KR100546036B1 - Room Vending Machines - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is equipped with a wireless interface module, so that it can be easily installed in the guest room of the property without a large structural change or construction, and if you want to further expand the storage box, it can be easily expanded further without leaving other parts. The present invention relates to a simple vending machine for a room that prevents an incorrect settlement due to a malfunction and is not charged with excessive costs, and makes it easier and more accurate to manage inventory, sales, and failures. A simple vending machine of the present invention includes: a payment unit for receiving a predetermined amount of money from a user; A money display unit displaying the amount of money deposited; A goods display unit displaying goods available for purchase by the amount of money deposited; An item selecting unit for allowing a user to select a desired item from among the items available for purchase; And a plurality of storage boxes each having a door, each of which is intended to be sold, and a selected one of the doors is opened by a signal from the item selection unit.

Hospitality, Automation, Vending Machine, Wireless Communication, Expansion Vending Machine, Unmanned Settlement

Description

Simple Vending Machine for Guest Room {AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE FOR HOTEL ROOM SERVICE}

1 illustrates a configuration of a simple vending machine for a room of the prior art.

2 shows a configuration of a whole control system including a simple vending machine for a room of the prior art.

3 shows the configuration of a simple vending machine as an embodiment of the present invention.

4 shows the overall system configuration of a simple vending machine in one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows the configuration of a vending machine for further expansion in another embodiment of the present invention.

6 shows an overall system configuration when a simple vending machine is further extended as another embodiment of the present invention.

7 shows an example of an article selling process using the simple vending machine of the embodiment of the present invention.

8 shows a door open control method of a simple vending machine of an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings>

100: management room computer 110: vending machine control unit

120: wireless module 300: simple vending machine

301: depositing unit 302: display unit

303: setting key input unit 304: article selection unit

305: article display unit 306: storage box

307: built-in wireless module 320: door lock

The present invention relates to a simple vending machine for a room used in an unmanned lodging automation system, and more particularly, to reduce the management manpower in accommodations such as hotels, motels and inns, In the unmanned lodging automation system for more convenient use, it is more convenient for users staying in the room, easy to settle, and do not cause damages such as incorrect settlement due to malfunction, and other It relates to a simple vending machine with a new structure that can be easily extended when a variety of products need to be further expanded.

In recent years, as the unmanned lodging automation system has been spreading, it is necessary for the user to receive a key at the front desk to enter a room at the lodging facility, to use the room, and to automatically perform the office processing until settlement at the time of departure. It is becoming possible.

However, since most existing lodging establishments were designed and built without such an unmanned lodging automation system in mind, the existing lodging establishment had to pay a lot of remodeling costs in order to introduce the unmanned lodging automation system. There was a limit that it is difficult to bear the loss of cost and time, so that it is not easy to use such an unmanned accommodation automation system, and there is a limit that is not well cared for for the user's convenience.

In particular, it is necessary to make it easy for the user to purchase various items required for the room (for example, drinks, confectionery, razors, toothbrushes, etc.), but general electronic vending machines are very large and expensive. There is a problem that does not provide a function that allows the management room to know at a glance the status of the vending machine or the sales status and failure, there was a problem in management.

In order to overcome this problem, a small and low-cost simple vending machine (Patent No. 325,006) as shown in FIG. 1 has been prevalent, in which the microcomputer checks whether each item is used through a door sensor, Through the delivery method to the article controller 700 of FIG. 2, the occupants are settled at the time of departure.

The simple vending machine of the prior art recognizes that an article stored in each box is used as long as the door is opened, so that the device recognizes that the article is used when the guest who is not familiar with the operation simply opens the door. There is a problem, the user is charged for excessive costs in the settlement process, even though the goods remain in fact, the management device appears to be missing the goods there was a problem that the correct management is not made.

In addition, the conventional simple vending machine has a problem that it is difficult to add the type of supply goods, when the type of goods to be sold is increased, there is a limited storage box, and a new simple vending machine to solve this problem If you want to install two completely independent vending machines in one room, it is necessary to have an extension of the function to control each of these two vending machines within the control module of the management room, there was a problem that is not easy to install.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and to provide a small and low-cost room vending machine that can be easily installed in a guest room without a large structure change or construction by providing a wireless interface module.

In addition, the present invention is to provide a simple vending machine for a room that can be easily expanded even if other parts such as the control module of the management room, if you want to further expand the storage box as the type of goods needed more diversified will be.

In addition, the present invention provides a simple vending machine for a room that makes it possible to accurately and more easily manage the inventory, sales management, failures, etc., without being billed excessively due to incorrect settlement due to a user malfunction, etc. It is to.

In order to achieve the above object, a simple vending machine for a room according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a payment unit for receiving a predetermined amount of money from a user; A money display unit displaying the amount of money deposited; An article display unit displaying articles available for purchase based on the amount of money deposited; An article selection unit for allowing the user to select an article to purchase from among the purchaseable articles; And a plurality of storage boxes each having a door, each of which items to be sold are stored, and a selected one of the doors opened by a signal from the article selection unit.

Preferably, the simple vending machine for a room of the present invention includes: a wireless module for wirelessly transmitting and receiving data with a computer in the management room, so that the computer of the management room can grasp the sales, inventory status or operation status in real time. In addition, it is possible to wirelessly receive the price correction information or the screen output information from the computer of the management room.

Preferably, the simple vending machine for a room of the present invention is provided with: a door in each of which, each item to be sold is stored, and a selected one of the doors is opened by a signal from the item selection unit. The apparatus further includes an expansion connector for communicating with an expansion vending machine including a plurality of holders.

Preferably, each door of the room vending machine of the present invention preferably has a magnetic switch having an axis that is moved back and forth by a signal from the article selection unit, and connected to an end of the axis to open and close the door. It has a clasp that rotates when it moves forward and backward, and a clasp which engages with the clasp rotated by forward and backward of the said shaft, and opens and closes a door.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an expansion simple vending machine includes: a depositing unit receiving a predetermined amount of money from a user, a money display unit displaying the deposited amount, and an article display unit displaying a purchaseable item by the deposited amount And an article selector for allowing the user to select an item to purchase from the available items, and a door in each of the items, each of which is intended to be sold, and each of which is received by a signal from the item selector. A connection unit for connecting to a simple vending machine for a room including a plurality of storage boxes in which a selected one of the doors of the door is opened; And a plurality of storage boxes each having at least one door, each of which is intended to be sold, and a selected one of the doors opened by a signal from the item selection unit. It is characterized in that it is easy to expand the type of sales items of the vending machine.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 shows the configuration of a simple vending machine 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, Figure 7 shows the operation flow when purchasing the article using the simple vending machine 300 of the embodiment. The simple vending machine 300 has a depositing unit 301 that receives a predetermined amount of money from the user, and a display unit 302 capable of displaying the deposited amount. When the user deposits a bill or a coin through the depositing unit 301 (S10), the amount is displayed on the display unit 302 (S20).

In accordance with the amount, the indicator is turned on (S30) in the article display unit 305 of the simple vending machine 300 so that the user knows the position of the storage box 306 in which the purchaseable item is stored. When the user selects and presses the corresponding button of the article selection unit 304 provided under each indicator (S40), the door lock 320 of the storage box 306 corresponding thereto is unlocked so that the user opens the door. The article can be used (S60). Here, if the article is not selected for a certain period of time (S50), it is possible to configure to return the input money (S70).

4 shows the configuration of the entire management system including the simple vending machine of the embodiment. The simple vending machine 300 shown in FIG. 3 is configured to further include a wireless module 307 for wirelessly exchanging data with the computer 100 of the management room, and is sold and stocked in real time by the computer 100 of the management room. It is possible to grasp the situation or the operation state of the vending machine, etc., and conversely, it is possible to wirelessly receive the price correction information or the screen output information on the merchandise from the computer 100 of the management room. At this time, the management room computer 100 should also be provided with a wireless module 120, the data decoded into data that can be processed by the computer in the wireless module 120 is processed by the vending machine controller 110 in the computer 100. The wireless modules 307 and 120 may use various protocols, and may use any protocol such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or ultra wide band (UWB). In addition, the vending machine control unit 110 provided in the computer 100 of the management room may be implemented as one of the hardware controlled by the CPU of the computer 100, and in some cases to be loaded into the memory to function by the CPU It may be in the form of software.

FIG. 7 shows an expansion simple vending machine 400 as another embodiment of the present invention. Since the simple vending machine 300 of FIG. 3 is limited to a storage box, it is possible to simply diversify the article by adding the expansion simple vending machine 400 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the simple vending machine 300 includes a connection port 309 that can be connected to the expansion simple vending machine 400, and the connection port 409 of the same protocol is provided in the expansion simple vending machine 400. do. Since the simple vending machine 300 and the expansion simple vending machine 400 are installed in the same room, the simple vending machine 300 and the expansion simple vending machine 400 may be based on a wired connection (eg, RS232C). However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be configured to enable wireless data communication through an RF or infrared module.

Even in the case of the expansion simple vending machine 400, the door is provided in each, and the storage box 406 is provided for storing the items to be sold, respectively, when the user enters money in the simple vending machine 300, the simple The indicators corresponding to the items available for purchase among the item display units 305 and 405 of the vending machine 300 and the expansion vending machine 400 are turned on, and the user can select among them, and the user can expand the vending machine 400. When an item in the box is selected and the corresponding button of the item selector 404 is pressed, the door of the storage box in which the item is stored is opened.

This way of adding the expansion vending machine 400 to the simple vending machine 300 can be equipped with a vending machine system that simply supplies a variety of items to the room without adding a lot of cost.

8 illustrates the configuration of the door locks 320 and 420 that can be used for the door opening operation through the electronic control of the embodiment. As shown, each door 327 has a clamp 326 that is inserted into a groove provided in the wall of the holders 306 and 406 in the locked state. In the groove of the wall of the holder, a magnetic switch 322 having an axis 323 which is moved back and forth by the electrical control signal 321 generated by the user's selection through the article selection unit 304, and the axis 323. The latch 325 is connected to the distal end of the shaft 323 and rotates when the shaft 323 moves forward and backward to engage the clamp 326 of the door 327 to lock the door. By the above configuration, the door is electrically controlled and the purchase is made in a prepaid manner according to the above-described flow, so that the problem of the prior art is regarded as the purchase of the product by detecting only the door open even though the product is not actually used. It is possible to overcome.

The simple vending machine for a room according to the present invention can be modified and applied in various forms within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention and is not limited to the above preferred embodiment. The embodiments and the drawings are only for the purpose of describing the contents of the invention in detail, and are not intended to limit the scope of the technical idea of the invention, the present invention described above has a general knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs It is not limited to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, as various substitutions, modifications and changes are possible within the scope without departing from the spirit of the present invention, of course, not only the claims to be described later but also the claims and It should be judged including the range of equality.

According to the present invention, it becomes possible to provide a simple vending machine for a small and low-cost guest room which can be easily installed in a guest room of an existing lodging facility without a large structural change or construction.

In addition, according to the present invention, when the type of goods required to be more diversified to further expand the storage box, there is provided a simple vending machine for a room which can be easily expanded even if other parts such as the control module of the management room are left as it is. can do.

In addition, according to the present invention, a simple vending machine for a guest room which does not make an incorrect settlement due to a user's malfunction or the like and is charged with an excessive cost, and makes it easier and more accurate to manage inventory, sales, and failures. Can be provided.

Claims (6)

delete delete delete delete delete A deposit unit for receiving a predetermined amount of money from the user, a money display unit for displaying the deposited amount, an item display unit for displaying the goods available for purchase by the deposit amount, and an item to be purchased among the purchaseable items to the user For a room including an article selector and a plurality of boxes each having a door for selection, each article to be sold is stored, and a selected one of the doors is opened by a signal from the article selector. In the simple vending machine, Each door has a stopper inserted into a groove provided in the wall of the holder in a locked state, and a magnetic switch having a shaft moving forward and backward by an electrical control signal generated by a user's selection through an article selection unit in the groove of the holder wall. And a door lock having a latch connected to the distal end of the shaft and rotating when the shaft is moved back and forth to engage the lock of the door to lock the door, thereby enabling the door to be opened through electronic control. Simple vending machines for guest rooms.

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