JP2010244370A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine which prevents a user from being given wrong recognition due to display, with respect to the vending machine in which a noncontact type recording medium is usable. <P>SOLUTION: The vending machine is configured to make settlement with a noncontact type recording medium, after the selection of merchandise when merchandise selection has been performed, in advance, in a sales stand-by state, and to make a sum display unit display a balance, when the noncontact type recoding medium is held over an antenna part in advance; and when the merchandise selecting operation and communication with the antenna part by the noncontact type recording medium are continuously or successively performed, to make the sum display unit display the selected merchandise selling price, by giving priority to the merchandise selecting operation by the merchandise selecting operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine that can use a non-contact type recording medium such as a non-contact IC card or a mobile phone on which electronic money is mounted.

In a vending machine, a non-contact IC card or a mobile phone equipped with electronic money is used as a non-contact type recording medium, and a product can be purchased by holding the non-contact IC card or the mobile phone over the vending machine. (Patent Document 1).
In this vending machine, when the product selection button is operated in the sales standby state, the sale enable lamp of the product selection button blinks, and the vending machine side transmits the product selection to the communication control unit. The sales amount is displayed on the amount display, and the contactless IC card is held over.
Here, when the non-contact IC card is held over a predetermined area, the product is settled, and the fact that the settlement is completed is transmitted from the communication control unit to the vending machine side.
The vending machine is configured to carry out a predetermined product upon completion of the settlement.

  On the other hand, when checking the balance of electronic money loaded on a non-contact IC card, the balance information is transmitted from the communication control unit to the vending machine when the non-contact IC card is held over a predetermined area in the sales standby state. Thus, the balance of the non-contact IC card is displayed on the amount display.

JP 2004-164089 A

By the way, in the vending machine, when the product selection operation and the contactless IC card holding operation are performed almost simultaneously, the vending machine can sell the product selection button selected by the product selection operation. Blinks and displays the sales price of the product on the price indicator. On the other hand, the communication control unit sends the balance information to the vending machine when the contactless IC card is held over, and displays it on the price indicator. Display balance.
In this way, display processing is performed on each of the vending machine side and the communication control unit side, so if the display processing on the communication control unit side is given priority, the sale enable lamp of the product selection button is blinking. The money amount display may display the balance of the non-contact IC card.
For this reason, the user may misunderstand the remaining amount display of the non-contact IC card with the selling price of the product.

Therefore, for example, when the remaining amount of the non-contact IC card is high, the impression that the sales price of the product is high may be given, while when it is low, the impression that the sales price of the product is low may be given. Yes, there could be distrust in the vending machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a vending machine that prevents a user from being misrecognized by displaying a monetary amount in a vending machine that can use a non-contact type recording medium. And

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a commodity selection means for selecting a commodity, a commodity carry-out means for carrying out the selected commodity, a price indicator, and a vending machine that controls the entire vending machine. An electronic money settlement control unit that communicates with the main control unit and the vending machine main control unit and processes with the non-contact type recording medium, and an antenna unit for holding the non-contact type recording medium, When it is determined that the product is selected by the product selection means, the sales price of the product is displayed on the price indicator, and the contactless recording medium is held over the antenna unit in the sales standby state. In the vending machine that displays the balance on the amount display when the balance information of the non-contact type recording medium is transmitted to the vending machine main control unit, in the standby state, the product selection means When the product selection operation and the communication with the antenna unit using the non-contact type recording medium are performed simultaneously or continuously, the product selection operation by the product selection unit is given priority, and the product price is displayed on the price indicator. Is displayed.

  As another means, balance information sent in a time shorter than the time required for settlement of the non-contact type recording medium after the product selection operation is performed in the standby state is not accepted, and the product is displayed on the price display. Display sales price.

  The present invention provides a product selection operation by the product selection means when the product selection operation by the product selection means and the communication with the antenna unit by the non-contact type recording medium are performed simultaneously or continuously in the standby state. Prioritize, specifically, the balance information sent in less time than the time required for settlement of the contactless recording medium after the product selection operation is performed is not accepted, and the product sales price is displayed on the price indicator By doing so, it is possible to reliably display the selling price of the product at the time of selecting the product, and it is possible to obtain an effect that the user is not erroneously recognized about the display by the money amount display.

The schematic front view of the vending machine which shows one embodiment of this invention Configuration block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention Flowchart diagram of sales operation showing an embodiment of the present invention Schematic communication sequence diagram of display processing showing an embodiment of the present invention

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and sells products such as canned beverages and plastic bottled beverages.
The vending machine 1 is formed as a rectangular heat-insulated housing having an open front. Inside the vending machine 1, although not shown, a plurality of columns are arranged side by side on the left and right and front and rear. Each column stores products of the same type along the vertical direction. A product carry-out device is provided in the lower part of the column. The product carry-out device carries out the products at the lowest level among the product groups stored in the corresponding column one by one when a carry-out command is given. The product that has been carried out rolls the product shooter, and is then carried out to a product outlet 10 described later.

The vending machine 1 is provided with an outer door 2 at one side edge of the main body cabinet, and the outer door 2 opens and closes the front opening of the main body cabinet.
The outer door 2 has a product sample display room 3, a coin insertion slot 4, a bill insertion slot 5, an antenna unit 6, a money amount indicator 7, a return lever 8, a coin return slot 9, a commodity outlet 10, a commodity on the front side. A selection button 11 is provided.
The product sample display room 3 is composed of a transparent panel, and a product sample 12 is provided inside.
The coin slot 4 is an opening through which a user inserts coins. The coins inserted through the coin insertion slot 4 are identified by the coin discriminator, and then stored in the coin collection box.

The bill insertion slot 5 is an opening for a user to insert a bill. The denomination of the banknote inserted through the banknote insertion slot 5 is identified by the banknote identification machine. The bill insertion slot 5 also has a function for returning bills that could not be identified by the bill validator.
The antenna unit 6 reads and writes information from and to the electronic money card 60 when the electronic money card 60 as a non-contact type recording medium on which electronic money information is recorded is arranged in a predetermined communicable area. The payment terminal 30 is composed of an electronic money payment control unit 40 described later.
The amount display 7 is for displaying the sale price of goods, the amount of money inserted, the balance of the electronic money card, and the like.

The return lever 8 is a return lever for forcibly returning the coins after the deposit or the balance after the sale of the goods to the coin return slot 9.
The coin return port 9 is an opening for returning to the user a coin that could not be identified by the coin discriminator or a coin to be changed.
The product outlet 10 is an opening through which a user takes out the product in the column carried out by the product carry-out device.
The product selection button 11 is a push button switch for the user to select a purchased product, and is prepared to correspond to the product sample 12 on a one-to-one basis.
Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the vending machine main control unit 20 of the vending machine 1 and the electronic money payment control unit 40 of the payment terminal 30, and the configuration thereof will be described below.

First, the vending machine main control unit 20 that controls the unique functions of the vending machine includes a pre-stored program memory 20a, a memory 20b that stores setting data and sales data, and basic operations of the vending machine, such as product selection, It performs overall control of various operations such as money processing, merchandise removal, and setting and counting functions.
The vending machine main control unit 20 is connected to a coin discriminator 21, a bill discriminator 22, a product carry-out control unit 23, an amount display 7, a product selection button 11, a remote controller 24, an electronic money settlement control unit 40, and the like. .
The electronic money settlement control unit 40 performs overall control of electronic money settlement processing in accordance with programs and data recorded in advance in a memory (not shown) and instructions and information given from the vending machine main control unit 20.

The electronic money settlement control unit 40 performs an authentication process related to opening / closing with the electronic money management server 50 which is a higher-level center. In the opening process, the electronic money settlement service is provided in the vending machine 1. It will be usable.
The electronic money settlement control unit 40 is connected to the antenna unit 6 and responds to the electronic money card 60 via the antenna unit 6.
The product selection button 11 includes a sellable lamp 11a and a sold-out lamp 11b.
Next, the sales operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in the sales standby state, when the product selection button 11 is pressed (step S01, Yes), the sellable lamp 11a of the selected product selection button 11 blinks (step S02), and the electronic money is sent from the vending machine main control unit 20. The selected merchandise data including the selected merchandise column and the withdrawal amount is transmitted to the settlement control unit 40 (step S03), and the sales price of the selected merchandise is displayed on the price display 7 (step S04).

At this point, the electronic money settlement control unit 40 is ready to read the electronic money card 60 held by the user via the antenna unit 6, and the electronic money card 60 is held over the antenna unit 6 ( In step S05, Yes), a card capture response is given from the electronic money card 60 to the electronic money settlement control unit 40 through the antenna unit 6 (step S06), and then between the electronic money card 60 and the electronic money settlement control unit 40. Mutual authentication processing is performed (step S07).
When mutual authentication is established between the electronic money card 60 and the electronic money settlement control unit 40, the balance information of the electronic money card 60 is read, and if the balance of the electronic money card 60 is equal to or higher than the sales price of the product, the electronic money card A subtraction instruction corresponding to the sales price is given to 60, a subtraction process corresponding to the sales price is performed, and settlement is performed (step S08).

Next, the electronic money settlement control unit 40 transmits a settlement completion notice and balance information after subtraction of the electronic money card 60 to the vending machine main control unit 20 (step S09), and the vending machine main control unit 20 A product unloading device (not shown) is carried out through the control unit 23, and the unloaded product rolls over the product shooter and is then carried out to the product takeout port 10 (step S10). Can receive.
Here, the money amount display 7 displays the current balance after subtraction of the electronic money card 60 for a certain period of time (step S11), and returns to the sales standby state.
Note that the sellable lamp 11a switches from blinking to lighting at the time of settlement, and turns off when the product is carried out.
Next, when the electronic money card 60 is held over the antenna unit 6 in step S05, if the electronic money card 60 is not held over the antenna unit 6 for a predetermined time after the product selection (step S17, Yes), the product selection is performed. Will be canceled and the unit will return to the standby state.

  On the other hand, when the electronic money card 60 is held over the antenna unit 6 (step S12, No) before the product selection button 11 is pressed in the sales standby state (step S01, No), the electronic money card 60 to the antenna unit 6 Then, a card capture response is given to the electronic money settlement control unit 40 (step S13), and then a mutual authentication process is performed between the electronic money card 60 and the electronic money settlement control unit 40 (step S14). When mutual authentication is established between the electronic money card 60 and the electronic money settlement control unit 40, the balance information of the electronic money card 60 is read, and this balance is transmitted from the electronic money settlement control unit 40 to the vending machine main control unit 20 ( In step S15), the vending machine main control unit 20 displays the balance of the electronic money card 60 held over based on the transmitted balance information on the money amount display 7 (step S16).

In this way, if the product selection button 11 is operated in the sales standby state, the sales price is displayed on the amount display 7 and the process proceeds to the settlement process.
On the other hand, when the electronic money card 60 is held over the antenna unit 6 in a state where the product selection button 11 is not operated in the sales standby state, the remaining amount of the electronic money card 60 is displayed on the money amount display 7. It is.
Next, the case where the user performs the operation of the product selection button 11 and the holding operation of the electronic money card 60 simultaneously or continuously will be described using the schematic communication sequence diagram of FIG.
When the product selection button 11 is pressed in the sales standby state (SQ1), the sellable lamp 11a of the selected product selection button 11 is blinked (SQ2).
On the other hand, when the product selection button 11 is pressed (SQ1) and the electronic money card 60 is simultaneously held over the antenna unit 6 (SQ1a), the electronic money settlement control unit 40 performs supplementary / authentication processing, The balance information of the electronic money card 60 is read (SQ2a), the balance information of the held electronic money card 60 is created and prepared for transmission to the vending machine main control unit 20.

Next, the vending machine main control unit 20 transmits the selected product data including the selected product column and the withdrawal amount to the electronic money settlement control unit 40 (SQ3), and the selected product on the price indicator 7 Is displayed (SQ4).
On the other hand, the electronic money settlement control unit 40 also transmits the read balance information to the vending machine main control unit 20 (SQ3a).
Next, since the vending machine main control unit 20 has already performed control to display the sales price of the selected product on the price display 7, the balance information transmitted from the electronic money settlement control unit 40 is not accepted. In addition, the display of the selected merchandise sales price is held on the price display 7 (SQ4).
That is, the vending machine main control unit 20 does not accept and display the balance information transmitted in a time shorter than the time required for the card settlement after the product selection by the product selection button 11 is performed. By displaying the sales price of the selected product, it is possible to prevent the user from misrecognizing the display contents in the state in which the sellable lamp 11a of the selected product selection button 11 is blinking. .

The settlement process after the display is as shown in the flowchart of FIG.
The time shorter than the time required for the card settlement is, for example, displaying the sales price of the product selection button 11 selected for the product without displaying the balance information received from the transmission of the selected product data until n polling. The n polling may be the number of times or time, and is set as appropriate.
After that, once the electronic money card 60 is once moved away from the antenna unit 6 and the transmission of balance information is canceled, the electronic money card 60 is again held over the antenna unit 6 to perform normal settlement.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 6 Antenna part 7 Price display 11 Product selection button 20 Vending machine main control part 30 Payment terminal 40 Electronic money payment control part 50 Electronic money management server 60 Electronic money card

Claims (3)

A product selection means for selecting a product, a product carry-out means for carrying out the selected product, a price indicator, a vending machine main control unit that controls the entire vending machine, and a communication with the vending machine main control unit And an electronic money settlement control unit for processing with a non-contact type recording medium, and an antenna unit for holding the non-contact type recording medium, and determined that the selection is first made by the product selection means in the standby state. Sometimes the sales price of the product is displayed on the price indicator, and in the standby state, the non-contact type recording medium is held over the antenna unit first, and the electronic money settlement control unit sends the non-contact type recording medium to the vending machine main control unit. In a vending machine that displays the balance on the amount indicator when balance information is sent,
When the product selection operation by the product selection means and the communication with the antenna unit by the non-contact type recording medium are performed simultaneously or continuously in the standby state, the product selection operation by the product selection means has priority. A vending machine characterized by displaying a selected commodity sales price on the price display. A product selection means for selecting a product, a product carry-out means for carrying out the selected product, a price indicator, a vending machine main control unit that controls the entire vending machine, and a communication with the vending machine main control unit And an electronic money settlement control unit for processing with a non-contact type recording medium, and an antenna unit for holding the non-contact type recording medium, and determined that the selection is first made by the product selection means in the standby state. Sometimes the sales price of the product is displayed on the price indicator, and in the standby state, the non-contact type recording medium is held over the antenna unit first, and the electronic money settlement control unit sends the non-contact type recording medium to the vending machine main control unit. In a vending machine that displays the balance on the amount indicator when balance information is sent,
In the standby state, after the product selection operation by the product selection means is performed, balance information transmitted in a time shorter than the time required for settlement of the non-contact type recording medium is not accepted, and is selected by the price display A vending machine characterized by displaying the product sales price. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein balance information transmitted in a time shorter than the time required for settlement of the non-contact type recording medium after the selected commodity data is transmitted to the electronic money settlement control unit is not accepted. A vending machine displaying the selected product sales price on the price display.

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