Vending machine system

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic vending machine system, which can reduce the introduction cost in settlement processing of goods by reading graphical codes. In the system, a portable terminal reads a graphical code in a state in which a settlement application is activated and communicates with a settlement server to acquire commodity information of a specific vending machine, and enables commodity selection and settlement procedures. The payment server transmits a payment instruction to an information terminal provided in the vending machine on the condition that a commodity selection and payment procedure are performed by the portable terminal, and the information terminal communicates with the vending machine control unit on the condition that the payment instruction is transmitted from the payment server. When the payment server performs the payment processing, the vending machine control unit is notified that the payment processing has been completed, and the vending machine control unit moves out the selected product on the condition that the information terminal notifies that the payment processing has been completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine system. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a vending machine that sells products using a graphical code such as a QR code (registered trademark) has been known. It has been disclosed that the vending machine includes: a payment section that accepts currency such as coins; and a display section that displays a graphical code including product information (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). In addition to accepting currency such as coins to purchase products, this vending machine can also purchase products by having a user's portable terminal read the graphical code.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-046396 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In addition, the act of purchasing products by having a portable terminal read a graphical code is different from the conventional act of purchasing products by non-cash settlement using short-range wireless communication (for example, the act of placing an IC card in the communicable area of a reader / writer unit after selecting a product using a product selection button). Therefore, due to an increase in the cost required to develop a vending machine control section that controls the operations of each part of the vending machine, the introduction cost in the settlement process of products by reading a graphical code has increased.

[0008] In view of the above actual situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine system that can reduce the introduction cost in the settlement process of products by reading a graphical code.

[0009] Solutions to the Problems

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the vending machine system according to the present invention includes: a vending machine control unit provided in a vending machine that sells products; a settlement server that performs settlement processing for the products; and a portable terminal carried by a user who purchases the products and having a settlement application capable of using a settlement brand to perform settlement processing for the products. The vending machine system is characterized in that the vending machine includes an information terminal capable of communicating with the vending machine control unit and the settlement server, and discloses a graphical code in a readable manner. The graphical code is obtained by graphically representing vending machine identification information for identifying the vending machine itself. The portable terminal, in a state where the settlement application is started, reads the graphical code and communicates with the settlement server to obtain product information related to the products of the vending machine determined according to the vending machine identification information represented by the graphical code, and enables product selection and settlement procedures. The settlement server, on the condition that product selection and settlement procedures are performed through the portable terminal, sends a settlement instruction to the information terminal. The information terminal, on the condition that a settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server, communicates with the vending machine control unit, and notifies the vending machine control unit of the meaning indicating that the settlement processing has been completed when the settlement processing is performed by the settlement server. The vending machine control unit, on the condition that the meaning indicating that the settlement processing has been completed is notified from the information terminal, causes the selected product to be delivered out.

[0011] Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above vending machine system, when the settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server, the information terminal outputs product selection information to the vending machine control unit, and according to the response to the product selection information input from the vending machine control unit, outputs mode setting information indicating the meaning of performing settlement to the vending machine control unit, and further outputs settlement processing information to the settlement server according to the response to the mode setting information input from the vending machine control unit, and waits for the settlement processing in the settlement server.

[0012] Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above vending machine system, the vending machine control unit causes the selected product to be delivered out on the condition that the portable terminal approaches the vending machine.

[0013] Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above vending machine system, when the information terminal communicates with the vending machine control unit according to the settlement instruction sent from the settlement server, the vending machine restricts product selection until the information terminal notifies the vending machine control unit of the meaning indicating that the settlement processing has been completed.

[0014] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above vending machine system, when the information terminal communicates with the vending machine control unit according to a settlement instruction sent from the settlement server, the vending machine control unit restricts product selection until a notification indicating that the settlement process has been completed is sent from the information terminal.

[0015] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above vending machine system, the vending machine control unit restricts product selection until a notification indicating that the settlement process has been completed is sent from the information terminal after the mode setting information is input from the information terminal.

[0016] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above vending machine system, when another settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server while the vending machine is in a state of restricting product selection, the information terminal sends a product selection non-response indicating that product selection cannot be performed to the settlement server. When the product selection non-response is input from the information terminal, the settlement server sends a settlement procedure failure notification indicating that the settlement procedure has failed to another portable terminal that has made a product selection and settlement procedure that caused the sending of the other settlement instruction, so that the other portable terminal reports the failure of the settlement procedure.

[0017] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above vending machine system, when another settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server while the vending machine is in a state of restricting product selection, the information terminal sends a product selection non-response indicating that product selection cannot be performed to the settlement server. When the product selection non-response is input from the information terminal, the settlement server repeatedly sends the other settlement instruction until a predetermined retry time has elapsed, and reports to another portable terminal that has made a product selection and settlement procedure that caused the sending of the other settlement instruction that the settlement procedure is being repeated.

[0018] Effects of the Invention

[0019] According to the present invention, a portable terminal reads a graphical code disclosed in a vending machine in a state where a settlement application is started and communicates with a settlement server to obtain product information related to products of the vending machine determined based on the vending machine identification information represented by the graphical code, and enables product selection and settlement procedures. The settlement server sends a settlement instruction to an information terminal provided in the vending machine on the condition that product selection and settlement procedures have been performed through the portable terminal. The information terminal communicates with an automatic vending machine control unit provided in the vending machine on the condition that a settlement instruction has been sent from the settlement server, and notifies the automatic vending machine control unit of the meaning indicating that the settlement process has been completed when the settlement server has performed the settlement process. The automatic vending machine control unit ejects the selected product on the condition that the meaning indicating that the settlement process has been completed has been notified from the information terminal. Therefore, even when purchasing products by reading a graphical code using a portable terminal, as long as an information terminal is provided in the vending machine and the information terminal and the automatic vending machine control unit communicate with each other, the development of the automatic vending machine control unit can be minimized, thereby reducing the development cost. Thus, the following effect is achieved: the introduction cost in the settlement process of products through reading graphical codes can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 FIG. is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of a vending machine system as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 FIG. shows Figure 1 a perspective view of the external structure of the vending machine shown.

[0022] Figure 3 FIG. shows Figure 1 a timing chart of a settlement process in the vending machine system shown.

[0023] Figure 4 FIG. is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of an operation display unit of a portable terminal.

[0024] Figure 5 FIG. is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of an operation display unit of a portable terminal.

[0025] Figure 6 FIG. is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of an operation display unit of a portable terminal.

[0026] Figure 7 FIG. shows Figure 3 a timing chart of a process when a settlement entrustment is made from another portable terminal when the automatic vending machine control unit is in a selection restriction mode in.

[0027] Figure 8 It is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of an operation display unit of a portable terminal. Detailed implementation

[0028] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a preferred implementation of the vending machine system according to the present invention will be described.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of a vending machine system as an embodiment of the present invention. In the vending machine system 1 shown in this example, the vending machine 10, the settlement server 20, and the portable terminal 30 are connected via a network N such as the Internet.

[0030] The vending machine 10 sells, for example, beverages contained in containers such as cans and plastic bottles as commodities. As Figure 2 shown, the vending machine 10 includes a main cabinet 10a and a front surface door 10b. The main cabinet 10a is a rectangular heat-insulating housing having an opening (not shown) on the front surface. Although not explicitly shown in the figure, a plurality of commodity storage racks are provided inside the main cabinet 10a, and lanes (Japanese: コラム) are set in these commodity storage racks. A lane is a storage unit for accommodating the same type of commodity, and one or more commodity storage racks are provided according to the commodity to be sold.

[0031] The front surface door 10b is a heat-insulating door swingably provided so as to open and close the opening on the front surface of the main cabinet 10a. A commodity outlet 10c and a graphical code display unit 10e are provided on the front surface door 10b.

[0032] The commodity outlet 10c is an opening for taking out the commodity carried out from the inside of the main cabinet 10a, and can be opened and closed by a commodity outlet door 10d.

[0033] The graphical code display unit 10e discloses, in a readable manner, a QR code (registered trademark), etc., representing vending machine identification information such as a machine number for identifying the vending machine 10. For example, a sticker printed with the graphical code D is pasted. The graphical code D can be a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) or a bar code, as long as it is obtained by graphically representing information.

[0034] The above-mentioned vending machine 10 has a vending machine control unit 11, and a cooling and heating device 12, a carry-out device 13, and an information terminal 14 are connected to the vending machine control unit 11.

[0035] The vending machine control unit 11 uniformly controls the operations of the respective parts of the vending machine 10 according to programs and data stored in a storage unit (not shown).

[0036] The cooling and heating device 12 is used to manage the products stored in the product storage rack at a set temperature state. The cooling and heating device 12 cools the products on the product storage rack set to be cooled, and on the other hand, the cooling and heating device 12 heats the products on the product storage rack set to be heated.

[0037] For each lane in the product storage rack, a delivery device 13 is provided. When a delivery instruction is provided from the vending machine control unit 11 to the delivery device 13, the delivery device 13 delivers the product at the most downstream position of the corresponding lane, enabling the delivered product to be taken out through the product outlet 10c.

[0038] The information terminal 14 includes a communication unit 141, an information generation unit 142, and a short-range wireless communication unit 143. The communication unit 141 includes an internal communication unit 141a and an external communication unit 141b. The internal communication unit 141a is a communication interface for sending and receiving data and other communications with the vending machine control unit 11. The external communication unit 141b is a communication interface for connecting to the settlement server 20 via a network N through a communication method such as LTE (registered trademark).

[0039] Details of the information generation unit 142 will be described later. When a settlement instruction is output from the settlement server 20, the information generation unit 142 generates product selection information and mode setting information according to the content of the settlement instruction.

[0040] The short-range wireless communication unit 143 is a communication interface for performing short-range wireless communication with the portable terminal 30. Regarding short-range wireless communication, there are WiFi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc., but from the perspective of power consumption, Bluetooth (registered trademark), especially BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication, is used.

[0041] The settlement server 20 performs settlement processing of the products of the vending machine 10 described above. In addition, the settlement server 20 of the present embodiment also has a function of managing and operating the vending machine 10.

[0042] The portable terminal 30 is a terminal device carried by a purchaser of a product such as a smartphone, and has an operation display unit 31, an Internet communication unit 32, a short-range wireless communication unit 33, a code reading unit 34, and a terminal control unit 35.

[0043] The operation display unit 31 is, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display device, and is an input / output interface for performing operation input of various data and display output of various data, such as displaying an operation screen of a settlement application 35a described later.

[0044] The Internet communication unit 32 is a communication interface that, like the above-described external communication unit 141b, communicates with the settlement server 20 via a network N by a communication method such as LTE (registered trademark). The short-range wireless communication unit 33 is a communication interface that performs short-range wireless communication with the vending machine 10 using a communication method such as WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark). The code reading unit 34 reads the graphical code D of the vending machine 10 and digitizes it.

[0045] The terminal control unit 35 uniformly controls each unit of the portable terminal 30 according to programs and data stored in a storage unit (not shown). The terminal control unit 35 has a settlement application 35a. The settlement application 35a controls the settlement of goods between the vending machine 10 and the settlement server 20, and the settlement application 35a is a brand-free application (Japanese: ブランドフリーアプリ) that can control settlement for multiple settlement brands.

[0046] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1 A timing chart showing the settlement process in the vending machine system 1 shown. In addition, as a premise, it is assumed that sales product information such as the products sold, selling prices, and out-of-stock status of the products sold by the vending machine 10 for each machine number is stored in the settlement server 20.

[0047] The portable terminal 30 starts the settlement application 35a (step S101). After that, the portable terminal 30 uses the settlement application 35a to read the graphical code D revealed by the graphical code display unit 10e (step S102). Thereby, the portable terminal 30 obtains the machine number as the vending machine identification information and performs short-range wireless communication with the vending machine 10 (step S103).

[0048] After that, the portable terminal 30 requests product price information from the settlement server 20 through the Internet communication unit 32 and the network N (step S104). The settlement server 20 sends the products sold, selling prices, etc. as a response to the product price information through the network N (step S105).

[0049] As Figure 4 shown, the portable terminal 30 that has received the product price information from the settlement server 20 causes the operation display unit 31 to display the products sold and the selling prices and waits for the selection of products. Then, when the selection of a product is received (step S106), the selected product information such as the product name and amount of the product is sent to the settlement server 20 (step S107).

[0050] The settlement server 20 that has received the selected product information sends settlement brand amount information including multiple settlement brands to the portable terminal 30 (step S108). As Figure 5As shown, the portable terminal 30 that has been sent the settlement brand amount information causes a list of selected products and multiple settlement brands to be displayed, and waits for the selection of any settlement brand. Then, when the selection of any settlement brand is received (step S109), the portable terminal 30 considers that the settlement procedure has been performed, and entrusts the settlement to the settlement server 20 (step S110).

[0051] The settlement server 20 that has received the settlement entrustment sends a settlement instruction to the information terminal 14 of the vending machine 10 with the corresponding machine number via the network N (step S111). This settlement instruction includes the information of the selected product.

[0052] The information terminal 14 into which the settlement instruction has been input via the external communication unit 141b communicates with the vending machine control unit 11 as follows.

[0053] The information terminal 14 generates product selection information according to the product information included in the settlement instruction by the information generation unit 142 (step S112), and sends the generated product selection information to the vending machine control unit 11 via the internal communication unit 141a (step S113). This product selection information is equivalent to the information sent to the vending machine control unit when the product selection button for selecting a product in the previous vending machine was pressed.

[0054] The vending machine control unit 11 that has been input with the product selection information responds to the product selection information for the information terminal 14 (step S114). As a result, the information terminal 14 generates mode setting information by the information generation unit 142 (step S115), and sends the generated mode setting information to the vending machine control unit 11 via the internal communication unit 141a (step S116). This mode setting information is equivalent to the information indicating that settlement is being performed using the reader unit in the previous vending machine.

[0055] The vending machine control unit 11 that has been input with the mode setting information becomes a selection restriction mode for restricting the selection of products (step S117), and responds to the mode setting information for the information terminal 14 (step S118).

[0056] As a result, the information terminal 14 sends a setting notification for entrusting the execution of the settlement process to the settlement server 20 via the external communication unit 141b and the network N (step S119). The settlement server 20 that has been input with the setting notification executes the settlement process (step S120), and then sends a settlement process completion notification via the network N (step S121).

[0057] The information terminal 14 that has received the settlement completion notification from the settlement server 20 notifies the vending machine control unit 11 of the settlement completion notification (step S122). The settlement completion notification from the information terminal 14 to the vending machine control unit 11 corresponds to the notification that the settlement process has been completed using the reader / writer unit in the conventional vending machine.

[0058] The vending machine control unit 11 receives the settlement completion notification, cancels the selection restriction mode (step S123), drives the unloading device 13 of the corresponding aisle, and unloads the corresponding product (step S124). The unloaded product can be taken out from the product outlet 10c.

[0059] After that, the information terminal 14 notifies the settlement server 20 of the goods removal through the external communication unit 141b and the network N (step S125). The settlement server 20, which has received the goods removal notification, notifies the portable terminal 30 of the settlement result (step S126). Figure 6 As shown, the portable terminal 30 displays a commodity removal display indicating that the commodity can be removed on the operation display unit 31 (step S127). As a result, the user carrying the portable terminal 30 can recognize that the commodity can be removed and remove the commodity through the commodity removal port 10c.

[0060] Thereafter, the portable terminal 30 disconnects the short-range wireless communication with the settlement server 20 (step S128 ), and ends the present process.

[0061] Figure 7 It is shown in Figure 3 This is a sequence diagram of a process when a payment request is made from another portable terminal 30a when the vending machine control unit 11 selects the restriction mode.

[0062] The vending machine control unit 11 enters the selection restriction mode (step S201). After that, the settlement server 20, which has received the settlement request from the other portable terminal 30a, transmits another settlement instruction to the information terminal 14 of the vending machine 10 with the corresponding machine number via the network N (step S202).

[0063] The information terminal 14 to which other settlement instructions are input via the external communication unit 141b generates commodity selection information based on the commodity information included in the other settlement instructions via the information generation unit 142 (step S203), and sends the generated commodity selection information to the vending machine control unit 11 via the internal communication unit 141a (step S204).

[0064] The vending machine control unit 11 that has received the product selection information is in the selection restriction mode. Therefore, it does not respond to product selection on the information terminal 14 (step S205). As a result, the information terminal 14 does not respond to product selection to the settlement server 20 via the external communication unit 141b and the network N (step S206). The settlement server 20 that has received the non-response to product selection notifies the portable terminal 30 of a settlement procedure failure (step S207). As a result, as Figure 8 shown, the portable terminal 30 displays a settlement failure message consisting of the statement "Settlement failed" on the operation display unit 31 (step S208). As a result, it is possible to report to the purchaser carrying the portable terminal 30 that the settlement procedure has failed.

[0065] As described above, in the vending machine system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the portable terminal 30 reads the graphical code D displayed on the vending machine 10 in a state where the settlement application 35a is started and communicates with the settlement server 20 to obtain product information related to the product of the vending machine 10 determined based on the vending machine identification information represented by the graphical code D, and enables product selection and settlement procedures. The settlement server 20 sends a settlement instruction to the information terminal 14 provided in the vending machine 10 on the condition that product selection and settlement procedures have been performed through the portable terminal 30. The information terminal 14 communicates with the vending machine control unit 11 on the condition that a settlement instruction has been sent from the settlement server 20, and notifies the vending machine control unit 11 of the meaning indicating that the settlement process has been completed when the settlement server 20 has performed the settlement process. The vending machine control unit 11 ejects the selected product on the condition that the meaning indicating that the settlement process has been completed has been notified from the information terminal 14. Thus, even when purchasing a product by reading the graphical code D with the portable terminal 30, as long as the information terminal 14 is provided in the vending machine 10 and the information terminal 14 and the vending machine control unit 11 are used for communication, the development of the vending machine control unit 11 can be minimized, thereby reducing the development cost. Therefore, according to the above vending machine system 1, it is possible to reduce the introduction cost in the settlement process of products by reading the graphical code D.

[0066] In particular, in the above-described vending machine system 1, when a settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server 20, the information terminal 14 outputs product selection information to the vending machine control unit 11, and based on the response to the product selection information input from the vending machine control unit 11, outputs mode setting information indicating the intention to perform settlement to the vending machine control unit 11. Further, based on the response to the mode setting information input from the vending machine control unit 11, settlement processing information is output to the settlement server 20, and waits for the settlement processing in the settlement server 20. Therefore, the communication between the information terminal 14 and the vending machine control unit 11 can approximate the communication between the reader unit and the vending machine control unit in a conventional vending machine. Thus, the improvement of the vending machine control unit 11 can also be minimized, and the introduction cost in the settlement processing of products by reading the graphical code D can be reduced.

[0067] In the above-described vending machine system 1, when a short-range wireless communication connection is being established between the portable terminal 30 and the information terminal 14, product selection, settlement, and removal are performed. Thus, the vending machine control unit 11 removes the selected product on the condition that the portable terminal 30 approaches the vending machine 10. Therefore, according to the above-described vending machine system 1, it is possible to prevent products from being taken out by persons unrelated to the purchaser.

[0068] According to the above-described vending machine system 1, the vending machine control unit 11 restricts product selection from the time when mode setting information is input from the information terminal 14 until a notification (settlement processing completion notification) indicating that the settlement processing has been completed is received from the information terminal 14. Therefore, it is possible to avoid conflicts in product sales.

[0069] In particular, in the above-described vending machine system 1, when another settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server 20 in a state where product selection is restricted (selection restriction mode) in the vending machine 10, the information terminal 14 sends a product selection non-response indicating that product selection cannot be performed to the settlement server 20. The settlement server 20 sends a settlement procedure failure notification indicating that the settlement procedure has failed to another portable terminal 30a, causing the other portable terminal 30a to report the failure of the settlement procedure. Therefore, it is possible to make other purchasers operating the other portable terminal 30a aware that the settlement procedure could not be performed.

[0070] As described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been explained, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made.

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that sales product information such as the products sold by the vending machine 10 for each machine number, the selling price, and the out-of-stock status of the products sold is stored in the settlement server 20. However, in the present invention, it may also be that when the settlement server receives a request for product price information from the portable terminal, it inputs the sales product information of the corresponding vending machine, such as the products sold, the selling price, and the out-of-stock status of the products sold.

[0072] In the above-described embodiment, when a settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server 20, the information terminal 14 generates product selection information and sends it to the vending machine control unit 11, and then generates mode setting information and sends it to the vending machine control unit 11. However, in the present invention, it may also be that when a settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server, the information terminal generates mode setting information and sends it to the vending machine control unit, and then generates product selection information and sends it to the vending machine control unit.

[0073] In the above-described embodiment, the vending machine control unit 11 enters a selection restriction mode that restricts product selection from when the mode setting information is input from the information terminal 14 until a notification indicating that the settlement process has been completed (settlement process completion notification) is received from the information terminal 14. However, in the present invention, it may also be that product selection is restricted from when the product selection information is input from the information terminal until the settlement process completion notification is received from the information terminal. That is to say, in the present invention, it may also be that when the information terminal communicates with the vending machine control unit according to a settlement instruction sent from the settlement server, the vending machine control unit restricts product selection until a notification indicating that the settlement process has been completed is received from the information terminal. Also, in the present invention, it may be that instead of the vending machine control unit restricting product selection, the vending machine restricts product selection by preventing the information terminal from receiving other settlement instructions from the settlement server.

[0074] Although not mentioned in the above-described embodiment, when a selection unit such as a product selection button is provided on the front door of the vending machine, when the vending machine control unit enters the selection restriction mode, the vending machine control unit only needs to restrict the input of selection signals through the pressing operation of the product selection button.

[0075] In the above-described embodiment, it is exemplified that a short-range wireless communication connection is established between the portable terminal 30 and the information terminal 14 on the condition that the portable terminal 30 approaches the vending machine 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this and can be changed as follows.

[0076] That is, it is also possible to use as a condition that the GPS (Global Positioning System) information of the portable terminal is approximately the same as the position information of the vending machine (within a few meters, etc.). Additionally, in the case where an input unit such as a product selection button is provided on the front door of the vending machine, it is also possible to use as a condition that the purchaser performs an input operation on the input unit. Moreover, in the case where a display is provided on the front door of the vending machine, it is also possible to randomly display numbers, etc. on the display during the settlement process and use as a condition that the numbers, etc. displayed are input on the portable terminal. Additionally, in the case where a human body sensor is provided in the vending machine, it is also possible to use as a condition that the human body sensor detects a person. Further, in the case where an imaging unit such as a camera is provided in the vending machine, it is also possible to use as a condition that the same person is photographed for a fixed time or more through image recognition control.

[0077] In the above-described embodiment, when another settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server 20 while the vending machine control unit 11 is in the selection restriction mode, the information terminal 14 sends a product selection non-response indicating that product selection cannot be performed to the settlement server 20. When the product selection non-response is input, the settlement server 20 notifies another portable terminal 30a of a settlement procedure failure and causes the other portable terminal 30a to report the settlement procedure failure. However, in the present invention, it is also possible to proceed as follows.

[0078] That is, it is also possible that, when a product selection non-response is input from the information terminal, until a predetermined retry time (for example, about three minutes) has elapsed, the settlement server repeatedly sends another settlement instruction and notifies another portable terminal that settlement is in progress, causing the operation display unit 31 of the other portable terminal to display "Settling / Please wait" to report that the settlement procedure is being repeated. After the retry time has elapsed, the settlement server notifies another portable terminal of a settlement procedure failure. On the other hand, it is also possible that, before the retry time has elapsed, if the selection restriction mode of the vending machine control unit is released and a setting notification is input from the information terminal, the settlement server performs settlement processing and notifies another portable terminal of a successful settlement, causing the operation display unit to display "Settlement successful / Thank you" to report a successful settlement.

[0079] Moreover, each structure illustrated in the above-described embodiment is a functional schematic structure, and physically, it is not necessarily required to form the illustrated structure. That is, the manner of dispersion / unification of each device and structural element is not limited to the illustrated manner, and all or part of each device and structural element can be functionally or physically dispersed / unified in any unit according to various usage conditions, etc.

[0080] Description of Reference Numerals

[0081] 1: Vending machine system; 10: Vending machine; 10a: Main cabinet; 10b: Front surface door; 10c: Product outlet; 10d: Product removal door; 10e: Graphic code display unit; 11: Vending machine control unit; 12: Heating and cooling device; 13: Removal device; 14: Information terminal; 141: Communication unit; 141a: Internal communication unit; 141b: External communication unit; 142: Information generation unit; 143: Short-range wireless communication unit; 20: Settlement server; 30: Portable terminal; 31: Operation display unit; 32: Internet communication unit; 33: Short-range wireless communication unit; 34: Code reading unit; 35: Terminal control unit; 35a: Settlement application; D: Graphic code; N: Network.

Claims

1. A vending machine system, comprising: A vending machine control unit, which is provided in a vending machine for selling commodities; a settlement server that performs settlement processing for the commodity; and a portable terminal, which is carried by a user who purchases the product and has a settlement application capable of performing settlement processing for the product using a settlement brand, The vending machine system is characterized in that: The vending machine includes an information terminal capable of communicating with the vending machine control unit and the settlement server, and displays a graphical code in a readable manner, wherein the graphical code is obtained by graphically displaying vending machine identification information for identifying the vending machine itself. The portable terminal reads the graphical code and communicates with the settlement server while the settlement application is activated, thereby obtaining commodity information related to the commodity of the vending machine determined according to the vending machine identification information represented by the graphical code, and enables commodity selection and settlement procedures. The settlement server sends a settlement instruction to the information terminal on the condition that the product selection and settlement procedures are performed through the portable terminal. The information terminal communicates with the automatic vending machine control unit on condition that a settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server, and notifies the automatic vending machine control unit that the settlement process has been completed when the settlement process is performed by the settlement server. The automatic vending machine control unit causes the selected product to be carried out on condition that a notification indicating that the settlement process has been completed is received from the information terminal.

2. The vending machine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server, the information terminal outputs product selection information to the vending machine control unit, and based on the response to the product selection information input from the vending machine control unit, outputs mode setting information indicating the intention to make a settlement to the vending machine control unit, and further based on the response to the mode setting information input from the vending machine control unit, outputs settlement processing information to the settlement server, and waits for settlement processing in the settlement server.

3. The vending machine system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The vending machine control unit carries out the selected commodity on the condition that the portable terminal approaches the vending machine.

4. The vending machine system according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the information terminal communicates with the automatic vending machine control unit in response to a payment instruction sent from the payment server, the automatic vending machine restricts commodity selection until a notification indicating that the payment process is completed is sent from the information terminal to the automatic vending machine control unit.

5. The vending machine system according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the information terminal communicates with the automatic vending machine control unit in response to a payment instruction transmitted from the payment server, the automatic vending machine control unit restricts commodity selection until a notification indicating that the payment process is completed is issued from the information terminal.

6. The automatic vending machine system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The automatic vending machine control unit restricts commodity selection until a notification indicating that a settlement process has been completed is issued from the information terminal after the mode setting information is input from the information terminal.

7. The vending machine system according to claim 4, characterized in that: When another settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server while the automatic vending machine is in a state where the commodity selection is restricted, the information terminal sends a commodity selection disabled response to the settlement server indicating that the commodity selection cannot be performed. When an input indicating that the product selection cannot be responded to is input from the information terminal, the settlement server sends a settlement procedure failure notification indicating that the settlement procedure has failed to the other portable terminal that performed the product selection and settlement procedure that caused the sending of the other settlement instruction, so as to cause the other portable terminal to report the settlement procedure failure.

8. The vending machine system according to claim 4, characterized in that: When another settlement instruction is sent from the settlement server while the automatic vending machine is in a state where the commodity selection is restricted, the information terminal sends a commodity selection disabled response to the settlement server indicating that the commodity selection cannot be performed. In the case where the product selection input from the information terminal cannot be responded to, the settlement server repeatedly sends the other settlement instructions until a predetermined retry time has passed, and notifies the other portable terminal that has performed the product selection and settlement procedures that caused the sending of the other settlement instructions that the settlement is in progress, so that the other portable terminal reports that the settlement procedures are being repeated.

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