EP2115708B1

EP2115708B1 - Dispensing device

Info

Publication number: EP2115708B1
Application number: EP07709220.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Tore Planke
Original assignee: Vensafe ASA
Current assignee: Vensafe ASA
Priority date: 2007-02-05
Filing date: 2007-02-05
Publication date: 2014-04-30
Anticipated expiration: 2027-02-05
Also published as: PL2115708T3; WO2008097094A1; ES2485500T3; EP2115708A4; DK2115708T3; EP2115708A1

Description

The present invention relates to a dispensing device for use in vending machines, the device having at least one support piece extending in the longitudinal direction of the device, the support piece being provided with a merchandise article pusher which is controllably driven by an electromotor via a spindle and a carrier on the pusher with which the spindle rotatably engages, wherein the pusher, in a controllable manner, is arranged to push articles of merchandise with or without packaging towards a dispensing end of a transport path, as disclosed in the preamble of attached claim 1.
A great many dispensing devices are previously known, and one such device is described in, inter alia, US Patent 6,604,652 , wherein there are arranged in levels above one another trays having fixed, upright walls for forming pushing channels for articles of merchandise, typically tobacco articles such as cigarettes and the like. Each channel has its own drive motor that is connected to a spindle which is in threaded engagement with a merchandise article pusher in the pushing channel. Power transmission from the drive motor to the spindle takes place via pulleys and standard belt drive, and the motor is fixedly mounted on the tray. If there is a change in the width of the merchandise articles, a tray of this type must be completely remodelled or a new tray of the right channel width must be provided. This is therefore a cumbersome and costly solution if the owner of a vending machine wishes to change the merchandise article range and finds that the pushing channels in the machine do not quite fit the new product range as desired. Furthermore, standard belt drive is not a preferable solution, apart from it being able to act as a slip clutch in the event of the machine becoming jammed or the like, because there will be no possibility of measuring the exact position of the pusher in the pushing channel and thus the number of articles still present in the pushing channel.
Other known solutions can be seen from, inter alia, US Patent 2,590,736 , EP patent 1,119,830 , and international application published under WO 2005/109355 A2 .
Accordingly, it has been an object of the present invention to remedy the disadvantages that appear to be associated with the prior art, and in such manner that replacement or adjustment of equipment in the vending machine can take place quickly and in a cost-effective manner. It has been a further object of the invention to arrive at a technical solution which enables not only the dispensing of articles of merchandise standing in a row in a pushing channel, but also the dispensing of merchandise articles hanging in such a pushing channel.
According to a first aspect of the invention, the dispensing device is characterised in that it has at least one side wall, the distance of the side wall from the adjacent longitudinal side of the support piece being adjustable for adaptation of the width of the transport path to the width of the merchandise articles that are to be moved along the transport path and successively dispensed.
According to a second aspect of the invention, the dispensing device is characterised in that the support piece in a first position of use is designed to form the bottom of the transport path, and that the support piece in a second position of use, which is inverted 180° about the longitudinal axis of the device in relation to the first position of use, is designed to have mounted thereon an elongate support rail or loop which extends along the transport path of the support piece, the support rail or loop being designed for sliding engagement with a suspension hole in packaging or a suspension tab for the merchandise article.
In said first and second aspects, the support piece is in addition arranged to form support for the motor, spindle and drive gear between the motor and the spindle, and also forms a guide for the pusher and its carrier.
Additional embodiments of the invention will be apparent from attached subsidiary claims 2-16, and from the following description with reference to the attached drawings which show in a non-limiting manner the currently preferred embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above, the rear and one side of a first embodiment of the dispensing device in a first position of use according to the invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view from above, the rear and the other side of a first embodiment of the dispensing device in a first position of use according to the invention.
Fig. 3 shows the dispensing device from below and slightly tilted to the side.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dispensing device from below.
Fig. 5 shows an example of the dispensing device having a second position of use that is inverted 180° about the longitudinal axis of the device in relation to the position of use shown in Figs. 1-4 , seen in perspective from behind, from one side and seen from below with respect to its second position of use according to the invention and intended for hanging articles of merchandise.
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the dispensing device shown in Fig. 5 , from in front, from the opposite side and seen from below with respect to its second position of use.
Fig. 7 shows a detail of the device according to Figs. 5 and 6 for the hanging of a merchandise article, for example so-called blister packs.
Fig. 8 shows a detail of the dispensing device according to Figs. 1-7 with a motor control unit and device for detecting the position of the pusher.
Fig. 9 shows enlarged details of the side adjustment of a side wall in relation to the dispensing device support piece.
Fig. 10 shows a detail of the dispensing area of a pusher channel.
Fig. 11 shows details of the pusher and the merchandise article hanger for hanging articles of merchandise.
Fig. 12 illustrates two cooperating support pieces with side walls for use for dispensing particularly wide articles of merchandise.
Fig. 13 shows the principle of the mounting of a support piece on a wall in a vending machine.
Fig. 14 shows a simplified block diagram of the electrical/electronic cooperating functional parts included in the dispensing device.

In, inter alia, Figs. 1-5 there is shown a dispensing device 1 which is especially designed for use in a vending machine (not shown). The device has at least one support piece 2 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the device, and the support piece 2 is provided with a merchandise article pusher 3 which is controllably driven by an electromotor 6 via a spindle 7 and a carrier 8 on the pusher 3 with which the spindle 7 rotatably engages. The pusher 3 is in a controllable manner arranged to push merchandise articles 9 with or without packaging towards a dispensing end 10 of a transport path 11 which is provided with side walls 12, 13. The distance, for example d1; d2, that a side wall, for example 12, 13, may have from an adjacent longitudinal side 2'; 2" of the support piece 2 is adjustable for adaptation of the width d3 of the transport path 11 to the width of the merchandise articles 9 that are to be moved along the transport path and successively dispensed.
It will be seen from, inter alia, Figs. 1-4 and 8 and 9 that the support piece 2 forms support for the motor 6, the spindle 7 and drive gear in the form of gearwheels 14, 15 between the motor 6 and the spindle 7, and also forms a guide for the pusher 3 and its spindle engaging carrier 8.
As shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and in greater detail in Fig. 9 , the support piece 2 has sliding guides 16, 17; 18, 19; 20, 21 and 22, 23 with associated engaging hooks 16', 17'; 18', 19'; 20', 21' and 22', 23' for adjustably fixing the respective mounting brackets 12', 12" and 13', 13" of at least one side wall. As can be seen clearly from Fig. 9 , the mounting brackets, the mounting brackets 12', 13' shown here, have toothed bars 24, 25 and 28, 29 for engagement with the engaging hooks 16', 17' and 18', 19'. Similar toothed bars 26, 27 and 30, 31 will of course be present on the two other mounting brackets 12" and 13", as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 .
As shown in Figs. 1 , 2 , 6 and 10 , the side walls 12; 13 at or close to the dispensing end 10 of the transport path have a split 32; 33 so that a portion 12"'; 13'" moulded in one piece with the wall 12; 13 will bear resiliently against a side portion of at least the merchandise article 9' which is closest to the dispensing end 10. Furthermore, at the dispensing end 10, at the free end of the respective portion 12"'; 13"', there are respective inwardly directed hooks 12"; 13"". The hooks and the spring portions will together retain the outermost article of merchandise until with the aid of the pusher 3 it is pushed with force past the elastically yielding hooks 12""; 13"". As can be seen clearly from Fig. 10 , the support piece 2 has at the dispensing end 10 of the transport path a bevelled portion 2'" projecting transverse to the path, which serves to give the merchandise article 9' that is to be discharged a gentle lift up from the bottom of the transport path 11, so that the merchandise article 9' has a more marked departure from the dispensing device and with minimum friction against said bottom. The portion 2'" also serves to form a retainer for the front bottom edge of the merchandise article 9', so that it remains standing stably at the dispensing end 10 prior to dispensing. In addition, the bevelled portion 2"', together with the yielding hooks 12"", 13"", represents a marked edge area at the dispensing end 10, where the merchandise article 9' will experience some physical resistance from it and will thus result in the drive motor 6, in order to maintain a constant feed rate of the pusher 3; 3, 3', having to be given greater driving torque by an increase of motor current, which is controlled by a motor control unit 55. The functions of the motor control unit 55 are otherwise explained in more detail later in the description.
At the rear end area of the support piece 2 there are formed at least two suspension hooks 34, 35 and/or 36, 37 intended for cooperation with a suspension mounting, see Fig. 13 , which is provided with suspension holes 39-42, for example a plate, the hooks located uppermost at any given time, in Fig. 13 shown as 34; 35, being adapted for engagement with suspension holes 39; 40 in the mounting, whilst the lowermost hooks 36, 37 are arranged for abutment against the portion of the mounting 38 which does not have holes. This means that the dispensing device 1 is given a slight upward inclination of the transport path in the forward direction or the dispensing direction, which is favourable for the operational performance of the device for dispensing merchandise articles, as not only in the case of lighter merchandise articles, but also in the case of heavier articles, it prevents them from sliding uncontrollably towards the dispensing end. To secure the device to the mounting 38, mounting holes 43, 44 for fixing screws are provided in the end area, such as shown, for example, in Fig. 13 , a screw can pass through the hole 44 and be fastened in a hole 45 (not visible). Similarly, it will be seen that in cooperation with the suspension hook holes 41, 42 in the mounting 38 there is a screw fastening hole 46. If the dispensing device 1 is turned about its longitudinal axis 180° so that it can be used for hanging merchandise articles, as shown in Figs. 5-7 and 11, it will in this case be the hooks 37, 36 that are hooked into the respective holes 39, 40, whilst the hooks 34, 35 then come to rest against the portion of the mounting 38 that does not have holes, and that a screw is passed through the hole 43 and is fastened in the hole 45.
As mentioned in the introduction, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a dispensing device that is capable of dispensing articles of merchandise which it is necessary to allow to hang. Certain types of merchandise articles are packed in such manner that they are unsuitable for pushing along a channel with a bottom and side walls, as just illustrated and described. This relates in particular to articles of merchandise with packaging that does not have right angles, articles with an irregular outer surface, and articles that are packed in so-called blister packs, and a feature that is common to all of these is that they cannot rest in a stable manner on a surface.
However, the present invention solves the dispensing of such merchandise articles and their packaging or hanging means, if any, in a simple and very neat manner.
As illustrated and described, in particular in connection with the first position of use according to Figs. 1-4 , the support piece 2 in this first position will be adapted to form the bottom of the transport path 11 with side walls 12, 13. The unique solution according to the invention is that the support piece 2 in a second position of use, as shown in Figs. 5 , 6 and 11 , and with respect to other details, also in Figs. 7-9 , is inverted 180° about the longitudinal axis of the device relative to the first position of use and in this second position of use is adapted to have mounted thereon a merchandise article hanger 47, for example, an elongate support rail or loop, which extends along the transport path on the support piece 2 from a securing aperture or apertures 48, 49 in the rear, forward facing part 2"" of the support piece, the merchandise article hanger 47 being designed for sliding engagement with suspension hole 50 in the packaging 51 or a suspension tab (not shown) for the merchandise article. The hanger 47 may, apart from being secured in the said apertures 48, 49, also be fastened to the support piece 2 slightly closer to the dispensing end 10 by fastening clips 47', 47". This ensures a multi-point, steady support of the hanger 47, and on the right choice of material for the hanger, the hanger 47 will extend essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the dispensing device and the transport path 11, even when heavy articles are hung on it
As shown in Figs. 5 , 6 and 11 , the length of the pusher 3 perpendicular to the length of the support piece 2 may be optionally extendible by means of a snap-on extension piece 3'. This may be useful if a merchandise article has a height that is substantially larger than the normal height of the pusher 3.
It is of course possible to allow a computer to have an overview of how many articles of merchandise from each dispensing device in a vending machine are dispensed over time, but an extra security control is provided in that the position of the pusher along the transport path 11 in each dispensing device is detectable. Such detection can be carried out by the gearwheel 15 which also serves as a detection wheel in gear connection 14 with the drive shaft 52 of the motor and an optical position sensor 53, 53' adapted to detect angularly separated markers 57 (a total of 11 shown on the detection wheel 15). One end of the spindle 7, i.e., the rear end 7"', forms, as shown in Fig. 8 , a fixed connection with the rotatable gearwheel 15 which has the said markers 57. The optical sensor 53, 53' which is connected to the motor control unit 55 is adapted to detect the successive passing of the markers 57 and thus calculate the position of the pusher 3 as a function of the rotation of the spindle 7.
As shown in Figs. 1-5 , an override lever 54 is arranged on the support piece 2 which upon activation (depression) is adapted to actuate the motor control unit 55 containing the motor control electronics (not shown in Fig. 8 ) to move the pusher back to a rear nominal position on the support piece. As shown in Fig. 8 , this takes place in that the lever 54 has an end 54' which on depression of the lever will move from a normal position in a slightly outward direction as indicated by the arrow 54'. Thus, a light path between the sensor's light emitter 53 and light receiver 53' is interrupted and when this happens the light receiver 53' will trigger the motor control unit 55 to operate the motor 6 as desired. In the rear position of the pusher 3, the dispensing device will then be able to be filled with merchandise articles if there is still room for extra ones. The sensor 53, 53' may be mounted on a circuit board 56. The motor control unit 55 may optionally be mounted on such a circuit board 56 or be separate, and the circuit board 56 is fastened, for instance, by being snapped onto mounting brackets 58, 58'.
The motor control unit 55 also permits adaptive control of the driving torque of the motor 6 in relation to the power that is needed to maintain essentially the same pushing rate of the pusher 3; 3, 3' during dispensing, irrespective of how many articles of merchandise are in the transport path 11. This control is obtained by allowing the motor control unit 55 to register the rotational speed of the gearwheel 15 using the markers 57 which are detected by the sensor 53, 53' and adjusting the driving torque with extra help from a signal from a current meter 59 which measures the motor's driving current, so that the rate at which the markers pass the sensor 53, 53' is kept as constant as possible.
With the solution shown in Fig. 12 where two pushers 3 are to effect the advance of relatively wide merchandise articles, it will be important that the pushers 3, which are in this case driven by lateral drive motors 6 (not visible in Fig. 11 ), are both driven at the same drive speed and driving force each time an article of merchandise is to be dispensed, to prevent the articles from being dispensed askew. The motor control unit 55 will in this case sense the speed of motion of the respective pushers as a function of the rotational speed of associated driving wheel 15 and adjust the speeds of the pushers so they are the same. This happens in cooperation with the said motor current meter 59, so that adapted driving torque as a function of current to the motors maintains identical speeds of motion for all pushers.
Instead of having a common support piece for all the dispensers in a vending machine, as mentioned in the introduction as known, the present invention, as suggested as a non-limiting example in Fig, 12 , allows, for example, at least two support pieces 2 with respective motor-driven spindle-actuatable pusher 3, to be arranged side by side. A solution of this kind will of course be possible whether the merchandise articles are of the standing type or hanging type. In such a case it will be only the longitudinal support piece sides 2', 2" which lie laterally outermost in the assembly that are provided with distance- adjustable side walls 12, 13 for the substantially wider transport path.
A production and assembly economising solution for the dispensing device according to the invention is that the support piece 2 and its transport path portion 11, the supports 7', 7 , of the spindle 7, the drive motor mount 6', support for the driving gear connection 14, 15 between the motor 6 and the spindle 7, the sliding guides 16-22 and engagement hooks 16' - 22' for the side wall mounting brackets 12', 12", 13', 13", mounting brackets 58, 58' for the circuit board 56, fasteners 48, 49 for the suspension rail or loop 47, the lever 54, 54' and the suspension hooks 34-37 are moulded in one piece of a plastic material.
Furthermore, as previously suggested, each of the side walls 12; 13 and their respective mounting brackets 12', 12"; 13', 13" with respective toothed bars 24, 25, 26, 27; 28, 29, 30, 31 may be moulded in one piece of a suitable plastic material.
This means that the dispensing device in terms of production will be significantly cheaper than previously known dispensing devices, whilst assembly, repairs and maintenance and use adjustments will be considerably simplified.
As can be seen from Fig. 14 , the motor control unit 55 connected to the electromotor 6 is adapted to measure the driving current of the electromotor using a current meter 59, The torque of the spindle 7 and thus the thrust on the merchandise articles may therefore easily be computed as a function of the current intensity. This is a very important extra function for the monitoring and control of the whole dispensing device.

Claims

A dispensing device (1) for use in a vending machine, the device comprising:
- at least one elongate support piece (2) extending in the longitudinal direction of the device, the support piece having an article dispensing end (10) at a front end thereof and forward facing part (2"") at a rear end thereof,

- a merchandise article pusher (3) co-operative with the support piece (2) and which is controllably driven by an electromotor (6) via a spindle (7) and a spindle engaging carrier (8) on the pusher with which the spindle rotatably engages, the pusher(3), in a controllable manner, being arranged to push articles of merchandise (9; 9'; 51) with or without packaging towards the dispensing end (10) of a transport path (11),

- at least one side wall (12; 13) related to a longitudinal side (2'; 2") of the support piece, the distance (d1; d2) of such side wall from an adjacent longitudinal side of the support piece being adjustable for adaptation of the width (d3) of the transport path (11) to a width of the articles of merchandise (9; 9'; 51) that are to be moved along the transport path (11) and successively dispensed at the dispensing end (10), and

- the support piece provides support for the electromotor (6) with a drive motor mount (6') at said rear end thereof, and support (7'; 7") for the spindle (7) at either end thereof, and forms a guide for the pusher (3) and its carrier (8),
characterised in

- mounting brackets (12', 12"; 13', 13") on at least one side wall 12; 13) which slidably and releasably engage sliding guides (16, 17; 18, 19; 20, 21; 22, 23) on the support piece (2) for adjustment of said distance,

- a drive gear (14, 15) at said rear end of the support piece operatively linking a rear end (7"') of the spindle (7) with the motor (6), and

- the dispensing device (1) selectively having a first mode or a second mode of operation,
- wherein in the first mode of operation the support piece (2) is in a first position of use and configured to form a bottom of the transport path (11) to support the articles (9) from below when pushed by the pusher (3), and

- wherein in the second mode of operation the support piece (2) is in a second position of use, which is inverted 180° about the longitudinal axis of the device relative to the first position of use, and is configufred to have mounted thereon a merchandise article hanger (47), e.g. an elongate support rail or loop, extending along the transport path on the support piece from a securing aperture or apertures (48, 49) in the rear, forward facing part (2"") of the support piece, and the merchandise article hanger providing sliding engagement with a suspension hole (50) in a hanging article packaging (51) or a suspension tab for the merchandise article when pushed by the pusher (3).
A dispensing device as disclosed in claim 1, charaterised in that the sliding guides (16, 17; 18, 19; 20, 21; 22, 23) on the support piece (2) have releasable engaging hooks (16',17'; 18', 19'; 20', 21'; 22', 23) which are engageable with toothed bars (24, 25; 28, 29) on the mounting brackets (12', 12"; 13', 13") for adjustably fixing of the mounting brackets of said at least one side wall (12; 13) relative to said longitudinal side (2'; 2") of the support piece (2).
The dispensing device as disclosed in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the side walls (12; 13) at or close to the dispensing end (10) of the transport path (11) have a split (32; 33) in order, with the aid of a portion (12"'; 13"') moulded in one piece with the wall, to bear resiliently against a side portion of at least the merchandise article (9) that is closest to the dispensing end (10).
The dispensing device as disclosed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the support piece at the dispensing end (10) of the transport path (11) has a bevelled portion (2"') projecting transverse to the path.
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of claims 1-4, characterised in that the length of the pusher (3) perpendicular to the support piece (2) is extendible by means of a snap-in extension piece (3').
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of claims 1 - 5, characterised in that the pusher (3) has a hole therein to allow the hanger (47) to extend therethrough when the pusher (3) is moved along the the hanger (47), and that fastening clips (47'; 47") fastened to the support piece (2) in addition to the securing aperture(s) (48;49) provide for multi-point, steady support of the hanger (47).
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of claims 1- 6 , characterised in that the position of the pusher (3; 3, 3') along the transport path (11) is registrable by means of a detection wheel (15) being a gearwheel (15) of the gear drive connection with the motor drive shaft, and that a position detector formed by sensor (53, 53') is configured to detect equally, angularly spaced markings (57) on the detection wheel (15).
The dispensing device as disclosed in claim 7, characterised in that on the support piece there is arranged an override lever (54) which on activation is designed to actuate a motor control unit (55) in order to move the pusher (3; 3, 3') back to a rear nominal position on the support piece.
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of claims 1- 6, characterised in that one end of the spindle (7) forms a connection with a rotatable wheel (15) which has angularly separated markers (57), and that an optical sensor (53, 53') coupled to the motor control unit (55) is adapted to detect a successive passing of the markers (57) and thus calculate the position of the pusher (3; 3, 3') as a function of the rotation of the spindle (7).
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the support piece at a rear end area is provided with at least two pairs of suspension hooks (34, 35; 36, 37) intended for cooperation with a perforated suspension mounting (38), e.g. a plate, wherein the hooks (34, 35 or 36, 37) located uppermost at the end area at any given time of said first mode or said second mode of operation are adapted for engagement with suspension holes (39, 40; 41, 42) in the mounting, whilst the lowermost located hooks (36, 37 or 34, 35) are adapted to rest against a portion of the mounting (38) that does not have holes.
The dispensing device as disclosed in claim 10, characterised in that in connection with the suspension hooks there are provided mounting holes (43; 44) for fixing screws engagable wiith a screw hole (45; 46) on the suspension mounting (38).
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of claims 1-11, characterised in that the dispensing device is designed to be suspended at its rear end area to a suspension mounting (38), so that the transport path (11) and/or merchandise article hanger (47) is thus given an ascending gradient in the direction of the dispensing end (10).
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least two support pieces (2) equipped with a respective motor-driven, spindle-actuatable pusher (3), are arranged side by side, and that only the longitudinal support piece sides (2'; 2") which lie laterally outermost are provided with distance-adjustable side walls (12; 13) for the transport path (11).
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of claims 1- 13, characterised in that the transport path (11) portion of the support piece (2), the spindle supports (7', 7"), the drive motor mount (6'), the support for the gear connection (14, 15) between the motor (6) and the spindle (7), the sliding guides (16, 17; 18, 19; 20, 21; 22, 23) and engaging hooks (16',17'; 18', 19'; 20', 21'; 22', 23') for side wall mounting brackets (12', 12"; 13', 13"), mounting brackets (58, 58') for a motor control related circuit board (56), fastenings aperture(s) (48, 49) for the suspension rail or bar (47), the lever (54) and the suspension hooks (34, 35; 36, 37) are moulded in one piece from a suitable plastic material.
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of claims 1-14, characterised in that the side wall (12; 13) and its mounting brackets (12', 12"; 13', 13") are moulded in one piece from a suitable plastic material.
The dispensing device as disclosed in any one of claims 1- 15, characterised in that a motor control unit (55) connected to the electromotor (6) is adapted to compute the driving torque of the electromotor (6) onto the spindle and thus a thrust on the merchandise articles (9) as a function of a magnitude of driving current of the electromotor (6).