JP3415913B2 - Book information vending machine - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a case where information display software in the form of a book is divided into book data and a program for executing display according to a user's instruction and treated as independent products. The present invention relates to a book information vending machine that realizes automatic vending of book data without having to worry about running out of stock with easy product line-up.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a method called a book metaphor has been used, which is being put to practical use by displaying the image on a computer display as an image of a book and simulating the functions of the book such as jumping from the table of contents and turning pages. The software that realizes such a book metaphor is composed of book data created according to a predetermined rule and a program that displays the book data and realizes the function of the book. Conventionally, such information display software in the form of a book is configured by separating it into book data and a program that executes display according to a user's instruction.
Book data is also a type of software that can be handled as independent products, so book data corresponding to the contents of the book is copied to a commutable file memory medium such as a floppy disk or CD-ROM, and the file Memory media were sold at bookstores and electronics stores.

Conventionally, there is a vending machine for magazines, but if the technology is applied, the copied file memory medium is stored in the storage case of the vending machine according to the title of the book data, and the money is inserted. By pressing the select button, the file memory medium is ejected.

In such a conventional method, since a storage case and selection buttons must be provided according to the number of book titles, the number of book titles that can be sold simultaneously by one vending machine is limited to about several tens. To be done. Also, popular products may run out if they are not replenished frequently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and to provide an automatic vending machine for book data in which product line-up is easy and there is no fear of product run-out.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A large number of book metaphors (or electronic books) to be sold in a large-capacity file memory
Store and manage book information for books. Further, it is composed of a copy device for writing book information in a file memory medium such as a floppy disk, which can be exchanged with a medium, a currency identifying / storing device, a prepaid card subtracting device or a credit card inspection device, or a plurality of them. Charging device, display such as touch panel display and operation input means, and one or more CPUs for controlling these
And a processing device including a memory.

Then, the processing device displays a single-layer or multi-layer selection menu for selecting the stored book information on the display, and when the book selection information is input from the operation input means, the file memory is displayed. A book selection processing means for displaying a medium insertion request and a charge, and a billing availability inspection processing means for inspecting whether or not the fee is collected by the billing device,
If the fee can be collected, the copy processing means for copying the selected book information to the inserted file memory medium, and the payment of the change or the book fee from the prepaid card when the copying is normally completed. And a billing processing unit that executes a billing process by subtracting the amount of money or by a credit card.

A short-distance communication device with the reader computer is added instead of the copying device, and the book selection processing means displays a connection request between the short-distance communication device and the reader computer instead of the request for inserting the file memory medium. And
When the connection is made with the connection cable, the book information can be transferred to the reader computer via the connection cable by the short-range communication device and the book information can be directly copied to the file memory of the reader computer.

In addition, a large number of unused file memory media are housed in this book information vending machine, and a media storage device for taking out the media according to a command from the processing device and automatically inserting it into the copying device is added. When the book information is selected, the medium storage device is operated to provide the copy device with the medium setting processing means, and when the book information is selected, the billing possibility inspection processing means, the medium setting processing means, and the copy processing means. It is also possible to sequentially operate the charging processing means and supply the copied medium.

Further, on the premise that the book information is distributed to the book information vending machine by broadcasting, a book information broadcasting receiving device is added, and the book information distributed by broadcasting is received to store a large-capacity file memory. And store it in
Book information reception and storage processing means for adding information to select the book information selection menu Ru provided in the processing apparatus.
The book information receiving / storing processing means stores the received book information.
When storing, there is enough free space in the large-capacity file memory.
If there is no memory, of the book information already stored,
Book information with the least number of sales after a certain period, or
Automatically discontinue book information that has not been sold for the longest time to date
Discard and delete the selection menu for the book information
It

[0011]

According to the present invention, in order to solve the problem of selling book information in a general conventional vending machine, instead of storing the copied file memory medium for sale, the book information has a large capacity. Only one set is stored in the file memory, and at the time of sale, the selected book information is copied to an empty file memory medium. Regarding the handling of the file memory medium, a method in which the user brings the file memory medium and inserts it, connects to the user's computer with an interface such as SCSI, and directly transfers the file from the vending machine to the file on the user computer. For example, a method of copying the book information selected by the user and a method of storing the unused file memory medium in the vending machine and copying the book information selected by the user are used. It would be even more convenient if all or some of these methods were used together so that the user could choose freely.

Further, as a method of updating the book information of the vending machine, a removable medium is brought and copied to a large-capacity file memory, or the large-capacity file memory itself is divided into a large number of C files.
In addition to a common method for supplying data to a computer, such as a D-ROM, a method of distributing by using broadcasting or communication can be considered.

By doing so, it is possible to prepare an assortment of book information with a very large number of titles as long as the capacity of the large capacity file memory permits. For example, book information that does not include moving images is several MB even if there are color illustrations.
Therefore, it is possible to store the book information for 1000 books or more in a file memory of about 10 GB. In addition, if the user brings a file memory of a replaceable medium, there is essentially no possibility of running out of stock, and even if unused medium is stored in the vending machine, it is not possible to supply individual book information mediums. However, replenishment frequency is much less, as only the total amount of medium matters.

Further, if a method of distributing book information by broadcasting or communication is adopted, it is possible to distribute book information simultaneously throughout the country,
Moreover, there is no manual labor for distribution. In particular, according to the method using broadcasting, a large amount of book information can be distributed in a shorter time than that using communication, and the number of vending machines increases, so that the running cost per machine decreases. Of course, there may be a method of distributing it directly to general user terminals by broadcasting, but there are difficulties in the initial cost for each user and the method of collecting charges, and it is expected that full-scale diffusion will take time. According to the book information vending machine of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on the user such as the initial cost as compared with the case where the book information is directly broadcast to the general user terminal. A method of distributing book information to general user terminals by broadcasting is proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 5-179580.

[0015]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. The book information vending machine 1 includes a processing device 11, a large-capacity file memory 15, a touch panel display 12, and a copying device 1.
4. Comprised of a charging device 13.

The touch panel display 12 is a menu display unit for the user to select book information, a guide information display unit for instructing the user to insert a fee or take out the copied medium, and a book. It also serves as an input means for selecting information. Such means is not limited to the touch panel display 12, and may be a combination of a normal display and a keyboard, trackball, buttons, or the like. However, when there are many kinds of book information and the menu has a hierarchical structure, the touch panel display 12 in which display and input are integrated has better operability.

When the user purchases the book information, the user first looks at the menu on the touch panel display 12 and selects the book information. If there is a large amount of book information, the menu has a hierarchical structure. Therefore, the initial menu displays a large classification of book information, and then a detailed classification that can sequentially approach the target book. The initial menu is automatically displayed when the processing device 11 is waiting for the user's access.
The information of the selection input is transferred from the touch panel display 12 to the processing device 11 and analyzed by the processing device 11 to display the next menu or display the cover of the selected book information and the insertion instruction of the file memory medium.

The copy device 14 is, for example, a floppy disk drive or a card type hard disk interface device, and when a user inserts a replaceable file memory medium 31 into the copy device 14, the file memory medium 31 is unused or has sufficient free space. To that effect, the processing device 11 is notified, and when the processing device 11 transmits the book information, the book information is written in the exchangeable file memory medium 31.

When the processing device 11 is notified by the copying device 14 of the insertion of the exchangeable file memory medium 31, it checks the free space of the exchangeable file memory medium 31, and if the free space is sufficient, displays a charge input instruction. If it is insufficient, a message to that effect is displayed. In the case of a floppy disk, even if it is not used, it may not be possible to copy one disk in terms of capacity.
Either copy the sheets one by one or copy them, or store the required number of sheets and copy them while automatically replacing them inside.

The billing device 13 differs depending on the billing system. If the billing system is a system for depositing money, it identifies, stores,
Has a change-out function. In addition, it is connected to the processing device 11 and notifies the identified currency type and receives the change amount. In the case of the prepaid card system, the remaining amount of the card is detected, the processing device 11 is notified, and the change amount is notified. In the case of the credit card method, a card number, a code number, etc. are detected and notified to the processing device 11.

When the processing device 11 is notified of the information about the amount of money paid by the billing device 13, the book information is read out from the large-capacity file memory 15 and transferred to the copying device 14 if it is sufficient compared with the price of the book. , Copy to the exchangeable file memory medium 31 inserted by the user. When the floppy disks are sequentially replaced and copied, the replacement instruction is displayed each time. If the input amount is insufficient, a message to that effect is displayed. If copying is completed normally, billing device 1
Notify 3 of the change amount, and if it fails, instruct to return the full amount. In the case of the credit card method, the book information is copied after confirming the normality of the card and the code number.

When the copying of the book information is completed, the copied file memory medium 31 'is ejected. As a result, the user can insert the copied commutative file memory medium 31 'into the reader computer 2 and display the book information as a book image to read it.

As described above, in the first embodiment, a very wide variety of book information items can be prepared, and the user can easily select the product information. Also, even if there is information on books that cannot be sold, there is no danger of a pile of returned books.

FIG. 2 shows a processing flow chart of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, steps S10 to S21 shown in FIG.
An example of the processing performed by the processing device 11 in the first embodiment will be described below.

First, in step S10, the initial menu is displayed on the touch panel display 12, and if the menus are hierarchical, the hierarchical menus are sequentially displayed according to the input of selection information. Step S11
Then, it is determined whether or not a book is selected. If not, the process returns to step S10 to display the next menu. When the book is selected, the cover of the book selected in step S12 is displayed on the touch panel display 12
And an instruction to insert the exchangeable file memory medium 31 is displayed, and the user is confirmed in step S13. If there is an instruction to cancel, step S10
Return to.

When the book is confirmed and the exchangeable file memory medium 31 is inserted, the free space of the exchangeable file memory medium 31 is inspected in step S14.
If the capacity of the selected book information is insufficient in the determination in step S15, the process proceeds to step S16, the reinsertion of the exchangeable file memory medium 31 is instructed, and the process returns to step S14 to inspect the capacity again. . For example, when the exchangeable file memory medium 31 is a floppy disk and the sheets are sequentially replaced one by one, the user is notified of the required number of sheets, and the presence or absence of the required number is confirmed instead of the capacity check. To do.

When it is confirmed that the book information has a sufficient capacity for copying, in step S17, the user is instructed to insert a fee according to the selected book. If it is confirmed in step S18 that the fee has been sufficiently charged, the process proceeds to the next step. In addition, it is also possible to make it possible to purchase with a prepaid card or a credit card here. If the charge is not sufficient and there is an instruction to cancel, the inserted exchangeable file memory medium 31 is ejected, the copy impossible is displayed, and the process is terminated.

In step S19, the selected book information is read from the large-capacity file memory 15, transferred to the copy device 14, and the book information is copied to the exchangeable file memory medium 31. Depending on the capacity and the like, the exchangeable file memory medium 31 to be copied is exchanged if necessary, and when the copying is completed, the copied exchangeable file memory medium 31 'is discharged in step S20. If there is change due to step S21, the change is returned.

The above-mentioned processing is an example, and the order of processing, the book selection method, the charging method, and the like can be changed. FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which a book broadcast receiving device 16 broadcast by the book information broadcasting center 4 is added to the book information vending machine 1 of the first embodiment. The book information broadcasting center 4 is provided with a broadcasting facility for broadcasting data distribution of book information by wire or wirelessly. This broadcasting facility broadcasts book information in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol that allows synchronization control and error correction without a confirmation signal from the receiving side. On the book information vending machine 1 side, the book information received by the receiving device 16 is stored in the large-capacity file memory 1
5, and is automatically registered in the menu described in the first embodiment. The processing device 11 is composed of a multitasking processor and an operating system (OS), and while receiving the broadcast of the book information, executes the copy of the book information in response to the user's request. In the case of broadcasting, there is a risk of reception errors, but this can be dealt with by providing sufficient redundancy to the synchronization code for determining the position of valid data and the error correction code for correcting data errors. it can. In addition, as a countermeasure for reception errors,
It may be possible to rebroadcast a few times with an appropriate time.

When the large-capacity file memory 15 approaches full capacity, the old data is manually discarded, or an erase command is broadcast to notify automatic deletion. Thus, according to the second embodiment, the book information of the book information vending machine 1 can be updated without manpower and in a short time.

FIG. 4 shows a processing flowchart relating to the reception of the book information broadcast in the second embodiment. Less than,
An outline of the processing in the second embodiment will be described according to steps S30 to S40 shown in FIG.

The process of selling book information is the same as in the first embodiment described above. In step S30, if there is a broadcast from the book information broadcasting center 4, the receiving device 1
The broadcast is received by 6. The received information is analyzed in step S31. If the broadcast is new book information, the process proceeds to step S32, and if it is another command, step S32 is executed.
Proceed to 37.

If the new book information is received, it is determined in step S32 whether or not there is sufficient free memory in the large capacity file memory 15. If there is not enough free memory, the oldest book information registered in the large capacity file memory 15 is discarded in step S33, and a free memory area is created. Instead of discarding the oldest book information, for example, after a certain period of time, the book information with the smallest number of sales or the book information that has not been sold for the longest period up to now may be automatically discarded.
When the existing book information is discarded, the book information is deleted from the menu in step S34.

In step S35, the received book information is stored in the large capacity file memory 15. When the book information for one or a plurality of books has been stored in the large-capacity file memory 15, the selection information about the book is registered in the menu so that the book can be sold at step S36.

If the new book information is not received, step S
At 37, it is determined whether or not it is an instruction to erase existing book information. If it is not the erase command, the process proceeds to step S40. In the case of a deletion instruction, the book information designated in step S38 is discarded. Alternatively, the oldest book information, the unsold book information, or the like is discarded from the large capacity file memory 15. When the book information is discarded, the selection information regarding the book is deleted from the menu in step S39. If it is a command other than the erasing command, in step S40, the process according to various commands determined in advance is executed, and the process related to broadcasting is ended.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. Third
In this embodiment, the copy device 14 of the book information vending machine 1 of the second embodiment is replaced with the short-range communication device 18 and the connection cable 5. The short-range communication device 18 is, for example, a large capacity SCSI interface device with a buffer memory. The short-range communication device 18 has one end of the connection cable 5 fixedly attached to the SCSI interface board 181, and the other end of the connection cable 5 has a connector to the reader computer 2.

In executing the copy, first, the processing device 11 of the book information vending machine 1 sets the large capacity file memory 15
Of the book information is transferred to the buffer memory of the short-range communication device 18, and the fact is displayed on the touch panel display 12. When the user executes a copy command on the reader computer 2 in that state, the buffer information of the short-range communication device 18 is regarded as an additional disk, the book information is read out, and the book information is copied to the file memory on the reader computer 2 side. By doing so, it is possible to alleviate the dependence of the copying apparatus 14 on the model and maintain the security of both the book information vending machine 1 and the reader computer 2.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, since the data can be directly copied to the file memory of the terminal computer without passing through the commutative file memory medium, the commutation of a relatively small capacity such as a floppy disk is possible. Even a reader computer 2 having only a file memory medium can execute copying without the trouble of replacing several floppy disks.

FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Fourth
In this embodiment, a medium storage device 17 of a replaceable file memory medium is added to the book information vending machine 1 of the second embodiment. A large amount of unused media is stored in the media storage device 17, and when the user requests a copy, the processing device 11
In response to this command, the medium is taken out and loaded in the copying apparatus 14. If the copy device 14 is configured such that the medium is inserted from the rear and ejected to the front, the system configuration becomes easy. When copying is completed, eject the medium so that the user can take it out. The remaining amount of the medium is managed by the processing device 11, or an inquiry from the processing device 11 is reported from the medium storage device 17 so that it can be checked at any time by inputting a maintenance command. Alternatively, the book information vending machine 1 can be connected to the management center of the book information vending machine 1 through a telephone line, and the center side periodically checks the remaining amount, or when the remaining amount becomes low, the book information vending machine 1 side automatically It may be possible to report it. As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, the book information can be purchased without bringing a medium or a terminal computer, and the possibility of running out of stock is extremely small.

The processing procedure relating to the third and fourth embodiments can be easily inferred from the description of FIGS. 5 and 6 and the description of the first and second embodiments. The description is omitted.

Using the above-described first to fourth embodiments together, the user inserts a replaceable file memory medium, performs copying by the short-range communication device 18, or stores in the medium storage device 17. It may be made possible to select whether to copy to a file memory medium that is currently stored. This is more convenient because it expands the user's selection range.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to realize an automatic vending machine for book information that has an extremely wide variety of products and has little or no risk of being out of stock. It is expected that the price of file memory will decrease further in the future, and as the capacity of main memory increases and the price will decrease, it will be possible to achieve a product lineup comparable to large bookstores with a relatively inexpensive configuration.

If the book information distribution by broadcasting is used, the latest book information can be always available anywhere in the country. Using such a vending machine not only saves labor, but also enables small bookstores to carry out a wide variety of products quickly and at low cost and with low risk. It will be extremely easy to obtain all kinds of book information even in areas where there are no books. This is to provide a new sales form that makes use of the features of the book metaphor or electronic book that can be copied, not only greatly improving the convenience of users, but also purchasing book information as a result. This will lead to promotion, and will bring the effects of two birds with one stone with increased sales and reduced costs for publishers and bookstores.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a processing flowchart of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a processing flowchart of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Book information vending machines 2 reader computer 4 Book Information Broadcasting Center 5 connection cable 11 Processor 12 Touch panel display 13 Billing device 14 Copy device 15 Large file memory 16 Book Broadcast Receiver 17 Media storage device 18 Near field communication equipment 181 SCSI interface board 31 Exchangeable file memory medium (unused) 31 'Exchangeable file memory medium (already copied)

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Kaori Ueno 1-1-6 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Inside Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (56) Reference JP-A-2-96270 (JP, A) JP-A 4-273598 (JP, A) JP-A-2-257364 (JP, A) JP-A-6-187359 (JP, A) JP-A-6-333156 (JP, A) JP-A-7-129846 (JP, A) Tokuhyo Hira 9-506225 (JP, A) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07F 17/00 G06F 17/60

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A large-capacity file memory for accumulating book information to be sold for a plurality of volumes, a copy device for writing the book information in a file memory medium that can be exchanged with a medium, a currency identifying / storing device, and a prepaid card. A subtracting device or a credit card inspection device, or a billing device including a plurality of them, a display, an operation input means for inputting operation information, a book information broadcast receiving device, one or more CPUs and memories And a processing device configured to display a selection menu of one or more layers for selecting the stored book information on the display, and the selection information of the book is displayed from the operation input unit. A book selection processing means for displaying a request for inserting a file memory medium and a fee when input; A chargeability inspection processing means for inspecting whether money can be collected, a copy processing means for copying the selected book information to the inserted file memory medium if the charge can be collected, and a copy processing means for copying normally. , Billing processing means for performing settlement of change, subtraction of a book fee amount from a prepaid card, or billing processing by a credit card, and book information distributed by broadcasting by the receiving device.
Received, and the received book information is the large-capacity file memo
And then select the book information in the selection menu.
In addition to adding information for saving,
If there is not enough free memory in the large file memory
In the already stored book information, after a certain period of time,
Book information with the least number of sales, or the longest to date
Book information that was not sold for a certain period of time is automatically discarded, and the book information is
Book information received to delete the selection menu for information
A book information vending machine, comprising: a product processing unit . 2. A large-capacity file memory for accumulating book information to be sold for a plurality of volumes, a short-range communication device for transferring book information to a user's computer through a predetermined interface, and a currency identifying / storing device. , A prepaid card deduction device or a credit card inspection device, or a billing device composed of a plurality of them, a display, an operation input means for inputting operation information, a book information broadcast receiving device, and 1 or more And a processing device including a CPU and a memory, and the processing device displays a single-layer or multi-layer selection menu for selecting the stored book information on the display, and the operation input means is used to display the book. When the selection information of is input, the connection request between the near field communication device and the user's computer and the charge Book selection processing means for displaying, chargeability inspection processing means for inspecting whether charge is collected by the charging device, and selected book information if charge collection is possible, from the short-range communication device to the user's computer and copy processing means to be transferred to, if the copy is successful, an accounting processing means for executing settlement of the change, or subtraction of the amount of the book fee amount from the prepaid card, or the processing of billing by credit card, broadcasting The book information distributed by
Received, and the received book information is the large-capacity file memo
And then select the book information in the selection menu.
In addition to adding information for saving,
If there is not enough free memory in the large file memory
In the already stored book information, after a certain period of time,
Book information with the least number of sales, or the longest to date
Book information that was not sold for a certain period of time is automatically discarded, and the book information is
Book information received to delete the selection menu for information
A book information vending machine, comprising: a product processing unit . 3. A large-capacity file memory for accumulating book information to be sold for a plurality of volumes, a copy device for writing the book information in a medium-exchangeable file memory medium, and a plurality of medium-exchangeable file memory media. Then, a medium storage device having a mechanism for loading the stored file memory medium into the copying device, a currency identification / storage device, a prepaid card subtraction device or a credit card inspection device, or a plurality of them. And a display device, an operation input means for inputting operation information, a book information broadcast receiving device, a processing device including one or more CPUs and memories, and the processing device is a storage device. A single-layer or multi-layer selection menu for selecting book information is displayed on the display and the operation is performed. When the book selection information is input from the input means, a book selection processing means for displaying a charge, a billing availability inspection processing means for inspecting whether the fee is collected by the billing device, and the medium if the bill can be collected Medium setting processing means for operating the storage device to load the stored file memory medium into the copying device; and copy processing means for copying the selected book information to the file memory medium loaded in the copying device. , if the copy is successful, the settlement of the change, or subtraction of the amount of the book fee amount from the prepaid card, or an accounting processing means for executing the processing of credit card due to billing, the book information that has been distributed by broadcast Depending on the receiving device
Received, and the received book information is the large-capacity file memo
And then select the book information in the selection menu.
In addition to adding information for saving,
If there is not enough free memory in the large file memory
In the already stored book information, after a certain period of time,
Book information with the least number of sales, or the longest to date
Book information that was not sold for a certain period of time is automatically discarded, and the book information is
Book information received to delete the selection menu for information
A book information vending machine, comprising: a product processing unit .