JPH07225865A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an automatic vending machine which can specify a deposit commodity purchased from the vending machine. CONSTITUTION:An automatic vending machine is provided with a commodity storing device which contains plural commodity storing columns, a setting means 16 which sets a deposite commodity to be purchased for each commodity storing column, the commodity selection buttons 4, a marking means 15 which gives the marks to the commodities to be purchased, and a control means 17 which gives the marks to the commodities by the means 15 when the commodities selected by the buttons 4 are decided as the deposit commodities by the means 16.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to vending machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, empty cans are often thrown as garbage. However, it is desirable to collect empty cans for environmental beautification and resource reuse. Therefore, at the time of selling the product, an amount is added to the price, the amount added when the empty cans are collected is returned, or a so-called deposit system (a deposit system is subject to a reward system) that gives a privilege to the returned empty cans. Existing products as deposit products.) Has been adopted.
Then, the store owner who sold the product or the empty can processing machine returns the amount of money or gives the privilege to the collected empty cans.

As a prior art prior to the present invention, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-117670 (G07F 7/06) discloses an empty can collecting machine for collecting empty coins with a reflective seal and dispensing coins. A seal detector that selectively detects light having a light spectrum distribution is provided, and the light spectrum distribution of the light reflected by the reflection seal is substantially equal to the detection light spectrum distribution of the seal detector within at least a part of the wavelength range There is disclosed an empty can collecting machine characterized in that coins are paid out on the condition.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-370896 (G
07F 7/06) shows an empty can collecting machine that reads a barcode recording the type or price of a product printed on an empty can, a serial number, etc. and sorts whether or not the collecting process is possible. There is.

[0005]

In order to use the above-mentioned conventional empty can collecting machine, it is necessary to individually attach a reflecting seal for identification, and it is very difficult for humans to do so. Since it is difficult, a device for attaching a reflective sticker is required in addition to this empty can collecting machine. As described above, there is a problem that the product to be sold must be pasted once by the pasting device or by the hand of a person.

[0006] Further, in the above-mentioned conventional empty can collecting machine, whether the empty cans are products of the same company (products that can use the empty can collecting machine) by reading the bar code without individually sticking a sticker or the like, are the other companies? It is possible to determine whether or not the product. However, it is necessary to distinguish between products sold by vending machines and products sold by other methods at the can manufacturing stage.

That is, even if the products of the same company have different prices depending on the selling method, the products purchased at a low price at a discount shop or the like are processed by an empty can collecting machine, so that the coins are returned unfairly. Will end up. In view of the problems as described above, the present invention provides an automatic vending machine capable of identifying a deposit product sold by the automatic vending machine without the need for retrofitting a reflective seal or the like.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a product storage device having a plurality of product storage columns, setting means for setting that the products to be sold for each of the product storage columns are deposit products, and When the product selecting unit for selecting, a giving unit for giving a mark to the product to be sold, and the product selected by the product selecting unit are set as deposit products by the setting unit, And a control means for performing control for giving a mark.

The mark is usually invisible.

[0010]

According to the present invention, by marking the deposit product sold by the vending machine, it is possible to determine whether the same product is the deposit product sold by the vending machine. Further, by making the mark invisible normally, it is possible to distinguish the product printed on the product and sold by the vending machine without damaging the advertisement or the image.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main configuration of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of an automatic vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a vertical side view of the automatic vending machine. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a vertical sectional side view of a product insertion port portion showing another embodiment.

In the figure, 1 is a vending machine body,
It has a front door 2 that can be opened and closed. Above the front door 2, a product display room 3 for displaying products is provided, and a product selection button 4 as a product selection means is arranged corresponding to the product sample displayed in the product display room 3. Below the product selection button 4, there is provided a coin insertion slot 5 for inserting coins, and the coin inserted through the coin insertion slot 5 is
It is identified by the currency identification device 5a. At the lower part of the front door 2, a merchandise outlet 6 for taking out the delivered merchandise and a return port 7 for returning the change are provided.

Inside the vending machine body 1, a heat insulating housing 8 is provided.
Is provided, and a plurality of product storage columns 9 for storing products are provided inside the heat insulating housing 8. At the bottom of the product storage columns 9, the products are sent out based on the sales instruction for each product storage column 9. The product unloading mechanism 10 is provided. A heat insulating door 12 that can be opened and closed is provided at the front opening 11 of the heat insulating housing 8. A product chute 13 guides the product delivered from the product storage column 9 to a delivery port 14 provided in the heat insulating door 12.

Reference numeral 15 is a mark giving means for giving a mark,
While the product sent from the outlet 14 is sent to the product outlet 6, a mark indicating that the product has been sold by the vending machine is provided on the outer periphery of the product. To give some examples of the mark giving means 15, it is conceivable that the mark writing means 15 is provided with a roller to write the mark on the outer periphery of the product. It is also conceivable to write the mark with magnetic ink. Further, a configuration in which a seal is attached is also conceivable. Further, a configuration is conceivable in which an invisible mark is written by a semiconductor laser. By making it invisible, advertisements and images printed on products are not destroyed.

The setting means 16 is composed of a key input device (not shown) provided in the vending machine body 1, and sets to the control device 17 whether or not it is a deposit product for each product storage column 9. Further, the setting means 16 may be configured by using the product selection button 4. Explaining the product selling operation of the vending machine having the above configuration, when the user inserts money into the money insertion slot 5 and the money identification signal is input to the control device 17 by the money identification device 5a, based on the money identification signal. The input of the selected product selection button 4 is permitted. By operating the product selection button 4, the control device 17 determines whether the product selected by the product selection button 4 is a deposit product by the setting unit 16. When the control device 17 determines that the product is not a deposit product, the product unloading mechanism 1 of the product storage column 9 corresponding to the product selection button 4 operated by the control device 17
0 operates to carry out the product. The delivered product is guided by the product chute 13 and delivered from the delivery port 14. The product delivered from the delivery port 14 is delivered to the product delivery port 6.

When the control device 17 determines that the product is a deposit product, the product is sent to the product outlet 6 and
When the detection switch (not shown) of the mark giving means 13 provided on this path detects the presence of the product, the drive unit (not shown) is driven to rotate the roller and print the mark on the outer periphery of the product. Therefore, for the products sent to the product outlet 6,
A mark indicating that it is a deposit product sold by the vending machine is provided.

By adding a mark to the deposit product, the added amount can be returned (or a privilege can be given) by looking at the mark when the empty can is returned. Further, it is detected whether or not the product put in the empty can collecting machine has the mark. If it is judged that there is no mark, the empty can is returned to the thrower, and if it is judged that there is a mark, the empty can is compressed and crushed and the amount of money added at the time of sale is returned (or a privilege can be given. ) In the above embodiment, the mark providing means 15 is provided on the product delivery path, but as shown in FIG. 3, the product insertion port 9 of the product storage column 9 is provided.
A mark may be provided when the product is placed in the product storage column that is provided in A and stores the deposit product set by the setting means.

[0018]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the deposit product sold from the vending machine is provided with a mark, it is possible to determine whether or not the same product is a deposit product. be able to. Further, by making the mark invisible normally, it is possible to distinguish the product printed on the product and sold by the vending machine without damaging the advertisement or the image.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a main configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional side view of the vending machine of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of essential parts showing another marking means according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vending Machine Main Body 4 Product Selection Button 9 Product Storage Column 15 Marking Means 16 Setting Means 17 Control Means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A product storage device having a plurality of product storage columns, setting means for setting that the products to be sold for each of the product storage columns are deposit products, product selection means for selecting products, and sales. When the setting unit sets the product selected by the product selection unit to be a deposit product, a control for performing a control to add a mark to the product is performed. Vending machine consisting of means. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the mark is a mark that is not normally visible.