TW202009829A - Automatic sales system for convenience store including an automated vending device and a management device - Google Patents

Abstract

An automated sales system for a convenience store includes an automatic vending device and a management device. The management device is disposed of at a convenience store that meters or kilometers away from the automated vending device. The automated vending device stores goods and records product numbers, unit prices and vending numbers of the goods, receives a product number entered by a consumer, generates a purchase amount based on the registered product number and the unit price, receives the purchase amount paid by the consumer, releases the goods purchased by the consumer, updates the vending numbers, transmits the entered product number, the purchase amount and the updated vending number through the network to the management device. The management device records the number of goods in the store and generates an inventory number of goods based on the updated vending number of the number of goods in the store.

Description

Automated sales system for convenience stores

The invention relates to an automatic sales system, especially an automatic sales system that can be integrated with a convenience store.

Due to the development of electronic payment technology, consumers buy goods through physical or online channels, not limited to paying prices in cash, and online channels can cooperate with logistics operators to distribute goods to consumers' designated locations, consumers do not need to ship the goods themselves . Although the sales volume and amount of Internet channels are gradually growing, the product images displayed on Internet channels may be different from the actual products. Consumers need to spend time and manpower to return products that do not meet demand. Therefore, most products are still displayed on physical channels. Consumers buy.

At present, the physical channels of commodities can be roughly divided into large-scale stores, convenience stores and vending equipment according to their scale. Different physical channels have their own major consumers. Large-scale stores usually double as commodity warehouses. The density is not high and the number of sales units of commodities is large. Consumers need to have sufficient time (such as shifts or holidays) before they can use transportation to purchase goods at large stores. Convenience stores provide diversified services such as commodities, food, payment, and ticket purchases. They are usually set up in places with large working or residential populations. Consumers can take advantage of the various services provided by convenience stores nearby. Automated vending equipment can be placed in places where there are few people working or living. The types and quantities of goods sold are limited. It often happens that the goods are sold out, equipment malfunctions or damaged, which cannot meet the different needs of consumers.

Due to restrictions on location, cost and personnel for opening convenience stores, the distribution of convenience stores in various regions is uneven, and regions that are not economically effective still lack proper physical channels. Therefore, how to use the Internet of Things and electronic payment technology to solve the existing automatic The sales, storage, logistics and other issues of selling equipment and convenience stores to meet the needs of consumers and promote the economic growth of commodities is the main purpose of developing the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automatic sales system of a convenience store, including: automatic vending equipment and a management device. The automatic vending equipment stores commodities and records the commodity number, unit selling price and self-selling quantity of the commodities. The management device is installed in a convenience store a few meters to several kilometers away from the vending equipment, and records the number of goods in the store. When the consumer enters the product number into the vending device, the vending device generates a purchase amount based on the entered product number and unit selling price, receives the purchase amount paid by the consumer through the electronic payment medium, and releases the consumption based on the entered product number The purchased goods, update the self-sell quantity, and transmit the entered product number, purchase amount and updated self-sell quantity to the management device through the network; the management device generates the existing quantity of the commodity based on the updated self-sell quantity and the number of in-store.

In an embodiment, the vending equipment includes: a control module, a storage mechanism electrically connected to the control module, an input module, a sensing module, a transmission mechanism, a retrieval room, a printing module, and a communication module, storing The institution stores the commodity corresponding to the commodity number, the input module receives the entered commodity number, the sensor module receives the purchase amount paid by the electronic payment medium, and the transmission mechanism releases the commodity purchased by the consumer to the pickup room to control The module updates the self-selling quantity, prints the module to print the sales certificate, and the communication module transmits the entered commodity number and the updated self-selling quantity to the management device through the network.

In one embodiment, the storage mechanism includes a plurality of silos, which are respectively connected to the retrieval chamber and can be set to different temperatures, and the merchandise is stored in one of the plural silos.

In one embodiment, the sensing module presets a preset payment time of tens of seconds to several minutes. Since the input module receives the inputted commodity number, if the sensing module exceeds the preset payment time If the purchase amount is not received, the control module cancels the entered commodity number.

In one embodiment, after the sensor module receives the purchase amount, if the delivery mechanism does not release the goods purchased by the consumer to the retrieval room, the control module generates equipment abnormality information, and the communication module transmission equipment abnormality Information to the above management device.

In one embodiment, the management device further records the shelf life of the commodity. When the shelf life expires, the management device transmits a stop-selling instruction of the commodity to the communication module through the network, and the control module enables the input The module stops receiving the above commodity number.

In one embodiment, the management device records the minimum storage quantity of the merchandise stored by the vending device. When the management device determines that the updated self-sale quantity is not greater than the minimum storage quantity, the management device determines the updated self-sale quantity Generate replenishment information for the above products.

In one embodiment, the management device records the minimum stock quantity of the commodity. When the management device determines that the existing quantity is not greater than the minimum stock quantity of the commodity, the management device generates the purchase information of the commodity according to the existing quantity.

In one embodiment, the automatic sales system further includes a mobile communication device loaded with an application program that stores the product number and the self-selling quantity of the automatic vending device. When the automatic vending device transmits the input When the commodity number and the updated self-selling quantity are sent to the mobile communication device, the application program displays the updated self-selling quantity corresponding to the entered commodity number.

In one embodiment, the application program records the minimum storage quantity of the vending device to store the product. When the application program determines that the updated self-selling quantity is not greater than the minimum storage quantity, the application program generates the product according to the self-selling quantity Replenishment information.

The invention uses the technology of Internet of Things and electronic payment, combined with convenience store and vending equipment to form an automatic sales system, effectively expands the service range of the convenience store, and the staff of the convenience store can control the sales of goods and manage the goods in real time through the management device or mobile communication device The operation of vending equipment can store and transfer commodities in convenience stores and vending equipment as needed, which can optimize the items, quantity, display and storage of commodities, greatly reduce the opening and operating costs of physical channels, increase the turnover rate of commodities and Logistics efficiency to meet the different needs of consumers.

The following describes the embodiments of the present invention in more detail with reference to the drawings and component symbols, so that those skilled in the art can implement the present invention after studying this specification.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an automatic sales system of a convenience store of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic vending system 1 of a convenience store includes a vending device 11 and a management device 12. The automatic vending device 11 is connected to the management device 12 through the network 100, and stores the product and the product number, unit selling price, and self-selling quantity of the product. The management device 12 is installed in a convenience store 10 a few meters to several kilometers away from the vending machine 11, and records the number of products in the store.

The automatic vending equipment 11 can be installed in places such as commercial office buildings, industrial areas, hospitals, schools, parks, MRT stations, etc., where the land area is small or the number of residents is small, according to the demand. The number of vending equipment 11 is not limited, such as one, several, or more than ten; that is, the automatic sales system 1 of the convenience store of the present invention forms a "mother and child store" form by combining the vending equipment 11 with the convenience store 12 Physical access. The types of products sold by the vending equipment 11 may be the same as or different from the products sold by the convenience store 10. For the same products, the quantity stored by the vending equipment 11 is called "self-selling quantity", and the quantity displayed and stored by the convenience store 10 is called " The number of “in-store” and the total of “self-sell quantity” and “in-store quantity” are called “existing quantity”.

The vending equipment 11 is provided with an identification code and has a function of receiving and transmitting data connected to the network. The management device 12 is, for example, a computer device connected to a cloud system, and belongs to the vending equipment 11 (child store) of the same convenience store 10 (parent store) Set up with the management device 12 as a contact group. After receiving the commodity number input by the consumer, the vending device 11 generates a purchase amount based on the entered commodity number and unit selling price, and prompts the purchase amount to be paid through voice or video; consumers can use stored value cards, credit cards, barcodes Electronic payment media such as vehicles and smart phone applications pay the purchase amount to the vending device 11; after receiving the purchase amount paid by the electronic payment medium, the vending device 11 releases the product according to the product number and updates the self-selling quantity. After the commodity transaction is completed, the vending device 11 immediately transmits the product number, purchase amount, and updated self-sell quantity of the consumer’s purchased product to the management device 12 of the convenience store 10 via the network 100; the management device 12 totals the updated self-sell quantity and The number of stores, the existing number of commodities.

When the management device 12 determines that the updated self-sell quantity is not greater than the minimum storage quantity of the product, the management device 12 generates replenishment information of the product according to the updated self-sell quantity to remind the staff of the convenience store 10 to go to the auto-sell with insufficient self-sale quantity The equipment 11 supplements commodities, and the quantity of supplementary commodities in the replenishment information is not less than the difference between the minimum storage quantity and the updated self-sell quantity, for example, the difference between the maximum storage quantity of the automatic vending equipment 11 and the updated self-sell quantity.

When the management device 12 determines that the existing quantity of the commodities in the vending equipment 11 and the convenience store 12 is not greater than the minimum stock quantity of the commodities, the management device 12 generates the purchase information of the commodities according to the existing quantity to remind the staff of the convenience store 10 to use the management device 12 Order the required number of commodities from the company or manufacturer and other commodity supply sources through the network 100. The quantity of the ordered goods in the purchase information is not less than the difference between the minimum stock quantity and the existing quantity, for example, the maximum stock quantity of the preset goods of the management device 12 The difference from the existing quantity.

For example, the convenience store 10 installed outside the residential community sells the same beverages, food, and other commodities as the multiple vending equipment 11 installed in different locations in the residential community. The number of beverages in the convenience store 10 is A1. Vending equipment 11 Beverage self-sell quantity B1, preset minimum storage quantity B1 and maximum storage quantity B3, management device 12 preset beverage minimum stock quantity C1 and maximum stock quantity C2, of which convenience store 12 beverages are in the store The quantity A1 is not less than the maximum storage quantity B3 of the vending equipment (A1≧B3). Regardless of whether the consumer purchases beverages at the convenience store 10 or the vending equipment 11, each time the consumer purchases the quantity and amount of the beverage, it is instantly transmitted to the management device 12, and the management device 12 generates beverages based on the number of stores A1 and the number of self-sells B1 Existing quantity A2.

When the self-selling quantity B1 of the vending equipment 11 storing beverages is equal to the minimum storage quantity B2 (B1=B2), the management device 12 immediately generates replenishment information to notify the staff of the convenience store 10 of the location of the vending equipment 11 that needs to replenish the beverage, The number of supplemental drinks S (S≦B3-B1), if the staff does not go to the automatic vending equipment 11 to replenish the drinks, and the consumer purchases the drinks again (B1<B2), the management device 12 generates a new Goods information (B2-B1≦S≦B3-B1) informs the staff until the staff completes the replenishment of beverages, the management device 12 receives the self-sell quantity B1 of the beverage in the vending machine 11 through the network 100 when the quantity B1 is greater than the minimum storage quantity B2 (B3 ≧B1＞B2), stop generating beverage replenishment information.

When the existing quantity of beverages A2 is equal to the minimum stock quantity C1 (A2=C1), the management device 12 immediately generates purchase information to notify the staff of the convenience store 10 that the convenience store 10 needs to order beverages from the company or supplier. The number of beverages P (P≦C2-C1), the staff confirms that the content of the purchase information is correct, and can use the management device 12 to transmit the beverage order form through the network 100; when the convenience store 10 and all the vending equipment 11 continue to sell When the beverage is delivered and the existing quantity A2 of the beverage is less than the minimum stock quantity C1 (A2<C1), the management device 12 updates the purchase information in real time (C2-A2≦P≦C2-C1) and transmits the updated purchase information to the network 100 Company management staff, the company management staff and convenience store staff confirm whether to order or stop selling beverages. The management device 12 stores all purchase records, replenishment information and purchase information of beverages for subsequent query of beverage sales records and analysis of the beverage consumption market near the convenience store 10.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the vending machine shown in Figure 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the vending device 11 includes: a control module 110, a storage mechanism 111 electrically connected to the control module 110, an input module 112, a sensing module 113, a transfer mechanism 114, a retrieval room 115, and a row The printing module 116 and the communication module 117.

The control module 110 includes circuits such as logic and memory, and can perform functions such as data conversion, calculation, and storage. The storage mechanism 111 includes a plurality of storage lanes (not shown) which are respectively connected to the fetching room 115 and can be set to different temperatures, each storage lane is marked with the commodity number of the stored goods, and the temperature range of the storage lane can be segmented or continuous Formula, such as 4 ℃, 18 ℃, normal temperature, or a temperature below 0 to 100 ℃, to store goods that need to be sold at a specific ambient temperature. The input module 112 includes a display screen and buttons or a touch panel (not shown) for consumers to input the commodity number to display the purchase amount. The sensing module 113 includes a photoelectric element, can read and write data of an electronic payment medium by scanning to receive the purchase amount, and can prompt the consumer to pay and whether to complete the payment of the purchase amount through voice or video signals. The transmission mechanism 114 includes a power generation unit (such as a motor) and a power transmission unit (such as a chain, belt, or gear). The power generation unit is connected to the control module 110, and the power transmission unit is connected to the power generation unit and the storage channel of the storage mechanism 111, respectively. A detector for detecting commodities is provided in the retrieving room 115. The printing module 116 includes an inkjet or laser printing unit and paper for sales certificate. The communication module 117 includes a communication circuit that can receive and transmit various communication protocol data packets (eg, 4G, Wi-Fi).

In the normal commodity transaction situation, the automatic sales system 1 of the convenience store performs the following steps: the input module 112 receives the commodity number input by the consumer; the control module 110 generates a purchase amount based on the entered commodity number and unit selling price; the sensor module 113 receives the purchase amount of the electronic payment medium; the control module 110 opens a specific warehouse of the storage mechanism 111, and controls the transmission mechanism 114 to release the consumer purchased goods to the pickup room 115; the detector in the pickup room 115 detects Test the product, and transmit the signal representing the product release to the control module 110; the control module 110 receives the signal released by the product, updates the self-selling quantity, and transmits the entered product number, product name, purchase amount to the printing module 116 and the communication module 117; the printing module 116 prints the sales receipt of the invoice or receipt; and the communication module 117 transmits the purchase information and the updated self-selling quantity to the management device 12 through the network 100.

In the case where the payment purchase amount is abnormal, the automatic sales system 1 of the convenience store performs the following steps: The sensor module 113 is preset with a preset payment time of tens of seconds to several minutes (tens of seconds to several minutes, for example: 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 2 minutes, 3 minutes), the input module 112 receives the consumer input commodity number, the sensor module 113 also prompts the consumer to pay the purchase amount; beyond the preset payment time, the sensor module 113 is not read or If the data of the electronic payment medium cannot be read, the control module 110 cancels the entered commodity number; and the input module 112 displays the information of canceling the transaction.

In the case of releasing the abnormality of the commodity, the automatic sales system 1 of the convenience store performs the following steps: the input module 112 and the sensing module 113 receive the commodity number and the purchase amount in sequence; the transmission mechanism 114 does not operate or the retrieval room 115 does not detect To the goods, on behalf of the delivery mechanism 114 has not released the goods purchased by the consumer, the control module 110 generates equipment abnormal information; the input module 113 displays the equipment abnormal information; and the communication module 117 transmits the equipment abnormal information to the management device 12 for notification convenience The staff of the store 10 goes to the abnormal vending device 11 to eliminate the abnormality.

When the product exceeds the storage period, the automatic sales system 1 of the convenience store performs the following steps: the management device 12 records the storage period of the product, and when the time reaches the storage period, the management device 12 notifies the staff of the convenience store 10 to the vending equipment 11 Remove the expired goods or replace the goods, and at the same time transmit the stop selling instruction of the goods to the communication module 117 of the automatic vending equipment 11 through the network 100; and the control module 110 receives the stop selling instruction from the communication module 117, and block the corresponding stop selling The commanded product number causes the input module 112 to stop receiving the product number of the product.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the automatic sales system of the convenience store of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the automatic vending system 1 of a convenience store includes a vending device 11 and a management device 12, and further includes a mobile communication device 13 that loads an application program. The automatic vending equipment 11 and the management device 12 are as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The mobile communication device 13 is, for example, a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc., and its loaded application stores the product number of the product in the automatic vending device 11, After the unit selling price, self-selling quantity, minimum storage quantity, and storage period, the automatic vending device 11 transmits the input product number, the updated self-selling quantity, and the purchase amount to the mobile communication device 13 through the network 100, the application corresponds to the The entered article number shows the updated self-sell quantity.

The staff of the convenience store 10 can carry the mobile communication device 13 with them, so that the staff can keep track of the sales and operation of the vending device 11 at any time. When the application determines that the updated self-sell quantity is not greater than the minimum storage quantity of the product, the application generates replenishment information for the product based on the updated self-sell quantity. When the staff leaves the convenience store to perform the vending equipment replenishment work, and the vending equipment 11 has an equipment abnormality, the vending equipment 11 synchronously transmits the equipment abnormality information to the management device 12 and the mobile communication device 13 through the network 100 to perform the replenishment The working staff can immediately go to the abnormal vending device 11 to eliminate the abnormality. When the time reaches the retention period, the application generates information on the cessation of sales of the goods to notify the staff of the convenience store to the vending device 11 to remove the expired goods or replace the goods.

In summary, the present invention uses the technology of Internet of Things and electronic payment, combined with the convenience store and automatic vending equipment to form an automatic sales system, which effectively expands the service range of the convenience store. The staff of the convenience store can use the management device or mobile communication device to instantly Control the sales of commodities and the operation of equipment, store and transfer commodities in convenience stores and vending equipment as needed, which can optimize the items, quantity, display and storage of commodities, greatly reduce the opening and operating costs of physical channels, and improve the quality of commodities Turnover rate and logistics efficiency to meet the different needs of consumers.

The above-mentioned embodiments merely exemplify the principles and effects of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person familiar with this profession can modify and change the above-mentioned embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or changes completed without departing from the spirit and technical principles disclosed in this technical field should be covered by the patent application scope of this invention.

1‧‧‧Convenience store automatic sales system 10‧‧‧Convenience store 11‧‧‧Vending equipment 12‧‧‧ Management device 13‧‧‧Mobile communication device 100‧‧‧Network 110‧‧‧Control module 111 ‧‧‧ Storage mechanism 112‧‧‧ Input module 113‧‧‧ Induction module 114‧‧‧Transmission mechanism 115‧‧‧ Retrieval room 116‧‧‧Print module 117‧‧‧Communication module

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an automatic sales system of a convenience store of the present invention; Figure 2 is a block diagram of an automatic vending device of an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 3 is a convenience store of the present invention Block diagram of another embodiment of an automated sales system.

1‧‧‧Convenience store automatic sales system

10‧‧‧Convenience store

11‧‧‧Vending equipment

12‧‧‧Management device

100‧‧‧ Internet

Claims (10)

An automatic vending system for convenience stores, including: vending equipment, which stores products and records the product number, unit selling price, and self-selling quantity of the product; and a management device, which is located a few meters away from the vending equipment Convenience store of kilometers, and the number of the products in the store is recorded; when the consumer enters the product number into the vending device, the vending device generates a purchase amount based on the entered product number and the unit selling price, and receives The purchase amount paid by the consumer through the electronic payment medium releases the purchase of the commodity by the consumer based on the entered commodity number, updates the self-sell quantity, and transmits the entered commodity number and the purchase amount through the network And the updated self-selling quantity to the management device; the management device generates the existing quantity of the commodity according to the updated self-selling quantity and the number of stores. As described in item 1 of the patent application scope, the automatic sales system of the convenience store, wherein the automatic vending equipment includes: a control module, a storage mechanism electrically connected to the control module, an input module, a sensor module, a transmission mechanism, a An object room, a printing module and a communication module, the storage mechanism stores the product corresponding to the product number, the input module receives the input product number, and the sensor module receives the purchase amount paid by the electronic payment medium, The transmission mechanism releases the goods purchased by the consumer to the retrieval room, the control module updates the self-sell quantity, the printing module prints a sales certificate, and the communication module transmits the input via the network. The product number and the updated self-sell quantity are sent to the management device. As described in item 2 of the scope of patent application, the automatic sales system of a convenience store, wherein the storage mechanism includes a plurality of silos, which are respectively connected to the fetching room and can be set to different temperatures, and the goods are stored in one of the silos. As described in item 2 of the patent application scope, the automatic sales system of the convenience store, wherein the sensor module is preset with a preset payment time of tens of seconds to several minutes, when the input of the commodity number is received from the input module From now on, if the sensor module does not receive the purchase amount beyond the preset payment time, the control module cancels the entered commodity number. As described in item 2 of the patent application scope, the automatic sales system of the convenience store, wherein after the sensor module receives the purchase amount, if the transmission mechanism does not release the goods purchased by the consumer to the retrieval room, the control module The group generates equipment abnormal information, and the communication module transmits the equipment abnormal information to the management device. As described in item 2 of the scope of the patent application, the automatic sales system of the convenience store, wherein the management device records the storage period of the product, and when the storage period expires, the management device transmits the order to stop selling the product through the network To the communication module, the control module stops the input module from receiving the commodity number. As described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, the automatic sales system of the convenience store, wherein the management device records the minimum storage quantity of the vending device to store the merchandise, when the management device determines that the updated self-sale quantity is not greater than the minimum storage For quantity, the management device generates the replenishment information of the commodity based on the updated self-sell quantity. As described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, the automatic sales system of the convenience store, wherein the management device records the minimum stock quantity of the merchandise, when the management device determines that the existing quantity is not greater than the minimum stock quantity, the management device based on the existing The quantity generates the purchase information of the product. As described in item 1 of the scope of the patent application, the automatic sales system of the convenience store includes a mobile communication device loaded with an application that stores the product number of the automatic vending device, the unit selling price, and the self-selling quantity. When the automatic vending device transmits the entered commodity number and the updated self-selling quantity to the mobile communication device through the network, the application program displays the updated self-selling quantity corresponding to the entered commodity number. As described in item 9 of the scope of the patent application, the automatic sales system of the convenience store, where the application records the minimum storage quantity of the product, when the application determines that the updated self-sell quantity is not greater than the minimum storage quantity, the application The program generates replenishment information for the product based on the self-sold quantity.

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