The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 09, 2002
Filed:
Feb. 04, 2000
Tetsuharu Inamitsu, Chigasaki, JP;
Masayuki Inoue, Fujisawa, JP;
Koichi Yoneta, Yokohama, JP;
Shigeyuki Itoh, Zushi, JP;
Yutaka Takami, Yokohama, JP;
Kenji Matsumoto, Yokohama, JP;
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
In a vending machine selling products and services without human attendance, at a point of sale, a discounting service is provided to each purchaser according to the frequency-of-purchase record of respective purchasers. A microcomputer collects electronic money corresponding to prices of products purchased from a product purchaser's IC card inserted into an IC card reading apparatus by each purchaser, and transfers it to a product seller's IC card. Further, on this occasion, the number of times of purchase corresponding to a personal ID stored in a product purchaser's IC card is stored on the number of-times of purchase list of the memory unit , and a personal ID is registered on the personal ID list of a memory unit . When the number of times of purchase exceeds the reference number of times of purchase, when collecting e-money from the product purchaser's ID card whose personal ID is registered on the personal ID list, the microcomputer applies a discounted price as a price for the purchased product.