JP2526155Y2 - Soft vending machine - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Industrial application field] The invention relates to a software vending machine such as a computer software, and more specifically, to each user based on preference information obtained from a customer's purchase results. The present invention relates to a software vending machine that displays newly arrived software according to a user's preference.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in the case of purchasing software such as computer software in a software vending machine, software that matches one's taste is selected and purchased from a large number of candidate software.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the above-mentioned software vending machine, since a user selects and purchases software that suits his / her taste from among a large number of candidate software, it is very difficult to purchase the software. There was a problem that it took time and the user was very dissatisfied.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide a software vending machine that can reduce the time required for purchase.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, the software vending machine of the present invention stores type information indicating at least the type of software previously purchased by each user for each user. Information storage means, information reading means for reading various information from the information storage means, storage means for storing a large number of software and type information indicating the type of the software, etc., A control unit for selecting, from the storage unit, software of the same type as software previously purchased by each user based on the type information read from the storage unit and the type information of various software stored in the storage unit; A display unit for displaying the software selected by the control unit; and an information rewriting unit for adding the type information of the software newly purchased by the user to the information storage unit.

[Operation] According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the information reading unit reads various types of information from the information storage unit that stores at least type information indicating the type of software previously purchased by each user. Next, the control unit, based on the type information read from the information storage unit by the information reading unit and the type information of various software stored in the storage unit, determines the software of the same type as the software previously purchased by each user. A selection is made from storage means storing a large number of software. Next, the display means displays the software selected by the control means.

Each time the user purchases the software using the software vending machine, the information rewriting means adds the type information of the software newly purchased by the user to the information storage means.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the configuration of the computer software vending machine of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1, computer software vending machines (hereinafter referred to as software vendors) 3 installed at retail stores nationwide are connected to a host computer 1 via a communication line 2. The host computer 1 can supply computer software (hereinafter, referred to as software) to a software vendor 3 via a communication line 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the software vendor 3 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 10 therein, and the CPU 10 has a communication unit connected to the host computer 1 via the communication line 2. 11, a ROM (read only memory) 12 for storing a control program for controlling the CPU 10, a program and a manual for various software, and a display of the usage and operation procedures of the software vendor 3. A storage unit 13 as a storage unit for storing programs, a display 14 as a display unit for displaying a demonstration of each software, a method of using the software vendor 3 and an operation procedure, etc., and a user selecting a software or requesting a purchase. Keyboard to enter information indicating whether or not
15, a software sales unit 16 that sells software, a printer 17 that prints software manuals, and an ID (information storage means) that stores at least information on titles and types of software previously purchased by each user ( (Identification) A data read / write unit 18 that inserts and ejects a card and reads and writes data of an ID card is connected. The types of software include business software, educational software, game software, and the like, and the types of game software include action, character, role playing, and simulation. Further, each type of software is further finely classified therein. The data read / write unit 18 serves both as information reading means and information rewriting means. The control means is constituted by the CPU 10 and the ROM 12.

The new software sent from the host computer 1 via the communication line 2 is received by the communication unit 11, and the CPU 10 stores the program of the software in the free space in the storage unit 13 from the communication unit 11 together with the reception date. Write. If there is no free space in the storage unit 13, the CPU 10 overwrites the part of the unpopular software with the newly arrived software program.

Next, the operation of the soft bender 3 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, as shown in FIG.
Is operated, the CPU 13 instructs the user to insert an ID card into a card insertion slot (not shown) of the data read / write unit 18 by displaying the fact on the display 14. This state is repeated until the ID card is inserted into the card insertion slot (Step 1, hereinafter referred to as S1; other steps are the same). The user inserts his / her ID card into the card slot of the data read / write unit 18. CPU10 checks that the ID card is inserted into the card slot,
The data read / write unit 18 reads information such as the title and type of software previously purchased by the user from the ID card. For example, it is assumed that the software purchased by the user is a simulation game golf, a simulation game mahjong, and a simulation game strategy game (S2).
From the information read by the data read / write unit 18, the CPU 10
Determines the tendency of the software preferred by the user, and searches the storage unit 13 for software other than the software previously purchased by the user based on the determination. In this case, it is simulation game software. (S3). The simulation game software read from the storage unit 13 by the CPU 10 is displayed on the display 14 (S4). The user selects his / her favorite software from the simulation software displayed on the display 14 and inputs it from the keyboard 15, and causes the CPU 10 to read the demonstration of the software from the storage unit 13 and display the demonstration on the display 14. (S5). When the user purchases this software, the user inputs that fact from the keyboard 15 and pays the fee to a fee payment port (not shown) of the software vendor 3 (S6: Ye
s). Then, the CPU 10 causes the software sales unit 16 to write the program of the software purchased by the user to a floppy disk prepared in the software vendor 3, and then, writes the floppy disk from an outlet (not shown) of the software sales unit 16. Discharge to outside of soft bender 3. Also, CPU10
Causes the printer 17 to print a manual for the software, and discharges the manual from a discharge port (not shown) of the printer 17 (S7). If the user does not purchase the software displayed on the display 14, the user inputs the information from the keyboard 15 (S6: No). After the software vendor 3 finishes selling the software and when the user does not purchase the software displayed on the display 14, the CPU 10 displays on the display 14 a message indicating whether or not to select another software. Keyboard to inform user to select software again
When the input is made from 15 (S8: Yes), the process returns to S4, and the user again selects from among the software displayed on the display 14 and read from the storage unit 13 by the CPU 10. When the user inputs from the keyboard 15 that no more software is to be selected (S
8: No), the CPU 10
Add the information of the software purchased by the user to the D card. If the user has not purchased the software, nothing is added (S9). After that, the CPU 10 sends the I / O
The D card is ejected outside from the card insertion slot of the data read / write unit 18 (S10).

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in detail above,
Various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in this embodiment, the ID card stores information of software previously purchased by each user. However, the ID card stores only data for identifying each user. When inserted into the software vendor, the CPU 10 obtains the information from the information storage means provided in the software vendor 3 and storing the software previously purchased by the user for each user. The software information may be read out, and the software according to the user's preference may be selected from the storage unit 13 based on the information.

Further, the information storage means may be provided inside the host computer.

If the user also wants to see software that does not conform to his / her taste, the user may input that fact from the keyboard 15 to broaden the search range of the software.

Alternatively, the ID card may have information on the model of the computer owned by the user as information, and software that cannot be used for the model may not be introduced.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, each user is able to match each user's preference based on the type information of previously purchased software and the type information of various software. Since the newly arrived software is presented, it is possible to provide a software vending machine capable of shortening the time required for purchase, which has a remarkable industrial effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 3 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a computer software vending system, and FIG. 2 is a computer software vending system. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the vending machine for computer software. In the figure, 1 is a host computer, 2 is a communication line, 3 is a software vendor, 10 is a CPU, 11 is a communication unit, 12 is a ROM, 13 is a storage unit, 14 is a display, 15 is a keyboard, 16 is a software sales unit, Reference numeral 17 denotes a printer, and 18 denotes a data read / write unit.

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An information storage means for storing, for each user, type information indicating at least the type of software previously purchased by each user; an information reading means for reading various information from the information storage means; Storage means for storing software and type information indicating the type of the software, and the type information read from the information storage means by the information reading means and the type information of various software stored in the storage means Control means for selecting from the storage means software of the same type as the software previously purchased by each user based on the above, display means for displaying the software selected by the control means, and a user in the information storage means A software vending machine characterized by comprising information rewriting means for adding type information of newly purchased software.