Vending machine with a common display

• US 4,706,794 A
• Filed: 09/20/1984
• Issued: 11/17/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Satoshi, Hara, Seiji, Awane, Misao
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ammeen, Edward S.
• Application Number:
  US06/652,804
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 194/1 N, 194/10, 194/DIG. 3, 194/215, 194/216, 194/217, 194/219, 194/244, 221/2, 221/6, 221/7, 221/8, 221/129, 364/464, 364/478, 364/479, 340/365 R, 340/365 VL, 340/825.33, 340/825.35, 40/584
• US Class Current: 194/217
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/22 electrically actuated
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/08 Counting total of coins inserted

Abstract

A vending machine includes a plurality of selection switches corresponding to a plurality of items to be sold respectively, and in response to insertion of coins and the subsequent operation of any of selection switches, the item corresponding to the selection switch is vended. A RAM is installed associatedly with a microcomputer, and this RAM contains memory areas for storing the sales quantity and the sales amount on item basis, and these data are renewed at every vending. The RAM further contains a price memory area for storing the sales price of each item. When any of selection switches is operated in ready state of the machine, the price of the item corresponding to that selection switch is read from the RAM and is displayed on the inserted-amount display. Furthermore, when a selection switch is depressed in the state when the management mode is set up, the price of the item corresponding to that switch is displayed likewise. Moreover, in response to a selective operation of the selection switch, the sales quantity and the sales amount of an arbitrary item stored in each memory area of the RAM can be displayed in the management mode. When "continuous confirmation" command is given in the management mode, the price, sales quantity or the sales amount as described above can be displayed continuously in sequence for each item.

Claims

1. A vending machine comprising:

a plurality of selection switches corresponding to a plurality of sales items,

a valuable media insertion part accepting insertion of valuable media,

value calculating means for calculating the value of said valuable media inserted through said valuable media insertion part,

memory means having a plurality of price memory parts corresponding to said plurality of sales items,

addressing means for addressing a corresponding one of said price memory parts of said memory means in response to operation of any one of said selection switches,

price data reading means for reading price data from the corresponding one of said price memory parts addressed by said addressing means,

determining means for determining whether or not an item corresponding to a selection switch operated is able to be sold based on a value calculated by said value calculating means and a price data read by said price data reading means,

a numeric value display for normally displaying said value calculated by said value calculating means, and

changing means for changing a content of said numeric value display so as to display said price data read by said price data reading means when said determining means determines that the item selected is not to be sold.

2. A vending machine machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein said determining means determines that the item is not able to be sold when the value calculated by said value calculating means is zero.

3. A vending machine machine in accordance with claim 2, wherein said determining means determines that the item is not able to be sold when the value calculated by said value calculating means fails to reach the price data of the item selected by said selection switch.

4. A vending machine machine in accordance with claim 1, which further comprises management mode setting means for setting a management mode.

5. A vending machine machine in accordance with claim 4, wherein said price data reading means comprises means for reading said price data in response to operation of any of said selection switches in said management mode set by said management mode setting means.

6. A vending machine comprising:

a plurality of selection switches corresponding to a plurality of sales items,

valuable media insertion part accepting insertion of valuable media,

value calculating means for calculating the value of said valuable media inserted through said valuable media insertion part,

memory means having a plurality of special data memory areas respectively corresponding to said plurality of sales items and for storing sales totalization data for each sales item as special data,

addressing means for addressing a corresponding one of said special data memory areas of said memory means in response to operation of a respective one of said selection switches,

mode setting means for selectively setting a normal vending mode and a management mode,

reading means for reading said sales totalization data for each sales item from the corresponding one of said special data memory area addressed by said addressing means in the management mode,

a common display for displaying said value calculated by said calculating means in the normal vending mode and said special data read by said reading means in the management mode, and

continuous confirmation commanding means for commanding a continuous sequential confirmation of the content of said memory areas of said memory means, and address changing means for performing sequential changes of address by said addressing means in response to a command by said continuous confirmation commanding means.

7. A vending machine as defined by claim 6, wherein said calculating means is enabled in said normal vending mode and said reading means is enabled in said normal vending mode and said management mode.

8. A vending machine as defined by claim 7, wherein said special data memory areas of said memory means include a sales totalization data memory part storing sales totalization data as said special data, and further comprises means for addressing said sales totalization data memory part of said memory means when said management mode is set by said mode setting means, and means for reading said sales totalization data from said sales totalization data memory part in the management mode set by said mode setting means, said sales totalization data read being displayed by said common display.

9. A vending machine as defined by claim 8, wherein said sales totalization data contains at least one of a total sales quantity and total sales amount.

10. A vending machine as defined by claim 8, wherein said memory areas of said memory means include a plurality of sales quantity memory parts for respectively storing data corresponding to a sales quantity of said plurality of sales items as said sales totalization data, and further comprises means for addressing said plurality of sales quantity memory parts when said management mode is set by the mode setting means, and means for reading said sales quantity data from a corresponding one of said sales quantity memory parts in response to operation by any of said selection switches in said management mode set by said mode setting means, said sales quantity data read being displayed by said common display.

11. A vending machine as defined by claim 8, wherein said memory areas of said memory means include a plurality of sales amount memory parts for storing data corresponding to a sales amount of said plurality of sales items as said sales totalization data, and further comprises means for reading the sales amount data from a corresponding one of said sales amount memory parts in response to operation of any of said selection switches in said management mode set by said mode setting means, said sales amount data read being displayed by said common display.