JP2003308567A - Cup beverage vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cup beverage vending machine in which a time needed for bulk buying can be reduced. <P>SOLUTION: When the first beverage is selected by pushing a selection button, a beverage supplying means supplies the selected first beverage. While the selected first beverage is being supplying, the second selection of beverage is accepted. After the first beverage is supplied, the beverage supplying means supplies the second beverage. By eliminating an interval between starting supplying the second beverage and finishing supplying the first beverage, a time needed for bulk buying can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cup beverage vending machine for providing and selling beverages prepared from raw materials and placed in cups.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a cup beverage vending machine which provides and sells a cup beverage containing a beverage, the operation of providing the selected beverage is started by inserting money and selecting the beverage with a selection button. However, the change is paid out when the amount of money that is equal to or higher than the selling price of the drink is put.

In the beverage providing operation in the case of adopting the cup transport system, first, the cup transport unit waiting at the selling port moves to the cup supply position to receive the cup, and then the cup transport unit is selected. Move to the raw material supply position corresponding to the beverage and receive the raw material into the cup, then the cup transport section moves to the rear of the selling port to receive hot water or cold water in the cup, and the raw material and hot water or cold water in the cup Is stirred and mixed to cook the beverage, and the cup containing the beverage can be taken out from the selling port. If the cup containing the beverage is taken out of the selling port, the next cup beverage can be sold.

When purchasing a plurality of beverages in a lump,
First, start the beverage providing operation by inserting coins and selecting the beverage with the selection button, and when the beverage providing operation ends and the cup containing the beverage is taken out from the selling port,
By supplying money again and selecting the next beverage with the selection button, the operation of providing the next beverage is started. Therefore, even when a plurality of beverages are collectively purchased, the same operation as purchasing one by one is required, which causes a problem that it takes time.

Further, for example, in the cup beverage vending machine described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-14062, a bulk buying selection means is provided, and if a plurality of the same beverages are desired to be purchased collectively, a plurality of cups will be sold. Prepare a container containing the beverage in advance and place it in the beverage outlet, and operate the selection button after operating the bulk buying selection means to collectively deliver a predetermined number of beverages to the container from the beverage outlet. ing. In this case, although you can buy several drinks at the same time, you can buy different kinds of drinks, or even buy the same drink in a cup, that is, if you buy multiple drinks in a batch. Is 1
The same operation as purchasing one by one is required, and there is a problem that it takes time.

[0006]

As described above, in the cup beverage vending machine, even when a plurality of beverages are collectively purchased, the same operation as purchasing one by one is required, and the time required is There is such a problem.

[0007] In particular, with a cup type beverage vending machine installed in a factory, sales concentrate on breaks, but since it takes time, the number that can be sold during the breaks is limited, and sales opportunities are missed. There is a defect.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a cup beverage vending machine capable of shortening the time required for bulk buying.

[0009]

A cup beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a selection button for selecting a beverage, a beverage providing means for providing a beverage prepared from a raw material and placed in a cup, and the selection button. While accepting the selection of a beverage by the beverage providing means to perform the providing operation, the beverage is continuously provided after the completion of the providing operation of the beverage during the providing operation by accepting the selection of the beverage by the selection button during the beverage providing operation. And a control unit for causing the beverage providing means to provide the selected beverage.

Further, in this configuration, the selection of the beverage by the selection button is accepted, and the selected beverage is provided by the beverage providing means. During the beverage providing operation, the selection of the beverage by the selection button is continuously accepted, and after the beverage providing operation in the providing operation is completed, the selected beverage is continuously provided by the beverage providing means. Therefore, the time between the end of the operation of providing one beverage and the start of the operation of selecting the next beverage is omitted, and the beverage is continuously provided and the time required for bulk buying is shortened. It

The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 2 is
The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a currency processing unit that processes currency, wherein the control unit can accept selection of a beverage by a selection button by inserting the currency into the currency processing unit, and the beverage. By allowing money to be inserted into the money processing unit during the provision operation of, the selection of the beverage by the selection button can be continuously accepted.

In this configuration, the selection of the beverage by the selection button is accepted by inserting the money into the currency processing unit. By inserting money into the money processing unit during the beverage providing operation, the selection of the beverage by the selection button is continuously accepted.

A cup beverage vending machine according to claim 3 is
The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a bulk buying button for selecting bulk buying of a plurality of beverages, and the control unit continuously selects during a beverage providing operation by selecting bulk buying by the bulk buying button. It is possible to accept selection of a beverage with a button.

Further, in this configuration, the selection of the bulk purchase by the bulk purchase button allows the selection of the beverage by the selection button to be continuously accepted during the beverage providing operation.

The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 4 is
The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a bulk buying mode setting unit that sets a bulk buying mode for a plurality of beverages, wherein the control unit provides the beverage by setting the bulk buying mode by the bulk buying mode setting unit. The beverage selection by the selection button can be continuously accepted during the operation.

In this configuration, the bulk buying mode setting unit sets the bulk buying mode so that the selection of the beverage by the selection button is continuously accepted during the beverage providing operation.

The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 5 is
The cup beverage vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the beverage providing unit has a plurality of beverage cooking units for performing respective operations of providing different types of beverages, and the control unit has one beverage cooking unit. In the operation of providing a beverage in step S1, the operation of providing the selected beverage in parallel with the beverage in the operation of providing, when the continuously selected beverage is provided in a beverage cooking section different from the beverage in the operation of providing Is to start.

Further, in this configuration, when the beverage selected by the one beverage cooking section is continuously provided by the beverage cooking section different from the beverage currently being provided, the beverage operation is performed during the beverage providing operation. The operation of providing the selected beverage is started in parallel with the beverage. Therefore, the time required for bulk buying is further shortened, and the time required for bulk buying is shortened even in the case of a type of beverage that requires a long time for the providing operation.

A cup beverage vending machine according to claim 6 is
The cup beverage vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each selection button has a display unit, and the control unit responds to the display unit of the beverage selection button during the providing operation during the providing operation. Displaying in a display form, and displaying the display portion of the selection button for the beverage selected subsequently during the beverage providing operation in a display form different from that during the providing operation and corresponding to the selection being accepted Is.

Further, in this configuration, the display portion of the beverage selection button during the serving operation is displayed in a display form corresponding to the serving operation, and the selection button for the beverage selected continuously during the serving operation of the beverage is displayed. By displaying the parts in a display form different from that during the providing operation and in a display form corresponding to the selection being accepted, it is possible to confirm the selection state of the beverages to be purchased collectively.

A cup beverage vending machine according to claim 7 is
The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each selection button has a display section, and the control section displays the display section of the selection button of the beverage during the providing operation corresponding to the providing operation. The display section of the selection button, which is made selectable by inserting money into the money processing section during the beverage providing operation, is displayed in a selectable display mode.

Further, in this configuration, the display portion of the selection button of the beverage during the providing operation is displayed in a display form corresponding to the providing operation, and the money is thrown into the money handling portion during the providing operation of the beverage. By displaying the display portion of the selectable selection buttons in the display form corresponding to the selectable, it becomes possible to continuously select the beverage even during the operation of providing the beverage.

[0023]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 to 6 show a first embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the cup beverage vending machine 11, which has a main body 12 and a door body 13 for opening and closing the front surface of the main body 12.

A sales opening 14 is formed in the door body 13 substantially at the center, and the inside of the sales opening 14 is configured as a cup station 15. A sales port door 16 that can close the sales port 14 is openably and closably attached to the sales port 14, and the sales port door 16 is automatically opened and closed by a sales port door opening / closing means (shown in FIG. 2). In the closed state, it is locked and unlocked by a locking means (not shown).

A plurality of beverage type display sections 17 for displaying the types of beverages to be sold are provided in the upper area of the door body 13, and a selection button 18 is provided for each of these beverage type display sections 17. It should be noted that, depending on the type of beverage, there are multiple beverage type display sections 17 for selecting detailed types such as coffee black, sugar-containing, cream-containing, sugar cream-containing, ice presence / absence, and cup size. The selection button 18 is provided.

A coin slot 19, a bill slot 20, a coin return slot 21, a return lever 22 and the like are arranged in the right side area of the door body 13. Behind these, identification counting and return of banknotes and coins and A money handling unit (shown in FIG. 2) for paying out change is provided. Also, the coin slot 19 and the banknote slot
A bulk buying button 23, which is operated when bulk buying a plurality of beverages, is provided on the operation unit provided with 20, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the beverage cooking means of the cup beverage vending machine 11. A plurality of beverage cooking units 26, 27 for supplying beverage ingredients, a beverage cooking unit 28 for supplying regular coffee as a beverage to the cup station 15, a hot and cold water supplying unit 29 for supplying hot water to the cup station 15, and cold water for the cup station 15. It has a cold water supply unit 30 for supplying, a carbonated water supply unit 31 for supplying carbonated water to the cup station 15, an ice supply unit 32 for supplying ice to the cup station 15, and a stirring unit 33 for stirring in the cup at the cup station 15. Cage,
The beverage cooking means 34 is configured by these.

The beverage cooking section 26 has a plurality of canisters 36 for storing powdered raw materials such as instant coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar and milk for each type, and an amount corresponding to the beverage volume from each of these canisters 36. The raw materials of are delivered. The raw material fed from each canister 36 is received and stored in the raw material holding section 37, and each raw material holding section 37
The raw material stored by discharging the cup is conveyed to the lower side of the cup.

The beverage cooking section 27 has a plurality of raw material bags 38 for storing concentrated liquid raw materials such as juice concentrate, and the cup stations are configured to suck the raw material bags 38 in amounts corresponding to the beverage volume. It is supplied in the cup that is transported to 15. The raw material is cooled by passing through the cold water supply unit 30 in the middle of the raw material supply path.

The beverage cooking section 28 has a plurality of containers 39 for storing regular coffee beans by type. A fixed amount of coffee beans is sent from each of the containers 39 to a coffee mill 40, and the coffee mill 40 powders the beans. The ground coffee powder is sent to the extractor 41, the extractor 41 mixes it with the hot and cold water from the hot and cold water supply unit 29 to filter and extract the coffee liquid, and the extracted coffee liquid is conveyed to the cup station 15. Supplied within.

The hot water supply unit 29 has a hot water tank 42 that receives water supplied from a water source such as tap water, boil it to a predetermined temperature, and stores it. The hot water in the hot water tank 42 is conveyed to the cup station 15. It is supplied to the inside of the cup or the extractor 41.

The cold water supply unit 30 has a cooling water tank 43 for storing the cooling water w, the cooling coil 44 is arranged in the cooling water w of the cooling water tank 43, and the water from the water source is supplied by the water pump 45. It is sent to the cooling coil 44, exchanges heat with the cooling water w to be cooled while passing through the cooling coil 44, and the cooled cold water is supplied into the cup conveyed to the cup station 15.

The carbonated water supply unit 31 uses the cooling water w of the cooling water tank 43.
A carbonated water container 46 is disposed inside, and a portion of the cold water that has passed through the cooling coil 44 and carbon dioxide gas from the carbon dioxide cylinder 47 are supplied to the carbonated water container 46 to make carbonated water, and this carbonated water is cupped. It is supplied into the cup that is transported to the station 15.

The ice supply unit 32 has an ice making device 48 that receives water from a water source to make ice, and the ice made by the ice making device 48 is supplied to the cup conveyed to the cup station 15. .

The stirrer 33 is disposed above the cup station 15 and has a stirrer 50, such as an impeller, which is rotated and driven by a stirrer motor 49 and moved up and down.
At the time of descending 50, it enters the cup conveyed to the cup station 15 to stir and cook the beverage. The ascending position of the stirring tool 50 is the standby position, and the descending position is the stirring position.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the cup beverage vending machine 11. Reference numeral 61 denotes a control unit for controlling the cup beverage vending machine 11. The control unit 61 has a plurality of selection buttons 18, a bulk buying button 23, The currency handling unit 62, the beverage providing means 63, and the like described above are connected.

Each of the selection buttons 18 has a display unit 64 which is integrally built-in or provided separately. For example, when the display unit 64 is turned off, standby is displayed, when it is turned on, a selectable beverage is displayed and blinking. The beverage being provided is displayed in.

The beverage supply means 63 is a cup supply means 65 which accommodates a plurality of cups and discharges one cup at the time of providing a beverage, and moves the inside of the main body 12 in the horizontal X and Y axis directions. A cup conveying means 66 for receiving one cup discharged and supplied from the 65 and conveying it to the raw material supply position from the beverage cooking section 26 or the cup station 15, a beverage cooking means 34 for cooking a beverage, and a driving opening door 16 are opened and closed. It has a means 67 for opening and closing the sales door.

The beverage cooking means 34 comprises the beverage cooking sections 26, 27, 2
8. It has a hot water supply unit 29, a cold water supply unit 30, a carbonated water supply unit 31, an ice supply unit 32, a stirring unit 33 and the like.

The controller 61 has the following functions.

The beverage selection means 18 receives the beverage selection and the beverage providing means 63 provides the selected beverage, and the beverage selection operation is continuously performed during the beverage providing operation. A function of causing the beverage providing means 63 to continuously provide the selected beverage after the beverage providing operation is completed.

A function of accepting selection of a beverage by the selection button 18 continuously during the beverage providing operation by selecting the bulk buying by the bulk buying button 23. The selection of the beverage by the selection button 18 can be accepted by inserting the money into the currency processing unit 62, and the money is continuously input into the currency processing unit 62 during the beverage providing operation, so that the beverage of the selection button 18 can be changed. A function that enables selection.

For example, the beverage cooking section 26 or the beverage cooking section 27
In the case of providing the beverage in the beverage cooking section 28 different from the beverage in the providing operation during the beverage providing operation in
A function to start the serving operation of the selected beverage continuously in parallel with the beverage being served.

Display of the beverage selection button 18 during the serving operation
64 is displayed in a display mode corresponding to the providing operation, and coins are inserted into the money handling unit 62 during the providing operation of the beverage to be selectable. A function of displaying the display unit 64 of the selection button 18 of the beverage selected subsequently during the beverage providing operation in a display format different from that during the providing operation and corresponding to the selection being accepted. . For example, the display form corresponding to the providing operation of the display unit 64 is blinking, the display form corresponding to the selectable is lighting, and the display unit 64 of the selection button 18 of the beverage selected subsequently is in the providing operation. The display form corresponding to that the selection is accepted in a different display form, the display unit 64 of the selection button 18 of the beverage which is not selected is turned off, and the display unit 64 of the selection button 18 of the selected beverage is continuously turned on. To do.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

First, the case of buying instant coffee and regular coffee together will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 1 and the timing chart of FIG. 5 (a).

When the purchaser puts money for purchasing instant coffee into the money handling unit 62 (step 1), the display unit 64 of the selection button 18 corresponding to the drink that can be selected is turned on.

When the bulk buying button 23 is operated immediately after the coin is inserted (step 2), the instant coffee selection button 18 is operated (step 3) to start the instant coffee providing operation. (Step 4).

When the bulk buying button 23 is not operated and the instant coffee selection button 18 is operated immediately after the coin is inserted (step 5), the instant coffee providing operation is started (step 6), and this instant coffee is started. The bulk buying button 23 is operated during the providing operation of (step 7).

The display portion 64 of the selected instant coffee selection button 18 blinks to indicate that the providing operation is in progress.

When the instant coffee providing operation is started, the cup conveying means 66 moves to the cup receiving position to receive one cup supplied from the cup supplying means 65, and the received cup receives the instant coffee from the beverage cooking section 26. It is transported to the raw material receiving position. In the beverage cooking unit 26, at the start of the providing operation, the instant coffee raw material, sugar and milk are fed from each canister 36 in advance and stored in the raw material storage unit 37, and the cups are sequentially moved to the corresponding raw material receiving positions. By doing so, the reserved raw material in each raw material retaining portion 37 is discharged to the cup. When all the ingredients have been received in the cup, the cup is transported to the cup station 15. Hot water is supplied from the hot water supply unit 29 or cold water is supplied from the cold water supply unit 30 to the cup conveyed to the cup station 15, and the stirring tool 50 of the stirring unit 33 is put in the cup to stir and cook instant coffee. To do. Further, in the case of ice coffee, ice is supplied from the ice supply unit 32 according to the selection. When the cooking of the instant coffee in the cup is completed, the selling door 16 is opened to allow the taking out of the cup containing the instant coffee. When the detection means (not shown) detects that the cup containing the instant coffee has been taken out by the purchaser, the sales door 16 is closed.
As a result, a series of providing operations of instant coffee are completed.

Further, during the operation of providing the instant coffee, when the purchaser continuously inputs the money for purchasing the regular coffee (step 8), it is possible to select the beverage including the beverage in the operation of the providing. The display portion 64 of the selection button 18 corresponding to the beverage to be turned on is lit. If the regular coffee selection button 18 is operated (step 9), the regular coffee reservation is accepted (step 9).
10), the display section 64 of the selection button 18 of the beverage not selected is turned off and the display section 64 of the selection button 18 of the selected regular coffee is kept lit, and the display section of the selection button 18 of the instant coffee during the serving operation is continued. Return 64 to blinking.

Then, it is judged whether at least a part of the selected beverage providing operation can be performed in parallel with the beverage providing operation during the providing operation (step 11). In this case, since the instant coffee is cooked by supplying the raw material from the beverage cooking section 26 and the regular coffee is cooked in the beverage cooking section 28, parallel processing is possible, and the regular coffee providing operation is started in parallel. (Step 12).

When the regular coffee providing operation is started, a predetermined amount of coffee beans is supplied from the container 39 to the coffee mill 40, the coffee beans 40 are ground into powder, and the ground regular coffee raw material is extracted by the extractor 41. Send to. At this point, if the above-described series of instant coffee providing operations are not completed, the operation waits until they are completed (step 13).

When a series of instant coffee providing operations are completed, it is confirmed whether there is a bulk purchase reservation reception (step 14). In this case, since regular coffee reservations have been received, the regular coffee providing operation is started (step 15). At this time, at least part of the regular coffee providing operation is started in parallel, so if the regular coffee providing operation is being performed, the providing operation is continued as it is, and if it is on standby, the continuous providing operation is resumed. . Further, the display unit 64 of the instant coffee selection button 18 is turned off, and the display unit 64 of the regular coffee selection button 18 is blinked to indicate that the serving operation is being performed.

In the regular coffee providing operation, the cup conveying means 66 moves to the cup receiving position to receive one cup supplied from the cup supplying means 65, and receives the received cup according to the selection of sugar or milk. Cooking department
The sugar and milk from 26 are delivered to the receiving location. In the beverage cooking unit 26, sugar and milk are fed from each canister 36 and held in the raw material holding unit 37 in advance at the start of the providing operation, and each raw material is held by being conveyed to the corresponding raw material receiving position by the cup. Release sugar and milk in part 37 to the cup. The cup containing sugar or milk is transported to the cup station 15 according to the selection. Corresponding to the transport of this cup, hot water is supplied from the hot water supply unit 29 to the extractor 41 to which the regular coffee ingredients are fed from the coffee mill 40 to extract the coffee liquid, and the cup station
Pour into the cup transferred to 15. In the case of containing sugar or milk, the stirring tool 50 of the stirring unit 33 is put in the cup to stir and cook regular coffee. After the regular coffee is stirred and cooked in the cup, the selling door 16 is opened to allow the regular coffee to be taken out. When the detection means (not shown) detects that the regular coffee cup is taken out by the purchaser, the sales door 16 is closed. This completes a series of regular coffee providing operations, that is, bulk buying ends.

As described above, the regular coffee selection by the selection button 18 can be continuously received during the instant coffee providing operation, and the selected regular coffee can be continuously provided after the completion of the instant coffee providing operation during the providing operation. , The time from the end of the providing operation of at least one instant coffee to the start of the providing operation by selecting the next regular coffee can be omitted, and the regular coffee providing operation can be continued to the instant coffee, The time required for bulk buying can be shortened.

In particular, the instant coffee during the providing operation and the subsequent providing operation of the selected regular coffee can be processed in parallel, so that the time required for bulk buying can be further shortened.

FIG. 5 (b) shows a timing chart in the case of purchasing regular coffee after the completion of the instant coffee providing operation as a comparative example. It takes t from the money insertion to the instant coffee providing operation.
1. If the time from the money insertion to the regular coffee providing operation is t2 and the time from the end of the instant coffee providing operation to the money insertion to purchase the regular coffee is t3, the regular coffee is completed after the instant coffee providing operation is completed. The time to purchase is T2 = t1 + t3 + t2. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the time T1 when the instant coffee and the regular coffee are collectively purchased is the time t1 required from the money insertion to the instant coffee providing operation and the money insertion to the regular coffee providing operation. Since a part of the time t2 required for processing is processed in parallel, the time is shorter than the time T2.

Therefore, for example, in the cup beverage vending machine 11 installed in the factory, sales concentrate on breaks, but the time required for bulk buying can be shortened, so that the number that can be sold during the breaks can be increased.

Next, the case of buying two instant coffees in bulk will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 1 and the timing chart of FIG. 6 (a).

When the purchaser inputs money for purchasing the first cup of instant coffee into the money handling unit 62 (step 1), the display unit 64 of the selection button 18 corresponding to the drink that can be selected. Lights up.

When the bulk buying button 23 is operated immediately after the coin is inserted (step 2), the selection button 18 for the first cup of instant coffee is operated (step 3), and the first cup of instant coffee is operated. The operation of providing the above is started (step 4).

Immediately after the coin is inserted, the bulk buying button 23 is not operated and the selection button for the first instant coffee
When 18 is operated (step 5), after the first instant coffee providing operation is started (step 6), the bulk buying button 23 is operated during the first instant coffee providing operation. (Step 7).

The display portion 64 of the selection button 18 for the selected first instant coffee blinks to indicate that the serving operation is in progress.

The operation of providing the first cup of instant coffee is as described above. By opening the selling port door 16, the cup of the first cup of instant coffee is taken out, and the selling port door 16 is closed. A series of operations for providing the first instant coffee is completed.

During the operation of providing the first cup of instant coffee, if the purchaser successively inserts money for purchasing the second cup of instant coffee (step 8), the operation of providing the cup of instant coffee is continued. The display section 64 of the selection button 18 corresponding to the drink that can be selected including the drink is lit. Second instant coffee selection button 18
Is operated (step 9), the reservation for the second cup of instant coffee is accepted (step 10), the display portion 64 of the selection button 18 for the beverage not selected is turned off, and the first cup of instant coffee during the serving operation is performed. The display portion 64 of the selection button 18 of is returned to blinking.

Then, it is judged whether at least a part of the selected beverage providing operation can be performed in parallel with the beverage providing operation during the providing operation (step 11). In this case, the second cup of instant coffee is cooked with the same raw material supply from the beverage preparation section 26 as the first cup of coffee, so if it is judged that parallel processing is impossible, The operation of providing the second cup of instant coffee is waited until the providing operation is completed (step 13). However, the ingredients for the first cup of instant coffee are reserved
If the release from 37 to the cup is completed, the ingredients for the second cup of instant coffee can be paid out from each canister 36 and retained in the ingredient reserve section 37, which can shorten the bulk buying time. .

When the series of operations for providing the first instant coffee is completed, it is confirmed whether or not there is a reservation reception (step 14). In this case, since there is a reservation reception for the second cup of instant coffee, the operation of providing the second cup of instant coffee is started (step 15). At this time, the display portion 64 of the selection button 18 for the second instant coffee is blinked to indicate that the providing operation is being performed.

The operation of providing the second cup of instant coffee is as described above. By opening the selling port door 16, the cup of the second cup of instant coffee is taken out and the selling port door 16 is closed. The series of operations for providing the second cup of instant coffee ends, that is, the bulk buying ends.

As described above, the selection of the second cup of instant coffee by the selection button 18 is continuously accepted during the provision of the first cup of instant coffee, and
After the operation of providing the second instant coffee is completed, the operation of providing the selected second instant coffee can be continuously performed. Therefore, after the operation of providing the first instant coffee is completed, the second instant coffee is selected. The time until the start of the providing operation can be omitted, the operation of providing two cups of instant coffee can be performed continuously, and the time required for bulk buying can be shortened.

FIG. 6 (b) is a timing chart showing the case of purchasing the second cup of instant coffee after the completion of the operation of providing the first cup of instant coffee as a comparative example. If the time from the money insertion to the instant coffee providing operation is t1, the time from the end of the first instant coffee providing operation to the money insertion to purchase the second instant coffee is t3, the first cup Time to purchase a second cup of instant coffee after the end of the instant coffee serving operation is T4 = t1
It becomes + t3 + t1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the time T3 when two instant coffees are collectively purchased is selected as the second instant coffee after the operation of providing the first instant coffee is completed. It is possible to omit the time between the start of the provision operation and
Can continuously provide a cup of instant coffee 1
During the operation of providing the second cup of instant coffee, money can be inserted and selected for the second cup of instant coffee, that is, the time t1 required for the operation of providing the first cup of instant coffee and the operation of providing the second cup of instant coffee. Since part of this time t4 can be processed in parallel, the time is shorter than the time T4.

Then, not only the combination of beverages for bulk purchase in the above example, but also any combination of beverages for bulk purchase, the selection of the beverage by the selection button 18 is continuously accepted and provided during the beverage providing operation. Since the selected beverage can be continuously provided after the operation of providing the beverage in operation, the time from the completion of the operation of providing one beverage to the start of the operation of providing the next beverage can be reduced. At least it can be omitted, the beverage providing operation can be performed continuously, and the time required for bulk buying can be shortened.

Although money was thrown in when purchasing the second drink at the time of bulk buying, the amount of money including the drinks after the second drink should be put in when purchasing the first drink. For example, in order to purchase the second drink, only the selection button 18 needs to be operated. In this case, by operating the bulk buying button 23, it is possible to select the second cup without paying out the change when the first cup selection button 18 is operated.

Further, in the case of purchasing the beverages one by one, the bulk buying button 23 is not operated, and the operation of providing the selected beverage is started only by the operation of the coin insertion and the selection button 18 (steps 1 and 2). (5, 6), when the beverage providing operation is completed (steps 7, 16), the processing for purchasing the individual drinks one by one is completed. In this case, if there is change and the return lever 22 is not operated, the change is forcibly paid out at the end of the beverage providing operation.

Even if the bulk buying button 23 is operated, if the series of providing operations for the first drink is completed in step 13 without the coins for the second drink being inserted, one drink for the first drink is completed. The process is terminated in the same manner as the individual purchase of each item.

Further, the collective purchase of beverages is not limited to two beverages, and it is possible to continuously select a plurality of beverages of three or more. Furthermore, a plurality of beverages can be supplied during the operation of providing one beverage. You can also select. When a plurality of drinks are selected in this way, the batch buying time can be further shortened by changing the order of cooking in accordance with the type of the drink so that the bulk buying time is the shortest.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, instead of the bulk buying button 23, a bulk buying mode setting section 71 for setting the control mode by the control section 61 to the bulk buying mode of a plurality of beverages may be provided. In this case, the control unit 61 controls the bulk buying mode setting unit 71 to set the bulk buying mode so as to accept the selection of the beverage by the selection button 18 continuously during the beverage providing operation without operating the bulk buying button 23. As a result, the purchaser does not need to operate the bulk buying button 23, and the bulk buying operation can be facilitated.

[0081]

According to the cup beverage vending machine of claim 1, the selection of the beverage by the selection button is continuously accepted during the beverage providing operation, and the beverage is continuously selected after the completion of the beverage providing operation during the providing operation. Since the beverage providing operation can be performed, it is possible to omit the time from the completion of the providing operation of one beverage to the start of the providing operation by selecting the next beverage, and the beverage providing operation can be continuously performed. The time required for bulk buying can be shortened.

According to the cup beverage vending machine of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the cup beverage vending machine of claim 1, the selection of the beverage by the selection button is accepted by inserting the money into the currency processing unit. In addition, it is possible to continuously accept the selection of the beverage by the selection button by inserting money into the money handling unit during the beverage providing operation.

According to the cup beverage vending machine according to claim 3, in addition to the effect of the cup beverage vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, it is possible to continue during the beverage providing operation by selecting bulk buying with the bulk buying button. The selection of the beverage by the selection button can be accepted.

According to the cup beverage vending machine of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the cup beverage vending machine of claim 1 or 2, the beverage providing operation is performed by setting the bulk buying mode by the bulk buying mode setting unit. The selection of the beverage by the selection button can be continuously received.

According to the cup beverage vending machine according to claim 5, in addition to the effect of the cup beverage vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, during the operation of providing a beverage in one beverage cooking section. When the beverage selected in succession is provided in a beverage cooking unit different from the beverage in the provision operation, the provision operation of the selected beverage can be started in parallel with the beverage in the provision operation. The time required for bulk buying can be further shortened, and the time required for bulk buying can be shortened even in the case of a type of beverage that requires a long time for the providing operation.

According to the cup beverage vending machine according to claim 6, in addition to the effect of the cup beverage vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, there is provided a display portion of a beverage selection button during the serving operation. A display mode that is displayed in a corresponding mode during operation, and a display section of a selection button for a beverage that is continuously selected during a beverage providing operation has a display mode different from that during the providing operation and that corresponds to the selection being accepted. Since it can be displayed with, it is possible to easily confirm the selection state of the beverage to be purchased in bulk.

According to the cup beverage vending machine of claim 7, in addition to the effect of the cup beverage vending machine of claim 3 or 4, the display portion of the selection button of the beverage during the serving operation is being provided. Since it can be displayed in a display form corresponding to, the display unit of the selection button that can be selected by inserting money into the currency processing unit during the beverage providing operation can be displayed in a display form corresponding to selectable. The beverage can be continuously selected even during the beverage providing operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a cup beverage vending machine showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the same cup beverage vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the same cup beverage vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a beverage cooking means of the above cup beverage vending machine.

FIG. 5 (a) is a timing chart in the case of buying instant coffee and regular coffee together, and FIG. 5 (b) is a timing chart in the case of buying regular coffee after the completion of the instant coffee providing operation as a comparative example.

[FIG. 6] Same as above (a) is a timing chart when buying two cups of instant coffee together, and (b) is a comparative example when buying a second cup of instant coffee after the operation of providing the first cup of instant coffee 2 is a timing chart of.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a cup beverage vending machine showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 cup beverage vending machine 18 Select button 23 Bulk buying button 26-28 Beverage Cooking Department 61 Control unit 62 Money Handling Department 63 Beverage serving means 64 Display 71 Bulk buying mode setting section

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A selection button for selecting a beverage, a beverage providing means for providing a beverage prepared from raw materials and placed in a cup, and a beverage selected by accepting selection of the beverage by the selection button. And a control unit that causes the beverage providing means to provide the selected beverage continuously after the completion of the beverage providing operation during the providing operation by accepting the selection of the beverage by the selection button during the beverage providing operation. A cup beverage vending machine characterized by comprising: 2. A currency handling unit for handling currency, wherein the control unit accepts selection of a beverage by a selection button by inserting the currency into the currency handling unit, and the currency is exchanged during a beverage providing operation. The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the beverage selection by the selection button can be continuously accepted by being thrown into the money handling unit. 3. A bulk buying button for selecting bulk buying of a plurality of beverages, wherein the control section can accept the selection of the beverage by the selection button continuously during the beverage providing operation by selecting the bulk buying by the bulk buying button. Claim 1 characterized by the above.
Alternatively, the cup beverage vending machine according to 2. 4. A bulk buying mode setting unit for setting a bulk buying mode for a plurality of beverages, wherein the control unit sets the bulk buying mode by the bulk buying mode setting unit so that the beverage is continuously selected by a selection button during a beverage providing operation. The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the selection can be accepted. 5. The beverage providing means has a plurality of beverage cooking units for respectively providing different types of beverages, and the control unit, during the beverage providing operation in one beverage cooking unit,
When the subsequently selected beverage is provided in a beverage cooking section different from that of the beverage being provided, the providing operation of the selected beverage is started in parallel with the beverage being provided. Item 5. A cup beverage vending machine according to any one of items 1 to 4. 6. Each of the selection buttons has a display section, and the control section displays the display section of the selection button of the beverage during the serving operation in a display form corresponding to the serving operation to display the beverage during the serving operation. 6. The display section of the selection button for the selected beverage is displayed in a display form different from that during the providing operation and in a display form corresponding to the selection being accepted. Cup drink vending machine described. 7. Each of the selection buttons has a display unit, and the control unit displays the display unit of the selection button of the beverage during the serving operation in a display form corresponding to the serving operation to display the beverage during the serving operation. The cup beverage vending machine according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a display portion of a selection button that can be selected by inserting money into the money processing portion is displayed in a display form corresponding to the selection.