GB2517800A - Vending apparatus and method of vending - Google Patents

Abstract

In an automatic vending apparatus for loose articles, such as sweets, a gate may be provided to provide a barrier to clumped product, lifted by a conveyor belt from a bulk bin. The picnmix may be delivered to a container in the vending machine, which is weighed to control how much of a product prone to sticking together in clumps should be dispensed. Several bulk bins may be provided and a user selection made of how much to select from each penny candy confectionary container using a display after inserting payment coins. The endless conveyor belt used may have ridges arranged to draw articles along the belt. Items delivered by the container by the belt may be weighed, so as to control the mass or articles sold.

Description

Vending Apparatus and Method of Vending The present invention relates to a vending apparatus and to a method of vending, and is concerned particulariy, although not exclusively, with apparatus and a method for vending bulk confectionary.

In many countries, bulk confectionary is retailed to the public by allowing a purchaser to select from plural types of unpackaged confectionery arranged in a display cabinet comprising a plurality of separate bins for the different types. The purchaser collects the different types of confectionary in a container, which is usually a bag or cup, and is then charged either according to the number of b indtvidual items or, more commonly, according to the mass of the selected confectionary.

In the United Kingdom, bulk confectionary sold in this manner is described as "pic n' mix" for obvious reasons.

In the United States it is often referrod to as "penny candy".

The purchaser typically enjoys this form of retail as it provides a great deal of personal choice both in terms of the selection and the quantity of confectionary.

The types of confectionary sold in this way vary greatly, but typically includes a range of textures and flavours.

The bins are conventionally transparent rectangular boxes that are stacked one upon the other. Each box has an openable lid, and the purchaser is provided with a scoop and/or tongs to withdraw the confectionary from the bin.

In recent times there has been a degree of speculation about the implications for hygiene of such an arrangement, particularly as the confectionary is exposed to human contact in the bins.

Another disadvantage lies in the manner in which payment is made. There is often a separation, both spatially and temporally, between the confectionary display cabinet and Lhe point of sale (P05) This can lead to the stealing ot confectionary as some of it may be consumed before the payment is calculated.

The use of automated vending machines has been proposed as a partial solution to the perceived problems. In particular, an automated vending machine is able to dispense articles hygienically as the articles can be kept away from human hands. Such a machine might also require pre-purchase of a quantity of confectionary, so as to eliminate losses from theft.

However, to date, the use of vending machines for the sale of bulk confcctionary has been very limited. This is thought to he down to the nature of the confectionary items themselves. In particular many popular varieties of confectionery that are typically sold in this way are of a soft, gelatinous nature, or else gum-or-foam-based and as a result Lhey do not slide or roll over each other readily.

In fact the individual articles tend to stick, or at least clump, together. Existing types of vending machine find it difficult to handle this type of article in bulk, as parts of the vending machine become clogged with soft candy, leading to jamming of the machine.

Furthermore, previously considered vending machines are often unable to ensure that the final composition of the purchased confectionary reflects a broadly equal combination of the types seJ.ected by the purchaser.

The present invention is defined in the attached independent claims, to which reference should now be made.

FurLher, preferred features may be found in the sub-claims appended thereto.

According be one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic vending apparabus for vending loose articles, the apparatus comprising: at least one bulk bin for containing articles for vending a delivery station to which articles are delivered in use, and at least one conveyor arranged to deliver articles from the bin to the delivery station, wherein the conveyor comprises a gate having a barrier member spaced from the conveyor, and wherein the gate is arranged to allow articles on the conveyor below the barrier to pass and to resist or inhibit the passage of articles above the barrier.

The gate may cause articles above the barrier to be returned to the bin or to become displaced on the conveyor.

Preferably the conveyor comprises an endless belt. The belt may comprise a number of formations such as ridges that are arranged to draw articles along the conveyor.

In a preferred arrangement the apparatus comprises plural bins and nay comprise plural conveyors. The apparatus may be arranged in use to deliver a combination of different articles to the delivery staLion.

The delivery station may be arranged to receive a delivery container for contatning delivered articles.

The apparatus may comprise a weighing means arranged to weigh the delivery container and/or its contents.

The invention also includes a method of vending loose articles, the method comprising containing articles for vending in at least one bulk bin, and delivering articles from the bin to a delivery station using a conveyor wherein the conveyor comprises a gate having a barrier member spaced from the conveyor, and the method comprises passing the articles on the conveyor through the gate such that articles on the conveyor below the barrier are allowed to pass, and the passage of articles above the barrier is resisted or inhibited.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a methcd of controlling the delivery of loose articles in a vending machine arranged in at least one bin, the method comprising selecting articles to be conveyed from the bin to a delivery container conveying the articles from the bin to Lhe delivery container using conveying means measuring the mass of the container and any contents and controlling the conveying in dependence upon the measured mass of articles in the container to deliver to the container a predetermined mass of articles.

The method preferably comprises controlling the conveying Sc) as tc) deliver to Lhe container a predetermined mass of articles, which articles are of plural types, and which differenL Lypes are preferably stored in plural bins and are preferably delivered in known proportions, such as in equal proportions.

lihe method preferably includes repeating the steps of selecting articles, conveying articles and measuring the mass of the container and any contents.

The invention also provides vending apparatus for the delivery of loose articles, the apparatus comprising: selection means for selecting articles to be delivered, at least one conveyor for conveying the articles from a storage bin to a delivery station, weighing moans for measuring the mass of a delivery container and any contents at the delivery station, and a controller for controlling the conveying in dependence upon the measured mass of articles in the container to deliver to the container a predetermined mass of articles.

The controller is preferably arranged to control the conveying so as to deliver to the container a prede-tern-iined mass of articles, which articles are of plural types, and which different types are preferably stored in plural bins and are preferably delivered in known propoftions, such as in equal proportions.

In a preferred arrangement the arLicles comprise afticles of corifectionary.

The invention also includes a computer programme or a computer programme product on a computer readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to any

statement herein.

The invention may include any combination of the features or limitations referred to herein, except such a combination of features as are mutually exclusive, or mutually inconsistent.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to The accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows, schematically, an automatic vending apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a bulk bin and a conveyor of the apparatus of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a more detailed schematic view of the conveyor of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is an alternative view of the conveyor of Figures 2 and 3.

Turning Lo Figure 1, this shows generally at 10 apparabus in the form of a vending machine for vending combinations of bulk confectionary. The machine comprises a generally cuboid cabineb 12 having a substantially transparent front panel lOa, and a plurality of product windows l4a to 141-i, behind which are located bulk bins (described later) , each containing a different type of confectionary. Each window contains a display quantity of the confectionary that corresponds to the type of confectionary in the bin behind that window.

Each bin has an outlet comprising an aperture A (not shown in Figure 1) and a chute 16. Below the chutes 16 is a delivery station 18. The delivery station 18 comprises a weighing scale 20 arranged in use to support a delivery container, in the form of a cup 22, and to weigh the cup from time to time to determine the mass of confectionary in the cup. Below the weighing scale is a collection station 24 from which the purchaser can collect the cup 22 when the vending transaction is complete.

The machine 10 also has a control panel 26 which a purchaser uses to control the machine, as will be described later. The control panel has a touch-screen electronic display 28 depicting the types of confectionery available for vending, and a plurality of touch screen buttons 30 thereon whose positions correspond to the positions of the various product windows. A coin slot 32 is provided for payment.

The operation of Lhe machine is controlled by an electronic controller (not shown) , such as a microprocessor, supported by additional electronic circuitry including electronic memory (also not shown) Figure 2 shows schematically at 34 one of the bins behind the product windows l4a-l4h. the shape of each bin is generally that of an inverted irregular pyramidal frustum of food-grade plastics. The bin has a lid 34a and is provided with a conveyor 36 therein inclined at an angle e from the horizontal. The conveyor extends from a lower region of the bin to the upper outlet A adjacent the chute 16. The conveyor comprises an endless belt 38 having a plurality of ridges 38a extending transversely across the belt. A gate 40 is provided towards an upper end of the belt to limit the quantity of confectionary product that is conveyed to the chute 16. The conveyor is driven by an eleclric motor (not shown) under the control of the controller. The shape of the bin is such that the side walls direct articles in the bin downwardly to the base of the conveyor.

Figure 3 is a more detailed schematic representation of the conveyor. The gate comprises a pair of plates 42 that extend upwardly from the belt 38 and which support a barrier or limiter bar 44 spaced from the belt at a predetermined height. The effect of the plates 42 and the limiter bar 44 is to create an effective aperture B though which articles on the conveyor must pass before reaching aperture A of the bin adjacent the chute 16.

Figure 4 shows Lhe conveyor in an alI:ernative schematic view + With reference to Eigures 1 to 4, the operation of the vending apparatus will now be described.

A user inserLs coins to an appropriate value to commence a vending cycle, and the display 28 acknowledges that the vending cycle has begun. The user is then allowed a predetermined length of time, for example 30 seconds, to make selections from the different confectionary displayed in the windows 14a-14h. Typically the user is allowed to select four types of confectionary from the eight that are available. In practice the number of different types available for selection may vary, as may the number of choices allowed.

While the purchaser is making a selection, the apparatus collects a cup 22 from a storage location (not shown) . The cup is then presented on the weighing scales 20. The empty cup is then weighed.

The aim of the vending operaLion is to provide the purchaser with a mass C of mixed confectionary. The mass vended may be 200g. for example. Ideally the purchaser will want-a substantially equal proportion of the different types of confectionary, and so if there are four selections made the apparatus should vend approximately 50g each of four types, totalling not less than 200g.

The discrete articles of confectionary within each respective type are of broadly consistent mass. However it may not he realistic to deliver exactly 5Og of each type, since the desired mass may riot be an inLegral mulLiplo of the mass of a single article. Furthermore the articles are not delivered into the cup at a uniform rate, which is especially the case with articles that clump together, such as loose soft candy articles.

Because of this, the controller uses an algorithm to optimise the delivery of the confectionary into the cup. Tn particular, once the selections have been made, the controller controls a first one of the conveyors to begin delivering a first one of the selected products onto the chute 16. As the articles begin to fall into the cup, the weighing scales make repeated measurements of the mass of the cup, now with contents. When a predetermined mass of product has been received in the cup, which mass is less than an equal share of the intended total. -ie less than 50g in this case the controller stops the first conveyor and starts another one in respect of another of the selected products.

The process is repeated until all of the four selected products have been delivered to the cup, whereupon the total mass of collected confectionery is most likely less than G -ie less than 200g in this example. The controller then briefly activates the conveyors of the selected bins again in turn, whilst monitoring the mass in the cup, until the total mass of confectionary has reached the required 200g.

This approach also ensures that the different types of confectionary are placed in the cup in layers, rather than in large clumps or bundles of the same type.

If a bin becomos empty during delivery Lhe controller seeks f±rst to complete the vending cycle with others of the selected types. If none of the selected ones is available the controller arranges that the cup be filled with other available confectionary types.

Once a bin has been logged as empty an electronic flag is raised for an operative to refill the bin, and that choice is temporarily withdrawn from offer at the selection stage.

When the controller determines that the cup contains not less than 200g the cup is released by the weighing scales to the collection station 24, where it can be collected by the purchaser.

The conveyor is able to deal with various categories of loose confectionary, including soft, gelatinous, gum, foam, partly sticky articles that are not suited to previously considered vending machines. The role of the gate 40 is important in the conveying of this type of article in particular, as will now be explained.

When the conveyor becomes energised, the belt 38 drags some of the articles upwards towards the chute 16. The ridges 38a, which are typically of a thickness and height in the range 4inm-Brmn, determined partly by the angle of inclination S of the conveyor, help to prevent the articles from falling back down into the bin 34.

However, articles which tend to clump together, either because they are sticky, or else tangled in some way, could clog the outlet /\ beside the chute 16 and possibly lam the conveyor, if they are clumped together in a sufficiently large quanLiLy.

The embodiment described above makes use of gate 40 to inhibit the passage of clumped articles by presenting a pie-aperture B, in particular deLermining a maximum height above the belt to any oncoming products. Articles piled higher than the bar 44 are tipped back into the bin in a churning process. In some cases individual articles may fall forwards over the bar 40, but the churning tends at least to break up the larger clumps and lessen the likelihood of jamming and hence downtime.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance, it should be understood that the applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feaWuro or combination of features referred to herein, and/or shown in the drawings, whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims (16)

1. CLAIMS1. An automatic vending apparatus for vending loose articles, the apparatus comprising: at least one bulk bin for containing articles for vending a delivery station to which articles are delivered in use, and at least one conveyor arranged to deliver arLicles from the bin to the delivery station, wherein the conveyor comprises a gate having a barrier member spaced from the conveyor, and o wherein the gate is arranged to allow articles on the conveyor below the barrier to pass and to o resist or inhibit the passage of articles above the barrier.
2. 2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the gate causes articles above the barrier to be returned to the bin or to become displaced on the conveyor.
3. 3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the conveyor comprises an endless belt.
4. 4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, wherein the belt comprises a number of formations such as ridges that are arranged to draw articles along the conveyor.
5. 5. Apparatus according bo any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the apparatus comprises plural bins and plural conveyors.
6. 6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, wherein the apparatus is arranged in use to deliver a combination of different articles to the delivery station.
7. 7. Apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the delivery station is arranged to receive a delivery container for containing delivered articles.
8. 8. Apparatus according to Claim 7, wherein the apparatus comprises a weighing means arranged to weigh the delivery container and/or its contents.
9. 9. A method or vending loose articles, the method 0 comprising Co 0 20 containing articles for vending in at least one bulk bin, and delivering articles from the bin to a delivery station using a conveyor wherein the conveyor comprises a gate having a barrier member spaced from bhe conveyor, and the method comprises passing the articles on the conveyor through the gate such that articles on the conveyor below the barrier are allowed to pass, and the passage of articles above the barrier is resistod or inhibited.
10. 10. A method of controlling the delivery of loose S articles in a vending machine arranged in at least one bin, the method comprising selecting articles to be conveyed from the bin to a delivery container conveying the articles from the bin to the delivery container using conveying means measuring the mass of the container and any contents and controlling the conveying in dependence upon the measured mass of articlos in the container to deliver to the container a predetermined mass of articles.
11. 11. A method according to Claim 10, wherein Lhe method comprises controlling the conveying so as to deliver to the container a predetermined mass of articles, which articles are of plural types, and which different types are preferably stored in plural bins and are preferably delivered in known proportions, such as in equal proportions.
12. 12. A method according to Claim 10 or 11, wherein the method includes repeating the steps of**eJ.ecting articles, conveying articles and measuring the mass of the container and any contents.
13. 13. Vending apparatus for the delivery of loose articles, the apparatus comprising: selection means for selecting articles to be delivered, at least one conveyor for conveying the articles from a storage bin to a delivery station, weighing means for mcasuring the mass of a delivery container and any contents at the delivery station, and a controller for controlling the conveying in dependence upon the measured mass of articles in the container to deliver to the container a predeLerruined mass of articles.
14. 14. ApparaLus according to Clair[I 13, wherein the controller is arranged to control the conveying so as to deliver Lo the container a predetermined mass of articles, which articles are of plural types, and which different types are preferably stored in plural bins arid are preferably delivered in known proportions, such as in equal proportions.
15. 15. Apparatus according to Claim 13 or 14, wherein the articles comprise articles of confectionary.
16. 16. A computer programme or a computer programme product on a computer readable medium, comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to any of Claims 9 to 12. aD