JP4915364B2 - Beverage sales equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a beverage sales apparatus.

There is known a beverage sales apparatus that cooks and sells beverages using raw materials in the containers with the raw material containers mounted on the main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
For example, office coffee services (OCS) are known to support company benefits by having a coffee dispenser installed in the office. For example, there is a ground bean (raw material) dedicated to the installed dispenser, which is sold separately in units of packaging bags (containers). As long as this packaging bag is attached to the main body of the dispenser, it is always available in the office. You can drink freshly brewed coffee.
As mentioned above, coffee has been taken as an example of beverages, but in general, such businesses can expect not only the sales profit of the main body of beverage sales equipment but also the sales profit of dedicated raw materials according to the consumption of customers. Excellent in terms.
Hereinafter, the customer means, for example, the main body of the beverage sales apparatus and the purchaser or administrator of the raw material, and further, for example, the user of the beverage sales apparatus.
JP 2004-10058 A

  By the way, the beverage sales apparatus described above is configured so that, in principle, a beverage can be cooked and sold even if a raw material other than the regular raw material corresponding to the main body is used. Therefore, if the customer uses an alternative raw material other than the regular raw material, the sales of the regular raw material is reduced by the amount of the alternative raw material, so the business merit of the aforementioned OCS and the like decreases. Examples of possible use of alternative raw materials include the case where different raw materials are used for each container, and the case where a normal raw material is used for only one container and then another raw material is put into the container and used. Even in this case, sales of regular raw materials are reduced. Also, for example, when the regular ingredients are ingredients optimized to maintain the quality of the beverage cooked in the corresponding main body at a predetermined level, the quality of the beverage cooked using the alternative ingredients in the main body May fall below the predetermined level.

  In the beverage sales apparatus described above, if the customer changes the setting of the main body to reduce the amount of regular ingredients to be used for one cup of beverage, the number of beverage cups with regular ingredients for one container is relatively increased. In this case, the sales of regular ingredients may be reduced by the thinning of the ingredients, and the quality of the beverage prepared in this way may be reduced. Moreover, even if it is a regular raw material, there is a possibility that the quality of the beverage may be deteriorated if it is used beyond the best-before period, for example, starting from the enclosure date or the opening date of the container.

  Furthermore, in the beverage sales apparatus described above, if a beverage cooking method is to be reflected in the main body according to a plurality of types of regular ingredients, the burden of changing the setting of the main body is imposed on the customer. On the other hand, regardless of the type of regular ingredients, if the beverage cooking method by the main body is set in advance in the same manner, the average quality of a plurality of types of beverages may be reduced.

  As described above, if the degree of freedom related to the raw material of the beverage sales apparatus is too high, not only will the sales of this raw material be reduced, but also the quality of the beverage will be reduced, and an excessive work burden will be imposed on the customer. As a result, there is a possibility that a low evaluation such as “a bad taste device” or “a troublesome device” will be fixed. Thus, if customer evaluations decline, the sales of the main body may also decrease in conjunction with this.

  This invention is made | formed in view of this subject, The place made into the objective is to provide the drink sales apparatus which can improve the sales with respect to a customer, maintaining the quality of a drink.

The invention for solving the above-mentioned problems comprises: a container for storing raw materials for cooking beverages; and a main body for cooking and selling beverages based on the raw materials supplied from the containers. , A storage medium that is detachable from the main body and stores unique information for identifying the container, and the main body is moved from the storage medium when the container is attached to the main body. A reading unit that reads information, and a control unit that controls at least one of a beverage cooking method and a selling method according to the specific information when the specific information read by the reading unit is information according to a specified format, Yes, and the control unit, when the unique information read by the reading unit is a new information, to limit the sales amount or sales period of beverage the body to sell, before being read by the reading unit If specific information is not new information, the body is a beverage dispensing apparatus which prohibits the preparation of a drink.

  According to this beverage sales apparatus, the format of the unique information stored in the storage medium is set to a prescribed format common to the main body corresponding to the corresponding container, so that the container that does not have the storage medium and the information with different formats are stored in the first place. Even if it is going to use the raw material accommodated in the container etc. which have a storage medium to use for a main body, a control part can impose restrictions, such as a sales prohibition, on a main body, for example. Thereby, for example, since the customer who purchased the main body continues to purchase the raw material (regular raw material) of the container corresponding to the main body, the sales to the customer are improved. In addition, the use of regular ingredients in the main body leads to maintenance of beverage quality. Furthermore, if the specific information is set in advance, for example, information for maintaining the quality of the beverage or information for prompting the consumption of the beverage by the customer, the control unit controls the main body according to the specific information. By doing so, the sales can be improved while maintaining the quality of the beverage.

  According to this beverage sales apparatus, if the unique information is new information, even if the customer accommodates the non-regular raw material in the container by limiting the sales amount of the raw material of the corresponding container to a predetermined amount, The sale of beverages exceeding at least a predetermined amount is prohibited. For example, even if a customer uses a predetermined amount of regular ingredients in a new container and then packs different ingredients in the same container, the different ingredients will no longer be able to sell beverages due to limited sales. Therefore, the customer is encouraged to purchase regular ingredients, so that the sales are improved and the quality of the beverage is maintained by using the regular ingredients in the main body.

According to this beverage sales apparatus, when the specific information is new information, by restricting the sales period of the raw material of the corresponding container to a predetermined period, the raw material can be changed from the date of enclosure to the container, the date of opening of the container, etc. For example, it is prohibited to use the product for a period exceeding the predetermined best-before period. Thereby, the quality of the beverage is maintained, and the sales are also improved by the effect of accelerating the use of the raw material by the customer.
According to this beverage sales apparatus, for example, unless the customer wears a new container, cooking of the beverage by the main body is not permitted. As a result, for example, there is no room for customers to remove the container once attached to the main unit and to pack it with different raw materials to continue selling beverages. As a result, sales of raw materials are improved and regular raw materials are used for the main unit. By doing so, the quality of the beverage is maintained.

  In the beverage sales apparatus, when the specific information read by the reading unit is beverage recipe information, the control unit controls the main body to cook based on the recipe information. preferable.

  According to this beverage sales apparatus, when the unique information is recipe information, for example, a beverage can be cooked by a cooking method suitable for the raw material of the corresponding container. Thereby, the quality of a drink is maintained. In addition, when selling beverages with different cooking methods according to a plurality of types of ingredients, the control unit is cooked with a different cooking method according to the ingredients by controlling the main body based on the corresponding types of recipe information. Can sell beverages. As a result, for example, whenever the type of ingredients is different, the customer is not forced to change the setting of the main body, and the same cooking method is executed regardless of the type of ingredients to reduce the average quality of the beverage. There is no problem of letting it. In other words, it is possible to improve customer convenience while maintaining the quality of the beverage, which results in improved sales to the customer.

  In the beverage sales apparatus, the unique information may be RFID, and the storage medium may be an RFID chip in which the RFID is stored.

  In the beverage sales apparatus, the unique information may be a barcode, and the storage medium may be a barcode label.

  Sales to customers can be improved while maintaining beverage quality.

=== Beverage sales device ===
With reference to FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 3, the structural example of the drink sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an external configuration of the beverage sales apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration example of the sales mechanism 100 of the beverage sales apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration that controls the beverage sales apparatus 1 of the present embodiment.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the beverage sales apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a raw material container (container) 20 and a main body 10 provided with a mounted portion 13 to which the raw material container 20 can be attached and detached. Yes.

  The raw material container 20 is formed of, for example, a substantially cylindrical wrapping paper, and the raw material accommodated in the raw material container 20 is an opening (not shown) of the mounting portion 21 in which the end of the wrapping paper is formed in a substantially truncated cone shape. ). Further, an RFID chip (storage medium) 22 to be described later is affixed to the substantially frustoconical side surface of the mounting portion 21.

  The main body 10 is provided with a front panel 11 on which a sales button 11a to be pressed for beverage sales is provided, a discharge pipe 107 for discharging beverage to the cup, and a mounting table 12 for mounting the cup. It has. The main body 10 also includes a reader (reading unit) 14 for reading information stored in the RFID chip 22 and a micro switch 205 for detecting whether or not the raw material container 20 is mounted on the mounted portion 13. ing.

  Here, the mounted portion 13 is in the upper part of the main body 10 and has a shape for holding the raw material container 20 via the mounting portion 21, and the material discharged from the raw material container 20 through the mounting portion 21 is, for example, It has a shape for guiding into a brewer 105 (FIG. 2) described later.

  The reader 14 is provided in the mounted portion 13 at a position near the RFID chip 22 of the raw material container 20 in a state where the raw material container 20 is mounted on the mounted portion 13. According to the illustration of FIG. 1, the reader 14 is provided inside the main body 10.

  The microswitch 205 is provided in the mounted portion 13 at a position where the microswitch 205 is turned on from the off state when the raw material container 20 is mounted on the mounted portion 13.

  Each of the mounting portion 21 of the raw material container 20 and the mounted portion 13 of the main body 10 has a predetermined shape so that the mounting portion 21 is mounted in a predetermined posture with respect to the substantially truncated cone-shaped recess in the mounted portion 13. Is. The predetermined posture means a posture of the raw material container 20 such that the RFID chip 22 and the reader 14 are located in the vicinity of each other and the micro switch 205 is turned on.

  In addition, the drink sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment shall be a coffee dispenser used for OCS etc. which were mentioned above, for example. In this case, the raw material is, for example, regular coffee ground beans, and the ground beans are stored in the raw material container 20 by a predetermined amount and sold to customers. Each raw material container 20 in which the raw material is stored is sold with an RFID chip 22 storing ID information 23a (FIG. 3) for identifying the raw material container 20 attached to the mounting portion 21.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the sales mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment extracts coffee (beverage) from a hot water tank 101 that stores hot water, ground beans (raw material) discharged from the raw material container 20, and hot water. The brewer 105 is provided.

  In addition, the sales mechanism 100 of the present embodiment connects the hot water tank 101 and the brewer 105, a supply pipe 104 for supplying hot water in the hot water tank 101 to the brewer 105, and a pump 102 on the supply pipe 104. The brewer 105 is provided with one end and a discharge pipe 107 for discharging the beverage in the brewer 105 from the other end to the cup. An electromagnetic valve 103 and an electromagnetic valve 106 are provided on the supply pipe 104 and the discharge pipe 107, respectively.

  Furthermore, the sales mechanism 100 of the present embodiment sells the raw material in the raw material container 20 into the brewer 105 between the opening of the raw material container 20 mounted on the mounted portion 13 and the opening of the brewer 105. A known raw material discharge means (not shown) for discharging a fixed amount is provided. This raw material discharge means is provided with, for example, a screw (not shown) for conveying ground beans and a motor (not shown) for driving the screw.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3, the beverage sales apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a control unit 200 having a predetermined CPU. The control unit 200 controls the sales button 11a, the pump 102, the electromagnetic valves 103 and 106, the brewer 105, the micro switch 205, and the reader 14 as described above.

  Moreover, the beverage sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment is provided with the timers 201 and 202, ROM203, and the memory | storage part 204 which are mentioned later, and these are also collectively controlled by the control part 200. FIG. Here, the timer 201 measures, for example, the operation time of the pump 102 and the operation time of the electromagnetic valves 103 and 106 during the beverage sales operation of the sales mechanism 100 described above. Moreover, the timer 202 measures the elapsed time from the time of mounting | wearing of the raw material container 20, for example so that it may mention later. The ROM 203 stores, for example, a predetermined program for the control unit 200 to execute a beverage sales operation. In addition, the storage unit 204 stores the ID information 23a of the RFID chip 22 attached to the raw material container 20 of the raw material used over the present and the past and the sales information 204a related to the sale of the beverage using the raw material in association with each other. To do. The sales information 204a is information indicating, for example, the number of sales cups (sales amount) of beverages using the raw materials in the raw material container 20, the sales time (sales period) based on the shelf life of the raw materials, and the like. In addition to the predetermined number of predetermined cups and predetermined time, the sales information 204a is also information indicating the current number of drinks that can be sold, as will be described later.

  Further, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the RFID chip 22 attached to the raw material container 20 of the present embodiment includes a nonvolatile memory 23. This non-volatile memory 23 stores either ID information (unique information) 23a of the RFID chip 22 or recipe information (unique information) 23b relating to cooking of beverages using ingredients contained in the ingredient container 20. It is. Alternatively, the nonvolatile memory 23 may store both the ID information 23a and the recipe information 23b. Here, as will be described later, the ID information 23a is common to the RFID chip 22 attached to the raw material container 20 only when it is stored and sold in the raw material container 20 as a dedicated raw material for the beverage sales apparatus 1. It shall have a prescribed format. In addition, the recipe information 23b is information indicating, for example, a recipe for beverages using ingredients in the ingredient container 20, and in the present embodiment, sales information 204a is generated based on the recipe information 23b as will be described later. The

=== Beverage sales method (sale for a specified number of cups) ===
A beverage sales method of the beverage sales apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the figure is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the control part 200 in case the drink sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment sells a predetermined number of drinks.

As illustrated in the figure, the control unit 200 always determines whether or not the micro switch 205 has changed from the off state to the on state (S100 and S100: NO). For example, when the customer replaces the raw material of the beverage sales apparatus 1, first, when the empty raw material container 20 is removed from the mounted portion 13 of the main body 10, the microswitch 205 is changed from the on state to the off state. When the container 20 is attached to the mounted portion 13, the microswitch 205 is turned on from the off state.
When it is determined by the customer that a new raw material container 20 has been attached and the micro switch 205 has changed from the OFF state to the ON state (S100: YES), the control unit 200 passes through the reader 14 and the RFID chip attached to the raw material container 20 The ID information 23a is read from 22 (S101).
The control unit 200 determines whether or not the read ID information 23a has the prescribed format described above (S102).
When it is determined that the ID information 23a does not have a prescribed format (S102: NO), the control unit 200 ends the process and prohibits the beverage sales operation by the main body 10. As described above, the ID information 23a has a prescribed format common to the RFID chip 22 affixed to the raw material container 20 only when it is stored in the raw material container 20 as a dedicated raw material for the main body 10 and sold. Have. Therefore, even if the reader 14 can read the ID information of the RFID chip attached to the raw material container of the other company, the format of this ID information is different from the prescribed format. In this case, the process of step S102: NO makes it impossible to cook and sell beverages using ingredients of other companies.
When it is determined that the ID information 23a has a prescribed format (S102: YES), the control unit 200 further executes the following determination process.
The control unit 200 determines whether or not the ID information 23a is new ID information (S103). Specifically, the control unit 200 compares the ID information 23a read by the reader 14 with the ID information 23a stored in the storage unit 204, and the read ID information 23a is stored in the storage unit 204. It is determined whether or not there is a match with any of the ID information 23a. If there is no match, the ID information 23a is new. If there is a match, the ID information 23a is not new. .

<<< In case of new ID information >>>
When it is determined that the ID information 23a is new ID information (S103: YES), the control unit 200 determines the new ID information 23a and the number (N) of beverages that can be sold at a predetermined time in advance. The new sales information 204a as the number of cups is associated with and stored in the storage unit 204 (S104). The predetermined number of cups is the number of drinks to be cooked and sold using the raw material in the raw material container 20 for one bag. Information on the predetermined number of cups is stored in advance in the storage unit 204. In addition, the storage unit 204 stores, as sales information 204a, information for cooking one drink, for example, recipe information indicating the amount of hot water, the amount of ingredients, and the steaming time for one drink when the drink is coffee. I remember it.
Thereafter, the control unit 200 cooks and sells the beverage for the set number of predetermined cups in response to the pressing of the sales button 11a by the customer (S106 to S109).
Specifically, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the sales button 11a has been pressed (S106). If the control unit 200 determines that the sales button 11a has been pressed (S106: YES), the control unit 200 refers to the storage unit 204 to obtain the corresponding ID information. It is determined whether the current number of drinks available for sale (N) in the sales information 204a associated with 23a is greater than 0 (S107), and if it is determined that N is greater than 0 (S107: YES). The sales information 204a is updated by subtracting 1 from the N (S108), and a cup of beverage is cooked and sold based on the sales information 204a (S109).
When the control unit 200 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S106 to S109 described above and determines that the sales button 11a is pressed only after selling the predetermined number of drinks (S106: YES), N is 0 or less. (S107: NO), the process is terminated, and the beverage sales operation by the main body 10 is prohibited.

<<< If it is not new ID information >>>
When it is determined that the ID information 23a is not new ID information (S103: NO), the control unit 200 refers to the sales information 204a already stored in the storage unit 204, and the beverage information at this time in the sales information 204a. It is determined whether or not the number of available cups (N) is greater than 0 (S110).
When it is determined that the current N is 0 or less (S110: NO), the control unit 200 ends the process and prohibits the beverage sales operation by the main body 10.
When it is determined that N at the current time is greater than 0 (S110: YES), the control unit 200, in response to the pressing of the sales button 11a by the customer, the number of beverages already sold from the set predetermined number of cups. The remaining cups are cooked and sold for a few minutes (S106 to S109). For example, after a customer removes a raw material container 20 of a certain type of raw material from the main body 10, attaches a raw material container 20 of another type of raw material, and sells a beverage, When using, the control part 200 performs the process which goes through step S103: NO and step S110.

=== Beverage sales method (sales only for a certain time)
A beverage sales method of the beverage sales apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the figure is a flowchart which shows another example of the process sequence of the control part 200 when the drink sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment sells a drink only for a predetermined period.
As illustrated in the figure, the control unit 200 always determines whether or not the micro switch 205 has changed from the off state to the on state (S200 and S200: NO).
When it is determined that a new raw material container 20 is mounted by the customer and the micro switch 205 is changed from the OFF state to the ON state (S200: YES), the control unit 200 passes the reader 14 and the RFID chip attached to the raw material container 20 The ID information 23a is read from 22 (S201).
The control unit 200 determines whether or not the read ID information 23a has the prescribed format described above (S202).
When it is determined that the ID information 23a does not have a prescribed format (S202: NO), the control unit 200 ends the process and prohibits the beverage sales operation by the main body 10.
When it is determined that the ID information 23a has a prescribed format (S202: YES), the control unit 200 further executes the following determination process.
The control unit 200 determines whether or not the ID information 23a is new ID information (S203). Specifically, the control unit 200 compares the ID information 23a read by the reader 14 with the ID information 23a stored in the storage unit 204, and the read ID information 23a is stored in the storage unit 204. It is determined whether or not there is a match with any of the ID information 23a. If there is no match, the ID information 23a is new. If there is a match, the ID information 23a is not new. .

<<< In case of new ID information >>>
When it is determined that the ID information 23a is new ID information (S203: YES), the control unit 200 resets the timer 202 and then starts counting (S204).
Thereafter, the control unit 200 cooks and sells the beverage until a predetermined time is reached in response to the pressing of the sales button 11a by the customer (S206 to S208).
Specifically, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the sales button 11a is pressed (S206), and when it is determined that the sales button 11a is pressed (S206: YES), referring to the timer 202, the mounting of the raw material container 20 is performed. It is determined whether or not the elapsed time (t) from the time is within a predetermined time (S207), and if it is determined that t is within the predetermined time (S207: YES), one drink of beverage based on the sales information 204a Is cooked and sold (S208). The predetermined time is a shelf life period (for example, two years) in which a beverage can be cooked and sold using the raw material in the raw material container 20 for one bag. The information on the predetermined time is stored in advance in the storage unit 204. In addition, the storage unit 204 stores, as sales information 204a, information for cooking one drink, for example, recipe information indicating the amount of hot water, the amount of ingredients, and the steaming time for one drink when the drink is coffee. I remember it.
When the control unit 200 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S206 to S208 described above and determines that the sales button 11a is pressed only after the beverage is sold for the predetermined time (S206: YES), t exceeds the predetermined time. (S207: NO), the process is terminated, and the beverage sales operation by the main body 10 is prohibited.

<<< If it is not new ID information >>>
When it is determined that the ID information 23a is not new ID information (S203: NO), the control unit 200 refers to the timer 202 and the elapsed time (t) from when the raw material container 20 is mounted is within a predetermined time. Whether or not (S209).
When it is determined that t exceeds the predetermined time (S209: NO), the control unit 200 ends the process and prohibits the beverage sales operation by the main body 10.
If it is determined that t is within the predetermined time (S209: YES), the control unit 200 cooks and sells the beverage until the predetermined time is reached in response to the customer pressing the sales button 11a (S206). To S209). For example, after a customer removes a raw material container 20 of a certain type of raw material from the main body 10, attaches a raw material container 20 of another type of raw material, and sells a beverage, When used, the control unit 200 is configured to execute processing via step S203: NO and step S209.

=== Beverage sales method (cooking based on recipe information) ===
A beverage sales method of the beverage sales apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the figure is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the control part 200 in case the drink sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment cooks and sells a drink based on recipe information.

As illustrated in the figure, the control unit 200 always determines whether or not the micro switch 205 has changed from the off state to the on state (S300 and S300: NO). When it is determined by the customer that the raw material container 20 is attached and the micro switch 205 is changed from the OFF state to the ON state (S300: YES), the control unit 200 passes the reader 14 through the RFID chip 22 attached to the raw material container 20. ID information 23a is read from (S301).
The control unit 200 determines whether or not the read ID information 23a has the prescribed format described above (S302).
When it is determined that the ID information 23a does not have a prescribed format (S302: NO), the control unit 200 ends the process and prohibits the beverage sales operation by the main body 10.
When it is determined that the ID information 23a has a prescribed format (S302: YES), the control unit 200 associates the recipe information 23b read together with the ID information 23a by the reader 14 with the ID information 23a. Embedded in the sales information 204a to be stored in the storage unit 204 (S305). The recipe information 23b stored in the RFID chip 22 is information indicating the amount of hot water, the amount of ingredients, the steaming time, etc. for one cup of beverage when the beverage is, for example, coffee. On the other hand, the storage unit 204 of the main body 10 does not have to store information related to a beverage cooking method. However, for example, the main body 10 side includes a controller (not shown) provided with a key for inputting information relating to fine adjustment so that the customer can make fine adjustments such as the amount of hot water and the amount of raw material. The storage unit 204 may store information related to fine adjustment.
Thereafter, the control unit 200 determines whether or not the sales button 11a has been pressed (S306). When the control unit 200 determines that the sales button 11a has been pressed (S306: YES), the control unit 200 refers to the storage unit 204 and corresponding ID information 23a. A cup of beverage is cooked and sold based on the sales information 204a associated with (S309). The control unit 200 repeatedly executes the processes in step S306 and step S309.

=== Maintenance of quality and sales improvement ===
The beverage sales apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes at least a raw material container 20 and a main body 10, and the raw material container 20 is detachable from the main body 10, and specific information for identifying the raw material container 20 (for example, ID information 23a, recipe information 23b, and the like) is stored, and the main body 10 is a reading unit (for reading unique information from the storage medium when the material container 20 is mounted on the main body 10). For example, the reader 14) and the control unit 200 that controls at least one of the beverage cooking method and the sales method according to the specific information may be included when the read specific information is information according to the specified format.

  According to this beverage sales apparatus 1, by setting the format of the unique information to a prescribed format common to the main body 10, a raw material container that does not have a storage medium in the first place, a raw material container that has a storage medium that stores information of a different format, etc. Even if it is going to use the raw material accommodated in the main body 10, the control part 200 can impose restrictions, such as sales prohibition, on the main body 10, for example. Thereby, for example, since the customer who purchased the main body 10 continues to purchase the raw material (regular raw material) of the raw material container 20 corresponding to the main body 10, the sales to the customer are improved. Moreover, using a regular raw material for the main body 10 also leads to maintenance of beverage quality. Furthermore, if the specific information is set in advance, for example, information for maintaining the quality of the beverage (for example, a predetermined number of cups) or information for prompting consumption of the beverage by the customer (for example, a predetermined time), the control unit By controlling the main body 10 according to the specific information 200, the sales can be improved while maintaining the quality of the beverage.

  Moreover, in the beverage sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment, the control part 200 restrict | limits the sales volume (for example, the sales cup number of a drink) of the drink which the main body 10 sells, when the read specific information is new information. It was something to do.

  According to this beverage sales apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 4, when the unique information is new information, the raw material container 20 is temporarily limited by limiting the sales amount of the raw material of the corresponding raw material container 20 to a predetermined amount. Even if the customer contains non-regular ingredients, the sale of beverages exceeding at least a predetermined amount is prohibited. For example, even if a customer uses a predetermined amount of regular raw materials in a new raw material container 20 and then packs different raw materials into the raw material container 20, the different raw materials can no longer sell beverages due to sales volume restrictions. Therefore, by promoting the purchase of regular ingredients by the customer, the sales are improved, and the quality of the beverage is maintained by using the regular ingredients in the main body 10.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control unit 200 may not restrict the sales amount of the beverage depending on whether the unique information is new. For example, when the raw material container 20 has a cartridge-type configuration in which the raw material cannot be replenished by a customer and cannot be removed until it is empty once it is mounted on the main body 10, the raw material container mounted on the main body 10 Since all of the 20 unique information is assumed to be new, the control unit 200 only needs to restrict the sale of beverages according to only the format of the unique information described above.

  Moreover, in the drink sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment, the control part 200 restrict | limits the sales period (for example, drink sales time) of the drink which the main body 10 sells, when the read specific information is new information. It was a thing.

  According to this beverage sales apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 5, when the unique information is new information, the raw material is converted into the raw material by limiting the sales period of the raw material in the corresponding raw material container 20 to a predetermined period. For example, it is prohibited to use the product over a shelf life that is determined in advance from the date of enclosure in the container 20 or the date of opening of the raw material container 20. Thereby, the quality of the beverage is maintained, and the sales are also improved by the effect of accelerating the use of the raw material by the customer.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the control unit 200 may not restrict the beverage sales period depending on whether the unique information is new. For example, when the product life of the main body 10 and the raw material container 20 that can be attached to the main body 10 is short but the shelf life of the raw material is longer than the product life, the raw material is tasted when the raw material container 20 is attached to the main body 10. Since the probability of expiration is almost zero, the control unit 200 only needs to restrict the sale of beverages according to only the format of the unique information described above.

  Moreover, in the beverage sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment, the control part 200 is controlled so that the main body 10 cooks based on the recipe information 23b, when the read specific information is the recipe information of a drink. It was.

  According to this beverage sales apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. 6, a beverage can be cooked by a cooking method suitable for the raw material of the raw material container 20 based on the recipe information 23b. Thereby, the quality of a drink is maintained. In addition, when selling beverages having different cooking methods according to a plurality of types of ingredients, the control unit 200 controls the main body 10 based on the corresponding types of recipe information 23b, so that the cooking methods differ according to the ingredients. You can sell beverages cooked in As a result, for example, every time the type of raw material is different, the burden of changing the setting of the main body 10 is not imposed on the customer, and the same cooking method is executed regardless of the type of raw material, and the average quality of the beverage is increased. There is no problem of lowering. In other words, it is possible to improve customer convenience while maintaining the quality of the beverage, which results in improved sales to the customer.

  Moreover, in the beverage sales apparatus 1 of this Embodiment, the control part 200 prohibited that the main body 10 cooks a drink, when the read specific information is not new information. In the examples of FIGS. 4 and 5, when the read unique information is not new information, the raw material is used unless it is the raw material container 20 where the predetermined number of cups or a part of the predetermined period remains. Cooking and sales of beverages were prohibited. As a result, cooking of beverages by the main body 10 is not permitted unless the customer wears the raw material container 20 that has started to be used in a new state and has still remained for a predetermined number of cups or a predetermined period.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if the unique information is not new information, the control unit 200 may cause the main body 10 to cook a beverage regardless of the above-mentioned predetermined number of cups or the remainder of the predetermined period. It may be prohibited. In this case, unless the customer wears a new raw material container 20, cooking of the beverage by the main body 10 is not permitted. As a result, for example, there is no room for the customer to remove the raw material container 20 once attached to the main body 10 and fill it with different raw materials to continue to sell beverages. By using the main body 10, the quality of the beverage is maintained. Note that the processing procedure of the control unit 200 in this case is expressed as, for example, omitting the process of step S110 in FIG. 4 and ending the process immediately after step S103: NO, or, for example, the process of step S209 in FIG. The processing is omitted, and the processing is represented as ending immediately after step S203: NO.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, the beverage sales apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment reads both the ID information 23a and the recipe information 23b from the RFID chip 22, and determines the predetermined number of cups according to whether the ID information 23a is new. Only when the beverage is sold, the beverage may be cooked based on the recipe information 23b. This figure is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of the control unit 200 when the beverage sales apparatus 1 of the present embodiment cooks and sells a predetermined number of beverages based on the recipe information 23b. 7 is the same as the processing of steps S100 to S104 in FIG. 4 described above, and the processing of steps S406 to S410 in FIG. 7 is the same as the processing of steps S106 to S110 in FIG. The same.

  As illustrated in FIG. 7, when the control unit 200 determines that the read ID information 23a is new ID information (S403: YES), the control unit 200 determines the ID information 23a and the number of available cups (N). The sales information 204a as the number of cups is associated and stored in the storage unit 204 (S404), and the read recipe information 23b is incorporated into the sales information 204a and stored in the storage unit 204 (S405). The process in step S405 is different from the process in FIG. 7 described above with respect to the process in FIG. Thereafter, the control unit 200 cooks and sells a predetermined number of drinks according to the pressing of the sales button 11a by the customer (S406 to S409). The recipe information 23b stored in the RFID chip 22 is information indicating the amount of hot water, the amount of ingredients, the steaming time, etc. for one cup of beverage when the beverage is, for example, coffee. On the other hand, the storage unit 204 of the main body 10 does not have to store information related to a beverage cooking method. However, for example, the main body 10 side includes a controller (not shown) provided with a key for inputting information relating to fine adjustment so that the customer can make fine adjustments such as the amount of hot water and the amount of raw material. The storage unit 204 may store information related to fine adjustment.

  As described above, sales of raw materials to customers can be improved while maintaining the quality of beverages, and convenience for customers can be improved.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, the beverage sales apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment reads both the ID information 23a and the recipe information 23b from the RFID chip 22, and only for a predetermined period depending on whether the ID information 23a is new. When selling a beverage, the beverage may be cooked based on the recipe information 23b. This figure is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the control unit 200 when the beverage sales apparatus 1 of the present embodiment cooks and sells beverages for a predetermined period based on the recipe information 23b. 8 are the same as the processes in steps S200 to S204 in FIG. 5 described above, and the processes in steps S506 to S509 in FIG. 7 are the same as the processes in steps S206 to S209 in FIG. The same.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, when determining that the read ID information 23a is new ID information (S503: YES), the control unit 200 resets the timer 202 and then starts measuring time (S504). The read recipe information 23b is incorporated into the sales information 204a and stored in the storage unit 204 (S505). The process in step S505 is different from the process in FIG. 8 described above with respect to the process in FIG. Thereafter, the control unit 200 cooks and sells the beverage for a predetermined time (ie, a predetermined period) in response to the customer pressing the sales button 11a (S506 to S508). The recipe information 23b stored in the RFID chip 22 is information indicating the amount of hot water, the amount of ingredients, the steaming time, etc. for one cup of beverage when the beverage is, for example, coffee. On the other hand, the storage unit 204 of the main body 10 does not have to store information related to a beverage cooking method. However, for example, the main body 10 side includes a controller (not shown) provided with a key for inputting information relating to fine adjustment so that the customer can make fine adjustments such as the amount of hot water and the amount of raw material. The storage unit 204 may store information related to fine adjustment.

  As described above, sales of raw materials to customers can be improved while maintaining the quality of beverages, and convenience for customers can be improved.

  In the beverage sales apparatus 1 described above, the unique information is RFID, and the storage medium is the RFID chip 22 in which RFID is stored. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as described below, the unique information may be a barcode, and the storage medium may be a barcode label.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9, the beverage sales apparatus 1 ′ includes a control unit 200 ′. The control unit 200 ′ has a sales button 11 a, a pump 102, and a solenoid valve 103, as in FIG. 3. , 106, brewer 105, micro switch 205, timers 201 and 202, ROM 203, and storage unit 204. Here, FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing another example of a configuration that controls the beverage sales apparatus 1 ′ of the present embodiment.

  The barcode label 32 affixed to the raw material container 20 stores ID information 32a similar to the above, and stores recipe information 32b similar to the above. The control unit 200 ′ controls the reader 14 ′ that reads the ID information 32 a and recipe information 32 b from the barcode label 32.

  The bar code described above includes a two-dimensional code such as a QR code. In this case, the reader 14 'is configured according to the type of barcode.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and equivalents thereof are also included in the present invention.

  In embodiment mentioned above, although the coffee dispenser used for OCS etc. was mentioned as the drink sales apparatus 1, it is not limited to this, A raw material of the raw material container 20 is mounted | worn with respect to the main body 10, and a drink is provided. Anything can be used as long as it is prepared and sold.

  In the embodiment described above, the RFID chip 22 is affixed to the side surface of the mounting portion 21 of the raw material container 20, but is not limited to this. For example, the material of the mounting portion 21 is not limited to this. It may be embedded inside. In short, the RFID chip 22 only needs to be provided in any part of the raw material container 20.

  In the above-described embodiment, the attachment portion 13 and the attachment portion 21 are provided for detaching the raw material container 20 from the main body 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this. On the other hand, any material may be used as long as the material container 20 is detachable.

  In the above-described embodiment, whether or not the raw material container 20 is attached to the main body 10 is determined by the control unit 200 via the microswitch 205, but is not limited to this. For example, the reader 14 May determine the presence or absence of the mounting depending on whether or not the ID information 23a can be read from the RFID chip 22.

  In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 200 performs the limitation on the number of beverage sales cups shown in FIG. 4 and the limitation on the beverage sales period shown in FIG. 5 according to whether the ID information 23a is new. Although these are executed separately, the present invention is not limited to this, and both restrictions may be executed together. Similarly, the control unit 200 executes the limitation on the number of beverage sales cups shown in FIG. 7 and the limitation on the sales period of beverages shown in FIG. 8 according to whether the ID information 23a is new. It may be a thing.

  In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the beverage sales period starts immediately after it is determined that the ID information 23a is new information (this is substantially equal to the opening date of the raw material container 20). However, it is not limited to this. For example, the sales period may be timed starting from the date of manufacture of the raw material or the date of encapsulation. In this case, for example, the RFID chip 22 stores the date of manufacture of the raw material, the date of inclusion, and the like as recipe information 23b, the timer 202 measures the date and time instead of the time, and the control unit 200 determines the date and time indicated by the recipe information 23b. What is necessary is just to obtain | require the difference with the present date which the timer 202 measures, and to make this into a sales period.

It is a front view which shows an example of the external appearance structure of the beverage sales apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural example of the sales mechanism of the drink sales apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the structure which manages control of the drink sales apparatus of this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the control part in case the drink sales apparatus of this Embodiment sells a predetermined number of drinks. It is a flowchart which shows another example of the process sequence of the control part in case the drink sales apparatus of this Embodiment sells a drink only for a predetermined period. It is a flowchart which shows another example of the process procedure of the control part in case the drink sales apparatus of this Embodiment cooks and sells a drink based on recipe information. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process sequence of the control part in case the drink sales apparatus of this Embodiment cooks and sells a predetermined number of drinks based on recipe information. It is a flowchart which shows another example of the process sequence of the control part in case the drink sales apparatus of this Embodiment cooks and sells a drink only for a predetermined period based on recipe information. It is a block diagram which shows another example of the structure which manages control of the drink sales apparatus of this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1 'Beverage sales apparatus 10 Main body 11 Panel 11a Sale button 12 Mounting stand 13 Mounted part 14, 14' Reader 20 Raw material container 21 Mounting part 22 RFID chip 23 Non-volatile memory 23a, 32a ID information 23b, 32b Recipe information 32 Barcode label 100 Sales mechanism 101 Hot water tank 102 Pump 103 Solenoid valve 104 Supply pipe 105 Brewer 106 Solenoid valve 107 Discharge pipe 200, 200 'Control part 201, 202 Timer 203 ROM 204 Storage part 204a Sales information 205 Micro switch

Claims (4)

A container for storing ingredients for cooking beverages;
A main body for cooking and selling beverages based on the raw materials supplied from the container,
The container is detachable from the main body, and has a storage medium in which unique information for identifying the container is stored.
When the container is attached to the main body, the main body reads the specific information from the storage medium, and when the specific information read by the reading section is information according to a prescribed format, depending control unit for controlling at least one cooking method or method for selling beverages, possess it,
When the specific information read by the reading unit is new information, the control unit limits a sales amount or a sales period of a beverage sold by the main body, and the specific information read by the reading unit is When the information is not new information, the beverage sales apparatus forbids the main body from cooking the beverage. When the specific information read by the reading unit is beverage recipe information, the control unit controls the main body to cook based on the recipe information.
The beverage sales apparatus according to claim 1. The unique information is RFID,
The storage medium is an RFID chip in which the RFID is stored.
The beverage sales apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2 . The unique information is a barcode,
The storage medium is a bar code label;
The beverage sales apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 2 .

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