JP2000020800A - Automatic selling method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a purchaser to select, merchandise based on as much information as possible by allowing a second device to obtain prescribed information related with the merchandise by communicating with a first device prior to the transaction of the merchandise, and to display the obtained information. SOLUTION: In a device 1 for a purchaser, a control part 11 transmits an instruction to obtain merchandise information through a transmitting and receiving part 14 to a device 3 for a seller. In the device 3 for a seller, a control part 31 transmits merchandise information stored in a merchandise information storing part 34 through a transmitting and receiving part 32 to the device 1 for a purchaser, and the merchandise information is displayed at a display part 12. When an instruction to purchase merchandise is issued in the device 1 for a purchaser, a command to purchase the merchandise is transmitted. In the device 3 for a seller, the price of the merchandise is transmitted from the merchandise information stored in a merchandise information storing part 34. The device 1 for a purchaser transmits the price information corresponding to the merchandise price from an IC card 2 connected through a card terminal 15. The device 3 for a seller stores the price information in a price information storing part 33, and ejects the merchandise.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic vending method and apparatus, and more particularly, to an automatic vending method and apparatus for performing transactions using an IC card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, developments and experiments for practical use of so-called electronic money, in which electronic transactions are performed using information stored in an IC card or the like, have been performed. One of the features of electronic money is that business transactions can be performed without using cash, and in order to realize this, it is necessary to make all transactions using cash compatible with electronic money. There is.

A vending machine is one of the types of transactions using such cash, and a "payment method and system using an IC card" (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-1997) has already been proposed by the present inventor. A technology for making a vending machine compatible with electronic money, such as 334255), has been proposed.

When using electronic money stored in an IC card, the user inserts the IC card into an information processing device or the like having a communication function and checks the balance of the electronic money using the information processing device. In addition, it has been proposed to transfer electronic money by communication using the communication function.

[0005]

As described above, when electronic money is transferred using an information processing device or the like equipped with a communication function, a new service using the information processing device must be provided. Can be considered. In particular, services that have been difficult to realize conventionally can be provided for those that are operated unattended, such as vending machines.

[0006] However, the vending machines proposed so far mainly include a technique for safely and securely transferring electronic money from an IC card to a vending machine, and the configuration for realizing new functions and the like is as follows. Not proposed.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending method and apparatus which use electronic money and are more useful for users.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first apparatus for storing products to be sold, and a display for displaying information. In an automatic vending method for automatically performing a transaction of a product using a second device capable of communicating with the device, the first device stores predetermined information regarding a product sold by the first device, The second device communicates with the first device prior to the transaction of the commodity to acquire the predetermined information, and displays the acquired predetermined information on the display means.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, in the transaction of the product, the purchaser of the product transfers the value information stored in the IC card to the first device as a consideration. And the transfer is performed using the second device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first device for storing merchandise to be sold, and a second device having display means for displaying information and capable of communicating with the first device. In the vending apparatus for automatically performing transaction of goods by using the first device, the first device includes product information storage means for storing predetermined information on products sold by the first device, and Is characterized by comprising product information acquisition means for acquiring product information stored in the product information storage means through communication with the first device and displaying the product information on the display means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the second device stores the value information of the value information in an IC card storing the value information which is a value at the time of the transaction of the product. The apparatus further comprises card terminal means for reading, and the first device further comprises value information storage means for storing value information to be received as a price of a product to be sold, and the transaction of the product is performed by the second device. It is performed by moving the value information through communication between the device and the first device.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the vending method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vending apparatus. The vending machine includes a purchaser's device (second device) 1 and a seller's device (first device) 3. The purchaser's device 1 is a control unit 11 for controlling each unit, and is necessary for the purchaser. Display unit 12 such as a liquid crystal display for displaying various information,
An operation unit 13 such as a keyboard for inputting operation instructions, a transmission / reception unit 14 for communicating information with the seller device 3 by wireless communication such as infrared communication, and a card terminal 15 for recording / reproducing information to / from an IC card are provided. It is composed. Also,
The seller's device 3 includes a control unit 31 that controls each unit, a transmission / reception unit 32 that communicates information with the purchaser's device 1 by wireless communication such as infrared communication, and the like. A value information storage unit 33 that stores value information (electronic money) received from the IC card 2 as a price for the product, a product information storage unit 34 that stores information of the product to be provided to the buyer's device prior to sale of the product, It comprises a product discharging unit 35 for discharging purchased products.

In this vending machine, communication is performed between the transmission / reception unit 14 of the purchaser's device 1 and the transmission / reception unit 32 of the seller's device 3 to read out the IC card 2 via the card terminal 15. The value information to be purchased is moved to the value information storage unit 33 as a price for the product to be purchased, and the product is purchased. The method of transferring the value information is the same as the method proposed in the past, for example, the same as the “payment method and system using IC card” (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-334255) already proposed by the present inventors (in this case, The value information storage unit 33 is composed of a card terminal and an IC card.

Further, in this automatic vending apparatus, the purchaser can use the purchaser's device 1 to acquire information on the product sold by the seller's device 3 before purchasing the product. This is because the purchaser operates the operation unit 1 of the purchaser device 1.
By operating the device 3, information about the product is acquired from the product information storage unit 34 of the seller device 3 and displayed on the display unit 12. The information on the product is, for example, if the product is a soft drink, its raw materials, calories, selling points, etc. In addition, when conducting a campaign or the like and giving a prize, etc., what kind of details, etc. It may be information.

Here, the operation of the automatic vending apparatus (the purchaser's apparatus 1 and the seller's apparatus 3) will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation of the vending apparatus. In the flowchart shown in FIG. 2, steps in the 100's indicate the operation of the buyer's device 1, and steps in the 150's indicate the operation of the seller's device 3.

When the power is turned on and the operation is started (step 151), the seller's device 3 receives a product information acquisition command or waits until a product purchase command is received (step 152). NO, N at step 154
O).

On the other hand, when the purchaser's device 1 is instructed to acquire the product information by operating the operation unit 13 (step 1).
02, YES), the control unit 11 transmits a product information acquisition command to the seller device 3 via the transmission / reception unit 14 (step 103). In the seller device 3, when the transmission / reception unit 32 receives the acquisition command of the product information from the purchaser device 1 (YES in step 152), the control unit 31 transmits the product information stored in the product information storage unit 34. It is transmitted to the purchaser's device 1 via the transmission / reception unit 32 (step 153), and the control unit 11 of the purchaser's device 1 received by the transmission / reception unit 14 displays the product information on the display unit 12 (step 104). .

Next, when the purchaser's device 1 gives an instruction to purchase a product by operating the operation unit 13 (step 105).
And the control unit 11 transmits a product purchase command to the seller device 3 via the transmission / reception unit 14 (step 10).
6). In the seller device 3, when the transmission / reception unit 32 receives the product purchase command from the purchaser device 1 (step 154).
The control unit 31 transmits the price of the product from the product information stored in the product information storage unit 34 to the purchaser's device 1 via the transmission / reception unit 32 (step 155), and transmits this to the transmission / reception unit 14 Control unit 1 of purchaser's device 1 received at
1 transmits the value information corresponding to the product price from the IC card 2 connected via the card terminal 15 from the transmission / reception unit 14 (step 108), and the purchaser's device 1 ends the processing. Next, the seller's device 3 that has received the value information at the transmission / reception unit 32 stores it in the value information storage unit 33, discharges the product (step 157), and returns to the standby state again.

The purchaser's device 1 may instruct purchase of a product without obtaining product information (step 1).
02, NO in step 105), it is also possible to only acquire the product information and not purchase the product (YES in step 102, NO in step 105).

Here, the transfer of the value information from the IC card 2 to the value information storage unit 33 is briefly described (steps 107 and 108 and steps 155 and 155, 1).
56, 157), when the above-described method of moving the value information is used, the processing here follows the procedure of the method.

Next, the operation of the vending machine will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the external appearance of the purchaser's device. The buyer's device 1 is
A display 12a that is a part of the display unit 12, a cursor key 13a and a selection key 13 that are a part of the operation unit 13,
b, a transmission / reception end 14a which is a part of the transmission / reception unit 14, and a card insertion slot 15a which is a part of the card terminal 15.

The purchaser's device 1 inserts the IC card 2 from the card insertion slot 15a and presses the cursor key 13a or the selection key 13b in accordance with an instruction or a menu displayed on the display 12a, so that the transmitting / receiving end 14a is connected. The merchandise information is acquired from the seller's device 3 through the seller, and payment for the purchase of the merchandise is made. In addition, when performing an operation of only acquiring product information without purchasing a product, it is not necessary to insert the IC card 2 into the card insertion slot 15a.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of the appearance of the purchaser's device different from that shown in FIG. The purchaser's device 1 'has a display 12'a, a cursor key 13'a, a selection key 13'b, a transmitting / receiving end (not shown in FIG. 4), and a card insertion slot 15'a. Although the appearance is different from the purchaser's device 1 shown in FIG. 3 (for example, the key arrangement, the size of the display, the point that the display unit can be opened and closed using the lid), the configuration is basically the same. .

Therefore, the purchaser's device 1 'inserts the IC card 2 from the card insertion slot 15'a, and according to instructions and menus displayed on the display 12'a, cursor keys 13'a and selection keys 13'. By pressing b, merchandise information is acquired from the seller's device 3 via a transmitting / receiving end (not shown), or payment for purchasing the merchandise is performed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the seller's device. The seller's device 3 is, in appearance, a transmitting / receiving unit 32.
, A product discharge port 35a which is a part of the product discharge section 35, and a product display window 36 for displaying a sample of the product.

In the seller's device 3, the purchaser of the product purchases by using the purchaser's device 1 based on the product information acquired through the transmitting / receiving end 32 or the sample of the product displayed on the product display window 36. In order to purchase the product by deciding the product and operating the purchaser device 1 to transfer the value information stored in the IC card 2 via the transmission / reception terminal 32a, the purchaser directly operates the device 3 for the seller. There is no operation. The purchased product is discharged from the product discharge port 35a.

Further, the product display window 36 is not always necessary for the seller's device 3, and may not be provided. The display device such as a display may be used to display the product to be sold. Is also good.

It should be noted that the purchaser's device described in the above embodiment need not necessarily be a dedicated device, but may be an information processing device having a display device and a communication function.

Similarly, the electronic money to be used is not necessarily I
The present invention is not limited to being stored in a C card, and can be applied to a case where the information is directly stored in another medium or an information processing device.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, information on a product to be sold is stored in the device for the seller who sells the product, and the purchaser is operated by operating the purchaser device having the display device. Prior to purchasing the product, the buyer can obtain information about the product from the seller's device and check it on the display device, so that the buyer can select the product to purchase based on more information At the same time, the seller can provide various services such as providing a product with a prize.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vending apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation of the vending apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a purchaser's device.

FIG. 4 is a view showing another example of the appearance of the purchaser device different from that shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a seller device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Buyer's device 1 'Buyer's device 2 IC card 1 3 Seller's device 11 Control part 11 12 Display part 12a Display 12'a Display 13 Operation part 13a Cursor key 13'a Cursor key 13b Selection key 13'b Selection key 14 Transmission / reception unit 14a Transmission / reception end 15 Card terminal 15a Card insertion slot 15'a Card insertion slot 31 Control unit 32 Transmission / reception unit 32a Transmission / reception end 33 Value information storage unit 34 Product information storage unit 35 Product discharge unit 35a Product discharge 36 Product Exhibition window

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E044 AA01 BA04 CA06 CC04 DB02 DB05 DC06 DE01 EA01 EA06 EB10 5B049 AA06 BB17 CC09 CC39 DD01 DD04 EE01 FF04 FF08 GG03 GG04 GG06 5B058 CA24 KA02 YA20

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first device for storing a product for sale,
An automatic selling method comprising a display device for displaying information and automatically performing a transaction of goods using a second device capable of communicating with the first device, wherein the first device comprises The second device communicates with the first device prior to the transaction of the product to obtain the predetermined information, and stores the predetermined information. Is displayed on the display means. 2. The transaction of the product is performed by a purchaser of the product by transferring value information stored in an IC card to the first device as a consideration, and the transfer is performed using the second device. 2. The automatic vending method according to claim 1, wherein the vending is performed. 3. A first device for storing a product for sale,
An automatic vending apparatus comprising a display unit for displaying information and automatically performing a transaction of goods by using a second device capable of communicating with the first device, wherein the first device is Product information storage means for storing predetermined information on a product sold by the first device, wherein the second device stores the product information stored in the product information storage device through communication with the first device; A product information acquisition unit for acquiring the information and displaying the acquired information on the display unit. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second device stores a value information which is a value at the time of the transaction of the commodity.
The apparatus further comprises card terminal means for reading the value information from the C card, and the first device further comprises value information storage means for storing value information received as a price for a product to be sold, The vending apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transaction of the goods is performed by moving the value information through communication between the second device and the first device.