JP2000123240A - Commodity receiving/payout device for automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make easily and smoothly performable a back loading work by providing a pusher or the like, which can be opened/closed between a position protruded to a commodity passage and a position retracted from the passage, for ejecting a commodity housed in the passage from the commodity passage by pushing it forward at the time of vending. SOLUTION: At the time of vending, the pusher is held at the protruding position by respectively locking a projection 22c with a stopper 21c and a large projection with a notched part 21d. Thus, a commodity S is pushed forward by a main body 22 of pusher and ejected from the commodity passage. When performing loading in such a state, for example, the pusher is manually moved to the rear end part of the commodity passage, further, the main body 22 is carried up, and the lock of the large projection due to the notched part 21d is canceled so that the main body 22 of pusher is moved to the side of the saving position. Then, the small projection is locked with a projecting lock part 21f so that the main body 22 of pusher can be held at the retracted position.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called showcase type vending machine in which a product to be actually sold can be viewed from the front. The present invention relates to a product storage and dispensing device for a dispensing vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a product storage and dispensing device for a vending machine of this type, there has been known a vending machine provided with a number of product racks which are horizontally arranged in a vending machine main body and which can be pulled out forward from the vending machine main body. ing. Each merchandise rack includes a merchandise path extending in the front-rear direction and accommodating a large number of merchandise arranged side by side, and a payout mechanism called a pusher for dispensing the merchandise arranged in the merchandise path. The pusher is configured to be movable between the front and rear ends of the product passage. At the time of sale, the product is paid out from the payout at the front end of the product passage by pressing the product at the last position in the product passage forward. . The goods paid out by the pusher are conveyed to a sales outlet.

[0003] In this product storage and dispensing apparatus, during loading, the product rack is pulled out from the vending machine main body to replenish the product in the product passage. When refilling the product, the newly refilled product must be placed behind the cooled last product in order to sell the cooled (or heated) product already stored in the product aisle first. From the position to the back side, and finally stored to the storage limit. In a normal vending machine, a so-called front-loading type product storage and dispensing apparatus that loads from the front side of the vending machine body as described above is employed. This is due to the fact that vending machines are often installed with their backs close to walls or the like, and only front loading is possible.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus, a newly replenished merchandise must be stored at the back (rear side) of the merchandise passage. When there is a space in the rear, a so-called back-loading type, in which loading is performed from the back side, is more advantageous than a front-loading type in terms of workability. In recent years, showcase-type vending machines have been increasingly installed in convenience stores and unmanned stores, and in these installation locations, there is often room for space behind the vending machines. In addition, there is a demand for a back loading type product storage and dispensing apparatus. However, in the conventional merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus, when changing to the back-loading type, the pusher is arranged in the merchandise aisle. Is in the way and cannot perform the loading operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and a back loading operation is easily and smoothly performed in a merchandise storing and dispensing apparatus of a vending machine which allows a user to see merchandise to be actually sold from the front. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine product storage and dispensing device which can perform the above.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine product storage and dispensing apparatus, comprising: a vending machine main body having a transparent front panel; and a plurality of commodities arranged in the vending machine main body. A product rack having a product passage extending in the front-rear direction for storage, the product rack configured to be accessible from the rear of the vending machine main body, and a product rack movable in the front-rear direction into the product passage and protruding into the product passage. It is configured to be openable and closable between a projecting position and a retracted position retracted from the product passage,
At the time of sale, a pusher for dispensing a product stored in the product passage by pushing the product forward from the product passage, first holding means capable of holding the pusher located at the protruding position, and a pusher located at the retracted position And a second holding means capable of holding

[0007] According to the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus of the vending machine, at the time of sale, the pusher pushes the merchandise forward and is discharged from the merchandise passage by being held by the first holding means at the protruding position. When loading is performed from this state, for example, the pusher is moved to the rear end of the product passage by hand, and the holding by the first holding means is released, and the pusher is moved to the retreat position side. Second in position
It is held by holding means. Thereby, even if the product is pushed forward from the rear side of the product path of the product rack, the pusher does not become an obstacle, and the backloading operation can be performed easily and smoothly. Furthermore, after the loading is completed, the holding of the pusher by the second holding means is released,
When the pusher is moved to the protruding position, the first holding means holds the pusher at the protruding position, so that the selling operation can be performed at the time of sale.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus of the first aspect, the pusher comprises:
A pusher body that is rotatably provided between the protruding position and the retreat position, is held by the first holding means at the protruding position, and is held by the second holding means at the retreat position, and pushes the product forward; Urging means for urging the pusher body toward the protruding position.

According to the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus of the vending machine, when the holding by the second holding means is released by, for example, operating the pusher body by hand after the end of the back loading, the pusher body is moved by the urging means. Is rotated to the projecting position side by the urging force of. Then, it is held by the first holding means at the projecting position. Thus, after the loading is completed, the pusher main body can be held at the projecting position by a one-touch operation, so that the loading operation can be performed efficiently.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus of the second aspect, the merchandise racks are arranged at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction with the open rear end of the merchandise passage. The vending machine main body is provided with an opening at the rear of the plurality of merchandise racks, and the pusher main body projects and retracts around a pivot axis extending vertically about the front end thereof. The pusher main body is arranged so as to be rotatable between the positions, and is located so as to protrude from the rear end of the product passage into the opening of the vending machine main body when in the retracted position and at the rear end of the product passage. Yes,
A back door is provided so as to open and close the opening of the vending machine main body by sliding in the left-right direction. It is characterized by having.

According to the merchandise storing and dispensing apparatus of the vending machine, when loading, when the rear door is slid in a direction to open the opening of the vending machine main body, for example, the pushers of a plurality of merchandise racks to be loaded are pushed. To the rear end of the product rack. Then, after each pusher body is held at the retracted position by the second holding means, the product is pushed in from the open rear end of the product path. After that, when the loading is completed and the rear door is slid in the closing direction, the rear door is moved to the pusher body protruding from the rear end of the product passage to the opening so as to release the holding of the pusher body by the second holding means. Abut This allows
The pusher body is released from being held by the second holding means,
It rotates to the projecting position by the urging force of the urging means. And the first
It is held at the projecting position by the holding means. In this way, the pusher bodies of a plurality of product racks can be returned to the projecting position at one time in accordance with the operation of closing the rear door at the time of loading, so that the work efficiency of the loading operation is improved and the pusher body is protruded. This prevents forgetting to return to the position, and the loading operation can be performed reliably.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2 or 3.
In the vending machine product storage and dispensing device according to the above, the pusher includes a guide member having a flat upper surface for guiding the product during loading, the upper surface of the guide member,
It is characterized by being arranged so as to be higher than the bottom surface of the product passage and to have the front edge portion forward of the pusher body at the projecting position.

According to the merchandise storing and dispensing apparatus of the vending machine, when the pusher is moved to the rear end of the merchandise passage during loading, the guide member also moves to the rear end of the merchandise passage. Then, when the replenishment product is pushed into the product passage while sliding on the upper surface of the guide member, the replenishment product is detached from the guide member after passing the front edge of the upper surface of the guide member,
It falls on the bottom of the product passage. Since the front edge of the upper surface of the guide member is disposed so as to be forward of the pusher body at the protruding position, the replenishment product is pushed to a position passing through the front edge, so that at the time of sale, Stored properly in a salable location. Therefore,
By the movement of replenishment products falling on the bottom of the product aisle,
It can be checked whether or not this is properly stored in the product passage, and the loading operation can be performed appropriately and easily.

[0014]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
A merchandise storage and dispensing device for a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1 to 3 show a vending machine 2 in which a product storage and dispensing device 1 according to one embodiment is incorporated. The vending machine 2 stores a large number of items S such as canned beverages and PET bottled beverages in a horizontal box-shaped vending machine main body 3 in a front-rear direction, and stores the products S in a transparent sliding front surface. Door (front panel) 3
This is a so-called showcase type that can be seen through a. The vending machine 2 includes the vending machine body 3 described above,
The apparatus includes a product storage and dispensing device 1 for storing and dispensing the product S at the time of sale, and a product unloading device 4 for receiving and discharging the product S paid out from the product storage and dispensing device 1 at the time of sale.

The vending machine main body 3 is formed by assembling a plurality of outer wall panels 3b in a box shape, and has two sliding doors 3a, 3a attached to an open front surface thereof. Each sliding door 3a is normally closed and locked, and is opened as needed at the time of maintenance or the like. Also, the back side of the vending machine body 3 is
It is opened rearward, and a back door (rear door) 3d is attached to the opening 3c. The back door 3d slides in the left and right direction to open the opening 3d.
c is opened and closed, is normally locked with the opening 3c closed, and is opened at the time of loading of the product S, and the product S is replenished as described later.

At the upper part of the vending machine main body 3, a cooling device 5 for cooling the product S is provided.
On the right side of a, there is provided a product outlet 6, a card insertion slot 7a into which a prepaid card is inserted, a control panel 7 to which a card reader, a ten-key type product selection button (none are shown), and the like are attached. Have been. The control panel 7 has a built-in control device including a microcomputer (not shown).

The product unloading device 4 includes a bucket 4a. The bucket 4a is provided in front of the product storage and dispensing device 1 so as to be movable in the vertical and horizontal directions. A pusher drive mechanism (not shown) is attached to the bucket 4a. At the time of sale, the control device drives the pusher 20 by the pusher drive mechanism as described later, thereby causing the product storage and payout device 1 to pay out the product S. Then, the commodity S paid out by the bucket 4a is received and transported to the commodity outlet 6.

Next, the structure of the product storage and dispensing apparatus 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the product storage and dispensing apparatus 1 has a rack frame 1 assembled in a vending machine main body 3.
And a number of product racks 11 mounted horizontally on the rack frame 10. The rack frame 10 has vertical frame members 10a, 10a, 10a arranged at equal intervals at three places on the left and right. The upper and lower portions of these vertical frame members 10a are connected by upper and lower horizontal frame members (not shown), and a side wall panel (not shown) is attached to the vertical frame members 10a. , Two left and right product storage rooms 10b, 10b are defined. Left storage room 1
0b, the upper and lower 10-stage product racks 11 are placed in the right storage room 1
In 0b, upper and lower nine levels of product racks 11 are stored side by side. As shown in FIG. 2, these product racks 11 are stored such that their front and rear ends are flush with each other.

As shown in FIG. 4, a commodity rack 11 has a rectangular shelf plate 12 and a plurality of partition walls 13 attached to the shelf plate 12, which partition the shelf plate 12 in the left-right direction.
And A merchandise passage 11a extending in the front-rear direction is defined between each of the two partition walls 13, 13 and between the right side wall 12b of the shelf 12 and the partition wall 13. Partition wall 13
Can change the mounting position with respect to the shelf 12 in the left-right direction, thereby changing the width of the product passage 11a. The front end of the product passage 11a opens forward and the product S
A payout port 11b for paying out the product S is formed.
c is formed. That is, this product rack 11
The product S is of a back-loading type in which the product S is replenished from the rear of the product passage 11a, and the same type of product S is stored in each product passage 11a. The shelf plate 12 is manufactured by bending a steel plate, and has a bottom wall 12a.
And left and right side walls 12b, 12b respectively bent upward from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 12a.
The left and right side walls 12b, 12b are fixed to the rack frame 10.

As shown in FIG. 5, the partition wall 13 includes a box-shaped partition wall body 14 which is long in the front-rear direction, and front and rear adapters 15 and 16 attached to the front and rear ends of the partition wall body 14.
A pusher 20 attached to the partition wall body 14 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the partition wall main body 14 has the same substantially rectangular vertically long cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction, and is manufactured by extruding an aluminum alloy.

A guide groove 14a extending in the front-rear direction is formed in the upper part of the right side surface of the partition wall body 14, and the upper and lower edges of the opening of the guide groove 14a protrude vertically in the right side surface. Upper and lower engaging projections 14b, 14b extend in parallel in the front-rear direction and in parallel with each other. A groove 14c having a rectangular cross section is formed in the center of the right side surface and extends in the front-rear direction parallel to the guide groove 14a. A timing belt 17 extending in the front-rear direction is provided in the groove 14c.
Is stored.

The front adapter 15 is a vertically long synthetic resin molded product, and is attached to the front end of the partition wall body 14. The front adapter 15 has a gear 15a made of synthetic resin.
Are provided rotatably about a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction, and the gear 15a is formed integrally with a pulley (not shown). The pulley of the gear 15a is constituted by a toothed pulley that meshes with the teeth of the timing belt 17,
When the gear 15a is driven clockwise by the above-described pusher driving mechanism, the pulley also rotates integrally therewith, and the timing belt 17 rotates clockwise.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the rear adapter 16 is also a vertically long synthetic resin molded product, and is attached to the rear end of the partition wall main body 14. The rear adapter 16 is provided with a pulley 16a, and the pulley 16a is attached to the holder 16b so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction. The above-described timing belt 17 is stretched between the pulley 16a and the pulley of the gear 15a. The holder 16b is urged rearward by two upper and lower coil springs 16c, 16c built in the rear adapter 16. Thus, the holder 1
6b is urged rearward by the coil spring 16c, so that the timing belt 17 is held in a stretched state.

Further, the pusher 20 presses the stored product S in the product path 11a forward during sales, and pushes the payout port 11b.
It is for paying out from. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the pusher 20 includes a support (guide member) 21, a pusher main body 22 that is attached to the support 21 and presses the product S in the product passage 11 a, and the support 21 that is rotatable. And two front and rear guide rollers 23 attached thereto.

The support 21 is manufactured by bending a metal plate, and includes a vertical portion 21a vertically arranged along the right side surface of the partition wall main body 14, and a vertical portion 21a.
And a guide portion 21b extending horizontally to the right from the lower end of the guide. The lower portion of the vertical portion 21a is connected to a horizontal lower portion of the timing belt 17, and by this connection, the pusher 20 moves forward with the clockwise rotation of the timing belt 17 as described above. I do.
The groove 1 of the partition wall main body 14 is provided below the vertical portion 21a.
Stopper (first holding means) 21 projecting leftward into 4c
c is formed (see FIGS. 6B and 8).

On the other hand, the guide portion 21b has a flat upper surface 21.
g. The upper surface 21g is arranged at a position at a predetermined height higher than the bottom surface of the product passage 11a, and serves as a guide surface for sliding the product S when loading the product S. A cutout (first holding means) 21d is formed at the right end of the front end of the guide portion 21b (see FIG. 8). The front edge of the guide portion 21b is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8A, the pusher body 22 is disposed so as to be located forward of the pusher body 22 at a protruding position described later. Greater than the thickness. Also, the guide section 21
b, on the right side of the rear end, a tapered portion 21 that is obliquely downward
e is formed (see FIG. 7), and at the left end of the rear end portion, a locking convex portion (second holding means) 21f having a cross-sectional shape of “C” bent upward is formed.

The pusher body 22 is manufactured by processing a metal plate. The pusher body 22 has a vertically long rectangular pressing portion 22a for pressing the product S, and the pressing portion 22a.
a at the left end of the connector a. The left end of the connecting portion 22b is attached to the center of the vertical portion 21a of the support 21 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, whereby the pusher main body 22 is moved to the position shown in FIG.
It is rotatable between a protruding position shown in FIG. 6A and a retracted position shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the pusher 20 is located at the rear end of the product passage 11a and the pusher body 22 is at the retracted position, the pusher body 22
The rear end protrudes into the opening 3c of the vending machine main body 3. Further, the pusher body 22 is movably mounted above the support 21 by a predetermined distance.

At the left end of the connecting portion 22b, a projection 22c is formed which projects into the groove 14c of the partition wall main body 14 (see FIGS. 7 (b) and 8). This projection 22c
When the pusher body 22 rotates from the retracted position to the protruding position, the pusher body 22 comes into contact with the stopper 21c of the support 21 and is locked. Further, the connecting portion 22b and the support 21
Is connected to a torsion coil spring (biasing means) 22d.
Is attached. This torsion coil spring 22d
Always urges the pusher body 22 downward and clockwise in FIG. Due to the rotational urging force of the torsion coil spring, the pusher body 22 is always held at the protruding position in a state where the protrusion 22c is locked to the stopper 21a of the support 21 so as not to rotate. When the pusher main body 22 is at the protruding position, the pusher main body 22 is in an attitude of being upright and orthogonal to the partition wall main body 14.

Further, a large projection 22e projecting downward from the right end thereof and a small projection 22f projecting downward from the center by a smaller amount than the large projection 22e are formed at the lower end of the pressing portion 22a. I have. The large projection 22e is provided at the projecting position so that the support 2 does not move backward when a downward biasing force is applied to the torsion coil spring 22d.
1 is engaged with the notch 21d, whereby
The pressing portion 22a is held at the protruding position even if the pressing portion 22a is pressed backward by the reaction force of the product S. When the pusher body 22 rotates from the retracted position to the protruding position, the large projection 22e slides on the tapered portion 21e of the support 21 by the rotational urging force of the torsion coil spring 22d and climbs the guide portion 21b. Move up.

On the other hand, the small projection 22f is
Is located lower than the upper end of the locking projection 21f and the distance from the center of rotation of the pusher body 22 is the same as the locking projection 21f when is in the retracted position. Further, as described above, the pusher body 22 is attached to the vertical portion 21a so as to be able to move upward by a predetermined distance. For this reason, by rotating the pusher main body 22 from the projecting position to the retracted position by hand, the small protrusion 22
f gets over the locking projection 21f and is locked by the locking projection 21f. Thus, the pusher body 22 is held at the retracted position. (See FIG. 7B). This locking projection 21
The small projection 22f is locked by the pusher body 22 by hand.
Is easily released by pressing the button toward the protruding position.

The front and rear guide rollers 23 are respectively attached to the support 21 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis extending in the left-right direction. These guide rollers 2
The reference numerals 3 and 23 are provided close to the left surface of the support 21 so that their rotation axes are horizontally aligned with each other. At the center of the outer peripheral surface of each guide roller 23, a U-shaped groove 23a is formed over the entire periphery. This U-shaped groove 23a
Are engaged with the upper and lower engaging projections 14b, 14b of the guide groove 14a of the partition wall main body 14 described above.
3 is accommodated in the guide groove 14a. As a result, the guide roller 23 is disengaged from the engagement protrusions 14b and 14
b, and can roll in the front-rear direction.

The pusher 20 is constructed as described above. When the product is sold, the pusher 20 has a bucket 4a.
The pusher drive mechanism drives the gear 15a to rotate the timing belt 17 clockwise in FIG. 7, whereby the pusher 20 moves forward and pays out the product S in the product passage 11a from the payout port 11b forward. .

With respect to the operation of the commodity storage and dispensing apparatus 1 configured as described above, first, the operation of dispensing the commodity S from the commodity passage 11a will be described. While waiting for sales,
As shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8A, the pusher body 22 of the pusher 20 is at the projecting position, and the front end of the guide portion 21b of the support 21 is in contact with the product S from behind. Then, at the time of sale, when the product purchaser inserts the prepaid card into the card insertion slot 7a, selects the product S and presses the product selection button, the control device determines the selected product S and drives the product unloading device 4. Thereby, the bucket 4a is moved to a position facing the payout port 11b of the commodity passage 11a for storing the selected commodity S, and stopped at that position.

Next, the pusher drive mechanism is driven, and the gear 1
By rotating 5a clockwise, the timing belt 17 is rotated clockwise. With the rotation of the timing belt 17, the pusher 20 moves forward,
The pusher body 22 and the front end of the guide portion 21b press the products S lined up in the product path 11a forward. At this time, the large protrusion 22 e of the pusher main body 22 is
The pusher body 22 is supported by the support 21 by the reaction force received from the product S, and presses the product S forward. As a result, the product S is transferred from the payout port 11b of the product path 11a to the bucket 4
It is paid out within a. After receiving the paid out product S, the bucket 4a moves to the product outlet 6, and the product S
Is paid out into the product outlet 6, and the selling operation is completed.

When the selling operation is performed as described above and the number of the products S in the product passage 11a decreases, the back loading is performed. To explain the back loading work, first, unlock the back door 3d,
By sliding, the opening 3c on the back side of the vending machine main body 3 is opened. Next, the pusher 20 is moved to the rear end of the product passage 11a by hand, for example. Thereafter, the pusher body 22 is manually lifted upward against the downward biasing force of the torsion coil spring 22d to release the engagement of the large projection 22e by the notch 21d. And
8 against the rotational biasing force of the torsion coil spring 22d.
The pusher body 22 is rotated from the protruding position shown in FIG. 8A to the retracted position shown in FIG. At the time of this rotation, by locking the small projection 22f to the locking projection 21f,
The pusher body 22 is held at the retracted position. Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the refill port 11c of the product passage 11a.
From the upper surface 21 of the guide portion 21b of the support 21
When g is pushed forward while sliding, the product S falls on the bottom surface of the product passage 11a at a position (the position indicated by the solid line in the drawing) that comes off the front end of the guide portion 21b. This makes it possible to determine whether or not the product S has been properly stored in the product path 11a.

The above-mentioned replenishment product S is supplied to the product passage 11a.
The replenishment product S can be stored almost completely in the product passage 11a by repeatedly pushing the replenishment product S forward in order. After the replenishment product S is stored almost completely in all the product passages 11a requiring loading, the pusher body 22 is returned from the retracted position to the protruding position. In this case, as described above, the locking projection 2
Since the locking of the small projections 22f by 1f can be released by pushing by hand, all the pusher bodies 22 at the projecting position can be returned to the retreat position side by pushing the individual pusher bodies 22 by hand. However, in the present embodiment, all the pusher bodies 22 at the release position can be pushed at once by the back door 3d.

The operation of pushing all the pusher bodies 22 at the projecting position toward the retracted position by the back door 3d will be described below. As shown in FIG.
When the back door 3d is slid in the direction to close the opening 3c of the vending machine main body 3, the back door 3d comes into contact with the rear ends of the plurality of pusher main bodies 22 projecting from the opening 3c one after another, and these are moved to the protruding position. Push to rotate to the side.
With this pressing force, the small protrusions 22 of each pusher body 22 are
f gets over the locking projection 21f, and the locking by the locking projection 21f is released. Then, the pusher main body 22 rotates to the projecting position side by the rotational urging force of the torsion coil spring 22d. At this time, the large projection 22e is
Slides on and climbs on the tapered portion 21e of the guide portion 2e.
Move up 1b.

When the pusher body 22 reaches the projecting position, the depth of the notch 21d of the guide portion 21b in the front-rear direction is greater than the thickness of the pusher body 22, and the product S comes into contact with the front edge of the guide portion 21b. By being in the position, the large protrusion 22e moves downward by the downward urging force of the torsion coil spring 21 and engages with the notch 21d.
As a result, even if a force that pushes the pusher body 22 backward acts, the pusher body 22 is locked in the notch 21d. At the same time, as shown in FIG.
c is locked to the stopper 21c so as not to rotate clockwise in FIG. Therefore, the pusher body 22 is held at the protruding position, and the selling operation becomes possible. As described above, by sliding the back door 3d, the pusher bodies 22 of all the loaded product passages 11a can be returned to the projecting positions at once.
Thereafter, the opening 3c on the back side of the vending machine main body 3 is closed, and the back door 3d is locked. Thus, the loading operation is completed.

As described in detail above, according to the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus 1 of the present invention, at the time of sale, the pusher 20 has the projection 22c engaged with the stopper 21c and the large projection 22e engaged with the notch 21d. Thereby, it is held at the protruding position. As a result, the product S is pushed forward by the pusher body 22, and is dispensed from the product passage 11a. When loading is performed from this state, for example, the pusher 20 is moved to the rear end of the product passage 11a by hand, and the pusher body 22 is further lifted upward to release the engagement of the large projection 22e by the cutout 21d. Thereby, the pusher main body 22 is moved to the retreat position side. And small projection 22f
The pusher body 22 is held at the retracted position by locking the pusher main body 22 to the locking protrusion 21f. Thus, even if the product S is pushed forward from the refill port 11c of the product passage 11a, the backloading operation can be performed easily and smoothly without obstructing the pusher body 22.

On the other hand, when the back door 3d is slid in the closing direction after the back loading is completed, a plurality of pusher bodies 22 are sequentially pushed to the projecting position side. By overcoming the stop projection 21f, the engagement by the engagement projection 21f is released, and the torsion coil spring 22d rotates toward the projecting position by the rotational urging force of the torsion coil spring 22d. Then, in the protruding position, the projection 22c is in contact with the stopper 21c and the large projection 22e.
Are locked in the notches 21d, respectively, thereby enabling a selling operation. As described above, after the loading is completed, the plurality of pusher bodies 22 can be returned to the projecting position at one time with the operation of closing the back door 3d, so that the work efficiency of the loading operation is improved, and the projecting position of the pusher body 22 is improved. The loading operation can be reliably performed. Further, the pusher main body 22 can be easily returned to the protruding position by a one-touch operation of pushing the pusher main body 22 to the protruding position side by hand.

When the replenishment product S is pushed into the product passage 11a while sliding on the guide portion 21b of the support 21 at the time of loading, the replenishment product S is moved to the guide portion 21b.
When it has passed the front edge of the product, it comes off and falls to the bottom of the product passage 11a. Since the front edge of the guide portion 21b is disposed so as to be ahead of the pusher main body 22 at the protruding position, the replenishment product S is pushed into the position passing through the front edge so that it can be sold at the time of sale. , Properly stored in a position where it can be sold. Therefore,
The movement of the refill product S falling on the bottom surface of the product passage 11a makes it possible to confirm whether or not the refill product S has been properly stored in the product passage 11a, so that the loading operation can be performed appropriately and easily.

In the above embodiment, the pusher body 22 is rotated about the vertical axis between the projecting position and the retracted position. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
May rotate around a rotation axis that is obliquely inclined or around a horizontal axis, or the pusher body 22 may linearly move (slide) between the retracted position and the projected position. Any configuration is possible as long as it is movable between the retracted position and the protruding position.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention, a back loading operation can be easily and smoothly performed in a merchandise storing and dispensing apparatus of a vending machine which allows a user to see merchandise to be actually sold from the front. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an external appearance of a vending machine to which a product storage and dispensing device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the vending machine.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a product rack.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a partition wall.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show the case where the pusher is in the protruding position and FIG.
It is a front view which shows the case where it is in an evacuation position, respectively.

7A is a side perspective view when the pusher is at a protruding position, and FIG. 7B is a side view when the pusher is at a retracted position.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show the case where the pusher is in the protruding position and FIG.
It is a top view which shows a case where there is an evacuation position.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Merchandise storage and dispensing apparatus 2 Vending machine 3 Vending machine main body 3a Sliding door (front panel) 3c opening 3d back door (rear door) 11 merchandise rack 11a merchandise passage 20 pusher 21 support (guide member) 21a stopper (first holding means) 21d Notch (first holding means) 21f Locking projection (second holding means) 21g Upper surface 22 Pusher body 22d Torsion coil spring (biasing means) S Product

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine main body having a transparent front panel, and a merchandise passage provided in the vending machine main body and extending in a front-rear direction for storing a plurality of products arranged in the front-rear direction. A product rack configured to be accessible from the rear of the vending machine main body; a projecting position that is movable in the front-rear direction within the product path and protrudes into the product path; and a retreat position that retreats from the product path. A pusher for dispensing from the product passage by pushing forward a product stored in the product passage at the time of sale, and capable of holding the pusher located at the projecting position at the time of sale First
Holding means, and a second capable of holding the pusher located at the retracted position.
And a holding means. 2. The pusher is rotatably provided between the projecting position and the retracted position, and is held by the first holding means at the projecting position and by the second holding means at the retracted position, respectively. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a pusher body for pushing the product forward, and biasing means for biasing the pusher body toward the protruding position. Product storage and dispensing device. 3. The merchandise rack includes a plurality of merchandise racks each having an open rear end of a merchandise aisle disposed at substantially the same position in the front-rear direction, and the vending machine main body is located behind the plurality of merchandise racks. The pusher body is configured to be rotatable between the protruding position and the retracted position around a rotational axis extending vertically about a front end thereof, and is located at the retracted position. And when it is located at the rear end of the product passage, the pusher body is disposed so as to protrude from the rear end of the product passage into the opening of the vending machine body, and the vending machine is slid in the left-right direction. Provided to open and close the opening of the main body, when closing the opening,
The device according to claim 2, further comprising a rear door that abuts on the pusher body protruding from the opening so as to release the holding by the second holding means. . 4. The pusher includes a guide member having a flat upper surface for guiding the product during loading, wherein the upper surface of the guide member is higher than a bottom surface of the product passage and a front edge thereof. 4. The product storage and dispensing device of a vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the device is disposed so as to be located forward of the pusher body at the projecting position.