JPH05122389A - Automatic vending machine fault transfer unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the automatic vending machine fault transfer unit which inform the occurrence of a fault or a theft in the automatic vending machine to a fault information receiver at an exchange side while not using a private telephone line but using an existing telephone line (to reduce the installation cost). CONSTITUTION:This unit is connected in series with an existing telephone line. Then a line monitor section 1 monitors an idle line, Upon the receipt of the notice of a fault or a theft of an automatic vending machine, when an MPU 5 recognizes an idle line through the line monitor section 1, the MPU 5 allows a line changeover section 3 to be thrown to the position of the unit from the position of the telephone set, the telephone number of a fault information receiver is read from a memory 6 and sent from a PB signal transmission section 4 and when the call reaches, the information of the fault or the theft is sent in terms of codes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention, when a failure or theft occurs in a vending machine installed in an appropriate place, uses an existing telephone line installed near the vending machine to The present invention relates to a vending machine failure transfer unit capable of making a notification to a failure information receiving device on the side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional vending machine management system for online management of vending machine failures and the like. In the figure, K is a vending machine, T-NCU
Is a home transmission device, TEL is a telephone, HHT is a handheld terminal, L is a telephone line, C-NCU is an information receiving device, and CPU is a center host.

A dedicated telephone line L is installed between the vending machine K and the center host CPU, a home transmission unit T-NCU is provided on the vending machine K side, and an information receiving device is provided on the center host CPU side. Each C-NCU is equipped. The telephone TEL is connected as needed, but usually need not be.

The home transmission unit T-NCU is a vending machine K.
The information is stored and the regular notification is sent from the telephone line L, and necessary data is exchanged with the handheld terminal HHT (held by the person in charge), and the created delivery / collection data is transmitted. Handheld terminal H
The HT sets operational data in the in-home transmission device T-NCU and creates slips for delivery / collection.

The information receiving device C-NCU receives and stores the data sent from the home transmission device T-NCU, and informs the operator by a lamp and a buzzer (not shown) in case of an emergency such as sales or failure. The center host CPU (information processing device) collects and analyzes the data sent from each vending machine K, and creates the forms necessary for sales management, inventory management, failure management, etc., and rationalizes the sales office. Support the operation. Such a system is described in the magazine "NTT Technology Journal" April 1991, page 93.

[0006]

The conventional system described above requires one set of dedicated telephone lines for each vending machine, which causes a problem of high equipment cost. The present invention solves such a problem, does not require a dedicated telephone line, uses an existing telephone line in the vicinity, selects an available time, and when the vending machine is broken or stolen, the station side It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine failure transfer unit capable of notifying a failure information receiving device in.

[0007]

To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an existing telephone line between a subscriber telephone and an exchange side is connected in series, and when the line is idle, the line is used. As a vending machine failure transfer unit that notifies the failure information receiving device on the exchange side of a failure or theft of the vending machine, the monitoring section of the telephone line and the telephone line between the subscriber telephone and the exchange side are connected from the exchange side. Looking at the line switching unit that can switch from the subscriber telephone side to the unit side, and
The vending machine failure transfer unit is composed of a B signal sending section, a memory for storing the telephone number of the failure information receiving device, and a control section.

[0008]

When the failure information indicating failure or theft is input from the vending machine, the control unit checks whether the telephone line is available or not by the monitoring unit, and if it is available, instructs the line switching unit. When the telephone line is viewed from the exchange side, the subscriber telephone side is switched to the relevant unit side.

Then, the telephone number of the failure information receiving device is read out from the memory, and is sent out as a PB signal from the telephone line to the exchange side by using the PB signal sending section, whereby the failure information is received when the call is received by the failure information receiving device. Send out,
After that, all parts are returned to the initial state. According to the present invention, the existing telephone line can be used without the need for a dedicated line, so that the facility cost can be reduced.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 100 is a vending machine failure transfer unit according to the present invention, 1 is a line monitoring unit (A), 2 is a line monitoring unit (B), 3 is a line switching unit, 4 is a PB signal sending unit, 5
Is an MPU (microprocessor unit), 6 is a receiving device telephone number memory, 7 is a receiving device telephone number setting switch, and 8 is a power supply unit.

The telephone line L installed between the telephone and the exchange, not shown, is an existing line. This telephone line L
Then, the vending machine failure transfer unit 100 is connected in series. Therefore, normally, the telephone line L passes from the telephone through the line monitoring unit (A) 1, passes through the line switching unit 3 to reach the exchange side, and the telephone functions as a normal telephone.

Next, the circuit operation related to the present invention will be described. An automatic vending machine (not shown) notifies the MPU 5 via the line P of ON / OFF information indicating the occurrence of a failure or theft.

[0013] Then, the MPU 5 at that time, the telephone line L
The line monitoring unit (A) 1 is used to check whether or not there is an empty line. When it is determined that there is an empty space, the MPU 5 sends the PB signal sending unit 4
A signal is sent to the line switching unit 3 via the line switching unit 3 to switch the telephone line L from the subscriber telephone side to the unit 00 side when viewed from the exchange side.

Even after the switching, there may be an incoming call from the exchange side to the telephone. Therefore, the line monitoring unit (B) 2
Are monitored by. The transmission on the telephone side is of course monitored by the line monitoring unit (A) 1. MPU
Before 5 sends a dial number to the exchange side via the PB signal sending unit 4 and the line switching unit 3 to form a loop,
By the line monitoring unit (A) 1 or the line monitoring unit (B) 2,
When an outgoing or incoming call is detected, the MP notified of that
U5 returns the line switching unit 3 to its original state so as not to hinder the call.

If this is not the case, the MPU 5
The telephone number of the failure information receiving device (not shown) on the exchange side is read from the receiving device telephone number memory 6, and is transmitted as a PB signal from the telephone line to the exchange side via the line switching part 3 using the PB signal transmitting part 4. .. Then, the failure information receiving device is thereby activated to form a loop.

After the loop is formed, the MPU 5 converts a code (for example, 4 digits) corresponding to the failure information or the theft information into a PB signal in the PB signal sending unit 4 and automatically sends it.
The failure information receiving device disconnects the line when receiving the failure information or the theft information. When the MPU 5 detects it, the line switching unit 3 is returned to its original state, and all the units are returned to the initial state.

The telephone number of the failure information receiving device is set in the receiving device telephone number memory 6 as follows. First, when the receiving device telephone number setting switch 7 is turned on and the fact is notified to the MPU 5, the MPU 5 causes the line switching unit 3
To switch the telephone to the telephone line L, the line switching unit 3,
It is connected to the MPU 5 via the PB signal sending unit 4.

Then, from the telephone, first dial the PB signal of #, then dial the telephone number of the failure information receiving device, and end with the PB signal of #, the MPU 5
The telephone number of the failure information receiving device sandwiched by # is fetched and stored in the receiving device telephone number memory 6. The power supply unit 8 supplies power to each unit that performs a series of operations.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the vending machine failure transfer unit, you do not need a dedicated telephone line, you can use the existing existing telephone line in the neighborhood, select the time when it is available, and if the vending machine fails or is stolen, that is the failure on the station side. Since it is possible to notify the information receiving device, there is an advantage that the equipment cost can be low.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a conventional vending machine management system.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 ... Vending machine failure transfer unit according to the present invention,
1 ... Line monitoring unit (A), 2 ... Line monitoring unit (B), 3 ... Line switching unit, 4 ... PB signal sending unit, 5 ... MPU (microprocessor unit), 6 ... Receiving device telephone number memory,
7 ... Receiving device telephone number setting switch, 8 ... Power supply unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A failure information on the exchange side, which is connected to an existing telephone line between the subscriber telephone and the exchange side in series, and which is used when the vending machine is broken or stolen when the line is idle. A vending machine failure transfer unit that reports to the receiving device, and switches the telephone line monitoring unit and the telephone line between the subscriber telephone and the exchange side from the subscriber telephone side to the unit side as seen from the exchange side. A line switching unit, a PB signal sending unit, a memory for storing the telephone number of a failure information receiving device, and failure information for notifying a failure or theft from a vending machine are input by the monitoring unit. If there is a vacancy after checking whether or not it is possible to instruct the line switching unit to change the telephone line,
When viewed from the exchange side, the subscriber telephone side is switched to the relevant unit side, and then the telephone number of the failure information receiving device is read from the memory and sent out from the telephone line to the exchange side by using the PB signal sending section. When an incoming call arrives at the failure information receiving device, failure information is sent out, and after that,
A vending machine failure transfer unit, comprising: a control unit for returning all of the units to an initial state.