JPH10302092A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine which enables a customer to collectively purchase plural kinds of tickets and considerably extends a combination range of classifications and the number of tickets in a constitution which is simplified by reducing the number of parts. SOLUTION: A paper money insertion hole 24, a coin slot 25, a display part 26, an adjustment button 27, a return hole 28, a return lever 29, and a lock switch 30 are provided in the front of a front door 22 of this vending machine 21. Number buttons 31, 32, 33, and 34 which are provided to issue tickets for adult and have indications '1', '2', '3', and '4' added and are used to designate the number of tickets to be purchased and number buttons 35, 36, 37, and 38 which are provided to issue tickets for child and have indications '1', '2', '3', and '4' added and are used to designate the number of tickets to be purchased are arranged in the front door 22 with distinctive representations for adult and child. An entrance ticket button 48 and a ride ticket button 49 which designate whether a ticket to be purchased is an entrance ticket or a ride ticket are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine such as a ticket vending machine for selling ticket pieces such as entrance tickets in an entertainment facility.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When an admission ticket or a facility use ticket is used in an entertainment facility or the like, necessary ticket pieces are purchased in advance by a ticket vending machine.
Such ticket pieces are generally classified into adults and children according to fees. FIG. 4 shows a front view of such a ticket vending machine 1 of the first prior art. Hereinafter, the configuration of the ticket vending machine 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The ticket vending machine 1 is used, for example, to sell admission tickets at an entertainment facility or the like. In front of the front door 2 of such a ticket vending machine 1, a bill insertion slot 4 is provided.
A coin slot 5 is provided, and a display unit 6 is provided for displaying items such as the balance of the inserted money, sales cancellation, and change of money. In addition, the front door 2 has a settlement button 7 operated at the time of change refund, a return port 8 through which the change is returned and the purchased ticket piece is carried out, and a return operation operated at the time of requesting return of the inserted money. The lever 9 has a key hole into which a predetermined switching key is inserted, and a lock switch 10 for switching between a locked state and an unlocked state of the front door 2 is provided.

On the other hand, "1", "2",
"3" and "4" are displayed, and the number buttons 11, 12, 13, and 14 for specifying the number of ticket pieces to be purchased.
And an adult button 15 and a child button 16 for designating whether the admission ticket to be purchased is for an adult or a child.

[0004] Hereinafter, a ticket piece purchasing operation according to the prior art will be described with reference to FIG. A user who purchases only one adult or dwarf ticket piece inserts a predetermined amount of money and then enters the adult button 15 or dwarf button 16 respectively.
Can be operated. On the other hand, as an example, if you are going to purchase multiple ticket pieces at the same time, such as purchasing two ticket pieces each for adults and children, specify the first two pieces after inserting a predetermined amount of money. Is operated, and then the adult button 15 is operated as an example. Furthermore, after inserting a predetermined amount of money, the number button 12 for designating two sheets is operated first, and then the button 16 for children is operated. In this way, two tickets for adults and two for children are purchased.

[0005] In such a conventional ticket vending machine 1, since the change is once refunded after the purchase of the adult ticket, it is not possible to purchase the ticket for the adult and the child for the child at the same time. There is a problem that the operation requires time and effort. In addition, even if adult and child ticket pieces can be purchased consecutively within the initial investment amount, it is necessary to specify the purchase of child ticket pieces after the adult ticket pieces are issued once. There is also a problem in this point that the purchase operation requires time and effort.

As an example of the number designation button of the ticket vending machine of the second prior art, as shown in FIG. 5, a button A1 for one adult, a button A2 for two adults, a button C1 for one child,
A button AC1 for one adult and two children and a button AC2 for two adults and one child may be arranged. Such a conventional technique is installed, for example, in a ticket vending machine for a ticket such as a train, so that ticket pieces for adults and children can be purchased at once.

[0007] As an example, when two adults and one child are to be purchased, a predetermined amount of money is inserted, and then the number designation button AC2 is operated. Can be purchased. In this conventional technique, compared to the first conventional technique, it is possible to purchase ticket pieces for adults and children at once, thereby reducing the labor for the purchase operation.

[0008] On the other hand, in the second prior art, the combinations that can be purchased at a time for adults and children are limited to the five types shown in FIG. For this reason,
As an example, in order to purchase two sheets for adults and two sheets for children, after operating the number specification button AC2 to purchase two sheets for adults and one child, and then operating the number specification button A1 It is necessary to separately purchase one for adults. in this case,
After all, it takes time to purchase. To solve this problem, for example, 2 sheets for adults + 2 sheets for children and 3 sheets for adults
If you try to increase the number of button designating buttons that combine ticket pieces for adults and children, such as two sheets for children and two children, the number of number designation buttons installed on the front of the ticket vending machine is unnecessarily large. The increase causes an increase in the number of parts, and also causes a problem that it takes time to select a button to be operated at the time of purchase.

[0009]

As described above, any prior art ticket vending machine has a problem that it takes time to purchase a ticket piece.

The inventions of claims 1 and 2 have been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the invention is to enable a plurality of types of ticket pieces to be purchased at a time, and the type and number of tickets to be purchased. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine in which the range of combinations can be greatly expanded with a simplified configuration by reducing the number of parts.

[0011]

In the vending machine according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of types of ticket pieces are sold, and for each type of ticket piece, a plurality of ticket pieces for inputting the number of ticket pieces to be sold is provided. A number button is provided on the front of the fuselage. When the number button for each type of ticket is operated, the control unit detects the operation and issues each type of ticket corresponding to the number of operated number buttons.

Thus, in the present invention, when a predetermined number of ticket types are to be purchased, the necessity of repeatedly issuing and specifying the type and number for each type is eliminated. The trouble in the case of is greatly reduced. The combination of the type and the number of ticket pieces that can be purchased at a time is a number in which the number of types and the number of number buttons are used as an index. That is, as an example, the number button is set to 1 for each of two types of ticket pieces.
In the case where eight pieces are installed, each of four to four, the number of combinations is 2 to the fourth power = 16. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified as compared with the case where 16 types of purchase buttons are arranged. In addition, it is possible to solve a problem that a user needs time and effort to select a button to be operated at the time of purchase.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, there are two types of ticket pieces, one for adults and one for children. It is clear that the above-described effects can be achieved even in such a case.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to embodiments.

1 to 3 show a ticket vending machine 21 according to an embodiment of the vending machine of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of a ticket vending machine 21 of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a front door 22 of the ticket vending machine 21, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electric configuration of the ticket vending machine 21.

Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG.
1 will be described. The ticket vending machine 21 is used, for example, to sell a facility use ticket such as an entrance ticket or a vehicle ticket at an entertainment facility or the like. In front of the front door 22 of such a ticket vending machine 21, a bill insertion slot 24 and a coin insertion slot 25 are provided.
Is provided, and a display unit 26 is provided for displaying items such as the balance of the inserted money, cancellation of sale, or change of money. In addition, the front door 22 has a settlement button 27 operated at the time of refund of change, a return port 28 through which the change is returned and the purchased ticket piece is carried out, and a return operation operated when requesting the return of the inserted money. A lever 29 has a key hole into which a predetermined switching key is inserted, and a lock switch 30 for switching between a locked state and an unlocked state of the front door 22 is provided.

On the other hand, on the front door 22, there are provided a number button for issuing adult ticket pieces, "1", "2",
"3" and "4" are displayed, and the number buttons 31, 32, 33 and 34 are used to specify the number of ticket pieces to be purchased.
And a number button for issuing ticket pieces for children, which are indicated by "1", "2", "3", and "4", respectively, and designate the number of ticket pieces to be purchased. Number button 3
5, 36, 37, and 38 are provided with indications for adults and children. Further, there are provided an entrance ticket button 48 and a vehicle ticket button 49 for designating whether the ticket to be purchased is an entrance ticket or a vehicle ticket, respectively.

Hereinafter, the electrical configuration of the ticket vending machine 21 will be described with reference to FIG. The ticket vending machine 1 has a control unit 40 realized by a microcomputer or the like. The display unit 26, the settlement button 27, the return lever 29, and the lock switch 30 are connected to the control unit 40, and further, a bill burr 41 for identifying a bill inserted from the bill insertion slot 24 or the coin slot 25. , A coin mech 42, a ticket issuing section 43 including a printer for printing predetermined items on the recording paper for the ticket piece, a power supply device 44, a bill inserted from the bill insertion slot 24 and the coin slot 25, and The storing hopper 45, the safe 46 and the communication device 47 to which the money stored in the hopper 45 is moved under the control of the control unit 40, and the aforementioned number buttons 31 to 38, the entrance ticket button 48, and the vehicle ticket button 49 are included. It is connected.
The hopper 45 includes a moving mechanism that moves the money stored therein one by one to the safe 46 under the control of the control unit 40.

The ticket purchase operation by the ticket vending machine 21 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As an example,
A user who purchases only one adult entrance ticket operates the entrance ticket button 48 first after inserting a predetermined amount of money, and then operates the number button 31 for one adult. Control unit 40
Detects this operation and drives the ticket issuing unit 43 to issue one adult entrance ticket.

Also, as an example, when purchasing two adult entrance tickets and three child entrance tickets, after inserting a predetermined amount of money, the entrance ticket button 48 is first operated, and then the entrance ticket button 48 is operated. The number button 32 for two adults is operated. At this time, FIG.
, The operated number-of-sheets button 32 is switched from the unlit state to the lit state or the blinking state. Subsequently, the number button 37 for three children is operated. At this time, as indicated by hatching in FIG. 2, the operated number-of-sheets button 37 is switched from the unlit state to the lit state or the blinking state. The control unit 40 detects this operation and drives the ticket issuing unit 43 to issue two adult entrance tickets and three child entrance tickets.

Further, the control unit 40 operates until the balance of the inserted money becomes less than the minimum amount of the issueable bills, or until the settlement button 27 or the return lever 29 is operated.
It is set so that ticket pieces can be issued. As a result, as described above, after purchasing a predetermined number of entrance tickets for adults and children, if it is desired to further purchase a ticket, if the remaining amount is a purchaseable amount, the ticket ticket button 49
Is operated, and then the number button corresponding to the required number is operated regardless of the number button for adults or children.
At the stage where the ticket button 49 is operated, the control unit 40
The number of buttons 31 to 38 is changed to a number of buttons irrelevant for adults or children, and the above-described processing is performed.

As described above, in the ticket vending machine 21 of this embodiment,
In order to purchase a predetermined number of each type of ticket piece, it is necessary to repeat issuing the ticket piece and specifying the type and quantity for each type for adults or children as in the first related art. Eliminating the trouble of purchasing ticket pieces is greatly reduced. Further, in the present embodiment, the combination of the type and the number of ticket pieces that can be purchased at one time is a number in which the number of types is equal to the number of number buttons. Therefore, to realize a ticketing function similar to the ticketing function of the present embodiment as in the second related art described above, the number of parts is reduced as compared with the case where 16 types of purchase buttons need to be arranged. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified and the configuration can be simplified. Further, in the second conventional technique, the number of purchase buttons to be operated increases unnecessarily,
It is assumed that it takes time and effort for the user to select the buttons to be operated at the time of purchase. However, in the ticket vending machine 21 of the present embodiment, the number of the number of buttons is eight, which is half of the conventional technology. Can be eliminated.

Although the above-described embodiment has been described as a ticket vending machine 21 for issuing an entrance ticket or a ticket for amusement facilities, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, but may be applied to public facilities such as trains and buses. The present invention can be applied to ticket vending machines for selling transportation tickets or vending machines for selling various products.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but includes a wide range of specific examples without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0025]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of number buttons for inputting the number of ticket pieces to be sold for each type of ticket piece are provided on the front of the body. When the number button for each type of ticket is operated, the control unit detects the operation, and issues each type of ticket in a number corresponding to the number of the operated number buttons.

According to the present invention, when it is desired to purchase a predetermined number of each type of ticket, the necessity of repeatedly issuing and specifying the type and the number of each type of ticket is eliminated. The trouble in the case of is greatly reduced. The combination of the type and the number of ticket pieces that can be purchased at a time is a number in which the number of types and the number of number buttons are used as an index. That is, as an example, the number button is set to 1 for each of two types of ticket pieces.
In the case where eight pieces are installed, each of four to four, the number of combinations is 2 to the fourth power = 16. Therefore, the number of components can be reduced and the configuration can be simplified as compared with the case where 16 types of purchase buttons are arranged. In addition, it is possible to solve a problem that a user needs time and effort to select a button to be operated at the time of purchase.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, there are two types of ticket pieces, one for adults and one for children. Even in such a case, the same operation and effect as those described above are achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a ticket vending machine 21 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a front door 22 of the ticket vending machine 21.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the ticket vending machine 21.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a first prior art ticket vending machine 1;

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example of the arrangement of a number designation button of a ticket vending machine according to a second prior art.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 ticket vending machine 22 front door 31, 32, 33, 34 adult number button 35, 36, 37, 38 child number button 40 control unit 48 entrance ticket button 49 vehicle ticket button

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine for selling a plurality of types of ticket pieces, wherein a plurality of number buttons provided on a front portion of the body for inputting the number of ticket pieces to be sold for each type of the ticket pieces. A vending machine comprising: a controller configured to detect an operation of a number button for each type of ticket and issue a number of tickets corresponding to the number of the operated number of buttons. 2. A vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said ticket pieces are for adults and children.