TWI527404B - Method of Verification and Information Exchange of Remote Vending Machines and the Vending Machine - Google Patents

Description

Remote vending machine qualification check and information exchange method and the vending machine

The invention relates to a method for checking the qualification of a remote vending machine and the vending machine, in particular to providing a method for checking and information exchange of remote vending machines for controlling and confirming the remote vending machine.

Vending machines are a convenient selling device that can be seen everywhere in buildings or public places. Moreover, with the development and popularization of vending machines, the types of goods sold are more diverse, familiar to everyone. Drinks, cigarettes, as well as snacks, instant noodles, cosmetics, magazines, and even gold and jewelry can be sold through vending machines.

With the changes in sales conditions and methods such as various commercial promotions, some merchants will adopt, for example, limited price reduction promotions, new product discount trials, unpopular and popular products, and frequent customer discounts, etc., thereby changing the sales price; on the other hand, vending machines The collection method has also become more diversified with the evolution of the times. From the most basic collection of cash and copper, gradually add various cards, such as magnetic stripe cards, sensor chip cards, and even 1D and 2D barcode data; The payment method of the card can be further divided into, for example, a stored value card, a credit card, and the like. How to provide more flexibility for sellers and consumers for various forms of consumption and increase the convenience of consumption is undoubtedly the common expectation of buyers and sellers. Therefore, the regular update of sales information and the timely update of vending machine hardware have become a necessary condition for modern vending machines.

Moreover, in line with the modern business behavior model, channel vendors and product suppliers can increase the market share of products by renting vending machines; merchants with stores can apply for renting vending machines by paying renters to increase sales revenue. Unfortunately, if the merchant who rents the vending machine wants to invade and not pay the rent, or move the vending machine to another location and provide the sales service, it is not only the first time for the vending machine provider. Knowing where the auto-selling is occupied, it is even more incapable of restricting the use of vending machines. There is no guarantee for the rental industry.

Further, when the merchant who rents the vending machine does not cooperate with the promotion, or does not actively update the sales information, so that the general consumer can obtain the corresponding promotion program from the network or the communication media, but the corresponding discount can not be obtained from the vending machine, which will make the access The beauty of the business and product suppliers is greatly reduced, and even damages the integrity and goodwill. This risk of damage is also an obstacle to the vending machine sales model that cannot be flexibly flexible like a department store anniversary.

Therefore, how can we provide a vending machine with sales information update function, regularly update the sales conditions, make the sales method more flexible and flexible; and further have a locking function, so that the vending machine can not continue to operate, thereby requiring renting The vending machine merchants comply with the specifications; thus, when the renting merchant violates the pre-regulation, for example, when the rent is not paid, the vending machine can be stopped for sale, preventing the merchant from occupying the vending machine; and the positioning function can be additionally added to confirm the vending machine The current location, to avoid theft, or when the vending machine is moved to other areas, may affect the layout of the sale, immediately lock the vending machine, will be the focus of this case.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote vending machine qualification check and information exchange method that can force the update of sales information.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for forcibly locking the remote vending machine qualification check and information exchange of a vending machine that does not conform to the qualification.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a remote vending machine with qualification checking and information exchange that can force the update of sales information.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a remote vending machine capable of forcibly locking qualifications and information exchanges for non-compliance.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a remote vending machine with qualification and information exchange with positioning and remote monitoring capabilities.

According to the present invention, a remote vending machine qualification check and information exchange method is provided by a near-end server for controlling at least one remote vending machine, wherein the vending machine comprises: a vending interface device, a processing device, and a message transmission device, wherein the at least one vending machine has an identification data; the server includes: a database for storing sales information and qualification information corresponding to the at least one vending machine, and a connection The control device of the database, wherein the method for checking and communicating information includes the steps of: a) connecting the at least one remote vending machine to the aforementioned near-end server through a communication network; b) via the message transmitting device Transmitting the identification data to the near-end server; c) when the control device determines that the vending machine passes the authentication according to the qualification information, receiving the sales information from the near-end server by the message transmission device; d) The processing device drives the sales interface device to switch to a corresponding working mode according to the obtained sales information; and e) when the processing If the device does not receive the corresponding sales information, the vending machine is closed.

According to the present invention, a remote vending machine with qualification checking and information exchange has an identification data, which is controlled by a near-end server, and the server includes: one for storing corresponding to the aforementioned at least a database of sales information and qualification information of the vending machine, and a control device connected to the database, wherein the vending machine comprises: a vending interface device; and a control connected to the near-end server through the communication network data a message transmitting device of the device, configured to transmit the identification data to the control device, and receive the control device to determine, according to the qualification information, that the vending machine passes the authentication, and receive the sales information from the near-end server by the message transmitting device And a processing device that drives the sales interface device to switch to the corresponding working mode according to the obtained sales information.

The method for qualification checking and information exchange disclosed in the present invention and the remote vending machine to which the method is applied are controlled by a near-end server to at least one vending machine disposed at a remote end, when the vending machine is properly set and connected The power source, or after a predetermined period of time, actively transmits the identification data to the server, and the identification data may be an identification code for identifying each vending machine, or coordinate data provided by a positioning device provided in each vending machine; Subsequently, after the server control device obtains the identification data, it can retrieve the qualification data stored in the database for comparison and check the qualification. After the qualification check is passed, the server transmits a sales message containing the permitted sales information to the vending machine. On the one hand, the sales information including the sales conditions is updated, and the qualified vending machine is allowed to start operation.

Since the processing devices of the vending machines must receive the relevant sales information, the sales interface device can be allowed to sell the service. Therefore, each vending machine must be forced to update the sales materials, all trials or discounts, etc. at the time of booting or periodically. The promotion plan will be transmitted to the vending machines by the near-end server. The vending machines that have not paid the rent or are stolen will not be able to pass the qualification check, and can be controlled by the server to achieve all the above purposes.

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are set forth in the <RTIgt;

The first preferred embodiment of the remote vending machine with qualification check and information exchange disclosed in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, is controlled by a near-end server 2 at the same time. The remote vending machine 1 is rented to each merchant, wherein each vending machine 1 mainly includes a vending interface device 11, a message transmitting device 12, a processing device 13, and a storage device 15 storing identification data. The sales interface device 11 of the present embodiment further includes a touch panel 110 and a wafer card reading unit 113. For convenience of explanation, the touch panel 110 of the present example is divided into two blocks: one of which is as information. The block 112 is displayed, and the other part is the vending interface block 111 which is responsible for collecting the money for the transaction. The vending machine can display the transaction-related merchandise, promotional information, advertisements, prices, and the like on the touch panel 110, or the current working mode of the vending machine 1. The wafer card reading unit 113 is then operable to read an electronic wallet such as a stored value wafer card.

The identification data is the internal code of each vending machine in this example. Since the internal codes of each vending machine 1 are different, it is possible to clearly distinguish each vending machine. The near-end server 2 includes a database 21 and a control device 22, wherein the database 21 stores the sales information 211 and the qualification information 212 of all the vending machines in the jurisdiction.

In the case of the remote vending machine qualification check and information exchange method, as shown in FIG. 3, the vending machine 1 is initially placed at a predetermined position, and in step 301, the vending machine 1 is powered on, and sold at this time. The interface device 11 is still unable to trade and the transaction is stopped, and the touch panel 110 displays the warm-up and advertisement messages. To step 302, the information transmission device 12 connects the data to the near-end server 2 through the network; when the information connection is completed At step 303, the unique identification data in the storage device 15 is transmitted to the near-end server 2 via the message transmission device 12.

Then, in step 304, the control device 22 of the server 2 reads the stored qualification data 212 from the linked database 21. In this example, the qualification data 212 is a set of blacklist data, and the records are not in progress. The vending machine data of the rent is paid. Therefore, when the control device 22 obtains the identification data, it compares with the qualification information 212 stored in the database 21, and confirms that the vending machine 1 having the internal code is not on the blacklisted material. If the rent has been overdue, then as in step 305, the vending interface device 11 is forcibly closed and locked, thereby prohibiting the vending machine from being turned back on. If the vending machine 1 is not in the blacklist, then in step 306, the control device 22 returns a set of sales information 211 through the message transmission device 12 to the processing device 13. In this example, the sales information 211 includes a startup information and A set of discount promotions. Then, in step 307, the processing device 13 drives the vending interface device 11 to switch to the working mode. Finally, in step 308, the touch panel 110 alternately displays the discount promotion information and the merchandise image information for sale in the vending machine, and begins to accept the consumption. The user selects a product through the touch panel 110 and performs a sales service, and when the consumer wants to check out, the coin can be inserted into the coin hole (not shown) larger than the commodity price, or the stored value chip card can be transmitted through the wafer. The card reading unit 113 performs a card reading operation, and then outputs the purchased product to the pickup port.

In addition, the chip card reading unit 113 of the present example can also be replaced with a magnetic stripe card swiping unit, a bar code reading unit or an RF writing/reading unit. The consumer only needs to hold the corresponding stored value card, and can also perform the same Card reading operation.

As shown in FIG. 4, the vending machine 1' of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention further includes a positioning device. In this example, the positioning device is a satellite positioning device 16' exemplified as a satellite positioning device, and a near-end server. 2' further includes an alarm device 23'. For the corresponding remote vending machine qualification check and information exchange method, please refer to Figure 5 together, the vending machine 1' is placed in a predetermined area, and continues to provide power for 24 hours. Discontinued sales. At step 501, for example, at 5 am every day, the vending interface device 11' will be switched to the stop transaction state for about ten minutes, at which time the information of the touch panel 110' displays a message "data update, suspension of transaction".

Then, in step 502, the message transmission device 12' is connected to the near-end server 2' through the communication network; in step 503, the satellite positioning device 16' in the vending machine identifies the current location, and a set of examples is generated as The identification data of the latitude and longitude coordinates of the earth is temporarily stored in the storage device 15', and the coordinate data is transmitted from the message transmission device 12' to the near-end server 2'. Then in step 504, the coordinate information is compared with the qualification information 212' in the database 21' by the control device 22'; in this example, the qualification information 212' includes the coordinate data of the vending machine 1' in all jurisdictions. . Therefore, when the control device 22' obtains the above-mentioned coordinate data, it can be compared with the pre-stored qualification information 212' in the database 21' for confirming whether the current position of the vending machine 1' coincides with the pre-recorded coordinate position.

If the coordinates of the current location of the vending machine 1' do not meet the coordinates recorded in the qualification information 212', then in step 505, the vending interface device 11' is forcibly closed, and the vending machine 1' is locked, and then, as in step 506, The alarm device 23' is driven by the control device 22' of the server 2' to issue an alarm message and simultaneously provide coordinates of the current location of the vending machine 1' to alert the back-end manager to immediately process. Conversely, if the location of the vending machine 1' currently meets the coordinates recorded in the qualification information 212', then in step 507, the control device 22' returns a set of sales information 211' to the vending machine 1', and through The message transmission device 12' is transmitted to the processing device 13'. In step 508, the processing device 13' drives the vending interface device 11' to switch to the working mode. Finally, in step 509, the touch panel 110' is driven to display the corresponding operational message. And carry out sales services.

Of course, in this example, the positioning device is more exemplified as a Global System for Mobile Communications, and the coordinates of the coordinates are known by, for example, the distribution of the base station.

The method for authenticating and information exchange of the remote vending machine of the present invention and the vending machine are: when the vending machines are set at a predetermined position and powered on, or at a predetermined time, the identification data is automatically transmitted to the near end. The server performs qualification check on one side and updates sales information on the other side; therefore, each vending machine can be controlled by the near-end server, forcibly cooperating with all advertisements, discounts, promotions, and when renting vending machines Violation of the agreement, such as unpaid rent or illegal removal of the vending machine or even the vending of the vending machine, can be forced to shut down during the qualification check to limit the sales service, and achieve all of the above purposes.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, that is, the simple equivalent changes and modifications made by the scope of the invention and the description of the invention are All should remain within the scope of the invention patent.

1, 1’. . . vending machine

11, 11’. . . Selling interface device

12, 12’. . . Message transmission device

13, 13’. . . Processing device

15, 15’. . . Storage device

16’. . . Satellite positioning device

110, 110’. . . Touch panel

111. . . Selling interface blocks

112. . . Information display block

113. . . Wafer card reader unit

2, 2’. . . server

21, 21’. . . database

22, 22’. . . Control device

twenty three'. . . Alarm device

211, 211’. . . Sales information

212, 212’. . . Qualification information

1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of a remote vending machine with qualification checking and information exchange in the present case;

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the remote vending machine of Figure 1 with qualification check and information exchange;

3 is a flow chart of the method for checking and information exchange of the remote vending machine of FIG. 1;

4 is a block diagram of a second preferred embodiment of the remote vending machine with qualification checking and information exchange in the present case; and

5 is a flow chart of the remote vending machine qualification check and information exchange method of FIG.

1. . . vending machine

11. . . Selling interface device

12. . . Message transmission device

13. . . Processing device

15. . . Storage device

110. . . Touch panel

111. . . Selling interface blocks

112. . . Information display block

2. . . server

twenty one. . . database

twenty two. . . Control device

211. . . Sales information

212. . . Qualification information

Claims (8)

A remote vending machine qualification check and information exchange method is provided by a near-end server for controlling at least one remote vending machine, wherein the vending machine comprises: a vending interface device, a processing device, and A message transmission device, wherein the at least one vending machine has an identification data; the server includes: a database for storing sales information and qualification information corresponding to the at least one vending machine, and a control device connected to the database The method for checking and communicating information includes the steps of: a) connecting the at least one remote vending machine to the near-end server through a communication network; b) transmitting the identification data to the message transmission device The near-end server; c) when the control device determines that the vending machine passes the authentication according to the qualification data, the message transmission device receives the sales information from the near-end server; d) the processing device obtains The sales information drives the sales interface device to switch to the corresponding working mode; e) when the processing device does not receive the corresponding The sales information is closed, and the vending machine further includes a satellite positioning device having a coordinate information for identifying the current coordinate position, and the identification data includes the coordinate data. The method for the qualification check and the information exchange described in the first aspect of the patent application, wherein the selling interface device further comprises a touch panel, the method further comprising displaying the current work by the touch panel after the step d) Step f) of the pattern. A remote vending machine with qualification checking and information exchange, the vending machine having an identification data controlled by a near-end server, the server comprising: a storage information corresponding to the at least one vending machine And a database of qualification information, and a link to the fund a control device for a stockyard, wherein the vending machine comprises: a vending interface device; a message transmitting device for connecting the control device to the near-end server via the network for transmitting the identification data to the control device And receiving, by the control device, the sales information transmitted by the near-end server after the vending machine passes the qualification certification; and the processing device for driving the vending device to switch to the corresponding working mode according to the obtained sales information; The aforementioned vending machine further includes a positioning device having a set of coordinate data for identifying the current coordinate position. The remote vending machine of claim 3, wherein the vending interface device comprises a touch panel. The remote vending machine of claim 4, wherein the vending device further comprises a magnetic stripe card swiping unit. The remote vending machine of claim 4, wherein the vending interface device further comprises a wafer card reading unit. The remote vending machine of claim 4, wherein the vending device further comprises a bar code reading unit. The remote vending machine of claim 4, wherein the vending interface device further comprises an RF write/read unit.