Vending machine program, vending machine system, method, and vending machine

Abstract

To provide a vending machine program, a vending machine system, a method, and a vending machine for enabling a purchaser himself or herself to grasp the stock quantity of merchandise in the vending machine.SOLUTION: The vending machine program is a vending machine program to be executed by a computer that includes a processor and a memory and manages a vending machine that includes a display unit capable of displaying information of a plurality of products and sells the plurality of products to a purchaser, and causes the processor to execute a stock quantity acquisition step of acquiring a stock quantity of each of the plurality of products, and a display control step of displaying the stock quantity of each of the plurality of products on the display unit together with the information of the plurality of products.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine program, a vending machine system, a method, and a vending machine, and more particularly to a vending machine program, a vending machine system, a method, and a vending machine that allow a purchaser to know the inventory of a product. [Background technology]

[0002] A known vending machine system includes a vending machine installed at a predetermined installation location and a computer connected to the vending machine via a network, the vending machine having an imaging unit and a transmission unit that transmits imaging data from the imaging unit, the computer having a receiving unit that receives the imaging data, a traffic volume acquisition unit that analyzes the imaging data received by the receiving unit to acquire traffic volume at the installation location, a memory unit, and an information recording unit that records installation location traffic volume information that associates location information indicating the installation location with traffic volume in the memory unit, and the vending machine having an inventory volume acquisition unit that acquires the inventory amount of products stored inside the vending machine and a replenishment command output unit that issues a replenishment command to instruct the vending machine to replenish products based on the inventory amount (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The vending machine described in Patent Document 1 allows a business operator to replenish the inventory of products sold by the vending machine as needed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-53447 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the vending machine system described in Patent Document 1 and the like, the business operator that installed the vending machine only knows the inventory amount of the product in the vending machine in order to replenish the products. Therefore, even if a certain product is sold out in the vending machine, the customer cannot know the inventory amount of the product being sold in the vending machine. Therefore, the customer may line up in front of the vending machine and only realize that they cannot purchase that product when it is their turn to purchase it, which is harsh for the customer.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine program, a vending machine system, a method, and a vending machine that allow a purchaser to know the inventory of products in the vending machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a vending machine program to be executed by a computer that manages a vending machine that has a processor and a memory, a display unit that can display information about a plurality of products, and sells a plurality of products to purchasers, and the vending machine program causes the processor to execute an inventory acquisition step that acquires the inventory amount of each of the plurality of products, and a display control step that displays the inventory amount of each of the plurality of products on the display unit along with information about the plurality of products. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The vending machine program, vending machine system, method, and vending machine according to the present invention can provide a vending machine program, vending machine system, method, and vending machine that allow purchasers to know the inventory of products in the vending machine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a vending machine system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating information provided by a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display of product inventory and purchase restrictions by a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a functional configuration block diagram of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 2 is a functional block diagram of a server and an information terminal according to the embodiment, and a data structure diagram of a storage unit of the server. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of information provision processing in the vending machine system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the display unit in the process of providing information to the vending machine according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the display unit in the process of providing information to the vending machine according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the display unit in the process of providing information to the vending machine according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a modified example of the information provision process in the vending machine system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 11] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the display unit in the process of providing information to the vending machine according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a modified example of information provision in the vending machine system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of the process of displaying inventory and limiting purchases in the vending machine system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the display unit during the purchase restriction process in the vending machine system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a modified example of the purchase restriction process in the vending machine system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a modified example of the process for displaying inventory amounts on a network in the vending machine system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a modified example of the purchase restriction process in the vending machine system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [Embodiment Mode] <Vending Machine 1 Overview> 1 shows an overview of a vending machine system according to this embodiment. The vending machine system 9 includes a vending machine 1, a server 3, and / or a purchaser's information terminal 5. In this case, the vending machine 1, the server 3, and / or the information terminal 5 may be connected via a network 7 to enable two-way communication.

[0010] [Vending machine 1 configuration overview] The vending machine 1 of this embodiment is a vending machine 1 that sells multiple products, and is configured to include a display unit 10 that displays various information, a bill slot 12 for inserting bills, a coin slot 13 for inserting coins, an IC card reader 14 that reads information from the purchaser's IC card, etc., an authentication unit 15 that authenticates the purchaser, a change return slot 16 that returns change, a product removal slot 17 for removing products such as trading cards and goods, and / or a receipt output slot 18 that outputs receipts.

[0011] [Outline of information provided by vending machine 1] Figure 2 shows an example of an overview of information provided by a vending machine according to this embodiment. Specifically, Figures 2(a) and 2(b) show an example of an overview of the display on the display unit 10 of the vending machine 1, and Figure 2(c) shows an example of an overview of a receipt output by the vending machine 1.

[0012] The vending machine 1 is configured to be able to display information about multiple products it sells and predetermined information that is considered useful to purchasers of the products on the display unit 10. This predetermined information is notification information. The notification information may be, for example, advertising information (advertising information about products, services, predetermined stores, and / or predetermined events, etc.), presentation information (information presented to purchasers of products, services, predetermined stores, and / or predetermined events, etc.), and / or registration information (for example, information encouraging registration for a specific web service (including registration for a tournament such as a predetermined game tournament)). As an example, the notification information may be various types of information such as product advertising information, information about events being held near the location where the vending machine 1 is installed, and information about shops located near the location where the vending machine 1 is installed.

[0013] FIG. 2(a) shows an example in which information 400, information 402, information 404, information 406, and information 408 are displayed on the display unit 10. The vending machine 1 displays this information on the display unit 10 while waiting for the purchaser to start the purchase, while the purchaser is purchasing the product, and / or while the vending machine 1 is processing the sale of the product. The vending machine 1 then prints on a receipt 600 a detail display area 602 showing details of the product purchased by the purchaser and details of the payment, and a graphic code 610 including information linked to at least one or all of this information, allowing the purchaser to remove the purchased product from the product removal slot 17, and outputs the receipt 600 from the receipt output slot 18 (e.g., a receipt 600 such as that shown in FIG. 2(c)). The graphic code 610 includes, for example, information indicating details of at least one or all of the information displayed on the vending machine 1. For example, the graphic code 610 may include a URL of a predetermined website where details of at least one or all of the information are published, and / or text information indicating details of at least one or all of the information.

[0014] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the vending machine 1 may provide an instruction display area 500 at a predetermined position on the display unit 10, and may display a message in the instruction display area 500 to prompt the purchaser to select information (in the example of FIG. 2(b), it displays "Please select the information of your choice."). The vending machine 1 may also display a message indicating that the purchase or sales process is in progress in a progress display area 510 provided at a predetermined position on the display unit 10 (in the examples of FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), it displays "The product and change are being prepared.").

[0015] When a purchaser selects one piece of notification information from the multiple pieces of notification information displayed, the vending machine 1 may print on the receipt 600 a detail display area 602 showing details of the product purchased by the purchaser and payment details, and a graphic code 610 including information linked to the selected notification information, enable the purchaser to remove the purchased product from the product removal slot 17, and output the receipt 600 from the receipt output slot 18. The graphic code 610 may include, for example, information indicating details of the notification information selected by the purchaser. For example, the graphic code 610 may include the URL of a predetermined website where details of the notification information selected by the purchaser are published, and / or text information indicating details of the notification information selected by the purchaser.

[0016] For example, by scanning the graphic code 610 printed on the receipt 600 into the information terminal 5 owned by the purchaser, the purchaser can view at least one or all of the information displayed on the vending machine 1, or detailed information on the notification information selected by the purchaser. The vending machine 1 does not output the receipt 600 if the purchaser does not desire receipt output or if the purchaser does not select any of the notification information displayed on the display unit 10. Thus, with the vending machine 1 according to this embodiment, the purchaser can use their own information terminal 5 to check information that interested them during the purchasing process at their own leisure after purchasing the product. Furthermore, with the vending machine 1 according to this embodiment, the receipt 600 is not output if the purchaser does not select receipt output, or if the purchaser is allowed to select notification information but does not select it. This prevents the receipt 600 from being obtained by persons unrelated to the purchaser. In other words, the vending machine 1 can issue the receipt 600 to purchasers who desire notification information.

[0017] [Outline of inventory display on vending machine 1] Figure 3 shows an example of an overview of product inventory display and purchase restrictions by a vending machine according to this embodiment. Specifically, Figure 3(a) shows an example of an overview of displaying the inventory of products sold by the vending machine 1, and Figure 3(b) shows an example of an overview of purchase restrictions by the vending machine 1.

[0018] The vending machine 1 displays information about multiple products for sale on the display unit 10. For example, when a purchaser selects a product, the vending machine 1 displays a message in the progress display area 510 indicating that the purchaser is currently selecting the product, and displays the price of the product along with an image of the product being sold (product image) on the display unit 10. The product price is displayed near the product image. In the example of FIG. 3(a), the price of the product corresponding to product image 710 is displayed as price display 720 near product image 710, and the price of the product corresponding to product image 712 is displayed as price display 722 near product image 712. The same applies to other products.

[0019] The vending machine 1 then displays the inventory of each of the multiple products, i.e., the remaining amount of each of the multiple products stored in the vending machine 1, near each product image displayed on the display unit 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), inventory quantity display 700 is displayed near product image 710, indicating the inventory quantity of the product corresponding to product image 710 (the amount of that product remaining in the vending machine 1). The example of FIG. 3(a) shows that the inventory quantity of the product corresponding to product image 710 is "100%." ​​The vending machine 1 similarly displays inventory quantities for other products. For example, the vending machine 1 displays inventory quantity display 702 near product image 712, indicating the inventory quantity of the product corresponding to product image 712 (in the example of FIG. 3(a), this is "0%," indicating that the product corresponding to product image 712 is sold out).

[0020] Furthermore, the vending machine 1 supplies the server 3 with the inventory amount of each of the multiple products via the network 7. The server 3 then publishes the inventory amount of each of the multiple products sold by the vending machine 1 on the network. This allows the information terminal 5 to grasp the inventory amount of each of the multiple products sold by the vending machine 1. As described above, according to the vending machine 1 of this embodiment, the inventory amount of each of the multiple products sold by the vending machine 1 can be easily grasped on the display unit 10 and / or the information terminal 5. Therefore, for example, when a customer is waiting in line to purchase a product from the vending machine 1, it becomes easier for the customer to grasp whether the product they want is available for purchase from the vending machine 1.

[0021] [Summary of purchase restrictions by vending machine 1] First, conventional vending machine systems cannot prevent a single purchaser from purchasing a large quantity of a given product, and may not be able to ensure opportunities for various purchasers to purchase the given product. On the other hand, the vending machine system 9 according to this embodiment can provide various purchasers with opportunities to purchase the given product. That is, the vending machine 1 can limit the types and / or quantities of products a purchaser can purchase based on the purchaser's purchase history. Specifically, the server 3 stores the purchase history of a purchaser in association with a purchaser ID that identifies the purchaser. The purchaser ID may be, for example, an identification number (identification number that uniquely identifies the IC card) recorded on the IC chip of an IC card (e.g., an IC card or credit card that can be used for electronic money payments) held by the purchaser. Then, before the purchaser makes a purchase, the vending machine 1 acquires information from the purchaser's IC card (e.g., the purchaser ID) using the IC card reader 14. The vending machine 1 then provides the acquired information to the server 3 via the network 7. The server 3 refers to the purchase history of the purchaser stored in association with the received purchaser ID, and determines whether the purchaser satisfies the conditions (purchase availability conditions) that permit the purchase of at least one product among the multiple products sold in the vending machine 1. The purchase availability conditions are, for example, a condition that the purchase amount of a product within a predetermined period is less than a predetermined amount.

[0022] If the server 3 determines that the purchase availability conditions are met, the vending machine 1 allows the purchase of each of the multiple products to the purchaser. On the other hand, if the server 3 determines that the purchase availability conditions are not met, the vending machine 1 restricts the sale of at least the products for which the purchase availability conditions are determined not to be met to the purchaser. For example, as shown in FIG. 3(b), while a message indicating that the purchaser's product selection is in progress is displayed in the progress display area 510 when the purchaser selects a product, the vending machine 1 displays a purchase availability indicator 730 saying "Purchase Available" near the product image 714 for products for which the purchase availability conditions are met (for example, the product corresponding to product image 714 in FIG. 3(b)), thereby allowing the purchaser to purchase the product. On the other hand, for products for which the purchase availability conditions are not met (for example, the product corresponding to product image 716 in FIG. 3(b)), the vending machine 1 displays a purchase availability indicator 732 saying "Purchase Unavailable" near the product image 716, thereby prohibiting the purchaser from purchasing the product. Specifically, the vending machine 1 prohibits the purchaser from selecting a product that is "unavailable for purchase."

[0023] In this way, the vending machine 1 can set a limit on the amount of merchandise that a particular purchaser can purchase in one purchase, thereby providing more consumers with the opportunity to purchase merchandise.

[0024] The information terminal 5 is a terminal device that can be operated by a user. The information terminal 5 may be, for example, a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, smartphone, or tablet compatible with a mobile communication system. Alternatively, the information terminal 5 may be, for example, a personal computer (PC) and / or a notebook PC. In this embodiment, the information terminal 5 is preferably a smartphone from the standpoint of ease of portability and ease of operation by the user. Furthermore, the network 7 is a communication network such as a mobile phone network and / or the Internet. The network 7 may also include communication networks such as wired LAN and wireless LAN, and networks including short-range wireless communication. The vending machine 1 and vending machine system 9 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. However, it should be noted that the names and numerical values ​​in the above and following descriptions are merely examples, and that the present invention is not limited to these proper names and numerical values, and that these proper names and numerical values ​​do not necessarily relate to real proper names and numerical values.

[0025] <Details of Vending Machine 1 and Vending Machine System 9> Fig. 4 shows an example of an outline of the functional configuration of a vending machine according to this embodiment. Fig. 5 also shows an example of an outline of the functional configuration of a server according to this embodiment, an example of an outline of the functional configuration of an information terminal, and an example of an outline of the data configuration of each storage unit of the server. Specifically, Fig. 5(a) shows an example of the functional configuration of the server 3, Fig. 5(b) shows an example of the functional configuration of the information terminal 5, and Fig. 5(c) shows an example of the data configuration of the information storage unit 30 and the purchaser information storage unit 31.

[0026] The vending machine system 9 according to this embodiment is configured to include at least one vending machine 1 and a server 3. The one or more vending machines 1 and the server 3 are connected via a network 7 to enable two-way communication. The vending machine system 9 may also be configured to include an information terminal 5 for a purchaser or the like. For simplicity of explanation, the following description will mainly focus on an example in which the vending machine system 9 is configured with one vending machine 1 and one server 3.

[0027] [Vending machine 1 configuration overview] As shown in FIG. 4, the vending machine 1 includes a display unit 10 that displays various information, a display control unit 100 that controls the display of the display unit 10, an input unit 102 that receives input from a purchaser, an input acquisition unit 108 that acquires input operations from the purchaser, a location information supply unit 110 that supplies information on the location where the vending machine 1 is installed to the server 3, an inventory acquisition unit 112 that acquires the inventory amount of each of multiple products, a purchase availability condition determination unit 114 that determines whether the purchaser can purchase the products, a purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 that acquires the purchaser ID of the purchaser, a purchaser information update unit 118 that updates information about the purchaser, a product selection unit 120 that selects a product based on an instruction from the purchaser, and a payment method identification unit 122 that identifies a payment method based on an instruction from the purchaser. The vending machine 1 includes a sales control unit 124 that processes payment for the product price, a notification information determination unit 126 that determines notification information to be displayed on the display unit 10 or accepts the purchaser's selection of notification information displayed on the display unit 10, a code generation unit 128 that generates a graphic code, an output unit 130 that outputs receipts, a product removal unit 132 that enables product removal, an information acquisition unit 134 that acquires notification information, an information reading unit 136 that reads information from an IC card or the like, a payment execution information generation unit 138 that generates information that instructs the server 3 to execute payment, a vending machine communication unit 140 that communicates with the outside, a vending machine control unit 142 that controls the operation of each component of the vending machine 1, and a product information storage unit 144 that stores information about multiple products. The vending machine communication unit 140 receives various types of information from predetermined components of the vending machine 1 and supplies them to the server 3 and / or the information terminal 5, and also receives various types of information from the server 3 and / or the information terminal 5 and supplies them to predetermined components of the vending machine 1.

[0028] [Outline of the configuration of the server 3 and the information terminal 5] The server 3 manages information about multiple products sold by the vending machine 1 and manages the purchase histories of purchasers of multiple products. As shown in Figure 5(a), the server 3 includes an information storage unit 30 that stores notification information, a purchaser information storage unit 31 that stores information about purchasers, an information supply unit 32 that supplies notification information to the vending machine 1, an information disclosure unit 34 that discloses the inventory of products in the vending machine 1, a server-side communication unit 36 ​​that communicates with the outside world, and a server control unit 38 that controls the operation of each component of the server 3. The server-side communication unit 36 ​​supplies various information received from specific components of the server 3 to the vending machine 1 and / or the information terminal 5, and supplies various information received from the vending machine 1 and / or the information terminal 5 to specific components of the server 3.

[0029] 5(b), the information terminal 5 has an information terminal display unit 50 that displays various types of information, an information terminal input unit 52 that accepts input of various types of information from the purchaser, an information terminal storage unit 54 that stores various types of information, an information terminal side communication unit 56 that communicates with the outside, and an information terminal control unit 58 that controls the operation of each component of the information terminal 5. The information terminal side communication unit 56 supplies various types of information received from predetermined components of the information terminal 5 to the vending machine 1 and / or the server 3, and supplies various types of information received from the vending machine 1 and / or the server 3 to predetermined components of the information terminal 5.

[0030] The vending machine system 9 may not only have the above-mentioned multiple components in the same physical device or location, but also may have some of the multiple components installed in physically separate locations. In this case, the components may be connected via a communication network such as the Internet. For example, the vending machine 1 may have some of the functions of its components performed by an external server 3. The server 3 may also be configured as one or more servers. In this case, the vending machine system 9 is configured by combining the vending machine 1, the components of one server, and the components of other servers. The allocation of the multiple functions required to realize the vending machine system 9 according to this embodiment to one or more pieces of hardware may be determined appropriately in consideration of the processing capabilities of each piece of hardware and / or the specifications required for the vending machine system 9. The various pieces of information (such as notification information) stored in the information storage unit 30 may be updated based on instructions from or information acquired by the operator operating the server 3, or may be updated as needed by acquiring various pieces of information from a predetermined server external to the server 3.

[0031] [Vending Machine 1 Configuration Details] (Display unit 10, display control unit 100) The display unit 10 is controlled by the display control unit 100 and displays information on multiple products sold in the vending machine 1 and multiple pieces of predetermined information as images (still images and / or video), text, etc. Specifically, the display unit 10 displays various processing results, product images of multiple products sold in the vending machine 1, information about the vending machine 1 such as the price of each product, the inventory amount of each product, whether each product is available for sale, information prompting the purchaser to take a predetermined action, information about the progress of product sales, and / or multiple pieces of predetermined information such as notification information. The display control unit 100 causes the display unit 10 to output various processing results of each component, information about the vending machine 1, and / or multiple pieces of predetermined information as data in a predetermined format, still images, video, and / or text. The display unit 10 can also output information received from the external server 3. The vending machine 1 may be configured with an audio output unit, such as a speaker, that outputs audio corresponding to various pieces of information. The display unit may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display.

[0032] (input unit 102, input surface 104, input control unit 106) The input unit 102 accepts input of predetermined instructions, operations, etc. from a purchaser. The input unit 102 supplies the instructions to predetermined components of the vending machine 1. Each component that accepts the instructions performs its predetermined function. The input unit 102 is an input device (e.g., a touch panel, a motion sensor, etc.) for accepting operation input from a purchaser. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the input unit 102 is a touch panel included in the vending machine 1. The touch panel may be capable of detecting multi-touch, or may be a non-contact touch panel. Specifically, the touch panel serving as the input unit 102 has an input surface 104 onto which operations, etc. from a purchaser are input, and an input control unit 106 that acquires information related to the operations input onto the input surface 104. The touch panel is disposed over the display unit 10, and the surface of the touch panel corresponds to the input surface 104.

[0033] For example, an area for accepting a predetermined instruction is displayed on the display unit 10, and the input surface 104 detects the predetermined instruction at a position designated by a purchaser's operation on that area of ​​the input surface 104 (for example, a touch operation, a tap operation, a slide operation, etc.). The input surface 104 supplies the detected information, i.e., information indicating the predetermined instruction at the detected position, to the input control unit 106. As an example, the display unit 10 displays an area for accepting the selection of a product that the purchaser wishes to purchase, an area for accepting the selection of notification information that the purchaser wishes to purchase, etc. The input control unit 106 obtains the information indicating the predetermined instruction from the input surface 104 and supplies the information to a predetermined component of the vending machine 1.

[0034] (Input acquisition unit 108) The input acquisition unit 108 acquires operation inputs made by the purchaser on the input surface 104. That is, the input acquisition unit 108 acquires information indicating various operation inputs made by the purchaser on the input surface 104 via the input control unit 106. The input acquisition unit 108 supplies the acquired information indicating the various operation inputs to other predetermined components.

[0035] (Position information supply unit 110) The location information supplying unit 110 supplies location information indicating the location where the vending machine 1 is installed to the information supplying unit 32 of the server 3. The location information supplying unit 110 supplies the location information to the information supplying unit 32 via the vending machine side communication unit 140 and the network 7. The location information supplying unit 110 may be configured to include, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS), and supplies the location information acquired by the GPS to the server 3. The location information supplying unit 110 may also supply the server 3 with location information input to the location information supplying unit 110 by the business operator that installs the vending machine 1.

[0036] (Stock quantity acquisition unit 112, product information storage unit 144) The inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 acquires the inventory quantity of each of the multiple products stored in the vending machine 1. For example, the inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 can be configured to include a predetermined sensor that counts the inventory quantity of each product. The inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 can also acquire the inventory quantity of each of the multiple products in real time. The inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 supplies inventory quantity information indicating the acquired inventory quantity to the display control unit 100 and the information disclosure unit 34 of the server 3.

[0037] The product information storage unit 144 stores information about products in association with product IDs that identify the products. The product information includes, for example, product names, product images, and / or product prices. The display control unit 100 then uses the inventory information indicating the inventory amounts acquired by the inventory amount acquisition unit 112 to display the inventory amounts of each of the multiple products stored in the product information storage unit 144 on the display unit 10 in real time. For example, as shown in FIG. 3(a), the display control unit 100 displays the inventory amount of each product near the product image of each product. Examples of methods for displaying the inventory amount include percentages (the ratio of the remaining quantity of a single product to the maximum quantity of that product that can be stored in the vending machine 1) and the number of remaining units. In this embodiment, it is preferable to display the inventory amount as a percentage so that a purchaser viewing the display unit 10 can easily visually grasp the inventory amount of the product. The display control unit 100 may display the inventory amount of each product on the display unit 10 in the form of numerical values ​​and / or graphs (e.g., bar graphs, pie charts, etc.) corresponding to the numerical values.

[0038] There is no limitation on the products sold by vending machine 1, but examples of the products include trading cards that can be used in a specific card game, goods such as key chains and stuffed toys, and food and beverages. When selling trading cards and the like through vending machine 1, multiple trading cards may be sold as a pack, and each pack may be sold as a single product. The various information stored in product information storage unit 144 can be updated by the business operator that installs vending machine 1, or can be updated remotely by server 3 via network 7 at any time.

[0039] (Purchase availability condition determination unit 114, purchaser ID acquisition unit 116, information reading unit 136) First, the information reading unit 136 reads predetermined information including information that can identify the purchaser, such as information recorded on a predetermined IC card held by the purchaser (e.g., a purchaser ID), predetermined authentication information (such as a predetermined payment graphic code or payment execution information, described below) displayed on the information terminal display unit 50 of the information terminal 5 held by the purchaser, and / or biometric authentication information that identifies the purchaser (e.g., a facial image or biometric information). The information reading unit 136 can be configured to include, for example, an IC card reader 14 that reads information recorded on an IC chip, an imaging unit that reads predetermined image information such as a graphic code (two-dimensional code), a short-range wireless communication unit that acquires predetermined authentication information from the information terminal 5 via short-range wireless communication, and / or an authentication unit 15 that can authenticate a person's face. The imaging unit and / or authentication unit 15 may be provided integrally with or separately from the IC card reader 14, or may be provided in a location separate from the vending machine 1. Furthermore, the information reading unit 136 may be located away from the vending machine 1, so that the location where various pieces of information that identify or specify a purchaser are acquired is separate from the location where the product is sold (i.e., the location where the vending machine 1 itself is installed). Alternatively, the information reading unit 136 may be located on a surface different from the surface where the display unit 10 of the vending machine 1 is located (for example, on the side of the housing of the vending machine 1). This allows for separation between the location where the step of identifying or specifying a purchaser is performed and the location where the step of processing the purchase of a product and providing the product is performed. Therefore, for example, while one purchaser is having the information reading unit 136 read information that can identify the purchaser, another purchaser who has already had information that can identify the purchaser read can select a product and perform a purchase operation, thereby reducing the time required for each purchase operation by multiple purchasers lined up at the vending machine 1.

[0040] Then, the purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 acquires a purchaser ID capable of identifying the purchaser from the information recorded on the IC card held by the purchaser read by the information reading unit 136. The purchaser ID may be, for example, an identification number recorded on the IC card held by the purchaser. The purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 may also use various information capable of identifying the purchaser, i.e., predetermined authentication information and / or biometric authentication information, as the purchaser ID. The purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 supplies the acquired purchaser ID to the purchase eligibility condition determination unit 114.

[0041] The purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines, based on the purchaser ID, whether or not the purchase availability conditions, which are conditions under which the purchaser identified by the purchaser ID is permitted to purchase multiple products, are satisfied. Specifically, the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines, based on the purchase history of at least one product among the multiple products by the purchaser identified by the purchaser ID, whether or not the purchase availability conditions, which are conditions under which the purchaser is permitted to purchase at least one product among the multiple products, are satisfied. That is, the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines, based on the purchase history of at least one product among the multiple products by the purchaser (i.e., before the purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 acquired the purchaser ID), whether or not the purchase availability conditions are satisfied. Note that the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 may be included in the server 3. In this case, the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 included in the server 3 manages the purchase availability conditions.

[0042] Here, the purchase availability condition refers to a condition under which, if satisfied, a purchaser can purchase one product or all products. For example, the purchase availability condition may be a condition that the number of purchases of one product within a predetermined period is less than a predetermined number. If this condition is satisfied, the purchaser is permitted to purchase the one product. The predetermined period and the predetermined number of purchases can be set as appropriate. For example, if the predetermined period is "one day" and the predetermined number is "three," the purchase availability condition indicates that the number of products that a purchaser can purchase in "one day" is up to "three." Therefore, if a purchaser has already purchased "three" products in "one day," the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines that the purchaser does not satisfy the purchase availability condition, and if a purchaser has purchased "less than three" products in "one day," the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines that the purchaser satisfies the purchase availability condition.

[0043] Furthermore, for example, when the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 of the server 3 manages the purchase availability conditions, the purchase availability condition may be the following condition. That is, the purchase availability condition may be a condition in which the total number of purchases of one product made in each of the multiple vending machines 1 within a predetermined period is less than a predetermined number. Specifically, the total number of purchases of one product sold in the nth vending machine by a purchaser within a predetermined period is set to "X n (n is a positive integer.) In this case, if the total number of items to be purchased is "Z", the purchase condition is Z=X1+X2+···+X nand the condition that Z is less than a predetermined number is the purchase enablement condition. As an example, if vending machines 1 are installed in multiple locations and each vending machine 1 sells a single product, the condition may be that the total number of purchases of that single product by a purchaser at each vending machine 1 is less than a predetermined number within a predetermined period. If this condition is met, the purchaser is permitted to purchase that single product at each vending machine 1. For example, suppose the predetermined number for a single product is "10 units" and the predetermined period is "one day." In this case, after a purchaser purchases "five units" of the single product at a first vending machine 1 and "five units" of the single product at a second vending machine 1 in "one day," the purchase enablement condition determination unit 114 determines that the purchaser does not satisfy the purchase enablement condition. On the other hand, after the purchaser purchases "five" units of one product from the first vending machine 1 and "four" units of one product from the second vending machine 1 in "one day," the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines that the purchaser satisfies the purchase availability conditions. The purchase availability condition determination unit 114 provides information indicating the determination result to the product selection unit 120.

[0044] (Product selection unit 120) The product selection unit 120 selects a product for sale from the information of multiple products displayed on the display unit 10 based on a selection operation by the purchaser. That is, when the display unit 10 is displaying product images of multiple products and an operation to select a specific product is received from the purchaser via the input unit 20 (for example, an operation such as tapping on a product image displayed on the display unit 10, and such an operation is referred to as a "selection operation"), the product selection unit 120 selects the selected specific product as a product for sale.

[0045] Here, the product selection unit 120 may make the selection of a product for sale by a purchaser less favorable when the purchase availability conditions received from the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 are not satisfied, compared to when the purchase availability conditions are satisfied. Specifically, the unfavorable content may include restrictions on the purchase of at least one product among the multiple products (for example, a restriction that prohibits the purchaser from selecting a product for sale from the multiple products even if the product for sale is in stock, or a restriction that limits the purchase quantity to a predetermined quantity or less), or a restriction that prevents a specific product among the multiple products (for example, a product with a high rarity, or, in the case of multiple trading cards sold as a pack, a pack that contains or is likely to contain a trading card with a high rarity, etc.) from being displayed on the display unit 10. When implementing unfavorable content, the product selection unit 120 may cause the display unit 10 to display the unfavorable content. For example, when a specific product is prohibited from being selected as a product for sale, the product selection unit 120 causes the display control unit 100 to display a message indicating that product selection is prohibited near the product image of the product on the display unit 10, as shown in FIG. 3(b). Furthermore, the multiple products sold by the vending machine 1 may include products that can be purchased if the purchase availability conditions are met, and products that can be purchased regardless of whether the purchase availability conditions are met (products for which the purchase availability conditions are not determined, products with no purchase restrictions). For example, products that can be purchased without determining the purchase availability conditions may be products that are less likely to sell out within a predetermined period of time than products for which the purchase availability conditions must be determined.

[0046] Furthermore, if the purchase availability conditions are met, the product selection unit 120 allows the purchaser to freely select a product for sale based on a selection operation from information on multiple products displayed on the display unit 10. Even in this case, the product selection unit 120 may set an upper limit on the number of types of products that can be purchased in a single purchase operation and / or the number of each product that can be purchased. The product selection unit 120 supplies information on the selected product to the payment method identification unit 122, the sales control unit 124, and the notification information determination unit 126.

[0047] (Payment method identification unit 122) When a product for sale is selected by the product selection unit 120, the payment method identification unit 122 identifies a payment method for the product for sale based on a specific operation by the purchaser (i.e., an operation in which the purchaser identifies a specific payment method from among one or more payment methods). Specifically, the payment method identification unit 122 causes the display unit 10 to display one or more payment methods for the product for sale to the purchaser. Then, the payment method identification unit 122 identifies one payment method from among the one or more payment methods based on the purchaser's specific operation received via the input unit 102. Examples of payment methods include cash payment, electronic money payment, credit card payment, and / or payment via a specific shopping site registered by the purchaser in advance (e.g., a method in which the purchaser registers credit card information on the site in advance and then pays for the vending machine 1 using the credit card information registered on the site). The payment method identification unit 122 supplies information indicating the payment method identified by the specific operation to the sales control unit 124, the notification information determination unit 126, and the payment execution information generation unit 138.

[0048] (Sales control unit 124) The sales control unit 124 executes a payment process (also referred to as a sales process) for the price of the product for sale selected by the product selection unit 120, based on the payment method specified by the payment method specification unit 122 for payment of the price for the product for sale. The sales control unit 124 supplies information indicating the progress of the payment process to the display control unit 100, the notification information determination unit 126, and the product removal unit 132. Note that the sales process may be a process from the selection of the product for sale, after the payment has been inserted, until the payment process for the price is completed.

[0049] (Notification information determination unit 126) The notification information determination unit 126 determines notification information to be displayed on the display unit 10 from the plurality of pieces of notification information acquired by the information acquisition unit 134. The notification information determination unit 126 determines at least one piece of notification information to be displayed on the display unit 10 from the plurality of pieces of notification information when a product to be sold is selected, when a payment method is specified, or when payment processing is started until payment processing by the sales control unit 124 is completed. As an example, the notification information determination unit 126 may determine, from among the multiple pieces of notification information, notification information related to products being sold by the vending machine 1 (including information determined based on inventory), notification information related to the location where the vending machine 1 is installed (including tourist information about the location and within a predetermined range from the location), notification information related to predetermined stores near the location where the vending machine 1 is installed, notification information related to an online shopping site and products being sold on the site, and / or notification information related to products scheduled to be sold, services scheduled to be offered, or events (including game tournaments) scheduled to be held within a predetermined period from the date and time of the purchase of the product by the purchaser, as the notification information to be displayed on the display unit 10. The notification information determination unit 126 supplies predetermined identification information associated with the determined notification information to the code generation unit 128.

[0050] The announcement information determination unit 126 can also be configured to accept, via the input unit 102, an instruction by the purchaser to select at least one piece of announcement information from the plurality of pieces of announcement information displayed on the display unit 10 (i.e., an action in which the purchaser selects announcement information by, for example, tapping on announcement information displayed on the display unit 10). Specifically, when the display control unit 100 receives information from the product selection unit 120 that the purchaser has selected a product (a product for sale), when the display control unit 100 receives information indicating the identified payment method from the payment method identification unit 122, or when the display control unit 100 receives information indicating the start of execution of payment processing from the sales control unit 124, the display control unit 100 causes the display unit 10 to continue displaying the plurality of pieces of announcement information until the payment processing by the sales control unit 124 is completed. In this case, the announcement information determination unit 126 accepts, via the input unit 102, an instruction by the purchaser to select at least one piece of announcement information from the plurality of pieces of announcement information. The notification information determination unit 126 supplies predetermined identification information associated with the selected notification information to the code generation unit 128. The notification information may be content that can arouse a purchaser's interest in the notification information in a short period of time (i.e., when the product for sale is selected, when the payment method is specified, or during the time from when the payment process is initiated to when the payment process is completed). For example, the notification information may not be detailed information, but may be information that triggers a purchaser to request confirmation of detailed information (for example, information represented only by a predetermined heading or keyword).

[0051] Here, the following examples of notification information are given. a) Information determined based on the location where the vending machine 1 is installed. a-1) Information introducing specific shops located near the location. a-2) Information regarding game tournaments being held near the location (including, for example, tournament participation information regarding participation in game tournaments). a-3) Other information about the vicinity of the location (food information, tourist information, etc.). b) Information about new products, etc. c) Information about certain shopping sites on the web. d) Information about movies, events, etc.

[0052] Furthermore, if multiple pieces of announcement information include tournament participation information for participation in a specific game tournament, and the information selected and instructed by the purchaser is the tournament participation information, the announcement information determination unit 126 may accept purchaser identification information that identifies the purchaser in response to an operation by the purchaser, and execute registration for participation in the tournament. Here, the purchaser identification information is information that the purchaser has registered in advance on the server of the organizer that hosts the game tournament, and may be a player ID and password that identify the game player, etc. Furthermore, the tournament participation information is, for example, information such as the name of the game tournament, the date and time of the tournament, the location of the tournament, the tournament organizer, and tournament participation qualifications.

[0053] Accepting registration for participation in the tournament may involve registering purchaser identifying information to a server for the game tournament. For example, if the information selected and instructed by the purchaser is tournament participation information, the announcement information determination unit 126 makes a request to the server for the game tournament and causes a screen for tournament participation registration to be displayed on the display unit 10 via the display control unit 100. The announcement information determination unit 126 may then register the purchaser identifying information to the server for the game tournament based on the purchaser identifying information input by the purchaser via the input unit 102, and register the purchaser to participate in the tournament. Furthermore, if the information selected and instructed by the purchaser is tournament participation information, the announcement information determination unit 126 may provide the code generation unit 128 with access information to the server for participation in the tournament.

[0054] (Code generation unit 128, code storage unit 129) The code generation unit 128 generates a graphic code such as a two-dimensional barcode. Alternatively, the code generation unit 128 may output a pre-registered graphic code instead of generating a graphic code (in this case, the code generation unit 128 functions as a code output unit). For example, each of the plurality of pieces of notification information may be associated with a graphic code including information indicating detailed content of the notification information and / or access information (e.g., URL information) for accessing a predetermined server that publishes the detailed content of the notification information. The code generation unit 128 may include a code storage unit 129 that stores graphic code information in association with each of the plurality of pieces of notification information. For example, the code storage unit 129 stores the URL of a webpage that publishes the detailed content of the notification information in association with the notification information displayed on the display unit 10. The code generation unit 128 supplies the URL to the output unit 130 as graphic code information.

[0055] Furthermore, when the announcement information determination unit 126 receives a selection instruction, the code generation unit 128 may generate a graphic code including information indicating detailed content of the selected announcement information and / or access information for accessing a predetermined server that publishes the detailed information. That is, each of the multiple announcement information is previously associated with details of the announcement information and access information for a predetermined server that publishes the details of the announcement information. The code generation unit 128 references the access information associated with the selected announcement information and generates information (graphic code information) related to the graphic code including the access information. Furthermore, when the announcement information determination unit 126 does not receive a selection instruction, i.e., when there is no selection instruction, the code generation unit 128 does not generate graphic code information. Note that, when the code generation unit 128 receives access information for a predetermined game tournament participation server from the announcement information determination unit 126, it generates graphic code information including the access information. The code generation unit 128 supplies the generated graphic code information to the output unit 130. When the notification information determination unit 126 receives a selection instruction, the code generation unit 128 may supply the graphic code information stored in the code storage unit 129 to the output unit 130 in association with the information for which the selection instruction has been given.

[0056] (output unit 130) The output unit 130 outputs a receipt on which payment information and the like for the products purchased by the purchaser are printed. The output unit 130 outputs the receipt from the receipt output port 18. Specifically, after the sales control unit 124 completes the payment process, the output unit 130 prints a graphic code based on graphic code information generated by the code generation unit 128, which includes access information to a predetermined server that publishes the content of the notification information displayed on the display unit 10 by the notification information determination unit 126 or the content of the notification information for which the notification information determination unit 126 has accepted a selection instruction, and outputs a receipt on which information about the payment process is printed. On the other hand, if the purchaser does not issue an instruction to output a receipt, or if the notification information determination unit 126 has not accepted a selection instruction, the output unit 130 does not print information about the payment process on the receipt and does not output the receipt itself.

[0057] If the graphical code on the receipt output by the output unit 130 contains access information to a server for participation in a specific game tournament, the purchaser can register to participate in the tournament by having the information terminal 5 read the graphical code. That is, by having the information terminal 5 read the graphical code, the information terminal 5 accesses the server for that game tournament. The server for the game tournament then displays a screen on the information terminal display unit 50 that accepts registration to participate in the game tournament. The purchaser can register to participate in the game tournament by entering purchaser identification information, such as a player ID and password, on this screen and registering with the server for the game tournament.

[0058] (Product removal section 132) After the payment process is completed by the sales control unit 124, the product removal unit 132 enables the product for sale to be removed from the vending machine 1. The product removal unit 132 enables the product purchased by the purchaser to be removed from the product removal opening 17. This allows the purchaser to remove the purchased product (product for sale) from the product removal opening 17.

[0059] (Information acquisition unit 134) The information acquisition unit 134 acquires a plurality of pieces of notification information stored in an information storage unit 30 of the server 3, which will be described later, based on the location information supplied to the server 3 by the location information supply unit 110. The information acquisition unit 134 supplies the acquired plurality of pieces of notification information to the display control unit 100 and the notification information determination unit 126. The display control unit 100 causes the display unit 10 to display at least a part or all of the plurality of pieces of notification information acquired by the information acquisition unit 134.

[0060] (Payment execution information generation unit 138) The payment execution information generation unit 138 generates payment execution information including instructions for executing payment for a product purchased by a purchaser at the vending machine 1 at a predetermined site where the purchaser has registered in advance. The payment execution information generation unit 138 may generate payment execution information when the payment method identification unit 122 identifies a payment method via a predetermined shopping site where the purchaser has registered in advance. For example, the server 3 may be a server that controls the operation of a shopping site where registered purchasers can purchase products online, and the server 3 and the vending machine 1 may be communicatively connected via the network 7. The server 3 pre-stores purchaser information (e.g., credit card information) related to payment methods for products completed online. For example, as described below, the server 3 has a purchaser information storage unit 31 that stores the credit card information of registered purchasers in association with the purchaser ID of the registered purchaser. The payment execution information generation unit 138 then generates payment execution information including instructions for executing payment processing for the product purchase at the vending machine 1 on the server 3 in response to a request from the purchaser.

[0061] The payment execution information generation unit 138 then supplies the generated payment execution information to the purchaser's information terminal 5. For example, the payment execution information generated by the payment execution information generation unit 138 of the vending machine 1 can be supplied to the information terminal 5 via the network 7 or short-range wireless communication. The server 3 may also have the payment execution information generation unit 138. In this case, the payment execution information generation unit 138 of the server 3 may supply the payment execution information generated in response to an instruction from the purchaser's information terminal 5 or the vending machine 1 that has accepted a request from the purchaser to the information terminal 5 via the network 7 based on the purchaser's request, or may display the payment execution information on the information terminal display unit 50 in response to access from the information terminal 5 to the server 3. If the server 3 has the payment execution information generation unit 138, the payment execution information may be supplied to the purchaser's information terminal 5 in response to a request from the purchaser before the purchaser purchases a product from the vending machine 1.

[0062] Then, when the payment method for the product purchased by the purchaser is identified as a method of performing payment processing on the server 3, that is, when the payment method identification unit 122 identifies a method of performing payment processing on the server 3, the sales control unit 124 performs payment processing based on the payment execution information supplied to the information terminal 5. For example, the payment execution information generation unit 138 generates a payment graphic code including the payment execution information and supplies it to the information terminal 5. Then, based on the purchaser's operation, the information reading unit 136 reads the payment graphic code from the information terminal 5. The sales control unit 124 obtains information related to the payment graphic code read by the information reading unit 136, and performs payment processing on the server 3 based on the payment execution information included in the payment graphic code.

[0063] (Purchaser information update unit 118) The purchaser information update unit 118 updates the purchaser ID and / or purchase history of the purchaser stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 of the server 3, which will be described later. The purchaser information update unit 118 supplies predetermined information to the purchaser information storage unit 31 via the network 7 and updates various pieces of information stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31. The purchaser information update unit 118 can also update various pieces of information stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 in association with the purchaser ID read by the information reading unit 136. Furthermore, the purchaser information update unit 118 updates the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 based on information indicating the products purchased by the purchaser at the vending machine 1 and the purchase quantities of those products.

[0064] [Server 3 configuration details] (Information storage unit 30) As shown in FIG. 5(c), the information storage unit 30 stores multiple pieces of notification information in association with location information indicating the location. The location information may be associated with a vending machine ID that identifies the vending machine 1. The information storage unit 30 may also store inventory information of the vending machine 1 identified by the vending machine ID in association with the vending machine ID (i.e., information regarding the type and quantity of each of multiple products stored in the vending machine 1). The information storage unit 30 can also store notification information collected by the server control unit 38 from an external server or the like. The information storage unit 30 supplies the stored notification information in association with the location information received from the location information supply unit 110 to the information supply unit 32.

[0065] (Purchaser information storage unit 31) As shown in FIG. 5(c), the purchaser information storage unit 31 stores information about the purchaser (purchaser information) and information about the purchase history of each of multiple products by the purchaser, in association with a purchaser ID that identifies the purchaser. Examples of the purchaser information include the purchaser's name or nickname, the purchaser's email address, the telephone number of the purchaser's information terminal 5, information about the purchaser's credit card, membership information for a predetermined member site (e.g., an online shopping site operated and managed by the server 3) (e.g., a member ID and password registered with the predetermined member site, or a payment graphic code as predetermined authentication information issued exclusively to the purchaser on the site), and / or biometric authentication information of the purchaser (e.g., information about a face image used for facial authentication). Note that, instead of identification information recorded on a predetermined IC card, any of the purchaser information, such as predetermined authentication information or biometric authentication information, may be used as the purchaser ID. Furthermore, if the server 3 is a server that controls the operation of a shopping site where registered purchasers can purchase products online, the purchaser ID may be an ID that identifies the registered purchaser. The purchase history information is information about the purchase history of each of multiple products by a purchaser, and includes information such as the purchase date and time of each product, the purchase amount, and / or the purchase location (vending machine ID of the vending machine 1 from which the purchase was made). The purchaser information storage unit 31 provides the stored predetermined information to a predetermined component in response to a request from the vending machine 1 and / or information terminal 5.

[0066] Here, the purchase enablement condition determination unit 114 determines whether or not the purchase enablement conditions are met based on the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31. That is, the purchase enablement condition determination unit 114 compares the purchaser ID acquired by the purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 via the network 7 with the purchaser ID stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31, and determines whether or not the purchase enablement conditions are met based on the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 in association with the purchaser ID.

[0067] Furthermore, the purchaser information update unit 118 may compare the purchaser ID acquired by the purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 via the network 7 with the purchaser ID stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31, and if the purchaser ID is not stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31, may newly store the purchaser ID in the purchaser information storage unit 31 in response to an instruction from the purchaser received via the input unit 102. In this case, if the purchaser ID is newly stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31, the product selection unit 120 may enable the purchaser to select a product for sale from information on multiple products displayed on the display unit 10 based on a selection operation by the purchaser. In other words, the purchaser may be able to purchase a product from the vending machine 1 in response to registration of the purchaser with the server 3.

[0068] Furthermore, if the server 3 is a server that controls the operation of a shopping site where registered purchasers can purchase products online, the display control unit 100 may check whether the purchaser is registered as a member based on input from the purchaser received via the input unit 102. The display control unit 100 may then vary the information about multiple products displayed on the display unit 10 based on whether the purchaser is registered as a member. For example, if the purchaser is registered as a member, the display control unit 100 may display product images of all products on the display unit 10, and if the purchaser is not registered as a member, the display control unit 100 may display product images of only some of the products on the display unit 10 (i.e., sales of certain products to purchasers who are not registered as members may be restricted).

[0069] (Information Supply Department 32) The information supply unit 32 supplies the notification information stored in the information storage unit 30 in association with the location information received from the location information supply unit 110 to the information acquisition unit 134 of the vending machine 1 via the server-side communication unit 36. Note that the location information supply unit 110 may supply the vending machine ID instead of the location information of the vending machine 1 to the information supply unit 32 via the vending machine-side communication unit 140. In this case, the information supply unit 32 supplies the notification information stored in the information storage unit 30 in association with the vending machine ID to the information acquisition unit 134.

[0070] (Information Disclosure Section 34) The information disclosure unit 34 publishes the inventory amounts of each of the multiple products in the vending machine 1 acquired by the inventory amount acquisition unit 112 on a predetermined website on the network. In response to access from the information terminal 5 via the network 7, the information disclosure unit 34 enables the information terminal 5 to display the inventory amounts of each of the multiple products sold in the vending machine 1. In this case, the information disclosure unit 34 can display the inventory amounts on the information terminal 5 in real time. This allows a purchaser carrying the information terminal 5 to check the inventory amounts of each product sold in the vending machine 1 from a location away from the vending machine 1. The information disclosure unit 34 may also set a time lag based on the inventory amount for the timing of publishing the inventory amounts, depending on the inventory amounts of each of the multiple products in the vending machine 1. For example, the inventory amount of a single product sold in the vending machine 1 may be published on the network when the inventory amount of the single product drops from 100% to 80%, and thereafter the inventory amount may be published on the network in real time. This can prevent a situation in which purchasers rush to the vending machine 1 as soon as the vending machine 1 is restocked. The information disclosure unit 34 may be included in a server other than the server 3.

[0071] Furthermore, the information disclosure unit 34 may determine whether or not to restrict access to the inventory levels of multiple products in the vending machine 1 based on the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 in association with the purchaser ID of the purchaser who accessed the server 3. For example, the information disclosure unit 34 may refer to the purchaser's purchase history, and if the number of purchases of a certain product within a predetermined period is less than a predetermined number, make the inventory level of that product available for viewing on the network. On the other hand, the information disclosure unit 34 may refer to the purchaser's purchase history, and if the number of purchases of a certain product within a predetermined period is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, make the inventory level of that product unavailable for viewing on the network. This makes it easier for the vending machine system 9 to provide opportunities for purchases of a certain product to other purchasers, excluding purchasers who have already purchased the product up to the maximum purchase limit.

[0072] Furthermore, the information disclosure unit 34 may be configured to have a blacklist that registers the IDs of purchasers who are prohibited from viewing the inventory amount of the vending machine 1 on the network. When there is an information terminal 5 that has requested the server 3 via the network 7 to refer to the inventory amount of the vending machine 1, the information disclosure unit 34 first obtains the purchaser ID of the purchaser who owns this information terminal 5 from the information terminal 5. Then, the information disclosure unit 34 may refer to the obtained purchaser ID, and if the referenced purchaser ID is registered on the blacklist, the information disclosure unit 34 may prohibit the information terminal 5 from viewing the inventory amount, but if the referenced purchaser ID is not registered, the information disclosure unit 34 may allow the information terminal 5 to view the inventory amount.

[0073] <Processing flow of vending machine system 9> [Information provision process flow] Fig. 6 shows an example of the processing flow in the vending machine system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 6 shows an example of the processing flow for providing information in the vending machine 1 in the vending machine system 9. Figs. 7 to 9 show examples of displays on the display unit 10 in the processing for providing information in the vending machine 1 included in the vending machine system 9.

[0074] First, the location information supply unit 110 supplies the server 3 with location information indicating the location where the vending machine 1 is installed (Step 10; hereinafter, step will be abbreviated as "S"). For example, the location information supply unit 110 acquires location information indicating the location where the vending machine 1 is installed using GPS, and supplies the location information to the information supply unit 32 of the server 3 via the vending machine communication unit 140, the network 7, and the server communication unit 36. The information supply unit 32 supplies multiple pieces of notification information stored in the information storage unit 30 in association with the location information to the information acquisition unit 134 of the vending machine 1 via the server communication unit 36, the network 7, and the vending machine communication unit 140. As a result, the information acquisition unit 134 acquires one or more pieces of notification information (S12).

[0075] The location information supply unit 110 may supply the server 3 with location information of the location where the vending machine 1 is installed based on an operation by the business operator that installs the vending machine 1. Furthermore, if multiple pieces of notification information are stored in the information storage unit 30 in association with a vending machine ID, the location information supply unit 110 may supply the vending machine ID instead of location information to the information supply unit 32. In this case, the information supply unit 32 supplies the multiple pieces of notification information stored in the information storage unit 30 in association with the vending machine ID to the information acquisition unit 134. Furthermore, the information acquisition unit 134 may acquire the notification information via a predetermined device and / or storage medium owned by the business operator that installs the vending machine 1.

[0076] Then, the display control unit 100 causes the display unit 10 to display the plurality of pieces of notification information acquired by the information acquisition unit 134 (S14). For example, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the display control unit 100 divides the display unit 10 into a plurality of areas and displays the notification information in at least one of the areas. As an example, the display control unit 100 provides an information display area 150 that displays the notification information in an area near the center of the display unit 10. Then, during a period (a standby period) in which a purchaser is not purchasing a product, the display control unit 100 sequentially displays the plurality of pieces of notification information in the information display area 150 of the display unit 10. Note that during the standby period, the display control unit 100 may designate the area of ​​the display unit 10 excluding the information display area 150 as a product display area that displays product images of the products (in the example of FIG. 7(a), a product display area 162 is provided above the information display area 150, and a product display area 164 is provided below the information display area 150). Here, the display control unit 100 may inconspicuously display the product images displayed in the product display area 162 and the product display area 164 during the standby period, from the viewpoint of making the notification information displayed in the information display area 150 stand out. For example, the display control unit 100 may blur or make the product images displayed in the product display area 162 and the product display area 164 semi-transparent. Furthermore, the display control unit 100 may set one or more information display areas and one or more product display areas in predetermined areas of the display unit 10, without being limited to the example of FIG. 7(a).

[0077] Subsequently, until the purchaser makes a request to purchase a product (i.e., during the waiting period), the display control unit 100 continues to display the notification information in the information display area 150 as shown in FIG. 7(a) (No in S16). On the other hand, when a predetermined input instruction is received from the purchaser via the input unit 102 (Yes in S16), the display control unit 100 displays product images of multiple products sold by the vending machine 1 on the display unit 10 as shown in FIG. 7(b) to prompt the purchaser to select a product (S18). The display on the display unit 10 at this time is a product selection screen display. Note that the input instruction may be, for example, a tap operation on the display unit 10 by the purchaser. In the example of FIG. 7(b), for example, a product image and a price display 720 are displayed on the display unit 10 for each of the multiple products, as shown in FIG. 7(b). In addition, the display control unit 100 displays information indicating the next step the purchaser should take in the progress display area 510 of the display unit 10 (in the example of Figure 7(b), the text "Please select a product" is displayed).

[0078] Next, the product selection unit 120 accepts a selection operation by the purchaser of a product for sale from among the multiple product images (S20). The product selection unit 120 waits until a selection operation is made (No in S20). On the other hand, when the product selection unit 120 accepts a selection operation by the purchaser of a specific product via the input unit 102, it selects the product corresponding to the product image selected by the purchaser as a product for sale (Yes in S20). The product selection unit 120 supplies information about the product for sale and information indicating that the product for sale has been selected to the payment method identification unit 122, the sales control unit 124, and the notification information determination unit 126. The notification information determination unit 126 determines at least one or all of the multiple pieces of notification information acquired by the information acquisition unit 134 as notification information to be displayed on the display unit 10 (S22).

[0079] The payment method identification unit 122 identifies a payment method for the purchase price adopted by the purchaser when purchasing the product. For example, as shown in FIG. 8(a), the payment method identification unit 122 causes the display unit 10 to display information indicating multiple payment methods via the display control unit 100. In the example of FIG. 8(a), the display unit 10 displays a payment method display 800 (displaying "Pay by cash"), a payment method display 802 (displaying "Pay by electronic money"), and a payment method display 804 (displaying "Pay via member site"), and further displays a product image 900 of the product selected by the purchaser along with the price of the product based on information about the product for sale received from the product selection unit 120. In addition, the progress display area 510 of the display unit 10 displays information prompting the purchaser to select a payment method (in the example of FIG. 8(a), the text "Please select a payment method" is displayed). The payment method identification unit 122 accepts the purchaser's selection accepted via the input unit 102 and identifies the payment method (S24).

[0080] The sales control unit 124 then accepts payment from the purchaser based on the payment method identified by the payment method identification unit 122 (S26) and starts the payment process for the product being sold (i.e., the sales process) (S28). For example, if the purchaser selects to pay with cash, the sales control unit 124 counts the cash inserted into the bill slot 12 and / or coin slot 13 and starts the sales process. If the purchaser selects to pay with electronic money, the sales control unit 124 starts the sales process based on information read from a predetermined IC card that the purchaser has touched to the IC card reader 14. In this case, the sales control unit 124 can display information indicating that the sales process is in progress in the progress display area 510 of the display unit 10 via the display control unit 100 (for example, in the examples of FIGS. 8(b) and 9(a), the text "Product and change are being prepared" is displayed).

[0081] Here, if the purchaser selects to pay at the member site, the sales control unit 124 executes the following process.

[0082] First, in this case, it is assumed that the server 3 is a server that operates a shopping site where registered purchasers can purchase products online. This site may be operated by a business that handles the products sold by the vending machine 1 or by an affiliate of that business. The purchaser then registers as a member on this site in advance. During the member registration, the server 3 stores and registers the purchaser's credit card information and information about the purchaser's information terminal 5 (e.g., telephone number, email address, etc.) in the purchaser information storage unit 31 in association with a purchaser ID that identifies the purchaser. The sales control unit 124 then requests the payment execution information generation unit 138 to generate payment execution information including instructions for executing payment for the products purchased from the vending machine 1 based on the credit card information previously registered on the site. In response to the request, the payment execution information generation unit 138 generates a payment graphic code including the payment execution information. The payment execution information generation unit 138 then provides this payment graphic code to the purchaser's information terminal 5 via the network 7 or short-range wireless communication, enabling it to be displayed on the information terminal display unit 50. Alternatively, the payment execution information generation unit 138 may make the generated payment graphic code displayable on the site, so that the payment graphic code can be displayed on the information terminal display unit 50 when the information terminal 5 accesses the site. Next, the information reading unit 136 reads the payment graphic code displayed on the information terminal display unit 50. Then, the sales control unit 124 starts the sales process on the server 3 by starting the payment process on the server 3 based on the payment execution information included in the payment graphic code read by the information reading unit 136.

[0083] If the payment process on the server 3 cannot be completed based on this payment execution information (for example, if the credit card has expired), the sales control unit 124 may display on the display unit 10 that the payment process was not successful and terminate the sales process. If the payment process cannot be completed based on this payment execution information, the sales control unit 124 may control the payment method identification unit 122 to prohibit the purchaser from selecting a payment method on the member site, and may then execute step S24 again, that is, the step of identifying the purchaser's payment method.

[0084] Subsequently, while the sales control unit 124 is executing the sales process, the display control unit 100 causes the display unit 10 to display the announcement information determined by the announcement information determination unit 126 (S30). The display control unit 100 causes the display unit 10 to display one or more pieces of announcement information determined to be displayed by the announcement information determination unit 126. For example, as shown in FIG. 8(b), the display unit 10 displays multiple pieces of announcement information, namely, information 400 (information indicating the release date of a predetermined product), information 402 (information indicating that a predetermined game tournament will be held), information 404 (information regarding shops located near the vending machine 1), information 406 (information regarding upcoming movies), and information 408 (information regarding online shops where online shopping can be performed by registering as a member). Note that, although multiple pieces of announcement information are displayed on the display unit 10 in the example of FIG. 8(b), only one piece of announcement information may be displayed on the display unit 10 based on the determination of the announcement information determination unit 126.

[0085] Then, the notification information determination unit 126 causes the display unit 10 to output a screen for confirming whether or not to output the notification information displayed on the display unit 10 (S32). For example, as shown in FIG. 9(a), a confirmation message is output in the instruction display area 502 of the display unit 10 (in the example of FIG. 9(a), "Do you want to print the information?" is displayed). Furthermore, the notification information determination unit 126 causes an instruction receiving area 504 for receiving an instruction to output the notification information and an instruction receiving area 506 for receiving an instruction not to output the notification information to be displayed in predetermined locations on the display unit 10. In the example of FIG. 9(a), an icon displaying "Yes" is placed in the instruction receiving area 504, and an icon displaying "No" is placed in the instruction receiving area 506. Then, when the notification information determination unit 126 receives an instruction from the purchaser for the instruction receiving area 504 via the input unit 102 (Yes in S32), the notification information determination unit 126 supplies identification information indicating one or more pieces of notification information displayed on the display unit 10 to the code generation unit 128.

[0086] The code generation unit 128 generates graphic code information including the received identification information (S34). Alternatively, the code generation unit 128 outputs a pre-registered graphic code for the notification information. The graphic code information includes access information for a website where detailed content of each of the one or more notification information is published. The code generation unit 128 then supplies the graphic code information to the output unit 130. Subsequently, when the sales processing by the sales control unit 124 is completed, or when the output unit 130 is able to output a receipt after the sales processing is completed (S36), the output unit 130 outputs a receipt on which the graphic code corresponding to the graphic code information and payment information for the product are printed, and the product removal unit 132 provides the product to the purchaser by making the product available for removal from the product removal slot 17 (S38). In this case, the sales control unit 124 displays a message on the display unit 10 via the display control unit 100, urging the purchaser to receive the product and receipt. For example, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the sales control unit 124 displays predetermined text information in a predetermined information display area 152 of the display unit 10 (in the example of FIG. 9(b), "Sorry to keep you waiting! Please take your product, change, and receipt." is displayed). If change is due to the purchaser, the sales control unit 124 returns the predetermined change to the purchaser through the change return slot 16. The sale of the product by the vending machine 1 is completed when the purchaser removes the product from the product removal slot 17 and receives the receipt output from the output unit 130 (for example, a receipt such as that shown in FIG. 2(b)) (S40). By reading the graphic code printed on the receipt output by the output unit 130 with the information terminal 5, the purchaser can access a predetermined website where detailed content of one or more pieces of notification information is published. This allows the purchaser to check the detailed content of one or more pieces of notification information at their own leisure after purchasing a product from the vending machine 1 using the information terminal 5.

[0087] On the other hand, when the notification information determination unit 126 receives an instruction from the purchaser in the instruction receiving area 506 via the input unit 102 (No in S32), it does not supply identification information indicating the notification information to the code generation unit 128, and waits until the completion of the sales process by the sales control unit 124. Then, when the sales process by the sales control unit 124 has finished (S42), the product removal unit 132 provides the product to the purchaser by making the product purchased by the purchaser removable from the product removal slot 17 (S44). If there is change due to the purchaser, the sales control unit 124 returns the required change to the purchaser through the change return slot 16. When the purchaser removes the product from the product removal slot 17, the sale of the product by the vending machine 1 finishes (S40).

[0088] The display control unit 100 may display a thank you screen on the display unit 10 in response to the completion of the sale (for example, displaying text such as "Thank you for your purchase"). Furthermore, the sales control unit 124 may cancel the sale of the product based on an instruction to cancel the purchase from the purchaser received via the input unit 102, even after the payment from the purchaser has been received, as long as it is before the sale process is completed (before the product removal unit 132 makes the product available for removal).

[0089] Furthermore, in the above description, the notification information is displayed on the display unit 10 in S30, but the notification information may be displayed on the display unit 10 at any timing between steps S20 and S30. In this case, the display control unit 100 displays at least one piece of notification information together with a plurality of product images on the display unit 10 (for example, two areas may be provided: an area for displaying product images and an area for displaying notification information).

[0090] [Variation 1 of the flow of information provision processing] Fig. 10 shows an example of a modified example of the processing flow in the vending machine system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 10 shows modified example 1 of the processing flow for providing information in the vending machine 1 in the vending machine system 9 (the processing flow for selecting desired notification information from multiple pieces of notification information). Fig. 11 shows an example of the display on the display unit 10 in the information provision processing in the vending machine 1 included in the vending machine system 9.

[0091] The flow of Modification 1 described in Fig. 10 includes substantially the same steps as the flow described in Fig. 6, except that S22 in the flow described in Fig. 6 does not exist and the processing from S20 onwards is different. Therefore, detailed description will be omitted except for the differences.

[0092] First, the processing from S10 to S20 is substantially the same as the flow described in Fig. 6. Then, in the step S20 (Yes), the product selection unit 120 supplies information about the product to be sold to the payment method identification unit 122 and the sales control unit 124. Next, the steps from S24 to S28 are substantially the same as the flow described in Fig. 6.

[0093] Next, while the sales control unit 124 is executing the sales process, the display control unit 100 causes the display unit 10 to display the plurality of pieces of announcement information determined by the announcement information determination unit 126 (S50). Then, the announcement information determination unit 126 enables the purchaser to receive an instruction to select information from the plurality of pieces of announcement information displayed on the display unit 10 via the input unit 102. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , the display unit 10 displays a plurality of pieces of announcement information, namely, information 400, information 402, information 404, information 406, and information 408. Furthermore, the display control unit 100 causes the instruction display area 500 of the display unit 10 to display information prompting the purchaser to select information (in the example of FIG. 11 , "Please select your desired information" is displayed). Note that the announcement information determination unit 126 may cause the display control unit 100 to display in the instruction display area 500, via the display control unit 100, a message indicating that the selection of announcement information is optional and / or that the product can be purchased without selecting any announcement information.

[0094] When the announcement information determination unit 126 receives an instruction to select announcement information from the purchaser via the input unit 102 (Yes in S52), it causes the display unit 10 to output a screen for confirming whether or not the announcement information selected by the purchaser is to be output (S54). For example, as in FIG. 9(a), it causes a confirmation message to be output in the instruction display area 502 of the display unit 10. Furthermore, the announcement information determination unit 126 displays, in predetermined locations on the display unit 10, an instruction receiving area 504 for receiving an instruction to output the selected announcement information and an instruction receiving area 506 for receiving an instruction not to output the selected announcement information. Then, when the announcement information determination unit 126 receives an instruction from the purchaser in the instruction receiving area 504 via the input unit 102 (Yes in S54), it supplies identification information indicating the selected announcement information to the code generation unit 128.

[0095] The code generation unit 128 generates graphic code information including the received identification information (S56). The code generation unit 128 supplies the generated graphic code information to the output unit 130. After S56, steps S36, S38, and S40 described with reference to FIG. 6 are executed. On the other hand, when the notification information determination unit 126 receives an instruction from the purchaser in the instruction receiving area 506 via the input unit 102 (No in S54), it does not supply identification information indicating the selected notification information to the code generation unit 128, and waits until the sales processing by the sales control unit 124 is completed. Then, when the sales processing by the sales control unit 124 is completed (S42), steps S44 and S40 described with reference to FIG. 6 are executed.

[0096] Furthermore, if the announcement information determination unit 126 does not receive an instruction to select announcement information from the purchaser (No in S52), it waits until the end of the sales process by the sales control unit 124. Thereafter, the steps S42, S44, and S40 described above are executed.

[0097] In the above description, multiple pieces of notice information are displayed on the display unit 10 in S50, but multiple pieces of notice information may be displayed on the display unit 10 at any timing between steps S14 and S50. In this case, the display control unit 100 displays multiple pieces of notice information on the display unit 10 together with multiple product images (for example, two areas may be provided: one area for displaying product images and one area for displaying notice information). In this case, the notice information determination unit 126 may determine the notice information to be displayed on the display unit 10 at any timing, even before the payment process is started by the sales control unit 124 or before the payment process is completed, and may also accept an instruction from the purchaser to select the notice information.

[0098] [Variation 2 of the flow of information provision processing] Fig. 12 shows an example of a modified example of the processing flow in the vending machine system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 12 shows modified example 2 of the processing flow for providing information to the vending machine 1 in the vending machine system 9.

[0099] The flow of Modification 1 described in Fig. 12 includes substantially the same steps as the flow described in Fig. 6, except that the processing from S16 to S22 in the flow described in Fig. 6 is different. Therefore, detailed description will be omitted except for the differences.

[0100] 12, it is assumed that the server 3 is a server that operates a website where registered purchasers can purchase products online. An example is shown in which, when a purchaser selects a product they wish to purchase, the product image displayed on the display unit 10 is changed depending on whether the purchaser is a member of the website.

[0101] First, when a predetermined input instruction is received from a purchaser via the input unit 102, the vending machine control unit 142 checks whether or not the purchaser is registered as a member of the site (S60). For example, the vending machine control unit 142 can check whether or not the purchaser is registered as a member by comparing the purchaser ID (for example, the purchaser ID recorded on the IC chip of an IC card, credit card, or the like) acquired via the information reading unit 136, information about the member registered by the purchaser when registering as a member of the site (for example, the member ID and password, or a payment graphic code issued only to the purchaser on the site), and / or the purchaser's biometric authentication information with the information stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 of the server 3.

[0102] If the vending machine control unit 142 confirms that the purchaser is a registered member (Yes in S60), it causes the display unit 10 to display product images of multiple products, including special products, via the display control unit 100, and prompts the purchaser to select a product (S62). Next, the product selection unit 120 accepts the purchaser's selection of a product for sale from the multiple product images, including the special product (S64). The product selection unit 120 waits until a selection operation is made (No in S64). On the other hand, if the product selection unit 120 accepts the purchaser's selection operation of a specific product via the input unit 102, it selects the product corresponding to the product image selected by the purchaser as the product for sale (Yes in S64). Then, the product selection unit 120 supplies information about the product for sale and information indicating that the product for sale has been selected to the payment method identification unit 122, the sales control unit 124, and the notification information determination unit 126. The subsequent steps are the same as those from S22 onwards described in FIG. 6.

[0103] Here, special products are, for example, products with low sales volume, highly rare products, products sold only during a specific period (limited-time products), products sold only in a specific region, products that can only be purchased by buyers who are registered members of the site, etc.

[0104] On the other hand, if the vending machine control unit 142 determines that the purchaser is not a registered member (no in S60), it causes the display control unit 100 to display product images of multiple products sold by the vending machine 1 (excluding product images of special products) and prompts the purchaser to select a product (S18). The subsequent steps are the same as those from S20 onwards described in FIG. 6.

[0105] In this way, in the information provision flow according to Variation 2, the vending machine 1 can present special products only to purchasers who are registered as members of a specific website. This reduces the risk of people competing to purchase special products compared to when purchasers who are not registered as members of a specific website can freely purchase special products from the vending machine 1.

[0106] [Flow of inventory display and purchase limit processing by vending machine 1] Figures 13 and 14 show an example of the processing flow in the vending machine system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Figure 13 shows an example of the processing flow for displaying inventory and limiting purchases in the vending machine 1 in the vending machine system 9. Figures 14(a) to 14(c) each show an example of the display on the display unit 10 during the processing of limiting purchases in the vending machine 1 included in the vending machine system 9.

[0107] First, the inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 acquires inventory quantity information indicating the inventory quantity of each of the multiple products stored in the vending machine 1 (S70). The inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 supplies the acquired inventory quantity information to the display control unit 100. The display control unit 100 uses the acquired inventory quantity information to display the inventory quantity of each of the multiple products near the product image of each product displayed on the display unit 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 3(a) (S72). The inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 also supplies the inventory quantity information to the information disclosure unit 34 of the server 3 via the vending machine communication unit 140, the network 7, and the server communication unit 36 ​​(S72). The information disclosure unit 34 uses the acquired inventory quantity information to disclose the inventory quantity of each of the multiple products in the vending machine 1 on the network. As an example, the information disclosure unit 34 may indicate the location of the vending machine 1 on map information and display the inventory quantity of the vending machine 1 on the map in response to a user's instruction specifying the location.

[0108] Next, the vending machine 1 waits until the purchaser makes a request to purchase a product (No in S74). On the other hand, if a predetermined input instruction (an instruction requesting a purchase, for example, an instruction by tapping a predetermined area or any area of ​​the display unit 10) is received from the purchaser via the input unit 102 (Yes in S74), the vending machine control unit 142 prompts the purchaser to provide a purchaser ID. As an example, as shown in FIG. 14(a), the vending machine control unit 142 displays notification information in the information display area 154 of the display unit 10 to prompt the purchaser to provide a purchaser ID (in the example of FIG. 14(a), text information such as "Please read your ID" is displayed in the information display area 154, and text information such as "Confirming purchase conditions" is displayed in the progress display area 510). Next, the purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 acquires the purchaser ID recorded on a predetermined IC card held by the purchaser, which was read by the information reading unit 136 (S76). The purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 supplies the acquired purchaser ID to the purchase condition determination unit 114. Note that instead of the purchaser ID, information about the member registered by the purchaser when registering as a member on a site where registered purchasers can purchase products online, or biometric authentication information of the purchaser, etc. may be used.

[0109] Here, the server 3 has a purchaser information storage unit 31 that stores a purchase history of products by a purchaser identified by a purchaser ID in association with the purchaser ID (or information related to the member or biometric authentication information). The purchase availability condition determination unit 114 then refers to the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 in association with the purchaser ID acquired by the purchaser ID acquisition unit 116. The purchase availability condition determination unit 114 checks whether the purchase availability conditions are met based on the purchase history (S78). If the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines that the purchase availability conditions are met (Yes in S80), it executes the steps from S18 onward in the flow described with reference to FIG. 6. On the other hand, if the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines that the purchase availability conditions are not met (No in S80), it causes the display unit 10 via the display control unit 100 to display a message indicating that the specified product cannot be purchased (S82), and ends all processing. However, the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 may display a message indicating that only some products, rather than all products, cannot be purchased. In this case, the steps from S18 onwards described with reference to FIG. 6 may be executed only for the remaining products that can be purchased.

[0110] For example, as shown in Fig. 14(b), the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 causes the display unit 10 to display on the display unit 10 that a product that satisfies the purchase availability conditions can be purchased, and causes the display unit 10 to display on the display unit 10 that a product that does not satisfy the purchase availability conditions cannot be purchased. In the example of Fig. 14(b), a purchase availability indicator 730 (in the example of Fig. 14(b), text information saying "Purchase Available" is displayed) is displayed near the product image 714 to indicate that the product corresponding to the product image 714 can be purchased, and a purchase availability indicator 732 (in the example of Fig. 14(b), text information saying "Purchase Unavailable" is displayed) is displayed near the product image 716 to indicate that the product corresponding to the product image 716 cannot be purchased. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14(c), the purchase condition determination unit 114 may display on the display unit 10 products that satisfy the purchase conditions (in FIG. 14(c), for example, the product corresponding to product image 718 is available for purchase, and product image 718 of the product is displayed), and may not display on the display unit 10 products that do not satisfy the purchase conditions (in FIG. 14(c), for example, the product corresponding to product image 740 is not available for purchase, and product image 740 of the product is not displayed. For ease of explanation, in FIG. 14(c), the fact that product image 740 is not displayed is indicated by a dotted line).

[0111] [Variation 1 of the flow of inventory display and purchase limit processing by vending machine 1] Fig. 15 shows an example of a modified example of the processing flow in the vending machine system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 15 shows modified example 1 of the processing flow for limiting purchases of the vending machine 1 in the vending machine system 9.

[0112] The flow of Modification 1 described in Fig. 15 has substantially the same steps as the flow described in Fig. 13, except that the processing between S76 and S78 in the flow described in Fig. 13 is different. Therefore, detailed description will be omitted except for the differences.

[0113] In S76, the purchaser ID acquisition unit 116 acquires the purchaser ID read by the information reading unit 136 and supplies it to the purchase availability condition determination unit 114. Then, the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 first checks whether the acquired purchaser ID is already stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 of the server 3, that is, whether it is already registered (S90). If the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 checks that the acquired purchaser ID is already stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 (Yes in S90), steps from S78 onwards are executed.

[0114] On the other hand, when the purchase enabling condition determination unit 114 confirms that the acquired purchaser ID is not stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 (No in S90), it confirms with the purchaser whether or not to store the purchaser ID in the purchaser information storage unit 31 (S92). For example, the purchase enabling condition determination unit 114 causes the display unit 10 via the display control unit 100 to display information asking the purchaser whether or not to register the purchaser ID. Then, when an instruction to register the purchaser ID is received from the purchaser via the input unit 102 (Yes in S92), the purchase enabling condition determination unit 114 executes purchaser registration processing by storing the purchaser ID in the purchaser information storage unit 31 (S94). Thereafter, the steps from S78 onwards described with reference to FIG. 13 are executed.

[0115] On the other hand, if an instruction not to register a purchaser ID is received from the purchaser via the input unit 102 (No in S92), the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 can terminate the process and prevent the purchaser from purchasing the product. In this case, instead of terminating the process, the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 may prevent the purchase of only some products (for example, special products that can only be purchased by purchasers who have registered a purchaser ID) rather than all products. In this case, the process from Yes in S80 onwards may be executed for the remaining products that can be purchased.

[0116] [Variation 2 of the flow of processing for displaying inventory and limiting purchases by vending machine 1] Fig. 16 shows an example of a modified example of the processing flow in the vending machine system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 16 shows modified example 2 of the processing flow for displaying the inventory amount of a vending machine 1 in the vending machine system 9 on the network.

[0117] The flow of Modification 2 described in Fig. 16 has substantially the same steps as the flow described in Fig. 13, except for the processing in S72 in the flow described in Fig. 13. Therefore, detailed description will be omitted except for the differences.

[0118] First, the inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 acquires inventory quantity information for each of the multiple products stored in the vending machine 1 (S70). The inventory quantity acquisition unit 112 provides the acquired inventory quantity information to the information disclosure unit 34 via the vending machine communication unit 140, the network 7, and the server communication unit 36. Next, the information disclosure unit 34 uses the received inventory quantity information to prepare for disclosing the inventory quantities of each of the multiple products stored in the vending machine 1 over the network. At this stage, the information disclosure unit 34 only prepares for disclosure and does not disclose the inventory quantities over the network.

[0119] If an information terminal 5 accessing the server 3 exists, the server control unit 38 determines whether the user possessing the information terminal 5 can view the inventory amount of the vending machine 1 over the network (S100). If the server control unit 38 determines that the user satisfies the viewing conditions (or purchase conditions) (Yes in S100), the information disclosure unit 34 permits the user to view the inventory amount information on the information terminal 5 (S102), allowing the inventory amount of the vending machine 1 to be displayed on the information terminal 5. In this case, the information disclosure unit 34 may distinguish between products that can be purchased only if the user has determined that the user has met the viewing conditions and products that can be purchased even if the user does not meet the viewing conditions. On the other hand, if the server control unit 38 determines that the user does not meet the viewing conditions (No in S100), the server control unit 38 restricts (typically prohibits) the information disclosure unit 34 from viewing the inventory amount information on the information terminal 5 of the user, thereby restricting the user from viewing the inventory amount on the information terminal 5 of the user (S104).

[0120] For example, the server control unit 38 acquires the purchaser ID (or information about the member or biometric authentication information) of the user (i.e., the purchaser) who owns the information terminal 5 from the information terminal 5 via the information terminal-side communication unit 56, the network 7, and the server-side communication unit 36. The server control unit 38 then references the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit 31 in association with the acquired purchaser ID. The server control unit 38 determines whether the purchase history satisfies a predetermined viewing condition. The viewing condition may be, for example, a condition in which the purchase quantity that a user can purchase for a given product within a given period is predetermined, and the inventory quantity is permitted to be viewed if the user's purchase history for that product indicates that the purchase quantity is less than the predetermined purchase quantity, and the inventory quantity is prohibited from being viewed if the user's purchase history for that product indicates that the purchase quantity has reached the predetermined purchase quantity. In other words, the viewing condition may be a condition in which the product is permitted to be viewed if the quantity of the product purchased by a user does not reach the predetermined upper limit of the purchase quantity, and may be the same as the purchase condition. If the server control unit 38 determines that the purchase conditions are met, step S102 is executed, and if it determines that the purchase conditions are not met, step S104 is executed.

[0121] [Variation 3 of the flow of inventory display and purchase limit processing by vending machine 1] Fig. 17 shows an example of a modified example of the processing flow in the vending machine system according to this embodiment. Specifically, Fig. 17 shows modified example 3 of the processing flow for limiting purchases of the vending machine 1 in the vending machine system 9.

[0122] The flow of Modification 3 described in Fig. 17 has substantially the same steps as the flow described in Fig. 13, except that the processes in S18 and S82 in the flow described in Fig. 13 are different. Therefore, detailed description will be omitted except for the differences.

[0123] First, the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 checks whether the purchase availability conditions are met based on the purchaser's purchase history (S78). If the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines that the purchase availability conditions are met (Yes in S80), the display control unit 100 displays product images of all products sold by the vending machine 1 on the display unit 10, allowing the purchaser to select a desired product from all products (S110). In this case, the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 may display, on the display unit 10 via the display control unit 100, products that can be purchased only if the purchase availability conditions are met and products that can be purchased even if the purchase availability conditions are not met, in a manner that allows the purchaser to distinguish between them. The steps from S110 onwards are the same as the steps from S20 onwards.

[0124] On the other hand, if the purchase availability condition determination unit 114 determines that the purchase availability conditions are not met (No in S80), the display control unit 100 displays product images of specific products (specific products) among the products sold by the vending machine 1 on the display unit 10, allowing the purchaser to select only the specific products (S112). The steps from S112 onwards are the same as the steps from S20 onwards. Here, the specific product may be a product with no limit on the purchase quantity. For example, the specific product may be a regular product excluding rare products, a product priced below a certain amount, and / or a popular product.

[0125] [program] Each of the components of the vending machine system 9 according to this embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 17 can be realized by having a central processing unit (CPU) or other such processor execute a program (i.e., a vending machine program), that is, by software processing. Alternatively, the components can be realized by writing the program in advance into hardware such as an integrated circuit (IC) or other electronic component. Note that software and hardware can also be used together.

[0126] That is, the vending machine program according to this embodiment is a vending machine program to be executed by a computer that includes a processor and a memory, has a display unit capable of displaying information about multiple products and multiple predetermined pieces of information, and manages a vending machine that sells multiple products. The vending machine program according to this embodiment can be pre-installed in, for example, an IC or a ROM. The vending machine program can also be provided as a computer program by recording an installable or executable file on a computer-readable recording medium, such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, or a semiconductor recording medium. The recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium, such as a CD-ROM or a DVD. Furthermore, the vending machine program can be pre-stored on a computer connected to a communication network, such as the Internet, and provided by downloading via the communication network.

[0127] The vending machine program according to this embodiment works on the CPU and the like to execute the vending machine program in accordance with the display unit 10, information storage unit 30, purchaser information storage unit 31, information supply unit 32, information disclosure unit 34, server-side communication unit 36, server control unit 38, information terminal display unit 50, information terminal input unit 52, information terminal storage unit 54, information terminal-side communication unit 56, information terminal control unit 58, display control unit 100, input unit 102, input acquisition unit 108, and position information supply unit 110, all of which are described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17. , inventory acquisition unit 112, purchase availability condition determination unit 114, purchaser ID acquisition unit 116, purchaser information update unit 118, product selection unit 120, payment method identification unit 122, sales control unit 124, notification information determination unit 126, code generation unit 128, code storage unit 129, output unit 130, product removal unit 132, information acquisition unit 134, information reading unit 136, payment execution information generation unit 138, vending machine side communication unit 140, vending machine control unit 142, and product information storage unit 144.

[0128] [Effects of the embodiment] The vending machine system 9 according to this embodiment displays multiple pieces of notification information (advertising information) based on the location of the vending machine 1 on the display unit 10 while the purchaser is purchasing a product from the vending machine 1 and / or while the vending machine 1 is waiting and not purchasing a product. When the purchaser purchases a product from the vending machine 1, the vending machine system 9 outputs a receipt on which a graphic code is printed, including information (e.g., a URL) of a predetermined website where the purchaser can obtain details of the notification information displayed on the display unit 10. The user can read the graphic code printed on the receipt with the information terminal 5 and check the details of the notification information selected by the user on the predetermined website. Thus, according to the vending machine system 9, a graphic code including information such as a URL of a website where the purchaser can obtain details of the notification information displayed on the display unit 10 while the purchaser is purchasing a product from the vending machine 1 is printed on the receipt, allowing the purchaser to take their time after purchasing to check any information of interest. Furthermore, the vending machine system 9 does not output a receipt if the purchaser does not select to output the multiple pieces of notification information displayed on the display unit 10. As a result, the vending machine system 9 can prevent a person unrelated to the purchaser from taking away a receipt for a product purchased by the purchaser.

[0129] Furthermore, the vending machine system 9 may display multiple pieces of notification information based on the location of the vending machine 1 on the display unit 10 while the purchaser is purchasing a product from the vending machine 1 and / or while the vending machine 1 is waiting for a purchase without any product being purchased, and may accept the purchaser's selection of desired notification information. When a purchaser desires to obtain notification information and purchases a product from the vending machine 1, the vending machine system 9 may allow the purchaser to remove the product and output a receipt printed with a graphic code containing information on a predetermined website where the purchaser can find details of the selected notification information. Thus, according to the vending machine system 9, while the purchaser is purchasing a product from the vending machine 1, information that the purchaser is interested in is displayed on the display unit 10. If the purchaser selects the displayed information, a graphic code containing information such as a website URL where the purchaser can find details of the information is printed on the receipt, allowing the purchaser to take their time after purchasing to check the information of interest. Furthermore, the vending machine system 9 does not output a receipt if the purchaser does not select one of the multiple pieces of notification information displayed on the display unit 10. As a result, the vending machine system 9 can prevent a person unrelated to the purchaser from taking away a receipt for a product purchased by the purchaser.

[0130] Furthermore, the vending machine system 9 can display the stock amount of each of the multiple products sold in the vending machine 1 on the display unit 10 using a predetermined sensor installed in the vending machine 1. As a result, the vending machine system 9 allows a customer lining up to purchase a product in front of the vending machine 1 to compare the number of people in line with the stock amount displayed on the display unit 10 while they are waiting in line, and roughly predict which products will be sold out when it is the customer's turn to purchase a product. Therefore, the vending machine system 9 can give a customer an opportunity to consider whether or not to wait in line in front of the vending machine 1 to purchase a product.

[0131] Furthermore, the vending machine system 9 can publish on the network the inventory amount of each of the multiple products sold in the vending machine 1. This allows purchasers to check the inventory amount of the vending machine 1 by accessing the server 3 using the information terminal 5, making it easier for them to seize opportunities to purchase products.

[0132] The vending machine system 9 can also limit the sale of products to a purchaser based on the purchase history of the purchaser. For example, the vending machine system 9 can set an upper limit on the purchase quantity of a single product, and by referencing the purchaser's purchase history, if the purchaser has already purchased an amount of that product that reaches the upper limit, the vending machine 1 can prohibit the sale of that single product. This prevents a situation in which a single purchaser purchases a large amount of that product, preventing other purchasers from purchasing that product. Furthermore, the vending machine system 9 can also prevent the display of some or all product images of multiple products displayed on the display unit 10 based on the purchase history of the purchaser. For example, the vending machine system 9 can set an upper limit on the purchase quantity of a single product, and by referencing the purchaser's purchase history, if the purchaser has already purchased an amount of that product that reaches the upper limit, the vending machine 1 can prohibit the display of product images of that single product. As a result, if a purchaser has already purchased an amount of a product that reaches the upper limit of the purchase quantity, the vending machine system 9 can prevent the vending machine 1 from selling that product to that purchaser, thereby ensuring that other purchasers have the opportunity to purchase the product.

[0133] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. It should be noted that not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. Furthermore, the technical elements of the above-described embodiments may be applied independently, or may be divided into multiple parts, such as program components and hardware components, and then applied.

[0134] The vending machine system according to this embodiment can also be referred to in the following appended claims, which should not be confused with the claims.

[0135] (Additional note 1) A vending machine having a display unit capable of displaying information on a plurality of commodities, and selling the plurality of commodities to a purchaser, an inventory acquisition unit that acquires inventory amounts of the respective plurality of products; a display control unit that displays the inventory amount of each of the plurality of products together with information about the plurality of products on the display unit in real time; A vending machine equipped with: (Additional note 2) a purchase availability condition determination unit that determines whether or not a purchase availability condition, which is a condition under which the purchase of at least one type of product among the plurality of products is permitted, is satisfied based on a purchase history of at least one type of product among the plurality of products by the purchaser; a product selection unit that selects a product to be sold from the information on the plurality of products displayed on the display unit based on a selection operation by the purchaser; Further provided with The vending machine described in appendix 1, wherein the product selection unit makes the purchaser's selection of the product for sale less favorable when the purchase availability conditions are not met compared to when the purchase availability conditions are met. (Additional note 3) the product selection unit, when the purchase availability condition is satisfied, enables the purchaser to select the product to be sold from the information of the plurality of products displayed on the display unit based on a selection operation; The vending machine described in appendix 2, wherein the disadvantageous content prohibits the purchaser from selecting the product for sale from the plurality of products if the purchase availability conditions are not met. (Additional note 4) a payment method specification unit that specifies a payment method for the product to be sold based on a specified operation by the purchaser; a sales control unit that performs a payment process for the price of the product to be sold based on the specified payment method; a product removal unit that enables the product to be removed after the payment process is completed; The vending machine according to claim 2, further comprising: (Additional note 5) a server that manages information on the plurality of commodities sold by the vending machine is connected to the vending machine via a network; 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the server publishes the inventory amount acquired by the inventory amount acquisition unit on a network. (Additional note 6) a server that manages purchase histories of purchasers of the plurality of products sold in the vending machine is connected to the vending machine via a network; the server has a purchaser information storage unit that stores a purchase history of each of the plurality of products by the purchaser, 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the purchase condition determination unit determines whether the purchase condition is met based on the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit. (Additional note 7) a purchaser ID acquisition unit that acquires a purchaser ID that identifies the purchaser; a purchaser information update unit that updates the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit; and the purchaser information storage unit stores the purchase history of the purchaser in association with the purchaser ID; when the purchaser ID acquired by the purchaser ID acquisition unit is not stored in the purchaser information storage unit, the purchaser information update unit newly stores the purchaser ID in the purchaser information storage unit in response to an instruction from the purchaser; The vending machine described in appended claim 6, wherein the product selection unit enables the purchaser to select the product for sale from the information on the multiple products displayed on the display unit based on the selection operation of the purchaser when the purchaser ID is newly stored in the purchaser information storage unit. (Additional note 8) a server that manages information on the plurality of commodities sold in the vending machine and manages the purchase history of the purchaser is connected to the vending machine via a network; an information disclosure unit that discloses the inventory amount of each of the plurality of products in the vending machine on a network; Further provided with the server has a purchaser information storage unit that stores a purchase history of each of the plurality of products by the purchaser in association with a purchaser ID that identifies the purchaser, The vending machine described in Appendix 2, wherein the information disclosure unit determines whether or not to restrict viewing of the inventory of the multiple products in the vending machine based on the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit in association with the purchaser ID of the purchaser who accessed the server. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 1. Vending machines 3 Server 5. Information terminals 7 Network 9. Vending Machine System 10 Display section 12 Bill slot 13 Coin slot 14 IC card reader 15 Certification Units 16 Change return slot 17 Product removal port 18 Receipt output port 20 Input section 30 Information storage section 31 Purchaser information storage section 32 Information Supply Department 34 Information Disclosure Department 36 Server-side communication unit 38 Server control unit 50 Information terminal display unit 52 Information terminal input section 54 Information terminal storage unit 56 Information terminal communication unit 58 Information terminal control unit 100 Display control unit 102 Input section 104 Input Surface 106 Input control section 108 Input acquisition unit 110 Location information supply unit 112 Inventory acquisition department 114 Purchase availability condition determination section 116 Purchaser ID acquisition department 118 Purchaser Information Update Department 120 Product Selection Section 122 Payment Method Identification Section 124 Sales Control Department 126 Notification Information Determination Department 128 Code Generation Unit 129 Code storage section 130 Output section 132 Product removal section 134 Information Acquisition Department 136 Information reading unit 138 Payment execution information generation unit 140 Vending machine communication unit 142 Vending machine control unit 144 Product information storage section 150, 152, 154 Information display area 162, 164 Product display area 400, 402, 404, 406, 408 Information 500, 502 Instruction display area 504, 506 Instruction reception area 510 Progress display area 600 receipts 602 Details display area 610 Graphic Code 700, 702 Inventory amount display 710, 712, 714, 716, 718, 740 Product images 720, 722 price display 730, 732 Purchase availability display 800, 802, 804 Payment method display 900 Selected Product Images

Claims

1. A vending machine program to be executed by a computer that has a processor and a memory, has a display unit that can display information about a plurality of products, and manages a vending machine that sells the plurality of products to purchasers, The vending machine program causes the processor to: an inventory acquisition step of acquiring an inventory amount of each of the plurality of products; a display control step of displaying the inventory amount of each of the plurality of products together with information about the plurality of products on the display unit; A vending machine program that executes the above.

2. a purchase availability condition determination step of determining whether or not a purchase availability condition, which is a condition for permitting the purchase of at least one type of product among the plurality of products, is satisfied based on the purchase history of at least one type of product among the plurality of products by the purchaser; a product selection step of selecting a product to be sold from the information on the plurality of products displayed on the display unit based on a selection operation by the purchaser; Further provided with 2. The vending machine program according to claim 1, wherein the product selection step makes the purchaser's selection of the product for sale less favorable when the purchase availability conditions are not met compared to when the purchase availability conditions are met.

3. the product selection step allows the purchaser to select the product to be sold from the information of the plurality of products displayed on the display unit based on a selection operation by the purchaser when the purchase availability condition is satisfied; 3. The vending machine program according to claim 2, wherein the disadvantageous content prohibits the purchaser from selecting the product for sale from the plurality of products if the purchase enabling condition is not satisfied.

4. a payment method specifying step of specifying a payment method for the product to be sold based on a specified operation by the purchaser; a sales control step of performing a payment process for the price of the product to be sold based on the specified payment method; a product removal step of making the product available for sale removable after the payment process is completed; The vending machine program according to claim 2 , further comprising:

5. a server that manages information on the plurality of commodities sold by the vending machine is connected to the vending machine via a network; The vending machine program according to claim 1 , wherein the server publishes the inventory amount acquired in the inventory amount acquisition step on a network.

6. a server that manages purchase histories of purchasers of the plurality of products sold in the vending machine is connected to the vending machine via a network; the server has a purchaser information storage unit that stores a purchase history of each of the plurality of products by the purchaser, 3. The vending machine program according to claim 2, wherein the purchase condition determining step determines whether the purchase condition is met based on the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit.

7. a purchaser ID acquisition step of acquiring a purchaser ID that identifies the purchaser; a purchaser information update step of updating the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit; and the purchaser information storage unit stores the purchase history of the purchaser in association with the purchaser ID; the purchaser information update step, if the purchaser ID acquired in the purchaser ID acquisition step is not stored in the purchaser information storage unit, newly stores the purchaser ID in the purchaser information storage unit; 7. The vending machine program according to claim 6, wherein the product selection step enables the purchaser to select the product for sale from the information on the plurality of products displayed on the display unit based on the selection operation of the purchaser when the purchaser ID is newly stored in the purchaser information storage unit.

8. a server that manages information on the plurality of commodities sold in the vending machine and manages the purchase history of the purchaser is connected to the vending machine via a network; an information disclosure step of disclosing the inventory amount of each of the plurality of products in the vending machine on a network; Further provided with the server has a purchaser information storage unit that stores a purchase history of each of the plurality of products by the purchaser in association with a purchaser ID that identifies the purchaser, The vending machine program according to claim 2, wherein the information disclosure step determines whether or not to restrict viewing of the inventory quantity of the plurality of products in the vending machine based on the purchase history stored in the purchaser information storage unit in association with the purchaser ID of the purchaser who accessed the server.

9. A vending machine system comprising means for executing all of the steps executed in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A method implemented on a computer having a control unit and a storage unit, wherein the processor executes all of the steps performed in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. A vending machine comprising a control unit and a storage unit, wherein the control unit executes all of the steps executed in the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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