Abstract:
A stored-value container has a body and a stored-value chip mounted on the body. The stored-value chip stores payment information for transaction deduction after being read by an external device. When using the stored-value container to buy beverage, instead of paying with cash or a stored-value card, a consumer can hand the stored-value container to a store clerk to finish payment directly through the stored-value chip. Accordingly, with the stored-value container, consumers can finish the purchasing procedure quickly without carrying cash or a stored-value card and also take environmental protection into account.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a container and more particularly to a stored-value container. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Constantly expanding urbanization gives rise to increasing dining-out demand. To allow customers to have take-out food and drink conveniently and reduce the cost, most restaurants and stores prepare one-time-use disposable food and drink containers. Although disposable food and drink containers have their market demand, enormous amount of discarded disposable containers is the main cause of environmental pollution. In answer to the environmental protection awareness, reusable containers promoted by the government of every country have been gradually accepted by consumers. 
         [0005]    When intending to buy a cup of coffee, tea or the like from a store or a restaurant, a consumer can ask a clerk to fill the beverage in a portable reusable container, thereby effectively reducing the use of disposable containers and achieving the purpose of environmental protection. 
         [0006]    With reference to  FIG. 7 , when buying food or beverage from stores or restaurants, consumers are accustomed to paying with cash, a credit card  84 , a stored value card  82  or the like. Hence, for the sake of environmental protection, consumers also need to carry a personal reusable container  83  besides cash, credit card, stored value card or the like. However, additional items certainly cause inconvenience when carried along by consumers, and such inconvenience will lower consumers&#39; willingness to use the reusable container  83 . 
         [0007]    Furthermore, when paying for food or beverage, a consumer usually needs to find a place to put his/her reusable container  83  so as to leave his/her hands free to get the required cash or a stored value card  82  from a wallet or a purse. When paying with a stored value card  82 , the consumer further needs to place the stored value card  82  on a sensing device  81  of a cash register machine  80  and put the stored value card  82  back to the wallet or purse after the payment is deducted from the stored value card  82 . Meanwhile, the consumer still needs to hand the reusable container  83  to a clerk and finishes the purchasing process until the clerk places the food or fills the beverage in the reusable container  83 . However, such purchase involves a busy paying process and keeps reluctant consumers away from the use of the reusable container  83 . 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    An objective of the present invention is to provide a stored-value container for ensuring environmental protection regarding the use of a reusable container and mitigating the inconvenience of using cash or a stored-value card for payment. 
         [0009]    To achieve the foregoing objective, the stored-value container has a body and a stored-value chip. 
         [0010]    The body has a bottom. 
         [0011]    The stored-value chip is mounted on the body and stores payment information. 
         [0012]    In view of the stored-value chip mounted on the body of the stored-value container and storing payment information, a sensing device of a store or a restaurant can add or deduct value to or from the stored-value chip. When a consumer intends to buy beverage from a store, the stored-value container can be used to contain the purchased beverage and finish payment. Accordingly, consumers can finish payment for purchase without additionally carrying a stored-value card or cash and environmental protection can surely be accomplished when using such reusable stored-valued container become a part of mass consumer culture. 
         [0013]    Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a stored-value container in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of the stored-value container in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is an operational schematic view of the stored-value container in  FIG. 1  when used for payment; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a partially exploded perspective view of the stored-value container in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is an operational schematic view of the stored-value container in  FIG. 1  when detecting temperature; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a schematic cross-sectional view of a color-changing plate of the stored-value container in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a schematic view of conventional payment means. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  4 , a stored-value container in accordance with the present invention has a body  10 , a stored-value chip  20 , a display  30  and a solar panel  40 . 
         [0022]    In the present embodiment, the body  10  has a cup  12  and a lid  13 . The cup  12  has a chamber  11  defined therein. The lid  13  is detachably mounted on the cup to seal the chamber  11  along with the cup  12 . 
         [0023]    The stored-value chip  20  is mounted on the body  10  and stores payment information. In the present embodiment, the stored-value chip  20  is a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. The payment information may contain identification number and remaining value. Besides, the stored-value chip may store consumer information, such as names, transaction records and the like, and container information, such as model number, size, containing capacity and the like. 
         [0024]    The display  30  is mounted on an outer wall of the cup  12  of the body  10  and is electrically connected to the stored value chip  20  through a control circuit  31 . The display  30  serves to display a part or all of the payment information. In the present embodiment, the control circuit  31  is integrated in the display  30 . The display  30  may be a flexible display including, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display, an electronic ink display, an electroluminescent (EL) display or an LED display. 
         [0025]    The solar panel  40  is mounted on the outer wall of the cup  12  of the body  10 , and is electrically connected to the stored-value chip  20 , the display  30  and the control circuit  31  to provide an operating power to the stored-value chip  20 , the display  30  and the control circuit  31 . As long as there is light in the ambient environment, the solar panel  40  can convert the energy of light into electricity to supply power to the display  30  for displaying. 
         [0026]    With reference to  FIG. 3 , when a consumer enters a store to conduct a transaction, the stored-value container is placed on a cash register machine  70  having a sensing device  71 . The store can access the payment information of the stored-value chip  20  through the sensing device  71 . Here are two examples for explaining an actual payment deduction process of a stored-value card. 
         [0027]    1. If the payment information stored in the stored-value chip  20  is a stored value, the store read the stored value through the sensing device  71 . After the stored value is successfully read, the payment amount of a current transaction is deducted from the stored value, and the remaining value is stored in the stored-value chip again to pay for subsequent transactions. 
         [0028]    2. If the payment information stored in the stored-value chip  20  is an identification number, the cash register machine  70  of the store is built in with a database containing the identification number and a stored value associated with the identification number. The store reads the identification number in the stored-value chip  20  through the sensing device  71 . After the identification number is successfully read, the stored value corresponding to the identification number can be read from the database and a payment amount of a current transaction is deducted from the stored value, and the stored value associated with the identification number in the database is updated by the remaining value to pay for subsequent transactions. 
         [0029]    Besides being an RFID chip, the stored-value chip  20  may be an integrated circuit card, which is mounted on a bottom of the body  10  and is contacted with the sensing device  71  for the sensing device  71  to access the stored-value chip  20 . 
         [0030]    Furthermore, due to the mushrooming and widespread coffee shops and beverage stores, the stored-value container of the present application has more opportunities to contain hot drinks With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , to avoid mouth burn when drinking hot drinks, the stored-value container of the present invention further has a temperature detector  50  mounted on an inner wall of the body  10  and is electrically connected to the control circuit  31  and the solar panel  40 . After detecting a temperature inside the chamber  11  of the body  10 , the temperature detector  50  outputs a temperature-sensing signal to the control circuit  31 . After converting the temperature-sensing signal into temperature data, the control circuit  31  drives the display  30  to display a current temperature inside the chamber  11  according to the temperature data. Hence, consumers can be aware of the temperature of the hot drink currently contained in the chamber  11  to avoid the risk of mouth burn. 
         [0031]    Besides the temperature indicator  50  collaborated with the display  30  for reminding consumers of the temperature of a hot drink contained in the chamber  11  of the body  10 , the stored-value container can further intuitively remind consumers of the temperature of a hot drink contained in the chamber  11  through the illumination of different colored lights. With reference to  FIGS. 4 and 6 , the body  10  further has a color-changing plate  60  mounted on a bottom of the cup  12 , changing the intensity and color of lights according to the temperature sensed inside the chamber  11 , and having a light guide  61  and a light-emitting element  62 . The light guide  61  is mounted on the bottom of the cup  12  and has an inverted cone-shaped recess  610  centrally formed in a top of the light guide  61 . The light-emitting element  62  is mounted in the inverted cone-shaped recess  610  of the light guide  61  and is electrically connected to the control circuit  31  and the solar panel  40 . In the present embodiment, the light-emitting element  62  is a light-emitting diode. Lights emitted by the light-emitting element  62  are scattered and transmitted out of the body  10  through the light guide  61 . By adjusting a cone angle of the inverted cone-shaped recess  610 , a light distribution of the color-changing plate  60  is controllable. 
         [0032]    Hence, when receiving the temperature-sensing signal outputted from the temperature detector  50 , the control circuit  31  converts the temperature-sensing signal into corresponding temperature data, and drives the light-emitting element  62  of the color-changing plate  60  to emit light with a corresponding intensity and color. For example, if the temperature detected inside the chamber  11  is 98° C., it represents a high temperature inside the chamber  11  and the light-changing plate  60  emits red light, and if the temperature detected inside the chamber  11  is 10° C., it represents a low temperature inside the chamber  11  and the light-changing plate  60  emits blue light. Accordingly, consumers can be intuitively aware of the temperature inside the stored-value container by directly observing the color of light emitted from the color-changing plate  60 . Moreover, the display of colorful lights through the color-changing plate adds aesthetic appeal of the stored-value container. 
         [0033]    In sum, the stored-value container of the present invention has the following advantages: 
         [0034]    1. Fast payment: The sensing device of the store can add or deduct the stored value in the stored-value chip. 
         [0035]    2. Environmental protection: Due to the reusable nature, the stored-value container is environment-protective. 
         [0036]    3. Drinking safety: In view of the display and the color-changing plate capable of indicating the temperature inside the chamber of the stored-value container, consumers can be alerted when drinking hot beverage contained in the stored-value container. 
         [0037]    4. Aesthetic attraction: Colorful lights displayed by the color-changing plate of the body increase aesthetic appeal of the stored-value container. 
         [0038]    Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.