EP1860619B1 - Coin deposit lock for transport trolleys - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a consignor for a food transport trolley.

Recorders already known to connect with each other and lock trolleys for transporting food in supermarkets. It is actually organizing the storage of these trolleys by conditioning their use to the insertion and imprisonment of a calibrated element and usually a coin in the consorner during all the use of the trolley . Carts each equipped with a consigner being initially nested in one another and successively connected to each other by their lighter, the stall of a trolley requires the insertion of a coin in the lighter and recovery of the calibrated element can not be done in theory, that reporting said carriage in a pre-existing row of carts and hanging up said consigner to the carriage which precedes it in said row.

To do this, the device includes a housing mounted on the carriage, said housing being adapted to retain anchoring means located at the end of a chain itself secured to another carriage. The housing is adapted to receive a coin to release the anchoring means of the previous carriage which can then leave the housing, and release the carriage. For this, the housing is equipped with two pivoting hooks mounted opposite one another and which have two hooking ends and opposite two receiving ends. The hooking ends are intended to retain the anchoring means together when they are close to each other, while the receiving ends are spaced apart from each other; and conversely, the receiving ends are adapted to receive the coin to spread the fastening ends and release the anchoring means, while said receiving ends are brought closer to each other to imprison the coin. Obviously, it is a question of keeping the attachment ends apart from each other and the a coin trapped between the receiving ends close to each other, as the anchoring means of another carriage have not been reintroduced into the housing to release the coin. Also, and to this end, the housing further comprises locking means biased by a spring which keep the attachment ends spaced apart from each other when the anchoring means leave the housing.

In particular, we can refer to the document EP 286,460 , which describes such a type of consigner.

A disadvantage of such recorders is essentially the number of parts needed to achieve and especially in the accuracy and difficulties of assembly. As a result, they are relatively expensive to manufacture.

Also, a problem that arises and that aims to solve the present invention, is to provide a consigner that can be manufactured at a lower cost without degrading its mechanical characteristics and in particular resistance to burglary.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention proposes a consigner for a food transport trolley, said consigner comprising a housing adapted to retain anchoring means, said anchoring means being adapted to leave said housing when said housing receives a calibrated element, said housing comprising two pivoting hooks mounted facing one another, said two hooks having on the one hand, two attachment ends adapted to retain said anchoring means between them when they are close to each other and on the other hand opposite, two receiving ends adapted to receive said calibrated element to separate said hooking ends and release said anchoring means, said housing further comprising means locks adapted to engage between said hooking ends when said anchoring means leave said housing so that enir said fastening ends spaced apart from each other; according to the invention, said locking means comprise a resiliently flexible flange, said flexible flange having a fastening edge engaged in said housing and a free edge opposite said fastening edge engaging between said fastening ends; and said anchoring means are adapted to bear against said flexible wing to cause it to deflect and to move said free edge away from said hooking ends so as to release said hooking ends.

Thus, a feature of the invention lies in the implementation of an elastically flexible flange which forms both locking means and resilient means able to extend between the two fastening ends when it s extends into a position of equilibrium. In this way, the two attachment ends are held apart from each other. And as soon as we just insert the anchoring means between these two hooking ends, it drives in motion these anchoring means against the flexible wing which then flexes and deviates from the two hooking ends for the release. As will be explained below, continuing the insertion of the anchoring means in the housing, the two hooking ends are close together and hang the anchoring means, while the two receiving ends s spread by causing the coin coinage to be ejected.

To facilitate this approach of the two attachment ends, said housing is advantageously equipped with flexible folding flaps elastically bearing against said hooks to exert forces capable of bringing said fastening ends towards one another.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said elastically flexible wing and said folding blades are formed together in one piece. For example, the flexible wing and the folding blades are cut and then formed in a single metal plate. Preferably, said housing further comprises elastically flexible ejection blades extending between said receiving ends and which facilitate the ejection of the coin when leaving the housing. In addition, said elastically flexible flange and said ejection blades are also advantageously formed together in one piece. Moreover, and it is understandable there the economic interest, the flexible wing, the folding blades and the ejection blades are likely to be cut and formed in a single metal plate. Thus, the only metal plate cut and formed is adapted to fulfill three functions of the consigner that were previously provided by a plurality of parts and elastic means. Therefore, not only the number of parts is reduced but also the assembly is simplified which allows to lower even more the production costs of such recorders.

In addition, said hooks defining a mean plane, said fixing edge of said flexible wing is advantageously located on one side of said middle plane in the vicinity of said receiving ends, while said flexible wing extends by cutting said mean plane between said hooks. In this way, the flexible wing which then extends inclined relative to the middle plane and in large part between the hooks opposite, has its free edge extended towards the entrance of the housing and in addition is relatively compact at the inside of the case. Indeed, the flexible wing extends into a functional space and necessary for the operation of the device.

In a particularly advantageous manner, said flexible wing has a return forming said opposite free edge so as to facilitate the guiding of the flexible wing against the anchoring means which are driven in translation against it and which then causes its deflection outside the space between the two attachment ends. The fixing edge of the flexible wing and the opposite free edge are then both located on one side of said mean plane; the flexible wing then being bent and bearing against the anchoring means.

Preferably, said flexible wing has a support plate which extends said return by cutting said middle plane so as to provide the housing inlet a sufficiently large contact surface to receive the anchoring means and provide a guide of the flexible wing in a race identical to each insertion. Indeed, it is not excluded that the alternation of flexion and relaxation of the flexible wing causes a slight deformation and a slight defect of positioning of said free edge opposite to the entrance of the housing. Thanks to the support plate, this imperfection of the positioning will be controlled as will be explained in more detail in the following description.

In addition, said opposite free edge advantageously has two opposite slice portions, against which said attachment ends are adapted to bear when the flexible flange freely extends between the attachment ends.

In addition, said housing comprises a bottom, an opposite cover and an inlet of the anchoring means made between said bottom and said cover and which opens between said attachment ends, and said fixing edge of said flexible wing is engaged in said bottom and towards said receiving ends, while said opposite free edge extends towards said cover and towards said inlet of the anchoring means.

• la Figure 1 est une vue schématique en perspective d'un élément de consigneur pour chariot conforme à l'invention ;
• la Figure 2 est une vue schématique de dessous en coupe d'un consigneur conforme à l'invention et dans une première position ;
• la Figure 3 est une vue schématique du consigneur illustré sur la Figure 2 selon un plan de coupe III-III perpendiculaire au plan de la Figure 2 ;
• la Figure 4 est une vue schématique de dessous en coupe d'un consigneur conforme à l'invention et dans une seconde position ; et,
• la Figure 5 est une vue schématique du consigneur illustré sur la Figure 4 selon un plan de coupe V-V perpendiculaire au plan de la Figure 4.

Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, given by way of indication but not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

• the Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a carriage lock element according to the invention;
• the Figure 2 is a schematic bottom sectional view of a consigner according to the invention and in a first position;
• the Figure 3 is a schematic view of the illustrated consigner on the Figure 2 according to a sectional plane III-III perpendicular to the plane of the Figure 2 ;
• the Figure 4 is a schematic bottom sectional view of a consler according to the invention and in a second position; and,
• the Figure 5 is a schematic view of the illustrated consigner on the Figure 4 according to a plane of section VV perpendicular to the plane of the Figure 4 .

The Figure 1 illustrates an element 10 cut and formed for example in a plate of stainless steel spring. This element 10 will first be described in detail before explaining its operation in a carriage-type cart.

This element 10 defines a first average plane P and it comprises a flexible wing 12 attached to a base 14, which base 14 has two lateral portions 16, 18. The element 10 has a front portion 20 and a rear portion 22, the flexible wing 12 extending inclinedly from the rear portion 22 to the front portion 20 and projecting from the first mid-plane P. Furthermore, the two side portions 16, 18 respectively have a flange 24, 26 and in the flanges 24 26 are provided on the one hand with a pair of folding tongues 28, 30 which extend from the rear 22 towards the front 20 towards the inside of the element 20 and in front of the flexible wing 12 and on the other hand, a pair of ejector blades 32, 34 which themselves are folded inwards and backwards 22 of the element 10. In addition, the ejector blades 32, 34 also although the flap tongues 28, 30 are respectively symmetrical to one another with respect to a plane V perpendicular to the first average plane P which also comes to cut the flexible wing 12 symmetrically.

In addition, the ejector blades 32, 34 and the flap tongues 28, 30 respectively terminate in a curved free end 35 substantially perpendicular to the first middle plane P.

According to one embodiment of the invention not shown here, only a pair of flap tabs is formed in the flanges 24, 26 and no longer the pair of ejection blades. It will be specified below, the mechanical consequences of the absence of the ejection blades, on the other hand, an advantage of this embodiment lies in the height of the flanges 24, 26 to provide. Indeed, since only one folding blade is respectively formed in the edges, it is no longer necessary to provide a height of additional edges to cut the ejection blade. In addition to the material gain achieved, such a feature allows a space saving in the direction of the thickness as will be explained below and also a simplification of the mounting of the cart.

The flexible wing 12 has at one of its ends a return 36 which forms a free edge and which is extended by a support plate 38 which cuts in an inclined manner the first middle plane P and at the other of its ends lamellae 40, 42 whose edges 44, 46 are respectively in engagement with the lateral portions 18, 16. The flexible wing 12 also has two opposite lateral edge portions 48, 50 at the return 36. Also, these portions of FIG. Tranche 48, 50 define U-shaped housing whose function will be detailed below.

Such an element 10 is relatively complex but made from a single metal plate whose nature, stainless steel spring for example, provides elastically flexible cut and bent portions. This is particularly the case of the wing 12 which is movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first plane P, and pairs of tongues 28, 30 and ejection blades 32, 34, which are movable in directions included in planes parallel to the first middle plane P. In the following description will be specified the function of the aforementioned folded parts.

We will now refer to Figures 3 then 2 on the first of which is found, housed in a housing 52, the element 10 seen in section along the vertical plane represented on the Figure 1 . The housing 52 has a bottom 51 in which is fixed the element 10, and an opposite cover 53. The cover 53 is mounted on the carriage and oriented downwards, while the bottom is oriented upwards.

So appear on these Figures 3, 2 , the flexible wing 12 and its return 36 extended by the support plate 38 and also the curved free end 35 of one of the ejection blades 32. Moreover, the housing 52 and the elements that it incorporates define a second middle plane M that corresponds to the plan of the Figure 2 . In addition, according to the embodiment of the invention mentioned above and not shown, where there is no longer an ejection blade with its curved free end, it is understood that Figure 2 , the advantages that one could obtain in terms of thickness and simplification.

We find on this Figure 2 , the housing 52 which has an inlet 54 of a calibrated element 55, anchoring means 56 inserted through an inlet 58 of the anchoring means which is formed in the housing 52 opposite the inlet of the calibrated element 54. The anchoring means 56 are retained inside the housing 52 by means of two hooks 60, 62 opposite pivotally mounted respectively about two pivots 64, 66. The hooks 60, 62 have two ends. latching 68, 70 and opposite two receiving ends 72, 74. The two attachment ends 68, 70 respectively have a lug 75, the two lugs 75 being opposite one another to cooperate with the U side portions 48, 50 as will be explained below. They are furthermore brought closer together to hold the anchoring means 56 together, while the two receiving ends 72, 74 are distant from each other. These two receiving ends 72, 74 have arcuate portions which define a housing 76; and when the calibrated element 55 is inserted between these arcuate portions, it tends to provoke the pivoting of the hooks 60, 62 and consequently the spacing of the hooking ends 68, 70 from each other according to the arrows F and R.

Before describing the consequences of the separation of the attachment ends 68, 70, we will notice on this Figure 2 the two curved free ends 35 of the folding tongues 28, 30 which tend precisely to maintain resiliently the attachment ends 68, 70 close to one another. Also appear on this Figure 2 the slats 40, 42 of the flexible wing 12 which is substantially concealed here by the hooks 60, 62.

Moreover, and referring to the Figure 3 it can be seen that the return 36 of the free wing 12 bears against the anchoring means 56. In this position, the free flange 12 and in particular the flaps 40, 42 are bent, so that the return 36 exerts a force on the anchoring means 56.

Thus, when the calibrated element 55 is forcibly inserted into the housing 76, it comes to bear against the curved free ends 35 of the ejector blades 32, 34 which then flex, and then against the arcuate portions to rotate the hooks 60, 62 in opposite directions to each other by opposing the return forces printed by the two curved free ends 35 of the folding tongues 28, 30. When the cut and shaped element is free of blades ejection, according to the embodiment of the invention mentioned above, or it is provided complementary spring means on which is supported by the calibrated element, the housing 52 is configured so that the anchoring means 56 can cooperate with the calibrated element 55 as will be explained below.

Whatever the mode of implementation, the attachment ends 68, 70 deviate from one another to release the anchoring means 56 and thereby imprison the calibrated element 55 in the housing 76 as illustrated by Figures 4 and 5 to which reference will now be made in comparison with the preceding figures.

As soon as the attachment ends 68, 70 are sufficiently spaced apart from each other to allow the passage of the anchoring means 56, as the extraction of these anchoring means 56 from the housing 52 , the free wing 12 is released by pivoting, so that its return 36 passes through the second middle plane M which cuts the hooks 60, 62 and this, before the anchoring means 56 have been completely removed from the 58. On the other hand, as soon as the anchoring means 56 release the hooking ends 68, 70, these tend to come closer to one another under the effect of the tongues 28, 30 and through their curved free end 35, while the free wing 12 is itself released substantially across the second average plane M, so that the lugs 75 are engaged respectively in the U-shaped housing portions of side edge 48, 50. In addition, the inner edge of the attachment ends 68, 70 abuts against the side edge portions 48, 50 of the free wing 12, and thus allow to maintain remote hooking ends 68, 70 of the hooks facing 60, 62 and thereby blocking the two receiving ends 72, 74 in a close position and thus to imprison the calibrated element 55.

Consequently, the calibrated element 55 could be released only under the double condition that, sequentially, the attachment ends 68, 70 are kept spaced from one another so that their stub 75 releases the lateral edge portions. 48, 50 in U and that, the flexible wing 12 is bent to no longer be engaged in between the attachment ends 68, 70. Thus, it is difficult to remove the calibrated element 55 without means of anchoring 56 whose dimensions and shape are adapted to perform this operation sequentially when they are introduced through the inlet 58.

Specifically, when these anchoring means 56 are introduced through the inlet 58, their opposite lateral edges, 80, 82, are spaced apart the attachment ends 68, 70, while their front end 84 bears against the plate In this way, the front end 34 slides against the support plate 38 and causes the free wing 12 to bend, which again passes through the second middle plane M and passes below the plane defined by the facing hooks 60, 62 which is itself coincident with this second middle plane M, so that the hooking ends 68, 70 again escape the range of the U-shaped side edge portions 48, 50 and that they can then come closer to each other under the action of the flap tongues 28, 30 through the curved free ends 35 and close on the anchoring means 56 which are then again hooked.

While pivoting, the hooks 60, 62 cause the spacing of the receiving ends 72, 74 and the release of the calibrated element 55 which it is ejected by ejection blades 32, 34 which were bent as the calibrated element 55 was trapped. Thus, we find the elements of the consorner in the state where they are represented on the Figure 2 .

According to the embodiment of the invention mentioned above and not shown, when the cut and formed element is devoid of ejection blades, and that, moreover, no other complementary spring means has been provided, but that on the other hand the housing 52 has been adapted, the front end 84 of the anchoring means 56, during its stroke, bears against the calibrated element 55 and then at the end of the stroke, ejects the calibrated element 55 when the ends of the reception 72, 74 are discarded.

Claims (10)

1. Coin deposit lock for a transport trolley for commodities, the said coin deposit lock comprising a housing (52) adapted to retain anchoring means (56), the said anchoring means being adapted to exit the said housing (52) when the said housing receives a calibrated element (55), the said housing comprising two pivoting hooks (60, 62) mounted facing each other, the said two hooks having on the one hand two hooking ends (68, 70) adapted to retain the said anchoring means (56) between them when they are brought towards each other, and on the other hand, opposite thereto, two reception ends (72, 74) adapted to receive the said calibrated element (55) in order to move apart the said hooking ends (68, 70) and to release the said anchoring means (56), the said housing (52) also having locking means (12) adapted to come into engagement between the said hooking ends (68, 70) when the said anchoring means (56) exit the said housing so as to keep the said hooking ends (68, 70) spaced apart from each other;
   characterised in that the said locking means (12) have an elastically flexible wing, the said flexible wing having a fixing edge (44, 46) engaged in the said housing (52) and a free edge (36) opposite the said fixing edge coming into engagement between the said hooking ends (68, 70);
   and in that the said anchoring means (56) are adapted to bear against the said flexible wing (12) in order to cause flexing thereof and to move the said free edge (36) away from the said hooking ends (68, 70) so as to release the said hooking ends.
2. Coin deposit lock as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the said housing (52) is equipped with elastically flexible folding blades (28, 30) bearing against the said hooks (60, 62) to exert a force able to bring the said hooking ends (68, 70) towards each other.
3. Coin deposit lock as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the said elastically flexible wing (12) and the said folding blades (28, 30) are formed together as a single piece.
4. Coin deposit lock as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the said housing (52) has elastically flexible ejection blades (32, 34) extending between the said reception ends (72, 74).
5. Coin deposit lock as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that the said elastically flexible wing (12) and the said ejection blades (32, 34) are formed together as a single piece.
6. Coin deposit lock as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the said hooks (60, 62) define a mid-plane (M), the said fixing edge (44, 46) of the said flexible wing (12) is located on one side of the said mid-plane (M) in the proximity of the said reception ends (72, 74), while the said flexible wing (12) extends, bisecting the said mid-plane (M), between the said hooks (60, 62).
7. Coin deposit lock as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that the said flexible wing (12) has a return (36) forming the said opposite free edge.
8. Coin deposit lock as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that the said flexible wing (12) has a support plate (38) which extends the said return, bisecting the said mid-plane (M).
9. Coin deposit lock as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the said opposite free edge (36) has two opposing edge portions (48, 50), against which the said hooking ends (68, 70) are adapted to bear.
10. Coin deposit lock as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the said housing (52) having a base (51), an opposing cover (53) and an entry (58) for the anchoring means (56), which entry is produced between the said base and the said cover and which issues between the said hooking ends (68, 70), the said fixing edge (44, 46) of the said flexible wing (12) is engaged in the said base and towards the said reception ends (72, 74) while the said opposite free edge (36) extends towards the said cover and towards the said entry (58) of the anchoring means (56).

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