JP2002042232A - Method and system for merchandise sales promotion by providing map information - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide environment where a map can be easily acquired on the spot as a means for providing convenience to the action of people visiting with individual purposes, and to promote the sale of merchandise by providing map information. SOLUTION: A map information providing device for providing map information is built in an automatic vending machine installed in any part of the country, to provide a user with map information at least on and around the installed place of the automatic vending machine besides previously stored and selected merchandise. The map information is provided in the form of a paper medium regardless of a printing instruction besides a screen display using a display monitor 65 provided at the map information providing device, and business advertisement information related to a district or merchandise for sale is added to the map information for print output. A wide area map, facilities, and the like in addition to a city map can be downloaded and retrieved if necessary.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for promoting product sales by providing map information and a system therefor, which is particularly suitable for vending machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In Japan, in general, the entire city, including the transportation network, is transformed in a short period of time along with the development of urban areas, and it is extremely difficult to act without a map even in the region where one was born and raised. The situation is coming. In addition, in many areas where buildings are densely located, it is often not possible to find the display of the lot number. In particular, it is indispensable to obtain map information for places visited for the first time in business, sightseeing and the like.

On the other hand, recently, GPS (Global, Position)
ing, System) has become widespread and not only cars, but also PDAs (Personal, Digital, Assis)
tants) have also emerged. The digitization of map information has also been advanced, and map information recorded on CD-ROMs and DVDs has been widely used in in-vehicle navigation, and services for providing map information via the Internet have also been provided in PDAs and the like. .

[0004]

However, GPS, PD
A, such as a portable terminal device such as A, also has a high product price, and a load that becomes a luggage when carrying around is inherently inconvenient when moving. Not only business and sightseeing, but also the car navigation system and PD
It would be advantageous if a map could be easily obtained on the spot, which would provide convenience to the behavior of people visiting for each purpose without relying on a portable terminal device such as A.

[0005] Further, in a modern and ever-changing urban area, it is not quite easy to find a destination in a memorable place or a first-time city. And the loss of experience is endless, and it is not uncommon to find police boxes only at such times.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and incorporates a map information providing device for providing map information to a vending machine located anywhere in the country, and provides a user with a product stored in advance and selected. In addition, an environment where maps can be easily obtained on the spot as providing convenience to the behavior of people visiting for each purpose by providing at least map information of the surrounding area including the place where the vending machine is installed. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product sales promotion method by providing map information and a system thereof, which can promote sales of stored products.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine including a device for providing map information, and a coin is inserted into the vending machine. In addition to the previously stored and selected merchandise, at least the surrounding map information including the place where the vending machine is installed is provided. This provides an environment in which a map can be easily obtained on the spot as a convenience for people visiting for each purpose, not only for business and sightseeing, but also for promoting sales of stored products. Can be measured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the method for promoting sales of goods using the map information according to the first aspect, the map information includes a screen display using a display monitor of the map information providing apparatus, It will be provided on paper regardless of the print instruction. As a result, a paper medium on which the destination is printed as map information is output, and the user can search for the destination while bringing it.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the method for promoting product sales by providing map information according to the second aspect, in addition to the map information, a company advertisement relating to a region or a product to be sold is provided on the paper medium. The information was added and printed out. In this way, by adding to the paper medium, in addition to the map information, corporate advertisement information relating to the area or the product to be sold, and printing it out, it is possible to contribute to revitalizing the area and increasing the name recognition of the product sales company.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the method for promoting sales of goods by providing the map information according to the second aspect, wherein the map information is obtained by downloading information obtained by a map content service from a distribution station. And provide it. As a result, not only the city area but also a wide-area map and facilities can be downloaded and searched, and a substantial navigation can be provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for promoting sales of goods by providing map information having the above-mentioned structure, information on an area is set in advance according to the purchase price of the vending machine in accordance with the provision of the map information. It was configured to be able to. As a result, the region information added to the map information can be provided to the product purchaser of the vending machine, and the region information can be provided at the product purchase price. The product buyer who has received the sightseeing information can activate the area by sightseeing or shopping based on the sightseeing information.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine main body in which commodities are stored, coins are supplied, and a desired merchandise is provided by a selection operation of commodities to be purchased, and the vending machine main body is incorporated in the vending machine main body. In addition to the provision of the merchandise, a map information providing device for providing at least map information of the vicinity including the place where the vending machine is installed is provided.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide an environment where a map can be easily obtained on the spot as a map which gives a convenience to the behavior of people who visit for each purpose, not limited to business and sightseeing. A product sales promotion system can be provided by providing map information that promotes sales.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a merchandise sales promotion system for providing map information according to the sixth aspect,
The map information providing device outputs a GPS device that outputs position information where the vending machine is installed, and, based on position information obtained by the GPS device, generates at least map information around the location including the installation location of the vending machine. And a display device for displaying. With the above-described configuration, it is possible to download and search not only a city map but also a wide-area map and facilities as needed, and to provide a product sales promotion system by providing map information that enables substantial navigation.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise sales promotion system according to the sixth aspect, the map information providing device is prepared in advance in addition to the map information displayed on the display monitor, and A printing device for outputting regional information related to the obtained map information or a corporate advertisement related to a product stored in the vending machine is further provided.

[0016] According to the above-mentioned structure, the regional information related to the map information or the corporate advertisement related to the product stored in the vending machine can be output to a paper medium to help revitalize the region. It is possible to provide a merchandise sales promotion system by providing map information that can contribute to increasing the name recognition of companies.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise sales promotion system for providing map information according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, the vending machine is used to carry goods to be sold. The storage bag is provided with a bag provider that provides the storage bag according to the number of purchases of the product. According to the configuration, it is possible to provide a storage bag that makes it easy to carry a product to a purchaser who has purchased a plurality of products from a vending machine.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a diagram cited for explaining a business model for realizing a product sales promotion method by providing map information according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a map information service company, 2 is a map information provider company, and 3 is a sponsor company. The map information service company 1 obtains the latest map information by contracting with the map information provider,
By planning a merchandise sales promotion system based on the provision of map information described below and contracting with the sponsor company 3, a part of the facility construction equipment and maintenance costs are obtained.

The map information service company 1, the map information providing company 2, the public facilities 4, the commercial facilities 5, and the vending machine 6 are connected via a communication network such as the Internet. The merchandise sales promotion system planned and operated by the map information service company 1 provides public information 4 such as stations, airports, ports, and bus terminals; commercial facilities 5 such as convenience stores and gas stations; Applied to vending machine 6.

The present invention is to be built in a vending machine located anywhere in the country. A vending machine such as a soft drink, an alcoholic beverage, a cigarette, a camera or the like is provided with a map information providing device, and a built-in map or a built-in map information providing device. The map information transferred by the receiver through a communication system such as the Internet can be viewed through a screen attached to a part of the vending machine. In addition, various information can be provided using paper printed out by the user operating the map information on the screen. In addition, nearby map information,
It can be fixedly displayed on a part of the surface of the vending machine, and can provide directions from the installation location. The details are described below.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an external configuration of the vending machine 6 shown in FIG. The vending machine 6 shown in FIG. 2 includes, for example, a product display 61 on which soft drinks are displayed, a product selection switch 62 for selecting the product, a coin slot 63, a bill slot 63a, a change slot 63b, and a change return. A liquid crystal display monitor 65 and a scroll switch 6 are provided on the vending machine main body including an operation lever 63c and a product outlet 64.
6, town navigation switch 67, print switch 68,
It is composed of a map information providing device having a print paper outlet 69. Here, the vending machine 6 is provided with a bag provider 70 for providing a storage bag for carrying the purchased product.

The map information providing apparatus is activated by inserting a coin into the coin insertion slot 63, and determines at least the vicinity including the place where the vending machine 6 is installed, here, for example, the place where the vending machine 6 is installed. The map information of 800 m square (around) centered on the center is displayed on the liquid crystal display monitor 65, and the map information is output on a paper medium when the print switch 68 is pressed. The paper medium is discharged from the print paper discharge port 69. When the town navigation switch 67 is pressed, the liquid crystal display
Is switched to a search screen, the input of the destination or facility name is prompted, and the corresponding map information is displayed after the input by the user.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the map information providing device. The map information providing device includes a CPU 11
A control center, a ROM 12 in which a program is recorded,
A RAM 13 used as a work area, a hard disk device (HDD) or a CD-ROM device 15 for storing built-in map information, and a TCP / IP (Transport,
Control, Protocol / Internet, Protocol) communication interface 16, input / output control device (IOC) to which vending machine mechanism 23 is connected via various switches, touch panel 24, display input controller 18 to which liquid crystal display monitor 65 is connected. The printer controller 20 to which the thermal printer 26 is connected and the GPS device 21 are commonly connected to a system bus 22 having a plurality of lines for address, data and control.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart cited for explaining the operation of the vending machine including the map information providing apparatus shown in FIGS. Hereinafter, the operation of the vending machine including the map information providing device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, a user inserts a coin (or bill) into the coin slot 63 or the bill slot 63a (step S41). Further, a desired product (soft drink) is selected via the product selection switch 62 (step S42), and the type of the product is detected by the input / output control device 17 scanning the product selection switch 62, and the desired beverage is detected. Water is discharged to the commodity discharge port 64 (Step S45). Here, it is checked whether or not a plurality of bottles are necessary (step S43). If the user presses the same product selection switch 62 a plurality of times, a bag for storing and carrying the drinking water is provided from the bag providing device 70. (Step S44).

On the other hand, here, it is checked whether or not the display of the map information is desired (step S46). That is, when the town navigation switch 67 is pressed by the user (or irrespective of whether the town navigation switch 67 is pressed), the fact is detected, and the HDD 14 or the CD is detected.
-The ROM device 15 is accessed, whereby the map information of 800 m square is developed in the bit map memory 19, and the developed contents are displayed on the liquid crystal display monitor 65 (step S47).

FIG. 5 shows an example of the display. Here, the address of the installation location of the vending machine is displayed in the center.
The indication of what direction, or the direction of XX, etc. is entered. Also,
A detailed city map as shown in FIG. 6 may be used. Also,
Both may be superimposed.

The description returns to FIG. Here, it is further checked whether or not there is a print request by detecting that the user has pressed the print switch 68 (step S48).
When a print request is made, the built-in thermal printer 26 is activated via the printer controller 20, and the sponsor company or regional advertisement information is overlaid on the hard copy of the map information previously displayed on the liquid crystal display monitor 65. Printing is performed (step S53). Overlay printing is
This is performed by superimposing and printing the advertisement information recorded in advance in the HDD device 14 on the blank area of the hard copy of the map information. In addition, the advertising information may be configured to use information printed on thermal paper in advance. The printing paper, which is a consumable, is a thermal roll paper, and is replaced for maintenance as well when refilling or replacing the product.

On the other hand, whether or not the scroll key 66 has been pressed is checked regardless of whether or not there is a print request (step S49). When the scroll key 66 is pressed, the map information on the virtual screen is scroll-displayed in that direction. Here, the virtual screen refers to the range of the map information recorded in the HDD device 14 or the CD-ROM device 15, and in this case, the screen capacity of the liquid crystal display monitor becomes the real screen.

Subsequently, it is checked whether or not there is a search request (step S50). The search request is made when the town navigation switch 67 is pressed again.
In this case, the liquid crystal display monitor 65 switches from the map information display to the search screen. Here, the user is prompted to input an address, a telephone number, a facility, or the like using the touch panel 24 (set on the liquid crystal display monitor in FIG. 2), and waits for an input by the user (step S51) before the HDD device 14 or the CD. -Search for a map incorporated in the ROM device 15 (step S52), and if it does not exist, access a map site via the TCP / IP communication interface 16 and download it to obtain necessary map information (step S54). The map information obtained here is stored in the HDD device 14.

As described above, the present invention incorporates a map information providing device for providing map information to various vending machines located anywhere in the country, and in addition to products previously stored and selected for users. By providing at least information on the surrounding area including the location where the vending machine is installed, providing an environment where maps can be easily obtained on the spot as a convenience to the behavior of people visiting for each purpose Further, it is possible to promote sales of stored goods.

When a guide map for each term in each country of the world is prepared as map information, such a map system can be obtained at a vending machine installation location, and a highly convenient system that can be used for a purpose is provided. Become. In the future, in Japan,
With many foreigners visiting for business and sightseeing, such as the World Cup, Nagoya Bangkok Expo, etc., it will be possible to develop a map information service and system business that can act safely and freely not only in Japan but also around the world. In addition, when entering an aging society, it is possible to provide easy-to-read map information by a simple operation.

Further, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which other services can be provided in accordance with the number of products purchased from the vending machine (step S44 in FIG. 4). As other services, when providing map information by inputting information on local restaurants and information on famous places, historic sites, or specialty stores in the CD-ROM 15 or the HDD 14 in advance, The setting can be made by a setting button (not shown) provided on the touch panel or inside the vending machine so that printing can be continued.

[0034]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a device for providing map information is installed in a vending machine, and a coin is inserted so that a user can store and select a map in advance. By providing at least the surrounding map information including the location where the vending machine is installed, in addition to the goods provided, it is useful not only for business and sightseeing but also for the behavior of people visiting for each purpose An environment in which the map can be easily obtained on the spot can be provided, and the sales of stored goods can be promoted.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the map information is provided on a paper medium irrespective of a print instruction in addition to a screen display using a display monitor of the map information providing apparatus, thereby providing a paper. You can find the destination while bringing the medium.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by activating the local area and selling the product by printing and outputting, in addition to the map information, the corporate advertisement information relating to the area or the product to be sold on the paper medium. Contribute to increasing the name recognition of companies.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the information obtained by the map content service from the distribution station is downloaded, and the corresponding map information is determined and provided. And search, and provide a rich navigation.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the information on the region added to the map information can be provided to the purchaser of the vending machine, and the information on the region can be provided by the purchase price of the product. In addition to promotion, the product buyer who has received the sightseeing information as the information on the area can activate the area by sightseeing or shopping based on the sightseeing information. Of course, product buyers can obtain information that is closely related to the region.

According to the invention described in claim 6, it is possible to provide an environment in which a map can be easily obtained on the spot as a map which gives convenience to the behavior of people visiting for each purpose, not limited to business and sightseeing. Further, it is possible to provide a merchandise sales promotion system by providing map information in order to promote the stored merchandise.

According to the invention of claim 7, not only a city map but also a wide area map and facilities can be downloaded and searched as needed, and map information providing a satisfactory navigation can be provided. Can provide a product sales promotion system.

According to the present invention, the regional information related to the map information or the corporate advertisement related to the merchandise stored in the vending machine is output on a paper medium, thereby helping to activate the region. In addition, it is possible to provide a merchandise sales promotion system by providing map information that can contribute to improving the name recognition of merchandise sales companies.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a storage bag can be provided to a purchaser who has purchased a plurality of products from a vending machine, so that the purchaser can easily carry the products. Bags can be used, and the handling of products is convenient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram cited for explaining a business model for realizing a product sales promotion method by providing map information according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an external configuration of the vending machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a map information providing device built in the vending machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the map information providing apparatus shown in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a map display according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of a map display according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Map information service company, 2 ... Map information provider company, 3
… Sponsor company, 4… Public facilities, 5… Commercial facilities, 6…
Vending machine, 61: product display, 62: product selection switch, 63: coin slot, 64: product outlet, 6
5: liquid crystal display monitor, 66: scroll switch, 67
… Town navigation switch, 68… Print switch, 69
… Print paper outlet

[Selection] Figure 2

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Eimasa Okazaki 2-6-2 Nagao, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa F-term in N & S Corporation (reference) 2C032 HB05 HB08 HB15 HB22 HB31 HC14 HC25 3E044 AA01 BA01 BA02 CA01 CA02 CA03 DB01 DB02 DB05 DE01 DE02 DE10 EA20 EB01 FB15

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A device for providing map information is installed in a vending machine, and by inserting coins, a user is provided with at least the vending machine in addition to previously stored and selected merchandise. A product sales promotion method by providing map information, comprising providing map information of a surrounding area including a place. 2. The map information is provided on a paper medium irrespective of a print instruction in addition to a screen display using a display monitor of the map information providing apparatus.
Product sales promotion method using the map information described in. 3. The map information providing method according to claim 2, wherein, in addition to the map information, corporate advertisement information relating to a region or a product to be sold is added to the paper medium and printed out. Product sales promotion method. 4. The map information is obtained by downloading information obtained by a map content service from a distribution station,
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the corresponding map information is determined and provided. 5. The product sales by providing map information according to claim 1, wherein the provision of the map information can be set in advance according to a product purchase price of the vending machine. How to promote. 6. A vending machine main body in which a product is stored, and a desired product is provided by coin insertion and a selection operation of a product to be purchased; and a vending machine main body incorporated in the vending machine main body, in addition to the provision of the product, A map information providing device for providing at least a map information of a surrounding area including a place where the vending machine is installed. 7. The map information providing device includes a GPS device that outputs position information where the vending machine is installed, and at least an installation location of the vending machine based on the position information obtained by the GPS device. 7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising a display device for displaying map information of the surrounding area. 8. The map information providing device is provided in advance in addition to the map information displayed on the display monitor,
The product according to claim 6, further comprising a printing device that outputs regional information related to the displayed map information or a corporate advertisement related to a product stored in a vending machine. Sales promotion system. 9. The vending machine according to claim 6, wherein said vending machine includes a bag providing device for providing a storage bag for carrying a product to be sold in accordance with the number of purchased products. Product sales promotion system by providing map information according to any one of the above.