JP2002109622A - Push-button device for vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine, having cooling and heating functions capable of allowing a user to easily discriminate to whether the commodity that the user buys is a cooled commodity or a heated commodity and allowing a person in charge of management to easily discriminate whether a temperature of the commodity is being adjusted or the commodity is out of stock. SOLUTION: A red-color sale available lamp 15, corresponding to the heated commodity and a blue sale available lamp 16, corresponding to the cooled commodity are provided by making them correspond to respective commodity selection buttons 12. Consequently, when the user attempts to push the commodity selection button 12, the user sees the color of the red-color sale available lamp 15 or the blue sale possible lamp 16 lit by the user's finger tip to easily discriminate whether the commodity that the user buys is the cooled commodity or the heated commodity, in order to prevent purchasing of wrong commodity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine having a cooling and heating function.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Vending machines for canned beverages and the like have a cooling or heating function so that products can be sold by cooling or heating. Each product selection button of such a vending machine is provided with a sold-out lamp and a sellable lamp, and when a manager such as an installer of the vending machine or a patrol member replenishes the product, a predetermined lamp is set. The operation of the replenishment product is suspended for a predetermined time by performing an operation, and the fact that the replenishment product is at an appropriate temperature after a predetermined time elapses is indicated by lighting a sold-out lamp. The off lamp goes out, and sales begin.

[0003]

However, whether each product is stored in a state where it can be cooled and sold or in a state where it is heated and sold can be determined according to a product selection button row. Although the product selection button itself operated by the user is provided with only one sellable lamp (usually a red lamp), although it is indicated by a blue / red band portion Since there is no display indicating which of the two is heating / heating, the product may be purchased by mistake in cooling / heating.

On the other hand, for a product selection button corresponding to a product whose temperature has not reached the proper temperature and is being adjusted (prepared), the sellable lamp is turned off and the sold-out lamp is turned on as in the case where the product is sold out. Therefore, the vending machine installer cannot distinguish whether the temperature is being adjusted (preparing) or the product is out of stock, misunderstanding that the patrol member has forgotten to refill the product, In fact, if the user thinks that the product is sold out and actually waits for a while, he or she stops purchasing the product even though the product can be purchased, leading to a decrease in the number of sales.

[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem, and it is possible to easily determine whether a user is a cooled product or a heated product, and to determine whether the manager is adjusting the temperature of the product or running out of the product. Is to be easily determined.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to a vending machine having a function of cooling and heating, comprising: A warm-colorable salable lamp corresponding to a heated product is provided for each of the product selection push buttons.

[0007] According to the above configuration, when the user tries to press the product selection push button, the user sees the color of the sellable lamp lit with his fingertip and determines whether the product is a cooled product. Whether the product is a heated product can be easily re-recognized by association with the lamp color, and the rate of purchasing the wrong product is reduced. As the cold-colorable salable lamp, a blue or green lamp can be used, and as the warm-colorable salable lamp, a red or orange lamp can be used.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the push button device of the vending machine according to the first aspect, the two refillable lamps are alternately turned on to replenish the product and start a selling operation. It is characterized in that it is configured to indicate that the temperature is being adjusted up to this point.

[0009] According to the above configuration, by turning on the two available lamps alternately, it is possible to strongly emphasize that the product is being temperature-controlled and is not sold out. Therefore, the manager can easily distinguish the temperature-controlled product from the sold-out product, so that the manager does not fail to replenish the sold-out product, and the user will come again to purchase the temperature-controlled product. And the sales amount can be improved.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a vending machine main body 1 of a vending machine having a function of cooling and heating.
A plurality of product storage units 3 each having a product payout function for storing the same type of product 2 and paying out the products 2 in the order of replenishment, and a sold-out switch for outputting the sold-out of the product 2 in each product storage unit 3 4, an inner door 5 for opening and closing an opening including a product replenishment port of each product storage unit 3, and a front surface on which a product sample 6 corresponding to the product 2 of each product storage unit 3 is displayed on the customer service surface. A door 7 is attached.

The front door 7 is provided with a display section 8 and input keys 9 and a display input section 11 having a sales pause switch 10 for suspending the sale of the product 2 in each product storage section 3 on the back side. Each product sample 6 under product sample 6
Is provided with a product selection button 12 corresponding to
A merchandise payout port 13 and a charge receiving unit 14 are provided.

Each of the product selection buttons 12 includes a sellable lamp 15, 16 for displaying whether the product 2 is available for sale by color, and a sold-out lamp 17 for indicating whether the product 2 is sold out. The sold-out lamps 17 are provided side by side with the sold-out lamp 17 as a center, and the character corresponding to the sold-out lamp 17 in each of the product selection buttons 12 is displayed as "SOLD OUT".

The vending machine main body 1 is further provided with a control unit 18 having arithmetic means and comparison / judgment means. The control unit 18 controls the sold-out switch 4, the input key 9, the sales stop switch 10, Based on the product selection button 12 and the output signal from the fee receiving unit 14, the payout of the product 2 is stopped or stopped in each of the product storage units 3, the sales amount and the like are displayed on the display unit 8, and the sellable lamp is displayed. 15,
16. The sold-out lamp 17 is turned on, turned off, or blinked. Reference numeral 19 denotes a timer for setting various times.

The salable lamp 15 is a red lamp (hereinafter, referred to as a red salable lamp 15) corresponding to a heated product, and the salable lamp 16 is a blue lamp (hereinafter, referred to as a blue salable lamp 16) corresponding to a cooled product. )
In addition to being turned on and off based on the output from the fee receiving unit 14 when the product is at an appropriate temperature, the product 2 is stored in the product storage unit 3 corresponding to the product selection button 12 by the vending machine installer or the patrol member. When the sales stop switch for driving the sales stop switch 10 for the predetermined time T1 necessary for adjusting the temperature of the product 2 to the appropriate temperature is set by the operation of the input key 9 or the like, the light is alternately turned on for the time T1. .

The sold-out lamp 17 is turned on or off based on the output state of the sold-out switch 4 for confirming the presence or absence of the product 2 in the product storage unit 3 corresponding to the product selection button 12. Therefore, when the user receives money in the fee receiving unit 14, the control unit 18 stores the product 2 in each product storage unit 3.
Is compared with the deposit information, and the red available lamp 15 or the blue available lamp 16 is turned on for the sellable product 2 with the deposit amount or less, and then the product selection button 12 is pressed and the operation is performed. Are all turned off when is received.

In the following, taking one product selection button 12 as an example, the product storage unit 3 corresponding to this product selection button 12
The turning on / off of the red salable lamp 15, the blue salable lamp 16, and the sold-out lamp 17 based on the state of the commodity 2 will be specifically described.

A) If the product 2 in the product storage unit 3 corresponding to the product selection button 12 is sold out, the sold-out lamp 1
7 is lit. The user can turn on the sold-out lamp 17
By looking at the character "SOLD OUT" on the surface of the item 2, it can be recognized that the product 2 is unpurchasable.

B) When there is a commodity 2 designated as a heated commodity in the commodity storage section 3 corresponding to the commodity selection button 12 and the time has exceeded the time T1 since the commodity 2 has been replenished, and the temperature has reached an appropriate temperature. Means that all lamps are off.

When the user inserts a coin or the like at a price higher than the selling price of the product 2, the red salable lamp 15 lights up, indicating that the product 2 is available for purchase. For this reason, when the user tries to press the product selection button 12, the user sees that the red sellable lamp 15 is lit with his fingertip, and determines that the product 2 is a heated product in association with the red color. Then, the product selection button 12 is pressed after easily re-recognizing the product, whereby the desired product 2 is paid out, and accordingly, the red available lamp 15 is turned off.

Similarly, there is a commodity 2 designated as a cooled commodity in the commodity storage section 3 corresponding to the commodity selection button 12, and after the commodity 2 has been replenished, it has exceeded the time T1 and has reached an appropriate temperature. In this case, the blue sellable lamp 16 is turned on when a coin or the like is inserted, and the blue sellable lamp 16 is turned off when the product 2 is paid out.

C) If there is a product 2 in the product storage unit 3 corresponding to the product selection button 12 and the temperature has not reached the appropriate temperature within the time T1 after the product 2 has been replenished, a red sellable lamp 15, the blue salable lamps 16 are alternately lit.

The user can use these red salable lamps 1
5, By seeing the alternate lighting of the blue salable lamp 16,
It can be easily recognized that the product 2 is in stock, but the temperature is being adjusted and cannot be purchased. In this state, even if a coin or the like is inserted and the product selection button 12 is pressed, the product 2 is not paid out.

On the other hand, the installer of the vending machine or the patrol member sets the sales halt by the sales halt switch 10 for the replenished merchandise 2 and closes the front door 2, and thus the red vending lamp 15 and the blue vending By seeing that the possible lamps 16 are alternately lit and none of the sold-out lamps 17 are illuminated, the product 2 that needs replenishment can be identified without fail (when replenishing a plurality of types of products, do not omit). It can be confirmed that the replenishment has been made and the sales suspension setting has been made surely. Red available lamp 15, blue available lamp 1
The lamp 6 automatically turns off after the time T1 described above, so that there is no need to perform a turning-off operation again.

As shown in FIG. 6, the red salable lamp 15 and the blue salable lamp 16 are arranged one above the other,
A sold-out lamp 17 may be arranged beside these lamps 15 and 16. In this arrangement, red-sellable lamp 1
5, Since the alternate lighting of the blue available lamp 16 is conspicuous,
It is possible to strongly appeal to the manager that the temperature of the product 2 is being adjusted.

As a method of setting the sales suspension, as described above, the sales suspension switch 10 may be turned on by a manual operation of the input key 9 or the like for a predetermined time, or the product storage unit 3 may be refilled. Accordingly, the sales suspension switch 10 may be automatically turned on for a predetermined time. Further, without providing the sales stop switch 10, the sales stop function may be activated by a predetermined operation of the input key 9 or automatically when the product is replenished. In any case, the red salable lamp 15 and the blue salable lamp 16 are alternately turned on in synchronization with the sales suspension function.

If a sticker for explaining that the temperature is being adjusted is affixed while the red salable lamp 15 and the blue salable lamp 16 are alternately lit, the user can be appealed. It should be noted that another warm-colorable salable lamp such as orange is provided in place of the red salable lamp 15 described above,
Alternatively, instead of the blue salable lamp 16, another cold-colorable salable lamp such as green may be provided.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, a cold-colorable salable lamp corresponding to a cooled product and a warm-colorable salable lamp corresponding to a heated product correspond to each of the product selection push buttons. By attracting the eyes of the user trying to press the product selection push button to the color of the sellable lamp,
Whether the product is a cooled product or a heated product can be easily re-recognized by associating from the color of the lamp, and the user is less likely to purchase the wrong product.

Further, the two available lamps are alternately turned on so as to function as a display during preparation, thereby making it possible to strongly indicate whether the product is being temperature controlled or sold out. Thus, the manager does not mistakenly recognize that the product has been replenished but has not been replenished, so that the user has the option of coming back after a while and the sales amount can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional vending machine including a product selection button as a push button device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the vending machine of FIG. 1 with a door opened.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a product storage state in the vending machine of FIG. 1.

4 is an explanatory diagram showing a control mechanism in the vending machine in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a product selection button shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a product selection button as a push button device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Product selection button 15 Red available lamp 16 Blue available lamp 17 Sold out lamp

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine having a cooling and heating function, wherein a cold-colorable salable lamp corresponding to a cooled product and a warm-colorable salable lamp corresponding to a heated product are respectively selected by a product selection push button. A push button device for a vending machine, wherein the push button device is provided in correspondence with the above. 2. A structure in which two sellable lamps are alternately lit to indicate that the temperature is being adjusted until the product is replenished and the selling operation is started. The push button device for a vending machine according to claim 1.