JP5299487B2 - Vending machine, electronic sales promotion system, method and control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine that ensures a user can select a commodity to which a privilege such as a coupon can be applied and that can contribute to the sales promotion of the commodity, an electronic sales promotion system using the machine, a method, and a control program therefor. <P>SOLUTION: When the vending machine detects a payment device while commodities are displayed, the vending machine reads coupon information from the device and determines whether or not the coupon is applicable to the commodities (step S224). If the coupon is applicable to the displayed commodities (Y), the vending machine makes a settlement for the amount of a commodity selected by a user (Step S225). If the coupon is not applicable to the commodity selected by the user, the vending machine flashes the indication of the commodities to which the coupon is applicable (Step S228), and makes a settlement for the amount of a commodity selected by the user (Step S225). Thus, the user can receive a discount with a coupon by selecting from commodities that are displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine and an electronic sales promotion system, method, and control program using the vending machine, and more particularly to a vending machine, electronic sales promotion system, method, and control capable of improving the sales of goods. Regarding the program.

  A vending machine is a machine that is installed in a facility such as a town or a business office and sells various products stored in the apparatus unattended. Conventionally, cash has been used to purchase merchandise, but with the recent spread of payment means other than cash, such as electronic money and electronic credit, the use of these electronic payment means has become active.

  In addition, with the development of technologies related to information processing terminals such as IC (Integrated Circuit) cards and mobile phones that are equipped with electronic payment means (hereinafter collectively referred to as payment devices), the use of these is expanded. Is planned. As one method, it is practiced to digitize coupons as various privileges given to users by stores and sales companies and store them in these payment devices. For example, when a mobile phone as a payment device is used to make a purchase of a predetermined amount or more at a specific store on the Internet, a coupon for discounting is given to the mobile phone when making other purchases. ing. As a result, the store side can not only save expenses for distributing printed matter such as leaflets with coupons printed, but also save labor costs in that it does not require the intervention of store staff when using electronic payment. Can be planned.

  In this way, when shopping at an actual store or an electronic store, various methods for promoting sales by using a payment device have been practiced. However, when a payment device is used in a vending machine, there has been a situation where it has been difficult to adopt a method for promoting sales. The cause is considered as follows.

  (1) Unlike existing systems and services, vending machines are devices that cannot receive store clerk support. (2) The vending machine is configured to receive the minimum necessary operation for the user to receive the product, and has few user interface components. (3) The vending machine must complete the operation with very few steps after the user starts the operation.

  Due to this particularity, proposals for using coupons in vending machines have been limited. For example, as a first related technique related to the present invention, there is a technique in which a coupon can be used for a payment device (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In the first related technology, coupons that can be used in vending machines are purchased in advance. Then, when the user performs an operation of “cashless product sales”, the button of the product that can be purchased within the range of the balance of the coupon lights up, and the product is sold within the range of the coupon balance. Yes.

  That is, in this first related technology, a payment device is provided with a prepaid card in a mechanism for purchasing a product with a prepaid card, and the concept is different from the coupon as the above-mentioned promotion promotion benefit. Therefore, in order to differentiate only the product to which the coupon is applied, it is not possible to light only the button of the product with the vending machine, but only to light the button of the product that can be purchased with the balance.

  On the other hand, when a portable terminal is held over a vending machine in a standby state, a second related technique that displays a display unit for a product selection button that matches coupon information has appeared (for example, see Patent Document 2). . The coupon information handled by the second related technology is information that gives a privilege when purchasing a product, and is a means for sales promotion.

  In this second related technology, the vending machine compares the coupon information stored in its own device with the coupon information acquired from the mobile terminal. It is also described that the discount amount is displayed by blinking the sellable lamp or pressing the product selection button in this state.

JP 2002-324263 (paragraphs 0025 to 0031, FIG. 1) JP 2007-226591 A (paragraphs 0024 to 0028, FIG. 4)

  In this second related technology, the embodiment deals with a vending machine that purchases a product using cash. That is, in the second related technology, when the vending machine detects the mobile terminal before the cash is inserted, the product lamp corresponding to the coupon blinks, and when a coin is inserted, the sellable product lamp is turned on. It is like that. When the user presses the product selection button at this stage, the discount is performed if the selected product corresponds to the coupon, and the settlement is performed at the regular price if the selected product does not correspond to the coupon. When payment is made with a mobile terminal instead of cash, the situation is exactly the same as cash.

  In the second related technique, when a coin is inserted for settlement, the display is switched to lighting of a lamp of a commodity that can be bought with the coin as in a conventional vending machine. Therefore, if you forget the previous flashing state, you may select a product that is not eligible for the coupon based on the lamp that is currently lit. There was a problem of not contributing to the sales promotion of the product.

  Conventionally, when a payment device is used in a vending machine, a user first selects a product, and at the time of payment, the payment device is brought close to the vending machine to perform payment between them. In such a vending machine, since the payment device is used after the product has been confirmed, the user cannot actively select the product to which the coupon is applied, and is similarly subject to the coupon. There was a problem that it did not contribute to sales promotion of a specific product.

  Furthermore, in the first and second related technologies, it is assumed that one type of coupon or coupon information is used. For this reason, when there is a possibility that a plurality of coupons may be applied to a certain product, it is not possible to cope with this, for example, a situation occurs in which a coupon other than a coupon that is about to expire is applied to the product. The next opportunity to purchase the product may cause a disadvantage that the expiration date of the coupon expires.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine capable of reliably selecting a product to be a coupon and contributing to sales promotion of the product, and an electronic sales promotion system, method and control program using the vending machine. It is to provide.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of handling a plurality of types of coupons, and an electronic sales promotion system, method and control program using the same.

  In the present invention, (a) a communication means for communicating with a device possessed by a product purchaser, and (b) a predetermined privilege at the time of purchase of the goods stored in the own apparatus triggered by the communication of the communication means. Applicability determination means for determining whether or not there is application; (c) Product display means for displaying the product determined to be applicable by the applicability determination means; and (d) Applicability by the product display means. Product selection means for selecting a product to be purchased from the products stored in the above-mentioned own device in a state where the determined product is displayed, and (e) the product selected by the product selection means is applied as described above. A vending machine is provided with privilege providing means for giving the above-mentioned privilege to the above-described device at the time of liquidation using the above-described device for the product determined to be applicable by the availability determination unit.

  In the present invention, (b) the vending machine according to claims 1 to 5 and (b) the device possessed by the product purchaser are provided in an electronic sales promotion system.

  Furthermore, the present invention comprises (a) the vending machine according to claim 2 and (b) the device possessed by the commodity purchaser, and (c) the communication means described above includes the commodity selection means described above. The above-described coupon identification number is received before selecting a product.

  According to the present invention, (b) the vending machine according to claim 2 and (b) a device possessed by the commodity purchaser, (c) the communication means is the commodity selection means described above. Is to receive the coupon identification number described above after selecting the product, and when the product already selected is not applied with the benefits at the time of product purchase by the above-described applicability determination means The product for which the privilege is applied is displayed on the product display unit, and the product selection unit reselects the product.

  Further, according to the present invention, (a) Applicability of determining whether or not a predetermined privilege is applied to a product stored in the own device upon communication with a device possessed by the product purchaser. A determination step, (b) a product display step for displaying the product determined to be applicable in the applicability determination step, and (c) a product that is determined to be applicable in the product display step is displayed. A product selection step for selecting a product to be purchased from among the products stored in the device described above, and (d) a product for which the product selected in the product selection step is determined to be applicable in the above-described applicability determination step. The electronic sales promotion method includes a privilege providing step for giving the above-described privilege to the device described above at the time of liquidation using the device described above.

  In addition, in the present invention, the computer that controls the vending machine has, as an electronic sales promotion control program, (a) a product stored in the own device triggered by communication with a device owned by the product purchaser. Applicability determination processing for determining whether or not a predetermined privilege is applied at the time of purchase; (b) Product display processing for displaying a product determined to be applied in the applicability determination processing; A product selection process for selecting a product to be purchased from among the products stored in the device described above in a state where the product determined to be applicable in the product display process is displayed; and (d) in the product selection process For the product for which the selected product is determined to be applicable in the above-described applicability determination processing, the privilege provision processing for giving the above-described privilege to the above-described device at the time of liquidation using the above-described device is executed. It is characterized in that to.

  As described above, according to the present invention, if the user of the vending machine indicates the product to be a privilege target according to the display during the display of the product display means for displaying the product to be the privilege target of the vending machine, Is definitely given. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to the sales promotion of the product without selecting a product to which no privilege is given due to a difference in memory.

  In addition, for products that have the possibility of applying a plurality of coupons, it is possible to obtain a score desired by the user by providing a privilege selection means for selecting a privilege to be given, and for a privilege that has time restrictions Can also take appropriate action.

  Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

<First Embodiment of the Invention>

  FIG. 1 shows a functional configuration of an electronic sales promotion system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The electronic sales promotion system 100 includes a vending machine 101 that sells products and a payment device 102 such as a mobile phone equipped with a non-contact IC (Integrated Circuit) card possessed by a user.

  Among them, the vending machine 101 has a product information display unit 111 including a display for displaying information on products to be sold, disposed on the front surface of the apparatus main body. In addition, on the front surface of the apparatus main body, a selection state such as a product selection unit 112 which is an input device for the user to select what is displayed among the displayed products, and whether the user has selected each product A product selection state display unit 113 for displaying information, a settlement related information display unit 114 for displaying settlement related information such as information on coupons and the price of the selected product, and which coupon is used by a user. A settlement related selection unit 115 which is an input device used for selection is arranged.

  In addition, the apparatus main body of the vending machine 101 includes a payment execution unit 116 that communicates with the payment device 102 after the user determines a product and a price to be purchased, A sales-side settlement related information communication unit 117 that communicates information about coupons with the payment device 102 is provided. In addition, the apparatus main body includes a coupon use determination unit 118 that determines use of the coupon and a sales side coupon information storage unit 119 that stores information related to the coupon as related to the coupon.

  On the other hand, the payment device 102 includes a display 131 for displaying various information on the front surface of the apparatus main body, an operation unit 132 for a user to perform an input operation, and a sound information input / output unit for inputting and outputting information related to sound 133 is arranged. In addition, the apparatus main body stores a user-side coupon information storage unit 135 that stores coupon information held by the user, and state information related to payment such as electronic money information and balance at the time of payment. A payment-related state storage unit 136 and a user-side payment-related information communication unit 137 that communicates information related to payments and coupons with the vending machine 101 by radio 103 are arranged. Here, the wireless 103 includes various known short-range wireless communications such as Bluetooth and Infrared Data Association.

  Both the vending machine 101 and the payment device 102 having such a configuration include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown). Then, by executing a control program stored in a storage medium such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) (not shown), the main part in each device is functionally realized.

  FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the vending machine. This will be described with reference to FIG. A product selection window 141 is arranged in the upper part of the front surface of the vending machine 101. Here, a product information display unit 111 on which various actual products 142 are displayed (including sample displays), and each product. A selection button 143 corresponding to 142 is arranged. The selection button 143 is turned on by a light emitting diode (not shown) when pressed by the user, and has both functions of the product selection unit 112 and the product selection state display unit 113 in FIG. Of course, the product information display unit 111, the product selection unit 112, and the product selection state display unit 113 can naturally take various specific forms by the vending machine 101. For example, the entire product selection window 141 is a touch panel and can be selected by directly pressing information on a graphic representing the product 142, and the color of the graphic information representing the product 142 can be changed depending on whether the product is selected. Embodiments such as changing are also possible.

  A horizontally long display 144 arranged immediately below the product selection window 141 constitutes a payment related information display unit 114. The display 144 displays the coupon name and the payment amount. Direction instruction buttons 145 and 146 are arranged on the left and right sides of the display 144. The direction instruction buttons 145 and 146 constitute a settlement related selection unit 115, and are used to select a coupon displayed on the display 144 when there are a plurality of coupons.

  A wireless communication position indicating plate 147 marked with a wireless antenna mark is attached below the display 144, and a sales-side settlement related information communication unit 117 is disposed inside the corresponding device. The user communicates by holding the payment device 102 in the vicinity of the wireless communication position indicating plate 147. A product discharge port 148 is provided in the lower part of the front surface of the vending machine 101, and the user takes out the purchased product from here.

  FIG. 3 shows the outline of the processing of the vending machine according to the first embodiment. This will be described with reference to FIGS. The vending machine 101 waits for one of the selection buttons 143 of the product selection unit 112 to be pressed (step S201) or whether the sales-side settlement related information communication unit 117 detects the wireless of the payment device 102 (step S202). ing. If any of the selection buttons 143 is pressed (step S201: Y), a back-holding process is executed (step S203). And it returns to the standby state of step S201 and step S202 again (return). Here, “back-holding process” refers to a process of holding the payment device 102 in the vicinity of the wireless communication position indicating plate 147 after the selection button 143 is pressed.

  On the other hand, when the vending machine 101 detects the payment device 102 (step S202: Y), a front-end process is executed (step S204). And it will return to the standby state of step S201 and step S202 again (return). Here, the “front-end process” refers to a process that is executed by holding the payment device 102 in the vicinity of the wireless communication position indicating board 147 without waiting for selection of a product.

  FIG. 4 specifically shows the back-holding process shown as step S203. This will be described with reference to FIGS. In the back-holding process, since one of the selection buttons 143 is pressed in step S201 in FIG. 3, the above-described light emitting diode corresponding to the selection button 143 is caused to emit light, and which of the products 142 is selected by the user. The display of Taka is started (step S221). Then, it waits for the payment device 102 to be detected in this state (step S222).

  Assume that the user holds the payment device 102 in the vicinity of the wireless communication position indicating plate 147 in this standby state. Then, the radio wave transmitted from the payment device 102 is detected (step S222: Y), the sales side payment related information communication unit 117 and the user side payment related information communication unit 137 start communication, and the vending machine 101 The side reads the coupon information of the user stored in the user side coupon information storage unit 135 (step S223). The vending machine 101 compares all the coupon information of the read user with the product selected by the user with the selection button 143, and determines whether or not the product is a coupon for discount ( Step S224).

  If the product selected by the user is the target of the coupon as a result of this determination (Y), a settlement process using a coupon that collects the amount discounted by the coupon from the payment device 102 is executed (step S225). . Thereafter, the lighting display of the product 142 started in step S221 is ended, and the series of processes is ended (END).

  If payment is to be made with prepaid electronic money that is not assumed in the present embodiment, in the payment processing in this case, an operation for reducing the payment amount is performed from the user's payment device. In the case of payment processing using post-pay type electronic money or a credit card, the identification code of the user represented by the card number and the payment amount are stored on the vending machine 101 side, and at some timing, the payment center Sending that information to.

  By the way, if it is determined in step S224 that the product selected by the user is not eligible for the coupon (N), is there a product targeted for the coupon among the products handled by the vending machine 101? Whether or not is checked (step S227). For example, the vending machine 101 handles “product A” to “product D”, and the user selects “product C”, but this is not eligible for the discount by the coupon. “Product A”, “Product B”, and “Product D” of FIG. In this case, products other than the selected item are subject to coupons (Y). In this case, the display is changed from the product lighting display started in step S221 to the product selection state blinking process for the product targeted for the coupon (step S228).

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the sales side coupon information stored in the sales side coupon information storage unit of the vending machine in the present embodiment. In the sale side coupon information storage unit 119, a coupon ID (identifier) and a discount amount are registered with respect to a product to be discounted with a coupon among products handled by the vending machine 101. For example, for product A, a discount of 20 yen is applied when a coupon is applied. However, it is on condition that the payment device 102 on the user side stores the corresponding coupon ID.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of user-side coupon information stored in the user-side coupon information storage unit. The user-side coupon information storage unit 135 stores a coupon ID to which the coupon is applied. In this example, coupon IDs “001” and “003” are stored in the payment device 102 possessed by the user. Therefore, when the user's payment device 102 is applied to the vending machine 101 having the sales-side coupon information shown in FIG. 5, the following discount processing is performed.

  (A) When coupon ID “001” is applied, a discount of 20 yen is performed on the product A, and a discount of 30 yen is performed on the product B. (B) When coupon ID “003” is applied, a discount of 20 yen is performed on the product D, and a discount of 20 yen is also performed on the product B. (C) No discount is given for the product C to which the coupon ID “002” is not applied.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued. If the user has selected “product C” in the present embodiment, the coupon is not discounted. Therefore, the vending machine 101 selects the “product A”, “product B”, and “product D” selection buttons 143 (FIG. 2) to be coupons as described above, in consideration of increasing the coupon usage opportunity of the user. Is changed to the blinking process (step S228). At this time, on the display 144, for example, a display such as “A blinking product is a target of a coupon. Please select a product again.” Is displayed. Therefore, the user is given an opportunity to select the product again at this point.

  When the user selects the product again by appropriately operating the selection button 143 of the product selection unit 112 in this state (step S229: Y), the display is again changed to the lighting display of only the designated product (step S230). . At this stage, the vending machine 101 determines whether or not the product selected for the second time by the user is a coupon to be discounted (step S231). The user selects “product C” if he / she wants it, and selects “product A”, “product B” and “product D” if priority is given to a discount. Become.

  When the user selects “product C”, the coupon is excluded (step S231: N). Therefore, in this case, a settlement process in which the discount process using the coupon is not executed is performed (step S232).

  On the other hand, when the user initially selects “product C” but switches the selection to “product A”, for example, in the blinking process in step S228, the product is subject to coupon use (step S231: Y). Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to step S225, and a settlement process using a coupon for collecting the amount discounted by the coupon from the payment device 102 is executed.

  When the user switches the selection to “product B” in the present embodiment, a discount of 30 yen is applied when coupon ID “001” is applied, and a discount of 20 yen is applied when “003” is applied. As described above, there are cases where a plurality of coupon IDs are registered in the payment device 102, and they have different discount amounts for the same product designated by the user. In such a case, the coupon with the larger discount amount is automatically selected. Of course, one of the two coupons may be selected at random.

  In addition, if the coupon has an expiration date and one of the expiration dates is within the preset number of days, the one with the closest expiration date regardless of the discount amount of the other coupon The coupon may be used preferentially. In addition, the payment device 102 learns by taking a questionnaire on the payment device 102 side in advance or taking a history of how the user uses multiple coupons in advance, and there is contention for the use of multiple coupons. When it occurs, the payment device 102 may instruct the vending machine 101 to select a product from the learning result. For example, a coupon with a large discount amount is always selected if the user has a strong tendency to give priority to the discount amount of the product, and a coupon with a short expiration date is always selected if the tendency to give priority to the remaining expiration date of the coupon is strong.

  Next, regarding the product selection state blinking process in step S228, the blinking cycle is changed according to the discount amount, the display color is changed, or the actual amount of the discount amount and the amount are displayed on the display 144. It may be. You may make it display the mark which displays a discount amount simply.

  Moreover, although it was set as the process which simply waits for a user to select goods again in step S229, it is not restricted to this. For example, if the user does not select the product again after a certain period of time has passed, the process may proceed to step S232 on the assumption that the product for which the first selected coupon is not applied is finally selected. Furthermore, a button for invalidating the product designation itself may be provided in the vending machine 101 so that the user can cancel the product designation itself at this point.

  In step S221 of the back cover process shown in FIG. 4, the selection button 143 corresponding to the product selected immediately before by the user emits light. At this point, the selection button 143 of another product is pushed. For example, it is free to perform control so that the display is switched to the boosted product. In addition, the designated content of the product can be canceled by pressing a cancel button (not shown) or canceling the designated content of the product, or not disposing the payment device 102 in the vicinity of the wireless communication position indicating board 147 for a predetermined time or more. It is also free.

  In the back-holding process shown in FIG. 4, the description has been made on the assumption that all the stocks of “product A” to “product D” displayed in the product selection window 141 shown in FIG. The same control as before can be performed for the lost product. For example, when the corresponding product is turned off, or when the product is electronically displayed on the display, the corresponding product itself may not be displayed. In addition, when the user presses a selection button 143 for a product that is not in stock, this may be invalidated or an error sound may be generated to prompt the user to select another product. In addition, the product for which the blinking process is performed in step S228 is controlled to exclude those that are out of stock.

  By the way, when the back-holding process described in FIG. 4 is performed, even if the user initially selects a product that cannot be used from a plurality of products, the coupon can be used before settlement of the purchase of the product. By showing the correct product, there is a possibility of switching to this and purchasing. For example, consider a case where a representative purchases drinks of members of a group together. In such a case, there is little demand for purchasing a specific product, and several kinds of drinks such as tea and juice may be prepared. The user gains profits by reselecting the product to which the coupon is applied, but there is no inconvenience. In addition, for a manufacturer, by applying a coupon to a product targeted for a campaign, it is possible to increase sales without performing any special promotion or advertisement. In particular, when products from a plurality of manufacturers are accommodated in one vending machine 101, the increase or decrease in sales among manufacturers is affected. In this way, the vending machine 101 with a back-and-forth processing function that prompts the user to reconsider the purchased product is attractive to the manufacturer, and the installer has an economic preferential treatment commensurate with the sales increase from the corresponding manufacturer. The sales system that receives this is feasible as a business.

  FIG. 7 specifically shows the forward holding process shown as step S204 in FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG.

  Immediately before the advance-holding process, the sales side settlement related information communication unit 117 detects the radio output from the payment device 102 in step S202 of FIG. In view of this, in the first step S251 of the pre-loading process, the vending machine 101 side reads the user side coupon information from the user side coupon information storage unit 135 in the payment device 102. Then, it is determined what are all the products that can be discounted by the vending machine 101 for all the read coupons (step S252). In the example shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, “product A”, “product B”, and “product D” excluding “product C” corresponding only to the coupon ID “002” use coupons. A display indicating that purchase is possible is performed (step S253). Such display may be realized by blinking the selection button 143 corresponding to each product 142, or the name of the product may be displayed on the display 144.

  In this state, the user may select a product to be purchased, or check the state of the coupon stored in the payment device 102 possessed by the user (step S254, step S255). When the user presses one of the selection buttons 143 of the product selection unit 112 (step S254: Y), the display of the specific product selected from the display of “product A”, “product B”, and “product D” is turned on. It is changed (step S256). Then, settlement processing for the selected product is performed (step S257). At this time, if the user has selected a product to be discounted, the discount is applied at the time of settlement. As an example, if the user designates “product A”, the coupon ID “001” shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is applied and a discount of 20 yen is performed. When a product that is not eligible for discount is selected, settlement is performed without performing discount processing. When there are a plurality of discount amounts in relation to the coupon ID shown in FIG. 6, various processes similar to those described in the back-holding process in FIG. 4 are possible.

  When the settlement for the product is finished, the lighting display for the purchased product is finished (step S258). As a result, a series of forward holding processes ends (end).

  On the other hand, when the user confirms the state of the coupon stored in the payment device 102 possessed by the user, the direction indication buttons 145 and 146 constituting the settlement related selection unit 115 are appropriately used to display on the display 144. The payment related information is specified in relation to the contents to be processed. Here, the correspondence of the vending machine 101 is displayed by selecting the coupon ID registered in the payment device 102 possessed by the user (step S255: Y). For example, when the user gives an instruction to display the information content in a state where the coupon ID “001” is displayed on the display 144, the content of the product that is the target of the coupon ID is determined (step S259). The selection buttons 143 of “product A” and “product B” of the product are lit up and displayed as the product selection state display unit 113 (step S260).

  In this case, the user can select a desired product (step S261: Y), and proceed to step S257 to perform a settlement process according to whether or not a discount can be applied. In addition, without proceeding to such product purchase processing suddenly (step S261: N), the direction instruction buttons 145 and 146 constituting the settlement related selection unit 115 are appropriately used again, so that other coupon IDs are applicable. It is also possible to display products. In the latter case, when the display of information related to “002” of another coupon ID is designated (step S262: Y), the product selection state display is temporarily ended (step S263), and the process proceeds to step S259. The determination is made for the coupon ID “002”. The same applies hereinafter.

  In this way, in the front-end processing of the present embodiment, by presenting the payment device 102 to the vending machine 101 first, the user can first display and select a product that can be used for the coupon, Useless selection work can be avoided. In addition, even after the list of products that can be used for coupons is displayed, it is easy to check with each vending machine 101 whether you have a plurality of coupons and which products are associated with each coupon. can do. Furthermore, it is possible to continue the purchase process for the product found by this confirmation operation.

  FIG. 8 shows a change in the display state of the vending machine in the above-described front-end process. FIG. 7A shows the display state in step S253 of FIG. 7, and each of the “product A”, “product B”, and “product D” selection buttons to which coupons can be applied by the payment device 102 of the user. 143 is flickering. The display 144 displays that the discount at the time of settlement is possible using the coupon. Therefore, the user preferentially selects a product to be purchased from among “product A”, “product B”, and “product D”. Of course, it is also possible to select “product C” after understanding that no discount is given.

  FIG. 5B shows a state where the user has displayed the coupon ID “001” in step S260. FIG. 6C shows a state in which the user similarly displays the coupon ID “003” in step S260. The user can use the direction indication buttons 145 and 146 as appropriate from the state shown in FIG. 11A to shift to the display state shown in FIG. It is also possible to return to the state shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 5B, since the coupon ID “001” is selected by the direction instruction buttons 145 and 146, the “product A” and “product B” selection buttons 143 are selected from the contents of the sales side coupon information storage unit 119 in FIG. Is flickering. In FIG. 6C, since the coupon ID “003” is selected by the direction instruction buttons 145 and 146, the “product B” and “product D” selection buttons 143 blink from the contents of the sales side coupon information storage unit 119. doing. If the user selects the coupon ID “002”, the payment device 102 has no registration as is apparent from the user-side coupon information storage unit 135 shown in FIG. Therefore, any of the selection buttons 143 of “product A” to “product D” does not blink, and it is understood that there is no product to be applied.

  According to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, when a user selects a product that is not eligible for a coupon even though he / she has a coupon, the vending machine warns the user of the coupon. You can reselect the product. Further, even if there are various coupons of the payment device 102 possessed by the user, it is possible to easily know a product that can be discounted in relation to the vending machine 101 of the user.

  When the user holds a plurality of coupons in his / her payment device, an appropriate one can be selected from the plurality of coupons.

  <First Modification of First Embodiment>

  Incidentally, the back-holding process in the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 4 is minimal when the user selects a product other than the coupon target product using the payment device 102 possessed by the vending machine 101. It has the advantage that the coupon target product can be reselected with no effort. However, for a user who has limited to one type of product to be purchased from the beginning, the same product is further selected (step S229) because the product is other than the coupon target product. There is a problem that it is necessary. That is, for a person who selects one type of product, if the product is other than the coupon target product, two selection processes are required, and the time until settlement is increased.

  FIG. 9 shows the content of the back-holding process as a first modification of the first embodiment of the present invention. This process solves the above-described problem in the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, the same reference numerals are given to the same processing portions as those in FIGS. 3 and 4. This will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When one of the selection buttons 143 of the product selection unit 112 of the vending machine 101 is pressed by the user (step S201: Y), the corresponding light emitting diode emits light, and which of the products 142 is the user. The display of whether or not it has been selected is started (step S221). Then, it waits for the payment device 102 to be detected in this state (step S222).

  In this standby state, when the user holds the payment device 102 in the vicinity of the wireless communication position indicating plate 147, radio waves are detected (step S222: Y), and the sales-side payment related information communication unit 117 and the user-side payment related information are detected. The communication unit 137 starts communication, and the vending machine 101 side reads the user coupon information stored in the user-side coupon information storage unit 135 (step S223). The vending machine 101 compares the read coupon information of the user with the product selected by the user with the selection button 143, and determines whether the product is to be discounted with a coupon (step S301). ). This is a process for use in settlement and to inform the user later. The determination result is temporarily stored in a RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown) of the vending machine 101.

  Thereafter, the vending machine 101 checks whether or not the product that is the object of the coupon is currently handled (step S302). If the coupon information read in step S223 is applicable to the product handled by the vending machine 101 (Y), data related to the product is temporarily stored (step S303). Then, regardless of whether the product selected by the user is a coupon or a discount target, a settlement process is performed for the product (step S304). At this time, if the product selected by the user is a discount target with a coupon, the amount is discounted. When the settlement is completed, all the selection buttons 143 corresponding to the products for which the coupon is discounted are blinked for a predetermined time in order to notify the user of the products to which the coupon is applied (step S305). At the same time, it may be displayed on the display 144 that these products are to be discounted with coupons. Thus, the user can purchase each product in consideration of the use of the coupon when using the vending machine 101 from the next time onward.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S302 that all the products handled by the vending machine 101 are products that are not discounted with coupons (N), settlement processing without coupon discount is performed (step S306). ). In this case, since the target product does not exist, the information is not provided to the user in step S305, and the back-holding process ends (END).

  In the first modification of the first embodiment described above, when the user does not want the coupon target product or wants to obtain the product quickly, the settlement is performed with the same minimum procedure as in the case without the present invention. Can be done. Moreover, since information indicating which coupon target product is after the product purchase is shown, this information can be used in the subsequent purchase of the product. In other words, when purchasing a plurality of products in succession using the same vending machine 101, the coupon is used by selecting the product subjected to the blinking process in step S305 from the next time. You can make use of the score.

  In the first modification of the first embodiment, when the user purchases only one product, the coupon use target product that has been subjected to the blinking process in step S305 is going to be purchased later. However, this may not be stored. In such a case, the back-and-forth process may be limited to a predetermined case. This will be described below as a second modification.

  <Second Modification of First Embodiment>

  FIG. 10 shows the state of the back-holding process in the second modification of the first embodiment. 10, the same parts as those in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Moreover, since the process of step S221-step S223 and step S301 is the same as FIG. 9, illustration is also abbreviate | omitted. It is assumed that the user selects a product for the vending machine 101 used for the first time in this second modification (step S201: Y) and holds the payment device 102 over it. As a result, it is assumed that the vending machine 101 has a product that can use the coupon (step S302: Y), but the current product designation does not use the coupon (step S351: N).

  In this case, the vending machine 101 determines whether or not the ID of the current payment device 102 matches that registered in the past (step S352). In this example, the vending machine 101 has not yet registered the ID of the user's payment device 102. Therefore, the ID of the payment device 102 does not match (N). In the case of this example, the processing after step S303 in FIG. 9 is advanced, and the ID of the current payment device 102 is registered when the settlement in step S204 is completed (step S353). Then, in order to notify the user of the product to which the coupon is applied, all of the selection buttons 143 corresponding to the product for which the coupon is discounted are blinked for a predetermined time (step S305). As described above, the processing on the vending machine 101 side includes three steps from step S351 to step S353, but the processing on the user side is the same as the first modification example of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The operation is the same until the user obtains the product, and the time required to obtain the product is substantially the same.

  Next, the case where this user uses this vending machine 101 again is demonstrated. First, it is assumed that a product for which a coupon can be used is remembered or that the product is selected by chance (step S201: Y). In this case, it is determined that the coupon is used at the stage of proceeding to step S351 (Y). Therefore, in this case, the process proceeds to step S306 to perform settlement processing. In this settlement processing, coupons are used to discount merchandise.

  This time, it is assumed that the user has forgotten the product for which the coupon can be used and has selected the product for which the coupon cannot be used (step S351: N). In this case, the vending machine 101 searches whether the ID of the user's payment device 102 is registered by matching the ID (step S352). In this example, since the ID of the payment device 102 is registered, they match (Y). In this case, the vending machine 101 displays a confirmation message as to whether or not to reselect the product to the user (step S354). At this time, it is also effective to blink all the selection buttons 143 corresponding to the products to be discounted with the coupon as performed in step S305. When the user instructs reselection of the product (step S355: Y), an instruction to select the product is displayed again (step S356), and the process ends (END).

  When the user specifies a product that can use the coupon based on this and restarts the process from step S202, the settlement using the coupon is performed as described above (step S351: Y, step S306), the process ends (end).

  On the other hand, when the user's intention to purchase the currently designated product is indicated on the display of reselection of the product in step S354 (step S357: Y), the vending machine 101 pays the user. The registration of the ID of the device 102 is deleted (step S358). And it progresses to the payment of step S306, the payment which does not use a coupon is performed, and a process is complete | finished (end). The reason for deleting the registration of the ID of the payment device 102 of the user in this latter case is that the user is not interested in using the coupon. As a result, when the user uses the same vending machine 101 next time, there is no display recommending reselection (step S354), and the user is not required to perform complicated additional operations. .

  However, also in this example, when a user repeatedly purchases a product that does not use a coupon, a display recommending reselection in step S354 is performed every other time. If there is a possibility that some users dislike this, the ID of the payment device 102 is erased and the re-registration is prohibited in step S358. Of course, user options such as “no need for reselection” may be provided for the reselection display in step S354.

  Thus, according to the 2nd modification of 1st Embodiment, if a user remembers the goods which can use a coupon, not only the first time but the goods can be selected quickly after the second time. it can. In addition, the operation burden on the user can be minimized. Furthermore, when the product for which the coupon can be used is forgotten, the selection of the product for which the coupon can be used for the second and subsequent times is made possible, leading to an increase in the sales of the product targeted for the coupon.

<Second Embodiment of the Invention>

  As described above, in the first embodiment of the present invention, when the payment device 102 such as a mobile phone holds a coupon, the vending machine has a product corresponding to the coupon. It dealt with the technical idea of discounting the price. The coupon of the first embodiment is a “discount coupon” in this sense.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, an electronic sales promotion system using a coupon that should be called a “campaign coupon” is handled. This is a coupon distributed from a vending machine to a user's payment device when a specific product sold by a vending machine or a product of a specific company is purchased. The distributed coupon can be used for a lottery to win some prize or can be used as a coupon handled in the first embodiment. There is not necessarily a direct relationship with discounts when purchasing products from vending machines.

  Of the products sold by vending machines, there are many products for which campaign coupons are distributed. For this reason, there is a case where the product purchased by the user is outside the distribution target of the campaign coupon and there is a possibility that the campaign coupon can be obtained if another product is purchased.

  FIG. 11 shows a functional configuration of an electronic sales promotion system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The electronic sales promotion system 100A includes a vending machine 101A that sells products and a payment device 102A such as a mobile phone that the user has. In FIG. 11, the same components as those in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  In the vending machine 101A, a product information display unit 111 including a display for displaying information of products to be sold is arranged on the front surface of the apparatus main body. In addition, on the front surface of the apparatus main body, a selection state such as a product selection unit 112 which is an input device for the user to select what is displayed among the displayed products, and whether the user has selected each product A product selection state display unit 113 for displaying is displayed.

  In addition, the apparatus main body of the vending machine 101A includes a payment execution unit 116A that communicates with the payment device 102A and executes payment after determining the product and price to be purchased by the user, A sales-side settlement related information communication unit 117 that communicates information about coupons with the payment device 102A is provided. Inside the apparatus main body, a coupon distribution determination unit 401 that determines the distribution status and a sales side coupon information storage unit 119A that stores information related to the coupon are provided.

  On the other hand, a payment device 102A represented by a non-contact IC card-equipped mobile phone has a display 131 for displaying various information on the front surface of the apparatus main body, an operation unit 132 on which a user performs an input operation, and information on sound A sound information input / output unit 133 is provided for inputting / outputting. In addition, the apparatus main body stores a user-side coupon information storage unit 135A for storing coupon information held by the user, and state information related to payment such as electronic money information and balance at the time of payment. A payment-related state storage unit 136A and a user-side payment-related information communication unit 137 that communicates information related to payments and coupons with the vending machine 101 via the radio 103 are arranged.

  Both the vending machine 101A and the payment device 102A having such a configuration include a CPU (not shown). Then, by executing a control program stored in a storage medium such as a ROM (not shown), the main part in each device is functionally realized.

  FIG. 12 shows the appearance of the vending machine according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 12, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  A product selection window 141A is arranged in the upper part of the front surface of the vending machine 101A. Here, a product information display unit 111 on which various actual products 142 are displayed (including sample displays), and these products are displayed. One touch panel type display 421 arranged horizontally is provided below 142. On the display 421, a figure of a push button 422 is normally displayed at a position corresponding to each product 142, and a product to be purchased is selected by pressing (touching) the button. When the user holds the payment device 102A in the vicinity of the wireless communication position indicating board 147, the mark of the push button 422 corresponding to the merchandise to which the campaign coupon is distributed blinks, and at the same time, the margin of the display on the display 421 relates to the campaign coupon. Explanation words are displayed.

  FIG. 13 shows the flow of processing of the vending machine according to the second embodiment. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. The vending machine 101 waits for any of the push buttons 422 of the product selection unit 112 to be pressed (step S501). When the user presses the push button 422 of the desired product 142 (Y), the button starts blinking and displays which of the products 142 has been selected (step S502). Instead of blinking, the color of the push button 422 may be changed.

  Although FIG. 13 shows a simplified procedure, the selection of the product 142 may be performed many times for correction. When the user sequentially pushes the push button 422 a plurality of times, the product 142 corresponding to the last push button 422 is finally selected.

  The vending machine 101A waits for the payment device 102A to be detected (step S503), and when the user holds the payment device 102A near the wireless communication position indicating plate 147 in this state, the transmitted radio wave is received. Is detected (step S503: Y). With this as an opportunity, the vending machine 101A reads the coupon information stored in the sales-side coupon information storage unit 119A of its own device, and whether the product 142 selected by the user with the push button 422 is a campaign coupon distribution target. It is determined whether or not (step S504).

  FIG. 14 shows an example of sales side coupon information stored in the sales side coupon information storage unit. In the sales side coupon information storage unit 119A, a coupon ID is registered for a product to be distributed as a campaign coupon among products handled by the vending machine 101A. In this example, a privilege of “005” with a coupon ID is given to two types of “product A” and “product B”, and a privilege of “006” with a coupon ID is given to “product C”.

  Returning to FIG. In the vending machine 101A, if the product selected for purchase by the user is any one of “product A”, “product B”, and “product C”, it is determined that the campaign coupon is to be distributed ( Y). In this case, the vending machine 101A additionally displays a sentence such as “Coupon is distributed for each campaign product” on the display 421 (step S505), and performs a settlement process for the product 142 selected for purchase (step S505). S506). That is, the settlement execution unit 116A communicates with the settlement related state storage unit 136A, acquires the necessary amount from the payment device 102A, and completes the settlement. In addition, the vending machine 101A distributes coupons to the user-side coupon information storage unit 135A at the same time. Then, the vending machine 101A discharges the product 142 to the product discharge port 148, and then returns the display 421 to the normal display of the push button 422 (step S507). Of course, the display 421 may additionally display a message such as “Coupons are distributed during the campaign”.

  On the other hand, it is assumed that the product 142 selected by the user in step S504 is “product D” and has not been distributed as a campaign coupon. In this case (N), if the payment is made as it is, the coupon is not distributed. Therefore, the product for which the campaign coupon is to be distributed is highlighted on the display 421 to give the user an opportunity to reconsider the selection of the product 142 (step S508). For example, characters “in campaign” are displayed on the display 421 at locations corresponding to “product A”, “product B”, and “product C”, respectively, and blinked.

  In this state, the vending machine 101A checks whether or not the push button 422 of the product selection unit 112 is newly pressed within a predetermined time (steps S509 and S510). If the push button 422 is newly pressed before the predetermined time has passed (step S509: Y), the display state of the display 421 indicating that the product 142 is finally selected is changed ( Step S511), the process proceeds to a settlement process (Step S506).

  On the other hand, if the user does not select a new product 142 even after a predetermined time has elapsed (step S509: N, step S510: Y), the highlighting performed in step S508 is terminated ( In step S512), the process proceeds to a settlement process (step S506). In any case, when the settlement is completed, the display 421 is returned to the normal display of the push button 422 (step S507).

  In the second embodiment described above, the vending machine 101A waits for reselection of the product 142 by the user for a predetermined time in step S510. However, the reselection waits without setting a time limit. It may be. In this case, when the user finally selects the product 142 that is not the distribution target of the campaign coupon, the user selects the product 142 again.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, when a user selects a non-target product without knowing that there is a product to which a coupon is distributed, the user selects the product to be distributed a coupon. You can fix it. Therefore, not only the convenience of the user can be achieved, but also the vending machine installer can promote the sale of the product for which the coupon is distributed.

  <Modification of Second Embodiment>

  FIG. 15 shows the processing flow of the vending machine in the modification of the second embodiment, and corresponds to the first modification of the first embodiment. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In FIG. 15, the same steps as those in FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

  In the modified example of the second embodiment, when the payment device 102A is detected in step S503 (Y), it is determined whether or not the product that is the target of the coupon is handled when the user makes the next purchase. A check is made (step S531). When the vending machine 101A handles such campaign coupon distribution target products (Y), data relating to these products is temporarily stored (step S532). Then, regardless of whether or not the product selected by the user is the target of the coupon, a settlement process is performed for the product (step S533). At this time, if the product selected by the user is to be distributed as a campaign coupon, a process of distributing the coupon to the user-side coupon information storage unit 135A is performed.

  When the settlement is completed, all the push buttons 422 corresponding to the products for which the campaign coupon is distributed are blinked for a predetermined time in order to notify the user of the products to which the coupon is applied (step S534). At the same time, it may be displayed in the margin of the display 421 that these products are to be discounted with coupons. Thus, the user can purchase each product in consideration of coupon distribution when using the vending machine 101A next time.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S531 that all products handled by the vending machine 101A are products that are not targeted for distribution of campaign coupons (N), normal settlement processing is performed (step S535). In this case, since there is no target product, the vending machine 101A ends the series of processes without performing the process of distributing the coupon to the user-side coupon information storage unit 135A (end).

  As described above, in the modification of the second embodiment, when the user does not particularly want to distribute the campaign coupon or wants to obtain the product quickly, the settlement is performed by the same minimum procedure as that in the case where the present invention is not applied. Can be done. In addition, since information about a product for which a campaign coupon is distributed after the purchase of the product is shown, this information can be used in the subsequent purchase of the product.

  The technical idea of the second modification of the first embodiment can be similarly applied to the second embodiment of the present invention. That is, when the user selects a product that is not the distribution target of the campaign coupon, when using the first vending machine 101A, the selection of the product is completed without recommending reselection of the product, and the second and subsequent times. In this case, when a product that is not the distribution target of the campaign coupon is selected again, an opportunity for reselecting the product can be given. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

<Third Embodiment of the Invention>

  FIG. 16 shows a functional configuration of an electronic sales promotion system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The electronic sales promotion system 100B includes a vending machine 101B that sells products and a payment device 102 such as a mobile phone equipped with a contactless IC card that the user has.

  Among them, the vending machine 101B has a product information display unit 111 including a display for displaying information on products to be sold, disposed on the front surface of the apparatus main body. In addition, on the front surface of the apparatus main body, a selection state such as a product selection unit 112 which is an input device for the user to select what is displayed among the displayed products, and whether the user has selected each product A product selection state display unit 113 for displaying the payment and a payment related information display unit 114 for displaying payment related information such as the price of the product are arranged.

  In addition, inside the device main body of the vending machine 101B, a storage unit for each product 601 that stores a storage state for each product when the product is replenished, and a staying state in the vending machine 101B for each product are calculated. In addition to the product retention calculation unit 602 and the residence discount table storage unit 603 that records a list of discount amounts for each product, the settlement execution unit 116 and the payment device 102 receive information regarding settlement as related to settlement. And a sales-side settlement related information communication unit 117 for communication. The configuration on the payment device 102 side may be the same as in the first embodiment.

  Both the vending machine 101B and the payment device 102 having such a configuration include a CPU (not shown). Then, by executing a control program stored in a storage medium such as a ROM (not shown), the main part in each device is functionally realized.

  FIG. 17 shows a state of processing for displaying a product when the vending machine is waiting for the user to use in the third embodiment of the present invention. This will be described with reference to FIG.

  When the predetermined display update timing arrives in the standby state where the user is not using the vending machine 101B (step S701: Y), the product staying calculation unit 602 displays the staying state of the product staying in the apparatus for a long time. Calculation is performed (step S702). Rather than simply calculating the number of products remaining in the vending machine 101B for each product, from the relationship between the date and time when the product storage storage unit 601 replenished the product, the number of replenishments, and the current remaining amount, The products that are not well sold and that remain unsold in the vending machine 101B are grasped.

  When the staying state in the vending machine 101B is calculated in this way, the product staying calculating unit 602 next reads out the staying discount table prepared in advance from the staying discount table storage unit 603 and corresponds to the staying state. It is determined whether or not the discount content is shown in this table (step S703). When the vending machine 101B is connected to a network such as the Internet or a public telephone network, the manufacturer of the product or the management company of the vending machine 101B updates the contents of the stay discount table as needed.

  For example, a product over-produced in a factory or a product about to be sold is set to a higher discount rate than other products in the same staying state. In addition, in the case of a popular product, even if a stagnation occurs, it may not be eligible for a discount. In order to temporarily increase the sales of the campaign product, the discount rate is adjusted by adding restrictions such as limiting the time through the network. When the vending machine 101B is not connected to the network, a staff member or sales representative who replenishes the product updates the stay discount table.

  As a result of determining the discount contents of each product in step S703, if there is a product to be discounted in the vending machine 101B (step S704: Y), the corresponding button on the corresponding product or the corresponding part of the touch panel is displayed. The discount amount is displayed by blinking (step S705). For example, the normal display is performed for the product A, but the blinking display is performed for the product B, and the display “20 yen discount” is displayed on the display portion in the vicinity thereof. As a result, if the product A and the product B are similar beverages, the user can select the product while considering the price difference.

  When there is no discount product (step S704: N), normal display is performed for the product (step S706).

  It should be noted that the availability of discount or the setting of the discount rate according to the stock status or stay status of the product can also be applied to the first embodiment. Here are some examples.

  (1) When the products to be discounted by the coupon are the products A and B, the retained products D are similarly discounted. Thereby, the user can widen the range of the goods purchased cheaply.

  (2) When the products to be discounted by the coupon are the products A and B, the staying product A is discounted by adding the discount rate for the stay to the discount rate by the coupon. Thereby, the price competitiveness of the product A with respect to the product B is enhanced.

  Note that not all of the excess inventory products are subject to discounting, but some of these products are subject to discounting at different times or each time the payment device 102 is held over the vending machine 101B, roulette. You may make it select the goods for discount as turning. In particular, in the latter case, there is an advantage that it is possible to manage the inventory of products by stimulating the user like a game.

  In the first to third embodiments described above, the non-contact IC card-equipped mobile phone has been described as the payment devices 102 and 102A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a non-contact IC card can also be used for sales promotion as the payment device 102, 102A. Of course, the present invention is not limited to the invention between non-contact IC cards or devices communicating wirelessly.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, the coupon information is stored on the payment device side. However, the coupon information may be stored in another information processing apparatus such as a server that communicates with the payment device via the network. Good. In this case, the payment device may hold the coupon information, but it may be held only by another information processing apparatus such as the server described above as a simple relay apparatus. In particular, in the latter case, the user may own a plurality of payment devices that face the vending machine, and even if any of these is used, coupon information can be centrally managed in one place corresponding to the individual user. . Therefore, the privilege by a coupon can be utilized more reliably than the case where several types of coupon information belonging to one individual are distributed and managed.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the electronic vending machine or the payment device executes a control program using a control means such as a CPU provided in the vending machine or the payment device, and is closed between the two. However, it is natural that it is not necessary to control all of the vending machines and the payment devices with these devices themselves. That is, a vending machine or a payment device may be connected to a specific information processing apparatus via a network, and the specific information processing apparatus may execute at least a part of the control program. This not only simplifies the configuration of the vending machine and the payment device, but also enables management for comprehensive sales promotion when the user uses a plurality of vending machines.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the case of discounting the product in relation to the stay of the coupon or the product has been described. However, the specific product targeted for purchase other than the discount can be made free or other than this specific product. Things or specific services may be free or discounted from the regular price. As an example, when a coupon target product is purchased from a vending machine, a cup is attached or a right to download wallpaper used on a computer is generated.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the type of product is not particularly mentioned, but it is natural that the present invention can be applied to any product that can be handled by a vending machine.

It is a system configuration figure showing functional composition of an electronic sales promotion system by a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view showing the appearance of a vending machine in a 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart showing the outline | summary of the process of the vending machine by 1st Embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed the back-holding process shown as step S203 of FIG. 3 concretely. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the sales side coupon information stored in the sales side coupon information storage part in 1st Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the user side coupon information stored in the user side coupon information storage part in 1st Embodiment. It is the flowchart which showed concretely the tipping process shown as step S204 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing showing the mode of the change of the display state of the vending machine by the front-end | tip holding process of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart showing the content of the back-holding process as a 1st modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing the content of the back-holding process as a 2nd modification of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a system block diagram showing the functional structure of the electronic sales promotion system by the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view showing the external appearance of the vending machine in 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process of the vending machine by 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the sales side coupon information stored in the sales side coupon information storage part in 2nd Embodiment. It is the flowchart showing the content of the processing of the vending machine as a modification of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a system block diagram showing the functional structure of the electronic sales promotion system by the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart showing the mode of the process for the display of goods when a vending machine waits for utilization in 3rd Embodiment.

100, 100A, 100B Electronic sales promotion system 101, 101A, 101B Vending machine 102, 102A Payment device 112 Product selection unit 113 Product selection state display unit 116 Settlement execution unit 117 Sales side payment related information communication unit 118 Coupon use determination unit 119 Sales-side coupon information storage unit 135, 135A User-side coupon information storage unit 136, 136A Payment-related state storage unit 137 User-side payment-related information communication unit 142 Product 143 Selection button 144, 421 Display 145, 146 Direction instruction button 147 Wireless communication position indicating plate 422 Push button 601 Product storage storage unit 602 Product retention calculation unit 603 Residence discount table storage unit

Claims (8)

A receiving unit that receives a coupon identifier from a device that stores a coupon identifier corresponding to a coupon applied for the product;
A product selection accepting unit that accepts a selection from a plurality of products;
A presentation unit for presenting products,
The receiving unit receives the coupon identifier from the device after receiving selection of the product,
The presenting unit corresponds to the received coupon identifier when the application of the coupon corresponding to the received coupon identifier is not in the selected product and in the product not selected in the plurality of products. A vending machine presenting that the application of the coupon is in the unselected item.   The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the product selection receiving unit receives the selection of the product again after the presentation by the presentation unit. The privilege when the coupon is applied is a discount on the price of the product,
The vending machine associates and stores a coupon identifier and a discount amount by applying a coupon corresponding to the coupon identifier;
A payment unit that performs payment related to the purchase of the product,
When the receiving unit receives a plurality of coupon identifiers corresponding to coupons that are applied to one product, the settlement unit selects a coupon with a larger discount amount associated with the coupon identifiers corresponding to the plurality of coupons. Apply and make a payment,
The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2. The vending machine associates and stores a coupon identifier and an expiration date related to the application of the coupon corresponding to the coupon identifier;
A payment unit that performs payment related to the purchase of the product,
When the receiving unit receives a plurality of coupon identifiers corresponding to coupons that are applied to one product, the settlement unit selects a coupon with a shorter expiration date associated with the coupon identifier corresponding to the plurality of coupons. Apply and make a payment,
The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2. The privilege when the coupon is applied is a discount on the price of the product,
The vending machine stores a coupon identifier, a discount amount due to application of a coupon corresponding to the coupon identifier, and a coupon information storage unit that associates and stores an expiration date related to application of the coupon corresponding to the coupon identifier,
A payment unit for making payments related to the purchase of goods;
When the receiving unit receives a plurality of coupon identifiers corresponding to coupons that are applied to one product, it applies using either the expiration date or the discount amount associated with the coupon identifier corresponding to the plurality of coupons. A learning result acquisition unit that acquires a result of learning whether to determine a coupon based on a past selection;
The settlement unit determines a coupon to be applied using a result acquired from the learning result acquisition unit, and performs settlement by applying the determined coupon.
The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2. A receiving unit that receives information related to the payment and the coupon identifier from a device that stores information related to the payment and a coupon identifier corresponding to a coupon applied to the product;
A product selection accepting unit that accepts a selection from a plurality of products;
A presentation unit for presenting products;
A payment unit that performs payments related to the purchase of products,
The receiving unit receives the information related to the settlement and the coupon identifier from the device after receiving the selection of the product,
The payment unit performs payment related to purchase of a product using the received information related to payment,
The presenting unit presents a product to which a coupon corresponding to the received coupon identifier is applied after the settlement unit performs settlement.   The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the device is owned by a product purchaser.   8. The device for transmitting a coupon identifier to any vending machine according to claims 1-7.

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