阅读说明：本技术 利用提供自动售货机信号变换结算的结算终端的自动售货机管理服务提供方法、其装置及自动售货机管理系统 (Vending machine management service providing method using settlement terminal for providing vending machine signal conversion settlement, apparatus thereof, and vending machine management system ) 是由 黄承俊 全浩铎 于 2020-02-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：根据本发明的实施例的服务器的运行方法,包括如下步骤：与自动售货机连接的结算终端中,将所述自动售货机的输出输入信号以结算终端可处理的形态进行变换并读取结算工具信息时,从所述结算终端接收利用从所述变换获取的商品信息或金额信息中至少一个和所述读取的结算工具信息生成的结算承认邀请电文；及基于所述结算承认邀请电文,将所述自动售货机的管理服务向与所述自动售货机对应的管理者终端提供。(The operation method of the server according to the embodiment of the invention comprises the following steps: receiving, from a settlement terminal connected to the vending machine, a settlement approval invitation message generated using at least one of commodity information or money amount information acquired from the conversion and the read settlement instrument information when the settlement terminal converts an input/output signal of the vending machine in a form processable by the settlement terminal and reads the settlement instrument information; and providing a management service of the vending machine to a manager terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the settlement acceptance invitation telegraph.)

1. An operation method of a server comprises the following steps:

receiving, from a settlement terminal connected to the vending machine, a settlement approval invitation message generated using at least one of commodity information or money amount information acquired from the conversion and the read settlement instrument information, when the settlement terminal converts an input/output signal of the vending machine in a form processable by the settlement terminal and reads the settlement instrument information; and

and providing the management service of the vending machine to a manager terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the settlement acceptance invitation telegraph.

2. The method of operating a server according to claim 1,

the step of providing comprises the steps of:

registering inventory management information received from the administrator terminal; and

and providing a management service of the vending machine corresponding to the stock management information according to the acceptance processing of the settlement acceptance invitation telegram.

3. The method of operating a server according to claim 2,

the step of providing comprises the steps of:

and updating the inventory information corresponding to the registered inventory management information in accordance with the approval process of the settlement approval invitation message.

4. The method of operating a server according to claim 3,

the inventory management information includes: at least one of position information, settlement terminal information, product display code information, installation number information, notification reference value information, and current stock information corresponding to the vending machine.

5. The method of operating a server according to claim 4,

the updating step comprises the following steps:

when the settlement approval invitation message is approved, the current stock information is deducted and updated in correspondence with the product display code information acquired based on the settlement approval invitation information.

6. The method of operating a server according to claim 5,

the step of providing comprises the steps of:

and if the current inventory information updated by deduction is below the informing reference value information, providing an inventory informing message to the manager terminal.

7. The method of operating a server according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

in the settlement terminal connected with the vending machine, if an error code is generated by the output and input signals of the vending machine as the result of form conversion which can be processed by the settlement terminal, a communication message including the error code is received from the settlement terminal; and

and providing an error notification message based on the received communication text to the manager terminal.

8. The method of operating a server according to claim 7,

the settlement terminal compares the conversion result signal of the output and input signals of the vending machine with a pre-stored error table and then determines the error code of the vending machine,

the error notification message includes necessary measure information corresponding to the vending machine error code.

9. The method of operating a server according to claim 1,

the settlement terminal includes: and a signal level conversion unit connected to a main board of the vending machine, and configured to convert a level of a signal output from the main board into a level corresponding to the settlement terminal.

10. A server apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit which receives a settlement approval invitation message generated by using at least one of commodity information or money amount information acquired from the conversion and the read settlement instrument information from a settlement terminal connected to the vending machine, when the settlement terminal converts an output/input signal of the vending machine into a form processable by the settlement terminal and reads the settlement instrument information; and

and a management service providing unit configured to provide a management service of the vending machine to a manager terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the settlement acceptance invitation message.

11. The server apparatus according to claim 10,

the management service providing part registers inventory management information received from the manager terminal,

and a management service of the vending machine corresponding to the stock management information is provided to the administrator terminal through the communication unit in accordance with the settlement approval invitation message approval process.

12. The server apparatus according to claim 11,

the management service providing part updates the inventory information corresponding to the registered inventory management information according to the acceptance processing of the settlement acceptance invitation message.

13. The server apparatus according to claim 12,

the inventory management information includes at least one of position information, settlement terminal information, product display code information, installation number information, notification reference value information, and current inventory information corresponding to the vending machine.

14. The server apparatus according to claim 13,

the management service providing unit deducts and updates the current stock information in correspondence with the product display code information acquired based on the settlement approval invitation information when the settlement approval invitation message is approved.

15. The server apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

and a notification message processing unit which processes to provide a stock notification message to the manager terminal if the current stock information updated by deduction is less than or equal to the notification reference value information.

16. The server apparatus according to claim 10,

the communication section further includes: and a notification message processing unit which receives a communication message including an error code from the settlement terminal when the settlement terminal connected to the vending machine generates the error code by converting an input/output signal of the vending machine into a form processable by the settlement terminal, and processes the communication message to provide an error notification message based on the received communication message to the administrator terminal.

17. The server apparatus according to claim 16,

the settlement terminal compares the conversion result signal of the output and input signals of the vending machine with a pre-stored error table and then determines the error code of the vending machine,

the error notification message includes necessary measure information corresponding to the vending machine error code.

18. The server apparatus according to claim 10,

the settlement terminal includes:

and a signal level conversion unit connected to a main board of the vending machine, and configured to convert a level of a signal output from the main board into a level corresponding to the settlement terminal.

19. A vending machine system comprising:

a vending machine, which is formed with a main board and a power supply part for controlling the key input part, the commodity management part and the discharge part;

a settlement terminal which receives the power supplied from the power supply unit, is connected to the main board, converts an input/output signal of the vending machine into a form processable by the settlement terminal, reads settlement tool information, generates a settlement approval invitation message using at least one of the commodity information or the amount information of the commodity management unit acquired from the conversion unit and the read settlement tool information, and transmits the settlement approval invitation message to a server; and

a server for providing an acknowledgement response to the settlement terminal based on the settlement acknowledgement invitation message and providing a management service of the vending machine based on the settlement acknowledgement invitation message to a manager terminal corresponding to the vending machine,

wherein the settlement terminal generates a vending machine control message when receiving an approval response corresponding to the settlement approval invitation message, converts the vending machine control message into a control signal corresponding to the vending machine, converts a signal voltage level of the control signal, and inputs the converted control signal to the main board,

the vending machine executes input of an amount of money to be put and product selection processing in response to the input control signal, and discharges a product corresponding to the product information by the discharge unit.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a vending machine management system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a vending machine management service providing method, a vending machine management service providing device, and a vending machine management system using a settlement terminal for providing a signal conversion settlement of a vending machine.

Background

A vending machine (hereinafter, referred to as a vending machine) is a machine that automatically outputs items required by a purchaser by inserting money or a bank card, and has a function and a function of an unmanned delivery point that sells daily necessities such as beverages, foods, cigarettes, tickets, newspapers, magazines, stamps, socks, toilet paper, and sanitary goods.

The sales of articles by the vending machine have been developed in various forms, and beverage products such as canned beverages and coffee are mainly sold at the initial stage, but recently, various vending machines for selling products such as fast food, sanitary goods, books, toys, etc. have been operated, and the sales of articles by the vending machines have been increasing due to the increase of labor costs.

In addition, recently, a vending machine having an online communication function and capable of settling by swiping a card through a network has been introduced, and thus, the settlement method has been diversified.

However, since a vending machine supporting the card-swiping settlement function requires a separate module and settlement system, it is difficult to add the card-swiping settlement function to a vending machine not having such a function in the past.

Further, recently, the utilization rate of the settlement system based on the code image has been increasing, and for example, an international payment settlement service using a QR code, a barcode, or the like cannot support the settlement system in the conventional automatic vending machine.

However, in order to enable the conventional vending machines to perform settlement of the current or later mode, there are problems in cost and difficulty in actual installation such as removing an internal substrate of the conventional vending machine and replacing and installing a new settlement system.

Further, in order to arrange and operate the conventional offline vending machines, it is necessary to directly perform stock and article management and periodic maintenance of each of the offline vending machines, and therefore, installation, management, and maintenance costs of the offline vending machines are increasing.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a settlement terminal, an operation method thereof, and a vending machine system including the same, which are configured to be connectable to a conventional vending machine system not having a card-swiping or online settlement function, thereby enabling card-swiping settlement and settlement information management by using a conventional vending machine system board and providing a vending machine signal conversion settlement.

Also, the present invention provides a vending machine management system using the settlement terminal, thereby saving the installation, management and maintenance costs of the vending machine and facilitating the online management service of the off-line vending machine.

Technical scheme

In order to solve the above-described technical problem, an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is a server apparatus including: a communication unit which receives a settlement approval invitation message generated by using at least one of commodity information or money amount information acquired from the conversion and the read settlement instrument information from a settlement terminal connected to the vending machine, when the settlement terminal converts an output/input signal of the vending machine into a form processable by the settlement terminal and reads the settlement instrument information; and a management service providing unit that provides a management service of the vending machine to a manager terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the settlement acceptance invitation message.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, according to the method of an embodiment of the present invention, as an operation method of a server, in a settlement terminal connected to a vending machine, when converting an input/output signal of the vending machine in a form processable by the settlement terminal and reading settlement instrument information, a settlement approving invitation message generated using at least one of commodity information or money amount information acquired from the conversion and the read settlement instrument information is received from the settlement terminal; and providing a management service of the vending machine to a manager terminal corresponding to the vending machine based on the settlement acceptance invitation telegraph.

In order to solve the above-described technical problem, a system according to an embodiment of the present invention is, as a vending machine system, a vending machine formed with a main board and a power supply section that control a key input section, a product management section, and a discharge section; and a settlement terminal which receives the power supplied from the power supply unit, is connected to the main board, converts an input/output signal of the vending machine into a form processable by the settlement terminal, reads settlement tool information, generates a settlement approval invitation message using at least one of the commodity information or the amount information of the commodity management unit acquired from the conversion unit and the read settlement tool information, and transmits the settlement approval invitation message to a server; and a server which provides an acknowledgement response to the settlement approval invitation message to the settlement terminal, provides a management service of the vending machine based on the settlement approval invitation message to a manager terminal corresponding to the vending machine, generates a vending machine control message when the settlement terminal receives an acknowledgement response corresponding to the settlement approval invitation message, converts the vending machine control message into a control signal corresponding to the vending machine, converts a signal voltage level of the control signal, and inputs the control signal to the main board, and the vending machine performs an input amount input and product selection process corresponding to the input control signal, and discharges a product corresponding to the product information through the discharge unit.

Technical effects

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there are provided a settlement terminal, an operation method thereof, and a vending machine system including the same, which are configured to be connectable to a conventional vending machine system, thereby enabling a conventional vending machine system board to be used, and enabling a vending machine signal conversion settlement to be provided, thereby enabling card payment and settlement information management.

Thus, the present invention can solve the problems of difficulty in installation and cost by connecting a settlement terminal which can transmit and receive telegraph text to and from most vending machines or the like with a small board size and a simple board configuration without removing an internal board of a conventional vending machine or installing a new settlement system therein, and can provide expandability to other devices by driving the same with a power supply of the vending machine without using a separate power supply.

In addition, the present invention can provide a manager terminal with a management service based on a vending machine management system using the settlement terminal, the management service including a song-in-song service such as a vending machine location management, a commodity information management, an inventory notification or an error measure guidance, etc., thereby having an effect of saving installation, management and maintenance costs of the vending machine through the settlement terminal expansion function according to the embodiment of the present invention, and facilitating an online management service of an offline vending machine.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a drawing illustrating an overall system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram for explaining a settlement terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the transform processing section according to the embodiment of the present invention in more detail.

Fig. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams illustrating a transform processing circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the overall system action according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram for illustrating a server in more detail according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a management service process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 to 10 are diagrams for explaining management registration information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 to 15 are diagrams for explaining a manager interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating an error table according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 to 18 are diagrams illustrating an informing interface of a manager terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The operational principles of preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings and the description.

However, the drawings shown below and the description below are only preferred embodiments among various methods for effectively describing the features of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the drawings and the description below.

In the following description of the present invention, if it is determined that detailed description of known functions or configurations related to the present invention unnecessarily obscures the gist of the present invention, detailed description thereof will be omitted. The term to be described later is defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and may be changed according to the intention of the user or the operator, the convention, or the like. Therefore, the definition should be decided based on the contents throughout the present specification.

In order to effectively explain the technical components forming the present invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention to be implemented below omit the system function components provided in the respective system function components or generally provided in the technical field of the present invention as much as possible, and mainly explain the function components additionally provided to the present invention.

A person skilled in the art of the present invention should easily understand the functions of components that have been used in the past in functional configurations that are not shown and omitted below, and also can clearly understand the relationship between the components that have been omitted as described above and components that are added for the present invention.

In the following examples, terms are used as appropriate to effectively explain the core technical features of the present invention and to clearly understand the same by those skilled in the art, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Therefore, the technical idea of the present invention is determined by the claims, and the following embodiments are just one mode for effectively explaining the inventive technical idea of the present invention to those skilled in the technical field of the present invention.

The "settlement terminal" described in this specification may include: in order to operate the vending machine interlock function according to the embodiment of the present invention, a terminal device for a settlement service using settlement instrument information read from a customer's card by an NFC card reading unit, an RF card reading unit, an IC card reading unit, a settlement instrument code reading unit, or a magnetic stripe reader is provided, and a settlement terminal having an electronic settlement function using a customer's card or a portable terminal having at least one settlement instrument may be exemplified.

Further, although an example of the "relay server" is a Value Added Network (VAN) company side relay server that relays electronic settlement of credit cards, the relay server may include various types of financial servers such as other financial company servers related to bank settlement or settlement tool code settlement, in addition to electronic settlement of credit cards, and may also be referred to as an auxiliary server separately operated in a form of a separate server of an actual settlement relay function and other additional functions according to a specific function.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates an overall system according to an embodiment of the invention.

A settlement system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: the vending machine 100, the settlement terminal 200, the relay server 300, the financial company server 400, and the administrator terminal 500.

The vending machine 100 may be a conventional vending machine having a brushless card settlement function, and includes: a power supply part 120 for supplying power to the vending machine; a main board 110 for controlling the overall operation; a key input unit 130 for receiving one or more key inputs; a product management unit 140 that registers product identification information and amount information corresponding to the key input; and a discharge unit 150 for discharging the product under the control of the main plate unit 110.

The settlement terminal 200 may include: a settlement tool reading part 240 and a communication part 220 for providing settlement service by using settlement tool information read from a bar code, a QR code, an IC card or a magnetic card, which is a settlement tool of a trader. The settlement terminal 200 reads settlement instrument information of a transactor, generates a settlement approval invitation message for a commodity transaction using the read settlement instrument information, and transmits the generated settlement approval invitation message to the relay server 300.

In particular, the settlement terminal 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention provides communication settlement of vending machine goods in such a manner that the function of the settlement terminal formed with an electronic settlement function is interlocked with the main board section 110 of the vending machine 100.

To this end, the settlement terminal 200 is connected to the vending machine, converts an input/output signal of the vending machine in a processable form at the settlement terminal, reads settlement instrument information, generates a settlement approval invitation message using at least one of commodity information and money amount information acquired from the vending machine 100 and the read settlement instrument information according to the conversion process, and transmits the settlement approval invitation message to the server.

For example, the settlement terminal 200 includes a settlement program, and executes a credit settlement process by transmitting approval request information for transaction settlement to the relay server 300 by using the settlement program and performing an approval invitation. The settlement terminal 200 outputs information or a voucher of an invoice related to transaction approval at the time of transaction approval.

The settlement terminal 200 generates a vending machine control message upon receiving an acknowledgement response corresponding to the settlement invitation message, converts the vending machine control message into a control signal corresponding to the vending machine, converts a signal voltage level of the control signal, and inputs the converted control signal to the main board.

Accordingly, the vending machine 100 executes the input amount input and product selection processing in response to the control signal input from the main board unit 110, and discharges the product corresponding to the product information by the discharge unit 150.

In addition, for the above-described operation, the settlement terminal 200 may be connected to an external output/input port of the main board unit 110 of the vending machine 100, and in particular, may be connected to a coin and an RX pin of the external output/input port to transmit and receive amount information or input an amount signal.

The settlement terminal 200 receives power supplied from the power supply unit 120 of the vending machine 100 for operation. However, the conventional vending machine 100 uses an analog 24V voltage as an operation power source, and is not suitable for digital processing of the settlement terminal 200. Therefore, the settlement terminal 200 supplies the power of the power supply unit 120 of the vending machine 100 by the operation power conversion process of the settlement terminal 200 using the operation power and the peripheral devices connected thereto.

The relay server 300 receives the invitation-approval message, relays the invitation-approval message to the finance company server 400, and confirms whether the invitation-approval message is approved or not, and transmits a response message based on the approval or not to the settlement terminal 200.

For example, the relay server 300 transmits an invitation message for approval of the transaction to the financial company server 400, the financial company server 400 transmits a response message including approval/rejection thereof to the relay server 300, and the relay server 300 transmits the response message to the settlement terminal 200 again.

As described above, the relay server 300 is a server on the Value Added Network (VAN) side for providing a settlement proxy service in an electronic settlement system using a credit card. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the relay server 300 may be a server that only relays purchase of a voucher, other than a settlement proxy server, and may include various forms such as a simple relay server connected to a server of a general financial company.

The finance company server 400 may be a bank server that issues a debit card, a card issuer server that issues a credit card, or other various code settlement servers that issue code information as a settlement tool, and may perform approval processing, cancellation processing, transmission of approval results, and the like in accordance with an approval telegram of the settlement tool.

The relay server 300 provides the manager terminal 500 with the management service of the vending machine 100 based on the text message information received from the settlement terminal 200 connected to the vending machine 100.

Here, the vending machine 100 management service may be provided in real time, and may include various vending machine management information providing services based on an inventory management service of the acknowledge invitation message or an error notification service based on the error communication message.

In order to provide the above-described service, the settlement terminal 200 includes the product display code information in the settlement approval invitation telegram in accordance with the communication with the vending machine 100, recognizes the error signal of the vending machine 100, converts the error signal into an error code by table conversion, and generates and transmits an error communication telegram.

The relay server 300 registers the manager terminal 500 in advance, and provides various management service information including the stock management service and the error notification service of the vending machine 100 to the registered manager terminal 500.

In order to provide the management service information, the relay server 300 communicates with the manager terminal 500 connected through an API interface to provide the vending machine management service information, or communicates with an application installed in the manager terminal 500 to provide the vending machine management service information, and outputs the provided management service information through an image user interface of the manager terminal 500.

The manager terminal 500 includes various devices connectable to the relay server 300 such as a computer, a tablet computer, a portable computer, a notebook computer, a portable terminal, and a PDA operated by the manager of the vending machine, and the management service providing function of the relay server 300 may be separated and formed as a separate service providing apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a settlement terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention in more detail.

Referring to fig. 2, the settlement terminal 200 includes: a control unit 210, a communication unit 220, an input unit 230, a settlement instrument reading unit 240, an output unit 250, a settlement information processing unit 260, a conversion processing unit 280, and a storage unit 270.

The control unit 210 controls the overall operation of the settlement terminal 200, generates a transaction settlement approval invitation message for a transaction based on the read settlement instrument information and settlement information, or a cancellation invitation message for an approved transaction, and transmits the generated message to the settlement server 300.

For this purpose, the settlement information processing unit 260 generates a settlement approval invitation telegram corresponding to the commodity information or the transaction amount received from the vending machine 100 based on the settlement instrument information input through the input unit 230 or the read settlement instrument information.

When receiving the approval telegram based on the settlement approval invitation information, the settlement information processing unit 260 outputs an approval voucher and an interface, and stores transaction completion information based on the settlement in the storage unit 270.

The output unit 250 may include a display or a printer for outputting the settlement processing state of the settlement terminal 200, and voucher information for approval and cancellation. The settlement terminal 200 may also provide an interface for signature input through the output section 250.

The output unit 250 may be connected to the input unit 230 to control the display of the transaction interface for input and output. Thus, the user may enter the necessary information through the transaction interface.

The settlement tool reading unit 240 includes one or more reader modules for reading settlement tool information from the settlement tool. The settlement tool reading unit 240 may read not only the magnetic credit card 10 but also settlement tool information of a credit card manufactured by a contactless IC card or a contact IC card of an RF system, and a code image such as a QR code or a barcode by a scanner. For this, the settlement tool reading part 240 includes: a Magnetic Stripe Reader (MSR) for reading settlement tool information and an IC card reading part for reading IC settlement tool information or a scanning part for reading code image settlement tool information. The settlement tool reading unit 240 may further include: and the close range communication settlement module is in accordance with NFC, WIFI or Bluetooth standard specifications.

Thus, the settlement instrument information for settlement of the transaction can be read by the settlement instrument reading unit 240. The settlement instrument information may include, for example: at least one of a settlement instrument serial number, a code image, a validity period, CVC information, or a user name.

The communication unit 220 transmits the transaction settlement approval invitation message to the relay server 300, and receives an approval response message according to the settlement approval invitation or a cancellation response message according to the cancellation invitation.

The communication unit 220 may be connected wirelessly or by wire via a short-range communication Network (LAN) and the internet; the form of connection through a USB (Universal Serial bus) port; a mode of connection via a mobile communication network such as 3G or 4G; the connection is performed by near Field communication (nfc), radio frequency identification (rfid), or short-range wireless communication method such as WiFi.

The storage unit 270 is configured to store various data and application programs necessary for the operation of the settlement terminal 200, and may include a Magnetic medium (Magnetic Media) such as a hard Disk, a flexible Disk, and a Magnetic tape, an Optical medium (Optical Media) such as a CD-ROM (compact Disk Read Only Memory), a dvd (digital Video Disk), a Magneto-Optical medium (Magnetic-Optical Media) such as a flexible Disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), and a flash Memory.

The conversion processing unit 280 is connected to the main board unit 110 and the power supply unit 120 of the vending machine 100, and performs conversion processing of the signal and the power supplied from the vending machine 100, which will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the conversion processing section according to the embodiment of the present invention in more detail, and fig. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing the conversion processing circuit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 3, generally, the vending machine 100 communicates with the internal/external devices using the pacing synchronous communication, but the voltage level thereof does not conform to the standard specification currently used, and thus, it cannot be handled by a normal IC in practice.

Therefore, the transform processing section 280 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a signal level conversion unit 281, a communication text conversion unit 282, and a power supply conversion unit 283.

The signal level conversion unit 281 is connected to the main board unit 110 of the vending machine 100, and performs conversion processing of the level of the signal output from the main board unit 110 at a level corresponding to the input level of the settlement terminal 200.

For this, the signal level conversion part 281 may include: a voltage drop circuit for dropping a voltage level of the communication text signal outputted from the main board part 110 to the settlement terminal 200 by an input signal level of the settlement terminal.

The signal level conversion unit 281 may include: and a voltage raising circuit for raising a voltage level of the vending machine control message signal inputted from the settlement terminal 200 to the main board unit 110 by an input signal level of the vending machine.

Generally, the signal level corresponding to the vending machine 100 is a 24V pacing synchronization communication level, and the signal level corresponding to the settlement terminal 200 is a 5VTTL communication level.

Accordingly, the signal level conversion unit 281 converts the non-standard-timing synchronous communication signal for the vending machine into a signal that can be processed at the TTL level or performs inverse conversion processing, thereby enabling transmission and reception of the signal.

The communication text conversion unit 282 converts the vending machine communication signal output from the main board of the vending machine into a communication text that can be processed at the settlement terminal.

Here, the settlement information processing unit 260 generates the vending machine control message when receiving the approval response corresponding to the settlement approval invitation message.

The communication message converting unit 282 converts the vending machine control message into a control signal corresponding to the vending machine.

In more detail, the form of the communication signal outputted from the main board part 110 of the general vending machine 100 may be a general communication signal such as RS-232. However, in order to process the settlement approval invitation message at the settlement terminal 200, the communication signal is converted into a settlement message.

Therefore, the communication text conversion unit 282 can convert the general communication signal such as RS-232 into the settlement text, and the settlement information processing unit 260 acquires the text information converted and acquired from the communication text conversion unit 282, identifies at least one of the commodity information and the amount information from the text information, and generates the settlement approval invitation text corresponding thereto.

In particular, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication text conversion part 282 may acquire code information acquired from the communication signal of the vending machine with reference to the code conversion table stored in the code conversion part 284, and the code information includes at least one of product display code information or error code information.

Here, the code information is available to the vending machine inventory management service of the relay server 300, and for example, the product display code information indicates position information of a product disposed in the vending machine 100, and corresponds to a specific product preset by the management service.

Also, the code information may be used for the vending machine error notification service of the relay server 300, for example, the error code information represents error kind information occurring from the vending machine 100, and it may be provided to the manager terminal 500 through the management service.

For this purpose, the control unit 210 of the settlement terminal 200 transmits the settlement approval invitation message including the product display code to the relay server 300 when acquiring the product display code information, and transmits the settlement approval invitation message including the error code information to the relay server 300 in another communication message if acquiring the error code information.

The code conversion unit 284 stores a code conversion table for the code conversion. For example, the code conversion table may include at least one of an error code table or a product display code table corresponding to the signal level converted communication signal of the vending machine 100. The communication text conversion unit 282 refers to the code conversion table of the code conversion unit 284, and acquires the product display code information or the error code information.

When receiving the approval response corresponding to the settlement approval invitation message, the settlement information processing unit 260 generates an automatic vending machine control message, and the communication message conversion unit 282 performs inverse conversion on the automatic vending machine control message in accordance with the control signal of the automatic vending machine, and then performs conversion again in accordance with a normal communication signal such as RS-232.

At this time, the signal level conversion unit 281 down-converts the signal voltage level of the control signal so as to input the control signal to the main board unit 110.

Accordingly, the vending machine 100 executes the input amount input and product selection processing in response to the input control signal input to the main board unit 110, and discharges the product corresponding to the product information by the discharge unit 150.

The power conversion unit 283 converts the power output from the power supply unit of the vending machine into a power usable by the settlement terminal or one or more peripheral devices.

Here, the power converting unit 283 may include a power converting unit for external power and a power converting unit for internal power to be supplied to the peripheral devices. The supply voltage of the usual automatic vending machine 100 is 24V, the external power supply power conversion unit can convert the 24V synchronous communication supply voltage into a 5V voltage by the BUCK method and output the 24V voltage, and the internal power supply power conversion unit can convert the 24V voltage into a 3.3V voltage by the linear regulator method, thereby efficiently distributing the power.

Thus, the self-power and the peripheral device power distributed by the supplied power are supplied to the settlement terminal 200, and the offline automatic vending machine 100 using the conventional synchronization signal, RS-232 communication, and the like can be converted into an automatic vending machine system capable of performing card-swiping settlement without replacing another internal circuit by performing signal level conversion and text conversion processing such as UART communication, and the like, thereby minimizing the cost investment and installation process caused thereby.

Fig. 4 and 5 are circuit diagrams of the signal level conversion part 281 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 4 illustrates a rising circuit that performs a rising process of a signal line COIN _ RX input to the vending machine at a signal level of 24V; fig. 5 illustrates a voltage drop circuit that drops the output of the RS232RX signal line output from the vending machine at a 5V signal level.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the signal level conversion unit 281 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured by a relatively simple bipolar ratio output synchronous circuit capable of maintaining a communication speed, such as a 24V synchronous signal voltage of a special RS232 system that cannot be handled by a normal IC, and converts the signal level into a 5V standard, such as a TTL signal voltage level that can be input to and output from the IC.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the overall system action according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 6, the power conversion unit 283 of the settlement terminal 200 distributes the operation power to be supplied to the settlement terminal 200 and the peripheral devices according to the power supply of the power supply unit 120 of the vending machine 100 (S1001) (S1003).

The vending machine 100 generates product information and an amount signal corresponding to a key input of the vending machine (S1005), and outputs the product information and the amount signal to the settlement terminal 200 (S1007).

Here, the product information and the amount signal may be managed by the product management unit 140, and the product management unit 140 may perform a process of confirming inventory information corresponding to product identification information (for example, a product number or a product name).

The settlement terminal 200 performs down conversion of the output signal level by the conversion processing unit 280 (S1009), processes the telecommunications conversion of the level-converted signal (S1011), and outputs the commodity information and the settlement target amount by the settlement information processing unit 260 (S1013).

Then, the settlement terminal 200 reads the inputted settlement instrument information by the card reading unit 240 (S1015), and the settlement information processing unit 260 generates a settlement approval invitation message based on the read settlement instrument information, commodity information, and settlement target amount of money, and transmits the message to the relay server 300 (S1017).

The relay server 300 transmits the approval invitation of the settlement approval invitation message to the financial company server 400 (S1019), receives the approval response (S1021), and transmits settlement approval information corresponding to the received approval response to the settlement terminal 200 (S1023).

When the settlement terminal 200 receives the settlement approval information, the settlement information processing unit 260 generates the vending machine control message, and the communication message conversion unit 282 of the conversion processing unit 280 performs the inverse conversion processing of the control signal of the vending machine 100 (S1025).

The signal level conversion unit 281 of the conversion processing unit 280 inversely converts the signal level of the inversely converted control signal and inputs the signal level to the main board unit 110 of the vending machine 100 (S1029).

Thereby, the amount signal is input to the vending machine 100, and the selected product is discharged according to the control signal or the user key input (S1031).

Thus, the settlement terminal can be connected with the conventional vending machine system, the conventional vending machine system board can be used, the vending machine signal conversion settlement can be provided, the settlement terminal capable of managing the card payment settlement and the settlement information and the operation method thereof and the vending machine system comprising the same are provided, the settlement terminal which can transmit and receive the telegrams with most vending machines or similar devices can be connected by a small board size and a simple board structure without removing the internal base board of the conventional vending machine or installing a new settlement system in the vending machine, and the settlement terminal which can expand the other devices can be provided by using the power drive of the vending machine without using a separate power supply, thereby the problems of the installation difficulty and the cost can be solved.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram for explaining a relay server 300 that provides a vending machine management service according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 7, the relay server 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a management service providing server 300, which provides a management service together with the processing of the invitation message, and hereinafter, collectively referred to as the server 300.

As described above, the server 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: control unit 310, communication unit 320, approval processing unit 330, user registration unit 340, management service providing unit 350, notification message processing unit 360, and storage unit 370.

The control unit 310 controls the overall operation of the server 300, controls the operation of the overall modules, processes the settlement approval process and the vending machine management service, and provides the settlement terminal 200 with the processing results thereof or transmits management service information through the management service to the administrator terminal 500.

The approval processing unit 330 processes the settlement approval invitation information, transmits the approval invitation corresponding to the settlement approval invitation information to the financial company server 400, and confirms whether or not to approve the settlement invitation, and transmits the approval result of the financial company server 400 to the settlement terminal 200.

The user registration unit 340 also processes user information registration for providing the vending machine management service of the management service providing unit 350. The user information includes: for example, the location information, the device identification information, the terminal identification information (TID), the connected settlement terminal 200 identification information, and the user identification information (for example, user name, mobile phone number, and electronic mail) corresponding to the vending machine 100 are stored in the storage unit 370 so that the registered user information matches the administrator information of each vending machine 100.

The management service provider 350 provides the management service of the vending machine to the manager terminal 500 corresponding to the vending machine, and performs processing based on the user registration information registered in the user registration unit 340.

In more detail, the vending machine management service includes: providing a service for the management information of the vending machine outputted through the user interface; an inventory management service that accepts invitation messages based on the settlement; an error notification service based on the error communication message of the vending machine 100 received from the settlement terminal 200.

For this, the management service providing part 350 according to an embodiment of the present invention initially registers the inventory management information transmitted from the manager terminal 500 to the user registering part 340, and provides the manager terminal 500 with the inquiry service corresponding to the registered inventory management information.

The management service providing unit 350 provides the stock management service of the vending machine corresponding to the stock management information to the administrator terminal through the communication unit 320, based on the approval process of the settlement approval invitation telegram processed by the approval processing unit 330.

Here, the inventory management service includes: and a service for updating the inventory information corresponding to the registered inventory management information and providing the current inventory information corresponding to the updated inventory information to the manager terminal 500, in accordance with the approval process of the settlement approval invitation message. The inventory management information includes: at least one of position information, terminal device identification information, settlement terminal information, product display code information, installation number information, notification reference value information, and current stock information corresponding to the vending machine.

The position information indicates coordinate information or geographical information of a position where the vending machine 100 is installed. The terminal device identification information indicates terminal identification information TID of the connected settlement terminal.

The product display code information corresponds to each shelf position formed in the vending machine 100, and each COLUMN (COLUMN) is formed of one or more products that are the same or different at each shelf position, and is displayed from the front to the rear of the vending machine 100. Thus, the product display code information indicates the position of the product in the vending machine 100, and product identification information of the position of each product is registered in advance.

Thus, when the management service providing unit 350 acquires the product display code information from the approval result of the approval processing unit 330, it can confirm that the product corresponding to the acquired product display code information is settled and transported, and subtract and update the information from the initially registered installation number information to acquire the current stock information.

For example, when the approval processing unit 330 approves the settlement approval invitation message, the management service providing unit 350 deducts and updates the current stock information in correspondence with the product display code information acquired based on the settlement approval invitation information, thereby grasping the stock number of the products in the vending machine 100 corresponding to the current display code information in real time and providing the management service corresponding thereto to the manager terminal 500.

Then, the notification message processing unit 360 provides a stock notification message to the administrator terminal 500 when the current stock information updated by deduction is equal to or less than the notification reference value information based on the notification reference value information.

The notification message processing unit 360 generates an inventory notification message including current inventory information, and directly transmits the message to the administrator terminal 500 via the communication unit 320. The notification message processing unit 360 transmits the notification message to another email server, a text message server, or a push server, and transmits the notification message to the administrator terminal 500.

When the settlement terminal 200 connected to the vending machine 100 generates an error code as a result of a form conversion that can be processed by the settlement terminal 200 from an input/output signal of the vending machine 100, the communication unit 320 receives an error communication message including the error code from the settlement terminal 200.

The received error communication message may be transmitted to the notification message processing unit 360, and the notification message processing unit 360 may process the received error communication message to provide the error notification message to the administrator terminal 500.

For this purpose, as described above, the settlement terminal 200 compares the conversion result signal of the output/input signal of the vending machine with the error table prestored to determine the vending machine error code, and the notification message processing section 360 performs processing so that necessary measure information corresponding to the vending machine error code is included in the error notification message.

The communication unit 320 may be connected wirelessly or by wire via a short-range communication Network (LAN) and the internet; the form of connection through a USB (Universal Serial bus) port; a mode of connection via a mobile communication network such as 3G or 4G; the connection mode is realized by Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Wi-Fi and other short-distance wireless communication modes.

The storage unit 370 may perform functions of various data and applications required for the operation of the storage server 300, and may include: magnetic Media (Magnetic Media) such as hard disks, floppy disks, and Magnetic tapes, Magneto-Optical Media (Magnetic Media) such as CD-ROMs (compact Disk Read Only memories), dvds (digital Video disks), and Magnetic-Optical Media (Magnetic Media) such as flexible disks, Read-Only memories (ROMs), Random Access Memories (RAMs), and flash memories.

With the above-described configuration of the server 300, it is possible to provide a management service of the vending machine 100 using the converted output information of the settlement terminal 200 connected to the normal vending machine 100, and particularly, it is possible to provide stock management and error handling very quickly and easily by the manager terminal 500, and therefore, it is possible to minimize the installation, management, and maintenance costs of the vending machine.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a management service process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 8, the server 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention registers inventory management information registered according to the user of the manager terminal 500 (S2001).

Then, when the settlement approval invitation message from the settlement terminal 200 is transmitted to the server 300 together with the product display code (S2007) based on the product display code and the amount signal output from the vending machine 100 (S2003), the server 300 transmits settlement approval information to the settlement terminal 200 (S2007) and transmits the inverse-transformed control signal to the vending machine 100 (S2008).

Then, the server 300 performs deduction and update of the current stock information of the product information corresponding to the settlement-approved product display code by the management service providing unit 350 (S2009).

If the current stock information is equal to or less than the preset reference value (S2011), the server 300 transmits a stock notification message to the manager terminal 500 through the notification message processing unit 360 (S2013).

When an error signal is generated from the vending machine 100 (S2015), the accounting terminal 200 senses the error signal (S2017) and processes the signal level conversion (S2019).

In the signal level conversion process, the settlement terminal 200 performs a conversion process on the voltage level-converted signal according to the table comparison, and generates error code information related thereto (S2021).

Also, the settlement terminal 200 may generate an error communication message including the error code of the table transformation (S2023), and the generated communication message is transmitted to the server 300 (S2025).

Then, the server 300 determines the necessary measure information corresponding to the error code by the notification message processing part 360 (S2027), generates an error notification message including the determined necessary measure information (S2029), and transmits the generated vending machine error notification message to the administrator terminal 500 (S2031).

Fig. 9 to 10 are diagrams for explaining management registration information of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 illustrates vending machine registration information for real-time inventory management of vending machine management registration information, which may include: vending machine position information, terminal identification information, product display code information, product name information, number of mounted items information, notification reference value information, use/non-use information, and current stock information.

Here, the location information indicates geographical location information of the vending machine 100, and the terminal identification information TID indicates terminal identification information of the settlement terminal 200 connected to the vending machine 100 or the vending machine 100. The product display code information indicates column position information corresponding to a position where a product is displayed, and the product name information indicates identification information of the product displayed at the position.

The installation number information indicates maximum number information that can be calculated in association with one display code, and the notification reference value information is a minimum value for transmitting a notification message based on stock shortage, and is automatically determined to be input at a predetermined ratio value compared with the installation number information, or is specified based on user input.

The use-or-not information indicates whether or not the vending machine is currently driven, and the current stock information includes current remaining stock information corresponding to the product display code position, which is subtracted from the initially registered number information according to the update process.

Further, referring to fig. 10, fig. 10 is a diagram showing manager registration information of a manager terminal 500 for providing vending machine management registration information, the manager registration information including: for example, at least one of device identification information, terminal identification information (for example, cell phone number information) of the manager terminal 500, and use/non-use information managed by the manager terminal 500.

Fig. 11 to 15 are diagrams for explaining a manager interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 11 to 15, the server 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention provides management service information to the manager terminal 500 through the management service providing part 350 based on the vending machine management registration information registered in advance and the invitation-to-acknowledge message or the communication message received from the settlement terminal 200. The manager terminal 500 outputs a user interface based on the management service information in various ways.

Fig. 11 shows a vending machine status information interface output from the administrator terminal 500 based on the management service information, the vending machine status information including: and terminal equipment name information, business card number information, vending machine type information, vending machine state information and use or non-use information corresponding to the terminal equipment identification information.

Fig. 12 shows a sales information interface output from the administrator terminal 500 based on the management service information, and the sales information includes: transaction date information, business certificate number information, location information, terminal device identification information, the number of each settlement tool, and amount information. As described above, the management service providing part 350 calculates the sales information based on the invitation message of the settlement terminal 200 as the management service information and provides the same to the manager terminal 500.

Further, fig. 13 shows a transaction statement interface output from the administrator terminal 500 based on the management service information, and the transaction statement information includes: at least one of transaction date information, sales card number information, location information, terminal identification information, installation position information, product display code information, transaction amount information, settlement type information, and transaction approval serial number information extracted from the settlement approval invitation telegrams in correspondence with the respective vending machine transactions.

Fig. 14 shows an inventory and maintenance detail inquiry interface outputted from the administrator terminal 500 based on the management service information, the inventory and maintenance detail information can be inputted from the administrator terminal 500, and the vending machines 100 store and manage the date, time, and terminal identification information corresponding to the inventory and maintenance detail, respectively.

Fig. 15 shows a product information registration interface that can be input through the administrator terminal 500. When the management information registered by the product is input from the administrator terminal 500, the management service providing unit 350 of the server 300 provides a registration and update management service of the management information. The product classification, the vending machine identification information, the product display code information, the product name information, the maximum value information, the reference value information, and the use or non-use information are determined through the product information registration interface input from the manager terminal 500, and the stock information can be updated and stored in real time by the management service providing part 350 after the initial registration.

Fig. 16 shows an error table according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in fig. 16, the code conversion part 284 of the settlement terminal 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a conversion table for converting an error signal of the vending machine 100 into error code information. For example, the error code may correspond to a combination of 1 byte in english and 1 byte in number, and the error content information corresponding to each error code is prestored and managed in the notification message processing part 360. Accordingly, the notification message processing unit 360 determines what kind of error has occurred in the vending machine 100 from the error code information converted from the table, generates appropriate measure information corresponding to the error, and includes the measure information in the error notification message.

Fig. 17 to 18 are diagrams illustrating an informing interface of a manager terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a diagram illustrating an inventory notification message output from the manager terminal 500, the inventory notification message including: for example, the terminal identification information of the settlement terminal 200 installed in the vending machine 100, the position information of the vending machine 100, the product display code information, the product name information, and the remaining number information (the current stock number information).

Thus, the manager can confirm in real time which display position of the vending machine at which position the number of commodities is insufficient. The notification message processing unit 360 periodically transmits the stock shortage notification message to the manager terminal 500 every settlement time or a predetermined time period occurring when the stock is insufficient, and the manager terminal 500 may set in advance which condition the stock shortage notification message is received by the management service providing unit 350.

Fig. 18 illustrates an example of an error notification message output from the administrator terminal 500, the error notification message including: for example, terminal identification information of the settlement terminal 200 installed in the vending machine 100, position information of the vending machine 100, error code information, error content information corresponding to an error code, and necessary measure information.

This enables the administrator to confirm in real time what problem occurs in the vending machine at which position. The notification message processing unit 360 periodically transmits the error notification message to the administrator terminal 500 at a predetermined time from the error occurrence time, and the administrator terminal 500 may set in advance which cycle and condition the error notification message is received by the management service providing unit 350.

The above-described method of the present invention is made in a program executed on a computer and stored in a computer-readable recording medium, and examples of the computer-readable recording medium are ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, and the like.

The computer-readable recording medium may be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. Also, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing the methods can be easily inferred by programmers skilled in the art of the present invention.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments having the above-described features, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims.