Vending machine, presentation method, system, and presentation program

Abstract

The present invention provides a vending machine, display method, system, and display program that allow users to monitor the status of products being sold in the vending machine and to output displays based on whether a product is sold out. [Solution] The vending machine 1 comprises a housing 10, a transparent display unit 120 capable of presenting predetermined information to the user, a quantity detection unit 160 that detects the quantity of products stored in the lane, and an output control unit 130 that controls whether or not to output predetermined information to each of the multiple output units. When the output control unit 130 detects that the quantity of a product stored in one lane is zero, it causes a special effect that is not displayed when the quantity is not zero to be output to one of the output units corresponding to that lane.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine, a presentation method, a system, and a presentation program. In particular, the present invention relates to a vending machine, a presentation method, a system, and a presentation program including a transmissive display unit.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a vending machine having a display unit, including: product information presenting means for presenting product information for identifying each of a plurality of products; operation receiving means for receiving a purchase operation by a user corresponding to the product information presented by the product information presenting means; storage means for storing product identification information for identifying each of the plurality of products so that each product belongs to one of a plurality of groups, and a plurality of contents related to the product identification information, in association with the groups, and for selecting any one of the plurality of contents in the storage means associated with the product identification information of the product specified by the purchase operation, from among the plurality of contents associated with the product identification information of the product specified by the purchase operation; and content output means for outputting any one of the contents selected by the content selection means (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to the vending machine described in Patent Document 1, when a user purchases a product sold by the vending machine, the vending machine can output content related to the purchased product to a touch panel display.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In conventional vending machines, including the vending machine described in Patent Document 1, a display is provided on the front of the vending machine's casing, and since the product and related advertisements are displayed on this display, the user cannot see the actual product inside the casing. In addition, in conventional vending machines with a transparent panel on the front of the casing, although the user can see the actual product inside the casing, in order to present predetermined information to the user, a display unit for displaying that predetermined information must be provided separately, avoiding the area where the transparent panel is located. Furthermore, in conventional vending machines with a transparent panel on the front of the casing, if the product inside the casing is sold out, the user may be able to visually perceive that it is sold out.

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine, a presentation method, a system, and a presentation program that enable users to understand the status of products being sold in the vending machine and to output presentations based on whether a product is sold out. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a vending machine comprising: a housing having product storage shelves including a plurality of lanes capable of storing products; a transparent display unit positioned on the front of the housing and having a plurality of output areas corresponding to the front positions of each of the plurality of lanes, capable of presenting predetermined information to the user; a quantity detection unit that detects the quantity of products stored in each of the plurality of lanes; and an output control unit that controls whether or not to output predetermined information to each of the plurality of output areas, wherein when the quantity detection unit detects that the quantity of a product stored in one lane is zero, the output control unit causes a special effect that is not displayed when the quantity is not zero to be displayed in one of the output areas corresponding to that lane. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The present invention provides a vending machine, presentation method, system, and presentation program that allow users to understand the status of products being sold in the vending machine and to output presentations based on whether a product is sold out. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a vending machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram of the functional configuration of the vending machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a data configuration diagram of each storage unit in the vending machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of the display on the transparent display unit of the vending machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of the display on the transparent display unit of the vending machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of the display on the transparent display unit of the vending machine according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart of the processing in the vending machine according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [Embodiment] <Overview of Vending Machine 1> The vending machine 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a transparent display unit (i.e., a transparent display) on its front, allowing users to view the actual products inside the vending machine 1 from outside the vending machine 1, and also capable of outputting various information to the transparent display unit. Specifically, the vending machine 1 has product storage shelves consisting of multiple lanes capable of accommodating one or more products inside the casing, and a transparent panel is provided on the front of the casing (the front of the vending machine 1). In the vending machine 1, a transparent display unit is provided on the front of the transparent panel, and when the transparent display unit is transparent, users positioned in front of the vending machine 1 can view the products on the product storage shelves through the transparent panel and the transparent display unit.

[0010] In conventional vending machines, where a transparent panel is provided on the front of the casing, allowing users to see the products in the lanes inside the casing, if the products in a lane are sold out, users will see through the transparent panel that there are no products in that lane. In vending machines with a transparent panel on the front of the casing, users can visually grasp how many products have been sold, which can stimulate their desire to purchase. On the other hand, in conventional vending machines, users can also see when there are no products in a lane (i.e., when the products in that lane are sold out), which may give users a sense of emptiness or lack at the front of the casing. Therefore, the inventors have found that by providing a transparent display unit on the front of the product storage shelves, and, as an example, outputting a predetermined effect in the output area of ​​the transparent display unit corresponding to the lane where the products have sold out, it is possible to suppress the impression given to users as described above. The present invention is based on this finding.

[0011] In other words, when a product sold in one of the multiple lanes inside the vending machine 1 runs out, it outputs a predetermined animation to the output area of ​​the transparent display section corresponding to the front of that lane. That is, the vending machine 1 outputs a predetermined animation to the transparent display section in the area overlapping the front of the lane that has become empty due to the product being sold out. The predetermined animation is, for example, a predetermined advertisement, a still image / video of a predetermined character, and / or information useful to the user. However, it is preferable that the predetermined animation is based on information unrelated to the product that was being sold in that lane. As a result, in the vending machine 1, the more lanes that run out of products, the more space there is for animations (or advertisements) on the transparent display section, and the more users can see the front of the vending machine 1 in a lively state.

[0012] There are no restrictions on the products sold in vending machine 1, but examples of products include trading cards usable in a designated card game, keychains, stuffed animals and other merchandise, stationery, food and beverages, etc. Furthermore, when selling trading cards, etc., in vending machine 1, multiple trading cards may be packaged together in one pack, and each pack may be sold as a single product.

[0013] <Details of Vending Machine 1> Figure 1 shows an overview of the vending machine according to this embodiment. Specifically, Figure 1(a) shows an example of the overall overview of the vending machine 1, Figure 1(b) shows an example of the top view overview of the vending machine 1, and Figure 1(c) shows an example of the overview of the multiple output areas of the transparent display unit 120. Furthermore, Figure 2 shows an example of the overview of the functional configuration of the vending machine according to this embodiment, and Figure 3 shows an example of the overview of the data configuration of each storage unit in the storage unit according to this embodiment.

[0014] [Overview of Vending Machine 1's Configuration] The vending machine 1 according to this embodiment is a vending machine 1 that sells a plurality of products and has a transmissive display unit 120 with a plurality of output areas provided on the front surface. That is, the vending machine 1 includes a housing 10 having a product storage shelf 100 inside, a transparent panel 110 fixed to an opening on the front surface side (housing front surface 10a) of the housing 10, and a surface of the transparent panel 110 (transparent panel surface 110a. That is, the front surface of the transparent panel 110. In other words, on the opposite side of the product storage shelf 100 through the transparent panel 110 as shown in FIG. 1(b).), and a transmissive display unit 120 provided thereon.

[0015] In addition, the vending machine 1 includes a display unit 20 for displaying various information, a coin insertion slot 22 for inserting coins, a receipt output slot 23 for outputting receipts, a bill insertion slot 24 for inserting bills, a card reader unit 26 for reading information such as the user's IC card, a change return slot 28 for returning coins and bills as change, a product outlet 30 for taking out products such as trading cards and goods, and / or an imaging unit 200 for imaging the user on the front surface of the vending machine 1.

[0016] Furthermore, the vending machine 1 includes an output control unit 130 for controlling the output to the display unit 20 and / or the transmissive display unit 120, a storage unit 140 for storing various information, a control unit 150 for controlling various processes in the vending machine 1, a quantity detection unit 160 for detecting the quantity of products in each lane, a user detection unit 170 for detecting the presence of the user on the front surface of the vending machine 1 and a predetermined input instruction by the user, and / or a communication unit 210 for performing two-way communication with an external server or the like via a network. Note that the communication unit 210 supplies various information received from an external server or the like to a predetermined component of the vending machine 1, and supplies various information received from each component of the vending machine 1 to an external server or the like. In addition, the storage unit 140 includes a product information storage unit 600 for storing information about products sold by the vending machine 1, an area information storage unit 602 for storing information about a plurality of output areas of the transmissive display unit 120, and an effect information storage unit 604 for storing information about effects output to the output areas of the transmissive display unit 120.

[0017] The following will explain the detailed functional configuration of the vending machine 1 according to the present embodiment. However, the names, numerical values, etc. in the above description and the following description are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these proper names and numerical values. Additionally, it should be noted that these proper names and numerical values are not necessarily related to actual proper names and numerical values.

[0018] [Details of the Configuration of the Vending Machine 1] (Control Unit 150) The control unit 150 controls the operations and processes of each component of the vending machine 1. For example, the control unit 150 controls the output control unit 130 to control the output of information to the display unit 20 and / or the transmissive display unit 120. In addition, the control unit 150 controls various processes related to the sale of products based on a user's predetermined operation.

[0019] The various processes controlled by the control unit 150 may include, for example, but are not limited to, the following processes.

[0020] · Processes corresponding to a predetermined instruction acquired from the user. That is, a process of acquiring a predetermined input instruction by the user detected by the display unit 20 or the user detection unit 170, supplying information indicating the acquired predetermined input instruction to other components, and / or executing a predetermined process based on the input instruction. · Processes for determining the selection of products by the user. That is, a process of receiving a product selection instruction by the user via the display unit 20 or the like and determining the selection of the product to be purchased by the user. · Processes for determining the payment method of products by the user. That is, a process of determining the payment method selected by the user via the display unit 20 or the like as the payment method for the product price. · A process of calculating the total amount of money inserted into the vending machine 1 based on the counting result of the counting device installed at the coin insertion slot 22 and / or the bill insertion slot 24. • Payment processing for the price of the product selected and decided to purchase by the user (sales control processing). That is, payment processing for the price of the product to be sold, which is performed based on the payment method specified for the payment of the product to be sold, selected by the user via the display unit 20, etc. - Processing the return of change via the change return slot 28 when the amount of money inserted into the vending machine 1 after payment processing exceeds the price of the goods purchased by the user. • A process that prints a receipt (invoice) containing payment information for the products purchased by the user, etc., and outputs it from the receipt output port 23. - A process that operates a predetermined mechanism to supply the product purchased by the user from the lane in which the product is stored to the product dispensing outlet 30. That is, after the payment processing is completed, the control unit 150 makes the sold product available for retrieval from the vending machine 1 and makes the product purchased by the user available for retrieval from the product dispensing outlet 30. • A process to grasp the inventory of each lane and obtain inventory information (including sales volume and / or inventory quantity of products in each lane). • Processing the supply of inventory information to an external server. • Other various processes related to vending machine 1.

[0021] (Product storage shelves 100) The product storage shelves 100 are provided at predetermined intervals in the height direction of the vending machine 1, one or more of them. Each product storage shelf 100 is composed of one or more lanes 190. Each lane is capable of accommodating one or more products. For example, one lane 190 is configured to accommodate multiple products along the depth direction of the housing 10 from the transparent panel 110 side (i.e., the direction away from the transparent panel 110 towards the back side of the housing 10). Each product storage shelf 100 includes multiple lanes 190, and the multiple lanes 190 are arranged along the lateral direction (i.e., approximately perpendicular to the perpendicular direction of the surface of the transparent panel 110). Figure 1(a) shows an example in which a product storage shelf 100 with five tiers and a product storage shelf 100 with five lanes 190 arranged on each tier exist within the housing 10. For example, the product storage shelf 100 is composed of a first lane capable of storing the first product, a second lane capable of storing the second product, and an nth lane capable of storing the nth product (where n is an integer of 3 or greater), located on the left side of the front of the vending machine 1. In addition, each lane is associated with a lane ID to identify it. Furthermore, each lane has a maximum number of products that it can store.

[0022] When a purchase order is received from a user and the purchase is confirmed, the products stored in the product storage shelf 100 are supplied to the product dispensing outlet 30 by a predetermined mechanism controlled by the control unit 150.

[0023] (Transparent panel 110) The transparent panel 110 is provided in the opening on the front of the housing 10, and makes visible to users of the vending machine 1 the products stored in each of the multiple lanes 190 of the product storage shelf 100, and / or the status of each lane 190.

[0024] (Transparent display unit 120, output control unit 130) The transparent display unit 120 is, for example, a transparent display. While the transparent display unit 120 can be used instead of the transparent panel 110, this embodiment describes an example in which the transparent display unit 120 is provided on the surface of the transparent panel 110.

[0025] The transparent display unit 120 is positioned on the front of the housing 10 (i.e., the front of the multiple lanes 190; in other words, the front of the products stored in each lane / front of the housing 10a), and is configured to have multiple output areas 400 corresponding to the positions of each of the multiple lanes 190. That is, multiple output areas 400 corresponding to the positions on the front of each of the multiple lanes 190 (in other words, positions superimposed on each of the multiple lanes 190) are provided. For example, as shown in Figure 1(c), if the product storage shelves 100 have 5 tiers, and each of the multiple product storage shelves 100 has 5 lanes 190, the transparent display unit 120 has output areas 400 covering the area on the front of each lane at the respective positions corresponding to the front of each lane. Figure 1(c) shows an example in which the transparent display unit 120 has 5 × 5 output areas 400.

[0026] Furthermore, the transparent display unit 120 has an output area 400 corresponding to the front of at least one of the multiple lanes 190. The size / number of output areas 400 of the transparent display unit 120, and / or the shape of each of the one or more output areas 400, can be appropriately set based on the size and shape of the product and / or the size and shape of the lanes. Note that one output area only needs to overlap at least a part of the front of the corresponding lane, and does not need to cover the entire front of a lane.

[0027] The transparent display unit 120 is controlled by the output control unit 130, which is controlled by the control unit 150 (hereinafter, "controlled by the output control unit 130" means that the output control unit 130 is controlled by the control unit 150), and presents predetermined information to the user. For example, the transparent display unit 120 makes the products stored in each of the multiple lanes 190 visible, or outputs predetermined information to a predetermined output area and presents that predetermined information to the user. In other words, the output control unit 130 controls the information output to each of the multiple output areas 400.

[0028] Specifically, the transparent display unit 120 makes the products contained in each of the multiple lanes 190 visible through the transparent panel 110, or it makes the lane difficult or impossible to see by displaying predetermined information to the user in the output area 400 corresponding to the lane 190 that meets predetermined conditions, and then presents the predetermined information to the user. Here, "difficult to see" means that by outputting a predetermined effect in the output area 400, the lane 190 corresponding to this output area 400 (i.e., the inside of the housing) is made less visible from outside the housing 10 compared to when the predetermined effect is not output. Note that each of the multiple output areas 400 of the transparent display unit 120 becomes opaque when displaying predetermined information, making the inside of the lane invisible from outside the housing 10 (the front of the housing 10). For example, if multiple output areas 400 are each located in front of the corresponding lane 190, and the entire output area 400 is made opaque when no products are stored in the lane 190, it becomes impossible to see the front of the enclosure 10 when no products are stored in the lane 190. The predetermined condition may be, as described later, that the products stored in the lane are sold out.

[0029] (Display unit 20, output control unit 130) The display unit 20 is controlled by the output control unit 130 and displays predetermined information. For example, the display unit 20 displays information about multiple products sold in the vending machine 1 and multiple predetermined pieces of information as images (still images and / or videos) or text. Specifically, the display unit 20 displays various information such as the product name and product image of each of the multiple products sold in the vending machine 1, the price of each product, information prompting the user to take a predetermined action, and information about the vending machine 1 such as the progress of product sales. The output control unit 130 can output various processing results from each component, information about the vending machine 1, and / or multiple predetermined pieces of information to the display unit 20 as data in a predetermined format, still images, videos, and / or text. The output control unit 130 can also control whether or not to output predetermined information to each of the multiple output areas. The display unit 20 can also output information received from an external server. The vending machine 1 may be configured to have an audio output unit such as a speaker that outputs sound corresponding to the various information. The display unit may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

[0030] Furthermore, the display unit 20 can receive input such as predetermined instructions and operations from the user. In this case, the display unit 20 is configured to have a touch panel as an input unit. The touch panel supplies the instructions received from the user to predetermined components of the vending machine 1. Each component that receives the instruction performs a predetermined function. The touch panel may be multi-touch detectable or a non-contact type touch panel. For example, the touch panel is placed on top of the display unit 20, and the surface of the touch panel becomes the input surface for user instructions. For example, the display unit 20 displays an area for receiving predetermined instructions, and the input surface detects predetermined instructions at a specified position by the user's operation on that area of ​​the input surface (e.g., touch operation, tap operation, pinch operation, slide operation, etc.). The input surface supplies the detected information, that is, information indicating the predetermined instruction at the detected position, to the control unit 150. The control unit 150 acquires the information indicating the predetermined instruction from the input surface.

[0031] (Storage unit 140) The storage unit 140 stores various types of information, including information supplied from other components of the vending machine 1, information about the vending machine 1 itself, the products sold in the vending machine 1, information related to various products, and / or information unrelated to various products. Each storage section of the storage unit 140 supplies predetermined information to a predetermined component in response to a request from another component of the vending machine 1.

[0032] (Storage unit 140: Product information storage section 600) The product information storage unit 600 stores information such as the lane ID of the lane in which the product is stored, the product information of the product corresponding to the product ID, the number of units of the product corresponding to the product ID stored in the lane corresponding to the lane ID (i.e., the number detected by the quantity detection unit 160 described later), and / or sales information, associated with a product ID that identifies the product. When the operator of the vending machine 1 replenishes a lane with the maximum number of units of a particular product that can be stored in that lane, the control unit 150 updates the number of units of that particular product stored in the product information storage unit 600 to the number after replenishment, based on instructions from the operator, for example, received via the display unit 20 having a touch panel.

[0033] Product information includes, for example, the type of product (such as trading cards, plush toys / keychains, stationery, food and beverages), product name, product images (still images, videos, and / or 3D images of the product), price, manufacturer, and distributor.

[0034] Sales information includes, for example, information about products sold by vending machine 1, such as the date and time of sale, the number of units sold, the cumulative sales amount, a survey about the product, and the user's response to the survey about the product. The control unit 150 updates at least the number of units sold and / or the cumulative sales amount of each product each time a product is sold, and stores the updated number of units sold and / or the updated cumulative sales amount in the product information storage unit 600.

[0035] (Storage unit 140: Area information storage unit 602) The area information storage unit 602 stores information indicating the position of each output area 400 (i.e., information such as coordinates indicating which position / range of the transparent display unit 120 a particular output area 400 is set in), the ID of the lane associated with a particular output area 400 (corresponding lane ID), etc., associated with an area ID that identifies each of the multiple output areas 400 of the transparent display unit 120. The corresponding lane ID is an ID that identifies a particular output area 400 located in front of a lane 190.

[0036] (Storage unit 140: Performance information storage unit 604) The performance information storage unit 604 stores the product ID and performance information in association with a performance ID that identifies the performance to be output to the output area 400. Here, the performance includes performances associated with product information and performances not associated with product information. Therefore, the product ID associated with the performance ID is the product ID of a product for which the performance corresponding to the performance ID is output, or the product ID of a product for which the performance corresponding to the performance ID is not output. Furthermore, the content of the performance may consist of a combination of one or more pieces of information selected from a group consisting of text information, image information (still images, moving images such as animations, and / or stereoscopic images), various information about a predetermined character (character information), sound information, and vibration information, etc., which are output to one or more output areas 400.

[0037] Character information includes various images, 3D models, videos, and audio of the character, as well as information regarding the character's rarity, type (attribute), category, name, gender (characters without a gender may also exist), level, skills, and / or evolution conditions.

[0038] For example, the following are some examples of staging techniques, but they are not limited to these.

[0039] - An effect in which a designated character performs an action (for example, an action that performs a predetermined action, an action that sleeps within the output area, etc.). • A feature where a designated character speaks to the user. • An animation that displays advertisements for specified products. • An effect that displays advertisements for a designated shop. • A presentation that displays a predetermined message to the user. • A presentation that displays information about a designated shop located near the location where vending machine 1 is installed. • A presentation displaying information about a game tournament being held near the location where vending machine 1 is installed. • A display that shows information (such as gourmet information and tourist information) about the vicinity of the location where vending machine 1 is installed. • Presentations that show information about new products, etc. • A presentation that displays information about a designated shopping site on the web. • Presentations that show information about movies, events, etc.

[0040] Examples of performance information include special performance information and normal performance information. Special performance is a performance that is output to the output area 400 corresponding to the lane and / or to the output areas corresponding to one or more lanes different from the lane when the products in that lane are sold out. Typically, a special performance is a performance that is output to the output area in front of the lane where the product has sold out when a user is present in front of the vending machine 1. In other words, a special performance is a performance that is executed only when a product is sold out, in the output area in front of the lane where the sold-out product was located. Normal performance is a performance that is output to the output area 400 corresponding to the lane and / or to the output areas 400 corresponding to one or more lanes different from the lane, regardless of whether the products in the lane are sold out or not, and / or regardless of whether a user is present in front of the vending machine 1.

[0041] The content of the special display is the content of the display that is output to an output area 400 in front of a lane when a product in a lane sells out, and is based on information that is not associated with the product in question. For example, the content of the special display may be based on information about other products different from the product in question, other characters different from the character associated with the product in question, other products associated with that other character, information or surveys about products unrelated to the product in question, and / or information about a designated shop, etc. As an example, the content of the special display may be an advertisement for other products, a display of other characters in action, or an advertisement for an event at a designated shop, etc.

[0042] The content of the normal display is the content of the display that is output to a single output area 400 in front of a lane when a product in a lane is not sold out, and is the content of the display based on information associated with the product in question. For example, the content of the normal display is the content of the display based on information about a product and / or a character associated with that product. For example, the content of the normal display may be a message provided to the user, an advertisement for a product, an image showing a character in action (for example, a character promoting a product associated with that character), etc. The content of the normal display may also be the content of the display that is not based on information associated with a product in a lane. For example, the content of this normal display is a display that is output across the entire surface of the transparent display unit 120 or across multiple output areas, and may be text or images showing predetermined information (for example, information / advertisements for products other than the product in question, information about the location where the vending machine 1 is installed, information about shops near that location, other weather forecasts and various entertainment information, etc.).

[0043] (Quantity detection unit 160) The quantity detection unit 160 detects the quantity of products stored in each of the multiple lanes 190. In other words, the quantity detection unit 160 acquires the inventory quantity of each of the multiple products stored in the vending machine 1. The quantity detection unit 160 supplies the detected quantity of products to the product information storage unit 600. For example, the quantity detection unit 160 can be configured to have a predetermined sensor that counts the inventory quantity of products. This predetermined sensor may be installed in each of the multiple lanes. Furthermore, the quantity detection unit 160 can acquire the inventory quantity of each of the multiple products in real time. Specifically, the control unit 150 updates the sales information in the product information storage unit 600 based on the information detected by the quantity detection unit 160. That is, the quantity of one product detected by the quantity detection unit 160 becomes the new quantity of that product (i.e., the number of units stored), and the control unit 150 updates the number of units stored with the new quantity and stores the updated number of units stored in the product information storage unit 600.

[0044] (User detection unit 170) The user detection unit 170 detects the presence of a user within a predetermined range from the front (surface) of the transparent display unit 120. For example, the user detection unit 170 detects the presence of a user based on an image captured by an imaging unit 200 provided at a predetermined location on the housing 10. The housing 10 may be provided with one or more imaging units 200. Alternatively, multiple imaging units 200 may be provided at predetermined intervals near the periphery of the front surface 10a of the housing. By providing multiple imaging units 200, the user detection unit 170 can detect the user's position on the front of the vending machine 1, and / or the user's hand position and hand movements (for example, the user's hand position and hand movements on the surface of the transparent display unit 120. Hand movements include finger movements, such as touch operations, tap operations, pinch operations, and slide operations) as predetermined instructions (input instructions) by the user. In other words, the user detection unit 170 detects a predetermined input instruction from the user to one of the output areas 400 (an instruction given by the user to a predetermined area of ​​the output area 400, or an instruction given by placing and moving a hand or finger within a predetermined range from the surface of the output area 400). The user detection unit 170 supplies information about the detected user to the control unit 150.

[0045] The user detection unit 170 may detect the position of the user's hand and / or fingers relative to the transparent display unit 120 based on a predetermined base point set in the transparent display unit 120. For example, a predetermined coordinate axis may be set based on the base point of the transparent display unit 120, and the position (i.e., coordinate) of each of the multiple imaging units 200 relative to this base point may be predetermined. The user detection unit 170 then calculates the distance of the user's hand from each imaging unit 200 that each imaging unit 200 captures (for example, calculated from the focal length and field of view of each imaging unit 200). Subsequently, the user detection unit 170 can determine which coordinate of the transparent display unit 120 the user's hand and / or fingers are in front of based on the distance from each of the multiple imaging units 200 to the position of the user's hand and / or fingers and the base point. Furthermore, the user detection unit 170 may have the function to detect a predetermined instruction by a user not only when the user touches the transparent display unit 120 with their hand to perform the predetermined instruction, but also when the user performs the instruction non-contact within a predetermined range from the surface of the transparent display unit 120.

[0046] Furthermore, a touch panel may be provided on the transparent display unit 120. In this case, the user detection unit 170 can acquire information regarding the position and movement of the user's hand on the touch panel via the touch panel. Note that the transparent display unit 120 with a touch panel can be configured in the same way as the display unit 20 with a touch panel, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0047] Alternatively, the vending machine system may consist of a vending machine 1 and an external server (not shown) that supplies various information, including product information, to the vending machine 1. In this case, the vending machine 1 and the server may be connected via a network to enable bidirectional communication. The network may be a mobile phone network and / or a communication network such as the Internet. The network may also include communication networks such as wired LAN and wireless LAN, and networks that include short-range wireless communication. The server may be configured to include, for example, an output control unit 130, a storage unit 140, a server-side control unit, and / or a server-side communication unit. In other words, in this case, the output control unit 130 and / or the storage unit 140 may be located in the server.

[0048] When configuring a vending machine system, the above-mentioned multiple components may not only be physically located in the same device or place, but some of the above-mentioned multiple components may also be installed in physically separate locations. In this case, each component may be connected by a communication network such as the Internet. For example, vending machine 1 may have some of its component functions handled by an external server. The server may also be configured as one or more servers. In this case, the vending machine system is configured by combining vending machine 1, the components of one server, and the components of other servers. Furthermore, the method of distributing the multiple functions required to realize the vending machine system according to this embodiment to one or more hardware may be appropriately determined in consideration of the processing capacity of each hardware and / or the specifications required for the vending machine system. In addition, the various types of information stored in each storage section of the storage unit 140 may be updated by instructions from the operator of the server or by information acquired by the operator, or by acquiring various types of information from a predetermined server located outside the server and updating it as needed.

[0049] [Example 1 of output control in vending machine 1] Figure 4 shows an example of the display overview of the transparent display unit of the vending machine according to this embodiment. Specifically, Figure 4(a) shows an example of the overview of a state in which there are no sold-out items in lane 190b, and Figure 4(b) shows an example of the overview of a state in which the items in lane 190b are sold out.

[0050] First, in the initial state of the vending machine 1, each of the multiple product storage shelves 100 has a predetermined number of products in each lane, up to the maximum number of products that can be stored in each lane or up to the maximum number of products that can be stored in each lane. Then, as users purchase products, the number of products in each lane gradually decreases. In the example shown in Figure 4(a), each of the multiple product storage shelves 100 has a state where there is stock of products in each lane. In this case, the output control unit 130 has detected by the quantity detection unit 160 that the quantity of a single product stored in a lane is 1 or more, so as long as this detection result continues, the output area corresponding to that lane is made transparent. For example, the output control unit 130 does not output any effects to the output area in front of the lane where there is stock of products (for example, output area 400a, etc.), and does not make it opaque. Therefore, for example, the user can see through the transparent panel 110 that lane 190a has inventory of product 500 (i.e., they can see the actual product 500), and the user can see through the transparent panel 110 that lane 190b has inventory of product 502 (i.e., they can see the actual product 502). In the example in Figure 4(a), it is shown that the number of product 500 items in lane 190a is "3" and the number of product 502 items in lane 190b is "1".

[0051] Here, the output control unit 130 outputs a special effect in the output area corresponding to the lane when the user detection unit 170 detects the presence of a user in front of the vending machine 1, and / or when the quantity detection unit 160 detects that the quantity of a particular item in a lane is zero (i.e., when a particular item is sold out). In other words, the output control unit 130 outputs the special effect in the output area only when a user purchases a particular item in a lane at the vending machine 1, or when another user has already purchased the item and the quantity of that item in that lane is zero. The output control unit 130 may also determine whether the quantity of items in a lane is zero by referring to the number of items stored in the item information storage unit 600.

[0052] For example, if a user purchases the last remaining item in lane 190b, the quantity detection unit 160, which detects the quantity of items in each lane in real time, will detect that the quantity of item 502 in lane 190b is zero. Alternatively, suppose the user stands in front of the vending machine 1 while the quantity detection unit 160 has detected that the quantity of item 502 in lane 190b is zero. In this state, the control unit 150 instructs the output control unit 130 to output a special effect 700 to the output area 400b in front of lane 190b (see Figure 4(b)). The special effect 700 outputs images or the like to the output area 400b that prevent the user from seeing what is happening in lane 190b from outside the vending machine 1.

[0053] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may output a predetermined special effect to one or more output areas (for example, output across multiple output areas) only when all items stored in the vending machine 1 have been sold (sold out), that is, when the quantity detection unit 160 detects that the quantity of items in all lanes is zero. The predetermined special effect may consist of, for example, text information, image information, and / or audio information indicating that all items have been sold (sold out). As an example, the predetermined special effect may consist of displaying a predetermined character across multiple output areas, with the predetermined character notifying the user in front of the vending machine 1 via text or audio that all items have been sold.

[0054] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may determine the content of the visual effects to be output to the output area in front of a lane based on the number of lanes in the vending machine 1 that have sold out and / or the location of the lane. For example, if the quantity detection unit 160 detects that both the quantity of products in one lane and the quantity of products in another lane adjacent to that lane are zero, the control unit 150 may output a special visual effect using both the output area corresponding to that lane and the other output area corresponding to the other lane. In other words, the control unit 150 treats the output area and the other output area as a single output area and outputs a predetermined special visual effect to this single output area. Therefore, when there are multiple lanes where products have sold out (sold-out lanes), and the first sold-out lane is adjacent to the second sold-out lane, the second sold-out lane is adjacent to the third sold-out lane, and so on, the control unit 150 can treat the multiple output areas corresponding to each of the first sold-out lanes from the first to the nth sold-out lane as a single output area.

[0055] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may output a single special animation, which is completed when all lanes in the vending machine 1 are sold out, to multiple output areas. This single special animation consists of multiple partial animations, and is completed when all of the multiple partial animations are output. That is, each time an item in a lane is sold out, the control unit 150 outputs a part of the special animation (partial animation) to the output area in front of that lane. Then, when all items in all lanes are sold out, the multiple partial animations that the control unit 150 has output to the output areas in front of each lane complete and output a single special animation. In other words, one special animation is output to a single output area composed of all of the multiple output areas corresponding to each of the lanes. As a result, no partial animations are output to the output areas corresponding to lanes with unsold items in the vending machine 1, and partial animations are output to the output areas corresponding to lanes with sold-out items. Therefore, a "partially completed" animation is output until all items in each lane are sold out, and then a single special animation is completed and output.

[0056] [Example 2 of output control in vending machine 1] Figure 5 shows an example of the display overview of the transparent display unit of the vending machine according to this embodiment.

[0057] Figure 5 shows an example where the products in each of the multiple lanes are not sold out. In this case, when the user detection unit 170 detects the presence of a user in front of the vending machine 1, or while the user's presence is not detected, the output control unit 130 outputs the normal animation to one or more output areas, including one output area corresponding to that lane, regardless of the quantity value of one lane detected by the quantity detection unit 160. In other words, the output control unit 130 outputs the normal animation to one or more output areas regardless of whether the product in one lane is sold out or not. For example, the output control unit 130 may output the normal animation 800 (in the example in Figure 5, the text information "Let's make memories~" and a logo are output) and an image of a character 810 as a form of the normal animation to an area spanning one or more output areas, regardless of whether the products in each lane are sold out or not.

[0058] [Example 3 of output control in vending machine 1] In vending machine 1, based on instructions from a user who approaches vending machine 1, a predetermined animation related to a product in a lane can be output to an output area corresponding to that lane. Specifically, the user detection unit 170 detects a predetermined instruction from the user to an output area, or the control unit 150 accepts the user's selection of a product displayed on the display unit 20. The output control unit 130 then outputs related information as an animation to the output area corresponding to the output area for which the predetermined instruction was given. The output control unit 130 may output related information while the user detection unit 170 is detecting the predetermined instruction.

[0059] Here, the relevant information may be, for example, information about the products in the lane corresponding to the output area for which a predetermined instruction has been given by the user, and may be at least a part of the product information stored in the product information storage unit 600 associated with the lane ID of the lane and / or the product ID of the product. As an example, the relevant information may include a three-dimensional image (3D model) of the products contained in one lane. The output control unit 130 may then operate the three-dimensional image output within one output area based on a predetermined instruction from the user detected by the user detection unit 170. This operation may be, for example, a rotation or swinging motion of the three-dimensional image. The output control unit 130 may also enlarge and output the three-dimensional image within one output area based on a predetermined instruction from the user (for example, an instruction based on a pinch gesture or an instruction based on moving both palms away from each other).

[0060] [Example 4 of output control in vending machine 1] Figure 6 shows an example of the display overview of the transparent display unit of the vending machine according to this embodiment.

[0061] Figure 6 shows an example where products in multiple lanes are not sold out. The output control unit 130 can make one or more output areas corresponding to one or more lanes transparent (i.e., make them transparent) and make other output areas opaque or output predetermined advertisements, from the viewpoint of attracting the user's attention to predetermined products in predetermined lanes. In other words, the output control unit 130 makes the output areas in front of the lanes of products other than one or more products selected from multiple products (e.g., product 504) opaque or outputs predetermined advertisements or other information, making other products invisible from outside the vending machine 1, and makes the output area (e.g., output area 400b) in front of the lane of the selected one or more products (e.g., lane 190c) transparent, making those one or more products visible from outside the vending machine 1. As a result, the vending machine 1 can make announcements that focus on specific products.

[0062] In this case, the output control unit 130 may output a predetermined message to one or more output areas surrounding the transparent output area (for example, message 900 in Figure 6). The predetermined message may be an advertisement for a product that is visible from the transparent output area (for example, a message containing text information such as "Today's Recommendation"). Here, the output control unit 130 may output at least a portion of the product information stored in the product information storage unit 600, associated with the lane ID of lane 190c corresponding to the transparent output area 400b, to an output area different from the output area 400b (i.e., an output area different from the output area 400b corresponding to lane 190c). The output control unit 130 may also output advertisements for other products stored in lanes corresponding to other output areas to other output areas different from the transparent output area.

[0063] Furthermore, if there are multiple lanes where the products are not sold out (i.e., lanes where the quantity of products detected by the quantity detection unit 160 is 1 or more) (hereinafter, these lanes will be referred to as "lanes currently on sale"), the output control unit 130 may make the output areas corresponding to each of the multiple lanes currently on sale transparent in a predetermined order or randomly, at predetermined intervals, and make the other output areas opaque, or output predetermined advertisements, excluding the output areas that have been made transparent.

[0064] [Example 5 of output control in vending machine 1] The control unit 150 may configure one or more output areas corresponding to one or more predetermined lanes so that the products in those lanes cannot be seen from outside the vending machine 1 until all other products in those lanes are sold out (for example, by outputting or making opaque a predetermined advertisement or other visual effect in those one or more output areas). In this case, the control unit 150 may prohibit the sale of the products in those lanes until all other products are sold out, and after all other products are sold out, it may make those one or more output areas transparent and enable the sale of the products in those lanes. Below, an example in which one special product is stored in one lane will be described.

[0065] In other words, in this example, one special product is stored in each lane. The control unit 150 outputs advertisements or other visual effects to the output area on the front of the special product until all other products except the special product are sold out, making the special product invisible to the user and unavailable for purchase. When all other products except the special product are sold out, the control unit 150 makes the output area on the front of the special product transparent and makes the special product available for purchase. This allows the vending machine 1 to allow the purchase of the special product only by the user who has purchased the last remaining product other than the special product in the vending machine 1. Here, when the output area on the front of the special product is made transparent, the control unit 150 may output information to the user from a predetermined output unit (for example, a speaker or light-emitting unit on the vending machine 1) indicating that the special product is available for purchase.

[0066] The control unit 150 may configure multiple output areas corresponding to a predetermined number of lanes so that the products in those lanes cannot be seen from outside the vending machine 1 until all other products in the other lanes are sold out. In this case, the control unit 150 may prohibit the sale of the products in those lanes until all other products are sold out, and after all other products are sold out, it may make one output area selected from the multiple output areas in a predetermined order or randomly transparent, and then enable the sale of the product in the lane corresponding to that output area.

[0067] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may configure one or more output areas corresponding to one or more predetermined lanes so that the products in those lanes cannot be seen from outside the vending machine 1 until all other products in those lanes are sold out. However, contrary to the above, the control unit 150 may enable the sale of the products in those lanes regardless of whether all other products are sold out.

[0068] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may prohibit the sale of products located in one or more predetermined lanes until all other products located in the other lanes are sold out, while simultaneously making the products located in the lanes visible from outside the vending machine 1 in one or more output areas corresponding to the one or more predetermined lanes, similar to the output areas corresponding to the other lanes. In this case, the control unit 150 may enable the sale of products located in the one or more predetermined lanes after all other products have been sold out.

[0069] [Example 6 of output control in vending machine 1] The control unit 150 may display a predetermined questionnaire for the user in the output area corresponding to the lane where the product has sold out, and may accept the user's response to the questionnaire. For example, the control unit 150 outputs a questionnaire regarding the product that was in that lane, and / or a different product, in the output area corresponding to the lane where the inventory level has become zero based on the detection result of the quantity detection unit 160. The control unit 150 stores the user's response to the questionnaire on the surface of the transparent display unit 120, detected by the user detection unit 170, in the product information storage unit 600. The control unit 150 can supply the questionnaire responses stored in the product information storage unit 600 to an external server or the like. This allows the vending machine 1 to conduct a questionnaire regarding the product that the user requests to be restocked, for example, in front of the lane where the product has sold out. As an example, the existence of a sold-out product indicates that there is user demand for that product, but there may also be demand for other products different from that product. Therefore, in vending machine 1, a questionnaire can be printed on the output area on the front of sold-out products, and responses from users can be received. The operator of vending machine 1 can then refer to the received responses when replenishing products next time to determine the type and quantity of products to be replenished.

[0070] [Example 7 of output control in vending machine 1] Each time an item is sold in a lane, the control unit 150 calculates the cumulative sales amount for that lane based on the price of that item and stores it in the product information storage unit 600 (stored as one of the sales information items). In other words, each time an item is sold in a lane, the control unit 150 adds the price of that item to the cumulative sales amount before the sale, calculates a new cumulative sales amount, and updates the cumulative sales amount stored in the product information storage unit 600 with the new cumulative sales amount. The control unit 150 may also reset (i.e., set to zero) the cumulative sales amount associated with that lane stored in the product information storage unit 600 at the first timing when an item is replenished in that lane, and repeat the process of calculating the cumulative sales amount for that lane and storing it in the product information storage unit 600 from the first timing until the item is replenished at the second timing following the first timing.

[0071] The control unit 150 then outputs a visual effect to an output area in front of a lane, which changes based on the cumulative sales amount associated with that lane. For example, a predetermined character may be associated with each of multiple lanes, and the appearance of the character may change based on the cumulative sales amount. That is, for example, while the quantity detection unit 160 detects that the inventory amount of a lane is 1 or more, the control unit 150 outputs a character associated with that lane (for example, a character associated with that lane, or a character associated with a product contained in that lane) to an output area in front of that lane. In this case, the control unit 150 changes the output mode of the character based on the cumulative sales amount associated with that lane. As an example, the control unit 150 outputs to the output area the appearance of the character growing in response to the increase in cumulative sales amount (for example, increasing the initial size set for the character to a larger size based on the increase in cumulative sales amount. The initial size may be the minimum size of the character). In other words, it is as if a predetermined character resides in the lane, and the output area displays the character growing in proportion to the cumulative sales amount. The control unit 150 outputs a character of its initial size to an output area in front of a lane at one timing when the products in a lane are replenished after the products in that lane have sold out. Then, after that timing, the control unit 150 makes the character grow based on the cumulative sales amount until another timing when products are replenished in that lane based on the fact that the products in that lane have sold out, and outputs this growth to the output area. This allows the user to enjoy watching the character output to the output area corresponding to a predetermined lane of the vending machine 1 grow from the first replenishment timing of the products to the second replenishment timing of the products following the first replenishment timing. In addition, the user can also understand the sales performance of a lane by referring to the growth rate (i.e., the size of the character) of the character in front of that lane.

[0072] It should be noted that different characters may be associated with each of the multiple lanes. For example, the first character may be associated with the first lane, the second character with the second lane, and the nth character with the nth lane (where n is an integer of 3 or greater). When a user purchases an item in the first lane, the control unit 150 outputs the first character to the first output area in front of the first lane. The control unit 150 outputs the growth of the first character to the first output area based on the increase in the cumulative sales amount associated with the first lane. Here, the control unit 150 may continue to output the first character to the first output area after the user purchases an item in the first lane until the user purchases an item in another lane. Then, when a user (either the user in question or another user) purchases an item from another lane, the control unit 150 stops the output of the first character (for example, by creating an effect where the first character enters the first output area and disappears), and outputs the other character associated with the other lane to the other output area in front of the other lane. Then, similarly to the above, the control unit 150 outputs the growth of the other character to the other output area until the user next purchases an item from a different lane.

[0073] [Example 8 of output control in vending machine 1] Furthermore, the control unit 150 can also output to an output area in front of one lane a visual effect in which the character's form changes based on the cumulative sales amount associated with that lane (the change in the character's form is referred to here as "evolution"). For example, the control unit 150 may output to the output area a visual effect showing how a predetermined character, each associated with multiple lanes, evolves based on the cumulative sales amount of each of the multiple lanes.

[0074] In other words, the control unit 150 outputs a character associated with a lane to an output area in front of a lane, for example, while the quantity detection unit 160 detects that the inventory quantity of a lane is 1 or more. The control unit 150 then evolves the character based on the cumulative sales amount associated with that lane. For example, the control unit 150 can output the evolution of the character to the output area whenever the cumulative sales amount exceeds a preset threshold for the character, or whenever it exceeds a plurality of preset thresholds. This allows users to enjoy the evolution of the character output to the output area corresponding to a given lane, for example, from the first replenishment timing of a product to the second replenishment timing of the product following the first replenishment timing. Users can also understand the sales performance of a lane by referring to the evolution state of the character in front of that lane.

[0075] [Example 9 of output control in vending machine 1] In vending machine 1, a predetermined character is associated with each lane, and when a user purchases a product from a lane associated with a character of interest, that character can be continuously output to a predetermined output area until another user purchases a product.

[0076] First, each of the multiple lanes may be associated with a different character. Then, one character in one lane may be a character associated with one product contained in that lane (i.e., a character that can be associated with one product). The product may typically be a product manufactured using the character associated with that product as a motif (for example, a plush toy, keychain, trading card, etc. of the character). In other words, the first lane corresponding to the first character contains the first product related to the first character, the second lane corresponding to the second character contains the second product related to the second character, and the nth lane corresponding to the nth character contains the nth product related to the nth character.

[0077] For example, the first user can view the products in each lane through the transparent display unit 120 and / or transparent panel 110, and purchase products while referring to the actual products in the lane associated with a character of interest to the first user (favorite character). Here, when the first user purchases a product in one lane, the control unit 150 outputs a character associated with that lane to the output area in front of that lane. Here, the control unit 150 may output a character to an output area (one or more output areas) different from the front of one lane. For example, the control unit 150 may output a character to each of one or more output areas, or it may output an enlarged image of a character to an area wider than one output area composed of multiple output areas. After outputting a character to the output area, the control unit 150 continues to output that character until the second user purchases a product in any of the lanes. Then, when a second user purchases a product, the control unit 150 stops the output of the first character and outputs the character associated with the product purchased by the second user to the output area in the same manner as described above. This allows the user to selectively output the character they are interested in (their favorite character) to the front of the vending machine 1 (i.e., the front of the transparent display unit 120).

[0078] Furthermore, if the products in lane 1 are not sold out, the control unit 150 can maintain the output area 1 in a transparent state. In this case, the user can view the products in lane 1 through the transparent display unit 120 and / or the transparent panel 110. When the user purchases an item in lane 1, the control unit 150 may output the character associated with that lane to the output area 1 at the front of lane 1 and / or to another output area different from that output area. In other words, the user can view the product they wish to purchase while making the purchase, and after the purchase, they can enjoy seeing the character associated with that lane (or product) output to the output area (and / or other output areas) at the front of the lane where the product was stored. Also, since the user can view the products in lane 1, it is easier for them to purchase that product. Furthermore, since there is little need to make the lane in which the product is stored visible to the user after purchase, the control unit 150 may output a character associated with a lane to an output area on the front of the lane when a user purchases a product from that lane.

[0079] Furthermore, in cases where different characters are associated with each of multiple lanes, a character in one lane may not be associated with a product contained in that lane (i.e., an unassociated character).

[0080] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may associate one character with one lane and output a performance in which the character is likened to a store manager selling one product stored in that lane to a single output area in front of that lane. The control unit 150 outputs this performance to the single output area after the user has purchased one product. Here, the control unit 150 may output to the single output area a performance in which the character has grown and / or evolved based on the cumulative sales amount of one lane, similar to the explanations in "Example 7 of Output Control in Vending Machine 1" and "Example 8 of Output Control in Vending Machine 1" above. Normally, a user who has purchased a product has less interest in the products stored in the lane that are stored after the product the user purchased (the product the user purchased and the product stored in the lane in which the product was stored are the same, but the product the user purchased has become a specific item, so to speak, because of the user's purchase, while the products still stored in the lane have become generic items). However, since vending machine 1 can output a character animation associated with the lane where the purchased item was stored on the front of the lane, it can keep the user interested until they take the item and leave vending machine 1.

[0081] [Example 10 of output control in vending machine 1] The control unit 150 can also output a predetermined animation to a predetermined output area based on the number of products sold in the vending machine 1.

[0082] First, each of the multiple lanes may be associated with a different character. When a user purchases one item from a lane, the control unit 150 outputs one character associated with that lane to one output area on the front of that lane, or to another output area. Then, when the user and / or another user purchases another item from the same lane, the control unit 150 outputs another character to one output area or another output area. The control unit 150 repeats this process of outputting one character to one output area or another output area each time an item is purchased. The control unit 150 continues to output one or more characters from at least one timing from the first timing when an item is replenished in that lane until the second timing when an item is replenished again. As a result, in the vending machine 1, the number of character outputs increases as the number of items sold increases. Therefore, in vending machine 1, the more items a user purchases, the more elaborate the visual effects displayed in one or more output areas of the transparent display unit 120 can be. Furthermore, the operator can roughly grasp the sales performance of the vending machine 1 by referring to the number of characters displayed on the front of the vending machine 1.

[0083] [Example 11 of output control in vending machine 1] In vending machine 1, the number of items (stock quantity) in each lane can also be output to the output area on the front of each lane based on instructions from the user. For example, the control unit 150 outputs an icon to a predetermined location on the display unit 20 and / or the transparent display unit 120 to receive instructions from the user to confirm the stock quantity. The control unit 150 receives a confirmation instruction from the user for this icon and obtains the number of items stored in the product information storage unit 600 (or the number detected by the quantity detection unit 160). The control unit 150 then outputs information indicating the obtained stock quantity to the output area on the front of the lane corresponding to the lane ID associated with each stock quantity. In this way, vending machine 1 can display to the user the current stock quantity of the products being sold in vending machine 1, in response to the user's instructions.

[0084] [Example 12 of output control in vending machine 1] The vending machine 1 can have multiple lanes by dividing the product storage shelves 100 into n vertical columns x m horizontal rows (where n and m are integers of 1 or more). The control unit 150 may enable the sale of products (special products) stored in a predetermined lane when all products in at least one of the n vertical columns are sold out, and / or when all products in at least one of the m horizontal rows are sold out.

[0085] Furthermore, if the products in each of the multiple lanes of a row are sold out, the control unit 150 may treat the multiple output areas corresponding to each of those lanes as a single output area and output a predetermined animation to that single output area. If the products in one lane of a row are sold out, and the products in other lanes adjacent to that lane (other lanes in the row) are also sold out, the control unit 150 may connect the output area of ​​the first lane and the output area of ​​the other lanes to form a single output area. On the other hand, if the products in one lane of a row are sold out, and the products in other lanes not adjacent to that lane (other lanes in the row) are also sold out, the control unit 150 may treat the output area of ​​the first lane and the output area of ​​the other lanes as separate and independent output areas. The same applies to a row.

[0086] <Processing flow of vending machine 1> Figure 7 shows an example of the processing flow in a vending machine according to this embodiment.

[0087] First, the user detection unit 170 detects whether or not a user is present in front of the vending machine 1 (step 10; hereafter, steps will be denoted as "S"). While the user detection unit 170 does not detect a user (No. S10), the control unit 150 causes the transparent display unit 120 to output a normal display to a predetermined output area (S12). From S12 onward, the control unit 150 executes the steps from S10 onward.

[0088] On the other hand, if the user detection unit 170 detects a user (Yes in S10), the control unit 150 confirms the number of items stored in each lane based on the detection result of the quantity detection unit 160 (S14). If there is a lane with a number of items that is not zero, that is, if there is a lane where the items are not sold out (No in S16), the control unit 150 executes the steps from S12 onwards for the output area in front of that lane. If there is a lane with a number of items that is zero, that is, if there is a lane where the items are sold out (Yes in S16), the control unit 150 outputs a special effect to the output area in front of the lane of that item (S18).

[0089] [program] Each component of the vending machine 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 to 7, can be realized by having a processing unit such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) execute a program (i.e., the vending machine's performance program), that is, by software processing. Alternatively, it can be realized by pre-writing a program to hardware such as an integrated circuit (IC) as an electronic component. It is also possible to use both software and hardware in combination.

[0090] In other words, the vending machine presentation program according to this embodiment is a program for a vending machine to be executed by a computer that manages a vending machine that sells multiple products, and which includes a processor and memory. The vending machine presentation program according to this embodiment can be pre-installed in, for example, an IC or ROM. The vending machine presentation program can also be provided as a computer program by recording it on a computer-readable recording medium such as a magnetic recording medium, optical recording medium, or semiconductor recording medium in an installable or executable file format. The recording medium storing the program may be a non-transient recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD. Furthermore, the vending machine presentation program can also be pre-stored on a computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet, and made available for download via the communication network.

[0091] The performance program according to this embodiment interacts with the CPU or the like to cause the performance program to function as the display unit 20, card reader unit 26, transparent display unit 120, output control unit 130, storage unit 140, control unit 150, quantity detection unit 160, user detection unit 170, imaging unit 200, and / or communication unit 210, as described in Figures 1 to 7.

[0092] [Effects of the embodiment] In this embodiment, when the vending machine 1 detects a user in front of it, it can output a predetermined animation to the output area in front of a lane based on whether or not the products in that lane are sold out. The vending machine 1 makes the output area in front of a lane transparent while the products in a lane are not sold out, allowing the user to see the product inventory in that lane. On the other hand, when the products in a lane are sold out, the vending machine 1 outputs a special animation to the output area in front of that lane, making it impossible for the user to see inside that lane. As a result, even when the products in a lane are sold out, the vending machine 1 does not allow the user to see the state of that lane, thus preventing the user from feeling a sense of emptiness or lack in front of the casing 10. Furthermore, the vending machine 1 can output a special animation based on information unrelated to the products the user has purchased and which have become sold out, thus keeping the user interested in the vending machine 1 until they leave.

[0093] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, it should be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential for solving the problem of the invention. Moreover, the technical elements of the embodiments described above may be applied individually or may be divided into multiple parts, such as program components and hardware components, and applied accordingly.

[0094] Furthermore, the functions realized by the components described herein may be implemented in a circuit or processing circuitry, including general-purpose processors, application-specific processors, integrated circuits, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), a Central Processing Unit (CPU), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, programmed to realize the described functions. A processor, including transistors and other circuits, is considered a circuit or processing circuitry. A processor may be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in memory. In this specification, circuitry, unit, and means are hardware programmed to realize or perform the described functions. Such hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein, or any hardware known to be programmed to realize or perform the described functions. If such hardware is a processor that is considered a type of circuitry, then such circuitry, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software used to constitute such hardware and / or processor.

[0095] Furthermore, the vending machine 1 according to this embodiment can also be referred to in the following supplementary information, which should not be confused with the claims.

[0096] (Additional note 1) A program for the presentation of a computer-controlled vending machine, The aforementioned vending machine, A housing having product storage shelves including multiple lanes capable of accommodating products, A transparent display unit is positioned on the front of the housing and has multiple output areas corresponding to each of the multiple lanes, which can make the products stored in each of the multiple lanes visible or display predetermined information to the user. A quantity detection unit that detects the quantity of goods stored in each of the aforementioned multiple lanes, A user detection unit that detects the presence of the user in front of the transparent display unit, An output control unit that controls the information output to each of the plurality of output regions. Equipped with, To the aforementioned computer, The function of the user detection unit to detect the presence of the user, The quantity detection unit has a function to detect the quantity of the product, When the presence of the aforementioned user is detected and the quantity of a product stored in a lane is detected to be zero, the system has a function to output a special effect to an output area corresponding to that lane. A production program designed to bring this to life. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0097] 1 Vending machine 10 cabinets 10a Front of the enclosure 20 Display section 22 Coin slots 23 Receipt output slot 24 Bill slot 26 Card reader section 28 Change return slot 30 Product outlet 100 product storage shelves 110 Transparent Panel 110a Transparent panel surface 120 Transparent display 130 Output control unit 140 Storage Unit 150 Control Unit 160 Quantity detection unit 170 User detection unit 190, 190a, 190b, 190c lanes 200 Imaging Unit 210 Communications Department Output regions 400, 400a, 400b Products 500, 502, and 504 600 Product Information Storage Unit 602 Area Information Storage Unit 604 Production Information Storage Unit 700 Special performance 800 Normal performance 810 character 900 messages

Claims

1. It is a vending machine, A housing having product storage shelves including multiple lanes capable of accommodating products, A transparent display unit is positioned on the front of the housing and has multiple output areas corresponding to the front positions of each of the multiple lanes, and is capable of presenting predetermined information to the user. A quantity detection unit that detects the quantity of goods stored in each of the aforementioned multiple lanes, An output control unit that controls whether or not to output the predetermined information to each of the plurality of output regions. Equipped with, When the output control unit detects that the quantity of a product stored in a lane is zero, it outputs a special effect to the output area corresponding to that lane, which is not output when the quantity is not zero. A vending machine in which, while the output control unit detects that the quantity of one product stored in the one lane is 1 or more, the output area is made transparent or the predetermined information is output.

2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the content of the special presentation is based on information that is not associated with the information of the first product.

3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit causes the presence of a user to be detected by a user detection unit that detects the presence of a user in front of the transparent display unit, and when the quantity of a product stored in a lane is not zero, to output a normal display based on information associated with the information of the product in a lane corresponding to that lane.

4. A user detection unit detects the presence of the user in front of the transparent display unit and a predetermined instruction from the user. Furthermore, The user detection unit detects the user's predetermined instruction for the one output area, The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the output control unit outputs relevant information relating to the products stored in the lane corresponding to the output area for which a predetermined instruction has been given to the output area.

5. The aforementioned related information includes a three-dimensional image of the product stored in the first lane, The vending machine according to claim 4, wherein the output control unit operates the stereoscopic image output within the one output area based on the predetermined instruction.

6. A system having a vending machine, The aforementioned vending machine, A housing having product storage shelves including multiple lanes capable of accommodating products, A transparent display unit is positioned on the front of the housing and has multiple output areas corresponding to the front positions of each of the multiple lanes, and is capable of presenting predetermined information to the user. A quantity detection unit that detects the quantity of goods stored in each of the aforementioned multiple lanes, An output control unit that controls whether or not to output the predetermined information to each of the plurality of output regions. Equipped with, The output control unit causes the quantity detection unit to detect the quantity of the product, and when it detects that the quantity of a product in a lane is zero, it causes a special effect that is not output when the quantity is not zero to be output to a single output area corresponding to that lane. A system in which, while the output control unit detects that the quantity of one product stored in the one lane is 1 or more, the output area is made transparent or the predetermined information is output.

7. A method of presentation in vending machines, The aforementioned vending machine, A housing having product storage shelves including multiple lanes capable of accommodating products, A transparent display unit is positioned on the front of the housing and has multiple output areas corresponding to the front positions of each of the multiple lanes, and is capable of presenting predetermined information to the user. A quantity detection unit that detects the quantity of goods stored in each of the aforementioned multiple lanes, An output control unit that controls whether or not to output the predetermined information to each of the plurality of output regions. Equipped with, The quantity detection unit performs the step of detecting the quantity of the product, When the output control unit detects that the quantity of a product stored in a lane is zero, it outputs a special effect to the output area corresponding to that lane that is not output when the quantity is not zero. Equipped with, A method for staging a vending machine, in which the output control unit detects that the quantity of one product stored in one lane is 1 or more, either makes the one output area transparent or outputs the predetermined information.

8. A performance program to be executed by a computer that has a processor and memory and manages the execution of performances in a vending machine, The aforementioned vending machine, A housing having product storage shelves including multiple lanes capable of accommodating products, A transparent display unit is positioned on the front of the housing and has multiple output areas corresponding to the front positions of each of the multiple lanes, and is capable of presenting predetermined information to the user. A quantity detection unit that detects the quantity of goods stored in each of the aforementioned multiple lanes, An output control unit that controls whether or not to output the predetermined information to each of the plurality of output regions. Equipped with, The aforementioned performance program is provided to the processor, The steps include: detecting the quantity of the product using the quantity detection unit; When it is detected that the quantity of a product stored in a lane is zero, the process involves outputting a special animation to the output area corresponding to that lane, which is not output when the quantity is not zero. Make it run, An output control unit detects that the quantity of one product stored in the one lane is 1 or more, while the output control unit is performing an effect program that either makes the one output area transparent or outputs the predetermined information.

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