JP2003162761A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine where serviceability for a user can be prevented from being lowered even when merchandise is sold out. <P>SOLUTION: When the sellout of merchandise is detected, the merchandise sample of the merchandise on a display monitor 7 is not displayed. Thus, it is possible to prevent the merchandise which is sold out from being noticed by a user, and to improve serviceability for the user. In addition, it is possible to prevent the lowering of any enterprise image owing to the sellout of the merchandise. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine for selling products such as beverages in cans, bottles or PET bottles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an automatic vending machine of this kind, an automatic vending machine body having a product sample, a commercial product selection switch, a cash slot, a commercial product outlet, etc. on the front side is provided in the automatic vending machine body. It is known that a product storage is provided and drinks in cans, bottles or plastic bottles are sold as products. For example, a serpentine type product column is installed in the product storage, and when an arbitrary product is selected by the product selection switch, the product stored in the product column is carried out to the product outlet.

[0003]

By the way, in the vending machine, when a product is sold out, the product is sold out until a new product is replenished. In this case, the sold-out display lights up near the product sample, but the product sample itself is always displayed despite being sold out, which is confusing to the user and lacks serviceability. was there. Also, when the item sold out is displayed,
It was disadvantageous for the vending machine sellers, such as the corporate image of sold-out products declined.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine which does not deteriorate the serviceability to the user even when the product is sold out. is there.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides, in claim 1, an image display means provided on the front surface of a vending machine body, and a sample of a sale product on the screen of the image display means. Is provided, and a control means for hiding the product sample of the product when the sold-out of the product is detected.

As a result, when the product is sold out, the product sample of the product is hidden,
The sold-out product will not be recognized by the user.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the vending machine according to the first aspect further comprises a transmitting means for transmitting the sold-out information of the product to the outside of the vending machine when the sold-out of the product is detected.

As a result, in addition to the operation of claim 1, the sold-out information of the product is transmitted to the outside, so that the sold-out information of the product can be promptly dealt with by transmitting it to the administrator side of the vending machine. Is possible.

According to a third aspect of the invention, in the vending machine according to the first or second aspect, there is provided merchandise selecting means capable of selecting a merchandise item by touching an image of the merchandise sample displayed on the screen of the merchandise sample display means. I have it.

Thus, in addition to the operation of claim 1 or 2, since the purchased product is selected by touching the image of the product sample, it is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated switch for product selection.

[0011]

1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a vending machine, and FIG.
Is a front sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side sectional view thereof, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system, FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams showing a screen of a display monitor, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation of a control unit. .

This vending machine includes a vending machine body 1 having a front opening, first and second product storage boxes 2 and 3 provided in the vending machine body 1, and respective product storage boxes 2 and 3. 3, a plurality of product columns 4 respectively provided in each of the product storage boxes 3, a cooling device 5 for cooling the inside of each product storage case 2, 3, a heater 6 as a heating means for heating the inside of the first product storage case 2, A display monitor 7 that displays a sample of a product and a control unit 8 that controls the display of the display monitor 7 are provided.

The vending machine body 1 has an outer door 1a for opening and closing the front surface thereof, and a display monitor 7 is arranged on the front surface of the outer door 1a. In this case, the display monitor 7
Is attached to the center of the decorative panel 1b that covers almost the upper half of the outer door 1a, and the advertisement display section 1c is provided on the upper part of the decorative panel 1b.
Is provided. Further, a coin slot 1d, a bill slot 1e, an effect return slot 1f, and a product outlet 1g are provided on the front surface of the outer door 1a.

Each of the product storages 2 and 3 is surrounded by a heat insulating wall 10 having a front surface opened, and the front surface thereof is a heat insulating inner door 10a.
It is designed to open and close. Each product storage 2,
3 are separated from each other in the width direction by a heat insulating partition wall 10b, and a total of two width-direction product columns 3 are accommodated in the first product storage 2 and the second product storage 3 is stored in the second product storage 3. Stores a total of three product columns 3 in the width direction. In addition, the inside temperature sensors 2a, 2a, 3
3a is provided.

Each product column 4 comprises a so-called serpentine type well-known product storage device, and each product storage 2,
Two rows in the front-rear direction are provided in each of the three. That is, in these product columns 4, the products 11 loaded from the product insertion port 4a on the upper end side are vertically stacked and stored in the meandering product passage 4b, and the product unloading mechanism 4c on the lower end side lowers the products. It is designed to drop out one by one in order from 11. Further, each product column 4 is provided with a sold-out detection device (not shown) for the product, and when the sold-out detection device detects the sold-out of the product, it outputs a predetermined sold-out detection signal to the control unit 8. There is. still,
The sold-out detection device has a well-known configuration such as a micro switch that comes into contact with the product 11 in the product column 4.

The cooling device 5 has a cooler 5a arranged in the lower part of each of the product storage boxes 2 and 3, and each cooler 5a.
Is connected to a refrigeration circuit (not shown). Blowers 2b and 3b are provided in the lower portion of each product storage 2, and the air cooled by the cooler 5a is circulated in the product storages 2 and 3 by the blowers 2b and 3b.

The heater 6 is composed of an electrothermal heating element,
It is arranged near the cooler 5a in the product storage 2. In this case, the air heated by the heater 6 is circulated in the product storage 2 by the blower 2b.

The display monitor 7 comprises a so-called touch panel, and has a well-known structure which outputs a signal corresponding to the pressed portion when a predetermined portion of the liquid crystal display screen is pressed with a fingertip. The display monitor 7 can display all or only arbitrary product samples among a plurality of product samples A to H (displaying A to G in FIG. 5).
Each of the product samples A to H is composed of, for example, an image similar to that of an actual canned beverage. In this case, some product samples A ~
E is a product that is sold only as a cold product, such as soft drink, and other product samples F to H are products that are sold as cold products or hot products, such as coffee drink, tea, and Japanese tea. . Further, the display monitor 7 has a function as a product selection means, and when any of the product samples A to H on the screen is pressed, the product corresponding to the output signal is carried out from the product column 4. ing. Further, the display monitor 7 is composed of first to third sample display portions 7a, 7b, 7c arranged in three rows, as shown in FIG. On each of the sample display portions 7a, 7b, 7c, an arbitrary product sample and a cold temperature display portion 7d are displayed, and the cold temperature display portion 7d is heated to "COLD" indicating a cooled product. Any of “HOT” indicating the sold product is displayed.

The control unit 8 is composed of a microcomputer and is connected to each commodity column 4 and the display monitor 7. In addition, the control unit 8 includes a communication control unit 8a that transmits the sold-out information of the product to the outside of the vending machine, and the communication control unit 8a connects a communication line 12a such as a telephone line to a management center 12 that manages the vending machine. Connected through.

In the vending machine configured as described above, the first product storage 2 stores the products corresponding to the product samples F to H, that is, the products such as coffee drinks and the like. Are cooled by the cooler 5a to sell these products as cold products, and by heating the inside of the product storage 2 with the heater 6, they are sold as hot products. The second product storage 3 stores products corresponding to the product samples A to E,
That is, products such as soft drinks are stored, and by cooling the inside of the product storage 3 with the cooler 5a, these products are always sold as cold products.

That is, in the vending machine, when the user puts money and presses one of the product samples A to H displayed on the screen of the display monitor 7, the product 11 corresponding to the product sample is displayed. It is delivered to the product outlet 1g.

When the product is sold out, the control unit 8 operates as follows. That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, when a product sold out is detected by a signal from any of the product columns 4 (S1), the product sample on the display monitor 7 of the product is hidden (S2), Sold-out information management center 12
(S3). At that time, not only the sample of the sold-out product may be hidden, but also the sample display number of other products for sale may be increased by the amount of the sample of the sold-out product as shown in FIG. After that, when the sold-out of the product is canceled by the supplement of the new product (S4), the product sample of the product is displayed (S5). in this case,
It is also possible to predict the time when the newly replenished product reaches the set temperature, set a timer, and display the product sample after a predetermined time has elapsed.

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, when a product sold out is detected, the product sample on the display monitor 7 of the product is hidden, so that the sold product is used. It is possible to improve the serviceability to the user without being recognized by the person and surely prevent the deterioration of the corporate image of the sold-out product.

Further, when the product sold-out is detected, the product sold-out information is transmitted to the management center 12, so that the product sold-out can be promptly dealt with.
It is possible to accurately replenish products.

Furthermore, since the purchase product can be selected by touching the image of the product sample displayed on the screen of the display monitor 7, it is not necessary to provide a dedicated switch for selecting the product, and the structure can be simplified and Cost reduction can be achieved.

[0026]

As described above, according to the automatic vending machine of the first aspect, since the sold-out merchandise is not recognized by the user, the serviceability to the user can be improved. At the same time, it is possible to reliably prevent deterioration of the corporate image of sold-out products.

Further, according to the vending machine of the second aspect, it is possible to promptly deal with the sold-out of the product, so that the product can be replenished accurately.

Further, according to the automatic vending machine of claim 3, in addition to the effect of claim 1 or 2, it is not necessary to separately provide a dedicated switch for product selection, so that the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced. Can be planned.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Front sectional view of a vending machine

[Fig. 3] Side sectional view of a vending machine

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen of a display monitor.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a screen of a display monitor.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control unit.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a screen of a display monitor showing another display example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Vending machine body, 7 ... Display monitor, 7a,
7b, 7c ... Product sample display section, 8 ... Control section, A to H
… Product sample.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image display unit provided on the front surface of a main body of a vending machine, a product sample display unit capable of displaying a sample of a product for sale on the screen of the image display unit, and a product of the product when sold out of the product is detected. A vending machine comprising: a control means for hiding a sample. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmitting unit that, when the sold-out of the product is detected, transmits the sold-out information of the product to the outside of the vending machine. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a product selection unit capable of selecting a purchase product by touching an image of the product sample displayed on the screen of the product sample display unit. .