JP5445080B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more specifically, when a user purchases a product, the user selects the product to be stored in the machine after authenticating the user by an authentication method adopted by the user. It relates to vending machines.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vending machines are known that perform payment processing with a recording medium such as a non-contact type IC card or a mobile phone, and sell selected products to be stored in the machine. In such a vending machine, when a recording medium is held in a predetermined communicable area, an authentication process is performed with the recording medium, and when settlement is completed, the selected product stored in the machine is stored. Unloaded and sold.

  Then, the user ID (identity) stored in the storage medium, the purchased product and the purchase date and time are stored, and points are given according to the purchase frequency, etc. to improve customer satisfaction. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-164164 A

  By the way, in a vending machine installed at a train station platform or the like, for example, users in so-called commuting hours are mainly commuting customers. Such commuters generally use a train that arrives and departs at a fixed time every day, and purchases goods with a vending machine during the waiting time of the train. Moreover, purchased products tend to be of the same type.

  For such users (commuters), point grant as proposed in Patent Document 1 described above can also be a motivation for purchase, but more importance is placed on the ease of selection of products to be purchased each time. Tend to be.

  On the other hand, in the vending machine proposed in Patent Document 1 described above, data such as a user ID and a purchased product is stored from the purchase history, but when the product is sold, the user can perform predetermined communication. Since the selected product is only carried out after the recording medium is held in the area and the settlement is completed, the user selects a desired product from a large number of product samples, and the product sample of the product is selected. A normal operation of pressing a corresponding product selection button is required. This makes it difficult to differentiate products from other vending machines with respect to the ease of product selection for users such as commuters. If you buy a product on the machine, you will miss a sales opportunity.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of improving the selectivity of a specific product and capturing a frequently used user in a preset specific transaction time zone. And

In order to achieve the above object, the vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention accommodates the vending machine after authenticating the individual user by the authentication method adopted by the user when purchasing the product. In a vending machine that sells the selected product to be stored, storage means for storing the user's purchased product and purchase date and time information each time the product is sold together with information for identifying the individual user obtained by the authentication method , A calculating means for calculating the most sold maximum sale product for each predetermined time zone from the information stored by the storage means, and a touch panel type disposed on the front surface in a preset specific transaction time zone The display screen is provided with display control means for displaying only the product sample corresponding to the maximum sale product calculated by the calculation means for each time period.

  The vending machine according to claim 2 of the present invention is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the calculating means calculates the most frequently used user for each time period from the information stored in the storage means. And the said display control means displays the call display with respect to the most frequent user calculated by the said calculation means on the said display screen for every said time slot | zone in the said specific transaction time slot | zone.

  According to the vending machine of the present invention, the storage unit stores the information for identifying the individual user obtained by the authentication method, the information on the purchased product and the purchase date and time of the user every time the product is sold, and the calculating unit. However, from the information stored in the storage means, the most sold maximum sale product for each predetermined time zone is calculated, and the display control means is arranged in front in the preset specific transaction time zone. Since the product sample corresponding to the maximum sale product calculated by the calculation means is displayed on the touch panel display screen for each time zone, users who purchase the same type of product during such time zone can easily It becomes possible to select. Therefore, it can be differentiated from other vending machines, and the convenience of users who are frequently used can be improved. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to improve the selectivity of a specific product in a preset specific transaction time zone and to take in a user with a high use frequency.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the display monitor shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the display control processing executed by the display control unit constituting the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of the display monitor in the specific display mode shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a modification of the display example of the display monitor in the specific display mode.

  Exemplary embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 3 each show a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure, and FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a control system. FIG. The vending machine illustrated here is for selling products such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles, and includes a main body cabinet 1 which is the main body of the vending machine. The vending machine according to the present embodiment will be described as being installed, for example, at a train station platform.

  Inside the main body cabinet 1, a plurality (three in the illustrated example) of independent commodity storages 2 are arranged side by side. These goods storage 2 is for accommodating goods, such as a canned drink and a drink with a plastic bottle, in the state maintained at desired temperature.

  Each commodity storage 2 is provided with a commodity storage rack 3, a carry-out mechanism 4 and a carry-out shooter 5. The commodity storage rack 3 is for storing commodities in a manner arranged in the vertical direction. The carry-out mechanism 4 is provided at the lower part of the product storage rack 3 and is used to carry out the products at the bottom of the product group stored in the product storage rack 3 one by one. The carry-out shooter 5 is for guiding the product carried out from the carry-out mechanism 4 to a product outlet 13 described later. In addition, a heat exchanger (not shown) is disposed below the product storage 2 by the carry-out shooter 5, and the beverage can stored in the product storage rack 3 by driving the heat exchanger. And the PET bottle can be maintained at a desired cooling temperature or heating temperature. In the present embodiment, the left side when the vending machine is viewed from the front side is described as the left side, and the right side when the vending machine is viewed from the front side is described as the right side.

  The vending machine is provided with a door 6 at the left edge of the main body cabinet 1. The door body 6 is used to open and close the front opening of the main body cabinet 1, and includes an inner door 6a and an outer door 6b. The inner door 6a has a size sufficient to cover the front surface of the commodity storage 2 provided in the main body cabinet 1, and has a heat insulating structure. In the example shown in the figure, the inner door 6a is divided into upper and lower parts so that each can be opened and closed individually.

  The outer door 6 b has a size sufficient to cover the front opening of the main body cabinet 1. The outer door 6b is provided with a display monitor 7, a coin insertion slot 8, a bill insertion slot 9, an integrated display 10, a reader / writer 11, a coin return slot 12, and a commodity outlet 13 on the front side. A coin processor 14, a coin collection box 15, and a banknote processor 16 are provided on the surface side.

  The display monitor 7 is a so-called touch panel type display screen, and employs a known structure that gives a signal corresponding to the pressed position to the display control unit 30 described later when a predetermined position on the liquid crystal display screen is pressed with a fingertip. As shown in FIG. 4, the display monitor 7 has a function as display means for displaying a plurality of types of product samples S in an aligned manner. When the product sample S is displayed in this way, a cold temperature display H indicating whether the product corresponding to the product sample S is a hot product or a cold product is also displayed below the product sample S. . That is, “HOT” is displayed on the product sample S of the hot product, and “COLD” is displayed on the product sample S of the cold product. Further, the display monitor 7 also has a function as a product selection means. When one of the product samples S on the display screen is pressed, a signal corresponding to the pressed position is given to the display control unit 30, and then A product corresponding to the product sample S is paid out from the inside of the main body cabinet 1 under a predetermined condition.

  The coin slot 8 is an opening through which a user inserts coins. The coins inserted through the coin insertion slot 8 are identified by the coin processor 14 and then stored in the coin collection box 15. The bill insertion slot 9 is an opening for a user to insert a bill. The banknote inserted through the banknote insertion slot 9 is identified in the banknote processing machine 16 by its denomination. The bill insertion slot 9 has a function for returning bills that could not be identified by the bill processor 16. The integrated display 10 is for displaying various types of information to the user, such as the amount of money inserted, whether or not it is being sold, and whether or not there is change. The reader / writer 11 can read / write information from / to an IC chip of an IC card when a recording medium such as an IC card is held in a predetermined access area (communication available area). In this embodiment, an IC card is illustrated as an example of a recording medium. However, in the present invention, a mobile phone may be applied as a recording medium. The coin return port 12 is an opening for returning coins that could not be identified by the coin processing machine 14 or coins to be changed to the user. The product outlet 13 is an opening for the user to receive the product paid out from the product storage rack 3.

  Next, the control system of the vending machine according to the present embodiment will be described. The vending machine includes a vending machine control unit 20 and a display control unit 30 as control units. The vending machine control unit 20 controls the sales operation of the vending machine according to programs and data stored in the memory 21. Various information is stored in the memory 21, and when payment processing is performed through the reader / writer 11, purchase history information, that is, a user ID of the recording medium (information specifying individual users), a purchased product, and a purchase The date and time are stored.

  The display control unit 30 is electrically connected to the vending machine control unit 20 in such a manner that data can be transmitted and received. The display control unit 30 controls display on the display monitor 7 according to a program or data stored in the storage unit 31 or a built-in memory (not shown), and includes an input processing unit 32, a mode setting unit 33, A calculation processing unit 34 and a display processing unit 35 are provided.

  The input processing unit 32 performs input processing on a signal given from the display monitor 7 which is a touch panel display screen. Information on the selected product included in the signal is given to the vending machine control unit 20.

  The mode setting unit 33 measures time with a clock (not shown), and when the current time corresponds to a preset specific transaction time zone, the mode setting unit 33 sets the specific display mode while the current time is other than the specific transaction time zone. In this case, the normal display mode is set.

  Here, the specific transaction time zone corresponds to, for example, a morning commute time zone, and the time zone from 7:00 am to 9:00 am is set as the specific transaction time zone. The specific transaction time zone is not limited to the morning commute time zone (time zone from 7 am to 9 am), and various time zones can be set.

  The calculation processing unit 34 inputs information stored in the memory 21 according to a predetermined time schedule, that is, user ID, purchase date and time, and purchased product information from the vending machine control unit 20, and performs predetermined processing in the specific transaction time zone. This is a calculating means for calculating the most sold product (maximum sales product) in a time zone (for example, every 10 minutes). Information calculated by the calculation processing unit 34 may be stored in the storage unit 31 as appropriate.

  The display processing unit 35 is a display control unit that controls the display on the display monitor 7, and controls the display on the display monitor 7 according to the mode set through the mode setting unit 33. More specifically, when the normal display mode is set through the mode setting unit 33, a plurality of types of product samples S are arranged and displayed as shown in FIG. The cold temperature display H is also displayed.

  In the vending machine having the above-described configuration, products can be sold as follows.

  The case where a product is sold in a time zone other than the specific transaction time zone will be described. In this case, since the normal display mode is set by the mode setting unit 33, the display processing unit 35 arranges and displays a plurality of types of product samples S as shown in FIG. A cold temperature display H is also displayed at the lower part of the product sample S.

  When the display part of the product sample S corresponding to the product to be purchased on the display monitor 7 is pressed by the user, the input processing unit 32 of the display control unit 30 performs an input process on the pressing signal given from the display monitor 7, Information on the product included in the signal is given to the vending machine control unit 20.

  In the vending machine control unit 20, a product storage rack that stores the selected product on the condition that payment processing is performed with a recording medium (such as an IC card or a mobile phone) held by the user through the reader / writer 11. 3 is driven to pay out the merchandise, and the user can take out the merchandise through the merchandise take-out port 13 to end the sale of the merchandise.

  In selling such a product, the vending machine control unit 20 stores the user ID, the purchase date and time, and information on the purchased product in the memory 21.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the display control processing executed by the display control unit constituting the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. By explaining this display control process, the operation of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention will also be described.

  In the display control process, the display control unit 30 checks whether or not the current time has passed a specific transaction time zone start time (for example, 7:00 am) through the mode setting unit 33 (step S101), and the specific transaction time zone. When the start time has not been reached (step S101: No), the normal display mode described later is set (step S105). On the other hand, when the specific transaction time zone start time has elapsed (step S101: Yes), the specific display mode is set (step S102).

  When the specific display mode is set through the mode setting unit 33, the display processing unit 35 causes the display monitor 7 to display only the product sample S corresponding to the maximum sale product (step S103). The display of the maximum sales table product will be described in detail. The display processing unit 35 obtains only the product sample S corresponding to the maximum sales product in each time zone calculated by the calculation processing unit 34 according to a predetermined time schedule for the time. It is to display on the belt. That is, in the time zone from 7 am to 7:10 am, when a certain brand of coffee drink (hot product) corresponds to the maximum sale product, the display control unit 30, as shown in FIG. Only the product sample S corresponding to the maximum sale product is displayed in the time zone. And in the next time zone, that is, the time zone from 7:10 am to 7:20 am, when a certain brand of tea beverage (hot product) corresponds to the maximum sale product, the display control unit 30 Display only the maximum sales items for the time period.

  In this way, in the specific transaction time zone (time zone from 7:00 am to 9:00 am), display processing for displaying only the maximum sales products for each time zone (time zone every 10 minutes) on the display monitor 7 repeat.

  When the display location of the product sample S corresponding to the maximum sale product displayed on the display monitor 7 is pressed by the user in such a specific transaction time zone, the input processing unit 32 of the display control unit 30 is pressed. Inputs the pressing signal given from the display monitor 7 and gives the vending machine control unit 20 information on the product included in the signal. In the vending machine control unit 20, a product storage rack that stores the selected product on the condition that payment processing is performed with a recording medium (such as an IC card or a mobile phone) held by the user through the reader / writer 11. 3 is driven to pay out the merchandise, and the user can take out the merchandise through the merchandise take-out port 13 to end the sale of the merchandise. In selling such a product, the vending machine control unit 20 stores the user ID, the purchase date and time, and information on the purchased product in the memory 21.

  Thereafter, when the current time has passed the specific transaction time zone end time (step S104: Yes), the normal display mode is set through the mode setting unit 33 (step S105).

  When the normal display mode is set through the mode setting unit 33, the display processing unit 35 displays a plurality of types of product samples S in an aligned manner on the display monitor 7 and displays the cold / hot display H below each product sample S. The normal display to be displayed is also performed (step S106), and then the procedure is returned to end the current process.

  As described above, according to the vending machine according to the present embodiment, the calculation processing unit 34 of the display control unit 30 stores the user ID, the purchased product, and the purchase date / time information stored in the memory 21 according to a predetermined time schedule. The maximum sales product for each predetermined time zone (for example, every 10 minutes) is calculated, and the display processing unit 35 of the display control unit 30 calculates the calculation processing unit 34 on the display monitor 7 in the specific transaction time zone. Since the product sample S corresponding to the maximum sold product is displayed for each time zone, a user who purchases the same type of product during the time zone can easily select the product. Therefore, it can be differentiated from other vending machines, and the convenience of users who are frequently used can be improved. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the selectivity of a specific product in a specific transaction time zone set in advance and to take in a user with high use frequency.

  In particular, in the above vending machine, since the display monitor 7 only needs to be devised, it can be applied to an existing vending machine having the display monitor 7 on the front surface and has excellent versatility. Can be realized at low cost.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

In the embodiment described above, in the specific display mode, as shown in FIG.
In the specific transaction time zone, only the product sample S corresponding to the maximum sale product for each time zone is displayed. However, in the present invention, the specific display may be performed as follows. That is, when the user ID stored in the recording medium used for payment by the user has already been registered and the name of the user has been determined, the display processing unit 35 displays the specific transaction time zone. In FIG. 7, not only the product sample S corresponding to the maximum sale product is shown, but also a call display Y such as “Mr. XX, welcome” is displayed for each time zone as shown in FIG. Anyway. According to this, it is possible to positively appeal to users (heavy users) who use the vending machine at a roughly fixed time, and to capture the users reliably. become.

  In the above-described embodiment, the individual user is authenticated by the user ID stored in the recording medium. In the present invention, the user ID stored in such a recording medium is assigned to the user ID. Without being limited thereto, a face authentication method may be adopted to authenticate individual users.

  As described above, when a user purchases a product, the vending machine according to the present invention sells the selected product to be accommodated in the machine after authenticating the individual user by the authentication method adopted by the user. Useful to do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 4 Unloading mechanism 6b Outer door 7 Display monitor 10 Integrated display 11 Reader / writer 14 Coin processing machine 15 Banknote processing machine 20 Vending machine control part 21 Memory 30 Display control part 31 Storage part 32 Input processing part 33 Mode setting part 34 Calculation Processing unit 35 Display processing unit S Sample product H Cold temperature display Y Call display

Claims (2)

In a vending machine that sells selected products to be accommodated in the aircraft after authenticating the individual user with the authentication method adopted by the user when purchasing the product,
A storage means for storing information on the user's purchased product and purchase date and time each time the product is sold together with information for identifying the individual user obtained by the authentication method,
Calculating means for calculating the most sold maximum sales product for each predetermined time period from the information stored by the storage means;
Display control means for displaying only the product sample corresponding to the maximum sale product calculated by the calculation means on the touch panel type display screen arranged on the front surface in a specific transaction time zone set in advance for each time zone. A vending machine characterized by comprising: The calculation means calculates the most frequently used user for each time period from the information stored in the storage means,
The said display control means displays the call display with respect to the most users calculated by the said calculation means on the said display screen for every said time slot | zone in the said specific transaction time slot | zone. vending machine.

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