JP2002279513A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine simple in structure and capable of facilitating loading of articles into an article column without being obstructed by a spring guide. SOLUTION: The spring guide 8 is laid vertically in a tensioned condition at an open front side of the article column 2, which houses the plurality of articles in stacked relation, for preventing the articles stored in the article column from falling from the front. Guide supporting mechanisms 15, 16 support respective upper and lower ends in particular of the spring guide laterally so that the upper and lower ends can be displaced, for example, along the width of or forwardly of the article column, and position the spring guide substantially in the center of the front side of the article column by use of tension of the spring guide. The guide supporting mechanisms are provided, for example, at respective upper and lower depth adjusters.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine which facilitates the operation of loading a product column with a product.

[0002]

[Related Background Art] A vending machine such as a cigarette is provided with a plurality of products (cigarettes) inside a vending machine main body 1 having a box-shaped housing as shown in FIG. A plurality of product columns 2 that are separately classified and stacked and stored are provided. Incidentally, these product columns 2 are provided by partitioning the inside of the vending machine main body 1 in the width direction by a partition (partition plate) 3 and further dividing the interior of the vending machine main body 1 vertically by a shelf plate as needed.

In the lower part of each product column 2, a product payout mechanism 4 for paying out the products stored in each product column 2 in order from the lowest position is incorporated. Products selectively paid out from each product column 2 are guided to a product outlet 7 via a chute 6 incorporated on the back side of a front door 5 provided on the front surface of the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable. It has become.

[0004]

By the way, each of the above-mentioned product columns 2 has, in particular, an open front side of a long product column 2 for mass product sales, and a front side of a product stored in the product column 2. A spring guide 8 is provided to prevent the product from dropping off and guide the product to the lower part of the product column 2. The spring guide 8 is formed of a linear body having a coil spring 8a at an intermediate portion thereof. For example, the spring guide 8 is stretched between a top plate 9 or an upper depth adjusting body of the product column 2 and a lower depth adjusting body 10. It is positioned at a substantially central portion on the front side of the product column 2.

To load a product into the product column 2 provided with such a spring guide 8, the spring guide 8 is displaced laterally or forward by hand or the like against the tension of the product, and the spring guide 8 and the aforementioned This is performed by expanding the space between the partition (partition plate) 3 and the partition. However, in the vicinity of the upper end portion or the lower end portion supporting the spring guide 8, the spring guide 8 cannot be largely displaced, so that the interval with the partition (partition plate) 3 cannot be sufficiently widened. Therefore, there is a problem that the presence of the spring guide 8 hinders the work of loading the product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object a simple configuration in which the operation of loading a product into a product column can be easily performed without being hindered by a spring guide. It is to provide a vending machine.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, a vending machine according to the present invention is provided so as to be vertically stretched on an open front side of a product column for stacking and storing a plurality of products. And a spring guide for preventing the articles stored in the article column from falling off from the front side, and in particular, the upper end and the lower end of the spring guide are arranged laterally, for example, in the width direction of the article column. And a guide support mechanism for positioning the spring guide substantially at the center of the front surface of the product column by using the tension of the spring guide.

The guide support mechanism is provided on an upper depth adjusting body and a lower depth adjusting body for adjusting the depth of the product column in accordance with the size of the product, for example. Preferably, the guide support mechanism includes a rotation end protruding from the front side of the product column and to which an end of the spring guide is attached, and the rotation fulcrum is provided at a position displaced in the vertical direction of the product column. (Claim 3). Alternatively, the guide support mechanism may include an engaging portion that forms a recess having a bottom at a substantially central portion of the front surface of the product column and locks an upper end portion of the spring guide, and / or a top portion at a substantially central portion of the front surface of the product column. The spring guide is realized as an engaging portion that locks a lower end portion of the spring guide.

That is, in the vending machine according to the present invention, the spring guide provided at the front side of the product column to prevent the products stored in the product column from dropping to the front side is provided at the upper end and the lower end thereof. Each is supported so as to be displaceable in its lateral direction (the width direction or the front direction of the product column), and is provided so as to be stably positioned substantially at the center of the front surface of the product column by the tension of the spring guide. The present invention is characterized in that the spring guide can be easily displaced to a position where it does not hinder product loading.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking a cigarette vending machine as an example. FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a main part of a vending machine according to this embodiment, and particularly shows only a configuration part of a product column 2. Multiple products (cigarettes)
The product column 2 for stacking and storing a plurality of partitioning plates (partitions) 3 fixed to the back plate 11 of the vending machine main body 1 forming, for example, a back wall surface extends the product storage space of the vending machine main body 1 in the width direction. Set by dividing. A product placement surface is formed at the lower part of each product column 2, and a product payout mechanism 5 for paying out products to the front in order from the lowest position is incorporated therein. In other words, each product column 2 has the upper surface of the product dispensing mechanism 5 as a product mounting surface, is partitioned by a back plate 11 provided at the back thereof and a side wall surface formed by the partition plate 3, and has a front surface open. It is realized as a vertically long product storage space.

In the lower part of the front side of the product column 2,
A lower depth adjuster 12 is provided above the commodity payout opening of the commodity payout mechanism 5. The lower depth adjusting body 12 is attached to the partition plate 3 so as to be adjustable in front and rear, for example, and the mounting position is adjusted according to the size of the product (length of the tobacco package). An upper depth adjusting member 14 is provided on the top plate 13 of the product column 2 so that the position can be adjusted forward and backward. The mounting position of the upper depth adjusting member 14 is also adjusted according to the size of the product.

Basically, in the product column 2 configured as described above, this embodiment is characterized in that the product column 2 is positioned on the open front side of the product column 2 to store the product stored in the product column 2. The point is that a spring guide 8 for preventing falling off to the front side is stretched between guide support mechanisms 15 and 16 incorporated in the upper depth adjusting member 14 and the lower depth adjusting member 12, respectively. These guide support mechanisms 15 and 16 are provided at substantially the center of the product column 2 in the width direction, and play a role of extending the spring guide 8 to the substantially center of the product column 2 in the vertical direction. .

The guide supporting mechanisms 15 and 16 are, for example, protruding toward the front side of the product column 2 so that the ends of the spring guides 8 are attached thereto, as shown in FIG. End 15a, 16a, and the rotation fulcrum 15b, 16b is displaced in the vertical direction of the product column 2 (top plate 13 side and lower depth adjustment member 1).
2 (central part of 2). Then, with the rotation of each rotating lever body, each of the above rotating ends 15a, 16
a can be rotated and displaced in the width direction of the product column 2, respectively.

According to the mounting structure in which the spring guide 8 is stretched between the guide supporting mechanisms 15 and 16 (rotating ends 15a and 16a of the rotating lever body), the tension (spring) Due to the tension of the coil spring 8a provided at the center of the guide 8, the rotating ends 15a and 16a of the guide support mechanisms 15 and 16 are pulled to the positions closest to each other and stabilized. Thus, the guide support mechanism (rotating lever body) 15,1
As described above, the spring guide 8 is provided substantially at the center of the product column 2 in the width direction.
Will be stretched over the product column 2 approximately vertically at the center on the front side.

When a lateral force is applied to the spring guide 8 by hand or the like, the spring guide 8 is bent and displaced in the lateral direction while extending against the tension of the coil spring 8a. Accordingly, the guide supporting mechanisms (rotating lever bodies) 15 and 16 are also rotated and displaced in the lateral direction. In particular, when a portion that applies a force to the spring guide 8 by hand or the like is near the upper end or the lower end of the spring guide 8, the force is large with respect to the guide support mechanisms (rotating lever bodies) 15, 16. By acting, the guide support mechanisms (rotating lever bodies) 15, 16 are largely displaced in the lateral direction.

As a result, it is possible to form a wide space between the partition plate (partition) 3 forming the side wall surface of the product column 2 and the spring guide 8, so that the operation of storing the product in the product column 2 can be performed. It is possible to proceed efficiently. Then, after the loading of the product is completed, if the force (hand or the like) displacing the spring guide 8 in the lateral direction is removed, the spring guide 8 attempts to return to the lower length by the tension (elastic return force) of the coil spring 8a. Accordingly, the guide support mechanism (rotating lever body) 15, 16
Return to a stable state where they are pulled to the closest position to each other. Then, the spring guide 8 is again positioned at a substantially central portion on the front side of the product column 2 and performs an intended function.

According to the vending machine constructed as described above, the product has a simple structure in which the upper and lower ends of the spring guide 8 are supported by the guide support mechanisms 15 and 16 so as to be movable in the lateral direction. The operation of loading the product into the column 2 can be effectively facilitated. In addition, the spring guide 8 returns to the original center position due to the tension only by releasing the force for displacing the spring guide 8 in the lateral direction, so that the products stored in the product column 2 can be reliably prevented from falling off. Therefore, the product can be stored in the product column 2 without being hindered by the spring guide 8 even though the structure is simple, and a great effect can be obtained in practical use.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the guide support mechanism 15 is realized as an engagement portion (rim) 21 that forms a concave portion having a bottom at a substantially central portion of the front surface of the product column 2 and locks an upper end portion of the spring guide 8 as shown in FIG. Similarly, the guide support mechanism 16 may be formed as an engaging portion that forms a recess having a top portion substantially at the center of the front surface of the product column 2 and locks the lower end portion of the spring guide 8. . In this case, the shape of the engaging portion 21 is an arc, but it may be a U-shape or a V-shape.

According to the guide support mechanisms 15 and 16 including the engaging portions 21, the upper end and the lower end of the spring guide 8 slide into the bottom (or the top) of the concave portion of the engaging portion 21 due to the tension. Only when a lateral displacement force is applied by a hand or the like, it moves and displaces to the lateral position in the engaging portion 21 while extending against the coil spring 8a. Therefore, the same effects as in the previous embodiment can be obtained. However, in this case,
Spring guide 8 engaged with engaging portion 21 forming a concave portion
Must be configured such that the end of the is smoothly displaced in the lateral direction. Therefore, it is also useful to incorporate a guide roller or the like at the end of the spring guide 8.

In each of the above embodiments, the spring guides 8 are provided at the upper end and the lower end of the product column 2.
Are provided so as to be displaceable in the lateral direction, but it is also possible to provide only one of them so as to be displaceable in the lateral direction. Here, the upper guide support mechanism 15 is connected to the upper depth adjusting member 1.
4 is incorporated, but it is also possible to incorporate it directly into the top plate 13. It is also possible to support the end of the spring guide 8 on the front side of the product column 2 so as to be displaceable. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist thereof.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, the products stored in the product column provided on the open front side of the product column so as to be stretched in the vertical direction are prevented from falling off from the front side. The upper end and / or the lower end of the spring guide to be prevented is supported so as to be displaceable in the lateral direction by using a guide support mechanism, and the spring guide is tensioned by using the tension of the spring guide to substantially center the front of the product column. Since the structure is such that the spring guide is positioned in the product section, the spring guide can be easily displaced in the lateral direction, and the work of loading the product into the product column can be facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, particularly showing a component column of a product column.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a modification of the guide support mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the internal structure of a vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Commodity column 3 Partition plate (partition) 5 Commodity payout mechanism 8 Spring guide 12 Lower depth adjustment body 14 Upper depth adjustment body 15 Guide support mechanism (rotary lever body) 16 Guide support mechanism (rotary lever body) 21 Guide support mechanism (Engagement part; rim)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A product column for stacking and storing a plurality of products, a product column being provided on an open front side of the product column in a vertically extending manner, and being provided in the product column from the front side. A spring guide for preventing falling off, an upper end and / or a lower end of the spring guide being supported so as to be displaceable in the lateral direction, and using the tension of the spring guide to place the spring guide substantially at the center of the front surface of the product column. And a guide support mechanism for positioning the vending machine. 2. The automatic guide according to claim 1, wherein the guide support mechanism is provided on an upper depth adjusting body and a lower depth adjusting body that adjust the depth of the product column according to the size of the product. Vending machine. 3. The guide support mechanism has a turning end protruding from the front side of the product column and having an end of the spring guide attached thereto, and a position where the turning fulcrum is displaced in the vertical direction of the product column. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, comprising a lever body provided in the vending machine. 4. The guide support mechanism may include an engaging portion that forms a recess having a bottom substantially at the center of the front surface of the product column and locks an upper end of the spring guide, and / or a front surface of the product column. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising an engaging portion that forms a concave portion having a central portion as a top and locks a lower end portion of the spring guide.