JP2000207618A - Alarm information output device for vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To impart alarm information to a place where maintenance is surely performed or a person who can surely perform maintenance and to quickly cope with replacement or unexpected change of a maintenance system. SOLUTION: An alarm transmission terminal 1 is provided to transmit alarm information of a vending machine 2 to reception terminals 4, 5, and 6. The alarm transmission terminal 1 stores a time table, which determines the transmission destination of alarm information in accordance with a time zone, in a memory and switches the transmission destination of alarm information in accordance with this time table. A time zone when transmission of alarm information should be inhibited is set in the time table, and alarm information is not transmitted in this time zone. Further, the destination of alarm information may be changed in accordance with contents of alarm information of the occurrence of a fault, the occurrence of sellout, or the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine alarm information output device for transmitting alarm information such as a failure of a vending machine and a sold out to a terminal device of a vending machine administrator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a vending machine has a failure, sold out, or the like, a vending machine alarm information output device connected to the vending machine is transmitted through a communication medium such as a telephone line to notify a maintenance worker of the occurrence. The alarm information is transmitted to the receiving terminal of the vending machine administrator. The operation style is that the receiving terminal is installed in a fixed place such as the sales office of the operating company that performs the maintenance, and when alarm information is received from the vending machine, it is dispatched from that place or a person who patrols outside There is an operational style of contacting. There is also an operation style in which a person in charge of patrol outside is provided with a portable terminal and alarm information is directly notified to the person in charge. Then, the alarm information is transmitted to the receiving terminals at any time when a failure, sold out, or the like occurs.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional vending machine alarm information output device, a failure,
Since alarm information is output regardless of the state of the receiving side at the time of a sold-out or the like, it is possible that a maintenance worker may issue an alarm even during a time period during which maintenance cannot be performed. Therefore, if the receiving terminal is a computer installed at the vending machine operating company, it is necessary to start the receiving terminal for 24 hours or to store all the alarm information received during the time period that cannot be handled. However, there is a problem that a restriction that the memory must be provided.

Further, in a system that adopts an operation style in which alarm information is directly notified to a portable terminal of a maintenance worker, there is a change in the time of day and night shift of a person in charge, and a week or month. There is a change of units, a sudden change, and the like, and at that time, the terminal receiving the alarm must also be taken over, which is inefficient. Further, in such an operation, if the alarm information is transmitted to a person who cannot cope with the maintenance or is transmitted to an unmanned receiving terminal, there is a problem that it is impossible to appropriately cope with the alarm.

The present invention solves such a problem and can notify alarm information to a place or a person who can reliably perform maintenance, and can promptly respond to a change or sudden change in the maintenance system. The purpose is to do so.

[0006]

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine alarm information output device for transmitting vending machine alarm information to a receiving terminal. The output device is characterized in that a time table for determining a destination of alarm information corresponding to a time zone is stored in a memory, and a destination of the alarm information is switched according to the time table. In this way, the alarm information can be reliably notified to the place or person who can respond to maintenance,
It will be possible to respond quickly to changes in the maintenance system and sudden changes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the vending machine alarm information output device sets a time zone in which the transmission of the alarm information is prohibited in the time table, and sets an alarm in the time zone in which the transmission of the alarm information is prohibited. It is characterized in that information is not transmitted. This way,
Since the alarm call can be prevented from being issued outside the operation hours of the maintenance, the receiving side does not need to be operated for 24 hours. Also, since no alarm is received outside the maintenance operation time, a receiving terminal with a small memory capacity, such as a pager, can respond.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine alarm information output device, wherein the destination of the alarm information is changed according to the contents of the alarm information. In this way, it is possible to quickly cope with a case where a maintenance worker, a company, or the like is different, such as a failure and sold out.

Further, the vending machine alarm information output device according to claim 4 is characterized in that the contents of the time table can be remotely set by communication.
In this manner, when the maintenance system is replaced with the alarm information output device of the vending machine arranged at a plurality of locations at a distance, the transmission destination of the alarm information can be quickly and easily switched. Become like

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine alarm information transmission system. In FIG. 1, 1 is an alarm transmitting terminal, 2 is a vending machine, 3 is a public line,
4, 5, and 6 are receiving terminals.

The alarm transmitting terminal 1 receives the alarm information output from the vending machine 2 and transmits the alarm information to one of the receiving terminals 4, 5, and 6 via the public line 3. The public line 3 is a general telephone line, a premises telephone line,
It is composed of a mobile phone network, a PHS network and the like. Receiving terminals 4, 5, 6
PCs, mobile terminals, pagers, mobile phones,
A communication device having a display function for confirming alarm information, such as a PHS, may be used.

The alarm transmitting terminal 1 is controlled by a CPU 10 as shown in FIG.
It has one. In the memory 11, the telephone numbers of the receiving terminals 4, 5, and 6 are set for each time zone as an alarm destination time table, and the alarm information received from the vending machine 2 is held. The time table for specifying the alarm transmission destination is, for example, as shown in FIG.
The telephone numbers A, B, and C of the receiving terminal are set for each day of the week and for each time zone. At this time, if the alarm transmission destination is set in advance based on the maintenance worker's replacement schedule, efficient operation can be performed.

The destination of the alarm is switched based on the time table held in the memory 11 and the time data output from the clock circuit 12. The setting of the time table in the memory 11 is performed by the key input circuit 14 while displaying the time table on the display circuit 13. Further, the setting contents of the time table may be rewritten from a remote place via the public line 3 or may be provided with a card connector so as to be rewritten by reading from a memory card.

CPU 10 has a vending machine communication control circuit 15
Connected to the vending machine 2 via the
The alarm information output in step (1) is temporarily stored in the memory 11. The CPU 10 is connected to the public line 3 via the public line communication control circuit 16 and the line terminating device 17, and sets the alarm information temporarily stored in the memory 11 as a time table in the memory 11. An alarm destination can be transmitted by specifying a telephone number and making a call.

As the alarm destination time table,
As shown in FIG. 3, a time zone is set for each day of the week in units of hours, and in addition to specifying a destination, a time zone is set for each day or a week. , Can be set arbitrarily according to the maintenance operation method. Also,
For example, it is also possible to set different time tables for different destinations of the alarm information according to the contents of the alarm information, such as sold-out information and failure information, so as to transmit to different receiving terminals. By doing so, it is possible to quickly cope with a case where a maintenance worker, a company, or the like is different, such as a sold-out state or a failure.

Further, the output of the alarm information may be prohibited only during a specific time zone. By doing so, it is possible to prevent an alarm call from being issued outside the operation hours of maintenance, and as a result, it is not necessary to operate the receiving side for 24 hours. Further, since the alarm is not received outside the maintenance operation time, it is possible to prevent the alarm information from being lost even when a receiving terminal such as a pager having a small memory capacity is used.

In the above embodiment, the alarm transmission terminal 1 is shown as a device separate from the vending machine 2, but the alarm transmission terminal 1 may be integrated with the vending machine 2. Further, the CPU 10 of the alarm transmitting terminal 1 may cause the main control unit of the vending machine to control the alarm transmission.

[0018]

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following effects. That is, the vending machine alarm information output device according to claim 1 stores a time table for determining a destination of alarm information corresponding to a time zone in a memory, and determines a destination of the alarm information according to the time table. I changed it. As a result, the alarm information can be reliably notified to the place or person who can respond to the maintenance, and the replacement of the maintenance system or a sudden change can be promptly performed.

In the vending machine alarm information output device according to the present invention, a time zone in which transmission of alarm information is prohibited is set in the time table, and an alarm is output in a time zone in which transmission of alarm information is prohibited. Don't send information. As a result, it is possible to prevent the alarm from being issued during the maintenance operation hours.
It is not necessary to operate for a long time. Also, since no alarm is received outside the maintenance operation time, a receiving terminal with a small memory capacity, such as a pager, can respond.

In the vending machine alarm information output device according to the third aspect, the transmission destination of the alarm information is changed according to the contents of the alarm information. Even if the company is different, it is possible to respond quickly.

Further, in the vending machine alarm information output device according to the present invention, since the contents of the time table can be remotely set by communication, the vending machine which is arranged at a plurality of locations at a distance from each other. When the maintenance system is replaced with the alarm information output device of the machine, the destination of the alarm information can be quickly and easily switched.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine alarm information transmission system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an alarm transmission terminal.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an alarm transmission destination time table.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1. Alarm sending terminal 2. Vending machine 3. Public line 4. Receiving terminal

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine alarm information output device for transmitting alarm information of a vending machine to a receiving terminal, wherein a time table for determining a destination of the alarm information corresponding to a time zone is stored in a memory. A vending machine alarm information output device wherein the destination of the alarm information is switched according to the time table. 2. A time zone for prohibiting transmission of alarm information is set in the time table, and transmission of alarm information is not performed in a time zone for prohibiting transmission of alarm information. Item 4. The vending machine alarm information output device according to Item 1. 3. The vending machine alarm information output device according to claim 1, wherein the destination of the alarm information is changed according to the contents of the alarm information. 4. The vending machine alarm information output device according to claim 1, wherein the contents of said time table can be remotely set by communication.