JPS63188290A - Vending machine system - 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 [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a vending machine system for various types of vending machines.

[Conventional technology]

In conventional vending machines, users purchase items by preparing coins in advance and inserting coins according to the amount of the item they are purchasing.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In order to prepare small change, the user of such a vending machine needs to exchange money at a nearby store, etc., or exchange money at a money exchange machine, which increases the operational burden on the user. .

Furthermore, when money exchange machines are installed, there is a problem in that not only does the user have to perform many operations when making a purchase, but it is also necessary to manage each machine and the cash stored in each machine.

Additionally, there are automatic vending machines that can directly use banknotes such as 1,000 yen bills, but even with these machines, there is the inconvenience that change after purchasing a product is bulky.

Furthermore, there are vending machines that use cards, but when purchasing a product, the amount of the product is recorded on the card, and the user uses this card to pay later, so it is difficult to use the machine. There are problems such as fraud and non-payment by employees, and operating costs are high due to the need to assign employees and install monitoring equipment to monitor these issues, and it is difficult to manage equipment, etc. .

[Means for solving problems]

In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a card that is issued by prepayment, a vending machine that allows shopping by inserting the card, and a vending machine that centrally manages sales information online. It provides a vending system that

[Effect]

The present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and when a user first purchases a card in advance, inserts it into a card slot provided in a vending machine, and purchases a desired product, the information is stored at the time of card purchase. The amount obtained by subtracting the amount of the item from the valid amount is then stored on the card, allowing you to make purchases within the amount valid at the time of card purchase.

〔Example〕

The details of the invention will be explained based on the illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a card used in a vending machine system according to the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a card, which is purchased by the user with advance payment, and the available charge at this time is stored on the magnetic stripe 2.

3 is a display section that displays the effective amount at the time of card purchase, and is printed along with other designs and the like.

Reference numeral 4 denotes an area for punching a hole so that the card balance can be visually checked or for writing the balance, and is provided when it is necessary to make the card balance visible.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a vending machine used in the vending machine system according to the present invention, where 5 is a vending machine main body, and the vending machine sells juice, beer, cigarettes, and other products. The purpose is to

6 is a product sample supplied to the vending machine 5; 7 is a product selection button; 8 is an insertion slot for inserting the card;
9 is a product outlet.

In the vending machine system according to the present invention, the user purchases the card 1 and inserts the card 1 into the insertion slot 8 of the vending machine 5, thereby making it possible to purchase the product shown in the product sample 6, By pressing the product selection button 7, the product is discharged into the product outlet 9.

Note that by providing a money slot 10 as needed, it is also possible to use general money.

When the balance of card 1 becomes less than the lowest unit price of the product supplied to vending machine 5, card 1 can no longer be used to purchase products, but at this time, the balance of card 1 becomes completely If the balance is not zero, the balance is returned through the coin return slot 11.

FIG. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of the vending machine 5.

12 is a card reader, 13 is a currency discriminator, 14 is a control device, 15 is a product dispensing device, and 16 is a change dispensing device.

When the user inserts the card 1 into the card insertion slot 8 of the vending machine 5, the card reading device 12 reads the card 1.
reads the data stored on the magnetic stripe 2 of the magnetic stripe 2.

Of this data, the balance of the card 1 is compared with the unit price of the product in the control device 14, and the control device 14 sends a signal indicating that the product can be purchased to the product selection button 7. When the user presses the product selection button 7, the corresponding product is released by the product release device 15.

The released product is taken out from the product takeout port 9 by the user.

This operation is possible until the balance on the card 1 reaches the minimum unit price of the product, and when the balance becomes below the minimum unit price of the product, the change dispensing device 16 releases change.

In addition, when using general currency, the currency discriminator 12
This is the same as in conventional vending machines, in which currency is identified and products can be purchased based on this information.

In addition, sales information regarding sales of these products is linked to the product management device 17 online, and the sales status of the products is managed.

In one embodiment of the vending machine system according to the present invention constructed as described above, the user can purchase the card by paying in advance.
Since you can purchase the card 1 and shop at the vending machine 5 using this card 1, there is no need to prepare small change in advance, and when using the vending machine, you do not have to prepare change like when using banknotes. Freed from the hassle of

Additionally, from the machine installer's side, the need to manage cash is kept to a minimum, and sales status can be monitored online, making it possible to avoid wasting additional supply of products. can.

The card 1 used in the above embodiment is a card made of paper, synthetic resin, etc. and provided with a magnetic stripe 2, but it is also possible to use a so-called IC card in which an electronic circuit including a memory circuit is molded with synthetic resin, etc. is also possible.

At this time, the user's personal identification data is memorized,
It is also possible to provide a function to prevent unauthorized use by a person who finds or steals the item.

The card 1 used in the above embodiment is sold at appropriate stores, etc., but when selling the card 1,
It is also possible to sell the card through a vending machine, or to provide the card vending machine with a payment function to release the remaining balance on the card.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and since the user purchases the card in advance, the user of the vending machine does not need to prepare coins in advance, and as long as the user has the card, the vending machine can automatically This allows the use of a vending machine, and also solves the problem of bulky change when purchasing products from a vending machine using banknotes.

In addition, the vending machine installer can manage the sales status of the product using the product management device and ship the product, eliminating unnecessary deliveries.Also, since the person installing the vending machine can know the sales data of the product, it is possible to manage the sales status of the product and ship the product. can be determined based on that data.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Fig. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of a card used in the vending machine system according to the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a front view of an embodiment of the card used in the vending machine system according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of an embodiment of a vending machine used in the vending machine system according to the present invention. 1: Card, 2: Magnetic stripe, 3: Display section, 4. Punch area, 52 vending machines,
6: Product sample, 7: Product selection button, 8: Card insertion slot, 9: Product extraction slot, 10: Money slot, 1
1°: Coin return slot, 12: Card reader, 13:
Money discriminator, 14: Control device, 15: Product discharge device, 16: Change discharge device, 17: Product management device. Figure 2 Figure 1

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) An automatic machine comprising: a card issued by prepayment; and a vending machine in which purchases can be made by inserting the card, and sales information is centrally managed online. vending machine system. 2) The vending machine system according to claim 1, which uses a magnetic card as the card. 3) The vending machine system according to claim 1, which uses an IC card as the card. 4) The vending machine system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a hole is punched so that the balance of the card can be visually checked. 5) Claims 1 or 2 or 3 or 3 which makes it possible to return the balance when the balance on the card becomes less than or equal to the minimum unit price of the products supplied to the vending machine. The vending machine system described in item 4.