FR2594989A1 - AUTOMATIC DISTRIBUTOR OF FOOD PRODUCTS - Google Patents

Abstract

Automatic dispenser in the form of a cabinet for food products of the type comprising a storage magazine 4, a door for loading said magazine, at least one drawer 6 for receiving the stored products 3, associated with a coin mechanism triggering system; the store 4 consists of at least one helical ramp 7 wound around a vertical post 8 in the center of the cabinet; this ramp 7 opens, at its lower part, at the level of a drawer 6 for reception and service; it is held resiliently in the cabinet and it comprises at least one vibrator 14 intended to carry out the automatic advancement of the products stored 3 on said ramp so as to automatically load the dispensing spool 6, after each service. This dispenser is more particularly suitable for products of the rolled bread type, packaged or not. (CF DRAWING IN BOPI)

Description

The present invention relates to a dispenser

  automatic food products and more particularly

  a vending machine for breads presented,

  preferably in a form of ball wrapped or not.

  The vending machines known, for the supply of small bottles for example or small packages of treats or other, are in the form of a cabinet, provided with storage compartments products at the bottom of which we find one or more drawers manipulable after introducing a

  coin in the trigger system.

  These distributors are effective but they are limited to the supply of perfectly calibrated products, easy to store in a store Comptetenu the perfect regularity of their presentation; this presentation

  resulting from the packaging of the product or its own shape.

  The invention relates to a distributor of roughly calibrated products, approximate shapes when it is in the raw state or wrapped a flexible plastic bag, allowing in particular, but not exclusively, to offer for sale, in all places, bread

presented in the form of a ball.

  The invention aims to provide a high capacity automatic dispenser, which has good operating safety given the type of products stored. According to the invention, the vending machine is in the form of a cabinet containing a storage magazine, a door to allow the loading of the

  store, at least one drawer for receiving the goods stored

  kes, associated with a trigger system by coin mechanism; the magazine consists of at least one helical ramp wound along a vertical axis in the center of the cabinet, and which opens, at its lower part, at the level of the drawer of

reception and service.

  According to another embodiment of the invention, the helical ramp is elastically held in the cabinet and it comprises at least one vibrator intended to carry the products on said ramp to automatically load the dispensing drawer, after

each service.

  According to a preferential provision of the invention

  The magazine consists of a helical ramp lined with peripherence and wound on a vertical central post; the central post is held at both ends by elastic studs and it has, at its lower part, under the lower end of the ramp, two

  vibrators arranged on each side of the foot of said pole.

  According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the drawer for receiving and distributing the

  stored products consists of a sensitive front wall

  located on the front panel of the cabinet, at the lower end of the store ramp, a horizontal shelf for receiving stored products, a vertical partition forming the bottom, which partition is

  then extends to the periphery of the shelf to

  to kill the shutter of the ramp when pivoting the drawer around a vertical axis which is located inside the cabinet and substantially on the median axis of the end

  bottom of the helical ramp.

  According to another embodiment of the invention, the timed triggering of the vibrators is caused by a contactor during the automatic return of the drawer in position

loading.

  According to another embodiment of the invention, the cabinet comprises at the rear a loading door which extends over the entire height to allow the filling of both the helical magazine disposed above the tray of the drawer, that the store static located at the party

  low of the cabinet, under the dynamic store.

  The invention will be better understood by means of the

  following description and accompanying drawings given

  and in which: - Figure 1 is an external general view of the automatic dispenser according to the invention,

  FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic front view of the

  -3- without the front panel, with a sketch of the location of the drawer, - Figure 3 is a schematic view along AA of the dispenser, with the drawer in the normal position closed, - Figure 4 is a schematic view of the distributor according to

  AA, also, with the drawer in the open position.

  The vending machine is in the form of a vertical cabinet with on the front panel

  1, a showcase 2 allowing to appear at the sight of the consumer.

  the product stored 3 and the state of filling of the store 4. On the side of the window 2, there is a coin mechanism 5 associated with the operation of the drawer 6 located below the window 2, in the lower part from the store

storage 4.

  The dispenser is also shown fig. 2, without the front panel 1, so as to reveal the storage store 4 products to consume. This store is in the form of a helical ramp 7 wound on a vertical central pole 8. The ramp 7 supports all the products stored from the bottom up; a border

  9 side maintains the products on said ramp.

  The central post is disposed between the upper panel 10 of the cabinet and a lower support 11 has

  between the side panels 12 and 13 of said cabinet.

  The magazine 4 occupies practically all the interior volume of the cabinet, above the level of the drawer 6 is a single dash, fig. 2, but without having direct contact with the cabinet. The magazine 4 is resiliently supported in the cabinet, by the central post 8, to be subjected to vibration by means of vibrators 14 disposed on either side of the foot of said pole

  8, under the end 15 of the ramp 7.

  An elastic pad 16 is disposed between the lower part of the post 8 and the lower support 11. This pad 16 keeps the magazine 4 smoothly in the cabinet, while allowing it to vibrate. A second elastic stud 17 is disposed between the upper part of the pole 8 and the panel of the cabinet. The vibrators 14 are operated in a temporary manner, at each service preferably, to make

  advance the products on the ramp 7 and garnish the drawer 6.

  The lower part 18 of the cabinet can be used as a static magazine, and thus serve to complete the store between two refuelings. Figure 3 is a view of the distributor according to AA, so as to show the drawer 6 and its position relative to the end 15 of the ramp 7. The front wall 19

  the drawer is substantially centered on the front panel

  tal 1; this wall 19 has a handle under which the drawer 6 can rotate to deliver the stored product. The drawer 6 pivots about a vertical axis 20 disposed inside the cabinet. It consists of a horizontal plate 21 which receives the product at the bottom of the magazine 4; this plate 21 is in the form of a circular arc, on the side of the end 15 of the ramp 7, centered on the pivot axis 20, and is delimited at the bottom by a vertical partition 22 which extends from the front wall 19 to the edge of the plate 21, at the central post 8 of the magazine 4. This vertical partition 22 then continues in the form of flap 23 and extends the peripheral edge 24 in an arc of the plate 21, to close the end 15 of the ramp and prevent any movement of stored products

  while the drawer 6 is in the open position, as shown in FIG.

  feel fig. 4. In this position, the drawer 6 does not overflow

  only slightly from the front panel 1 because the pivot

  This is done around an axis inside the cabinet. Note that this axis is located on the median axis perpendicular to the end 15 of the ramp 7 and at a distance from this end 15 sufficient to have a receiving plate 21 whose surface is

  sufficient to receive the stored product.

  An electromechanical locking device

  Gnique is associated with the coin mechanism to release the drawer 6, which then returns to the loading position or is locked again. The return of the drawer 6 to the loading position can with a contactor, not shown, trigger the vibrators 14 which, by means of a -5temporisation, ensure the displacement of all the

products stored.

  The loading of the magazine 4 is carried out at the rear of the cabinet by means of the door 25 which extends over the entire height so as to facilitate the filling of the dynamic magazine 4 but also to allow the introduction of product

in the static magazine 18.

  It should also be noted that the magazine 4 may consist of two ramps 7, which favors the displacement by gravity of the stored products; in this case we can provide a distribution by means of two drawers 6. The elements in contact with the stored products, that is to say essentially the magazine 4 and the drawer 6, are made

made of stainless materials.

-6-

Claims (8)

- CLAIMS -   1.- Automatic dispenser in the form of a cabinet   containing a storage warehouse (4) of food products   a door (25) for loading said magazine, at least one drawer (6) for receiving the stored products (3), associated with a coin mechanism (5), characterized in that the magazine (4) ) consists of at least one helical ramp (7) wound around a vertical axis in the center of the cabinet and which opens, at its lower part, at the level of a drawer (6). reception and service.   2. Automatic dispenser according to the claim   1, characterized in that the helical ramp (7) is elastically held in the cabinet and comprises at least one vibrator (14) for performing the automatic advance of stored products (3) on said ramp and to load automatically the drawer (6) distribution, after each service.   3. Automatic dispenser according to the claim   2, characterized in that the magazine (4) is constituted by a ramp (7) provided with a lateral border (9) and wound on a vertical central pole (8).   4. Automatic dispenser according to the claim   3, characterized in that the vertical post (8) is held at its ends by elastic studs (16 and 17) fixed to the cabinet.   5.- Automatic dispenser according to the claim   4, characterized in that the post (8) has at its lower part, under the lower end (15) of the ramp (7) two vibrators (14) arranged on each side of the foot of said post (8).   6.- Automatic dispenser according to any one   claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the   drawer (6) for receiving and dispensing stored products (3) consists of a front wall (19) substantially centered on the front panel (1) of the cabinet, a plate (3) arranged in the extension of the ramp (7), a vertical partition (22) forming the bottom of the drawer, which partition (22) then extends to the periphérie plateau (3) to form a flap (23) of closure of the ramp (7) during the pivoting of the slide (6), which pivoting takes place about a vertical axis (20) located inside the cabinet and substantially on the median axis perpendicular to the end (15) of the ramp helical (7).   7.- Automatic dispenser according to one   any of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that   the delayed triggering of the vibrators (14) is caused by a switch when the drawer (6) is returned to its position loading.   8.- Automatic dispenser according to one of   Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cabinet   comprises, at the rear, a loading door (25) which extends over the entire height to allow the filling of both the helical magazine (4) arranged above the tray (21) of the drawer (6) and the static shop (18)   located at the bottom of the cabinet, under the store.