JP2001167344A - Article vending device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable one article vending device, which vends articles suspended from a spiral coil fitted to a support through suspenders, to smoothly supply the articles in order and vend articles of different quantity, size, and kind. SOLUTION: A vending unit 2 is equipped with a spiral coil 15 which is arranged in a storage part 12 storing articles 4 and rotated on an axis intermittently by a motor 16 to send the articles 4 suspended by hooks 17 engaged with the coil in a tip side in order and separate them, a support body 14 which is inserted into the spiral coil 15 and supports the spiral coil 15, and a rotation stop part 14c which is provided to the support body 14 and stops the hooks 17 and articles 4 from rotating as the spiral coil 15 rotates. Plural vending units 2 are combined through connecting members.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of arranging a plurality of articles such as a card and a mascot doll on a spiral coil provided in a storage section and suspending the spiral coil. The present invention relates to an article sales device that sells by detaching from the tip.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an article selling apparatus of this kind, for example, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-305912 has been disclosed.

[0003] This involves arranging a columnar central rod as a support on the central axis of a horizontal spiral coil and storing a plurality of articles by hooking the central rod between adjacent turns of the spiral coil. The spiral coil and the central rod are intermittently rotated about a central axis to sequentially feed the entire article to the distal end side of the spiral coil, and detach and supply the most advanced article.

[0004]

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No.
The article sales apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 0-305912 hooks a ring as a hook portion directly on a central rod between adjacent spiral coils, and suspends articles on the ring, so that when rotating and sequentially feeding, the article is suspended. Due to the load of the article, sliding friction is generated between the center rod and the ring, and the outer surface of the center rod is rough, or when the article is a heavy article, the frictional force is too large. In many cases, it is not possible to smoothly advance in the axial direction, and a feeding problem may occur on the way.

[0005] On the other hand, this kind of conventional article selling apparatus has one or a plurality of spiral coils mounted in a storage section in a horizontal direction, and the quantity and size of articles that can be sold by one article selling apparatus are limited. Because of the restriction, the quantity, size, and type of articles to be stored could not be appropriately increased, decreased, or changed. In addition, since only the same type of articles can usually be hung, in order to simultaneously sell different sizes and types of articles, it is necessary to install an article sales apparatus for each article.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a method of selling a plurality of articles via a hanger on a spiral coil fitted to a support, wherein the articles are supplied smoothly and sequentially, and articles of different quantities and types are provided. It is an object of the present invention to provide an article sales apparatus capable of selling a single product.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article sales apparatus which is provided in a storage section for storing articles, and which is intermittently rotated about an axis by driving means and engaged therewith. A spiral coil that sequentially feeds and suspends the articles suspended in the hanging tool to the distal end side, a support that is inserted between the spiral coils and supports the spiral coil, and is provided on the support. A rotation preventing unit configured to prevent the hanging tool and the article from rotating following the rotation of the spiral coil.

[0008] The article selling apparatus according to claim 2 is the first aspect of the present invention.
Are combined with each other via a connecting member.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an article sales apparatus.
Alternatively, the support according to claim 2 is formed in a columnar or tubular shape, and the rotation preventing portion is formed by cutting a part of the support in the axial direction.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, an article sales apparatus 1 stores articles, stores a plurality of sales units 2 each having an outlet individually in an outer frame 1a by combining them vertically and horizontally, and stores them in an outer frame 1a. The money input unit 3 is attached to the outer frame 1a. Articles 4 of the same type and the same size are stored in each sales unit 2, but all the sales units 2 may be the same or may have different sizes and shapes.

Each sales unit 2 is, as shown in FIG.
In the vertical direction, after stacking, the connecting rod 5 is inserted into the connecting hole 28 of the selling unit 2, and the connecting rod 5 of the example is connected to the uppermost selling unit 2 by using a thumb screw 6 and a bolt (not shown) at the upper end. It is attached to the top plate. Other connecting rod 5
With regard to (2), a stopper 7 having a through hole 7a at the upper end is integrally attached, and a lock 8 is attached to the through hole 7a for locking, thereby preventing the connecting rod 5 from being removed upward without permission. are doing. Rearrangement of the sales unit 2,
Expansion can be performed by releasing the lock 8 and removing the connecting rod 5. As shown in FIG. 3, the connection of the sales units 2 in the left-right direction can be performed by providing a connection plate 9 between the sales units 2 and attaching the connection rods 5 similarly.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the sales unit 2 is divided into a storage section 12 for storing the articles 4 in the outer box 11, and a take-out section 27 for taking out the articles 4.
The storage unit 12 pulls a handle 21 attached to the front side toward the front, so that a roller 19 mounted on the outer wall of the storage unit 12 runs on a slide rail 18 provided horizontally on the inner side wall of the outer box 11. And the whole can be pulled out to the near side. Further, a pair of roller catches 20 for holding a roller (not shown) attached to the outer wall of the storage portion 12 when the storage portion 12 is pushed in are mounted on inner side walls on both sides of the outer box 11.

A support 14 having a half-circular structure as shown in FIG. 7 is horizontally mounted on the front surface of the storage section 12, and a spiral coil 15 is provided on the outer periphery of the support 14 around the axis. And a motor 16 for rotationally driving the spiral coil 15 is attached. This motor 16 has a spiral coil 15
A known motor that operates so as to rotate intermittently once is used. A hook 17 is suspended from the lower end of each coil of the spiral coil 15, and an article 4 is attached to each hook 17. The support member 14 is a mounting portion 1 that is mounted on the front back surface of the storage portion 12.
The portion of the main body 14b excluding the portion 4a has a half-split structure cut up and down along the axial direction, and the cut end face along the axial direction has a hook 17 following the rotation of the spiral coil 15 in the circumferential direction. Rotation blocking part 14c that blocks movement
Is formed.

As shown in FIG. 4, a confirmation window 22 for confirming the presence of the article 4 is formed on the front surface of the storage section 12. Further, a hopper 26 is provided on the bottom wall of the storage section 12 for receiving the dropped article 4 detached from the spiral coil 15 and guiding the dropped article 4 into a take-out section 27 therebelow. And, on one outer wall of the storage section 12,
As shown in FIG. 6, a locking piece 25 formed in an L-shaped plate is attached, and a lock 23 at a front corner of the outer case 11 is provided.
By inserting a key into the lock member and turning it 90 degrees clockwise, it engages with the locking piece 25 to prevent another person from pulling out the storage section 12 without permission.

Next, a space for accommodating the articles 4 dropped from the storage section 12 is formed on the bottom surface of the take-out section 27, and a take-out lid that pivots toward the inside of the take-out section 27 around the hinge 13a on the front surface. 13 are attached. However, this does not prevent the take-out lid 13 from rotating and opening outside the sales unit 2, that is, toward the front side.

On the other hand, although not shown, the cash input unit 3 is connected to a sales management unit having a built-in computer by a cable, and the sales management unit and each sales unit 2 are connected by a cable. By pressing a push button 29 provided on each sales unit 2 by means, unlocking (not shown) is released, and the take-out lid 13 is pushed into the take-out portion 27 side so that the article 4 dropped into the take-out portion 27 can be taken out. I have.

Next, a description will be given of the sale of an article by the article selling apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above.

The purchaser checks the type and existence of the article 4 stored in the confirmation window 22 of each sales unit 2 of the article sales apparatus 1 or, although not shown, each sales unit 2
The user checks the display board or the like on which the name of the article 4 stored in the front of the vehicle is described, and inserts predetermined money into the money input unit 3. Next, when the purchaser presses the push button 29 of the predetermined sales unit 2, the motor 16 makes one rotation by a well-known control means, and accordingly, the spiral coil 15 makes one rotation around the axis. Then, every time you purchase, the spiral coil 15
Of the article 4 sent to the tip of the spiral coil 15 is separated from the tip of the spiral coil 15 by one piece, and the hopper 26 and the take-out section 2 are integrated with the article 4.
Fall into 7. At the same time, the lock (not shown) of the take-out lid 13 is released. Then, the purchaser can push out the take-out lid 13 inside to take out the article 4 that has fallen into the take-out section 27.

Here, the hook 17 to which the article 4 is attached is shown.
Is slid on the contact surface of the spiral coil 15 and is always suspended vertically downward with respect to the spiral coil 15 that rotates. That is, the spiral coil 1
If the sliding surface of the hook 5 or the hook 17 is rough or the weight of the article 4 is large, the spiral coil 15 and the hook 1
7, a large frictional force is generated and the sliding resistance acts.
There is a possibility that the hook 17 follows the movement of the spiral coil 15 integrally with the article 4 and turns about the spiral coil 15. However, since the support 14 is provided with the rotation preventing portion 14 c, the hook 17 and the article 4 Is prevented from rotating by the rotation preventing portion 14c, so that it does not rotate upward following the spiral coil 15. For this reason, the hook 17 and the article 4 can be smoothly moved to the distal end side without disturbing the forward feeding of the hook 17 and the article 4, and can be separated and dropped at the foremost end.

When the take-out lid 13 is pushed in, the take-out lid 13 substantially closes the opening of the hopper 26. Therefore, the purchaser puts his hand in the hopper 26 and removes the article 4 suspended by the spiral coil 15. You can't do that and prevent theft.

Next, when replenishing and replacing the article 4,
As shown in FIG. 8, after the key is inserted into the lock 23 and the lock fitting 24 is rotated counterclockwise by 90 degrees to release the engagement with the locking piece 25, the handle 21 is grasped and the sales unit is grasped. 2 can be pulled out.

As described above, the article sales apparatus of this embodiment is
The motor 16 is disposed in the storage section 12 for storing the article 4.
A spiral coil 15 that intermittently rotates about an axis and sequentially feeds and detaches the articles 4 suspended by the plurality of hooks 17 hooked to the tip, and
A support 14 inserted between the spiral coils 15 and supporting the spiral coil 15;
And a rotation preventing portion 14c for preventing the hook 17 and the article 4 from rotating following the rotation of the spiral coil 15.
Are combined via a connecting rod 5 and a connecting plate 9.

Therefore, when selling a plurality of articles 4 using the hook 17 as a hanging tool on the spiral coil 15 fitted on the support 14, the hook 17 is turned by the rotation preventing portion 14c of the support 14. Spiral coil 1
5 can be prevented from rotating following the rotation of the product 5, whereby the product 4 is smoothly and reliably fed in order without disturbing the feeding of the product 4, and is moved to the tip of the spiral coil 15. Can be supplied.

Also, by assembling a plurality of identical sales units 2 vertically and horizontally, or assembling a plurality of sales units 2 having different storage volumes, spiral coils 15 and the like, to assemble one sales apparatus. Using a single money input unit 3 in common, a single vending machine can simultaneously sell a plurality of articles of different types and sizes, and can provide vending machines that match the sales volume. It is possible to easily respond to changes in the type and size of the article. As a result, for example, by assembling the sales unit 2 up and down, it is possible to cope with a place where the installation area is small. Also, the layout of the sales units 2 can be freely changed, for example, a sales unit 2 for selling the goods 4 for infants can be provided in the lower section, or the goods 4 can be taken out between the sales units 2 depending on the installation location. The direction can be changed.

Incidentally, the rotation preventing portion 14c of the above embodiment is used.
Has a structure in which the spiral coil 15 of the support 14 is fitted into a half-section structure of a circular tube or a column, and is formed on the notch end face thereof. The rotation preventing unit 1 is not limited to
4c is, for example, one-fourth of the annular portion of the tube or cylinder.
It can also be formed by notching only, or by providing a slit of a certain width along the axial direction in the circular tube. Also, the support 14
May be formed in a prism instead of a circular tube or a column.

Further, in the above embodiment, the hook 17 is used as a hanging tool of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a ring-shaped tool may be used.

The spiral coil 15 housed between the sales units 2 may be a single spiral coil, or a plurality of spiral coils 15 may be juxtaposed vertically and horizontally.

Although the article sales apparatus 1 has a plurality of sales units 2 housed in an outer frame 1a, the outer frame 1a is not always required.

[0030]

As described above, the article sales apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is disposed in the storage section for storing the articles, and is intermittently rotated about the shaft by the driving means and is hooked on the article. A spiral coil that sequentially feeds and suspends the articles suspended by the plurality of suspenders to the distal end side, a support that is inserted between the spiral coils and supports the spiral coil, and provided on the support. And a rotation preventing portion for preventing the hanging tool and the article from rotating following the rotation of the spiral coil. Therefore, when selling a plurality of articles using a hanger to the spiral coil fitted to the support,
The rotation preventing portion of the support can prevent the suspension tool from rotating following the rotation of the spiral coil.
Smoothly and surely forward the article without disturbing the feeding of the article and move it to the tip of the spiral coil,
It can be supplied to the take-out part.

Further, the article selling apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention
A plurality of the article selling devices according to claim 1 are combined via a connecting member. Therefore, in particular, a plurality of sales units are assembled vertically and horizontally to assemble one sales device, whereby one cash input unit 3 can be used in common, or a plurality of sales units of different types and sizes can be used. Can be sold at the same time, and a vending machine suitable for the sales quantity can be provided.

Further, the article selling apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention,
The support according to claim 1 or 2 is formed in a columnar or tubular shape, and the rotation preventing portion is formed by cutting a part of the support in the axial direction. Therefore, in particular, the rotation preventing portion can be formed easily and inexpensively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an article sales apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a vertically connected state of the sales units of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a connected state of the sales units of FIG. 1 in the left-right direction.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the sales unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the inside of the sales unit of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a support and a spiral coil of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the storage unit of FIG. 5 is pulled out.

[Description of Signs] 1 Article sales apparatus 2 Sales unit 4 Article 5 Connecting rod 9 Connecting plate 12 Storage section 14 Support 14c Rotation preventing section 15 Spiral coil 16 Motor 17 Hook

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An article, which is disposed in a storage section for storing articles, is intermittently rotated about an axis by a driving means, and successively moves the articles suspended by a plurality of hanging tools hooked on the tip. A spiral coil that is fed to the side and detached, a support that is inserted between the spiral coils and supports the spiral coil, provided on the support, and the hanging tool and the article as the spiral coil rotates. And an anti-rotation part for preventing the following from rotating. 2. An article, which is disposed in a storage section for storing articles, is intermittently rotated about an axis by a driving means, and is sequentially moved to a tip end by a plurality of suspenders hung thereon. A spiral coil which is fed to the side to be detached, a support inserted between the spiral coils and supporting the spiral coil, and the suspension tool and the article provided on the support, with the rotation of the spiral coil An article selling apparatus comprising: a plurality of article selling units each including a rotation preventing unit for preventing rotation of the article following the rotation of the article via a connecting member. 3. The support according to claim 1, wherein the support is formed in a cylindrical shape or a tubular shape, and the rotation preventing portion is formed by cutting a part of the support in an axial direction. The article sales apparatus according to claim 2.