JP4417306B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly, to a vending machine that sells products with an identification code.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional vending machine device that can sell a product that conforms to owner characteristics or a product that has been purchased in the past by simply holding the contactless card. In the contactless card used in the vending machine described in the document, owner characteristics and the like are stored in advance, and product information purchased at the time of product purchase is written. From the product information of the past purchase, the previous purchase product can be purchased continuously without selecting the product in the state where the sales product list is displayed on the menu on the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display at the next purchase. In addition, it is possible to display a menu of sales merchandise narrowed down according to the characteristics of the owner, for example, for young men (women), new merchandise, purchase history, low vision, and the like.

JP 2004-227067 A

  By the way, in recent years, a new type of vending machine that displays a large number of products on a front panel called a front face and sells products while appealing to customers has been on the market. These new types of vending machines enable the provision of a large number of products that meet the tastes of as many users as possible and have the effect of increasing sales opportunities. There was room for improvement in that it would be difficult to find the product.

  In recent years, new products have been produced one after another in a short product development cycle in order to respond quickly to changes in user preferences and needs. Promote these new products to users at the front face of the vending machine, for example, promoting up-sell by proposing and selling more expensive brands and cross-selling by proposing and selling related brands. Realization of a mechanism to make it happen is desirable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to enable the user to collect information useful for measuring the appeal effect in the front face part while saving the trouble of purchasing the product. To provide a vending machine.

A vending machine that sells multiple types of products with identification codes on the surface,
A reading unit for reading the identification code attached to the product presented by the user;
A plurality of purchase buttons that are provided corresponding to sample samples of the plurality of types of products loaded in the vending machine, each having a display, and for pressing the product selected by the user at the time of purchase;
A product code table for storing the identification code of the plurality of types of products loaded in the vending machine and the identification code of the display of the purchase button of the product in association with each other ;
Accessing the product code table, the reading unit is the determined the identification code of the product stored in the product code table corresponding to the identification code read, that identifies a presentation item which the user is presented And the identification part which acquires the identification code of the indicator of the purchase button of the presentation goods ,
The display unit corresponding to the identification code of the display unit of the acquired purchase button is turned on and blinked so that the user can recognize the presented product from the sample samples of the plurality of types of products. A display unit for performing a display prompting the user to purchase the same product as the presented product ;
A vending machine characterized by comprising:

  Here, the form of the identification code attached to the product may be a barcode, a two-dimensional barcode, a QR (Quick Response) code printed on the surface of the product, or an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) attached to the product. ) An identification code recorded on an IC (Integrated Circuit) tag such as a tag is included. The identification code includes, for example, a country code, a product manufacturer code, a product item code, and a check digit.

  The “user” in the present invention refers to a person who purchases a product using the vending machine according to the present invention. In addition, the “product” in the present invention includes various types of products, such as cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, beverages, and food products. In particular, the vending machine according to the present invention is useful when there are multi-brand and multi-brand products and the user repeatedly purchases the same product.

  The “display for prompting the purchase of a product” is, for example, lighting and blinking an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display or the like provided in the vicinity of a product sample or in a product purchase button.

  According to the present invention, in an automatic vending machine that sells a plurality of types of products, simply presenting an identification code such as a barcode of a product brought by a user, the identification code is read, and the purchase of the presented product is easy. Therefore, the user can be supported so that the user can save time and effort when purchasing the product.

  In the vending machine, for each of the identification codes of the plurality of types of products, a product column table that stores the product columns in association with each other, and the product column table that is accessed by the product column table and identified by the identification unit And an automatic dispensing unit that identifies the column corresponding to the same product and automatically pays out the same product.

  According to this configuration, a product of the same brand as the product brought by the user can be automatically paid out, which is convenient.

In the automatic vending machine, and the purchase instruction receiving unit that receives the depression of the previous SL purchase button, or the purchase instruction receiving unit within a certain period of time the display unit from prompting the purchase of the commodity has accepted the depression of the purchase button A determination unit that determines whether or not the automatic dispensing unit has determined that the purchase button has not been pressed within a certain period of time after the display unit prompts the purchase of the product. In this case, the same product as the presented product can be automatically paid out.

  According to this configuration, it is possible for the user to select other products, but when the other products are not purchased, the product of the same brand as the presented product is automatically paid. Since it can be put out, it is convenient.

In the vending machine, when the user presses the purchase button of the product, the payout unit that pays out the product selected by the user , and the first product information of the product presented by the user And a history information storage unit that stores the second product information of the paid-out product in association with the product purchase history information.

  According to this configuration, the product purchase history information of the user can be automatically collected and can be used.

  In the vending machine, the product is preferably tobacco. Tobacco is particularly useful because it is a product that is always carried by the user and that repeatedly purchases products of the same brand. That is, in a vending machine, it is convenient to be able to purchase without operating the purchase button by simply holding the barcode of the main brand cigarette that the user always carries. In addition, since tobacco is a multi-brand and multi-brand product, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of a user searching for a purchase button for a target product from a large number of product samples sold by a vending machine. In addition, cigarettes have a cubic shape and a barcode is attached to the plane, so that reading is easy, and the reading unit can have a simple structure and is easy to apply. There is.

According to the present invention, a vending machine that sells a plurality of types of products with identification codes attached to the surface,
A reading unit for reading the identification code attached to the product presented by the user;
A recommended product table for storing at least one recommended sales product in association with each identification code;
A recommended product determination unit that accesses the recommended product table and determines a recommended sales product corresponding to the identification code read by the reading unit;
A display unit for performing a display prompting the purchase of the recommended sales product determined by the recommended product determination unit;
A vending machine characterized by comprising:

  Here, the “display for prompting the purchase of the recommended product for sale” means, for example, the LED display provided in the vicinity of the product sample of the recommended product for sale or the product purchase button, or the liquid crystal display unit. To display an advertisement video or a message of a recommended product for sale.

  According to the present invention, in a vending machine that sells a plurality of types of products, an identification code such as a barcode of a product presented by a user is read, and sales of recommended sales products associated with the presented product are promoted. It becomes possible. Thereby, for example, cross selling and up selling of main brands such as cigarettes can be promoted.

  In the vending machine, the first product information of the product presented by the user, the second product information of the paid-out product, and the third product information of the recommended sales product displayed by the display unit are associated with each other. And a recommended effect information storage unit that stores the recommended effect information.

  According to this configuration, as a result of recommending products in the front face part, information such as what products the user has purchased, that is, information useful for measuring the appeal effect can be automatically collected and utilized by companies, etc. can do.

According to the present invention, a vending machine that sells a plurality of types of products including target products for campaigns that promote sales ,
A recording medium identification code of the target instruments are recorded sold in advance the vending machine is distributed to the user,
A reading unit that reads the identification code recorded on the recording medium presented by the user;
A plurality of purchase buttons that are provided corresponding to sample samples of the plurality of types of products loaded in the vending machine, each having a display, and for pressing the product selected by the user at the time of purchase;
For each of said identification code, and the target product code table in association with at least one of the Shipping, the identification code of the indicator of the purchase button of the Shipping,
Accessing the target product code table, determining the identification code of the target product stored in the target product code table corresponding to the identification code read by the reading unit , and identifying the target product, A target product determination unit for acquiring the identification code of the indicator of the purchase button of the target product;
A display unit for lighting and blinking the display unit corresponding to the identification code of the display unit of the acquired purchase button of the target product, and for prompting the user to purchase the target product;
A vending machine characterized by comprising:

  Here, the recording medium can include, for example, a distributed DM, a flyer, a card with identification code, or a sheet on which an identification code acquired from a company website is printed.

  According to this invention, in addition to the identification code attached to the product, it is possible to promote the sale by acquiring the product information from the identification code recorded on a recording medium such as DM distributed to the user in advance. Become. For example, by distributing a recording medium in which an identification code such as a campaign target product is recorded in advance, the purchase of the campaign target product in the vending machine can be promoted.

  In the vending machine, additional information is further recorded on the recording medium, and the reading unit can read the additional information from the recording medium, and stores the additional information read by the reading unit. A storage unit may be included.

  Here, the additional information can include, for example, various information such as a member code distributing the recording medium, a regional code, a target sex, and a distribution period. According to this configuration, it is possible to record additional information in a DM or the like and automatically collect information by the vending machine.

  The vending machine may further include a sales promotion effect information storage unit that stores the additional information read from the recording medium and the product information of the product actually paid out as sales promotion effect information in association with each other.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to automatically collect information for measuring the effect of sales promotion by DM or the like.

  Although the configuration of the present invention has been described above, any combination of these configurations, or a conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, and the like is also applicable to the present invention. It is effective as an embodiment.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vending machine which enables the collection of information useful for the appeal effect measurement in a front face part while saving the effort at the time of goods purchase for a user is provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description will be omitted as appropriate.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the configuration of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine 100 according to the present embodiment is a vending machine 100 that sells a plurality of types of products having an identification code (bar code 102) attached to the surface thereof, and the identification given to the product 104 presented by the user. A reading unit (code reading unit 110) that reads a code (bar code 102), a product code table 112 that stores identification codes of a plurality of types of products loaded in the vending machine 100, and a product code table 112 are accessed. The product corresponding to the identification code (bar code 102) read by the reading unit (code reading unit 110) is identified, and the identification unit 114 for identifying the product 104 presented by the user, and the product identified by the identification unit 114 And a display unit (display control unit 116 and display unit 118) that performs a display prompting purchase.

  In the present invention, the “user” refers to a person who purchases a product using the vending machine according to the present invention. In addition, the “product” in the present invention includes various types of products, such as cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, beverages, and food products. In particular, the vending machine according to the present invention is useful when there are multi-brand and multi-brand products and the user repeatedly purchases the same product.

  The present invention is particularly suitable for tobacco vending machines. In other words, in the vending machine for cigarettes, the user can purchase without having to operate the purchase button by simply holding the bar code of the main brand cigarettes that the user always carries without having to operate the purchase button. In addition, since there are many brands and brands of tobacco products, it is usually troublesome for a user to find a purchase button for a target product from a large number of product samples displayed at vending machines. According to the present invention, the trouble can be saved. In addition, cigarettes have a cubic shape, and since the barcode is attached to the plane, the reading unit can be made simple and easy to apply. There is.

  In addition, the “display for prompting the purchase of a product” is, for example, by turning on and blinking an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display or the like provided in the vicinity of a product sample of a brand to be purchased or in a product purchase button. is there.

  Each component of the vending machine 100 includes an arbitrary computer CPU, memory, a program that realizes the components shown in the figure loaded in the memory, a storage unit such as a hard disk that stores the program, and a network connection interface. It is realized by any combination of hardware and software. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that there are various modifications to the implementation method and apparatus. Each figure described below shows functional unit blocks, not hardware unit configurations.

  Specifically, the vending machine 100 includes a code reading unit 110, a product code table 112, an identification unit 114, a display control unit 116, a display unit 118, a product purchase button 120, a price receiving unit 122, A product purchase acceptance unit 124, a loaded product information storage unit (shown as “loaded product information” in the figure) 126, a settlement processing unit 128, and a payout unit 130 are provided. In FIG. 1, the configuration of parts not related to the essence of the present invention is omitted.

  Further, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the vending machine 100 includes a sample sample unit 300, a bill insertion slot 310, a change return lever 312, a coin insertion slot 314, a barcode reading unit 316, a liquid crystal display unit 318, A change mouth 320 and a merchandise exit 322 are included.

  The sample sample section 300 includes a plurality of sample samples 302 for sale merchandise and a plurality of purchase buttons 304 provided corresponding to the plurality of sample samples 302. When purchasing a product, for example, the user inserts money into the bill insertion slot 310 or the coin insertion slot 314, refers to the sample sample 302, selects a product to be purchased from a plurality of sample samples 302, A product can be purchased by pressing a product purchase button 304 and the product delivered to the product exit 322 can be received. If necessary, the change return lever 312 is operated to receive change from the change port 320.

  The above is a conventional merchandise purchase procedure. In this embodiment, for example, the user inserts money into the bill insertion slot 310 or the coin insertion slot 314, and the cigarette possessed by the barcode reading unit 316. Hold the barcode of the product. As a result, the product purchase button 120 of the corresponding brand lights up and flashes, so that the user immediately recognizes the product of the same brand as the product held up from the plurality of sample samples 302 displayed in the sample sample section 300. The purchase button 304 of the product can be pressed, or the product can be automatically paid out to the product delivery port 322 and received after a certain period of time.

  Returning to FIG. 1, when the code reading unit 110 holds the product 104 brought by the user, for example, the barcode 102 of the cigarette over the barcode reading unit 316 of FIG. 2, the barcode attached to the held product 104. 102 is read.

  Here, as a form of the identification code attached to the product, a barcode printed on the surface of the product will be described as an example, but is not limited thereto. For example, the identification code can include a two-dimensional bar code, a QR code, or an identification code recorded on an IC tag such as an RFID tag attached to a product. The identification code includes, for example, a country code, a product manufacturer code, a product item code, and a check digit. The read identification code is transferred to the identification unit 114.

  In the present embodiment, the code reading unit 110 may be configured to be able to read the barcode 102 attached to the product 104 by various methods, such as a CCD scan method or a laser scan method, and is not the essence of the present invention. Detailed description is omitted. When the identification code is recorded on an RFID tag or the like, the code reading unit 110 may be configured to read the RFID tag. In the present embodiment, the barcode reading unit 316 of the code reading unit 110 is provided on the front panel of the vending machine 100 as shown in FIG. 2, but is not limited thereto. For example, the vending machine 100 is provided with a mounting table on which the product 104 is mounted, and the code reading unit 110 is placed at a position where the barcode 102 attached to the product 104 can be read in a state where the product 104 is mounted on the mounting table. It is also possible to provide a reading surface.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the product code table 112 is a display of a product code for each brand of a plurality of types of products loaded in the vending machine 100 and a display corresponding to the product code, for example, blinking and lit. Instrument code is stored. Here, the “product code” is a product item code or the like that can identify the brand of the product, and is indicated by a 5-digit numerical value in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the indicator is, for example, an LED indicator provided in the product purchase button 120, and an indicator code L1 indicating the LED indicator in the product purchase button 120 provided for each brand. , L2, L3, etc.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the identification unit 114 accesses the product code table 112, determines the product code of the product brand corresponding to the barcode 102 read by the code reading unit 110, and determines the brand of the product 104 presented by the user. At the same time, the corresponding display unit code is acquired and transferred to the display control unit 116.

  The display control unit 116 receives a display unit code corresponding to the product brand identified by the identification unit 114 and instructs the display unit 118 to blink. The display unit 118 is, for example, an LED display provided in the vicinity of a product sample sample or the like in the product purchase button 120, and blinks and lights in a predetermined pattern under the control of the display control unit 116.

  The product purchase button 120 is an operation button provided on the front panel of the vending machine 100 and pressed by the user when purchasing the product. In the present embodiment, an LED display is provided inside the product purchase button 120 and is controlled to be blinked by the display control unit 116.

  The price accepting unit 122 is inserted or held over, for example, money such as coins inserted into the coin insertion slot 314 in FIG. We accept payment by prepaid card or credit card. The product purchase acceptance unit 124 accepts a product selected based on the product purchase button 120 pressed by the user.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the loaded product information storage unit 126 stores information such as the column in which the product is loaded and the price of the product for each product code. Returning to FIG. 1, the settlement processing unit 128 performs settlement processing for the price of the product selected by the user. Note that the settlement processing unit 128 also performs processing when there is a shortage in the amount of money input, for example, the change payment process, etc., but is not the essence of the present invention, and therefore will not be described in the following description. To do. The payout unit 130 pays out the sold product 132 of the brand that has been settled by the checkout processing unit 128 to the product carry-out port 322 in FIG.

  Further, the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment can include a timer unit 134 and a determination unit 136 shown in FIG. 5 in addition to the configuration of FIG. The timer unit 134 counts a certain time after the identification unit 114 specifies the brand of the product 104 held by the user and an instruction is given to the display control unit 116.

  The determination unit 136 determines whether or not the product purchase reception unit 124 has received a press of the product purchase button 120 within a certain time counted by the timer unit 134. If the determination unit 136 determines that the product purchase button 120 has not been pressed within a certain period of time, a product of the same brand as the product 104 presented by the user is automatically delivered to the checkout processing unit 128. Checkout processing is instructed to purchase a product of the same brand as 104.

  The operation of the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment. This will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  This process is performed by the user inserting money into the bill insertion slot 310 or the coin insertion slot 314 shown in FIG. 2, or inserting or holding a prepaid card or credit card, etc. Starts by accepting the price. When the price accepting unit 122 accepts the price, the code reading unit 110 enters a barcode reading waiting state. Then, the product 104 brought by the user is held over the barcode reading unit 316 in FIG. 2 (step S11), and the code reading unit 110 in FIG. 1 reads the barcode 102 attached to the product 104 (step S13) to identify it. Notification to the unit 114. The identification unit 114 accesses the product code table 112 in FIG. 3 and identifies the display device code corresponding to the product code included in the barcode read by the code reading unit 110 (step S15).

  Then, the display control unit 116 controls the display unit 118 according to the display unit code specified by the identification unit 114 in FIG. 1, and turns on the corresponding product purchase button 120 (step S17). As a result, the user can immediately recognize the target product from the plurality of sample samples 302. At this time, the timer unit 134 in FIG. 5 starts measuring a certain time.

  The determination unit 136 of FIG. 5 determines whether or not the product purchase reception unit 124 of FIG. 1 has received a press of the product purchase button 120 (step S19). When the press of the product purchase button 120 is accepted (YES in step S19), the process proceeds to step S23, the settlement processing unit 128 performs the settlement of the price, and the dispensing unit 130 pays the product to the product delivery port 322 in FIG. put out.

  In step S19, pressing of the product purchase button 120 is monitored for a certain time (step S21), and when the certain time has elapsed (YES in step S21), the process proceeds to step S23. As a result, if the product purchase acceptance unit 124 does not accept the press of the product purchase button 120 within a certain time, it is possible to automatically pay out the sales product 132 of the same brand as the product 104 presented by the user. .

  As described above, according to the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment, the vending machine 100 that sells a plurality of types of products only presents an identification code such as the barcode 102 of the product 104 brought by the user. Thus, the user can be supported so that the user can easily purchase the presented product 104 by reading the identification code, so that it is possible to save time and effort for purchasing the product.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing a main configuration of the vending machine 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine 100 of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the vending machine 100 of the above embodiment, and in FIG. 7, only the configuration different from that of FIG. 1 is shown. This embodiment is different from the above embodiment in that it encourages the purchase of recommended products such as products of multiple brands including products of other brands classified into the same group as the brand of products presented by the user. ing.

  The vending machine 100 according to the present embodiment is a vending machine 100 that sells a plurality of types of products having identification codes attached to the surface, and includes an identification code (barcode 102) attached to a product 104 presented by a user. ), A recommended product table (classification table 142 and display table 144) for storing at least one recommended sales product for each identification code, and a recommended product table (classification). Table 142 and display table 144), a recommended product discriminating unit (selecting unit 140) that discriminates recommended sales products corresponding to the identification code read by the reading unit (code reading unit 110), and a discriminating unit (selecting unit). 140), and a display unit (display control unit 116 and display unit 118) that performs a display prompting the purchase of the recommended sales product.

  In another embodiment, the “display for prompting the purchase of recommended product for sale” refers to a product of a brand classified in the same group as the brand of the product presented by the user as a recommended product, a product sample thereof, etc. LED indicators or the like provided in the vicinity of the product or in the product purchase button. The recommended product may be, for example, a product of an upsell target or a cross sell target of a certain brand.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the vending machine 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a selection unit 140, a classification table 142, and a display table 144 in place of the product code table 112 and the identification unit 114 of FIG. 1. Including.

  The sorting unit 140 accesses the classification table 142 shown in FIG. 8 and acquires a classification code corresponding to the product code of the barcode 102 read by the code reading unit 110 of FIG. Further, the selection unit 140 accesses the display table 144 shown in FIG. 9 and acquires a display code corresponding to the acquired classification code.

  For example, when the product code of the barcode 102 read by the code reading unit 110 is “12345”, the classification code is “01”, and three display device codes “L1, L2, L8” are acquired, and the display control unit 116 is obtained. Will be notified. The display control unit 116 instructs the display unit 118 to control blinking of the LED display in the product purchase button 120 corresponding to the three display codes. In the classification table 142 shown in FIG. 8, products with product codes “12345” and “12456” are classified into the same group, and when a product of any brand is held by a user, the same group Indicators such as “12345” and “12456” classified into the category are simultaneously controlled to blink.

  The operation of the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, step S11, step S13, step S19, and step S23 are the same as those in FIG. This will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7 to 10.

  The product code is notified from the barcode read in step S13, and the selection unit 140 in FIG. 7 accesses the classification table 142 in FIG. 8, acquires the classification code from the product code, and further displays the display table 144 in FIG. And the corresponding display device code is specified from the classification code (step S31).

  Then, the display control unit 116 controls the display unit 118 according to the plurality of display codes of the same classification specified by the selection unit 140 in FIG. 1, and the corresponding plurality of product purchase buttons 120 blinks and lights up (step S33).

  For example, if cigarettes of different brands of the same brand are specified in the same classification, even if cigarettes of different brands are of the same brand, a display prompting purchase can be performed at the same time. As a result, the user can have an interest in different brands in the same brand, and when the product of a new brand in the brand is released, it is possible to promote the transition to a new product.

  In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the product code and the display code are associated with each other using the classification code in FIG. 8 is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a display that prompts purchase can be performed using a table that stores at least one display code in association with each product code. That is, in the product code table 112 of FIG. 3, a plurality of display codes can be stored in association with the display code column. At this time, in the description of FIG. 3, the display code of the LED display in the purchase button of the product is associated, but the display code of another product can also be associated. According to this configuration, a transition from one brand to another brand can be promoted.

  As described above, according to the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment, an identification code such as the barcode 102 of the product 104 presented by the user is read, and a recommended sales product associated with the presented product 104 is read. Sales can be promoted. Thereby, for example, cross selling and up selling of main brands such as cigarettes can be promoted.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a main configuration of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine of the present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment in the product code of the product presented by the user acquired from the identification unit 114 and the product of the product actually purchased by the user acquired from the checkout processing unit 128. The difference is that the codes are stored in association with each other. As a result, the product purchase history information of the user can be automatically collected and utilized.

  The vending machine 100 of the present embodiment further includes a history acquisition unit 150, a history information storage unit 152, and a transmission unit 154 in addition to the configuration of the above embodiment.

  The history acquisition unit 150 includes a product code of the product presented by the user identified by the identification unit 114 in FIG. 1, a product code of the product that the settlement processing unit 128 in FIG. 1 instructs the dispensing unit 130 in FIG. Is stored in association with the history information storage unit 152. FIG. 12 shows an example of the structure of the history information storage unit 152. The history information storage unit 152 has a predetermined date such as the date and time when the identification unit 114 in FIG. 1 identifies the product code, or the date and time when the settlement processing unit 128 in FIG. 1 instructs the dispensing unit 130 in FIG. The date and time 156 acquired at the timing, the purchased product code 158 of the product identified by the identifying unit 114 in FIG. 1, and the purchased product code 158 instructed by the settlement processing unit 128 in FIG. 1 to the dispensing unit 130 in FIG. It is stored in association.

  Returning to FIG. 11, the transmission unit 154 transmits the history information stored in the history information storage unit 152 to the outside. The transmission unit 154 can transmit to the outside using a network such as the Internet or infrared communication.

  As described above, according to the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment, what kind of product is purchased next from the product that the user seems to have purchased last time while providing convenience to the user at the time of purchase. It is possible to collect the history information of what has been done, and it can be used by companies and the like.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the vending machine 100 according to the embodiment of this invention. The vending machine 100 according to the present embodiment is different from the vending machine 100 according to the above-described embodiment in that the vending machine 100 has a configuration that encourages purchase of a recommended product associated with a product presented by a user by an image or a message. In FIG. 13, the same configuration as that of the vending machine 100 according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is omitted.

  The vending machine 100 according to the present embodiment is a vending machine 100 that sells a plurality of types of products having identification codes attached to the surface, and includes an identification code (barcode 102) attached to a product 104 presented by a user. ), A recommended product table (recommended product table 162) that stores at least one recommended sales product in association with each identification code (barcode 102), and a recommended product table 162. And a recommended product discriminating unit (discriminating unit 160) for discriminating recommended sales products corresponding to the identification code (barcode 102) read by the reading unit (code reading unit 110), and a recommended product discriminating unit (discriminating unit 160). And a display unit (LED display 164 and LCD display 166) for performing a display prompting the purchase of the recommended product for sale determined.

  Here, the “display for prompting the purchase of the recommended product for sale” means, for example, the LED display provided in the vicinity of the product sample of the recommended product for sale or the product purchase button, or the liquid crystal display unit. To display an advertisement video or a message of a recommended product for sale. The display for prompting purchase may be, for example, voice output. In that case, the vending machine 100 can include an audio output unit (not shown) such as a speaker, and an audio control unit (not shown) that controls the audio output unit.

  Specifically, the vending machine 100 may include a determination unit 160, a recommended product table 162, an LED display 164, an LCD display 166, an image file storage unit 168, and a display operation table 170. it can.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the recommended product table 162. In the recommended product table 162, each product code is associated with a classification code and stored, and each product is classified. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the display operation table 170. In the display operation table 170, for each classification code, the display code of the blinking lighting control target of the LED display 164, the image file stored in the image file storage unit 168 to be displayed on the LCD display 166, the file name, and the like correspond. It is remembered.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 16A, the LED indicator 164 includes LED indicators 212a, 212b,..., 212j provided in the vicinity of the sample samples 210a, 210b,. , 220j, and LED indicators provided in each of the purchase buttons 220a, 220b,.

  The LCD display 166 includes the liquid crystal display unit 318 of FIG. 2 and displays, for example, a recommended product screen 200 and a product advertisement screen 230 as shown in FIGS. 16B and 16C.

  The operation of the vending machine 100 configured as described above will be described below. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the vending machine according to the present embodiment. This will be described below with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 17, step S11, step S13, step S19, and step S23 are the same as those in FIG.

  The product code is notified from the barcode read in step S13, and the determination unit 160 in FIG. 13 accesses the recommended product table 162 in FIG. 14 and determines the classification code from the product code (step S41). The classification code is transferred to the display control unit 116, and the display control unit 116 accesses the display operation table 170 of FIG. 15, specifies the corresponding display code from the classification code, and displays the corresponding LED display on the LED display 164. The device is lit in a blinking manner (step S43).

  For example, it is assumed that the user has the brand “ABCD”, holds the bar code over the code reading unit 110, and reads the product code “12345”. Due to the barcode product code “12345” read in step S13, the classification code becomes “011” from the recommended product table 162 in FIG. 14, and the five LED indicators blink from the display operation table 170 in FIG. Will be started. As shown in FIG. 16A, the LED indicators 212a, 212b and 212c and the LED indicators in the purchase buttons 220b and 220c are lit in a blinking manner.

  Further, following step S43, the display control unit 116 accesses the display operation table 170, acquires an image file name to be displayed on the LCD display 166 corresponding to the classification code determined in step S41, and an image file storage unit. The image file is read from 168 and displayed on the LCD display 166.

  For example, as shown in the display operation table 170 of FIG. 15, in the case of the product code “12345”, “moving image a” corresponding to the separation code “011” is displayed on the LCD display 166. Here, for example, a recommended product screen 200 as shown in FIG. 16B is displayed.

  As described above, in the sample sample section 300 of the vending machine 100, as shown in FIG. 16A, the LED indicators in the purchase buttons 220b and 220c of the brand “ABCD super” and the brand “ABCD super” of the same brand are displayed. It blinks and lights up, and a display prompting upsell from the brand “ABCD” to the brand “ABCD super” of the new product is performed. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 16 (b), the recommended product screen 200 can be displayed to prompt upsell from the brand “ABCD” to the brand “ABCD super” of the new product.

  In addition, when a product such as a brand “XYZ” or “XYZ light” is presented as in the product advertisement screen 230 shown in FIG. 16C, a product advertisement of a related brand can be displayed.

  According to this configuration, in a vending machine that sells a plurality of types of products, an identification code such as a barcode of a product presented by a user is read, and sales of recommended sales products associated with the presented product are promoted. It becomes possible. Thereby, for example, cross selling and up selling of main brands such as cigarettes can be promoted.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 18 is a functional block diagram showing a main configuration of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine according to the present embodiment is different from the fourth embodiment in that it stores information on products presented by the user, products recommended for sale, and products actually purchased. As a result, information for measuring the effect of the sales promotion by the vending machine for the user can be automatically collected and can be utilized.

  The vending machine 100 of the present embodiment further includes an information acquisition unit 180, an effect information storage unit 182 and a transmission unit 184 in addition to the configuration of the above embodiment.

  The information acquisition unit 180 includes the product code of the product presented by the user from the determination unit 160 in FIG. 13, the product code of the product actually issued by the payout unit 130 in FIG. 1 from the settlement processing unit 128 in FIG. The display control unit 116 acquires the instruction content instructing the LED display 164 and the LCD display 166 to display the recommended sales item, and stores it in the effect information storage unit 182. Here, the instruction content can include a classification code, a product code of a recommended product for sale, a display device code, an image file name, and the like.

  The effect information storage unit 182 stores effect information such as the date and time when the user presented the product, the product code presented by the user, the recommended sales product code, the instruction content, and the product code actually sold. The transmission unit 184 transmits the effect information stored in the effect information storage unit 182 to the outside. The transmission unit 184 can transmit to the outside using a network such as the Internet or infrared communication.

  As described above, according to the vending machine 100 of the present embodiment, as a result of recommending a product on the front face part while providing convenience to the user at the time of purchase, what product the user purchased Information, that is, information useful for measuring the appeal effect can be automatically collected, and can be utilized by companies and the like.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described with reference to drawings, these are the illustrations of this invention, Various structures other than the above are also employable. In addition, when acquiring and using the information regarding a user in this invention, this shall be done legally.

  For example, in the above embodiment, an identification code such as a barcode attached to a product is read. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in another embodiment, a vending machine that sells a plurality of types of products, a recording medium in which advertisements of products distributed to users in advance and identification codes of the products are recorded, and users The reading unit that reads the identification code recorded on the recording medium presented by the user, the target product code table that stores at least one target product in association with each identification code, the target product code table, and the reading unit A target product discrimination unit that discriminates a target product corresponding to the read identification code, and a display unit that performs a display prompting the purchase of the target product determined by the target product discrimination unit may be provided.

  Here, the recording medium can include, for example, a distributed DM, a flyer, a card with identification code, or a sheet on which an identification code acquired from a company website is printed.

  According to this configuration, in addition to the identification code attached to the product, the product information can be acquired from the identification code recorded on the recording medium such as DM distributed to the user in advance, and sales can be promoted. Become. For example, by distributing a recording medium in which an identification code such as a campaign target product is recorded in advance, the purchase of the campaign target product in the vending machine can be promoted.

  In this vending machine, the recording medium may further include additional information, and the reading unit may include an additional information storage unit that reads the additional information from the recording medium and stores the additional information read by the reading unit. . Here, the additional information can include, for example, various information such as a member code distributing the recording medium, a regional code, a target sex, and a distribution period. According to this configuration, it is possible to record additional information in a DM or the like and automatically collect information by the vending machine.

  The vending machine can further include a sales promotion effect information storage unit that stores additional information read from the recording medium and product information of the actually paid-out product as sales promotion effect information in association with each other. According to this configuration, it is possible to automatically collect information for measuring the effect of sales promotion by DM or the like.

  Further, in this vending machine, for each identification code of a plurality of types of products, the product column table storing the product columns in association with each other and accessing the product column table, the same product as the presented product identified by the identification unit An automatic dispensing unit that identifies a corresponding column and automatically dispenses the same product. According to this configuration, it is possible to automatically pay out the product simply by presenting the barcode recorded in the DM, which is convenient.

  In another embodiment, a determination unit that determines whether the brand of the product presented by the user is a brand that is not loaded in the device itself can be provided. When the brand is not loaded in the own device, a display recommending a specific product in the own device can also be performed.

1 is a schematic functional block diagram showing the configuration of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view which shows the vending machine of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the goods code table of the vending machine of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the loading merchandise information storage part of the vending machine of FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the automatic payment function of the vending machine of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the vending machine of this embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the classification table of the vending machine of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the indicator table of the vending machine of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the vending machine of FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the log | history information storage part of FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the recommended goods table of the vending machine of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the display operation table of the vending machine of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the LED display and LCD display of the vending machine of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of operation | movement of the vending machine of FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the vending machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Vending machine 102 Bar code 104 Goods 110 Code reading part 112 Goods code table 114 Identification part 116 Display control part 118 Display part 120 Goods purchase button 122 Price acceptance part 124 Goods purchase acceptance part 126 Loading goods information storage part 128 Checkout process part DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 130 Delivery part 132 Sale goods 134 Timer part 136 Judgment part 140 Sorting part 142 Classification table 144 Display table 150 History acquisition part 152 History information storage part 154 Transmission part 156 Date and time 158 Purchased commodity code 160 Discriminating part 162 Recommended commodity table 164 LED display Device 166 LCD display device 168 Image file storage unit 170 Display operation table 180 Information acquisition unit 182 Effect information storage unit 184 Transmission unit 200 Recommended product screen 230 Product advertisement screen 300 Sample sample Section 302 Sample Sample 304 Purchase Button 310 Bill Insertion Port 312 Lever 314 Coin Insertion Port 316 Bar Code Reading Unit 318 Liquid Crystal Display Unit 320 Change Port 322 Product Carriage Exit

Claims (13)

A vending machine that sells multiple types of products with identification codes on the surface,
A reading unit for reading the identification code attached to the product presented by the user;
A plurality of purchase buttons that are provided corresponding to sample samples of the plurality of types of products loaded in the vending machine, each having a display, and for pressing the product selected by the user at the time of purchase;
A product code table for storing the identification code of the plurality of types of products loaded in the vending machine and the identification code of the display of the purchase button of the product in association with each other ;
Accessing the product code table, the reading unit is the determined the identification code of the product stored in the product code table corresponding to the identification code read, that identifies a presentation item which the user is presented And the identification part which acquires the identification code of the indicator of the purchase button of the presentation goods ,
The display unit corresponding to the identification code of the display unit of the acquired purchase button is turned on and blinked so that the user can recognize the presented product from the sample samples of the plurality of types of products. A display unit for performing a display prompting the user to purchase the same product as the presented product ;
Vending machine characterized by comprising In the vending machine according to claim 1,
A product column table that stores the product columns in association with each of the identification codes of the plurality of types of products, and
An automatic dispensing unit that accesses the product column table, identifies the column corresponding to the same product as the presented product identified by the identification unit, and automatically pays out the same product. vending machine. In the vending machine according to claim 2,
And the purchase instruction receiving unit that receives the depression of the previous Symbol buy button,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the purchase instruction reception unit has received a press of the purchase button within a predetermined time after the display unit prompts the purchase of the product;
Including
The automatic payout unit automatically pays out the same product as the presented product when it is determined that the purchase button has not been pressed within a certain time after the display unit prompts the purchase of the product. Vending machine characterized by that. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A payout unit for paying out the product selected by the user when the user presses the purchase button of the product;
A history information storage unit that stores first product information of the product presented by the user and second product information of the paid-out product as product purchase history information in association with each other. vending machine. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A vending machine, wherein the product is tobacco. A vending machine that sells multiple types of products with identification codes on the surface,
A reading unit for reading the identification code attached to the product presented by the user;
A recommended product table for storing at least one recommended sales product in association with each identification code;
A recommended product determination unit that accesses the recommended product table and determines a recommended sales product corresponding to the identification code read by the reading unit;
A display unit for performing a display prompting the purchase of the recommended sales product determined by the recommended product determination unit;
Vending machine characterized by comprising In the vending machine according to claim 6,
A plurality of purchase buttons for instructing the purchase of the plurality of types of products;
A purchase instruction accepting unit for accepting pressing of the purchase button;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the purchase instruction reception unit has received a press of the purchase button within a predetermined time after the display unit prompts the purchase of the product;
A product column table that stores the product columns in association with each of the identification codes of the plurality of types of products, and
When it is determined that the purchase button has not been pressed within a certain time after the display unit prompts the purchase of the product, the product column table is accessed, and the displayed product identified by the identification unit An automatic dispensing unit that identifies the column corresponding to the same product and automatically dispenses the same product;
Vending machine characterized by including. In the vending machine according to claim 6 or 7,
The first product information of the product presented by the user, the second product information of the paid-out product, and the third product information of the recommended sales product displayed by the display unit are associated and stored as recommended effect information. A vending machine comprising a recommended effect information storage unit. The vending machine according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
A vending machine, wherein the product is tobacco. A vending machine that sells multiple types of products, including target products for campaigns that promote sales ,
A recording medium identification code of the target instruments are recorded sold in advance the vending machine is distributed to the user,
A reading unit that reads the identification code recorded on the recording medium presented by the user;
A plurality of purchase buttons that are provided corresponding to sample samples of the plurality of types of products loaded in the vending machine, each having a display, and for pressing the product selected by the user at the time of purchase;
For each of said identification code, and the target product code table in association with at least one of the Shipping, the identification code of the indicator of the purchase button of the Shipping,
Accessing the target product code table, determining the identification code of the target product stored in the target product code table corresponding to the identification code read by the reading unit , and identifying the target product, A target product determination unit for acquiring the identification code of the indicator of the purchase button of the target product;
A display unit for lighting and blinking the display unit corresponding to the identification code of the display unit of the acquired purchase button of the target product, and for prompting the user to purchase the target product;
Vending machine characterized by comprising The vending machine according to claim 10,
The recording medium further records additional information,
The reading unit reads the additional information from the recording medium,
An automatic vending machine including an additional information storage unit that stores the additional information read by the reading unit. The vending machine according to claim 10 or 11,
A vending machine comprising: a sales promotion effect information storage unit that stores the additional information read from the recording medium and the product information of the product actually paid out as sales promotion effect information in association with each other. The vending machine according to any one of claims 10 to 12,
A product column table that stores the product columns in association with each of the identification codes of the plurality of types of products, and
An automatic dispensing unit that accesses the product column table, identifies the column corresponding to the same product as the presented product identified by the identification unit, and automatically pays out the same product. vending machine.

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