JP6554068B2 - Vending system and Vending method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic sales system and an automatic sales method for selling products adapted to customer preferences.

  When purchasing luxury items such as beverages and cigarettes with a vending machine, the customer selects and purchases a desired product at each purchase. In a conventional vending machine, the product name or the like is visually confirmed mainly by the customer, and for example, in a vending machine that sells cups of coffee etc., buttons such as density of beverage, presence or absence of sugar, etc. are pressed. And need to be adapted to your preferences.

  Conventionally, for example, a sales management method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 is known as a system for managing vending machines.

Vending machine sales management system | Case study | NTT DATA MSE, [online], [May 30, 2016 search], Internet (URL: http://nttd-mse.com/works/cat458/vending -machine-management-introduction.html)

  In the method disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, a manager in charge confirms the sales status of a vending machine via a network and arranges for product replenishment or the like. This method has an effect such as timely grasp of information on popular products, and contributes to optimization of inventory, efficiency of distribution, and sales expansion.

  However, conventional methods can not provide products tailored to customer preferences. For example, when coffee is sold as a cup, the preference of the customer, such as the presence or absence of coffee and the presence or absence of sugar, is set at the time of purchase, or the existing coffee seasoned is purchased. Moreover, in sales of vending machines, component display of products is often confirmed after obtaining the product after purchase. Therefore, the customer may accidentally purchase a product containing an allergen that causes allergies. There is also a possibility of purchasing religious contraindications.

  The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic sales system and an automatic sales method that can provide products that meet customer preferences.

The vending system of the present invention is a vending system comprising a vending machine and a customer management server, and the vending machine reads personal identification information for identifying a customer read from a portable recording medium, and itself And vending machine identification information indicating that the personal identification information is received from the customer management server, the product is sold based on the preference information, and the customer management The server receives the personal identification information and the vending machine identification information, generates preference information related to a product sold by a vending machine corresponding to the vending machine identification information of a customer corresponding to the personal identification information, and transmits the preference information to the vending machine, the vending machine allows selecting the item selection buttons corresponding to the item corresponding to the preference information, the product does not correspond to the preference information The corresponding product selection button is made unselectable, and when the non-selectable product selection button is pressed, a signal indicating that the product corresponding to the pressed product selection button does not correspond to the preference information is issued. The point is to sell the product corresponding to the product selection button pressed after that .

  The vending method of the present invention is a vending method performed by the vending system described above, and the vending machine shows personal identification information for identifying a customer read from a portable recording medium and itself. The vending machine identification information is transmitted to the customer management server, the preference information of the customer corresponding to the personal identification information is received from the customer management server, the product is sold based on the preference information, and the customer management server Receiving the personal identification information and the vending machine identification information, generating preference information on a product to be sold by the vending machine corresponding to the vending machine identification information of the customer corresponding to the personal identification information, and the preference information Is transmitted to the vending machine.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an automatic sales system and an automatic sales method capable of providing goods matched to the preferences of the customer.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the automatic vending system of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of the vending machine of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of the customer management server of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a customer's personal information. It is a figure which shows the example of customer preference information. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement sequence of the automatic vending system of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows a part of operation flow of the sales method of the modification 1. It is a figure which shows a part of operation flow of the sales method of the modification 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the same components in the drawings, and the description will not be repeated.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a vending system 1 according to the present embodiment. The vending system 1 includes a portable recording medium 10, a vending machine 20, a network 30, a customer management server 40, and a registration device 50.

  The network 30 is, for example, a 3G network. The network 30 is not limited to a 3G line network. For example, a 4G network may be used. The customer management server 40 and the registration device 50 are connected by a dedicated line. The dedicated line may be a LAN cable, for example. In the following, the lines connecting the components will be omitted.

  The portable recording medium 10 records personal identification information α that identifies a customer. The portable recording medium 10 is, for example, a magnetic card / IC card. Moreover, the portable recording medium 10 may be, for example, a mobile phone terminal provided with a payment function.

  The vending machine 20 transmits the personal identification information α for identifying the customer read from the portable recording medium 10 and the vending machine identification information β indicating itself to the customer management server 40, and the customer corresponding to the personal identification information α. Is received from the customer management server 40, and products are sold based on the preference information γ.

  The customer management server 40 receives the personal identification information α and the vending machine identification information β, and the preference information γ regarding the product sold by the vending machine 20 corresponding to the customer vending machine identification information β corresponding to the personal identification information α. And the preference information γ is transmitted to the vending machine 20. The preference information γ is information representing the preference of each customer, and is, for example, the taste of favorite coffee. Details of the preference information γ will be described later.

  According to the vending system 1 of the present embodiment, since the vending machine 20 sells products based on the customer preference information γ, it is possible to provide products that match the customer preference.

〔vending machine〕
FIG. 2 shows a functional configuration example of the vending machine 20. The vending machine 20 includes a recording medium reading unit 21, an information inquiry unit 22, a customer information acquisition unit 23, an operation panel control unit 24, a product selection button 25, a sales information management unit 26, and a communication interface 27. The functional configuration shown in FIG. 2 shows only portions necessary to describe the present embodiment. Also, it is assumed that the vending machine 20 is, for example, a vending machine that sells beverages.

  The recording medium reading unit 21 is a card reader that reads the personal identification information α recorded on the portable recording medium 10 that is, for example, a magnetic card or an IC card. The information inquiry unit 22 transmits the personal identification information α and the vending machine identification information β indicating itself to the customer management server 40.

  The customer information acquisition unit 23 receives customer preference information γ corresponding to the personal identification information α from the customer management server 40.

  Based on the preference information γ received from the customer management server 40, the operation panel control unit 24 enables selection of the product selection button 25 for selling the product corresponding to the preference information γ, and selects the product not corresponding to the preference information γ. The function of the product selection button 25 to be sold cannot be selected.

  The sales information management unit 26 manages sold product information. The product information is, for example, information such as sales date, product name, number, and personal identification information α.

  The communication interface 27 connects the vending machine 20 and the network 30. The communication interface 27 transmits the personal identification information α and the vending machine identification information β to the customer management server 40 and receives the preference information γ from the customer management server 40.

[Customer management server]
FIG. 3 shows a functional configuration example of the customer management server 40. The customer management server 40 includes a customer information management unit 41, a customer information DB 42, a vending machine information management unit 43, a vending machine information DB 44, a preference information generation unit 45, a purchase information management unit 46, a purchase history information DB 47, and a communication interface 48. DB means a database.

  The customer information management unit 41 registers the customer personal identification information α and the personal information input from the registration device 50 in the customer information DB 42. Personal information is registered in association with personal identification information α. Further, when the customer information management unit 41 receives the personal identification information α from the vending machine 20, the customer information management unit 41 outputs personal information corresponding to the received personal identification information α to the preference information generation unit 45.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of personal information. One line is one person's personal information. In the first row, personal identification information α, and in the second row, for example, food information of allergy and weakness is recorded. The personal information may also include, for example, attribute information such as gender, age, occupation, etc. representing an attribute of an individual, and favorite food information such as favorite food, favorite taste and the like. The representation of attribute information and favorite food information is omitted in FIG.

  The allergy / weak food information indicates, for example, allergens such as “egg”, “milk”, “soy”, “buckwheat” and the like that cause allergy, and food that you do not like (dislike). In this example, the personal identification information α is indicated by an alphabet of A, B, C,. The personal identification information α has an amount of information that can individually identify customers.

  The vending machine information management unit 43 registers vending machine information representing the aspect of the vending machine 20 input from the registration device 50 in the vending machine information DB 44. The vending machine information includes vending machine identification information β indicating itself and information on a product to be sold. When the product is, for example, a beverage, the vending machine information may include information such as the type of beverage and nutritional components. In addition, when the vending machine information management unit 43 receives the vending machine identification information β from the vending machine 20, the vending machine information management unit 43 outputs, to the preference information generation unit 45, vending machine information corresponding to the received vending machine identification information β.

  The preference information generation unit 45 generates customer preference information γ from the personal information and the vending machine information, and transmits the preference information γ to the vending machine 20. The preference information γ is information representing a preference regarding a product sold by the vending machine 20 corresponding to the customer's vending machine identification information β corresponding to the personal identification information α received from the vending machine 20.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the preference information γ. One row represents one person's preference information. The first row is the personal identification information α, the second row is the “type of coffee beans you like”, the third to sixth rows are the “favorite coffee taste”, the seventh row is the “milk amount”, the eighth row Is the "amount of sugar" and the ninth column is "hot / ice". The preference information shown in the column direction is an example, and is not limited to this example.

  The preference information γ shown in FIG. 5 is generated by the preference information generation unit 45 when the vending machine 20 is a vending machine that sells cups of coffee, for example. The preference information γ is generated based on a combination of personal information corresponding to the personal identification information α and a category of products sold by the vending machine corresponding to the vending machine identification information β. The preference information γ may include, for example, allergen information of the customer.

  The purchase information management unit 46 registers the purchase information of the product received from the vending machine 20 in the purchase history information DB 47. The purchase history information δ includes vending machine identification information β, purchase date and time, purchased product information, and the like.

  The vending machine information management unit 43, the vending machine information DB 44, the purchase information management unit 46, and the purchase history information DB 47 are not essential components. If the vending machine 20 transmits vending machine information representing its own aspect to the customer management server 40 together with the personal identification information α at the time of product sale, the vending machine information management unit 43 and the vending machine information DB 44 are unnecessary. It is.

  The vending machine information representing its own form means including information related to the product sold by itself in addition to the vending machine identification information β. In this case, the preference information generation unit 45 generates preference information γ based on the vending machine information received from the vending machine 20.

  Further, the purchase information management unit 46 and the purchase history information DB 47 may be provided for managing sales information. Further, the purchase information management unit 46 and the purchase history information DB 47 may be provided in another server.

  The communication interface 48 connects the customer management server 40 and the network 30. The communication interface 48 receives the personal identification information α and the vending machine identification information β from the vending machine 20 and transmits preference information γ to the vending machine 20.

[Vending system]
The operation will be described in more detail with reference to the operation sequence of the vending system 1 shown here from FIG.

  The customer applies for service to a service provider (not shown) along with his / her personal information. The application for the service is made by mailing a document in which necessary information (including personal information) is filled. Alternatively, for example, necessary items may be input and applied via the Internet instead of by mail.

  The service provider company earns a profit from a merchandise seller (not shown) by managing and providing information such as customer's allergen information and weak foods, contraband items, preferences, purchase results and the like. The product seller is, for example, a beverage maker.

  The service provider inputs personal information to the customer management server 40 using the registration device 50 (step S1). At this time, the personal information is registered in the personal information DB in association with the personal identification information α for identifying the customer (step S2). The personal identification information α is recorded on the portable recording medium 10 and sent to the customer.

  The customer presents the portable recording medium 10 when receiving the service of the service provider. For example, when a service provider provides a product sales service using a vending machine, the customer presents the portable recording medium 10 to the vending machine 20 and receives the service. The portable recording medium 10 is inserted into, for example, a slot of a card reader of the vending machine 20 (step S3).

  The vending machine 20 reads personal identification information α of the customer from the portable recording medium 10 (step S4).

  Next, the vending machine 20 transmits the customer personal identification information α and the vending machine identification information β indicating itself to the customer management server 40 (step S5). The customer information management unit 41 of the customer management server 40 searches the customer information DB 42 with the received personal identification information α (step S6), and outputs the read personal information to the preference information generation unit 45. In addition, the vending machine information management unit 43 searches the vending machine information DB 44 with the received vending machine identification information β (step S7), and outputs the read vending machine information to the preference information generation unit 45.

  The preference information generation unit 45 generates preference information γ based on the personal information input from the customer information management unit 41 and the vending machine information input from the vending machine information management unit 43 (step S8). Then, the preference information generation unit 45 transmits the generated preference information γ to the vending machine 20 (step S9).

  The operation panel control unit 24 of the vending machine 20 enables selection of the product selection button 25 for selling the product corresponding to the preference information γ based on the received preference information γ, and selects the product not corresponding to the preference information γ. The function of the product selection button 25 to be sold cannot be selected (step S10). Making the product selection button 25 selectable means, for example, turning on the backlight of the product selection button 25 so that pressing of the button can be detected. Also, making the selection impossible means, for example, turning off the backlight of the product selection button 25 so that pressing of the button cannot be detected.

  By operating the operation panel control unit 24 in this manner, the item corresponding to the item selection button 25 is sold only when the item selection button 25 that has become selectable is pressed (YES in step S11). (Step S12). Even if the product selection button 25 that has become unselectable is pressed, the product corresponding to the product selection button 25 is not sold (NO in step S11).

  Thus, the customer does not accidentally purchase a product containing, for example, an allergen. In addition, it is possible to purchase only products that meet their own preferences.

  After purchasing the product, a settlement process (step S13) is performed, and the purchase history information δ of the product is transmitted to, for example, the customer management server 40 (step S14). The purchase history information δ is recorded, for example, in the purchase history information DB 47 of the customer management server 40 (step S15).

  The settlement process is performed, for example, with a settlement management server (not shown) that manages the settlement process. Payment processing may be any of credit card payment, prepaid card payment, and electronic money payment. Also, it may be cash settlement.

  In the sales method shown in steps S10 to S12 of FIG. 6, when the product selection button 25 that is not selectable is pressed, the product is not sold. Next, a sales method obtained by modifying this sales method will be described.

(Modification 1)
FIG. 7 shows an operation flow of the selling method obtained by modifying the above steps S10 to S12. In the first modification, it receives the purchase history information δ preference information γ from the vending machine 20 (Step S10 _1).

Based on the received preference information γ, the operation panel control unit 24 of the vending machine 20 enables selection of a product selection button 25 for selling a product corresponding to the preference information γ (step S10 ₂ ). Also, to disable select the function of the product selection button 25 for selling products which does not correspond to the preference information gamma (Step S10 _3). Then, the elapsed time Ta after inserting the portable recording medium 10 into the vending machine 20 is timed (step S10 ₄ ).

  The sales information management unit 26, when the product selection button 25 is pressed when the elapsed time Ta from when the personal identification information α is read until the product selection button 25 is pressed is smaller than the threshold (YES in step S17). , And sells a product corresponding to the pressed product selection button 25 (step S12). In addition, when the elapsed time Ta becomes longer than the threshold without reading the personal identification information α after the item selection button 25 is pressed (NO in step S16), the past for the customer based on the purchase history information δ In step S18, the most sold item is found, and the item (the most purchased item) is sold.

  By operating the vending machine 20 in this way, it is possible to save the customer from pressing the product selection button 25. In other words, the customer can always obtain a product to be purchased simply by inserting the portable recording medium 10 into the card reader.

  Further, the customer can purchase any product within the range of preference by pressing the product selection button 25 within a predetermined time.

(Modification 2)
The customer does not always purchase the product corresponding to the preference information γ. For example, it may be considered that a third party purchases a product for use (for example, drinking). A modification 2 in which a product can be sold even in that case will be described.

  FIG. 8 shows an operation flow of the sales method of the second modification. In the second modification, the operation up to step S10 for performing operation panel control is the same as that in FIG.

  When the customer presses the invalidated product selection button 25 that does not correspond to the preference information γ (YES in step S18). The vending machine 20 issues a signal indicating that the selected product does not correspond to the preference information γ (step S19). The signal may be a voice announcement or may be displayed on a display panel (not shown).

  By the signal, the customer notices that it is an erroneous operation, or the customer who changes his mind presses the activated product selection button 25 corresponding to the preference information γ (NO in step S20). The vending machine 20 sells a product corresponding to the pressed product selection button 25 (step S12).

  In step S19, when the customer who has confirmed “display that does not correspond to the preference information γ” presses the invalidated product selection button 25 that does not correspond to the preference information γ again (YES in step S20), the second time It is checked whether the pressed product selection button 25 is the same as the product selection button 25 pressed for the first time (step S21).

  If the product selection button 25 pressed for the second time is different from the product selection button 25 pressed for the first time, the operations from step S19 are repeated. If the product selection button 25 pressed for the second time is the same as the first time, the product corresponding to the product selection button 25 pressed for the second time is sold (step S22).

  By operating in this way, even products that do not correspond to the preference information γ can be sold after notifying the customer. The sales method of modification 2 is effective when the customer purchases a product to be provided to a third party.

  That is, when there is no product corresponding to the preference information γ, the vending machine 20 issues a signal indicating that and sells the product corresponding to the product selection button 25 pressed thereafter. By operating in this way, it is possible to select a product at the purchaser's responsibility.

  In addition, the flow of step S19 may be eliminated from No of step S21 shown in FIG. That is, the product corresponding to the product selection button 25 pressed after issuing a signal indicating that it does not correspond to the preference information γ may be sold unconditionally.

  Further, it may be considered that the purchase record of the product not corresponding to the preference information γ is not desired to be recorded. In that case, for example, an operation step in which the customer can select “whether or not to store purchase information” may be provided between steps S20 and S21.

  Moreover, you may provide the cancellation waiting time for several seconds between step S20 and S21. That is, after the commodity selection button 25 corresponding to the commodity which does not correspond to the preference information γ is pressed once, the sale of the commodity may be automatically stopped after several seconds have passed. By operating in this way, the merchandise seller can avoid the risk of selling contraindicated products to customers.

  As described above, according to the automatic sales system 1 of the present embodiment, the customer can purchase a product excluding the product which he / she does not want to purchase (does not correspond to the preference information γ). In addition, the customer can purchase a product which finely meets his / her taste. Also, by carrying the portable recording medium 10, the customer can receive the same service anywhere. In addition, it is possible to eliminate the need for the operation of the customer who selects the product at the time of product purchase.

  Also, the service provider can earn revenue from the product seller by managing and providing the customer's personal information. In addition, the product sales company can perform product development in accordance with the preference of the customer based on the information provided by the service provider company. Further, purchase history information or the like can be used for inventory management.

  The preference information γ in the above embodiment is generated based on a combination of personal information corresponding to the personal identification information α and a product category sold by the vending machine 20 corresponding to the vending machine identification information β. Explained in. However, the preference information γ of the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, preference information γ may be generated without depending on personal information. For example, preference information γ of a customer (individual corresponding to personal identification information α) for a can coffee vending machine is generated from purchase history information δ of a vending machine selling cups of coffee and personal identification information α. You may

  In the above embodiment, the customer management server 40 has been described as having the vending machine information DB 44 and the purchase history information DB 47. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. These databases may be provided in other servers. As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

1: vending system 10: portable recording medium 20: vending machine 21: recording medium reading unit 22: information inquiry unit 23: customer information acquisition unit 24: operation panel control unit 25: product selection button 26: sales information management unit 27: Communication interface 30: Network 40: Customer management server 41: Customer information management unit 42: Customer information DB
43: Vending machine information management unit 44: Vending machine information DB
45: Preference information generation unit 46: Purchase information management unit 47: Purchase history information DB
48: communication interface 50: registration device α: personal identification information β: vending machine identification information γ: preference information

Claims (6)

A vending system comprising a vending machine and a customer management server, comprising:
The vending machine transmits personal identification information for identifying a customer read from a portable recording medium and vending machine identification information indicating itself to the customer management server, and the customer's preference corresponding to the personal identification information Receiving information from the customer management server and selling goods based on the preference information;
The customer management server receives the personal identification information and the vending machine identification information, and generates preference information related to products sold by the vending machine corresponding to the vending machine identification information of the customer corresponding to the personal identification information And sending the preference information to the vending machine ,
The vending machine enables selection of a product selection button corresponding to a product corresponding to the preference information, disables selection of a product selection button corresponding to a product not corresponding to the preference information, and makes the selection impossible. When the selection button is pressed, the product corresponding to the pressed product selection button emits a signal indicating that it does not correspond to the preference information, and then sells the product corresponding to the pressed product selection button. A featured vending system. In the vending system according to claim 1,
The vending system is generated based on a combination of personal information corresponding to the personal identification information and a category of products sold by a vending machine corresponding to the vending machine identification information. . In the vending system according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The customer management server transmits purchase history information indicating products sold by the vending machine to the customer corresponding to the personal identification information together with the preference information to the vending machine,
The vending machine sells the product of the pressed product selection button when the time from when the personal identification information is read until the selectable product selection button is pressed is below a threshold, When the time elapsed without reading the product selection button after reading the identification information is longer than the threshold, based on the purchase history information, find the most sold product in the past for the customer, A vending system characterized by selling the product. A vending method implemented by a vending system comprising a vending machine and a customer management server, comprising:
The vending machine transmits personal identification information for identifying a customer read from a portable recording medium and vending machine identification information indicating itself to the customer management server, and the customer's preference corresponding to the personal identification information Receiving information from the customer management server and selling goods based on the preference information;
The customer management server receives the personal identification information and the vending machine identification information, and generates preference information related to products sold by the vending machine corresponding to the vending machine identification information of the customer corresponding to the personal identification information And sending the preference information to the vending machine ,
The vending machine enables selection of a product selection button corresponding to a product corresponding to the preference information, disables selection of a product selection button corresponding to a product not corresponding to the preference information, and makes the selection impossible. When the selection button is pressed, the product corresponding to the pressed product selection button emits a signal indicating that it does not correspond to the preference information, and then sells the product corresponding to the pressed product selection button. A feature of vending. In the vending method according to claim 4 ,
The preference information is generated based on a combination of personal information corresponding to the personal identification information and a category of products sold by a vending machine corresponding to the vending machine identification information. . In the vending method according to claim 4 or 5 ,
The customer management server transmits purchase history information indicating products sold by the vending machine to the customer corresponding to the personal identification information together with the preference information to the vending machine,
The vending machine sells the product of the pressed product selection button when the time from when the personal identification information is read until the selectable product selection button is pressed is below a threshold, When the time elapsed without reading the product selection button after reading the identification information is longer than the threshold, based on the purchase history information, find the most sold product in the past for the customer, A vending method characterized by selling the product.

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