# US 2014/0151184 A1 · Apparatus for setting price for multi-vending machine and method thereof

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- Number: US 2014/0151184 A1
- Document ID: US20140151184A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/089,520
- Filed: 2013-11-25
- Published: 2014-06-05
- Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04
- Assignees: Lotte Aluminium Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Lotte Aluminium Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Samuel KIM
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140151184A1

## CPC

- G07F 9/023: {Arrangements for display, data presentation or advertising}
- G07F 9/02: Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus (alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10)
- G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00})

## Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus for setting a price for a multi-vending machine and a method thereof. The apparatus includes a price setting unit for inputting a price setting function, selecting a price setting column and inputting price information about the selected column; a control unit for controlling a price display of the selected column when the column is selected and the price information is input through the price setting unit; and a price display unit for displaying prices of products exhibited in a column according to a price display control of the control unit.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for setting a price for a multi-vending machine, the apparatus comprising:
a price setting unit for inputting a price setting function, selecting a price setting column and inputting price information about the selected column;
a control unit for controlling a price display of the selected column when the column is selected and the price information is input through the price setting unit; and
a price display unit for displaying prices of products exhibited in a column according to a price display control of the control unit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when prices of the column selected by the price setting unit are previously set, the control unit controls to change the price information, which is previously set and displayed, based on the price information currently input through the price setting unit.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a shelf detecting unit for detecting a shelf provided in the multi-vending machine,
wherein the control unit stores information about the shelf and the column detected by the shelf detecting unit in a memory.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the shelf detecting unit detects the shelf by using one of an optical sensor, a contact sensor and a distance sensor, and transmits information about the shelf to the control unit through communication.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the price display unit includes one of a flexible numeric display of displaying Arabic numerals by using a plurality of light emitting diodes and a liquid crystal display.

### Claim 6

A method of automatically setting a price by a price setting apparatus of a multi-vending machine, the method comprising:
a) when the multi-vending machine is powered on, detecting a shelf through a shelf detecting unit to store information about the shelf and a column based on a detection result in a memory;
b) identifying whether a price setting is requested, and receiving column selecting information and price information through a price setting unit when the price setting is requested; and
c) determining whether a column selected in step b) exists, transmitting set price information based on the received price information to a price display unit to automatically set a price of a product for sale when the column selected in step b) exists.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, further comprising: d) displaying nonexistence of the columns when the column selected in step b) does not exist after determining whether the column selected in step b) exists.