JPS6286485A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a prepaid vending machine.

(Prior art) Generally, vending machines sell in cash (coins or banknotes), but recently so-called card-based vending machines have been introduced that allow sales and payments to be made using cards such as magnetic cards. It has been put into practical use.

The payment method for vending machines that use cards is to purchase a card in advance with cash, on which information equivalent to the purchase price is written using magnetic information, etc., and the information is written on the card each time the vending machine is used. There is a so-called prepayment method in which the amount is reduced, and a so-called deferred payment method in which the card holder is required to pay the accumulated usage amount every predetermined period when using a vending machine with a card.

The prepayment method is a method in which a card with amount information written on it is purchased in advance with cash payment, and the card is used at a vending machine.By writing the amount information on the card once the amount has been erased, the card becomes a kind of cash voucher. This is a method of thinking as follows. The prepayment method is safe in terms of cash collection because you can obtain cash in advance. On the other hand, the deferred payment method is a method in which a vending machine is used with a card on which only card identification information is written without amount information written on it, and the sales amount of a certain card is collected later and the card is retained. This is a method of charging the person for the payment. The disadvantage of the deferred payment method is that it takes time and effort to collect cash. There is also the risk that cash cannot be recovered.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) For the above reasons, the prepayment method is preferred and implemented because of the certainty of payment collection, but since it uses a card, the cost of the card reader and the cost of the card itself are required. There was a drawback.

Another inconvenience was that the user had to carry the card.

On the other hand, the number of products in vending machines has increased recently, and the number of flavors to choose from has also increased. For example, in a coffee vending machine, the choice of seasoning refers to the selection of the strength of the coffee, the amount of cream, the amount of sugar, etc. It is a recent trend that the range of choices expected from vending machines is expanding and requests are becoming more diverse, but on the other hand, there are too many items to choose from, and users have to press too many selection buttons. This has the disadvantage that it is a burden on the operator.

An object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive vending machine that takes advantage of the advance payment system, which simplifies the selection operation of multiple items, and does not use a medium such as a card that needs to be carried.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes a password input section, a money acceptance section, a product selection section, an arithmetic processing section, and a storage section. , storing information on the balance obtained by adding the balance stored up to that point to the password information input from the password input section and information on the amount of money prepaid from the money acceptance section in the storage section, and performs a selection information registration operation. In the automatic vending operation, the password information input from the password input section and the selection information selected by the product selection section are stored in the storage section i1, and in the vending operation, the password information input from the password input section is recorded. The password information stored in the storage unit is checked in advance, and if they match,
Selling products, etc. based on the selection information pre-stored in the storage unit corresponding to the PIN information according to the pre-stored balance, and subtracting the sales amount from the balance after the sale. It is characterized in that the balance is stored in the storage section as a balance, and these controls are performed by the arithmetic processing section.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained based on examples.

FIG. 1 is a combination diagram of block elements built into an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention, which will be described with reference to FIG.

A microprocessor 1 as an arithmetic processing unit is connected with a PIN input unit 2 as a PIN input unit, a product selection unit 3, a storage unit 4, and a money validator 7 as a money acceptance unit. A product storage/unloading section 6 is connected via the section 5 . First, vending machine users pay in advance for the vending machine they use. Users are given 3 in advance.
Assuming that a digit user number has been assigned and that number is 100, this number is input from the numeric keypad of the password input section 2. Next, the user enters a 4-digit PIN number of their choice,
For example, input 1234 from the password input section 2. After this, enter the amount you want to pay in advance, 1,000 yen, using the money identifier 7.
Enter by.

The above operations are controlled by the microprocessor 1, and the input user number 100 and password 12 are
34 and the information on the received amount of 1,000 yen are collectively stored in the storage unit 4. By the above operation, the password is 1234.
This means that 1000 yen was paid in advance for 100 users. Next, when the user wants to purchase a product, he first inputs the user number 100 from the password input section 2. When the password 1234 is then entered, the microprocessor 1 searches the storage unit 4 for the combined data 100.1234.1000. From this data, the balance of user number 100 is 1000 yen, and the entered PIN number is 12.
34 determines that the password matches a pre-registered password.

As a result, the remaining balance of 1000 yen is displayed, and the user is informed that the product can be purchased at a price within that amount.

The user specifies the product he or she wants to purchase from the product selection section 3 and presses a purchase request button (not shown).Based on the instruction, the microprocessor 1 controls the product delivery drive section 5 to move the product storage and delivery section. From 6 onwards, the products will be carried out and sold.

If the price of this product is 100 yen, the microprocessor 1 deducts 100 yen from 1000 yen and stores the balance of 900 yen in the storage unit 4 as data 100.1234.900. If you perform a prepayment operation similar to the above after your balance becomes low, the prepayment amount and balance will be added to form your balance. Advance payment and sales operations are performed as described above, but operations can be performed in the same way for other users by assigning other user numbers. Since there is a PIN number, unauthorized use is difficult, but for example, if a PIN number that is different from the pre-registered PIN number is entered for a certain user number, the number of times it is entered is counted, and when the correct PIN number is entered. If the number of times exceeds a certain value, the number of times is displayed on the operation display panel 3, and a warning is issued each time that a fraudulent act has been committed, thereby making it possible to prevent fraudulent acts. Alternatively, when the number of times mentioned above exceeds a certain number, it would be effective to issue an alarm on the spot, such as by sounding a buzzer, to prevent fraud.

Next, we will explain how to simplify the selection of flavors in coffee vending machines and the like using password information. As mentioned above, during the sales operation, you may select the product by pressing the button of the product you want to purchase from the product selection section, but for example, the flavoring in a coffee vending machine can be selected, i.e., the type of coffee beans, the strength of the coffee, the cream. In a vending machine where a sale cannot be made unless you select the amount of sugar, amount of sugar, etc., these selection operations are troublesome. By the way, since the combination selected by a certain user is usually fixed, this selection information is registered in the storage unit 4 in correspondence with the PIN number, and when making a purchase by inputting the PIN number, the selection information is stored. It can be read out from section 4 and used as is without any product selection operation. This selection information registration operation will be explained below.

First, enter your PIN from the PIN input section. Next, by selecting the selection information to be registered in the product selection section 3 and then inputting the password again, the selection information is combined with the password information and stored in the storage section. Next, to make a purchase based on the selection information, enter the same PIN number, the information stored in the storage section 4 will be read out according to the PIN information, and the product selection button in the product selection section 3 will be pressed as usual. If it is illuminated when selected, it will also be illuminated. This is visually confirmed, and if the user wishes to purchase the item, he/she presses a purchase request button (not shown), and if the above-mentioned balance conditions are satisfied, the item based on the selection information is delivered and sold.

As explained above, according to this embodiment, there is no possibility of unauthorized use, and compared to conventional card vending machines, a card reader is not required, which is economical, and a card medium as a consumable item is also not required. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain an easy-to-use vending machine that eliminates the inconvenience of always carrying a card and eliminates the need for users to always have coins on hand.

Further, by registering and storing selection information such as selection of seasoning in correspondence with password information, an operational advantage can be obtained in that a complicated selection operation for seasoning can be omitted.

In the description of the above embodiment, a personal identification number is used as the personal identification information, but it is clear that other information such as characters other than numerical values, symbols, figures, etc., known only to the user can be used.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the vending machine according to the present invention, it is possible to purchase products without having to carry cash at all times and without the inconvenience of having to carry a special medium such as a card. It is possible to provide an economical vending machine with easy selection.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. 1... Microprocessor as an arithmetic processing unit 2...
-Password input section 4 as a password input section...Storage section 7...Money validator 1st FjA as a money acceptance section

Claims (1)

[Claims] It includes a password input section, a money acceptance section, a product selection section, an arithmetic processing section, and a storage section. Information on the balance obtained by adding the previously stored balance to the money amount information is stored in the storage section, and in the selection information registration operation, the PIN information input from the PIN input section and the product selection section The selected selection information is stored in the storage unit, and in the vending operation,
The password information input from the password input section is compared with the password information pre-stored in the storage section, and if they match, the password information is matched according to the pre-stored balance. Products are sold based on the selection information stored in advance in the storage unit, and after the sale, the amount obtained by subtracting the sales amount from the balance is stored in the storage unit as a balance, and these controls are performed by the calculation processing. A vending machine characterized by being operated by a department.