GB2117365A

GB2117365A - Automatic vending machine

Info

Publication number: GB2117365A
Application number: GB08306775A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Antonio Feltrin
Original assignee: Vendo Co
Current assignee: SandenVendo America Inc
Priority date: 1982-03-26
Filing date: 1983-03-11
Publication date: 1983-10-12
Also published as: BE896269A; IT8347977A0; AU1209283A; FR2524178A1; GB8306775D0; JPS58178496A; DE3211135A1

Abstract

An automatic vending machine has at least one good stocking and dispensing unit with a refillable goods shaft portion (1), on the lower end of which there is arranged a goods dispensing device (9). The unit comprises at least two goods shafts (2, 3, 4) and the device (9) comprises a rotary body with a goods receiving pocket for each shaft. The pockets are spaced at equal angular locations around the body. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Automatic vending machine The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine with at least one goods storage and dispensing unit with a refillable goods shaft part, at the lower end of which there is arranged a goods dispensing device.

Automatic vending machines that present these features are known in a large number of executions. One of the problems with these automatic units lies in providing a sufficient storage for a certain product. In structural height the automatic vending machines are generally restricted, so that it is not possible to extend the goods shafts unlimitedly in their height. The practice has already come about, therefore, of filling several goods stocking and dispensing units in an automatic unit with the same product and to control the units in such a way that a transition is made to another unit when the first unit is empty.

This requires in general a relatively expensive control when the allocation of the individual goods shaft in the automatic unit to a certain product is to be kept variable. There have also been made automatic vending machines already in which each goods stocking and dispensing unit presenting a goods dispensing device is provided with several goods shaft. Here, too, it is technically possible to control the taking from the individual shafts in such a way that the next shaft is accessed when the first shaft is empty. But for this, too, additional monitoring and control arrangements are necessary, for the fact that a shaft is empty must be signalled to the system, which then gives the requisite commands to go over to the next shaft.

This manner of operation, however, is problematical not only for technical reasons, but also in respect to the refilling of the goods. If it is a matter in the case of the goods, for example, of beverage containers with limitable durability, then it is worth endeavoring to take the goods from several goods shafts arranged parallel to one another in so far as possible in alteration, so that in a refilling all the goods shafts still have the same level of filling and in the further operation of the automatic unit from all the shafts there are first used the goods that come from an earlier filling. If the machine is operated with (sc. some) empty shafts, then this again would be possible only by expensive special control measures.

In bottle vending machines, therefore, the practice came about of taking the bottles through one and the same dispensing device from, for example two goods shafts arranged next to one another alternately. With the slipping-after and rolling-off behaviour, very favorable per se, of essentially hard, round bottle bodies or cans, constructions usable for this were possible to develop. this is more difficult in the case of automatic vending machines for slab-form packages, which in general are stocked so as to completely fill the goods shafts, so that there it is more difficult to arrange gripping retaining fingers or the like between the goods, which prevent the slipping-after or more than one article of merchanidse. This is particularly difficult in the case of beverage containers of cardboard, which could easily be damaged by any mechanical devices.

-Underlying the present invention is the problem of providing an automatic vending machine and, in particular a goods stocking and dispensing unit for such an automatic vending machine, which is suited also for taking sensitively, tightly stackable, slab-form packages, such as, for example, beverage containers of carboard, by means of a dispensing device in a simple manner alternately from several allocated goods shafts, so that these are uniformly emptied.

There it is further sought to make it possible to arrange the goods shaft allocated to one another and thereby the entire goods stocking and dispensing unit in as space-saving as possible a manner in the automatic unit.

This problem is solved according to the invention by means that the goods shaft part contains at least two goods shafts arranged one after the other and the goods dispensing device consists of a rotary body provided with a controllable drive unit, the axis of rotation of which runs in the direction of the series arrangement of the goods shaft, and which is provided in the zone underneath each of the goods shaft with an inset goods receiving pocket, the good receiving pockets corresponding to the number of goods shafts being distributed in equal rotary angle division over the circumference of the rotary body.

The rotary body is preferably constructed as a cylinder with substantially smooth surface, in which there are inset goods receiving pockets allocated to the indivudal goods shafts, distributed over its entire longitudinal extent and in each case under another angle of rotation.

Preferable is an arrangement with three goods shafts lying one after another and correspondingly three goods receiving pockets inset in the rotary body, which are offset against one another in each case by an angle of 1200. When one of the goods receiving pockets faces upward, then the next goods package can slip into this from the shaft arranged over it. For the other goods shafts this is not possible, since the allocated pockets in the rotary body are then under a different angle of rotation. When a goods dispensing is occassioned, then the rotary body turns around through an angle of rotation of 1200, in which process always a goods receiving pocket which has already previously received a goods package from the allocated shaft, passes into a position directed substantially downward, in which the toods package can drop into a removal slide of the automatic unit.Through the arrangement offset in angle of rotation of the individual goods receiving pockets, the successively dispensed goods packages are always taken successively from the individual shafts.

So that in the turning of the rotary body the goods packages will not emerge from this again prematurely, there is advantageously arranged a corresponding guide plate laterally as seen in turning direction of the rotary body.

The individual goods stocking and dispensing units are expediently arranged swingably next to one another in the automatic unit in such a way that when the front door of the automatic unit is open the goods shafts can be tipped out forward with their upper refilling openings. The arrangement one after another of the goods shafts of an individual unit makes it possible to accommodate a plurality of such units in as compact an arrangement as possible side by side in an automatic unit with a certain front surface size.

In the following description, the invention is explained in detail, in particular, with the aid of the attached drawings in which: Fig. 1 represents a schematic assembly drawing of a goods stocking and dispensing unit for an automatic vending machine; and Fig. 2 shows an exposed perspective representation of the essential parts of the goods stocking and dispensing unit according to Fig. 1.

The explanations appearing below are to be made essentially with the aid of Fig. 2. Fig. 1 has merely the purpose of conveying a schematic impression of the assembled unit.

The goods stocking and dispensing unit represented in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a shaft part 1, which in the example of execution is composed of three goods shafts 2,3 and 4 arranged one after another. The goods shafts 2, 3 and 4 are joined with one another especially in the vicinity of their lower end by two angle irons 5 and 6. Toward the top, goods shafts 2, 3 and 4 are drawn broken-off in the representation of Fig.

2. It is obvious to the worker in the field that these goods shafts can present a substantially greater extent upward and corresponding to their length are also to be connected among one another by further connecting elements (not represented).

As is evident from Fig. 2, the individual goods shafts are executed substantially open on the side on which they are joined with one another by the angle iron 5. Oniy bent-over edge zones 7 provide that the articles of merchandise contained in the goods shafts cannot drop out of the goods shafts toward the open side. The open execution has, however, on the other hand, the advantage that the filling state of the individusl shafts can be surveyed at any time on opening the automatic unit, and that the goods, shafts, further, are also accessible at any time, in the event that, by a of exception, goods packages should have gotten stuck in the shafts.

For the connection with the angle irons 5 and 6 of the goods shaft 1 there is provided a frame 8 for the goods dispensing unit 9. the frame 8 consists of two side walls 10 and 11, of which the left side wall 10 is executed relatively narrow, while the right side wall 11 is extended obliquely downward to a guide plate 12, which is to prevent, as will still be explained further below, the goods packages contained in the dispensing device 9 from dropping out of this prematurely.

The side walls 10 and 11 are joined with one another by a back wall 13, which contains a bearing bore 14 for the rotary body of the goods dispensing device. The side walls 10 and 11 are connected, further, with upper horizontal flanges 1 5 and 1 6 over which the entire frame 8 is to be screwed together with the free shanks of the angle irons and 5 and 6 of the shaft part 1.

There is detachably to be joined with the frame 8 a front wall 17, which is provided for this purpose with three vertical flanges 1 9 and 20, which, as is clearly to be perceived with the aid of the dot-and-dashed line 21 in the drawing, are to be screwed together with the left side wall 10, the right side wall 11 and the guide plate 12. The front wall 1 7 contains the front bearing bore 22 for the rotary body of the goods dispensing device 9. It is further to be perceived that the front wall 1 7 is provided on its lower end with a bracket 23 bent-off to the front, on which, for example, there can be mounted the drive unit 24, only schematically indicated in Fig. 1 , for the goods dispensing device 9. Such a drive unit is in detail not a direct object of the present invention.It must merely be able to fulfill the condition that with it the goods dispensing device 9 can be shifted onward through a predetermined angle of rotation in each sales operation.

A determinative part of the goods dispensing device 9 is a rotary body 25, which is turnably borne with the shaft pins 26 (of which only the front one is visible) in the bearing bores 14 and 22. In the example of execution the rotary body 25 is constructed in the form of a cylindrical roller, which in correspondence to the number of goods shafts is composed of three sections 27,28 and 29. The connection is made over tie rod screws 30 and face plates 31 and 32, which on their part are carried by the shaft pivots 26. In order to make it possible to join the face plates 31 and 32 turnproof with the sections 27 and 29 of the rotary body 25, the sections of the rotary body are provided with projections 33, which engage in corresponding recesses 34 in the face plates 31 and 32. Corresponding engagements, which, however, are not represented, are provided between the individual sections of the rotary body 25 among one another.

The individual sections of the rotary body 25 are each provided with a goods receiving pocket 35, 36,37. In particular from the face-side dimension of the goods receiving pocket 35 of the rotary body section 27 it is to be received that these goods receiving pockets present a rectangular cross section and, correspondingly, also a rectangular entry opening. The free entry area of the goods receiving pockets corresponds at least to the clear cross section of the appertaining good shaft and the rotary body 25 is mounted in the frame 8 in such a way that the goods receiving pockets in a position of the rotary body in which they face upward, can be brought exactly in coverate with the lower exit cross sections of the goods shafts.

In the allocation of the rotary body 25 to the shaft part 1 it can be expedient to let the bent-off edges 7 of the individual goods shafts end somewhat before the lower exit cross section of the goods shafts, so that a goods package can be carried along by right turning of the rotary body 25 from the goods shaft zone even it is projects somewhat from the receiving pocket of the rotary body. On the other hand, it must be assured that an article of merchandise will not penetrate so deeply into the goods receiving pocket of the rotary body 25 that already the next article of merchandise slipping down will enter the edge zone of the goods receiving pocket. This can be achieved with certainty by correspondingly short depth dimensioning of the goods receiving pockets and a shortening of the bent-off edges 7 of the goods shafts.

The functioning of the unit is as simple as can be imagined. In each sales transaction the rotary body is turned to the right by the controllable drive unit 24 through 1200. If in the process an empty goods receiving pocket facing upward passes the appertaining goods shaft, then automatically an article of merchandise slides along and passes into the goods receiving pocket.

Since in this manner the goods receiving pockets as long as articles of merchandise are still contained in the shafts, are kept constantly filled, always, then after a rotation of 1200 of the rotary body 25 an article of merchandise is dispensed downward into a dispensing chute (not shown) of the automatic unit when a goods pocket after the corresponding turning to the right of the rotary body has emerged from the zone of the guide plate 12 and the article can drop downward out of the rotary body. It is clearly to be perceived that through a simple, drive controlled in angle of rotation, articles of merchandise can be taken successively, in alternation from the three shafts, so that the goods contained in the three shafts are uniformly used up and in the shafts, accordingly, there is always maintained a virtually equal level of filling.

The entire goods stocking and dispensing unit is swingably mounted in the machine casing (in a manner not represented in the figures). The pivoting axis runs perpendicular to the plane of extension of the goods shaft and may lie, for example, underneath the bracket 23 of the front wall 1 7 of the dispensing device.

Several of the units represented in Figs. 1 and 2 can be arranged with drive unit 24 lying forward, i.e., with goods shaft arranged one after the other relatively densely next to one another in an automatic vending machine. For the refilling of the goods shafts the individual units are tilted forward, independently of one another, after opening of the front door of the automatic unit in such a way that the upper refilling openings of the individual goods shafts of a unit are freely accessible from above.

Summary Automatic vending machines are known which present at least one goods stocking and dispensing unit with a refillable goods shaft portion (1), on the lower end of which there is arranged a goods dispensing device (9).

-In order to provide such an automatic vending machine and, in particular, a goods stocking and dispensing unit for such an automatic vending machine, that is suited for taking also sensitive, tightly stackable, slab-form packages by means of a dispensing device 9 in a simple manner alternately from several allocated goods shafts 2, 3, 4, so that these shafts are uniformly emptied and in which the entire goods stocking and dispensing unit can be arranged in as spacing saving as possible a manner in the automatic unit, the goods shaft part 1 contains at least two goods shafts 2, 3, 4 arranged one after another in series and the goods dispensing device 9 consists of a rotary body 25 provided with a controllable drive unit 24, the axis of rotation 26 of which rotary body 25 runs in the direction of the series arrangement of the goods shafts 2, 3, 4 and this is provided in the zone underneath each of the goods shafts 2, 3, 4 with an inset goods receiving pocket 35, 36, 37, the goods receiving pockets 35, 36, 37 corresponding to the number of goods shafts 2, 3, 4 being distributed in equal distribution in angle of rotation over the circumference of the rotary body 25.

Claims

1. Automatic vending machine with at least one goods storage and dispensing unit with a refillable goods shaft part, at the lower end of which there is arranged a goods dispensing device, said goods shaft part comprising at least two goods shafts arranged in series one after another, said goods dispensing device comprising a rotary body provided with a controllable drive unit, the axis of rotation of said rotary body runs in the direction of the series arrangement of the goods shafts and is located in the zone underneath each of the goods shafts with an inset goods receiving pocket corresponding to the number of goods shafts distributed in dual rotary angle division over the circumferences of the rotary body.

2. Automatic vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the goods dispensing device of each goods storage and dispensing unit is joined with the appertaining goods shaft part into a unit.

3. Automatic vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotary body is substantially cylindrical.

4. Automatic vending machine according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein, as seen in direction of rotation of the rotary body there is provided laterally a guide plate connected with the goods shaft unit.

5. Automatic vending machine according to any of claims 1 to 4, for slab-shaped packages, especially beverage containers of cardboard, wherein the goods receiving pockets present substantial slab-form dimensions and their entry cross section corresponds substantially to the cross section of the goods shafts.

6. Automatic vending machine according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein each goods storage and dispensing unit is provided with three goods shafts, and the rotary body of the goods dispensing device presents three goods receiving pockets offset in each case through 1200.

7. Auatomatic vending machine according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the individual goods storage and dispensing units are arranged adjacently in the automatic unit in such a way that the goods shafts of each individual unit, as seen from the front face of the automatic unit, are arranged on after another.

8. Automatic vending machine according to claim 7, wherein the goods storage and dispensing units are arranged in the automatic unit swingably about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the goods shafts, so that the goods shafts, with open automatic unit from wall can be swung out from the automatic unit with their upper filling openings for the refilling of goods.

9. An automatic vending machine substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in accompanying drawings.