JP2003044925A - Cup type beverage supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cup type beverage supply device which facilitates replenishing operation for raw materials, etc., and can be installed harmonizing with the inside of a room of an office, etc. SOLUTION: The cup type beverage automatic vending machine 1 for supplying beverage into a cup is equipped with a vending machine main body 2, a canister 13 which is built in the vending machine main body 2 and can supply raw materials of the drink from above, and an upper door 3 which is provided on the top of the vending machine main body 2 in a freely opening/closing state and opened to replenish the canister 13 with the raw materials.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cup-type beverage supply device applied to a cup-type beverage vending machine for selling various beverages such as coffee and tea.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a cup-type beverage vending machine includes a vertically long box-shaped vending machine body and a main door for opening and closing the entire front surface of the vending machine body. The main door has a product display, a product selection button, a money insertion port, a return port, and the like, and also has a product outlet for taking out a cup containing a cooked beverage to the outside. On the other hand, the main body of the vending machine has a height of about 1800 mm, and inside thereof, a plurality of canisters for storing powder raw materials, a cup container for storing a large number of cups stacked on top of each other, and tap water. There is provided a hot water tank for storing and heating, and a control device for controlling various devices in the main body of the vending machine so as to cook a predetermined beverage selected at the time of sale. Further, a raw material inlet for replenishing the powder raw material is provided on the upper part of each canister, while a cup inlet for replenishing the cup is provided on the front surface of the cup container. Further, in such a cup type beverage vending machine, at the time of sale, the lowest cup is dropped from a lower portion of the cup container to a predetermined position, and a predetermined amount of powder raw material is dispensed from a lower portion of the canister to drink the beverage. It is intended to be cooked, for this reason the canister and cup container are usually located in the upper half of the vending machine body. In such a vending machine, generally, the above-mentioned cup container and equipment such as a mixing bowl for agitating powdered raw materials with hot water are arranged on the front side of the inside of the vending machine, while the inside of the vending machine is inside. A canister is arranged on the side.

In this cup-type drink vending machine, when the powder raw material and the cup are replenished, first, the front main door is opened. Then, each canister is replenished with the powder raw material through the raw material charging port. Further, the cup container is replenished with a large number of cups stacked on each other through the cup insertion port. After the replenishment of these is completed, the main door is closed.

[0004]

As described above, since the canister and the cup container are arranged in the upper half of the vending machine main body, in the general vending machine main body having a height of about 1800 mm, The canister and cup container will be placed at a relatively high position. Moreover, the canister is located inside the vending machine,
It may be difficult to refill the canister with the powdered raw material or the cup container. Especially when the operator who replenishes them is a short person,
It may be necessary to replenish in an unreasonable posture,
In that case, it becomes more difficult to supplement the powder raw material and the cup. Further, when the vending machine as described above is installed in a room such as an office, its height is so high that it may be very noticeable and spoil the aesthetics of the office.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and can easily perform a work of replenishing raw materials and the like, and can be installed in a room such as an office in a coordinated manner. An object is to provide a beverage dispenser.

[0006]

A cup-type beverage supply device according to the present invention is a cup-type beverage supply device for supplying a beverage into a cup, and is a supply device main body and a built-in supply device main body. , A raw material storage container that can be replenished with beverage raw materials from above, and an upper door that is provided on the upper surface of the supply device body so as to be openable and closable and that is opened to replenish the raw material storage container with raw material. Characterize.

According to this structure, when the raw material is replenished in the raw material storage container, the upper door provided on the main body of the feeder is opened to open the upper surface of the main body of the feeder. Then, the raw material of the beverage is replenished to the raw material storage container from above the raw material storage container. In this case, for example, by lowering the height of the main body of the feeding device from the conventional one, when replenishing raw materials,
By simply opening the upper door and supplying the raw material into the raw material storage container from above, the raw material replenishing operation can be easily performed.

In this case, the height of the feeder main body is 100
It is preferably 0 mm or more and 1500 mm or less.

According to this construction, since the height of the main body of the feeding device is 1000 mm or more and 1500 mm or less, the operator who replenishes the raw material or the like does not have a problem with his / her height, that is, the operator who is short in height, Alternatively, even a tall operator can easily replenish raw materials without taking an uncomfortable posture. In addition, the cup-type beverage supply device having the height as described above is much lower than a conventional vending machine and is compact in size, so when it is installed in a room such as an office, it is not so much. It can be installed in harmony with the office without being conspicuous and without spoiling the aesthetics of the office.

In these cases, it is built in the main body of the feeding device,
A cup container capable of replenishing a plurality of cups from above is further provided, and at least one of the supply device main body and the upper door stores the remaining amount of the raw material in the raw material container and at least one of the cups in the cup container. It is preferable to have a remaining amount viewing window that is visible from the outside.

According to this structure, similarly to the above-mentioned raw material replenishment in claim 1, when the cup is replenished to the cup container, the upper door is opened and the cup is inserted into the cup container from above. Replenishment work can be easily performed. Further, the remaining amount of the raw material in the raw material storage container and at least one of the cups in the cup container can be visually confirmed from the outside through the remaining amount visualizing window provided in at least one of the supply device main body and the upper door. , Without opening the upper door,
It is possible to easily check the remaining amount thereof, thereby easily knowing when the raw materials and the cup should be replenished.

Further, in these cases, it is preferable to further include a maintenance door which is provided on one of the front surface and the side surface of the supply device main body so as to be openable and closable and which is opened for maintenance inside the supply device main body.

According to this structure, by opening the maintenance door which is openably and closably provided on one of the front surface and the side surface of the supply device main body, it is possible to easily access the inside of the supply device main body. Internal maintenance can be performed easily and efficiently.

In the above case, it is preferable that a drainage container, which is provided from the outside so as to be detachable from the outside, for storing drainage generated in the supply device body, is preferably further provided at the lower part of the supply device body.

According to this structure, since the drain container is detachably attached to the lower portion of the main body of the supply device from the outside, it is not necessary to open and close the door when exchanging the drain container. The container can be efficiently replaced.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 each show an automatic vending machine to which the cup-type beverage supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in both figures, the vending machine 1 is a cup-type beverage vending machine that supplies coffee, tea, or the like into a cup and provides it to a purchaser, and has a height of about 1300 mm. It is installed in the room such as. This vending machine 1
A vertically long box-shaped vending machine body 2 (supply device body) and an upper door 3 provided on the upper surface of the vending machine body 2 so as to be freely opened and closed.
It has and.

The vending machine main body 2 has a case 11 having an open upper surface and a front surface, and a front door 12 (maintenance door) provided on the front surface of the case 11 so as to be freely opened and closed. A plurality of canisters 13 (raw material storage containers), a cup storage device 14, and a control device 1 for controlling various devices in the vending machine body 2 including these.
5 etc. are built in. Case 11 and front door 1
Reference numeral 2 is made of a translucent acrylic resin or the like and has a light color. As a result, the inside of the vending machine body 2 is slightly visible from the outside.

The case 11 has an opening 11 on its upper surface.
a is slightly inclined to the front downward, so that along this,
The upper surface of each canister 13 is also inclined forward and downward.
On the other hand, the front door 12 is configured to open and close via a hinge 12a provided at the left end thereof, and by opening the front door 12, the inside of the vending machine main body 2 can be easily accessed. As a result, the inside of the vending machine body 2 can be easily and efficiently maintained. Further, the front door 12 is provided with three product selection buttons 16 having a circular front shape on the upper part thereof, a product outlet 17 having an elliptical front shape is provided below them, and further below it. Is a coin return opening 18 having an elliptical front shape.
Is provided.

In the rear half of the case 11, four canisters 13 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, and different powder raw materials are stored therein. Each canister 13 is made of a transparent or translucent material, and has a cylindrical canister body 13a with an open top surface,
It is composed of a lid 13c for opening and closing the opening 13b on the upper surface. In this canister 13, the powder raw material is replenished and stored through the opening 13b. At the time of sale, a predetermined amount of powder raw material is dispensed from the lower end portion of the canister 13 that stores the powder raw material for cooking the beverage product according to the selected beverage product.

The cup container 14 is arranged in the front part of the case 11. This cup container 14
Is made of a transparent or semi-transparent material, and has two accommodating portions 14a, 14a extending in parallel in the vertical direction,
A large number of cups stacked on top of each other are stored through the opening 14b at the upper end of each storage portion 14a. At the time of sale, from one lower end of both storage parts 14a, 14a,
The lowest cup is cut off and carried out to the cup stage (not shown) of the product outlet 17.

On the other hand, the upper door 3 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the rear end of the vending machine body 2 and has an opening 11 in the case 11.
It is configured to be rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction of the rear end between a closed position (a position shown in FIG. 1) for closing a and an open position (a position shown in FIG. 2). The upper door 3 is made of the same material as that of the case 11. Therefore, even when the upper door 3 is closed, the inside of the vending machine body 2 can be seen from the outside through the upper door 3. Although not shown in the drawings, the upper door 3 is provided with a money slot, an amount display portion, and the like, and a lock mechanism for locking the upper door 3 in the closed position and an open holding mechanism for holding the upper door 3 in the open position. ing.

The replenishment of the powder raw material and the cup by the operator O to the vending machine 1 configured as described above is performed as follows. First, the upper door 3 in the closed state is unlocked, the upper door 3 is rotated and held to the open position shown in FIG. 2, and the upper surface of the vending machine body 2 is opened. Next, the lid 13c of each canister 13 is opened, and a predetermined powder material is replenished from above through the opening 13b of the canister 13. After the replenishment is completed, the lid 13c is closed.
In addition, before and after supplementing the powder raw material, the cup container 14
A number of cups stacked on top of each other, opening 1
It is replenished from above into the storage portion 14a via 4b. As described above, after the powder raw material and the cup are replenished, the upper door 3 in the open position is pivoted to the closed position and locked, and the upper surface of the vending machine body 2 is closed.

As described above in detail, according to the vending machine 1 of the first embodiment, when the raw material is replenished, the upper door 3 is opened, the lid 13c of the canister 13 is opened, and the raw material is supplied to the canister 13. The material can be easily replenished by simply supplying the above from above. In addition, since the height of the vending machine 1 is about 1300 mm, which is significantly lower than that of a general vending machine and is compactly constructed, most operators O have a problem with their height. Not, that is, a short operator,
Alternatively, even a tall operator can easily replenish raw materials and cups without taking an uncomfortable posture. In addition, when installing the vending machine 1 in a room such as an office, It can be installed in harmony with the office without being noticeable and without impairing the aesthetics of the office. The height of the vending machine 1 is 10
The same effect can be obtained if the length is 00 mm or more and 1500 mm or less. Furthermore, the case 1 of the vending machine body 2
1. Since each canister 13 and cup container 14 are made of transparent or translucent material, the upper door 3
It is possible to easily visually recognize the powder raw material in each canister 13 and the remaining amount of the cup in the cup container 14 from the outside of the vending machine 1 without opening the.
It is possible to easily know when to refill the powder raw material or the cup.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In the second embodiment, the cup-type beverage supply device of the present invention is applied to a regular coffee vending machine with a mill. As shown in FIG. 3, the vending machine 21 includes a vertically long box-shaped vending machine body 22, and a drainage container 23 that is detachably provided at a lower portion of the vending machine body 22.

The vending machine body 22 has a case 31 having an open front surface, and a front door 32 provided on the front surface of the case 31 so as to be openable and closable. On the top plate of the case 31,
A canister 33 for coffee beans is provided passing through this in the vertical direction. An openable lid 33a is provided on the upper surface of the canister 33, and on the front side surface, four horizontally long windows in which the remaining amount of the coffee beans B in the canister 33 can be visually recognized from the outside are arranged vertically. Three
3b is provided. Therefore, these windows 33b
Via, the remaining amount of coffee beans B in the canister 33 can be confirmed. When the remaining amount is small, the lid 33a is opened,
Coffee beans B are replenished from above the canister 33.

In addition, a large number of cups C are provided in the case 31.
A cup storage device 34 that can store the left and right columns is arranged, and a part of the cup storage device 34 can be visually recognized from the outside through a cup remaining amount confirmation window 40 described later.

The front door 32 is adapted to be opened and closed via a hinge (not shown) provided at one of the left and right ends, and a plurality of product selection buttons 35 are provided on the upper front portion.
A coin slot 36 and an amount display 37 are provided, while an opening / closing lid 38 having a substantially circular front shape is provided at the lower front portion.
A merchandise outlet 38 having a and a coin return port 39 arranged below the merchandise outlet 38 are provided. Also, the front door 32
A cup remaining amount confirmation window 40 (remaining amount observing window) having a substantially rectangular front shape is provided in a central portion in the up-down direction. The cup remaining amount confirmation window 40 is made of a transparent or translucent material, and the remaining amount of the cup C in the cup container 34 can be visually confirmed through this.

On the other hand, the drainage container 23, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, has a box-shaped container body 41 with an open upper surface.
And a lid 42 provided on the upper surface of the container body 41 so as to be openable and closable. The lid 42 has a front end portion between a closed position (the position shown in FIG. 4A) that closes the upper surface of the container body 41 and an open position (the position shown in FIG. 4B) that opens it. Is configured to be rotatable around an axis extending in the left-right direction. Further, the lid 42 is biased to the closed position by a biasing means such as a spring (not shown), and is provided in the vending machine body 22 when the drainage container 23 is set in the vending machine body 22. With the opening mechanism,
It is driven to the open position against the biasing means. On the other hand, when the drainage container 23 is pulled out from the vending machine body 22,
The lid 42 is automatically returned to the closed position by the biasing means.

Further, a pair of left and right wheels 43, 43 rotatable about an axis extending horizontally in the left-right direction are provided on the lower front side of the container body 41, while a handle 44 is provided on the upper front side of the container body 41. Is provided. This handle 4
Reference numeral 4 denotes a horizontal handle body 44a having a length substantially equal to the lateral width of the container body 41, and the handle body 44a.
It has a pair of left and right telescopic rods 44b, 44b that are provided at both left and right ends of a and are configured to be telescopic. The telescopic rods 44b, 44b of this handle 44 are
1 (state shown in FIG. 4 (b)) and, if necessary, can be extended to approximately twice the height of the container body 41 (state shown in FIG. 4 (a)). ).

The drainage container 23 thus constructed can be directly attached to and detached from the lower part of the vending machine body 22 from the front side. As shown in FIG. 4 (b), the lid 42 is opened. Thereby, the drainage H generated in the vending machine body 22, for example, the drainage water at the time of washing or the dripping of the beverage at the time of sale can be stored in the container body 41 without leaking to the outside. When replacing the drainage container 23 with a new one, the used drainage container 23 is pulled out from the vending machine body 22 forward so that the lid 42 automatically pulls out the upper surface of the container body 41 at the same time. Will be closed to people passing by near the vending machine 21,
By being able to hide the dirty drainage,
It is possible to perform the replacement work of the drainage container 23 and the replenishment work of raw materials and the like without giving discomfort. Further, when the used drainage container 23 is moved after the replacement work of the drainage container 23 is completed, the handle main body 44a
Pull up to a relatively high position, hold this,
The drainage container 23 can be moved smoothly.

As described in detail above, according to this embodiment, the remaining amount of the coffee beans B in the canister 33 can be easily confirmed through the window 33b without opening the lid 33a of the canister 33. In addition, the remaining amount of the cup C in the cup container 34 can be easily confirmed through the cup remaining amount confirmation window 40 of the front door 32 without opening the front door 32. As a result, it is possible to easily know when the coffee beans B and the cup C should be replenished. In addition, the drainage container 23 is at the bottom of the vending machine body 22,
Since the drainage container 23 is directly detachable from the outside, the drainage container 23 can be replaced efficiently without opening and closing the front door 32 or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be carried out in various modes. For example, although the case where the present invention is applied to the cup-type beverage vending machine has been described in each of the above embodiments, the present invention can also be applied to a drink server that supplies various beverages such as coffee and tea. Also, the front door 12
Instead of or in addition to this, a maintenance door of the vending machine body 2 may be provided on the side surface of the vending machine bodies 2 and 22. In the vending machine 21 of the second embodiment, the height is 1000 mm or more and 1500
mm or less and the vending machine 1 according to the first embodiment
Similarly, an upper door that can be opened and closed may be provided on the upper surface of the vending machine body 22. In this case, as in the first embodiment, the operator does not take an unreasonable posture,
The coffee beans B and the cup C can be easily replenished, and the vending machine 21 can be installed in harmony with the office. Further, the detailed configurations of the vending machines 1 and 21 shown in each embodiment are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0033]

As described above in detail, the cup-type beverage supply device of the present invention has an effect that the replenishment work of raw materials and the like can be easily performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an automatic vending machine to which a cup type beverage supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which an operator opens an upper door in the vending machine of FIG. 1 in order to replenish powder raw materials and cups.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing an automatic vending machine to which the cup-type beverage supply device according to the second embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a drainage container set in the vending machine of FIG. 3, (a) showing a used drainage container pulled out from the vending machine body, and (b) showing a drainage container to the vending machine body. The drainage container at the time of setting is shown.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 vending machine 2 Vending machine body (supply device body) 3 Upper door 12 Front door (maintenance door) 13 canister (raw material storage container) 14 cup storage 23 Drainage container 40 cup remaining amount confirmation window (remaining amount viewing window) 41 container body B coffee beans C cup

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Toshiro Fujii             Sanyo, 5-20-8 Asakusabashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo             Electric Vending Machine Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Katsuhiko Adachi             Sanyo, 5-20-8 Asakusabashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo             Electric Vending Machine Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shingo Iwata             Sanyo, 5-20-8 Asakusabashi, Taito-ku, Tokyo             Electric Vending Machine Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 3E047 AA03 BA01 CA07 CA08 DA03                       DA08 DA10 GA07 GA09

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A cup-type beverage supply device for supplying a beverage into a cup, comprising: a supply device main body; and a raw material storage container that is built in the supply device main body and can replenish the beverage raw material from above. A cup-type beverage supply device, comprising: an upper door that is openably and closably provided on an upper surface of the supply device main body and that is opened to replenish the raw material storage container with the raw material. 2. The height of the supply device main body is 1000 m.
It is m or more and 1500 mm or less, The cup type beverage supply apparatus of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. The apparatus further comprises a cup container built in the main body of the supply device and capable of replenishing a plurality of cups from above, wherein at least one of the main body of the supply device and the upper door is inside the raw material storage container. The cup-type beverage supply device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a remaining amount observing window through which the remaining amount of the raw material and at least one of the cups in the cup container can be visually recognized from the outside. 4. A maintenance door, which is provided on one of a front surface and a side surface of the supply device main body so as to be openable and closable, and which is opened for maintenance of the inside of the supply device main body. Item 4. The cup-type beverage supply device according to any one of Items 1 to 3. 5. A drainage container is provided at the bottom of the supply device body so as to be detachable from the outside and stores drainage generated in the supply device body. The cup-type beverage supply device according to any one of 1 to 4.