JPS6139177A - Ticket vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an automatic ticket vending machine that automatically sells a commuter pass (hereinafter referred to as a commuter pass) by, for example, a user's operation.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems] Recently, the development of station automation equipment has been remarkable, and even when issuing commuter passes, the fare is calculated by inserting the old commuter pass (old commuter pass) in use. , automatic commuter pass vending machines that issue new commuter passes (new commuter passes) by inserting the currency corresponding to the fare have been developed and are being put into practical use. Such automatic commuter pass vending machines accept a commuter pass purchase application form and transfer the purchaser's name (and age and gender) written on the application form to a new commuter pass. However, if there is a mischief (for example, a purchaser inserts only the application form and does not purchase) or a purchaser cancels the purchase midway through, the purchaser's application form will not be accepted, and the name on another person's application form will not be accepted. Problems such as copying occurred.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an automatic ticket vending machine that can reliably accept and process application forms from ticket purchasers. be.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is designed to accept an application form only when an old ticket is accepted and its information is correctly read.

[Embodiment of the Invention] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a commuter pass purchase application form 1 according to the present invention, which includes a column 2 for entering the purchaser's name, a column 3 for printing the ticket number and amount,
and other necessary information entry fields are provided, and the application form is inserted into the application form insertion slot to be described later in the direction of the arrow shown with the front side facing up.

FIGS. 2 to 5 show an automatic commuter pass vending machine as an example of the automatic ticket vending machine according to the present invention. That is,
11 is the main body of the vending machine, and on the front of this main body 11 there is an operation section (
(customer service side) 12 is formed. As shown in FIG. 3, the vertical surface 12a of the operating section 12 includes an application form insertion slot (acceptance part) 13 into which the commuter pass purchase application form 1 is inserted, and a commuter pass insertion slot (acceptance part) into which the old commuter pass is inserted. A receiving section 14, an outlet 15 for receiving issued new commuter passes and change coins, and the like are provided. Further, the horizontal surface 12b of the operation section 12
As shown in FIG. 5, there is a CRT display device 16 as a guide display device that displays instructions such as t operation to the user according to the procedure, and a display screen provided around the display screen of this CRT display device 16. A group of operation buttons 17 to be operated according to the guidance provided, a numeric keypad 18 for data input, and a deposit slot 19 for inserting banknotes for purchase or receiving change banknotes are provided.

On the other hand, in the main body 11, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, there is an application form processing device 2 corresponding to the application form insertion slot 13.
1. A commuter pass reader 22 corresponding to the commuter pass insertion slot 14;
A ticketing mechanism 23 that issues a new commuter pass in correspondence with the takeout port 15
, a change mechanism 24 for discharging change coins, a receipt printer (not shown), and a deposit/withdrawal mechanism 25 for depositing and withdrawing banknotes in correspondence with the deposit 019. Also, inside the main body 11, there is a safe 26, a floppy disk device 27 for data storage, an attendant operation panel 28, a power supply/control unit 2
9 etc. are provided.

FIG. 6 shows the application form processing device 21 in detail. That is, 31 is a housing, and in this housing 31, a transport path 32 for transporting the application form 1 inserted from the application form insertion slot 13 is provided in a substantially horizontal state, and this transport path 32 is connected to a motor 33. It is designed to be driven by A shutter mechanism 34 for preventing the application form 1 from being inserted into the application form insertion slot 13 is provided between the carry-in end of the conveyance path 32 and the application form insertion slot 13 . Further, a sorting gate 35 is provided near the carry-in end of the conveyance path 32 to sort out application forms 1 that have been left behind. A collection box 36 is provided for collecting. Furthermore, a storage box 37 is provided at the discharge end of the transport path 32 to store the application forms 1 taken in in the order of processing. Further, in the middle of the conveyance path 32, there is a numbering device 38 that prints the ticket number and amount in the ticket number and amount printing column 3 of the application form 1 that has been taken in, and a numbering device 38 that prints the ticket number and the amount of money in the ticket number and amount printing field 3 of the application form 1 that has been taken in, and a numbering device 38 that prints the name of the application form 1 that has been taken in. A name reading device 39 is provided to read the name (and age and gender) from column 2. The name reading device 39 is, for example, the name entry column 2 of the application form 1.
The name entry field 2 is optically scanned by the light [40 that illuminates the camera] and the rotating mirror 41 that receives the reflected light from the application form 1 due to the illumination of this light 8!
The purchaser's name written in the name entry column 2 is read by converting it into an electrical signal by an imager 42 using a shaped imager. An insertion detector 43 for optically detecting the inserted application form 1 is provided between the carry-in end of the conveyance path 32 and the shutter mechanism 34, and near the carry-out end of the conveyance path 32, A fixed position detector 44 is provided to optically detect when the application form 1 being conveyed has arrived at a predetermined position.

FIG. 7 shows the control section. That is, 51 is a main control section mainly composed of a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits, which includes the CRT display device 16, operation button group 17, numeric keypad 18, application form processing device 21, and commuter pass reading device 22. , a floppy disk device 27, and an attendant operation panel 28 are connected, respectively. The main control unit 51 also includes a timer 52 for time monitoring, a ticket issuing control unit 53 that controls the ticket issuing mechanism 23, a change control unit 54 that controls the change mechanism 24, and an input/output unit that controls the input/output mechanism 25. Gold control units 55 are connected to each. The main control section 51 controls the entire automatic commuter pass vending machine and also controls according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 8.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, the CRT display device 16 displays a guide for the purchaser to insert the old commuter pass first (step 81). During this time,
The shutter mechanism 34 is closed to close the application form insertion slot 13 and prevent the application form 1 from being inserted. In this state, the purchaser inserts the old commuter pass into the insertion slot 14 according to the guidance on the CRT display device 16 (step S2).
The commuter pass reading device 22 reads the inserted old commuter pass and reads necessary information on the old commuter pass (e.g., valid section, valid period, ticket number, amount, etc.) (step 85). During this reading, check whether the information on the old commuter pass was read correctly (Step S6). If it was not read correctly, return the old commuter pass to the commuter pass insertion slot 14 and return to the initial state (Step S6). S7), if it is read correctly, the main control unit 51
accepts the read information and calculates the fee based on that information. The main control unit 51 then controls the shutter mechanism 34
At the same time, the CRT display device 16 displays a guide to the purchaser to insert the application form 1 (step 512). Here, when the purchaser inserts the application form 1 into the insertion slot 13 according to the guidance of the CRT display device 16, the insertion detector 43 detects this (step 513). As a result, the motor 33 is rotated forward to take the inserted application form 1 inside, and when the fixed position detector 44 detects the leading edge of the application form 1, the motor 33 is stopped (step 51).
4). Thereafter, when the purchaser inserts the fare bill and presses the purchase button, a new commuter pass is printed and issued (step 816). In other words, the submitted application form 1
When the charge is received, the calculated charge is displayed on the CRT display device 16, and a guide is displayed to prompt the user to input the charge. Here, when the purchaser inserts a bill of an amount equal to or greater than the displayed price into the deposit slot 19, the deposit/withdrawal mechanism 25 operates to accept the inserted bill and display it on the CRT display device 16. The amount of money to be deposited is displayed and a prompt is displayed to prompt the user to press the issue button. Here, when the purchaser presses an issue button in the operation button group 17, the ticket issuing mechanism 23 operates, and a new commuter pass is printed and issued based on the information read by the commuter pass reader 22.

At this time, due to the start of printing the new commuter pass, the name reader 3
9, the name, etc. is read from the name entry column 2 of the application form 1 that is stopped at a fixed position, and the information is transferred to the printing section of the ticket issuing mechanism 23, thereby printing the issued ticket as shown in FIG. As shown in the example, the face of the card is printed (transferred) onto the name transfer unit 4 (step 517). At the same time, the numbering device 38 is operated to print the ticket number and amount of the issued ticket in the ticket number and amount printing column 3 of the application form 1 (step 818).
). Issuance of the new commuter pass is thus completed, and the issued new commuter pass is discharged to the exit 15 (step 519). At this time, if there is change, the change mechanism 24 and/or the deposit/disburse machine 11125 operate, and the change is discharged in the form of coins and/or banknotes to the takeout port 15 and/or the deposit port 19.

After the new commuter pass is issued, the application form 1 that is stopped at a fixed position on the conveyance path 32 is held at that position until the next purchaser inserts the old commuter pass. By causing the motor 33 to rotate forward through insertion, the storage box 37
(Steps 83 and 84). Due to this, in the event of a problem with a purchaser after the issuance, the staff member will
You can look at the application form 1 that is on hold above and respond to it as soon as possible.

By the way, after receiving the inserted application form 1, the purchaser may cancel the purchase due to reasons such as, for example, the purchaser canceling the purchase due to insufficient funds. in this case,
The inserted old commuter pass, application form 1, and inserted banknotes will be returned to the purchaser. To return the application form 1, the motor 33 is reversed to convey it to the application form insertion slot 13. At this time, the tip of the application form 1 must be placed at the input end of the conveyance path 32 to prevent the application form 1 from falling onto the floor. It will stop at the position where it is held between the first rollers. In this case, the returned old commuter pass and inserted banknotes are rarely forgotten, but the application form 1 is often forgotten because it is unnecessary. In this case, if the next purchaser inserts the old commuter pass first without removing it, the application form processing device 21 will retake the application form 1 that the previous purchaser forgot, and the next purchase Application Form 1 will no longer be accepted by those who have received the application form (because only one sheet will be accepted). Furthermore, in this case, if the next purchaser accidentally inserts banknotes, a problem arises in that the name of the previous purchaser is transferred. To do this, check the sample of the application form 1 returned to the application form insertion slot 13,
The method of controlling the insertion detector 43 so that it does not start the retrieval operation unless the application form is left out is also outdated.
The problem is that the purchaser in this case has to know that ``the previous purchaser forgot to take the item and cannot move on to the next step'', which takes time. - Therefore, in this embodiment, when returning the application form 1 due to purchase cancellation, after returning the application form 1, after turning on the sorting gate 35 due to the timeout of the time monitoring timer 52, the motor 33 is rotated forward, and the collection box 3 Collect to. In other words, application form 1
After loading, when the purchase cancellation button in the operation button group 17 is pressed (step 515), the loaded application form 1 is returned to its insertion slot 13 by reversing the motor 33 (step 520). . At this time, since the insertion detector 43 detects the returned application form 1, a predetermined time (for example, 1 to 2 minutes) is set in the timer 52 based on the detection signal, and the timer 52 is started (step 521).

Next, check whether the application form 1 has been removed or not based on the signal from the insertion detector 43 (step 822),!
If taken, it will return to its initial state. If the application form 1 is not removed, check whether the timer 52 has timed out (step 523); if the time has elapsed, it is determined that the application form 1 has been forgotten, and after turning on the sorting gate 35, the motor 33
By rotating in the normal direction, the application form 1 returned to the application form insertion slot 13 is taken in again and collected into the collection box 36 by the sorting gate 35 (Step 524), returning to the initial state.

In addition, after returning application form 1 due to purchase cancellation, timer 5
If the old commuter pass is inserted before 2 times out (
Step 525), by inserting the old commuter pass, collect it in the collection box 36 through the same process as described above (step S10.511)
.

Furthermore, even in the case of a purchase cancellation, there is a possibility that the purchaser who canceled the purchase inserts the old commuter pass again and purchases it again. In this case, if the application form 1 is collected by inserting the old commuter pass as described above, the purchaser's application form 1 will be lost. Therefore, in this embodiment, the information on the old commuter pass at the time of cancellation and the information on the old commuter pass inserted after cancellation are compared, and the collection operation is performed only when the two pieces of information are different. That is,
If the old commuter pass is inserted again before the timer 52 times out as described above (step 525), the information on the old commuter pass is read by the commuter pass reading device 22 in the same manner as described above, and it is determined whether or not it was read correctly. (steps 85 and 86). If the information is read correctly, the read information (for example, the section used, ticket number, amount, etc.) and the information on the old commuter pass at the time of cancellation (main controller 5
(stored in 1) (step S8)
. As a result of this comparison, if both pieces of information are not the same, it is determined that the reinserted old commuter pass does not belong to the same purchaser, and after confirming that the application form 1 is in the application form insertion slot 13, a collection operation is performed. (Step S10.511). On the other hand, if both pieces of information are the same, it is determined that the reinserted old commuter pass belongs to the same purchaser, and the application form 1 in the application form insertion slot 13 is taken into the interior again. In this case, the application form 1 in the application form insertion slot 13 may be taken out once and then reinserted (step 89.S12.813).
．． '814), or may be captured immediately (step S
9.514).

In this way, the application form insertion slot 13 is provided with a shutter mechanism 34 that prevents insertion, and only when the information on the accepted old commuter pass is correctly read, the shutter mechanism 34 is opened to accept and process the application form 1. After the processing is completed, the received application form 1 is taken into an internal storage box 37 and controlled so as not to be returned to the purchaser. In addition, if you cancel the purchase during the purchase and cancel the purchase, return the accepted application form 1 to its insertion slot 13, and remove the application form 1 from the application form insertion slot 13 within a predetermined time after returning it. If not, or if the next purchaser starts a purchase operation (for example, by inserting an old commuter pass), the application form 1 in the application form insertion slot 13 is controlled to be collected into the internal collection box 36. There is. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly and reliably perform processes such as receiving, returning, and collecting the application form 1, and it is possible to reliably receive and process the purchaser's application form 1.

In the above embodiment, the shutter mechanism 34 was provided to prevent the application form 1 from being inserted.
does not necessarily need to be provided, and it is possible to obtain the same effect by simply not driving the conveyance path 32, for example.

Further, although a dedicated collection box 36 is provided and the application form 1 is collected in this collection box 36, it is not necessary to do so, and the application form 1 may be collected in the storage box 37.

Further, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the invention is applied to an automatic commuter pass vending machine, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be used for automatic vending of other securities such as movie theaters and theater admission tickets. It can also be applied to machines.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic ticket vending machine that can reliably accept and process application forms from ticket purchasers.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures are for explaining one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a commuter pass purchase application form, FIG. 2 is a side view showing the external appearance of a commuter pass automatic vending machine, and FIG. 4 is a rear view schematically showing the internal mechanism, and FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a part of the operating section.
Fig. 6 is a side view showing the configuration of the application form processing device, Fig. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing the control unit, Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation, and Fig. 9 is an example of printing of issued tickets. FIG. 1... Commuter pass purchase application form, 2... Name entry field, 12... Operation section, 13...
Application form insertion slot (acceptance section), 14... Commuter pass insertion slot (acceptance section), 17... Operation button group, 19...
... Deposit port, 21 ... Application form processing device,
22... Commuter pass reading device, 23... Ticket issuing mechanism, 25... Deposit/withdrawal mechanism, 32...
- Conveyance path, 34... Shutter mechanism, 35...
... Sorting gate, 36... Collection box, 37...
...Storage box, 39...Mr.'s name reading device, 5
1... Main control unit, 52... Timer. Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) Accept the old ticket and the ticket purchase application form containing the name of the ticket purchaser, calculate the ticket fee by reading the necessary information from the accepted old ticket, and accept the calculated fee. issue a new ticket corresponding to the old ticket, read specific written information such as the name written on the accepted application form, and transfer this read information to the new ticket when the new ticket is issued. The automatic ticket vending machine configured to perform transcription includes a determining means for determining whether or not the information on the old ticket has been correctly read, and when the determining means determines that the information has been correctly read, the application form is accepted. An automatic ticket vending machine characterized by being equipped with a control means that enables the automatic ticket vending machine. (2) The automatic ticket vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the accepted application forms are stored in an internal storage section in the order of issuance processing after the issuance of new tickets is completed. (3) After accepting the application form, if a ticket purchase cancellation operation is accepted, the accepted application form is returned to the receiving department, and the application form remains in the receiving department even after a predetermined period of time has passed after the return. 3. The automatic ticket vending machine according to claim 2, wherein when the ticket vending machine is used, the ticket vending machine is configured to collect the ticket inside the machine as if it has been left behind. (4) The automatic ticket vending machine according to claim 3, wherein application forms collected as forgotten application forms are stored in a storage section different from the storage section in which they are stored in the order of issuance processing. (5) The automatic ticket vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the ticket is a commuter pass used in transportation facilities.