ES2376441A1 - Kiosk automatic dispenser applicable to point of sale for the supply of stucked capsules, especially for the preparation of beverages. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) applicable as a point of sale for the supply of capsules having inside a food product, especially to be applied in a beverage dispensing apparatus, comprising a compartment formed by side walls including a access door and a dispensing region of capsules including at least one outlet by which the user collects the dispensed capsules, in which the capsules are supplied in groups of capsules placed in a case or the like, presenting the interior of the carrier a storage region with a plurality of uprights for orderly storage of the capsules and means for handling the capsules in such a way that they can be transported from the storage region to the dispensing region; an interface between the user and said means of handling the capsules; and means of payment. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

Automatic dispensing kiosk applicable as a point of sale for the supply of boxed capsules, especially for the preparation of beverages.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention patent application is to register an applicable dispensing kiosk as a point of sale, both in open spaces as an island and inside premises as an automatic store, for the selection and sale of capsules for the preparation of drinks and that brings notable innovations and advantages.

More specifically, the invention proposes the development of an automatic dispensing kiosk applicable as a point of sale for the supply of capsules, upon payment of the user, of the type that they present inside a food product that can be applied in a preparation apparatus for drinks, thus allowing the storage and marketing of a large number of capsule products in a relatively small space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of disposable capsules containing inside a food product, such as coffee, infusions and the like, applicable in a hot and / or cold beverage preparation machine is well known so that the user simply has to introduce the capsule into a accommodation present in the machine to subsequently supply the beverage in a cup or the like.

Such capsules are usually available in a few specialized outlets, so the user must make long journeys with great loss of time to obtain them, or make the orders electronically, which requires having devices and an Internet connection.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been developed in order to provide a dispensing kiosk applicable as a point of sale for the supply of capsules that is configured as a novelty within the field of application and resolves the aforementioned drawbacks, also providing other additional advantages. which will be evident from the description that follows.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an automatic dispensing kiosk applicable as a point of sale for the sale of capsules that present inside a food product that can be applied to a beverage dispensing apparatus. In particular, the invention is characterized by comprising a cabin formed by side walls and inside a storage region, being preferably divided into a robotic warehouse and a warehouse attached thereto which is accessed by a door from the outside.

In particular, said robotic warehouse is characterized by containing storage modules on both sides formed by angled uprights and supports that support the capsule cases in rows one above the other and up to 7 units in each row. Which provides a large storage capacity of several thousand units.

The warehouse attached to the robot has space for the storage, handling and loading of the capsules to the robotic warehouse, with precise means being provided both for the communication between the customer management units and the means for handling the cases. As well as the robotic warehouse, with the distribution center of the kiosk operator that through this communication has sales data of the entire possible kiosk network and can provide and organize its replacement.

Thanks to its characteristics and the ease of transport of the whole assembly, it allows its location in a large number of public places, so that the user or buyer can have a greater number of points of sale, to acquire the capsules, being the Fast, simple and intuitive purchase management. It also allows to maintain a wide variety of products for sale to the public.

Another advantageous aspect resides in the fact that the physical disposition of sellers is not necessary, since the purchase and payment procedures of the capsules are carried out in a completely automated way, so it is fast and efficient for the user and a considerable saving of management and operating costs for the kiosk.

Another aspect of the present invention is that the arrangement of the capsule cases in the warehouse, together with the design of the retractable clamp for its extraction or replacement, allows it to “pick up” them individually or multiplely (up to seven units). which allows a high speed of delivery to customers of the products purchased. As well as significantly reduce the time spent replacing products sold.

Another aspect of the present invention is that the kiosk may contain on one of its walls, preferably in the storage area, a beverage dispensing apparatus compatible with the dispensed capsules, said dispenser being accessible and manipulable by the user. In this way the user has the possibility to test a specific flavor prior to the request of a plurality of capsules, or to test a sample capsule supplied by the manufacturer on a promotional basis at the point of sale without the user having to carry out the Tasting at home.

The kiosk has an interface between the user and the means of manipulation that consist of one or several management units, which allow customers to make their purchases, each of them having:

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A touch screen equipped with a software for the presentation, selection, purchase and payment of products for sale. Likewise, the software can contemplate the possibility that the user enters his data and that these are sent to the central office to register him as a customer and send him his corresponding electronic identification card.

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A second large screen placed on top of the first one that presents advertising content and interacts with the customer during their purchase process, offering help and suggestions.

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A card reader device so that there can be users who have previously identified by means of their corresponding electronic card a personalized treatment in the user menu.

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The means of payment, which can be by cash, coins or credit card.

A continuous paper printer that provides the corresponding ticket / purchase invoice and proof of payment.

It can also be equipped with speakers and Webcam, so that the user can connect and be attended from a “call center”.

A product collection drawer, where the retractable clamp of the robotic arm will deposit both the transport bag and the products acquired in the kiosk.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the handling means have a robotic arm provided with a retractable retractable clamp along guide means in the coordinates X, Y, and Z, said guiding means comprise rails where a rail travels arranged vertically where the robotic arm that can rotate 180º moves up and down and is equipped at its end with a retractable clamp.

The storage area is provided with a plurality of columns on both sides of the warehouse each containing a multitude of superimposed rows of up to 7 units of cases each in depth, the rows of cases maintain the necessary separation between them so that the retractable clamp of the robotic arm can be inserted between them and “grab” extract and take 1 to 7 cases to the drawer according to requirements.

Additionally, bag dispensing means associated with the dispensing region are included, which acts synchronously together with the supply of capsules through the outlet. Thanks to these characteristics, the kiosk provides the user with one or more bags where they can deposit the capsules for transport quickly and easily.

Preferably the bag dispensing means is composed of:

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A bag storage container stored folded.

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A mechanism for lifting the bags to a certain level and controlled by a photoelectric cell.

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A set of vacuum suction cups that allow the bag located on the upper part to be removed and placed in the proper plane to be “grasped” by the retractable clamp of the robotic arm and deposited in the exit drawer.

Other features and advantages of the dispensing kiosk object of the present invention will be apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment, which is illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1.- It is a schematic view of an embodiment of an automatic dispensing kiosk according to the present invention;

Figure 2.- It is a schematic view partially exploded in perspective of an embodiment of the interior of the kiosk of the invention;

Figure 3.-It is a perspective view of a section of the interior of the cabin where the robotic arm has been schematically represented; Y

Figure 4.- It is a perspective view of an embodiment of a case stored inside the kiosk of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In view of the aforementioned figures and, according to the numbering adopted, an example of a preferred embodiment of the invention can be observed therein, which comprises the parts and elements indicated and described in detail below. Such capsules (14) are grouped inside elongated cases (15) like the one shown in Figure 4.

Thus, an embodiment of an automatic dispensing kiosk applicable as a point of sale for the supply of single-use capsules having a food product to be applied in an apparatus for the preparation of cold drinks and / or drinks hot, such as coffee, infusions and the like.

This dispensing kiosk, indicated in general with the numerical reference (1), comprises a rectangular-plan interior that is formed by side walls (2) that includes an access door (3) located on the wall (21) that allows access inside the cabin for recharging the product to be supplied or maintenance tasks and a capsule dispensing region that includes outlet mouths (4) by which the user collects the dispensed capsules. Thus, in the embodiment shown here, three adjacent selection, payment and dispensing regions can be seen on one of the side walls (22).

Note that the capsules are supplied in capsule clusters within a case or similar, preferably made from a cardboard sheet with a parallelepipedic shape, the interior of the enclosure or interior having a storage region for the capsules and handling means of the capsules in such a way that they can be transported from the storage region to the dispensing region. Stressing that for this transport or loading of products a specific element is used that allows loading by groups of seven cases and a control by reading the product's barcode for identification and placement in the warehouse (the computer system stores the location and date of placement of each type of flavor or product for subsequent dispensing to customers and always delivering the units that have been introduced to the kiosk for a greater number of days, controlling and avoiding its expiration.

At the time of reading the barcodes if the person in charge of replacing in groups of seven cases (15), mixed a product so that the seven were not of identical characteristics, a barcode reading system would detect the error and instead of proceeding to the load would deposit these mixed products in a container for this purpose placed under the loading counter.

In addition, there is an interface between the user and said means for handling the capsules comprising display screens (5), other larger ones that can interact with the customer and assist in their purchase associated with each of the mouths Outbound (4), payment methods to be detailed below, the ticket or invoice printer and a reader for customer identification.

As can be seen in Figure 1, a beverage dispensing apparatus (6) disposed on the side face (22) is included, said dispensing apparatus being accessible and manipulable by the user.

Referring again to the means of payment indicated in general with reference (7), they present a display, a card reader, a small keyboard and a ticket printer arranged next to each of the screens (5) being able to expand with a bill reader, and a purse.

The handling means arranged inside the enclosure or cabin have a robotic arm, shown schematically with the reference (8), electronically managed of known type, so that it is not going to go into greater detail in its description. Such a robotic arm (8) is provided with a retractable retractable clamp along guide means in the coordinates X, Y and Z, the storage region being provided with a plurality of vertical uprights with angles on both sides (9) which act as fasteners (12) so that the capsule cases are arranged in rows of up to seven units and columns. Such fasteners (12) are arranged in such a way that the capsule cases are accessible along a central aisle and can be grasped by the retractable clamp.

Particular mentioning of the guiding means located inside the passenger compartment and in reference to Figure 3, comprises a pair of horizontal rails (10), for example, made from steel profiles, which run upper and lower through the central aisle that are made up of elongated metal profiles through which a supporting rail (11) moves, manufactured for example also from a metal profile, arranged vertically where the robotic arm (8) moves up and down ) in order to take the capsule cases located on the shelves.

Additionally, bag delivery means are included inside the passenger compartment that act when the capsule case is dispensed through the outlet (4). Such supply means comprise storage containers (12) of bags (13) located below the outlets, whose bags are stored folded one on top of the other and a bag manipulator mechanism that allows the folded bag to be directed ( 13) from the storage container (12) to the outlet, for subsequent grip and transport by means of the retractable clamp provided on the robotic arm (8). In FIG. 2, such containers (12) are shown outside the cabin to facilitate the compression of FIG. 2, such that such containers (12) would be located at the point indicated by arrows.

The manipulator mechanism (not shown) mentioned above has a vacuum suction cup that allows a bag located at the top of the storage container (12) to be removed and a pushing device controlled by a detector capable of detecting the level or quantity of bags available in every instant.

With reference to the detector it consists of at least one photocell located at a point along the height of the storage container.

The operation of the dispensing kiosk described above is summarized below:

First, the user places an order for a specific number of capsules or capsule cases with the same or different ingredient through the touch screen with possible help through an advertising screen placed on the top and that can interact with the user, who may even be the case to request help from the user menu and be attended from a “call center”. At the end of your purchase the system indicates the amount and then makes the payment by currency, tickets or credit card.

The robotic arm receives input signals from the management unit with an order form (corresponding to a certain number and types of capsules), depending on this quantity it collects enough bags in the bag dispenser, deposits them in the drawer of exit (exit mouth) corresponding to the customer who has made the purchase and then and moves through the storage region until the case or capsule cases are located, the retractable clamp oriented by means of software and with the ability to deliver the cases of the same flavor in groups of up to seven units at a time, since the great advantage is the speed of delivery.

Once the case or cases are grasped by means of the retractable clamp of the robotic arm (8), the robotic arm moves to the dispensing region where it deposits the case or cases in a housing or support to later exit through the outlet mouth (4) from the client to whom the request corresponds and to which he has previously delivered folded bags (12) provided by the dispenser. In this way, the user can take the bag (s) and place in them the case or capsule cases. Then you receive the corresponding proof of purchase provided by the ticket printer that is part of the payment methods (7) and the change would take place in the case of the cash payment method.

The details, shapes, dimensions and other accessory elements, as well as the materials used in the manufacture of the kiosk of the invention may be conveniently substituted by others that are technically equivalent and do not depart from the essentiality of the invention or the defined scope. by the claims included below.

Claims (12)

1. Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) applicable as a point of sale for the supply of capsules that present inside a food product, especially to be applied in a beverage dispensing apparatus, characterized by the fact that it comprises: a cabin formed by side walls (2, 21, 22) that includes an access door and a capsule dispensing region (14) that includes at least one outlet (4) through which the user collects the dispensed capsules (14 ), in which the capsules are supplied in groups of capsules placed in a case (15) or the like, the interior of the passenger compartment having a storage region with a plurality of uprights for orderly storage of the capsules and handling means of the capsules (14) such that they can be transported from the storage region to the dispensing region; an interface between the user and said means of handling the capsules; Y means of payment (7).

2.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the interface between the user and said capsule handling means comprises at least one touch screen display installed in one of the side walls of the passenger compartment.

3.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes at least one beverage dispensing apparatus (6) compatible with the stored capsules to be supplied, said beverage dispensing apparatus (6) being located on the outside of a side wall of the cabin, so that said dispensing apparatus is accessible and manipulable by the user.

Four.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that characterized by the fact that the payment means (7) have an interactive screen, a payment wallet for payment by coins or card.

5.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the manipulation means have an electrically powered robotic arm (8) provided with a movable retractable clamp with linear movements along a guiding means in the coordinates X, Y and Z, the storage region being provided with a plurality of shelves or the like arranged in such a way that the capsules and / or cases with capsules are accessible by the retractable clamp.

6.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the guiding means comprise a pair of horizontal rails (10) running in parallel through which a support rail (11) arranged vertically travels where the robotic arm (8) moves up and down.

7.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes bag dispensing means associated with the dispensing region that act in a synchronized manner when the capsule case is supplied through the outlet.

8.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that the bag dispensing means comprise at least one storage container (12) of bags (13) stored folded and a bag manipulator mechanism associated with a respective storage container (12) that facilitates the grip of the bag folded by the retractable clamp that deposits it in the dispensing region.

9.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the manipulator mechanism has a vacuum suction cup that allows a bag located at the top of the storage container (12) and a bag displacement device to be removed. (13) which is controlled by a bag detector and moves through the storage container (12).

10.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it includes an interface between the kiosk and an external management unit.

eleven.

 Automatic dispensing kiosk (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the payment means (7) have a ticket issuing printer.

SPANISH OFFICE OF THE PATENTS AND BRAND Application no .: 201131873 SPAIN Date of submission of the application: 22.11.2011 Priority Date: REPORT ON THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE 51 Int. Cl.: G07F11 / 32 (2006.01) RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Category

56 Documents cited Claims Affected

X

ES 2352285 A1 (INVESTRONICA SA) 02.17.2011, column 1, lines 5-13; claim 1; Figure 1. 1-5,7-11

Y

ES 2352285 A1 (INVESTRONICA SA) 02.17.2011, column 1, lines 5-13; claim 1; Figure 1. 6

Y

US 3750804 A (LEMELSON J) 07.08.1973, column 5, lines 42-44; column 8, lines 17-22; column 13, lines 53-55; column 15, lines 6-12; Figures 1.15-16. 6

TO

US 2003173373 A1 (BLIEK DAVID EDWARD et al.) 18.09.2003, paragraph [0041]. 7-9

TO

WO 2005104911 A1 (NESTEC SA et al.) 10.11.2005, the whole document. 3.10

TO

CN 2446891 AND (DING LINGHONG) 12.09.2001, the whole document. 3.10

Category of the documents cited X: of particular relevance Y: of particular relevance combined with other / s of the same category A: reflects the state of the art O: refers to unwritten disclosure P: published between the priority date and the date of priority submission of the application E: previous document, but published after the date of submission of the application

This report has been prepared • for all claims • for claims no:

Date of realization of the report 27.02.2012

Examiner D. Cavia del Olmo Page 1/4

REPORT OF THE STATE OF THE TECHNIQUE Application number: 201131873 Minimum documentation searched (classification system followed by classification symbols) G07F Electronic databases consulted during the search (name of the database and, if possible, terms of search used) INVENES, EPODOC, WPI State of the Art Report Page 2/4  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201131873 Date of Written Opinion: 27.02.2012 Statement

Novelty (Art. 6.1 LP 11/1986)

Claims Claims 2-11 1 IF NOT

Inventive activity (Art. 8.1 LP11 / 1986)

Claims Claims 1-11 IF NOT

The application is considered to comply with the industrial application requirement. This requirement was evaluated during the formal and technical examination phase of the application (Article 31.2 Law 11/1986).  Opinion Base.- This opinion has been made on the basis of the patent application as published. State of the Art Report Page 3/4  WRITTEN OPINION Application number: 201131873  1. Documents considered.- The documents belonging to the state of the art taken into consideration for the realization of this opinion are listed below.

Document

Publication or Identification Number publication date

D01

ES 2352285 A1 (INVESTRONICA SA) 02.17.2011

D02

US 3750804 A (LEMELSON J) 07.08.1973

D03

US 2003173373 A1 (BLIEK DAVID EDWARD et al.) 18.09.2003

D04

WO 2005104911 A1 (NESTEC SA et al.) 10.11.2005

D05

CN 2446891 Y (DING LINGHONG) 12.09.2001

 2. Statement motivated according to articles 29.6 and 29.7 of the Regulations for the execution of Law 11/1986, of March 20, on Patents on novelty and inventive activity; quotes and explanations in support of this statement D01 is considered the state of the art document closest to the object of the claimed invention. Following the wording of independent claim D01 describes the following: Machine for the automatic sale of products, including any type of merchandise that can be packaged in a rectangular or quadrangular elevation support (see column 1, lines 5 to 13) composed, among others, by the following technical elements (see claim 1 and figure 1): -One or more storage modules composed of cabinets inside which product storage trays are arranged. -Means of handling that transport the products from the storage region to the dispensing region composed of an elevator and a mechanism for expelling the products from the corresponding tray in which it is stored. -Delivery of delivery of the merchandise -Means of payment in cash or with card -Module of control that includes a screen with multimedia touch interface -Thermable printer of configurable tickets -Optical sensors to control the unit dispensing of the products regardless of their size as well as to control their stock. With respect to independent claim number 1, and based on the content of D01, the only difference between the two is that, in D01 there is no explicit mention of the existence of a gateway to the storage region. However, this is considered an implicit characteristic that the person skilled in the art would consider without the application of any degree of inventive activity, so it is concluded that R1 is not new in the sense of article 6.1 of the Patent Law. As regards the dependent claims 2, 4 and 11, they lack inventive activity in the same way as the independent claim on which they depend since the technical characteristics they incorporate are identically described in document D01. In relation to dependent claims numbers 3 and 10, these are considered to be mere design options that do not in themselves imply any degree of inventive activity and that are already employed in the technical sector in question as reflected in the documents D04 (capsule dispensing machine that has a beverage dispensing device at the bottom) and D05 (vending machine with external control). With regard to dependent claims numbers 5 and 6 which refer to the existence of a robotic arm that moves horizontally and vertically and constitutes the handling means that transport the capsule case from the storage region to the dispensing region , although in D01 an elevator is described that performs the function of transporting the object dispensed from its storage shelf to the output tray, the movement of this elevator is only vertical and does not have a robotic arm. This difference results in less precise transport and handling of the capsule cases. However, storage mechanisms equipped with robotic arms are already known within the technical field in question, as reflected in document D02, which describes a storage system equipped with a telescopic robotic arm which, at its end, has a suction cup. or tweezers for the selection of stored items (see figures 15 and 16 and column 13, lines 53 through 55). This robotic arm comprises a horizontal support that allows to carry out the horizontal displacement of a vertical support through which said robotic arm moves vertically (see figure 1 and column 15; lines from 6 to 12 and column 5, lines of the 42 to 44). The robotic arm is associated to the vertical support by means of a rotating support (see figure 1B and column 8, lines from 17 to 22). Therefore, in view of the content of documents D01 and D02, it is concluded that the combination of the technical characteristics of both documents in order to obtain the object claimed in R5 and R6 would be obvious to the person skilled in the art so that it is concluded that D01 lacks inventive activity within the meaning of article 8.1 of the Patent Law. In relation to the dependent claims numbers 7, 8 and 9 that refer to the possibility of dispensing a bag with each purchase made in the vending machine, it is considered that this is a slight constructive variant that is within the usual practice followed by the person skilled in the art (see document D03 [paragraph 0041] that incorporates a bag dispenser that dispenses a bag for each purchase made in a dispensing machine). In this regard, note that the technical elements that constitute the claimed bag dispensing system (storage container, robotic arm provided with suction cup at its end and bag detector sensor) have already been disclosed in documents D01 and D02 so claims R7, R8 and R9 are considered to lack inventive activity. State of the Art Report Page 4/4