JP2008010019A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vending machine easily selling a selected commodity even when it cannot be sold only by electronic money information. <P>SOLUTION: This vending machine is provided with a card unit 20, which can mutually communicate with a non-contact IC card 10 storing the electronic money information and is controlled by a control part 5, a coin identifying device 2 and a bill identifying device 3 receiving cash payment, and the control part 5. The control part 5 starts communication between the card unit 20 and the non-contact IC card 10 after a commodity is selected by a selection button 1, and determines whether the selected commodity can be sold or not based on the electronic money information received from the non-contact IC card 10. If the selected commodity can be sold, the control part 5 controls a commodity conveying device for dispensing the commodity. If the selected commodity cannot be sold, the control part 5 determines whether the selected commodity can be sold or not based on a cash amount equivalent to a shortfall and the electronic money information by means of the coin identifying device 2 or the bill identifying device 3, and controls the commodity conveying device for dispensing the commodity if the sale is allowed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine that sells products using a non-contact IC card that functions as electronic money.

  In recent years, the use of contactless IC cards has become widespread in applications such as electronic money and commuter passes, and vending machines capable of selling products using contactless IC cards that function as electronic money are desired.

Conventionally, what was described in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2001-167331 is known as such a vending machine. This vending machine includes a card unit of a non-contact IC card and a sales start button. When selling a product using a non-contact IC card in this vending machine, the user first waits until the user presses the sales start button. When the sales start button is pressed, the vending machine enters a sales mode using a non-contact IC card. Thereafter, when the user presses the product selection button, the vending machine instructs the card unit to subtract the sale target product set amount, and the card unit waits for a non-contact IC card to be held in the vicinity. When the non-contact IC card enters the vicinity of the card unit, communication between the two becomes possible, and the card unit confirms the balance and the like stored in the non-contact IC card. As a result, when the selected product can be sold, the balance information of the non-contact IC card is updated using the card unit, and the product is discharged from the product carry-out device.
JP 2001-167331 A

  However, in the conventional vending machine, for example, when the balance stored in the non-contact IC card is less than the price of the selected product, it is determined that the selected product cannot be sold and returns to the standby state. Therefore, in order for a user to purchase a product, a procedure is required in which cash corresponding to the price of the product is inserted and the product is selected again. In this case, since the product is selected twice, it cannot be said that it is highly convenient for the user.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is an automatic capable of easily selling the product even when the selected product cannot be sold only with the balance of the electronic money. To provide a vending machine.

  In order to achieve the above object, in claim 1, product selection means for selecting a product, product delivery means for carrying out the selected product, and delivery of the product selected by the product selection means to the product delivery means In a vending machine equipped with a control means for controlling the card unit, a card unit that can communicate with each other and controlled by the control means with respect to the non-contact IC card in which the balance of the electronic money is stored, and deposit with cash Receiving means, and the control means starts communication between the card unit and the non-contact IC card after the product is selected by the product selection means, and based on the balance of the electronic money received from the non-contact IC card Check whether the selected product can be sold, and if the product can be sold, control the product unloading means so that the product is taken out. Min cash and determining the selling whether selected items based on the balance of electronic money, controls the article conveying means so as to carry the sell if products. As a result, after the product is selected by the product selection means, it is determined whether or not the selected product can be sold based on the balance of the electronic money received from the non-contact IC card. Whether or not the selected product can be sold is determined based on the remaining amount of cash and electronic money, and if it can be sold, the product is taken out. Even when it is determined that the selected product cannot be sold only with the remaining money, the selected product can be purchased by depositing the shortage amount.

  Further, in claim 2, in the vending machine according to claim 1, the control means starts communication between the non-contact IC card and the card unit within a predetermined time after the goods are selected by the goods selection means. If not, the subsequent processing is interrupted. As a result, even after the card unit becomes communicable with the non-contact IC card, the product is not sold unless the user performs communication by holding the non-contact IC card over the card unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect of the present invention, communication means that can be connected via a network to a payment computer that performs payment for a non-contact IC card is provided. Thereby, when the sale of the product using the non-contact IC card is performed, the use information of the non-contact IC card can be transmitted to the settlement computer at regular intervals.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the card unit includes display means for displaying a processing state of the card unit. Thereby, the processing state of the non-contact IC card can be clearly communicated to the user.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the vending machine according to the first aspect further comprises a display for displaying the balance of the electronic money read from the non-contact IC card and the price of the selected product. Thereby, the selected product price and the balance of the electronic money of the non-contact IC card can be displayed on one display.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, even when it is determined that the sale of the selected product using only the balance of the electronic money is impossible after the user selects the product using the product selection means, The selected product can be purchased. Therefore, even when it becomes impossible to sell the selected product only with the balance of the electronic money, the user does not need to select the desired product again. Can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the non-contact IC card and the card unit are not communicated even though the user does not intend to purchase. The safety of using a non-contact IC card can be improved.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of claim 1, the settlement data is transmitted to the settlement computer, and the use status of the non-contact IC card is collectively managed by the settlement computer for each non-contact IC card. can do. Therefore, it is possible to provide fine-tuned services according to the usage status of users even when there are no salespersons such as vending machines, such as discounting the amount of goods for users who use frequently, and services to users Improvements can be made.

  According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of claim 1, since the user can easily grasp the processing state of the non-contact IC card, the reliability of use of the non-contact IC card is improved. Can be increased.

  According to the invention of claim 5, in addition to the effect of claim 1, since the price of the selected vending machine and the balance of the non-contact IC card can be displayed on the same display, the number of parts is reduced. In addition, the cost can be reduced and all necessary information can be displayed on the same screen for easy viewing, so that the convenience of the user can be further improved.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a card unit, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of product purchase.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine according to the present embodiment has selected a product selection button 1, a coin identifying device 2 that identifies the deposit of coins, and a bill identifying device 3 that identifies the deposit of bills. A display 4 for displaying the product type and the number of products and a control unit 5 for controlling them are provided. Moreover, the card unit 20 which processes the non-contact IC card 10 connected with the control part 5 is provided. In addition, a cooling device, a heating device, a product carry-out device, and the like used for product temperature management are provided (all not shown).

  The selection button 1 is provided corresponding to each product accommodated in the vending machine, and each has a built-in lamp. When the selection button 1 is pressed, the lamp is turned on to indicate that the corresponding product has been selected. When the selection button 1 that has been pressed once and the lamp is turned on is pressed again, the lamp is turned off and the selection of the product is cancelled. The coin identifying device 2 identifies a coin deposited by the user. The banknote identification device 3 identifies the banknote deposited by the user.

  The display 4 displays not only the price and number of items selected by the user, but also the data content of the non-contact IC card 10 read by the card unit 20 described later. That is, only the display 4 can display the product price of the vending machine and the electronic money information stored in the non-contact IC card 10.

  The control unit 5 controls the selection button 1, the coin identification device 2, the banknote identification device 3, the display 4 and the card unit 20 to enable the use of both the non-contact IC card 10 and cash vending machines. . Specifically, if cash is deposited before the selection button 1 is pressed, the lamp of the selection button 1 that can be purchased with the amount deposited is turned on. When the selection button 1 is pressed and a product is selected, the corresponding product is carried out. When the selection button 1 is pressed before cash is deposited, it is determined that the sales are performed by the non-contact IC card 10. That is, as will be described later, the card unit 20 is activated to enable communication with the non-contact IC card 10, and the card unit 20 reads the data of the non-contact IC card 10 based on the identification information and electronic money information. An operation of performing authentication processing and an operation of subtracting “remaining amount-product price”, an operation of writing a new remaining amount as a result to the non-contact IC card 10, and an operation of transmitting a sales result to the settlement computer 30 via the communication unit 26 are performed. .

  The non-contact IC card 10 includes an antenna unit that performs cryptographic communication with the card unit 20 and a processing unit that performs cryptographic processing of data stored in the card (all not shown). Further, the non-contact IC card 10 stores personal information such as a card ID and a user name, electronic money information, and the like. When the contactless IC card 10 is used for the employee ID, an employee number may be registered.

  As illustrated in FIG. 2, the card unit 20 includes an antenna unit 21, a light emitting unit 22, a sound generation unit 23, a control unit 24, a storage unit 25, and a communication unit 26. Sales are on standby until the user presses the selection button 1, and when the selection button 1 is pressed, the control unit 5 starts up.

  The antenna unit 21 supplies power to the contactless IC card 10 and reads / writes data stored in the contactless IC card 10. The light emitting unit 22 indicates to the user the processing state of the non-contact IC card 10 by lighting / flashing and the sound generating unit 23 by sound. That is, the light emitting unit 22 is formed of an LED or the like, and blinks when the non-contact IC card 10 and the antenna unit 21 can communicate with each other. After the user holds the non-contact IC card 10, the user communicates with the antenna unit 21. It is turned on while it is in operation, and turned off after communication with the non-contact IC card 10 is completed. The sound generation unit 23 is composed of a buzzer or the like, and sounds after the sales process is completed.

  The storage unit 25 is used for temporarily storing data read from the non-contact IC card 10 and data for the control unit 24 to write to the non-contact IC card 10. The communication unit 26 can communicate with the control unit 5 and can be connected to the settlement computer 30 from the modem 6 through the network 7. The control unit 5 can communicate with the settlement computer 30 by the communication unit 26 switching communication.

  The control unit 24 controls the antenna unit 21, the light emitting unit 22, the sound generation unit 23, the storage unit 25, and the communication unit 26 in the card unit 20. When the user presses the selection button 1 before depositing cash and receives an instruction from the control unit 5, the antenna unit 21 supplies power to the non-contact IC card 10, and encryption communication with the non-contact IC card 10 is performed. Do. Further, during communication, the light emitting unit 22 and the sound generating unit 23 are controlled to notify the processing state of the non-contact IC card 10.

  The settlement computer 30 manages the usage status of the non-contact IC card 10, and when a product is purchased using the non-contact IC card 10, the operator who performs the operation management of the vending machine or the like performs a certain period of time. Data such as identification information and sales amount stored in the non-contact IC card 10 is received by the settlement operation, and is converted into a database and managed.

  The operation of the control unit 5 at the time of purchasing a product using the non-contact IC card 10 which is the main part of the present invention will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  As described above, the card unit 20 is not activated in the state of waiting for sales. The control unit 5 determines whether the user has made a deposit to the coin identifying device 2 or the bill identifying device 3 by cash or the selection button 1 has been pressed before depositing (step S1). When the selection button 1 is pressed before depositing with cash, it is recognized that the sales are performed by the non-contact IC card 10, and the card unit 20 is activated to enable communication with the non-contact IC card 10, The pressed selection button 1 is turned on, and the price of the selected product is displayed on the display 4 (step S2). Subsequently, the price of the selected product is notified to the card unit 20 via the communication unit 26 (step S3). When a user selects a plurality of products, the selection button 1 is turned on every time the selection button 1 of another product is pressed, and the product type and its total price are displayed on the display 4 (step S4). The control unit 5 measures the time from when the user finally presses the selection button 1 until a predetermined time elapses (step S5), and the user holds the non-contact IC card 10 over the antenna unit 21 within the predetermined time. Then, the card unit 20 communicates immediately and the control unit 5 receives the data stored in the non-contact IC card 10 from the card unit 20 (step S6). Next, an authentication process and a balance check are performed based on the data of the non-contact IC card 10 (step S7). When the authentication process is normally performed, the balance of electronic money stored in the non-contact IC card 10 is displayed on the display 4 (step S8). Thereafter, it is determined whether the balance of the electronic money exceeds the total amount of the selected product (step S9). If “remaining amount ≧ total amount of product”, a settlement process is performed to deduct the product amount from the balance (step S9). S10). The new balance data after settlement is written to the non-contact IC card 10 and the new balance is displayed on the display 4 (step S11). After completion of the settlement, the product is carried out to the product carry-out device and provided to the user (step S12).

  If the user does not press the selection button 1 or hold the non-contact IC card 10 after the product selection button 1 is pressed once in step S5 until the predetermined time elapses, the selling operation is terminated. To do. If the authentication processing of the non-contact IC card 10 is not possible in step S7, it is regarded as an error, and an error display for blinking the light emitting unit 22 in a color that is easily understood by the user as an error is displayed, and the processing is interrupted. (Step S13).

  If cash is inserted before the selection button 1 is pressed in step S1, a settlement process using cash instead of the non-contact IC card 10 is performed. This cash processing is the same as that generally performed. That is, when the user inserts a predetermined amount of cash into the coin identifying device 2 or the bill identifying device 3, the total amount inserted is displayed on the display 4, and the selectable product 1 button for a product that can be purchased is turned on according to the amount. . When the user presses the desired product selection button 1, the corresponding product is discharged. In step S9, the user can purchase the product by depositing the shortage amount of the non-contact IC card 10 with cash. When the user deposits the shortage amount of the contactless IC card 10 with cash, the coin recognition device 2 or the bill recognition device 3 accepts and processes the same as in step S1, and the amount added to the display 4 is displayed. Display and carry out the product (step S14).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user deposits the shortage amount even when it is determined that the selected product cannot be sold using only the electronic money balance after selecting the product using the selection button 1. Thus, the selected product can be purchased. Therefore, even if it becomes impossible to sell the selected product only with the balance of the electronic money, the user does not need to select the desired product again. Convenience can be improved.

  Further, since the communication is not started unless the non-contact IC card 10 is held over the card unit 20, the non-contact IC card 10 is not used for sales even though the user does not intend to purchase.

  The communication state between the non-contact IC card 10 and the card unit 20 is displayed by light and sound, and the balance of electronic money is displayed on the display 4 that displays the price of the selected product. The processing status of the card can be accurately communicated to the user.

  In this embodiment, the non-contact IC card 10 has a function as electronic money, and generally has a card shape that can also have a function such as an employee ID card or a traffic commuter pass. Even if the non-contact IC card 10 or the non-contact IC chip is incorporated in the portable communication terminal, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in a vending machine that can use a mobile communication terminal such as a mobile phone, as shown in FIG. 4, it can be connected through a network 7 to a center computer 40 of a business operator that sells and manages products of the vending machine. In some cases, even if the non-contact IC card 10 or the non-contact IC chip is not built in, it is possible to purchase a product without using cash by using the communication function.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, although what purchased goods using the electronic money memorize | stored in the non-contact IC card 10 was shown, users, such as selling goods for free to a specific user by a recognition process, are shown. It is also possible to provide different services depending on the situation.

1 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. Card unit configuration diagram Diagram explaining the flow of product purchase Configuration diagram of vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Selection button, 4 ... Display, 5 ... Control part, 6 ... Modem, 10 ... Non-contact IC card, 20 ... Card unit, 21 ... Antenna part, 22 ... Light emission part, 23 ... Sound generation part, 24 ... Control part , 26 ... communication unit, 30 ... settlement computer, 40 ... center computer.

Claims (5)

In a vending machine comprising product selection means for selecting a product, product delivery means for delivering the selected product, and control means for controlling the product selected by the product selection means to be delivered to the product delivery means ,
A card unit capable of mutual communication with a contactless IC card in which the balance of electronic money is stored and controlled by a control means;
With a deposit means for accepting cash deposits,
The control unit starts communication between the card unit and the non-contact IC card after the product is selected by the product selection unit, and determines whether the selected product can be sold based on the balance of the electronic money received from the non-contact IC card. If the sale is possible, the product take-out means is controlled so that the product is taken out. A vending machine characterized by determining and controlling the product unloading means to unload the product if it can be sold. The control unit interrupts subsequent processing when communication between the non-contact IC card and the card unit is not started within a predetermined time after the product is selected by the product selection unit. Item 1. A vending machine according to item 1. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit that can be connected via a network to a payment computer for payment of a non-contact IC card. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the card unit includes display means for displaying a processing state of the card unit. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the balance of electronic money read from the non-contact IC card and the price of the selected product.

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