Vending machines, sales methods and sales programs

Abstract

To provide a subscription service based on characteristics of meal vending machines.SOLUTION: A meal ticket vending machine 10 registers subscription conditions selected by a customer in advance, allows a menu applicable to customer's subscription conditions to be displayed on an operation display part once the customer is identified, and allows a meal ticket for a selected menu item to be ejected to a meal ticket take-out port once any of the menu items is selected. Such subscription conditions include conditions related to the time period and at least one of a maximum limit, a maximum purchase frequency, a unit limit, and a unit purchase frequency.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention , sales Subscription services based on the characteristics of vending machines can be realized Good sales Vending machine , sales Sales method and Sales Regarding the sales program. [Background technology]

[0002] Subscription services, in which a fee is paid for the right to receive a product or service, are well known. For example, subscription services that allow unlimited listening to music for a fixed fee and unlimited video viewing for a fixed fee are widely available.

[0003] Subscription services are also beginning to be applied to vending machines that provide beverages. For example, a subscription service is known in which customers pay a fixed monthly fee and receive one bottle of beverage every day by holding a mobile device with a dedicated app installed over the vending machine.

[0004] There are also known technologies that apply subscription services to the provision of products (food and beverages) at restaurants. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that allows a customer's terminal to receive and execute the names of restaurants that match the location information specified by the customer and the minimum conditions required to receive special offers from the restaurants. Patent Document 2 also discloses a technology that registers restaurant information for businesses wishing to open shared restaurants by day of the week or time period, registers multiple types of products to be offered at each shared restaurant, and outputs the registered restaurant information and product information to a customer's terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-051350 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-096521 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, there are no subscription services that are applicable to stores that use ticket vending machines to sell meal tickets. Ticket vending machines are devices that are originally designed for simple operation: simply insert money and press a button to issue a meal ticket, and are therefore not well suited to subscription services that require complex operations such as application.

[0007] Additionally, meal ticket vending machines have the characteristic that "menus and prices change frequently depending on the season, trends, set menus, etc.", and applying a subscription service would make the settings complicated. Also, meal ticket vending machines have the characteristic that "there are holidays, consecutive holidays, on-season and off-seasons, etc., depending on the store or customer's circumstances, making it difficult to set them up according to the season."

[0008] On the other hand, in consideration of infection control measures, it is expected that the number of stores introducing meal ticket vending machines will increase in the future. Even in such restaurants, it is important to balance the needs of the store, which wants to "secure continuous sales," with the needs of customers, who want to "receive products at a discount." For this reason, how to realize a meal ticket vending machine that can be applied to a subscription service has become an important issue.

[0009] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems of the prior art. , sales Subscription services based on the characteristics of vending machines can be realized Good sales Vending machine , sales Sales method and Sales The purpose is to provide a sales program. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a food and drink Things Sell Sales A vending machine comprising: a customer identification unit that identifies a customer; a condition setting unit that sets subscription conditions for a subscription service for each customer; menu a display unit that, when a customer is identified by the customer identification unit, displays on the display unit a menu that corresponds to the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting unit, and when any of the menus is selected, displays the selected menu - The control unit to be sold and an input unit for inputting the subscription conditions, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display a fee according to the subscription conditions input by the input unit when applying for the subscription service and accepts the fee, and the input unit causes the customer to input an intention to cancel the subscription service after accepting the application for the subscription service, and the control unit cancels the subscription service based on the intention to cancel input by the input unit and makes a refund if a fee is due. It is characterized by the following.

[0016] The present invention also provides A vending machine for selling food and beverages, comprising: a customer identification unit for identifying a customer; a condition setting unit for setting subscription conditions for a subscription service for each customer; a display unit for displaying selectable menu items available for purchase; and a control unit for, when a customer is identified by the customer identification unit, causing the display unit to display menu items that meet the customer's subscription conditions set by the condition setting unit, and selling the selected menu item when any of the menu items is selected; The fee according to the subscription conditions is set according to the store's holidays.

[0017] The present invention also provides A vending machine for selling food and beverages, comprising: a customer identification unit for identifying a customer; a condition setting unit for setting subscription conditions for a subscription service for each customer; a display unit for displaying selectable menu items available for purchase; and a control unit for, when a customer is identified by the customer identification unit, causing the display unit to display menu items that meet the customer's subscription conditions set by the condition setting unit, and selling the selected menu item when any of the menu items is selected; The period of the subscription conditions can be set to exclude a predetermined period.

[0019] The present invention also provides a food and drink Things Sell Sales In the vending machine Sales A sales method that identifies customers customer a condition setting process for setting subscription conditions for the subscription service for each customer; Available for purchase Display the menu on the designated display Selectable a display control step for displaying the image; When a customer is identified by the customer identification step, the method includes a control step of displaying on the display unit menus corresponding to the customer's subscription conditions set in the condition setting step, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected, and an input step of inputting the subscription conditions, wherein the control step displays on the display unit a fee according to the subscription conditions input in the input step when applying for the subscription service and accepts the fee, the input step inputs the customer's intention to cancel the subscription service after the application for the subscription service is accepted, and the control step cancels the subscription service based on the intention to cancel input in the input step, and if a fee refund is available, makes the refund. It is characterized by the following.

[0020] The present invention also provides a food and drink Things Sell Sales In the vending machine Sales A sales program, Identify your customers customer Identification procedures and configuration procedures for setting subscription terms for each customer regarding the subscription service; Available for purchase Display the menu on the designated display Selectable a display control procedure for displaying the image; The method includes a control procedure for, when a customer is identified by the customer identification procedure, displaying on the display unit menus corresponding to the customer's subscription conditions set in the setting procedure, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected, and an input procedure for inputting the subscription conditions, wherein the control procedure displays on the display unit a fee according to the subscription conditions input in the input procedure when applying for the subscription service, and accepts the fee, the input procedure inputs the customer's intention to cancel the subscription service after the application for the subscription service is accepted, and the control procedure cancels the subscription service based on the intention to cancel input in the input procedure, and makes a refund if a fee is due.The present invention is characterized in that the computer executes the following. The present invention also provides a sales method for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, comprising a customer identification step of identifying a customer, a condition setting step of setting subscription conditions for a subscription service for each customer, a display control step of displaying selectable menus on a predetermined display unit, and, when a customer is identified by the customer identification step, a control step of displaying on the display unit menus that meet the customer's subscription conditions set in the condition setting step, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected, wherein a fee according to the subscription conditions is set according to the store's holidays. The present invention also provides a sales program for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, comprising a customer identification procedure for identifying a customer, a condition setting procedure for setting subscription conditions for a subscription service for each customer, a display control procedure for displaying selectable menus on a predetermined display unit, and a control procedure for, when a customer is identified by the customer identification procedure, displaying on the display unit menus that meet the customer's subscription conditions set in the condition setting procedure, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected, and for causing a computer to execute processing in which a fee according to the subscription conditions is set according to the store's holidays. The present invention also provides a sales method for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, comprising a customer identification step of identifying a customer, a condition setting step of setting subscription conditions for a subscription service for each customer, a display control step of displaying selectable menus on a predetermined display unit, and, when a customer is identified by the customer identification step, a control step of displaying on the display unit menus that meet the customer's subscription conditions set in the condition setting step, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected, wherein the period of the subscription conditions can be set excluding a predetermined period. The present invention also provides a sales program for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, comprising a customer identification procedure for identifying a customer, a condition setting procedure for setting subscription conditions for a subscription service for each customer, a display control procedure for displaying selectable menus on a specified display unit, and a control procedure for, when a customer is identified by the customer identification procedure, displaying on the display unit menus that meet the customer's subscription conditions set in the condition setting procedure, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected, and is characterized in that the program causes a computer to execute processing that allows the period of the subscription conditions to be set excluding a specified period. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the present invention , sales It is possible to realize a subscription service that takes into account the characteristics of the vending machine. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of the meal ticket vending machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the meal ticket vending machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the meal ticket vending machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the customer data shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the subscription condition data shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the meal ticket vending machine shown in FIG. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows an example of a display screen (part 1) when signing up for a subscription service by specifying a period. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows an example of a display screen (part 2) when signing up for a subscription service by specifying a period. [Figure 9] Figure 9 shows an example of a display screen (part 3) when signing up for a subscription service by specifying a period. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows an example of a display screen when signing up for a subscription service by specifying a price. [Figure 11]FIG. 11 shows an example of a display screen when signing up for a subscription service by specifying the number of times. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for continuing, changing, or canceling the conditions. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the manager sets store holidays. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the administrator sets a target period. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the administrator sets a target menu. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the meal ticket vending system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management device shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] The following is a description of the present invention. Sales Vending machine , sales Sales method and Sales The following describes in detail an embodiment of a vending program with reference to the drawings. In the following, the first embodiment describes a case where the present invention is applied to a meal ticket vending machine, and the second embodiment describes a case where the present invention is applied to a meal ticket vending system consisting of multiple meal ticket vending machines and a management device.

[0024] <Terminology> In this embodiment, "subscription" refers to a subscription service in which a fee is paid for the right to receive a product or service. In this embodiment, the terms "subscription service," "subscription," and "subscription" are used, but they all have the same meaning. In addition, in this embodiment, "menu" refers to a menu of food and beverages such as a daily set meal or curry rice offered by a restaurant.

[0025] In addition, in this embodiment, "administrator" refers to a person who configures and manages the meal ticket vending machine, such as a restaurant manager or restaurant manager. In addition, in this embodiment, "subscription settings" refers to settings related to the subscription service, such as store holidays, made by the administrator. In addition, in this embodiment, "subscription usage settings" refers to settings such as the usage period, price, number of times, etc., made by the customer using the meal ticket vending machine.

[0026] <Embodiment 1> First, an overview of a meal ticket vending machine 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an overview of a meal ticket vending machine according to the first embodiment. The meal ticket vending machine 10 according to the first embodiment is a device that provides a subscription service. In the first embodiment, a case will be described in which a customer is identified using an IC card that stores a card ID. Note that instead of an IC card, a customer can also be identified using biometric information such as a magnetic card, a face image, a fingerprint, or a palm print.

[0027] Although there is conventional technology that applies subscription services to vending machines that provide beverages or restaurants that provide food and beverages, there is no conventional technology that applies subscription services to meal ticket vending machines.

[0028] One reason for this is that meal ticket vending machines are devices that are originally designed for simple operation: "Just insert money and press a button to issue a meal ticket," and are therefore not well suited to subscription services that require complex operations such as applications. While it is possible to apply for a subscription service by accessing a website from a smartphone, there are a certain number of customers who use meal ticket vending machines who have difficulty accessing the web, and there are also likely to be a certain number of people who do not want to go to the trouble of accessing the web to apply for a subscription service. For this reason, subscription services for meal ticket vending machines are not currently anticipated.

[0029] Another characteristic of meal ticket vending machines is that their menus and prices change frequently depending on the season, trends, set menus, etc. This makes the setup process complicated if a subscription service is applied. Another characteristic of meal ticket vending machines is that they are subject to holidays, consecutive holidays, on-season and off-season periods, etc., depending on the store or customer's circumstances, making it difficult to set them up to suit the seasons.

[0030] For this reason, the meal ticket vending machine 10 according to this embodiment 1 allows customers to easily apply for, continue, change or cancel subscription services using the meal ticket vending machine 10, and also allows administrators to set store closing days, etc.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1(a), administrator A sets up subscriptions in advance (S1) before setting up subscription usage for customers. Such subscription settings include setting items such as store holidays. Here, it is assumed that basic subscription data such as the menus and prices of various food and drink items have already been registered. When administrator A holds his / her own IC card over the card reader of the meal ticket vending machine 10, the meal ticket vending machine 10 switches to administrator mode, allowing administrator A to set up subscriptions.

[0032] Subsequently, when Customer B applies for a subscription service, he or she sets up the subscription (S2). Specifically, when "Subscription" is selected from the initial screen displayed on the display screen, a screen where the subscription service application can be made is displayed. On this screen, the subscription conditions are specified, the subscription service is applied for, and the subscription conditions are registered. Such subscription conditions include conditions related to the period, and at least one of the maximum amount, maximum number of purchases, unit amount, and unit purchase number.

[0033] When such an application is made, an IC card storing a card ID that uniquely identifies customer B is issued to customer B from meal ticket vending machine 10. Instead of issuing an IC card from meal ticket vending machine 10, it is also possible to have customer B insert, for example, a transportation IC card that he or she possesses, and use this IC card to identify the customer.

[0034] 1(b), when customer B holds his / her IC card over the card reader (S3), the customer is identified based on the card ID stored in the IC card (S4), and menus selectable by customer B are identified (S5), and a customer-specific screen including the identified menus is displayed on the operation display unit (S6). When customer B selects one of the menus displayed on the customer-specific screen (S7), a meal ticket corresponding to the selected menu is ejected from the meal ticket outlet (S8).

[0035] In this way, the meal ticket vending machine 10 registers the subscription conditions selected by customer B in advance, and when customer B is identified, it displays menus that meet customer B's subscription conditions on the operation display unit, and when one of the menus is selected, it dispenses a meal ticket for the selected menu from the meal ticket outlet. Such subscription conditions include conditions related to the period, and at least one of the maximum amount limit, maximum number of purchases, unit amount limit, and number of unit purchases.

[0036] <External configuration of meal ticket vending machine 10> Next, we will explain the external configuration of the meal ticket vending machine 10 according to the present embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the external configuration of the meal ticket vending machine 10 according to the present embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the surface of the housing of the meal ticket vending machine 10 is provided with an operation display unit 11, a card reader 12, a card issuing slot 13a, a meal ticket dispensing slot 14a, a bill deposit / withdrawal slot 15a, a coin deposit slot 16a, and a coin dispensing slot 16b.

[0037] The operation display unit 11 displays using a device such as a liquid crystal panel, a display, or an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, and is also an input device and display device that accepts operational inputs using a pressure-sensitive method or the like. A screen including a menu that the customer can select is displayed on this operation display unit 11. The operation display unit 11 is used to perform operations such as subscription settings by the administrator and subscription usage settings by the customer.

[0038] The card reader 12 is a reader unit that reads the card ID stored in the IC card. Here, the case where the card ID is read without contact is shown. The card issuing slot 13a is an issuing slot for ejecting the IC card issued to the customer who applied for the subscription service.

[0039] The meal ticket outlet 14a is an outlet for dispensing meal tickets corresponding to the menu selected by the customer and allowing the customer to take out the meal tickets. The bill deposit / withdrawal outlet 15a is an entrance / withdrawal outlet for depositing bills when applying for a subscription service, depositing bills when purchasing meal tickets with cash, withdrawing bills as change, and withdrawing bills when canceling a subscription service.

[0040] The coin slot 16a is an insertion slot for depositing coins when applying for a subscription service or when purchasing meal tickets with cash, and the coin outlet 16b is an outlet for removing coins to be used as change or when canceling a subscription service.

[0041] <Internal configuration of the meal ticket vending machine 10> Next, the internal configuration of the meal ticket vending machine 10 according to the present embodiment 1 will be described. Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the meal ticket vending machine 10 according to the present embodiment 1. As shown in the figure, the meal ticket vending machine 10 has an operation and display unit 11, a card reader 12, a card issuing unit 13, a ticket issuing unit 14, a banknote unit 15, a coin unit 16, a memory unit 17, and a control unit 18. The operation and display unit 11 has already been described.

[0042] Card reader 12 is a reader device that reads the card ID stored in an IC card in a contactless manner. Specifically, card reader 12 generates a magnetic field, and when an IC card is held over card reader 12, data is sent and received wirelessly via a coil built into the IC card that acts as an antenna.

[0043] The card issuing unit 13 is a processing unit that stores a card ID and issues an IC card that can be contactlessly exchanged with the card reader 12. When a new customer applies for a subscription service, such an IC card is issued to the customer. However, instead of issuing an IC card from the card issuing unit 13, an employee ID card, a transportation IC card, or the like that the customer already possesses can also be used.

[0044] The ticket issuing unit 14 is a processing unit that prints on a piece of paper using a small printer, cuts it, and ejects it through a ticket outlet 14a to issue a ticket corresponding to the menu item selected by the customer.

[0045] The banknote unit 15 has a banknote storage section and is a unit that performs banknote deposit and withdrawal processes, denomination determination, authenticity determination, etc. The coin unit 16 has a coin storage section and is a unit that performs coin deposit and withdrawal processes, denomination determination, authenticity determination, etc.

[0046] The storage unit 17 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a nonvolatile memory, and stores menu data 17a, customer data 17b, basic subscription data 17c, and subscription condition data 17d.

[0047] The menu data 17a is data consisting of various menu items offered by the restaurant, including menu items offered only during certain times of the day, such as lunchtime, and menu items offered only during certain seasons. The menu data 17a is set in advance by an administrator or the like.

[0048] The customer data 17b is data used to identify a customer, and is data that associates a customer ID that uniquely identifies the customer, a card ID that uniquely identifies the IC card, and the customer's name, telephone number, etc. The reason why the customer ID and the card ID are provided separately is because one customer ID may be associated with multiple card IDs.

[0049] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the customer data 17b shown in Fig. 3. The diagram shows a situation in which a card ID "12345678", a name "Yama Ichiro", and a telephone number "070-1234-5678" are associated with a customer ID "A001", and a card ID "87654321", a name "Xkawa Hanako", and a telephone number "080-5678-9012" are associated with a customer ID "A002".

[0050] The subscription basic data 17c is data containing basic information about the subscription service, including the menu contents and fees included in the types of subscription services provided to customers. For example, basic data such as "10,000 yen" for using a menu that costs 500 yen per day for one month, or "4,500 yen" for using a menu that costs 500 yen per 10 times for one month is included.

[0051] The subscription condition data 17d is data that associates the subscription acceptance date, subscription end date, subscription conditions, number of times used, etc. for each customer ID. By referring to the subscription condition data 17d, it is possible to confirm the subscription conditions of the customer and determine what kind of subscription services can be provided to the customer.

[0052] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the subscription condition data 17d shown in FIG. 3. The diagram shows a situation in which the customer ID "A001" is associated with the subscription acceptance date "2022 / 1 / 7", the subscription end date "2022 / 2 / 7", the period "1 month", the unit limit amount "500 yen", the number of unit purchases "10 times", and the number of times used "2 times". Note that the subscription end date, which is one month after the subscription acceptance date, should be "2022 / 2 / 6", but due to the restaurant's closed day due to circumstances, the subscription end date is set to "2022 / 2 / 7".

[0053] Additionally, the table shows that customer ID "A002" is associated with a subscription acceptance date of "2022 / 1 / 10", a subscription end date of "2022 / 4 / 12", a period of "3 months", a maximum limit of "1,000 yen", a maximum number of purchases of "1 time / day", and a number of uses of "1 time". The subscription end date, three months after the subscription acceptance date, would normally be "2022 / 4 / 9", but due to the restaurant's three-day holiday schedule, the subscription end date has been set to "2022 / 4 / 12".

[0054] The control unit 18 is a control unit that performs overall control of the meal ticket vending machine 10, and has a menu management unit 18a, a card issuance processing unit 18b, a customer identification unit 18c, a banknote processing unit 18d, a coin processing unit 18e, a subscription setting unit 18f, a subscription usage setting unit 18g, a display control unit 18h, and a ticket issuance processing unit 18i.

[0055] The control unit 18 performs a series of controls related to the subscription service, specifically controlling procedures for applying for, continuing, changing, and canceling the subscription service, setting store holidays by the administrator, setting target periods, setting target menus, etc. The various controls of the subscription service performed by the control unit 18 will be described in detail later using example display screens shown in Figures 7 to 15.

[0056] Programs corresponding to the above-mentioned menu management unit 18a, card issuance processing unit 18b, customer identification unit 18c, banknote processing unit 18d, coin processing unit 18e, subscription setting unit 18f, subscription usage setting unit 18g, display control unit 18h, and ticket issuance processing unit 18i are stored in the memory unit 17, etc., and these programs are loaded into the main memory and executed by the CPU, thereby executing the processes corresponding to each processing unit.

[0057] Menu management unit 18a is a management unit that manages the menus of the restaurant using menu data 17a. Specifically, it manages the menus currently being offered by the restaurant from among the multiple menus included in menu data 17a.

[0058] The card issuance processing unit 18b is a processing unit that instructs the card issuance unit 13 to issue an IC card. Specifically, when an application for a subscription service is accepted from a new customer, the card issuance processing unit 18b instructs the card issuance unit 13 to issue an IC card that stores a new card ID. Note that an employee ID card or a transportation IC card held by the customer can also be used as the IC card to be used with the meal ticket vending machine 10. In this case, the card ID stored in the employee ID card or transportation IC card is read by the card reader 12, and this card ID is associated with the customer ID and registered in the customer data 17b.

[0059] The customer identification unit 18c is a processing unit that identifies the customer ID. Specifically, the customer identification unit 18c reads the card ID stored in the IC card by the card reader 12 and identifies the customer ID from the card ID included in the customer data 17b.

[0060] The banknote processing unit 18d is a processing unit that performs banknote deposit processing, banknote withdrawal processing, denomination determination, authenticity determination, and banknote transport control using the banknote unit 15. The coin processing unit 18e is a processing unit that performs coin deposit processing, coin withdrawal processing, denomination determination, authenticity determination, and coin transport control using the coin unit 16.

[0061] The subscription setting unit 18f is a processing unit that sets subscriptions such as store holidays in response to operations by the administrator. Specifically, when the card reader 12 reads the card ID stored on an IC card held by the administrator, the meal ticket vending machine 10 transitions to administrator mode, enabling subscription settings. In this subscription setting enabled state, the administrator can set subscriptions.

[0062] The subscription usage setting unit 18g is a processing unit that performs subscription usage settings in response to customer operations. Specifically, when "Subscription" is selected on the operation display unit 11, a display screen appears on which the customer can apply for a subscription service, and subscription usage settings can be performed by repeating the selection operation as appropriate. Once subscription usage settings have been performed, the results are registered as subscription conditions in the subscription condition data 17d.

[0063] The display control unit 18h is a control unit that controls the display of information related to menus, subscription settings, or subscription usage settings on the operation display unit 11. The ticket issuance processing unit 18i is a processing unit that instructs the ticket issuing unit 14 to issue a meal ticket corresponding to the menu selected by the customer.

[0064] <Processing procedure for meal ticket vending machine 10> Next, the processing procedure of the meal ticket vending machine 10 will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the meal ticket vending machine 10 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 6, when the power of the meal ticket vending machine 10 is turned on, an initial screen is displayed on the operation display unit 11 (step S101). Although not shown here for the sake of convenience, once a customer selects a menu item and pays the fee on this initial screen, a meal ticket is dispensed into the meal ticket dispensing opening 14a as usual.

[0065] Furthermore, if the customer selects "Subscription" included in the initial screen and the meal ticket vending machine 10 accepts the subscription application operation (step S102; Yes), it performs a subscription application acceptance process (step S103), then performs a payment acceptance process (step S104), and proceeds to step S101. This subscription application acceptance process will be explained in detail later using the display screen.

[0066] On the other hand, if the card reader 12 accepts the IC card (step S102; No, step S105; Yes), the card ID is read from the IC card (step S106), and the customer ID is identified by referring to the customer data 17b (step S107). Thereafter, the subscription conditions corresponding to the customer ID are identified by referring to the subscription condition data 17d (step S108), and a customer-specific screen including a menu that matches the subscription conditions is displayed on the operation display unit 11 (step S109).

[0067] On this customer-only screen, the system waits for subscription-related operations and menu selection operations (step S110, step S111; No), and if a menu selection operation is accepted (step S111; Yes), a meal ticket corresponding to the selected menu is issued (step S112), and the number of times the subscription condition data 17d has been used is updated (step S113).If the above series of processes is not to be ended (step S114; No), the system proceeds to step S101.

[0068] On the other hand, if a subscription-related operation is accepted on the customer-only screen (step S110; Yes), it is determined whether the subscription-related operation is "continue" (step S115). As a result, if the subscription-related operation is "continue" (step S115; Yes), a subscription continuation process is performed (step S116), and the process proceeds to step S114. In this subscription continuation process, the "subscription end date" of the subscription condition data 17d is updated.

[0069] If the subscription-related operation is not "continue" (step S115; No), it is determined whether the subscription-related operation is "change" (step S117). As a result, if the subscription-related operation is "change" (step S117; Yes), a subscription change process is performed (step S118), and the process proceeds to step S114.

[0070] Furthermore, if the subscription-related operation is not "change" (step S117; No), it is determined whether the subscription-related operation is "cancel" (step S119). As a result, if the subscription-related operation is "cancel" (step S119; Yes), a subscription cancellation process is performed (step S120), and the process proceeds to step S114. On the other hand, if the subscription-related operation is not "cancel" (step S119; No), the process proceeds directly to step S114.

[0071] <Subscription service application> Next, an example of a display screen when applying for a subscription service will be described. Figures 7 to 9 are diagrams showing an example of a display screen when applying for a subscription service by specifying a period.

[0072] If the customer selects "Subscription" on the initial screen shown in Figure 7(a), a message will be displayed asking "Do you want to apply for subscription service?" as shown in Figure 7(b). If the customer selects "OK," the selection screen shown in Figure 7(c) will be displayed.

[0073] This selection screen includes an "Omakase Course" where customers can apply for a subscription service by specifying their desired conditions, and a "Special Course" where customers can specify their desired conditions in detail. The "Omakase Course" includes "Choose by period," "Choose by price," and "Choose by number of times," and one of these can be selected. The "Special Course" includes "Adjust." An explanation of the "Special Course" will be omitted here.

[0074] [Select by period] If the customer selects "Choose by period" on the selection screen shown in Figure 7(c), a selection box of "10 days," "1 month," "3 months," "6 months," and "Specify period" will be displayed as shown in Figure 7(d). This "Specify period" is a selection box that allows the customer to specify any period they wish.

[0075] If a period of "1 month" is specified, a selection box for the price per day will be displayed, as shown in Figure 8(a). Here, the following selection boxes are displayed: "¥300 per day," "¥500 per day," "¥1,000 per day," "¥1,500 per day," "All-you-can-eat (unlimited)," and "¥1 day (specified price)." This "¥1 day (specified price)" is a selection box in which the customer can specify any price they wish. Note that in the following, "¥○○" will be written as "¥○○."

[0076] For example, if you select "500 yen per day," the subscription service start date selection screen shown in Figure 8(b) will be displayed. This shows a situation where the options "Start today," "Specify date," and "Arrange" are displayed. If "Start today" is selected, the day of selection will be the start date of the subscription service.

[0077] On the other hand, if "Specify Date" is selected, a calendar is displayed as shown in FIG. 8(c), and the start date can be selected from the calendar. This figure shows a situation where January 7, 2022, is selected as the start date. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8(d), the following messages are displayed: "Up to ¥500 per day," "Can be used from January 7, 2022 to February 7, 2022," and "Payment is ¥10,000." The reason the end date is set to February 7 is because the store is closed for one month from January 7.

[0078] If "OK" is selected, the screen will move to a payment screen (not shown). In the first embodiment, the case where payment is made with currency has been described, but it can also be configured to allow payment with a cash card, debit card, electronic money, etc.

[0079] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 9(a), if "Arrange" is selected, the display screen will move to one where the menu can be arranged, as shown in Figure 9(b). Here, "Daily Special," "Noodles," and "Soft Drinks" are selected, and "Confirm" is selected. As a result, as shown in Figure 9(c), the following messages are displayed: "Up to ¥500 per day," "2022 / 1 / 7~2022 / 2 / 7," "Can be used for daily specials, noodles, and soft drinks," and "Payment is ¥8,500."

[0080] [Select by price] FIG. 10 shows an example of a display screen when signing up for a subscription service by specifying a price. When "Select by Price" is selected on the selection screen shown in FIG. 10(a), the screen transitions to the price selection screen shown in FIG. 10(b). This screen shows a situation where a selection box is displayed with the following options: "¥300 / day," "¥800 / day," "¥1,000 / day," "¥1,500 / day," "All-you-can-eat (unlimited)," and "¥1 day (specify price)." This "¥1 day (specify price)" option allows the customer to specify any price they wish. This selection screen is similar to the one shown in FIG. 8(a).

[0081] If "¥ per day (specified amount)" is selected, the screen will move to the amount specification screen shown in Figure 10(c). If the amount is entered using the numeric keypad on the amount specification screen and the period is specified, the screen for selecting the start date of the subscription service shown in Figure 8(b) will be displayed.

[0082] [Select by frequency] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when signing up for a subscription service by specifying the number of times. When "Select by number of times" is selected on the selection screen shown in FIG. 11(a), the screen transitions to the number of times selection screen shown in FIG. 11(b). This selection screen shows a situation in which a selection box for "5 times," "10 times," "15 times," "20 times," "unlimited times," and "□ times (specified number of times)" is displayed. When selecting by number of times, the period is "1 month" and the start date is "today." Therefore, the screen displays the message "Please select the number of times to be used from January 7, 2022 to February 7, 2022."

[0083] If "10 times" is selected, the screen transitions to the "Amount per Use Selection Screen" shown in FIG. 10(c). Here, a selection box for "¥500 per use (¥4,500)," "¥1,000 per use (¥8,500)," "Unlimited amount (¥12,000)," and "¥□ (Specify amount)" is displayed. If "¥500 per use (¥4,500)" is selected, the screen transitions to the "¥4,500 payment" screen shown in FIG. 11(d). If "Confirm" is selected, the screen transitions to the payment screen (not shown).

[0084] <Continuation, Changes, and Cancellation of Subscription Services> Next, we will explain what happens when a customer who has applied for a subscription service wishes to continue, change, or cancel the terms. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen for continuing, changing, or canceling the terms. The customer holds their IC card over card reader 12, which takes them to a customer-specific screen where they can continue, change, or cancel. Although not shown here for convenience of explanation, the customer-specific screen has a selection box for continuing, changing, or canceling.

[0085] If "Continue" is selected on the customer-only screen, the screen shown in Figure 12(a) will be displayed. Here, along with messages such as "Subscription for Mr. / Ms. XX," "Up to ¥500 per day for one month (2022 / 1 / 7~2022 / 2 / 7)," and "Daily specials, noodles, soft drinks," the screen displays options to "Continue" or "Don't continue." By selecting the appropriate option, customers can continue their subscription service with a simple operation.

[0086] When "Change" is selected on the customer-only screen, the screen shown in Figure 12(b) is displayed. Here, the messages "Subscription for Mr. / Ms. XX," "Up to ¥500 per day for one month (2022 / 1 / 7~2022 / 2 / 7)," "Daily specials, noodles, soft drinks," and "Change period" and "Change price" options are displayed. By selecting the appropriate option, customers can easily change the period or price of their subscription service.

[0087] If "Cancel" is selected on the customer-only screen, the screen shown in Figure 12(c) is displayed. This screen shows the following messages: "Cancellation is only possible if payment is made in cash at the time of application. Cancellation and refunds may not be possible depending on the contract terms.", "Contract of Mr. / Ms. XX," "6 months, 2022 / 1 / 7~2022 / 7 / 7 ¥50,000," and "We will refund ¥47,000 after deducting usage fees and processing fees until January 11." If "Confirm" is selected here, "Cancellation" is executed and the process proceeds to a refund process (not shown). In this way, customers can cancel their subscription service with simple operations.

[0088] <Administrator changes to settings> [Store holiday settings] Next, we will explain how the administrator can change the settings. Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when the administrator sets store holidays. The administrator holds the IC card over the card reader 12, which causes the screen to switch to an administrator-only screen. If the "Settings" selection box included in this administrator-only screen is operated, the settings screen shown in Figure 13(a) is displayed. This settings screen shows a situation in which selection boxes for "Subscription-related," "Add Menu," "Change Menu," and "Other" are included.

[0089] If the administrator selects "Subscription-related" here, the screen will move to the selection screen shown in Figure 13(b). This selection screen includes "Store Holiday Settings," "Applicable Period," and "Applicable Menu." If "Store Holiday Settings" is selected, the screen will move to the store holiday designation screen shown in Figure 13(c). Here, January 11, 2022 is shown as a store holiday. If additional store holidays are set due to restaurant circumstances, the subscription service provision period will be extended by the number of those store holidays. This ensures that customers will not suffer any disadvantages even if a restaurant is closed due to restaurant circumstances.

[0090] If the administrator selects "OK", a list of store holidays as shown in Figure 13(d) is displayed. Here, the store holiday in January is 14 / 31 (business day: 17th), the store holiday in February is 10 / 28 (business day: 18th), and the store holiday in March is 9 / 31 (business day: 22nd). If the administrator selects "OK", the store holidays are registered.

[0091] [Setting the target period] Next, we will explain how to set the target period for a subscription service. Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when an administrator sets the target period. When the administrator selects "Target Period" on the selection screen shown in Figure 14(a), the screen transitions to the selection screen shown in Figure 14(b). This selection screen includes selection boxes for "Specify Target Period" and "Set Non-Target Period."

[0092] If "Specify blackout period" is selected, the screen shown in Figure 14(c) will appear. This screen includes a calendar, allowing the user to select the dates for the blackout period. If "OK" is selected, the screen shown in Figure 14(d) will appear. This screen displays the following message: "The blackout period has been set to January 1st to January 11th. Pricing will be set excluding the 11 days." If "OK" is selected, the blackout period will be set. Note that if a blackout period is set after a customer has applied for a subscription service, this blackout period will be excluded from the subscription service provision period, and the customer will not be treated disadvantageously.

[0093] [Target menu] Next, we will explain how to set the target menu for the subscription service. Figure 15 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen when an administrator sets the target menu. When the administrator selects "Target Menu" on the selection screen shown in Figure 15(a), the screen moves to the selection screen shown in Figure 15(b). Here, if an item is to be included in the target menu, a check mark is placed, and if an item is to be excluded from the target menu, the check mark is removed.

[0094] If "OK" is selected, the screen shown in Fig. 15(c) is displayed. Here, the screen shows the situation where "All menus, including set menus, have been set as target menus." If "OK" is selected, the target menu is set.

[0095] As described above, the meal ticket vending machine 10 of this embodiment 1 is configured to register the subscription conditions selected by the customer in advance, and once the customer is identified, display menus that match the customer's subscription conditions on the operation display unit, and once one of the menus is selected, eject a meal ticket for the selected menu from the meal ticket outlet, thereby making it possible to provide a subscription service that takes into account the characteristics of the meal ticket vending machine.

[0096] The subscription conditions include conditions related to the period, and at least one of a maximum limit, a maximum number of purchases, a unit limit, and a unit purchase number. Furthermore, subscription condition data 17d including the subscription conditions for each customer is stored in memory 17, and when a customer is identified by customer identification unit 18c, the subscription conditions for that customer are read from memory 17 and a menu to be displayed on operation display unit 11 is identified, so that a subscription service that takes into account the characteristics of the meal ticket vending machine can be provided.

[0097] Furthermore, the operation display unit 11 is configured to accept the customer's intention to cancel the subscription service from the screen, and the control unit 18 cancels the subscription service based on the intention to cancel and causes the refund to be made if a fee refund is available.The subscription conditions are configured to allow the customer to select whether or not to include set menus as menu items, so that a subscription service can be provided that takes into account the characteristics of the meal ticket vending machine 10.

[0098] In addition, the fee according to the subscription conditions can be set according to the restaurant's holidays, and the subscription period can be set excluding a specified period, so that a subscription service can be provided that takes into account the characteristics of the meal ticket vending machine 10.

[0099] In the above-described first embodiment, a case where a customer (customer ID) is identified using a contactless IC card has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a customer can also be identified using various types of biometric information such as face, fingerprint, palm print, etc. Furthermore, a customer can also be identified using a contact-type IC card or a magnetic card instead of a contactless IC card.

[0100] <Embodiment 2> Incidentally, in the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the case where the meal ticket vending machine 10 is operated independently is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a meal ticket vending system provided with a plurality of meal ticket vending machines 10 and a management device. For this reason, in embodiment 2, a case where the present invention is applied to a meal ticket vending system in a chain of restaurants will be described.

[0101] First, the system configuration of the meal ticket vending system according to the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing the system configuration of the meal ticket vending system according to the second embodiment. As shown in the figure, this meal ticket vending system has a system configuration in which a meal ticket vending machine 10A, a meal ticket vending machine 10B, and a management device 20 are connected to a network N. Note that, although the case where two meal ticket vending machines are installed will be described here, three or more meal ticket vending machines can also be installed.

[0102] The meal ticket vending machine 10A is installed in one restaurant, and the meal ticket vending machine 10B is installed in another restaurant. However, if the restaurant is a large establishment, the meal ticket vending machines 10A and 10B can also be installed inside the restaurant. Such meal ticket vending machines 10A and 10B have a configuration similar to the meal ticket vending machine 10 described in embodiment 1, and are provided with a communication I / F unit that connects to the network N and a processing unit that receives menu data and basic subscription data notified from the management device 20 and stores them in a memory unit. A detailed description of the meal ticket vending machines 10A and 10B will be omitted here.

[0103] Next, the management device 20 shown in Fig. 16 will be described. Fig. 17 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the management device 20 shown in Fig. 16. As shown in the figure, the management device 20 has an input unit 21, a display unit 22, a communication I / F unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a control unit 25.

[0104] The input unit 21 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse, and the display unit 22 is a display device such as a liquid crystal panel, a display, or an organic EL display. The communication I / F unit 23 is a communication interface unit for communicating with the meal ticket vending machines 10A and 10B via the network N.

[0105] The storage unit 24 is composed of a storage device such as a hard disk drive or nonvolatile memory, and stores menu data 24a and subscription basic data 24b. The menu data 24a is similar to the menu data 17a in the first embodiment, and is data consisting of various menus offered at each restaurant. It includes various menus offered at restaurants, such as menus offered only during certain times of the day, such as lunchtime, and menus offered only during certain seasons.

[0106] The subscription basic data 24b is similar to the subscription basic data 17c in the first embodiment and includes basic information about the subscription service. The subscription basic data 24b includes the menu contents and fees included in the types of multiple subscription services provided to the customer.

[0107] The control unit 25 is a control unit that performs overall control of the management device 20, and has a menu management unit 25a, a menu data notification unit 25b, a subscription basic data management unit 25c, and a subscription basic data notification unit 25d. In practice, programs corresponding to the menu management unit 25a, the menu data notification unit 25b, the subscription basic data management unit 25c, and the subscription basic data notification unit 25d are stored in the storage unit 24 or the like, and these programs are loaded into the main memory and executed by the CPU, thereby causing the processes corresponding to each processing unit to be executed.

[0108] Menu management unit 25a is a management unit that manages the menus of each restaurant using menu data 24a, and manages the menus offered by each restaurant from among the multiple menus included in menu data 24a. Menu data notification unit 25b is a processing unit that notifies meal ticket vending machines 10A and 10B installed in each restaurant of menu data 24a. The menu data notified to meal ticket vending machine 10A can be different from the menu data notified to meal ticket vending machine 10B.

[0109] The subscription basic data management unit 25c is a management unit that manages the subscription basic data 24b, and the subscription basic data notification unit 25d is a processing unit that notifies the subscription basic data 24b to the meal ticket vending machines 10A and 10B installed in each restaurant.

[0110] As described above, in the meal ticket vending system of this embodiment 2, the management device 20 manages the menu data 24a and the subscription basic data 24b, and is configured to notify these data to the meal ticket vending machine 10A and the meal ticket vending machine 10B, so that each meal ticket vending machine 10A and 10B can provide a subscription service that takes into account the characteristics of the meal ticket vending machine.

[0111] In the second embodiment, the management device 20 manages the menu data 24a and the subscription basic data 24b, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be configured to manage the customer data 17b and the subscription condition data 17d described in the first embodiment. When performing subscription settings, subscription usage settings, etc., the meal ticket vending machines 10A and 10B can make inquiries to the management device 20, and the meal ticket vending machines 10A and 10B can be configured to process the information in cooperation with the management device 20. By realizing this type of cloud service, customers can receive subscription services from meal ticket vending machines in multiple stores. [Industrial Applicability]

[0112] As described above, the present invention Sales Vending machine , sales Sales method and Sales The sales program , sales It is suitable for implementing subscription services that take into account the characteristics of vending machines. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] A Administrator B Customer N Network 10, 10A, 10B Ticket vending machine 11 Operation display section 12 Card Reader 13 Card Issuance Department 13a Card issuing port 14 Ticketing Department 14a Meal ticket dispenser 15 banknote units 15a Banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 16 coin units 16a Coin slot 16b Coin outlet 17 Memory section 17a Menu Data 17b Customer Data 17c Subscription Basic Data 17d Subscription Conditions Data 18 Control Unit 18a Menu Management Department 18b Card issuing processing unit 18c Customer Identification Department 18d Banknote processing unit 18e Coin Processing Department 18f Subscription Settings 18g Subscription Usage Settings 18h Display control unit 18i Ticketing Processing Unit 20 Management device 21 Input section 22 Display section 23 Communication I / F section 24 Memory section 24a Menu Data 24b Subscription Basic Data 25 Control Unit 25a Menu Management Department 25b Menu data notification section 25c Subscription Basic Data Management Department 25d Subscription basic data notification section

Claims

1. A vending machine for selling food and beverages, a customer identification unit that identifies a customer; a condition setting unit that sets subscription conditions for the subscription service for each customer; a display unit that displays a menu of items available for purchase in a selectable manner; a control unit that, when a customer is identified by the customer identification unit, causes menus that meet the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting unit to be displayed on the display unit, and sells the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; an input unit for inputting the subscription conditions; Equipped with the control unit causes the display unit to display a fee according to the subscription conditions input via the input unit when applying for the subscription service, and causes the display unit to accept the fee; the input unit allows the customer to input an intention to cancel the subscription service after accepting the application for the subscription service; The control unit cancels the subscription service based on the intention to cancel inputted through the input unit, and if a fee refund is due, causes the refund to be made. A vending machine characterized by:

2. A vending machine for selling food and beverages, a customer identification unit that identifies a customer; a condition setting unit that sets subscription conditions for the subscription service for each customer; a display unit that displays a menu of items available for purchase in a selectable manner; a control unit that, when a customer is identified by the customer identification unit, causes menus that meet the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting unit to be displayed on the display unit, and sells the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; Equipped with A vending machine characterized in that the fee according to the subscription conditions is set according to the store's holidays.

3. A vending machine for selling food and beverages, a customer identification unit that identifies a customer; a condition setting unit that sets subscription conditions for the subscription service for each customer; a display unit that displays a menu of items available for purchase in a selectable manner; a control unit that, when a customer is identified by the customer identification unit, causes menus that meet the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting unit to be displayed on the display unit, and sells the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; Equipped with A vending machine characterized in that the period of subscription conditions can be set to exclude a predetermined period.

4. A sales method for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, comprising: a customer identification step of identifying a customer; a condition setting step of setting subscription conditions for the subscription service for each customer; a display control step of displaying the menu items available for purchase on a predetermined display unit in a selectable manner; a control step of, when a customer is identified by the customer identification step, displaying on the display unit menus that correspond to the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting step, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; an input step of inputting the subscription conditions; Including, the control step causes the display unit to display a fee according to the subscription conditions input in the input step when applying for the subscription service, and to accept the fee; the input step includes having the customer input an intention to cancel the subscription service after accepting the application for the subscription service; The control step cancels the subscription service based on the cancellation intention input in the input step, and if a fee refund is due, causes the fee to be refunded. A sales method characterized by:

5. A sales program for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, a customer identification procedure for identifying the customer; A setup procedure for setting subscription terms for each customer regarding the subscription service; a display control procedure for displaying the menu items available for purchase on a predetermined display unit in a selectable manner; a control procedure for, when a customer is identified by the customer identification procedure, displaying on the display unit menus that correspond to the subscription conditions of the customer set in the setting procedure, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; an input step for inputting the subscription conditions; Including, the control step causes the display unit to display a fee according to the subscription conditions input in the input step when applying for the subscription service, and causes the display unit to accept the fee; the input step includes having the customer input an intention to cancel the subscription service after accepting the application for the subscription service; The control procedure cancels the subscription service based on the intention to cancel input in the input procedure, and if a fee is to be refunded, the fee is refunded. A sales program that causes a computer to execute a process.

6. A sales method for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, comprising: a customer identification step of identifying a customer; a condition setting step of setting subscription conditions for the subscription service for each customer; a display control step of displaying the menu items available for purchase on a predetermined display unit in a selectable manner; a control step of, when a customer is identified by the customer identification step, displaying on the display unit menus that correspond to the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting step, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; Including, A sales method characterized in that the fee according to the subscription conditions is set according to the store's holidays.

7. A sales program for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, a customer identification procedure for identifying the customer; A procedure for setting subscription terms for each customer regarding the subscription service; a display control procedure for displaying the menu items available for purchase on a predetermined display unit in a selectable manner; a control procedure for, when a customer is identified by the customer identification procedure, displaying on the display unit menus that meet the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting procedure, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; Including, A sales program that causes a computer to execute a process for setting the fee according to the subscription conditions in accordance with the store's holidays.

8. A sales method for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, comprising: a customer identification step of identifying a customer; a condition setting step of setting subscription conditions for the subscription service for each customer; a display control step of displaying the menu items available for purchase on a predetermined display unit in a selectable manner; a control step of, when a customer is identified by the customer identification step, displaying on the display unit menus that correspond to the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting step, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; Including, A sales method characterized in that the period of the subscription conditions can be set excluding a predetermined period.

9. A sales program for a vending machine that sells food and beverages, a customer identification procedure for identifying the customer; A procedure for setting subscription terms for each customer regarding the subscription service; a display control procedure for displaying the menu items available for purchase on a predetermined display unit in a selectable manner; a control procedure for, when a customer is identified by the customer identification procedure, displaying on the display unit menus that meet the subscription conditions of the customer set by the condition setting procedure, and selling the selected menu when any of the menus is selected; Including, A sales program that causes a computer to execute a process that allows the period of the subscription conditions to be set excluding a predetermined period.

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