WO2000042582A1

WO2000042582A1 - Vending machine for selling voice card or doll containing voice chip

Info

Publication number: WO2000042582A1
Application number: PCT/KR2000/000024
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jae-Yong Lee
Original assignee: P & I Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 1999-01-14
Filing date: 2000-01-14
Publication date: 2000-07-20
Also published as: KR100289958B1; KR19990045803A

Abstract

This invention relates to a vending machine for dispensing articles or products storage. More particularly, said vending machine further comprises, transceiver for inputting a voice signal and outputting a background music or voice mixed therewith; audio mixer for mixing the voice signal input into said transceiver with the background music; recorder for storing the voice output from said audio mixer into a memory of product; and CPU for replaying said voice signal stored in said memory of recorder through the transceiver via an amplifier; inputting said mixed voice signal into a memory terminal of a product which is connected with a data buffer; and controlling the operation of the vending machine by producing control signals according to consumer's selection.

Description

VENDING MACHINE FOR SELLING VOICE CARD OR DOLL CONTAIXG VOICE CHIP

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a vending machine for selling voice cards and/or dolls etc. including a chip into which consumer's voice can be recoded with background music.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In general, Christmas card or doll etc. self- containing a sound reproducing apparatus may usually replay predetermined voice, various music and/or sound.

However, this reproducing apparatus has problems that consumer cannot change the voice and music of this sound reproducing apparatus, and cannot select and produce their voice and music according to their personal trend.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a vending machine for selling voice cards and/or dolls with a chip into which a consumer's voice can be recoded with background music.

This vending machine comprises a transceiver for inputting a voice signal and outputting voice mixed with selected background music; an audio mixer for mixing the voice signal input into the transceiver with the selected background music; a recorder for storing mixed voice output from the audio mixer into a self-contained memory of product; and a

CPU (Central Processing Unit) for replaying the voice signal stored in the memory of recorder though the transceiver via an amplifier, inputting and inputting the mixed voice signal into a memory terminal of a product which is connected with a data buffer and controlling the operation of the vending machine by producing control signals according to consumer's selection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view vending machine for selling a voice card and/or doll according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective side view of the vending machine of Fig. 1 ; Fig. 3 is an inner view showing the inner structure of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the signal flow of the vending machine;

Fig. 5 is a block diagram of an audio mixer in the vending machine; and Fig. 6 is a block diagram of a recorder in the vending machine.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Figs. 1 and 2 show the schematic structure of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the invention. In Figs. 1 and 2, numeral 10 indicates a curtain rod mounting die for mounting curtains, 11 indicates an articles showing die, 12 an article selecting button, 13 an article insert portion for being connected with an input terminal of a selected article to record consumer's voice with background music, 14 a display for representing an amount of money, 15 and 16 a coin and a paper money recognition device respectively, 17 a money changer for discharging the difference between a selling price and input money, 18 a transceiver, 19 a background music or melody selecting button, 20 function selecting buttons for recording, replaying or copying the recorded voice with selected background music, 21 a locking apparatus for closing or opening the vending machine, 22 an article exit and a luminescent lamp 23 for illuminating the vending machine. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the vending machine outputs the article through following operations.

When coin or paper money is inserted into the door of the vending machine, the paper money recognition device lδ and the coin recognition device 16 read the amount of deposited money and transmit an information about the amount of the deposited money to CPU 40, CPU 40 receives the information, counts the amount of the deposited money and sends a display signal for displaying the amount of the deposited money on the display 14. Also, CPU 40 sends a control signal for turning on LED lamps of articles which consumer may purchase with the input money. Thereafter, when consumer pushes an article button 12 to buy a piece of article, the LED lamp of the article is turned on and CPU 40 transmits a drive signal to a drive motor and then the drive motor delivers the selected article from the article boxes 31 , 32 and 33, and a delivery sensor recognizes whether to deliver the article or not and sends the delivery signal to CPU 40. And then the vending machine stands by background music and /or voice recording.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 6, voice and background music is recorded into a delivered article, e.g. voice card or voice doll as follows.

Firstly, the delivered article is inserted into an article insert portion 13 to record his or her voice and background music. The delivered article has a memory terminal fitted with the article insert portion 13 to receive the voice signal and background music, and then the memory terminal can be appropriately cut after recordings.

As shown in Fig. 4, when the purchaser pushes the melody selecting button 19 to make a decision to choose a melody, background music memorized in a melody chip 504 of the audio mixer 39 is amplified through a main amplifier 503 and then is replayed out the transceiver 18. And when the purchaser pushes the recording button 201 of the function selecting buttons 20, its LED is illuminated and the audio mixer 39 mixes voice signals input through the transceiver 18 with the selected melody and then the mixed voice and melody is recorded in the recorder 38. And when the purchaser pushes a replay button 202, its LED is illuminated and the memorized contents in the memory of the recorder 38 are amplified in the main amplifier of the audio mixer 39 and are replayed through the transceiver 18. At this stage, the purchaser makes a decision whether to try to record another mixed voice signal again or not. If the purchaser intends to record again, he could iterate the above procedure. When a copying button 203 is pushed, its LED is turned on and the memorized contents in the memory of the recorder 38 is stored into the memory of the selected article though the article insert portion 13. When one of the article boxes 31 , 32 and 33 is vacant, a sold out lamp or LED of the article is turned on. Also, when all article are sold out, an all sold out lamp is turned on and coins and/or paper money are not rejected being inserted in the vending machine. As shown in Figs. 3, 4 -and 6, CPU 40 of the vending machine sends a control signal for controlling the transceiver 18, the recorder 38 and the audio mixer 39, receives the signals from the transceiver 18. the recorder 38 and the audio mixer 39, and controls the overall operation of the vending machine according to the purchaser's instruction through various selecting buttons and buffer 300.

When the coin or the paper money are inserted through the coin recognition device 15 and the paper money recognition device 16 which read and transmit the information about an amount of money to CPU 40, CPU 40 counts and displays the amount of money.

After the coin and paper money inserting operation is completed, CPU 40 turn on a LED lamp of the article selecting button 12. At this case, a lamp of the button of a sold out article is not turned on but the sold out lamp of the article. When the turned on lamp is pushed, an article selecting signal is transmitted to CPU 40. And then CPU 40 is turned on the lamp of the pushed button and is turned off other lamps.

Motor drive and article delivery operation is as follows. CPU 40 controls a motor driver and the motor driver rotates a delivery motor. And then a selected article is delivered by the rotation of the delivery motor, a delivery sensor detects the completion of article delivery and transmits this information to CPU 40, and CPU 40 sends a control signal for turning off the delivery motor and the lamp of the article selecting button 12. The purchaser inserts the delivered article into the article insert portion 13 to record his or her voice and background music. Referring to Figs. 3 and 6, the structure and operation of the recorder 38 is as follows.

The recorder 38 comprises an A/D converter 601 for converting an analog signal to a digital signal by sampling an output signal from the audio mixer 39, a memory 602 for storing the converted digital signal, a D/A converter 603 for converting a digital signal to an analog signal output from the memory 602, and a PCM modulator for modulating the digital signal of the memory 602 and transmitting the modulated signal to a copy connecting terminal 606.

The recorder 38 receives the mixed voice signal through the transceiver 18, and A/D converter 601 samples the mixed voice signal as the sampling frequency, e.g. 8kHz and converts the sampled data to the digital data. This converted digital data is stored into the memory 602 and is replayed at the transceiver 18 via the D/A converter 603, a low power amplifier 604 and the main amplifier 503. When the purchaser decides to record the mixed voice in the memory of the article and pushes the copy button, the mixed voice stored in the memory 602 is modulated at the PCM modulator 605, and then is recorded in the memory of the article via the copy connecting terminal 606.

The operations of the recorder 38 can be explained separately as follows.

To record the mixed voice into the memory of the recorder 38, CPU receives the recording instruction signal through the recording button 201 of the function selecting buttons and A/D converter 601 samples the mixed voice signal as the sampling frequency, e.g. 8kHz and converts the sampled data to the digital data. This converted digital data is stored into the memory 602. To replay the mixed voice from the memory of the recorder 38, when CPU 40 receives the recording instruction signal through the replaying button 202 of the function selecting buttons and the mixed voice are converted into an analog signal by the D/A converter 603, the converted analog signal is amplified by the main amplifier 503 via the low power amplifier 604, and the amplified analog signal is replayed by the transceiver 18. To copy the mixed voice in the memory of the article, CPU 40 receives the recording instruction signal through the recording button 203 of the function selecting buttons and the mixed voice stored in the memory 602 is modulated at the PCM modulator 605, and then is recorded in the memory of the article via the copy connecting terminal 606 and the article insert portion 13.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is

1. A vending machine comprises: a transceiver for inputting a voice signal and outputting voice mixed with selected background music; an audio mixer for mixing the voice signal input into the transceiver with the selected background music; a recorder for storing mixed voice output from the audio mixer into a self-contained memory of an article; and a CPU for replaying the voice signal stored in the memory of recorder though the transceiver via an amplifier, inputting and inputting the mixed voice signal into a memory terminal of a product which is connected with a data buffer and controlling the operation of the vending machine by producing control signals according to consumer's instruction.

2. A vending machine as claimed in claim 1 , the audio mixer includes a melody chip stored various background music.

3. A vending machine as claimed in claims 1 or 2 , the recorder comprises an A/D converter for converting an analog signal to a digital signal by sampling an output signal from the audio mixer; a memory for storing the converted digital signal; a D/A converter for converting a digital signal to an analog signal output from the memory; and a PCM modulator for modulating the digital signal of the memory and transmitting the modulated signal to a copy connecting terminal.