card on the amount display unit 4.

  Then, all the price data is compared with the amount obtained by adding the amount of balance information of the non-contact type IC card to the amount of input, and the price is equal to or less than the amount obtained by adding the amount of input amount and the amount of balance information of the non-contact type IC card. The sale lamp 3 of the product selection button 2 corresponding to the product is blinked to inform the customer of the product that can be sold.

  After that, when the product selection button 2 on which the sales lamp 3 is blinking is pressed and a product is selected, the control unit 6 lights the sales lamp 3 of the pressed product selection button 2, and the other sales lamps 3. Is turned off to inform the customer that the item has been selected.

  When the customer holds the contactless IC card over the contactless IC card reader 1, the contactless IC card reader 1 reads balance information from the contactless IC card.

  When the balance information is read, the control unit 6 compares the amount obtained by adding the amount of balance information of the non-contact type IC card to the amount of input and the price of the selected product. If the amount of the balance information on the card is equal to or higher than the price of the selected product, the price of the selected product is subtracted from the sum of the input amount and the amount of balance information on the contactless IC card, The new balance information obtained by subtraction is overwritten on the balance information of the non-contact type IC card.

  Note that the amount of the new balance information obtained by subtraction may be paid out in cash as change.

  In addition, whether to record the balance after purchasing the product as new balance information on a non-contact IC card or pay out with cash as change, a cash / card selection button is provided on the vending machine, and the customer can freely You may make it selectable.

  When the balance information is written to the non-contact type IC card, the control unit 6 pays out the selected product and displays the balance information newly written to the non-contact type IC card on the money amount display unit 4.

  Thereafter, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the control unit 6 turns off the money amount display unit 4 on which the balance information is displayed, and switches the vending machine from the sales mode to the sales standby state.

The block diagram of the control part of the vending machine of embodiment of this invention. The sales flowchart figure of the vending machine of embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Non-contact type IC card reader 2 Product selection button 3 Sales lamp 4 Amount display part 5 Cash discrimination unit 6 Control part 7 Recording means

Claims (1)

A non-contact type recording medium or cash Accordingly salable goods vending machine balance information and age information is recorded,
Reading means for reading balance information and age information from the recording medium;
Balance display means for displaying balance information read by the reading means;
Age determination means for comparing the age information read by the reading means with a preset sales permission age to determine whether or not sales are possible;
When sale is permitted by the age determination means, the balance information and a sale price of a preset product are compared, and a saleable product display means for displaying a saleable product ;
Whether or not cash has been inserted after the saleable product is displayed by the saleable product display means, it is determined that the product is sold by cash when the cash is inserted, and when the cash is not inserted, the recording medium Determining means for determining product sales by
When the determination unit determines that the product is sold in cash, the input amount is displayed on the balance display unit, and the sales price of the product set in advance is compared with the input amount. Only the saleable product is displayed on the saleable product display means, and the sales means by cash for selling the product by the inserted cash,
When the determination unit determines that the product is sold by the recording medium, the recording unit includes a sales unit that uses the recording medium to sell the product based on the balance information of the recording medium .
The balance display means stops displaying after the balance information read by the reading means continues to be displayed for a predetermined time if the age determination means does not permit sales.

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