WO2023243915A1

WO2023243915A1 - Unmanned vending machine

Info

Publication number: WO2023243915A1
Application number: PCT/KR2023/007532
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이희연; 차재민; 박재민; 김동희
Original assignee: 효성티앤에스 주식회사
Priority date: 2022-06-13
Filing date: 2023-06-01
Publication date: 2023-12-21
Also published as: KR20230171167A

Abstract

According to an embodiment, an unmanned vending machine comprises: a main body having formed therein a product rack on which products are accommodated, and having an opening in the front portion thereof for allowing a user to access the product rack; a door for opening/closing the opening; a door handle attached to the door and gripped by the user for moving the door; and a payment module integrally coupled to the door handle and allowing the user to pay for a selected product.

Description

unmanned vending machine

The present invention relates to an unmanned vending machine, and more specifically, to an unmanned vending machine that integrates a payment module and a door handle to reduce the size of the product and improve the convenience of paying for the product.

In public places, both outdoors and indoors, unmanned vending machines are installed that automatically sell food such as coffee and beverages, disposable items such as tissues, or various tickets. In recent years, the structure of the device has been simplified by omitting the payment method for cash payment and the mechanical transportation means for transporting the product selected by the user to the receiving port provided in conventional unmanned vending machines, while securing a wider space for displaying products. And, unmanned vending machines that allow users to directly collect products displayed on product shelves and make payments using payment methods such as cards are becoming widespread.

Such an unmanned vending machine has a door for opening and closing the front, a door handle that the user holds with his hand to open and close the door, and each unit that constitutes the payment module for executing payment for the product selected by the user is unmanned. Because it is placed independently on one side of the unmanned vending machine, the overall size of the unmanned vending machine is expanded and takes up a lot of installation space. The entire system that makes up the unmanned vending machine is distributed and is not harmonious, and it is difficult to move, install, and maintain the unmanned vending machine. There is a problem that comes with inconvenience.

Additionally, from the user's perspective, in order to pay for a product after opening the door and selecting the product, it is not possible to perform several operations at once in one place. After selecting the product at the front of the unmanned vending machine, payment is located on one side of the unmanned vending machine. There is a problem with the ease of use because you have to go to the module and make the payment.

Prior art related to such unmanned vending machines is disclosed in Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2338689.

The present invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide an unmanned vending machine that can reduce the size of products and improve the convenience of users in paying for products.

The unmanned vending machine of the present invention for realizing the above-described purpose includes a main body in which a product display shelf for storing products is provided, and an opening for the user to access the product display shelf is formed in the front part; a door for opening and closing the opening; a door handle attached to the door and gripped by the user to move the door; and a payment module integrally coupled to the door handle to execute payment for the product selected by the user.

The door is rotatable about a hinge connected to one side of the front part of the main body and one side of the door, and the door handle and the payment module are coupled to the other side of the door located on the opposite side of the hinge. You can.

The door handle includes a plate-shaped handle body to which the payment module is integrally coupled, and a handle support portion protruding from the handle body and coupled to the door, between the handle body and the door and allowing the user to use the handle. A space for gripping the body may be formed.

The payment module includes a first card reader that reads the magnetic strip portion of a magnetic card, or a second card reader that reads the IC chip portion of an IC card, wherein the card is inserted in the first card reader or the second card reader. The portion may be formed in the handle support portion.

The payment module includes an identification tag reader that reads any one of QR code, bar code, and RFID tag, and a touch screen that displays the type and quantity of the product selected by the user and the payment amount and a selection button for executing payment. can do.

A viewing window may be attached to the handle body on the upper side of the payment module to allow the user to check the product display shelf inside the main body from the outside of the main body.

The viewing window, touch screen, first card reader, second card reader, and identification tag reader may be arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction on the door handle.

A security module including a camera for photographing a user may be provided on the upper part of the main body above the viewing window.

An advertising board may be provided on one side of the security module and on an upper part of the main body.

The security module may be arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the door handle and may be formed to have the same width as the door handle when viewed from the front.

The door is made of transparent tempered glass, and a transfer paper may be coated on the edge of the tempered glass.

According to the unmanned vending machine according to the present invention, the product size of the unmanned vending machine can be reduced by integrating the payment module into the door handle, and from the user's perspective, intuitive use of the payment module is possible when paying for products and operations can be minimized. It has the effect of providing customer convenience.

In addition, by forming the card insertion portions of the first and second card readers into the handle support portion of the door handle, the handle body can be manufactured to a thin size, thereby reducing the weight of the door handle and lowering the manufacturing cost.

In addition, the door handle located on the upper side of the payment module is provided with a viewing window, so that the product display stand inside the main body can be viewed from the outside of the main body, thereby solving the problem of products being blocked by the door handle.

In addition, the exterior design of the unmanned vending machine is designed so that the touch screen, first card reader, second card reader, and identification tag reader, which constitute the security module, viewing window, and payment module, are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction on one side of the front part of the main body. can be implemented compactly and stylishly.

In addition, a security module containing a camera that captures the user is provided on the upper part of the front of the main body to improve security, and a billboard is provided on one side of the security module to provide various visual information to the user, thereby increasing the usability of the product. there is.

1 is a perspective view of an unmanned vending machine according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the door being opened in the unmanned vending machine according to the present invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the door, door handle, and payment module of the unmanned vending machine according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is a front view of the unmanned vending machine according to the present invention;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 4.

** Explanation of symbols **

1: Unmanned vending machine 100: Main body

110: base 120: side part

130: upper part 140: front part

140a: opening 150: product display stand

160,160-1,160-2: Lock 200: Door

210: Tempered glass 220: Transfer paper

231,232: Hinge portion 300: Door handle

310: Handle body 311: Transmission unit

320,320-1,320-2: Handle support 400: Payment module

410: first card reader 420: second card reader

430: ID tag reader 440: Touch screen

500: View window 600: Security module

610: Camera 700: Billboard

Hereinafter, the structure and operation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the unmanned vending machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a product display stand 150 on which products are stored, and the front part 140 has a product display stand (150) provided by the user. 150), a main body 100 formed with an opening 140a for accessing the opening 140a, a door 200 for opening and closing the opening 140a, and a device attached to the door 200 and held by the user to move the door 200. It is configured to include a door handle 300, and a payment module 400 that is integrally coupled to the door handle 300 and performs payment for the product selected by the user.

The main body 100 includes a base 110 disposed close to the floor, a side portion 120 disposed vertically upward from the base 110 and forming left and right and rear sides, and the side portion 120. It consists of an upper surface portion 130 seated on the upper part, and a front portion 140 connected to the left and right side portions 120, the upper end of which is connected to the upper surface portion 130, and the lower end of which is connected to the base 110.

The door 200 is configured to open and close the opening 140a formed in the front part 140 of the main body 100, and

hinge parts

231 and 232 are coupled to the upper and lower ends of one side of the door 200. , the

hinge portions

231 and 232 may be rotatably supported at the upper and lower ends of one side of the front portion 140 of the main body 100. Accordingly, the door 200 can be rotated in both directions with the

hinge portions

231 and 232 as the rotation centers.

Figure 1 shows the door 200 in contact with the front part 140 so that the opening 140a is closed, and Figure 2 shows the door 200 being rotated forward from the front part 140 to open the opening 140a. ) shows an open appearance. In this embodiment, the case where the door 200 is opened and closed by rotating in a hinged manner is used as an example, but the door 200 may be configured to be opened and closed by sliding in a sliding manner.

In one embodiment, the door 200 is made of transparent tempered glass 210, and a transfer sheet 220 may be coated on the edge of the tempered glass 210. According to this configuration, even when the door 200 is closed, the user can see the products displayed on the product display stand 150 inside the main body 100 by looking through the transparent tempered glass 210 from the outside of the main body 100. In addition, the tempered glass 210 can improve durability by increasing its strength compared to ordinary glass materials, and by coating the edge of the tempered glass 210 with a thin transfer paper 220, the tempered glass 210 and the transfer paper ( The exterior design of the door 200 can be implemented in a sophisticated manner by having a smooth finish without forming a step between the doors 220).

The main body 100 is equipped with a lock that allows the door 200 to be opened and closed while payment for the product using the payment module 400 is performed, and the door 200 is locked while the payment for the product is not performed. Devices (160; 160-1, 160-2) are provided.

The door handle 300 is configured to open and close the door 200 by holding it and moving it with the user's hand, and in one embodiment, it is coupled to the other side of the door 200 located on the opposite side of the

hinge portions

231 and 232. It can be. In one embodiment, the door handle 300 includes a plate-shaped handle body 310 having a predetermined width in the horizontal direction and a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction, and is formed to protrude from the handle body 310 to form a door 200. ) may include a handle support portion (320;320-1,320-2) coupled to the handle.

The handle support portion 320 includes a first handle support portion 320-1 protruding from the lower portion of the handle body 310 toward the door 200, and a first handle support portion 320-1 protruding from the upper portion of the handle body 310 toward the door 200. It may be composed of a second handle support portion 320-2. Therefore, the handle body 310 and the door 200 are spaced apart from each other by the protruding length of the first handle support part 320-1 and the second handle support part 320-2, so the user places his hand in the spaced apart space and handles the handle. The body 210 can be gripped.

The coupling between the handle support portion 320 (320-1,320-2) and the door 200 can be implemented by various coupling methods. In an embodiment, separate fastening means such as bolts, nuts, rivets, etc. may be used, or the abutting parts may be joined by gluing.

The handle body 310 may be sized to occupy a predetermined length downward from the top of the other side of the door 200, and a payment module 400 and a viewing window 500 are provided on one side of the handle body 310. ) are combined as one.

The payment module 400 determines whether the user's payment method is valid, calculates the payment amount according to the type and quantity of the product selected by the user if the payment method is valid, and requests approval from the card company server, etc. through a communication means. , When approval is completed, it performs the function of executing payment of the payment amount. The type and quantity of the product selected by the user and the payment amount can be calculated by detecting the weight change before and after product selection by a weight sensor (not shown) provided on the product display stand 150 and based on the detected weight change value. .

The payment module 400 includes a first card reader 410 that reads the magnetic stripe portion of a magnetic card, and an IC chip (Integrated Circuit Chip) portion of an IC card (Integrated Circuit Card). It may include a second card reader 420 that reads. In the first card reader 410, the user inserts the magnetic strip portion of the card and pushes it in one direction to recognize card information, and in the second card reader 420, the user inserts the IC chip portion of the card and holds it there. Recognize card information. In this way, the first card reader 410 and the second card reader 420 commonly require a space into which the card is inserted to a predetermined depth.

Referring to FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the portion where the card is inserted in the first card reader 410 and the second card reader 420 has a groove shape in the handle support portion 320 (320-1) of the door handle 300. It is formed by Assuming that the part where the card is inserted is formed in the handle body 310 of the door handle 300, the thickness of the handle body 310 should be formed to be at least greater than the depth at which the card is inserted.

In contrast, in this embodiment, the part where the card is inserted is formed in the handle support portion (320; 320-1), so that compared to the case where the part where the card is inserted is formed in the handle body 310, the part where the card is inserted is formed in the handle body 310. Since it can be manufactured to a thinner size, the thickness and weight of the door handle 320 can be reduced and the manufacturing cost can be lowered.

The payment module 400 includes an identification tag reader 430 that reads any one of a QR code, a bar code, and an RFID tag, the type and quantity of the product selected by the user, and the payment amount are displayed, and a selection button for executing payment is provided. It includes a touch screen 440 that is displayed.

In addition, the handle body 310 on the upper side of the payment module 400 has a viewing window 500 that allows the user to check the products displayed on the product display stand 150 inside the main body 100 from the outside of the main body 100. It is combined. The handle body 310 is formed with a transparent portion 311 penetrating in the forward and backward directions at a position corresponding to the transparent window 500.

In this way, a viewing window 500 is provided on the door handle 300 located on the upper side of the payment module 300 so that the products on the product display stand 150 inside the main body 100 can be checked from outside the main body 100. Thus, the problem of product blocking by the door handle 300 can be solved.

In this embodiment, the viewing window 500, the touch screen 440, the first card reader 410, the second card reader 420, and the identification tag reader 430 constituting the payment module 400 are door handles ( 300) are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction. According to this arrangement structure, the user opens the door 200 to select a product, closes the door 200 after receiving the product, and immediately receives the product through the payment module 400 integrated in the door handle 300. Since payment can be made, intuitive use of the payment module 400 is possible when paying for products, and operations can be minimized to provide customer convenience, and the exterior design of the unmanned vending machine 1 can be implemented in a compact and sophisticated manner. You can.

In this embodiment, the door handle 300 is coupled to the door 200 in an elongated shape in the longitudinal direction, and the viewing window 500 and the payment module 400 are disposed on the door handle 300 in the longitudinal direction as an example. However, in another embodiment, the door handle 300 is coupled to the door 200 in an elongated shape in the transverse direction, and the viewing window 500 and the payment module 400 are configured to be disposed on the door handle 300 in the transverse direction. It may be possible.

Meanwhile, a security module 600 including a camera 610 for photographing a user may be provided on the upper part of the main body 100 above the viewing window 500. The security module 600 is used to photograph the user's face to prevent theft, or to identify whether the user is a minor in cases where the age for purchase is restricted, such as alcohol, depending on the type of product sold. It could be.

An advertising board 700 may be provided on one side of the security module 600 and on an upper part of the main body 100. Product utilization of the unmanned vending machine 1 can be increased by displaying product information or providing various other visual information to users on the billboard 700.

There is no particular limitation on the types of products handled by the unmanned vending machine 1 of the present invention, and various types of products such as refrigerated and frozen fresh foods and livestock products can be handled in addition to products handled by conventional unmanned vending machines.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and obvious modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention as claimed in the claims. It is possible, and such modifications fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

A main body having a product display shelf inside which products are stored, and an opening formed at the front portion for a user to access the product display shelf;

a door for opening and closing the opening;

a door handle attached to the door and gripped by the user to move the door; and

a payment module integrally coupled to the door handle to execute payment for a product selected by the user;

Unmanned vending machines including.
According to paragraph 1,

The door is rotatable about a hinge connected to one side of the front part of the main body and one side of the door,

An unmanned vending machine, wherein the door handle and the payment module are coupled to the other side of the door located on the opposite side of the hinge portion.
According to paragraph 1,

The door handle includes a plate-shaped handle body to which the payment module is integrally coupled, and a handle support portion protruding from the handle body and coupled to the door, between the handle body and the door and allowing the user to use the handle. An unmanned vending machine characterized by a space for holding the body.
According to paragraph 3,

The payment module includes a first card reader that reads the magnetic strip portion of a magnetic card, or a second card reader that reads the IC chip portion of an IC card,

An unmanned vending machine, wherein the portion where a card is inserted in the first or second card reader is formed on the handle support portion.
According to paragraph 4,

The payment module includes an identification tag reader that reads any one of QR code, bar code, and RFID tag, and a touch screen that displays the type and quantity of the product selected by the user and the payment amount and a selection button for executing payment. An unmanned vending machine.
According to clause 5,

An unmanned vending machine, characterized in that the handle body above the payment module is coupled with a viewing window that allows the user to check the product display shelf inside the main body from the outside of the main body.
According to clause 6,

An unmanned vending machine, wherein the viewing window, the touch screen, the first card reader, the second card reader, and the identification tag reader are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the door handle.
In clause 7,

An unmanned vending machine, characterized in that a security module including a camera for photographing a user is provided on the upper part of the main body above the viewing window.
According to clause 8,

An unmanned vending machine, characterized in that an advertising board is provided on one side of the security module and on an upper part of the main body.
According to clause 8,

The security module is,

Arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction on the door handle,

An unmanned vending machine characterized in that it is formed to have the same width as the door handle when viewed from the front.
According to paragraph 3,

The door is made of transparent tempered glass,

An unmanned vending machine, characterized in that a transfer paper is coated on the edge of the tempered glass.