EP1152380A1 - Machine de vente - Google Patents

Machine de vente Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1152380A1
EP1152380A1 EP00870096A EP00870096A EP1152380A1 EP 1152380 A1 EP1152380 A1 EP 1152380A1 EP 00870096 A EP00870096 A EP 00870096A EP 00870096 A EP00870096 A EP 00870096A EP 1152380 A1 EP1152380 A1 EP 1152380A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
vending machine
trays
storage compartment
machine according
products
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP00870096A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Laurent Goblet
Aude Bouraoui-Karoui
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Safica SA
Original Assignee
Safica SA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Safica SA filed Critical Safica SA
Priority to EP00870096A priority Critical patent/EP1152380A1/fr
Publication of EP1152380A1 publication Critical patent/EP1152380A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
    • G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
    • G07F11/34—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are of zig-zag form
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
    • G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
    • G07F11/38—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are horizontal
    • G07F11/42—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are horizontal the articles being delivered by motor-driven means

Definitions

  • the present invention is related to a vending machine, in particular a vending machine for combined distribution of two types of products, such as snacks and drinks.
  • document US-A-5553736 is related to a snack distributing machine, whereby the products to be dispensed from the machine travel horizontally in a direction parallel to the front surface of the machine to a position from which the articles drop through a vertical shaft at the side of the machine, to a delivery area.
  • Motor driven helical coils are used to move the products along their horizontal paths.
  • US-A-5176288 describes a drinks distributing machine, comprising a plurality of serpentine feed magazine units to store cylinder-like products, such as cans or bottles, in a number of stacks.
  • a dispensing apparatus including at least one motor-driven auger controls the dispensing of cylindrical products from the bottom of the stack.
  • the slopes of the feed magazine units are directed from the back of the machine to the front or vice versa, which makes it difficult to decrease the depth of a machine of this type.
  • a typical depth of a standard drinks distributing machine is 760 mm.
  • Combined snack/drink distributors are commercially available. These machines equally use the helical coils and serpentine feed magazines for distributing drinks and snacks respectively. In many cases, the helical coils of these combined machines are perpendicular to the front of the machine, increasing the depth of the machine in question.
  • a general problem of the state of the art is the lack of modularity in distributing machines.
  • two compartments are dedicated to the distribution of snacks and drinks respectively.
  • the present invention aims to present a vending machine for distribution of two types of products such as snacks and drinks which is new and inventive with respect to the prior art.
  • a further aim of the invention is to propose a modular vending machine for distributing two types of products, which is compact in depth.
  • the present invention is related to a vending machine, in particular for combined distribution of two types of products such as snacks and drinks, comprising a number of substantially horizontal trays and a number of serpentine units, from which products are pushed into a vertical shaft so that they become accessible through a distributing device, characterised in that the storage compartment of said machine is modular, meaning that said trays and said serpentine units can be installed on any one of a given number of locations within said storage compartment.
  • said vending machine is rectangular-shaped, and said trays and said serpentine units are substantially parallel to the front and back plane of said vending machine.
  • said trays are attached to a set of vertical strips, which are connected by way of rails to the roof of the storage compartment, and said serpentine units are attached to a second set of vertical strips, which are connected by way of rails to the floor of the storage compartment.
  • a set of trays and/or serpentine units are attached to one set of vertical strips, said strips being connected by way of a first set of rails to the roof of said storage compartment and by way of a second set of rails to the floor of said storage compartment.
  • said strips contains slots, into which extensions on the sides of said trays and serpentine units fit.
  • said strips have U-formed extensions, into which said trays or the slopes of said serpentine units fit.
  • said trays and said serpentine units comprise releasing devices for pushing products into said vertical shaft, and furthermore said machine comprises connection sockets on every location, so that said releasing devices of both the horizontal trays and the serpentine units may be powered and controlled on any of said given number of locations.
  • said trays have a variable number of vertical sides extending from them, and, perpendicular to said sides, one upstanding member, to which at least one said releasing device is attached, said device consisting of a helical coil and motor, so that said motor is driving said helical coil and products attached to said coil, along the path between two of said vertical sides in the direction of the edge of said trays.
  • said serpentine units each comprise two sloped panels, one being placed above the other, each having at least two vertical sides, said sloped panels having substantially opposite slope angles with respect to the horizontal plane, the lower of said sloped panels comprising at its lowest point said releasing device, for freeing products, stored on said lowest point.
  • said machine has a depth of at least 313 mm.
  • a vending machine according to the invention may further comprise a cooling device for cooling all or part of the products stored in said machine.
  • Said cooling may be such that no separation exists between cooled and non-cooled area's within the storage compartment.
  • the machine of the invention further comprises a thermally insulating panel, said panel being attachable to said vertical strips by the same mechanisms as the trays and serpentine units, said panel substantially occupying the complete cross-section of said vending machine, said panel being provided with a door placed in said vertical shaft , said door being provided with a spring-operated hinge for automatically closing said door after the passage of products through said door, said panel further comprising removable seals on both sides for sealing off the opening between said panel and the side walls of said storage compartment.
  • the present invention is equally related to a device comprising a first vending machine according to the invention and a second vending machine operated from the selection panel of said first vending machine.
  • Figure 1 represents an overall view of a vending machine according to the invention.
  • Figure 2 represents a frontal view of the machine according to the invention and indicates the movement of the products.
  • Figure 3 illustrates the dimensions of a vending machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • Figure 4 illustrates the parts of the horizontal trays according to the invention.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates the parts of the serpentine units according to the invention.
  • Figure 6 illustrates the fixation device for fixing the trays and the serpentine units according to the invention.
  • Figure 7 illustrates the rail system for getting access to the products according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 8 represents a thermally isolating panel to be used in a machine according to the invention.
  • the machine has the shape of a rectangular box 1, comprising a compartment 2 for a cooling group (not shown) and an electronics compartment 3, wherein a money collecting device 4, a money return device 5, and a selection device 15.
  • the door (not shown) in front of the storage compartment may comprise a coin slot, an opening and a selection panel, through which the devices 4, 5 and 15 are operated.
  • a distributing device 6 is present, for example an automatically opening and closing door, through which products can be delivered to the customer.
  • the door (not shown) in front of the storage compartment of the machine of the invention is transparent, so that the availability of products can be visually inspected.
  • the vending machine of the invention may be installed on a pedestal or attached to a wall.
  • An additional machine 70 for example for distributing hot drinks may be installed next to the machine of the invention and operated from the selection device 15 of the machine of the invention.
  • a socket is provided on the back panel of the machine of the invention, for connecting said additional machine 70 to the selection device 15.
  • Figure 3 shows the most important dimensions of a machine according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. It can be seen that the machine of the invention has a much lower depth than the standard drinks distributing machines.
  • the storage compartment of the vending machine is divided in two parts : first a top part 100 comprising horizontal trays 7, which are parallel to the front and back side of the rectangular box 1. These trays are preferably used to dispense products such as snacks, hygienic products, pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, etc.
  • At least one releasing device in the form of a combination of an electric motor 8 and helical coil 9 is used on each of said horizontal trays to drive a plurality of products from right to left (as seen by someone facing the front panel).
  • the products When driven beyond the edge 10 of the horizontal trays, the products fall into a vertical shaft 11 after which they are collected by the customer through the distributing device 6.
  • Said trays comprise a panel 20, with slots 21 cut out.
  • Vertical sides 22 have extensions 23 which fit into said slots. More than two of these sides can be attached to said panel 20, so as to form several horizontal paths for the products to move on. This way, the trays are adaptable to the size of said products.
  • Extensions 80 are present on the sides of the panel 20, which are used to attach the trays to vertical strips 50.
  • the upstanding member 24 further contains slots 26 into which extensions 27 of the vertical sides 22 fit.
  • the height of said trays 7, determined by the height of said vertical sides 22, may be variable for the different trays, which is equally meant to accommodate products of different sizes.
  • the bottom part 101 of the storage compartment comprises several serpentine units 30, each comprising two sloped panels (later called 'slopes') 31 and 32, which are parallel to the front and back plane of the machine.
  • said slopes 31, 32 have opposite slope angles with respect to the horizontal plane.
  • These serpentine units are preferably used to dispense drinks in cans or bottles. Any cylinder-like object, which is able to roll down the slopes under the influence of gravity, can be distributed from these serpentine units.
  • a product 60 stored on the highest point of slope 31, will, under the influence of gravity, travel along the slope 31, until the edge 33, where it falls onto slope 32, after which it will travel along slope 32.
  • a row of products are stored on said slopes, so that the product placed on the lowest point of the lower slope 32 is the one that may be selected by the consumer.
  • a releasing device 34 is present, attached to the lower slope 32. When activated after selection of said product, the releasing device allows to free said product so that it falls into the vertical shaft 11 and becomes accessible through the distributing device 6.
  • the slopes 31 and 32 are shown in more details in figure 5. They comprise slots 40, into which three vertical sides 41 can be inserted by way of extensions 42, so that two parallel paths may be formed on each slope for two rows of products to move on.
  • the lower slope 32 has an opening 43 under which releasing devices 34 is attached, one for each parallel path.
  • the holes 44 are used to attach said releasing devices to said slope. It is equally possible to install only two vertical sides 41, to accommodate one row of longer products (e.g. half litre bottles). In that case, only one releasing device 34 is installed on the bottom of slope 32.
  • the slopes have extensions 81 allowing the attachment of said slopes to vertical strips 51.
  • Both the trays 7 and the slopes 31, 32 are installed parallel to the front and back plane of the machine, which allows a decreased depth for a vending machine according to the present invention, compared to other combined snack/drinks vending machines.
  • the machine of the invention has a depth as low as 313 mm.
  • a very important characteristic of the vending machine of the invention is its modular concept. As was explained already, the trays 7 are adaptable in height and in number of horizontal paths. Also, the serpentine units can accommodate one or several parallel rows of cylinder-like products. Apart from this, however, the storage compartment in its totality is designed in a modular way.
  • Said storage compartment which is defined as the total space taken up by the trays 7 and the serpentine units 30 may be filled up by any combination of these trays and serpentine units.
  • the trays 7 and the slopes 31, 32 of the serpentine units 30, are attached to vertical strips 50, 51.
  • two sets of strips are present for both the trays 7 and for the slopes 31, 32 : two strips on the front side and two (not shown in figure 1) on the back side, so that the trays 7 are held together by 4 strips 50 and the serpentine units 30 are held together by 4 strips 51.
  • the strips 50 and 51 are connected to the roof and floor of the machine's central compartment by way of rails 52, 53 respectively so that the complete set of trays or the complete set of slopes can be easily removed from the machine, for example in order to refill said trays or slopes or to replace the totality of trays 7 by a set of serpentine units 30 or vice versa.
  • strips may be used whose length covers the entire height of the storage compartment. In this case, only four of these long strips are used, which are attached to the rails 52,53, so as to acquire one set of trays and/or serpentine units, which is taking up the totality of the storage compartment.
  • FIG. 6a Two possible ways of connecting the trays 7 and the serpentine units 30 to the vertical strips 50, 51 are shown in figures 6a and 6b.
  • the strips have slots 90 cut out in which the extensions 80 or 81 fit.
  • said extensions are mushroom-shaped on one side of the trays or slopes (as shown in figure 4 and 5), in order to fixate said trays or slopes.
  • FIG. 6b An alternative fixation is shown in figure 6b, where the strips 50 and 51 have U-formed extensions 85 into which the trays or slopes can be easily inserted and from which they can be as easily withdrawn. In the latter case, no extensions 80 or 81 are necessary on the trays or slopes.
  • FIG. 7 A preferred embodiment of the system of rails 53 on the bottom of the storage compartment is shown in figure 7.
  • the rails 53 are fixed to a metal plate 91, onto which a second metal plate 92 is connected. Both plates substantially fill up the horizontal cross-section of the storage compartment.
  • the connection 93 between said plates is a pivoting axis, permitting the top plate 92 to pivot over 90° with respect to the bottom plate 91, when both plates are withdrawn from the storage compartment.
  • To the top plate 92 are connected the strips 51, to which the trays or slopes are attached in one of the previously described ways. This installation is preferably repeated on the top of the storage device, in such a way that a set of trays is suspended from a pivotable plate, connected to another plate which is attached to the rails 52.
  • All previously described mechanisms permit the easy removal of individual trays or slopes from the machine of the invention and provides easy access to the trays or serpentine units, for example for refilling.
  • This allows a high degree of modularity.
  • the strips 50 and 51 comprise a plurality of connection points as described in figures 6a and 6b, so that both trays 7 and serpentine units 30 can be installed anywhere along the length of these strips. This means that any combination of trays and serpentine units can easily be obtained in the machine of the invention.
  • a complete set of trays and/or serpentine units, held together by the strips 50 or 51 can easily be replaced by another set, equally held together by strips.
  • the modularity is further accomplished by the fact that the releasing devices, motor/coil 8,9 or releasing device 34 are attached to the trays 7 and the lower slopes 32 of the serpentine units.
  • a tray 7 and accompanying motor/coil assemblies 8,9 can be removed as a whole from the machine by removing the tray from the strips 50 and by disconnecting the motor(s) from the electronics compartment 3. They are then easily placed in another location by reattaching the tray to the strips 50 or 51 and reconnecting said motor/coil assembly to the electronics compartment 3.
  • the same removal of serpentine units 30 is possible.
  • the easy connection and disconnection of the releasing devices is made possible by the presence of connection sockets (not shown on figures), present at all locations, so that said releasing devices may easily be connected to the selection device, on any of said locations.
  • the complete storage compartment may be filled with either trays or serpentine units, or any combination of both.
  • the storage compartment (100, 101) is cooled.
  • the cooling of the storage compartment, provided by the cooling group may be applied to the whole or to part of the machine of the invention.
  • this part may be refrigerated by way of a cooling element at the back of the storage compartment, occupying the space taken up by the serpentine units upon which the drinks are stored.
  • the space above the serpentine units will also be cooled to a certain extent.
  • a standard cooling installation comprising a condenser and evaporator may be used for this purpose, allowing the regulation of cooling temperatures between certain degrees.
  • a clear separation is obtained between cooled and non-cooled compartments, as well as a modularity in terms of space occupied by said cooled and non-cooled compartments.
  • thermally insulating panel 200 which can be placed anywhere in the storage compartment, attached to the strips 50 or 51, in the same way as the trays 7 or the serpentine units (see figure 6). That way, the panel 200 can easily be removed and reinstalled elsewhere.
  • the thermally insulating panel 200 is shown in figure 8. It substantially covers the complete cross-section of the rectangular box 1. It is provided on both sides with thermally insulating seals 201, sealing off the cooled from the non-cooled compartment. Said seals 201 are fixed to the panel 200 and the wall of the storage compartment so that they can be easily detached, for example by way of repositionable tape or other means.
  • the cross-section of said seals 201 is equally shown in figure 8. Said cross-section is such that a good adhesion of the seals is provides to both the panel 200 and the wall of the storage compartment.
  • Said panel 200 is further provided with a door 202 connected to the panel via a spring-operated hinge 203, said door being placed in the vertical shaft 11. Said hinge is designed so that the weight of the products falling through the vertical shaft 11 is able to open the door, permitting the products to fall into the distributing device 6, after which the door closes again.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Vending Machines For Individual Products (AREA)
EP00870096A 2000-05-05 2000-05-05 Machine de vente Withdrawn EP1152380A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP00870096A EP1152380A1 (fr) 2000-05-05 2000-05-05 Machine de vente

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP00870096A EP1152380A1 (fr) 2000-05-05 2000-05-05 Machine de vente

Publications (1)

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EP1152380A1 true EP1152380A1 (fr) 2001-11-07

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EP00870096A Withdrawn EP1152380A1 (fr) 2000-05-05 2000-05-05 Machine de vente

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EP (1) EP1152380A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108665625A (zh) * 2018-06-30 2018-10-16 惠州市诺坚五金制品有限公司 一种双取货口售货机

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3901366A (en) * 1973-10-09 1975-08-26 Umc Ind Vendor particularly for cartons of cigarettes or like packages
US4730750A (en) * 1986-04-30 1988-03-15 Unidynamics Corporation Vending machine for dispensing refrigerated and unrefrigerated foods
US4757915A (en) * 1986-08-25 1988-07-19 Fawn Engineering Corp. Vending machine shelf assembly
US5176288A (en) 1990-01-17 1993-01-05 The Vendo Company Control dispensing apparatus for vending machines
US5553736A (en) 1994-12-05 1996-09-10 Healis; Frank G. Vending apparatus

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3901366A (en) * 1973-10-09 1975-08-26 Umc Ind Vendor particularly for cartons of cigarettes or like packages
US4730750A (en) * 1986-04-30 1988-03-15 Unidynamics Corporation Vending machine for dispensing refrigerated and unrefrigerated foods
US4757915A (en) * 1986-08-25 1988-07-19 Fawn Engineering Corp. Vending machine shelf assembly
US5176288A (en) 1990-01-17 1993-01-05 The Vendo Company Control dispensing apparatus for vending machines
US5553736A (en) 1994-12-05 1996-09-10 Healis; Frank G. Vending apparatus

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108665625A (zh) * 2018-06-30 2018-10-16 惠州市诺坚五金制品有限公司 一种双取货口售货机

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