JP7414459B2 - Ticket vending machine and ticket issuing method - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a ticket vending machine and a ticket issuing method.

Because school commuter passes are purchased at a discount, students must present their school-issued certificate of attendance when purchasing a school commuter pass. In addition, regarding the departure station, destination station, and route, only the station closest to the user's residential area, the station closest to the school location, and limited routes in between can be selected. Even when multiple routes are listed as candidates from the departure station and destination station, the cheapest route, the shortest distance route, and the shortest time route must be selected.
Conventionally, in commuter pass issuing devices, when a departure station and a destination station are specified, if there are multiple route candidates, all route candidates are presented. The staff selects the designated route and issues a commuter pass. In order to simplify the route selection procedure, a commuter pass issuing device is known that preferentially presents the most frequently used route or the route with the shortest used section distance.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-093596

The purpose of this embodiment is to provide a ticket vending machine that can present routes suitable for school commuter passes.

A ticket vending machine according to an embodiment includes a route search unit that searches for a plurality of routes under predetermined conditions based on a first station and a second station that define a regular section, and one of the routes searched by the route search unit. , a route selection section that accepts selection of any one of the routes displayed on the display section, and a commuter pass based on the route selected in the route selection section. and a ticketing department that issues tickets.

A ticketing method according to one embodiment searches for a plurality of routes under predetermined conditions based on a first station and a second station that define a regular section, displays at least one of the searched routes, and displays the The selection of any one of the selected routes is accepted, and a commuter pass is issued based on the selected route.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a ticket vending machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ticket vending machine of the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the display section of the ticket vending machine. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the display section of the ticket vending machine. FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a ticket vending machine according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ticket vending machine of the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of issuing a school commuter pass issuance permit. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ticket vending machine of the third embodiment.

This embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the disclosure is merely an example, and any modifications that can be easily made by those skilled in the art while maintaining the spirit of the invention are naturally included within the scope of the present invention. In addition, in order to make the explanation clearer, the drawings may schematically represent the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part compared to the actual aspect, but this is just an example, and the drawings are merely examples of the present invention. It does not limit interpretation. In addition, in this specification and each figure, the same reference numerals are given to components that perform the same or similar functions as those described above with respect to the existing figures, and overlapping detailed explanations may be omitted as appropriate. .

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a ticket vending machine 100 according to the first embodiment.
The ticket vending machine 100 of this embodiment is a ticket vending machine that can issue new school commuter passes. Furthermore, the ticket vending machine 100 of this embodiment is assumed to be a ticket vending machine operated by a customer and a ticket vending machine operated by an attendant at a counter when issuing a new school commuter pass. The commuter pass is an IC card, a magnetic ticket, or the like.

The ticket vending machine 100 includes a control section 10, a communication section 11, a memory 12, an input section 13, a display section 14, a ticket issuing section 15, a payment section 16, a route search section 17, a notification section 18, and an approval section 19. The control section 10 is connected to a communication section 11, a memory 12, an input section 13, a display section 14, a ticket issuing section 15, a payment section 16, a route search section 17, a notification section 18, and an approval section 19, and controls each of them.

The communication unit 11 communicates with the server 1 connected to the ticket vending machine 100 under the control of the control unit 10 . The communication unit 11 communicates information necessary for issuing commuter passes. The memory 12 stores control data necessary for controlling the ticket vending machine 100 and various data necessary for issuing commuter passes under the control of the control unit 10. The memory 12 stores, for example, route information and timetable information.

The input unit 13 includes various buttons and a touch panel that outputs corresponding information based on detected contact. The input unit 13 receives inputs of various operations from station staff and passengers under the control of the control unit 10 . The input section 13 includes a ticketing request section 13a, a station input section 13b, and a route selection section 13c. The ticket issuance request unit 13a receives a request from a user to issue a new school commuter pass. The station input unit 13b receives station input from the user. The route selection unit 13c accepts route selection by the user.

The display unit 14, under the control of the control unit 10, displays a screen that guides the user to various operations necessary for issuing a commuter pass and a screen that displays various information such as the contents of the commuter pass to be issued. etc. will be displayed. At least a portion of the input section 13 and the display section 14 are configured with, for example, a liquid crystal display device with a built-in touch panel.

The ticket issuing unit 15 performs printing, writing data, etc. on the commuter pass under the control of the control unit 10 . The payment unit 16 calculates the fee for the commuter pass based on the control by the control unit 10. The settlement unit 16 also includes a cash processing unit that settles cash input by the user and returns the change to the user if change is generated, and a credit card processing unit that performs payment using a credit card. .

Under the control of the control unit 10, the route search unit 17 searches for a plurality of routes under predetermined conditions based on the first station and second station that define the regular section. In this embodiment, the first station is the station closest to the school location, and the second station is the station closest to the commuter pass user's residence. The notification unit 18 provides notification to the station staff based on the control by the control unit 10. Specifically, the notification unit 18 issues an alert to the station staff when the user of the ticket vending machine 100 selects to issue a new school commuter pass. The notification section 18 may include, for example, a speaker, a display section, a light, and the like. The speaker notifies the station staff of the selection of a new school commuter pass by sound, the display by text and video, and the light by lighting or flashing. A speaker, a display section, a light, etc. may be used in combination as the notification means.

The approval unit 19 receives approval for issuance of a new school commuter pass by a station staff member under the control of the control unit 10 . That is, when a new school commuter pass is selected in the ticket issuance request section 13a and the notification section 18 notifies the staff, the staff approves the issuance of the new school commuter pass at the approval section 19.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ticket vending machine 100 of the first embodiment. Here, the operation of the ticket vending machine 100 will be explained with reference to FIG. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the display section 14 of the ticket vending machine 100.
First, the operation when the ticket vending machine 100 issues a new school commuter pass will be described.
The control unit 10 determines whether a commuter pass issuance input has been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST1). The control unit 10 displays a screen for selecting a new commuter pass or a continuing commuter pass on the display unit 14 based on determining that a commuter pass issuance input has been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST1, YES). . The control unit 10 determines whether a selection input for a new commuter pass has been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST2). Based on determining that the selection input of a new commuter pass has been made (ST2, YES), the control unit 10 displays a screen for selecting a school commuter pass or a commuter pass other than the school commuter pass on the display unit 14. . Here, for example, the commuter pass other than the school commuter pass is a commuter pass. The control unit 10 determines whether a selection input for a school commuter pass has been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST3). When the control unit 10 determines that the selection of the school commuter pass has been input (ST3, YES), the notification unit 18 issues an alert to the station staff (ST4). That is, the notification unit 18 notifies the station staff (ST4) based on the receipt of a request for issuance of a new school commuter pass by the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST1, ST2, ST3). The ticket vending machine 100 has, for example, a front surface that is operated by passengers and a back surface that is located on the side of the station office, and the notification section 18 is located on the back surface and is used to notify the staff in the station office. conduct. The station staff requests the commuter pass user to present his or her school certificate through notification from the notification unit 18. The station staff will check the school certificate and decide whether or not it can be approved.

The control unit 10 determines whether approval input for issuance of a new school commuter pass has been input in the approval unit 19 (ST5). The control unit 10 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (ST6) based on the determination that the approval unit 19 has not inputted approval for ticket issuance (ST5, NO). Based on determining that the predetermined time has elapsed (ST6, YES), the control unit 10 ends the operation of the ticket vending machine 100. On the other hand, based on the approval unit 19 receiving the ticket issuance approval input (ST5, YES), the control unit 10 receives the input of the first station and the second station in the station input unit 13b (ST7, ST8). ). Note that the approval section 19 is located, for example, on the back side of the ticket vending machine 100, and a staff member in the station office can operate the approval section 19. In addition, the ticket vending machine operated by the customer requires the staff member's approval input (ST5) in response to the customer's ticket issuance request (ST1, ST2, ST3) as described above. In a ticket vending machine that does this, the alert to the staff (ST4) and the staff's approval input (ST5) may be omitted.

The control unit 10 receives an input of the first station, which is the nearest station to the school, at the station input unit 13b (ST7). Further, the control unit 10 receives an input of a second station, which is the nearest station to the commuter pass user's residence, at the station input unit 13b (ST8). Note that either the first station or the second station may be input first. The first station is selected based on school information. The second station is selected based on the commuter pass user's address. For example, the first station and the second station are selected by a station staff member, or by a commuter pass user under the supervision of a station staff member.

The control unit 10 causes the route search unit 17 to search for a route based on the first station and second station that define the regular section (ST9). The route search unit 17 refers to the route information and timetable information in the memory 12 and searches for a route. The control unit 10 displays at least one of the cheapest route, the shortest distance route, and the shortest time route among the routes searched by the route search unit 17 on the display unit 14 (ST10). At this time, one route or a plurality of routes may be displayed on the display unit 14. The cheapest route, shortest distance route, and shortest time route may not match each other. When the cheapest route, the shortest distance route, and the shortest time route are different routes, two or more routes are displayed on the display unit 14, as shown in FIG. Furthermore, if the cheapest route, the shortest distance route, and the shortest time route are common routes, one route is displayed on the display unit 14, as shown in FIG. Note that the route to be displayed on the display unit 14 may be selected from among the cheapest route, the shortest distance route, and the shortest time route. For example, the display unit 14 may be set to display only the cheapest route, only the shortest distance route, or only the shortest time route. Also good. The route to be displayed on the display unit 14 may be set by either the commuter pass user or the station staff. Furthermore, multiple routes with the same fare may be displayed as the cheapest route. A plurality of routes having the same distance may be displayed as the shortest distance route. A plurality of routes having the same required time may be displayed as the shortest route.

The control unit 10 causes the route selection unit 13c to accept selection of any one of the cheapest route, the shortest distance route, and the shortest time route among the routes searched by the route search unit 17 (ST11). That is, the route selection section 13c accepts selection of any one route among the routes displayed on the display section 14. As shown in FIG. 3, when a plurality of routes are displayed on the display section 14, the route selection section 13c accepts the selection of a route when any selection button is pressed. As shown in FIG. 4, when one route is displayed on the display unit 14, the route selection unit 13c accepts selection of a route by pressing the approval button.

The control unit 10 receives input of personal information of the commuter pass user through the input unit 13 (ST12). Here, the personal information of the commuter pass user includes, for example, name, gender, date of birth, and telephone number. The control unit 10 receives the selection of the period of the commuter pass through the input unit 13 (ST13). The input unit 13 accepts, for example, selection of one month, three months, or six months as the period of the commuter pass, and selection of the start date of use.

The control unit 10 settles the commuter pass fee in the settlement unit 16 (ST14). Specifically, the control unit 10 calculates the fee for the commuter pass in the payment unit 16, displays the calculated fee on the display unit 14, and performs cash processing, credit card processing, etc. in the payment unit 16. The control unit 10 controls the ticket issuing unit 15 to issue a new school commuter pass based on the route selected by the route selection unit 13c (ST15). Specifically, the control unit 10 causes the ticket issuing unit 15 to print information such as the first station, second station, route, route, route, period, deadline, fee, name, etc. on the commuter pass, or print information such as the commuter pass on the IC card. If the commuter pass is a magnetic ticket, information is written to the IC chip, or magnetic information is written if the commuter pass is a magnetic ticket.

Next, the operation when the ticket vending machine 100 issues a continuous commuter pass will be described.
The control unit 10 determines whether a selection input for a new commuter pass has been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST2). Based on determining that the selection input for a new commuter pass has not been made (ST2, NO), the control unit 10 determines whether or not the selection input for a continuing commuter pass has been input in the ticketing request unit 13a (ST16). . Based on the determination that the selection input of the continuous commuter pass has been made (ST16, YES), the control unit 10 receives the selection of the period of the commuter pass at the input unit 13 (ST13). When a new school commuter pass is selected in the ticket issuance request section 13a, an approval input is made by the staff in the approval section 19, but when a continuous commuter pass is selected in the ticket issuance request section 13a, an input is made by the staff in the approval section 19. Approval input is not required. In the same manner as described above, the control unit 10 settles the fee for the commuter pass at the settlement unit 16 (ST14), and issues a continuous commuter pass at the ticket issuing unit 15 (ST15).

Next, the operation when the ticket vending machine 100 issues a new commuter pass other than a school commuter pass will be described.
The control unit 10 determines whether a selection input for a school commuter pass has been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST3). Based on the determination that the selection input for a school commuter pass has not been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST3, NO), the control unit 10 determines whether or not a selection input other than a school commuter pass has been made (ST17). ). Based on the determination that a selection other than a school commuter pass has been input (ST17, YES), the control unit 10 receives the input of the station at the station input unit 13b (ST18). At this time, the station is arbitrarily set by the commuter pass user. The control unit 10 causes the route search unit 17 to search for a route based on the set stations (ST19). The control unit 10 displays all settable candidates among the routes searched by the route search unit 17 on the display unit 14 (ST20). That is, as described above, when a new school commuter pass is selected in the ticketing request section 13a, the cheapest route, shortest time route, and shortest distance route are displayed on the display section 14, but the ticketing requesting section 13a When an option other than a school commuter pass is selected, a wide range of routes are displayed on the display section 14. The control unit 10 causes the route selection unit 13c to accept selection of any one route among the routes searched by the route search unit 17 (ST11). In the same way as described above, the control unit receives the input of the personal information of the commuter pass user at the input unit 13 (ST12), accepts the selection of the period of the commuter pass at the input unit 13 (ST13), and accepts the input of the commuter pass user's personal information at the input unit 13 (ST13). The commuter pass fee is settled (ST14), and the ticket issuing unit 15 issues a new commuter pass other than the school commuter pass (ST15).

According to this embodiment, when issuing a new school commuter pass, among the routes searched based on the set first station and second station, the cheapest route, the shortest distance route, and the shortest time route are selected. At least one is displayed. That is, from among the routes searched based on the first station and the second station, only routes that comply with the rules for selling school commuter passes can be displayed. Therefore, the number of route options to be displayed can be reduced, making route selection easier and reducing the amount of time it takes to select a route. Additionally, it is possible to prevent students from accidentally issuing school commuter passes through routes that are outside the sales rules.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. The second embodiment assumes that identification information is added to the school certificate. Here, the identification information is written in, for example, a two-dimensional code or an IC chip. When identification information is added to the school certificate, it is not necessary for the commuter pass user to present the school certificate to the staff member and for the staff member to input approval, as shown in the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the ticket vending machine 100 according to the second embodiment. The configuration shown in FIG. 5 differs from the configuration shown in FIG. 1 in that the ticket vending machine 100 does not include the notification section 18 and the approval section 19 but includes a reading section 20.
In the second embodiment, since the process of presenting the school attendance certificate to the staff member shown in the first embodiment is not necessary, the notification unit 18 is not required. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the approval unit 19 is not necessary because the station staff does not need to check the school certificate and approve the issuance of a new school commuter pass. The reading unit 20 reads identification information corresponding to the school certificate. The identification information on the school certificate includes, for example, the school name, student ID number, name, age, gender, place of residence of the student, and school zone. The input unit 13 includes a first station selection unit 13d that accepts selection of one candidate when there are multiple candidates for the first station that is the closest station to the school.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ticket vending machine 100 of the second embodiment. The configuration shown in FIG. 6 differs from the configuration shown in FIG. 2 mainly in the operations within the dotted line squares.
The control unit 10 determines whether a selection input for a school commuter pass has been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST3). The control unit 10 requests identification information from the display unit 14 based on determining that the selection input of a school commuter pass has been made at the ticketing requesting unit 13a (ST3, YES) (ST21). The control unit 10 determines whether the reading unit 20 has read the identification information of the school certificate (ST22). Based on the reading unit 20 determining that the identification information of the school certificate has been read (ST22, YES), the control unit 10 receives an input of the first station, which is the nearest station to the school, in the station input unit 13b. (ST7). If there are multiple stations closest to the school, multiple first station candidates are displayed on the display unit 14. The control unit 10 causes the first station selection unit 13d to receive selection of one candidate from among the plurality of candidates for the first station based on the identification information read by the reading unit 20 (ST7). If the nearest station to the school is one station, the first station is automatically input based on the identification information. Further, the control unit 10 receives an input of a second station, which is the nearest station to the commuter pass user's residence, at the station input unit 13b (ST8). When the first station is automatically input based on the identification information, the control unit 10 determines that the identification information of the school certificate has been read in the reading unit 20 (ST22, YES). , the station input unit 13b receives an input of the second station that is the nearest station to the commuter pass user (ST8). The control unit 10 causes the route search unit 17 to search for a route based on the first station that is the closest station to the school included in the identification information and the second station received by the station input unit 13b (ST9). The following flow is similar to the flow shown in FIG. Note that information indicating that the school certificate has been used is written on the used school certificate.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described. The third embodiment assumes a case where a school commuter pass issuance permit is issued in advance before a new school commuter pass is issued by the ticket vending machine 100. If the user of the ticket vending machine 100 has an issuance permit, there is no need for the commuter pass user to present the school certificate to the staff member and for the staff member to input approval, as shown in the first embodiment. becomes.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of issuing a school commuter pass issuance permit.
For example, the issuance permit can be issued by a ticket vending machine 100 at a counter. Note that the issuing permit may be issued by an issuing device exclusively for issuing permits. First, the station staff requests the commuter pass user to present his or her school certificate. The station staff will check the school certificate and decide whether or not it can be approved. The control unit 10 determines whether approval input for issuing a new school commuter pass has been input in the approval unit 19 (ST31). Based on the fact that the approval section 19 has received the ticket issuance approval input (ST31, YES), the control section 10 receives the input of the first station, which is the closest station to the school, in the station input section 13b (ST32). Further, the control unit 10 receives an input of a second station, which is the nearest station to the commuter pass user's residence, at the station input unit 13b (ST33). Note that either the first station or the second station may be input first. The control unit 10 issues an issuance permit in the ticket issuing unit 15 (ST34). For example, a two-dimensional code may be printed on the issued permit, or information may be written on an IC chip. Information about the first station and the second station is written on the issued permit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the ticket vending machine 100 of the third embodiment. The configuration shown in FIG. 8 differs from the configuration shown in FIG. 2 mainly in the operations within the dotted line squares.
The control unit 10 determines whether a selection input for a school commuter pass has been made in the ticket issuance request unit 13a (ST3). When the control unit 10 determines that the selection of a school commuter pass has been input in the ticket issue request unit 13a (ST3, YES), the control unit 10 requests an issuance permit on the display unit 14 (ST41). The control unit 10 determines whether the issuing permit has been read by the reading unit 20 (ST42). Based on the reading unit 20 determining that the issued permit has been read (ST42, YES), the control unit 10 causes the route search unit 17 to search based on the first station and second station included in the issued permit. Search for a route (ST9). In the third embodiment, the information on the first station and the second station is written in the issuance permit, so there is no need to input it. The following flow is similar to the flow shown in FIG. Note that information indicating that the issued license has been used is written on the used issued license.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain a ticket vending machine that can present a route suitable for a school commuter pass.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

100...Ticket vending machine, 13a...Ticketing request section, 13b...Station input section,
13c...Route selection section, 13d...First station search section, 14...Display section,
15...Ticket issuing section, 17...Route search section, 18...Notification section, 19...Approval section, 20...Reading section.

Claims (2)

a reading unit that reads identification information corresponding to the school certificate;
a first station selection unit that accepts selection of one candidate from among a plurality of first station candidates based on the identification information read by the reading unit;
a station input unit that receives an input of a second station that is the nearest station to the user based on the identification information read by the reading unit;
a route search unit that searches for a plurality of routes under predetermined conditions based on the first station and the second station that define a regular section;
a display unit that displays at least one of the routes searched by the route search unit;
a route selection section that accepts selection of any one route among the routes displayed on the display section;
a ticketing unit that issues a commuter pass based on the route selected by the route selection unit;
The route search unit searches for a route based on the first station that is the nearest station to the school included in the identification information read by the reading unit and the second station received by the station input unit. Yes, ticket vending machine. The reader reads the identification information corresponding to the school certificate,
Based on the identification information read by the reading unit, a first station selection unit receives selection of one candidate from a plurality of candidates for the first station;
Based on the identification information read by the reading unit, the station input unit receives an input of a second station that is the nearest station to the user;
A plurality of routes are arranged under predetermined conditions based on the first station that is the closest station to the school included in the identification information read by the reading unit and the second station whose input is accepted by the station input unit. Search by route search section,
displaying at least one of the routes searched by the route search unit on a display unit;
Accepting a selection of any one route among the routes displayed on the display section by a route selection section;
A ticketing method, wherein a commuter pass is issued by a ticketing section based on a route selected by the route selection section.

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