Dispensing system, terminal device, product dispensing method, and program

Abstract

To make it possible to dispense products from a vending machine by a method different from existing methods.SOLUTION: A dispensing system 1 is used when dispensing a product using a vending machine 700 to a user who uses a terminal device 600 in which information used for dispensing the product is stored. The dispensing system 1 includes a first communication unit that transmits information between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 using sound waves, a second communication unit that communicates between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 by non-contact communication means different from the method using sound waves, and a determination unit that is provided in an information processing device 100 and determines whether or not a predetermined condition regarding dispensing of the product using the vending machine 700 is satisfied using at least one of first information based on a reception result of the information transmitted by the first communication unit and second information based on a communication result using the second communication unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispensing system, a terminal device, a product dispensing method, and a program that enable a user to dispense a product from a vending machine using a terminal device used by the user. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a dispensing system has been used that allows a user to dispense products from a vending machine using a terminal device used by the user.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 below describes a food and beverage dispensing device that connects to a mobile terminal and is configured to transmit identification information of the dispensing device and information on the food and beverage to the terminal, and determine whether or not dispensing is possible based on a dispensing instruction for the food and beverage, and then dispense the food and beverage.

[0004] The following Patent Document 2 describes the configuration of an information management system having a measuring instrument and an information terminal. In this configuration, the measuring instrument transmits information by ultrasonic waves, and the information terminal detects the information, acquires identification information, and displays it on the terminal.

[0005] Furthermore, the following Patent Document 3 describes the configuration of a reward awarding system that makes it possible to limit the mobile terminals that award rewards that should be received as a result of making a payment at a restaurant to only those terminals that transmit time information via ultrasound. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-174320 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2020-160589 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-148891 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the meantime, in the dispensing system, it is desirable to be able to dispense products from a vending machine using a method different from existing methods.

[0008] As an example, in a dispensing system, when a decision is made as to whether or not to dispense a product using the results of wireless communication between a terminal device and a vending machine, etc., there is a problem that if the communication is not performed appropriately, proper dispensing may not be possible.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide a dispensing system, terminal device, product dispensing method, and program that can use a terminal device to more reliably determine whether or not specified conditions regarding the dispensing of products using a vending machine are met. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The dispensing system of the first invention includes a vending machine, a terminal device in which information used to dispense products from the vending machine is stored, and an information processing device capable of communicating with at least one of the vending machine, and is used when dispensing products using the vending machine to a user using the terminal device, and is equipped with a first communication unit configured to be able to transmit, between the vending machine and the terminal device, authentication information for authenticating the transmission source device and a transmission source identifier capable of identifying the transmission source device by communication means using sound waves, a second communication unit configured to communicate between the vending machine and the terminal device by non-contact communication means other than the method using sound waves, an acquisition unit provided in the information processing device and capable of acquiring first information based on a reception result of the information transmitted between the vending machine and the terminal device by the first communication unit and second information based on a communication result using the second communication unit, and a judgment unit provided in the information processing device and using at least one of the first information and the second information acquired by the acquisition unit to judge whether or not a predetermined condition related to the dispensing of products using the vending machine is satisfied.

[0011] With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably determine whether or not a predetermined condition regarding the dispensing of a product using a vending machine is satisfied.

[0012] In addition, the dispensing system of the second invention is a dispensing system that, compared to the first invention, is configured such that when communication using the second communication unit is performed normally, the judgment unit makes a judgment using the second information, and when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally, the judgment unit makes a judgment using the first information.

[0013] With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably determine whether or not a predetermined condition regarding the dispensing of a product using a vending machine is satisfied.

[0014] In addition, the dispensing system of the third invention is a dispensing system in which, compared to the first or second invention, the first communication unit is configured to start transmitting authentication information and a sender identifier when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally.

[0015] With this configuration, it is possible to start transmitting information using sound waves when necessary.

[0016] In addition, the dispensing system of the fourth invention is a dispensing system of any one of the first to third inventions, which is provided with a receiving unit configured to receive information transmitted from the first communication unit when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally.

[0017] With this configuration, when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally, a determination can be made using the first information.

[0018] In addition, the dispensing system of the fifth invention is a dispensing system in which, compared to the fourth invention, it is provided with a motion detection unit that is provided in the terminal device and detects the motion of a user using the terminal device, and the receiving unit is configured to receive information transmitted from the first communication unit when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally and the detection result by the motion detection unit is determined to satisfy a specified operation condition.

[0019] With this configuration, it is possible to receive information transmitted from the first communication unit in response to the detection result of the user's action, and to make a decision using the first information.

[0020] In addition, the dispensing system of the sixth invention is a dispensing system according to any one of the first to fifth inventions, in which the first communication unit and the second communication unit are provided in the vending machine, and when a specific instruction for preparing the vending machine for dispensing a product is received, the first communication unit starts transmitting authentication information and a sender identifier, and the second communication unit starts communicating with the terminal device.

[0021] With this configuration, when a specific instruction for preparing the vending machine to dispense products is received, communication can be started by the first communication unit and the second communication unit.

[0022] In addition, the dispensing system of the seventh invention is a dispensing system that, compared to the sixth invention, is provided with a notification output unit configured to output a notification to a user using the terminal device regarding communication using the first communication unit between the vending machine and the terminal device when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally.

[0023] With this configuration, when communication is performed by the second communication unit, information relating to the communication can be output to the user.

[0024] In addition, the dispensing system of the eighth invention is a dispensing system wherein, with respect to any one of the first to seventh inventions, the first communication unit is further configured to be able to transmit authentication information and a transmission source identifier to the information processing device, and the acquisition unit is configured to be able to acquire the first information based on the reception result of the information transmitted between the vending machine and the terminal device by the first communication unit and the information transmitted to the information processing device by the first communication unit.

[0025] With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably identify the correspondence between the vending machine and the terminal device related to the dispensing of the product.

[0026] In addition, the dispensing system of the ninth invention is a dispensing system according to any one of the first to eighth inventions, which is provided in an information processing device and includes an identification information transmitting unit that transmits identification information related to a time code, the first communication unit is configured to be able to transmit authentication information based on the identification information transmitted from the information processing device between the vending machine and the terminal device, and the judgment unit is configured to make a judgment using the identification information and the first information acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0027] With this configuration, the correspondence between the vending machine and the terminal device related to the dispensing of the product can be more reliably identified using the identification information related to the time code.

[0028] The vending machine of the tenth aspect of the present invention is a vending machine that has the function of dispensing products to a user using a terminal device in which information used to dispense products is stored, and is equipped with a first communication unit that transmits authentication information for authenticating the vending machine and a transmission source identifier capable of identifying the vending machine to the terminal device via a communication means using sound waves, a second communication unit that is configured to communicate with the terminal device via a non-contact communication means other than the method using sound waves, a vending machine control unit that controls the first communication unit to start transmitting the authentication information and the transmission source identifier and the second communication unit to start communicating with the terminal device when a specific instruction for preparing the vending machine to dispense products is received, and a vending machine communication unit that receives instructions regarding the dispensing of products transmitted from another device depending on the communication result using the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

[0029] With this configuration, the dispensing of products from a vending machine using a terminal device can be more reliably carried out.

[0030] In addition, the terminal device of the eleventh invention is a terminal device used to dispense goods from a vending machine that is capable of communicating with an information processing device, and comprises a terminal storage unit in which information used to dispense goods from the vending machine is stored, a terminal receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the vending machine by a communication means using sound waves, a terminal communication unit that communicates with the vending machine by a non-contact communication means other than the method using sound waves, and a terminal transmitting unit that transmits terminal received information based on the information transmitted from the vending machine and received by the terminal receiving unit to the information processing device together with information used to dispense goods from the vending machine.

[0031] With this configuration, the dispensing of products from a vending machine using a terminal device can be performed more reliably.

[0032] The twelfth aspect of the present invention provides a product dispensing method for use when dispensing products using a vending machine to a user using a terminal device, using a vending machine and an information processing device capable of communicating with at least one of the vending machine and a terminal device in which information used to dispense products from the vending machine is stored, the product dispensing method including: a first communication step of transmitting, between the vending machine and the terminal device, authentication information for authenticating the transmission source device and a transmission source identifier capable of identifying the transmission source device, by communication means using sound waves; a second communication step configured to perform communication between the vending machine and the terminal device by non-contact communication means different from the method using sound waves; an acquisition step of acquiring, by the information processing device, at least one of first information based on a reception result of the information transmitted between the vending machine and the terminal device by the first communication step and second information based on a communication result by the second communication step; a determination step of determining, by the information processing device, whether or not a predetermined condition related to the dispensing of products using the vending machine is satisfied, using at least one of the first information and the second information acquired by the acquisition step; and an output step of outputting, by the information processing device, an instruction related to dispensing the product in accordance with the determination result of the determination step.

[0033] With this configuration, products can be dispensed more reliably using the terminal device and the vending machine. Effect of the Invention

[0034] According to the present invention, it is possible to more reliably determine, using a terminal device, whether or not a predetermined condition regarding the dispensing of a product from a vending machine is satisfied. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0035] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a dispensing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Block diagram of the payment system [Diagram 3] Block diagram of the vending machine [Figure 4] Block diagram of the information processing device [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of product information used in the information processing device; [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of user information used in the information processing apparatus; [Figure 7] A flowchart showing an example of the operation of the vending machine. [Figure 8] A flowchart showing an example of the operation of the terminal device. [Figure 9] A flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device. [Figure 10] A sequence diagram showing a specific example of the processing and operations performed using the dispensing system. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 shows an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device. [Figure 12] A sequence diagram showing a modified example of the processing and operation performed using the dispensing system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a dispensing system and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that, in the embodiments, components with the same reference numerals perform similar operations, so that repeated description may be omitted.

[0037] In the present embodiment, the terms used below are generally defined as follows. The meanings of these terms should not always be interpreted as shown here, but should be interpreted in accordance with the explanations given below.

[0038] A user is a consumer who purchases, uses, or consumes a product.

[0039] A commodity is something that has value. An example of a commodity is canned drinks or bottled drinks that can be sold by a vending machine, but is not limited to this. A commodity sold by a vending machine may be food or drink such as food or drink, or other tangible object itself, or may be an object that is treated as equivalent in value to a specific food or drink or other tangible object. A commodity sold by a vending machine may be an object that is treated as equivalent in value to an intangible object, such as a service for a user, electronic content (such as, but not limited to, information that allows the user to appreciate music, images, books, etc.), or data indicating points having monetary value. Note that the sale of a commodity is not limited to the sale of a commodity for a fee, and may also be interpreted as including the distribution of a commodity free of charge. In other words, dispensing a commodity from a vending machine may be said to be selling a commodity by the vending machine.

[0040] An identifier for a certain item is a character or code that uniquely identifies that item. An identifier is, for example, an ID, but any type of information can be used as long as it can identify the corresponding item. In other words, an identifier may be the name of the thing it represents, or it may be a combination of codes that uniquely identify the thing.

[0041] The term "acquisition" may include acquiring items input by a user or the like, or may include acquiring information stored in the device itself or another device (which may be information stored in advance or information generated by information processing performed in the device). Acquiring information stored in another device may include acquiring information stored in the other device via an API or the like, or may include acquiring the contents of a document file provided by the other device (including the contents of a web page, etc.). It may also include acquiring information in a format different from that of the original information, such as acquiring information by performing optical character reading on an image. For example, it may include acquiring information represented by an image of a one-dimensional code, a multi-dimensional code, etc., by reading the image.

[0042] Also, the so-called machine learning technique may be used to acquire information. The machine learning technique can be used, for example, as follows. That is, a learning device (learning information) that receives a specific type of input information as an input and outputs a type of output information to be acquired is configured using the machine learning technique. For example, two or more pairs of input information and output information are prepared in advance, and the two or more pairs of information are provided to a module for configuring a machine learning learning device to configure the learning device, and the configured learning device is stored in a storage unit. The learning device can also be called a classifier. Note that the machine learning technique may be, for example, deep learning, random forest, SVM, or the like. For machine learning, functions in various machine learning frameworks such as fastText, tinySVM, random forest, and TensorFlow, or various existing libraries, can be used. Acquiring information using such a learning device is sometimes called acquisition by machine learning.

[0043] Moreover, the learning device is not limited to one obtained by machine learning. The learning device may be, for example, a table showing the correspondence between an input vector based on input information and output information. In this case, output information corresponding to a feature vector based on input information may be obtained from the table, or a vector approximating a feature vector based on input information may be generated using two or more input vectors in the table and parameters for weighting each input vector, and final output information may be obtained using output information and parameters corresponding to each input vector used in the generation. Obtaining information using such a learning device may be referred to as obtaining using a correspondence. Also, the learning device may be, for example, a function that represents the relationship between an input vector based on input information and information for generating output information. In this case, for example, information corresponding to a feature vector based on input information may be obtained by a function, and output information may be obtained using the obtained information. Obtaining information using such a learning device may be referred to as obtaining using a function.

[0044] Outputting information is a concept that includes displaying on a display, projecting using a projector, printing on a printer, outputting sound, transmitting to an external device, storing on a recording medium, passing the processing results to another processing device or another program, etc. Specifically, it includes, for example, enabling information to be displayed on a web page, transmitting as e-mail, etc., and outputting information to be printed.

[0045] The concept of accepting information includes the acceptance of information input from input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, the reception of information transmitted from other devices via wired or wireless communication lines, and the acceptance of information read from recording media such as optical disks, magnetic disks, and semiconductor memories.

[0046] With regard to various types of information stored in information processing devices, etc., the term "update" is a concept that includes not only changing the stored information, but also adding new information to the stored information and deleting some or all of the stored information.

[0047] (Embodiment)

[0048] The outline of this embodiment is as follows. In this embodiment, the dispensing system includes a vending machine and an information processing device. The vending machine is capable of communicating with the information processing device. The dispensing system is used together with a terminal device that stores information used to dispense merchandise from the vending machine, and is used when dispensing merchandise using the vending machine to a user using the terminal device. In other words, the dispensing system is configured to be available to a user using the terminal device that the user uses.

[0049] In this embodiment, the vending machine has a first communication unit 701 configured to be able to transmit information between the terminal device and the vending machine by a communication means using sound waves, and a second communication unit 702 configured to be able to communicate with the terminal device by a non-contact communication means different from the method using sound waves. The information processing device is capable of acquiring the information transmitted by the first communication unit 701 and information based on the communication result using the second communication unit 702 from the terminal device, and is configured to determine whether or not a predetermined condition related to the dispensing of a product using the vending machine is satisfied based on the acquired information. The vending machine is configured to dispense a product or the like depending on the result of this determination.

[0050] In this embodiment, in the information processing device, if communication using the second communication unit 702 is performed normally, the judgment is made using the communication result, and if not, the judgment is made using the information transmitted by the first communication unit 701.

[0051] The first communication unit 701 may be provided in a terminal device. In this case, the information processing device may be able to acquire, from the vending machine, information transmitted by the first communication unit 701 and received by the vending machine. Also, the information processing device may be able to acquire, from the vending machine, a communication result by the second communication unit 702.

[0052] The dispensing system configured in this manner will be described below.

[0053] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a dispensing system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] In this embodiment, the dispensing system 1 includes an information processing device 100 and a plurality of vending machines 700 that are installed at respective locations. The dispensing system 1 is used together with a terminal device 600 used by a user who uses the dispensing system. The dispensing system 1 may be interpreted as being composed of the information processing device 100, the vending machines 700, and the terminal device 600.

[0055] The information processing device 100 and the terminal device 600 can communicate with each other via a network such as a local area network or the Internet. The information processing device 100 and the vending machine 700 can also communicate with each other via various networks. The vending machine 700 may be connected to the same network as the information processing device 100 and the terminal device 600, and may be communicatively connected to the information processing device 100 via a network different from the network. The information processing device 100 is configured to transmit information about the vending machine 700 to the information processing device 100, so that the information is managed by the information processing device 100. The information processing device 100 may be configured to realize point-of-sale information management (POS) in a sales system including each vending machine 700. The information processing device 100 configured to realize point-of-sale information management is communicatively connected to each vending machine 700. For example, the vending machines 700 configured to realize point-of-sale information management, which are arranged at locations such as a plurality of stores, transmit information about sales and information about product inventory to the information processing device 100. The information processing device 100 is capable of carrying out various processes such as tallying, analyzing, ordering, etc. based on this information. This can be realized by using a well-known configuration.

[0056] The vending machine 700 does not have to be connected to the information processing device 100. In this case, the information described below as being transmitted from the information processing device 100 and received by the vending machine 700 may be obtainable by the vending machine 700 via, for example, the terminal device 600 capable of communicating with the vending machine 700 or another external device.

[0057] The configuration of the dispensing system 1 is not limited to this. The number of each device included in the dispensing system 1 is not important, and other devices may be included in the dispensing system 1.

[0058] In FIG. 1, a mobile information terminal device such as a smartphone is shown as the terminal device 600, but the terminal device 600 is not limited to this. For example, the terminal device 600 may be a tablet-type information terminal device, a personal computer (PC) such as a laptop computer, or other devices. A user of the dispensing system 1 can use the dispensing system 1 by using the terminal device 600. In the following example, the terminal device 600 is described assuming that a mobile information terminal device such as a smartphone is used, but is not limited to this.

[0059] Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the dispensing system 1. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the vending machine 700. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the information processing device 100.

[0060] First, a description will be given of the configuration of the terminal device 600. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal device 600 includes a terminal storage unit 610, a terminal receiving unit 620, a terminal acceptance unit 630, a terminal processing unit 640, a terminal output unit 660, a terminal transmission unit 670, a motion detection unit 680, and a terminal acquisition unit 690.

[0061] The terminal storage unit 610 stores a user identifier capable of identifying the terminal device 600. The user identifier is information capable of identifying a user who uses the terminal device 600. As the user identifier, various identifiers can be used, such as a terminal identifier unique to each terminal device 600, an identifier unique to each piece of software operating on the terminal device 600 (for example, an identifier identifying an account logged in for a function realized by the software), and an identifier identifying an account in a web service that can be used using the terminal device 600. More specifically, as the user identifier, various information can be used, such as account information of a user of an operation system that functions the terminal device 600, account information logged in to a web service that can be accessed by a web browsing function realized by the terminal device 600, and cookies provided from a web page accessed by the web browsing function.

[0062] The terminal receiving unit 620 receives information transmitted from the information processing device 100 or other devices via the network. The terminal receiving unit 620 accumulates the received information, for example, in the terminal storage unit 610, so that the device processing unit 640 and the like can acquire the information.

[0063] The terminal reception unit 630 receives various input operations for the terminal device 600 by a user who uses the terminal device 600. The operations are performed, for example, using an input device (not shown), but are not limited to this. The terminal reception unit 630 may receive, for example, an input operation by voice acquired by the terminal acquisition unit 690.

[0064] The terminal processing unit 640 uses each unit of the terminal device 600 to perform various information processing operations.

[0065] In this embodiment, the terminal processing unit 640 has a notification output unit 642. The notification output unit 642 is configured to output a notification regarding communication between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 using the first communication unit 701 to the user who uses the terminal device 600 when communication using the second communication unit 702 described below is not performed normally. Here, the notification means, for example, outputting information regarding the items to be notified using the terminal output unit 660. The notification regarding communication using the first communication unit 701 means, for example, outputting information to the effect that sonic communication will be performed, outputting instructions to the user regarding operations, actions, etc. required of the user to perform sonic communication, etc. It should be noted that notifications of other contents may also be performed.

[0066] The terminal output unit 660 outputs information, for example, by displaying it on a display device. Note that the method of outputting information is not limited to this, and the information may be output by outputting sound or the like from a speaker or the like.

[0067] The terminal transmitting unit 670 transmits, for example, information acquired by the terminal processing unit 640 or the like via the network.

[0068] In this embodiment, the terminal device 600 is configured to be able to communicate with the vending machine 700, for example, by non-contact communication means. The communication by non-contact communication means is, for example, communication by NFC using RFID or communication using Bluetooth (registered trademark), but may also be, for example, infrared communication. That is, in the terminal device 600, the terminal receiving unit 620 and the terminal transmitting unit 670 are configured to be able to communicate by non-contact communication means.

[0069] The motion detection unit 680 has, for example, an acceleration sensor. The type of acceleration sensor does not matter. The motion detection unit 680 is configured to be able to detect the movement or change in posture of the terminal device 600 as the motion of the user. For example, when the user holds the terminal device 600 and displaces the terminal device 600 in a predetermined manner, the motion detection unit 680 is configured to acquire a detection result according to that manner. The acquired information is accumulated, for example, in the terminal storage unit 610 or the like. Note that the motion detection unit 680 may be configured to be able to detect the motion of the user of the terminal device 600 using a camera or the like. In addition, the motion detection unit 680 may be configured to capture an input operation accepted by the terminal acceptance unit 630 as something that detects. For example, a swipe operation by the user detected on a touch panel provided in the terminal device 600 may be a motion of the user that can be detected by the motion detection unit 680.

[0070] The terminal acquisition unit 690 has, for example, a microphone 691. The terminal acquisition unit 690 acquires a detection result of a sound wave detected by the microphone 691. The terminal acquisition unit 690 may include a camera, a position information sensor capable of identifying a position by a GPS, or the like, or a reading device or measuring device different from these may be used as the terminal acquisition unit 690. The information acquired by the terminal acquisition unit 690 is stored in, for example, the terminal storage unit 610 or the like.

[0071] In this embodiment, the terminal device 600 can transmit information based on information received by the terminal receiving unit 620 through communication by non-contact communication means and information based on a detection result of sound waves acquired by the terminal acquiring unit 690 using the microphone 691 to the information processing device 100 by the terminal transmitting unit 670. The information based on the received information may be the received information itself, or may be information acquired using the received information. The information based on the detection result of sound waves acquired by the microphone 691 may be the detection result of sound waves itself, or may be information acquired using the detection result of sound waves. The information based on information received by the terminal receiving unit 620 through communication by non-contact communication means and information based on a detection result of sound waves acquired by the terminal acquiring unit 690 using the microphone 691 may be called terminal reception information. In addition, the terminal device 600 can transmit information based on a user's operation accepted by the terminal accepting unit 630 and a detection result detected by the motion detecting unit 680 to the information processing device 100 by the terminal transmitting unit 670.

[0072] The information to be transmitted is preferably transmitted in association with a user identifier stored in the terminal storage unit 610. That is, it is preferable for the terminal device 600 to transmit a user identifier capable of identifying the user who uses the terminal device 600 to the information processing device 100. That is, the terminal transmitting unit 670 is configured to transmit terminal reception information based on the information transmitted from the vending machine 700 and received by the terminal receiving unit 620 to the information processing device 100 together with information used to dispense products from the vending machine 700.

[0073] In this embodiment, the terminal device 600 may be configured to function as a code reader capable of reading barcodes, two-dimensional codes, multi-dimensional codes, and the like. Such a function is realized by a known configuration, and may be configured, for example, so long as the terminal processing unit 640 is configured to be able to acquire the read result based on information (such as an image or a signal indicating the read result) acquired by the terminal acquisition unit 690. By using such a function, the terminal device 600 is capable of reading access information displayed as a barcode, two-dimensional code, multi-dimensional code, and the like, and performing various processes using the access information. For example, when access destination information (including access destination information usable in a specific web service) such as a URI to a web page or other resource is used as the access information, it is possible to access the access destination using the information. Also, when a destination such as an e-mail address or various text messages (including those that can be sent by messaging services such as SNS) is used as the access information, it is possible to send information to the destination. Also, when a registration code such as a keyword or password corresponding to a specific web service or specific software functioning in the terminal device 600 is used as the access information, it is possible to input the registration code to the web service, software, or the like.

[0074] Next, the configuration of the vending machine 700 will be described.

[0075] When a predetermined dispensing condition is satisfied, the vending machine 700 can sell one product selected by the user from among two or more products to the user. The predetermined dispensing condition is, for example, but not limited to, that the user has performed a product selection operation, that the product is available for sale, and that a predetermined payment condition is satisfied. The predetermined payment condition being satisfied means that the price of the product has been paid (payment has been made), but may also be that it has been confirmed that a seller who sells products using the vending machine 700 can obtain the payment. The predetermined payment condition being satisfied may also be that it has been confirmed that the user has the right to receive the product, and may also be that information on a coupon that can be exchanged for the product has been confirmed. Note that the vending machine 700 may be able to sell one product selected by the vending machine 700 to the user when the predetermined dispensing condition is satisfied. In this case, the predetermined dispensing condition may be, for example, that a predetermined price has been paid, and the selection of the product may be performed by the vending machine processing unit 740 or the like according to a predetermined method that can be set appropriately. In addition, the vending machine 700 may be configured to be able to sell only one specific product to the user. The dispensing conditions may also be called sales conditions.

[0076] 3, in this embodiment, vending machine 700 includes a vending machine communication unit 720, a product dispensing unit 705, a cashier unit 707, a display device 708, and a vending machine control unit 709. Vending machine control unit 709 includes, for example, a vending machine storage unit 710, a vending machine reception unit 730, and a vending machine processing unit 740.

[0077] The product dispensing unit 705 has a product storage unit 706. The product dispensing unit 705 is a mechanism that takes out the products to be sold from the product storage unit 706 and dispenses the taken-out products to a product outlet.

[0078] Product storage section 706 is a section that stores products that can be sold. It may be provided with a cooling function, a heat retention function, etc. Products are stored in product storage section 706 corresponding to each of a plurality of columns provided in vending machine 700. Here, a column refers to a product shelf in vending machine 700, and one or more of the same product can be stored in one column. Here, the product shelf is an expression that does not matter whether it is actually provided in vending machine 700 or is virtually provided. Selecting a product in vending machine 700 may be said to be selecting a column corresponding to the product to be selected.

[0079] The teller unit 707 accepts money inserted into the vending machine 700. The teller unit 707 is composed of a coin counter that distinguishes and counts inserted coins, a bill counter that distinguishes and counts bills, and the like.

[0080] The display device 708 is a display capable of displaying information in the form of a character string. The display device 708 may be capable of displaying, for example, only characters indicating numbers. Also, for example, the display device 708 may be configured to be capable of displaying information indicating the status of the vending machine and other information in addition to the information in the form of a character string. In this embodiment, the display device 708 is capable of displaying information to be provided to the user regarding the sale of a product, such as the price of the product to be sold, the amount of money inserted into the vending machine 700, and the amount of change. The display device 708 may be configured to be capable of displaying at least one of the price of the product to be sold, the amount of money inserted into the vending machine 700, and the amount of change. For example, a segment type display or a dot matrix type display can be used as the display device 708.

[0081] Such display device 708, product dispensing section 705, and cashier section 707 can be realized by known configurations.

[0082] The vending machine communication unit 720 receives information transmitted from the information processing device 100 via the network. The vending machine communication unit 720 stores the received information, for example, in the vending machine storage unit 710, so that the vending machine processing unit 740 or the like can acquire the information. The vending machine communication unit 720 also transmits information acquired by, for example, the vending machine processing unit 740 or the like via the network.

[0083] In this embodiment, the vending machine communication unit 720 has a first communication unit 701 and a second communication unit 702 for communicating with the terminal device 600 and the like.

[0084] The first communication unit 701 has a sound wave output unit 703 configured to be able to output sound waves. The sound waves are sound waves in the audible range, but may also be sound waves in the inaudible range or so-called ultrasonic sound waves.

[0085] In this embodiment, the sound wave output unit 703 is, for example, a speaker for outputting audible sound such as a voice for guiding the user. It may be said that the sound wave output unit 703 is a communication means for communicating with an output destination device by outputting sound waves. The sound wave output unit 703 is not limited to a speaker, and may be configured using other devices capable of outputting sound waves. In addition, the sound wave output unit 703 may be provided exclusively for communication.

[0086] In this embodiment, the first communication unit 701 is configured to be able to transmit authentication information and a transmission source identifier between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 using the sound wave output unit 703. That is, the first communication unit 701 can transmit the authentication information and the transmission source identifier from the vending machine 700 to the terminal device 600. The first communication unit 701 may be called a sound wave transmission unit, a sound wave communication unit, or a voice communication unit.

[0087] Here, the authentication information is information for authenticating the device that is the sender. In the present embodiment, the authentication information is, for example, information based on timing information indicating the date and time when a specific condition is satisfied. The authentication information is, for example, encoded information obtained using timing information and a predetermined constant or the like. The authentication information may be, for example, a time code. The authentication information may be, for example, information that is unique for each vending machine 700 according to the date and time. Note that the authentication information is not limited to information that corresponds to such timing information indicating the date and time, and may be a unique value identified by one vending machine at the timing when a specific condition is satisfied.

[0088] In this embodiment, the authentication information is information acquired using, for example, timing information and identification information transmitted from the information processing device 100. The identification information is, for example, received by the vending machine communication unit 720 and stored in the vending machine storage unit 710 described later. For example, when transmitting information using the sound wave output unit 703, the first communication unit 701 acquires the timing information and the identification information stored in the vending machine storage unit 710 to identify the authentication information. That is, the first communication unit 701 is configured to be able to transmit authentication information based on the identification information transmitted from the information processing device 100 between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600. Note that the authentication information is the identification information transmitted from the information processing device 100, and may be the identification information itself based on the timing information. In this case, it may be expressed that the authentication information is transmitted from the information processing device 100 to the vending machine 700.

[0089] The transmission source identifier is information capable of identifying a transmission source device. For example, a vending machine identifier capable of identifying the transmission source vending machine 700 is used as the transmission source identifier. That is, the first communication unit 701 is configured to be able to transmit the transmission source identifier using sound waves.

[0090] In the present embodiment, the first communication unit 701, i.e., the vending machine communication unit 720, is further configured to be able to transmit authentication information and a transmission source identifier to the information processing device 100. The authentication information is the same information as the authentication information transmitted using the sound wave output unit 703. The transmission timing is, for example, the timing when transmission using the sound wave output unit 703 is started or the timing during transmission, but is not limited to this. Note that, when a product selection operation is accepted, the first communication unit 701 may be configured to transmit information capable of identifying the selected product, such as information identifying a column, to the information processing device 100 in the same manner as the authentication information, etc.

[0091] The second communication unit 702 has a non-contact communication unit 704 for communicating with an output destination device by a method other than the method using sound waves. The non-contact communication unit 704 is configured to be able to communicate with, for example, the terminal device 600 or the like by non-contact communication means. The vending machine 700 is configured to be able to realize so-called cashless payment between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 configured to be able to use any of various payment methods. The non-contact communication unit 704 may further be configured to be able to perform non-contact communication with a credit card, a prepaid card, or the like.

[0092] Such non-contact communication unit 704 can be realized by a known configuration, for example, a module for short-distance wireless communication, a reading module for reading an IC tag by NFC, or the like.

[0093] The second communication unit 702 is configured to, for example, communicate with the terminal device 600 to obtain information about the payment means from the terminal device 600. As a result, the vending machine processing unit 740 is configured to communicate with another device to execute payment as necessary and to settle the price of the product using that payment means. The second communication unit 702 may also be configured to, for example, communicate with the terminal device 600 to transmit information so that the terminal device 600 performs payment using the payment means and to receive information that the payment has been completed.

[0094] In the vending machine storage unit 710, for example, a vending machine identifier capable of identifying the vending machine 700 or a vending machine identifier capable of identifying a vending entity including the vending machine 700 is stored.

[0095] The vending machine reception unit 730 receives various input operations for the vending machine 700 by a user who uses the vending machine 700. An example of an input operation is a product selection operation. The product selection operation is performed using product selection buttons (not shown) each set to correspond to one or more columns, but is not limited to this. A column selection operation using a cursor key, a selection confirmation key, or the like may be received as a product selection operation.

[0096] The vending machine processing unit 740 controls the operation of the vending machine 700 based on the input operation accepted by the vending machine acceptance unit 730, the program to be executed, etc. For example, when a product selection operation is performed and a sufficient payment is made, the vending machine processing unit 740 sells the corresponding product and dispenses the product to the user via the product dispensing unit 705.

[0097] Next, the configuration of the information processing device 100 will be described.

[0098] 4, the information processing device 100 includes a storage unit 110, a receiving unit 120, a accepting unit 130, a processing unit 140, and a transmitting unit 170. The information processing device 100 is, for example, a server device.

[0099] The storage unit 110 includes a vending machine information storage unit 111 , a product information storage unit 113 , and a user information storage unit 115 .

[0100] A vending machine identifier and vending machine information about a vending machine 700 corresponding to the vending machine identifier are stored in association with each other in the vending machine information storage unit 111. A vending machine identifier and vending machine information about a group of multiple vending machines 700 included in a vending entity corresponding to the vending machine identifier may also be stored in association with each other.

[0101] The vending machine information may include, for example, various information related to the vending machine 700. In the present embodiment, the vending machine information may include, for example, installation information related to the organization that installs the vending machine 700 and the area in which the vending machine 700 is installed, information related to the model of the vending machine 700, and information related to the sales of the vending machine 700. The vending machine information may be interpreted as including a vending machine identifier. In other words, the vending machine information may be information in which the vending machine identifier is associated with vending machine information other than the vending machine identifier.

[0102] The product information storage unit 113 stores information indicating the correspondence between product information on the products stored in the product storage unit 706 and information specifying the columns (product identifiers in this embodiment) in each vending machine 700. For example, this information is associated with a vending machine identifier that identifies each vending machine 700. In other words, by using the information stored in the product information storage unit 113, it is possible to obtain product information on the product to be purchased based on the information specifying the column, i.e., the product identifier corresponding to the product to be purchased, and the vending machine identifier from which the product is purchased.

[0103] In the present embodiment, the product identifier is an identifier for identifying a column (for example, a number assigned to a column). Regardless of the existence of the concept of columns, the product identifier may be a product number assigned to a product in the vending machine 700 or an identifier capable of identifying the product itself.

[0104] Furthermore, the product information is various attribute values ​​related to one product, such as an identifier capable of identifying one product, the product name of the product, information related to the product price, and the like.

[0105] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of product information used in the information processing device 100. As shown in FIG.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 5, for example, the product information is information indicating which product is stored in which column in which vending machine 700 and can be sold at what price. That is, the product information includes an identifier that can identify one product, attribute values ​​regarding the price of the product, and the like. These pieces of information are associated with one vending machine identifier and the column number (prize identifier) ​​of the column in which the product is stored. This makes it possible to identify the product information stored in the column based on the vending machine identifier and the column number. For example, it can be seen that in the vending machine 700 with the vending machine identifier "234569", a product identified by the identifier "AB02" is stored in the column with the column number "4". It can also be seen that the product is sold in the vending machine 700 for 130 yen. Using such product information, the information processing device 100 can identify the price of the product designated as the dispensing target in each vending machine 700.

[0107] 4, various pieces of user information related to the user are stored in the user information storage unit 115 in association with a user identifier capable of identifying the user. For example, the user information may include history information related to sales of products for each user, contact information for the user, and various other attribute values ​​related to the user.

[0108] In this embodiment, the user information may include, for example, dispensing means information related to the dispensing means of the user. The dispensing means information may be, for example, information used for payment using a credit card, information used for payment using a wallet or the like that has been deposited in advance, information used for electronic payment such as so-called code payment, or information on a bank account, but is not limited to these. For example, it may be information indicating that the user has the right to dispense a product, such as coupon information. The coupon information may include, for example, information that can identify the type of product that can be dispensed, the amount of the product, information on the expiration date, and other information on the conditions under which the coupon can be used. Such dispensing means information can be identified by a user identifier. In other words, the user identifier and information such as the dispensing means information corresponding thereto can be said to be information used to dispense products from the vending machine 700.

[0109] In this embodiment, as described later, a user identifier that can be specified based on information transmitted from the terminal device 600 that communicates with the vending machine 700 may be used as information used to dispense products from the vending machine 700. However, this is not limited to this, and dispensing means information itself may be transmitted from the terminal device 600 to the vending machine 700 and stored in the user information storage unit 115, and the information may be used as information used to dispense products from the vending machine 700.

[0110] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of user information used in the information processing device 100. As shown in FIG.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the user information is recorded in association with a user identifier, including contact information of a user, terminal model information capable of identifying the model of the terminal device 600 used, and a dispensing means identifier capable of identifying dispensing means information. Other information may be included, or contact information and terminal model information may not be included. The dispensing means information identified by the dispensing means identifier is recorded, for example, in another table, or may be recorded in the table shown in FIG. 6. Such user information allows the dispensing means information corresponding to the user identifier to be identified. In addition, the terminal model information may be used to identify whether or not the terminal device 600 used by the user can perform non-contact communication with a device such as a vending machine 700 by any communication means.

[0112] Returning to Fig. 4, the receiving unit 120 receives information transmitted from another device. The receiving unit 120 stores the received information in, for example, the storage unit 110. When the receiving unit 120 receives such information from the terminal device 600, it is capable of identifying the user identifier of the user related to the transmission based on the transmitted user identifier.

[0113] The reception unit 130 receives information input using an input means (not shown) connected to the information processing device 100. The reception unit 130 stores the received information in, for example, the storage unit 110. The input means may be any means, such as a numeric keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, or a menu screen. The reception unit 130 may receive information input by an input operation (including, for example, information read by a device) performed using a reading device (for example, a code reader, etc.) connected to the information processing device 100.

[0114] The accepting unit 130 may be regarded as accepting the information received by the receiving unit 120 as information input to the information processing device 100. In other words, the input of information to the information processing device 100 may be interpreted as meaning that the information is indirectly input to the information processing device 100 by the user via the terminal device 600 or the like, or may be interpreted as meaning that the information is directly input to the information processing device 100 by the user using an input means. In addition, the input of information to the information processing device 100 may be regarded as the user providing information to the information processing device 100 by executing a program that automatically generates information or by providing various information to a program to make it function.

[0115] The processing unit 140 performs various types of processing. The various types of processing are, for example, processing performed by each unit of the processing unit 140 as follows.

[0116] The processing unit 140 includes an identification information transmitting unit 141 , an acquiring unit 145 , a determining unit 151 , and an output unit 160 .

[0117] In this embodiment, the processing unit 140 is configured to obtain the results of communication between the terminal device 600 of the user attempting to purchase a product and the vending machine 700 from the terminal device 600, and to determine whether or not the conditions for dispensing the product are met accordingly.

[0118] That is, the identification information transmitting unit 141 transmits the identification information related to the time code to the vending machine 700 via the transmitting unit 170. This enables each vending machine 700 to transmit authentication information.

[0119] The acquisition unit 145 is configured to be able to acquire first information based on a reception result of information transmitted between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 by the first communication unit 701. The first information may be the information received from the terminal device 600 itself, or may be information acquired by performing a predetermined information processing or the like based on the received information. In this embodiment, for example, when the authentication information and the transmission source identifier are transmitted from the vending machine 700 to the terminal device 600 by the first communication unit 701, the terminal device 600 receives them. The terminal device 600 is configured to transmit the received information to the information processing device 100, and the acquisition unit 145 acquires the first information based on the information including the authentication information and the transmission source identifier.

[0120] The acquisition unit 145 is configured to be able to acquire second information based on the communication result using the second communication unit 702. The second information may be the information itself received from the terminal device 600, or may be information acquired by performing a predetermined information processing or the like based on the received information. The second information may include, for example, information indicating that the communication using the second communication unit 702 has been successfully established, or that the communication using the second communication unit 702 has been successfully completed. In addition, as the second information, for example, information related to the dispensation of a product, such as information used for dispensing a product or information indicating that the price of the product has been paid through communication between the terminal device 600 and the vending machine 700, may be acquired. The second information may be a vending machine identifier capable of identifying the vending machine 700 acquired by the terminal device 600 using the second communication unit 702, or information acquired based on the vending machine identifier.

[0121] The acquiring unit 145 may acquire the price of a product when information identifying the product to be purchased is transmitted from the terminal device 600 or the vending machine 700. The price can be acquired, for example, based on the product information stored in the product information storage unit 113. For example, a transmission source identifier or a vending machine identifier and information identifying a column can be used as the information identifying the product to be purchased.

[0122] The determination unit 151 determines whether or not a predetermined condition regarding the dispensing of a product using the vending machine 700 is satisfied, using at least one of the first information and the second information acquired by the acquisition unit 145. The predetermined condition may be said to be an instruction condition.

[0123] The instruction condition may include, for example, that the price of the product has been paid or that it has been determined that payment is possible. For example, when the price of the product has been paid using the user's payment means information specified by the first information, it can be determined that the price of the product has been paid. Also, for example, when a predetermined amount of payment is possible using the user's payment means information specified by the first information or the second information, it can be determined that the price of the product is payable. The ability to pay a predetermined amount of money means, for example, that there is a predetermined balance (payment capacity) or that credit card payment is possible. Note that such a determination may be made based on the amount of the price of the product when the price is acquired by the acquisition unit 145. Also, for example, when information indicating that the price of the product has been paid is acquired by the second information, it can be determined that the price of the product has been paid.

[0124] The instruction condition may include the satisfaction of the dispensing condition as described above. For example, when a user selects a product and it is determined that the product is available for sale, it can be determined that the dispensing condition is satisfied if it is determined that the price of the product has been paid or that the price is payable using the first information or the second information as described above.

[0125] The instruction condition may include that the vending machine 700 identified by the vending machine identifier or the transmission source identifier and the terminal device 600 corresponding to the user identifier have become communicable (paired) by the first communication unit 701 or the second communication unit 702. For example, if information obtained when paired is acquired as the second information, it can be determined that the instruction condition is satisfied. In addition, if the authentication information transmitted as the first information corresponds to authentication information recognized as being output from the vending machine 700 identified by the transmission source identifier, for example, authentication information transmitted from the vending machine 700 to the information processing device 100, it can be determined that the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 have become communicable. The determination of whether communication has been enabled by the first communication unit 701 may be interpreted as being performed as follows. That is, it may be said that the determination unit 151 is configured to make a determination using the identification information transmitted to the vending machine 700 by the identification information transmission unit 141 and the first information acquired by the acquisition unit 145. In this case, the judgment unit 151 judges whether the identification information transmitted to the vending machine 700 corresponds to the authentication information based on the first information (for example, whether the authentication information is based on the identification information), and uses the result to judge whether the specified condition is satisfied.

[0126] Here, it may be said that the identification of the cooperation relationship using the authentication information is performed by the acquisition unit 145. For example, the acquisition unit 145 may be configured to determine whether or not a predetermined specific condition is satisfied by using information including the authentication information and the transmission source identifier transmitted from the terminal device 600 and the authentication information and the transmission source identifier transmitted to the information processing device 100 by the first communication unit 701. Then, when it is determined that the specific condition is satisfied, the acquisition unit 145 may be configured to acquire information including the authentication information and the transmission source identifier transmitted from the terminal device 600 as the first information. That is, it may be configured to acquire information including the transmission source identifier when it is determined that the specific condition is satisfied as the first information. In this case, it may be said that the acquisition unit 145 is configured to be able to acquire the first information based on the reception result of the information transmitted between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 by the first communication unit 701 and the information transmitted to the information processing device 100 by the first communication unit 701. With such a configuration, the cooperation relationship between the terminal device 600 and the vending machine 700 can be reliably identified in the information processing device 100.

[0127] In either case, by having the processing unit 140 essentially compare the authentication information based on the communication result by the first communication unit 701 with the information based on the communication between the vending machine 700 and the information processing device 100, the collaborative relationship between the terminal device 600 and the vending machine 700 can be reliably identified in the information processing device 100.

[0128] The output unit 160 outputs an instruction regarding dispensing of a product, depending on the result of the determination made by the determination unit 151 as to whether or not the instruction condition regarding dispensing of the product is satisfied. The instruction regarding dispensing of the product may be, for example, an instruction to dispense the product, an instruction not to dispense the product, or an instruction used to determine the dispensing condition in the vending machine 700. The output unit 160 outputs the instruction, for example, by transmitting the instruction via the transmission unit 170.

[0129] In this embodiment, for example, when it is determined that the instruction condition is satisfied, output unit 160 outputs an instruction to dispense a product to vending machine 700. For example, the determination result regarding the instruction condition itself may be output to vending machine 700 as an instruction to dispense a product. Also, for example, based on the determination result that the dispensing condition is satisfied, an instruction to dispense a product may be output to vending machine 700. Also, when it is determined that the instruction condition is not satisfied, the result may be output to vending machine 700.

[0130] When an instruction to dispense a product is output by output unit 160 in this manner, vending machine communication unit 720 in vending machine 700 receives the instruction. In response to the received instruction, vending machine control unit 709 can then control the operation of vending machine 700, for example, to dispense a product or to perform a specified operation when a product is not to be dispensed.

[0131] The transmitting unit 170 transmits information via the network to other devices constituting the dispensing system 1. The transmitting unit 170 transmits information to be output to, for example, the vending machine 700, the terminal device 600, and other devices.

[0132] The storage unit 110, the terminal storage unit 610, and the vending machine storage unit 710 are preferably non-volatile recording media, but may also be volatile recording media. Each of these stores information acquired by the respective devices, but the process by which the information is stored is not limited to this. For example, the information may be stored via a recording medium, information transmitted via a communication line, or information inputted via an input device may be stored.

[0133] Furthermore, the above-mentioned processing unit 140, terminal processing unit 640, and vending machine processing unit 740 can usually be realized by an MPU, memory, etc. The processing procedures of the processing unit 140, terminal processing unit 640, and vending machine processing unit 740 are usually realized by software, and the software is recorded in a recording medium such as a ROM. However, they may also be realized by hardware (dedicated circuitry).

[0134] Furthermore, the input means that can be used to input information that can be accepted by acceptance unit 130, terminal acceptance unit 630, and vending machine acceptance unit 730 may be anything, such as an operation button, a numeric keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, a menu screen, etc. Acceptance unit 130, terminal acceptance unit 630, and vending machine acceptance unit 730 can be realized by a device driver for an input means such as a numeric keypad or a keyboard, control software for a menu screen, etc.

[0135] Furthermore, the receiving unit 120 and the terminal receiving unit 620 are usually realized by wireless or wired communication means, but may be realized by means for receiving broadcasts.

[0136] Furthermore, the transmitting unit 170 and the terminal transmitting unit 670 are usually realized by wireless or wired communication means, but may be realized by broadcasting means.

[0137] In this embodiment, the dispensing system 1 is configured as follows. That is, when communication using the second communication unit 702 is performed normally, the judgment unit 151 makes a judgment regarding a predetermined condition using the second information, and when communication using the second communication unit 702 is not performed normally, the judgment unit 151 makes a judgment regarding the predetermined condition using the first information. For example, when the second information is not acquired by the acquisition unit 145 or when information indicating that communication using the second communication unit 702 is not performed normally is transmitted from the terminal device 600, the judgment unit 151 makes a judgment using the first information.

[0138] In this way, by giving priority to the second information over the first information based on the result of communication using sound waves and making a judgment on a predetermined condition, the following advantages are obtained. That is, when communication can be performed using the second communication unit 702, which has the possibility of relatively quickly performing processing linking the terminal device 600 and the vending machine 700, a judgment on dispensing of a product is made smoothly. On the other hand, even when communication using the second communication unit 702 cannot be performed, communication using sound waves using the first communication unit 701 can be performed to perform processing linking the terminal device 600 and the vending machine 700, and a judgment on dispensing of a product is made. It is not necessarily necessary to provide special hardware or the like in order to adopt a communication means different from the second communication unit 702, and a more reliable judgment can be made relatively easily.

[0139] Note that such an operation may be realized, for example, by communication using the first communication unit 701 and transmission of the communication result to the information processing device 100, and communication using the second communication unit 702 and transmission of the communication result to the information processing device 100 being performed at any time, and a decision being made in the information processing device 100 to prioritize the second information, but is not limited to this.

[0140] For example, the terminal device 600 may be configured to receive information transmitted from the first communication unit 701 when communication using the second communication unit 702 is not performed normally. That is, in this case, the terminal device 600 may be said to include a terminal receiving unit 620 that is a receiving unit configured to receive information transmitted from the first communication unit 701 when communication using the second communication unit 702 is not performed normally. Such an operation may be performed as follows. For example, information based on a result of communication performed previously by the second communication unit 702 may be transmitted from the terminal device 600 to the information processing device 100, and an instruction to start receiving information from the first communication unit 701 may be transmitted from the information processing device 100 to the terminal device 600 based on the result. Also, the terminal device 600 that attempted communication using the second communication unit 702 may operate to start receiving information transmitted using the first communication unit 701 according to the result of communication using the second communication unit 702. For example, the communication unit may be configured to start receiving information transmitted using the first communication unit 701 when communication has not been completed normally even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of an attempt to communicate using the second communication unit 702, or when specified information has been received or an operation has been accepted since the start of an attempt to communicate using the second communication unit 702.

[0141] Also, for example, when communication between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 by the second communication unit 702 is attempted first, and the communication using the second communication unit 702 is not normally performed, the first communication unit 701 in the vending machine 700 may be configured to start transmitting the authentication information and the transmission source identifier using sound waves. Such an operation may be performed as follows. For example, information based on the result of the communication performed first by the second communication unit 702 may be transmitted from the terminal device 600 to the information processing device 100, and an instruction to start transmission using the first communication unit 701 may be transmitted from the information processing device 100 to the vending machine 700 based on the transmitted information. Also, the vending machine 700 that attempted communication using the second communication unit 702 may operate to start transmission using the first communication unit 701 according to the result of the communication using the second communication unit 702.

[0142] As described above, the notification output unit 642 may be configured to output a notification regarding communication between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 using the first communication unit 701 to the user who uses the terminal device 600 in these cases. For example, in a case where communication using the second communication unit 702 is not performed normally, the notification output unit 642 may be configured to give a notification when the terminal device 600 starts receiving information from the first communication unit 701 or transmits an instruction to the vending machine 700 to start transmission using the first communication unit 701. This allows the user to know that communication by sound waves is being performed and to respond appropriately.

[0143] In this embodiment, the first communication unit 701 and the second communication unit 702 provided in the vending machine 700 start operation for communication when a predetermined instruction (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a preparation instruction) for preparing the vending machine 700 to dispense a commodity is received. That is, the first communication unit 701 is configured to start transmitting authentication information and a transmission source identifier when a preparation instruction for the vending machine 700 is received. Also, the second communication unit 702 is configured to start communication with the terminal device 600 when a preparation instruction for the vending machine 700 is received. Such an operation can be said to be performed by the vending machine control unit 709 performing control. Note that, when a preparation instruction for the vending machine 700 is received, the second communication unit 702 first starts operation, and then, when a predetermined situation occurs (for example, when communication using the second communication unit 702 cannot be performed as described above), the first communication unit 701 may start operation.

[0144] Here, the reception of the preparation instruction means, for example, pressing a selection button for a column (product), but is not limited to this. It may also mean that other operations such as starting a process related to the dispensing of a product are received by the vending machine 700, that an instruction to start a process is sent directly or indirectly to the vending machine 700 from the information processing device 100, or that a human sensor or the like provided in the vending machine 700 detects that a user (or something that may be a user) is approaching the vending machine 700.

[0145] In addition, starting communication means, but is not limited to, starting communication for actually transmitting information or starting output of sound waves. For example, going into a standby state for starting communication or starting output of sound waves may be referred to as starting communication here.

[0146] An example of the operation performed by the dispensing system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described below. A user using the terminal device 600 links the terminal device 600 and the vending machine 700 so that they can communicate using at least one of the first communication unit 701 and the second communication unit 702. In this case, information including the vending machine identifier of the vending machine 700 is transmitted from the terminal device 600 to the information processing device 100, and the information processing device 100 uses the transmitted information to determine whether or not an instruction condition regarding the dispensing of a product is satisfied. For example, a user using the terminal device 600 can use the terminal device 600 in a state in which a predetermined application operating on the terminal device 600 is operating, but this is not limited to this. For example, the terminal device 600 may be used by using a web application that becomes available by accessing a predetermined web page or the like using the terminal device 600.

[0147] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the vending machine 700.

[0148] The following process is executed periodically or repeatedly by the vending machine processing unit 740 controlling each unit of the vending machine 700.

[0149] (Step S111) The vending machine processing unit 740 determines whether or not a preparation instruction for preparing for dispensing of a product has been accepted. In this embodiment, for example, the vending machine processing unit 740 determines whether or not an operation to press a selection button in a column has been accepted by the vending machine 700. If it is determined that a preparation instruction has been accepted, the process proceeds to step S112, and if not, the same process is repeated.

[0150] (Step S112) The vending machine processing unit 740 acquires the identification information transmitted from the information processing device 100, and acquires authentication information based on the identification information. For example, the vending machine processing unit 740 may acquire the identification information transmitted from the information processing device 100 at this opportunity, or may acquire the identification information received in advance and stored in the storage unit 110.

[0151] (Step S113) Vending machine processing unit 740 starts outputting authentication information and the like by sound waves through first communication unit 701. In addition, vending machine processing unit 740 transmits the authentication information and the like to information processing device 100.

[0152] (Step S114) The vending machine processing unit 740 performs contactless communication using the second communication unit 702. Communication between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 is performed or an attempt to perform communication is made.

[0153] (Step S115) The vending machine processing unit 740 judges whether or not communication with the terminal device 600 using the second communication unit 702 has been established and the payment conditions have been satisfied. If it is determined that communication has been established and the payment conditions have been satisfied, the process proceeds to step S119; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S116.

[0154] (Step S116) The vending machine processing unit 740 judges whether or not an instruction regarding dispensing of a product has been acquired from the information processing device 100. If it is determined that an instruction has been acquired, the process proceeds to step S119, and if not, the process proceeds to step S117.

[0155] (Step S117) The vending machine processing unit 740 judges whether or not a predetermined timeout period has elapsed from a predetermined start time (whether or not a timeout has occurred). The predetermined start time may be, for example, the timing at which a preparation instruction is received, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be the timing at which sound wave output is started, or the timing at which non-contact communication processing using the second communication unit 702 is started. If it is determined that a timeout has occurred, the process proceeds to step S118, and if not, the process returns to step S114. In other words, if a timeout occurs in a state where communication using the second communication unit 702 is not established and an instruction regarding dispensing based on the first information or the like is not issued from the information processing device 100, the process proceeds to step S118.

[0156] (Step S118) The vending machine processing unit 740 performs an error action. The error action may include, for example, stopping a series of communication actions. The error action may also include outputting to the information processing device 100, the terminal device 600, or another device a message indicating that dispensing will not be performed as a result. The error action may also include an action of notifying a user in front of the vending machine 700 that an error has occurred, for example by displaying on a display unit or the like of the vending machine 700 that an error has occurred.

[0157] (Step S119) The vending machine processing unit 740 determines whether or not the dispensing conditions are satisfied. If it is determined that the dispensing conditions are satisfied, the process proceeds to step S120, and if not, the process proceeds to step S118.

[0158] (Step S120) The vending machine processing unit 740 sells the selected product. That is, the vending machine processing unit 740 dispenses the product contained in the product container unit 706 by the product dispensing unit 705.

[0159] When the process of step S120 or step S118 is performed, the series of operations ends.

[0160] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the terminal device 600.

[0161] The following process is executed, for example, by the terminal processing unit 640 controlling each unit of the terminal device 600. The following process is started, for example, when a user using the terminal device 600 causes the vending machine 700 to dispense a product. More specifically, the following process may be started, for example, when an application executed to use the dispensing system 1 is started in the terminal device 600, or when a predetermined operation by the user is detected in the application. Note that the process may be started at a different timing.

[0162] (Step S131) ​​The terminal processing unit 640 performs contactless communication processing with the vending machine 700. That is, communication using the second communication unit 702 is performed between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600, or communication is attempted.

[0163] (Step S132) The device processing unit 640 determines whether or not the communication has been completed normally in the non-contact communication process. If it is determined that the communication has been completed normally, the process proceeds to step S137, and if not, the process proceeds to step S134. For example, if the communication is completed before a predetermined timeout period has elapsed, the device processing unit 640 can determine that the communication has been completed normally, but the method of determination is not limited to this.

[0164] (Step S133) The device processing unit 640 starts receiving the information transmitted from the first communication unit 701 via the terminal receiving unit 620 between the vending machine 700. In addition, in this embodiment, the device processing unit 640 notifies the user that reception of the information transmitted from the first communication unit 701 has started, i.e., that sound waves are being received.

[0165] (Step S134) The device processing unit 640 judges whether or not acquisition of information transmitted from the first communication unit 701 has been completed during the time from the predetermined start point until a predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined start point can be, for example, the timing when sound wave reception starts, but is not limited to this. For example, it may be the timing when non-contact communication processing starts. If it is determined that acquisition of information has been completed, proceed to step S136, and if not, proceed to step S135.

[0166] (Step S135) The terminal processing unit 640 notifies the user that communication with the vending machine 700 could not be performed normally. In other words, it notifies the user that a communication error has occurred. The notification can be performed, for example, by displaying information on the display unit of the terminal device 600, but is not limited to this.

[0167] (Step S136) Terminal processing unit 640 transmits to information processing device 100 the transmission source identifier (ie, the vending machine identifier) ​​received by sound waves and the authentication information.

[0168] (Step S137) The terminal processing unit 640 acquires the result information. The result information is, for example, information related to the result of communication between the terminal device 600 and the vending machine 700. More specifically, the result information may include, for example, information indicating that the communication has been completed normally, that the product has been dispensed, that the price has been paid, or other information. The terminal processing unit 640 can acquire the result information based on, for example, information transmitted from the information processing device 100. The information transmitted from the information processing device 100 may be the result information itself, or the result information may be acquired using the transmitted information. The terminal processing unit 640 may also acquire the result information using information transmitted from the vending machine 700.

[0169] (Step S138) The terminal processing unit 640 outputs information to the user based on the result information. This allows the user to recognize information based on the result information, such as, for example, that the communication has been completed normally, that the product has been dispensed, or that the price has been paid. The information can be displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 600, for example, but is not limited to this.

[0170] When the process of step S135 or step S138 ends, the series of processes ends.

[0171] It should be noted that the reception of information transmitted from the first communication unit 701 may be performed in parallel with the communication between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 using the second communication unit 702 .

[0172] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the information processing device 100.

[0173] The following process is executed periodically or repeatedly by, for example, the processing unit 140 controlling each unit of the information processing device 100.

[0174] (Step S151) Processing unit 140 judges whether or not it is time to transmit identification information to information processing device 100. If it is judged that the timing has arrived, processing proceeds to step S152, otherwise, processing proceeds to step S153.

[0175] (Step S152) The processing unit 140 transmits the identification information to the information processing device 100.

[0176] (Step S153) Processing unit 140 judges whether or not information based on non-contact communication has been acquired from terminal device 600. If it is judged that information has been acquired, processing proceeds to step S154, and if not, processing proceeds to step S155.

[0177] (Step S154) The processing unit 140 acquires second information. For example, the processing unit 140 acquires information indicating that payment will be made through communication using the second communication unit 702.

[0178] (Step S155) The processing unit 140 judges whether or not authentication information, etc. has been received from the vending machine 700. If it is determined that authentication information, etc. transmitted by the vending machine 700 has been received, the process proceeds to step S156, and if not, the process proceeds to step S159.

[0179] (Step S156) The processing unit 140 judges whether or not a result of the communication using the first communication unit 701 has been received from the terminal device 600. If it is judged that a result of the communication using the first communication unit 701 has been received, the processing proceeds to step S157, otherwise, the processing proceeds to step S159.

[0180] (Step S157) The processing unit 140 determines whether or not a specific condition is satisfied, using information including the authentication information and the transmission source identifier transmitted from the terminal device 600, and the authentication information and the transmission source identifier transmitted to the information processing device 100 by the first communication unit 701. If it is determined that the specific condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S158, and if not, the process proceeds to step S159.

[0181] (Step S158) The processing unit 140 acquires the first information. For example, the processing unit 140 acquires the first information including the transmission source identifier, that is, the first information capable of identifying the dispensing means information.

[0182] (Step S159) Processing unit 140 determines whether the instruction condition is satisfied. For example, processing unit 140 determines whether the instruction condition is satisfied by using the second information acquired in step S154 and the first information acquired in step S158. If it is determined that the instruction condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S160, and if not, the process proceeds to step S161.

[0183] (Step S160) Processing unit 140 outputs an instruction to dispense the product to vending machine 700. In the present embodiment, for example, when such an instruction is output, vending machine 700 determines that the dispensing condition is satisfied, and dispenses the product.

[0184] (Step S161) On the other hand, processing unit 140 outputs an instruction to vending machine 700 not to dispense the product. In the present embodiment, for example, by outputting such an instruction, vending machine 700 does not determine that the dispensing condition is satisfied and does not dispense the product.

[0185] When the process of step S160 or step S161 ends, the series of processes ends.

[0186] Note that, if the second information is acquired in step S154, the process may proceed to step S159.

[0187] A specific example of the flow of processing and operations performed using the dispensing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0188] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing a specific example of the processing and operation performed by using the dispensing system 1.

[0189] (Step S11) The user starts an application on the terminal device 600.

[0190] (Step S12) The user performs a product selection operation to select a product to be dispensed from the vending machine 700. An operation to select a product (column) is performed.

[0191] (Step S13) The vending machine 700 transmits a product identifier for identifying the selected product (column) to the information processing device 100. In this case, information indicating the price of the product may also be transmitted. The price of the product may be obtained in the information processing device 100 based on the product identifier.

[0192] (Step S14) The vending machine 700 transmits the identification information to the information processing device 100.

[0193] Next, in this specific example, non-contact communication using the second communication unit 702 is performed from step S15.

[0194] (Step S15) The vending machine 700 starts contactless communication using the second communication unit 702. As a result, contactless communication is performed with the terminal device 600 that is brought close to the contactless communication unit 704.

[0195] (Step S16) The vending machine 700 determines that communication has been established and payment is possible as a result of attempting contactless communication with the terminal device 600. In other words, it determines that communication using the second communication unit 702 has been completed normally.

[0196] (Step S17) The vending machine 700 determines that the dispensing conditions are met, and dispenses the selected product.

[0197] (Step S18) The vending machine 700 transmits sales information related to the dispensing of the product to the information processing device 100. This makes it possible for the information processing device 100 to record that the product has been sold.

[0198] On the other hand, if the contactless communication is attempted but does not complete normally, the operations from step S19 onwards are performed. In this specific example, the operations from step S19 to step S27 are not performed if the processes from step S15 to step S18 have been performed.

[0199] (Step S19) The vending machine 700 starts communication using the first communication unit 701.

[0200] (Step S20) In this case, the terminal device 600 is notified that communication by sound waves will be performed. This allows the user to recognize that it is necessary to receive sound waves instead of non-contact communication, and to wait until the communication is completed.

[0201] (Step S21) The vending machine 700 transmits the authentication information acquired using the identification information and the vending machine identifier by sound waves using the first communication unit 701. The terminal device 600 receives the sound waves to acquire this information.

[0202] (Step S22) Furthermore, the vending machine 700 transmits the authentication information and the vending machine identifier to the information processing device 100.

[0203] (Step S23) When the terminal device 600 has completed receiving the information transmitted using the first communication unit 701, the terminal device 600 transmits the received information to the information processing device 100 in association with the user identifier.

[0204] (Step S24) The information processing device 100 identifies the terminal device 600 that cooperates with the vending machine 700 based on the information received in step S22 and the information received in step S23.

[0205] (Step S25) The information processing device 100 uses first information based on information transmitted using the first communication unit 701 and received by the terminal device 600 to determine whether the instruction condition is satisfied.

[0206] (Step S26) The information processing device 100 transmits to the vending machine 700 an instruction to dispense the product.

[0207] (Step S27) The vending machine 700 determines that the dispensing conditions are met, and dispenses the selected product.

[0208] In this way, when the product is dispensed in step S17 or step S27, the following operation is carried out in this specific example.

[0209] (Step S26) The information processing device 100 transmits result information to the terminal device 600.

[0210] (Step S27) Based on the result information, the terminal device 600 outputs information indicating the result of the operation, such as the fact that the product has been dispensed or the fact that the price has been paid, thereby letting the user know that the operation has ended.

[0211] When such processing and operations are performed, for example, a screen displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 600 by a client application running on the terminal device 600 will be as follows.

[0212] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the terminal device 600. As shown in FIG.

[0213] FIG. 11 shows an example of a display screen on the display unit from when an application is started on the terminal device 600 until a product is dispensed.

[0214] That is, when the application is started, first, a screen S1101 is displayed to the user to inform him or her that non-contact communication will be performed. The user places the terminal device 600 close to the vending machine communication unit 720 so that non-contact communication will be performed.

[0215] If it is determined that the non-contact communication is completed normally and the dispensing conditions are satisfied, the product is dispensed by the vending machine 700. In this case, the terminal device 600 displays, for example, a screen S1102 including result information indicating that the payment has been made and the product has been sold.

[0216] On the other hand, if the non-contact communication is not completed normally, communication by sound waves is performed. In this case, the terminal device 600 displays, for example, a notification screen S1103 indicating that communication by sound waves is being performed.

[0217] When the communication by sound waves is completed and an instruction to dispense the product is issued by information processing device 100 using the result, the product is dispensed by vending machine 700. In this case, for example, screen S1102 including result information is displayed on terminal device 600 in the same manner as described above.

[0218] In addition, the processing and operations performed using the dispensing system 1 are not limited to those shown in Fig. 10. For example, the processing may be performed in the information processing device 100 using the second information that is the communication result using the second communication unit 702.

[0219] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing a modified example of the processing and operation performed using dispensing system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0220] In Fig. 12, the flow of operations related to non-contact communication is changed from that shown in Fig. 10. That is, instead of steps S16 to S18 in Fig. 10, steps S41 and S42 and the corresponding processing from step S25 onwards are performed.

[0221] That is, when non-contact communication is started in step S15 and communication between the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 is established, in step S41, the vending machine identifier is transmitted from the vending machine 700 to the terminal device 600 by non-contact communication. Then, in step S42, the terminal device 600 transmits the received vending machine identifier to the information processing device 100 in association with the user identifier. By receiving the vending machine identifier and the user information based on the communication result by the second communication unit 702, the information processing device 100 can identify that the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 are linked. Then, the processes from step S25 onwards are performed in the same manner as described above, and the product is dispensed, etc.

[0222] On the other hand, if non-contact communication has not been established, communication using sound waves may be performed as shown in step S19 and subsequent steps, as described with reference to FIG.

[0223] As described above, according to this embodiment, the vending machine 700 and the terminal device 600 communicate using the first communication unit 701 or the second communication unit 702, and depending on the result of the communication, the information processing device 100 can determine whether or not a predetermined condition related to the dispensing of a product using the vending machine 700 is reliably satisfied. Even if communication on one side cannot be performed normally, communication on the other side may be possible, increasing the possibility of dispensing a product using the vending machine 700. The dispensing system 1 can be realized with a relatively simple hardware configuration.

[0224] The process in this embodiment may be realized by software. This software may be distributed by software download or the like. This software may be recorded on a recording medium such as an optical disk and distributed. The software for realizing the terminal device 600 of the dispensing system 1 in this embodiment is a program as follows. That is, this program is used to dispense products from a vending machine that can communicate with an information processing device, and is executed by a computer of a terminal device having a terminal storage unit in which information used to dispense products from the vending machine is stored. The program causes the terminal device to execute a terminal reception step of receiving information transmitted from the vending machine by a communication means using sound waves, a terminal communication step of communicating with the vending machine by a non-contact communication means different from the method using sound waves, and a terminal transmission step of transmitting terminal reception information based on the information transmitted from the vending machine received by the terminal reception step to the information processing device together with information used to dispense products from the vending machine.

[0225] In this embodiment, a vending machine and an information processing device capable of communicating with at least one of the vending machine and a terminal device in which information used to dispense products from the vending machine is stored are used, and the following product dispensing method is used when dispensing products using the vending machine to a user using the terminal device. This product dispensing method can be said to include a first communication step in which authentication information for authenticating the sending device and a sending source identifier capable of identifying the sending device are transmitted between the vending machine and the terminal device by a communication means using sound waves; a second communication step configured to perform communication between the vending machine and the terminal device by a non-contact communication means different from the method using sound waves; an acquisition step in which the information processing device acquires at least one of first information based on a reception result of the information transmitted between the vending machine and the terminal device by the first communication step and second information based on a communication result by the second communication step; a judgment step in which the information processing device judges whether or not a predetermined condition related to the dispensing of a product using the vending machine is satisfied using at least one of the first information and the second information acquired by the acquisition step; and an output step in which the information processing device outputs instructions related to dispensing a product according to the judgment result of the judgment step.

[0226] (Description of Modifications)

[0227] The above-described embodiment can also be modified as follows. In the following modified example, a simple system configuration can be used to increase the possibility that the vending machine 700 can dispense products using the terminal device 600.

[0228] For example, in the case where communication is performed using sound waves, the terminal device 600 may be configured to receive transmitted information based on detection of a predetermined operation on the terminal device 600.

[0229] For example, the terminal receiving unit 620 may be configured to receive information transmitted from the first communication unit 701 when the detection result of the user's action by the action detection unit 680 is specified to satisfy a predetermined action condition in a case where communication using the second communication unit 702 is not performed normally. For example, the terminal device 600 may be set to have been moved in a predetermined manner, or a swipe operation in a predetermined manner may be set as the predetermined action condition. In this way, when there is another device capable of receiving sound waves other than the terminal device 600, the terminal device 600 that the user wants to link to the vending machine 700 can be more reliably specified.

[0230] In addition, the information processing device 100 may determine whether or not the detection result of the user's motion by the motion detection unit 680 satisfies a predetermined motion condition. For example, information based on the previous communication result by the second communication unit 702 is transmitted from the terminal device 600 to the information processing device 100, and the detection result by the motion detection unit 680 is transmitted from the terminal device 600 to the information processing device 100. Then, the information processing device 100 determines whether or not communication using the second communication unit 702 is not normally performed and the detection result of the user's motion by the motion detection unit 680 satisfies a predetermined motion condition. Based on this determination result, the information processing device 100 may transmit an instruction to the terminal device 600 to start receiving information from the first communication unit 701.

[0231] (others)

[0232] In addition, in the above program, the transmitting step of transmitting information and the receiving step of receiving information do not include processing performed by hardware, such as processing performed by a modem or interface card in the transmitting step (processing that is performed only by hardware).

[0233] The program may be executed by a single computer or a plurality of computers. That is, the program may be executed by a centralized processing or a distributed processing.

[0234] In the above-described embodiments, two or more components present in one device may be physically realized on one medium.

[0235] In the above embodiment, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. During execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing a storage unit or a recording medium. The program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or may be executed by reading a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, etc.). The program may be used as a program constituting a program product. The computer that executes the program may be single or multiple. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

[0236] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each process (each function) may be realized by centralized processing by a single device (system), or may be realized by distributed processing by multiple devices (in this case, the entire system made up of multiple devices performing distributed processing can be considered as a single "device").

[0237] In addition, in the above embodiments, the transfer of information between each component may be performed, for example, by one component outputting information and the other component receiving information if the two components transferring the information are physically different, or, if the two components transferring the information are physically the same, by shifting from a processing phase corresponding to one component to a processing phase corresponding to the other component.

[0238] In the above embodiment, information related to the processing performed by each component, such as information accepted, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component, and information such as thresholds, formulas, and addresses used by each component in processing, may be temporarily or long-term stored in a recording medium (not shown) even if not specified in the above description. Furthermore, each component or a storage unit (not shown) may store information in the recording medium (not shown). Furthermore, each component or a reading unit (not shown) may read information from the recording medium (not shown).

[0239] In the above embodiment, if the information used by each component, such as the thresholds, addresses, and various setting values ​​used by each component in processing, may be changed by the user, the user may or may not be able to change the information as appropriate, even if not specified in the above description. If the information is changeable by the user, the change may be realized, for example, by a reception unit (not shown) that receives a change instruction from the user, and a change unit (not shown) that changes the information in response to the change instruction. The reception unit (not shown) may receive the change instruction from an input device, may receive information transmitted via a communication line, or may receive information read from a predetermined recording medium.

[0240] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible, which are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0241] An embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples. For example, the configuration is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment itself, and each component of the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples may be replaced with or combined with other components as appropriate. In addition, some components or functions of the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples may be omitted.

[0242] In the above embodiment, the first communication unit and the second communication unit are provided in the vending machine, but one or both of them may be provided in the terminal device. For example, when the first communication unit is provided in the terminal device, a receiving unit for receiving sound waves may be provided in the vending machine. [Industrial Applicability]

[0243] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the dispensing system according to the present invention has the effect of making it possible to more reliably determine whether or not predetermined conditions related to the dispensing of products using a vending machine are satisfied, and is useful as a dispensing system, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0244] 1. Payment System 100 Information processing device 110 Storage area 111 Vending machine information storage unit 113 Product information storage section 115 User information storage section 120 Receiving unit 130 Reception 140 Processing section 141 Identification information transmission unit 145 Acquisition Department 151 Judgment Department 160 Output section 170 Transmitter 600 Terminal Equipment 610 Terminal storage section 620 Terminal receiving unit 630 Terminal Reception 640 Terminal Processing Unit 642 Notification Output Unit 660 Terminal Output Unit 670 Terminal Transmitter 680 Motion detection unit 690 Terminal Acquisition Department 691 Mike 700 Vending Machines 701 First Communications Department 702 Second Communications Department 703 Sound wave output unit 704 Non-contact communication unit 705 Product Delivery Department 706 Product Storage Section 707 Treasury Department 708 Display device 709 Vending machine control unit 710 Vending machine storage area 720 Vending Machine Communication Department 730 Vending Machine Reception 740 Vending Machine Processing Unit

Claims

1. A dispensing system including a vending machine, a terminal device storing information used for dispensing a commodity from the vending machine, and an information processing device capable of communicating with at least one of the vending machine and the terminal device, the system being used when dispensing a commodity using the vending machine to a user using the terminal device, A first communication unit configured to transmit authentication information for authenticating a transmission source device and a transmission source identifier capable of identifying the transmission source device by a communication means using sound waves between the vending machine and the terminal device; A second communication unit configured to communicate between the vending machine and the terminal device by a non-contact communication means other than a method using sound waves; an acquisition unit provided in the information processing device, capable of acquiring first information based on a reception result of information transmitted between the vending machine and the terminal device by the first communication unit, and second information based on a communication result using the second communication unit; A dispensing system comprising: a judgment unit provided in the information processing device, which uses at least one of the first information and the second information acquired by the acquisition unit to determine whether or not a predetermined condition regarding the dispensing of a product using the vending machine is satisfied.

2. When communication using the second communication unit is normally performed, the determination unit performs the determination using the second information, A dispensing system as described in claim 1, wherein the judgment unit is configured to make the judgment using the first information when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally.

3. A dispensing system as described in claim 1, wherein the first communication unit is configured to start transmitting the authentication information and the sender identifier when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally.

4. A dispensing system as described in claim 1, comprising a receiving unit configured to receive information transmitted from the first communication unit when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally.

5. A motion detection unit is provided in the terminal device and detects a motion of a user who uses the terminal device, The dispensing system of claim 4, wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive information transmitted from the first communication unit when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally and the detection result by the operation detection unit is determined to satisfy a specified operation condition.

6. The first communication unit and the second communication unit are provided in the vending machine, The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein when a specific instruction for preparing the vending machine for dispensing a product is accepted, the first communication unit is configured to start transmitting the authentication information and the sender identifier and the second communication unit is configured to start communication with the terminal device.

7. The dispensing system of claim 6, further comprising a notification output unit configured to output a notification to a user using the terminal device regarding communication between the vending machine and the terminal device using the first communication unit when communication using the second communication unit is not performed normally.

8. the first communication unit is further configured to transmit the authentication information and the transmission source identifier to the information processing device; The dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit is configured to acquire the first information based on a reception result of information transmitted between the vending machine and the terminal device by the first communication unit and information transmitted to the information processing device by the first communication unit.

9. an identification information transmitting unit provided in the information processing device and transmitting identification information related to a time code; The first communication unit is configured to be able to transmit the authentication information based on the identification information transmitted from the information processing device between the vending machine and the terminal device, The dispensing system according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit is configured to make the determination using the identification information and the first information acquired by the acquisition unit.

10. A vending machine having a function of dispensing a commodity to a user who uses a terminal device in which information used for dispensing the commodity is stored, a first communication unit that transmits authentication information for authenticating the vending machine and a transmission source identifier capable of identifying the vending machine to the terminal device by a communication means using sound waves; A second communication unit configured to communicate with the terminal device by a non-contact communication means other than a method using sound waves; a vending machine control unit that controls the first communication unit to start transmitting the authentication information and the transmission source identifier and the second communication unit to start communication with the terminal device when a predetermined instruction for preparing the vending machine to dispense a commodity is received; a vending machine communication unit that receives instructions regarding the dispensing of a product transmitted from another device in accordance with a communication result using the first communication unit or the second communication unit.

11. A terminal device used to dispense products from a vending machine capable of communicating with an information processing device, a terminal storage unit in which information used to dispense products from the vending machine is stored; A terminal receiving unit that receives information transmitted from the vending machine by a communication means using sound waves; A terminal communication unit that communicates with the vending machine by a non-contact communication means other than a method using sound waves; A terminal device comprising: a terminal transmitting unit that transmits terminal reception information based on information transmitted from the vending machine received by the terminal receiving unit to the information processing device together with information used to dispense products from the vending machine.

12. A product dispensing method using a vending machine and an information processing device capable of communicating with at least one of the vending machine and a terminal device storing information used for dispensing products from the vending machine, the method being used when dispensing products using the vending machine to a user using the terminal device, the method comprising: A first communication step of transmitting authentication information for authenticating a transmission source device and a transmission source identifier capable of identifying the transmission source device by a communication means using sound waves between the vending machine and the terminal device; A second communication step configured to communicate between the vending machine and the terminal device by a non-contact communication means other than a method using sound waves; An acquisition step of acquiring, by the information processing device, at least one of first information based on a reception result of information transmitted between the vending machine and the terminal device in the first communication step and second information based on a communication result in the second communication step; a determination step of determining, by the information processing device, whether or not a predetermined condition regarding the dispensing of a product using the vending machine is satisfied, using at least one of the first information and the second information acquired in the acquisition step; an output step of outputting, by the information processing device, an instruction regarding dispensing of the product depending on the determination result of the determination step.

13. A program executed by a computer of a terminal device that is used for dispensing a product from a vending machine that can communicate with an information processing device and has a terminal storage unit that stores information used for dispensing the product from the vending machine, The terminal device, a terminal receiving step of receiving information transmitted from the vending machine by a communication means using sound waves; A terminal communication step of communicating with the vending machine by a non-contact communication means other than a method using sound waves; a terminal transmission step of transmitting, to the information processing device, terminal reception information based on the information transmitted from the vending machine received in the terminal reception step, together with information used to dispense products from the vending machine.

Images