The invention is related to providing a vending machine for automatically selling various goods, and particularly to providing a goods selling control system for commercially and easily selecting goods among various goods to be purchased by a purchasing user.
Recently, it has been the tendency to use an automatic vending machine for selling various goods with minimal human power required. As an illustrative example, a vending machine having a CPU controlling all operations for selling goods with a device for authenticating coins which are inserted therein, inputting coin acceptance/authentication signals into said CPU, a device for detecting an over-payment giving back change, generating change return detecting signals to said CPU, a device for giving back change under control of said CPU, a device for generating clock signals for said CPU, a price setting switch and selling price setting device for setting the selling price of goods stacked on each column and inputting the set price signal into the CPU, a goods selling out detection switch and detecting device for detecting the selling out of goods stacked on each column, a device for detecting the completion of the goods sold, a device for displaying the columns able to sell goods, a device for displaying the columns with goods sold out, a device for releasing goods through a chute which is accessible to a user, and a device for displaying an amount of money such as coins, or rejecting pennies, etcetera.
Therefore, a conventional vending machine includes a goods displaying device and goods selecting switches in a one to one to correspondence to the types of goods available for sale, so that the user can obtain his selection by pressing the goods selecting switch corresponding to the item desired.
The typical conventional example is disclosed in Japan Utility Model Publication Sho 61-42230, in which a timing signal generation portion outputs the address signals for sequentially scanning a plurality of columns, one or more selling out instruction switches respectively connected in series to a matrix diode of each of the selling columns, a matrix diode circuit includes a plurality of matrix diodes to get its output control to be determined by said address signals and said selling out instruction switches, and a selling determination means compares a selling price of goods stacked on each columns with an amount of authenticated coins and may deny the selling of goods, and said matrix diodes are in the form of light emitting diodes.
But, this apparatus is also the same as a conventional apparatus in that it must be provided with at least one selecting button for each type of goods for sale, and goods selected by the user are displayed, and each of the goods selections are controlled.
Such conventional vending machines are constructed in a way to have only one selecting button corresponding to one goods item, for example if one vending machine sells one hundred goods, it has one hundred selecting buttons mounted on its front. Also, selecting buttons must be easily accessed by the purchaser. Therefore, there are many problems due to numerous selecting buttons, it is difficult to design as well as manufacture the vending machine, and erroneous selecting by the purchaser frequently occurs.
Accordingly, the object of the invention is to provide a goods selling control system including a relatively simpler goods selecting control system to sell goods selected among various goods to be purchased by the user.