Beverage providing device, beverage providing system and container support apparatus

Abstract

To provide a beverage providing device, a beverage providing system, and a container support apparatus that enable a beverage to be provided smoothly and automatically.SOLUTION: The beverage providing system comprises: a beverage providing device 100 that automatically makes a beverage to fill an order; an order terminal 200 which is a communication terminal that can be connected with the beverage providing device 100 via a network 1, which carries out the order of the beverage to the beverage providing device 100; a beverage recipe server 400 which is a server device that can be connected with the beverage providing device 100 via the network 1, which provides recipe information of the beverage to the beverage providing device 100; and a beverage provider terminal 500 operated by a beverage provider that provides the beverage to customers, etc. using the beverage providing device 100.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beverage serving device, a beverage serving system, and a container support, and more particularly to a beverage serving device, a beverage serving system, and a container support used for automatically preparing and serving beverages. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, Japan has been facing serious labor shortages in various industries due to factors such as population decline, labor outflow, and aging. In particular, the food and beverage industry is facing a significant labor shortage, with many stores and companies struggling to secure personnel.

[0003] In order to alleviate the labor shortage in the food and beverage industry as described above, there are increasing cases of robots being introduced to prepare and serve food and beverages in place of employees.

[0004] As one of the prior art technologies relating to robots that assist employees in the food and beverage industry, Patent Document 1 discloses a composite cooking device and a control program. The composite cooking device and control program disclosed in Patent Document 1 disclose a robot arm that cooks food and prepares drinks in place of humans. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2020-131339 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the composite cooking device and control program of Patent Document 1 have a problem in that they cannot immediately handle large orders for food and drinks. The robot arm in Patent Document 1 above needs to perform the following tasks for each ordered beverage: set the cup in the beverage server, press a switch on the server, and move the cup filled with the beverage to the designated position. For example, in izakayas and other establishments, large quantities of beer, sour drinks, and other beverages are ordered in a short period of time, but the robot arm in Patent Document 1 requires a long working time for each drink and cannot handle large orders.

[0007] Furthermore, when using a robotic arm to prepare beverages as in Patent Document 1, a certain amount of space must be secured to allow the robotic arm to move, and all equipment used to prepare the beverage must be placed around the robotic arm, which limits the layout of the equipment used to prepare the beverage.

[0008] As described above, the composite cooking device and control program of Patent Document 1 have the problem that they cannot handle large volume orders when automatically serving beverages, and there are limitations on the layout of the device, making it difficult to automatically serve beverages smoothly.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a beverage serving device, a beverage serving system, and a container support that enable smooth automatic serving of beverages. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To achieve this object, the beverage serving device of the present invention receives beverage orders and serves beverages based on the received orders, and is characterized by comprising a control unit for controlling the overall operation, a conveying unit having a conveying path and conveying beverage containers, a beverage preparation unit installed near the conveying path and supplying beverage ingredients to the conveyed beverage containers to prepare the beverage, and a conveyance stopping unit for temporarily stopping the conveyance of the beverage containers by the conveying unit.

[0011] Furthermore, according to the beverage providing device of the present invention, the transport stopping section is provided in one or more locations along the running direction of the transport path, and is equipped with a stopping member that protrudes from below the transport path at a timing controlled by the control unit, and the protruding stopping member stops the beverage container being delivered.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the beverage providing device of the present invention, the transport stopping unit stops the transport operation of the transport unit to transport the beverage container.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the beverage providing device of the present invention, the transport stopping unit stops the beverage container at a supply preparation position where the beverage container is prepared to receive a supply of beverage ingredients from the beverage preparation unit.

[0014] In addition, the beverage providing device of the present invention is characterized by further having a supply auxiliary unit that is installed along the conveying path and moves the conveyed beverage container so that it approaches the beverage ingredient supply port of the beverage preparation unit.

[0015] In addition, the beverage providing device of the present invention is characterized in that it further has a container storage section having one or more storage spaces which are areas for temporarily storing beverage containers after the supply of beverage ingredients has been completed, and the transport stop section stops the beverage container at a storage waiting position where it waits to be moved to the storage space.

[0016] In addition, according to the beverage providing device of the present invention, the control unit is characterized in that it determines the storage space in which to store the beverage container based on the in-store table number indicating the in-store table at which the user who ordered the beverage will be seated.

[0017] In addition, the beverage serving device of the present invention is characterized in that it further has a container support for supporting beverage containers, and the conveying section conveys beverage containers whose bottom sides are supported by the container support along the conveying path.

[0018] In addition, according to the beverage serving device of the present invention, the container support has a cylindrical tubular section that is open at the top and into which the beverage container is fitted, and a support section that supports the fitted beverage container, and the support section is a flexible ring-shaped member that is arranged along the inner wall of the tubular section, and the inner surface of the ring is pressed against the outer surface of the beverage container to support the beverage container, and a flexible ring-shaped handle support section that is arranged in a notch in the tubular section and has a portion missing vertically above it, and when a handle is provided on the outer surface of the beverage container, the inner surface of the ring is pressed against the handle to support the beverage container, or a combination of these.

[0019] In addition, according to the beverage providing device of the present invention, it further has a supply auxiliary unit that is installed beside the conveying path and moves the conveyed beverage container so that it approaches the beverage ingredient supply port of the beverage preparation unit, the supply auxiliary unit has a first protrusion that protrudes in a substantially horizontal direction that is substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying path, the beverage preparation unit has a second protrusion that protrudes in a direction opposite to the first protrusion, the container support has a first hole into which the first protrusion is inserted and a second hole into which the second protrusion is inserted, and the supply auxiliary unit moves in a direction substantially parallel to the conveying path to insert the first protrusion into the first hole, moves vertically upward to move the container support and beverage container vertically upward, and further moves in a direction substantially parallel to the conveying path to insert the second protrusion into the second hole, bringing the beverage container close to the beverage ingredient supply port.

[0020] Furthermore, according to the beverage serving device of the present invention, the control unit creates an order set including information on one or more accepted beverage orders, and controls the overall operation for serving beverages based on the created order set.

[0021] Furthermore, according to the beverage serving device of the present invention, the control unit controls the overall operation so as to change the order of the beverages constituting the order set based on the in-store table number indicating the in-store table where the user who ordered the beverage will be seated, and prepare the beverages in accordance with the changed order.

[0022] Furthermore, according to the beverage serving device of the present invention, the control unit controls the overall operation so as to change the order of the beverages constituting an order set based on the order in which the users who ordered the beverages visited the beverage serving facility, and to prepare the beverages in accordance with the changed order.

[0023] Furthermore, according to the beverage serving device of the present invention, the control unit is characterized in that it determines the number of orders that make up the beverage set based on at least one of the elapsed time since timing began, the number of orders, and the time required to prepare the beverages.

[0024] The present invention also provides a beverage serving system having the above-mentioned beverage serving device and a beverage recipe server connected to the beverage serving device via a network and transmitting beverage recipe information to the beverage serving device, wherein the beverage serving device registers the recipe information received from the beverage recipe server in its own device and prepares a beverage based on the registered recipe information.

[0025] In addition, according to the beverage serving system of the present invention, the system further includes a beverage serving company terminal operated by a beverage serving company that serves beverages using the beverage serving device, and the beverage serving device transmits information indicating the beverage it is serving and information indicating the beverage ingredients supplied by the beverage preparation unit to the beverage recipe server, and the beverage recipe server transmits beverage suggestion information to the beverage serving company terminal that suggests the beverage serving device provide a beverage that has not yet been served based on the information indicating the beverage being served by the beverage serving device and the information indicating the beverage ingredients supplied by the beverage preparation unit, and the beverage serving company terminal displays the beverage suggestion information received from the beverage recipe server.

[0026] The present invention also provides a container support used when preparing a beverage by supplying beverage ingredients to a beverage container while it is being transported, characterized in that it supports the bottom side of the beverage container as it is transported and is transported together with the beverage container.

[0027] Furthermore, the container support of the present invention has a cylindrical tubular section that is open at the top and into which a beverage container is fitted, and a support section that supports the fitted beverage container, and the support section is a flexible ring-shaped member that is arranged along the inner wall of the tubular section, and is characterized by being composed of either an annular support section whose inner ring surface is pressed against the outer surface of the beverage container to support the beverage container, or a flexible ring-shaped handle support section that is arranged in a notch in the tubular section and has a portion missing at the vertically upper part, and if a handle is provided on the outer surface of the beverage container, whose inner ring surface is pressed against the handle to support the beverage container, or a combination of these.

[0028] In addition, any combination of the above components, or mutual substitution of the components or expressions of the present invention between methods, devices, systems, computer programs, recording media storing computer programs, etc., are also valid aspects of the present invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] The present invention allows for automated serving of large orders of beverages. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a beverage providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a beverage providing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an external front view of a beverage providing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing an example of an external right side view of a beverage providing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a plan view showing the flow of a beverage preparation operation by the beverage providing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a movement operation of a container unit U to a lift in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a storage guide unit in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a transport section and a container storage section in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transport stopping unit in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a view showing a container indwelling section in a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is a perspective view showing a supply auxiliary unit, a beverage preparation unit and their surrounding areas in a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a container support according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 is a plan view illustrating an external appearance of a container support according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 1 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a first example of a container unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of a first example of a container unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a second example of the container unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 4 is a front cross-sectional view of a second example of the container unit in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 2 is a diagram showing a database and a table stored in an information storage unit of the beverage providing device in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by a store entry / exit DB in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by a beverage order DB in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by an indwelling DB in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22]FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by a supply material DB in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data configuration managed by a sensor DB in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by a beverage preparation control DB in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 25] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by a creation time TB in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 26] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration recorded in a reference setting TB in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 27] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a beverage recipe server according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 28] 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by a beverage DB in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 29] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by a recipe DB in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 30] 3 is a flowchart showing the overall flow of beverage serving operations in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 31] 5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating a method of storing a container unit in a container storage section according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 32] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of an order set creation operation in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 33] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining criteria M, N, and X in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 34] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation for setting a reference time, a reference number of orders, and a creation completion time in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 35] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations for determining the number of orders constituting an order set and the subsequent determination of the order of making the drinks in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 36]FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for adjusting the order of making beverages based on an in-store table order in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 37] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for adjusting the order of making beverages based on an in-store table order in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 38] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first example of placement of a container unit in a placement space in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 39] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of placement of a container unit in a placement space in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 40] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third example of placement of a container unit in a placement space in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 41] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a supply operation of a container unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 42] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a beverage preparation operation and the subsequent container unit placement operation in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 43] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a beverage preparation operation and the subsequent container unit placement operation in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 44] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the movement operation of the container unit by the supply auxiliary section in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 45] 5 is an enlarged view showing the movement of the container unit by the supply auxiliary section according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 46] FIG. 10 is a left side view showing the movement of the container unit by the supply auxiliary part in the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the state before the protrusion is inserted into the container support. [Figure 47] FIG. 10 is a left side view showing the movement of the container unit by the supply auxiliary part in the first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which the protrusion of the supply auxiliary part is inserted into the container support. [Figure 48]This is a left side view showing the movement operation of the container unit by the supply auxiliary unit in the first embodiment of the present invention, showing the state in which the protrusion of the supply auxiliary unit and the protrusion of the beverage preparation unit are inserted into the container support. [Figure 49] 4 is a sequence chart showing the flow of the operation of registering each piece of information into the beverage preparation control DB in the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 50] 4 is a sequence chart showing the flow of a suggestion operation for a beverage to be provided by the beverage providing device in the first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] First Embodiment (Outline of the first embodiment) The beverage serving device in the first embodiment of the present invention is installed in, for example, a restaurant or an event venue (hereinafter simply referred to as a "store" or "shop"), and automatically prepares and serves beverages in response to orders from users (hereinafter simply referred to as "customers" or "customers") who desire beverages, such as customers of the store. The beverage serving device is provided with a conveying section having a conveying path consisting of a belt conveyor or the like, and various beverage containers are transported along the conveying path while being supplied with beverages and beverage ingredients such as ice, and once the beverage is completed, it is stored in the container storage section. The beverage container is temporarily stopped at a beverage ingredient supply position on the conveying path by a conveying stop portion provided on the conveying path, and the beverage ingredient is supplied. A beverage server (hereinafter simply referred to as "employee"), such as an employee of a beverage provider operating a store, etc., places the filled beverage container stored in the container storage area on a serving device such as a tray and delivers it to the table, etc., of the customer who placed the order. In this embodiment, as an example, one employee carries one tray and serves food in one go.

[0032] In the following description of the present embodiment, the serving tool is a tray as an example, but it may be a carrier, a serving robot, or other items, and is not limited to these.

[0033] (Configuration of the first embodiment) [1] Overall configuration of the beverage supply system FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a beverage providing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the beverage serving system is composed of a beverage serving device 100 that automatically prepares and serves beverages in accordance with orders, an order terminal 200 that is a communication terminal connectable to the beverage serving device 100 via network 1 and places beverage orders to the beverage serving device 100, a beverage recipe server 400 that is a server device connectable to the beverage serving device 100 via network 1 and provides beverage recipe information to the beverage serving device 100, and a beverage provider terminal 500 operated by a beverage provider that uses the beverage serving device 100 to serve beverages to customers and others.

[0034] [2] Configuration of the order terminal 200 The order terminal 200 is a device capable of communicating with the beverage providing device 100 via a wired or wireless network or both, and is, for example, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a PC, or other communication device. The order terminal 200 is a communication-enabled information processing device that is operated by a customer or an employee of the store.

[0035] For example, the order terminal 200 is a touch panel tablet terminal that can display the food and drink menus placed on each table in the store and can input the food and drink to be ordered. When a customer operates the ordering terminal 200 to order a drink, drink order information including the order details is generated and transmitted to the drink providing device 100 to place the drink order.

[0036] Furthermore, for example, the order terminal 200 may be a portable communication terminal operated by an employee. In this case, the employee carries the ordering terminal 200 and moves to a table in the store, asks the customer what beverage they would like to order, and operates the ordering terminal 200 to input the beverage to be ordered, the table number in the store, etc. The employee then generates beverage order information based on the input information and sends it to the beverage serving device 100 to place the beverage order.

[0037] For example, the beverage order information generated by the ordering terminal 200 includes a "customer number" for identifying the customer (or group) entering the store, a "store table number" for identifying the table within the store where the customer arrived, the "entry time" of the customer, the "exit time" of the customer, the "number of customers" associated with the customer number, a "beverage order number" for identifying the beverage ordered, a "beverage type number" indicating the type of beverage ordered, and the "received time" of the order.

[0038] [3] Overall configuration of the beverage providing device 100 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the beverage providing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the external front view of the beverage providing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an external right side view of the beverage providing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the beverage providing device 100 will be described below with reference to these figures.

[0039] The beverage providing device 100 is a device that prepares a beverage by moving a beverage container C on a belt conveyor or the like and supplying one or more beverage ingredients to the beverage container C during the movement. As will be described later, the beverage container C moves in the beverage providing apparatus 100 while being supported by the container support 300, and beverage ingredients are supplied. The beverage container C and the container support 300 are collectively referred to as a container unit U.

[0040] As shown in the figure, the beverage providing apparatus 100 includes a conveying section 110 having a conveying path 111, such as a conveyor, for conveying container units U (drinking containers C), a beverage preparing section 120 that prepares a beverage by supplying beverage ingredients to the container units U (drinking containers C) conveyed by the conveying section 110, a conveyance stopping section 130 that temporarily stops the conveyance of the container units U (drinking containers C) by the conveying section 110, a container storage section 140 such as a rack in which the container units U (drinking containers C) are stored before being conveyed by the conveying section 110, and one or more storage spaces that are areas in which the container units U (drinking containers C) are stored once the beverage has been completed. The apparatus is configured to include a container storage section 150 equipped with a container unit U (beverage container C), a supply assistance section 160 that moves the container unit U (beverage container C) transported by the transporting section 110 to a position where beverage ingredients can be supplied by the beverage preparation section 120, a container unit detection section 170 that detects the current position of the container unit U (beverage container C) transported by the transporting section 110, a control section 210 that controls the operation of the beverage providing device 100, an information storage section 220 that stores various information necessary for providing beverages, a communication section 230 that communicates with external devices wirelessly or via a wired connection, and a container support 300 that supports the beverage container C transported by the transporting section 110. The control unit 210, the information storage unit 220, and the communication unit 230 are not shown in FIGS.

[0041] The container support 300 constitutes a container unit U by supporting the beverage container C from the bottom side like a tray so that the beverage container C into which the beverage is poured can be smoothly transported by the beverage providing device 100.

[0042] In the beverage providing apparatus 100, the conveying section 110 conveys the container unit U supplied from the container storage section 140 to the container depositing section 150. During the transport, the transport stop section 130 temporarily stops the transport of the container unit U, and the beverage preparation section 120 supplies beverage ingredients to the beverage container C of the container unit U whose transport has been stopped to prepare a beverage. If there is a distance between the temporary stopping position and the beverage preparation unit 120, the supply assistance unit 160 moves the container unit U closer to the position where the beverage preparation unit 120 supplies the beverage ingredients, and assists in the supply operation of the beverage ingredients.

[0043] The configuration of each of the above units 110 to 300 will be described in detail below.

[0044] [4] Configuration of the container storage unit 140 5 is a plan view showing the flow of a beverage preparation operation by the beverage providing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In this drawing, each component is depicted in a simplified form for the sake of explanation. The configuration and basic operation of the container storage unit 140 will be described below with reference to this figure.

[0045] The container storage section 140 stores the container unit U and supplies the container unit U to the transport path 111. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the container storage section 140 is configured to include a storage shelf 141 consisting of a rack or the like for storing container units U each including one or more washed beverage containers C, a container supply section 142 for supplying the container units U stored on the storage shelf 141 to the conveying section 110, and a storage guide section 143 for guiding the container units U to store them in the same direction on the storage shelf 141.

[0046] The beverage containers C are stored in the storage shelf 141 in the form of a container unit U to which the container support 300 is attached. The beverage containers C stored may be of one type or two or more types. In the example of FIGS. 3 to 5, the storage shelf 141 is configured in multiple stages, but it may also be configured in one stage. In the example of FIGS. 3 to 5, the storage shelves 141 are configured in a lane shape with three rows per shelf, but the number of rows is not particularly limited, and the shelves may be partitioned in a shape other than a lane shape. The container units U are stored in the storage shelves 141 with their orientations aligned by the storage guides 143 as described below.

[0047] The container supply unit 142 supplies a predetermined number of beverage containers C from the storage shelf 141 to the conveyance unit 110 at a predetermined timing under the control of the control unit 210. In the example of Figure 5, the container supply section 142 has a lift 142a that moves vertically between the height of the storage shelf 141 and the height of the conveying section 110 to transport the container unit U, and a supply stop section 142b that stops movement from the storage shelf 141 to the lift 142a.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lift 142a is a plate-like member that can be moved vertically by rotating a wire hung on a pair of rollers using a drive source such as a motor. The lift 142a, under the operation control of the control unit 210, moves vertically to the height of each tier of the multi-tiered storage shelf 141 at a predetermined timing to receive a container unit U from the storage shelf 141, and then moves to the height of the conveying path 111 to supply the received container unit U to the conveying path 111, thereby starting the conveying of the container unit U.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4, the storage shelf 141 is inclined so that the beverage containers C move toward the lift 142a under their own weight. As shown in FIG. 5, the supply restricting portion 142b is, for example, a protruding piece that can protrude vertically upward or retract downward under the control of the control unit 210. The supply restricting portion 142b is provided for each stage and each row on the lift 142a side of the storage shelf 141, individually. Each supply restricting portion 142b can be operated independently, and is configured to protrude or retract only in a specific row of a specific stage.

[0050] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the movement operation of the container unit U to the lift 142a in the first embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the container units are designated U1, U2, U3, and U4 in order from the container unit closest to the lift 142a.

[0051] As shown in (a) of Figure 6, the container units U1 to U4 move toward the lift 142a under their own weight due to the inclination of the storage shelf 141, but the movement of the leading container unit U1 toward the lift 142a is prevented by the supply stopper 142b that protrudes upward.

[0052] As shown in (b) of Figure 6, when the lift 142a moves to a predetermined stage, the supply stopper 142b in a predetermined row of that stage is retracted downward, thereby releasing the stopper provided by the supply stopper 142b, and the container unit U1 moves onto the lift 142a under its own weight. Thereafter, the supply stopping portion 142b protrudes upward again to stop the container units U2 to U4 from moving toward the lift 142a.

[0053] As described above, the supply inhibiting portion 142b is retracted downward to guide the container unit U onto the lift 142a at a predetermined timing, thereby enabling smooth transport to the transport path 111.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the storage guide unit 143 in the first embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the storage guide unit 143 will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0055] As shown in Figure 7, the storage guide section 143 is a frame-shaped member that is U-shaped when viewed from the front and has a horizontally oriented rod-shaped or plate-shaped base material 143a and protrusions 143b and 143c that protrude upward from both ends of the base material, on the left and right sides when viewed from the front. The right protruding piece 143c further extends inward (to the left when viewed from the front) to form an extending piece 143d.

[0056] In the example shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the storage guide unit 143 is installed at the end of the front side of the storage shelf 141. When the container unit U is set on the storage shelf 141 for storage, the container unit U is passed through the frame of the storage guide section 143 from the front side. A method for storing the container units U on the storage shelf 141 using this storage guide portion 143 will be described in detail later.

[0057] [5] Configuration of the conveying unit 110 As described above, the container unit U is supplied from the container storage section 140 to the conveying path 111 of the conveying section 110 at a predetermined timing, and the beverage preparation operation starts. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the transport section 110 and the container storage section 150 in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 3, 5, and 8, the conveying section 110 is configured to include a conveying path 111, for example, formed by a belt conveyor or the like, which conveys the container unit U to the container storage section 150, and a storage guide section 112 which guides the container unit U with the completed beverage to each of the storage spaces partitioned into one or more sections in the container storage section 150.

[0058] The structure of the conveying path 111 is not particularly limited, but it may be configured as a conventional belt conveyor, roller conveyor, or chain conveyor, for example, in which a driving source such as a motor rotates multiple rollers, the rotation of the multiple rollers is transmitted to another medium (belt, other rollers, chain, etc.), and the beverage container C on that medium is conveyed. Furthermore, the transport mechanism of the transport unit 110 for transporting the beverage containers C may be realized by an automated guided vehicle or a stacker crane that moves on a transport path.

[0059] In the example shown in FIG. 8, the transport path 111 is a conveyor made up of two endless belts arranged parallel to each other.

[0060] In the example of FIG. 5, the conveying path 111 is configured to be L-shaped overall when viewed from above, but the shape is not limited as long as it can convey beverage ingredients while being supplied by the beverage preparation unit 120.

[0061] The container unit U in which the beverage has been completed by the beverage preparation unit 120 supplying beverage ingredients is transported to a storage standby position Ps near the container storage unit 150 at the end of the transport path 111 in the transport direction. The storage standby position Ps is a position where the container unit U moves to the storage space 151 and temporarily stops to be stored.

[0062] As shown in Figure 8, the storage guide section 112 moves the container unit U that has been transported to the end of the transport direction of the transport path 111 and whose transport has stopped at the storage waiting position Ps to each storage space 151 of the container storage section 150. The storage guide section 112 is equipped with, for example, an extrusion mechanism that pushes out a container unit U that has temporarily stopped at a storage waiting position Ps at the end of the conveying path 111 into each storage space 151, and by the extrusion mechanism pushing out the container unit U from the storage waiting position Ps into the storage space 151, the container unit U can be allocated to each storage space 151.

[0063] [6] Configuration of the transport stop section 130 The transport stop section 130 temporarily stops the container unit U transported by the transport section 110 at a predetermined position. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the transport stopping unit 130 in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the transport stopping portion 130 has, for example, a pin-shaped stopping member 131 that moves so as to protrude or retract in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport path 111 .

[0064] The stopping member 131 is controlled by the control unit 210 to protrude or retract for a predetermined time at a predetermined timing. The stopping member 131 operates independently of the driving of the transport path 111 .

[0065] When the stopping member 131 is retracted, the container unit U continues to move on the conveying path 111 without being stopped from being conveyed by the conveying section 110.

[0066] On the other hand, when the stopping member 131 protrudes, the front surface of the container unit U in the conveying direction abuts against the stopping member 131, and the container unit U is stopped so as to remain at the stopping position while the conveying path 111 continues to operate. While the container unit U is temporarily stopped by the stopping member 131 in this manner, the upper surface of the transport path 111 comes into contact with the bottom surface of the container unit U and slides over it. Therefore, in order to prevent problems such as the container unit U wobbling during a temporary stop, it is preferable that the bottom surface of the container unit U and the top surface of the conveying path 111 are made of a material that does not generate excessive friction between them.

[0067] Even while the container unit U is temporarily stopped by the stopping member 131, the operation of the transport path 111 continues, and therefore, other container units U other than the container unit U in question are transported. Therefore, the beverage providing apparatus 100 can efficiently transport the container unit U and prepare the beverage.

[0068] The transport stopping section 130 includes a drive source and a drive mechanism (not shown) for driving the stopping member 131. The stop member 131 may be, for example, a solenoid pin that moves up and down by a solenoid, or may be configured to move up and down by the extension and contraction of a cylinder provided below, or may be configured to protrude or retract by a drive source such as an electric motor.

[0069] In the example of FIGS. 8 and 9, a plurality of stopping members 131 are provided between a conveying path 111 formed of two endless belts arranged parallel to each other. The conveying path 111 operates continuously in principle during the beverage preparation process, but the movement of the container unit U itself is restricted and stopped by a stop member 131 that protrudes vertically upward.

[0070] The container unit U is stopped by a stopping member 131 at the supply preparation position Pr and the storage standby position Ps.

[0071] The supply preparation position Pr is a position where the container unit U temporarily stops to receive a supply of beverage ingredients from the beverage preparation section 120. 3, the beverage preparation unit 120 supplies beverage ingredients to the container unit U stopped at the supply preparation position Pr. When the supply of the beverage ingredients is completed, the stopping member 131 retracts, the stop of the transport of the container unit U is released, and the container unit U is transported again on the transport path 111. In some cases, the supply preparation position Pr is separated from the beverage supply position Pd, where the beverage ingredients are actually supplied, and the container unit U must be moved from the supply preparation position Pr to the beverage supply position Pd. In such cases, the supply assisting unit 160 moves the container unit U, as will be described in detail later.

[0072] The storage standby position Ps is a position where the container unit U temporarily stops immediately before being stored in the storage space 151 of the container storage section 150. 8, the placement guide section 112 pushes out the container unit U stopped at the placement standby position Ps, and moves it to the placement space 151. When the movement to the placement space 151 is completed, the stopping member 131 retracts again. However, when stopping the container unit U at the storage waiting position Ps of the storage space 151 that is the terminal end of the conveying direction in the container storage section 150 among the storage waiting positions Ps of each storage space 151, the terminal stopping member 132 described below is used instead of the above-mentioned stopping member 131.

[0073] In the example described above, the stopping member 131 has a pin shape that moves up and down in the vertical direction, but the mechanism and shape thereof are not particularly limited as long as it can stop the transport of the container unit U on the transport path 111.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 8, the transport stop section 130 further includes an end stop member 132 that stops the transport of the container unit U at the end of the transport path 111 near the container storage section 150.

[0075] The end stop member 132 is a member provided at the end of the conveying path 111 in the conveying direction. Unlike the stop members 131, the end stop members 132 do not need to be temporarily retracted, but may be in a permanently protruding state. When the container unit U is transported along the transport path 111 and placed in the storage space 151 at the end of the transport direction in the container storage section 150, it abuts against the terminal stop member 132, stops transport, and enters a waiting state for placement in the storage space 151.

[0076] [7] Configuration of the container storage section 150 FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a container indwelling section 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The transport section 110 transports the container unit U and finally places it in the container storage section 150. As shown in Figures 8 and 10, the container storage section 150 is configured to include one or more storage spaces 151 for storing container units U into which finished beverages have been poured, a storage assistance section 152 for assisting in storing the container units U in the storage spaces 151, a container unit sensor 153 for detecting whether a container unit U is stored in the storage space 151, a completion information output section 154 for outputting completion information indicating that storage has been completed when the container unit U has been stored in the storage space 151, and a removal operation section 155 for inputting information indicating that the beverage container C into the beverage serving device 100 has been removed after a store employee removes the beverage container C into which the finished beverage has been poured from the storage space 151.

[0077] In the example of FIGS. 3 and 8, the container storage section 150 has three lane-shaped storage spaces 151 and storage assisting sections 152 that assist in storing the container units U in each storage space 151. For example, the container units U are allocated to the respective storage spaces 151 for each table in the restaurant where the beverage providing device 100 has received an order, so that the restaurant staff can easily serve the food.

[0078] The storage assistance units 152a, 152b, and 152c move the container unit U to the end of the transport direction of the storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c and place them side by side, and may be, for example, rails or rollers for the container unit U to slide on the lane-shaped storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c.

[0079] The container unit sensor 153 detects whether or not a container unit U is stored in the storage space 151, and further detects the number of container units U stored therein. The configuration of the container unit sensor 153 is not particularly limited as long as it has the function of detecting the container unit U placed in the storage space 151, but it may be, for example, a general object detection sensor using infrared rays, images, sound waves, etc., or a weight sensor that detects the container unit U by measuring its weight. Alternatively, the container unit U may be equipped with a short-range wireless transceiver, etc., and when the container unit U receives radio waves transmitted from the container unit sensor 153, it may transmit radio waves, and the container unit sensor 153 may receive the radio waves to detect the presence or number of container units U.

[0080] The container unit sensor 153 generates a detection signal indicating the detection content of the container unit U in the storage space 151 and outputs it to the control unit 210. The control unit 210 recognizes the placement status of the container unit U in the placement space 151 based on the detection signal from the container unit sensor 153 , and writes the placement status in the placement DB 223 .

[0081] The completion information output unit 154 outputs completion information indicating that the storage of the container unit U in the storage space 151 has been completed, and prompts the employee to serve the beverage container C for which the beverage has been prepared. Completion information output unit 154 outputs completion information each time storage is completed in each storage space 151. For example, if container storage unit 150 has three storage spaces 151, completion information is output each time storage in one storage space 151 is completed. The completion information indicates the type of beverage in the container unit U of the storage space 151 and the table number in the restaurant to which the beverage is to be served.

[0082] The completion information output unit 154 may be, for example, a device that outputs a receipt with the completion information printed on it, or a display that displays the completion information on a screen, or it may have other configurations such as outputting audio so long as the completion information can be communicated to an employee.

[0083] The removal operation unit 155 is a device for an employee to input removal information indicating that the container unit U has been removed after checking the contents of the completion information output from the completion information output unit 154 and removing the container unit U from the storage space 151. The removal operation unit 155 may be, for example, a button for simple information input, or may have other configurations as long as it is possible to input removal information.

[0084] [8] Configuration of beverage preparation unit 120 The beverage preparation unit 120 is a server that provides beverage ingredients such as beverages, beverage concentrates, powdered beverage ingredients, carbonated water, water, ice, hot water, etc. to a beverage container C (container unit U) stopped on the conveying path 111, and is composed of one or more beverage ingredient supply machines. The beverage preparation unit 120 is provided near the conveyance path 111 (by the roadside).

[0085] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the supply auxiliary unit 160, the beverage preparation unit 120 and their surrounding areas in the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the beverage preparation unit 120 has a beverage ingredient storage unit 121 installed for each supply machine and storing each beverage ingredient, a beverage ingredient supply port 122 installed for each supply machine and supplying the beverage ingredients stored in the beverage ingredient storage unit 121 to the beverage container C, and a pair of rod-shaped protrusions 123 for stabilizing the position of the beverage container C when supplying the beverage ingredients.

[0086] The beverage ingredient storage section 121 and the beverage ingredient supply port 122 may be provided separately for each type of beverage ingredient.

[0087] The protrusion 123 is a fork-shaped member that extends below the beverage ingredient supply port 122 in a substantially horizontal direction that is substantially perpendicular to the conveyance path 111 . The protrusion 123 may not be provided if the beverage ingredient supply port 122 does not need to be moved by the supply auxiliary part 160 described later.

[0088] The beverage ingredient supply port 122 is connected to, for example, a tank-shaped beverage ingredient storage unit 121 via a supply pipe or the like, similar to the beverage supply port of a general beverage server. The beverage ingredient supply port 122 is provided with an openable / closable plug, and when the plug is closed, the beverage ingredients are not supplied, and when the plug is open, the beverage ingredients are supplied. The stopper of the beverage ingredient supply port 122 is opened and closed at a predetermined timing for a predetermined time under the control of the control unit 210. This control allows an appropriate amount of an appropriate type of beverage ingredient to be supplied to the beverage container C being transported by the transport unit 110 at an appropriate timing.

[0089] The beverage ingredient supply port 122 may be provided directly above the conveying path 111 or may be provided at a position away from the conveying path 111 when viewed from above. Of these, the beverage ingredient supply port 122 provided directly above the conveying path 111 supplies beverage ingredients to the container unit U that is conveyed on the conveying path 111 and stopped temporarily on the conveying path 111 . On the other hand, when viewed from above, the beverage ingredient supply port 122, which is located at a position away from the conveying path 111, is transported along the conveying path 111, pauses temporarily, and then supplies beverage ingredients to a container unit U approaching the beverage ingredient supply port 122 by the supply auxiliary unit 160.

[0090] The beverage ingredient storage unit 121 may be connected to a water supply via a common water purifier.

[0091] The protrusion 123 is used to fix the raw material supply position of the container unit U lifted by the supply auxiliary part 160. The supply auxiliary unit 160 lifts the container unit U to a predetermined height, and then moves the container unit U horizontally so as to approach the beverage ingredient supply port 122. At this time, the protrusion 123 is inserted into a hole provided in the container support 300, the supply position of the beverage ingredients in the beverage container C is fixed, and the beverage ingredients can be poured into the beverage container C stably.

[0092] [9] Configuration of the supply auxiliary unit 160 As shown in Figure 11, the supply assistance unit 160 is provided near the conveying path 111 and brings the container unit U being conveyed on the conveying path 111 closer to the beverage ingredient supply port 122, thereby assisting the beverage preparation unit 120 in supplying beverage ingredients to the beverage container C.

[0093] As shown in Figure 11, the supply auxiliary unit 160 is composed of a base 161 having rails 161a etc. provided on its upper surface, a horizontal movement unit 162 that moves horizontally on the rails 161a of the base 161 in a direction approximately perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying path 111, a vertical movement unit 163 that is connected to the horizontal movement unit 162 and moves vertically up and down along the side of the horizontal movement unit 162 facing the beverage preparation unit 120, and a fork-shaped protrusion 164 that extends from the vertical movement unit 163 in an approximately horizontal direction approximately perpendicular to the conveying path 111.

[0094] The protruding portions 123 and 164 both extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport path 111, and extend in directions opposite to each other. The heights at which the protrusions 123 and 164 are provided may be different or the same.

[0095] Based on a control signal input from the control unit 210, the horizontal movement unit 162 moves in a horizontal direction (a horizontal direction approaching or moving away from the beverage ingredient supply port 122 of the beverage preparation unit 120) approximately perpendicular to the conveying path 111 by a drive source such as a motor.

[0096] The vertical moving unit 163 moves vertically up and down by a drive source such as a motor based on a control signal input from the control unit 210 .

[0097] The supply auxiliary part 160 is configured so that the protrusion 164 can be inserted into the hole 311 of the container support 300 by moving the horizontal moving part 162 and the vertical moving part 163 as described above, and can be connected to the container unit U. After being connected to the container unit U, the supply auxiliary unit 160 can raise and lower the container unit U vertically, and can also move the container unit U horizontally to move it closer to or away from the beverage ingredient supply port 122. Such vertical and horizontal movement reduces the distance between the opening through which the beverage ingredients are poured into the beverage container C and the beverage ingredient supply port 122, allowing the beverage preparation unit 120 to stably pour the beverage ingredients into the beverage container C without the beverage ingredients spilling over the surrounding area. Furthermore, the container unit U into which the beverage ingredients have been poured can be smoothly returned to a position on the conveying path 111 again.

[0098]

[10] Configuration of the container unit detection unit 170 The container unit detection section 170 detects the current position of the container unit U that has been transported by the transport section 110 and placed in the container storage section 150. The current position of the container unit U detected by the container unit detection section 170 is registered and managed as container unit position information in a beverage order DB 222, which will be described later.

[0099] The container unit detection section 170 has one or more container unit sensors 171 that detect the presence of a container unit U. The container unit sensor 153 is connected to the control unit 210 via wire or wirelessly so as to be able to transmit a detection signal to the control unit 210 .

[0100] The container unit sensor 171 is installed, for example, on the transport path of the container unit U (for example, the storage shelf 141 of the container storage section 140, the transport path 111 of the transport section 110, the beverage ingredient supply port 122 of the beverage preparation section 120, the storage space 151 of the container storage section 150, etc.) or at various positions nearby. In this embodiment, the "transport path" of the container unit U refers to the path from the storage position in the container storage section 140 to the storage space 151 in the container storage section 150 via the transport path 111 in the transport section 110.

[0101] The container unit sensors 171 may be installed at predetermined intervals on the transport path of the container units U, or may be installed at each installation position of the stopping members 131.

[0102] The container unit sensor 171 is not particularly limited in configuration or detection method as long as it has the function of detecting the container unit U on the transport path, and may be, for example, a magnetic sensor. In this case, the beverage container C and the container support 300 are each provided with a magnet or a magnetic pattern. The container unit sensor 171 installed at each position detects the magnetism of the container unit U that is stopped nearby or moving on the transport path passing nearby, and outputs the detection signal to the control unit 210. This detection signal includes whether or not there is detection, and identification information of each container unit sensor 171. Note that the above-described container unit sensor 153 may be configured to perform the detection operation by detecting the magnetism attached to the container unit U, similar to the container unit sensor 171.

[0103] The information storage unit 220 stores a sensor DB 225 (described later) that manages the installation positions (unit position information) of the container unit sensors 171. When a detection signal is input from the container unit sensor 171, the control unit 210 refers to the sensor DB 225 and detects the current position of the container unit U on the transport path based on the installation position of the container unit sensor 171. The control unit 210 registers the detected current position of the container unit U as unit position information in the beverage order DB 222 described below.

[0104] In addition, the container unit sensor 171 may be a sensor using other detection methods in addition to the magnetic sensor described above, for example, a general object detection sensor using infrared rays, images, sound waves, etc., or a weight sensor that detects the presence of the container unit U by measuring its weight. Alternatively, the container unit U may be equipped with a short-range wireless transceiver, etc., and when the container unit U receives radio waves transmitted from the container unit sensor 171, it may transmit radio waves, and the container unit sensor 171 may receive the radio waves to detect the presence or number of container units U.

[0105] The container unit sensor 171 generates a detection signal indicating the detection content of the container unit U on the transport path, and outputs the signal to the control unit 210. The control unit 210 recognizes the current position of the container unit U on the transport path based on the detection signal from the container unit sensor 171, and writes information about the current position (unit position information) to a beverage order DB 222, which will be described later.

[0106]

[11] Configuration of container unit U (1) Structure of the container unit U Next, the configuration of a container unit U made up of a beverage container C into which a beverage is poured and a container support 300 that supports the beverage container C from the bottom side like a saucer will be described.

[0107] FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the container support 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the appearance of the container support 300 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, with regard to the container unit U and the container support 300, the surface on which the hole 311 is provided is defined as the front surface, and the opening surface into which the beverage container C is inserted is defined as the top surface, using the container unit U shown in Figures 12 and 13 as a reference, and the front surface, back surface, right side surface, left side surface, top surface, and bottom surface are defined based on these surfaces.

[0108] FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a first example of the container unit U according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a front cross-sectional view of a first example of a container unit U according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of a second example of the container unit U according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17 is a front cross-sectional view of a second example of the container unit U according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A first example of a container unit U shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 is a container unit U including a beverage container C with a handle. 16 and 17 show a second example of the container unit U, which includes a beverage container C without a handle. The following description will be given with reference to these figures.

[0109] Examples of beverage containers C include cups, mugs, general drinking glasses, wine glasses, champagne glasses, brandy glasses, rock glasses, goblets, liqueur glasses, coffee cups, tea cups, soup cups, mugs, teacups, rice bowls, bowls, sake cups, sake cups, sake bottles, tumblers, decanters, and other beverage containers.

[0110] As shown in FIGS. 12 to 17, the container support 300 has a shape in which a cylindrical member is connected to a plate-like member, and a beverage container C is fitted inside the cylindrical member to be supported.

[0111] As shown in Figures 12 to 17, the container support 300 is composed of a platform-shaped base portion 310, a stepped portion 320 provided on a part of the base portion 310, and a cylindrical portion 330 provided on the base portion 310 and the stepped portion 320.

[0112] The container support 300 supports the beverage container C from the bottom side when the beverage container C is transported on the transport path 111. Since the shape and size of the container supporters 300 are essentially the same, beverage containers C of various shapes and sizes can be transported stably on the transport path 111.

[0113] The base portion 310 is a table-shaped member whose bottom surface comes into contact with the transport path 111 when the container support 300 is placed on the transport path 111 and transported.

[0114] A pair of holes 311 are provided on the front side of the base 310. If the beverage ingredient supply port 122 of the beverage preparation unit 120 and the upper opening surface of the beverage container C are positioned apart, the beverage ingredients may not be poured properly into the beverage container C and may spill. To solve this problem, the supply auxiliary unit 160 moves the container unit U closer to the beverage ingredient supply port 122. At this time, the supply auxiliary part 160 inserts the pair of rod-shaped protrusions 164 into the holes 311, lifts the container unit U vertically, and moves it in parallel in the horizontal direction.

[0115] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13, similar to the holes 311 on the front side, a pair of holes 312 are also provided on the rear side of the base 310. After the container unit U is lifted vertically with the pair of rod-shaped protrusions 164 of the supply auxiliary section 160 inserted into the holes 311, the supply auxiliary section 160 moves the container unit U horizontally so as to bring it closer to the beverage ingredient supply port 122 of the beverage preparation section 120. At this time, the protrusion 123 of the beverage preparation part 120 is inserted into the hole 312 . As a result, the protrusions 164, 123 are inserted into the front and back sides of the container unit U, respectively, and the container unit U becomes connected to both the beverage preparation section 120 and the supply auxiliary section 160, thereby stabilizing the supply position of the beverage ingredients to the container unit U.

[0116] The step portion 320 is a member formed in a stepped shape on a part of the upper surface of the base portion 310 . The step portion 320 is used by an employee to align the orientation of the container units U when storing them in the container storage section 140 (details will be described later).

[0117] The tube portion 330 is a substantially cylindrical member that is provided in the center of the base portion 310 and the step portion 320 and is open at the top. A beverage container C is fitted onto the inner wall side of the cylindrical portion 330.

[0118] The cylindrical portion 330 is It is composed of a cylindrical side wall portion 331 of the tubular portion 330 having a notch 331a in part of the circumferential direction at the upper end, an inner bottom portion 332 formed continuously from the lower end of the inner wall of the side wall portion 331 and forming the bottom inside the cylinder of the tubular portion 330, a recess portion 333 which is a cylindrical recess provided in the center of the inner bottom portion 332, a ring-shaped (C-shaped) upper support portion 334 with a portion missing extending radially inward from the inner wall of the side wall portion 331, a ring-shaped lower support portion 335 extending radially inward from the upper end of the recess portion 333, and a handle support portion 336 provided continuously inside the notch 331a in part of the upper end of the side wall portion 331. The upper support portion 334 and the lower support portion 335 are collectively referred to as the "annular support portion."

[0119] (2) Support mechanism of beverage container C in container support 300 Next, a support mechanism for the beverage container C in the container support 300 will be described. The container support 300 is configured to support the beverage container C with three support mechanisms: (a) handle support portion 336, (b) support piece 336c and upper support portion 334, and (c) lower support portion 335, thereby stably holding the beverage container C and enabling smooth transport. The following describes each of the support mechanisms (a) to (c) above.

[0120] (a) Support mechanism using the handle support portion 336 As shown in FIGS. 12 to 17, the side wall portion 331 forms a cylindrical side surface with a notch 331a provided in part of the upper end. Inside the notch 331a, a U-shaped handle support portion 336 with a portion of the upper end of the ring missing is provided. The handle support portion 336 supports the handle portion of a beverage container C having a handle as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, thereby enabling the container support 300 to stably hold the beverage container C. The mechanism by which the handle support portion 336 supports the beverage container C will be described below.

[0121] The entire handle support portion 336 is made of a flexible material, such as elastomer (including rubber), urethane, or other materials. The handle support portion 336 has a pair of flexible engaging pieces 336a, 336b at the tip of its U-shape.

[0122] When fitting the beverage container C into the container support 300, the lower part of the handle of the beverage container C passes between the pair of engagement pieces 336a, 336b and is engaged into the U-shape of the handle support portion 336. As described above, the engagement pieces 336a and 336b are flexible. Therefore, when passing under the lower part of the handle of the beverage container C, if the width of the lower part of the handle passing through is greater than the width of the gap between the engagement pieces 336a, 336b, the handle will come into contact with the engagement pieces 336a, 336b, causing the engagement pieces 336a, 336b to bend, and the lower part of the handle will pass between the engagement pieces 336a, 336b and become engaged within the handle support portion 336. The engaging pieces 336a, 336b return to their original positions due to elastic force after the lower part of the handle of the beverage container C has passed through, thereby preventing the handle from unintentionally falling off between the engaging pieces 336a, 336b.

[0123] As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the handle of the beverage container C inserted into the handle support portion 336 is supported in close contact with a part of the U-shaped inner wall of the handle support portion 336.

[0124] (b) Support mechanism using upper support portion 334 and support piece 336c As described above, the side wall portion 331 is provided with the notch 331a, so that a part of the upper end in the circumferential direction is missing, and the upper end forms a C-shape when viewed from above. On the inner wall of the upper end of the C-shape of this side wall portion 331, a ring-shaped (C-shaped) upper support portion 334 with a portion cut out and extending radially inward is provided. The upper support portion 334 is entirely made of a flexible material, such as elastomer (including rubber), urethane, or other materials.

[0125] The handle support portion 336 also has a flexible support piece 336c at its lower portion, which extends radially inward of the cylindrical portion 330. The support piece 336c and the upper support piece 334 sandwich the side surface of the beverage container C, so that the container support 300 can stably hold the beverage container C. The support mechanism using the upper support portion 334 and the support piece 336c will be described below.

[0126] When the beverage container C is inserted into the tubular portion 330, the outer surface of the beverage container C contacts the support piece 336c and the upper support portion 334, and the beverage container C is pushed completely into the tubular portion 330 until the bottom of the beverage container C abuts the inner bottom portion 332 or the bottom of the recess portion 333. At this time, the support piece 336c and the upper support portion 334 both come into contact with the outer surface of the beverage container C while being bent. Even when the beverage container C is pushed in completely as described above, both the support piece 336c and the upper support portion 334 remain bent and in close contact with the outer surface of the beverage container C, and due to the bending of both of these, a clamping force acts radially inward on the outer surface of the beverage container C. The beverage container C is supported by the container support 300 by this clamping force.

[0127] As shown in Figures 15 and 17, in order to stably apply the clamping force of the support piece 336c and the upper support portion 334 to the beverage container C, it is preferable to form the support piece 336c and the upper support portion 334 so that the "inner diameter of the C-shaped upper support portion 334" and the "distance between the support piece 336c and the opposing upper support portion 334" are slightly smaller than the "outer diameter of the outer surface of the beverage container C." In order to stably apply a clamping force to the beverage container C by the support piece 336c and the upper support portion 334, it is preferable that the heights of the support piece 336c and the upper support portion 334 are at approximately the same position.

[0128] (c) Support mechanism using the lower support part 335 A ring-shaped lower support portion 335 is provided at the bottom of the cylindrical portion 330 . The lower support portion 335 is entirely made of a flexible material, such as elastomer (including rubber), urethane, or other materials. As shown in FIG. 17, the lower support portion 335 supports the lower portion of the beverage container C, thereby enabling the container support 300 to stably hold the beverage container C. The mechanism by which the lower support portion 335 supports the beverage container C will be described below.

[0129] The inner bottom portion 332 forms the bottom of the cylindrical interior of the tubular portion 330, and a cylindrical recessed portion 333 is provided in the center thereof. In this embodiment, the recess 333 is a cylindrical recess that is concentric with the inner bottom 332 and has a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the inner bottom 332 when viewed from above, but the shape, arrangement, etc. are not limited to this as long as it is provided approximately in the center of the inner bottom 332.

[0130] A ring-shaped lower support portion 335 is provided at the upper end of the recessed portion 333 (near the boundary with the inner bottom portion 332) and extends radially inward. When the outer diameter of the lower part of the beverage container C is smaller than the inner diameter of the recessed portion 333 as in the second example shown in FIG. At this time, the inner ring surface of the lower support portion 335 comes into close contact with the outer surface of the beverage container C in a bent or downwardly folded state. Due to the bending or bending of the lower support portion 335, a clamping force acts on the outer surface of the lower portion of the beverage container C in a radially inward direction. The beverage container C is supported by the container support 300 by this clamping force.

[0131] In addition, in order to stably apply the clamping force of the above-mentioned lower support portion 335 to the beverage container C, it is preferable to form the lower support portion 335 so that the ``inner diameter of the ring-shaped lower support portion 335'' is slightly smaller than the ``outer diameter of the outer surface of the beverage container C.''

[0132] On the other hand, when the outer diameter of the lower part of the beverage container C is larger than the inner diameter of the recessed portion 333 as in the first example shown in FIG. In this case, the beverage container C is supported by the support mechanism including the upper support portion 334 and the support piece 336c.

[0133] (d) Summary of the support mechanism for the beverage container C by the container support 300 As described above, the container support 300 can support the beverage container C by clamping the outer surface of the beverage container C between the flexible upper support portion 334 and support piece 336c, allowing the beverage container C to be transported stably along the transport path 111 without tipping over. In addition, if the bottom of the beverage container C can be abutted against the bottom of the recessed portion 333, the beverage container C can be supported more stably by clamping the outer surface of the lower part of the beverage container C with the lower support portion 335. Furthermore, if the beverage container C has a handle, the beverage container C can be supported more stably by inserting the handle into the handle support portion 336 and making it adhere to the inner wall of the handle support portion 336. In this way, the container support 300 supports the beverage container C by a plurality of support mechanisms, and is therefore applicable to beverage containers C of various shapes and sizes.

[0134]

[12] Configuration of the control unit 210 The control unit 201 is a processing unit that controls the entire beverage providing device 100, and is configured, for example, by an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an integrated circuit such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0135] The control unit 210 outputs control signals to each part of the beverage providing device 100 to cause each part to perform an operation. The control unit 210 reads information from the information storage unit 220 and writes information to the information storage unit 220 . The control unit 210 controls the communication unit 230 to send and receive information.

[0136] In addition, the control unit 210 controls various operations, such as the transportation of the container unit U by the transport unit 110, the supply of beverage ingredients to the container unit U by the beverage preparation unit 120, the stopping of the transportation of the container unit U by the transport stop unit 130, the supply of the container unit U to the transport path 111 by the container storage unit 140, the input and output of information regarding the storage of the container unit U by the container storage unit 150, and the assistance in the supply of beverage ingredients to the container unit U by the supply assistance unit 160.

[0137] Furthermore, the control unit 210 may control the operation of each unit so that a beverage is prepared each time an order is received, but in the following embodiment, an example will be described in which one or more orders are combined and then beverages are prepared. A collection of information about one or more orders is called an "order set." In this embodiment, the control unit 210 creates an order set by collecting information on one or more orders, and then prepares the drinks by changing the initial order of receipt for the orders in the order set so that employees can easily serve the drinks, and stores the drinks in the storage space 151.

[0138]

[13] Configuration of information storage unit 220 (1) Databases and tables stored in the information storage unit 220 The information storage unit 220 is a device for storing information, such as a hard disk, memory, or semiconductor device. The information storage unit 220 has an area for storing programs executed by the control unit 210, a working area (such as RAM) that is temporarily used when the control unit 210 executes processing, and the like. The control unit 210 reads out the programs stored in the information storage unit 220, develops them in the work area, and executes various processes. The information storage unit 220 stores each database and table described below.

[0139] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing databases and tables stored in information storage unit 220 of beverage providing device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the information storage unit 220 stores an entry / exit DB221, which is a database that manages the status of customers entering and leaving the store; a beverage order DB222, which is a database that manages beverage order information regarding beverages ordered by customers entering the store; a storage DB223, which is a database that manages the storage status of the container unit U; a supply ingredient DB224 that manages information indicating the types of beverage ingredients that can be supplied by the beverage preparation unit 120 of the beverage serving device 100; a sensor DB225 that manages information indicating the current position of the container unit U on the transport path; a beverage preparation control DB226, which is a table that records information regarding the control of the operation timing and operation time of each part when preparing a beverage; a preparation time TB227, which is a table that records preparation time information that indicates the time required to prepare each type of beverage; and a standard setting TB228, which is a table that records information for determining each standard (standard time M, standard number of orders N, and preparation completion time X, which will be described later) used when setting the order in which beverages are prepared. The data configuration of each of the databases 221 to 226 and the tables 227 and 228 will be described in detail below.

[0140] (2) Entering and Exiting DB221 The store entry / exit DB 221 is a database that manages the status of customers entering and leaving a store. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by the store entry / exit DB 221 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, the store entry / exit DB221 manages, in association with a "store entry customer number" for identifying a store entry customer (group), a "store table number" for identifying the table in the store where the store entry customer arrived, the "store entry time" of the store entry customer, the "store exit time" of the store entry customer, and the "number of customers" of the store entry customer number.

[0141] For example, the control unit 210 can detect the total number of customers currently in the store by referring to the store entry / exit DB 221.

[0142] The control unit 210 may be configured to automatically assign a "customer number" to the store entry DB 221 when it receives information from the order terminal 200 that a new customer has entered the store.

[0143] When an employee operates the ordering terminal 200, the employee operates the ordering terminal 200 to input the "in-store table number," "entry time," "exit time," and "number of people," and this input information is sent to the beverage serving device 100 and registered in the store entry / exit DB 221.

[0144] In addition, when a customer enters the store and operates the ordering terminal 200 installed at each table in the store, the customer operates the ordering terminal 200 to input the "entry time," "exit time," and "number of people," and this input information is sent to the beverage serving device 100 and registered in the store entry / exit DB 221.

[0145] Furthermore, when a customer enters the store and operates the ordering terminal 200 installed at each table in the store, the ordering terminal 200 installed at each table in the store pre-stores the "store table number" of the table in question, and when various information is entered, it automatically transmits the information to the beverage serving device 100 and is registered in the store entry / exit DB221 and beverage order DB222.

[0146] Furthermore, the control unit 210 may be configured to recognize the time at which the first order is placed after a customer leaves the store as the "store entry time" of the next customer at each in-store table.

[0147] (3) Beverage Order DB222 The drink order DB 222 is a database that manages drink order information relating to drinks ordered by customers. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure managed by the beverage order DB 222 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, the beverage order DB222 associates a "beverage order number" for identifying the ordered beverage with a "beverage ID," which is beverage-specific identification information indicating the type of beverage ordered, the "customer number" of the customer who placed the order, the "in-store table number" of the in-store table where the customer who placed the order will arrive, the "received time" of the order, an "order set number" for identifying which order set each order is included in, a "beverage preparation order" indicating the order in which the ordered beverages included in the order set will be prepared, a "storage space number" for identifying the storage space 151 in which the beverage will be or has been stored, the "current status of the beverage" for which the order was received, and "unit position information" indicating the current position of the container unit U on the transport route.

[0148] One or more orders that make up an order set are written with the same "order set number" in the beverage order DB 222. That is, orders with different order set numbers written in the beverage order DB 222 indicate that they are included in different order sets.

[0149] In the "Current status of beverage" field of the beverage order DB222, the control unit 210 writes one of the following statuses: "Not yet prepared" which means that the container unit U has not yet been supplied to the conveying path 111; "Preparing" which means that the container unit U has been supplied to the conveying path 111 and the beverage is in the process of being prepared; "In storage" which means that the beverage has been prepared and is being stored in the storage space 151 but has not yet been served; or "Served" which means that the beverage has been stored in the storage space 151 and has been served to a table in the restaurant. The control unit 210 can detect information such as the current status of beverage preparation by referring to the "current status of beverage" in the beverage order DB 222.

[0150] The "beverage preparation order" in the beverage order DB 222 is the order in which the orders were received when the control unit 210 created the order set. Thereafter, the control unit 210 adjusts (changes) the beverage preparation order of the orders in the order set, as will be described later in the section "Order Set Creation Operation," and rewrites the "beverage preparation order" in the beverage order DB 222.

[0151] The "unit position information" in the beverage order DB 222 is information indicating the current position of the container unit U on the transport route. When a detection signal of a container unit U is input from the container unit sensor 171, the control unit 210 registers the current position of the container unit U in the beverage order DB 222 as unit position information.

[0152] The unit position information may have any format as long as it indicates the current position of the container unit U on the transport path. For example, the unit position information may be expressed as the distance from the origin along the transport path, such as the position where the container unit U is supplied from the container storage section 140 to the transport path 111, or it may be expressed as a coordinate system with a predetermined position as the origin.

[0153] (4) Detention DB223 The storage DB 223 is a database that manages the storage status of the container unit U. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by the indwelling DB 223 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, the storage DB 223 manages the "drink order number" corresponding to the container unit U stored in each storage space 151 and the "storage status" in each storage space 151, in association with the "storage space number" that identifies each storage space 151.

[0154] In the "drink order number" field of the storage DB 223, the drink order numbers of all container units U that are to be stored or have already been stored, as determined by the control unit 210, are written for each storage space 151.

[0155] In the "Storage Status" field of the storage DB223, the control unit 210 writes one of the following storage statuses: "Not stored", where no container unit U has been stored and there are no plans for storage; "In preparation", where storage of the container unit U has not been completed but is planned; or "In storage", where storage of all container units U has already been completed.

[0156] For example, by referring to the storage DB 223, the control unit 210 can detect whether there is an empty storage space 151 in the container storage unit 150, whether there is a drink waiting to be served, and the like. For example, the control unit 210 refers to the "detention status" item in the detention DB 223, and if there is a detention space 151 with a detention status of "not detained", it recognizes that the detention space 151 is vacant and can be used for detention. Conversely, the control unit 210 refers to the "Storage Status" item in the storage DB 223, and if all storage spaces 151 are in the "Under Construction" or "Storage in Progress" state, it recognizes that there is no vacant storage space 151 and that storage is no longer possible.

[0157] (5) Feedstock DB224 The supply ingredient DB 224 is a database that manages information indicating the types of beverage ingredients that the beverage preparation unit 120 can supply. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure managed by the supplied material DB 224 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, the supply ingredient DB 224 manages the "ingredient ID," which is the identification information unique to each supply machine that constitutes the beverage preparation unit 120, in association with the "supply machine number," which is the identification information unique to each supply machine, the "name of the beverage ingredient" corresponding to that ingredient ID number, and the "supply location" of the beverage ingredient corresponding to that ingredient ID.

[0158] In the example of Figure 22, the supply ingredient DB224 indicates that the beverage preparation unit 120 can supply beverage ingredients such as "water," "ice," "carbonated water," "beer," "shochu," "whiskey," "lemon water," and "grapefruit water."

[0159] The control unit 210 can compare the "beverage ingredient number" in the above-mentioned supply ingredient DB 224 with the beverage recipe information obtained from the beverage recipe server 400 to detect beverages that can be made using the beverage ingredients currently available to the beverage preparation unit 120.

[0160] Furthermore, by detecting the "supply position" of the supply material DB 224, the control unit 210 can determine whether or not the container unit U needs to be moved by the supply auxiliary unit 160 when supplying the beverage material.

[0161] (6) Sensor DB225 The sensor DB 225 is a database that manages sensor position information that indicates the installation position of the container unit sensor 171 . FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by the sensor DB 225 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, the sensor DB 225 manages "sensor position information" indicating the installation position of each container unit sensor 171 in association with "sensor identification information" that is identification information unique to the container unit sensor 171.

[0162] When the container unit sensor 171 detects the current position of the container unit U on the transport path, it sends a detection signal to the control unit 210, which includes information about the detection and the sensor identification information of the sensor itself. When the control unit 210 receives the above detection signal from the container unit sensor 171, it refers to the sensor DB 225 based on the sensor identification information of the detected container unit sensor 171 contained in the detection signal, and extracts the sensor position information of the container unit sensor 171 from the sensor DB 225. Based on the extracted sensor position information of the container unit sensor 171, the control unit 210 derives unit position information of the container unit U detected by the container unit sensor 171, and writes the unit position information to the beverage order DB 222.

[0163] The unit position information written to the beverage order DB222 is used by the control unit 210 to detect the current position of the container unit U on the conveying route, determine the timing for the conveying stop unit 130 to stop the container unit U, determine the timing for the beverage preparation unit 120 to supply beverage ingredients, determine the timing for the supply assistance unit 160 to move the container unit U, and notify the placement of the container unit U in the container storage unit 150, etc.

[0164] Note that the above-mentioned "sensor position information" may be the position of the container unit U that can be detected by each container unit sensor 171 (=unit position information) instead of the installation position of each container unit sensor 171.

[0165] The beverage preparation control DB 226 is a database that manages information for controlling the operation of each part when the beverage providing device 100 prepares a beverage. FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by the beverage preparation control DB 226 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, the beverage preparation control DB 226 associates a "beverage ID," which is identification information unique to a beverage prepared from one or more beverage ingredients, with the "beverage name," a "recipe ID," which is identification information unique to the recipe information for preparing the beverage, an "ingredient ID," which is identification information unique to the beverage ingredient used in the recipe of the recipe information and supplied by the beverage serving device 100, the "beverage ingredient name" identified by the ingredient ID, the "beverage ingredient supply amount," a "beverage ingredient supply sequence" indicating the sequence in which the beverage ingredients are supplied by the beverage serving device 100, a "supply machine number," which is identification information unique to the supply machine that supplies the above beverage ingredients in the beverage preparation unit 120, and the "supply position" of the beverage ingredient in each supply machine.

[0166] The control unit 210 controls the beverage preparation operation of the beverage providing device 100 and the timing of that operation based on the various information managed in the beverage preparation control DB 226. For example, the control unit 210 controls the operation of the container storage unit 140 to supply the container unit U to the transport path 111. In addition, based on the beverage preparation control DB 226, the control unit 210 controls the operation of stopping the transport stop unit 130 or the transport unit 110 at the position of the beverage ingredient supply machine (beverage ingredient supply port 122) that prepares the container unit U, resuming transport after the supply is complete, and storing the container in the container storage unit 150. Furthermore, based on the beverage preparation control DB 226, the control unit 210 controls the operation of each supply auxiliary unit 160 to move the container unit U from the conveying path 111 toward the beverage ingredient supply port 122, and return it to the conveying path 111 after the supply of the beverage ingredients is completed. Furthermore, the control unit 210 controls the operation of the beverage preparation unit 120 to supply beverage ingredients to the container unit U (including the type, amount, sequence, timing, etc.) based on the beverage preparation control DB 226.

[0167] The information managed in the beverage preparation control DB 226 may be information registered by the control unit 210 from the above-mentioned supply ingredient DB 224 and information received by the beverage providing device 100 from the beverage recipe server 400. Alternatively, each piece of information managed in the beverage preparation control DB 226 may be input by the beverage provider using the beverage provider terminal 500 or the like, transmitted to the beverage serving device 100, and registered by the control unit 210.

[0168] The control unit 210 controls operations based on the various pieces of information managed in the beverage preparation control DB 226, as well as on the detection of the container unit U by the container unit sensor 171, etc. For example, the control unit 210 extracts the stop position (supply preparation position Pr or storage standby position Ps) for the transport of the container unit U based on each piece of information in the beverage preparation control DB 226, and when it determines based on detection by the container unit sensor 171 that the container unit U has been transported up to just before that stop position, it causes the transport stop unit 130 to stop the transport of the container unit U and causes the beverage preparation unit 120 to perform operations such as supplying beverage ingredients based on each piece of information in the beverage preparation control DB 226.

[0169] The control unit 210 may recognize a beverage with a beverage ID registered in the beverage preparation control DB 226 as a beverage that is currently being served by the beverage serving device 100 or a beverage that can currently be served.

[0170] The preparation time TB 227 is a table that records preparation time information indicating the time required to prepare each type of beverage. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure managed by the creation time TB 227 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, the preparation time TB 227 records "drink preparation time" indicating the time required to prepare each drink, in association with the "drink ID" of each drink.

[0171] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure recorded in the reference setting TB 228 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated example, the criteria setting TB 228 is a table that records information for determining criteria (a reference time M, a reference number of orders N, and a preparation completion time X, which will be described later) used when setting the order in which drinks are prepared. In the illustrated example, the reference setting TB 228 records "reference time M," "number of sub-orders N," and "production completion time X" corresponding to "customer number information" indicating the total number of customers currently in the store. In the example shown in the figure, the larger the customer number information, the larger the values ​​recorded in the standard setting TB 228 for the standard time M, standard number of orders N, and preparation completion time X.

[0172] After setting each criterion based on the criterion setting TB 228, the control unit 210 writes each set criterion into the information storage unit 220, and determines the number of orders that constitute the order set based on each written criterion.

[0173]

[14] Configuration of communication unit 230 The communication unit 230 is an interface that controls communication with the order terminal 200, the beverage recipe server 400, and the beverage provider terminal 500 via the network 100, and includes a LAN adapter and the like. The communication unit 230 includes a wireless transceiver and may be connected to a LAN, the Internet, or the like via wireless communication, or may be connected via a wired connection such as a cable.

[0174]

[15] Configuration of beverage recipe server 400 Beverage recipe server 400 is a server device that provides beverage serving device 100 with recipe information for the beverage (beverage recipe information) created by beverage serving device 100. Beverage recipe server 400 is managed, for example, by an administrator who manages beverage serving device 100 or a business that provides beverage recipe information.

[0175] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the configuration of the beverage recipe server 400 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the beverage recipe server 400 is composed of a control unit 41 which is composed of a CPU or the like and controls the entire beverage recipe server 400, an information storage unit 42 which stores beverage recipe information, etc., and a communication unit 43 which transmits and receives information to and from the beverage serving device 100 via the network 100 wirelessly or via a wired connection. Each of the units 41 to 43 is connected to an internal bus, and various information and the like is input and output via this bus, and under the control of the control unit 41, various processes are executed.

[0176] The control unit 41 is a processing unit that controls the entire beverage recipe server 400, and is configured, for example, by an electronic circuit such as a CPU or an integrated circuit such as an FPGA. The control unit 41 reads information from the information storage unit 42 and writes information to the information storage unit 42 .

[0177] The information storage unit 42 is a device for storing information, such as a hard disk, a memory, or a semiconductor element. The information storage unit 42 has an area for storing programs executed by the control unit 41, a working area (such as RAM) that is temporarily used when the control unit 41 executes processing, and the like. The control unit 41 reads out the programs stored in the information storage unit 42, develops them in the work area, and executes various processes. As shown in FIG. 27, the information storage unit 42 stores a beverage DB 421 that manages the correspondence between various beverages and recipe information for preparing the beverages, and a recipe DB 422 that manages each piece of recipe information.

[0178] The communication unit 43 is an interface that controls communication with the beverage providing device 100 and the beverage provider terminal 500 via the network 100, and includes a LAN adapter and the like. The communication unit 43 includes a wireless transceiver and may be connected to a LAN, the Internet, or the like via wireless communication, or may be connected via a wired connection such as a cable.

[0179] The beverage DB 421 is a database for managing information on various beverages provided by the beverage providing device 100. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by the beverage DB 421 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, beverage DB421 manages the "name of the beverage" and the "recipe ID," which is identification information unique to the recipe information used to create the beverage, in association with a "drink ID," which is identification information unique to the beverage created from one or more beverage ingredients.

[0180] The recipe DB 422 is a database that manages recipe information for creating various beverages. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a data configuration managed by the recipe DB 422 in the first embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in the figure, recipe DB 422 manages, in association with a "recipe ID" which is identification information unique to the recipe information, an "ingredient ID" which is identification information unique to the beverage ingredients used in the recipe of that recipe information, the "name of the beverage ingredient" identified by that ingredient ID, the "supply order of beverage ingredients" which indicates the supply order of the beverage ingredients in the process of creating a beverage using beverage serving device 100, and the "supply amount of the beverage ingredient."

[0181] Beverage recipe server 400 transmits and provides recipe information managed in recipe DB 422 to beverage serving device 100 via network 1 using a push method or a pull method.

[0182] When the beverage recipe server 400 receives information (ingredient ID) about beverage ingredients that are held and available for supply by the beverage serving device 100 from the beverage serving device 100, it refers to the beverage DB 421 and recipe DB 422 to detect beverages that can be made using the available beverage ingredients, and transmits the detection results to the beverage provider terminal 500. Here, when the beverage serving device 100 transmits the beverage ID of the beverage currently being served from the beverage preparation control DB 226 to the beverage recipe server 400, the beverage recipe server 400 may detect only the beverages that are not currently being served by the beverage serving device 100 among the beverages that can be prepared using the beverage ingredients that the beverage serving device 100 can supply, and transmit information about the beverages that are not currently being served to the beverage provider terminal 500. In addition, the beverage recipe server 400 may be configured to transmit to the beverage provider terminal 500 information regarding beverages that will be able to be supplied in the future by the beverage supply device 100 adding and supplying beverage ingredients that are not currently being supplied.

[0183]

[16] Configuration of beverage provider terminal 500 The beverage provider terminal 500 is a device capable of communicating with the beverage serving device 100 and the beverage recipe server 400 via a wired, wireless or both networks, and is, for example, a smartphone, mobile phone, tablet terminal, PC or other communication device. The beverage provider terminal 500 is a communication-enabled information processing device operated by a beverage provider (including store employees, etc.).

[0184] The beverage provider operates the beverage provider terminal 500 to receive from the beverage provision device 100 the ingredient IDs of the beverage ingredients that the beverage provision device 100 can currently provide, and display them. The beverage provider can use the beverage provider terminal 500 to check the beverage ingredients that the beverage providing device 100 can currently provide.

[0185] The beverage provider operates the beverage provider terminal 500 to send the ingredient ID of the beverage ingredient that the beverage serving device 100 can currently supply to the beverage recipe server 400, and then receives and displays from the beverage recipe server 400 information on beverages that can be made using the beverage ingredient and new beverages that the beverage serving device 100 can make by adding the beverage ingredient. The beverage provider can grasp the beverages that the beverage providing device 100 can make but has not provided, and can easily consider whether or not to provide a new beverage using the beverage providing device 100. In addition, beverage providers can identify beverages that the beverage serving device 10 is not serving due to a lack of beverage ingredients necessary for preparation, and can easily consider whether to add new beverage ingredients in order to serve those beverages.

[0186] In addition, the beverage provider operates the beverage provider terminal 500 to input any fixed value for each of the criteria M, N, and X and transmits it to the beverage providing device 100. The beverage providing device 100 Upon receiving the arbitrary fixed values, the control unit 210 may set the arbitrary fixed values ​​as the current references M, N, and X.

[0187] (Operation of the first embodiment) [1] Overall operation of serving beverages FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing the overall operation flow of beverage serving in the first embodiment of the present invention. The overall operation of beverage provision by the beverage provision device 100 will be described below with reference to this diagram.

[0188] First, a store employee sets the container unit U in the container storage section 140 (step S1).

[0189] Next, the control unit 210 accepts a drink order based on the drink order information received from the ordering terminal 200 by the communication unit 230 (step S2).

[0190] Next, the control unit 210 creates an order set, which is order information that compiles orders for one or more drinks, based on one or more pieces of drink order information (step S3).

[0191] Next, the control unit 210 outputs a control signal to each unit of the beverage serving device 100 for the beverage orders that make up the order set, and supplies the container unit U from the container storage unit 140 to the conveyance unit 110 (step S4).

[0192] Next, the control unit 210 causes the transport unit 110 to transport the container unit U, and causes each unit to prepare a beverage (step S5).

[0193] The control unit 210 causes the container unit U, for which the beverage has been prepared, to be stored in the container storage unit 150 (step S6). Thereafter, the employee serves the beverage container C filled with the beverage prepared by the beverage providing device 100 to the corresponding table in the restaurant. This completes the operation.

[0194] [2] Storage operation of container unit U (step S1) As in step S1 above, when preparing a beverage using the beverage serving device 100, the employee first fits the beverage container C into the container support 300 to form a container unit U, and then sets the container unit U on the storage shelf 141 of the container storage section 140 for storage.

[0195] FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a method of storing the container unit U in the container storage section 140 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of aligning the orientation of the container units U using the storage guide section 143 and storing them on the storage shelf 141 in step S1 will be described in more detail below.

[0196] In the example shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the storage guide unit 143 is installed at the end of the front side of the storage shelf 141. When the container unit U is set on the storage shelf 141 for storage, the container unit U is passed through the frame of the storage guide section 143 from the front side.

[0197] As shown in Figure 31, when an employee stores a container unit U on the storage shelf 141 of the container storage section 140, the employee passes the container unit U through the U-shaped frame of the storage guide section 143 so that the base section 310 is on the left side when viewed from the front, and then sets it on the storage shelf 141 and stores it. Even if the container unit U is oriented so that the step 320 is on a side other than the left side (the right side, the back side, or the front side) and is then attempted to pass through the storage guide section 143, the step 320 will abut against the extension piece 143d and will not be able to pass through. Therefore, all the container units U are stored on the storage shelf 141 facing the same direction. As shown in FIG. 6, after passing through the storage guide section 143, the container unit U moves by its own weight on the storage shelf 141 toward the lift 142a and is stored on the storage shelf 141.

[0198] As described above, the container unit U passes through the storage guide portion 143 and is stored on the storage shelf 141 so that the step portion 320 does not abut against the extension piece 143d, so that it can be stored on the storage shelf 141 in the same orientation. As a result, all of the container units U are transported on the transport path 111 in the same orientation, and therefore, all of the container units U can be assisted by the supply assisting section 160 when supplying beverage ingredients. In other words, the container unit U is transported along the transport path 111 while the orientation of the holes 311, 312 of the container support 300 remains perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport path 111, so that the protrusion 164 of the supply auxiliary section 160 can be inserted into the hole 311 and the protrusion 123 of the beverage preparation section 120 can be inserted into the hole 312.If there is a distance between the beverage ingredient supply port 122 and the supply preparation position Pr, the container unit U can receive a stable supply of beverage ingredients from the beverage preparation section 120 with the assistance of the supply auxiliary section 160.

[0199] [3] Beverage order acceptance operation (step S2) In step S2 above, when information regarding a beverage order is input, the ordering terminal 200 generates beverage order information based on the input information and transmits the beverage order information to the beverage providing device 100.

[0200] When the communication unit 230 of the beverage serving device 100 receives the beverage order information from the ordering terminal 200, the control unit 210 writes information into the store entry / exit DB 221 and beverage order DB 222 of the information storage unit 220 based on the received beverage order information, and further writes "Not yet created" in the "Current status of beverage" of the beverage order DB 222, indicating that the container unit U has not yet been supplied, and accepts the beverage order.

[0201] [4] Order set creation operation (step S3) (1) Order set creation As described above, when the beverage serving device 100 accepts a beverage order in step S2, in step S3 the control unit 210 creates an "order set," which is information that compiles one or more orders, based on the received one or more pieces of beverage order information. The operation of creating an order set by the control unit 210 in step S3 will be described in more detail below.

[0202] FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation for creating an order set (step S3) in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 32 shows the order set creation operation in step S3 in more detail. The operation of creating an order set (step S3) will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0203] First, the control unit 210 refers to the store entry / exit DB 221 and the variable setting TB 228, and sets three criteria for determining the number of orders that constitute an order set: a reference time M, a reference number of orders N, and a creation completion time X (step S31). Hereinafter, the above three criteria, the criteria time M, the criteria number of orders N, and the creation completion time X will be collectively referred to as "criteria M, N, X."

[0204] Next, the control unit 210 determines the number of orders that constitute the order set based on the above-set criteria M, N, and X (step S32).

[0205] Next, the control unit 210 determines the order of preparing the drinks ordered in the order set based on the tables in the restaurant where the customers who placed the orders are seated (step S33).

[0206] Next, the control unit 210 determines the storage space 151 in which to store the container units U of each order (step S34). This completes the operation of creating an order set. The operations in steps S31 to S34 will be further described in detail below.

[0207] (2) Setting of References M, N, and X (Step S31) The operation of setting the criteria M, N, and X (step S31) will be described below. These criteria M, N, and X are used to determine the number of orders that make up an order set.

[0208] FIG. 33 is a diagram illustrating the criteria M, N, and X in the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 33, the orders that make up the order set are orders Od1 to Od10 in the order of earliest order reception. First, the criteria M, N, and X will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0209] The reference time M is a predetermined time that serves as a reference for determining the number of orders to be grouped into one order set. The control unit 210 collects the orders received from the start of timing until the reference time M has elapsed, and creates an order set.

[0210] As shown in FIG. 33(a), the control unit 210 creates one order set for each reference time M by collecting one or more drink orders. As shown in the example of (a) of Figure 33, when the reference time M is set to 300 seconds and six beverage orders are placed between the start of timing for creating an order set and 300 seconds have elapsed, the control unit 210 will combine these six orders Od1 to Od6 to create one order set.

[0211] The reference number of orders N is a predetermined number of orders that serves as a reference for determining the number of orders that can be grouped into one order set. The control unit 210 creates an order set by collecting orders received from a predetermined time until the reference number of orders N is reached.

[0212] As shown in FIG. 33(b), the control unit 210 creates one order set by grouping together orders for multiple drinks for each reference order number N. As shown in the example of (b) of Figure 33, the reference number of orders N is set to 8, timing for creating an order set is started, and when the number of orders reaches 8 before the reference time M has elapsed, the control unit 210 combines these 8 orders Od1 to Od8 to create one order set before the reference time M has elapsed.

[0213] The preparation completion time X is a predetermined time that is a criterion for determining the number of orders that can be grouped into one order set, and is the total time required to prepare one or more beverage orders.

[0214] As shown in (c) of Figure 33, the control unit 210 refers to the preparation time TB227, extracts the time (preparation time) required to prepare each of the one or more ordered beverages, calculates the total preparation time of the extracted one or more orders, and creates an order set by grouping together the largest number of one or more beverage orders in order of earliest order acceptance so that the total time does not exceed the preparation completion time X, and determines the preparation order of the ordered beverages within the order set. As shown in the example of (c) of Figure 33, when the preparation completion time X is set to 300 seconds, if the preparation times for the drinks of the first to fifth orders Od1 to Od5 from the start of timing for creating the order set are "120 seconds," "60 seconds," "90 seconds," "60 seconds," and "60 seconds," respectively, in the order of the orders, the total time for the first to fifth orders Od1 to Od5 is "330 seconds," which exceeds the preparation completion time X (300 seconds). In this case, the control unit 210 collects the first to fourth orders Od1 to Od4 and creates one order set.

[0215] In this embodiment, the control unit 210 sets the above criteria M, N, and X based on the current number of customers entering the store (step S31). FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation for setting the reference time M, the reference number of orders N, and the creation completion time X in the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of setting the above criteria M, N, and X in this embodiment will be described in more detail below with reference to this figure.

[0216] First, the control unit 210 refers to the store entry / exit DB 221 and extracts customer number information indicating the number of customers currently in the store (step S101).

[0217] Next, the control unit 210 refers to the criteria setting TB 228, extracts the criteria M, N, and X that match the extracted customer number information, and stores and sets them in the information storage unit 220 as the criteria M, N, and X for determining the number of orders that make up the current order set (step S102). This completes the operation.

[0218] As described above, in the reference setting TB 228, the reference time M is stored with a larger (longer) value as the number of customers increases. Generally, when there are a large number of customers, it can be assumed that there will also be a large number of beverage orders per given time period. Therefore, by setting the reference time M to a relatively long value, an opportunity can be secured to adjust the order in which beverages are prepared for beverage orders above a certain number, thereby realizing more efficient beverage preparation. On the other hand, if the number of customers is small, it can be assumed that the number of drink orders per given time period will also be small. In such a case, even if the reference time M is set to a relatively long value, the number of orders will be small, so the frequency with which the effect of adjusting the drink preparation order can be expected will be low and the timing of drink preparation will only be delayed unnecessarily. Therefore, it is appropriate to set the reference time M to a relatively short value. For the above reasons, in step S102, the control unit 210 sets the reference time M to a large value when the number of customers is large, and conversely, sets it to a small value when the number of customers is small. For the same reason as the reference time M, in step S102, the control unit 210 sets the reference number of orders N and the preparation completion time X to large values ​​when the number of customers is large, and sets them to small values ​​when the number of customers is small.

[0219] As described above, the control unit 210 sets the values ​​of the reference time M, the reference number of orders N, and the preparation completion time X based on the number of customers, thereby making it possible to realize efficient beverage preparation.

[0220] The control unit 210 may perform the operations of steps S101 and S102 at predetermined time intervals (for example, every 30 minutes). Furthermore, each of the criteria M, N, and X may be a fixed value appropriately set by an employee. The employee may input an arbitrary value using the beverage provider terminal 500 and transmit it to the beverage provision device 100, and the control unit 210 may set the arbitrary value as the current criteria M, N, and X.

[0221] (3) Determining the number of orders that make up the order set (step S32) and determining the order in which the drinks will be made (step S33) In this embodiment, all three of the above criteria M, N, and X are applied, and when any one of the criteria is met, the number of orders that constitute the order set is determined. For example, if the control unit 210 determines that the standard time M is met even if the standard number of orders N and the creation completion time X are not met, it determines the number of orders that will constitute the order set at that time.

[0222] After determining the number of orders that constitute the order set created as described above, the control unit 210 determines the order in which the drinks for the orders should be made. For example, the control unit 210 determines the order in which drinks are made so that orders from customers at the same table are made consecutively, or determines that drinks ordered by customers who have been in the store for a long time should be made first.

[0223] FIG. 35 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations for determining the number of orders constituting an order set and the subsequent determination of the order of making the drinks in the first embodiment of the present invention. Below, with reference to this figure, a detailed description will be given of the operation of beverage serving device 100 in this embodiment for determining the number of orders that make up an order set and determining the order in which the beverages of the orders are to be made.

[0224] As described above, the control unit 210 sets the reference time M, preparation completion time X, and reference number of orders N for each predetermined time period based on the number of customers currently in the store. First, the control unit 210 starts timing (step S201), and determines whether or not a reference time M has elapsed since the start of timing (step S202). Here, if the control unit 210 determines that the reference time M has elapsed (step S202 / Yes), it creates an order set by compiling the orders from the start of timing to the present based on the beverage order information recorded in the beverage order DB 222 (step S205).

[0225] On the other hand, if the control unit 210 determines that the reference time M has not yet elapsed (step S202 / No), it determines whether the total time taken to prepare the ordered beverage from the start of the timing to the present is equal to or greater than the preparation completion time X (step S203). Here, if the control unit 210 determines that the total beverage preparation time is equal to or greater than the preparation completion time X (step S203 / Yes), it creates an order set by collecting the most recent orders from the start of timing based on the beverage order information recorded in the beverage order DB 222, within the range in which the total beverage preparation time is less than the preparation completion time X (step S205).

[0226] On the other hand, if the control unit 210 determines that the total beverage preparation time is less than the preparation completion time X (step S203 / No), it determines whether the number of orders since the start of the timing has reached the standard number of orders N (step S204). Here, if the control unit 210 determines that the reference number of orders N has not yet been reached (step S204 / No), the control unit 210 returns to the operation of step S201. On the other hand, if the control unit 210 determines that the standard number of orders N has been reached (step S204 / Yes), it creates an order set by collecting the N orders from the start of timing to the present based on the beverage order information recorded in the beverage order DB 222 (step S205).

[0227] Next, the control unit 210 refers to the beverage order information of the orders that make up the created order set, and adjusts the preparation order of the beverages that make up the created order set based on the in-store table where the orders were placed (step S206).

[0228] FIG. 36 is a diagram for explaining a method for adjusting the order of making beverages based on the in-store table order in the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of step S206 will be described below using this diagram and a specific example.

[0229] In the example of FIG. 36, the order set consists of eight orders. The orders that make up the order set are orders Od1 to Od8 in order of earliest order reception.

[0230] In the example shown in Figure 36(a), the table numbers of the tables where the customers who placed the first order are seated are "5", "5", "3", "5", "1", "1", "2", and "1". The control unit 210 rearranges the orders so that orders for the same in-store table number are consecutive, as shown in (b) of Figure 36, and changes the order in which the drinks are made.

[0231] Hereinafter, in an order set, one or more orders grouped under the same in-store table number will be referred to as an "order group." Additionally, an order group grouped under the in-store table number "T" will be referred to as order group "T." For example, an order group grouped under the in-store table number "1" will be referred to as order group "1."

[0232] Next, the control unit 210 refers to the store entry / exit DB 221 and adjusts the order of preparing the drinks ordered in the order set based on the order of customers entering each table in the store (step S207).

[0233] FIG. 37 is a diagram illustrating a method for adjusting the order of making beverages based on the in-store table order in the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation of step S207 will be explained below using this figure and a specific example.

[0234] In the example of FIG. 37, the order set is made up of eight orders, similar to the example of FIG. The orders that make up the order set are orders Od1 to Od8 in order of earliest order reception.

[0235] In the example shown in (a) of Figure 37, the orders have been rearranged by the operation of step S206 so that orders with the same in-store table number are consecutive, so the in-store table numbers from the first order onwards are "5", "5", "5", "3", "1", "1", "1", and "2". Here, if the order of entry of customers at each table in the store is "2," "3," "5," and "1," the control unit 210 will rearrange the orders based on the order of entry of customers at each table in the store, rearranging them in order of latest entry timing to "1," "1," "1," "5," "5," "3," and "2," as shown in Figure 37 (b). This completes the operation of determining the number of orders that make up an order set and the operation of determining the order of making the drinks thereafter.

[0236] In the example described above, the control unit 210 refers to the reference time M, creation completion time X, and reference number of orders N in that order, and determines the number of orders that make up the order set based on each criterion, but the order in which these are referred to is not limited to this.

[0237] When creating the order set, the control unit 210 stores the created order set in the information storage unit 220. At this time, control unit 210 also writes the same order set number to each order that constitutes the order set in beverage order DB 222.

[0238] When creating an order set, the control unit 210 writes the order acceptance order as the "drink preparation order." Thereafter, when the control unit 210 adjusts (changes) the beverage preparation order as described above, it rewrites the order written in the "beverage preparation order" in the beverage order DB 222 to the adjusted order. The control unit 210 controls the operation of each unit for preparing a beverage based on the rewritten "beverage preparation order."

[0239] As described above, the control unit 210 changes the order in which beverages are prepared, thereby achieving the following effects. The control unit 210 changes the order in which drinks are prepared so that orders from the same restaurant table are placed consecutively, allowing employees to serve drinks to the same restaurant table together, thereby improving the efficiency of serving food. In addition, the control unit 210 changes the order in which drinks are prepared at tables in the store so that customers are lined up in order of latest entry, thereby giving priority to preparing the so-called first drink (the first drink for a toast), which is said to significantly reduce customer satisfaction if customers are made to wait, and enabling the store to achieve high customer satisfaction.

[0240] Furthermore, the control unit 210 determines each of the criteria M, N, and X based on the current number of customers in the store, so that the timing of beverage preparation can be determined according to the order frequency estimated based on the number of customers in the store, thereby making it possible to prevent excessive delays in serving food.

[0241] In this embodiment, as described above, the control unit 210 applies three criteria M, N, and X, and determines the number of orders in an order set when any one of the criteria is met, but the method for determining the number of orders is not limited to this. For example, one or two of the three criteria M, N, and X may be applied from the beginning, or if multiple criteria are applied, the number of orders may be determined when two or all three of them are met.

[0242] (4) Determining the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is to be stored (step S34) As described above, after determining the number of orders that make up the order set and the order in which the beverages will be made, the control unit 210 detects the storage status of each storage space 151 based on the input signal from the container unit sensor 153 of the container storage unit 150. Then, the control unit 210 determines the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is to be stored, based on the detected storage status of each storage space 151 and the determined order of beverage preparation (step S34). At this time, control unit 210 records the drink order number of each order in drink order DB 222 and storage DB 223 in association with the storage space number of determined storage space 151. The operation of determining the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is to be stored in step S34 will be described in detail below.

[0243] In this embodiment, when the employee has completed placing the container units U in one storage space 151, he or she places all of the beverage containers C stored in that completed storage space 151 together on a tray and begins serving the beverages.

[0244] In this embodiment, as an example, the maximum number (number that can be stored) of container units U that can be stored in one storage space 151 is configured to be the same as the number of beverage containers C that can be placed on a tray used for serving food. In this case, the employee can serve the beverage containers C stored in one storage space 151 in the order that makes it easiest to serve them in one serving operation, thereby improving serving efficiency and preventing mistakes in serving to the wrong destination.

[0245] As described above, in this embodiment, the staff serves the food by placing all of the beverage containers C stored in one storage space 151 on a tray. That is, the number of beverage containers C stored in one storage space 151 is the number of beverage containers C in one serving. Therefore, it is preferable that the number of items that can be stored in one storage space 151 does not exceed the number that can be placed on a tray.

[0246] In this embodiment, in step S34, the control unit 210 determines how to store the container unit U in the storage space 151 according to logics 1 to 4 described below. The information on logics 1 to 4 is stored in the information storage unit 220, and the control unit 210 reads out the information on logics 1 to 4 stored in the information storage unit 220 and determines the storage space 151 in which the container unit U will be stored based on the read out logics 1 to 4. The control unit 210 may apply all of the logics 1 to 4, or may selectively apply these logics 1 to 4.

[0247] (Logic 1) In this embodiment, the control unit 210 determines that the container units U of the same order group are to be stored together in one storage space 151. This decision method is called "Logic 1."

[0248] By determining logic 1, container units U ordered by customers sitting at the same table in the restaurant are stored together in the same storage space 151, allowing employees to smoothly serve drinks to customers sitting at the same table at the same time.

[0249] (Logic 2) In logic 1, the control unit 210 determines that if the number of container units U that make up the same order group exceeds the number that can be stored in one storage space 151, it is impossible to store all of the container units U that make up the same order group in that one storage space 151. In this case, the control unit 210 determines that the container units U that make up the same order group are to be stored in two storage spaces 151 separately. This decision method is called "Logic 2."

[0250] By determining logic 2, the container units U ordered by customers at the same table in the restaurant are stored together in two adjacent storage spaces 151, allowing employees to smoothly serve drinks to customers at the same table in succession without much gap between them.

[0251] (Logic 3) When an order set consists of two order groups, if the "number of container units U constituting the first group" in which the beverage was created first is equal to or greater than the "number of container units U constituting the second group" in which the beverage was created later, and the total number of container units U in the two order groups is P or less (P is a positive integer less than the storage capacity of the storage space 151), the control unit 210 decides to store all container units U of these two order groups in one storage space 151. This decision method is called "Logic 3."

[0252] According to logic 3, it is decided to store the container units U of the first ordered group in storage space 151, and also store the container units U of the second ordered group in the remaining free space in storage space 151, thereby making it possible to make effective use of storage space 151. In other words, the storage spaces 151 other than the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is stored can be kept completely empty, making it possible to store many container units U in succession.

[0253] When beverages are served on trays to two or more different tables in a restaurant, the serving process becomes complicated. However, even when serving drinks to two or more different tables in a restaurant, by limiting the number of beverage containers C placed on a tray to P, movement during the serving operation becomes stable and the possibility of accidents such as falling or spilling drinks is reduced.

[0254] Furthermore, if the "number of container units U constituting the first group" is equal to or greater than the "number of container units U constituting the second group" in which the beverage is prepared later, the number of orders for the second group is smaller than the number of orders for the first order group, and therefore the time required to prepare the beverages is also shorter. Therefore, even if the serving work is not started until the placement of the container units U for the second order group is completed, there will be no delay in serving the beverages.

[0255] As described above, when the number of container units U on a tray is below a certain number, employees can perform stable serving operations even when serving food to multiple tables in the restaurant during a single serving operation. Furthermore, if the number of container units U in the first ordered group is equal to or greater than the number of container units U in the second ordered group, this will not lead to a delay in the catering operation. Therefore, in this embodiment, when storing container units U of two order groups, the control unit 210 stores all container units U together in one storage space 151 according to logic 3 only when the total number of container units U of the two order groups is P or less and the number of container units U of the first order group is equal to or greater than the number of container units U of the second order group.

[0256] In addition, if the total number of container units U in the two order groups exceeds P, or if the number of container units U in the first order group is less than the number of container units U in the second order group, the control unit 210 will reserve the container units according to Logic 4 described below.

[0257] (Logic 4) As described above, in logic 3, when storing container units U for two order groups, the control unit 210 stores all of the container units U together in one storage space 151 only if the total number of container units U for the two order groups is P or less and the number of container units U in the first order group is equal to or greater than the number of container units U in the second order group. In contrast, in logic 4, when storing container units U for two order groups, if the total number of container units U for the two order groups exceeds P, or if the number of container units U for the first order group is less than the number of container units U for the second order group, the control unit 210 stores the container units U for the first and second order groups in two separate storage spaces 151.

[0258] According to logic 4, it is decided to store the container units U of the first ordered group in storage space 151, and to store the container units U of the second ordered group separately in another storage space 151, thereby enabling employees to perform stable food delivery work without delay.

[0259] The more beverage containers C placed on a tray, the more unstable the movement during serving work becomes, increasing the possibility of accidents such as falling or spilling beverages. Therefore, when the total number of container units U of the two order groups exceeds the storage capacity of the storage space 151, which cannot all be placed on a tray, or when the total number exceeds P, the control unit 210 stores the container units U of the two order groups in different storage spaces 151 based on logic 4. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility of accidents occurring during the catering work, and to enable employees to perform the catering work stably.

[0260] Furthermore, if the "number of container units U constituting the first group" is less than the "number of container units U constituting the second group" in which the beverage is created later, the number of orders for the second group will be greater than the number of orders for the first order group, and customers in the first order group will have to wait for their own beverages to be served because of the beverage orders for the second order group that are not in their own order group, leading to delays in serving the beverages. Therefore, based on logic 4, when the number of container units U in the first order group is less than the number of container units U in the second order group, the control unit 210 stores the container units U of the first and second order groups in two separate storage spaces 151. In other words, the serving process can begin first for only the beverage containers C of the first ordering group that have been placed, making it possible to achieve a high level of satisfaction with the store for the customers of the first ordering group.

[0261] If factors that make serving food difficult overlap, such as the number of container units U on a tray exceeding a certain number and serving food to multiple tables in the restaurant during a single serving operation, the likelihood of the serving operation failing increases. Furthermore, if the number of container units U in the first ordered group is less than the number of container units U in the second ordered group, this will lead to a delay in serving the first ordered group. Therefore, in this embodiment, when storing container units U for two order groups, if the total number of container units U for the two order groups exceeds P, or if the number of container units U for the first order group is less than the number of container units U for the second order group, the control unit 210 will store the container units U for the first and second order groups in two separate storage spaces 151 according to logic 4.

[0262] As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 210 determines the storage space 151 in which to store the container unit U based on the logics 1 to 4. Hereinafter, a method for determining the storage space 151 will be described in more detail using specific storage examples 1 to 3 of the container unit U.

[0263] (Placement example 1) FIG. 38 is a diagram showing a first example of placement of a container unit U in a placement space 151 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a method for determining the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is to be stored in storage example 1 will be specifically described with reference to this figure.

[0264] In storage example 1 shown in Figure 38, storage space 151 is composed of three lane-shaped storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c, and these storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c are all empty (no container units U are stored therein), and each can store up to six container units U. In addition, in storage example 1, the total number P of container units U of two order groups that can be stored in one storage space 151 is, for example, "5."

[0265] In the placement example 1, the number of container units U to be placed in the order set is 10. The orders in this order set are numbered Od1 to Od10 in order of earliest beverage preparation. The in-store table numbers (order groups) of the 10 orders Od1 to Od10 that make up the order set are, from the top, "1", "1", "1", "5", "5", "3", "3", "3", "2", and "2".

[0266] In storage example 1, first, looking at the first and second order groups, the first order group "1" has three container units U, and the second order group "5" has two container units U, for a total of five, which is less than the above-mentioned P (=5). The number of container units U in the first ordered group "1" (=3 units) is equal to or greater than the number of container units U in the second ordered group "5" (=2 units).

[0267] First, based on logic 1, the control unit 210 determines that the three container units U of the first order group "1" should be stored in the storage space 151a. Next, based on logic 3, the control unit 210 determines to store the two container units U of the second order group "5" in the storage space 151a following the three container units U of the first order group "1".

[0268] Next, looking at the third and fourth order groups, the third order group "3" has three container units U, and the fourth order group "2" has two container units U, for a total of five, which is less than the above P (=5). The number of container units U in the third ordered group "3" (=3) is equal to or greater than the number of container units U in the fourth ordered group "2" (=2).

[0269] Based on the logic 1, the control unit 210 determines to store the three container units U of the third order group "3" in the storage space 151b. Next, based on logic 3, the control unit 210 determines to store the two container units U of the fourth order group "2" in storage space 151b following the three container units U of the third order group "3".

[0270] As described above, in storage example 1, all of the container units U of the order set are stored in the two storage spaces 151a and 151b, and the storage space 151c remains empty.

[0271] In this way, the control unit 210 determines that the container units U ordered by customers sitting at the same table in the restaurant should be stored together in the same storage space 151, so that the staff can pick up the beverages from the same storage space 151 together and serve them to the same table in the restaurant, thereby enabling the beverages to be served efficiently.

[0272] Furthermore, when the control unit 210 determines that the container units U of the same order group can be stored in the storage space 151 as described above and that the container units U of the next order group in the order set can be stored further, the control unit 210 also stores the container units U of the next order group in the same storage space 151, thereby making it possible to effectively utilize the storage space 151.

[0273] (Placement example 2) FIG. 39 is a diagram showing a second example of placement of the container unit U in the placement space 151 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a method for determining the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is to be stored in storage example 2 will be specifically described with reference to this figure.

[0274] In storage example 2 shown in Figure 39, similar to storage example 1, storage space 151 is composed of three lane-shaped storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c, and these storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c are all empty (no container units U are stored therein), and each can store up to six container units U. In addition, in storage example 2, the total number P of container units U of two order groups that can be stored in one storage space 151 is, for example, "5."

[0275] In the placement example 2, the number of container units U to be placed in the order set is 10. The orders in this order set are numbered Od1 to Od10 in order of earliest beverage preparation. The in-store table numbers (order groups) of the 10 orders Od1 to Od10 that make up the order set are, from the top, "1", "1", "1", "5", "5", "3", "3", "2", "2", and "2".

[0276] In storage example 2, first, looking at the first and second order groups, the first order group "1" has three container units U, and the second order group "5" has two container units U, for a total of five, which is less than the above P (=5). The number of container units U in the first ordered group "1" (=3 units) is equal to or greater than the number of container units U in the second ordered group "5" (=2 units).

[0277] As in storage example 1, the control unit 210 determines, based on logic 1 and 3, to store three container units U of the first order group "1" and two container units U of the second order group "5" in storage space 151a.

[0278] Next, looking at the third and fourth order groups, the third order group "3" has two container units U, and the fourth order group "2" has three container units U, for a total of five, which is less than the above P (=5). On the other hand, the number of container units U in the third order group "3" (=2) is less than the number of container units U in the fourth order group "2" (=3).

[0279] Based on the logic 1, the control unit 210 determines to store the two container units U of the third order group "3" in the storage space 151b. Next, based on logic 4, the control unit 210 determines to store the three container units U of the fourth order group "2" in the storage space 151c.

[0280] As described above, in storage example 2, the container units U of the ordered set are stored in three storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c.

[0281] In this way, the control unit 210 determines that the container units U ordered by customers sitting at the same table in the restaurant should be stored together in the same storage space 151, so that the staff can pick up the beverages from the same storage space 151 together and serve them to the same table in the restaurant, thereby enabling the beverages to be served efficiently.

[0282] Furthermore, when the control unit 210 determines that the container units U of the same order group can be stored in the storage space 151 as described above and that the container units U of the next order group in the order set can be stored further, the control unit 210 also stores the container units U of the next order group in the same storage space 151, thereby making it possible to effectively utilize the storage space 151.

[0283] Furthermore, when the number of container units U in a certain order group is less than the number of container units U in the next order group, the control unit 210 divides the storage space 151 for each order group and stores the container units U therein, thereby preventing excessive delays in serving beverages to customers in that order group and enabling the store to achieve high customer satisfaction.

[0284] (Placement example 3) FIG. 40 is a diagram showing a third example of placement of the container unit U in the placement space 151 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a method for determining the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is to be stored in storage example 3 will be specifically described with reference to this figure.

[0285] In storage example 3 shown in Figure 40, as in storage examples 1 and 2, storage space 151 is composed of three lane-shaped storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c, and these storage spaces 151a, 151b, and 151c are all empty (no container units U are stored therein), and each can store up to six container units U. In addition, in storage example 3, the total number P of container units U of two order groups that can be stored in one storage space 151 is, for example, "5."

[0286] In the placement example 2, the number of container units U to be placed in the order set is 10. The orders in this order set are numbered Od1 to Od10 in order of earliest beverage preparation. The in-store table numbers (order groups) of the 10 orders Od1 to Od10 that make up the order set are, from the top, "1", "1", "1", "1", "1", "1", "2", "2", and "3".

[0287] In storage example 3, first, focusing on the first order group, there are seven container units U in the first order group "1", which exceeds the maximum number of six that can be stored in storage space 151a, and therefore it is not possible to store all of the container units U in the first order group "1" in storage space 151a. Therefore, based on logic 2, the control unit 210 determines that the first to sixth container units U of the first order group "1" will be stored in storage space 151a, and the seventh container unit U will be stored in the next storage space 151b.

[0288] Next, looking at the second and third order groups, the second order group "2" has two container units U, and the third order group "3" has one container unit U, for a total of three, which is less than the above P (=5). The number of container units U in the second ordered group "2" (=2) is equal to or greater than the number of container units U in the third ordered group "3" (=1).

[0289] Based on the logic 1, the control unit 210 determines to store the two container units U of the second order group "2" in the storage space 151c. Next, based on logic 3, the control unit 210 determines to store one container unit U of the third order group "3" in storage space 151c following the two container units U of the second order group "2".

[0290] As described above, in storage example 3, the seven container units U of the first order group "1" are stored in the two storage spaces 151a and 151b, and all of the container units U of the remaining second, third, and third order groups are stored in storage space 151c.

[0291] In this way, the control unit 210 determines that the container units U ordered by customers sitting at the same table in the restaurant should be stored together in the same storage space 151, so that the staff can pick up the beverages from the same storage space 151 together and serve them to the same table in the restaurant, thereby enabling the beverages to be served efficiently.

[0292] Furthermore, when the control unit 210 determines that the container units U of the same order group can be stored in the storage space 151 as described above and that the container units U of the next order group in the order set can be stored further, the control unit 210 also stores the container units U of the next order group in the same storage space 151, thereby making it possible to effectively utilize the storage space 151.

[0293] In addition, if the control unit 210 determines that the number of container units U of the same order group exceeds the number that can be stored in the storage space 151, it first stores the container units U in the storage space 151 starting from the first container unit U, and then stores the remaining container units U of the same order group that cannot be stored in other storage spaces 151. Therefore, even if an employee cannot carry all the beverage containers C in one serving because there are too many of them for the same order group, the beverage containers C are stored in two consecutive storage spaces 151, thereby minimizing the time difference and efficiently serving the beverages to the same table in the restaurant.

[0294] The control unit 210 may determine whether or not to perform the operation of adjusting the beverage preparation order and the operation of determining the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is to be stored, based on the current number of customers in the store. For example, the information storage unit 220 stores a predetermined reference value, and the control unit 210 performs the above-mentioned adjustment operation of the beverage preparation order and the operation of determining the storage space 151 in which the container unit U is to be stored when the current number of customers in the store is equal to or greater than the reference value, and does not perform these operations when the number is less than the reference value. When the number of customers entering the restaurant is small, the number of orders is also small, so it is more efficient to prepare and serve drinks as orders are received. Therefore, when the number of customers entering the restaurant is small, the control unit 210 does not adjust the order order, but controls the preparation of drinks in the order in which orders are received, thereby making it possible to serve drinks each time without making customers wait.

[0295] [5] Supply operation of container unit U (step S4) When the creation of the order set is completed as described above (step S3), the control unit 210 starts the operation of actually creating the beverage. First, the control unit 210 refers to the beverage preparation control DB 226, identifies the type of beverage container C to be used for beverage preparation based on the contents of the created order set, and supplies a container unit U including the beverage container C from the container storage unit 140 to the conveying path 111 (step S4).

[0296] FIG. 41 is a flowchart showing the flow of the supply operation of the container unit U according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The supply operation of the container unit U by the container storage section 140 shown in step S4 above will be described below with reference to this figure.

[0297] First, the control unit 210 outputs a control signal to the container storage unit 140 to execute the supply of container units U including beverage containers C used for beverage preparation, based on the order set created in step S3 (step S401).

[0298] When the container storage unit 140 receives the control signal from the control unit 210, the lift 142a moves to the position of the storage shelf 141 of the corresponding container unit U and waits there (step S402).

[0299] Next, the supply inhibiting section 142b provided on the storage shelf 141 on which the lift 142a is waiting releases the inhibition of the supply of the container unit U (step S403).

[0300] The container unit U, from which the supply stop has been released, slides down the slope of the storage shelf 141 by its own weight and is placed on the waiting lift 142a (step S404).

[0301] Next, the lift 142a moves to a supply position to the conveying path 111 with the beverage container C placed thereon (step S405).

[0302] Then, the lift 142a supplies the placed container unit U to the transport path 111 (step S406). The method of supplying the container unit U to the conveying path 111 in step S406 is not particularly limited, but for example, the lift 142a may operate so that it is inclined so that the direction of the conveying path 111 is downward at the supply position to the conveying path 111, and the container unit U may slide down the slope on the lift 142a toward the conveying path 111 under its own weight, thereby supplying the container unit U to the conveying path 111. Furthermore, the lift 142a may be provided with a mechanism for pushing out the container unit U, and when the lift 142a arrives at a supply position to the conveying path 111, the pushing mechanism may push out the container unit U in the direction of the conveying path 111.

[0303] The control unit 210 outputs a control signal to the container storage unit 140 at an appropriate timing according to the contents of the order set, and repeats the supply operation of the container unit U described above. This completes the supply operation of the container unit U.

[0304] [6] Beverage preparation operation (step S5) and container unit U placement operation (step S6) (1) Beverage preparation and placement of the container unit U As described above, when the container unit U is supplied from the storage shelf 141 to the conveying path 111 via the container supply section 142 (steps S4, S401 to S406), the conveying path 111 conveys the container unit U to the container storage section 150, and beverage ingredients are supplied along the way to prepare the beverage (step S5).

[0305] 42 and 43 are flow charts showing the flow of the beverage preparation operation and the subsequent container unit U placement operation in the first embodiment of the present invention. Below, the beverage preparation operation and the subsequent container unit U placement operation will be explained with reference to this diagram.

[0306] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, first, the conveying path 111 starts conveying the container unit U to a supply preparation position Pr, which is a position where beverage ingredients are supplied by the beverage preparation unit 120 or in the vicinity thereof (step S501). By the time the container unit U reaches the supply preparation position Pr, the stop member 131 at the supply preparation position Pr protrudes upward (step S502). The container unit U is transported along the transport path 111 and is temporarily stopped on the transport path 111 by the protruding stopping member 131, and prepares to receive the beverage ingredients (step S503).

[0307] Next, based on the beverage order information in the beverage order DB 222 and the information in the supply ingredient DB 224, the control unit 210 determines whether the supply preparation position Pr is different from the storage standby position Ps where the beverage ingredients are actually supplied from the beverage ingredient supply port 122, and whether movement of the container unit U by the supply assistance unit 160 is necessary (step S504).

[0308] In step S504, if the control unit 210 determines that it is not necessary for the supply assistance unit 160 to move the container unit U (step S504 / No), based on the beverage order information, it causes the corresponding amount of beverage ingredient to be supplied to the corresponding beverage ingredient supply port 122 at the supply preparation position Pr on the conveying path 111 (step S505).

[0309] On the other hand, in step S504, if the control unit 210 determines that the container unit U needs to be moved by the supply auxiliary unit 160 (step S504 / Yes), it operates the corresponding supply auxiliary unit 160 based on the beverage order information, moves the container unit U to the beverage supply position Pd near the beverage ingredient supply port 122 (step S506), and supplies the corresponding amount of beverage ingredient to the corresponding beverage ingredient supply port 122 based on the beverage order information (step S507). When the supply of the beverage ingredients is completed, the supply auxiliary unit 160 moves back to the supply preparation position Pr on the conveying path 111 (step S508).

[0310] When the supply of the beverage ingredients is completed, the stopping member 131 of the transport stopping section 130 releases the temporary suspension of the transport of the container unit U (step S509).

[0311] The container unit U, whose transport has been stopped, starts moving on the transport path 111 again. The control unit 210 determines whether or not the container unit U needs to be further supplied with beverage ingredients (step S510). If the control unit 210 determines that further supply of beverage ingredients is required (step S510 / Yes), the process returns to step S501 and the supply of beverage ingredients is repeated. On the other hand, if the control unit 210 determines that no further supply of beverage ingredients is necessary (step S510 / No), the container unit U is moved to the storage standby position Ps without causing the transport stop unit 130 to stop transport at another supply preparation position Pr (step S511). When this container unit U moves on the transport path 111, the transport stoppage caused by the stopping members 131 at the other stopping positions that it passes through is released.

[0312] The control unit 210 causes the stopping member 131 of the storage standby position Ps of the storage space 151 determined in step S209 to project upward by the time the container unit U reaches the storage standby position Ps (step S512). The container unit U is transported along the transport path 111 and is temporarily stopped on the transport path 111 by the protruding stopping member 131, and is ready to be sorted into one of the storage spaces 151 (step S513). At this time, the stop of transport by the stop member 131 at the storage standby position Ps of the storage space 151 where no other storage has been determined is released.

[0313] Next, the retention guiding section 112 moves the container unit U stopped at the retention standby position Ps to the retention space 151 (step S514).

[0314] The placement guide section 112 may include a mechanism for pushing the container unit U stopped on the transport path 111 toward the placement space 151, as shown in, for example, FIGS. In the example of FIGS. 5 and 8, the placement guide section 112 is configured by a pushing mechanism driven by a predetermined driving source such as a motor or a cylinder. The retention guide section 112 pushes the container unit U, which is temporarily stopped at the retention standby position Ps, linearly toward the retention space 151 side, so that the container unit U moves to the retention space 151.

[0315] Each lane-shaped storage space 151 may have a higher inclination as it approaches the transport path 111 . Due to such an inclination, the container unit U pushed out into each lane-shaped storage space 151 can move in the pushed direction by its own weight after being pushed out from the storage guide section 112.

[0316] Next, the control unit 210 determines whether or not there is a storage space 151 in which the container unit U has been stored, based on the detection signal from the container unit sensor 153 (step S515). Here, if the control unit 210 determines that there is a storage space 151 in which the storage of the container unit U has been completed (step S515 / Yes), it outputs a control signal to the completion information output unit 154, and based on the control signal, the completion information output unit 154 outputs completion information indicating that the storage of the container unit U has been completed for the storage space 151 in which the storage has been completed (step S516).

[0317] The employee checks the contents of the completion information output from the completion information output unit 154, removes the container unit U stored in the storage space 151, removes the container support 300, and removes the beverage container C onto a tray. The removed container support 300 may be placed in a case or the like installed near the storage space 151, for example.

[0318] Then, the employee operates the removal operation unit 155 to input removal information indicating that the container unit U has been removed from the storage space 151 (step S517). The removal operation unit 155 outputs the input removal information to the control unit 210. When the control unit 210 receives the removal information input from the removal operation unit 155 , it outputs a control signal to the container unit sensor 153 . Based on the control signal, the container unit sensor 153 detects the storage status of the container unit U in the corresponding storage space 151 and outputs information indicating the storage status (here, information indicating the storage status that all container units U in the storage space 151 have been removed) to the control unit 210 (step S518). The control unit 210 refers to the information indicating the placement status input from the container unit sensor 153, and updates the placement DB 223 (step S519). For example, when the control unit 210 receives information from the container unit sensor 153 indicating the storage status that no container unit U is stored in the storage space 151, the control unit 210 updates the storage DB 223 to indicate that no container unit U is stored in the storage space 151, indicating that no container unit U is stored there.

[0319] The employee takes out the beverage container C from the storage space 151, places it on a tray, and distributes it to tables inside the store. This completes the beverage preparation operation and the subsequent container unit placement operation.

[0320] (2) Movement of the container unit U by the supply auxiliary unit 160 (steps S506 to S508) As described above, if the supply preparation position Pr on the conveying path 111 does not coincide with the beverage ingredient supply position (hereinafter referred to as the "beverage supply position Pd") and there is a distance greater than a predetermined value, the supply assist unit 160 moves the container unit U to the vicinity of the beverage ingredient supply port 122 (steps S506 to S508).

[0321] FIG. 44 is a flowchart showing the flow of the movement operation of the container unit U by the supply auxiliary section 160 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 45 is an enlarged view showing the movement of the container unit U by the supply auxiliary section 160 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 46 is a left side view showing the movement of the container unit U by the supply auxiliary part 160 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the state before the protrusion 164 is inserted into the container support 300. Figure 47 is a left side view showing the movement operation of the container unit U by the supply auxiliary part 160 in the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows the state in which the protrusion part 164 of the supply auxiliary part 160 is inserted into the container support 300. Figure 48 is a left side view showing the movement of the container unit U by the supply auxiliary unit 160 in the first embodiment of the present invention, and shows the state in which the protrusion 164 of the supply auxiliary unit 160 and the protrusion 123 of the beverage preparation unit 120 are inserted into the container support 300. The movement of the container unit U by the supply auxiliary section 160 will be described in detail below with reference to the above-mentioned figures.

[0322] As described above, after the container unit U is supplied from the container storage section 140 to the conveying path 111, it receives a supply of beverage ingredients from the beverage preparation section 120 along the way and moves along the conveying path 111 until it reaches the storage standby position Ps. When the container unit U is supplied with beverage ingredients from the beverage preparation section 120, if the supply preparation position Pr and the beverage supply position Pd do not coincide, that is, if the distance between the stopping position of the container unit U on the conveying path 111 and the beverage ingredient supply port 122 is too far and the beverage ingredients cannot be stably supplied to the beverage container C, the supply assistance section 160 moves the container unit U stopped at the supply preparation position Pr to the vicinity of the beverage ingredient supply port 122 (beverage supply position Pd).

[0323] As shown in FIG. 45, first, the control unit 210 protrudes the stopping member 131 based on the beverage order information, and stops the container unit U at the supply preparation position Pr on the conveying path 111 (step S601). At this time, as shown in FIG. 46, the vertical height of the protrusion 164 and the vertical height of the hole 311 of the container support 300 are the same.

[0324] Next, the horizontal moving unit 162 moves horizontally on the rails 161a of the base 161 toward the beverage ingredient supply port 122 of the beverage preparation unit 120 (step S602). As the horizontal moving portion 162 moves in the horizontal direction, the protruding portion 164 is inserted into the hole portion 311 as shown in FIG.

[0325] Next, with the protrusion 164 inserted into the hole 311 as shown in Figure 47, the vertical moving part 163 moves vertically upward so that the vertical height of the protrusion 123 of the beverage preparation part 120 matches the vertical height of the hole 312 of the container support 300 (step S603).

[0326] Next, with the protrusion 164 inserted into the hole 311 as described above, the horizontal moving unit 162 moves further horizontally on the rail 161a of the base 161 toward the beverage ingredient supply port 122 of the beverage preparation unit 120 (step S604). 48, by further moving the horizontal moving part 162 in the horizontal direction, the protrusion 164 remains inserted in the hole 311, and the protrusion 123 of the beverage preparation part 120 is inserted into the hole 312. As a result, both protrusions 164 and 123 are inserted into the holes 311 and 312 on both sides of the conveyance stop part 130, respectively. At this time, the distance between the opening through which the beverage ingredients are poured into the beverage container C and the beverage ingredient supply port 122 is close, and the container unit U is located at the beverage supply position Pd.

[0327] As described above, when the container unit U is moved to the beverage supply position Pd by the supply auxiliary section 160, the beverage ingredient supply port 122 supplies the beverage ingredients to the beverage container C (step S605). As shown in Figure 48, even if the supply preparation position Pr on the conveying path 111 is away from the supply position (beverage supply position Pd) of the beverage ingredient supply port 122, the supply auxiliary unit 160 moves the container unit U to the beverage supply position Pd, so that the beverage preparation unit 120 can stably pour the beverage ingredients into the beverage container C without spilling them around.

[0328] When the beverage preparation unit 120 has completed supplying the beverage ingredients, the horizontal movement unit 162 moves horizontally on the rail 161a of the base 161 in the direction of the conveying path 111 (away from the beverage preparation unit 120), and disengages the protrusion 123 from the hole 312 of the conveying stop unit 130 (step S606).

[0329] Next, the vertical moving section 163 moves vertically downward until the lower surface of the container support 300 contacts the upper surface of the conveying path 111 and the container unit U returns to the supply preparation position Pr on the conveying path 111, returning to the state shown in Figure 47 (step S607).

[0330] Next, the horizontal movement unit 162 moves further horizontally on the rail 161a of the base 161 in a direction away from the beverage preparation unit 120, disengaging the protrusion 164 from the hole 311 of the container support 300, and returning to the state shown in Figure 46 (step S608).

[0331] Next, the stopping member 131 at the supply preparation position Pr is retracted, and the stop of the transport of the container unit U is released (step S609), and the container unit U resumes transport on the transport path 111.

[0332] As described above, even if the supply preparation position Pr on the conveying path 111 is away from the supply position (beverage supply position Pd) of the beverage ingredient supply port 122, the supply auxiliary unit 160 moves the container unit U to the beverage supply position Pd, so that the beverage preparation unit 120 can stably pour the beverage ingredients into the beverage container C without spilling them around.

[0333] [7] Registration of various information in the beverage preparation control DB 226 As described above, the control unit 210 controls the beverage preparation operation in the beverage providing device 100 based on the various pieces of information managed in the beverage preparation control DB 226. The information managed in the beverage preparation control DB 226 is registered by combining the information managed in the supply ingredient DB 224, the beverage DB 421, and the recipe DB 422. FIG. 49 is a sequence chart showing the flow of the operation for registering each piece of information into the beverage preparation control DB 226 in the first embodiment of the present invention. Below, the operation of registering each piece of information into the beverage preparation control DB 226 will be explained with reference to this diagram.

[0334] First, the beverage provider operates beverage provider terminal 500 to transmit a request to acquire list information of beverage types to beverage recipe server 400 (step S701).

[0335] When the beverage recipe server 400 receives a request to obtain the list information of the above-mentioned beverage types from the beverage provider terminal 500, it extracts information about the beverages (including the names of the beverages) managed in the beverage DB 421, generates list information of the beverage types using the extracted beverage information, and sends it to the beverage provider terminal 500 (step S702).

[0336] When beverage provider terminal 500 receives the list information of the types of beverages from beverage recipe server 400, it displays the list information of the types of beverages on the screen (step S703). The beverage provider checks the list of beverage types displayed on the beverage provider terminal 500, selects the type of beverage to be prepared by the beverage serving device 100, and transmits a beverage ID indicating the selected type of beverage to the beverage recipe server 400 (step S704).

[0337] When the beverage recipe server 400 receives the beverage ID from the beverage provider terminal 500, it refers to the beverage DB 421 and the recipe DB 422, extracts beverage information and recipe information based on the received beverage ID, and transmits the extracted beverage information and recipe information to the beverage serving device 100 (step S705).

[0338] When the communication unit 230 of the beverage providing device 100 receives the beverage information and recipe information from the beverage recipe server 400, the control unit 210 registers the received beverage information and recipe information in the beverage preparation control DB 226 (step S706). Next, the control unit 210 extracts information about the supply machine corresponding to the ingredient ID of the recipe information registered in the beverage preparation control DB 226 from the supply ingredient DB 224, and registers the extracted supply machine information in the beverage preparation control DB 226 in association with the corresponding ingredient ID (step S707).

[0339] Next, the control unit 210 deletes information about beverages including ingredient IDs that have not been associated with information about the supply machine from the beverage preparation control DB 226 (step S708). By this operation, information about beverages that cannot be made because the beverage serving device 100 does not supply beverage ingredients is removed from the beverage preparation control DB 226, and only information about beverages that the beverage serving device 100 can make is registered in the beverage preparation control DB 226. This completes the operation of registering various information in the beverage preparation control DB 226.

[0340] To explain the registered information in beverage preparation control DB226 using the example shown in Figure 24, "beverage ID", "beverage name", and "recipe ID" are beverage information in beverage DB421, "ingredient ID", "name of beverage ingredient", "amount of beverage ingredient supplied", and "order of beverage ingredient supply" are recipe information in recipe DB422, and "supply machine number" and "supply position" are supply machine information in supplied ingredient DB224.

[0341] In the example described above, the beverage provider operates the beverage provider terminal 500 to request information from the beverage recipe server 400, and the beverage recipe server 400 downloads the information to the beverage serving device 100 in response to the request, and the downloaded information is registered in the beverage preparation control DB 226. Instead of such a pull-type method of acquiring beverage information and recipe information, a push-type information acquisition method may be used in which beverage information and recipe information are downloaded from the beverage recipe server 400 to the beverage serving device 100 at a predetermined timing.

[0342] As described above, the beverage serving device 100 receives beverage information and recipe information from the beverage recipe server 400, registers it in the beverage preparation control DB 226, and prepares the beverage using the registered information, thereby enabling beverage providers to reduce the cumbersome work of preparing a recipe for beverage preparation and registering it in the beverage serving device 100.

[0343] [8] Proposal operation for beverages provided by the beverage providing device 100 As described above, the beverage providing device 100 acquires beverage information and recipe information from the beverage recipe server 400 and registers them in the beverage preparation control DB226. The beverage serving device 100 prepares and serves a beverage based on the information registered in the beverage preparation control DB 226. Additionally, the beverage recipe server 400 can suggest future servings of beverages that the beverage serving device 100 is not currently serving. Hereinafter, information about beverages suggested by the beverage recipe server 400 will be referred to as "beverage suggestion information."

[0344] FIG. 50 is a sequence chart showing the flow of the operation of suggesting a beverage to be served by the beverage serving device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Below, the operation of the beverage recipe server 400 to propose beverages provided by the beverage providing device 100 will be described with reference to this diagram.

[0345] First, the beverage provider operates the beverage provider terminal 500 to transmit a request to acquire beverage suggestion information to the beverage provision device 100 (step S801).

[0346] When the communication unit 230 of the beverage serving device 100 receives a request to obtain beverage suggestion information from the beverage provider terminal 500, the control unit 210 extracts ingredient IDs indicating beverage ingredients that the beverage serving device 100 can currently supply from the supplied ingredient DB 224, and extracts beverage IDs of beverages that can be made from the beverage making control DB 226, and sends these extracted ingredient IDs and beverage IDs to the beverage recipe server 400 (step S802).

[0347] When the communication unit 430 of the beverage recipe server 400 receives the ingredient ID and beverage ID from the beverage serving device 100, the control unit 410 refers to the beverage DB 421 and the recipe DB 422 to detect a beverage that can be made using the ingredient ID (step S803). Here, "a beverage that can be made" refers to a beverage that is made up of ingredients that are sufficient with the ingredient of the ingredient ID.

[0348] Next, the control unit 410 of the beverage recipe server 400 excludes the beverage with the received beverage ID from the detected beverages that can be prepared (step S804). This operation removes beverages that have already been prepared and served to customers by the beverage serving device 100 from the candidates for suggestions in the beverage suggestion information, making it possible to eliminate meaningless suggestions.

[0349] Next, the control unit 410 of the beverage recipe server 400 refers to the beverage DB 421 and recipe DB 422 based on the received ingredient ID, and extracts from the beverage DB 421 the beverage ID of the beverage that cannot currently be produced because the beverage serving device 100 is not supplying the specified beverage ingredient (step S805). Here, the beverage extracted by the control unit 410 may be a beverage lacking in supply of N beverage ingredients, where the number N may be any value. For example, when N=1, the beverage serving device 100 can create the beverage by simply adding one more beverage ingredient, so the beverage recipe server 400 can suggest beverages that are easy for the beverage serving device 100 to introduce.

[0350] The control unit 410 of the beverage recipe server 400 generates beverage suggestion information indicating the beverages that the beverage serving device 100 is not currently serving but can make, and the beverages that are not serving due to a shortage of beverage ingredients (step S806).

[0351] The beverage suggestion information includes information on beverages that have not yet been served and the beverage ingredients that can be prepared using the beverage ingredients that the beverage serving device 100 can currently supply, and / or information on beverages that the beverage serving device 100 cannot prepare because it is currently unable to supply them and the beverage ingredients that need to be supplied in addition to prepare the beverages.

[0352] Next, the communication unit 430 of the beverage recipe server 400 transmits the generated beverage suggestion information to the beverage provider terminal 500 (step S807).

[0353] After receiving the beverage suggestion information from the beverage provision device 100, the beverage provider terminal 500 displays the received beverage suggestion information on the screen (step S808). The beverage provider checks the displayed beverage suggestion information and determines which beverages not yet served by the beverage serving device 100 can be made with the beverage ingredients currently being supplied and which beverages can be made by supplying an additional predetermined number of beverage ingredients. In this way, beverage providers can easily plan the development of new beverage menus by checking the beverage suggestion information.

[0354] In the example described above, the beverage provider obtained beverage suggestion information by operating the beverage provider terminal 500 to request the beverage provider device 100 to send information (ingredient ID and beverage ID), but the beverage provider device 100 may also send the ingredient ID and beverage ID to the beverage recipe server 400 at a predetermined timing without a request from the beverage provider terminal 500. Furthermore, instead of the beverage provider terminal 500, the beverage recipe server 400 may request the beverage providing device 100 to transmit the ingredient ID and the beverage ID at a predetermined timing.

[0355] As described above, the beverage serving device 100 transmits the beverage ID of the beverage currently being served and the ingredient ID of the beverage ingredient that can currently be supplied to the beverage recipe server 400, and the beverage recipe server 400 detects beverages that the beverage serving device 100 can supply but are not currently serving and transmits this information to the beverage provider terminal 500. This allows the beverage provider to easily grasp new beverage menus that can be served using the beverage ingredients that the beverage serving device 100 can currently supply, and makes it easy to plan the development of new beverage menus.

[0356] In addition, the beverage serving device 100 transmits the beverage ID of the beverage currently being served and the ingredient ID of the beverage ingredient that can currently be supplied to the beverage recipe server 400, and the beverage recipe server 400 detects beverages that cannot be served due to a shortage of beverage ingredients supplied by the beverage serving device 100 and transmits this information to the beverage provider terminal 500. This allows the beverage provider to easily identify the beverage ingredients to be newly supplied in order to start serving beverages that have not been provided before, and makes it easy to plan the development of new beverage menus.

[0357] <Summary of the embodiment> As described above, the beverage serving device 100 in the first embodiment of the present invention transports the container unit U along the conveying path 111, temporarily stops the container unit U using the conveying stop section 130 to supply beverage ingredients, and prepares the beverage.Therefore, there is more freedom in the layout of the equipment than when a robot arm is installed, and it is possible to smoothly and automatically serve beverages even when receiving an order for a large quantity of beverages.

[0358] The container support 300 in this embodiment is configured to be able to support beverage containers C of any size and shape from the bottom side, and the container supporters 300 themselves are generally all configured to be the same size and shape, so beverage containers C of various sizes and shapes depending on the type of beverage can be stably transported along the conveying path 111 and beverage ingredients can be supplied, making it possible to smoothly and automatically serve beverages.

[0359] According to the beverage serving device 100 of this embodiment, when beverage order information is received from the ordering terminal 200, the conveying unit 110 conveys the container unit U along the conveying path 111, and the conveying stop unit 130 temporarily stops the conveyance of the container unit U at the supply preparation position Pr where beverage ingredients are supplied from the beverage preparation unit 120, thereby automatically preparing the beverage, thereby making it possible to provide beverages to customers entering the store more quickly and efficiently than when using a robotic arm, etc.

[0360] In addition, in this embodiment, the multiple stopping members 131 provided on the conveying path 111 are each operated independently, so that the stopping member 131 in front of a specific container unit U in the conveying direction during conveying can be protruded to temporarily stop only that specific container unit U without stopping the entire conveying operation along the conveying path 111. Therefore, while a specific container unit U is temporarily stopped for the supply of beverage ingredients, etc., the transport of other container units U can continue, making it possible to efficiently transport container units U and prepare beverages.

[0361] From the viewpoint of cost reduction, instead of using a dedicated beverage preparation unit 120, a conventionally used drink server may be incorporated into the beverage providing apparatus 100 and used as the beverage preparation unit 120. In this case, the specifications of the previously used drink server may not be compatible with the beverage serving device 100, and the beverage ingredient supply port 122 may not be located directly above the conveying path 111, resulting in a distance of more than a certain amount between the beverage ingredient supply port 122 and the conveying path 111. In such a case, the beverage ingredients cannot be supplied to the beverage container C being conveyed on the conveying path 111. In this embodiment, the supply auxiliary unit 160 moves the beverage container C on the conveying path 111 to the vicinity of the beverage ingredient supply port 122, so that even if there is a distance of more than a certain amount between the beverage ingredient supply port 122 and the conveying path 111 as described above, it is possible to stably supply beverage ingredients from the beverage ingredient supply port 122 to the beverage container C.

[0362] When an employee stores the container unit U on the storage shelf 141 of the container storage section 140, the container unit U passes through the frame so that the step part 320 of the container support 300 does not interfere with the frame of the storage guide part 143, and therefore the container unit U is stored on the storage shelf 141 with the orientation aligned. Therefore, all container units U move along the conveying path 111 with the hole 311 open in a direction that allows the protrusion 164 of the supply auxiliary section 160 to be inserted, so that all container units U can receive a stable supply of beverage ingredients by movement by the supply auxiliary section 160.

[0363] In this embodiment, the container support 300 supports the beverage container C in a composite manner at multiple locations using the upper support portion 334, the lower support portion 335, the handle support portion 336, etc., and can therefore stably support beverage containers C of various shapes and sizes. If beverage containers C of various shapes and sizes were to be transported without being supported by the container support device 300, they would get caught on the transport path 111, stopping the transport, or would be unable to be moved by the supply auxiliary unit 160, causing problems in the preparation of the beverage. By using the container support 300 to support the beverage container C from the bottom side to form the container unit U, the shape and size of the bottom side of the beverage container C can be made uniform, and regardless of the shape and size of the beverage container C, the container storage section 140 can store it orderly, transport it on the conveying path 111, move it using the supply auxiliary section 160, and store it in the container storage section 150.

[0364] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the container storage section 150 has multiple storage spaces 151, the control section 210 stores the container units U in each storage space 151 based on the table to which the beverages are to be served and the order in which customers enter the store, for example, by grouping orders from the same table in the same storage space 151, thereby enabling employees to serve beverages efficiently without fail.

[0365] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the control unit 210 creates an order set by aggregating information on one or more beverage orders, and determines the order in which the beverages that make up the order set should be prepared based on the status of the orders, which allows employees to serve beverages more efficiently than if they were to prepare a beverage each time an order was received.

[0366] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the beverage serving device 100 receives and registers recipe information, etc. from the beverage recipe server 400, and prepares a beverage based on the registered recipe information, etc., thereby enabling beverage providers to reduce the cumbersome work of preparing a recipe for preparing a beverage and registering it in the beverage serving device 100.

[0367] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the beverage serving device 100 transmits the beverage ID of the beverage currently being served and the ingredient ID of the beverage ingredient that can currently be supplied to the beverage recipe server 400, and the beverage recipe server 400 detects beverages that the beverage serving device 100 can supply but that are not currently being served, and transmits this information to the beverage provider terminal 500. This allows the beverage provider to easily grasp new beverage menus that can be served using the beverage ingredients that the beverage serving device 100 can currently supply, and makes it easy to plan the development of new beverage menus.

[0368] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the beverage serving device 100 transmits the beverage ID of the beverage currently being served and the ingredient ID of the beverage ingredient that can currently be supplied to the beverage recipe server 400, and the beverage recipe server 400 detects beverages that cannot be served due to a shortage of beverage ingredients supplied by the beverage serving device 100 and transmits this information to the beverage provider terminal 500. Therefore, the beverage provider can easily identify the beverage ingredients to be newly supplied in order to start serving beverages that have not been provided before, and can easily plan the development of new beverage menus.

[0369] The beverage serving device 100 and the ordering terminal 200 are realized mainly by a CPU and a program loaded into memory. However, this device or server can also be configured by any other combination of hardware and software, and the high degree of design freedom will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0370] Furthermore, when the beverage serving device 100 or the ordering terminal 200 is configured as a group of software modules, the program may be recorded on a recording medium such as an optical recording medium, a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, or a semiconductor, and may be loaded from the recording medium, or may be loaded from an external device connected via a predetermined network.

[0371] The above-described embodiment is one example of a preferred implementation of the present invention, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and can be implemented in various modified forms within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

[0372] Some of the components constituting the beverage providing device 100 may be arranged separately. For example, the control unit 210 and the information storage unit 220 may be configured as an external server or cloud, and may be communicably connected to the other units of the beverage providing device 100 via a network.

[0373] In the embodiment described above, the stopping member 131 is protruded upward to stop the transport of the container unit U while keeping the conveying section 110 driven, but instead, the drive of the conveying section 110 itself (e.g., drive of the conveyor) may be stopped at a predetermined timing to stop the container unit U.

[0374] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the container support 300 is configured to support the beverage container C using three support mechanisms: (a) the handle support portion 336, (b) the support piece 336c and the upper support portion 334, and (c) the lower support portion 335. However, it may be configured to selectively provide one or two of these three support mechanisms. For example, to support a beverage container C that does not have a handle, "(a) a support mechanism for the handle support portion 336" is not necessary, and it is sufficient to provide a support mechanism consisting of "(b) support piece 336c and upper support portion 334," "(c) lower support portion 335," or a combination of these. When the container support 300 is not provided with "(a) a support mechanism for the handle support portion 336," the upper portion may be configured to be a complete ring shape with no missing part.

[0375] Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the maximum number of beverage containers C that can be stored in one storage space 151, that is, the storage capacity, is designed not to exceed the maximum number of beverage containers C that can be placed on a tray, but the storage capacity of one storage space 151 is not particularly limited to this. In addition, although the number of implants that can be placed in each example is six, this is merely an example and the number is not limited. [Explanation of symbols]

[0376] 1 Network 100 Beverage serving equipment 110 Conveying section 111 Transport path 112 Detention Information Department 120 Beverage Production Department 121 Beverage ingredient storage section 122 Beverage raw material supply port 123 Protrusion 130 Transport stop 131 Stopping member 132 End stop member 140 Container storage department 141 Storage Shelf 142 Container supply section 142a Lift 142b Supply stop part 143 Storage Information Department 143a Base material 143b,143c Projection piece 143d Extension piece 150 Container storage section 151, 151a, 151b, 151c Detention space 152 Detention Support Department 153,171 Container unit sensor 154 Completion information output section 155 Removal operation unit 160 Supply Auxiliary Department 161 Foundation 162 Horizontal moving part 163 Vertical moving part 164 Protrusion 170 Container unit detection unit 200 Ordering Terminals 210,41 Control unit 220,42 Information storage section 221 Entry / exit DB 222 Beverage Order DB 223 Detention DB 224 Feedstock DB 225 Sensor DB 226 Beverage Production Control DB 227 TB creation time 228 Standard Setting TB 230,43 Communications Department 300 Container supporter 310 Daibu 311,312 Hole 320 Multilayered section 330 Cylinder part 331 Side wall 331a Notch 332 Inner bottom 333 Depression 334 Upper support part 335 Lower support part 336 Handle support 336a,336b Engagement piece 336c support piece 400 Beverage Recipe Server 421 Beverage DB 422 Recipe DB 500 Beverage provider terminal U, U1 to U4 container units C Beverage container Od1~Od12 Order Pd beverage supply position Pr supply preparation position Ps Indwelling standby position

Claims

1. a control unit that receives a beverage order and controls the operation of the entire beverage serving device to serve the beverage based on the received order; a conveying unit having a conveying path for conveying beverage containers; a beverage preparation unit that is installed near the conveying path and that supplies beverage ingredients to the conveyed beverage containers to prepare beverages; a conveyance stopping unit that temporarily stops the conveyance of the beverage container by the conveying unit.

2. The beverage supply device described in claim 1, characterized in that the transport stop section is provided at least once along the running direction of the transport path, and has a stop member that protrudes from below the transport path at a timing controlled by the control unit, and the protruding stop member stops the delivered beverage container.

3. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport stop unit stops the transport operation of the transport unit to transport the beverage container.

4. 2. The beverage supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport stopping unit stops the beverage container at a supply preparation position where the beverage container is prepared to receive a supply of beverage ingredients from the beverage preparation unit.

5. 2. The beverage supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a supply auxiliary unit installed along the conveying path for moving the conveyed beverage container closer to the beverage ingredient supply port of the beverage preparation unit.

6. The apparatus further includes a container storage section having one or more storage spaces that are areas for temporarily storing the beverage containers after the supply of the beverage ingredients has been completed, The beverage supply device according to claim 1, wherein the transport stopping unit stops the beverage container at a storage standby position where the beverage container waits to be moved to the storage space.

7. The beverage providing device according to claim 6, characterized in that the control unit determines the storage space for storing the beverage container based on a table number indicating the table in the store where the user who ordered the beverage will be seated.

8. Further comprising a container support for supporting the beverage container; 2. The beverage serving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying section conveys the beverage container, the bottom side of which is supported by the container support, along the conveying path.

9. The container support includes: a cylindrical portion having an open top into which a beverage container is fitted; a support portion for supporting the fitted beverage container; The support portion is a ring-shaped flexible support member provided along the inner wall of the cylindrical portion, the ring-shaped support member having an inner surface that presses against an outer surface of the beverage container to support the beverage container; The beverage serving device described in claim 8 is characterized in that it is configured by either a ring-shaped flexible handle support portion provided in a notch provided in the cylindrical portion, with a portion missing vertically above, and when a handle is provided on the outer surface of the beverage container, the inner surface of the ring presses against the handle to support the beverage container, or a combination of these.

10. The method further includes a supply assist unit that is installed along the conveying path and moves the conveyed beverage container so that the beverage container approaches a beverage ingredient supply port of the beverage preparation unit, the supply auxiliary portion has a first protrusion that protrudes in a substantially horizontal direction that is substantially perpendicular to the conveying direction of the conveying path, the beverage preparation unit has a second protrusion that protrudes in a direction opposite to the first protrusion, the container support has a first hole into which the first protrusion is inserted and a second hole into which the second protrusion is inserted; The beverage providing device described in claim 8, characterized in that the supply auxiliary unit moves in a direction approximately parallel to the conveying path to insert the first protrusion into the first hole, moves vertically upward to move the container support and the beverage container vertically upward, and further moves in a direction approximately parallel to the conveying path to insert the second protrusion into the second hole, bringing the beverage container close to the beverage ingredient supply port.

11. The beverage serving device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit creates an order set including information on the received orders for one or more beverages, and controls the operation of the entire beverage serving device to serve beverages based on the created order set unit.

12. The beverage serving device according to claim 11, characterized in that the control unit changes the order order of the beverages that make up the order set based on an in-store table number indicating the in-store table where the user who ordered the beverage will be seated, and controls the operation of the entire beverage serving device to prepare the beverages in accordance with the changed order.

13. The beverage serving device described in claim 11, characterized in that the control unit changes the order order of the beverages that make up the order set based on the order in which the users who ordered the beverages visited the beverage serving facility, and controls the operation of the entire beverage serving device to prepare the beverages in accordance with the changed order.

14. The beverage serving device according to claim 11, characterized in that the control unit determines the number of orders that will make up the beverage set based on at least one of the elapsed time since timing began, the number of orders, and the time required to prepare the beverages.

15. The beverage providing device according to claim 1; a beverage recipe server connected to the beverage providing device via a network and transmitting beverage recipe information to the beverage providing device, The beverage serving system is characterized in that the beverage serving device registers recipe information received from the beverage recipe server in the device itself, and prepares a beverage based on the registered recipe information.

16. a beverage provider terminal operated by a beverage provider that provides beverages using the beverage provision device; the beverage providing device transmits information indicating the beverage being provided by the device itself and information indicating the beverage ingredients provided by the beverage preparation unit to the beverage recipe server; the beverage recipe server transmits to the beverage provider terminal beverage suggestion information that suggests the beverage provided by the beverage providing device to provide a beverage that has not yet been provided, based on information indicating the beverage provided by the beverage providing device and information indicating the beverage ingredients supplied by the beverage preparation unit; 16. The beverage providing system according to claim 15, wherein the beverage provider terminal displays the beverage suggestion information received from the beverage recipe server.

17. A container support used when preparing a beverage by supplying beverage ingredients during the transport of a beverage container, A container support characterized by supporting the bottom side of the beverage container when the beverage container is transported, and being transported together with the beverage container.

18. a cylindrical portion having an open top into which a beverage container is fitted; a support portion for supporting the fitted beverage container; The support portion is a ring-shaped flexible support member provided along the inner wall of the cylindrical portion, the ring-shaped support member having an inner surface that presses against an outer surface of the beverage container to support the beverage container; The container support described in claim 17 is characterized in that it is composed of either a flexible ring-shaped handle support portion that is provided in a notch provided in the cylindrical portion, with a portion missing vertically above, and when a handle is provided on the outer surface of the beverage container, the inner surface of the ring presses against the handle to support the beverage container, or a combination of these.

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