Article dispensing – With recorder – register – indicator – signal or exhibitor
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-17
2002-06-11
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
With recorder, register, indicator, signal or exhibitor
C340S870030
Reexamination Certificate
active
06401969
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to apparatuses for selecting a product in a vending machine, such as a vending machine which sells a plurality of types of products, by inputting a contemplated product number selected from product numbers assigned to respective types of products, for example, through the operation of buttons such as in a ten key.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, various: vending machines, for example, vending machines, which can sell a plurality of types of products, and the so-called “see-through-type vending machines,” which can see, from the front of the vending machine, products housed in the vending machine through a transparent front panel and utilize the products per se as a display, have been developed. In these vending machines, the provision of a selection button, operated by the purchaser to select a contemplated product, in each product results in the increased necessary number of buttons and wirings, and this increases the cost. Further, when the selection buttons are disposed respectively at positions corresponding to the products in the front panel, it becomes difficult to see the products, leading to deteriorated display effect. For this reason, a method has been adopted wherein a product number is assigned to each product and, in addition, a plurality of buttons for inputting a product number, together with a cash inlet port or the like, are collectively provided side by side in one place, for example, at the right end or left end in the front of the vending machine. An example of a group of buttons having a plurality of buttons for selecting a product through the input of a contemplated product number (hereinafter referred to as “input buttons”) is the so-called “ten key” composed of 10 input buttons respectively on which numbers of 0 to 9 are written. The apparatus for selecting a product comprises, in addition to the ten key, for example, a display unit for displaying the input product number, a correction button for correcting an input erroneous number, and an OK button operated by a purchaser to finally establish the selection (purchase) of the product after the input of the product number.
The vending machine provided with the above product selection apparatus sells a product through the following operation by a purchaser. Specifically, after the purchaser first puts a cash into a cash inlet port, the product number of a contemplated product is input through a ten key. In this case, the input product number. is displayed on a display unit. When the number displayed on the display unit is different from the product number of the contemplated product, for example, due to the depression of an erroneous number by the purchaser, the depression of a correction button by the purchaser permits the contemplated product number to be re-input through the ten key. After the product number is correctly input, the purchaser confirms that the input product number is consistent with the contemplated product number. Thereafter, an OK button is depressed to establish the selection of the product, and the product is delivered to a product output port.
This type of product selection apparatus is not a little difficult to handle for a person who handles the apparatus for the first time (hereinafter referred to as “beginner.” Specifically, in most of the currently widely spread vending machines, selection buttons for selecting products corresponding to the product displays are disposed respectively at front positions corresponding to the product displays. In this case, what is required for the purchaser to buy the product is only to depress the. selection button once. On the other hand, in the case of the above product selection apparatus, when there was an erroneous operation in the depression of the ten key, the OK button, or the product number, the correction button should be depressed. Thus, when a person buys a product, he (she) should:depress a plurality of buttons. Therefore, handling this type of vending machine is not easy particularly for beginners unfamiliar with the operation.
For this reason, in vending machines provided with the above type of product selection apparatus, for example, the following three measures are taken so that the operation of buttons can be easily made even by beginners. The first measure is such that the operating procedure from the step of putting a cash to the step of depressing the OK button is described at a noticeable place around the ten key or the like, so that the purchaser can learn the operating procedure upon reading the description. The second measure is such that the steps of the operating procedure are itemized, and, in addition, lamps are provided respectively, in areas of the beginning of the items, thereby informing the purchaser of the button to be depressed while turning on the corresponding lamp. The third measure is to successively inform the purchaser of the steps of the operating procedure by a voice given from a voice output device built in the vending machine.
For the first and second measures, the operating procedure is written, or otherwise the steps of the operating procedure are itemized. In this case, the beginners cannot learn the operating procedure unless they read. This imposes a great burden on the purchaser and, in addition, inhibits quick purchase of the product. On the other hand, for the third measure, the operating procedure is informed by a voice. In this case, the voice is always given regardless of the purchaser or the purchase time, that is, even to purchasers familiar with the operating procedure and all day and all night. This is very noisy, and offers uncomfort to the purchaser or persons present around the vending machine.
An example of equipment, which is widely spread and utilized through the operation of a ten key, is a push-button phone. In the push-button phone, what is required for making a phone call is only to pick up the receiver followed by the operation of the ten key. Therefore, some purchasers would think that they can buy a contemplated product in a vending machine by operating the product selection apparatus in substantially the same manner as in the push-button phone. That is, they would think that simply putting a cash into the cash inlet port followed by the input of a contemplated product number through the operation of the ten key could deliver the product to the product output port. This causes the purchaser to sometimes forget to depress the OK button. Therefore, the purchaser cannot receive the product until the purchaser notices the necessity of depressing the OK button and depresses it. Thus, a considerable time is often taken for the purchase of the product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been made with a view to solving the above problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for selecting a product in a vending machine which, when a purchaser buys a product in a vending machine by inputting a product number, the purchaser can easily, quickly and clearly understand the operation for buying the product and consequently can smoothly and quickly buy the contemplated product.
According to the first feature of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for selecting a product in a vending machine by inputting, through the operation of a plurality of input buttons, a product number composed of a plurality of characters assigned to each product, said apparatus comprising:
a group of product selection buttons, which have the plurality of input buttons respectively on which the plurality of characters are written one letter by one letter, for inputting the product number;
a correction button which is operated in the course of or after the operation of the group of product selection buttons to permit the product number to be re-input by the group of product selection buttons;
an OK button which is operated after the completion of the operation of the group of product selection buttons to establish the selection of a product;
lighting means which can light up the group of product s
Itaya Toshio
Takahashi Toshiyuki
Yajima Hidekazu
McDermott & Will & Emery
Noland Kenneth W.
Sanyo Electric Co,. Ltd.
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