Cold insulation material providing system

Abstract

To provide a cold insulation material providing system allowing a refrigerated cold insulation material to be used normally, by exchanging a used cold insulation material in a shop selling food with the refrigerated cold insulation material.SOLUTION: A cold insulation material providing system 100 provides a frozen cold insulation material 900A in exchange for return of a used cold insulation material 900B at a site Y where food is available. The system has: a supply cycle C1 having a supply / transportation step of transporting the frozen cold insulation material 900A from a site X to the site Y and a recovering / transportation step of transporting the used cold insulation material 900B from the site Y to the site X and circulating the cold insulation material 900 between the site X and the site Y; and a consumption cycle C2 having a cold insulation material using step of transporting food kept at a low temperature by using the frozen cold insulation material 900A from the site Y to a site Z and a cold insulation material returning step of transporting the used cold insulation material 900B from the site Z to the site Y, and circulating the cold insulation material 900 between the site Y and the site Z.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling material supply system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, cooling materials have been widely used to cool food and prevent the food from spoiling (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In general households, cooling materials are often used when purchasing food, and by placing the cooling materials in a cooling bag together with the purchased food at the time of purchasing food, the food in the cooling bag can be cooled until the customer returns home. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-048318 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the recent increase in dual-income households, there are more and more cases where people have to buy food on their way home from work. In such cases, they need to carry pre-cooled ice packs with them when they go to work. However, if they do this, by the time they finish shopping after work, the ice packs will be completely warm, so even though they brought the ice packs with them, they will not be able to cool the food they have purchased.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide an ice pack supply system that allows refrigerated ice packs to be always available by exchanging used ice packs for refrigerated ice packs at the store where food is purchased. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Such an object can be achieved by the present invention described below.

[0007] (1) A system for providing ice packs at a location Y where food can be purchased, the system providing refrigerated ice packs in exchange for the return of used ice packs.

[0008] (2) A supply cycle including a supply transport step of transporting the cooled ice pack from a point X to the point Y, and a recovery transport step of transporting the used ice pack from the point Y to the point X, and circulating the ice pack between the point X and the point Y; The ice pack supply system described in (1) above has an ice pack use step of transporting an object kept at a low temperature using the cooled ice pack from point Y to point Z, and an ice pack return step of transporting the used ice pack from point Z to point Y, and has a consumption cycle of circulating the ice pack between point Y and point Z.

[0009] (3) The ice pack supply system according to (2) above, wherein in the supply and transport step, the cooled ice pack is transported to the point Y together with the item to be frozen.

[0010] (4) A freezing device for freezing the used cooling material is installed at the point X, The ice pack providing system according to any one of (1) to (3) above, wherein a ice pack providing device that provides the cooled ice pack is installed at the point Y.

[0011] (5) A system for providing ice packs according to any one of (1) to (4) above, in which advertisements are printed on the ice packs.

[0012] (6) A system for providing ice packs according to any one of (1) to (5) above, which records the history of the ice packs. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the ice pack provision system of the present invention, a consumer can receive a refrigerated ice pack in exchange for returning a used ice pack at a point Y where food can be purchased. Therefore, the food purchased at point Y can be cooled using the refrigerated ice pack received at point Y. Therefore, spoilage of the food during transportation from point Y can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an ice pack providing system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the cold insulation material providing device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a supply cycle. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a consumption cycle. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the usage history of a cooling material. [Figure 7] 11 is a diagram showing a distribution plan created by the ice pack supply system. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the ice pack providing system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] The ice pack providing system 100 shown in Fig. 1 is a system that aims to provide frozen (cooled) ice packs 900 to consumers at a food store 200. With the ice pack providing system 100, consumers can receive frozen ice packs 900 (hereinafter also referred to as "frozen ice packs 900A") at the food store 200.

[0017] Therefore, the consumer can use frozen ice pack 900A received at food store 200 to cool the food purchased at food store 200, and keep the food at a low temperature during the journey from food store 200 to home 400. Also, the consumer can receive frozen ice pack 900A again by returning used ice pack 900 (hereinafter also referred to as "used ice pack 900B") the next time he or she goes shopping.

[0018] For example, with the recent increase in dual-income households, there are more and more cases where people have to do their shopping on the way home after work. In such cases, it is necessary to carry frozen ice pack 900A when going to work, but if you do this, by the time you finish your shopping after work, frozen ice pack 900A will have completely melted and will not be able to cool food. Therefore, as described above, ice pack providing system 100, which allows you to receive frozen ice pack 900A at food store 200, is a particularly convenient system for consumers who cannot carry frozen ice pack 900A with them when they go shopping.

[0019] Let us now turn to Japan. The cold chain (low-temperature distribution network) in Japan is said to be among the best in the world, but the distribution network between the food store 200 and the home 400, also called the "last mile" (hereinafter also referred to as the "last mile distribution network"), is not fully developed. In addition, due to global warming, summer temperatures are on the rise, making the environment for food more severe. Therefore, there is a good chance that food will melt or spoil during the last mile. Therefore, by developing a last-mile distribution network using the cold insulation material provision system 100, it is possible to reduce food melting and spoilage and significantly reduce food waste, which has become a global problem in recent years. The cold insulation material provision system 100 realizes an eco-friendly system that reduces environmental impact by simultaneously reducing food waste and recycling the cold insulation material 900.

[0020] The cold insulation material supply system 100 will be described in detail below. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the consumer purchases food at the food store 200 and then returns to his / her home 400. The destination after purchasing food at the food store 200 is not limited to the home 400, and may be any place, such as a company, an office, a friend's house, or a vacation home.

[0021] Foods mainly refer to foods that require frozen or refrigerated storage, such as ice cream, frozen dumplings, frozen hamburger steaks, frozen grilled rice balls, and various refrigerated foods (daily products) such as fish (including sashimi and fillets), beef, pork, chicken, milk, and yogurt, or foods recommended for storage at low temperatures. Foods also include medicines and foods for specified health uses. However, there are no particular limitations on the foods.

[0022] In addition, the cold insulation material 900, in the narrow sense, has the function of "preventing food from heating and keeping food at a low temperature", but is not limited thereto, and further includes those having the function of "cooling food". The cold insulation material 900 is a container in which a cold pack is accommodated, and the container may be a soft type that is flexible, or a hard type that is rigid. The cold pack is also sometimes called a cold storage material. The difference between a cold pack and a cold storage material is not clear, but it is said that a cold pack is one whose cold storage component is mostly water and freezes at a few degrees below freezing, and a cold storage material is one whose cold storage component is made of chemicals and whose cold storage component freezes at or below -10 degrees Celsius.

[0023] The ice insulation material provision system 100 circulates the ice insulation material 900 between three points X, Y, and Z that are distant from each other, and the ice insulation material 900 is used repeatedly. In this embodiment, the point X is a food distribution center 300, the point Y is a food sales store 200, and the point Z is a home 400. The food sales store 200 may be a supermarket, a convenience store, a drug store, a department store, a shopping center, a shopping mall, or the like, and may be any type of store where food can be purchased. The food distribution center 300 is a base (base) where food is temporarily stored and from which the required number of food items are distributed to nearby target stores. However, the points X, Y, and Z are not particularly limited.

[0024] The ice insulation material providing system 100 has a supply side cycle C1 that circulates the ice insulation material 900 between the food distribution center 300 and the food sales store 200, and a consumption side cycle C2 that circulates the ice insulation material 900 between the food sales store 200 and the home 400. By performing the supply side cycle C1 and the consumption side cycle C2 in a balanced manner, the ice insulation material 900 can be circulated between the food distribution center 300, the food sales store 200, and the home 400 without excess or shortage.

[0025] In order to easily realize the ice insulation material providing system 100, a freezing device 500 is installed in a food distribution center 300 and freezes ice insulation material 900, and an ice insulation material providing device 600 (vending machine) is installed in a food sales store 200 and automatically collects used ice insulation material 900B and provides frozen ice insulation material 900A. However, the equipment used is not particularly limited.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the cold insulation material providing device 600 has a housing 610. In addition, on the front side of the housing 610, a return port 611 for the used cold insulation material 900B, an outlet port 612 for the frozen cold insulation material 900A, a money input port 613, a change outlet 614, an input unit 615, a screen 616, and a reader 617 for logging in are provided. In addition, in the housing 610, there are a collection box 620 for collecting the returned used cold insulation material 900B, a storage box 630 for storing the frozen cold insulation material 900A, and a cooling device 640 for cooling the frozen cold insulation material 900A in the storage box 630 and maintaining the frozen state. However, the configuration of the cold insulation material providing device 600 is not particularly limited as long as it can perform its function.

[0027] Note that installing ice insulation material providing device 600 in food store 200 includes not only installing ice insulation material providing device 600 inside food store 200, but also cases that are essentially the same as those in terms of social convention. For example, it may be outside food store 200, or it may be a separate store adjacent to or close to food store 200. Furthermore, if food store 200 is a tenant in a shopping center or shopping mall, it may be a separate store, a service counter, etc. within the shopping mall.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the supply side cycle C1 includes a freezing step S11 in which ice pack 900 is frozen in freezing device 500 to obtain frozen ice pack 900A, a supply transport step S12 in which frozen ice pack 900A is transported to food store 200, and a collection transport step S13 in which used ice pack 900B collected at food store 200 is transported to food distribution center 300, and steps S11 to S13 are repeated.

[0029] <Freezing step S11> In this step, the used cold insulation material 900B is frozen using the freezing device 500 installed in the food distribution center 300. For example, a freezer for frozen foods already installed in the food distribution center 300 can be used as the freezing device 500. By using existing equipment, the introduction cost of the cold insulation material providing system 100 can be significantly reduced. However, the freezing device 500 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a freezing device dedicated to the cold insulation material 900. In this case, the configuration of the freezing device is not particularly limited, and examples include a configuration in which the cold insulation material 900 is frozen by cold air supplied into the storage, and a configuration in which the cold insulation material 900 is frozen by immersing the cold insulation material 900 in a liquid refrigerant.

[0030] <Supply and transport step S12> In this step, frozen ice pack 900A is transported to food store 200. In this embodiment, frozen ice pack 900A is transported to food store 200 by borrowing a vacant space of refrigerated delivery vehicle 800A that delivers frozen foods stored in food distribution center 300 to food store 200. By transporting frozen ice pack 900A together with frozen foods in this way, the transportation cost of frozen ice pack 900A can be reduced. In addition, refrigerated delivery vehicle 800 often operates periodically, about once to several times a day, to deliver frozen foods to food store 200, so frozen ice pack 900A can be transported periodically and stably to food store 200.

[0031] In particular, in this embodiment, the freezing device 500 is installed in the food delivery center 300. Therefore, the frozen food and the frozen cold insulation material 900A can be loaded simultaneously on the refrigerated delivery vehicle 800A. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an increase in personnel and an extension of working hours due to the transportation of the frozen cold insulation material 900A. However, the installation location of the freezing device 500 is not particularly limited, and does not have to be the food delivery center 300. For example, a cold insulation material freezing center that specializes in freezing and transporting the cold insulation material 900 may be provided, and the freezing device 500 may be installed in the center. In this case, the frozen cold insulation material 900A may be loaded via the cold insulation material freezing center before or after loading the food on the refrigerated delivery vehicle 800A.

[0032] The transportation method is not particularly limited. For example, the frozen cold pack 900A may be transported using a dedicated refrigerated delivery vehicle, or a delivery company may be requested to deliver it. This allows a predetermined amount of frozen cold pack 900A to be transported to the food store 200 at a predetermined time, regardless of the frozen food delivery schedule or the amount of frozen food loaded each time. Depending on the distance from the food distribution center 300 to the food store 200, a refrigerated delivery vehicle for delivering refrigerated foods (daily delivery items) or a room temperature delivery vehicle for delivering room temperature items may be used instead of the refrigerated delivery vehicle 800A. In addition, the transportation method is not limited to automobiles, and may be, for example, a ship or a drone. In addition, for example, when the food distribution center 300 and the food store 200 are installed side by side on the same premises, the frozen cold pack 900A may be transported by a conveyor, a forklift, an AGV (automated guided vehicle), or the like.

[0033] <Collecting and transporting step S13> In this step, used ice packs 900B collected at food store 200 are transported to food distribution center 300. In this embodiment, used ice packs 900B are transported to food distribution center 300 using delivery vehicle 800B that returns to food distribution center 300 after delivering food. This reduces the cost of transporting used ice packs 900B. Furthermore, delivery vehicle 800B often operates periodically, about once to several times a day, to deliver food to food store 200, so used ice packs 900B can be transported periodically and stably to food distribution center 300.

[0034] In this step, it is not necessary to cool the used ice pack 900B during transportation. Therefore, the delivery vehicle 800B may be any delivery vehicle, such as a refrigerated delivery vehicle, a refrigerated delivery vehicle, or a normal temperature delivery vehicle. In addition, for example, a dedicated delivery vehicle may be used to transport the used ice pack 900B. This allows a predetermined amount of used ice pack 900B to be transported to the food delivery center 300 at a predetermined time without being affected by the food delivery schedule. In addition, the vehicle is not limited to a car, and may be, for example, a ship or a drone. In addition, for example, in a case where the food delivery center 300 and the food sales store 200 are installed side by side on the same premises, the used ice pack 900B may be transported by a conveyor, a forklift, an AGV (automated guided vehicle), or the like.

[0035] The supply cycle C1 has been described above. Next, the consumption cycle C2 will be described. As shown in Fig. 4, the consumption cycle C2 has a storage step S21 for storing frozen ice packs 900A transported from the food distribution center 300 in a frozen state, a collection step S22 for collecting used ice packs 900B, and a provision step S23 for providing frozen ice packs 900A to consumers.

[0036] <Storage step S21> In this step, frozen ice pack 900A transported from food distribution center 300 is stored in a frozen state. In this embodiment, frozen ice pack 900A is promptly stored in storage 630 of ice pack providing device 600 after transport, and the frozen state is maintained by operation of cooling device 640.

[0037] <Collection step S22> In this step, the used ice pack 900B is collected from the consumer. In this embodiment, the used ice pack 900B is put into the return port 611 and collected in the collection box 620.

[0038] <Provision step S23> In this step, the frozen cold insulation material 900A is provided to the consumer in exchange for the return of the used cold insulation material 900B or money. If the consumer has the used cold insulation material 900B, the cold insulation material providing device 600, when the used cold insulation material 900B is returned from the return port 611, ejects the frozen cold insulation material 900A in the storage 630 to the take-out port 612 and provides it to the consumer. On the other hand, if the consumer does not have the used cold insulation material 900B (if the consumer has never purchased the cold insulation material 900 or has forgotten to bring it), the cold insulation material providing device 600 ejects the frozen cold insulation material 900A in the storage 630 to the take-out port 612 in response to the insertion of money and input to the input unit 615, and provides it to the consumer. This allows the consumer to receive the frozen cold insulation material 900A, and the received frozen cold insulation material 900A can be used to cool food. Therefore, after a consumer purchases food at food store 200, the food can be cooled during transportation from food store 200 to home 400, preventing the food from melting or spoiling. The next time the consumer goes shopping, the consumer can receive new frozen ice pack 900A by returning frozen ice pack 900A used this time to ice pack providing device 600 as used ice pack 900B.

[0039] Depending on the purchased food and temperature, the frozen cold pack 900A may not be needed, and the consumer may want to return only the used cold pack 900B. The method is not particularly limited, but for example, when the consumer returns the used cold pack 900B, the purchase price of the cold pack 900 may be refunded to the consumer. A ticket may be issued to allow the consumer to receive the frozen cold pack 900A for free the next time. If a member card for using the cold pack providing system 100 exists, the member card may store a usage history, and the consumer may refer to the usage history the next time to receive the frozen cold pack 900A for free. If the user can only return the used cold pack 900B, the convenience of the cold pack providing system 100 is improved.

[0040] This concludes the description of the cold insulation material supply system 100. Next, we will explain the cold insulation material 900 used in the cold insulation material supply system 100. Note that the cold insulation material 900 is not limited to the following configuration.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 5, the cold insulation material 900 is provided with an advertisement display section 910 as a space for displaying advertisements. Those who wish to post advertisements can post advertisements in the advertisement display section 910 for a fee. The illustrated advertisement display section 910 has two small spaces 911 and two large spaces 912 with different areas, and the advertisement space can be selected. By charging for advertisements, the profits can cover all or part of the introduction cost and running cost of the cold insulation material providing system 100. Therefore, the introduction of the cold insulation material providing system 100 becomes easier and it becomes easier to make a profit. The advertisement posting fee may be free of charge. In addition, the operator of the cold insulation material providing system 100 may post advertisements related to recommended products, special sale products, opening information of new stores, etc. of the food sales store 200. This can increase the consumer's desire to purchase.

[0042] In the cold insulation material providing system 100, the frozen cold insulation material 900A is provided in exchange for the return of the used cold insulation material 900B, so that the consumer is provided with a frozen cold insulation material 900A different from the previous one. Therefore, if a different advertisement is posted for each cold insulation material 900 or for each group consisting of a plurality of cold insulation materials 900, various advertisements can be shown to the consumer in sequence. Specifically, for example, there is a cold insulation material 900 with advertisement L posted thereon, a cold insulation material 900 with advertisement M posted thereon, and a cold insulation material 900 with advertisement N posted thereon, and when the cold insulation material 900 with advertisement L posted thereon is returned as the used cold insulation material 900B, the cold insulation material providing device 600 provides the cold insulation material 900 with advertisement M or advertisement N posted thereon to the consumer as a new frozen cold insulation material 900A. This allows various advertisements to be shown to the consumer. Alternatively, when it can be estimated that the consumer is most interested in advertisement L among advertisements L, M, and N, the ice pack 900 carrying advertisement L may be repeatedly provided as frozen ice pack 900A. In other words, the frozen ice pack 900A to be provided may be selected according to the consumer's preference.

[0043] The cold insulation material 900 also has a supporting company display section 920 as a space for displaying the names of supporting companies (including personal names) that support the eco-project through the cold insulation material provision system 100. By displaying their company names in the supporting company display section 920, supporting companies can advertise to consumers that they are environmentally conscious companies, thereby improving their corporate image. Furthermore, the operator of the cold insulation material provision system 100 can cover all or part of the installation and running costs of the cold insulation material provision system 100 with sponsorship money from the supporting companies. This makes it easier to install the cold insulation material provision system 100 and makes it easier to make a profit.

[0044] Further, each cold insulation material 900 is provided with a recording unit 930 in which the transport history is recorded. The recording unit 930 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an IC chip equipped with a memory, a one-dimensional code such as a barcode, and a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark). In this embodiment, a two-dimensional code 931 is used as the recording unit 930. The two-dimensional code 931 has a sufficient recording capacity, and has the advantages of being inexpensive to introduce and unlikely to break or be damaged during freezing or transport. As shown in FIG. 6, an identification code for identifying an individual is set in the two-dimensional code 931, and furthermore, the usage history is recorded and accumulated. This makes it easy to manage each cold insulation material 900. In particular, in this embodiment, by linking and recording the purchase history (POS) of the consumer in conjunction with the cash register of the food sales store 200, useful personal information can be obtained and used for subsequent operations.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, the ice pack supply system 100 has a terminal P300 that manages the ice packs 900 at the food delivery center 300 and a terminal P200 that manages the ice packs 900 at the food store 200. The terminals P300 and P200 read the two-dimensional code 931 of each ice pack 900 and sequentially update the usage history recorded therein. These terminals P300 and P200 are connected to a server SVR via a network NT such as the Internet, and transmit the history of each ice pack 900 to the server SVR. The server SVR stores and stores the history of each ice pack 900 received from the terminals P300 and P200 and various information obtained therefrom. Examples of the various information include the following:

[0046] Number of 900A frozen refrigerants in 300 food distribution centers Number of used 900B refrigerants in 300 food distribution centers Number of 900A frozen ice packs in 200 food stores Number of used 900B ice packs in 200 food stores · Number of frozen insulation materials provided: 900A Date and time of provision of frozen cooling material 900A · Number of returns of frozen insulation material 900A · Return date and time of frozen insulation material 900A Information on consumers who provided frozen ice pack 900A

[0047] In addition, the server SVR is equipped with AI (artificial intelligence). For example, the AI ​​calculates the expected circulation cycle of the ice packs 900 based on the usage history of each ice pack 900 stored in the server SVR, various information, weather forecasts obtained from outside, etc., and creates a distribution plan that does not cause an excess or shortage of frozen ice packs 900A in the food store 200. The distribution plan is not particularly limited, but for example, it is as shown in FIG. 7, and includes the estimated required number of frozen ice packs 900A at each predetermined time calculated based on past usage history and weather forecasts, the optimal delivery time and delivery amount of frozen ice packs 900A to maintain the estimated required number, the freezing start time and freezing amount of used ice packs 900B calculated from the delivery time, etc. This makes it possible to prepare the frozen ice packs 900A without excess or shortage. Therefore, it is possible to prevent energy waste caused by freezing an excessive number of ice packs 900 and energy waste caused by having to store frozen ice packs 900A for a long time until they are provided to consumers. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the running costs and the environmental impact.

[0048] Terminals P200 and P300 can also revise the distribution plan created by the AI ​​based on the actual situation. This improves the accuracy of the distribution plan. The revisions are stored in server SRV and are used to create the next distribution plan. Terminals P200 and P300 can also request the delivery of frozen ice packs 900A separately from the distribution plan. This allows the food store 200 to manage its inventory of frozen ice packs 900A based on the actual situation.

[0049] The terminals P200, P300 and the server SRV are, for example, configured as computers, and have a processor (CPU) for processing information, a memory communicatively connected to the processor, and an external interface for connecting to external devices. Various programs executable by the processor are stored in the memory, and the processor can read and execute the various programs stored in the memory.

[0050] Above is a description of the cold insulation material providing system 100. Next, a brief description will be given of a method of using the cold insulation material providing system 100. However, the method of using the cold insulation material providing system 100 is not limited to the following method.

[0051] First, the cold insulation material supply system 100 requests the consumer to register as a member in order to use the cold insulation material supply system 100. By registering as a member, personal information such as the consumer's name, address, and telephone number is registered in the server SRV. After the member registration is completed, the cold insulation material supply system 100 issues a membership card to the consumer. The membership card may be a membership card such as a card, or may be an electronic membership card stored in a mobile device such as a smartphone. With the above steps, the cold insulation material supply system 100 is ready to be used.

[0052] Next, the cold insulation material providing system 100 requests the consumer to hold the membership card over the reader 617 of the cold insulation material providing device 600 to log in to the cold insulation material providing system 100. After the consumer has completed the login, the cold insulation material providing system 100 asks the consumer whether the purpose of the login is to receive the frozen cold insulation material 900A or to return the used cold insulation material 900B.

[0053] In the case of returning used ice pack 900B, ice pack provision system 100 prompts the consumer to return the used ice pack 900B to return port 611, and makes the consumer available to receive frozen ice pack 900A in the same number as the used ice pack 900B returned from return port 611 free of charge from the next time onwards (this state is also referred to as a stock state).

[0054] In the case of receiving frozen cold insulation material 900A, the cold insulation material providing system 100 further asks whether the consumer is receiving it in exchange for a used cold insulation material 900B, receiving a used cold insulation material 900B in stock, or receiving it as a new purchase. In the case of receiving it in exchange for a used cold insulation material 900B, the cold insulation material providing system 100 prompts the consumer to return the used cold insulation material 900B to the return port 611, and provides the consumer with the same number of frozen cold insulation materials 900A as the used cold insulation materials 900B returned from the return port 611. In the case of receiving used cold insulation material 900B in stock, the cold insulation material providing system 100 provides the consumer with a specified number of frozen cold insulation materials 900A, with the number of stocked being the upper limit. In the case of a new purchase, the cold insulation material providing system 100 provides the consumer with a specified number of frozen cold insulation materials 900A after confirming the insertion of money into the cold insulation material providing device 600 and the input into the input unit 615.

[0055] As a result, the consumer can receive the frozen ice pack 900A and use it to cool the food purchased that day. This allows the food to be kept at a low temperature until it arrives at the consumer's home 400, preventing the food from spoiling. The consumer may receive the frozen ice pack 900A after or before purchasing the food. If the consumer receives the frozen ice pack 900A before purchasing the food, the consumer can use the frozen ice pack 900A to cool the food from when the food is picked up until when the consumer pays for the food. When the food arrives at the consumer's home 400 and the food is stored in the refrigerator / freezer, the role of the ice pack 900 as the frozen ice pack 900A ends, and the ice pack 900 becomes the used ice pack 900B. The consumer can bring the used ice pack 900B with him or her the next time they go shopping.

[0056] Here, the ice insulation material providing system 100 may store frozen ice insulation materials 900A of different sizes (capacities) (large, medium, small) in the ice insulation material providing device 600. The consumer can select and receive the one suitable for himself from among the multiple types of frozen ice insulation materials 900A, taking into consideration the distance to his / her home 400, the type and amount of food purchased, etc. Similarly, the ice insulation material providing system 100 may store frozen ice insulation materials 900A of different melting points (melting points 0°C, -10°C, -20°C) in the ice insulation material providing device 600. The consumer can select and receive the one suitable for himself / herself from among the multiple types of frozen ice insulation materials 900A, taking into consideration the distance to his / her home 400, the type and amount of food purchased, etc.

[0057] Furthermore, the ice pack supply system 100 may store multiple types of frozen ice packs 900A with different advertisements. When a consumer requests to receive frozen ice packs 900A, the ice pack supply system 100 selects and provides the frozen ice pack 900A with an advertisement that is more likely to interest the consumer from among the multiple frozen ice packs 900A. This can increase the consumer's desire to purchase, and has an excellent advertising effect. The selection of frozen ice packs 900A is performed by the AI ​​in the server SVR based on the consumer's purchase information (POS) recorded in the server SRV.

[0058] In addition, the cold insulation material providing system 100 displays advertisements on the screen 616 of the cold insulation material providing device 600 while the consumer is logged in, and advertises to the consumer. This can increase the consumer's desire to buy. The advertisements may be still images or videos. In this case, the cold insulation material providing system 100 selects and displays advertisements that are likely to interest the consumer. This can increase the consumer's desire to buy, and provides an excellent advertising effect. The advertisements are selected by the AI ​​in the server SVR based on the consumer's purchase information (POS) recorded in the server SRV. Those who wish to advertise can advertise on the screen 616 for a fee. This allows the profits to cover all or part of the introduction cost and running cost of the cold insulation material providing system 100. This makes it easier to introduce the cold insulation material providing system 100 and makes it easier to make a profit. The advertisement publishing fee may be free. In addition, the operator of the cold insulation material providing system 100 may himself / herself advertise about the recommended products, special sale products, opening information of new stores, etc. of the food sales store 200.

[0059] Although the ice pack supply system of the present invention has been described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the configuration of each part can be replaced with any configuration having a similar function. In addition, any other configuration may be added to the present invention.

[0060] In the above-described embodiment, the cold insulation material 900 is circulated by itself in the supply cycle C1 and the consumption cycle C2, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cold insulation material 900 may be circulated together with the cold insulation bag containing the cold insulation material 900 in at least one of the supply cycle C1 and the consumption cycle C2. That is, the cold insulation bag containing the cold insulation material 900 may be provided to consumers and collected. In addition, for example, when a cold insulation agent or a cold storage agent is embedded in the cold insulation bag and the cold insulation bag itself functions as a cold insulation material, the cold insulation bag corresponds to the cold insulation material 900 in the above-described embodiment.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the collection and provision of the cold insulation material 900 is automatically performed by the cold insulation material providing device 600, but the means for collecting and providing the cold insulation material 900 are not particularly limited. For example, at least one of the collection and provision of the cold insulation material 900 may be performed manually. In this case, for example, a freezer for storing the frozen cold insulation material 900B may be installed next to the cash register, and the consumer may return the used cold insulation material 900B to the cash register when making a payment at the food sales store 200, and after making a payment at the cash register, the frozen cold insulation material 900 may be provided to the consumer from the freezer installed next to the cash register. At this time, the consumer may take out the frozen cold insulation material 900 from the freezer by himself, or an attendant may take out the frozen cold insulation material 900 from the freezer and hand it over to the consumer.

[0062] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, frozen ice pack 900 is provided to consumers as frozen ice pack 900A, but it does not have to be frozen as long as it has been cooled and is capable of maintaining the function of keeping food at a low temperature. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100... Refrigerant supply system 200... Food store 300... Food distribution center 400... Home 500... Freezing device 600... Refrigerant supply device 610... Housing 611... Return port 612... Discharge port 613... Money insertion port 614... Change ejection port 615... Input section 616... Screen 617... Reader 620... Collection storehouse 630... Storage storehouse 640... Cooling device 800... Refrigerated delivery vehicle 800A... Refrigerated delivery vehicle 800B... Delivery vehicle 900... Refrigerant 900A... Frozen refrigerant 900B... Used refrigerant 910... Advertising display section 911... Small space 912... Large space 920... Sponsor company display section 930... Recording section 931... Two-dimensional code C1... Supply side cycle C2... Consumer side cycle NT... Network P200…Terminal P300…Terminal S11…Freezing step S12…Supply transport step S13…Recovery transport step S21…Storage step S22…Recovery step S23…Provision step SRV…Server SVR…Server X…Point Y…Point Z…Point

Claims

1. This cooling material providing system provides cooled cooling materials at a point Y where food can be purchased in exchange for the return of used cooling materials.

2. A supply cycle includes a supply transport step of transporting the cooled ice pack from a point X to the point Y, and a recovery transport step of transporting the used ice pack from the point Y to the point X, and circulates the ice pack between the point X and the point Y; 2. The ice pack supply system of claim 1, further comprising: an ice pack use step of transporting an object kept at a low temperature using the cooled ice pack from point Y to point Z; an ice pack return step of transporting the used ice pack from point Z to point Y; and a consumption cycle of circulating the ice pack between point Y and point Z.

3. The ice pack supply system according to claim 2 , wherein in the supply and transport step, the cooled ice pack is transported to the point Y together with the item to be frozen.

4. A freezing device for freezing the used cooling material is installed at the point X, 4. The cold insulation material supply system according to claim 1, further comprising a cold insulation material supplying device provided at said point Y for supplying said cooled cold insulation material.

5. 5. The ice pack supply system according to claim 1, wherein an advertisement is printed on the ice pack.

6. The ice insulation material supply system according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of recording a history of the ice insulation material.

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