ES2248041T3 - AUXILIARY DEVICE TO ADD TO A ARTICLE DELIVERY DEVICE AND THE COMBINATION OF A DELIVERY DEVICE AND AN AUXILIARY DEVICE. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an auxiliary device for adding to a device for dispensing a selected article in accordance with the choice of a user; which device comprises a housing with a closable front door; carrier means accommodated in this housing for carrying stocks of articles at different heights, which carrier means also comprise transport means for dispensing the chosen article on the free front side of the carrier means at a height specific to the choice which has been made, the free front side of which carrier means is situated at a certain free spacing from the front door in closed position; a receiving bin accommodated in the housing for receiving a dispensed article; an access opening, via which the user can remove an article lying in the receiving bin; which auxiliary device comprises: lifting means for carrying the receiving bin to said specific height prior to dispensing of an article and for carrying the receiving bin to the height of the access opening after dispensing, which lifting means are movable up and downward in the space defined by said free spacing.

Description

Auxiliary device to add to a device of delivery of items and the combination of a device Delivery and an auxiliary device.

The invention relates to a combination of a device for dispensing a selected item according to the choice of a user and an auxiliary device for add it to said device according to the preamble of the claim 1. Such device is known by means of the US Patent A-4 108 333.

Sales machines exist to deliver a Item chosen and paid after payment and selection have been made by the consumer It is possible to see here, by for example, film rolls as well as measured quantities of products  food, for example beverage cans, yogurt cubes, Chocolate bars and similar products.

Such sales machine shows on the front side or exhibition side the products offered for sale. With this reason, the lockable front door may, for example, have a glass window or an acrylic material. These products or items are placed on brackets sorted one above other, while there are means to move the article in question about the free front edge of the corresponding support after a user has made a selection and payment, of such that the article falls down through the free space between the front edge of the support and the front door, where then the item that falls is received in a receiving hopper located at low height. Connecting on this hopper there is a access opening optionally closed by means of a door swing or cover, through whose opening the user can remove the item found in the receiving hopper.

The drawback of such a known device is that, in case of a relatively high fall height, the products in question may be damaged, while the receiving, for example, a can of drink in the hopper is accompanied by a remarkable noise.

In order to obviate these inconveniences it has been proposed to add an individual receiving hopper to each support. He drawback of such a structure is that it is considerably more expensive and in that the use of a plurality of receiving hoppers further limits the available space, which is usually already quite limited, and also obstructs the vision from outside the exposed items.

It is an object of the invention to provide measures by the products that fall through only a very high height limited, so noise and danger of damage are practically impeded, while the vision of the articles exposed, however, is not obstructed.

It is a further object of the invention to incorporate the measures that serve this purpose, so that they can be done with a very low cost.

With respect to the foregoing, the invention is characterized in that the auxiliary device is arranged on the inner surface of the front door.

A specific embodiment of the combination of according to the invention has the special feature that support means are adapted to support the items in parallel rows to each other.

A simple and reliable realization has the special feature that the means of transport comprise the respective endless conveyors.

As the inconvenience of conveyors without order may be that they need a certain installation height since two reversible rollers must be used between the top active and inactive bottom, can be used advantageously an embodiment in which the means of transport comprise respective pairs of helical conveyors can be synchronized at equal travel distances. Helical conveyors can, for example, be made as substantially rigid coiled cables helically, pairs of which have an advance in directions  opposite. This effectively prevents a component from occurring. lateral force, so it ensures reliable transport in longitudinal direction in the row in question.

For example, in case of very delicate items, for example, one or more portions of cake, these items or item groups can be supported by brackets that are mechanically capable of being transferred by  helical conveyors

A very simple and reliable structure is that in which the receiving hopper is guided and driven vertically on both sides.

Another aspect of the invention may imply that the drive is done by means of two chains or timing belts which are coupled to the receiving hopper on their respective sides. In this embodiment, an engine, optionally through a reduction transmission, for example, can drive a drive shaft horizontal, with a wheel at both ends of it serrated, around which the respective ones are dragged chains or timing belts. It is always thus guaranteed a perfect synchronization of the drive on both sides and a perfect horizontal position of the receiving hopper.

Vertical guidance can be done using of guidance means known to themselves, for example two rails and sliding or roller elements acting together with them. A guided nothing expensive, maintenance free and Reliable can be based, for example, on sliding.

An advantageous embodiment of the invention is one in which substantially all device components Auxiliary are mounted on a rack. Such a frame can be easily and quickly incorporated into a vending machine existing according to the prior art.

It would be appreciated for this purpose that the device auxiliary could be easily accommodated in space defined by the free space between the free front part of the brackets and front door, especially when components of the auxiliary device are mounted on a frame that can be located simply in a vending machine existing.

The selection made by the user corresponds With the delivery of a specific item. This article is delivered at a height determined by the control means to through memory media. Before delivery, the receiving hopper it has to be transported from the level of the opening of the delivery (resting position) at the corresponding height of delivery. In order to allow the determination of arrival at the correct height, a light source and a photoelectric cell added to it. Such a combination can be added to each support. The advantage of such a structure over a alternative consisting in the use of a stepper motor is that when the arrangement of the device is changed, in particular when the height of the supports is changed, a New programming of the steps in the central control means. The activation of the lifting means in any case is interrupts immediately upon reaching the height defined by the shelf and optical media added to it.

The invention will be explained below by Reference to the attached drawings. In which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view from the front of a combination of a vending device of independent items and an auxiliary device according with the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of several essential components of the combination of figure 1;

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of partial perspective of the front door with the device assistant;

Figure 4 shows an enlarged view of transparent partial perspective of a part of the door front with the auxiliary device of figure 3 seen from the front;

Figure 5 shows the detail V of the figure 4;

Figure 6 shows a perspective view of an auxiliary device in which the components are mounted on a rack;

Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the auxiliary device of figure 6 mounted on a door frontal.

Figure 1 shows a combination 1 of a Vending machine 2 of 3 products such as non-beverage cans alcoholics and an auxiliary device, a component of which, is say a receiving hopper 4, is visible through the window transparent of the front door 6 of the machine 2.

Paying through a device 7 that works with coins and acting on the push button button 8 a consumer can make a selection regarding the product That is going to buy. As shown schematically, the products  in question they are arranged in rows, one behind the other, inside of the spaces defined by the screw curls helical conveyors 9, by whose rotation an article can be moved towards the front of the associated support 10. The article later can thus be pushed over the edge front 11 of a support 10 and then received in the hopper receiver 4 which is located at the correct extraction height by a central signal processing device (not shown) coupled to the push-button button 10 and the device 7 that works with coins before such forward transportation of a product 3.

Once product 3 has been received in the receiving hopper 4, the latter is moved down by one unit control center to the area of the delivery opening 13 closed Through a swinging door. When hopper 4 has arrived near this point, the release of the swinging door 12 of the form described below, after which the consumer can press the swinging door 12 back and remove product 3 from receiving hopper 4. As soon as it has been Performed this action, again the blocking of the swinging door and is only released after a new cycle of the type described above.

For a proper understanding of the invention, draws attention to the fact that in the prior art the Vending machine 2 is made in such a way that between the window 5 and the front edges 11 of the supports 10 there is a free space, so that in known machines a product pushed on this leading edge 11 may fall a certain distance down to be received in a hopper Receiver

The available space in question can be used in the combination of vending machine and auxiliary device of according to the invention that will be described below for accommodate the auxiliary device in the space without being necessary Make major modifications to the vending machine. It is particularly important that the receiving hopper 4 is sized so that it adapts and can be guided in a movement ascending and descending in said space.

As seen in Figure 2, a device auxiliary, usually designated 4, is fixed on the inner side of the door 6, so that the window 5 is completely cleared to present the products for sale, and at the edges it produces assembly, for reasons of convenience generally designated 15, located around window 5. For disposal mechanics of the auxiliary device 14, is therefore sufficient drill several holes in the corresponding edges 15. It will be clear that the central control unit must be subsequently increased with provisions, by means of which the selected activation of a conveyor screw 9 be combined with a correct control of the receiving hopper 4 and the swing door release 12.

Attention is drawn to the fact that I don't know have shown the drive arrangements, known per se, of the conveyor screws 9. These are made of such so that the corresponding conveyor screw 9 selected Accurately performs a rotation for the delivery of a product 3.

Hopper 4 is guided in vertical motion by guide profiles 16, 17. The vertical displacement of the Hopper 4 is produced by the respective timing belts 18, 19. Timing belts are dragged for this purpose by wheels toothed 20, 21 that are mounted in a locked manner against the rotation on a drive shaft 22 which is driven by means of the central control unit by an engine / transmission unit 23. The swinging door 12 is hinged on an axis 24 and is locked in the rest position by means of a lock, which acts electromagnetically, in the resting position, of which a locking pin 26 protrudes up through a hole 27 at the curved bottom edge 28 of the swinging door 12, with that in the situation shown in figure 3, the swinging door is locked and cannot be moved in from the outside. One time that the receiving hopper 4, with a product selected within he has reached the area of the swinging door 12 by means of a correct control, the central control unit activates the lock 25, whereby the locking pin 26 is moved backward, and the swinging door is thus released, and the user can remove from outside the selected product.

Figures 4 and 5 show several characteristics additional structural. Be warned that, for reasons of clarity in the drawing, figure 5 shows that teeth 29 of the timing belt 18 are only located inside active and that the cogwheel 20 (as well as the cogwheel 21) it is provided with two edges with a radial dimension greater than the of the active part of the cogwheel, thus ensuring that the belt Toothed 18 cannot unintentionally get out of the wheel toothed 20.

Figures 6 and 7 show how the components of the auxiliary device of figure 6 are mounted on a rectangular frame 30, said frame 30 being mounted, of according to figure 7, on the front of the door 6 of the vending machine 2. It is also shown that the receiving hopper 4 can be removably mounted on a stand 31, so that the receiving hopper 4 can be easily replaced, by Example to be cleaned.

Attention is drawn to the fact that, by For reasons of clarity, Figures 1 and 2 do not show that the supports 10 are preferably provided with separating elements elongated, such as metal strips, to push products 3 in the transport direction during the drive of the conveyor screws 9.

Attention is also drawn to the fact that the conveyor screws can also be arranged in double row in the form of the respective pairs of conveyors helical drives synchronously at equal distances forward.

Claims (7)

1. Combination (1) of a device (2) for deliver a selected item (3) according to the choice of a user and an auxiliary device to add to said device (2); device (2) comprising: a housing with a front door (6) lockable, optionally transparent; support means (10) arranged in this accommodation to support stocks of items (3), optionally of different types, at different heights, whose support means (10) also comprise transport means (9) to deliver the chosen item (3) on the free front side (11) of the support means (10) at a specific height of the choice that has been made, this controlled by means of control (7, 8) controlled by a user with media assistance operating, the front side being free (11) of the means of support (10) located at a certain distance from the front door (6) in closed position; a receiving hopper (4) arranged in the accommodation to receive an item delivered (3); Y an access opening (12), through which the user can remove an article (3) that rests in the hopper recipient (4); whose auxiliary device (14) comprises: lifting means (16-23) for bring the receiving hopper (4) to said specific height before the delivery of an item (3) and to take the receiving hopper (4) to the  height of the access opening (12) after delivery, being lifting means (16-23) movable towards up and down in the space defined by that space free; characterized because the auxiliary device (14) is arranged in the inner surface of the front door (6). 2. Combination as claimed in the claim 1, wherein the support means (10) are adapted to support the articles (3) in parallel rows each. 3. Combination as claimed in the claim 1 or 2, wherein the means of transport (9) They comprise respective endless conveyors. 4. Combination as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the means of transport (9) comprise respective pairs of conveyors helical drives synchronously at equal distances from Advance. 5. Combination as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the receiving hopper (4) is guided and driven vertically on both sides. 6. Combination as claimed in the claim 5, wherein the drive is produced by means of two chains or toothed belts (18, 19) that are coupled to the receiving hopper (4) on the respective sides. 7. Combination as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein substantially all the components of the auxiliary device (14) are mounted on a frame (30).