JP2000315278A - Automatic vending machine system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To supply the real-time service that is set for every customer via an automatic vending machine by transmitting the inputted customer identification information to a database center, receiving the customer-based presentation data and presenting this data to the customer. SOLUTION: A card processing part 21 of an automatic vending machine 10 reads a customer identification number out of an inputted customer card 4. A control part 14 transmits the customer identification number to a database center 50 via an Internet 2. A WWW server 66 of a center 50 accesses a sales promotion database 64, retrieves and acquires the home page image data on the customer and produces an HTML text of a home page to send it to the vending machine 10. The WEB browser of the part 14 of the vending machine 10 receives the HTML text of the home page and shows it on an information display 44. The part 14 receives a control command corresponding to the contents of the service displayed on the home page from the server 66 and carries out the command.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a vending machine system for collecting and analyzing sales history information related to a customer through a vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, vending machines throw out money and pay for products such as cigarettes and soft drinks. Here, the installer of the vending machine can know the number of products sold, etc. when replenishing the products.

[0003] In general, in a service provided by a vending machine, when money is input, a roulette comprising an indicator (LED) installed on the vending machine is operated, and the indicator is stopped. When the location is a specific location, a method is provided in which one product is offered free of charge.

[0004]

However, the information such as the number of sales obtained in this way is used exclusively for the purpose of inventory management, ordering of products, etc., to identify customers or to purchase each customer. I could not know the history. Therefore, the right sales territories, the right sales hours,
There is a lack of data when assuming an appropriate assortment and an appropriate sales target customer. In many cases, the assortment is based on experience and intuition.

[0005] Further, since the service provided by the vending machine is provided on an equal basis regardless of the chance of purchasing a product at the vending machine, the customer is obliged to attach to a specific vending machine. Was few. Therefore, it cannot be said that sufficient marketing has been performed for customers who use vending machines.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and makes it possible to collect information of customers who purchase products through a vending machine, accurately analyze the information, and set real-time information set for each customer. Provide services. Furthermore,
An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine system capable of establishing an appropriate sales strategy by conducting sales promotion according to each customer based on an analysis result of information.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems To solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a database center,
A plurality of vending machines connected to the database center via communication means, the vending machine, the customer identification information input,
Transmission means for transmitting to the database center via the communication means; customer-specific presentation data receiving means for receiving customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information from the database center; and customer-specific presentation data A customer-specific presentation data presenting means for presenting the customer-specific presentation data received by the receiving means, and wherein the database center stores the customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information; Customer identification information receiving means for receiving the customer identification information transmitted from the vending machine; and acquiring the customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information received by the customer identification information receiving means from the database. Customer-specific presentation data acquisition means, and the customer-specific presentation data acquisition means A customer-specific presentation data transmitting means for the 示用 data via said communication means transmits to the vending machine, is configured to include.

According to the vending machine system configured as described above, the customer identification information input from the vending machine is transmitted to the database center via the communication means. The database center receives the customer identification information, acquires corresponding customer-specific presentation data, and transmits the data to the vending machine via the communication means. The vending machine receives the customer-specific presentation data and presents it to the customer. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide a real-time service set for each customer on the vending machine when the customer purchases a product.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine system according to the first aspect, the customer-specific presentation data includes at least one of homepage data, electronic mail data, and voice data. To be configured. Therefore, when purchasing a product, the customer can use the vending machine to provide services via the homepage, e-mail,
Alternatively, it becomes possible to receive a voice service.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine system according to the first or second aspect, the vending machine is distributed to customers in advance and the customer identification information assigned to each customer. And a means for reading the customer identification information from the storage medium by inserting a storage medium storing the information. Therefore, it becomes possible to read the customer identification information assigned to each customer from the storage medium inserted in the vending machine.

[0011] The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claims 1 to 3.
In the vending machine system according to any one of the above, the vending machine temporarily stores, as sales-related data, the identification number and quantity of the product purchased by the customer, and the customer identification information read by the reading unit. It is configured to include a storage device. Therefore, it becomes possible to store the sales-related data on the product purchased by the vending machine in a form associated with the customer.

[0012] The invention according to claim 5 provides the invention according to claims 1 to 4.
In the vending machine system according to any one of the above, the vending machine includes a measuring unit that measures the date and time when the customer purchased the product, and the temperature and humidity at that time, and stores the measured date and time in the storage device as sales-related data. The configuration is as follows. Therefore, it is possible to store data such as the season, time zone, and weather.

[0013] The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to claims 1 to 5.
In the vending machine system according to any one of the above, the vending machine transmits the sales-related data stored in the storage device to the database center via the communication means at predetermined time intervals. It comprises so that it may be provided. Therefore, it becomes possible to periodically transmit the sales-related data to the database center.

[0014] The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claims 1 to 6.
In the vending machine system according to any one of the above, the database center calculates a point number based on a past product purchase history of each customer, and stores a point processing unit in the database in association with the customer identification information. The vending machine, when the storage medium is inserted, accesses the database in the database center to acquire the number of points associated with the customer identification information of the customer, and displays the number of points for each customer. And a point number acquiring unit to be presented by the data presenting means. Therefore, the customer can check his / her own point number on the vending machine when purchasing the product.

The invention described in claim 8 is the invention according to claims 1 to 7
In the vending machine system according to any one of the above, the database center specifies a customer with a high contribution degree in the product purchase history based on the analysis result of the sales-related data, and automatically electronically transmits the specified customer. It is configured to have an e-mail transmission means for transmitting an e-mail. Therefore, advertisements and the like can be automatically performed for customers who have a high degree of contribution, which is particularly advantageous when the number of customers becomes enormous.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, customer identification information for acquiring customer-specific presentation data presented to a customer through a vending machine is recorded on a recording medium.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine connected via communication means to a database center having customer-specific presentation data corresponding to customer identification information. Identification information,
Transmitting means for transmitting to the database center via the communication means; customer-specific presentation data receiving means for receiving the customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information from the database center; A data presentation unit for presenting the customer-specific presentation data received by the data receiving unit.

According to the vending machine configured as described above, when customer identification information is input from the vending machine, the vending machine accesses the database center and presents a customer-specific presentation corresponding to the customer identification information. Data for the customer and present it to the customer. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide a real-time service set for each customer on the vending machine when the customer purchases a product.

[0019] According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the tenth aspect, the customer-specific presentation data includes at least one of homepage data, electronic mail data, and voice data. Constitute. Therefore, when purchasing a product, the customer can receive a service by a homepage, a service by e-mail, or a service by voice on the vending machine.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, a storage medium storing the customer identification information distributed to customers in advance and assigned to each customer is inserted. And means for reading the customer identification information from the storage medium. Therefore, it becomes possible to read the customer identification information assigned to each customer from the storage medium inserted in the vending machine.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to any one of the tenth to twelfth aspects, when the storage medium is inserted, a database in the database center is accessed to access the recording medium. And a point number acquisition unit for acquiring the number of points calculated based on the past product purchase history of each customer having the above and presenting the acquired points by the customer-specific presentation data presenting means. Therefore,
Customers can check their points on a vending machine when purchasing a product.

[0022]

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a vending machine system according to the present invention. Vending machine system 10 according to the present invention
0 is roughly composed of a vending machine 10 and a database center 50, both of which are connected by the Internet 2. It should be noted that actually, a plurality of vending machines 1
Although 0 is connected to the database center 50, only one vending machine is shown in FIG. 1 for convenience of explanation.

First, an outline of the operation of the vending machine system 100 will be described. When a customer who purchases a product from the vending machine 10 inputs the customer's identification information together with money when purchasing the product, the vending machine transmits the customer identification information to the database center 50. Database Center 5
0 acquires the customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information and transmits the customer-specific presentation data to the vending machine 10. The vending machine 10 receives the transmitted customer-specific presentation data and presents it to the customer. The customer-specific presentation data includes homepage data, e-mail data, voice data, text data, image data, and the like. A customer who purchases a product with a vending machine can receive a dedicated service on the spot based on the data. Further, as a method of inputting the customer identification information from the vending machine, there are a method of inserting a customer card dedicated to the customer, a method of inputting a customer-specific ID from the touch panel, and the like.

In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which a customer receives a service based on homepage data mainly by inserting a customer card.

First, each component of the vending machine system 100 will be described in more detail.

The customer card 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The customer card 4 is a card for identifying each customer, and is issued by an administrator of the present system by performing a predetermined application procedure. FIG. 2A shows an example of a customer card application form. As shown in the figure, the customer card applicant enters predetermined information such as his / her name, address, e-mail address, gender, occupation, etc. into the application form, and enters the customer card 4
Apply for. On the other hand, the system administrator assigns a customer identification number to the applicant and issues a customer card 4 in which the customer identification number is magnetically recorded to the applicant. FIG.
(B) shows an example of the customer card 4, and the customer identification number is stored in the magnetic stripe 5.

Instead of the customer identification number stored on the magnetic stripe 5, a URL of a home page dedicated to the customer may be stored. In addition, customer card 4
Is not limited to a magnetic card, and various cards having a function of storing customer identification information, such as an IC card, an optical card, a point card, a barcode card, and a print card, can be used.

In the present invention, the customer uses his / her own card 4
Is inserted into the vending machine at 10, the purchase history data can be associated with each customer.

Next, the configuration of the vending machine 10 is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows functional blocks of the vending machine 10, and FIG. 3 shows its appearance.

First, the external appearance of the vending machine 10 is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. On the front panel of the vending machine 10, a product display panel 30, a product selection button 2
2. A bill insertion slot 32, a coin insertion slot 34, a change return lever 36, a change return port 38, and a commodity outlet 40 are provided. These structures are similar to general vending machines. In addition to these, the vending machine system 1 of the present invention
The vending machine 10 at 00 has a card insertion slot 42,
An information display 44, an audio output speaker 46, and a print form discharge port 48 are provided. The card insertion slot 42 is an insertion slot for the customer card 4 described above, and the customer inserts his or her own card 4 when purchasing a product. The information display 44 is configured by a liquid crystal display panel or the like, and displays service information, product introduction, and the like in the form of a homepage created for each customer. The information display 44 has a touch panel type input function, for example, switching of a homepage screen,
It is also possible to select an icon and to input a numerical value such as a customer password or ID. Note that such an input function may not be provided on the information display 44, and the input unit 16 may be separately provided on the vending machine. The sound output speaker 46 outputs sound such as incoming information of an e-mail from the database center 50 when a customer purchases a product. The print form discharge port 48 is for printing the electronic mail.

Next, the functional blocks of the vending machine 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The vending machine 10 has a sales history file 12 in which sales history data is temporarily stored. The sales history file 12 is connected with a product quantity counter mechanism 20, a card processing unit 21, a product selection button 22, a temperature measurement unit 24, a humidity measurement unit 26, a clock 28, and the like.

The card processing section 21 interlocks with a card insertion slot 42 provided on the front panel of the vending machine 10 to read the customer identification number stored in the magnetic stripe 5 portion of the inserted customer card 4, It is transmitted to the sales history file 12 and the control unit 14.

The product selection button 22 is provided on the front panel of the vending machine 10 as shown in FIG. 3, and is used when a customer selects a product to be purchased. When this button is pressed, the vending machine 10 sends the data of the corresponding product to the sales history file 12. Specifically, merchandise identification number data is assigned to each merchandise in advance, and the corresponding merchandise identification number is sent to the sales history file 12 in response to the pressing of the merchandise selection button 22. The merchandise quantity counter mechanism 20 counts the quantity of the purchased merchandise and sends it to the sales history file 12 as quantity data.

The temperature measuring unit 24 and the humidity measuring unit 26 each include a temperature and humidity sensor, measure the temperature and humidity of the place where the vending machine 10 is installed when the product is purchased, and sell the data. Send to the history file 12. Further, regardless of whether or not a product is purchased, data on temperature and humidity are measured every hour, for example, and stored in the sales history file 12, thereby enabling analysis focusing on temperature and humidity.

The clock 28 is constituted by a counter or CPU provided inside the vending machine 10, and manages the date and time. When a customer purchases a product, the date and time of purchase are sent to the sales history file 12 as purchase date and time data.

With the above configuration, the customer can use the vending machine 10
When the user purchases a product from, the product identification number data, the quantity data, the purchase date and time data, and the data such as the temperature and humidity at that time are sent to the sales history file 12 and temporarily stored.

The vending machine 10 has a control unit 14 and an information display 44. The information display 44 is shown in FIG. 3 and displays a homepage created for each customer. The control unit 14 generally controls each component in the vending machine 10 and also controls communication with the database center 50 via the Internet. That is, when the customer purchases a product, the customer identification number of the customer card 4 read by the card processing unit 21 or the URL of the customer's homepage is transmitted to the database center 50 via the Internet 2. The sales history data in the sales history file 12 is periodically transmitted to the database center 50 via the Internet 2. Further, the control unit 14
Has a WEB browser function, and the HT of the homepage created for each customer from the database center 50
Upon receiving the ML text, the homepage on the information display 44 is displayed.

The vending machine 10 has a vending machine individual setting file 18. The vending machine individual setting file 18 stores information unique to each vending machine. Specifically, the identification number of the vending machine 10 itself,
Information such as a product identification number of each product sold by the vending machine 10 and a unit price of each product is stored. The identification number of each product, unit price information, etc.
It is updated when a product within 0 is replaced.

Next, the configuration of the database center 50 will be described with reference to FIG. Database Center 50
Are the sales history database 52 and the product database 5
4. Vending machine database 56, customer database 5
8, an analysis database 62 and a sales promotion database 64 are included.

The sales history database 52 is a database for storing sales history data temporarily stored in the sales history file 12 in the vending machine 10, and the sales history data transmitted via the Internet 2 and the communication server 68. Store the data. The sales history data includes data such as a vending machine identification number, a customer identification number, a sales date, a sales time, a product identification number, a quantity, a product price, a temperature, and humidity.

The product database 54 stores the vending machine 10
And stores data related to a product sold by the company, specifically, a product identification number, a product name, a manufacturer name, a product price, and the like.

The vending machine database 56 stores data on each vending machine 10. Specifically, the vending machine identification number, the installation location (address, zip code, etc.) of each vending machine, the format of the vending machine, and the like are stored.

The customer database 58 stores information on each customer having the customer card 4. Specifically, items described in the application form shown in FIG. 2A, such as the identification number, name, address, gender, and e-mail address of each customer, and the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the homepage
ator), the total number of points and the like are stored. Where UR
L is address information that specifies a specific link destination on the WWW.

The analysis database 62 is a database used for analyzing the sales history data of a product. Under the control of the database server 70, necessary data is transferred from each of the databases 52 to 58 to perform analysis processing. used. A specific example of the analysis processing will be described later.

The sales promotion database 64 stores the results of analysis based on the information in the analysis database 62. The sales promotion database 64 also stores a homepage image created for each customer as service information provided on the information display 44 of the vending machine 10. The homepage image is stored in the customer database 5
8 is associated with the URL of each customer's homepage.

The database center 50 has WW
W (World Wide Web) server 66, communication server 68,
A database server 70 is provided.

The WWW server is a server on the Internet linked by the WWW. WWW server 6
6 receives the customer identification number of the customer card 4 transmitted from the vending machine 10 via the Internet 2, inquires the URL of the homepage corresponding to the customer identification number from the customer database 58, and sells the sales promotion database 64.
To retrieve and acquire the data of the corresponding homepage from the Internet, and transmit it to the vending machine 10 via the Internet 2.
If the URL of the home page is stored in the magnetic stripe 5 portion of the customer card 4, it is not necessary to refer to the customer database 58 for the URL.

The communication server 68 receives sales history data transmitted periodically from the vending machine 10 via the Internet 2 and stores it in the sales history database 52.

The database server 70 transfers information necessary for analyzing the sales history data of the merchandise from each of the databases 52 to 58 to the analysis database 62, performs an analysis process described later, and transmits the result to the sales promotion database 64.
To memorize.

Further, the database center 50 includes a point processing section 72, a controller 74, and an output section 76. The point processing unit 72 extracts the unit price and quantity of the purchased product from the sales history data transmitted from the vending machine 10, and calculates the number of points for each corresponding customer. Further, the total points of each customer stored in the customer database 58 are updated based on the calculated points. The controller 74 is connected to the database center 50.
Manage the whole. The output unit 76 indicates a printer or the like, and outputs a result analyzed by the database server 70, information stored in each database, and the like.

Next, the operation of the vending machine system 100 will be described.

In this system, first, a customer applies for a customer card to a system administrator (database center). This procedure will be described with reference to FIG. First, the customer fills in an application form as shown in FIG. 2A (step S10), and applies for card issuance (step S12). In the database center 50, the information entered in the application form is input to the customer database 58 (step S14), and the data is added to the customer database 58 (step S16). Then, the customer card 4 is issued (step S18) and distributed to the customer (step S20). Thus, the customer obtains his or her customer card 4 and the portion of the magnetic stripe 5 of the card 4 is the customer identification number assigned to the customer, or
The URL of the home page of the customer is stored.

Next, the operation of the vending machine 10 when a customer purchases a product will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the customer inserts his / her own customer card 4 into the card insertion slot 42 of the vending machine 10, the card processing unit 21 reads the customer identification number from the inserted customer card 4, writes it into the sales history file 12, and It is sent to the control unit 14 (step S22). Next, the control unit 1 of the vending machine 10
4 is a database center 5 via the Internet 2
Then, the customer identification number is transmitted to 0 (step S24). The WWW server 66 of the database center 50 receives the customer identification number, accesses the customer database 58, and URs the homepage of the customer corresponding to the customer identification number.
Query L. Then, the user accesses the sales promotion database 64 to search and acquire the customer's homepage image data corresponding to the URL, and obtains the HMTL of the homepage.
A text is created and transmitted to the vending machine 10 via the Internet 2 (step S26). If the URL of the customer's homepage is stored in the magnetic stripe 5 portion of the customer card 4, the customer database 5
It is not necessary to access the client 8 and directly accesses the sales promotion database 64 to search, acquire, and transmit customer homepage image data. The web browser of the control unit 14 of the vending machine 10 uses the HTM of the homepage.
The L text is received and displayed on the information display 44 (step S28). Further, the control unit 14 sends a control command corresponding to the content of the service displayed on the homepage together with the HTML text of the homepage, to the WWW server 66.
Received and executed (step S30). For example,
The control is such that all the products provided by the vending machine 10 are discounted by 10%.

FIG. 6 shows a screen example of the home page displayed in this way. On the homepage screen of FIG. 6, a real-time service of “10% discount on all products” is provided to customers who are about to purchase products. The service content on the homepage screen is based on the analysis result described later performed in the database center 50, is created for each customer who has acquired a customer card, and is provided in accordance with the product purchase status of each customer. Is also different. The contents displayed on the homepage screen can also display information such as introduction of a new product or introduction of a product not handled by the vending machine, in addition to the above-mentioned service. For example, as a result of analyzing the information obtained by the vending machine 10 for cigarettes, if it is found that a customer prefers to smoke XX, when the customer uses the vending machine 10 for soft drinks, To
It is also possible to advertise on the homepage screen of the vending machine 10 that the vending machine 10 for cigarettes has discounted XX cigarettes. Thus, the vending machine 10 for cigarettes can invite the customer to purchase XX cigarettes.

Further, on the homepage screen of the vending machine 10, the accumulated point number corresponding to the customer identification number can be displayed on the homepage screen. The accumulated points are counted up by the point processing unit 72 of the database center 50 each time a product is purchased by the vending machine 10 according to the present invention.
8, the WWW server 66 transmits to the vending machine 10 information indicating that the prize can be exchanged, and a message for recommending the exchange of the prize, when the accumulated points are equal to or more than the predetermined number. Can be displayed on the homepage. Also, at that time, the WWW server 66 can also transmit an e-mail and voice information to the customer to the vending machine 10 via the Internet 2. The control unit 14 of the vending machine 10 displays the received e-mail on the information display 44, prints it out of the print form discharge port 48, and also sends an e-mail message from the voice speaker 46. Can also be played. The printed e-mail can be used for a gift exchange ticket, a discount ticket for a product used in a convenience store, or the like.

Next, the customer inserts money from the bill insertion slot 32 or the coin insertion slot 34 (step S32). At this time, the customer can purchase the product at a discount price according to the control command to the control unit 14 of the vending machine 10.
When the customer selects a desired product by pressing the product selection button 22 of the vending machine 10, the identification number and unit price of the product are sent from the individual setting file 18 to the sales history file 12 (step S34). Next, the date and time when the purchase was made is determined using the clock 28, and the purchase date and time data is stored in the sales history file 12 (step S36).
Next, the temperature and humidity at the time of the purchase are measured using the temperature measurement unit 24 and the humidity measurement unit 26, and the data is stored in the sales history file 12 (step S38). Furthermore,
The quantity of the purchased product is determined using the product quantity counter mechanism 20, and is written into the sales history file 12 (step S40). In this way, data relating to the purchase at that time is temporarily stored in the sales history file 12.

Next, the vending machine 10 throws out the product from the product outlet 40 (step S42), and if there is a change, performs processing such as returning the change (steps S44, S4).
6) Finally, the customer card 4 is returned (step S4)
8), end the process. With the above processing, when the customer purchases the desired product, the sales history data is stored in the sales history file 1 in a state where the sales history data is associated with the identification number of the customer.
2 is stored.

Next, a description will be given, with reference to FIG. 7, of the aggregation and analysis processing of the sales history data thus collected. The tabulation and analysis processing is periodically performed in the database center 50. For example, at a predetermined time in the night as a daily batch process (step S50), the vending machine 1
0 transmits the data in the sales history file 12 collected on that day to the database center 50 (step S).
52). More specifically, sales-related data such as a customer identification number, a sales date, a sales time, a product identification number, a quantity, a unit price, a purchase temperature, and humidity temporarily stored in the sales history file 12 are stored on the Internet. 2 to the database center 50. These sales-related data
It is stored for each purchase operation of the customer and transmitted in that unit. Since the vending machine identification number is not data obtained for each purchase operation, it is transmitted to the database center 50 in the form of header information or the like at the time of transmitting sales-related data. The database center 50 stores the transmitted data in the sales history database 52 under the control of the communication server 68 and the controller 74. By regularly transmitting the sales history data in a relatively short cycle (for example, once a day), the data to be analyzed in the database center 50 can be always updated, and the analysis result can be updated. Can increase value.

After updating the sales history data for one day by the above-described processing, the point processing section 72 calculates and updates the number of points for each customer based on the transmitted sales history data. The calculation of the number of points is performed based on the purchase amount and the number of each customer, and the result is stored in the customer database 58 in association with each customer identification number. Therefore, the customer database 58 always stores the latest number of points for each customer.

It should be noted that a service person or the like operates the vending machine 10
In the case where processing such as replacement of products in the vending machine or change of the unit price is performed, the changed product identification number, the product unit price, and the like in the vending machine individual setting file 18 can be transmitted to the database center 50 at the same time. In that case, the changed information is sent to the vending machine database 56 and stored as updated new information. The change of the unit price of each vending machine 10 can also be performed by transmitting data from the database center 50 side.

Further, when the maintenance of the vending machine 10 is performed, a dedicated UR is utilized by using the input function of the information display 44.
By inputting L or the like, a home page for maintenance can be displayed on the information display 44, or a guide for maintenance can be printed from the print form discharge port 48. As a result, the maintenance person can perform maintenance according to the procedure displayed on the homepage or on the form.

Next, it is confirmed whether or not the data transfer from the vending machine 10 to the database center 50 has been completed normally (step S54). The data is erased (step S56).

Subsequently, an analysis process is executed in the database server 70 of the database center 50 (step S58). The analysis process is performed from various viewpoints,
The required data is transferred from each database to the analysis database 62. For example, when analyzing the sales history for each customer, information about the customer (for example, age, gender,
By associating the sales history data in the sales history database 52 with the sales history data in the sales history database 52, it is possible to analyze the sales performance by age, by occupation, by place of residence, and the like. Based on this, a home page for each customer is created in the database server 70, and the sales promotion database 6 is created.
4 is stored. The status of access to the homepage is also log-managed as data by the database center 50 and used for analysis. Further, by associating the vending machine database 56 with the sales history database 52 by the vending machine identification number, it is possible to analyze the sales performance of each vending machine, the sales performance of each region where the vending machine is installed, and the like. it can. In addition, by associating the product database 54 with the sales history database 52 using the product identification number, it is possible to analyze the sales performance of each product. In addition, by using sales date / time data, temperature / humidity data, and the like acquired from the vending machine 10, it is possible to analyze sales performance by time zone, by day of the week, changes in purchase status due to temperature / humidity, and the like. Further, by analyzing the sales history data of the same customer sent from a plurality of vending machines 10, it is possible to understand how the same customer uses different vending machines. , Will be reflected on each customer's homepage.

The above analysis results are basically stored in the sales promotion database 64 and output in the form of a list or a table via the output unit 76 such as a printer. Used as data (step S60).

In the vending machine system of the present invention,
By using the customer card, it is possible to analyze sales information at the individual customer level. Therefore, it is possible to promote sales by providing special services to customers who have a high contribution to sales performance. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a list of top purchasers for each customer is created. This is created by sorting the sales history data during a certain period by customer identification number, calculating “product unit price” × “quantity” for each customer, and calculating the total purchase price.
Note that this processing starts a program prepared in advance, and is automatically executed using data in each database.

Based on the list thus obtained, preferential services such as providing a cashback service of a certain amount to customers in the top 20% or providing a home delivery service at a special discount rate are provided. can do. In that case, the database center 5
0 can automatically create a guide mail for such a service. For example, after the list of FIG. 8 is automatically created, information such as the addresses of the top 20% of customers is accessed and acquired in the customer database 58, and the address sticker of the mail is automatically printed out by the output unit 76 such as a printer. Program can be created to automatically print address stickers. Also, the customer can access the WWW server 66 from the terminal at home via the Internet 2 and view his / her own homepage. For example, in the homepage, "only for you 4/1 to 4 / It is also possible to attract customers to the vending machine 10 by using information such as "Up to 30 under discount service". Further, the WWW server 66 may be configured to access the customer database 58, acquire the e-mail address of the customer with the highest contribution, and automatically transmit a guide mail to each e-mail address. FIG. 9 schematically shows an example of using the above analysis results.

According to the present invention, instead of the above-described method of inputting a customer identification number by inserting a customer card, the user's ID is directly input from the touch panel of the information display 44 of the vending machine 10.
May be entered.

Further, the present invention enables a customer to apply for a cashless service by an electronic payment mechanism via the Internet 2 so that the vending machine 10 can be used without cash. In this case, the personal authentication is performed not only by inserting the customer card 4 into the vending machine 10 but also by inputting a password using the input function of the information display 44 and authenticating the customer at the database center 50. It is also possible to enhance. In addition, through the Internet 2, it is possible to develop a service of peripheral information of the vending machine 10 in cooperation with a GIS service homepage. In addition, by using the "cash collection mechanism" of the vending machine 10, it is also possible to post a product on a homepage other than the product filled in the vending machine 10 and apply for purchase on the spot.

Further, the present invention is not limited to vending machines for goods such as soft drinks and cigarettes. For example, tickets and documents are issued to customers like ticket vending machines and insurance contract machines.
The present invention can be applied to all unmanned service machines in which the relationship between customer information and sales information cannot be examined because of unattended sales. For example, if a customer card is distributed in advance and a movie ticket is purchased using the customer card, a person with a certain customer attribute can determine which movie in which cinema, in which time zone, It is possible to analyze whether or not a level seat ticket has been purchased. Further, if the present invention is applied to an automatic ticket vending machine such as baseball or soccer, it becomes possible to analyze a match of a team and a kind of customer attribute in a certain stadium.

The data communication between the vending machine 10 and the database center 50 may be either online or offline, and may use any type of line such as the Internet or a dedicated line. It does not matter whether wired or wireless. Further, any of real-time and batch processing methods may be used as the data transmission processing timing.

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Through the home page for each customer displayed on the vending machine, a real-time service can be provided for each customer, and sales promotion can be developed according to each customer. In addition, sales history data can be collected in a form associated with each customer, and analysis can be performed based on this. Further, since the sales-related data collected by the vending machine is transmitted to the database center in a short cycle (for example, every day) and the database is updated, the latest data can always be analyzed to examine a sales strategy and the like. . In addition, based on the analysis results, reflected on the homepage of each customer,
If the system is configured to automatically send guidance by e-mail or the like, it is possible to realize prompt and accurate advertisement and promotion of purchase for a huge number of customers.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vending machine system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a customer card and its application form.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an external configuration of a vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a customer card application procedure.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a homepage display process and a product purchase process.

FIG. 6 is an example of a homepage screen displayed on a vending machine.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing data collection and analysis processing.

FIG. 8 is a table showing an example of analyzing sales history data.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of using an analysis result.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Internet 4 Customer card 10 Vending machine 12 Sales history file 14 Control unit 21 Card processing unit 44 Information display unit 46 Voice output speaker 48 Print sheet outlet 50 Database center 52 Sales history database 54 ... Product database 56 ... Vending machine database 58 ... Customer database 62 ... Analysis database 64 ... Sales promotion database 66 ... WWW server 68 ... Communication server 70 ... Database server 100 ... Vending machine system

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G10L 13/00 G10L 3/00 Q

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine system comprising a database center and a plurality of vending machines connected to the database center via communication means, wherein the vending machine converts the input customer identification information into Transmitting means for transmitting to the database center via the communication means; customer-specific presentation data receiving means for receiving customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information from the database center; and customer-specific presentation data A data presentation unit for presenting the customer-specific presentation data received by the reception unit; andthe database center stores the customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information; Customer identification information receiving means for receiving the customer identification information transmitted from the vending machine; and the data Customer-specific presentation data acquisition means for acquiring the customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information received by the customer identification information reception means from the source, and the customer acquired by the customer-specific presentation data acquisition means A vending machine system for transmitting customer-specific presentation data to the vending machine via the communication means. 2. The vending machine system according to claim 1, wherein the customer-specific presentation data includes at least one of homepage data, electronic mail data, and voice data. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said vending machine is provided with means for inserting a storage medium storing said customer identification information allocated to each customer in advance and reading said customer identification information from said storage medium. The vending machine system according to claim 1, further comprising: 4. The vending machine includes a storage device for temporarily storing, as sales-related data, an identification number and quantity of a product purchased by a customer and the customer identification information read by the reading unit. The vending machine system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein 5. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a measuring unit that measures the date and time when the customer purchased the product, and the temperature and humidity at that time and stores the measured date and time in the storage device as sales-related data. The vending machine system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The vending machine includes a transmission control unit that transmits the sales-related data stored in the storage device to the database center via the communication unit at predetermined time intervals. The vending machine system according to claim 1. 7. The vending machine, wherein the database center has a point processing unit that calculates a number of points based on a past product purchase history of each customer and stores the number of points in the database in association with the customer identification information. When the storage medium is inserted, the client accesses the database in the database center to obtain the number of points associated with the customer identification information of the customer, and presents the number of points by the customer-specific presentation data presentation means. The vending machine system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: a number obtaining unit. 8. The electronic mail transmission, wherein the database center specifies a customer who has a high contribution to the product purchase history based on the analysis result of the sales-related data, and automatically transmits an e-mail to the specified customer. 8. The vending machine system according to claim 1, further comprising means. 9. A recording medium for recording customer identification information for acquiring customer-specific presentation data presented to a customer through a vending machine. 10. A vending machine connected via communication means to a database center having customer-specific presentation data corresponding to customer identification information, wherein said input customer identification information is transmitted to said vending machine via said communication means. Transmission means for transmitting to the database center; customer-specific presentation data receiving means for receiving the customer-specific presentation data corresponding to the customer identification information from the database center; and A vending machine comprising: a means for presenting customer-specific presentation data for presenting customer-specific presentation data. 11. The vending machine according to claim 10, wherein the customer-specific presentation data includes at least one of homepage data, e-mail data, and voice data. 12. A storage medium, which is provided in advance to a customer and stores a storage medium storing the customer identification information allocated to each customer, and reads the customer identification information from the storage medium. A vending machine according to claim 10. 13. When the storage medium is inserted, a database in the database center is accessed to obtain a point number calculated based on a past product purchase history of each customer having the storage medium, The vending machine according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising a point number acquisition unit for presenting the data by a presentation data presentation unit.