Control system for automatic vending machine

• US 6,496,753 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ehara, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Paul P.
• Application Number:
  US09/462,031
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 700/21, 700/79, 700/86, 700/87, 700/241, 414/23.1, 340/3.1, 340/3.31
• US Class Current: 700/241
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

In a terminal control unit, such as a display device (2), a control program is stored in a memory device which can electrically rewrite its data, such as a flash ROM (2b). The terminal control unit has a card connector (2d) provided therefor, and upon insertion of a memory card storing a control program for updating, into the card connector (2d), the control program for updating is transcribed from the memory card into the memory device, whereby updating of the program is performed. Further, when the updating operation is started, a main control unit (1) is notified of start of the updating operation, and therefore the main control unit (1) is prevented from executing a communication abnormality determining process even if it does not receive a response from the terminal control unit. By virtue of this setting, in a control system for the automatic vending machine, which is comprised of the plurality of terminal control units and the main control unit which integratedly controls the terminal control units, the control program for controlling each terminal control unit can be readily updated while the communication abnormality determining process is prevented from being executed.

Claims

1. A control system for an automatic vending machine, including a plurality of terminal control units and a main control unit for integratedly controlling said terminal control units:

wherein a memory device which can electrically rewrite data stored therein is allowed to store a control program in each of said terminal control units;

wherein said each of said terminal control units executes by itself updating of said control program stored in said memory device;

wherein said each of said terminal control units notifies said main control unit of starting of an updating operation thereof, prior to starting of said updating operation; and

wherein said main control unit is prevented from executing an communication abnormality determining process even if said main control unit does not receive a communication signal from said terminal control unit.

2. A control system for an automatic vending machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said each of said terminal control units has a card connector provided therefor, said each of said terminal control units functioning, upon insertion of a memory card storing a control program for updating into said card connector, to transcribe said control program for updating from said memory card into said memory device.