JP5979400B2 - Customer visit promotion device - Google Patents

Description

  The invention of this application relates to a technique for promoting customer visits to facilities such as various stores.

  In order to increase sales in commercial facilities such as various product sales and services, it is first necessary to have customers visit the store. For this reason, in these commercial facilities, various promotions (visit promotion) such as tissue distribution, distribution of coupons, granting of visiting points and point reduction at the next visit are performed.

JP2013-137660A

  The various promotions mentioned above have achieved certain results, but they are too active and they cannot be denied. In addition, many promotions are costly and can be problematic from a cost-effective perspective. For example, tissue distribution costs a lot of tissue and labor costs, and provides a large amount of tissue to those who do not visit the store. In addition, for example, when distributing coupon coupons by newspaper folding, a fee for distributing the coupons is in addition to the coupon ticket printing fee. For this reason, he often hesitates when he wants to reduce the cost of promotion.

In addition, the promotion such as point return is costly for issuing point cards, reading points, managing, and the like, and requires a POS system corresponding to the point service, and thus further costs. For this reason, although it is adopted in a major commercial facility with a chain development, it is difficult to adopt it in a small and medium-sized facility or a facility without a chain development.
The invention of this application was made in consideration of such problems in the promotion of visits, and it can be expected to promote visits effectively without incurring so much cost. The purpose is to provide a technique for promoting attendance that does not cost.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of this application is a customer visit facilitating device for facilitating the visit of a customer to a facility,
And installed on site facility vending machine includes a card reader for reading identification information given to the free card,
In-facility vending machines
A housing having a front door;
A product container and a product delivery mechanism provided in the housing;
A plurality of product selection buttons provided on the front door, a product outlet, and a money input unit are provided.
In the housing, a control unit is provided for controlling the product dispensing mechanism according to the product selected by the product selection button and the money inserted from the money input unit,
The control unit can switch between the normal mode and the free mode, and the free mode is a mode in which the product stored in the product storage unit is paid out free of charge,
The identification information given to the free card indicates that the card is genuine as a free card and is given so that it can be distinguished from other facilities where other vending machines are installed. And does not include information identifying the customer who was provided with the free card,
The identification information given to the free card is the same information in one commercial facility, and each of the plurality of free cards has an information carrying part carrying the same identification information printed on the base material. It is a card that cannot record information electronically,
The card reader has a card insertion slot, a reading sensor that is a photo sensor that reads identification information given to a free card inserted from the card insertion slot, and an output control unit. The identification information of the card read by the reading sensor determines whether the card is a genuine free card and whether it is not a free card for vending machines in other facilities. , If the card is a genuine free card and not a free card for other facilities, a signal indicating that the free mode is set is output to the control unit of the vending machine in the facility,
When the signal indicating the free mode is output from the output control unit of the card reader, the control unit performs control to switch from the normal mode to the free mode, and pays out a limited number of products free of charge. after the mode state, and are not to perform the control to return to the normal mode,
The card reader has a card collection unit that collects cards that are determined to be genuine free cards in a reusable state,
The card collection unit is configured to form a collection space that accumulates in a state where a card determined to be a genuine free card can be taken out .
The opening and closing, in order to solve the above problems, the invention of claim 2, wherein, in the structure of claim 1, wherein the card collecting unit includes a key used for opening and closing of the front door is opened and closed by a separate key It has the structure of having a door.
In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 3 is the configuration according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the card reader is provided separately from the in-facility vending machine, the control unit of the output control portion of the card reader and the facility vending machine state, and are not to or wireless communication is intended are connected by a signal line,
The card reader is removable from the in-facility vending machine, and the in-facility vending machine can be reused as a normal vending machine by removing the card reader. Have
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 4 is the configuration according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the card reader is mounted on the vending machine in the facility, and the front door Or it has the structure that the card insertion slot is formed in the housing | casing.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 5 is the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the identification information includes whether the card is a genuine free card and other facilities. Includes main information, which is information for determining whether the card is a free card for a vending machine, and sub information sub-information, which is information other than the main information and for identifying the type of the free card The sub-information is not information that identifies the person to whom the free card was provided,
The output control unit has a record information storage unit, and when it is determined that it is a genuine free card and not a free card for facilities of other facilities, the sub information of the free card is stored in the record information storage unit It has the structure that it is memorize | stored in.

As described below, according to the invention described in claim 1 of this application, since a privilege is given to a visitor (customer) in the form of free provision of products from a vending machine in a facility, effective promotion is possible. It becomes. In addition, since the vending machine in the facility is also used as a normal vending machine, the facility side can expect revenue from sales commissions as well as convenience for visitors. Vending machine management is performed by vending machine vendors, so the effort required for promotion is very small.
Also, free cards can be collected and reused, which is also a low-cost promotion.
Further, according to the invention described in claim 2 , in addition to the above effects, the facility side can collect used free cards, and there is no need to wait for the vending machine serviceman to arrive. For this reason, it is possible to carry out the promotion stably without cutting the free card.
Further, according to the invention described in claim 3 , in addition to the above effects, the card reader itself is provided separately from the in-facility vending machine, so that the card reader itself catches the eyes of the customer. It becomes easier to recognize that there is a free service. For this reason, it is excellent in advertising effect. Furthermore, it is more preferable because it is easy to modify a commercially available vending machine to serve as a customer visit promotion device , and the in-facility vending machine can be returned to the original normal vending machine .
Further, according to the invention described in claim 4 , in addition to the above effects, there is an advantage that space saving can be achieved because the card reader is mounted on the vending machine in the facility.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the above effect, the identification information includes sub-information, and the sub-information is stored in the record information storage unit, so that the stored sub-information is read out. Now you can see what type of free card was used.

It is a perspective schematic diagram of a customer visit promotion device of a first embodiment of the invention of this application. It is the isometric view schematic of the state which opened the front door 12 in the in-facility vending machine 1 shown in FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a free card 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic front sectional view of the card reader 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic side sectional view of the card reader 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a reading sensor 32. FIG. 6 is a schematic front sectional view showing the operation of the card reader 3. FIG. It is the schematic (control block diagram) which showed the control system of the in-facility vending machine 1 shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2. It is a perspective schematic diagram of a customer visit promotion device of a second embodiment . FIG. 10 is a schematic side sectional view of a main part of the customer visit promotion device shown in FIG. 9. It is the schematic of the principal part of the customer visit promotion apparatus of 3rd embodiment . It is the schematic of the principal part of the customer visit promotion apparatus of 4th embodiment . It is the schematic perspective view shown about the free card and its reading in 5th embodiment. It is the figure which showed the detection characteristic of each photosensor in 5th embodiment. It is the figure shown about the variation of the reading in 5th embodiment. It is the isometric view schematic shown about the free card and its reading in 6th embodiment. It is the schematic perspective view shown about the reading of the free card | curd in 7th embodiment. It is the front schematic diagram shown about reading of the free card | curd in 7th embodiment. It is a front section schematic diagram of the principal part of the customer visit promotion device of an 8th embodiment . FIG. 20 is a front cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a method of provisional restoration in the eighth embodiment illustrated in FIG. 19. It is the front cross-sectional schematic which showed the replacement structure for the repair in the customer visit promotion apparatus of 8th Embodiment shown in FIG. It is the schematic shown about the principal part of the customer visit promotion apparatus of 9th embodiment .

Next, modes for carrying out the invention of the present application (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a customer visit promoting device according to a first embodiment of the invention of this application. The customer visit promotion device shown in FIG. 1 is a device that promotes the visit of customers to a facility, and is given to an in-facility vending machine (hereinafter referred to as an in-facility vending machine) 1 and a free card 2 installed in the facility. And a card reader 3 for reading the identification information.
As facilities, commercial facilities such as amusement facilities such as various stores, game centers, manga cafes, karaoke stores, lodging and bathing facilities such as hotels, capsule hotels, and super public baths are envisaged. Is not limited to these facilities.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the in-facility vending machine 1 includes a housing 11 and a front door 12 provided on the front surface of the housing 11. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the in-facility vending machine 1 shown in FIG. 1 with the front door 12 opened. This in-facility vending machine 1 is a vending machine for soft drinks, and as shown in FIG. 2, in the housing 11, a product storage unit containing soft drinks in cans or PET bottles to be sold. 111 is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, on the front door 12, an exhibition unit 121 displaying a sample of products, each product selection button 122 for selecting a product to purchase, a money input unit 123 for inserting coins and banknotes for purchase, A take-out port 124 for taking out the purchased product is provided. The money insertion unit 123 includes a coin mech and a bill validator, and determines whether the inserted coin or bill is genuine. If it is authentic, the type and total amount are calculated.

  In addition, a control unit 13 that controls the operation of the in-facility vending machine 1 is provided in the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 13 is fixed to the back surface of the front door 12. The control unit 13 includes a processor, a storage unit (memory), and the like, and determines whether or not the money inserted by the money insertion unit 123 has reached a predetermined amount.

  On the other hand, the product storage unit 111 includes a payout mechanism 14 that pays out products one by one in accordance with a signal from the control unit 13, and the control unit 13 determines that the inserted money has reached a predetermined amount. In this case, a signal is sent to the payout mechanism 14 to pay out the selected product to the takeout port 124. The structure and the structure of these mechanisms can be the same as those of ordinary vending machines.

In order to use such an in-facility vending machine 1 for the purpose of promoting customer visits, in the embodiment, a free card 2 that can be used in the in-facility vending machine 1 is scheduled to be issued. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the free card 2.
As shown in FIG. 3, the free card 2 has a rectangular business card size. The material is a resin such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The free card 2 is used for providing goods in the facility vending machine 1 free of charge to visitors (customers) to the facility, and the name (logo) of the facility is displayed. The example of FIG. 3 is an example of a facility integrated with a sports facility and an amusement facility. The free card 2 is displayed, and the free card 2 is displayed with identification information. These display methods are often printed, but may be based on other methods such as sticking a sticker.

The identification information is information for indicating that the card is authentic as the free card 2. In addition, the identification information is based on the premise that the in- facility vending machine 1 in the embodiment is installed in a plurality of different facilities. That is, the identification information is also information for distinguishing a certain facility where a certain in-facility vending machine 1 is installed from another facility where another in-facility vending machine 1 is installed.

  More specifically, the free card 2 includes a transparent business card size base 21 and information carriers 22a to 22d provided along both sides (long sides) of the base 21 in the longitudinal direction. The information carriers 22a to 22d carry identification information. In this embodiment, the information carriers 22a to 22d are provided in two places on one side, for a total of four places. The information carried by each of the information carrying units 22a to 22d is the same in this embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 3, each information carrier 22 a to 22 d is composed of a series of small square areas (hereinafter referred to as unit areas) 23. In this embodiment, five information areas 23 include one piece of information. Supporting portions 22a to 22d are formed. Each unit area 23 is printed in black or is not printed and remains transparent. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the unit region 23 formed by black printing is referred to as a black region, and the unit region 23 that remains transparent is referred to as a transparent region. The transparent area does not actually have an outline, but for the sake of understanding, the outline of the transparent area is drawn in each figure.

  The four information carriers 22a to 22d are a first information carrier 22a, a second information carrier 22b, a third information carrier 22c, and a fourth information carrier 22d. The first and second information carriers 22a and 22b are on one side, and the third and fourth information carriers 22c and 22d are on the other side. The first and third information carriers 22a and 22c face each other, and the second and fourth information carriers 22b and 22d face each other.

For the convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the free card 2 is in a posture in which the long side direction is the vertical direction, the side on which the first and third information carriers 22a and 22c are provided is the upper side, and the second and fourth information carriers The side on which 22b and 22d are provided is the lower side. The first and third information carriers 22a and 22c are at the same position in the vertical direction, and the second and fourth information carriers 22b and 22d are at the same position in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 3, in the first and third information carriers 22a to 22d, a black region, a transparent region, a black region, a black region, and a transparent region are arranged in order from the top. In the second and fourth information carriers 22b and 22d, the arrangement is reversed in the vertical direction, and in order from the top, is a transparent area, a black area, a black area, a transparent area, and a black area.
Each of the information carrying portions 22 a to 22 d is formed by printing on the base material 21. Printing can be performed by relying on a specialist who performs card printing, and in some cases, printing can be performed by a general-purpose printer.

Next, the card reader 3 that reads the identification information of the free card 2 will be described in detail. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional schematic views of the card reader 3, FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional schematic view, and FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional schematic view.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the card reader 3 includes a cylindrical casing 31, a reading sensor 32 provided in the casing 31, and a gate unit 33 that allows only the genuine free card 2 to pass therethrough. The output control unit 34 performs control and signal output by determining whether the card is a genuine free card 2 based on the output from the reading sensor 32.

  The casing 31 has a cylindrical shape having an upper plate portion 311 and a bottom plate portion 312. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inside of the casing 31 is partitioned vertically by a horizontal partition plate 35. A portion 36 of the casing 31 below the partition plate 35 forms a space for collecting the free card 2 (hereinafter referred to as a card collection unit). As shown in FIG. 4, the card collection unit 36 is provided with an opening / closing door 361 having a key hole (not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, a card insertion slot 310 is formed in the upper plate portion 311 of the casing 31. The card insertion slot 310 is slit-like and is slightly longer than the width of the free card 2 and slightly wider than the thickness of the free card 2.
A rectangular tube-shaped guide 37 is provided in the casing 31 so as to extend downward from the card insertion slot 310. The width in the long direction on the inner surface of the guide 37 is slightly larger than the width of the free card 2, and the width in the short direction is slightly larger than the thickness of the free card 2. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the guide 37 in the short direction, and FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the guide 37 in the long direction.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a drop hole 350 is formed in the partition plate 35. The drop hole 350 is a slit having the same size and shape as the lower end opening of the guide 37 and communicates with the lower end opening of the guide 37.

  The gate portion 33 includes a receiver 331 provided so as to close the internal space of the guide 37 in the middle of the height direction, and a drive mechanism 332 that drives the receiver 331. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide 37 has an advance / retreat hole at a position in the middle of the height direction. The advancing / retracting holes are formed in both of the pair of side plates in the longitudinal direction constituting the guide 37.

  The drive mechanism 332 is a linear drive mechanism such as a linear motion solenoid, and is a mechanism that moves the receiving tool 331 forward and backward with a predetermined stroke. The receiving tool 331 is moved between the forward movement position and the backward movement position by the drive mechanism 332. As shown in FIG. 4, the forward movement position is a position where the receiving tool 331 is inserted into the forward / backward hole to block the guide 37. The retracted position is a position where the receiving member 331 does not block the guide 37. Note that the receiver 331 is located at the forward movement position in the normal state (standby state).

  A reading sensor 32 is provided at a position slightly above the advance / retreat hole. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing the reading sensor 32. As shown in FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the reading sensor 32 includes a plurality of photosensors 321. The photosensor 321 is a pair of a light emitting element and a light receiving element provided on the optical axis 320. The number of photosensors 321 matches the number of unit regions 23 provided in one information carrier 22a to 22d, and the separation distance of the optical axis 320 is equal to the distance between the centers of each unit region 23. I'm doing it.

  Note that the receiver 331 is in the forward position in the standby state as described above, but when the free card 2 gets on the receiver 331 in this state, any information is carried depending on the direction of the free card 2. The units 22a to 22d face the reading sensor 32. The “facing state” is a state in which each unit region 23 of any one of the information holding units 22 a to 22 d is positioned on the optical axis 320 of each photosensor 321. The arrangement position of each photosensor 321 is determined in relation to the advance position of the receiver 331 so as to be in such a state.

  The light receiving element of each photosensor 321 is connected to the output control unit 34, and an on / off signal of each photosensor 321 is input to the output control unit 34. The output control unit 34 includes a holding circuit 341 that holds identification information in the case of the genuine free card 2, a receiving circuit 342 that receives the input signal from each photosensor 321 as digital information, and the received digital information. A determination circuit 343 that compares the identification information held by the holding circuit 341 to determine whether or not it is a genuine free card 2, and an output circuit that outputs a signal to the drive mechanism 332 and the control unit 13 of the in-facility vending machine 1 344 and the like. Each of these circuits 341, 342, 343, and 344 can be configured with a relatively simple circuit such as a ROM or a logic circuit, and therefore the details are omitted.

The output circuit 344 may be a simple circuit that outputs either on or off. When it is on, the drive mechanism 332 operates. Moreover, the control part 13 of the vending machine 1 in a facility is monitoring the output circuit 344, and when it switches from OFF to ON, the free mode signal will be output.
As can be seen from the above description, when the free card 2 is inserted, any one of the information carrying portions 22a to 22d is read by the reading sensor 32 even if the upside down or the left and right are reversed. . Since the same identification information is carried on each of the information carrying units 22a to 22d, the identification information can be read without error even if the free card 2 is inserted in any posture.

  An insertion detection sensor 371 is disposed near the upper end of the guide 37, and a recovery detection sensor 372 is disposed below the drop hole 350. The insertion detection sensor 371 is a sensor that detects that a card has been inserted, and the recovery detection sensor 372 is a sensor that detects that the free card 2 is determined to be authentic and is recovered. The card reader includes a power supply circuit (not shown). However, the reading sensor 32 and the output control unit 34 are supplied with power when the insertion detection sensor 37 detects the card, and the operation starts. .

  An upper plate portion of the casing 31 is a milky white plate such as an acrylic resin, and a light source 313 such as an LED is incorporated therein. A lighting circuit 314 for the light source 313 is provided in the casing 31. When recovery is detected by the recovery detection sensor 372, the signal is sent to the lighting circuit 314, and the light source 313 is turned on.

The operation of the card reader 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic front sectional view showing the operation of the card reader 3.
First, as shown in FIG. 7 (1), the free card 2 is inserted from the card insertion slot 310. Since the receiver 331 is in the forward position in the standby state, the card hits the receiver 331 and is not inserted any further. At this time, the insertion detection sensor 371 is turned on, and the operations of the reading sensor 32 and the output control circuit 34 are started.

  In the state shown in FIG. 7 (1), since the free card 2 is on the receiving member 331, any one of the information carrying units 22a to 22d faces the reading sensor 32 as shown in FIG. Become. As a result, each photosensor 321 is turned on / off according to the pattern of each unit region 23 of the information carrier portions 22a to 22d. The output of each photosensor 321 is input to the output control unit 34 and compared with the held information. If the example shown in FIG. 6 is a pattern in the case of a genuine information card, and “black” is 0 and “transparent” is 1, and 10010 signals are obtained in order from the top, the card is a genuine free card. It is judged that.

  As described above, a genuine free card has two meanings: a free card and a free card that can be used with the vending machine 1 in the facility. When a card that has nothing to do is inserted into the card insertion slot 310, it is determined that the card is not a genuine free card because there is no information carrier 22a to 22d. Even if it is a free card, if a free card provided at another facility is inserted, the identification information is different, so it is not a genuine free card. In the above example, if the pattern of the black region and the transparent region is 10101, for example, it is a free card but the identification information does not match, so it is not authentic.

If it is determined that the card is a genuine free card, the value of the output circuit 344 of the output control unit 34 is switched, and the drive mechanism 332 operates. As a result, the receiver 331 moves back to the retracted position, and the free card 2 falls and is stored in the card collection unit 36 as shown in FIG. 7 (2) (FIG. 7 (3)). At this time, the recovery detection sensor 372 is turned on, the lighting circuit 314 is operated, and the light source 313 of the upper plate portion 311 is turned on. This is to inform the user that the free card 2 is determined to be authentic.
If the card is not a genuine free card, the receptacle 331 does not retreat, and the card remains as it is without being collected. For example, there may be a case where the user accidentally inserts another card. In such a case, it is necessary to take out the card, but a notch 315 is provided at the edge of the card insertion slot 310 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 so that the card can be easily taken out.

On the other hand, the control unit 13 of the vending machine 1 in the facility switches from the paid mode to the free mode when the free card 2 is genuinely read by the card reader 3 and pays only one item for free. put out. Hereinafter, this point will be described.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram (control block diagram) illustrating a control system of the in-facility vending machine 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 13 constituting the control system includes a main control circuit unit 131 that determines whether or not the total amount of money inserted by the money input unit 123 is equal to or higher than the price of the product, and the like. A lamp lighting circuit (not shown) that lights the lamp of each product selection button according to the determination result in the circuit 131, a button detection circuit 132 that detects which product selection button 122 is pressed, and a detection in the button detection circuit 132 The payout mechanism drive circuit 133 is configured to drive the product payout mechanism by a signal from the main control circuit 131 output according to the result.

  The control system of the in-facility vending machine 1 includes a mode switching mechanism 15, and a free mode keyhole 151 mechanically coupled to the mode switching mechanism 15 is provided in the front door 12 (in FIG. 1). Not shown). The free mode keyhole 151 can be operated by inserting the free mode key 152. By this operation, the mode switching mechanism 15 generates a switching signal from the normal mode (paid mode) to the free mode. It has become. The mode switching mechanism 15 is connected to the control unit 13, and a switching signal is sent to the control unit 13.

  When the mode switching signal is sent, the control unit 13 changes the control of each unit to operate in the free mode. For example, the main control circuit 131 controls the lamp lighting circuit so that each lamp is lit without inputting money in the free mode. When the specific product selection button 122 is pressed, the main control circuit 131 controls the payout mechanism control circuit 133 so as to pay out the selected product regardless of whether or not money is inserted.

  Such a free mode function is already provided in a vending machine that is currently on the market. Originally, it is intended to provide a beverage in the vending machine as an emergency drink in the event of a disaster or the like. . When an emergency such as a disaster occurs, the person in charge at the facility where the vending machine is installed switches to the free mode using the free mode key 152 and provides free drinks to the victims. is there.

The customer visit promotion device of the embodiment uses the free mode function of this vending machine to promote customer visit. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, in this embodiment, the output circuit 344 of the card reader 3 is connected to the mode switching mechanism 15 by the signal line 30, and a mode switching signal is sent from the output circuit 344. In this case, the mode switching mechanism 15 operates.

  Further, the in-facility vending machine 1 has a function of outputting information to the outside for the purpose of sales management and the like. Included in this function is information on the number of products sold. Specifically, the control unit 13 has several external output terminals. The external output terminal includes a terminal that outputs a signal each time one product is paid out. A mechanical counter is normally connected to this terminal so that the total number of items sold after the vending machine is installed can be confirmed.

In this embodiment, an electronic counter 16 is connected to the output terminal instead of a mechanical counter. A mode return signal output circuit 17 is connected to the electronic counter 16. The mode return signal output circuit 17 is a circuit that outputs a signal for returning to the pay mode to the control unit 13 when “1” is counted by the electronic counter 16 (when one product is paid out). . The control unit 13 has an input port for determining whether the mode is a free mode or a paid mode. For example, if the pay mode (normal mode) is 0 (Low) and the free mode is 1 (High), the input port is set to 1 by the output from the output control unit 34 of the card reader 3, and the mode return signal output circuit 17 Returns to 0 on output. Since these can also be constituted by simple logic circuits, further detailed explanation is omitted.

Next, the operation and usage of such a customer visit promotion device will be described.
When using a customer visit promotion device, a considerable number of free cards 2 are prepared in advance. That is, a considerable number of free cards 2 are manufactured by printing predetermined information carrying portions 22a to 22d on a transparent base material 21. The information displayed on the information carriers 22a to 22d is information such as 10010 printed in a pattern of “black” and “transparent”, but the same identification information is held in the holding circuit 341 (for example, Write to ROM).

  When the customer visits the facility, the facility side presents one free card 2 produced in this way to one person. At this time, a voucher is provided to the customer in advance, and a free card 2 may be presented in exchange for the voucher. The exchange ticket may be provided for use at the next visit, distributed in a newspaper flyer, or distributed on the street.

  The customer uses the facility to purchase the product or receive the provision of the service (or before that), and uses the free card 2 to receive the product for free at the in-facility vending machine 1. That is, the customer inserts the free card 2 into the card insertion slot 310 of the card reader 3. The free card 2 rides on the receiving member 331 and any one of the information holding units 22a to 22d is read by the reading sensor 32.

If it is determined that the free card 2 is authentic, it is collected by the card collection unit 36 and the output control unit 34 of the card reader 3 sends a signal to the control unit 13 of the in-facility vending machine 1. Thereby, the control part 13 switches to the operation | movement in free mode. That is, the lamp of each product selection button 122 is turned on, and the product can be purchased without money. The customer presses an arbitrary product selection button 122 and receives provision of the product.
When the merchandise payout mechanism is operated and the merchandise is paid out, the electronic counter counts “1”, whereby the mode return signal output circuit 17 operates to send a mode return signal to the control unit 13. As a result, the control unit 13 automatically returns to the normal mode (pay mode).

  In this way, each customer receives the free card 2 at the time of arrival, inserts it into the card insertion slot 310 of the card reader 3, and receives a free product. The free cards 2 accumulate in the card collection unit 36 of the card reader 3, but the person in charge of the facility opens the door 361 by inserting a key into a key hole (not shown) of the door 361 of the card collection unit 36. Then, the collected free card 2 is taken out. Then, the collected free card 2 is similarly presented to further visitors for use.

According to the customer visit promotion device of such an embodiment, one product of the vending machine 1 in the facility can be provided free of charge to the visiting customer, which can be a big promotion (visit promotion). For this reason, the sales increase in the facility can be expected.
In this case, since one free card 2 can only pay out only one product, it does not become a large cost as a sales promotion cost. Further, since the free card 2 is collected and reused, this is also a low-cost promotion. The management of the in-facility vending machine 1 is performed by a vending machine supplier. That is, a vending machine such as the in-facility vending machine 1 is usually installed by a contractor (hereinafter referred to as a vending machine contractor) with permission from the facility side, and performs management such as replenishment of goods and collection of a price. The vending machine company pays the facility the commission according to the number of sales. Therefore, the facility does not need to manage the in-facility vending machine 1 and only collects the collected free cards. For this reason, the effort required for the promotion is very small.

Moreover, the big feature point from another viewpoint of the customer visit promotion apparatus of embodiment is the point which the in-facility vending machine 1 can be used also as a normal vending machine. Usually, when using a vending machine as a customer visit promotion in this way, it is conceivable to always allow a visitor to purchase goods free of charge as a free mode. However, since a large amount of merchandise is paid out in this way, the cost of the promotion tends to be enormous.

In addition, as a configuration for providing products in the vending machine free of charge, a configuration in which dedicated coins are prepared and coins are presented and used can be considered. However, in this case, since the coin mech of the vending machine is equipped with a dedicated coin identifying machine, normal coins cannot be identified. In other words, the product cannot be purchased as a normal vending machine. For example, a customer who visits a facility may be thirsty and pay cash, so even if they want a drink, they will not be able to purchase it without receiving a special coin. This is inconvenient for customers, and it can be said that the facility side is losing revenue from the sales commission of vending machines.
In the customer visit promotion device according to the embodiment, it is possible to perform promotion by providing products free of charge, and it can also be used as a normal vending machine. Therefore, convenience for customers is increased, and commission revenue can be expected for facilities. . Thus, according to the customer visit promotion apparatus of the embodiment, there are effects of two birds with one stone and three birds.

Next, the customer visit promotion apparatus of 2nd embodiment is demonstrated . FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of the customer visit promotion device according to the second embodiment , and FIG. 10 is a schematic side sectional view of the main part of the customer visit promotion device shown in FIG.
In the customer visit promotion device of the first embodiment , the card reader 3 is provided separately from the in-facility vending machine 1, and the card reader 3 is connected to the control unit 13 of the in-facility vending machine 1 through the signal line 30. However, in the second embodiment, the card reader 3 is mounted on the in-facility vending machine 1.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the card reader 3 is mounted on the front door 12 of the in-facility vending machine 1. The card reader 3 is mounted on the in-facility vending machine 1 by modifying a commercially available vending machine.
As shown in FIG. 10, a frame (not shown) is fitted and fixed in an opening provided in the front door 12, and the card reader 3 is fixed in a form held by the frame.

The components of the card reader 3 are basically the same as those in the first embodiment. Each part of the card reader 3 is housed in a casing 31 having a front panel 38. The inside of the casing 31 is partitioned vertically by a partition plate 35, and the lower side is a card collection unit 36.
A card insertion slot 310 is formed at an upper position of the front panel 38, and a guide (not shown) is provided so as to extend horizontally from the card insertion slot 310 to the back side. And the gate part 33 which consists of the receiving tool 331 and the drive mechanism 332 which drives the receiving tool 331 so that it may advance / retreat in the middle position of the length direction of a guide is provided.

  In a state where the free card 2 inserted from the card insertion slot 310 is in contact with the receiving member 331, a reading sensor 32 is provided at a position where any one of the information holding portions 22a to 22d of the free card 2 is read. The positional relationship of the photosensors 321 in the reading sensor 32 is horizontal, unlike the first embodiment, but the number of photosensors 321 corresponding to the number of unit regions 23 of the information carrier portions 22a to 22d is arranged side by side. The same.

In the second embodiment, since the free card 2 is inserted horizontally, when it is determined that it is a genuine free card 2 and is collected, the free card 2 is sent to the back in the horizontal direction to collect the card collection unit 36. A feed mechanism 39 is provided for dropping into the box. The feed mechanism 39 is a mechanism in which a plurality of pinch rollers that sandwich both ends of the free card 2 are provided in the horizontal direction, and includes a drive source 391 that drives each pinch roller.
An opening / closing door 361 having a key hole (not shown) is provided on the lower portion of the front panel 38. When collecting the free cards 2 accumulated in the card collection unit 36, the open / close door 361 is opened.

The configuration of the control system is the same as that of the first embodiment except that the signal line 30 is wired only in the housing 11. The reading sensor 32 is connected to the output control unit 34, and the output control unit 34 is connected to the drive mechanism 332 and the control unit 13, respectively.
The operation is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. When the customer inserts the provided free card 2 into the card insertion slot 310, the reading sensor 32 reads one of the information holding portions 22a to 22d. Then, if the reading result is judged by the judgment circuit 343 to be a genuine free card 2, the driving mechanism 332 operates to move the receiving tool 331 backward, and the free card 2 is sent by the feeding mechanism 39 and the card. It is dropped into the collection unit 36. Then, a signal is sent to the control unit 13 to switch to the free mode, and after returning only one free product, the normal mode is restored.

In the customer visit promotion device of the second embodiment, the card reader 3 is mounted on the in-facility vending machine 1 and is not a separate unit. On the other hand, in the customer visit promotion device of the first embodiment, the card reader 3 itself catches the eyes of the customer, so that it is easy to recognize that a free service is provided. In other words, the first embodiment is superior as an advertising effect.
Further, when a commercially available vending machine is modified to serve as a customer visit promotion device, in the second embodiment, the modification work such as providing an opening in the front door 12 takes more time than in the first embodiment. In the case of the first embodiment, since the card reader 3 is manufactured and the customer visit facilitating device is obtained simply by connecting the signal line to the control unit 13, the manufacturing is easy. Further, in the case of the first embodiment, the card reader 3 can be reused as the original normal vending machine simply by removing the card reader 3, so that there is an advantage also in this respect. In the case of the second embodiment, it is necessary to remove the card reader 3 from the front door 12 and provide a cover or the like for the frame body 4 so as not to stand out.

In the configuration of the customer visit promotion device according to the second embodiment, the card insertion slot 310 needs to be provided on the outer surface of the front door 12 or the housing 11, but the opening / closing door 361 is not provided on the front door 12. Also good. In other words, the structure may be such that the free cards 2 accumulated in the card collection unit 36 are taken out from the inside of the housing 11. In this case, the free card 2 is taken out after opening the front door 12. However, in the case of this structure, not the person in charge on the facility side, but the serviceman of the vending machine trader who has installed the vending machine 1 in the facility collects the free card 2. This is because the key of the front door 12 is usually held only by the service person of the vending machine company. When regularly replenishing goods and collecting the price, the service person collects the free card 2 and returns it to the facility. In this case, if all of the free cards 2 are provided and there is no residue, the facility side has the inconvenience that the free cards 2 cannot be provided until the next service person comes. As in the first and second embodiments, if the facility side holds the key of the opening / closing door 361, the opening / closing door 361 can be opened and the free card 2 can be collected without opening the front door 12. Therefore, there is no inconvenience as described above.

Next, the customer visit promotion apparatus of 3rd embodiment is demonstrated . FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a main part of the customer visit promotion device according to the third embodiment. The customer visit promotion device of the third embodiment is different from the above embodiments in the configuration of each information carrier 22a to 22d in the free card 2 and the configuration of the reading sensor 32 in the card reader 3.

  Also in this embodiment, two information carrying portions 22a to 22d carrying the same information are provided symmetrically on the left and right sides of the card so that reading can be performed even when the top and bottom are reversed or the left and right are reversed. ing. In this embodiment, each information carrying part 22a-22d is formed from ten unit regions 23 and is doubled. Since the size of the free card 2 itself is the same, the size of each unit area 23 (particularly the vertical width) is halved.

  On the other hand, two reading sensors are provided in this embodiment (hereinafter, the first reading sensor 32A and the second reading sensor 32B). The configuration of each of the reading sensors 32A and 32B is the same as that of the first embodiment, and includes five photosensors 321. When the free card 2 comes into contact with the receiving member 331 and stops, the first reading sensor 32A is arranged so as to face the information carrying portions 22a to 22d on one side (for example, the left side) of the free card 2. The second reading sensor 32B is arranged so as to face the information carrying portions 22a to 22d on the other side (for example, the right side).

  As shown in FIG. 11, the first reading sensor 32 </ b> A and the second reading sensor 32 </ b> B are arranged at positions slightly shifted in the insertion direction of the free card 2. The amount of deviation w corresponds to the width of each unit region 23 in the information carrier portions 22a to 22d (a width that is halved compared to the first embodiment). In the first and second reading sensors 32A and 32B, the separation distance of the optical axis 320 of each photosensor 321 is the same as that of the first embodiment. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the distance between the upper and lower optical axes 320 in each of the photosensors 32A and 32B is a distance corresponding to two unit regions.

  As can be seen from the above description and FIG. 11, the first and second reading sensors 32A and 32B detect each unit region 23 at a position shifted from each other with respect to certain information carriers 22a to 22d. . As an example, the second information carrier 22b is read by the first reading sensor 32A, and the fourth information carrier 22d is read by the second reading sensor 32B. The unit areas 23 of the information carriers 22b and 22d Are region 1, region 2,... Region 10. In this case, the first reading sensor 32A reads the region 1, region 3, region 5,... Region 9 of the second information carrier 22b, and the second reading sensor 32B is the fourth information carrier. 22d area 2, area 4, area 6,... Area 10 are read.

  The output of each of the reading sensors 32A and 32B is similarly input to the output control unit 34, and the output control unit 34 is configured to make a judgment by integrating them. That is, since the pattern of the second information carrier 22b and the pattern of the fourth information carrier 22d are the same, one information can be obtained by alternately connecting the outputs from the reading sensors 32A and 32B. Information on the entire carrying unit is obtained, and thereby, it is determined whether the card is a genuine free card 2 or not. Since this kind of hardware can be easily configured by appropriately combining logic circuits, description thereof will be omitted.

  In the third embodiment, each information carrier 22a to 22d is composed of ten unit areas 23, and the amount of information that can be identified is doubled. That is, if each unit area 23 which is either a black area or a transparent area is 1 bit, it is 5 bits in the first embodiment, but 10 bits in the third embodiment. For this reason, the configuration is particularly suitable when the number of facilities where customer visit promotion devices are installed has increased.

Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the main part of the customer visit promotion device of the fourth embodiment . In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 12, the configuration of the four information holding units 22a to 22d of the free card 2 is the same as that of the third embodiment. That is, each of the four information carriers 22 a to 22 d is composed of ten unit regions 23.
In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, four reading sensors 32C to 32F are used. Hereinafter, the four reading sensors are referred to as a first reading sensor 32C, a second reading sensor 32D, a third reading sensor 32E, and a fourth reading sensor 32F. Each reading sensor 32C-32F is the same as that of each said embodiment by the point comprised by the five photosensors 321. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, the second reading sensor 32D and the fourth reading sensor 32F in the fourth embodiment are the same as the first reading sensor 32A and the second reading sensor 32B in the third embodiment. The same is true in that the displacement w is the width of each unit region 23.
As shown in FIG. 12, the first reading sensor 32C is arranged above the second reading sensor 32D, and the third reading sensor 32E is arranged above the fourth reading sensor 32F. The reading sensors 32C and 32E are arranged such that the first information carrier 22a of the free card 2 is read by the first reading sensor 32C when the free card 2 comes into contact with the holder 331 and stops. The information carrier 22c is in a position where it can be read by the third reading sensor 32E. Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the arrangement position of the first reading sensor 32C and the arrangement position of the third reading sensor 32E are shifted from each other by the width w (the first reading sensor 32C is on the upper side). ) And w are equal to the width of the unit region 23.

  In the fourth embodiment, among the four information carriers 22a to 22d in the free card, the first information carrier 22a and the third information carrier 22c have the same pattern (that is, carry the same information). The second information carrier 22b and the fourth information carrier 22d have the same pattern, but are different from the first and third information carriers 22a and 22c. That is, the first information carrier 22a and the second information carrier 22b carry 20-bit information as a whole, and the third information carrier 22c and the fourth information carrier are the same information. 22d carries 20 bits of information.

  Then, the first reading sensor 32C arranged with the shift amount w reads out each of the unit regions 23 of the first information carrier 22a located on the upper side, and the third reading sensor 32E Of the unit areas 23 of the third information carrier 22c, the lower ones of the unit areas 23 are read out. Also in the fourth embodiment, a receiving circuit is provided in an output control unit (not shown), and the receiving circuit integrates the outputs of the reading sensors 32C to 32F. At this time, by integrating the outputs of the first reading sensor 32C and the third reading sensor 32E, information on the upper 10 bits of the 20-bit information can be obtained.

In addition, the second reading sensor 32D arranged with the shift amount w reads out each of the unit regions 23 of the second information carrier 22a located on the upper side, and the fourth reading sensor 32F Of the unit regions 23 of the fourth information carrier 22d, the ones located on the lower side are read out in a jumping manner. Therefore, a receiving circuit (not shown) integrates the output of the second reading sensor 32C and the output of the fourth reading sensor 32E, so that information on the lower 10 bits of the 20-bit information can be obtained. .
The 20-bit information obtained in this way is compared with the authentic information of the free card similarly held in the holding circuit, and the determination circuit determines whether or not it is a genuine free card. If it is determined to be authentic, a signal indicating that the free mode should be set is sent to the control unit 13, and the free card 2 is collected by the card collection unit.

As can be seen from the above description, in the fourth embodiment, the information carried is further doubled to 20 bits, which is suitable when the customer visit promotion device is arranged in many different facilities . . As can be seen from FIG. 12, in the fourth embodiment, the same information can be obtained even if the left and right sides are reversed, but if the top and bottom are reversed, different information is read, which is Even a free card will be judged as not authentic. Therefore, it is desirable to display a note on the free card 2 or the like so that it is not inserted upside down.

  Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view showing a free card and its reading in the fifth embodiment. In the fifth embodiment, in order to further increase the amount of information identified by the free card 2, the information carrying units 22 a to 22 d are divided into three levels, and the detection threshold values in the respective reading sensors 32 are also set differently. A threshold can be set. Specifically, in this embodiment, the free card 2 has information carriers 22a to 22d printed on a base 21 made of a transparent resin such as PET resin.

Each information carrying part 22a-22d is provided in four places similarly to 1st embodiment. The information carried on each of the information carrying units 22a to 22d is the same, so that the free card 2 can be read in any direction up, down, left, or right.
Each information carrier 22a to 22d has a unit area 23 printed in white in addition to a transparent area and a black area. Hereinafter, this region is referred to as a white region. In FIG. 13, for the sake of convenience, the same white color as the ground color is set as a transparent region, and the white region is drawn in gray. Each information carrier 22a to 22d carries information in a pattern in which transparent regions, black regions, and white regions are arranged.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing detection characteristics of each photosensor in the fifth embodiment. In FIG. 14, the vertical axis represents the photocurrent detected by the light receiving element (hereinafter, detected current), and the horizontal axis represents the distance between the light emitting element and the light receiving element. Note that the detection characteristics in FIG. 14 are characteristics when there is nothing between the light emitting element and the light receiving element.
As shown in FIG. 14, in the photosensor, when the distance between the light receiving element and the light emitting element is increased, the detection current decreases rapidly from a certain distance, and becomes zero when the distance exceeds a certain distance. The distance between the light receiving element and the light emitting element is a distance at which a current of 100% is obtained. The detection threshold in the photosensor is normally set to 50% for a detection current of 100%.

In this case, when the transparent region is interposed between the light emitting element and the light receiving element, the detection current is almost 100%, but when the black region or the white region is interposed, the light is shielded, so that it is less than 50%. It becomes the detection current. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14, the white region has a detection current slightly larger than that of the black region. This is because light is transmitted to some extent even in white.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, two threshold values, a standard setting and a weak setting, are selectively set as the threshold for the output from the light receiving element. The weak setting is set to an intermediate value between the detection current in the white region and the detection current (almost zero) in the black region. Also in this embodiment, the output control unit 34 is provided as in the first embodiment, and the setting of the two threshold values is performed by the reception circuit 342 provided in the output control unit 34.

Depending on the setting method in the receiving circuit 342, even if the information carrying unit has the same pattern, it can be handled as different information. This point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing variations of reading in the fifth embodiment.
FIG. 15 shows three setting examples. Setting example A is an example in which all photosensors are set to standard settings, setting example B is an example in which all photosensors are set to weak settings, and setting example C is an example in which standard settings and weak settings are mixed. It is.

As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 15, as an example, the information carriers 22 a to 22 d are set as a transparent area, a black area, a white area, a transparent area, and a white area in order from the top in the state read by the reading sensor 32. . In this case, as shown in FIG. 15, in the case of setting example A, the read results are “1”, “0”, “0”, “1”, “0”. “1” means sensor on, and “0” means sensor off. In setting example B, “1”, “0”, “1”, “1”, “1”, and in setting example C, “1”, “0”, “1”, “1”. , “0”. As described above, by setting two different threshold values for each photosensor, the amount of information that can be carried by the information carrying units 22a to 22d increases as a result. For this reason, when used in many different facilities, it becomes a more suitable customer visit promotion device.
It has been found that even when printing is performed in colors such as blue, red, and yellow, the same detection current as that in the transparent region can be obtained, and it may be used instead of the transparent region.

Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. FIG. 16 is a schematic perspective view showing the free card and its reading in the sixth embodiment.
Also in the sixth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the free card 2 is provided with four information holders 22a to 22d that hold the same information. As shown in FIG. 16, in the sixth embodiment, each information carrier 22 a to 22 d is provided with a pattern composed of a transparent region and a black region in two rows. In each information carrier, the inner row (center side of the free card) is called an inner row, and the opposite row is called an outer row.

  In the sixth embodiment, as in the third embodiment shown in FIG. 11, two reading sensors are provided. The two reading sensors 32 </ b> A and 32 </ b> B are provided so as to be positioned on the left and right of the free card 2 in contact with the receiving member 331. One reading sensor (for example, the left reading sensor) 32A is disposed at a position for reading the inner row of the information carrier on the lower side and the left side, and the other reading sensor (for example, the right reading sensor) 32B is It is arranged at a position to read the outer row.

  The receiving circuit 342 of the output control unit 34 is configured to integrate outputs from the two reading sensors 32A and 32B into one piece of identification information. In each of the information carrying units 22a to 22d, the inner row and the outer row are different depending on the information carried, but the information carrying units 22a to 22d are the same. Accordingly, the reading result of the inner row of one information carrier (for example, information carrier 22c) and the outer row of another information carrier (for example, information carrier 22d) are integrated to read one information carrier. Equivalent to the result.

  Also in this embodiment, since the amount of information carried by one information carrier unit is doubled compared to the first embodiment, it becomes a more suitable customer visit promotion device when used in many different facilities. . In addition, it is easy to use because it can be read in the same way even if you change the orientation of the free card up, down, left and right. In the sixth embodiment, each information carrier 22a to 22d is configured in a region where the light transmittance is different in three stages as in the fifth embodiment, and a plurality of different threshold values can be set according to this. May be adopted as the reading sensors 32A and 32B. This further increases the amount of information.

Next, a seventh embodiment will be described. FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view showing a free card and its reading in the seventh embodiment.
Also in the seventh embodiment, the free card 2 is made of a transparent base material 21, and information holding portions 22 a and 22 b are provided on the left and right sides of the free card 2, respectively. Each unit region 23 of each information carrier 22a, 22b is a transparent region or a black region as in the first embodiment, but its width is narrow as in the second embodiment. And the area | region in which each information holding | maintenance part 22a, 22b was provided over the full length of the free card | curd 2. FIG. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, the number of unit regions 23 is larger than that in the second embodiment, and is 30 in this example.

  On the other hand, the reading sensor 32 is provided at a position facing one side of the free card 2 stopped by the receiving tool 331. The reading sensor 32 is composed of the number of photosensors 321 that is half the number of the unit regions 23 of the information carrier portions 22a and 22b. As shown in FIG. 17, the left and right information carriers 22a and 22b are provided at positions shifted from each other in the height direction by a width w corresponding to one unit region.

The free card reading in the seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 18 is a schematic front view illustrating reading of a free card in the seventh embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 17, in this embodiment, the left and right information carriers are provided by being shifted by one unit area, so that when the left information carrier 22a is read, the left and right information carriers are reversed left and right. In the case where the right information carrier portions 22a and 22b are read in reverse, detection is performed at different locations on the information carrier portions 22a and 22b even with the same reading sensor. This is shown in FIG. For convenience of explanation, the left information carrier part shifted upward in FIG. 17 is referred to as a first information carrier part 22a, and the right information carrier part shifted downward is set as the second information carrier part. 22b.

  (A1) in FIG. 18 shows a pattern of the first information carrier 22a when read by the read sensor 32, and (a2) shows each unit area of the first information carrier 22a read by the read sensor 32. 32 is extracted and shown. Further, (b1) in FIG. 18 shows a pattern of the second information carrier 22b when read by the read sensor 32, and (b2) shows each pattern of the second information carrier 22b read by the read sensor 32. The unit area 32 is extracted and shown.

  As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 18 (a2) and (b2), both when the first information carrier 22a is read and when the second information carrier 22b is read by turning it upside down, The on / off pattern output from each photosensor 321 is the same. That is, information can be read without error even if the left and right are reversed. As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the identification information is carried by a total of 15 unit areas 23, so that more information can be carried. For this reason, when used in many different facilities, it becomes a more suitable customer visit promotion device. In the seventh embodiment, as in the fifth embodiment, each information carrier is configured in a region where the light transmittance is different in three stages, and a plurality of different thresholds that can be set according to each of the information carrier are configured. You may employ | adopt as a reading sensor.

  As can be seen from the above description and FIGS. 17 and 18, information can be read without error even when the free card 2 is turned upside down. When turned upside down, the same information carrier portions 22a and 22b are read, but are read by being shifted by one unit area, and the read patterns are the same. Furthermore, even if reading is performed with the upside down direction reversed without turning over, reading can be similarly performed without error.

Next, an eighth embodiment will be described. FIG. 19 is a schematic front sectional view of a main part of the customer visit promotion device of the eighth embodiment .
The eighth embodiment is different from the above embodiments in the structure of the card reader. The eighth embodiment has a structure that takes into account a failure of a card reader, a malfunction due to mischief, and the like.

If it demonstrates concretely, in FIG. 19, the assembly structure of the card reader 3 in 8th embodiment is shown. As shown in FIG. 19, in this embodiment, the card reader 3 has a reading sensor 32, a gate portion 33 and the like as a unit, and is detachable. Hereinafter, this unit is referred to as a reading unit. The reading unit includes a cylindrical frame 300, a reading sensor 32 and a gate unit 33 fixed to the frame 300, an upper plate 301 that is rotatably mounted on the frame 300, and the like.
The upper plate 301 corresponds to the upper plate portion 311 corresponding to the first embodiment, and has a card insertion slot 310. The upper plate 301 is connected to the upper surface of the frame body 300 by a connection block 302. The connection block 302 is fixed to the lower surface of the upper plate 301. The connection block 302 has an annular shape, and is provided with several pin holes penetrating in the lateral direction (plate surface direction).

  A cylindrical portion (hereinafter, referred to as an upper cylindrical portion) 309 having an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the connection block 302 is formed at the upper end of the frame 300. The upper plate 301 is attached to the upper end cylindrical portion 309 via the connection block 302. A pin groove is formed on the side surface of the upper cylindrical portion 309 so as to extend 360 degrees (entire circumference). The pin groove is formed to have the same height as each pin hole of the connection block 302 when the upper plate 301 is placed on the upper surface of the upper cylindrical portion 309. As shown in FIG. 19, the upper plate 301 is fixed to the upper cylindrical portion 309 of the frame body 300 by inserting lock pins 303 into the respective pin holes of the connection block 302 and inserting the tip ends into the pin grooves. This fixing is a fixing that does not move in the vertical direction. Since the lock pin 303 can move along the pin groove, the upper plate 301 can rotate around the central axis of the upper end cylindrical portion 309.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 19, pin holes are formed on the lower surface of the connection block 302. A portion of the frame body 300 outside the upper cylindrical portion 309 forms a step with the upper cylindrical portion 309 (hereinafter referred to as a step portion). As shown in FIG. 19, a plunger mechanism is built in the stepped portion. The plunger mechanism includes a protruding pin 304 and a pin driving unit 305 that moves the protruding pin 304 up and down. As shown in FIG. 19, the position of the protruding pin 304 is a position facing the pin hole of the connecting block 302. When the protruding pin 304 fits into the pin hole, the rotation of the connecting block 302 is restricted. The rotation of the plate 301 is also restricted. The pin holes are provided on the left and right sides of the annular connecting block 302. The two pin holes are 180 degrees apart.

  The structure of the guide 37 is also slightly different from that of the first embodiment. In the eighth embodiment, the guide 37 is formed of a rectangular tube-shaped guide frame 373 and a partition plate 374 that partitions the inside of the guide frame 373 into two at the center. The free card 2 is guided in any space in the guide frame 373 partitioned by the partition plate 374.

Two reading sensors 32 and two gate portions 33 are also provided corresponding to two spaces (hereinafter referred to as guide spaces) in the guide frame 373. One reads and passes the free card 2 inserted in the left guide space. The other is to read and pass the free card 2 inserted in the right guide space.
The configuration itself of each reading sensor 32 and each gate unit 33 is basically the same as that of the first embodiment described above. Since the guide 37, the two reading sensors 32, the two gate portions 33, and the like are provided in the frame 300, they can move together with the frame 300.

The free card 2 is read and passed using one of the two guide spaces. Either guide space may be used, but as an example, FIG. 19 illustrates a state in which the left guide space is used. In the upper plate 301, the card insertion slot 310 is formed at a position slightly deviated from the center, and faces the left guide space. For this reason, the free card 2 inserted from the card insertion slot 310 passes through the left guide space and comes into contact with the receiving member 331 of the left gate portion 33. Then, reading is performed by the left reading sensor 32.
The operation of reading and taking in the free card 2 is the same as in the first embodiment. When the reading sensor 32 reads the information carrying unit and it is determined that the information is correct, the gate unit 33 operates and the receiving member 331 moves backward, and the free card 2 falls and is stored in the card collecting unit 36.

  In such an operation, failure or malfunction may occur due to mischief or the like, and the free card 2 may not be read. Commonly, there are accidents in which unrelated cards are forcibly pushed in and cannot be removed, and mischiefs such as gums are stuffed into the card insertion slot 310 to make it unusable. In such a case, repair is necessary, but in this embodiment, even if a specialist such as a vending machine service person or a vending machine manufacturer's repair person does not come, first aid can be provided and the function can be temporarily restored. It has a structure.

  FIG. 20 is a schematic front sectional view showing the provisional restoration method in the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. If the free card cannot be inserted due to mischief or the like, temporary restoration is performed using a dedicated jig 306 as shown in FIG. The jig 306 is a disk-shaped member, and has an insertion protrusion 307 on the lower surface as shown in FIG. The insertion protrusion 307 is located at a position slightly off the center like the card insertion slot 310, and the cross-sectional shape of the insertion protrusion 307 is an elongated rectangle so as to fit the card insertion slot 310.

  On the other hand, the plunger mechanism includes a control switch (not shown) that controls the forward and backward movement of the protruding pin 304. The control switch is provided on the side surface of the casing 31. When performing temporary restoration, the control switch is pushed and the protruding pin 304 is moved backward. Also, as shown in FIG. 20 (2), the insertion protrusion 307 is fitted into the card insertion slot 310, and the jig 306 is connected to the upper plate 301. In this state, the handle 308 of the jig 306 is grasped and the jig 306 is rotated 180 degrees. As a result, the upper plate 301 also rotates 180 degrees together with the jig 306. Since the upper cylindrical portion 309 does not rotate, the guide 37 and other members maintain the posture and position as they are. After the upper plate 301 is rotated 180 degrees, the jig 306 is removed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 20 (3), the card insertion slot 310 faces the right guide space, and the free card 2 can be inserted, read and collected via the right guide space. Incidentally, after rotating the upper plate 301 by 180 degrees, a control switch (not shown) is pushed. As a result, the protruding pin 304 is fitted into the pin hole on the opposite side, and rotation is restricted.

  As described above, in the eighth embodiment, the free card 2 can be read via the guide space on the other side by rotating only the upper plate 301 by 180 degrees using the jig 306. Since the work using the jig 306 is simple, even a person in charge at the facility where the in-facility vending machine 1 is installed (a person who is not a repair specialist) can easily perform the work. For this reason, when a failure or malfunction occurs due to mischief or the like, provisional dissemination can be easily performed. In the above description, an example is given in which the guide space is clogged with foreign matter, but it goes without saying that provisional recovery can be similarly performed when the reading sensor 32 or the gate 33 on one side breaks down and becomes unusable. .

Such a provisional restoration structure is literally provisional, and if the right guide space becomes unusable due to mischief or the like, normal repair work is required. In the eighth embodiment, this normal repair can be easily performed. This point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21 is a schematic front cross-sectional view showing an exchange structure for repair in the customer visit promotion device of the eighth embodiment shown in FIG.
As described above, the card reader 3 is required to be repaired when a foreign object is clogged in the guide space or the reading sensor 32 is broken. In this case, the frame body 300 and the members inside the frame body 300 are pulled out as a whole, and are replaced or repaired as appropriate.

Specifically, the frame body 300 is attached in a state of being placed on the partition plate 35. As shown in FIGS. 19 and 21, the casing 31 has a pin hole for fixing the frame body 300, and the frame body 300 is fixed to the frame body 300 by a fixing pin 316 inserted through the pin hole. Has been. At the time of repair, the fixing pin 316 is removed, and as shown in FIG. 21, the frame body 300 together with the upper plate 301 is pulled out from the casing 31. At this time, as shown in FIG. 21, the upper plate 301 is slightly larger than the frame body 300 and the peripheral portion protrudes, so that it is easy to lift the protruding portion by hand. Thereafter, after making necessary repairs or replacements, the upper plate 301 is fixed to the frame body 300 with the lock pins 303, and in this state, the frame body 300 is inserted into the casing 31 and fixed with the fixing pins 316. This completes the repair.
As described above, in the eighth embodiment, provisional recovery can be performed by a simple operation of rotating only the upper plate 301, and normal repairs can be easily pulled out of the casing 31 because the upper plate 301 and the frame 300 can be pulled out. Yes. Of course, the structure of the eighth embodiment can also be adopted in the second embodiment in which the card reader 3 is provided on the front door 12 of the in-facility vending machine 1.

Next, a ninth embodiment will be described. FIG. 22 is a schematic view showing the main part of the customer visit promotion device of the ninth embodiment .
In the ninth embodiment, the format (layer structure) of information carried on the information carrier 22 is different from that in each of the above embodiments, and FIG. 22 (1) shows the layer structure in the ninth embodiment. Has been.

  In each of the above embodiments, the information carried on the information carrying unit 22 is used to identify whether the information is a genuine free card and from other facilities where the customer visit promotion device is installed. Explained. This point is the same in the ninth embodiment, but more than one type of free card is used in one facility, and which type of free card is used is identified. Information is carried.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 22A, in the ninth embodiment, the information carrier 22 has a format composed of two layers 221 and 222. As in the above embodiments, the first layer 221 includes information for identifying whether or not the card is a genuine free card and identifying the other facility where the customer visit promotion device is installed (main Information) and is hereinafter referred to as a main layer. The second layer 222 is a layer that carries information (sub-information) for distinguishing within one facility, and is hereinafter referred to as a sub-layer.

In the ninth embodiment, one information carrier is composed of 20 unit regions 23. For example, this can be realized by increasing the number of unit regions 23 to 40 in the seventh embodiment shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 22 (1), in this example, the main layer is composed of 17 unit areas 23 and the sub-layer is composed of 3 unit areas 23. Since each unit area 23 is a black area or a transparent area, the main layer 221 carries 17 bits (131072 ways) of information, and the sublayer 222 carries 3 bits (8 kinds) of information.

  FIG. 22 (2) shows a schematic configuration of the output control unit 34 in the ninth embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the output from the light receiving element of each photosensor 321 is input to the output control unit 34. The holding circuit 341 of the output control unit 34 holds main information and sub information according to the layer structure. The determination circuit 343 determines whether the information of the main layer among the information received by the reception circuit 342 is matched with the main information held in the holding circuit 341.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 22 (2), in this embodiment, the output control unit 34 has a record information storage unit 345. The record information storage unit 345 is a memory such as a RAM. The record information storage unit 345 stores a record information file that is a file in which record information is recorded. The output control unit 34 is configured to record the sublayer information in the performance information file when it is determined that the information is the genuine free card when the main layer information is collated as described above. The record information file is a file in a simple database format such as CSV, and is a file in which the date and time when the free card 2 is read, the contents of sub information, etc. are recorded in the database format.

  The record information file in the record information storage unit 345 can be read by external access. For example, a configuration is possible in which the output control unit 34 is configured by a general-purpose computer such as a tablet PC, the record information storage unit 345 is a hard disk, and the contents of the record information file are read via an interface. By reading the contents of the results information file, the total number of free cards collected within a certain period (ie, the number of free drinks provided) can be confirmed. You can know how much was used.

Various types of sub information can be used. As an example, the case where it uses for the sales activity for customer visit promotion is demonstrated below. For example, it is assumed that this visit promotion device is used at a sales office of a car sales company. In this case, a sales office has a plurality of salespersons and conducts daily sales activities such as individual visits. Then, when you visit, give them a free card and ask them to come to the sales office and take a test ride.

At this time, the sales office sets identification information (salesman ID) of each salesman as sub-information. Each salesman is given a predetermined number of free cards carrying his / her salesman ID as sub-information, and is distributed to customers in sales activities.
In this way, when the contents of the results information file are read, the number of free cards collected can be tabulated for each salesman ID, so which salesman's sales activities led to how many customers visited And can evaluate the results of sales activities of salespeople.

In the above example, an ID is set for each salesman. However, an ID may be set for a plurality of different departments and the results may be aggregated for each department.
The sub-information can also be used for calculating the cost of customer visit promotion. For example, when an ID is set for each sales department as described above, the number of collected free cards can be totaled for each sales department and recorded as the operating expenses of each department. This is preferable because the cost burden is fair in each department.
In addition to the above example, as the sub-information, for example, different types of free cards can be given according to the visitors, and the information can be used to count the types of visitors.

  In each embodiment described above, the information carried by each information carrier 22a to 22d is different for each facility. However, when the same company operates a plurality of facilities, The same identification information may be carried by the information carrying units 22a to 22d in the facility. For example, in the case of a business having a chain of stores, when a free card 2 is presented to a visitor, it may be used at the store or at another store.

  Further, in each embodiment, “in the facility” in the in-facility vending machine 1 needs to be interpreted in a broader sense than usual. For example, a partner parking lot may be adjacent to a certain facility, and the in-facility vending machine 1 and the card reader 3 may be installed in the parking lot. Therefore, “in the facility” includes the site of the facility and a nearby place related to the facility.

As described above, according to the customer visit promotion device of each embodiment, since a privilege is given to a visitor (customer) in the form of free provision of a product of the in-facility vending machine 1, it is an effective promotion. In addition, since the in-facility vending machine 1 can be used as a normal vending machine, the facility side can expect revenue from sales commissions as well as convenience for visitors. Further, since the free card 2 can be collected and reused, it is a low-cost promotion in this respect as well. Since the vending machine company manages the vending machine 1 in the facility, the effort required for the promotion is very small.

  Such a customer visit promotion device can be effectively used in amusement facilities such as various stores, game centers, manga cafes, karaoke stores, and commercial facilities such as hotels, capsule hotels, and supermarkets. . For example, in the case of a super public bath, a method of using a free card 2 at the end of the accounting and taking a breath before returning can be considered.

  In the case of a store, it is more effective if it is installed in a facility that handles high-priced products such as a car dealer's sales office or a housing exhibition hall. In addition to these facilities, facilities such as event venues where customers gather temporarily and facilities such as airport waiting rooms (for example, VIP rooms) are also assumed. The customer is a broader concept than usual, and includes visitors to facilities such as museums and art galleries. Furthermore, the facility is not limited to a commercial one, and may be used to have a local event such as a neighborhood association.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the reading of the information carrier portions 22a to 22d of the free card 2 is performed by the transmissive photosensor 321. However, a reflective photosensor may be used. Other types of sensors may be used. In the case of a reflection type photosensor, in the information holding units 22a to 22d of the free card 2, each unit region is either a black region or a reflection surface (for example, a mirror surface) region.
In addition, as the information holding units 22a to 22d, a configuration for holding information with one-dimensional or two-dimensional symbols such as a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED) may be employed. In the case of these symbols, a bar code reader or a QR code reader is used as a reading sensor. Furthermore, as the free card 2, a higher function card such as an IC card may be used, and the IC chip may be an information carrier. In this case, a device that reads information on the IC card wirelessly without contact is used as a reading sensor.
Compared to the case where an IC card is used, each of the above embodiments only prints a black area and a transparent area pattern on the transparent base material 21 and includes a plurality of photosensors 321 as a reader. Is preferable because it is very inexpensive.

In addition, the signal transmission / reception between the output control unit 34 of the card reader 3 and the control unit 13 of the in-facility vending machine 1 may employ a wireless system in addition to the case of using the signal line 30. The short-distance type radio is sufficient, and for example, infrared communication or Bluetooth (registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.) can be employed.
In the first embodiment, switching to the free mode may be performed by a signal from the collection detection sensor 372.

  In each of the above embodiments, only one product is provided free of charge with one free card 2. However, although there is no limit, there may be two or three products. In the case where a plurality of products can be paid out with one free card 2, for example, an IC card is used as the free card 2. The reading sensor 32 is configured to read the identification information and write it to the IC chip of the free card 2 when it is provided free of charge once. In the IC chip, the remaining number of free provisions is recorded, and when the remaining number becomes zero, the card collecting unit 36 collects the remaining number.

In addition, although the target products provided free of charge in the in-facility vending machine 1 may be all products, only specific products (for example, only green tea and mineral water) may be provided free of charge. In this case, the control unit 13 is configured so that the free mode is valid for the specific product selection button 122.
Moreover, the in-facility vending machine 1 does not need to be a soft drink vending machine, and may be a vending machine for other products. For example, a vending machine in which an alcoholic beverage vending machine such as beer is used as the in-facility vending machine 1, and a free card 2 is presented at a facility such as a golf course or a baseball field. As another example, a configuration in which the configuration of the present invention is adopted in a vending machine that sells toys and used when presenting a free gift as a visit privilege can be considered.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine in a facility 11 Case 12 Front door 13 Control part 14 Dispensing mechanism 15 Mode switching mechanism 2 Free card 3 Card reader 31 Casing 310 Card insertion slot 32 Read sensor 320 Optical axis 321 Photo sensor 33 Gate part 34 Output control part 345 Results information storage unit 36 Card collection unit 361 Open / close door

Claims (5)

A customer visit promotion device that promotes customer visits to a facility,
And installed on site facility vending machine includes a card reader for reading identification information given to the free card,
In-facility vending machines
A housing having a front door;
A product container and a product delivery mechanism provided in the housing;
A plurality of product selection buttons provided on the front door, a product outlet, and a money input unit are provided.
In the housing, a control unit is provided for controlling the product dispensing mechanism according to the product selected by the product selection button and the money inserted from the money input unit,
The control unit can switch between the normal mode and the free mode, and the free mode is a mode in which the product stored in the product storage unit is paid out free of charge,
The identification information given to the free card indicates that the card is genuine as a free card and is given so that it can be distinguished from other facilities where other vending machines are installed. And does not include information identifying the customer who was provided with the free card,
The identification information given to the free card is the same information in one commercial facility, and each of the plurality of free cards has an information carrying part carrying the same identification information printed on the base material. It is a card that cannot record information electronically,
The card reader has a card insertion slot, a reading sensor that is a photo sensor that reads identification information given to a free card inserted from the card insertion slot, and an output control unit. The identification information of the card read by the reading sensor determines whether the card is a genuine free card and whether it is not a free card for vending machines in other facilities. , If the card is a genuine free card and not a free card for other facilities, a signal indicating that the free mode is set is output to the control unit of the vending machine in the facility,
When the signal indicating the free mode is output from the output control unit of the card reader, the control unit performs control to switch from the normal mode to the free mode, and pays out a limited number of products free of charge. after the mode state, and are not to perform the control to return to the normal mode,
The card reader has a card collection unit that collects cards that are determined to be genuine free cards in a reusable state,
The customer visit facilitating device , wherein the card collection unit forms a collection space for collecting cards that are determined to be genuine free cards . The card collecting unit, a customer coming stabilizing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a door which is opened and closed by a separate key and key used for opening and closing of the front door. The card reader is provided separately from the in-facility vending machine, and the output control section of the card reader and the control section of the in-facility vending machine are connected by a signal line. all SANYO to or is wireless communication with,
The card reader is removable from the in-facility vending machine, and the in-facility vending machine can be reused as a normal vending machine by removing the card reader. 3. A customer visit promotion device according to claim 1 or 2 . 3. The customer visit promotion according to claim 1, wherein the card reader is mounted on the vending machine in the facility, and a card insertion slot is formed in the front door or the housing. Equipment . The identification information includes main information that is information for determining whether the card is a genuine free card and whether it is a free card for vending machines in other facilities, and information other than the main information. And sub-information that is information for identifying the type of the free card, and the sub-information is not information for identifying the person to whom the free card is provided,
The output control unit has a record information storage unit, and when it is determined that it is a genuine free card and not a free card for facilities of other facilities, the sub information of the free card is stored in the record information storage unit customers visiting promoting device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that is configured to store the.

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