JPH0459673B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a vending machine that sells products using cards.

(Prior art) Generally, vending machines sell in cash (coins or banknotes), but recently so-called card-based vending has begun to sell and pay using cards such as magnetic cards. The machine has been put into practical use.

In addition, as a payment method for card-based vending machines, a card with amount information corresponding to the purchase price written on it using magnetic information or other means is purchased in advance with cash.
The so-called advance payment method as shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-24519, in which the amount written on the card decreases each time a vending machine is used, and the so-called advance payment method as shown in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 116092-1982. When using a vending machine with a card, there is a so-called deferred payment system in which the card holder is required to pay the accumulated usage amount every predetermined period.

The prepayment method is a method in which a card with amount information written on it is purchased in advance by cash payment, and the card is used at a vending machine.By writing the amount information with the usage amount subtracted on the card again, the card becomes a kind of cash voucher. This is a method of thinking as follows. The prepayment method is safe in terms of cash collection because you can obtain cash in advance. On the other hand, the deferred payment method is a method in which a vending machine is used with a card on which only personal identification information is written, without amount information written on it.
This is a system in which the sales amount from the use of a certain card is later collected and billed to the card holder. The disadvantage of the deferred payment method is that it takes time and effort to collect cash. There is also the risk that cash cannot be recovered.

For the above reasons, the prepayment method is preferred and implemented because of the certainty of payment collection, but the card reader in the prepayment method must be able to write as well as read (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 54-9999,
(Refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-52191). This writable card reader has the disadvantage that it is considerably more expensive than a read-only card reader.

As a solution to this problem, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 59-197991, information on the sales amount of the product is input from the vending machine, and the sales amount is subtracted from the balance according to the card code number to create a new An online vending machine system has been proposed that is equipped with information processing means that calculates and stores balances.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) Conventionally, when purchasing a product using a card in a vending machine that allows prepayment, the balance is slightly insufficient compared to the product price, and if there is no cash on hand at that time. It was inconvenient to not be able to use the vending machine. In addition, in online vending machine systems, there is no means to make prepayments on or near the vending machine itself, so if the balance decreases, you can make prepayments at a bank counter or bank deposit processing facility. I had no choice but to go, which was extremely inconvenient.

In addition, the card may include, for example, JP-A-50-156342.
Since the number code specified by the central computer as shown in the above publication was written, the terminal processing device would not accept any cards other than that card. In other words, in conventional vending machine systems, an individual is identified using a card already in circulation, such as a bank card or credit card, and by making a deposit, it is no longer possible to purchase items from the vending machine using that card. It was impossible.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to realize a prepayment type card vending machine with reliable cash collection by using an inexpensive read-only card reader, and also to realize a card vending machine using an inexpensive read-only card reader. For example, the card can be used to make deposits, and this deposit can be made on or near the vending machine itself, and products can be sold even if the balance is a negative number within a predetermined limit. It is about making it possible.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a read-only card reader that reads personal identification information from a card on which personal identification information is written in advance, and a device near the card reader. A money acceptance unit provided in the vending machine body or in the vicinity thereof, and a calculation processing unit and a storage unit electrically connected to the card reader and the money acceptance unit are built in the vending machine body or a communication line is provided. In the deposit operation, after the card reader inputs the personal identification information of the card, the deposit amount is input from the money acceptance section by the money input operation, and the deposit amount is changed to the deposit amount that has been stored up to that point. In the automatic vending operation, information on the personal identification information of the card input from the card reader and the personal identification information of the card stored in advance in the storage section are stored in the storage section. The information is collated, and if they match, the product is sold until the pre-stored balance reaches a predetermined negative limit amount, and the sales amount is subtracted from the balance to the vending machine. It is characterized in that the balance is stored in the storage section as a balance, and these controls are performed by the arithmetic processing section.

(Function) According to the present invention, in the deposit operation, after the card reader inputs the personal identification information of the card, the deposit amount is inputted from the money deposit section by the money insertion operation, and the deposit amount is stored in the storage section until then. Information on the balance including the balance that was added is stored. In the vending operation, the personal identification information of the card inputted from the card reader is compared with the personal identification information of the card stored in advance in the storage section, and if they match, the personal identification information of the card inputted from the card reader is checked. The products are sold until the remaining balance reaches a predetermined negative limit amount, and after the sale, the amount obtained by subtracting the sales amount from the balance is stored in the storage section as a new balance.

(Examples) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on Examples.

FIG. 1 is a combination diagram of block elements built into a vending machine according to the present invention, and the structure of the vending machine according to the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

The microprocessor 1, which serves as an arithmetic processing unit having functions to be described later, includes a card reader 2 capable of reading information on a magnetic card, an operation display panel 3, a storage unit 4 for storing card information, etc., and a card reader 2 provided near the card reader 2. The microprocessor 1 is electrically connected to a money validator 7 serving as a money receiving section, and furthermore, the microprocessor 1 is connected to a product storing and discharging section 6 via a product discharging drive section 5.

First, in order to use a vending machine with a card, a user obtains a magnetic card, on which personal identification information is written in advance, from the vending machine staff. Next, the user causes the card reader 2 to read the personal identification information of the card.
Furthermore, a 1000 yen bill is inserted into the money validator 7, and the 1000 yen bill is read. The microprocessor 1 combines the personal identification information of the card and the deposit information of 1,000 yen and stores it in the card information storage section 4. As a result, the vending machine stores that 1,000 yen has been deposited into the card that has the individual's identification information. Next, if you read the same card into the card reader and press the button for the product you want to purchase from the operation display panel, and the product is 100 yen, the microprocessor 1 requests 100 yen for the 1000 yen balance. A new balance of 900 yen is stored in the storage unit 4, and a control signal is given to the product carry-out drive unit 5 to carry out the designated product from the product storage and carry-out unit 6 for sale.

The other user is given a magnetic card with the personal identification information of another card written on it. In this case, the same procedure as above is used to deposit money and use the vending machine. After reading the personal information on the card, the balance for that card is displayed on the operation display panel 3.
shall be displayed numerically. If you continue to use your card to purchase products at vending machines, that is, to continue purchasing your card, the balance in the storage unit 4 will gradually decrease and become less than the amount required to purchase the product. After inputting the personal identification information, by inputting the deposited amount from the money identifier 7 through the money input operation and inputting it into the microprocessor 1, new balance information including the deposited amount and the previously stored balance is generated. It is stored in the storage unit 4. Therefore, the user can deposit 1,000 yen for a balance of 30 yen by simply handling the card reader and money validator provided in the vending machine itself.
You can update the balance to 1030 yen.

If you continue to make card purchases and the balance reaches 30 yen and you choose to purchase a product for 100 yen, a negative balance will be allowed within a predetermined limit, and for example, that limit will be set as the debt limit. call me
If it is 500 yen, the actual balance is 500 yen + 30 yen =
The price will be 530 yen, so you can purchase the above 100 yen product.

After the original balance becomes a negative number, if you deposit cash (it will be paid in arrears to repay some debts), the balance will become a positive number again. For example, if your balance is -70 yen and you deposit 1000 yen, your balance will be 930 yen. The above calculation processing is performed by the microprocessor 1. The flowchart is shown in Figure 2.

In the first place, the advantage for users of card vending machines was the convenience of being able to make purchases without having to have the necessary amount of cash (particularly coins) when they wanted to make a purchase. However, there was a drawback that if the balance became less than the purchase amount and there was no additional cash on hand, the product could not be purchased. According to this specific example, a temporary debt can be made to the vending machine, and the above-mentioned inconvenience can be solved.
Due to its nature, such vending machines must be used in an environment where the user trusts them (for example, in a certain workplace such as a factory or office where the user is always determined). This will be convenient for users in different environments.

If we want to forgive debts only to people with credit, for example, the storage unit 4 for storing card information, etc.
By increasing the debt limit according to the accumulated usage amount stored up to that point, it is possible to realize a service in which debts are forgiven only to cards of people with good credit.

In the above embodiment, the block element shown in FIG. 1 is built into the vending machine main body, but the card reader and the money receiving section may be provided near the vending machine main body, or the card reader and the money receiving section may be provided near the vending machine main body. The arithmetic processing section and the storage section electrically connected to the reader and the money accepting section may be installed at a location away from the vending machine main body via a communication line. In addition, recent vending machines sometimes have a controller section, a money receiving section, a product storage/export section, etc., which are separated. In this way, even if the block elements are physically separated, or even if the number and combination of block elements changes, the function of the card-using vending machine as a deposit method will not change, so the same effect can be expected. (For example, the same effect can be expected even if a common arithmetic processing unit and storage unit are provided for a plurality of vending machine bodies each having a card reader and a money acceptance unit.)

In the above description, a magnetic card was used as a specific example of the card, but similar effects can be obtained with cards of other principles and shapes.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the vending machine according to the present invention, there is the convenience of being able to purchase goods etc. even when there is insufficient balance because it is possible to temporarily borrow money from the vending machine. Furthermore, by using an inexpensive read-only card reader, the cost can be reduced, and if the card has at least personal identification information written on it, it can be used to deposit money into a vending machine. This method has the advantage of being able to be implemented simply by handling a card reader and a cash acceptance section in or near the vending machine itself.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart of sales operations in the embodiment of the present invention. 1... A microprocessor as an arithmetic processing unit, 2... A card reader, 4... A storage unit for card information, etc., 7... A money identifier as a money acceptance unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A read-only card reader that reads personal identification information from a card on which personal identification information has been written in advance, and a money acceptance section provided near the card reader are provided on or near the vending machine itself, and An arithmetic processing unit and a storage unit electrically connected to the card reader and the money acceptance unit are built into the vending machine body or are separately provided via a communication line, and in the deposit operation, the card reader uses the card to After inputting the identification information, by inputting the deposited amount from the money receiving section through a money insertion operation, information on the balance obtained by adding the balance stored up to that point to the deposited amount is stored in the storage section, and the automatic vending operation is performed. In the step, the personal identification information of the card inputted from the card reader is compared with the personal identification information of the card stored in advance in the storage section, and if they match, the personal identification information of the card inputted from the card reader is checked. Selling the product until the balance reaches a predetermined negative limit amount, and storing the amount obtained by subtracting the sales amount from the balance in the vending machine in the storage unit as a balance;
A vending machine characterized in that these controls are performed by the arithmetic processing section.