EP1020823A2

EP1020823A2 - Vending apparatus carrying out a commodity control in accordance with a selling term determined for each of commodities

Info

Publication number: EP1020823A2
Application number: EP99309777A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Shigeo c/o Sanden Corporation Kuwabara
Original assignee: Sanden Corp
Current assignee: Sanden Corp
Priority date: 1998-12-09
Filing date: 1999-12-06
Publication date: 2000-07-19
Also published as: EP1020823A3; JP2000172923A

Abstract

In a vending apparatus fixedly installed in a store for vending commodities, a control section controls the commodities in accordance with a selling term determined for each of the commodities. These commodities are stored in a storing section (10) placed at a first position in the store. A designated one of the commodities is carried by a carrying mechanism (40) from the storing section to a take-out section (31) placed at a second position in the store. It is preferable that the control section makes the carrying mechanism carry a term-expired one of the commodities from the storing section to a disposal section (33) placed at a third position in the store.

Description

The present invention relates to a vending apparatus fixedly installed in a store for vending a variety of commodities or merchandise such as food products or miscellaneous goods.
Generally in a store such as a supermarket or a convenience store, shoppers pick up commodities they want to purchase from commodities shelves installed in various places in the store, carry them to a checkout counter, at which the commodities prices are calculated with key input or barcode input, and pay for the commodities. However, the prices of the commodities are inputted manually one by one at the checkout counter, and therefore it takes a long time for checkout of the prices if a shopper purchases a lot of commodities and also a labor cost for a clerk in charge of the checkout counter is a burden in cost under the existing conditions.
In view of this conditions, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-120521, for example, as a means for self-service sales, there is known a completely automated store system in which a shopper selects or designates any commodity item on a display by operations of a terminal, the selected commodity is picked up from a storage shelf by a carrying machine if the shopper pay the terminal for the commodity, and the commodity is outputted to a receiving plate for shoppers.
Generally, a best before date or other kinds of sales date are specified for food products and other commodities in many cases, and therefore term-expired commodities must be disposed of. In the completely automated store, however, while a worker-less system can be achieved in commodity sales, the system has a problem that the disposal works of the commodities must be performed by workers and a sales date of each commodity must be grasped in order to manage the sales date at all times and therefore a human labor cannot be fully reduced in such a worker-less store.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vending apparatus fixedly installed in a store, which successfully reduces a human labor greatly.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vending apparatus of the type described, in which disposal works of expired commodities can be automated.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a vending apparatus of the type described, in which disposal of the expired commodity can be carried out in a manner similar to that of a normal vending operation.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a vending apparatus of the type described, in which a selling term can be automatically set when each of commodities is stored.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a vending apparatus of the type described, in which the selling term can be arbitrarily set.
Other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
A vending apparatus to which the present invention is applicable is fixedly installed in a store for vending commodities and includes a storing section placed at a first position in the store for storing the commodities, a take-out section placed at a second position in the store, and main carrying means connected to the storing section and the take-out section for carrying a designated one of the commodities from the storing section to the take-out portion. The vending apparatus further comprises determining means for determining a selling term for each of the commodities and commodity control means connected to the storing section and the determining means for controlling the commodities in accordance with the selling term.
It may be arranged that the the commodity control means comprises detecting means connected to the determining means for detecting a term-expired one of the commodities to produce a detected signal representative of the term-expired one and disposal means connected to the storing section and the detecting means for carrying out disposal of the term-expired one in response to the detected signal.
It may be arranged that the disposal means comprises a disposal section placed at a third position in the store and supplemental carrying means connected to the storing section and the disposal section for carrying the term-expired one of the commodities from the storing section to the disposal section.
It may be arranged that the vending apparatus further comprises selecting means connected to the main and the supplementary carrying means for selecting anyone of the main and the supplementary carrying means and select control means connected to the selecting means for controlling operation of the selecting means to make the selecting means select the supplementary carrying means only when the detected signal is produced.
It may be arranged that the determining means sets, as the selling term, a date after a predetermined period counted from a date when each of commodities is stored in the storing section.
It may be arranged that the vending apparatus further comprises input means connected to the determining means for inputting a date to make the determining means determine the selling term.

Brief Description of the Drawing:

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a vending apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the vending apparatus is fixedly installed in a store;
Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the vending apparatus of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional side view of a main part of the vending apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2, wherein a commodity is carried to a take-out section;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional side view of the main part of the vending apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2, wherein the commodity is carried to a disposal section;
Fig. 5 is a block diagram of a control system included in the vending apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2;
Fig. 6 is a flowchart describing an operation of a control section included in the control system of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a block diagram of a modification of the control system of Fig. 5; and
Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional side view of a modification of the main part of Figs. 4 and 5.
With reference to Figs. 1 to 5, description will be made as regards a vending apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending apparatus is fixedly installed in a store and is for vending commodities such as food products or miscellaneous goods.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 at first, the vending apparatus comprises a plurality of storage shelves 10 for storing the commodities, a plurality of display sections 20 for displaying samples of the commodities, a discharge section 30 for discharging a designated or purchased one of the commodities, a conveying or carrying mechanism 40 for carrying commodities on any of the storage shelves 10 to the discharge section 30, a position switching mechanism 50 for switching to select anyone of o two discharge positions, and a control section for controlling a vending operation and a disposal operation for the commodities in the manner which will later be described in detail.
The store has a store inside and a backyard 3 partitioned by a partition wall 2 from the store inside 1. The display sections 20 and the discharge section 30 are assembled to the partition wall 2 and exposed towards the store inside 1. Each of the storage shelves 10 is arrange at a first position in the backyard 3. The carrying mechanism 40 are placed in the backyard 3.
Each of the storage shelves 10 has a large number of storing sections 10a vertically and horizontally arranged. The commodities are put or charged by hand on each of the storing sections 10a in the manner known in the art.
Each of the display sections 20 has a plurality of commodities samples (not shown) on which a variety of commodities are displayed. Each of the commodity samples is given a number or other identifiable indication.
The discharge section 30 has a take-out opening or section 31 placed in a second position to face the store inside 1. Although omission is carried out from the drawing, the discharge section 30 has facilities for selecting one or ones of the commodities on a display section such as a monitor, throwing cash, and giving change. Furthermore, there is arranged a disposal outlet 33 at the rear of the take-out section 31. In this condition, the disposal outlet 33 is opened at its top. There is installed a disposal section 32 at the side of the take-out section 31. The disposal section 32 is communicated with the disposal outlet 33.
The carrying mechanism 40 is arranged between the storage shelves 10 and comprises a bucket 41 for containing a commodity taken out of each storing section 10a of the storage shelves 10, a first shift mechanism section 42 for shifting the bucket 41 in a vertical direction, and a second shift mechanism section 43 for shifting the bucket 41 in a horizontal direction. In the carrying mechanism 40, the bucket 41 is shifted to a storing section 10a storing the selected or designated commodity A by the first and second shift mechanism sections 42 and 43 and to the rear of the discharge section 30 when the commodity A is received from the storing section 10a. Then, the commodity A is dropped in a predetermined position from the bucket 41. In this condition, if a plurality of commodities are selected, the commodities output time can be reduced by controlling all of the selected commodities to be completely received in the bucket 41 before they are shifted to the take-out section 31. The carrying mechanism 40 is well-known in the art and it is also possible to use a mechanism in another structure.
Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the position switching mechanism 50 comprises a guide plate 51 rotatably supported at its end by the upper portion of the disposal outlet 33, a pair of links 52 and 53 for rotating the guide plate 51, and a motor 54 with one end of respective links 52 and 53 connected to the motor 54 and with the other end thereof connected to the guide plate 51. In other words, in this position switching mechanism 50, the top of the disposal outlet 33 is covered with the guide plate 51 as shown in Fig. 3 and the guide plate 51 is supported being downwardly inclined ahead, by which the commodity A dropped from the bucket 41 is output to the forward take-out section 31 guided by the guide plate 51. In addition, as shown in Fig. 4, the commodity A dropped from the bucket 41 is output to the disposal outlet 33 by rotating the guide plate 51 forward by the motor 54 to release the top of the disposal outlet 33. Normally, a commodity is output to the take-out section 31. The position switching mechanism 50 is referred to as a selecting arrangement.
Referring to Fig. 5, the control section is designated by a reference numeral 60 and may comprises a microcomputer. The control section 60 is connected to each storage shelves 10, the discharge section 30, and the position switching mechanism 50. Additionally the control section 60 has a setting memory section 61 for storing settings related to a selling term for each of commodities. The control section 60 makes the setting memory section 61 memorize, as the selling term, a date after a predetermined period (one month, for example) is counted from a stored date or time when a commodity is stored in the storage shelves 10. The control section 60 carries out disposal of a time-expired one of the commodities in accordance with a program described later. On determining the selling term, the control section 60 is referred to as a determining arrangement.
The stored date is detected by a switch which switches in response to presence or absence of the commodity in each storing section 10a of the storing shelves 10. If the selling term depends upon types of commodities, it is desirable to preset the selling term corresponding to each of types of commodities for respective storing sections 10a of the storage shelves 10.
In the vending apparatus having the above constitution, if a shopper in the store inside 1 selects an arbitrary commodity out of the discharge section 30, the commodity is taken out of the storing section 10a of the storage shelves 10 by the carrying mechanism 40, conveyed to the discharge section 30, and then output to the take-out section 31.
With reference to Fig. 6 in addition, the description will be made as regards an operation of the control section 60.
First, the control section 60 judges about whether or not a current time is at a time for checking term-expired commodities (at a predetermined time everyday, for example) (S1). When the current time is the predetermined time, the control section 60 judges on the basis of information stored in the setting memory section 61 about whether or not a term-expired one (or ones) of the commodities is present in the storing shelves 10 (S2). When the expired commodity is present in the storing shelved 10, the control section 60 produces, as an internal signal, a detected signal representative of the expired commodity. In this event, the control section 60 serves as a detecting arrangement.
Only when the expired commodity is present in the storing shelves 10, the control section 60 controls the position switching mechanism 50 to open the disposal outlet 33 (S3). During this state, the control section 60 controls the carrying mechanism 40 to pick up the expired commodity from the storage shelves 10 and to carry the expired commodity to the disposal outlet 33 (S4). Namely, the expired commodity is disposed in the disposal outlet 33. Then, the expired commodity is stored in the disposal section 32 and regularly collected by a manager or the like of the store. On carrying out the step S4, the carrying mechanism 40 serves as a supplemental carrying arrangement. A combination of the supplemental carrying arrangement and the disposal section will be referred to as a disposal arrangement which is for carrying out disposal of the expired commodity in response to the detected signal. A combination of the disposal arrangement and the detecting arrangement is referred to as a commodity control arrangement.
Disposal of the expired commodity is completed, the control section 60 controls the position switching mechanism 50 to close the disposal outlet 33 (S5). On the other hand, the take-out section 31 is opened by the position switching mechanism 50. In this event, the control section 60 serves as a select control arrangement.
With the vending apparatus, a disposal work of expired commodities can be automated and human labor be significantly reduced in management of a worker-less store. In addition, inasmuch as the position switching mechanism 50 selects anyone of the take-out section 31 and the disposal outlet 33, the carrying mechanism 40 can be operated also in the commodities disposing operation in the same manner as for the normal vending operation and therefore the structure and controls can be simplified. Furthermore, the sales dates are automatically set when commodities are stored, by which works at storing commodities can be reduced.
With reference to Fig. 7, the description will be made as regards a modification of the above-mentioned vending apparatus. Similar parts are designated by like reference numerals.
The modification further comprises an input device 62 such as a barcode reader or a keyboard. The input device 62 may be connected to the setting memory section 61 so that the selling term can be arbitrarily set by the input device 62. In this event, a best before date indicated on each commodity can be set as the selling term.
With reference to Fig. 8, the description will be made as regards another position switching mechanism 70 modified or changed from the position switching mechanism 60. Similar parts are designated by like reference numerals.
The position switching mechanism 70 comprises a pair of pulleys 71 spaced therebetween and a conveyor belt 72 wound around both of the pulleys 71. A commodity A dropped from the bucket 41 to the conveyor belt 72 is carried to the take-out section 31 or to the disposal outlet 33 by rotating the pulleys 71 in the forward or reverse direction with a motor (not shown).
While the present invention has thus far been described in connection with a few embodiments thereof, it will readily be possible for those skilled in the art to put this invention into practice in various other manners. For example, commodities may be separately conveyed to a disposal position provided in an exclusive place with omitting the position switching mechanism.

Claims

A vending apparatus fixedly installed in a store for vending commodities, including a storing section placed at a first position in said store for storing said commodities, a take-out section placed at a second position in said store, and main carrying means connected to said storing section and said take-out section for carrying a designated one of said commodities from said storing section to said take-out portion, said vending apparatus further comprising:

determining means for determining a selling term for each of said commodities; and

commodity control means connected to said storing section and said determining means for controlling said commodities in accordance with said selling term.
A vending apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said commodity control means comprises:

detecting means connected to said determining means for detecting a term-expired one of said commodities to produce a detected signal representative of said term-expired one; and

disposal means connected to said storing section and said detecting means for carrying out disposal of said term-expired one in response to said detected signal.
A vending apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said disposal means comprises:

a disposal section placed at a third position in said store; and

supplemental carrying means connected to said storing section and said disposal section for carrying said term-expired one of the commodities from said storing section to said disposal section.
A vending apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

selecting means connected to said main and said supplementary carrying means for selecting anyone of said main and said supplementary carrying means; and

select control means connected to said selecting means for controlling operation of said selecting means to make said selecting means select said supplementary carrying means only when said detected signal is produced.
A vending apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining means setting, as the selling term, a date after a predetermined period counted from a date when each of commodities is stored in said storing section.
A vending apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising input means connected to said determining means for inputting a date to make said determining means determine said selling term.