Vending machine system

Abstract

To improve convenience in purchasing commodities.SOLUTION: A vending machine system 1 includes a vending machine control unit 11 provided in a vending machine 10, an information terminal 15 capable of communicating with the vending machine control unit 11, a management server 20 for acquiring various information about the vending machine 10 through the information terminal 15 and performing settlement processing of commodities; and a mobile terminal 30 capable of communicating with the information terminal 15 and the management server 20. The mobile terminal 30 enables commodity selection and settlement procedures by communication connecting to the management server 20. The management server 20 sends a commodity reservation instruction to the information terminal 15 on the condition that the commodity selection and settlement procedures have been performed through the mobile terminal 30. The information terminal 15 secures inventory of a corresponding commodity through the vending machine control unit 11 when the commodity reservation instruction is given from the management server 20, and causes the vending machine control unit 11 to convey the corresponding commodity on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been performed with the communication connected mobile terminal 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A vending machine that allows advance purchase of products is proposed in Patent Document 1. In this vending machine, a customer who makes a reservation operates a reservation button and then a product selection button to reserve a product, and the vending machine notifies the customer of a reservation number. The vending machine then dispenses the reserved product when the customer operates the sales request button and enters the reservation number using a numeric keypad or the like. Patent Document 2 also proposes a vending machine system that allows product selection and payment online. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-54240 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7309999 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the vending machine proposed in Patent Document 1 requires that product reservations and pickups be performed directly at the vending machine, which is not very convenient. Furthermore, the vending machine system proposed in Patent Document 2 allows product selection and payment online, but the product is dispensed after payment, so the user must be near the vending machine when making payment, which is not very convenient.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine system that can improve the convenience of purchasing products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vending machine system of the present invention comprises a vending machine control unit provided in a vending machine that sells products; an information terminal capable of communicating with the vending machine control unit; a management server that acquires various information about the vending machine through the information terminal and processes payment for the product; and a mobile terminal carried by a user who purchases the product and capable of communicating with the information terminal and the management server, wherein the mobile terminal enables product selection and payment procedures by connecting to the management server for communication; the management server sends a product reservation instruction to the information terminal on the condition that product selection and payment procedures have been completed via the mobile terminal; and when the product reservation instruction is received from the management server, the information terminal secures inventory of the corresponding product through the vending machine control unit and, further, on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been completed between the information terminal and the connected mobile terminal, causes the vending machine control unit to dispense the corresponding product.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned vending machine system, the mobile terminal is capable of determining not only the product selection and payment procedures, but also the identifier of another mobile terminal to receive the product, in communication with the management server with which it is connected, and the management server sends a product reservation instruction including the identifier of the other mobile terminal to the information terminal, on the condition that the product selection and payment procedures have been completed through the mobile terminal, and when the information terminal receives the product reservation instruction from the management server, it secures inventory of the corresponding product through the vending machine control unit, and further, on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been completed between the information terminal and the other mobile terminal with which it is connected, it dispenses the corresponding product.

[0008] Furthermore, in the above-described vending machine system, when the information terminal receives the product reservation instruction from the management server, it determines whether the number of reservations including the product reservation instruction exceeds a preset number of available reservations, and if it determines that the number of reservations is equal to or less than the number of available reservations, it secures stock of the corresponding product, but if it determines that the number of reservations exceeds the number of available reservations, it sends a reservation failure response to the management server to the effect that stock of the corresponding product cannot be secured.

[0009] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned vending machine system, the present invention is characterized in that, when a preset time has elapsed since the information terminal secured stock of the relevant product without performing an authentication procedure with a mobile terminal having an identifier included in the product reservation instruction, the information terminal sends information indicating that the product cannot be taken out to the management server, and when the management server receives the information indicating that the product cannot be taken out from the information terminal, the management server cancels the product selection included in the product reservation instruction and performs a refund settlement procedure.

[0010] The vending machine system according to the present invention comprises a vending machine control unit provided in a vending machine that sells a product, an information terminal capable of communicating with the vending machine control unit, a management server that acquires various information about the vending machine through the information terminal and processes payment for the product, and a portable terminal carried by a user who purchases the product and capable of communicating with the information terminal, wherein the portable terminal is configured in advance with information about the vending machine from which the user plans to purchase the product, priority ranking information for the product to be purchased, and whether or not prepayment is required, and the information terminal also stores identification information of portable terminals that have previously been connected to the user for communication. The vending machine stores the identification information stored in the identification information, and when a mobile terminal with the stored identification information is held in a predetermined communication area and product information for the vending machine is requested from the mobile terminal, the product information is sent to the mobile terminal, and when the mobile terminal is given the product information, the mobile terminal determines the inventory of products according to the ranking contained in the priority ranking information and requests the information terminal to make a payment request for the product with the highest priority that has been confirmed to be in stock, and the information terminal causes the vending machine control unit to carry out the relevant product on the condition that a payment procedure has been completed between the information terminal and the management server in response to the payment request from the mobile terminal.

[0011] The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above-mentioned vending machine system, the mobile terminal is capable of setting a scheduled time for purchasing a product in the pre-setting, and begins communication with the information terminal on the condition that the scheduled purchase time has passed.

[0012] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that in the above vending machine system, the information terminal determines whether or not the relevant product is available when a payment request is received from the mobile terminal, and if the relevant product is available, it carries out the payment procedure, while if the relevant product is not available, it notifies the mobile terminal that the relevant product is sold out.

[0013] Furthermore, in the vending machine system according to the present invention, the information terminal and the vending machine control unit constitute the vending machine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, the mobile terminal enables product selection and payment procedures by communicating with the management server, and the management server sends a product reservation instruction to the information terminal on the condition that product selection and payment procedures have been completed through the mobile terminal.When the information terminal receives a product reservation instruction from the management server, it secures inventory of the corresponding product through the vending machine control unit, and further causes the vending machine control unit to deliver the corresponding product on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been completed between the information terminal and the connected mobile terminal.This has the effect of allowing product selection and payment procedures to be performed at a location away from the vending machine, and allowing products to be received by communicating between the information terminal and the mobile terminal, thereby improving convenience.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the mobile terminal is preset with information regarding the vending machine from which a product is to be purchased, priority ranking information for the product to be purchased, and whether or not prepayment is required; the information terminal stores identification information for mobile terminals that have previously been connected to the mobile terminal for communication; and, on the condition that a mobile terminal with stored identification information is held in a predetermined communication area and product information for the vending machine is requested from the mobile terminal, the product information is sent to the mobile terminal; the mobile terminal, upon receiving the product information, determines the inventory of the product according to the ranking contained in the priority ranking information and requests a payment request for the highest priority product whose inventory has been confirmed, from the information terminal; and, on the condition that the payment procedure has been completed with the management server in response to the payment request from the mobile terminal, the information terminal causes the vending machine control unit to dispense the product; therefore, the vending machine from which a product is to be purchased, the product to be purchased, and whether or not payment is required are set in advance on the mobile terminal; and by approaching the relevant vending machine, communication is carried out between the mobile terminal and the information terminal to select the product and execute the payment procedure, and the product is dispensed, thereby achieving the effect of improving convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of a vending machine system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the payment processing procedure in the vending machine system shown in FIG. 1, and is a process executed by the information terminal control unit. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the payment processing procedure in the vending machine system shown in FIG. 1, showing the processing contents carried out by the management control unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of a vending machine system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5-1] FIG. 5-1 is a flowchart showing the payment processing procedure in the vending machine system shown in FIG. 4, and is a process executed by the mobile terminal control unit. [Figure 5-2] FIG. 5-2 is a flowchart showing the payment processing procedure in the vending machine system shown in FIG. 4, and is a process executed by the mobile terminal control unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the payment processing procedure in the vending machine system shown in FIG. 4, and is a process executed by the information terminal control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a vending machine system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] <First Embodiment> 1 is a block diagram showing a control system of a vending machine system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine system 1 shown here is configured by connecting a vending machine 10, a management server 20, and a mobile terminal 30 via a network N such as the Internet.

[0019] The vending machine 10 sells beverages in containers such as cans or PET bottles, and although not shown in the figures, it is equipped with a main cabinet and a front door. The main cabinet is a rectangular, insulated housing with an opening on the front. Inside the main cabinet, multiple product storage racks are provided, and columns are set up for these product storage racks. A column is a storage unit that stores the same type of product, and one or more product storage racks are provided depending on the products to be sold.

[0020] The front door is a heat-insulating door that is swingably mounted on the main cabinet to open and close the opening at the front of the main cabinet. The front door is provided with a product outlet. The product outlet is an opening for retrieving products carried out from inside the main cabinet, and can be opened and closed by the product outlet door.

[0021] The vending machine 10 has a vending machine control unit 11 to which a cooling device 13, a dispensing device 14, and an information terminal 15 are connected.

[0022] The vending machine control unit 11 controls the overall operation of each unit of the vending machine 10 in accordance with the programs and data stored in the vending machine main memory unit 12.

[0023] The cooling device 13 is used to maintain the products stored in the product storage racks at a set temperature. The cooling device 13 cools products stored in product storage racks that are set to be cooled, and heats products stored in product storage racks that are set to be heated.

[0024] A carry-out device 14 is provided for each column in the product storage rack. When a carry-out command is given from the vending machine control unit 11, this carry-out device 14 carries out the product at the most downstream position of the corresponding column, and makes the carried-out product available for removal through the product removal opening.

[0025] The information terminal 15 includes a communication unit 151, a short-range wireless communication unit 152, an authentication processing unit 153, and an information terminal control unit 154. The communication unit 151 includes an internal communication processing unit 151a and an external communication processing unit 151b. The internal communication processing unit 151a is a communication interface that performs communication such as sending and receiving data with the vending machine control unit 11. The external communication processing unit 151b is a communication interface that connects to the management server 20 via the network N using a communication method such as LTE (registered trademark).

[0026] The short-range wireless communication unit 152 is a communication interface that performs short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 30. Short-range wireless communication includes Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark), but Bluetooth (registered trademark), particularly BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication, is used from the viewpoint of power consumption.

[0027] The authentication processing unit 153 performs an authentication procedure with the mobile terminal 30 connected for communication via the short-range wireless communication unit 152, as will be described in detail later.

[0028] Information terminal control unit 154 is connected to communication unit 151, short-range wireless communication unit 152, and authentication processing unit 153, and comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of information terminal 15 in accordance with programs and data stored in information terminal storage unit 155, which is also connected. Information terminal storage unit 155 stores identifier information 155a, such as a terminal identifier used in the authentication procedure in authentication processing unit 153, and vending machine information 155b, such as product information, price information, and inventory information for vending machine 10.

[0029] The management server 20 is a higher-level device of the vending machine 10, and acquires various information about the vending machine 10 and processes payments for products sold in the vending machine 10. The management server 20 of the first embodiment also has the function of managing and operating the vending machine 10.

[0030] This management server 20 includes a management control unit 21 and a payment processing unit 23. The management control unit 21 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the management server 20 in accordance with the programs and data stored in the management storage unit 22. The payment processing unit 23 performs payment processing.

[0031] The management storage unit 22 stores vending machine information 22a such as product information of the vending machine 10, and identifier information 22b such as the vending machine identifier of the vending machine 10 and the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal 30.

[0032] The mobile terminal 30 is a terminal device such as a smartphone carried by a purchaser of a product, and includes an operation display unit 31, an internet communication unit 32, a short-range wireless communication unit 33, and a mobile terminal control unit .

[0033] The operation display unit 31 is, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display device, and is an input / output interface for inputting various data and displaying and outputting various data.

[0034] The internet communication unit 32, like the external communication processing unit 151b, is a communication interface that connects to the management server 20 via the network N using a communication method such as LTE (registered trademark). The short-range wireless communication unit 33 is a communication interface that performs short-range wireless communication with the vending machine 10 using a communication method such as WiFi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0035] The mobile terminal control unit 34 controls each unit of the mobile terminal 30 in an integrated manner in accordance with the programs and data stored in the mobile terminal storage unit 35 .

[0036] Figures 2 and 3 show the payment processing procedure in the vending machine system 1 shown in Figure 1, where Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the processing content performed by the information terminal control unit 154, and Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processing content performed by the management control unit 21.

[0037] In FIG. 2, when the power of the vending machine 10 is turned on (step S101: Yes), the information terminal control unit 154 reads the vending machine information 155b from the information terminal memory unit 155 and notifies the management server 20 of the vending machine information 155b via the external communication processing unit 151b (step S102).

[0038] Meanwhile, the management control unit 21 determines whether or not the vending machine information 155b has been notified from the information terminal 15 (vending machine 10) (step S201). If the vending machine information 155b has not been notified from the information terminal 15 (step S201: No), the management control unit 21 remains in standby mode.

[0039] When the vending machine information 155b is notified from the information terminal 15 (step S201: Yes), the management control unit 21 updates and stores the vending machine information 155b as vending machine information 22a in the management memory unit 22 (step S202), and waits for a connection from the mobile terminal 30 (step S203).

[0040] Thereafter, when the user connects the mobile terminal 30 to the vending machine 10, causing the mobile terminal control unit 34 to wirelessly connect to the management server 20 via the Internet communication unit 32 and network N (step S203: Yes), i.e., when the mobile terminal control unit 34 notifies the vending machine identifier of the vending machine 10 to which the user wishes to connect, the management control unit 21 discloses the vending machine information 22a having the corresponding vending machine identifier from the vending machine information 22a in the management storage unit 22 via network N (step S204). This allows the user to check product information, price information, stock availability, etc. of the corresponding vending machine 10 through the mobile terminal 30, enabling product selection and payment procedures. Therefore, the management control unit 21 waits for product selection and payment procedures using the mobile terminal 30 (step S205).

[0041] If product selection and payment procedures have been performed in step S205 (step S205: Yes), the management control unit 21 performs product selection, storing the selected product identifier, and performs payment processing via the payment processing unit 23 (step S206). Then, the management control unit 21 notifies the mobile terminal 30 via the network N that payment has been completed (step S207), and then updates the vending machine information 22a in the management storage unit 22 while sending a product reservation instruction to the information terminal 15 via the network N (step S208). This product reservation instruction includes the product identifier of the selected product and the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal 30 used to receive the product. In other words, the terminal identifier does not necessarily match the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal 30 that performed the product selection and payment procedures, and may be the terminal identifier of another mobile terminal 30.

[0042] As described above, the information terminal control unit 154, which has notified the management server 20 of the vending machine information 155b, determines whether or not there is a product reservation instruction via the external communication processing unit 151b (step S103).

[0043] When a product reservation instruction is received from the management control unit 21 (management server 20) (step S103: Yes), the information terminal control unit 154 determines whether the product identified by the product identifier included in the product reservation instruction, i.e., the number of reservations for the product, is equal to or less than a predetermined number of available reservations (step S104). Here, the number of available reservations is the upper limit of the number of reservations that can be made for each product, and is preferably smaller than the number of items in stock.

[0044] If it is determined that the number of reservations for the product exceeds the available number (step S104: No), the information terminal control unit 154 sends a reservation-denied response to the management server 20 via the external communication processing unit 151b and the network N (step S105), and then ends the current processing. Note that the processing of the management control unit 21 after sending the reservation-denied response will be described later.

[0045] If it is determined that the number of reservations for the product is equal to or less than the available number (step S104: Yes), the information terminal control unit 154 connects to the vending machine control unit 11 via the internal communication processing unit 151a to secure inventory (step S106). The information terminal control unit 154 also stores the product identifier and terminal identifier included in the product reservation instruction in the information terminal storage unit 155, and updates the vending machine information 155b by associating the terminal identifier with the product (product identifier) as a reservation terminal identifier.

[0046] The information terminal control unit 154, which has thus secured the stock of the product, sends a stock securing response to the management server 20 via the external communication processing unit 151b and the network N (step S107).

[0047] As described above, the management control unit 21 that has sent the product reservation instruction waits for an input of a stock availability response or a reservation impossible response from the information terminal 15 via the network N (steps S209 and S210).

[0048] When the stock availability response is input from the information terminal 15 (step S209: Yes), the management control unit 21 notifies the mobile terminal 30 via the network N that the item is ready for export (step S211).

[0049] In this way, the notification of the availability of delivery is sent to the mobile terminal 30, so that the user can be made aware that the product has been reserved at the target vending machine 10 (the vending machine 10 from which the user wishes to purchase) and is available for delivery.

[0050] On the other hand, if a reservation-unavailable response is input from the information terminal 15 (step S209: No, step S210: Yes), the management control unit 21 notifies the mobile terminal 30 via the network N that the item is out of stock (step S212), updates the vending machine information 22a to cancel the product selection and perform a refund procedure (step S213), and then terminates the current processing.

[0051] In this way, an out-of-stock notification is sent to the mobile terminal 30, so that the user can be made aware that the product cannot be purchased from the target vending machine 10 (the vending machine 10 from which the user wishes to purchase the product).

[0052] As described above, the information terminal control unit 154 that has responded to the management server 20 that the stock is available determines whether or not an authentication procedure has been performed by the mobile terminal 30 before a predetermined set time has elapsed (steps S108 and S109).

[0053] If an authentication procedure is performed by the mobile terminal 30 before the set time has elapsed (step S108: Yes, step S109: No), i.e., if short-range wireless communication is performed with the mobile terminal 30, the information terminal control unit 154 performs authentication through the authentication processing unit 153 to determine whether the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal 30 connected by short-range wireless communication matches the terminal identifier included in the product reservation instruction (step S110).

[0054] If this authentication is successful (Step S111: Yes), the information terminal control unit 154 sends a command to the vending machine control unit 11 to eject the corresponding product via the internal communication processing unit 151a (Step S112). This causes the vending machine control unit 11 to drive the ejection device 14 of the column that stores the corresponding product, ejecting the product from the column and making it available for removal through the product removal opening.

[0055] Then, the information terminal control unit 154 sends out information indicating that the unloading has been completed to the management server 20 via the external communication processing unit 151b (step S113), and then ends this processing.

[0056] On the other hand, if the authentication fails in step S111 (step S111: No), the information terminal control unit 154 returns to the processing of steps S108 and S109.

[0057] In the above steps S108 and S109, if the set time has elapsed without the authentication procedure being performed (step S108: No, step S109: Yes), the information terminal control unit 154 sends information indicating that export is not possible to the management server 20 via the external communication processing unit 151b (step S114), and then terminates this processing.

[0058] As described above, the management control unit 21 that has sent the notification that export is possible waits for input of export completion information or export unavailability information from the information terminal control unit 154 (steps S214 and S215). Then, when the export completion information is sent from the management control unit 21 (step S214: Yes), the information terminal control unit 154 sends an export completion notification to the mobile terminal 30 via the network N (step S216), and then ends this processing.

[0059] On the other hand, if the information terminal control unit 154 receives the information indicating that the item cannot be carried out from the management control unit 21 (step S215: Yes), the information terminal control unit 154 performs the process of step S213, and then ends the current process.

[0060] As explained above, in the vending machine system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the mobile terminal 30 enables product selection and payment procedures by connecting to the management server 20 for communication, and the management server 20 sends a product reservation instruction to the information terminal 15 on the condition that the product selection and payment procedures have been completed via the mobile terminal 30. When the information terminal 15 receives a product reservation instruction from the management server 20, it secures the inventory of the corresponding product through the vending machine control unit 11, and further causes the vending machine control unit 11 to deliver the corresponding product on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been completed between the information terminal 15 and the connected mobile terminal 30. This allows the product selection and payment procedures to be performed at a location away from the vending machine 10, and also allows the product to be picked up by connecting to the mobile terminal 30 for communication near the vending machine 10, improving convenience.

[0061] Furthermore, when the information terminal 15 of the vending machine 10 and the mobile terminal 30 are connected via short-range wireless communication, the information terminal 15 dispenses the product on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been carried out between the information terminal 15 and the mobile terminal 30 with which it has communicated, thereby preventing the product from being dispensed by mistake.

[0062] Furthermore, since payment procedures are carried out when selecting a product, the mobile terminal 30 and the information terminal 15 can be connected by short-range wireless communication to allow the product to be removed early, preventing missed sales opportunities and preventing excessive reservations.

[0063] The product reservation instruction includes the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal 30 to be used when receiving the product, and this terminal identifier does not necessarily match the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal 30 that performed the product selection and payment procedures, and can also be the terminal identifier of another mobile terminal 30.

[0064] In other words, in the vending machine system 1, the mobile terminal 30 can not only select a product and make a payment with the connected management server 20, but also determine the identifier of the other mobile terminal 30 that will receive the product. The management server 20 sends a product reservation instruction to the information terminal 15, including the identifier of the other mobile terminal 30, on the condition that the product selection and payment have been made through the mobile terminal 30. When the information terminal 15 receives a product reservation instruction from the management server 20, it secures the inventory of the corresponding product through the vending machine control unit 11, and further, on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been completed with the other connected mobile terminal 30, it delivers the corresponding product. This allows a user who has made a product selection and payment procedure to transfer the product to another user, improving convenience.

[0065] In the above vending machine system 1, when an instruction to reserve a product is given from the management server 20, the information terminal 15 determines whether the number of reservations, including the instruction to reserve a product, exceeds a preset number of available reservations, and if it determines that the number of reservations is equal to or less than the number of available reservations, it secures stock of the corresponding product, but if it determines that the number of reservations exceeds the number of available reservations, it sends a reservation denial response to the management server 20 indicating that stock of the corresponding product cannot be secured, so that a certain limit can be placed on the number of reservations and the number of reservations can be prevented from becoming excessive. In particular, by making the number of available reservations smaller than the number of available reservations, it can be prevented from occurring in a situation where a purchaser who directly operates the vending machine 10 to select a product, etc., cannot purchase the product.

[0066] In the vending machine system 1, if a preset time has elapsed since the information terminal 15 secured stock of the relevant product without performing an authentication procedure with the mobile terminal 30 having the identifier included in the product reservation instruction, the information terminal 15 sends information indicating that the product cannot be taken out to the management server 20. When the management server 20 receives the information indicating that the product cannot be taken out from the information terminal 15, the management server 20 cancels the product selection included in the product reservation instruction and performs a refund settlement procedure, thereby preventing the product from being reserved for an unnecessarily long period of time.

[0067] <Embodiment 2> 4 is a block diagram showing a control system of a vending machine system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine system 2 shown here is configured by connecting a vending machine 50, a management server 60, and a mobile terminal 70 via a network N such as the Internet.

[0068] The vending machine 50 sells beverages in containers such as cans or plastic bottles, and although not shown in the figure, it is equipped with a main cabinet and a front door. The main cabinet is a rectangular, insulated housing with an opening on the front. Inside the main cabinet, multiple product storage racks are provided, and columns are set up for these product storage racks. A column is a storage unit that stores the same type of product, and one or more product storage racks are provided depending on the products to be sold.

[0069] The front door is a heat-insulating door that is swingably mounted on the main cabinet to open and close the opening at the front of the main cabinet. The front door is provided with a product outlet. The product outlet is an opening for retrieving products carried out from inside the main cabinet, and can be opened and closed by the product outlet door.

[0070] The vending machine 50 has a vending machine control unit 51 to which a cooling device 53, a dispensing device 54, and an information terminal 55 are connected.

[0071] The vending machine control unit 51 controls the overall operation of each unit of the vending machine 50 in accordance with the programs and data stored in the vending machine main memory unit 52.

[0072] The cooling device 53 is used to maintain the products stored in the product storage rack at a set temperature. The cooling device 53 cools products stored in a product storage rack that has been set to cool, and heats products stored in a product storage rack that has been set to heat.

[0073] A carry-out device 54 is provided for each column in the product storage rack. When a carry-out command is given from vending machine control unit 51, this carry-out device 54 carries out the product at the most downstream position of the corresponding column, and makes the carried-out product available for removal through the product removal port.

[0074] The information terminal 55 includes a communication unit 551, a short-range wireless communication unit 552, an authentication processing unit 553, and an information terminal control unit 554. The communication unit 551 includes an internal communication processing unit 551a and an external communication processing unit 551b. The internal communication processing unit 551a is a communication interface that performs communication such as sending and receiving data with the vending machine control unit 51. The external communication processing unit 551b is a communication interface that connects to the management server 60 via the network N using a communication method such as LTE (registered trademark).

[0075] The short-range wireless communication unit 552 is a communication interface that performs short-range wireless communication with the mobile terminal 70. Short-range wireless communication includes Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark), but Bluetooth (registered trademark), particularly BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) communication, is used from the viewpoint of power consumption.

[0076] The authentication processing unit 553 performs an authentication procedure with the mobile terminal 70 connected for communication via the short-range wireless communication unit 552, as will be described in detail later.

[0077] Information terminal control unit 554 is connected to communication unit 551, short-range wireless communication unit 552, and authentication processing unit 553, and controls the overall operation of each unit of information terminal 55 in accordance with programs and data stored in similarly connected information terminal storage unit 555. Information terminal storage unit 555 stores identification information 555a of mobile terminals 70 that have previously connected and communicated with itself (information terminal 55), and vending machine information 555b such as product information, price information, and inventory information of vending machine 50.

[0078] The management server 60 is a higher-level device of the vending machine 50, and acquires various information about the vending machine 50 and processes payments for products sold in the vending machine 50. The management server 60 of the second embodiment also has the function of managing and operating the vending machine 50.

[0079] The management server 60 includes a management control unit 61 and a payment processing unit 63. The management control unit 61 comprehensively controls the operation of each unit of the management server 60 in accordance with the programs and data stored in the management memory unit 62. The payment processing unit 63 performs payment processing. The management memory unit 62 stores vending machine information 62a, such as product information for the vending machine 50.

[0080] The mobile terminal 70 is a terminal device, such as a smartphone, carried by a purchaser of a product, and includes an operation display unit 71, a short-range wireless communication unit 72, and a mobile terminal control unit 73.

[0081] The operation display unit 71 is, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display device, and is an input / output interface for inputting and displaying various data. The short-range wireless communication unit 72 is a communication interface for performing short-range wireless communication with the vending machine 50 using a communication method such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0082] The mobile terminal control unit 73 controls each unit of the mobile terminal 70 in an integrated manner in accordance with the programs and data stored in the mobile terminal storage unit 74 .

[0083] Figures 5-1 to 6 show the payment processing procedure in the vending machine system 2 shown in Figure 4, where Figures 5-1 and 5-2 are flowcharts showing the processing performed by the mobile terminal control unit 73, and Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the information terminal control unit 554.

[0084] In FIG. 5-1, when the user pre-sets information about the vending machine 50 from which the user plans to purchase a product, priority ranking information for the product to be purchased, the planned time of purchase, and whether advance payment is required via the operation display unit 71 (step S301), the mobile terminal control unit 73 waits for the planned time of purchase to pass (step S302).

[0085] Here, the information about the vending machine 50 from which a purchase is to be made is identification information such as the identifier of a vending machine 50 that has been used in the past, and the products to be purchased are product A, product B, and product C, with the priority order being product A → product B → product C.

[0086] Then, when the scheduled purchase time has passed (step S302: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 starts wireless communication through the short-range wireless communication unit 72 (step S303) and waits for successful communication with the information terminal 55 (step S304). As a result, if communication with the information terminal 55 is successful when the mobile terminal 70 approaches the corresponding vending machine 50, for example, within 10 meters (step S304: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 requests vending machine information 555b from the information terminal 55 (step S305). Note that the request for vending machine information 555b in step S305 includes identification information such as the terminal identifier of the mobile terminal 70.

[0087] In FIG. 6, information terminal control unit 554 determines whether or not there is a request for vending machine information 555b from mobile terminal 70 (step S401), and if there is a request for vending machine information 555b (step S401: Yes), information terminal control unit 554 reads identification information 555a from information terminal storage unit 555 and determines, via authentication processing unit 553, whether or not the identification information 555a contains identification information (terminal identifier, etc.) of mobile terminal 70 included in the request for vending machine information 555b (step S402).

[0088] If the identification information of the mobile terminal 70 is present (step S402: Yes), the information terminal control unit 554 sends the vending machine information 555b read from the information terminal storage unit 555 via the short-range wireless communication unit 552 (step S403).

[0089] On the other hand, if the identification information of the mobile terminal 70 is not available (step S402: No), the information terminal control unit 554 notifies the mobile terminal 70 of the impossibility via the short-range wireless communication unit 552 (step S404), and then ends the current processing.

[0090] As described above, the mobile terminal control unit 73, which has requested the vending machine information 555b from the information terminal 55, determines whether or not the vending machine information 555b has been acquired (step S306). If the mobile terminal control unit 73 has acquired the vending machine information 555b sent in step S403 above (step S306: Yes), it determines whether or not product A, product B, or product C is available, according to the priority ranking information of the products to be purchased as preset in step S301 (steps S307, S308, and S309).

[0091] If product A is present (step S307: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 determines whether the mobile terminal is within a predetermined distance (e.g., 2 m) from the vending machine 50 based on the strength of the radio waves from the vending machine 50 (step S310).

[0092] If it is determined that the mobile terminal is within a predetermined distance from the vending machine 50 (step S310: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 requests payment with product A via the short-range wireless communication unit 72 (step S311).

[0093] If product A is not available but product B is available (step S307: No, step S308: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 determines whether or not the mobile terminal is within a predetermined distance (e.g., 2 m) from the vending machine 50 based on the strength of the radio waves from the vending machine 50 (step S312).

[0094] If it is determined that the vending machine 50 is within a predetermined distance (step S312: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 requests payment with product B via the short-range wireless communication unit 72 (step S313).

[0095] If product A and product B are not available but product C is available (step S307: No, step S308: No, step S309: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 determines whether or not the mobile terminal is within a predetermined distance (e.g., 2 m) from the vending machine 50 based on the strength of the radio waves from the vending machine 50 (step S314).

[0096] If it is determined that the vending machine 50 is within a predetermined distance (step S314: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 requests payment with product C via the short-range wireless communication unit 72 (step S315).

[0097] On the other hand, if product A, product B, and product C are not available (step S307: No, step S308: No, step S309: No), the mobile terminal control unit 73 displays a "No Products" message on the operation display unit 71 (step S316), and then ends the current process. This allows the user to recognize that the pre-set products are out of stock.

[0098] If the vending machine information 555b has not been acquired in step S306 (step S306: No), that is, if a disallowance notice has been issued in step S404, the mobile terminal control unit 73 displays a disallowance notice on the operation display unit 71 (step S317), and then ends the current process. This allows the user to recognize that the product cannot be purchased according to the preset settings.

[0099] As described above, the information terminal control unit 554, which has sent vending machine information 555b to the mobile terminal 70, determines whether or not there is a payment request from the mobile terminal 70 (step S405), and if there is a payment request as in step S311, step S313, or step S315 (step S405: Yes), it communicates with the vending machine control unit 51 via the internal communication processing unit 551a and determines whether or not the corresponding product is available (step S406).

[0100] If the corresponding product is found (step S406: Yes), the information terminal control unit 554 connects to the management server 60 via the external communication processing unit 551b and the network N, and performs payment processing for the corresponding product with the management server 60 (step S407). More specifically, the information terminal control unit 554 requests payment for the corresponding product from the management server 60, and the management control unit 61 performs payment processing through the payment processing unit 63.

[0101] Information terminal control unit 554 then waits for the completion of the payment process (step S408), and determines that the payment process is complete when it receives a payment completion notice from management control unit 61 (step S408: Yes), and sends an instruction to vending machine control unit 51 to eject the corresponding product via internal communications processing unit 551a (step S409). This causes vending machine control unit 51 to drive ejection device 54 of the column that stores the corresponding product, ejecting the product from the column and making it available for removal through the product removal opening.

[0102] Then, the information terminal control unit 554 notifies the mobile terminal 70 of the completion of removal via the short-range wireless communication unit 552 (step S410), and then ends this processing.

[0103] On the other hand, if the corresponding product is not found in step S406 (step S406: No), the information terminal control unit 554 notifies the mobile terminal 70 via the short-range wireless communication unit 552 that the corresponding product is sold out (step S411), and then terminates this processing.

[0104] As described above, the mobile terminal control unit 73, which has made a payment request to the information terminal 55 in step S311, step S313, or step S315, determines whether or not the information terminal 55 has received a notification of completion of removal or a notification of sale via the short-range wireless communication unit 72 (steps S318, S319).

[0105] If there is a notification of completion of export from the information terminal 55 (step S318: Yes), the mobile terminal control unit 73 displays a message on the operation display unit 71 indicating that export has been completed (step S319), and then ends this processing.

[0106] This allows the user to recognize that the product has been removed and allows the user to remove the product through the product removal opening.

[0107] As described above, in the vending machine system 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, information about the vending machine 50 from which a product is to be purchased, priority ranking information for the product, and whether or not prepayment is required are preset in the mobile terminal 70. The information terminal 55 stores the identification information 555a of the mobile terminal 70 that has previously connected to itself for communication. Provided that the mobile terminal 70 with the stored identification information 555a is held in a predetermined communication range and a request is made from the mobile terminal 70 for vending machine information 555b, such as product information for the vending machine 50, the information terminal 55 transmits the vending machine information 555b to the mobile terminal 70. Given the vending machine information 555b, the mobile terminal 70 determines the inventory of products according to the ranking included in the priority ranking information, and requests payment for the highest-priority product whose inventory has been confirmed from the information terminal 55. Provided that the payment procedure has been completed with the management server 60 in response to the payment request from the mobile terminal 70, the information terminal 55 causes the vending machine control unit 51 to dispense the product. With this system, the user can set in advance on the mobile terminal 70 the vending machine 50 from which the user intends to make a purchase, the product to be purchased, and whether or not payment will be made. By approaching the relevant vending machine 50, communication takes place between the mobile terminal 70 and the information terminal 55, allowing the user to select the product and carry out the payment procedure before the product is dispensed, thereby improving convenience.

[0108] Furthermore, by bringing the mobile terminal 70 close to the vending machine 50 so that it is held within a predetermined communication range, product selection and payment procedures can be carried out, allowing products to be delivered quickly and preventing missed sales opportunities.

[0109] According to the vending machine system 2, the mobile terminal 70 can set the scheduled time for purchasing a product in advance, and will start communication with the information terminal 55 only when the scheduled purchase time has passed, thereby preventing continuous communication and reducing power consumption.

[0110] According to the vending machine system 2, the information terminal 55 determines whether or not the relevant product is available when a payment request is received from the mobile terminal 70, and if the relevant product is available, it carries out the payment procedure, but if the relevant product is not available, it notifies the mobile terminal 70 that the relevant product is sold out. This means that it can also handle cases where the relevant product is purchased by a third party and sold out after the mobile terminal 70 has acquired the vending machine information 555b.

[0111] Although the preferred first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these and various modifications can be made.

[0112] In the above-described first and second embodiments, the information terminal 15, 55, together with the vending machine control unit 11, 51, constitutes the vending machine 10, 50, but in the present invention, the information terminal may be provided outside the vending machine.

[0113] The configurations illustrated in the above embodiments are merely functional schematics and are not necessarily physically configured as shown. In other words, the distribution and integration of each device and component is not limited to that illustrated, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various usage situations, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0114] 1...vending machine system, 10...vending machine, 11...vending machine control unit, 12...vending machine main memory unit, 13...refrigeration device, 14...discharge device, 15...information terminal, 151...communication unit, 152...near-field wireless communication unit, 153...authentication processing unit, 154...information terminal control unit, 155...information terminal memory unit, 20...management server, 21...management control unit, 22...management memory unit, 23...payment processing unit, 30...mobile terminal, 31...operation display unit, 32...internet communication unit, 33...near-field wireless communication unit, 34...mobile terminal control unit, 35...mobile terminal memory unit, N...network.

Claims

1. a vending machine control unit provided in a vending machine that sells products; An information terminal capable of communicating with the vending machine control unit; a management server that acquires various information about the vending machine through the information terminal and performs payment processing for the product; a mobile terminal carried by a user who purchases the product and capable of communicating with the information terminal and the management server; A vending machine system comprising: The mobile terminal enables product selection and payment procedures by connecting to the management server for communication; The management server sends a product reservation instruction to the information terminal on the condition that product selection and payment procedures have been completed through the mobile terminal, A vending machine system characterized in that, when the information terminal receives the product reservation instruction from the management server, it secures inventory of the corresponding product through the vending machine control unit, and further causes the vending machine control unit to dispense the corresponding product on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been performed between the information terminal and the mobile terminal to which it is connected for communication.

2. the mobile terminal is capable of determining an identifier of another mobile terminal for receiving the product, as well as the product selection and the payment procedure, between the mobile terminal and the management server connected for communication; the management server sends a product reservation instruction including an identifier of the other mobile terminal to the information terminal on the condition that product selection and payment procedures have been completed through the mobile terminal; The vending machine system according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the information terminal receives the product reservation instruction from the management server, it secures inventory of the corresponding product through the vending machine control unit, and further, on the condition that a predetermined authentication procedure has been performed between the information terminal and another mobile terminal connected to the information terminal for communication, it causes the corresponding product to be dispensed.

3. The vending machine system according to claim 1, wherein when the information terminal receives the product reservation instruction from the management server, the information terminal determines whether the number of reservations including the product reservation instruction exceeds a predetermined number of available reservations, and if it determines that the number of reservations is equal to or less than the number of available reservations, it secures stock of the corresponding product, but if it determines that the number of reservations exceeds the number of available reservations, it sends a reservation failure response to the management server indicating that stock of the corresponding product cannot be secured.

4. the information terminal, when a preset time has elapsed since the stock of the relevant product was secured without an authentication procedure being performed with a mobile terminal having an identifier included in the product reservation instruction, sends information indicating that the product cannot be carried out to the management server; The vending machine system according to claim 1, wherein when the information on the non-delivery of the product is received from the information terminal, the management server cancels the product selection included in the product reservation instruction and performs a refund settlement procedure.

5. a vending machine control unit provided in a vending machine that sells products; An information terminal capable of communicating with the vending machine control unit; a management server that acquires various information about the vending machine through the information terminal and performs payment processing for the product; a mobile terminal carried by a user who purchases the product and capable of communicating with the information terminal; A vending machine system comprising: The mobile terminal is configured to store information about the vending machine from which the user intends to purchase the product, priority ranking information about the product to be purchased, and whether or not the user wishes to make a prepayment. The information terminal stores identification information of a portable terminal that has previously been connected to the information terminal for communication, and transmits the product information to the portable terminal on the condition that the portable terminal with the stored identification information is held in a predetermined communication area and product information of the vending machine is requested from the portable terminal; the mobile terminal determines the inventory of the product in accordance with the order included in the priority ranking information when the product information is provided, and requests payment for the product with the highest priority whose inventory has been confirmed, from the information terminal; A vending machine system characterized in that the information terminal causes the vending machine control unit to dispense the relevant product on the condition that the payment procedure has been completed with the management server in response to a payment request from the mobile terminal.

6. The vending machine system according to claim 5, characterized in that the mobile terminal can set a scheduled time for purchasing a product in the pre-setting, and starts communication with the information terminal when the scheduled purchase time has passed.

7. The vending machine system described in claim 5, characterized in that the information terminal determines whether the corresponding product is available when a payment request is received from the mobile terminal, and if the corresponding product is available, performs the payment procedure, while if the corresponding product is not available, notifies the mobile terminal that the corresponding product is sold out.

8. The vending machine system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information terminal constitutes the vending machine together with the vending machine control unit.

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