JP2008197699A - Method of providing food and beverage using reusable cup - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system that makes reusable cups usable in providing food and beverage from vending machines, stores, etc. <P>SOLUTION: This method of providing food and beverage using reusable cups includes preparation processes 30, 32 for putting food or beverage selected by a purchaser into a reusable cup at the payment of the price of the food or beverage plus a charge for the deposit of the cup; a provision process 34 for providing the purchaser with the prepared food or beverage together with the cup; an identification process 38 for identifying whether or not the cup inserted from a cup slot is the legitimate cup; a refund process 42 for refunding the charge for the deposit of the cup if the cup inserted is identified as the legitimate cup during the identification process; and a washing process 48 for collecting and washing the returned cup. The cup washed is then put into the preparation processes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for providing food and drink, and particularly to an improvement in a method using the reuse cup.

Foods and drinks are often sold at vending machines and stores, such as various sports facilities, but these are usually sold in a disposable container such as cup noodles, or containers such as polystyrene foam The main form is to put beverages such as beer or noodles and sell them.
And all of these containers are basically disposed of, and the resin containers are only recycled for recycling.
However, due to the recent trend of emphasizing environmental issues, the mass disposal of such resin food and beverage cups has become a very large problem. The solution is basically recycling of the resin with a large environmental load, and reuse as a cup is hardly performed.
JP 2005-258771 A JP 2004-302769 A JP 2002-059983 A JP 2001-298999 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the prior art, and the problem to be solved is a system that can use a reuse cup that has been sanitized and tested hygienically in a factory for providing food and drink. It is to provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the method for providing food and drink according to the present invention is as follows.
The preparation process of putting the food and drink selected by the purchaser into the reusable cup by paying the amount of the food and drink price plus the cup deposit fee,
A providing step of providing the prepared food and drink together with the cup to a purchaser;
After consumption of the food and drink by the purchaser, an identification step for identifying whether or not the cup inserted from the cup insertion port is an authentic cup;
Refund step of refunding the cup deposit fee when it is determined in the identification step that the cup is an authentic cup;
A washing step of collecting and washing the returned cup;
And the washed cup is subjected to the preparation step.
In the method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the reuse cup is attached with a bar code having cup identification information, an IC chip, or a magnetic tape.
In the method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the cups inserted through the cup insertion hole are collected and collected without any tableware residue.

  According to the method for providing food and drink according to the present invention, the identification information is attached to the reuse cup, so the cup return rate is improved by returning the deposit fee while eliminating the cup other than the reuse target product. Can be made.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of a method for providing food and drink using a reuse cup according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In the figure, the vendor machine 10 includes a food and drink provision means 12 and a return cup processing means 14.

The food and beverage provision means 12 is provided with a display 16 that prompts purchase of a product, a product selection button 18, a value insertion port 20, and a product take-out port 22.
On the other hand, the return cup processing means 14 is provided with a return cup insertion port 24, a deposit fee return port 26, and a non-intrinsic cup return port 28.
As shown in FIG. 2, the food and drink provision means 12 determines the food and drink selected by the purchaser and its input amount (step 30), and if necessary, puts the product in the reuse cup and needs it. Accordingly, overheating, cooling, or pouring is performed (step 32), and the product is provided to the purchaser (step 34). In this case, the required input amount is the product price plus the reuse cup deposit fee.

  On the other hand, after consuming the product, the purchaser returns the cup to the return cup slot 24 of the vendor machine 10 (step 36). Then, it is first determined whether or not the cup inserted into the return cup insertion port 24 is an authentic cup to which the deposit fee should be refunded (step 38). As a result, when it is determined that the cup is not genuine, the cup is returned as it is (step 40), and when it is determined that the cup is genuine, the deposit fee is returned (step 42). For the genuine cup, simple cleaning is performed after receipt, and the cups are stacked and stored by cup type (step 44). Thus, by determining whether or not the vendor machine 10 is to receive a cup, it is possible to appropriately prevent other cups and garbage from being thrown in due to an error or mischief.

Periodically, the reuser collects used cups that are stacked and stored in the vendor machine 10 (step 46), and carefully cleans, sterilizes, and inspects them at a washing factory (step 48), and then cleans the vendor machine 10 again. Installed cups and serve food and drink.
In the present embodiment, the authentic cup is preferably determined by attaching mechanically readable information to the cup. As such information attaching means, a barcode (two-dimensional barcode is used). IC chip, magnetic tape, etc. can be employed. In the case of a reuse cup, a bar code is particularly preferable in consideration of the high possibility of being sterilized and washed at a high temperature.

Of course, in the present invention, it is not always necessary for one vendor machine 10 to include the food and beverage supply means 12 and the return cup processing means 14, and both may be configured separately. In particular, the return cup processing means 14 is preferably subjected to simple cleaning in order to prevent the generation of odor or insect damage due to decay, since there is a possibility that a cup in which food or drink remains remains. May require water supply / drainage facilities and tableware waste disposal facilities. In this respect, the food and beverage provision means 12 that is relatively free to install and the return cup processing means 14 are provided separately, and a cup that can be received by the return cup processing means 14 is provided by the plurality of food and beverage provision means 12. By using a cup, efficient system operation is possible.
FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a resin food / beverage cup 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The cup 50 shown in the figure includes a large-diameter opening 52, a small-diameter bottom 54, and a cylindrical side wall 56 that rises from the bottom 54 and forms the large-diameter opening 52. In this embodiment, the outer diameter r ₁ of the large-diameter opening 52 is about 92 mm, the inner diameter r ₂ is about 84 mm, the diameter r ₃ of the small-diameter bottom 54 is about 52 mm, and the diameter r of the lowermost portion (most detailed) of the cylindrical side wall portion. ₄ is about 56 mm, the cup height h ₁ is about 140 mm, and the bottom height h ₂ is about 10 mm. On the outer surface of the cup 50, a barcode 51 on which information used for authentic cup determination is written is affixed.

The large-diameter opening 12 has a ring-shaped projecting portion 58 projecting in the circumferential direction. The ring-shaped projecting portion 18 has a shape whose cross section is substantially circular with a radius R ₁ about 2 mm, the protruding portion inside smooth such that the tangent is continuous with the inner surface 56a of the side wall portion 56 Is formed.
The outer of the projecting portion 58 forms a smooth S-shaped, the lower concave surface so as not to form an edge, draw a curve of radius R ₂ about 1 mm, it is smoothly continuous with side wall outer surface 16b. The radius of curvature R ₂ is in the order of 0.5 to 10 mm, detergency, capped retention improved, yet results in easy advantages have.

  As described above, since the opening 12 of the cup according to the present embodiment is continuously formed with a smooth curve so as not to form an edge-shaped recess, the feeling of contact with the lips is good even when drinking food or drink. In addition, since there are no edge-shaped recesses where food and drink residue or bacteria are likely to remain, cleaning is also easy. Moreover, when using such a cup for food and drink at a sports facility or the like, it may be necessary to carry it around, and in that case, in order to make it difficult for the contents to spill, cover the opening 52 with a cap. However, the overhanging portion 58 of 0.5 mm or more, preferably 1 mm or more also has a function of making it difficult to remove the cap. The cap may be provided with a cut so that a straw or the like can be easily used.

On the other hand, the bottom 54 has its inner surface 54a forms a gentle curve radius of about R ₃ to about 10 to 60 mm, smoothly continuous to not form a side wall inner surface 56a and the edge.
In addition, the lower part of the outer surface of the bottom part 54 is formed with a bottom face 54b substantially perpendicular to the cross section in order to improve stability when the cup 50 is placed on a table or the like. The connection surface between the substantially vertical rising surface 54c of the bottom portion 54 and the side wall portion outer surface 56b has a gentle S-shape.

  Since the cup 50 according to the present embodiment does not form concave edges on the inner surface and the outer surface of the bottom portion 54 as described above, the inner surface 54a, which is excellent in cleaning properties and particularly where food and drink easily remain, has a large curved surface. Yes. Also, since the bottom outer surface is not directly touched by the lips or food and drink, washing tends to be neglected, but such food and drink cups 50 are stacked as shown in FIG. 4 when selling food and drink. As a result, the upper cup bottom portion may come into contact with the lower cup inner surface, which is a portion requiring special attention for cleaning. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the bottom of the cup 50 is set at a substantially right angle to maintain the mounting property, and a concave edge is not formed at the continuous portion of the side wall portion 56 and the bottom portion 54.

The inventors have conducted various studies separately and found that the radii of curvature R ₂ and R ₅ of the concave portions formed on the outer surface of the cup are 0.5 mm or more, preferably about 1 mm. In particular the ring-shaped protruding outer surface radius R ₂ of the bottom, may be reduced too larger the retention of the cap 20 is preferably less 2 to 10 mm.
In addition, when scratches occur on the inner surface of the cup, not only the aesthetic appearance is impaired, but also food and beverage residue or various germs may adhere to the portion, which may make cleaning difficult. Therefore, substantially right-angled portion of the bottom 54 in the present embodiment, when overlapped as shown in FIG. 4, to design vertical section so as not to contact the cup 50 the inner surface of the side wall of the lower height and radius of curvature R ₄ Is preferred.
In the present embodiment, the cup bottom surface 54b is preferably a concave surface having a large curved surface in order to improve sitting.

Moreover, for food or beverage cups according to the present invention, the inner bottom surface of curvature radius R ₃ is about 30～130Mm, in contact with the rising surface and gently curved, but may be an elliptical shape. By thus increasing the inner bottom surface radius of curvature R _3, it has the advantage that cleaning of the cup inner surface bottom is facilitated. The bottom height h2 is preferably about ₃ to 30 mm, and there is an advantage that the bottom perimeter is easily held when the bottom outer periphery is perpendicular to the bottom surface. Cup height _{h 1} is about 60～240Mm, the inner diameter _{r 2} of the large diameter opening is 50 to 200 mm, larger than the tubular side wall portion bottom diameter _{r 4.} Further, the presence of the overhanging part 58 or the bottom outer peripheral vertical surface makes it easy to use the cup holder.

In the system according to the present invention, for the noodles and the like, it is possible to employ a method in which a cup is filled with noodles and utensils in advance and a hot water is poured into the cup at step 32. In this case, it is preferable to put a streak or cut in the lid in advance so that the hot water supply pipe can easily enter, and it is also preferable to provide a pipe for venting air.
In addition, in the system according to the present invention, the compensation for food and drink can be paid not only in a general currency but also in an alternative currency such as a card or points, and the return of deposit money can be replaced by points. It may be by currency. In addition, when only a specific person uses such as in a company, the deposit itself may not be necessary.

In addition, the system of the present invention is used for general foods such as takoyaki, potato chips, popcorn and rice, noodles containing seasoning liquids such as instant ramen, instant udon and spaghetti, beer, juice, coffee, soup, oyster ice It can be applied to beverages such as soft cream.
Further, in the present invention, the mouth portion has a ring-shaped protrusion on the outside, and it is easy to put the lid on, and not only directly puts liquid but also can be carried even if the food or drink is liquid. .

It is explanatory drawing of the external appearance of the vendor machine for food-drinks applied to the method concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the method concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cup for food / beverage products used for the method concerning this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the stacking state of the cup for food / beverage products used for the method concerning this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 Vendor machine 12 Food and beverage provision means 14 Return cup processing means 50 Reuse cup for food and drink

Claims (4)

The preparation process of putting the food and drink selected by the purchaser into the reusable cup by paying the amount of the food and drink price plus the cup deposit fee,
A providing step of providing the prepared food and drink together with the cup to a purchaser;
After consumption of the food and drink by the purchaser, an identification step for identifying whether or not the cup inserted from the cup insertion port is an authentic cup;
Refund step of refunding the cup deposit fee when it is determined in the identification step that the cup is an authentic cup;
A washing step of collecting and washing the returned cup;
A method for providing a food or drink with a reuse cup, wherein the washed cup is subjected to the preparation step.   The method according to claim 1, wherein the reuse cup is attached with a bar code having a cup identification information, an IC chip, or a magnetic tape.   3. A method for providing food and drink using a standardized reuse cup according to claim 1, wherein the cups inserted through the cup insertion hole are collected and collected without any food residue.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the washing step is performed in a separate factory, and the method for providing a food or drink with a reuse cup.

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