JP3695091B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine having a coin theft prevention function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a conventional vending machine, a coin payout control unit for paying out coins and the like is provided inside the front door, and the coin payout start switch in the coin payout control unit is operated to store the coin payout control unit. All the coins that were sold are collected. Therefore, if the door is pry open, the coins are easily stolen. Therefore, in order to prevent theft, if the door is pry open, an alarm buzzer will sound and the operation of the coin payout start switch will become invalid. Measures are being taken.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the above-described switch is operated with the door closed, the above-described theft prevention is not useful. For example, if a small hole is drilled in the door and the coin payout start switch is operated from there using a wire or the like, all the coins are stolen. In recent years, theft of coins using such tricks has continued.
[0004]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of preventing such coin theft.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The function of the payout start switch is invalidated at night when there is little traffic such as at night, when there is no person who manages and operates the vending machine, or when it was previously stolen, but the product selection button or return If there is an operation with a lever, the pushing operation is validated.
[0006]
[Action]
Coin theft occurs during the time period described above, and even if the dispensing start switch is pushed with the vending machine door closed during that period, the switch operation becomes invalid, so the coin is not dispensed. It is not done and theft can be prevented. Even if the vending machine is handled during the coin payout prohibition time period, there is no inconvenience because the prohibition of coin payout is canceled by performing a special operation.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the inside of a vending machine showing one embodiment of the present invention. # 1 is a keyboard section, and data of the payout prohibition time zone and various sales data set from the keyboard section # 1 are taken into the main control section # 2. The main control unit # 2 performs centralized control of the vending machine. # 4 is a coin payout start switch part, which is attached to the front face of the coin payout control part # 6. # 7 is a coin payout unit, which continuously pays out coins stored in a coin storage unit (not shown in FIG. 1) in response to a payout signal from the coin payout control unit # 6. Each of these elements # 1 to # 6 is provided inside the front door D of the vending machine.
[0008]
FIG. 2 is a control block diagram 2 of the vending machine, and the same elements as those in FIG. The main control unit # 2 has a clock unit # 3 that measures time. # 5 is a coin storage unit that stores coins inserted by product sales according to the type of coin, and is located in the payout control unit # 6. # 8 is a coin return slot provided on the outside of the door D, and the coins paid out by the coin payout section # 7 are guided to the coin return slot # 8.
[0009]
Hereinafter, the control operation of the vending machine will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. After turning on the power of the vending machine in step S1, the start time and the end time of the payout prohibited time zone are input by the keyboard unit # 1 in step S2. In step S3, it is determined whether or not a coin payout prohibition time zone has been set. If there is no such setting, the process returns to step S3 to wait for the setting.
[0010]
When the coin payout prohibition time zone is set, the process proceeds from step S3 to step S4, where it is determined whether the start time of the payout prohibition time zone has elapsed from the time measured by the clock unit # 3, and the disclosure time has not been reached. In this case, the process proceeds to step S8. If the start time has elapsed, in step S5, the coin payout operation by pushing the coin payout start switch unit # 4 is prohibited. In the next step S6, it is determined whether or not a special operation for enabling the operation by the coin payout start switch unit # 4 is performed from the keyboard unit # 1. If the operation has not been performed, the process proceeds to step S7, where it is determined whether the end time of the payout prohibition time period has elapsed. When the end time has not elapsed, that is, when the current time is in the payout prohibition time zone, the coin payout operation is prohibited by returning to step S5. Thus during this period, a payout of coins is not performed by operating the coin payout start switch unit # 4 with some tricks remain closed the door D. Note that even if the door D is opened and the coin payout start switch # 4 is operated, no coin is paid out, but an anti-theft buzzer not shown in the alarm sounds greatly.
[0011]
On the other hand, if the end time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S8, and the pushing operation by the coin payout start switch unit # 4 is validated, so that the person managing the vending machine is in a time other than the coin payout prohibition time zone When the door D is opened to the belt and the coin payout start switch unit # 4 is operated, the coins stored in the coin storage unit # 5 are collected in the coin return slot # 8.
[0012]
If a special operation for enabling the operation of the coin payout start switch unit # 4 has been performed, the process proceeds from step S6 to step S8, so that the coin payout start switch unit # is in the coin payout prohibited time zone. Operation 4 is enabled.
[0013]
As the special operation described above, existing switches such as (1) product selection button, (2) return lever, (3) power switch, (4) single operation of door switch, repeated single operation, or Although a combination of a plurality of switches can be performed, in the present invention, the pushing operation by the coin payout start switch unit # 4 is validated by operating the product selection button or the return lever. In contrast to providing a dedicated release switch, this method will not cause an outsider to see and operate.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the function of the coin payout start switch unit can be disabled during the time when the theft of coins occurs. Therefore, the payout start switch unit is pushed with the vending machine door closed. Even if it moves, the switch operation becomes invalid, so that coins are not paid out and theft can be prevented. Even when the vending machine is handled during the coin payout prohibition time period, there is no inconvenience because the prohibition of coin payout is canceled by performing a special operation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1 is an internal schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a vending machine according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the vending machine in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a control operation of the vending machine in FIG. Flow chart [Explanation of symbols]
# 1 Keyboard part # 2 Main control part # 3 Clock part # 4 Coin payout start switch part # 5 Coin storage part # 6 Coin payout control part # 7 Coin payout part # 8 Coin return slot

Claims (1)

Pushing of the coin payout start switch portion (# 4), the coin payout portion (# 7) for paying out coins stored in the coin storage portion (# 5), and the coin payout start switch portion (# 4) In order to set a coin payout prohibiting time period in which the push-out of the payout control unit (# 6) that issues a coin payout command to the coin payout unit (# 7) and the coin payout start switch unit (# 4) is invalidated. The main control unit (# 2) that controls sales control invalidates the pushing operation by the coin payout start switch unit (# 4) during the coin payout prohibition time period. In addition, the vending machine is characterized in that the pushing operation is validated when there is an operation with a product selection button or a return lever .

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