JPH07175965A - Prepaid card selling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a prepaid card selling machine capable of preventing the card jamming of a card delivery part at the time of housing a card in the card delivery part. CONSTITUTION:This machine is provided with a purchasing card instruction part for receiving money and instructing the card to be purchased and the card delivery part for deliverying and ejecting the card based on the output of the purchasing card instruction part, and the card delivery part is provided with a card housing part 11 for housing the card C and a card delivery mechanism for deliverying and ejecting the card from the card housing part 11. A card inserting port is formed in the card housing part 11, a card delivery port for deliverying the card one by one is formed on the bottom part and a stopper 23 for obstracting the passing of the card C is retractably provided in the card delivery port 18. Also, a freely openable and closable door 24 integrated with the stopper 23 may be provided in the card inserting port. Also, by providing a door detection means for detecting the opening and closing of the door, the operation of a card detection means may be controlled based on the output thereof.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a prepaid card vending machine which prevents a card from being jammed in a card feeding section when the card is stored in the card feeding section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, prepaid cards, which have excellent features such as no need to prepare coins and easy settlement, have been put on the market in various industries such as telecommunications, railways, and retailing, and are being used in other industries. Is expanding more and more. This prepaid card is sold by a prepaid card vending machine in addition to being purchased at a store.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a conventional prepaid card vending machine. In the figure, 1 is a banknote section for accepting and inspecting currency, 2 is a selection button for selecting a card to be purchased, and 3 is a banknote section. It is a control unit that displays a card that can be purchased based on the output of 1 and gives an instruction to draw out and eject the card selected by the selection button 2. The bill unit 1 to the control unit 3 constitute a purchase card instruction unit. Reference numeral 4 denotes a card feeding unit for feeding and discharging a card based on the output of the control unit 3, and here, five card feeding units 4a to 4e are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction so that a plurality of types of cards can be stored. Further, 5 is a card transport unit for sandwiching and transporting the cards delivered from the card delivery units 4a to 4e to the card outlet 6, and 7 is a power supply unit.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the card feeding section 4, 11 is a box-shaped stocker (card storing section) for storing hundreds of stacked cards C, and 12 is a card pushing claw 1.
3, a pair of rolls 14, 14, a crank 15, and the like, a card feeding mechanism for feeding and discharging the cards C one by one from the stocker 11, 16 is an openable and closable door provided on one side surface of the stocker 11, and 17 is a door. Stocker 11
The one-thickness gate provided at the card feeding port 18 at the lower end of the other side of the card is a card presence sensor for detecting the presence or absence of the card C. The one-sheet thickness gate 17 adjusts the gap s of the card feeding port 18 to the thickness of one card C, and prevents two or more cards from being fed at the same time.

Next, the operation of this prepaid card vending machine will be described. When the customer inserts a 1000-yen bill to a 10000-yen bill into the bill section 1 from the bill insertion slot 1a, the control section 3 displays a card that can be purchased based on the output of the bill section 1, and the customer follows the instruction of the control section 3. Select the card to be purchased with the select button 2. The control unit 3 instructs the card feeding unit 4 to feed and eject the card selected by the selection button 2. In the card feeding unit 4, the card feeding mechanism 12 causes the card C1 at the bottom of the stocker 11 to move.
Is ejected from the card feeding port 18. The discharged card C1 is conveyed to the card take-out port 6 by the card conveying section 5. The customer takes out a desired card from the card outlet 6.

[0006]

By the way, in the above prepaid card vending machine, as shown in FIG. 7, when the cards C are stored in the stocker 11, the cards C are stacked in a state in which they are slightly displaced from each other. Since the side faces of the stacked cards C are not aligned due to the large number of cards, the second card C2 may enter the card feeding port 18 earlier than the lowermost card C1. There is a problem that a card jam occurs at the card delivery port 18.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a prepaid card vending machine capable of preventing a card from clogging in the card feeding section when the card is stored in the card feeding section. To do.

[0008]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following prepaid card vending machine. That is, the prepaid card vending machine according to claim 1 comprises a purchase card designating section for designating a card to receive and purchase money, and a card dispensing section for dispensing and discharging the card based on the output of the purchase card designating section. The card feeding section includes a box-shaped card storing section for storing a plurality of stacked cards and a card feeding mechanism for feeding and discharging cards one by one from the card storing section, and a side surface of the card storing section. Alternatively, a card insertion opening is formed on one of the top surfaces, and a card feeding opening for feeding cards one by one is formed at the bottom of the card insertion opening.
It is characterized in that a stopper for blocking the passage of the card is provided so as to be retractable.

The prepaid card vending machine according to a second aspect of the present invention is the prepaid card vending machine according to the first aspect, wherein a door that can be opened and closed is provided at the card insertion port, and the stopper is provided at the card feeding portion. It is characterized in that a drive mechanism is provided to make it appear and disappear in conjunction with opening and closing.

Further, the prepaid card vending machine according to claim 3 is the prepaid card vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a door integrated with the stopper is provided at the card insertion slot, and the door and the stopper are provided. , Its intermediate portion is rotatably supported by a shaft provided in the card feeding portion,
It is characterized in that the stopper is retracted in association with the opening and closing of the door.

Further, the prepaid card vending machine according to claim 4 is the prepaid card vending machine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein door detection means provided on the door for detecting opening and closing of the door, and the card storage section. And a card detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a card, and controlling the operation of the card detection means based on the output of the door detection means.

[0012]

In the prepaid card vending machine according to the first aspect of the present invention, a stopper for preventing the card from passing is provided at the card feeding port so that the card can be retracted and retracted. , The stopper is projected to the card feeding port to prevent the card from entering the card feeding port, and after the card is stored, the stopper is retracted from the card feeding port to the card feeding port. Facilitate the intrusion of. As a result, when the card is stored in the card storage portion, there is no risk that the card will enter the card feeding port, and there is no risk that card jamming will occur.

Further, in the prepaid card vending machine according to claim 2, a door which can be opened and closed is provided at the card insertion slot,
By providing a drive mechanism for retracting the stopper in association with the opening and closing of the door in the card feeding unit, when the card is stored in the card storage unit, the door is opened at the same time as the stopper is opened. To prevent the card from entering the card feeding port, and after the card is stored in the card storing portion, the stopper is retracted from the card feeding port at the same time as closing the door. Makes it easy for a card to enter. As a result, when the card is stored in the card storage section, there is no risk that the card will enter the card feeding port and the risk that the card will be jammed simply by opening and closing the door.

Further, in the prepaid card vending machine according to claim 3, a door integrated with the stopper is provided at the card insertion slot, and an intermediate portion of the door and the stopper is provided at the card feeding portion. When the card is stored in the card storage part, the stopper is rotatably supported by the shaft and is opened and closed in association with the opening and closing of the door. When the card is stored in the card storage part, the door is closed and the stopper is opposed to the door at the same time when the card is stored in the card storage part. The card moves in the direction and moves out of the card feeding port to facilitate the entry of the card into the card feeding port. As a result, when the card is stored in the card storage section, there is no risk of the card entering the card feeding opening simply by opening and closing the door,
There is no risk of card jams.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a prepaid card vending machine, which includes door detection means provided on the door to detect opening / closing of the door, and card detection means provided to the card storage section to detect presence / absence of a card. By controlling the operation of the card detection means based on the output of the door detection means, the card detection means operates only when the door is in the closed state, and the open / closed state of the door is always grasped. Therefore, there is no fear of malfunction due to forgetting to close the door.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a card payout section of a prepaid card vending machine, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, and FIG. 3 is a partial side view showing a card payout opening section of the card payout section. A stopper 2 that protrudes slightly inward from the single-thickness gate 17 at the tip of the surface L-shaped plate 22
3 is a gate stopper, 24 is a stocker door integrally formed with the gate stopper 21, and a side end of a plate having an L-shaped cross section is bent at a right angle, and 25 is a stocker 11
It is a shaft provided on one side surface 11a, and supports the integrated gate stopper 21 and stocker door 24 so as to be rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction. Reference numeral 26 is a spring for biasing or separating the gate stopper 21 and the stocker door 24 from the side surface 11a. Here, the stopper 23 appears and disappears in the card feeding opening 18 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the stocker door 24.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the detection device 31, 32 is a card presence / absence sensor (card detection means) 19
Is connected in series to the light emitting diode side of the stocker door 24
Micro switch that detects the open / closed state of the door (door detection means)
Is. Here, when the micro switch 32 detects that the stocker door 24 is open, the power supply to the light emitting diode side of the card presence / absence sensor 19 is turned off to stop the operation, and the micro switch 32 determines that the stocker door 24 is closed. When it is detected that there is a card presence sensor 19
The light emitting diode side is turned on to start the operation.

In this prepaid card vending machine, when the card C is stored in the stocker 11, the stocker door 2
Simultaneously with opening the door 4, the gate stopper 21 is urged against the side surface 11a in conjunction with the stocker door 24 to prevent the stopper 23 from projecting into the card feeding port 18 and the card C from entering the card feeding port 18. Further, after the card C is stored, the gate stopper 21 is interlocked with the stocker door 24 at the same time when the stocker door 24 is closed.
The stopper 23 moves away from the a and the stopper 23 retreats from the card feeding port 18. As a result, the card C becomes the card outlet 18
Is released and released. As described above, when the card C is stored in the stocker 11, only by opening and closing the stocker door 24, the second card C2 is the first card feeding opening 1.
8 is eliminated, and there is no concern that card jamming will occur.

As described above, the prepaid card vending machine according to this embodiment has the gate stopper 21 having the stopper 23 and the stocker door 24 integrated with the gate stopper 21. When the card C is stored in the stocker 11, it is possible to prevent the card C from entering the card feeding port 18 only by opening and closing the stocker door 24, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of card jam.

Since the micro switch 32 for detecting the open / closed state of the stocker door 24 is connected to the light emitting diode side of the card presence / absence sensor 19, the card presence / absence sensor 19 operates only when the stocker door 24 is closed. The open / closed state of the stocker door 24 can be always grasped, forgetting to close the stocker door 24 can be prevented, and malfunctions and the like due to this can be prevented.

In this embodiment, the gate stopper 21 having the stopper 23 formed therein and the stocker door 24 are integrated. However, the stopper 23 is interlocked with the stocker door 24 at the card feeding portion. A configuration may be used in which a drive mechanism that makes the outlet 18 appear and disappear is provided.

[0022]

As described above, according to the prepaid card vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, a purchase card instruction unit for instructing a card to receive money and purchase, and an output of the purchase card instruction unit. A card feeding unit for feeding and discharging a card based on the above, wherein the card feeding unit is a box-shaped card storing unit for storing a plurality of stacked cards,
A card feeding mechanism for feeding and ejecting the cards one by one from the card storing portion, and a card insertion opening is formed on either a side surface or an upper surface of the card storing portion, and the cards are fed one by one to the bottom portion. A card outlet is formed, and a stopper that prevents the passage of the card is provided at the card outlet so that it can be withdrawn and retracted, so that the card does not enter the card outlet when it is stored in the card storage section. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of card jamming.

According to another aspect of the prepaid card vending machine of the present invention, a door which can be opened and closed is provided at the card insertion port, and the stopper is provided at the card feeding portion in association with opening and closing of the door. Since the card is provided, it is possible to prevent the card from entering the card feeding port only by opening and closing the door when the card is stored in the card storage portion, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a card jam.

According to another aspect of the prepaid card vending machine of the present invention, a door integrated with the stopper is provided at the card insertion slot, and the door and the stopper have an intermediate portion between the card feeding portion. Since the stopper is rotatably supported by the shaft provided in the, and the stopper is retracted in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door, when the card is stored in the card storage part, the card can be opened and closed by simply opening and closing the door. It is possible to prevent the card from entering the card feeding port, and prevent the occurrence of card jamming. Moreover, since the structure is simple, there is no fear of a significant increase in cost.

According to another aspect of the prepaid card vending machine of the present invention, door detection means provided on the door for detecting the opening and closing of the door, and card detection for detecting the presence / absence of a card provided in the card storage section. Means for controlling the operation of the card detecting means based on the output of the door detecting means, the card detecting means operates only when the door is in the closed state, and the opening / closing state of the door Can be always grasped, forgetting to close the door can be prevented, and malfunctions and the like due to this can be prevented.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a card feeding section of a prepaid card vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a card feeding section of the prepaid card vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial side view showing a card payout opening portion of the prepaid card vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a detection device of a prepaid card vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a conventional prepaid card vending machine.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a card feeding section of a conventional prepaid card vending machine.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a defect of a card feeding unit of a conventional prepaid card vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 banknote section 2 selection button 3 control section 5 card transport section 11 stocker (card storage section) 12 card feeding mechanism 17 1-thick gate 18 card feeding opening 19 card presence sensor 21 gate stopper 23 stopper 24 stocker door 25 axis 31 detection device 32 micro switch (door detection means) C card

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical display location G07F 7/08 9/00 107 C

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A purchase card designating unit for designating a card to receive money and purchase, and a card dispensing unit for dispensing and discharging a card based on the output of the purchase card designating unit, wherein the card dispensing units are stacked. A box-shaped card storage unit for storing a plurality of cards and a card feeding mechanism for feeding and discharging the cards one by one from the card storage unit, and the card is inserted into either the side surface or the upper surface of the card storage unit. In a prepaid card vending machine having a mouth and a card payout opening for paying out cards one by one at the bottom thereof, a stopper for preventing the passage of cards is provided at the card payout opening so as to be retractable. A prepaid card vending machine characterized by that. 2. The prepaid card vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a door that can be opened and closed is provided at the card insertion port, and a drive mechanism that causes the stopper to appear and disappear in association with the opening and closing of the door is provided at the card feeding portion. A prepaid card vending machine characterized by that. 3. The prepaid card vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a door integrated with the stopper is provided at the card insertion slot, and an intermediate portion of the door and the stopper is provided at the card feeding portion. A prepaid card vending machine, which is rotatably supported by an attached shaft and which causes the stopper to appear and disappear in conjunction with opening and closing of the door. 4. The prepaid card vending machine according to claim 2 or 3, wherein door detection means is provided on the door and detects opening / closing of the door, and card detection is provided on the card storage portion and detects the presence or absence of a card. Means for controlling the operation of the card detection means based on the output of the door detection means.