JP2000076537A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To store articles, whose number correspond to their diameter, in a rack by increasing and decreasing the number of columns formed in the rack by moving partition plates to the right and left. SOLUTION: A partition plate consists of a base plate 44 which is mounted horizontally and a partition part 46 standing at the left end part of the base plate 44, and those partition plates are connected by, for example, link members. This link structure is adopted and then one partition plate can be moved so that while three other partition plates are moved in parallel, their mutual distances can be equalized. When thick cans M1 are stored, the partition plate on the leftmost side is moved to the left wall of the rack 16. Further, when thin cans M2 are stored, the distance between the partition plate on the rightmost side and the right wall of the rack 16 is adjusted to the diameter of the thin cans M2. Consequently, no unnecessary space is left and the largest number of cans can be stored in the columns.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine for selling goods such as cans, plastic bottles, bottles and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a plurality of shelves are provided on a main body of a vending machine, a plurality of racks are arranged on these shelves, a plurality of partition plates are arranged inside the racks, and a plurality of shelves are provided in the left-right direction. 2. Description of the Related Art A column is known in which a product such as a can, a bottle, and a plastic bottle is placed in the column in the front-rear direction. These columns are structured so that they can be observed from the front surface of the glass.

When a customer designates a product sale button, the hand moves to a column where the designated product is stored,
The product gripped by the hand is transported to the exit and sold. At this time, the movement of the hand unit can be observed by the customer from the front surface of the glass, and there is an effect of visually enjoying it.

[0004]

By the way, when commodities are placed on a rack, each column is constituted by a partition plate as described above. In order to change the width, a spacer was sandwiched in an extra space between the product and the partition plate.

[0005] However, with the structure of sandwiching the spacer as described above, a product having a small product diameter (hereinafter, referred to as a product).
There is a problem in that the extra space increases as the size of the “small can” increases, and the number of items that can be stored is not changed from that of a product having a large diameter (hereinafter, referred to as a “thick can”). Further, since it is necessary to prepare spacers in accordance with the diameter of the product, there is a problem that the number of parts increases.

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a vending machine capable of storing a number corresponding to the diameter of a product in a rack, whether it is a thick can or a thin can. Is what you do.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine in which a plurality of shelves are provided on a main body of a vending machine, and a plurality of racks are arranged on these shelves in the left-right direction. A plurality of partitions are arranged inside the rack to form a plurality of columns in the left-right direction, and products such as cans, bottles, plastic bottles and the like are placed inside these columns in the front-rear direction, and are located in the front row of the columns. In a vending machine having a conveying means for conveying a product to a product outlet, by moving the plurality of partition plates in the left-right direction to increase or decrease the number of columns formed inside the one rack, It changes the width.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine of the first aspect, the lower portions of the plurality of partition plates are connected by a plurality of link members, respectively.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vending machine according to the first aspect, wherein a mark corresponding to a position at which the plurality of partition plates is moved is provided on a front surface of the rack.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, a pressing member for moving a product inside the column forward is provided on the partition plate.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, a pressing member for moving a product inside the column forward is provided on a ceiling surface of the rack.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, m or n (where m <n) columns are formed in the one rack by moving the plurality of partition plates. In the case where n pressing members for moving the product inside the column forward are provided, and m columns are formed by the partition plate, unnecessary nm pressing members are fixed by the partition plate. Things.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, a hand portion for gripping a product located in the front row of the column is provided in the transport device, and an opening angle of the hand portion is made variable. Things.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, the transporting means has a product placing portion on an upper surface thereof. A stopper is provided at the front end of the partition plate to prevent the product located in the front row of the column from jumping forward, and when selling the product, the stopper is removed and the product is pressed by a pressing member. Then, a product is placed on the product placing section of the transport means.

According to the vending machine of the first aspect, the width of the columns can be changed by moving the plurality of partition plates in the left-right direction to increase or decrease the number of columns formed in one rack. . Therefore, the width of the column can be changed according to the diameter of the product.

According to the vending machine of the second aspect, since the link structure is such that a plurality of partition plates are connected by a plurality of links, by moving one partition plate, the other partition plates simultaneously move in parallel, and The spacing between the partition plates is always the same.

In the vending machine according to the third aspect, the partition plate can be fixed at a predetermined position by moving the partition plate in accordance with the mark.

In the vending machine of the fourth aspect, since the pressing member is provided on the partition plate, the pressing member can be moved together with the movement of the partition plate.

In the vending machine of the fifth aspect, since the pressing member is provided on the ceiling surface of the rack, the product can be pressed forward even if the partition plate is moved.

In the vending machine according to the sixth aspect, the unnecessary pressing member is fixed by the partition plate, so that the pressing member does not move forward.

According to the vending machine of the seventh aspect, by making the opening angle of the hand portion variable, it is possible to grasp products of different diameters.

In the vending machine according to the eighth aspect, only necessary products can be pushed out to the product mounting portion of the carrying-out means by the stopper.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Structure of Vending Machine 10) The structure of the vending machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a six-stage shelf 14 is provided inside the main body 12 of the vending machine 10, and a plurality of racks 16 are provided on each shelf 14 in the left-right direction. Is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the rack 16 is of a box shape composed of a right side wall 16a, a left side wall 16b, a rear wall 16c, a front wall 16d, and a bottom surface 16e, and only the front wall 16d is a right side wall. 16a, the left side wall 16b, and the rear wall 16c are lower in height. The inside of the rack 16 is partitioned by four partition plates 18, and a plurality of columns 20 are formed in the left-right direction. In this column 20, a plurality of products M such as cans, bottles, and PET bottles are placed in the front-back direction.

On the front surface of the main body 12, there is provided a product M carrying-out section 22 which is movable vertically and horizontally. As will be described later, the product discharge section 22 is provided with a hand section 24, and has a structure in which the product M in the front row of the column 20 is grasped and discharged to the takeout port 26. By the way, as means for moving the product discharge section 22 in the vertical and horizontal directions, a pair of rails 28 are provided on both sides of the main body 12 in the vertical direction.
An installation member 30 horizontally installed between the members 28 is provided movably in a vertical direction by a motor (not shown). The product unloading section 22 is provided movably in the left-right direction along the erection member 30 by a motor (not shown).

The front left side of the vending machine 10, that is, 6
A glass plate 42 is provided on the front side of the stepped shelf 14 and is made of glass, so that customers can observe the movement of the goods M stored in each column 20 and the goods discharge section 22 from the front side.

On the right side of the front of the vending machine 10, an operation part for the customer to operate is provided. That is, a plurality of specification buttons 32 for specifying a product M to be purchased
, A display unit 34 for displaying the amount of money inserted, a coin insertion slot for inserting coins, a return lever 38, and a coin return port 40. The designation buttons 32 are arranged so as to correspond to the respective columns 20.

When a customer purchases a product M at the vending machine 10, the user inserts a coin through the coin insertion slot 36 and presses a designation button 32 corresponding to the product M to be purchased. Then, the product unloading section 22 moves up and down and left and right according to the instruction, moves to the target column 20,
The hand unit 24 grasps the product M in the front row of the column 20 and carries out the product M to the outlet 26. In this case, the front of the vending machine 10 is covered with glass,
The customer can grasp the movement of the product unloading section 22 from the customer, and can visually enjoy the unloading operation.

(Structure of Rack 16) The shelf 14 at the top of the vending machine 10 in FIG.
2 is shown, and the vending machine 10 of FIG. 2 shows a state in which the thin can M2 is stored in the uppermost shelf 14 thereof. Hereinafter, a structure for accommodating the thick can M1 and the thin can M2 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the thick can M1 is stored in the rack 16, and FIG.
It is a perspective view of the state which accommodated.

In this case, in order to switch between the state of the thick can M1 and the state of the thin can M2, in the present embodiment, the four partition plates 18 are moved in the horizontal direction. FIGS. 5 and 6 show this structure.

The partition plate 18 is composed of a substrate 44 placed in a horizontal state and a partition portion 46 erected from the right end of the substrate. These partition members 18 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Are connected by a plurality of link members 48 as described above.
By adopting such a link structure, by moving one partition plate 18, the other three partition plates 1 are moved.
8, the distance between the partition plates 18 can be equalized while moving in parallel. Therefore, by moving one partition plate 18, the other partition plates 18 can be moved similarly.

FIG. 5 shows the state of the partition plate 18 when the thick can M1 is stored. The leftmost partition plate 1 is shown in FIG.
8 is moved to the left side wall 16 b of the rack 16. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the thin can M2 is stored. In this case, the distance between the rightmost partition plate 18 and the right side wall 16a of the rack 16 becomes the diameter of the thin can M2. Adjust to

By the way, the products M stored in each column 20 are taken out one by one from the front row by the hand unit 24, so that a structure for constantly pressing the products M forward is required. Hereinafter, the structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is a front view of the rack 16, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the partition plate 18, and FIG.
It is a perspective view of the assembled state of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, a slide groove 50 is provided on the left side surface of the partition 46 in the front-rear direction, along which the slide member 52 is movable. And
A pressing member 54 for pressing the product M is provided on the left side of the slide member 52. A pair of rollers 56 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the slide member 52, and a flange portion 58 provided along the slide groove 50.
It is possible to move along. This slide member 52
Has a structure in which the coil spring 60 and the moving pulley 62 always move forward.

More specifically, the rear end of the coil spring 60 is fixed to the rear end of the partition 46, and a moving pulley 62 is provided at the front end of the coil spring 60. In addition, slide groove 5
A pulley 64 is provided at the front of the zero. Then, one end of the belt 66 is fixed to the slide member 52, and the belt 66 is wound around the moving pulley 62 via the pulley 64 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and the other end of the belt 66 is connected to the front end of the partition 46. It is fixed to. As a result, a tensile force is always applied in the direction in which the coil spring 60 contracts, so that the slide member 52 and the pressing member 54 always move forward.

When the column 20 for storing the thin can M2 is used, all the pressing members 54 provided on each partition plate 18 are used, but when the thick can M1 is stored, the column 16 is used. Is reduced by one, one pressing member 54 becomes unnecessary. Therefore, a structure as shown in FIG. 7 is adopted in order to make the unnecessary pressing member 54 unusable.

That is, the structure of the pressing member 54 described above is provided on the right side of the left side wall 16b of the rack 16, and is provided on the left side of the right side wall 16a of the rack 16. Then, as described above, the pressing member 54 is not provided on the leftmost partition plate 18 of the four partition plates 18, and the pressing member 54 is provided on the left side surfaces of the other three partition plates 18. As a result, as shown in the middle shelf 14 in FIG. 7, the leftmost partition plate 18 prevents the pressing member 54 projecting from the left side surface 16b of the rack 16 from moving forward.

(Structure of Commodity Unloading Unit 22) Next, the structure of the product unloading unit 22 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As described above, the rail 6 is mounted on the upper surface of the product carrying-out section 22 which moves in the left-right direction along the erection member 30.
8, 68 are provided, and the base 70 is movable along the rails 68 in the front-rear direction. This base 7
A hand unit 24 is provided above the zero. As shown in the figure, the hand unit 24 includes a pair of plate-like holding units 72, 72.
However, it has a structure that opens in the left-right direction with one end serving as a fulcrum. A spring 76 is provided for urging the pair of holding portions 72, 72 in a direction to always close them, and a rotating member 7 for pushing and expanding the holding portion 72 is provided inside the spring 76.
8 is rotatably provided by a motor. on the other hand,
On the fulcrum side of the holding section 72, a first sensor 80 and a second sensor 82, which are composed of two limit switches, are provided.

The operation state of the product carrying section 22 will be described.

First, a case where the thick can M1 is gripped will be described with reference to FIG.

The product carry-out unit 22 moves to the front of the column 20 in which the thick can M1 desired to be purchased is stored and stops.

The base 70 is moved forward along the rails 68, 68, whereby the pair of holding portions 72, 72
Comes to the position where he can grab the thick can M1. In this case, the rotating member 7
8 is in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 10B, and does not hit the thick can M1. In this case, the rotation of the rotating member 78 is stopped in a state where the first sensor 80 is in the ON state.

When the rotating member 78 rotates in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 10A, the pair of holding parts 72, 72 grip the large can M 1 by the urging force of the spring 76.

After the commodity carrying-out section 22 is once moved upward while the pair of holding sections 72, 72 hold the thick can M1, the base 70 is moved backward, and the thick can is placed on the commodity carrying-out section 22. Place M1. Once moving up, rack 1
This is to get over the front wall 16a. It should be noted that once the product carry-out section 22 is moved upward,
Is moved upward along the rail 28.

In this state, the product discharge section 22
6 and discharges the thick can M1 to the outlet 26.

In the column 20 from which the front row of the large cans M 1 has been removed, the row of the large cans M 1 stored in the column 20 is pressed forward by the pressing member 54, and the second row of the large cans M 1 is moved to the front row. To the front wall 16 of the rack 16
The movement is stopped by a.

Next, a case where the thin can M2 is gripped will be described with reference to FIG.

The product carry-out section 22 moves to the front of the column 20 in which the thin can M2 desired to be purchased is stored and stops.

The base 70 is moved forward along the rails 68, 68, whereby the pair of holding portions 72, 72
Comes to the position where it grabs the can M2. In this case, the rotating member 7
8 is in the horizontal direction as shown in FIG. 11B and does not hit the thin can M2. In this case, the rotation of the rotating member 78 is stopped in a state where the second sensor 82 is in the ON state. Therefore, the pair of holding portions 72 do not open too much as in the case of the thick can M1.

When the rotating member 78 rotates in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 11A, the pair of holding portions 72 grip the thin can M 2 by the urging force of the spring 76.

After the commodity carrying-out part 22 is once moved upward while the pair of holding parts 72, 72 hold the thin can M2,
The base 70 moves backward, and the thin can M
2 is placed.

In this state, the product unloading section 22 moves out
6 and discharges the can M2 to the outlet 26.

In the column 20 from which the front row of the thin cans M2 has been removed, the row of the thin cans M2 stored in the column 20 is pressed forward by the pressing member 54, and the second row of the thin cans M2 is moved to the front row. To the front wall 16 of the rack 16
The movement is stopped by a.

As described above, due to the relationship between the first sensor 80, the second sensor 82, and the rotating member 78, the hand unit 24 can reliably grip the thick can M1 and the thin can M2.

In the vending machine 10 of this embodiment, the width of the column 20 can be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of columns 20 formed inside the rack 16, so that even the thick can M1 can be thin. Even the cans M2 can be stored, and the maximum amount can be stored in the column 20 because no extra space is required. The hand unit 24 can reliably carry out the large can M1 or the thin can M2.

Second Embodiment A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment lies in the relationship between the rack 16 and the partition plate 18. That is, the first
In the embodiment, the partition plate 18 has a link structure,
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, an L-shaped metal rod 84 is attached to the side surface of the partition 46 of the partition plate 18 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. Keep it biased backwards.

When the partition plate 18 is mounted on the rack 16, the rod 84 is fixed by inserting the rear end of the rod 84 into an insertion hole 88 provided in the rear surface 16c of the rack 18.
The front end of the L-shaped rod 84 is inserted into a groove 90 provided at the front end of the rack 16 corresponding to the insertion hole 88. The front end of the rod 84 is formed in a spherical shape for easy operation.

The groove 90 is also a mark when the partition plate 18 is mounted.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the pressing member 54 is provided not on the partition plate 18 but on the ceiling surface 92 of the column 20, that is, on the lower surface of the shelf 14. The upper shelf 14 in FIG. 13 is a state in which the thick can M1 is stored, and the lower shelf 14 is a state in which the thin can M2 is stored. FIG. 14 is an exploded instruction of the ceiling surface 92 of the column 20.

As shown in FIG. 14, a slide groove 100 is provided on the ceiling surface 92 in the front-rear direction, and a slide member 102, a pressing member 104, and a roller 10 are formed similarly to the structure of the partition plate 18.
6, flange portion 108, coil spring 110, moving pulley 11
2. It has a pulley 114 and a belt 116. Further, the pressing member 104 vertically suspended from the ceiling surface 92 is constantly urged forward by the coil spring 110.

As for the one pressing member 104 which becomes unnecessary when switching from the thin can M2 to the large can M1, as shown in the upper shelf 14 in FIG. The pressing member 104 is positioned behind the partition plate 18 to prevent forward movement.

Fourth Embodiment Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

The vending machine 200 of this embodiment is a serpentine type vending machine in which a product M is
, And are carried out one by one by a product carrying-out device 204 provided at the lower end of the column 202. The feature of this embodiment is that the number of columns 202 in the front-rear direction can be changed from five to six. FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vending machine 200 having five columns 202, and FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vending machine 200 having six columns 202.

The plurality of columns 202 include a pair of side walls 20.
6, 206, and the front wall 208 of the first (frontmost) column 202 is fixed to the front end of the pair of side walls 206.

A first partition wall 210 in which the rear wall of the first column 202 and the front wall of the second column 202 are integrated is movably fixed to the pair of side walls 206. As a structure for making this movable, an inverted U-shaped hole into which a pin protruding from the first partition wall 210 engages is formed on the side wall 206.
To be provided. By moving the pin along the hole, the first partition wall 210 is moved in the front-rear direction.

Thereafter, similarly, the second column 202
The rear wall and the second partition wall 212 forming the front wall of the third column 202, the third partition wall 214, the fourth partition wall 216, and the fifth partition wall 218 are movable in the front-rear direction. It has become.

The rear walls 220 of the sixth column 202 are fixed to the rear ends of the pair of side walls 206.

The product unloading device 204 includes a first partition 210
, The lower end of the third partition 214 and the fifth partition 21
8 are provided at the lower ends. The product carrying device 204 has product support pieces 205 in the front-rear direction, and the product support pieces 205 rotate to drop the products M stacked on the column 202 one by one.

At the upper ends of the first partition wall 210 to the fifth partition wall 218, an adjusting plate 222 for adjusting the length in the vertical direction is provided.
And a guide plate 224 for the product M, which is inclined from the upper stage of the adjustment plate 222 toward the front surface of the vending machine 200.
Are provided respectively. The adjustment plate 222 and the guide plate 224 are configured to be detachable from the pair of side walls 206.

Next, the structure of the adjusting plate 222 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The adjusting plate 222 includes a box-shaped main body 226 and an insertion plate 228 inserted into the box-shaped main body 226.

The insertion plate 228 is provided with a pair of pins 230. The pin 230 is formed in an L shape, and is constantly urged outward by a spring 232.

In order to correspond to the pair of pins 230,
The first adjustment hole 234 and the second adjustment hole 2 are formed on the side wall of the main body 226.
36 are provided.

When the pin 230 is inserted into the first adjustment hole 234, the insertion plate 228 projects most from the main body 226, and the adjustment plate 222 becomes the longest.

On the other hand, when the pin 230 is inserted into the second adjustment hole 236, the insertion plate 228 hardly projects from the main body 226, and the adjustment plate 222 is short.

The engagement of the pin 230 is performed by operating the L-shaped pin 230 by putting a hand through an opening 238 opened below the main body 226. This operation is performed on the adjustment plate 222.
After removing from the pair of side walls 206.

The guide plate 224 is also composed of a main body 226 and an insertion plate 228, and has the same structure as the adjustment plate 222.

The case where the number of columns 202 in the vending machine 200 having the above configuration is changed from five to six will be described.

After all the adjustment plates 222 and the guide plates 224 have been removed, the fifth partition wall 218 is moved forward from the first partition wall 210 to increase the columns from five rows to six rows.
After that, the lengths of the adjusting plate 222 and the guide plate 224 are adjusted, and the adjusting plate 222 and the guide plate 224 are mounted again between the pair of side walls 206. Thus, the number of columns 202 can be easily changed from five to six.

[0086]

According to the vending machine of the present invention, the width of the column can be changed by increasing or decreasing the number of columns formed in the rack, so that both large and thin cans can be stored. And it does not take up extra space, so it can be stored in the column in the maximum amount.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine according to a first embodiment, showing a state in which a large can is stored.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which the thin can is stored.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a state where a large can is stored in a rack.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a state where thin cans are stored in a rack.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which a thick can is stored in a rack.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a state in which a thin can is stored.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged front view of a main part of the front of the vending machine.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a partition plate.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the assembled state of the partition plate.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a hand portion in a state where a thick can is gripped,
(A) shows a state before grasping, and (b) shows a state after grasping.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a hand unit in a state of gripping a thin can;
(A) shows a state before grasping, and (b) shows a state after grasping.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a rack according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged front view of a main part of a vending machine according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a shelf according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a vertical sectional view of a vending machine according to a fourth embodiment when the number of columns is five.

FIG. 16 is also a case of six rows.

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of the adjustment plate.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the adjustment plate in an assembled state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vending machine 12 Main body 14 Shelf 16 Rack 18 Partition body 20 Column 22 Commodity carry-out part 24 Hand part 44 Substrate 46 Partition part 48 Link member 54 Press member

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine main body having a plurality of shelves provided thereon, a plurality of racks arranged on the shelves in the left-right direction, a plurality of partition plates arranged inside these racks, and a plurality of shelves arranged in the left-right direction. A vending machine comprising a column, a product such as a can, a bottle, and a plastic bottle placed in the front and rear direction inside the column, and having a conveying means for conveying a product located in a front row of the column to a product outlet. 5. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the width of the columns is changed by moving the plurality of partition plates in the left-right direction to increase or decrease the number of columns formed inside the one rack. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the lower portions of the plurality of partition plates are respectively connected by a plurality of link members. 3. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a mark corresponding to a position at which the plurality of partition plates is moved is provided on a front surface of the rack. 4. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a pressing member for moving a product inside the column forward is provided on the partition plate. 5. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a pressing member for moving a product inside the column forward is provided on a ceiling surface of the rack. 6. A pressure for moving m or n (where m <n) columns can be formed in said one rack by moving said plurality of partitioning plates, and for moving products inside said columns forward. Member
The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein when m columns are formed by the partition plate, unnecessary nm pressing members are fixed by the partition plate. 7. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a hand portion for grasping a product located in the front row of the column is provided in the transport device, and an opening angle of the hand portion is made variable. 8. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said transport means has a product placing portion on an upper surface thereof. Providing a stopper at the front end of the partition plate to prevent the product located in the front row of the column from jumping forward, when selling the product, the stopper is removed,
The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the product is pressed by a pressing member, and the product is placed on the product placing portion of the transport unit.