KR102141968B1 - A method and an apparatus for providing vending machine management services using a payment terminal providing a signal conversion payment with a vending machine and a vending machine management system comprising it - Google Patents

Abstract

An operation method of a server according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: converting, by a payment terminal connected to a vending machine, an input/output signal of the vending machine into a form which can be processed by the payment terminal, and receiving a payment approval request message generated using the read payment means information and at least one of amount information and product information acquired from the conversion from the payment terminal, when payment means information is read; and providing a management service of the vending machine to a manager terminal corresponding to the vending machine on the basis of the payment approval request message. Therefore, the present invention may be configured to be connectable to the vending machine system without an existing card or an online payment function.

Description

Vending machine management service using a payment terminal that provides vending machine signal conversion payment, its device and vending machine management system{A METHOD AND AN APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING VENDING MACHINE MANAGEMENT SERVICES USING A PAYMENT TERMINAL PROVIDING A SIGNAL CONVERSION PAYMENT WITH A VENDING MACHINE AND A VENDING MACHINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM COMPRISING IT}

The present invention relates to a vending machine management system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a vending machine management service providing method, a device and a vending machine management system using a payment terminal that provides vending machine signal conversion payment.

A vending machine (hereinafter a vending machine) is a machine that automatically inserts money or inserts a card, and the items desired by the buyer automatically appear. Everyday life such as beverages, food, cigarettes, tickets, newspapers, magazines, stamps, socks, tissues, and hygiene products It functions and functions as an unmanned store selling goods.

Sales of goods through these vending machines have been developed in various forms, and in the beginning, beverage products such as canned drinks and coffee were mainly sold, but recently, various vending machines that sell products such as instant food, sanitary products, books, and toys have been operated. The sales of goods through vending machines are rapidly increasing due to the increase in labor costs.

In addition, vending machines having online communication functions and enabling card payment through a network have also been released in recent years, and the range of payment means is widening.

However, a vending machine supporting a card payment function requires a separate module and a payment system, and it is difficult to add a card payment function in vending machines without such a function.

Furthermore, in recent years, the utilization rate of the code image-based payment method is also increasing, and for example, a global payment service using a QR code, barcode, etc. has been implemented, but it is also impossible to support payment of this method in existing vending machines.

Although many existing vending machines are currently deployed and operated nationwide, these existing vending machines also need to remove the existing internal vending machine board and replace and install a new payment system in order to enable payment in the current or later manner. Cost problems and realistic installation difficulties coexist.

In addition, in order to arrange and operate the existing offline vending machines, direct visits to inventory and goods management and periodic maintenance of various vending machines are required. As a result, installation, management, and maintenance costs of offline vending machines are increasing. .

The present invention has been proposed to solve the problems as described above, and is configured to be connected to a vending machine system without an existing card or online payment function, by providing a vending machine signal conversion payment while using the existing vending machine system board as it is, An object of the present invention is to provide a payment terminal that enables card payment and payment information management, an operation method thereof, and a vending machine system including the same.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a vending machine management system using the payment terminal, to reduce the installation, management and maintenance costs of the vending machine, and the object of the object is to facilitate the online management service of offline vending machines.

Device according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, in the server device, in the payment terminal connected to the vending machine, converts the input and output signals of the vending machine to a form that can be processed by the payment terminal and payment information When reading, a communication unit that receives, from the payment terminal, a payment approval request message generated using at least one of product information or price information obtained from the conversion and the read payment method information; And a management service providing unit that provides a management service of the vending machine to an administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the payment approval request message.

Method according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above problems, in the method of operating the server, in a payment terminal connected to a vending machine, converts the input and output signals of the vending machine to a form that can be processed by the payment terminal and payment means When reading information, receiving a payment approval request message generated from at least one of product information or price information obtained from the conversion and the read payment method information from the payment terminal; And providing a management service of the vending machine to an administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the payment approval request message.

A system according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problems includes: a vending machine having a main board and a power supply for controlling a button input unit, a product management unit and a discharge unit; And receiving power from the power supply, converting the input/output signal of the vending machine into a form that can be processed by the payment terminal connected to the main board, reading payment means information, and obtaining the product management unit obtained from the conversion processing unit. A payment terminal for generating a payment approval request message and transmitting the payment approval request message to a server using at least one of product information or price information and the read payment method information; And a server that provides an approval response based on the payment approval request message to the payment terminal, and provides management service of the vending machine based on the payment approval request message to an administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine; The payment terminal generates a vending machine control message when an approval response corresponding to the payment approval request message is received, converts the vending machine control message into a control signal corresponding to the vending machine, and converts the signal voltage level of the control signal To the main board, and the vending machine discharges the product corresponding to the product information through the discharge unit by performing an input amount input and product selection process in response to the input control signal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is configured to be connectable to an existing vending machine system, while using the existing vending machine system board as it is, a payment terminal enabling card payment and payment information management by providing vending machine signal conversion payment and its operation A method and a vending machine system including the same can be provided.

Accordingly, the present invention, without removing the existing substrate inside the vending machine, or installing a new payment system therein, relatively small board size and a simple board configuration can be exchanged with most vending machines or similar devices, It is possible to solve both installation difficulties and cost problems by connecting a payment terminal that provides scalability to other devices by driving using the power of a vending machine without using a separate power source.

In addition, the present invention can provide a management service based on a vending machine management system using the payment terminal as an administrator terminal, and the management service may include various services such as vending machine location management, product information management, inventory notification, or error action guidance. It is possible to reduce the cost of installing, managing, and maintaining a vending machine with extended functions by a payment terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and it is possible to facilitate online management services of offline vending machines.

1 is a view showing an entire system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a payment terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram for explaining the conversion processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention in more detail.
4 and 5 are exemplary views showing a conversion processing circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a ladder diagram for explaining the overall system operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a block diagram for explaining a server according to an embodiment of the present invention in more detail.
8 is a ladder diagram for describing a management service process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 to 10 are diagrams for describing management registration information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 to 15 are diagrams for describing an administrator interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.
16 shows an error table according to an embodiment of the present invention.
17 to 18 are diagrams illustrating a notification interface of an administrator terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an operation principle of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and description.

However, the drawings shown below and the descriptions described below are for preferred implementation methods among various methods for effectively describing the features of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following drawings and description.

In addition, in the following description of the present invention, when it is determined that detailed descriptions of related known functions or configurations may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. In addition, terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, which may vary according to a user's or operator's intention or practice. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the overall contents of this title.

In addition, a preferred embodiment of the present invention to be carried out below is provided in each system functional configuration to effectively describe the technical components constituting the present invention, or a system function commonly provided in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. The configuration is omitted as much as possible, and the functional configuration that should be additionally provided for the present invention will be mainly described.

If a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, it will be possible to easily understand the functions of components that have been used in the prior art among the omitted functional configurations not shown below, and also the omitted components as described above. The relationship between the elements and the components added for the invention will also be clearly understood.

In addition, the following examples will be used by appropriately modifying the terms so that those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can clearly understand in order to efficiently describe the core technical features of the present invention. It is never limited.

As a result, the technical spirit of the present invention is determined by the claims, and the following examples are one means for efficiently explaining the technical spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. That's it.

As described herein, "payment terminal" refers to an NFC card reader unit, an RF card reader unit, an IC card reader unit, a payment method code reader unit, or a magnetic strip reader for operation of a vending machine interworking function according to an embodiment of the present invention. It may include a terminal for providing a payment service of payment means information that is read from the customer's card by using, a payment terminal comprising an electronic payment function using a customer's card or a mobile terminal having at least one payment method This can be illustrated.

In addition, the term "relay server" may refer to a relay server of a van company that relays electronic credit card payment as an example, but other financial companies related to credit card electronic payment as well as bank payment or payment method code payment. Various types of financial servers, such as a server, may also correspond to this, and depending on a specific function, it may refer to an auxiliary server operated separately as a separate server type as an actual payment relay function and other additional functions.

1 schematically shows an entire system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The payment system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a vending machine 100, a payment terminal 200, a relay server 300, a financial institution server 400 and an administrator terminal 500.

Vending machine 100 may be a conventional vending machine without an existing card payment function, a power supply unit 120 for supplying power to the vending machine, a main board unit 110 for controlling overall operations, and a button for receiving one or more button inputs. It may include an input unit 130, a product management unit 140 for registering product identification information and price information corresponding to a button input, and a discharge unit 150 for discharging products under the control of the main board unit 110.

The payment terminal 200 includes a payment means reader unit 240 and a communication unit 220 for providing a payment service by using payment method information read from a barcode, QR code, IC card, or magnetic card, which is a payment method of a trader. can do. The payment terminal 200 reads the payment method information of the trader, generates the payment approval request message of the product transaction using the read payment method information, and relays the generated transaction payment approval request message to the relay server 300 Can be transferred to.

In particular, the payment terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention can provide a communication payment of a vending machine product by interworking the function of a payment terminal provided with an electronic payment function with the main board unit 110 of the vending machine 100. have.

To this end, the payment terminal 200 is connected to a vending machine, converts the input/output signal of the vending machine into a form that can be processed by the payment terminal, reads payment means information, and is obtained from the vending machine 100 according to the conversion process At least one of product information or price information and the read payment method information may be used to generate a payment approval request message and transmit the payment approval request message to a server.

For example, the payment terminal 200 is provided with a payment program, and transmits a request for approval by sending a request for approval of transaction payment to the relay server 300 using such a payment program to perform credit payment processing. When the transaction is approved, the payment terminal 200 may output a message or a document including a receipt related to the transaction approval.

Then, the payment terminal 200 generates a vending machine control message when an approval response corresponding to the payment approval request message is received, converts the vending machine control message into a control signal corresponding to the vending machine, and signals the control signal. The voltage level can be converted and input to the main board.

Accordingly, the vending machine 100 responds to the control signal input to the main board unit 110, inputs an input amount and performs product selection processing, so that the product corresponding to the product information through the discharge unit 150 Let it drain.

In addition, for such an operation, the payment terminal 200 may be connected to the external input/output ports of the main board unit 110 of the vending machine 100, and in particular, is connected to the COIN TX and RX pins of the external input/output ports. Information can be transmitted and received, or an amount of money signal can be input.

Also, the payment terminal 200 may receive power from the power supply unit 120 of the vending machine 100 for operation. However, since the operating power of the existing vending machine 100 uses an analog 24V voltage, it may not be suitable for digital processing of the payment terminal 200. Accordingly, the payment terminal 200 may convert and supply power from the power supply unit 120 of the vending machine 100 to operation power for the payment terminal 200 and operation power of a peripheral device connected thereto.

On the other hand, the relay server 300 may receive the approval request message, relay the approval request message to the financial institution server 400, and confirm whether or not approval, and transmit the response message according to the approval request to the payment terminal 200. have.

For example, the relay server 300 may transmit an approval request message for the transaction to the financial institution server 400, and the financial institution server 400 sends a response message including whether to approve/reject it to the relay server 300. Transmitting, the relay server 300 may transmit the response message back to the payment terminal 200.

As described above, the relay server 300 may be, for example, a server of a value added network (VAN) company providing a payment agency service in an electronic payment system using a credit card. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the relay server 300 may be a server that relays only the purchase of slips in addition to a server that acts as a payment agent, and may include various forms such as a simple relay server connected to a server of a general financial company. have.

Meanwhile, the financial institution server 400 may be a bank server that issued a check card, a server of a credit card company that issued a credit card, or other various code payment servers that issue code information used as a payment method, and approve the payment method. Approval processing, cancellation processing, and transmission of approval results according to the message can be performed.

Meanwhile, the relay server 300 may provide the management service of the vending machine 100 to the manager terminal 500 based on the professional information received from the payment terminal 200 connected to the vending machine 100.

Here, the vending machine 100 management service may be provided in real time, and may include various vending machine management information providing services including an inventory management service based on an approval request message or an error notification service based on an error communication message.

In addition, in order to provide such a service, the payment terminal 200 may include product display code information in a payment approval request message according to communication with the vending machine 100, identify an error signal of the vending machine 100, and convert a table. By converting it to an error code, an error communication message can be generated and transmitted.

In addition, the relay server 300 may pre-register the manager terminal 500 and provide various management service information including the inventory management service and the error notification service of the vending machine 100 to the registered manager terminal 500. have.

In order to provide the management service information, the relay server 300 communicates with the manager terminal 500 connected through an API interface to provide the vending machine management service information, or communicates with an application installed in the manager terminal 500 to Vending machine management service information may be provided, and the provided management service information may be output through the graphical user interface of the administrator terminal 500.

The administrator terminal 500 may include various devices that can be connected to a computer, tablet, laptop, notebook, portable terminal, PDA, and other relay server 300 operated by a vending machine manager, and the management service of the relay server 300 The providing function may be separated and implemented as a separate service providing device.

2 is a block diagram more specifically showing a payment terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the payment terminal 200 includes a control unit 210, a communication unit 220, an input unit 230, a payment means reader unit 240, an output unit 250, a payment information processing unit 260, and a conversion processing unit 280 and a storage unit 270.

The control unit 210 controls the overall operation of the payment terminal 200 to generate a transaction payment approval request message or a cancellation request for a pre-approved transaction for a transaction according to the payment method information and payment information being read, and a payment server Process to be transmitted to (300).

To this end, the payment information processing unit 260 generates a payment approval request message corresponding to the product information or transaction amount received from the vending machine 100 according to the payment method information or the read payment method information input through the input unit 230. can do.

In addition, when the approval message according to the payment approval request information is received, the payment information processing unit 260 may store the transaction completion information according to the payment in the storage unit 270 together with the approval slip and interface output.

In addition, the output unit 250 may include a display or printer for outputting the payment processing status of the payment terminal 200 and a document message for approval and cancellation. The payment terminal 200 may provide an interface for inputting a signature through the output unit 250.

Also, the output unit 250 may be connected to the input unit 230 to control display input and output of the transaction interface. Accordingly, the user can input necessary information through the transaction interface.

Meanwhile, the payment method reader unit 240 includes one or more reader modules for reading payment method information from the payment method. The payment method reader unit 240 can read the payment method information of a credit card made of a contactless IC card or a contactless IC card as well as a magnetic credit card 10, and a QR code or barcode through a scanner. Reading of code images, for example, may also be possible. To that end, the payment means reader unit 240 includes a magnetic strip reader (MSR) for reading payment method information, and an IC card reader portion for reading IC payment method information or a scanning unit for reading code image payment method information. It can contain. In addition, the payment means reader unit 240 may further include a short-range communication payment module according to the NFC, WIFI, or Bluetooth standard specifications.

Accordingly, the payment method information for payment of a transaction may be read through the payment method reader unit 240. The payment method information may include, for example, at least one of a payment method number, a code image, an expiration date, CVC information, or a user name.

Then, the communication unit 220 transmits the above-mentioned transaction payment approval request message to the relay server 300, or receives an approval response message according to the payment approval request or a cancellation response message according to the cancellation request.

The communication unit 220 is connected in a wireless or wired manner through a local area network (LAN) and an Internet network, and connected through a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, through a mobile communication network such as 3G or 4G. It is possible to be connected through a short-range wireless communication method such as a form of connection, Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Wi-Fi.

Meanwhile, the storage unit 270 functions to store various data and applications required for the operation of the payment terminal 200, and includes magnetic media such as a hard disk, floppy disk, and magnetic tape (Magnetic Media), CD-ROM ( Compact Disk Read Only Memory (DVD), Optical Media such as DVD (Digital VideoDisk), Magnetic-Optical Media such as Floptical Disk and Magnet-Optical Media and ROM, RAM (RAM) , Random Access Memory), and flash memory.

In addition, the conversion processing unit 280 is connected to the main board unit 110 and the power supply unit 120 of the vending machine 100 to perform conversion processing of signals and power input/output from the vending machine 100, which is shown in FIG. 3. This will be explained in more detail.

3 is a block diagram for explaining a conversion processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention in more detail, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are exemplary views showing a conversion processing circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, in general, a method in which the vending machine 100 communicates with an internal/external device uses coarse synchronous communication, but its voltage level does not meet the standard currently used, so it cannot be handled by general ICs. to be.

Accordingly, the conversion processing unit 280 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a signal level conversion unit 281, a communication specialized conversion unit 282, and a power conversion unit 283.

Signal level conversion unit 281 is connected to the main board 110 of the vending machine 100, the level of the signal output from the main board 110, the level corresponding to the input level of the payment terminal 200 Convert to.

To this end, the signal level converter 281 includes a voltage drop circuit that lowers the voltage level of the communication professional signal output from the main board unit 110 to the payment terminal 200 to the input signal level of the payment terminal. can do.

In addition, the signal level converting unit 281 may include a voltage boosting circuit that increases the voltage level of the vending machine control specialized signal input from the payment terminal 200 to the main board unit 110 to the input signal level of the vending machine. Can.

In general, the signal level corresponding to the vending machine 100 is a 24V auxiliary motor communication level, and the signal level corresponding to the payment terminal 200 may be a 5V TTL communication level.

Accordingly, the signal level converting unit 281 converts a non-standard auxiliary motor communication signal for a vending machine into a signal that can be processed at a TTL level, or processes the inverse conversion, thereby enabling transmission and reception of a signal.

Meanwhile, the communication specialized conversion unit 282 converts the vending machine communication signal output from the vending machine main board into a communication message that can be processed by the payment terminal.

Here, the payment information processing unit 260 may generate a vending machine control message when an approval response corresponding to the payment approval request message is received.

In addition, the communication specialized conversion unit 282 may convert the vending machine control message into a control signal corresponding to the vending machine.

More specifically, the format of the communication signal output from the main board unit 110 of the general vending machine 100 may be configured as a general communication signal such as RS-232. However, in order to process the payment approval request in the payment terminal 200, it is required to convert the communication signal into a payment specialized format.

Therefore, the communication specialized conversion unit 282 can convert a general communication signal such as RS-232 into a payment specialized format, and accordingly, the payment information processing unit 260 is obtained by conversion from the communication specialized conversion unit 282 Acquiring the professional information, and identifying at least one of the product information or the price information from the professional information, it is possible to generate a payment approval request message corresponding to this.

In particular, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication specialized conversion unit 282 may acquire code information obtained from the vending machine communication signal by referring to the code conversion table stored in the code conversion unit 284, and the code information May include at least one of product display code information or error code information.

Here, the code information can be used for the vending machine inventory management service of the relay server 300, for example, the product display code information can indicate the location information where the products in the vending machine 100 are arranged, which is applied to the management service. It can correspond to a specific product set in advance.

In addition, the code information may be used for the vending machine error notification service of the relay server 300, for example, the error code information may indicate error type information generated in the vending machine 100, which is managed by the management service. It may be provided to the terminal 500.

To this end, when the product display code information is obtained, the control unit 210 of the payment terminal 200 may include the product display code in the payment approval request message and transmit it to the relay server 300, and the error code information is obtained. In this case, the error code information may be included in a separate communication message and transmitted to the relay server 300.

The code conversion unit 284 may store a code conversion table for such code conversion. For example, the code conversion table may include at least one of an error code table or a product display code table corresponding to the signal level-converted communication signal of the vending machine 100. The communication specialized conversion unit 282 may obtain product display code information or error code information by referring to the code conversion table of the code conversion unit 284.

Meanwhile, the payment information processing unit 260 may generate a vending machine control message when an approval response corresponding to the payment approval request message is received, and the communication message conversion unit 282 corresponds to the vending machine control message corresponding to the vending machine. It can be converted back into a control signal and converted back into a general communication signal such as RS-232.

At this time, the signal level converting unit 281 down-converts the signal voltage level of the control signal to be input to the main board unit 110.

Accordingly, the vending machine 100 corresponds to the input control signal input to the main board unit 110, performs input amount input and product selection processing, and corresponds to the product information through the discharge unit 150 The product can be discharged.

Meanwhile, the power conversion unit 283 converts power output from the power supply unit of the vending machine into power available in the payment terminal or one or more peripheral devices.

Here, the power converter 283 may include a power converter for external power supplied to a peripheral device and a power converter for internal power. Since the supply voltage of the general vending machine 100 is 24V, the power converter for external power supply can convert and output the supply voltage for 24V auxiliary motor communication to the 5V voltage of the BUCK method, and the power converter for internal power supply converts the 24V voltage to the linear regulator method 3.3 It converts and outputs to V voltage, enabling efficient power distribution.

Accordingly, the payment terminal 200 is supplied with its own power and power for peripheral devices through distribution of supply power, and through the signal level conversion and professional conversion processing capable of UART communication, the existing auxiliary motor signal and RS- The offline vending machine 100 using 232 communication, etc., can be converted into a vending machine system capable of card payment without a separate internal circuit replacement, thereby minimizing cost investment and installation process.

4 and 5 are circuit diagrams of the signal level converter 281 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows a boosting circuit for boosting the signal line COIN_RX input to the vending machine to a 24 V signal level. Shows a voltage drop circuit for dropping the output of the RS232 RX signal line output from the vending machine to a 5V signal level.

4 and 5, the signal level converter 281 according to an embodiment of the present invention provides a relatively simple communication speed with a relatively simple RS 232 24V coarse signal voltage that cannot be processed by a general IC. Consisting of a sustainable BIPOLAR TRANSISTOR DARLINTON circuit, it can be converted into a 5V standard that is a TTL signal voltage level that can be input and output from the IC.

6 is a ladder diagram for explaining the overall system operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, according to the power supply of the power supply unit 120 of the vending machine 100 (S1001), the power conversion unit 283 of the payment terminal 200 receives the operating power of the payment terminal 200 and peripheral devices. Distribution and supply (S1003).

Then, the vending machine 100 generates product information and an amount signal corresponding to the vending machine button input (S1005), and outputs it to the payment terminal 200 (S1007).

Here, the product information and the amount signal may be managed through the product management unit 140, and the product management unit 140 may further perform verification processing of inventory information corresponding to product identification information (for example, product number or product name). have.

Then, the payment terminal 200, through the conversion processing unit 280, down-converts the output signal level (S1009), processes the communication conversion of the level-converted signal (S1011), and the payment information processing unit 260 Through the product information and payment target amount is output (S1013).

Thereafter, the payment terminal 200 reads payment method information input through the card reader unit 240 (S1015), and the payment information processing unit 260 pays based on the read payment method information, product information, and payment target amount. The request message is generated and transmitted to the relay server 300 (S1017).

Then, the relay server 300 transmits the payment approval request specialist approval request to the financial institution server 400 (S1019), receives the approval response (S1021), and payment terminal information for payment approval corresponding to the received approval response It is transmitted to (200) (S1023).

Subsequently, when payment approval information is received, the payment terminal 200 generates a vending machine control message through the payment information processing unit 260, and the vending machine 100 through the communication specialty conversion unit 282 of the conversion processing unit 280. Inverse transform processing is performed as a control signal (S1025).

Then, the signal level converter 281 of the conversion processor 280 inversely converts the signal level of the inverse-converted control signal, and inputs it to the main board 110 of the vending machine 100 (S1029).

Accordingly, the vending machine 100 may input an amount signal, and according to a control signal or a user button input, discharge of the selected product may be processed (S1031).

Accordingly, it is configured to be connectable to an existing vending machine system, and uses the existing vending machine system board as it is, while providing a vending machine signal conversion payment to enable card payment and payment information management and its operation method, including the same It can provide a vending machine system, and can exchange messages with most vending machines or similar devices with a relatively small board size and simple board configuration, without removing the existing substrate inside the vending machine or installing a new payment system inside. It is possible to solve both installation difficulties and cost problems by connecting a payment terminal that provides scalability to other devices by driving using the power of a vending machine without using a separate power source.

7 is a block diagram illustrating a relay server 300 providing a vending machine management service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the relay server 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a management service providing server 300 that provides a management service together with the processing of an approval request message, collectively referred to as the server 300 and described later. Do it.

As described above, the server 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a control unit 310, a communication unit 320, an approval processing unit 330, a user registration unit 340, a management service providing unit 350, and a notification message processing unit 360 ) And a storage unit 370.

The control unit 310 controls the overall operation of the server 300, processes payment approval processing and vending machine management services, provides processing results to the payment terminal 200, or manages service information according to the management service manager Controls the operation of the overall modules for processing to be transmitted to the terminal 500.

The approval processing unit 330 processes the payment approval request information, and transmits an approval request corresponding to the payment approval request information to the financial company server 400 to check whether the approval is approved, and the approval result of the financial institution server 400 It receives and processes it to be delivered to the payment terminal 200.

Meanwhile, the user registration unit 340 processes user information registration for providing the vending machine management service of the management service providing unit 350. The user information includes, for example, location information corresponding to the vending machine 100, equipment identification information, terminal identification information (TID), connected payment terminal 200 identification information, and user identification information (eg, user name, mobile phone number, Email, etc.), and thus registered user information may be mapped to the manager information for each vending machine 100 and stored in the storage unit 370.

In addition, the management service providing unit 350 may provide the management service of the vending machine to the manager terminal 500 corresponding to the vending machine, which is based on the user registration information registered in the user registration unit 340 described above. Can be processed.

More specifically, the vending machine management service includes a vending machine management information providing service that outputs vending machine management information through a user interface, an inventory management service based on the payment approval request message, and a vending machine 100 received from the payment terminal 200. It may include an error notification service based on the error communication message.

To this end, the management service providing unit 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention may first register inventory management information delivered to the user registration unit 340 from the manager terminal 500, and the registered inventory management information A corresponding inquiry service may be provided to the manager terminal 500.

In addition, the management service providing unit 350 receives the inventory management service of the vending machine corresponding to the inventory management information through the communication unit 320 according to the approval processing of the payment approval request specialist processed by the approval processing unit 330. It can be provided to the administrator terminal.

Here, the inventory management service includes a service for updating inventory information corresponding to the registered inventory management information and providing current inventory information corresponding thereto to the manager terminal 500 according to the approval processing of the payment approval request specialist. can do. The inventory management information may include at least one of location information corresponding to the vending machine, terminal identification information, payment terminal information, product display code information, installation number information, notification reference value information, and current inventory information.

The location information may indicate coordinate information or geographic information of the location where the vending machine 100 is installed. In addition, the terminal identification information may indicate terminal identification information (TID) of the connected payment terminal.

In addition, the product display code information may correspond to each display stand position provided in the vending machine 100, and one or more products of the same or different at each display stand form each column (COLUMN) to the rear from the front of the vending machine 100. It can be displayed. Therefore, the product display code information may indicate the location of the product in the vending machine 100, and product identification information for each location of the product may be pre-registered.

Accordingly, the management service providing unit 350 can confirm that, when the product display code information is obtained from the approval result of the approval processing unit 330, the product corresponding to the obtained product display code information is confirmed to be settled and exported. By deducting the update from the installation number information, it is possible to obtain the current inventory information.

For example, when the payment approval request message is approved by the approval processing unit 330, the management service providing unit 350 corresponds to the product display code information obtained based on the payment approval request information, and the current inventory information By deducting and updating, it is possible to grasp in real time the number of stocks of products in the vending machine 100 corresponding to the current display code information and provide a management service corresponding thereto to the manager terminal 500.

In addition, the notification message processing unit 360 may process the inventory notification message to be provided to the manager terminal 500 when the current inventory information updated by the deduction is below the notification reference value information, based on the notification reference value information. .

The notification message processing unit 360 may generate an inventory notification message including current inventory information, and process a message transmission to the manager terminal 500 directly through the communication unit 320. In addition, the notification message processing unit 360 may transmit the notification message to the administrator terminal 500 by transmitting the notification message to a separate email server, a text message server, or a push server.

Meanwhile, the communication unit 320, in the payment terminal 200 connected to the vending machine 100, converts the input/output signal of the vending machine 100 into a form that can be processed by the payment terminal 200, and generates an error code. In this case, an error communication message including the error code may be received from the payment terminal 200.

The received error communication message may be delivered to the notification message processing unit 360, and the notification message processing unit 360 may process an error notification message based on the received communication message to be provided to the manager terminal 500. have.

To this end, as described above, the payment terminal 200 may determine the vending machine error code by comparing the result of the conversion of the input/output signal of the vending machine with an error table stored in advance, and the notification message processing unit 360 determines the error code of the vending machine. Corresponding necessary action information may be processed to be included in the error notification message.

On the other hand, the communication unit 320 is a type that is connected in a wireless or wired manner through a local area network (LAN) and an Internet network, a type that is connected through a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, and a mobile communication network such as 3G or 4G. It is possible to access via a short-range wireless communication method such as a form connected through, NFC (Near Field Communication, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), Wi-Fi).

Meanwhile, the storage unit 370 functions to store various data and applications required for the operation of the server 300, and includes magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes (Magnetic Media) and CD-ROMs (Compact). Disk Read Only Memory (DVD), Optical Media such as Digital VideoDisk (DVD), Magneto-Optical Media such as Floptical Disk, and ROM, RAM (RAM) Random Access Memory), and flash memory.

Through the configuration of the server 300, it is possible to provide the management service of the vending machine 100 using the conversion output information of the payment terminal 200 connected to the conventional vending machine 100, and in particular, inventory management and error handling. Since the manager terminal 500 can be provided very quickly and easily, it is possible to minimize the cost of installing, managing, and maintaining a vending machine.

8 is a ladder diagram for describing a management service process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, the server 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention registers inventory management information according to user registration of the manager terminal 500 (S2001).

Then, according to the product display code and the amount signal output from the vending machine 100 (S2003), when the payment approval request message from the payment terminal 200 is delivered to the server 300 together with the product display code (S2007), The server 300 transmits payment approval information to the payment terminal 200 (S2007), and processes the reverse-converted control signal to be transmitted to the vending machine 100 (S2008).

Thereafter, the server 300 deducts and updates the current inventory information of the product information corresponding to the product display code approved for payment through the management service providing unit 350 (S2009).

If the current inventory information is below a preset reference value (S2011), the server 300 delivers the inventory notification message to the manager terminal 500 through the notification message processing unit 360 (S2013).

On the other hand, when an error signal is generated in the vending machine 100 (S2015), the payment terminal 200 detects the error signal (S2017), and processes signal level conversion (S2019).

In the signal level conversion processing, the payment terminal 200 may convert the voltage level converted signal according to a table comparison and generate error code information according to the comparison (S2021 ).

Then, the payment terminal 200 may generate an error communication message including the table-converted error code (S2023), and the generated communication message may be transmitted to the server 300 (S2025).

Thereafter, the server 300 may determine necessary action information corresponding to the error code through the alert message processing unit 360 (S2027), and generate an error alert message including the determined necessary action information (S2029). The vending machine error notification message may be transmitted to the manager terminal 500 (S2031).

9 to 10 are diagrams for explaining vending machine management registration information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 illustrates vending machine registration information for real-time inventory management of vending machine management registration information. Vending machine registration information includes vending machine location information, terminal identification information, product display code information, product name information, installation number information, notification reference value information, and usage. It may include availability information and current inventory information.

Here, the location information may indicate geographic location information of the vending machine 100, and the terminal identification information (TID) may indicate terminal identification information of the vending machine 100 or a payment terminal 200 connected thereto. The product display code information may indicate column (column) location information corresponding to the location where the product is displayed, and the product name information may indicate identification information of the product displayed at the location.

In addition, the installation number information may indicate the maximum number of pieces of information that can be calculated in correspondence to one display code, and the notification reference value information is a minimum value for transmitting a notification message according to lack of inventory, and a certain ratio compared to the installation number information. It can be automatically determined and input as a value, or can be designated according to user input.

On the other hand, the usage information may indicate whether or not the vending machine is currently running, and the current inventory information may include the current inventory information corresponding to the above-described product display code location, and the above-described update from the first registered number information It can be deducted depending on the treatment.

In addition, referring to FIG. 10, FIG. 10 shows manager registration information for providing the manager terminal 500 of vending machine management registration information, and the manager registration information is, for example, equipment classification information managed by the manager terminal 500 And, it may include at least one of the terminal identification information, the terminal identification information (for example, mobile phone number information) of the administrator terminal 500, and whether to use.

11 to 15 are diagrams for describing an administrator interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 to 15, based on the pre-registered vending machine management registration information and the approval request message or communication message received from the payment terminal 200, the server 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention Management service information may be provided to the manager terminal 500 through the management service providing unit 350. In the manager terminal 500, a user interface based on management service information may be output in various ways.

11 shows the vending machine status information interface output from the manager terminal 500 based on the management service information, and the vending machine status information includes terminal name information, operator number information, vending machine type information, and vending machine status information corresponding to the terminal identification information. And usage information.

In addition, FIG. 12 shows a sales information interface output from the manager terminal 500 based on the management service information. The sales information includes transaction date information, business number information, branch information, terminal identification information, and the number of payments by payment method and It may include amount information. As such, the management service providing unit 350 may calculate and provide sales information based on the approval request message of the payment terminal 200 as management service information to the manager terminal 500.

On the other hand, Figure 13 shows the transaction history interface output from the manager terminal 500 based on the management service information, the transaction history information, transaction date information, transaction extracted from the payment authorization request message corresponding to each vending machine transaction It may include at least one of date and time information, business number information, branch information, terminal identification information, installation location information, product display code information, transaction amount information, payment type information, and transaction approval number information.

And, Figure 14 shows the inventory and maintenance history inquiry interface output from the manager terminal 500 based on the management service information, inventory and maintenance history information can be input from the administrator terminal 500, inventory and maintenance history Date and time corresponding to the terminal identification information may be stored and managed for each vending machine 100.

Meanwhile, FIG. 15 shows a product information registration interface that can be input through the manager terminal 500. When the management information according to product registration in the manager terminal 500 is input, the management service providing unit 350 of the server 300 may provide a registration and update management service of management information. Depending on the input to the product information registration interface from the manager terminal 500, product classification, vending machine identification information, product display code information, product name information, maximum value information, reference value information, and whether to use information may be determined, and current inventory information May be updated and stored in real time by the management service providing unit 350 after the initial registration.

16 shows an error table according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 16, the code conversion unit 284 of the payment terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a conversion table for converting the error signal of the vending machine 100 into error code information. . For example, the error code may correspond to a combination of 1 byte of English characters and 1 byte of numbers, and error content information corresponding to each error code may be stored and managed in advance in the notification message processing unit 360. Accordingly, the notification message processing unit 360 may determine what error has occurred in the vending machine 100 from the table-converted error code information, and generate appropriate action information corresponding thereto to process it to be included in the error notification message. have.

17 to 18 are diagrams illustrating a notification interface of an administrator terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

17 illustrates an inventory notification message output from the manager terminal 500, the inventory notification message, for example, the terminal identification information of the payment terminal 200 installed in the vending machine 100, and the location of the vending machine 100 Information, product display code information, product name information, and remaining number information (current inventory number information) may be included.

Accordingly, the manager can check in advance in real time which display location product number of the vending machine at which location is insufficient. The notification message processing unit 360 may transmit such a stock shortage notification message to the manager terminal 500 periodically at every payment or due to a certain time, which is caused by a shortage of stock, and the manager terminal 500 may restock according to certain conditions. Whether to receive the shortage notification message may be set in advance through the management service providing unit 350.

Meanwhile, FIG. 18 illustrates an error notification message output from the administrator terminal 500, and the error notification message includes, for example, terminal identification information of the payment terminal 200 installed in the vending machine 100, and a vending machine. The location information of 100, error code information, error content information corresponding to the error code, and necessary action information may be included.

Accordingly, the administrator can check in advance in real time which problem has occurred in the vending machine at which location. The notification message processing unit 360 may periodically transmit the error notification message to the manager terminal 500 according to a predetermined time from the time of the error occurrence, and the manager terminal 500 determines which cycle and condition to receive the error notification message. It can be set in advance through the management service providing unit 350.

The method according to the present invention described above is produced as a program for execution on a computer and can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, and magnetic tape. , Floppy disk, and optical data storage.

The computer-readable recording medium can be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. And, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the method can be easily inferred by programmers in the technical field to which the present invention pertains.

In addition, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and the technical field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims. In addition, various modifications can be implemented by a person having ordinary knowledge in the course, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or prospect of the present invention.

Claims (19)

In the server operation method,
When the payment terminal connected to the vending machine converts the input/output signal of the vending machine into a form that can be processed by the payment terminal and reads the payment method information, at least one of product information or price information obtained from the conversion and the read payment method information is received. Receiving a payment approval request message generated by using the payment terminal; And
And providing a management service of the vending machine to an administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the payment approval request message.
The payment terminal lowers the voltage level of the vending machine communication signal output from the main board of the vending machine to a level corresponding to the payment terminal or the voltage level of the vending machine control signal input from the payment terminal to the main board. A terminal that converts and processes a general communication signal for a vending machine, which is output from the main board of the vending machine, into a communication specialized format for payment for processing a payment approval request, including a signal level converter for raising the input signal level of the vending machine,
The providing step,
And providing an inventory management service or an error notification service of the vending machine to an administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine, based on the professional information received from the payment terminal and converted to the communication communication format for payment.
How the server works. According to claim 1,
The providing step,
Registering inventory management information received from the manager terminal; And
And providing the management service of the vending machine corresponding to the inventory management information according to the approval processing of the payment approval request specialist.
How the server works. According to claim 2,
The providing step,
And updating inventory information corresponding to the registered inventory management information according to the approval processing of the payment approval request specialist.
How the server works. According to claim 3,
The inventory management information includes at least one of location information, payment terminal information, product display code information, installation number information, notification reference value information, and current inventory information corresponding to the vending machine.
How the server works. According to claim 4,
The updating step,
And when the payment approval request message is approved, obtaining the payment approval request message and updating the current inventory information by deducting the current inventory information in response to product display code information converted from the general communication signal for the vending machine.
How the server works. The method of claim 5,
The providing step,
And providing the inventory notification message to the manager terminal when the deducted updated current inventory information is less than or equal to the notification reference value information.
How the server works. According to claim 1,
The receiving step,
When an error signal is detected as a result of signal level conversion of the vending machine communication signal at the payment terminal, the payment terminal has an error code generated through conversion processing corresponding to the error signal. And receiving a communication message from the payment terminal.
The providing step,
And providing an error notification message based on the received error communication message to the administrator terminal.
How the server works. The method of claim 7,
The payment terminal determines a vending machine error code by comparing the result of the conversion of the input/output signal of the vending machine with a previously stored error table,
The error notification message is characterized in that it comprises necessary action information corresponding to the vending machine error code
How the server works. delete In the server device,
When the payment terminal connected to the vending machine converts the input/output signal of the vending machine into a form that can be processed by the payment terminal and reads the payment method information, at least one of product information or price information obtained from the conversion and the read payment method information is received. A communication unit that receives the payment approval request generated by the payment terminal from the payment terminal; And
On the basis of the full payment approval request, and includes a management service providing unit for providing the vending machine management service to the administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine,
The payment terminal lowers the voltage level of the vending machine communication signal output from the main board of the vending machine to a level corresponding to the payment terminal or the voltage level of the vending machine control signal input from the payment terminal to the main board. A terminal that converts and processes a general communication signal for a vending machine, which is output from the main board of the vending machine, into a communication specialized format for payment for processing a payment approval request, including a signal level converter for raising the input signal level of the vending machine,
The management service provider
And providing an inventory management service or an error notification service of the vending machine to an administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine, based on the professional information received from the payment terminal and converted to the communication communication format for payment.
Server device. The method of claim 10,
The management service providing unit,
Register inventory management information received from the manager terminal,
In accordance with the approval processing of the payment approval request specialist, the inventory management service of the vending machine corresponding to the inventory management information is provided to the manager terminal through the communication unit.
Server device. The method of claim 11,
The management service providing unit,
In response to the approval processing of the payment approval request specialist, inventory information corresponding to the registered inventory management information is updated.
Server device. The method of claim 12,
The inventory management information includes at least one of location information, payment terminal information, product display code information, installation number information, notification reference value information, and current inventory information corresponding to the vending machine.
Server device. The method of claim 13,
The management service providing unit,
When the full payment approval request is approved, the current stock information is deducted and updated in response to product display code information obtained from the payment approval request information and converted from the general communication signal for the vending machine.
Server device. The method of claim 14,
If the current stock information updated by the deduction is less than the notification reference value information, further comprising a notification message processing unit for processing so that the inventory notification message is provided to the manager terminal
Server device. The method of claim 10,
The communication unit,
When an error signal is detected as a result of signal level conversion of the vending machine communication signal at the payment terminal, the payment terminal has an error code generated through conversion processing corresponding to the error signal. Receiving a communication message from the payment terminal,
Further comprising a notification message processing unit for processing so that the error notification message based on the received communication message is provided to the administrator terminal
Server device. The method of claim 16,
The payment terminal determines a vending machine error code by comparing the result of the conversion of the input/output signal of the vending machine with a previously stored error table,
The error notification message is characterized in that it comprises necessary action information corresponding to the vending machine error code
Server device. The method of claim 10,
The payment terminal is connected to the main board of the vending machine, characterized in that the terminal including a signal level converter for converting the level of the signal output from the main board to a level corresponding to the payment terminal
Server device. In the vending machine system,
A vending machine having a main board and a power supply for controlling a button input unit, a product management unit, and a discharge unit; And
The product of the product management unit that receives power from the power supply unit, is connected to the main board, converts the input/output signal of the vending machine into a form that can be processed by a payment terminal, reads payment means information, and is obtained from a communication specialized conversion unit A payment terminal for generating a payment approval request message and transmitting the payment approval request message to a server by using at least one of information or price information and the read payment method information; And
A server providing an approval response based on the payment approval request message to the payment terminal, and providing a management service of the vending machine based on the payment approval request message to an administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine;
The payment terminal generates a vending machine control message when an approval response corresponding to the payment approval request message is received, converts the vending machine control message into a control signal corresponding to the vending machine, and converts the signal voltage level of the control signal Input to the main board,
In response to the input control signal, the vending machine performs input amount input and product selection processing to discharge the product corresponding to the product information through the discharge unit,
The payment terminal lowers the voltage level of the vending machine communication signal output from the main board of the vending machine to a level corresponding to the payment terminal or the voltage level of the vending machine control signal input from the payment terminal to the main board. It includes a signal level converter for raising to the input signal level of the vending machine, the communication professional conversion unit using the signal level conversion unit for the general communication signal for the vending machine output from the main board of the vending machine, for payment processing request processing It is a terminal that converts and processes the payment communication format.
The server
A server that provides an inventory management service or an error notification service of the vending machine to an administrator terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the professional information received from the payment terminal and converted to the communication communication format for payment.
Vending machine system.

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