EP1416450A1

EP1416450A1 - Vending apparatus for supplying food, in particular sweeteners, and method for supplying food from said apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP1416450A1
Application number: EP20020425671
Authority: EP
Inventors: Andrea Doglioni Majer
Original assignee: Rhea Vendors SpA
Current assignee: Rhea Vendors SpA
Priority date: 2002-10-31
Filing date: 2002-10-31
Publication date: 2004-05-06

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vending apparatus for supplying food, in particular sweeteners, comprising a tank (2) provided with supply devices (9) and containing said food, a supporting structure (3, 4) supporting said tank (2), actuating means (5) actuating said supply device (9) of said tank (2). The invention is characterized in that it comprises detection means (6) detecting the discharge of said food from said tank (2).

Description

The present invention relates to a vending apparatus for supplying food, in particular sweeteners, according to the pre-characterizing portion of claim 1.
It is known about vending machines automatically supplying cups, sugar and spoons etc., equipped with electric valves for supplying water, so as to obtain soluble drinks and/or coffee.
There is the need to supply, as an alternative to common sugar, sweeteners, for instance fructose or acesulfame, which are several times sweeter than sugar, though having the same taste as sugar and high qualitative properties.
As a matter of fact, sweeteners are particularly appreciated for lacking hidden sugars and, above all, for having no calories at all.
Moreover, sweeteners have no aftertaste and improve the taste of coffee or soluble drinks in general.
Sweeteners are usually marketed in powder, so as to let the consumer choose the amount to add to the drinks, in tablets or in amounts pre-portioned by their manufacturers.
Tablet sweeteners are usually marketed in boxes made of plastic or the like, equipped with a mechanical supply system on which the consumer acts manually, and with an outlet opening for releasing the tablets.
Every time said mechanical supply system is pressed, the consumer chooses the number of tablets to add to the drink, i.e. the amount of sweetener to pour into the drink.
However, such sweetener boxes are not suitable for sweetening drinks, coffee, etc. supplied by vending machines, since they are little reliable as far as tablet supply is concerned.
Manufacturers of vending machines have to meet increasingly stricter requirements concerning the hygiene of compartments or supply systems in contact with or containing food.
Such requirements compel manufacturers to design aseptic and easily washable compartments.
Therefore, this forces to design compartments that are easily insertable/removable from the spaces thereto dedicated within the vending machine.
However, for said manufacturers the design of a specific supply compartment for sweeteners is expensive and requires a lot of time.
In the light of the described state of the art, the present invention aims at supplying sweeteners as products for sweetening drinks, both said sweeteners and said drinks being supplied by the vending machine.
In accordance with the present invention said aim is achieved by means of a vending apparatus for supplying food, in particular sweeteners, according to claim 1.
Said aim is also achieved by means of a method for supplying food, in particular sweeteners, according to claim 11.
The present invention enables to carry out a vending apparatus for supplying sweeteners using a currently marketed vending system.
A further advantage consists in that the group can be wholly removed so as to enable easy cleaning and maintenance operations.
The characteristics and the advantages of the present invention will be evident from the following detailed description of one of its practical embodiments, shown as a mere non-limiting example in the enclosed drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a global perspective view of the vending apparatus according to the present invention;
Figure 2 shows an exploded perspective view of the vending apparatus of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a flowchart disclosing the working of the apparatus according to the present invention.
With reference to the enclosed Figures 1-2, the numeral 1 refers to the vending apparatus 1 according to the present invention, comprising a tank 2 that can be fitted into a first support 3, a second support 4 containing said first support 3, actuating means 5, detection means 6 and a chute 7.
The apparatus 1 is electrically connected to control means 8 that are apt to control the operation pf the actuating means 5 according to what detected by the detection means 6, as below described.
The control means 8 are for instance an electronic card provided with a chip and corresponding firmware (not shown in Figures 1-2), receiving signals from the detection means 6 and operating said actuating means 5 according to a processing operation carried out onto said signals.
The tank 2, preferably made of plastic, is provided with a device 9 controlling the supply of a fluid or food coming from said tank 2, and with an outlet opening 10.
Said device 9 is preferably a pushbutton that can be manually actuated by a consumer. As a matter of fact, when the consumer presses the device 9, the latter supplies a pre-portioned amount of fluid or food through the outlet opening 10.
According to the present embodiment the device 9 and the outlet opening 10 are associated one to the other.
The tank 2 described above is currently marketed and is commonly used for supplying substantially disc-shaped pharmaceutical preparations or sweets, or substances in powder or tablet form.
For instance, in the present embodiment the device 9 enables the supply of sweetening tablets in pre-portioned amounts.
The first support 3, preferably made of plastic, is provided with fastening means 11 and 11a, through which said first support 3 can be secured in a removable way to said second support 4, and with a handle 12.
The fastening means 11 are connected to the lower wall of the first support 3, parallel to such wall at a given distance, to form a kind of interspace within which enters the lower wall edge of the second support means 4 when the first support means 3 is inserted.
In the example the fastening means 11a substantially consist of a cylinder-shaped retractile pushbutton, i.e. a kind of peg, elastically kept by means of a spring (not shown) in a first projecting operating position, in which said pushbutton projects from said support 3. In opposition to the elastic effect exerted by the spring onto said pushbutton, the latter can be moved to a second operating position, in which said pushbutton is completely withdrawn within the support 3.
The handle 12 is preferably placed on the top of the lower wall of said first support 3, and enables an operator to grasp it easily and comfortably with his hand for taking it out/fitting it into the second support 4.
It should be noted that, advantageously, said first support 3 is hollow, i.e. it has a recess whose shape corresponds to the surface of the tank 2, so as to enable its operation.
Moreover, it should be pointed out that said first support 3 has a first opening 14 and a second opening 15, said first opening 14 being on the supply device 9 of the tank 2, said second opening 15 being on the outlet opening 10 of said tank 2.
Said first opening 14 is substantially a slot enabling the passage of the actuating means 5 (as described below), whereas said second opening 15 is a slot whose size is substantially that of the tablets contained in the tank 2.
The second opening 15, therefore, is shaped and positioned so as to enable the passage of only one tablet at a time.
The second support 4, preferably made of iron, is firmly connected to the vending machine (not shown) by means of a plurality of fastening screws 16 fitted into corresponding holes 17 obtained in the lower wall of said second support 4.
The support 4 has a circular slot 24 in its side wall 21.
Also the second support 4 is hollow so as to house inside the first support 3, the actuating means 5 and the detection means 6.
The pushbutton 11a reaches the first projecting operating position when it is on the slot 24, whereas said pushbutton 11a reaches the second withdrawn operating position when it is fitted into/taken out of the support 4.
The actuating means 5 are housed within the second support 4 and firmly secured to the latter by means of a plurality of screws 18. The position of the actuating means 5 is such to allow to exert a pressure onto the supply device 9 through the first opening 14 made in the first support 3.
The actuating means 5 preferably comprise electric and/or mechanical actuators, for instance an electromagnet with a motorized cam actuating the supply device 9 of the tank 2.
Also the detection means 6 are housed within the second support 4 and are firmly connected to the actuating means 5 through a plurality of fastening screws 19.
The position of said detection means 6 is such that said detection means 6 can detect the discharge of sweetening tablets from the hole 10 of the container 2 through the second opening 15 of the first support 3.
The detection means 6 are for instance an optical sensor, such as a photocell detecting the passage of a sweetening tablet ejected from the tank 2.
The chute 7 is fastened to the second support 4 through a plurality of fastening screws 20.
The position of the chute 7 is such that the latter is placed on the outlet opening 10 of the tank 2 and on the slot 15 of the first support 3.
In other words, said chute 7 is axial with respect to the outlet opening 10 of the tank 2, so that the discharge of the tablets contained therein can take place without hindrances.
The working of the vending apparatus 1, described above in its main components, will now be disclosed by referring to Figure 3.
A command given by a consumer through a pushbutton placed on a keyboard housed outside the vending machine (not shown in Figures 1-3), test block 21, result in (branch YES of block 21) that the actuating means 5 exert a pressure onto the supply device 8, test block 22; if the consumer does not ask for the sweetener (branch NO of block 21) the apparatus 1 waits for a further command.
Once the actuating means 5 have exerted a pressure onto the supply device 9, the detection means 6 detect, test block 23, the passage of the tablet towards the chute 7. If the tablet has actually been ejected (branch YES of block 23), the apparatus 1 goes back and waits for a further tablet supply command, block 21; if the detection means 6 do not detect the passage of the tablet, due to obstacles or whatever, the control means 8 command a new actuation of the actuating means 5 (branch NO of block 23).
The present invention enables therefore to check whether the tablet contained in the tank 2 has actually been ejected from said tank 2, or if its passage has not been detected, the actuating means 5 are asked to exert again a pressure onto the supply device 8 until the detection means 6 detect the passage of said tablet.
Advantageously, although the tank 2 is used for containing currently marketed sweetening tablets and is therefore little reliable for supplying tablets, the combined action of the actuating means 5 and of the detection means 6 enables to obtain an apparatus 1 supplying sweetening tablets without hindrances and therefore with a high level of reliability.
By means of the present inventive solution, all health regulations, especially those concerning the cleanness of the compartment where food is stored, can be met, since the first support 3 is made of plastic and can be easily removed/fitted through the fastening means 11 and 11a, and can therefore be rapidly washed.
As a matter of fact, as described above, the first support 3 is secured in a removable way through the fastening means 11 to the lower wall of the second support 4, and through the fastening means 11a to the side wall 22 of said support 4, and thanks to the presence of the handle 12 maintenance and replacing operations for the tank 2, once the tablets contained therein have run short, are faster and more hygienic.
Obviously, in order to meet urgent and specific needs, a person skilled in the art can make several changes and variants to the apparatus as described above, all of which are included in the protection field of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

Vending apparatus for supplying food, in particular sweeteners, comprising:

a tank (2) provided with supply devices (9) and containing said food;

a supporting structure (3, 4) supporting said tank (2);

actuating means (5) actuating said supply device (9) of said tank (2), characterized in that it comprises detection means (6) detecting the discharge of said food from said tank (2).
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 1, characterized in that said actuating means (5) are operatively controlled by control means (8) in accordance with said detection means (6)
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 1, characterized in that said supporting structure (3, 4) comprises a first support (3) and a second support (4), said first support (3) being secured in a removable way through first fastening means (11, 11a) to said second support (4) and containing said tank (2), said second support (4) being firmly secured through second fastening means (16) to said vending apparatus and containing said first support (3), said actuating means (5) and said detection means (6).
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 3, characterized in that said first support (3) is hollow, so as to contain said tank (2).
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 3, characterized in that said first support (3) has a first opening (14) on said supply device of said tank (2), a second opening (15) on an outlet opening (10) of said tank (2).
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 3, characterized in that said first fastening means consist of a tang (11) and of a peg (11a), said tang (11) extending parallel to the back wall of said first support (3) and said peg (11a) being movable between a first operating position in which said peg (11a) projects from said first support (3), and a second operating position in which said peg (11a) is housed within said first support (3).
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 3, characterized in that said second support (4) is associated to a chute (7) through third fastening means (20), said chute (7) being placed on said second opening (15), so as to help the discharge of said food.
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 1, characterized in that said detection means comprise optical sensors or photocells.
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 1, characterized in that said actuating means are operated with an electromagnet.
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to claim 1, characterized in that said actuating means comprise operating means with motorized cams.
Vending apparatus for supplying food according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said supply devices (9) can be actuated by exerting a pressure and said supply devices (9) comprise an operating pushbutton.
Method for supplying food, in particular sweeteners, from a vending apparatus, said apparatus comprising a tank provided with supply devices and containing said food, a supporting structure supporting said tank, actuating means actuating said supply device of said tank, characterized in that it comprises the following steps:

a) operate said actuating means so that they exert a pressure onto said supply devices of said tank;

b) check the discharge of said food from said tank through said detection means;

c) repeat item (a) until said detection means detect the discharge of said food from said tank.