JPH01306990A - Article lending device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To maintain strong impact to a frequently visiting customer and, at the same time, to carry out normal lending works by housing a returned article (video cassette) in a slot which is different from the slot in which the returned article bad been housed before lending. CONSTITUTION:One empty slot is set in an article housing shelf in an initial state and an empty slot storing means stores the empty slot. When an article is lent, the slot (returning slot) to which the article is to be housed when the article is returned is previously designated and the above-mentioned empty slot is designated as the returning slot. Thus a new returning slot is necessarily designated to a lent article and the possibility of housing another article in the returning slot is eliminated. Then the slot in which the article has been housed is stored as a new returning slot. Therefore, the returning slot is successively shifted and the article housing positions can be randomized. Accordingly, a frequently visiting customer can always have a fresh impression.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Al Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to an article lending device that lends out articles such as video cassettes based on a customer's request and accepts their return.

tb) Prior art At present, article lending devices such as bidet gift lending devices have been put into practical use (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 168393, 1982;
No. 6549 of 1989, JP-A No. 502221 of 1988, etc.). Such a device stores multiple items in an internal item storage shelf, takes out and releases the item requested by the customer from the shelf, and lends out the item. It has a function to store it again in the storage shelf.

The video cassette rental device - Since multiple bidet gift cards with different contents are stored in the fishing boat, it is necessary to correctly recognize which bidet gift money is stored in which storage compartment (slot). Video cassette release/return reception cannot be performed normally.

For this reason, in conventional video cassette lending devices, the relationship between each bidet slot and the slot is fixed, that is, the bidet slot and the storage slot are in one-to-one correspondence.
Even if the item was lent and returned, it was always stored in the same slot.

By the way, in the bidet gift cent lending device currently in practical use, the customer can visually check the bidet gift cent storage shelf and specify (key-in) the slot in which the desired bidet gift cent is stored. There are devices that allow you to select the bidet talent cent.

(C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the conventional bidet gift cent storage system as described above, the same bidet gift cents are always stored in the same slot and throat, so the stored contents do not change. This has the disadvantage that it has a weak impact on customers who are scarce and frequently visit, and since the bidet gift cents that are rarely lent out (unpopular) are always stored in the same slot, the number of bidet gift cents is There was a drawback that made the impression even worse.

In the past, in an attempt to prevent this kind of impression from worsening, staff members would manually change the position of the video cassette, but since the contents of the memory do not change even if the video cassette is replaced, There was a problem in that the location could not be recognized and normal lending could not be done.

The purpose of this invention is to
An object of the present invention is to provide an article lending device which solves the above problem by storing articles in a different section (slot) from the section (slot) in which they were stored before lending.

(Means for Solving the Problem d1) This invention provides an article storage shelf that is provided with a plurality of compartments each storing one article and is visible to the customer, and stores the articles requested by the customer from this article storage shelf. In an article lending device that takes out and lends out an article, an empty section storage means is provided for storing one empty section of the article storage shelf, and a return section storage means is provided for storing a section in which the rented article is to be stored when it is returned. , provided for each lent article, and when an article is lent, return zone setting means for storing the empty zone in the return zone storage means for this article; The present invention is characterized by further comprising empty section setting means for storing in the empty section storage means.

Further, the present invention provides an article storage shelf that includes a plurality of compartments each storing one article and is visible to the customer;
In an article lending device that takes out an article requested by a customer from the article storage shelf and lends it out, the article storage shelf is divided into a plurality of storage areas each consisting of one or more compartments, and each storage area is divided into storage areas. providing an empty section storage means for storing one empty section within the area, and providing a return section storage means for each rented article for storing a section to be stored when the rented article is returned; When an article is lent, return section setting means stores an empty section in the same storage area in the return section storage means for this article; The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with an empty section setting means for storing the empty section in the means.

(e) Function: In the article lending device of the present invention, when an article that has been lent out is returned, it is always stored in a different compartment than before it was lent out. The operation for this purpose is as follows.

In the initial state, one empty section is set in the article storage shelf.

The empty partition storage means stores this empty partition (an empty partition can be stored by storing the partition number (slot number) of the partition).

). When an article is lent, a section (return section) in which the article is to be stored when it is returned is specified in advance. The previous empty section is designated as this return section. By doing this, a new return compartment is always designated for the lent item, and there is no possibility that a different item is stored in the return compartment. Next, the compartment where the item was stored up to that point is newly stored as an empty compartment. By doing this, the return sections are shifted sequentially,
The locations where items are stored can be randomized to keep the impression fresh.

(f) Embodiment FIG. 2 is a front view of a bidet lending device which is an embodiment of the present invention. A customer operation panel is provided on the right side of the front, and a panoramic window 9 from which an internal video cassette storage shelf 11 can be seen is provided on the left side. The operation panel includes, from the top, a monitor 1 that displays operation guidance, a mode selection key 2 that selects an operation mode such as lending or return, a cassette selection key 3 that allows a customer to select a desired video cassette, and a coin. A coin insertion slot 4 into which a member card or the like is inserted, a card insertion slot 5 into which a membership card or the like is inserted, a bill insertion slot 6 into which banknotes such as 1,000 yen bills are inserted, a change takeout lower where change is released, and a receipt from which a receipt is released. An issuing port 8 is provided. The cassette selection key 3 consists of a numeric keypad, and the customer inputs the slot number of the slot in which the desired video cassette is stored using the numeric keypad. Further, a cassette inlet/outlet 10 is provided between the operation panel and the panoramic window 9 for discharging/returning the bidet charge. From the panoramic window 9, the entire bidet set storage shelf 11 provided inside can be viewed.

The video cassette storage shelf 11 consists of 8 stages x 40 columns and 320 slots. In the figure, the eighth stage is hidden behind the front panel and cannot be seen with the naked eye, but it can be seen by standing in front of the device and looking down from the panoramic window 9. Each slot is numbered. 101 to 138, 201 for each slot in the 1st to 4th stages
They are numbered 238, 301 to 338, and 401 to 438 (the two slots at the right end of each stage are spare slots). In addition, each slot from the 5th stage to the 8th stage has 501~
! 137.601~637.701~737.801~
837 (the three slots at the right end of each stage are spare slots).The bidet storage shelf 11 is divided into storage areas of one stage each. Video cassettes are classified by genre (action movie, music movie, Japanese movie, etc.) and stored in the corresponding storage area. For example, action movies are stored in the storage area "l" (first row; 101 to 138) with the classification "1", and music movies are stored in the storage area "2" (second row; 201) with the classification "2".
~238).

The bidet gift cents stored in the slots have a label printed with the title of the video software (such as "Otter Story"), which allows the customer to know what kind of bidet gift cents are stored. can be judged. In addition, a barcode is installed on the side of the video cassette, which records the video cassette number, etc., and is read by a barcode reader installed on the top of the video cassette exit when the video cassette is ejected or returned. It will be done.

The device determines whether the video cassette is the correct one by reading this barcode.

When a customer wants to lend out a video cassette, they insert their membership card and receive authentication, then visually view the video cassettes stored on the shelf through the panoramic window 9, select the video cassette they want to lend, and insert the slot attached to that slot. Enter the number using the cassette selection key. After the fee has been settled, the video cassette rental device takes out the selected video cassette center by the handler (see Figure 4), and
The cassette is discharged from the outlet lO.

When returning the video cassette, the user inserts the membership card and receives authentication, and then inserts the video cassette into the cassette exit 10. The video cassette rental device determines the storage position (slot) of this cassette when the inserted bidet cassette is the correct bidet cassette (rented by this device), and the video cassette is transported by the handler and determined. into the slot.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the video cartridge lending device. The control section 20 is composed of a microcomputer, and has a built-in memory 21 and a memory card interface 22. The memory card interface 22 has a memory card 23 which is an IC card.
is inserted. This memory card 23 stores data such as files of video cassettes in stock. The control unit 20 also includes a CRT unit 24 that controls the display on the monitor 1, a keyboard unit 25 that controls pressing of the mode selection key and the cassette selection key, and a card reader unit that reads the card inserted into the card insertion slot 4. 26, a cash handling unit 27 that controls the release of inserted cash and change, a printer unit 28 that prints receipts and journals, and a bidet cent handling unit 2 that transports bidet cents inside the device.
9 is connected. The bidet center handling section 29 also has a barcode reader attached near the cassette inlet/outlet 10. Further, the control unit 20 is connected to the center via a modem 30.

FIG. 4 is a structural diagram of the video cassette handling section. This device is installed between the bidet storage shelf and the panoramic window glass. Horizontal shaft rails 57.57' are provided above and below the front surface of the storage shelf, and guide plates 59.5 are provided on the horizontal shaft rails 57.57'.
9' is slidably attached. Also, the guide plate 5
9, 59' is a belt 5 driven by a motor 56 and a shaft 58 that transmits the driving force of this motor 56.
5.55', and is moved in the horizontal axis (X-axis) direction by rotation of the motor 56.

There are two vertical shaft rails 5 between the upper and lower guide plates 59 and 59'.
4 is attached, and a video cassette handler 51 for storing and moving video cassettes is slidably attached to this vertical shaft rail 54. This video cassette handler 51 is moved in the vertical axis (Y-axis) direction by a motor 52 and a belt 53 attached to an upper guide plate 59. i.e. motors 56 and 52
By driving the bidet properly cent storage
'A video cassette handler 51 is installed at a position facing all the slots of the shelf 20 and the video cassette outlet 10.
can be moved.

The video cassette handler 51 has a cylindrical shape that can store video cassettes with the front lid facing downward, and one opening (storage opening) is connected to the video cassette storage shelf 50.
On the side, the other storage opening opens to the panoramic window 9 (cassette exit 10) side. This video cassette handler 51 can be moved in the direction of the bidet storage rack 50 (Z-axis direction) by a motor (not shown).

This movement allows the slot-side storage opening 51a to grip the video cassette in the slot.A loan/return shutter 60 is disposed at the rear of the user exit 10 so as to be openable and closable.

When the video cassette handler 51 is accessing the slot for removal/storage of a video cassette, the shutter 60 is closed and no video cassette can be inserted through the video cassette outlet 10.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing files set in the memory card. (A) in the same figure is a slot management file. One record area is assigned to each slot, and each record area contains the slot number, cassette number, classification code indicating the type of cassette, status and status indicating the status of the cassette and slot. The title of Bidet Talent Cent is memorized. The slots in which the bidet caps are always stored are labeled with slot numbers 1...836 and displayed on the shelf, as described in the explanation of FIG. On the other hand, spare slots for collecting bidet chips or storing spare video cassettes that do not have storage slots are identified by codes R1-R20. This code will not be displayed on the shelf. Also,
The classification code indicates the genre (action movie, music movie,
Coats (“1”) are assigned separately for each type (Japanese movies, etc.).

"2-" 3 "-"・). Also, status is whether or not the bidet talent cent is stored in the slot.
This is a code that indicates whether or not the video cassette stored in the slot can be lent out. 0 when the slot is empty - 0 when the video cassette stored in the slot can be lent out.
1", and "2" is stored when the bidet gift card stored in the slot cannot be lent out. Also, when the bidet talent cent is stored in the spare slot, the status is reduced to 3゛.

Figure (B) is a rental file. In this file:
A record area is assigned to each rented bidet. Each record area stores a rental customer number, a rental video cassette number of one category, a title, a rental date, and a slot number in which the video cassette should be stored when it is returned (return slot number).

Figure (C) is an empty slot file. This file stores one empty slot number for each storage area (classification).When the staff places the bidet saiiki cents on the bidet saiiki cent storage shelf, one empty slot is stored in each storage area. The number is stored in this file.When a video cassette is lent out, it is sequentially rewritten to the slot number in which the video cassette was stored.

These files are updated each time a video cassette player is rented/returned.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the main routine of the control section. At nl, the message "Please insert a card" is displayed on the monitor 1, and at n2, the insertion of the card is accepted. When the customer inserts the card (n2), the card is read and it is determined whether or not it is a valid card (n3). If the card is valid, proceed to 04 and below. If the card is not valid, the message "This card cannot be used" will be displayed on the monitor. n27) After returning the card, return to (n28) nl.

At 114, the monitor displays [Please press the loan/return key]
Display the message and accept the customer's key human resources (n5).

When a key is pressed, the pressed key is determined in r15.

If the pressed key is a rental key, the process proceeds to the lending operation from n7 onwards, and if the pressed key is the return key, the process proceeds to the return operation from n17 onwards.

In the lending operation, the message "Please select 1 cassette with nl" is displayed, and the manual input of the cassette 1 to selection keys is accepted (n8). If this key input is valid, the process proceeds to nlo, and if a slot number not on the shelf is entered or an empty slot is selected, it is invalidated and the process returns to Ω7. n l
In Q, take out the cassette from the selected slot, perform payment processing from the inserted card or cash (nil), eject the cassette (n12), and then create a record about this bidet talent cent in the rental file (013). ,
The empty slot number stored in the empty slot file of the same storage section]8 is stored in the return slot number column of this record (n14). Next, memorize the slot number in which the video cassette was stored in this empty slot file (n15), print and eject the journal/receipt (n14), and then return the card (n2).
3. n24) Return to nl.

On the other hand, in the return operation, after displaying "Please return the cassette" on the monitor (n17), the input of the 7th cassette is accepted (n18) Check whether this cassette is the correct cassette tape lent to this device. Decide whether or not (n19
). If the cassette tape is correct, the overdue charges etc. will be settled (1120), and the video cassette will be stored in the return slot stored in the rental file (n21).
).

After deleting this rental file (n22>, proceed to n16).On the other hand, if the bidet power cents inserted are incorrect, the message "This cassette cannot be accepted" will be displayed on the monitor.
Please display the following message (n25), return the video cassette (n26) and proceed to n23.

The empty slot file in FIG. 5(C) corresponds to the empty section storage means of the present invention, and the return slot number storage column of the lending file in FIG. 5(B) corresponds to the return section storage means of the present invention. 14 corresponds to the return section setting means of the present invention, and n15 corresponds to the empty section setting means of the present invention.

(g) Effects of the Invention As described above, in the article lending device of this invention, the storage compartments for the items to be lent are frequently changed, so the impression changes naturally without the need for the staff to be replaced, creating a strong impact on customers who visit frequently. can be kept. In addition, since the files are automatically updated when replacing the files, there is no possibility that the contents of the files differ from the actual storage status, which would prevent normal lending, unlike when the staff manually replaces the files.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of a video cassette lending device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are an external view and a block diagram of the control unit of the video cassette lending device, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the control unit. A schematic structural diagram of a video cassette handling unit that transports cassettes in the same video cassette lending device, FIGS. and an empty slot file. 10-Cassette person exit, 11-Bidet talent storage shelf.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) An article lending device comprising a plurality of compartments each storing one article and having an article storage shelf visible to the customer, in which an article requested by the customer is taken out from the article storage shelf and lent out, providing empty compartment storage means for storing one empty compartment of the storage shelf, and providing return compartment storage means for storing each rented item in a compartment to be stored when the rented item is returned; When an article is lent, a return section setting means stores the empty section in the return section storage means for the article; and an empty section stores the section in which the lent article was stored in the empty section storage means. 1. An article lending device comprising a setting means. (2) An article lending device comprising a plurality of compartments each storing one article and having an article storage shelf visible to the customer, in which an article requested by the customer is taken out from the article storage shelf and lent out, The storage shelf is divided into a plurality of storage areas each consisting of one or more compartments, and an empty compartment storage means is provided for each storage area to store one empty compartment in the storage area, and the storage shelf is rented out. A return compartment storage means for storing the compartment in which the item should be stored when the item is returned is provided for each lent item, and when the item is lent, the return compartment storage unit for this item stores the empty space in the same storage area. An article lending device comprising: a return section setting means for storing a section; and an empty section setting means for storing a section in which the rented article was stored in an empty section storage means in the same storage area. .