Patent ID: 6601686
Filing Date: 2003-08-05
Classification: G07D,G07F

Abstract:
A vending machine which counts an amount of slotted money, vends merchandise within a range of the counted amount of slotted money, and returns money corresponding to a return amount based on a refund instruction, characterized in that the vending machine comprises:counting means for counting, by denomination, the number of slotted coins of the slotted money; setting means for setting, by denomination, an administrative value indicating number of slotted coins that is acceptable in one vending operation; a judging means for judging, by denomination, whether the number of slotted coins counted by the counting means is equal to or larger than the administrative value set with the setting means; detecting means for detecting refund instruction; refund prohibiting means for prohibiting a coin refund operation based on the refund instruction, if the judging means judges that there is at least one denomination for which the number of slotted coins counted by the counting means is equal to or larger than the administrative value set with the setting means when the refund instruction is detected by the detecting means without a sale of merchandise; and reception prohibiting means for prohibiting reception of coins for a predetermined period of time after the coin return operation is terminated if a difference between the amount of slotted money and the amount of money to be returned is within a predetermined specific value when the refund instruction is detected by the detecting means after the sale of merchandise.