Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F5/00—Coin-actuated mechanisms; Interlocks
  • G07F5/24—Coin-actuated mechanisms; Interlocks with change-giving
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
  • G07D1/00—Coin dispensers
  • G07D1/02—Coin dispensers giving change
  • G07D1/06—Coin dispensers giving change dispensing the difference between a sum paid and a sum charged
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
  • G07D11/00—Devices accepting coins; Devices accepting, dispensing, sorting or counting valuable papers
  • G07D11/0087—Banknote changing devices
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07D—HANDLING OF COINS OR VALUABLE PAPERS, e.g. TESTING, SORTING BY DENOMINATIONS, COUNTING, DISPENSING, CHANGING OR DEPOSITING
  • G07D11/00—Devices accepting coins; Devices accepting, dispensing, sorting or counting valuable papers
  • G07D11/20—Controlling or monitoring the operation of devices; Data handling
  • G07D11/24—Managing the stock of valuable papers

Definitions

• the apparatus comprises means for monitoring certain parameters over time, and the information so obtained is used by the predicting means.
• the parameters may include data indicative of the relative populations of currency of different denominations, either throughout the country in which the apparatus is being used or in a local region in which the apparatus is used.
• Denominations which are more numerous will be more likely to be inserted into the apparatus and less likely to be needed in large quantities as change in the period immediately after servicing the machine.
• the parameters may also take into account the prices of products vended or services performed in exchange for cash received by the apparatus.
• Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the mechanical part of a coin handling apparatus
• Fig. 7 is a flow chart.
• the input/output circuitry 62 also includes an interface between the control circuit of the apparatus and a vending machine circuit board 64 to which it is connected, and a further interface to an audit device 66.
• the coin mechanism detects that 100 5p coins are inserted, and 130 5p coins are dispensed as change. If the operator is to visit the machine once a month, using steps of the algorithm set out above it is estimated a float of 120 5p coins should be available at the start. Assuming that a preformed tube stores at most 90 5p coins, then it can be seen that at least two such tubes, each full of 90 5p coins should be present at each service to reduce the risk that an exact change only mode will occur. Instead of supplying two full tubes, two tubes containing a total of 120 or more coins could be provided.
• the change cassettes comprise removable tubes 22, 24, 26, 28.
• the operator simply interchanges tubes of certain denominations in accordance with the instructions on the display means 68.
• the operator uses the keypad 70 on the coin apparatus to inform the microprocessor of the changes in the tubes in the mechanism, which alters the settings in the microprocessor 50 accordingly so that coins are subsequently directed to and dispensed from the correct tube.
• the operator could replace the whole cassette, in accordance with suitable instructions from the apparatus, with a cassette prepared with a predetermined arrangement of tubes.
• Cassettes prepared in such a way may be marked with a code, indicating the type and distribution of tubes within the cassette, so that instructions for changing the tubes can be displayed using the appropriate code, and once the cassette is inserted, the code can be input via the keypad to inform the microprocessor of which tubes are in use.
• the information regarding ' exact change only' events, that is recorded in the audit device has uses other than for predicting change tubes to be required. As mentioned previously, an exact change only event is deemed equivalent to lost sales, and a record of such events is useful for analysts to determine the occurrence and volume of lost sales. A log of exact change only events can also be useful in setting float levels, or for determining whether the operator needs to visit the machine more often to replenish the coin tubes.
• the processor then informs the service centre, via a telephone connection, that the operator needs to visit the machine on a date in V s weeks time. On that visit, the operator replaces the change cassette with a new change cassette, already containing coins at appropriate, predetermined levels.
• the machine can also calculate and output the likely number of coins to be held in each of the stores in V s weeks time so that the operator knows how many coins of each denomination to bring to replenish all the stores. The calculations may be performed at other rates, for example, daily, or once a month. Predictions can be made using other parameters, for example, those described above in relation to the first example, or using other calculations.
• the processor may instead predict when a tube is likely to have a given number of coins, for example, two.
• a margin of error of, say, a week may be introduced (that is, the operator is instructed to visit a week before the date on which the processor has estimated that the first tube will run out of coins).
• the data could be supplied remotely with the calculations being performed remote from the vending machine.
• the coin apparatus 2 accepts 25 centavo coins and 50 centavo coins, amongst others.
• 25 centavo coins needed for change are dispensed from the first of those tubes 22 unless it is empty in which case they are dispensed from the second tube 28.
• Accepted 25 centavo coins are directed to the second tube 28 unless it is full, in which case they are directed to the first tube 22.
• the processor 50 registers how many coins are in each of the tubes 22,
• the mechanism may continue to dispense change from the tube in the first denomination while filling the tube from the top with the second denomination.
• the machine can also estimate and output the number of items of each product that will be required to refill the machine at that time. This information can lead to a reduction in the number of visits to a machine by a serviceman needed.
• the machine is provided with the date on which the serviceman will next visit, and the machine then estimates and outputs the amount of stock to be added of each product so that the machine will have supplies of each product until the serviceman's next visit on that given date. This can prevent overstocking of a machine and also lead to fresher products being provided in the machine.
• the machine can predict when any product is first likely to go out of stock, or reach a predetermined level, and using that information advise how many items of each of the other products to provide so that they all go out of stock, or reach the given level, at around the same time.
• calculations are performed daily, and information is available at the vending machine on a display by pressing an appropriate key.
• results can be supplied to a remote position.
• the data can be supplied to a remote position and processed there.
• the algorithm used in this embodiment is discussed below and shown in the flowchart of Fig. 7.
• the vending machines offers M different types of products for sale, and the algorithm uses information about sales of all types of products to make a prediction of future sales.
• a number of variables are used to calculate a general trend and a variability component, which are then used to predict future sales over a desired future period.
• a n and x n are used, where A n is the average sales for product A for day type n. relative to the running average over all days for all products, and x n is the running average daily total sales for all products as calculated on day n.
• W ⁇ - rent - 7 ⁇ -
• W represents the running average just calculated relative to the same running average as calculated on the same day the previous week. If W is less than 1, then it is changed to 1 for calculating stock requirements, because an increase in stock requirements is the main interest.
• R n is also calculated, where R n is the average total sales for a particular day type (eg Monday), relative to the running average over all days as calculated the previous day.
• V A (l-f)V A + fD A ⁇
• D A is the difference between the actual total sales of product A for the day just ended and the expected total sales for product A for the day just ended.
• D A If D A is negative, it is set to 0. This gives a different response to rises in product throughput compared with falls.
• the calculated values for x, A and R are renamed for use in subsequent calculations, that is calculations at the end of the day to come, and also for calculations of the general trend, discussed below. More specifically, x 6 is dropped, the values x 5 to x 0 are relabelled x 6 to x 0 respectively and x current is relabelled x 0 . Similarly, A 6 and R ⁇ are dropped and A current and A 0 to A 5 are relabelled A 0 to A 6 respectively and R cu ⁇ * ent and R ⁇ to R 5 are relabelled RQ to R ⁇ respectively.
• the general trend is then derived using these newly labelled values x 0 to x 6 , and W as already calculated as set out above.
• the general trend for the coming day is x 6 W, for the following day it is x 5 W and so on up to x 0 W.
• k 18, which has the effect of imposing an allowance similar in scale to three standard deviations for a normal distribution.
• a prediction for each type of product using only sales of the respective product is also possible.
• the calculations described above in relation to coins can be adapted for use with stock, the main difference being that new stock is not introduced at each end.
• a neural network is used to perform predictions of future stock requirements.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
• Financial Or Insurance-Related Operations Such As Payment And Settlement (AREA)
• Cash Registers Or Receiving Machines (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=26311751

Family Applications (1)

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Cited By (7)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (2)

• 1998
  • 1998-06-17 DE DE69814383T patent/DE69814383T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-06-17 DE DE69817876T patent/DE69817876T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-06-17 ES ES00116319T patent/ES2204415T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-06-17 DE DE29824602U patent/DE29824602U1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-06-17 DE DE0988621T patent/DE988621T1/de active Pending
  • 1998-06-17 DE DE1050857T patent/DE1050857T1/de active Pending
  • 1998-06-17 AU AU81160/98A patent/AU8116098A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-06-17 ES ES98930872T patent/ES2199445T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-06-17 WO PCT/GB1998/001760 patent/WO1998058355A2/en active IP Right Grant
  • 1998-06-17 EP EP98930872A patent/EP0988621B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (6)

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