JP4886759B2 - Automatic provision system that provides products at ticket gates - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic provision system that provides goods at a ticket gate at a station of a passenger transportation means.

A technique using an IC card as a train ticket is well known. For example, an IC card ticket called by a name such as Suica (registered trademark) or Pasmo (registered trademark) is known.
In addition, a technology is also known in which a specific passenger is identified by a ticket gate using such an IC card ticket and used for physical distribution. Examples of such techniques are described in US Pat. The technique of Patent Document 1 reads user identification information stored in a ticket at a ticket gate, prints a newspaper article stored corresponding to the user at a ticket gate, and provides the user with the newspaper article. . Moreover, the technique of patent document 2 displays the delivery status of articles on the ticket when the ticket is inserted into the ticket gate.

JP 2005-165623 A JP 2003-91573 A

However, in the conventional technology, there is a problem that various items cannot be provided in the ticket gate, and there is a limit to the convenience for customers.
For example, the technique of Patent Document 1 can only provide information printed on paper of a limited size, and cannot provide newspapers, bound magazines, food and drinks, and the like. Further, the technology of Patent Document 2 only displays the delivery status and cannot receive the product itself with the ticket gate, and the customer must go to a designated place.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide an automatic providing system capable of providing various articles in a ticket gate.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an automatic provision system according to the present invention is an automatic provision system that provides goods at a ticket gate at a station of passenger transportation means, and controls the operation of the ticket gate and the automatic provision system. The ticket gates are installed at a plurality of stations, and the control system, for each of the products, the station that should provide the product, the customer that should provide the product, and the ticket gate The automatic provision system is urged to replenish goods to the ticket gate at the station based on the supply time, and the customer passes the ticket gate. In response, the product associated with the customer is provided to the customer.

When the automatic providing system provides the product to the customer, the ticket gate detects a ticket provided with a storage means for storing the amount of money, and transmits information representing the detected ticket to the control system. Receives information representing the detected ticket and transmits information representing the product associated with the ticket and the price of the product to the ticket gate, and the ticket gate is information representing the product and the price. The ticket may be provided to the customer, and the ticket checker may change the amount stored in the boarding ticket according to the amount of the provided product.
A pool space that is provided in common for a plurality of ticket gates, temporarily stores a plurality of products, a container that individually stores each product in the pool space, and a product transport means that transports products to the pool space The storage means of the control system may further store, for each of the products, the customer who should provide the product and the container that stores the product in association with each other.

  The automatic provision system according to the present invention prompts a staff member who handles merchandise to replenish the ticket gates with the merchandise based on the replenishment time for each merchandise specified by the customer. Then, as the customer sequentially passes through the ticket gates at different stations, different products are provided to the customer. For this reason, various articles can be provided in the ticket gate, and convenience for customers is improved.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1 FIG.
1 and 2 show an automatic providing system and related configuration according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This automatic provision system provides goods to passengers in a ticket gate at a station of passenger transportation means. FIG. 1 mainly shows a configuration for supplying products, and FIG. 2 shows a configuration for performing related information processing. In addition, in this specification, it demonstrates using a railroad as an example of a passenger conveyance means. In addition, the station is, for example, a railway station, and includes other facilities where passengers of passenger transport means get on and off, change trains, pass ticket gates, and pay for fees.

As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic provision system 100 according to the invention is configured in relation to a store 10 provided at a railway station. Here, although the automatic provision system 100 provides goods to a customer, since it has the function to perform a payment process in connection with this provision, it can also be called an automatic sales system.
The store 10 is a general store, for example, and sells products such as newspapers, magazines, food and drinks, and tobacco. Although FIG. 1 shows only the configuration related to one station, the automatic provision system 100 is configured across a plurality of stations, and all the stations have the same configuration as FIG. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the store 10 also includes a warehouse for storing stock.
The automatic providing system 100 includes a plurality of ticket gates 20. The store 10 and the ticket gate 20 are in spatial communication with each other via the product transport means 30 and the pool space 40, and can transport products from the store 10 to the ticket gate 20. It is also possible to configure a plurality of shops 10 in one station.

  The ticket gate 20 has a function as a conventional automatic ticket gate. That is, the passenger using the station can pass through the ticket gate 20 by making the ticket gate 20 recognize his / her ticket. Here, as a known ticket, for example, there is a ticket including a storage means for storing information on the amount (balance) as a prepaid card or a charge system card. The ticket checker 20 communicates with such a ticket. It has the function to change the amount of money by doing. In addition, since the structure and function of a ticket gate and a ticket regarding such a ticket gate process are well known, description is omitted about the specific details for implement | achieving this.

  The product transport means 30 includes a product supply port 31 and a product collection port 32 provided in the store 10. The product replenishment port 31 is a structure for an attendant of the store 10 to put the product into the product transport unit 30, and the product collection port 32 is a structure for the store 10 to collect the product from the product transport unit 30. Further, the commodity transport means 30 includes an underground duct 33, and this underground duct 33 becomes a route for transporting the commodity from the commodity supply port 31 to the pool space 40. The underground duct 33 can also carry products from the pool space 40 to the product collection port 32.

  The pool space 40 is provided in common to all the ticket gates 20 installed at this station. The pool space 40 is a product storage space for temporarily storing products transported by the product transport means 30. The pool space 40 includes a plurality of containers 41 serving as product storage devices that individually store the products. A sufficient number of containers 41 are installed to simultaneously store a large number of products individually, and the pool space 40 has a sufficient space to accommodate all of the containers 41.

The ticket gate 20 includes a product providing port 21 and has a function of providing a product stored in the container 41 of the pool space 40 to a customer who passes the ticket gate through the product providing port 21.
This product is provided as follows, for example. The ticket checker 20 conveys the product stored in the container 41 to the product providing port 21 based on information specifying one of the containers 41. The product providing port 21 has a shutter that can be opened and closed, and when the product is conveyed, the ticket gate 20 opens the shutter. As a result, the customer can take out the product from the product providing port 21.
In addition, the function regarding provision of such goods can be implement | achieved by the structure similar to the vending machine of a well-known food and drink, for example.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration for performing information processing related to the automatic provision system 100. The automatic providing system 100 includes a control system 50 for controlling the entire operation thereof.
The control system 50 includes one or more computers. In the example of FIG. 2, one central management server 60, a plurality of station servers 70, and a station management terminal 80 provided for each station server 70 are included. The station server 70 is provided for each station, and all have the same configuration.

The central management server 60 and the station server 70 have a configuration as a well-known computer. That is, as a processing means, a CPU (central processing unit) that performs calculation is provided. In addition, a network interface is provided as a communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from other computers. Although not shown, a memory and an HDD (hard disk drive) are provided as storage means for storing information. Furthermore, a keyboard and a mouse are provided as input means for receiving input from the user, and a display and a printer are provided as output means for outputting information to the user.
The station management terminal 80 also has a known computer configuration. The station management terminal 80 is installed, for example, for each store 10. In addition, the ticket gate 20 includes a settlement processing unit and a communication unit. The settlement processing means has a function of making a settlement using a boarding ticket, that is, a function of acting on the boarding ticket and changing a value representing an amount stored in the boarding ticket.

  The central management server 60 and all the station servers 70 are communicably connected via mutual communication means. Further, the station server 70, the corresponding station management terminal 80, and the ticket gate 20 are connected to each other through communication means. Further, the control system 50 is communicably connected to an external customer terminal 90. Communication between the control system 50 and the customer terminal 90 is performed by the central management server 60 via, for example, the Internet. The customer terminal 90 is a computer that is operated by a customer, that is, a passenger on a train, when using the automatic providing system 100, and is configured by, for example, a personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, or the like.

  The storage means of each of the central management server 60, the station server 70, and the station management terminal 80 stores a program that defines the operation of the control system 50 according to the present invention. When the central management server 60, the station server 70, and the station management terminal 80 execute the respective programs, the control system 50 realizes the functions described in this specification.

Each storage means of the central management server 60 and the station server 70 stores a database (DB) including various information related to the operation of the automatic provision system 100. The storage means of the central management server 60 stores a customer management DB 61, a customer condition designation DB 62, a product supply central DB 63, and a customer history DB 64, and the storage means of the station server 70 includes product supply each station DB 71, and product management. A DB 72 and a container management DB 73 are stored.
Hereinafter, the configuration of these databases will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the customer management DB 61. The customer management DB 61 stores a customer number for identifying a customer in association with information indicating a station (use station) through which the customer passes the ticket gate. Here, the customer number is also information representing a ticket related to the automatic providing system 100, and is also used as a number for identifying the ticket.
The boarding station represents the starting point of the ticket, that is, the station where the customer enters the ticket gate to get on the train. A transfer station represents a station where the customer changes trains with the entrance and exit of a ticket gate. If there is no transfer station, it is not recorded, and if there are multiple transfer stations, all of them are recorded. The getting-off station represents the end point of the ticket, that is, the station where the customer leaves the train and leaves the ticket gate. If the ticket is a round-trip ticket such as a regular commuter pass, there is actually no distinction between the boarding station and the getting-off station, and both recorded stations are treated as the boarding station and the getting-off station. It will be.
The customer management DB 61 may be a conventional database created in connection with the management of a regular ticket or a part thereof.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the customer condition specification DB 62. The customer condition specification DB 62 stores a customer number and a condition that the customer desires when receiving a product from the automatic providing system 100 in association with each other.
The product breakdown is a list of products that the customer desires to purchase, and represents one or more products. The product is represented by the product name, for example. The ticket gate time represents the time when the customer passes the ticket gate that the customer wishes to receive the goods for, or the time zone including the time. Among the ticket gate times, the scheduled time is, for example, the time when the customer is most likely to pass the ticket gate. The earliest time and the latest time are a start time and an end time of a time zone in which the customer may pass through the ticket gate, respectively. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the scheduled time is an indispensable item and must be specified by the customer. However, the earliest time and the latest time are optional items, and the customer may not specify them. Further, only one of the earliest time and the latest time may be designated.

The receiving place represents the station to which the ticket gate that the customer desires to receive the goods belongs. The receiving place is designated as a boarding station or a getting-off station of the customer's boarding ticket, or designated by information indicating a specific station (for example, a station name “A station”). Here, the boarding station and the getting-off station correspond to the boarding station and the getting-off station of the customer management DB 61 (FIG. 3).
In FIG. 4, a record 62a designates a condition that a customer desires to receive S newspaper and sports drink A at the same station (boarding station, in this case, A station when referring to FIG. 3). . In addition, the record 62b and the record 62c specify a condition that the customer desires to receive the Y newspaper and the sports drink B at two different stations (boarding station and transfer station), respectively. That is, according to the automatic provision system 100 according to the present invention, the customer can specify that different products are received at different timings at different stations on the school / commuting route. For example, a customer having the customer number 1000602123 receives a Y newspaper at the ticket gate at the boarding station during commuting, reads the Y newspaper on the train, and throws it in the trash box at the transfer station (or in a bag). After finishing up), you can now receive Sports Drink B at the ticket gate at the transfer station and drink it on the train.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the product supply central DB 63. The product replenishment central DB 63 stores information necessary for the staff of the store 10 to replenish the pool space 40 or collect it from the pool space 40 for each of the products designated in the customer condition designation DB 62.
The product is represented by a product name, for example, and corresponds to a product included in the product breakdown of the customer condition specification DB 62 (FIG. 4). The supply location represents a station where the product should be provided, and corresponds to the reception location of the customer condition specification DB 62. However, when “boarding station” or “getting off station” is specified in the customer condition specifying DB 62, a specific station recorded as a boarding station or a getting off station in the customer management DB 61 (FIG. 3) in the replenishment place. Is specified. The customer number represents a customer who should provide the product, and corresponds to the customer number in the customer management DB 61.

The operation time represents a time that is a reference for various operations performed by the automatic providing system 100 in relation to the supply of the product, and includes the scheduled ticket gate time, the ticket supply time, and the in-store collection time. The scheduled ticket gate time corresponds to the scheduled time in the customer condition designation DB 62 (FIG. 4).
The ticket supply time represents the time when the automatic providing system 100 should supply the product to the ticket checker 20. This time can also be interpreted as the time when the product should be supplied to the pool space 40. As for the ticket replenishment time, for a product for which the earliest time is designated in the customer condition designation DB 62, the time before the earliest time is designated by a predetermined margin time (30 minutes in the example of FIG. 4). On the other hand, for a product for which the earliest time is not designated, a time that is a predetermined time (one hour in the example of FIG. 4) before the scheduled ticket gate time is designated.
The in-store collection time represents the time at which the automatic providing system 100 should collect the product from the pool space 40 to the store 10. As for the in-store collection time, for products for which the latest time is specified in the customer condition specification DB 62, a time after a predetermined margin time (30 minutes in the example of FIG. 4) is specified after the latest time. On the other hand, for a product for which the latest time is not specified, a time after a predetermined time (one hour in the example of FIG. 4) from the scheduled ticket gate time is specified.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the customer history DB 64. The customer history DB 64 stores a payment history in association with each product that has been provided to the customer from the automatic providing system 100.
The customer number corresponds to the customer number in the customer management DB 61 (FIG. 3). The date and time represent the date and time when the settlement process was performed for the price of the product. The use station corresponds to the use station of the customer management DB 61. The settlement station represents a station where the price of the product has been settled. The product corresponds to the product in the product supply central DB 63 (FIG. 5). The settlement amount represents the amount settled as the price of the product.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of the product supply each station DB 71. The product supply each station DB 71 is obtained by extracting only information related to a specific station from the information included in the product supply central DB 63 (FIG. 5). That is, only records relating to a specific station (A station in the case of FIG. 7) are extracted from records relating to all stations included in the commodity supply central DB 63. Each item in the product supply station DB 71 corresponds to each item in the product supply central DB 63.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of the product management DB 72. The product management DB 72 stores information related to sales at each station in association with each type of product provided by the automatic providing system 100.
The product corresponds to the product in the product supply central DB 63 (FIG. 5). The supplier represents a place where the goods are purchased at the station or a place where the goods are stored. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, canned coffee A is stored in warehouse A, and S newspaper is stored and sold at a store provided outside the ticket gate of the station. The selling price represents the amount to be settled as the price of the product, for example, the fixed price of the product.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the container management DB 73. The container management DB 73 stores, for each container 41 in the pool space 40, the product stored in the container 41 and the customer who should provide the product in association with each other. The container number is a number for identifying the container 41. The product corresponds to the product in the product supply central DB 63 (FIG. 5). The customer number corresponds to the customer number in the customer management DB 61 (FIG. 3). In other words, the container management DB 73 stores, for each of the products stored in the pool space 40, the customer who should provide the product and the container 41 that stores the product in association with each other.

The operation of the automatic providing system 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart schematically showing the operation of the automatic providing system 100 and the flow of related work. Note that the flowchart of FIG. 10 does not strictly define the order of each process, and the order of execution, frequency (interval), and timing of each process can be designed independently.

First, the central management server 60 communicates with the customer terminal 90 to receive the customer's desired conditions regarding product receipt, and creates a product replenishment central DB 63 based on this and the customer management DB 61 (step S1). Details regarding this operation will be described later with reference to FIG.
Next, the central management server 60 creates a product supply each station DB 71 for each station based on the product supply central DB 63, and transmits this to the station server 70 of each station (step S2). Here, as described above, only the information related to a specific station is extracted from the product supply central DB 63 to be the product supply each station DB 71. The station server 70 receives and stores this. This process is performed every day at a fixed time. For example, the commodity replenishment station DB 71 including data for the next day is transmitted at a fixed time every night.

Next, the station server 70 and the station management terminal 80 output instructions regarding the supply and collection of products to the staff of the store 10 based on the received product supply station DB 71 (step S3). This is done, for example, via the screen shown in FIG.
FIG. 11 shows an example of a product supply / collection information screen displayed on the station management terminal 80 in relation to step S3. On the product supply / collection information screen, the corresponding station name “A station” and the date of the day are displayed. In addition, the work that the clerk should perform on the automatic provision system 100 on that day is displayed for each record in the product supply station DB 71.
Of the displayed items, the product corresponds to the product in the product supply each station DB 71. The work time corresponds to the operation time of each commodity supply DB 71. The supplier corresponds to the supplier in the product management DB 72.

The product replenishment / collection information screen has a previous screen button and a next screen button. If the entire display cannot be displayed at once, the staff can operate these buttons to change the display page. Can be switched. In addition, an end button is displayed on the product supply / collection information screen, and after all work for the day has been completed, the clerk operates the end button to end the display of the product supply / collection information screen. Can do.
In step S <b> 3, the station server 70 creates data for displaying such a screen and transmits the data to the station management terminal 80. The station management terminal 80 receives this and displays it.

  Next, the staff of the store 10 replenishes and collects products according to the display of the product replenishment / collection information screen displayed on the station management terminal 80 (step S4). For example, the clerk supplies the product to the pool space 40 before the ticket supply time. This replenishment is made from the product replenishment port 31. At this time, the clerk specifies the container number of the container 41 in which the product is to be stored, associates the container number with the stored product, and the customer number of the customer to receive the product, and manages the station management terminal. Enter 80. The station management terminal 80 receives the input container number, product and customer number and transmits them to the station server 70, and the station server 70 updates the container management DB 73 based on the received container number, product and customer number. As described above, the station server 70 and the station management terminal 80 prompt the staff handling the product to supply the product to the ticket gate 20 based on the ticket supply time via the product supply / collection information screen.

  The replenished product is not provided to the customer until the in-store collection time, and the product collected from the pool space 40 to the product collection port 32 at the in-store collection time is taken out from the product collection port 32 by the clerk and stored in the original storage. Store in place.

  Next, the ticket checker 20 and the station server 70 send out and provide the products to the customer from the product providing port 21 and perform payment, and the central management server 60 records the result in the customer history DB 64 (step S5). . Details regarding this operation will be described later with reference to FIG.

Next, the processing content of step S1 in FIG. 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
Step S1 of FIG. 10 is started when the customer operates the customer terminal 90 and requests the central management server 60 to input designation of desired conditions (customer conditions) regarding the receipt of goods. The central management server 60 receives this request (step S11), creates a screen that prompts input of customer conditions, and transmits it to the customer terminal 90 (step S12). Although not specifically shown, this screen is configured to prompt the input of each item of the customer condition specification DB 62 (FIG. 4). That is, at the customer terminal 90, the customer inputs his / her customer number, the item he / she wishes to purchase, the name of the station he / she wishes to receive, and the time (and time zone if he / she) passes through the ticket gate of the station The terminal 90 transmits the input information to the central management server 60.

The central management server 60 receives the customer condition transmitted from the customer terminal 90 (step S13), and adds a new record to the customer condition designation DB 62 based on this (step S14). Furthermore, the central management server 60 refers to the customer management DB 61 and the customer condition designation DB 62 to create a product supply central DB 63 (step S15). Alternatively, if the product supply central DB 63 already exists, a new record is added to the product supply central DB 63.
At this time, the product and customer number in the product supply central DB 63 correspond to the product breakdown and customer number in the customer condition specification DB 62. Further, the supply location of the product supply central DB 63 corresponds to the reception location of the product supply central DB 63, but when the type of use station (“boarding station”, “disembarkation station”, etc.) is specified instead of the individual station name. The station name is specified with reference to the customer management DB 61. The operation time of the commodity supply central DB 63 is determined based on the ticket gate time of the customer condition specifying DB 62 as described above.

Next, the processing content of step S5 of FIG. 10 is demonstrated in detail using FIG. 13 and FIG.
Step S5 in FIG. 10 is started by allowing the ticket gate 20 to recognize the ticket so that the customer passes the ticket gate at the desired station. When the ticket gate 20 detects the ticket, it reads the customer number stored in the ticket (step S51), and transmits to the station server 70 that the customer having the customer number has passed the ticket gate (step S52). This customer number is also information representing the ticket. In the example of FIG. 14, the customer number “1000000001” is notified to the station server 70.
At this point, processing (such as deduction of a boarding fee) performed on a ticket by a conventional ticket gate is executed, but the description thereof will be omitted.

  The station server 70 receives the customer number transmitted from the ticket gate 20. Next, the station server 70 refers to the product supply each station DB 71 and determines whether or not there is a record associated with the received customer number (step S53). If it does not exist, the station server 70 ends the process. In this case, the ticket gate 20 operates in the same manner as a conventional ticket gate and performs only the processing for the boarding ticket.

  In step S53, when the record associated with the received customer number exists in each commodity supply DB 71, the station server 70 transmits an instruction to send out the commodity included in the record to the ticket checker 20 (step S54). This instruction includes a customer number, a product associated with the customer number (that is, a container number containing a product to be sent to the customer), an amount to be settled as a price for the product (settlement amount), including. Here, the container number is acquired by referring to the container management DB 73 based on the customer number, and the settlement amount is acquired by referring to the product management DB 72 based on the product. In the example of FIG. 14, it is instructed to provide a product (in this case, S newspaper) stored in the container with the container number “1” for the customer number “1000000001”, and the settlement amount is 150 yen. Will be notified.

Next, the ticket checker 20 receives this instruction, and provides it to the customer by sending out the corresponding product (step S55). As described above, this operation is performed by conveying the product stored in the container 41 corresponding to the received container number to the product providing port 21 and opening the shutter of the product providing port 21. In this way, the ticket gate 20 provides the customer with a product associated with the customer in response to the customer passing through the ticket gate 20.
Thereafter, after a certain time (for example, 10 seconds) has elapsed after opening the shutter of the product providing port 21, the ticket gate 20 determines that the customer has received the product and closes the shutter. Alternatively, the ticket checker 20 may include a sensor that detects the presence of a product or the removal by the customer, and may determine that the customer has received the product based on the output of the sensor.

  Next, the ticket checker 20 settles the price for the delivered product (step S56). This settlement includes, for example, a process for displaying a message prompting the customer to recognize the ticket again, and deducting the amount corresponding to the price from the recognized ticket. The boarding ticket is provided with storage means and has a function of storing a value representing the amount of money. In this way, the ticket gate 20 changes the amount stored in the boarding ticket in accordance with the amount of goods provided.

Next, the ticket checker 20 transmits the payment information related to the payment made to the station server 70 (step S57). This payment information includes a customer number, a container number of the container 41 that accommodates the provided product, a payment amount, and information indicating that payment has been completed. In the example of FIG. 14, the customer number “1000000001”, the container number “1”, and the settlement amount “150” are notified.
In addition, when there are a plurality of products to be provided to the customer, the ticket gate 20 may provide all of them from the product providing port 21 at a time and perform settlement processing in a lump. The provision and the settlement may be repeatedly executed sequentially.

The station server 70 receives the payment information transmitted from the ticket gate 20 and further transmits it to the central management server 60 (step S58). However, at this time, the station server 70 replaces the container number with a product based on the container management DB 73.
The central management server 60 receives the payment information, and adds a new record to the customer history DB 64 based on the payment information (step S59). Here, the customer number, merchandise, and payment amount in the customer history DB 64 are included in the received payment information. The date and time are recorded as the date and time when the central management server 60 received the payment information. Moreover, a use station is acquired by referring customer management DB61 based on a customer number. Further, the central management server 60 determines the payment station based on which station server 70 is the transmission source of the payment information. Alternatively, the station server 70 may notify the central management server 60 of which station it is associated with in the payment information.

  As described above, the automatic providing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention supplies the product to the ticket checker 20 based on the supply time for each product specified by the customer via the customer terminal 90. Encourage the staff at the shop 10. Then, as the customer sequentially passes through the ticket gates at different stations, each ticket gate 20 provides different products to the customer. For this reason, various goods can be provided in the ticket gate 20, and the convenience of the customer is improved.

  For example, during the commute, the customer first receives the Y newspaper at the ticket gate at the boarding station, reads the Y newspaper on the train, and then throws it into the trash box at the transfer station (or puts it in a bag) You can receive Sports Drink B at the ticket gate of the transfer station and drink it on the train. In this way, the customer can receive a variety of items and does not need to receive a large number of items all at once, so the package is not bulky. Thus, convenience for customers is improved.

  Also, for example, in the morning commuting hours, if it takes time to purchase breakfast, newspapers, magazines, etc. due to crowded cashiers, it was a matter of life and death for commuting / commuting customers with many connections. By receiving at the machine 20, it is not necessary to line up at the cash register, so that time consumption during commuting and attending school can be suppressed, and convenience is improved.

In the first embodiment, the following modifications can be made.
Although the customer conditions are specified by the customer through the customer terminal 90 in the first embodiment, this may be done by other means.
For example, as for the scheduled time among the ticket gate times in the customer condition specification DB 62 (FIG. 4), the customer fills in the application form at the time of purchasing the regular ticket, and the window staff has the same function as the customer terminal 90. You may input from. This input method is suitable for subscription products (subscription products), for example. Alternatively, a customer may contact a station or a store using a mobile phone, and a staff member of the station or the store may input from a store terminal having the same function as the customer terminal 90. This input method is suitable, for example, for commodities that need to be purchased urgently.
In addition, for the earliest time and latest time among the ticket gate times in the customer condition designation DB 62 (FIG. 4), the customer fills in the application form at the time of purchase of the regular ticket, and the window staff has the same function as the customer terminal 90. You may input from the window terminal which has. This entry method may be to directly enter the earliest time and latest time, such as “XX hour XX minutes to XX hour XX minutes”. For example, a range may be entered with reference to the scheduled time. Alternatively, a customer may contact a station or a store using a mobile phone, and a staff member of the station or the store may input from a store terminal having the same function as the customer terminal 90. Also in this case, the earliest time and the latest time may be designated directly, or the range may be designated based on the scheduled time.
In either case, it is necessary to enter a customer number. An attendant may confirm and enter a customer number when purchasing a regular ticket, but when contacting a station or a store, the customer needs to notify his / her customer number.

  In the first embodiment, the customer designates only the receipt time and cannot designate the receipt date. However, the customer may designate the receipt date together. For example, the customer condition designation DB 62 (FIG. 4) may further store the day of the week and date, and the product supply central DB 63 (FIG. 5) and the product supply station DB 71 (FIG. 7) store the day of the week and date accordingly. May be. In this case, the customer can specify the magazine release date and receive it, or limit the receipt at the commuter station to weekdays only.

  In the first embodiment, the staff of the store 10 does not have means for changing the contents of the product supply each station DB 71, but this may be changed as appropriate. For example, a button for instructing content change may be further displayed on the product supply / collection information screen shown in FIG. 11. By operating this button, for example, the in-store collection time of an arbitrary product can be changed. May be configured. If it does in this way, the work efficiency of the staff in connection with collection work will improve.

  In the first embodiment, all the ticket gates 20 are provided with the product providing port 21, but this may be limited to only one or more specific ticket gates, and some ticket gates may have the product providing port 21. It may be a conventional ticket gate that does not have. One or more specific ticket gates may be provided as dedicated ticket gates for providing products by the automatic providing system 100. If it does in this way, the congestion which arises in connection with receipt of goods can be eased.

  A specific form of hardware constituting the automatic providing system 100 may be different from that of the first embodiment. For example, the station server 70 may not exist as independent hardware, and the central management server 60 may also function as the station server 70 of all stations. In this case, the station management terminal 80 and the ticket gate 20 may communicate directly with the central management server 60.

It is a figure which shows the structure for performing supply of goods in the automatic provision system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure for performing information processing in the automatic provision system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of customer management DB of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of customer condition designation | designated DB of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of goods supply center DB of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of customer history DB of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of each goods supply station DB of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of merchandise management DB of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a structure of the container management DB of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart schematically showing an operation of the automatic providing system in FIG. 2 and a related work flow. FIG. The example of the goods replenishment / collection | recovery information screen displayed on the station management terminal of FIG. 2 is shown. It is a flowchart explaining in detail the processing content of step S1 of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining in detail the processing content of step S5 of FIG. It is a figure explaining the outline | summary of the flow of a process of FIG.10 S5.

Explanation of symbols

  10 stores, 20 ticket gates, 30 commodity transport means, 40 pool space, 41 containers, 50 control system, 60 central management server, 61 customer management DB, 62 customer condition specification DB, 63 commodity supply central DB, 64 customer history DB, 70 station server, 71 product supply each station DB, 72 product management DB, 73 container management DB, 80 station management terminal, 90 customer terminal, 100 automatic providing system.

Claims (3)

An automatic provision system that provides goods at a ticket gate at a station of passenger transportation means,
The ticket gate;
A control system for controlling the operation of the automatic providing system,
The ticket gates are installed at a plurality of stations,
For each of the products, the control system stores storage means for associating and storing a station to which the product is to be provided, a customer to which the product is to be provided, and a supply time at which the product is to be supplied to the ticket gate. Prepared,
The automatic providing system prompts the commodity to be replenished to the ticket gate at the station based on the replenishment time, and is associated with the customer in response to the customer passing through the ticket gate. An automatic provision system for providing the product to the customer. When the automatic providing system provides the product to the customer,
The ticket gate detects a ticket provided with a storage means for storing the amount of money, and transmits information representing the detected ticket to the control system,
The control system receives the information representing the detected ticket and transmits information related to the ticket and the price of the product to the ticket gate,
The ticket gate receives the information representing the product and the amount of money, and provides the product to the customer.
The automatic ticket providing system according to claim 1, wherein the ticket checker changes an amount stored in the ticket in accordance with an amount of the provided goods. A pool space provided in common to the plurality of ticket gates, and temporarily storing a plurality of the products;
A container that individually accommodates each of the products in the pool space;
Further comprising product transport means for transporting the product to the pool space,
The automatic providing system according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit of the control system further stores, for each of the products, a customer who should provide the product and a container that stores the product in association with each other.

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