Control device for beverage supply system

Abstract

When a payment terminal, a refrigerated raw material supply machine, and a beverage dispenser constitute a beverage supply system, ensure proper operation. [Solution] A control device applied to a beverage supply system 1 including a beverage dispenser 10 that supplies beverages produced in a beverage production unit 12 to cups C placed in a beverage supply unit 22, wherein the control device includes a beverage supply control unit 13 that, when the beverage supply system 1 includes at least one of a payment machine 50 that performs payment processing and a milk dispenser 30 that supplies raw milk to cups C as part of the beverage, allows at least one of the payment machine 50 and the milk dispenser 30 to be operated together with the beverage dispenser 10, subject to registration of a business license number from the relevant local government.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for a beverage supply system including a beverage supply machine that supplies a beverage generated by a beverage generation unit to a cup disposed in a beverage supply unit.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in stores such as convenience stores, beverage supply machines such as coffee machines are installed. When a beverage is selected by a user, this beverage supply machine generates a beverage by performing, for example, coffee bean grinding and dripping extraction processing in a beverage generation unit, and supplies the beverage to a cup disposed in a beverage supply unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in recent years, there is a demand to configure a beverage supply system by communicably connecting a settlement processor that performs settlement processing and a cold-required raw material supply machine that supplies a cold-required raw material with an expiration date, such as fresh milk, as part of a beverage, to a cup, and to operate it as the beverage supply system.

[0005] However, when configuring and operating a beverage supply system by communicably connecting a settlement processor or a cold-required raw material supply machine to a beverage supply machine, a business license for a tea house under the Food Hygiene Law is required.

[0006] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a control device for a beverage supply system that can ensure smooth operation when a beverage supply system is composed of at least one payment machine and a refrigerated raw material supply machine and a beverage supply machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the control device for a beverage supply system according to the present invention is a control device applied to a beverage supply system including a beverage supply machine that supplies beverages produced in a beverage production unit to cups placed in a beverage supply unit, and is characterized in that, when the beverage supply system includes at least one of a payment machine that performs payment processing and a refrigerated raw material supply machine that supplies refrigerated raw materials with an expiration date to the cups as part of the beverage, the control device allows at least one of the payment machine and the refrigerated raw material supply machine to be operated together with the beverage supply machine, subject to registration of a business license number from the relevant local government.

[0008] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the control device for the beverage supply system described above, the control unit requires registration of the business license number from the local government when the power is turned on.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the control device for the beverage supply system described above, the control unit allows only the beverage supply machine to be operated when the beverage supply system does not include the payment machine and the refrigerated raw material supply machine.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the control device for the beverage supply system described above, the control unit is provided in the beverage supply machine. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, when a beverage supply system includes at least one of a payment machine that performs payment processing and a refrigerated raw material supply machine that supplies refrigerated raw materials with expiration dates to cups as part of the beverage, the control unit allows at least one of the payment machine and the refrigerated raw material supply machine to be operated together with the beverage supply machine, subject to registration of a business license number from the relevant local government. This has the effect of enabling smooth operation when the payment machine, at least one of the refrigerated raw material supply machine and the beverage supply machine constitute a beverage supply system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a beverage supply system to which a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the external configuration of the beverage dispenser shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing some of the components of the beverage dispenser shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing details of the business license number registration process performed by the beverage supply control unit shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing details of the operation determination process performed by the beverage supply control unit shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] A preferred embodiment of the control device for a beverage supply system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a beverage supply system to which a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The beverage supply system 1 illustrated here comprises a beverage dispenser 10, and optionally includes a milk dispenser (refrigerated raw material dispenser) 30 and a payment machine 50.

[0015] Figures 2 and 3 each show the beverage dispenser 10 shown in Figure 1. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the external configuration, and Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing some of the components disassembled. The beverage dispenser 10 illustrated here is, for example, a coffee machine installed in stores such as convenience stores and supermarkets, and it supplies beverages such as coffee to a cup C, which is a container, by performing, for example, bean grinding and extraction processes. Such a beverage dispenser 10 is configured to include a main body cabinet 11 and a front door 20.

[0016] The main body cabinet 11 is a device main body having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with a front opening (not shown) on the front surface, and a beverage generation unit 12 for generating a beverage (for example, coffee) and a beverage supply control unit (control unit) 13 are provided inside it.

[0017] The front door 20 is a door body having a size sufficient to close the front opening of the main body cabinet 11. This front door 20 is provided so as to be swingable around the central axis of a shaft portion (not shown) extending in the vertical direction at the left edge portion on the front side of the main body cabinet 11, and it is possible to open and close the front opening of the main body cabinet 11. Such a front door 20 has a front surface that constitutes a customer service surface, and a display unit 21, a beverage supply unit 22, and an opening and closing door 23 are provided.

[0018] The display unit 21 is constituted by, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel, and displays various information in accordance with a command given from the beverage supply control unit 13, and input operations such as touch operations are possible. When an input operation such as a touch operation is performed on such a display unit 21, it sends the input signal to the beverage supply control unit 13.

[0019] The beverage supply unit 22 is provided below the display unit 21 and has a nozzle 22a and a stage 22b. The nozzle 22a discharges the beverage generated by the beverage generation unit 12 downward. The stage 22b is provided in the lower region of the nozzle 22a. This stage 22b is for placing the cup C.

[0020] The opening / closing door 23 is made of a light-transmitting material such as transparent resin, etc., and has a size sufficient to cover the inlet 22c of the beverage supply unit 22. The left end of this opening / closing door 23 is pivotally supported by the front door 20 and is swingable along the front-rear direction. That is, the opening / closing door 23 is swingable along the front-rear direction in a manner of approaching and separating from the beverage supply unit 22, and when it swings backward in a manner of approaching the beverage supply unit 22, it can close the inlet 22c of the beverage supply unit 22, and when it swings forward in a manner of separating from the beverage supply unit 22, it can open the inlet 22c of the beverage supply unit 22.

[0021] The beverage supply control unit 13 is communicably connected to the above-described beverage generation unit 12 and display unit 21, and comprehensively controls the operations of each part of the beverage supply machine 10 according to programs and data stored in the storage unit 14 which is also communicably connected. This beverage supply control unit 13 constitutes the control device of the above beverage supply system 1 and includes a setting / operation processing unit 13a and a generation processing unit 13b.

[0022] The setting / operation processing unit 13a performs a business license number registration process and an operation determination process which will be described later. The generation processing unit 13b controls the generation of beverages in the beverage generation unit 12 and the supply to the cup C.

[0023] Incidentally, the beverage supply control unit 13 may be realized by causing a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) to execute a program, that is, by software, or by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or by using both software and hardware in combination.

[0024] In addition to the above-mentioned programs and data, the memory unit 14 stores beverage recipe information 14a and setting information 14b. Beverage recipe information 14a is information about the recipe of the beverage produced by the beverage production unit 12. Setting information 14b is information required for the business license number registration process and the operation determination process, namely information about the format (number of significant digits) of each local government and the registered business license information.

[0025] The milk dispenser 30 is an optional component of the beverage supply system 1. This milk dispenser 30 is installed alongside the beverage supply system 10 as needed and includes a milk supply unit 31 and a milk supply control unit 32.

[0026] The milk supply unit 31 stores a chilled raw milk, a refrigerated beverage with an expiration date, in a refrigerated tank (not shown), and is capable of supplying the raw milk to the beverage production unit 12 of the beverage supply machine 10.

[0027] The milk supply control unit 32 comprehensively controls the operation of the milk supply unit 31. When the milk supply machine 30 is installed alongside the beverage supply machine 10, the milk supply control unit 32 is communicated with the beverage supply control unit 13.

[0028] The payment terminal 50 is an optional component of the beverage supply system 1. This payment terminal 50 is installed alongside the beverage supply machine 10 as needed and includes a payment terminal 51 and a payment control unit 52.

[0029] The payment terminal 51 includes a money processing device and a reader / writer. The money processing device is, for example, a coin mechanism or bill validator, and processes the deposit and withdrawal of money inserted through an input slot (not shown). The reader / writer processes the payment by reading and writing information (electronic money) to and from a recording medium, such as an electronic money card, held in a predetermined communication area.

[0030] The payment control unit 52 comprehensively controls the operation of the payment terminal 51. When the payment machine 50 is installed alongside the beverage dispenser 10, the payment control unit 52 is communicated with the beverage supply control unit 13. Furthermore, when the payment machine 50 is installed alongside both the beverage dispenser 10 and the milk dispenser 30, the payment control unit 52 is communicated with both the beverage supply control unit 13 and the milk supply control unit 32.

[0031] In the beverage supply system 1 having the above configuration, when a predetermined operation is performed through the display unit 21 of the beverage dispenser 10 and a request is made to register the business license number, the beverage supply control unit 13 performs the following business license number registration process.

[0032] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the processing details of the business license number registration process performed by the beverage supply control unit 13 shown in Figure 1.

[0033] In this business license number registration process, the setting operation processing unit 13a of the beverage supply control unit 13 determines, via the display unit 21, whether or not the business license number and local government specific information have been entered (step S101). Here, local government specific information may include, for example, the postal code of the address of the store where the beverage supply system 1 is installed.

[0034] If the business license number and local government specific information are not entered (Step S101: No), the configuration operation processing unit 13a repeats the process.

[0035] On the other hand, if a business license number and local government identification information are entered (Step S101: Yes), the setting operation processing unit 13a reads the setting information 14b from the storage unit 14 and determines whether the business license number entered in Step S101 matches the format (number of significant digits) of the local government identified by the local government identification information entered in Step S101 (Step S102).

[0036] If the business license number does not match the format of the local government (Step S102: No), the configuration and operation processing unit 13a returns to Step S101. On the other hand, if the business license number matches the format of the local government (Step S102: Yes), the configuration and operation processing unit 13a stores the business license number as configuration information 14b in the storage unit 14 to register the business license number (Step S103), and then returns to the previous step to terminate the current process.

[0037] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing details of the operation determination process performed by the beverage supply control unit 13 shown in Figure 1.

[0038] In this operation determination process, the setting operation processing unit 13a of the beverage supply control unit 13 determines whether or not the power has been turned on (step S201), and if the power has been turned on (step S201: Yes), it determines whether or not the milk dispenser 30 and the payment machine 50 are connected in a way that allows communication (step S202).

[0039] If the milk dispenser 30 and the payment machine 50 are not connected for communication (step S202: No), the setting operation processing unit 13a sets only the beverage dispenser 10 to operate as the beverage supply system 1 (step S203), and then returns the procedure to terminate the current process.

[0040] According to this, when a beverage is selected through the display unit 21, the beverage supply control unit 13, provided that cup C is placed in the beverage supply unit 22, generates a beverage (for example, coffee) in the beverage generation unit 12 based on the beverage recipe information 14a in the storage unit 14, and supplies the beverage to cup C from the nozzle 22a.

[0041] On the other hand, if the milk dispenser 30 and the payment machine 50 are connected in a communicative manner in step S202 (step S202: Yes), the setting operation processing unit 13a determines whether or not the business has received a business license registration from the relevant local government (step S204). More specifically, the setting operation processing unit 13a determines whether or not the business license number from the relevant local government is stored in the setting information 14b of the storage unit 14.

[0042] If the business has not received registration for a business license from the relevant local government (Step S204: No), the configuration and operation processing unit 13a performs the business license number registration process described above (Step S205), and then repeats the process in Step S204.

[0043] On the other hand, if the business has received a business license registration from the relevant local government (Step S204: Yes), that is, if the business license number from the relevant local government is stored in the setting information 14b of the memory unit 14, the setting operation processing unit 13a sets the beverage dispenser 10, milk dispenser 30, and payment machine 50 to operate as the beverage supply system 1 (Step S206), and then returns the procedure to end the current process.

[0044] According to this, when a beverage is selected through the display unit 21 and payment for the beverage is made via the payment terminal 51, the beverage supply control unit 13, provided that a cup C is placed in the beverage supply unit 22, uses the beverage recipe information 14a in the storage unit 14 to produce a beverage (e.g., a cafe latte) in the beverage production unit 12 using milk supplied from the milk supply unit 31, and supplies the beverage to the cup C from the nozzle 22a.

[0045] As described above, according to the control device of the beverage supply system 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention, the beverage supply control unit 13 allows the payment machine 50 and the milk dispenser 30 to be operated together with the beverage dispenser 10, provided that the business license number from the relevant local government is registered. This ensures smooth operation when the payment machine 50, the milk dispenser 30 and the beverage dispenser 10 constitute the beverage supply system 1.

[0046] According to the control device of the beverage supply system 1 described above, if the beverage supply system 1 does not include a payment machine 50 and a milk dispenser 30, it is permitted to operate with only the beverage dispenser 10, so that, similar to a conventional beverage dispenser 10, it can supply the selected beverage to the cup C placed in the beverage supply unit 22.

[0047] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, registration of a business license from the relevant local government was required when the beverage supply system 1 included a milk dispenser 30 and a payment machine 50. However, in the present invention, registration of a business license from the relevant local government is also required when the beverage supply system includes at least one of a payment machine and a refrigerated raw material supply machine. In other words, the determination of whether or not a business license from the relevant local government is required may also be made when the payment machine is connected to the beverage dispenser in a communicative manner, or when the refrigerated raw material supply machine is connected to the beverage dispenser in a communicative manner.

[0049] In the embodiment described above, the beverage supply control unit 13 constituting the beverage dispenser 10 determines whether or not a business license has been issued by the relevant local government. However, in the present invention, the control unit of a control device separate from the beverage dispenser may determine whether or not a business license has been issued by the relevant local government, or it may perform the business license number registration process described above. In other words, the control unit does not have to be provided in the beverage dispenser.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the presence or absence of registration of a business license from the relevant local government was determined by the connection status with the beverage dispenser 10 when the power was turned on. However, in the present invention, the presence or absence of registration of a business license from the relevant local government may be determined at a time other than when the power was turned on. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0051] 1...Beverage supply system, 10...Beverage dispenser, 11...Main cabinet, 12...Beverage generation unit, 13...Beverage supply control unit, 13a...Setting and operation processing unit, 13b...Generation processing unit, 14...Storage unit, 14a...Beverage recipe information, 14b...Setting information, 20...Front door, 21...Display unit, 22...Beverage supply unit, 23...Opening / closing door, 30...Milk dispenser, 31...Milk supply unit, 32...Milk supply control unit, 50...Payment machine, 51...Payment terminal, 52...Payment control unit, C...Cup.

Claims

1. A control device applied to a beverage supply system including a beverage dispenser that supplies beverages produced in a beverage production unit to cups placed in a beverage supply unit, A control device for a beverage supply system, characterized in that, when the beverage supply system includes at least one payment machine for processing payments and at least one refrigerated raw material supply machine for supplying refrigerated raw materials with an expiration date to the cup as part of the beverage, the control device allows at least one of the payment machine and the refrigerated raw material supply machine to be operated together with the beverage supply machine, subject to registration of a business license number from the relevant local government.

2. The control device for a beverage supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit requires registration of the business license number from the local government when the power is turned on.

3. The control device for a beverage supply system according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit allows the beverage supply system to operate only the beverage supply machine when the payment machine and the refrigerated raw material supply machine are not included in the beverage supply system.

4. The control unit is provided in the beverage dispenser, as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, and is a control device for a beverage supply system.

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