Management method of automatic vending machine and automatic vending machine

• US 6,571,150 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Issued: 05/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2000
• 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: Yamazaki, Yasuhiro, Arai, Isao, Hanagata, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Application Number:
  US09/819,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20010041949A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 700/234, 700/236, 700/238, 700/241, 700/244, 705/14, 705/20
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines

Abstract

An automatic vending machine 1 of the invention can sell items or goods including tangible items such as drinks and intangible items such as music soft which are supplied by plural vendors. The intangible items are sold by transmitting the desired data from intangible item-supplying companies A, B, C through a public communication line 8 to the automatic vending machine 1 and by writing the data in a recording medium. A control computer 20 automatically calculates sales amount of each vendor based on sales data of each vendor output from the automatic vending machine, and adjusts the sales amount of each vendor by transmitting the calculating result to a banking agency 6. According to the management method of automatic vending machine and the automatic vending machine of the invention, automatic sales of items supplied by different vendors can be easily spread at low cost and without securing both of new installation places or sites of the automatic vending machine and communication lines.

Claims

1. A management method of automatic vending machine, which comprises

selling items supplied by different vendors, automatically calculating a sale amount of each vendor based on sales data of each vendor prepared in the automatic vending machine by computer, and adjusting a sales amount in a banking agency of each vendor based on the calculating result,

wherein

the automatic vending machine and a control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine are connected through a communication means, and the sales amount of each vendor is calculated by the control computer,

tangible items and intangible items are sold, in combination, by the automatic vending machine, and

vendors and the automatic vending machine are connected through a communication means, and data as intangible items are transmitted from the vendors to the automatic vending machine through the communication means.

2. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the data as intangible items is sold by being written into a recording medium.

3. The management method according to claim 1, wherein the data as intangible items are accumulated in the automatic vending machine, in advance.

4. The automatic vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the sales amount of each vendor is transmitted to a system control server, and the sales amount of each vendor is calculated by the system control server.

5. The management method according to claim 1, wherein a system control server for relaying communication is installed, and the communication between the automatic vending machine and the control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine is implemented through the system control server.

6. The management method according to claim 5, wherein the system control server is connected to the vendor through a communication means, and a communication between the automatic vending machine and the vendor is implemented through the system control server.

7. The management method according to claim 5, wherein the data as intangible items are accumulated in the system control server, and are transmitted from the system control server to the automatic vending machine.

8. The management method of automatic vending machine, which comprises

selling items supplied by different vendors, automatically calculating a sale amount of each vendor based on sales data of each vendor prepared in the automatic vending machine by computer, and adjusting a sales amount in a banking agency of each vendor based on the calculating result,

wherein the automatic vending machine and a control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine are connected through a communication means, and the sales amount of each vendor is calculated by the control computer,

wherein tangible items and intangible items are sold, in combination, by the automatic vending machine,

wherein vendors and the automatic vending machine are connected through a communication means, and data of intangible items are transmitted from the vendors to the automatic vending machine through the communication means,

wherein the sales data is transmitted from the automatic vending machine to the vendors through the communication means.

9. The management method of automatic vending machine, which comprises

selling items supplied by different vendors, automatically calculating a sale amount of each vendor based on sales data of each vendor prepared in the automatic vending machine by computer, and adjusting a sales amount in a banking agency of each vendor based on the calculating result,

wherein

the automatic vending machine and a control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine are connected through a communication means, and the sales amount of each vendor is calculated by the control computer, and

the control computer is connected to a banking agency through a communication means and adjustment of the sales amount is carried out in the banking agency.

10. The management method of automatic vending machine, which comprises

selling items supplied by different vendors, automatically calculating a sale amount of each vendor based on sales data of each vendor prepared in the automatic vending machine by computer, and adjusting a sales amount in a banking agency of each vendor based on the calculating result,

wherein the automatic vending machine and a control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine are connected through a communication means, and the sales amount of each vendor is calculated by the control computer,

wherein the control computer is connected to a banking agency through the communication line and adjustment of the sales amount is carried out in the banking agency,

wherein the banking agency is connected to the vendors through a communication means and a result of the adjustment is transmitted from the banking agency to the vendors through the communication means.

11. The management method of automatic vending machine, which comprises

selling items supplied by different vendors, automatically calculating a sales amount of each vendor based on sales data of each vendor prepared in the automatic vending machine by computer, and adjusting sales amount of each vendor based on the calculating result,

wherein the automatic vending machine and a control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine are connected through a communication means, and the sales amount of each vendor is calculated by the control computer,

wherein tangible items and intangible items are sold, in combination, by the automatic vending machine,

wherein a system control server for relaying the communication is installed, and the communication between the automatic bending machine and the control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine is implemented through the system control server,

wherein the system control server is connected to the vendor through the communication means, and the communication between the automatic vending machine and the vendor is implemented through the system control server,

wherein the system control server is connected to the banking agency through a communication means, the sales amount of each vendor is calculated using the sales data of each vendor in the automatic vending machine by the system control server, a calculated result is transmitted to the banking agency, and the sales amount is adjusted in the banking agency.

12. The automatic vending machine which is capable of selling items supplied by plural vendors, is connected to a control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine through a communication means, transmits sales data of each vendor through the communication means to the control computer, and makes the control computer to automatically calculate sales amount of each vendor,

wherein tangible items and intangible items are sold, in combination,

wherein said vending machine is connected to the vendors through the communication means, and receives data as intangible items from the vendors through the communication means to sell the items.

14. The automatic vending machine according to claims 12 or 13, wherein the data as intangible items is sold by being written into a recording medium.

15. The automatic vending machine according to claims 12 or 13, wherein the data as intangible items is accumulated therein, in advance.

16. The automatic vending machine according to claims 12 or 13 wherein music data is sold as intangible items.

17. The automatic vending machine according to claims 12 or 13, wherein fortune-telling data is sold as intangible items.

18. The automatic vending machine according to claims 12 or 13, wherein said vending machine is connected to a system control server for relaying communication with the control computer and is communicated with the control computer through the system control server.

19. The automatic vending machine according to claim 18, wherein said vending machine is communicated with the vendors through the system control server.

20. The automatic vending machine according to claim 18, wherein the data as intangible items accumulated in and received from the system control server is sold.

13. The automatic vending machine which is capable of selling items supplied by plural vendors, is connected to a control computer for controlling the automatic vending machine through a communication means, transmits sales data of each vendor through the communication means to the control computer, and makes the control computer to automatically calculate sales amount of each vendor,

wherein tangible items and intangible items are sold, in combination,

wherein said vending machine is connected to the vendors through the communication means, and receives data of intangible items from the vendors through the communication means to sell the items,

wherein said vending machine transmits the sales data to the vendors.