JPH0213504A - Lending article managing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify management, in a lending cassette management unit, by providing a means for unlocking the shelf for corresponding material when a cassette is lent out and releasing an empty shelf when a cassette is returned. CONSTITUTION:When a member card is inserted into a card insertion port 13 and a lending key is operated, the number and price of a cassette are displayed 10. When a coin is thrown in, the solenoid 28 in an inputted shelf 3 operates for a predetermined time to unlock the shelf 3. Consequently, a cassette 4 is pushed out from the shelf 3 through a coil spring 25a and taken out by a customer. When a cassette is returned, a return key 17 is operated and an empty shelf is searched then the solenoid 28 thereof is operated thus unlocking the empty shelf. Consequently, the customer can return the cassette 4. Since the cassette is taken out and returned by the customer, the manpower of a lending shop can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an article rental management device for renting out a plurality of different articles for a fee. This invention relates to an article rental management device that allows customers to freely take out and return items themselves or by hand.

[Prior art] For example, when a book rental store or a rental code store rents almost fixed-sized items to the general public for a fee, the store owner needs to know the item name or item number that specifies the rental item, the member number or address of the person borrowing the item, and the name of the person lending the item. It is necessary to record the date etc. in some way. Furthermore, if the item is returned, it is necessary to record the return using a similar operation. In order to eliminate the complexity associated with such lending and return operations during store openings, the inventors incorporated IC circuits that store product information into rented items, and the products stored on the shelves stored in the IC circuits. He proposed an article rental and return device that is equipped with a signal connection mechanism for reading information and automatically manages the inventory of articles stored in each column and the rental and return management of each article (Japanese Patent Application No. 61-252286).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned article lending and returning device, inputting the customer's membership number, pulling out the article desired by the customer from the shelf, giving and receiving the rental fee, and placing the returned article on the shelf are difficult. insert operation into,
Work such as collecting late fees still had to be carried out by store staff. Therefore, in cases where this article lending/returning device is installed in a corner of a store that sells other general merchandise, there is a need for further simplification of the lending/returning operation since the clerk also performs other duties.

In order to eliminate this inconvenience, a large number of display shelves are installed, goods are stored in the display shelves, and after inserting money on the operation panel like in a general vending machine, the desired goods are displayed on the display shelf. A system has been developed in which when a shelf number is selected using a selection key, the desired article is taken out from the display shelf by a conveyance mechanism and automatically conveyed to an article outlet formed in the front of the operation panel.

However, in such a system, the time required from the operation of the selection key to the time when the desired article is actually discharged to the article outlet is long, resulting in the customer having to wait for a long time.

Further, since the transport mechanism has a complicated structure, the probability of occurrence of failure increases.

The present invention was made in view of these circumstances, and
The purpose of this is to install a locking mechanism in each column where each item is stored, and to operate the locking mechanism in response to predetermined lending and return operations performed by customers on the operation panel. To provide an article lending management device which allows a customer to perform a drawer insertion operation by hand and greatly simplifies article lending and return management work for store openings without imposing a large burden on the customer.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the article rental management device of the present invention has an I/O device that stores product information including article-specific product numbers.
A plurality of shelves for separately storing a plurality of articles having C circuits, a locking mechanism provided in each shelf for regulating insertion and withdrawal operations of articles, and an IC for the articles stored in the shelves.
A signal connection mechanism for reading the product information stored in the circuit, and a lending system that stores lending information such as the lending date and membership number in association with the item number, as well as the shelf number indicating the location of the shelf where the item is stored. a management memory, an input means having a lending key for selecting item lending/returning = 5 -, a return key, and an input key for inputting the shelf number of the shelf in which the item to be lent is stored, and the entered shelf number. a product information retrieval means for retrieving the product number of the article corresponding to the item from the rental management memory; a first unlocking means for releasing the locking mechanism of the shelf corresponding to the shelf number inputted by the input means; and a product information retrieval means. A storage bin clearing means that deletes from the lending management memory the storage bin stored in association with the product number of the item searched for, and a return key that deletes all vacant storage bins from the lending management memory in response to the operation of the return key. A storage bin search means for searching for a storage bin; and a second storage bin search means for releasing a locking mechanism of an empty shelf corresponding to the searched storage bin.
lock release means, product information reading means for reading product information of an article inserted at any position on the unlocked shelf via a signal connection mechanism, and a loaner device corresponding to the product number of the read product information. and shelf number setting means for storing the shelf number of the corresponding shelf in the area of the corresponding product number of the management memory.

-6= [Operation] With the article rental management device configured in this manner, product information including the product number of the article currently stored in each column is stored in the rental management memory together with the shelf number. Further, product information including the product number of the item currently being lent is stored in the rental management memory along with rental information such as the rental date and membership number. Note that the shelf number of the shelf on which the item being lent is stored is cleared from the lending management memory at the same time as the item is being lent. Therefore, currently empty shelves are always known.

When a customer performs a predetermined lending operation, such as manpowering a shelf on which an item to be borrowed is stored, using an operation panel or the like, the locking mechanism of the shelf on which the item is stored is released. That is, the user can freely pull out the items stored in the corresponding shelf.

Further, when the customer performs a predetermined return operation such as pressing the return key manually on the operation panel, the lock mechanisms of all currently empty shelves are released. The customer simply inserts the item to be returned into a nearby empty shelf.

[Example] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view showing the entire article lending management device of the embodiment. In this embodiment, a case will be explained in which a videotape is lent to a person who has registered as a member for a fee. That is, a large number of bars 2 are arranged in parallel on the front surface of the rack 1, and a shelf 3 is formed between each bar 2. A videotape cassette 4 as an article shown in FIG. 3B is inserted into this shelf 3 at a slight interval in the elongated direction indicated by the arrow in the figure. A window 5 is bored at a position near the end of the cover 4a of the cassette 4 on the opposite side in the insertion direction, and a product number 6 and a title name 7 are written on the end surface 4b of the cassette 4 on the opposite side in the insertion direction. .

That is, when the cassette 4 is stored on the shelf 3, the product number 6 and title name 7 can be confirmed from the front of the rack 1. Further, each column 3 has a shelf number written thereon.

A main body control section 8 is installed adjacent to the rack 1, and an operation panel 9 that is operated by a customer is attached to the front of this main body control section 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the operation panel 9 has the following:
A display section 10 for displaying the input amount, rental unit price, etc., a coin insertion slot 11 and a prepaid card insertion slot 12 as amount information insertion slots, and a membership card insertion slot for inserting a membership card with magnetically recorded membership number, name, etc. a slot 13, a coin outlet 14 for discharging change, etc., a number key 15 for inputting the shelf number of the shelf where the desired item is stored, a lending key 16,
A return key 17, an end key 18, etc. are provided.

FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing the cassette 4 inserted into the shelf 3 to its proper position. That is, the IC circuit 20 is disposed within a corner enclosure 19 formed in the window 5 in the case of the cassette 4. A light emitting element 21a and a light receiving element 21b as a signal connection mechanism are arranged on a PC board supporting this IC circuit 20. Light emitting element 21a on the PC board.

A through hole is provided at a position facing the light receiving element 21b. Furthermore, a battery 22 for driving the IC circuit 20 is disposed within the corner enclosure 19 .

A light receiving element 23a and a light emitting element 23b as a signal connection mechanism are disposed in the upper guide groove of the shelf 3 facing the window 5 of the cassette 4. Data transmission is then performed between the light emitting element 21a and the light receiving element 23a, and between the light emitting element 23b and the light receiving element 21b.

Furthermore, a microswitch 24 is disposed on the cassette abutment surface inside the shelf 3 to detect when the cassette 4 has been inserted to the correct position, and a coil spring 2 is also installed inside the shelf 3.
A plate 25b is disposed on the receiver supported by the innermost wall at 5a. Note that this coil spring 25a is used to obtain a biasing force for pushing the cassette 4 forward, and has only a very small elastic force.

Further, a recess 26 is formed in the cover 4a of the cassette 4, and a lock arm 27 whose intermediate position is pivotally supported in the lower guide groove of the shelf 3 is disposed within the lower guide groove of the shelf 3. The tip of the lock arm 27 is locked in the recess 26, and the rear end is connected to a plunger of a solenoid 28. That is, lock arm 27. The solenoid 28 constitutes a locking mechanism for the cassette 4. When the solenoid 28 is not energized, the tip of the lock arm 27 is locked to the four parts 26 of the cassette 4, and the cassette 4 is locked at its normal position within the shelf 3.

When the solenoid 28 is energized, the lock arm 27 is rotated clockwise, and the tip of the lock arm 27 is aligned with the four parts 26.
Get out of. As a result, the cassette 4 is unlocked, moved forward by the biasing force of the coil spring 25a, and stopped at a position where the end surface 4b is exposed a predetermined distance from the front surface of the shelf 3. Therefore, the customer can easily pull out the cassette 4 by hand.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main body control section 8.

The CPU 31 is connected to the ROM 32 and the RAM via the pass line.
33. Input port 34 into which the open/closed state of each microswitch 24 provided in each shelf 3 is input; input/output to which the light emitting element 23b and light receiving element 23a embedded in the upper guide groove of each column 3 are connected. A port 35, an output port 36 connected to a solenoid 28 provided in each shelf 3, an input port 38 into which key signals are input from the keyboard 37 for each key on the operation panel 9, three printers for rental slips, and a display section 10.
an output port 1-40 that sends data to the input port 1-40, a clock circuit 41 that measures the current month and day, an input port 43 that receives the amount from the money detection mechanism 42 that detects the amount of coins inserted from the coin slot 11; Prepaid card insertion slot 12
Reads the amount information of the prepaid card inserted from
An input/output port 45 that controls a card reader/writer 44 into which monetary information is later written, and an input where card information is input from a card reader 46 that reads card information such as the membership number of a membership card inserted from the membership card insertion slot 13. It controls the port 47, I10 interface 48 for transmitting data such as rental information, and the like. Note that this I10 interface 48 is MODEM49. The host computer 51 of the video software management center via the exchange 50
It is connected to the.

In the RAM 33, as shown in FIG. 5, a rental management memory 52 is formed. This lending management memory 52
Inside is an area 52a1 for storing product information such as the title name and rental unit price for each product number of all the cassettes 4 handled by this article rental management device.Number of loans, loan amount 1 Overdue amount, loan if currently being loaned. An area 52b for storing rental information such as the date and time, the member number of the person who borrowed the item, and an area 52 for storing the shelf number of the stored shelf 3 when the shelf 3 is in stock and not being rented out.
c is formed.

Furthermore, an input amount memory 53 is formed in the RAM 3B to accumulate the amounts of coins and prepaid cards inserted by one customer.

The main body control section 8 of such an article rental management device executes the process of renting out the cassette 4 to one customer according to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the flowchart starts, and when the customer or his/her own membership card is inserted into the membership card insertion slot 13 of the operation panel 9 and the rental key 16 is operated, the cassette 4 that the customer wishes to borrow is
Shelving 3, where the is stored, is waiting for the shelf manpower. And S(
When the storage bin is input using the number key 15 in step) 1,
In S2, the area 52a of the lending management memory 52 of the RAM 33
The product number of the corresponding shelf number is retrieved, and the title name and rental unit price of the product number are read out and displayed on the display section 1o. and,
When a coin or a prepaid cart is inserted from the coin insertion slot 11 or the prepaid card insertion slot 12, the amount is cumulatively added to the inserted amount memory 53 of the RAM 33. Then, when it is confirmed in S3 that the amount in the input amount memory 53 is equal to or higher than the rental unit price, the solenoid 28 in the shelf 3 of the input storage number is energized for a certain period of time to maintain the locked state for a certain period of time. unlock. Then, ml/l/
The corresponding force cell 1-4 is pushed out of the shelf 3 by about 1/4, for example, by the biasing force of the screw 25a.

The customer can then pull out the cassette 4 by hand.

Next, the rental unit price of the corresponding product number is added to the rental amount in the area 52b, and 1 is added to the number of rentals. Further, the current month and day of the clock circuit 41 is stored in the area 52b, and the membership number read by the card reader 46 is stored.

Thereafter, in S5, the storage bin in area 52c is cleared.

Then, monetary processing is performed by subtracting the lending unit price of the corresponding cassette 4 from the input amount memory 53.

If the end key 18 is not pressed manually in S6, it is determined that two or more cassettes 4 are to be borrowed at the same time, and the process returns to Sl and waits for the next shelf keeper input.

When the end key 18 is pressed manually in S6, since lending operations for all the cassettes 4 of - customers have been completed, the presence or absence of the amount in the input amount memory 53 is checked.

If the amount exists, the amount is discharged to the coin return port 14 as change. If a prepaid card is used, the amount in the input amount memory 53 is written on the prepaid card and the card is discharged. Finally, the member card is ejected.

Further, the main body control section 8 executes the process of returning the cassette 4 to one customer according to the flow shown in FIG.

First, when the customer inserts his/her membership card into the membership card insertion slot 13 and operates the return key 17, at =15-87, the area 52c of each product number in the rental management memory 52 is displayed.
Search and read all set storage bins. Since the shelf numbers of all shelves 3 in rack 1 are known, cassette 4
The shelf number of the shelf 3 which is rented and is empty is detected. In addition, the shelf number search for all empty shelves 3 is performed in each column 3.
It can also be obtained by detecting the state of a microswitch 24 attached to the.

At S8, the solenoids 28 of all the empty shelves 3 are energized and unlocked. Then, when the cassette 4 is manually inserted into one of the shelves 3 of each column 3 unlocked in S9 by the customer against the coil spring 25a to the proper position,
IC built into cassette 4 inserted at SIO
The product number of the circuit 20 is instantaneously read through the window 5. When this device confirms that the cassette 4 that has been lent is legitimate, the solenoid 28 of the shelf 3 is de-energized and locked. Since the time from SIO to lock is very short, the customer does not need to keep the cassette 4 pushed in for a long time.

The rental management memory 52 uses the product number included in the read product information.
It is determined whether or not there is a late charge for the corresponding cassette 4 based on the rental date in the area 52b of the corresponding product number and the current month, date and time of the clock circuit 41. Money is displayed on the display section 10. Then, it waits for a coin or a prepaid card to be inserted from the coin slot 11 or the prepaid card slot 12. If the amount inserted in Sll and accumulated in the input amount memory 53 is larger than the overdue fee, the loan date and time and membership number in the area 52b of the corresponding product number are cleared. Note that, if there is a late fee, the late fee is added to the late fee area of the area 52b. Then S
At step 12, the shelf number of the relevant shelf 3 is stored in the area 52c of the relevant product number.

If there is a late fee, the late fee is subtracted from the amount in the input amount memory 53. Then, at 813, end key 1
When the key 8 is pressed manually, the operation for returning all the cassettes 4 is completed, so if there is any amount remaining in the input amount memory 53, that amount is discharged to the coin return slot 14 as change. If a prepaid card is inserted, the amount in the input amount memory 53 is written to the prepaid card and the prepaid cart is ejected. The membership card will also be ejected.

After that, the electricity supply to the solenoids 28 of all the remaining empty shelves 3 is cut off, and the shelves are locked.

With the article rental management device configured in this way, the customer inserts his or her membership card into the membership card insertion slot 1 of the operation panel 9.
3, press the rental key 16, enter the shelf number of the shelf 3 in which the desired cassette 4 is stored, and then input the rental unit price displayed on the display section 10 using coins or a prepaid card. Just enter it. Then, the lock on the shelf 3 in which the corresponding cassette 4 is stored is released, and about 1/4 of the corresponding cassette 4 is exposed from the shelf 3, so that the user can hold it by hand and pull it out.

In addition, if you want to return the cassettes, insert your membership card and operate the return key 17 to unlock all the currently empty shelves 3. Just insert .

Note that if there is a late fee, the late fee will be displayed, and the amount can be paid with coins or a prepaid card.

In this way, each column 3 of the rack 1 can be adjusted by the customer himself/herself by performing a simple lending or return operation on the operation panel 9.
is unlocked or locked. The customer himself or herself inserts and pulls out the cassette 4 from the shelf 3. Therefore, unlike conventional devices, there is no need to provide a transport mechanism to transport the cassettes from each column to the article outlet.
The device itself can be made simple and compact. Therefore, the installation area can be reduced and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Furthermore, when returning a cassette 4, if the cassette 4 is empty, even if it is inserted into any shelf 3, the fact that the cassette 4 has been returned will be correctly remembered, making the return operation particularly cumbersome for the customer. It won't happen. Therefore, unlike conventional devices, there is no need for a store staff member to receive the cassette and insert it into a predetermined shelf when returning the cassette. In other words, the return work for store openings is also automatically executed.

In this way, for store openings, the cassette lending/returning process can be automated without imposing a large burden on customers, thereby significantly reducing the burden on store staff.

In addition, in the embodiment, the membership card and prepaid card were configured to be inserted separately, but by incorporating the membership card and prepaid card into one card, operability for the customer is further improved. It is also possible to do so.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the article rental management device of the present invention, a locking mechanism is provided in each column for storing each article, and a locking mechanism is provided in each column for storing each article, and the locking mechanism is provided in response to the lending operation and return operation performed by the customer on the operation panel. By operating the locking mechanism, the customer is allowed to pull out and insert items into the shelf manually. Therefore,
For store owners, the task of managing the lending and returning of goods can be greatly simplified without imposing a large burden on customers.

−2〇　−

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show an article lending management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a cassette inserted into a shelf, FIG. 2(a) is an external view showing the entire device, Figure (b
) is a perspective view showing the cassette, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation panel, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main body control section, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the stored contents of the storage section, and FIGS. 6 and 7. is a flowchart showing the operation. 1... Rack, 3... Shelf, 4... Cassette, 6...
...Product number, 7...Title name, 8...Main control unit,
9... Operation panel, 10... Display unit, 11... Coin slot, 12... Prepaid card slot, 13
...Membership card insertion slot, 15...Number key, 16.
...Rental key, 17...Return key, 18...End key, 2o...IC circuit, 21a, 23b...Light emitting element,
21b, 23a--Light receiving element, 24--Micro switch, 25a--Coil spring, 26--Recessed portion, 2
7...Lock arm, 28-'/shi/id, 3l
-CPU, 3B-RAM. 52...Lending management memory.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A plurality of shelves (for separating and storing a plurality of articles) each having an IC circuit that stores product information including a product-specific product number.
3), a locking mechanism (27, 28) provided in each shelf for regulating the insertion/drawing operation of the article, and a locking mechanism (27, 28) for reading product information stored in the IC circuit of the article stored in the shelf. Signal connection mechanism (21a, 21b, 23a, 23b
), a rental management memory (52) that stores rental information such as the rental date and membership number in association with the item number of the item, and a shelf number indicating the position of the shelf where the item is stored, and selection of item rental/return. an input means (9) having a lending key, a return key, and an input key for inputting the storage number of the shelf in which the item to be lent is stored; A product information search means (S2) that searches from the management memory, and a first lock release means (S2) that releases the lock mechanism of the shelf corresponding to the shelf number input by the input means.
S4), storage bin clearing means (S5) for deleting the storage bin stored in association with the product number of the article searched by the product information search means from the lending management memory, and operation of the return key return key. storage bin search means (S7) for searching all vacant shelf bins from the rental management memory in response to
, a second lock release means (S8) that releases the lock mechanism of the empty shelf corresponding to the searched shelf number, and product information of the article inserted at any position on the unlocked shelf. a product information reading unit (S10) that reads the product information via the signal connection mechanism; and a shelf number setting unit that stores the shelf number of the shelf in the area of the corresponding product number of the rental management memory that corresponds to the product number of the read product information. (S12) An article rental management device characterized by comprising: