JP2005228113A - Article pickup device of vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an article pickup device of a vending machine that can improve visibility of an article by mounting the carried-out article at a predetermined position and easily grasp the article. <P>SOLUTION: The article pickup device 20 of the vending machine equipped with an article receiving box 21 which receives the article W carried out of the machine while facing an article pickup opening 14 in the front is characterized in that the article receiving box 21 has a bottom plate 211 which is longitudinally sectioned in a concave shape while forming a concave part 26 larger than the width of the article W. Especially, the bottom plate 211 has a curved longitudinal section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an improvement in a product take-out device of a vending machine that sells various products such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, and plastic bottled beverages.

  For example, as a product take-out device of a vending machine that stores and sells various products such as canned drinks, bottled drinks and beverages in plastic bottles, in the form of facing the product outlet opening on the front of the vending machine, In general, a product receiving box for receiving a product taken out of the product is provided.

  In such a vending machine product take-out device, a product receiving box has been proposed in which a bottom plate serving as a product placing portion for placing a product is a flat plate (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-8-315230

  By the way, as for the various goods provided for sale, such as canned drinks, it is common that the external shape is a substantially cylindrical shape. Therefore, as described above, in the conventional product take-out device in which the bottom plate of the product receiving box has a flat plate shape, the product carried out of the machine rolls on the surface of the bottom plate. Does not become fixed. That is, it is not possible to regulate the position of the carried-out product. Thereby, there was a possibility that the user could not easily visually recognize the product carried out through the product outlet.

  In addition, since the position of the product that has been carried out cannot be regulated, it is difficult to always secure a space in the peripheral area of the product, and it may be difficult for the user to grasp the product.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to improve the visibility of the product by placing the delivered product at a predetermined position, and to take out the product of the vending machine capable of easily grasping the product. An object is to provide an apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a product take-out device for a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention is a product receiving box for receiving a product taken out from the machine in a mode facing a product take-out opening that opens to the front. In order to place the product, the product receiving box has a concave shape in a longitudinal section so as to form a recess larger than the width of the product. The product placement section is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a commodity take-out device for a vending machine according to the first aspect, wherein the commodity placement section has a curved longitudinal section.

  According to the product take-out device of the vending machine of the present invention, the product placing portion of the product receiving box has a concave shape in the form of forming a recess larger than the width of the product. The product thus placed can be positioned in the recess, that is, the position of the product taken out can be restricted, and thereby the visibility of the product can be improved. Moreover, since the said recessed part is larger than the width | variety of goods, sufficient space is ensured around the goods and there exists an effect that a user can grasp this goods easily.

  Exemplary embodiments of a vending machine product take-out device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vending machine to which a product take-out device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, the vending machine is for selling a product W such as a canned beverage or a beverage containing a plastic bottle, and includes a main body cabinet 1.

  The main body cabinet 1 is formed as a rectangular heat-insulating housing having an open front, and a plurality of independent storage boxes 3 (see FIG. 2) are provided in the left and right sides, although not clearly shown in FIG. It is installed side by side. These storages 3 are for storing the product W in a state of being maintained at a desired temperature. Each storage 3 is provided with a product storage rack 4 (see FIG. 2) for storing the product W, and a heat exchanger (not shown) is defined in a lower portion defined by the shooter 5 (see FIG. 2). The product W stored in the product storage rack 4 can be maintained at a desired cooling temperature or heating temperature by driving the heat exchanger.

  The vending machine is provided with a door 6 at one side edge of the main body cabinet 1. The door body 6 includes an inner door 6a (see FIG. 2) and an outer door 6b. The inner door 6 a has a size sufficient to cover the front surface of the storage 3 provided in the main body cabinet 1. On the lower side of the inner door 6a, there are provided outlets 7 (see FIG. 2) for the goods W carried out through the shooter 5, and each outlet 7 has a goods delivery for opening and closing the outlet 7. A door 8 (see FIG. 2) is provided.

  The outer door 6 b has a size sufficient to cover the front opening of the main body cabinet 1. The outer door 6 b is provided with a product selection button 9, a coin insertion slot 10, a bill insertion slot 11, an integrated display 12, a coin return slot 13, and a merchandise outlet 14 on the front side. On the other hand, a coin processor, a coin recovery box, and a banknote processor are provided on the rear surface side of the outer door 6b, though not shown in the drawing.

  The product selection button 9 is a push button switch for the user to select a purchased product. The coin slot 10 is an opening through which a user inserts coins. The coins inserted through the coin insertion slot 10 are identified in the coin processor, and then stored in the coin collection box. The bill insertion slot 11 is an opening for a user to insert a bill. The banknote inserted through the banknote insertion slot 11 is identified in the banknote processing machine 17 by its denomination. The bill insertion slot 11 has a function for returning bills that could not be identified by the bill processor 17. The integrated display 12 is for displaying various information to the user, such as the amount of money input, whether or not it is being sold, and whether or not there is change. The coin return port 13 is an opening for returning to the user a coin that could not be identified by the coin processor 15 or a coin to be changed. The product outlet 14 is an opening through which a user takes out the product carried out from the product storage rack 4. The product outlet 14 is provided with a product outlet door 15 for opening and closing the product outlet 14.

  2 and 3 show the product take-out device constituting the vending machine in FIG. 1, respectively, FIG. 2 is a sectional side view, and FIG. 3 is a rear view. 2 and 3, the product take-out device 20 of the vending machine is formed on the back side of the product take-out port 14 of the outer door 6b, and includes a product receiving box 21, a buffer material 22, and a plurality of block materials. 23 and a flapper member 24.

  The product receiving box 21 is arranged in such a manner that the product take-out port 14 faces from the back side, and is for receiving the product W carried out from the product storage rack 4 through the carry-out mechanism 4 a and the shooter 5. The product receiving box 21 includes a bottom plate (product placement unit) 211, a top plate 212, a pair of side plates 213, and a sheet material 214.

  The bottom plate 211 is disposed between the pair of side plates 213 and is used for placing the product W that has been carried out. As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom plate 211 has a curved longitudinal section, and a front edge portion is fixed to a lower edge portion of the product outlet 14 via a decorative frame member 25. Further, the bottom plate 211 has a recess 26 formed by such a curved shape. The recess 26 is larger than the maximum diameter (maximum width) of the product W carried out.

  The top plate 212 is disposed between the pair of side plates 213 and supports the flapper member 24. The pair of side plates 213 have respective front edge ends joined to the back surface of the outer door 6b, and support the bottom plate 211 and the top plate 212 from both sides. A plurality of through holes 27 are formed in the side plates 213 in portions slightly above the upper surface of the bottom plate 211. The plurality of through holes 27 are for discharging water, dust and the like to the outside of the commodity receiving box 21.

  Support pieces 28 that extend downward are formed at the lower portions of the side plates 213. The support piece 28 includes a drooping portion 281 that extends downward, and a horizontal portion 282 that is bent at a right angle from one edge of the drooping portion 281 toward the opposing side plate 213.

  The sheet material 214 is arranged so as to be curved in accordance with the shape of the bottom plate 211 of the commodity receiving box 21 so as to cover the surface (upper surface) of the bottom plate 211. The sheet material 214 is a flat plate manufactured by adding an antistatic agent to a resin material such as polyethylene.

  Further, the sheet material 214 has a front edge portion fixed and disposed via the decorative frame material 25 in the same manner as the bottom plate 211, while a rear edge portion is pressed by the cover member 29 to move in the vertical direction (the bottom plate 211. In a direction in which the movement in the direction away from the head is restricted. More specifically, the rear edge portion of the sheet material 214 is pressed and supported by the cover member 29 fastened to the rear edge portion of the bottom plate 211 by the fastening means 31, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. is there. Thereby, the movement of the trailing edge portion of the sheet material 214 in the direction away from the bottom plate 211 is restricted, but the movement in the front-rear direction is not restricted as shown in FIG. That is, the sheet material 214 has a front edge portion as a fixed end and a rear edge portion as a free end. Further, the movement of the sheet material 214 in the left-right direction is restricted by the side plate 213, although it is not clearly shown in the drawing.

  The buffer material 22 is formed of an elastic material such as polyurethane foam, for example, and exhibits a function as a cushion material. The buffer material 22 is disposed on the back surface of the sheet material 214. More specifically, the cushioning material 22 is affixed to a predetermined area of the sheet material 214, that is, a back surface of an area where the cushioning material 22 can come into contact with the unloaded product W. That is, the cushioning material 22 is disposed between the sheet material 214 and the bottom plate 211.

  The plurality of block members 23 are each formed of, for example, a plastic material. These block members 23 are arranged on the back surface of the lower edge portion of the product outlet 14 in the outer door 6b in a manner protruding into the product receiving box 21 and supported by fastening means (not shown). Moreover, the block material 23 is arrange | positioned for every predetermined space | interval, as shown in FIG.

  The flapper member 24 is disposed between the pair of side plates 213 inside the commodity receiving box 21 so as to be swingable along the front-rear direction. More specifically, the flapper member 24 includes an engaging portion 241 on the proximal end side and a bent portion 242 on the distal end side, and the engaging portion 241 is formed on the top plate 212 of the commodity receiving box 21. It engages with the locking pin 2122 of the stop piece 2121 and is disposed so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. Here, the engaging portion 241 is curved rearward as shown in FIG. 2, and is therefore detachable from the locking pin 2122. Accordingly, the flapper member 24 is detachable.

  Hereinafter, removal and storage of the flapper member 24 will be described. 6-10 is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the removal and accommodation of a flapper member, respectively.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6, the flapper member 24 is swung back and moved forward as shown in FIG. 7 while maintaining the state. As a result, the engagement state between the engaging portion 241 of the flapper member 24 and the locking pin 2122 of the top plate 212 is released. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8, the flapper member 24 is removed from the product take-out device 20 (product receiving box 21) by pulling the flapper member 24 rearward.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the removed flapper member 24 is allowed to enter below the product receiving box 21. More specifically, the flapper member 24 is inserted between the support pieces 28 of the pair of side plates 213 with the engaging portion 241 at the front and the bent portion 242 at the rear. As a result, the flapper member 24 is accommodated in such a manner that the engaging portion 241 is disposed on the back surface of the outer door 6b and the bent portion 242 is supported by the support piece 28 as shown in FIG.

  By storing the flapper member 24 in this manner, even when the outer door 6b is opened or closed, the support piece 28 restricts the movement of the flapper member 24 due to the inertial force. There is no fear of moving to the outside of the door 6b.

  As explained above, according to the product take-out device 20 of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, the bottom plate 211 of the product receiving box 21 forms a recess 26 that is larger than the width of the product W. Since the longitudinal cross section has a curved shape, the product W carried out can be positioned in the recess 26, that is, the position of the product W carried out can be regulated, whereby the product The visibility of W can be improved. Moreover, since the said recess 26 is larger than the width | variety of the goods W, sufficient space can be ensured around the carried-out goods W, As a result, a user can grasp this goods W easily. it can. Particularly, since the longitudinal section of the bottom plate 211 has a curved shape, the recess 26 can be formed without increasing the length of the product receiving box 21 in the front-rear direction more than necessary.

  Further, according to the product take-out device 20, a plurality of through holes 27 are formed in the pair of side plates 213 of the product receiving box 21, so that foreign matters such as water and dust enter the product receiving box 21. In such a case, the foreign matter can be discharged to the outside of the commodity receiving box 21. As a result, the foreign matter that has entered the product receiving box 21 can be easily discharged to the outside, thereby simplifying the cleaning operation. In particular, since the bottom plate 211 has a curved shape as described above, it is conceivable that foreign matter collects in the lowermost portion of the bottom plate 211. Therefore, the discharge hole 27 only needs to be formed near the lowermost portion of the bottom plate 211. .

  Furthermore, according to the product take-out device 20, since the sheet material 214 contains an antistatic agent, it is possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust from adhering to the surface of the sheet material 214 due to the action of static electricity. Can do. Further, since the sheet material 214 has a front edge portion as a fixed end and a rear edge portion as a free end and is arranged to be movable in the front-rear direction, the carried product W comes into contact with the surface of the sheet material 214. In this case, the sheet material 214 moves forward and absorbs part of the impact caused by the contact of the product W. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the rate of impact absorbed by the buffer material 22 being deformed in the thickness direction, and to extend the service life of the sheet material 214 and the buffer material 22. By using the trailing edge portion of the sheet material 214 as a free end, even if the bottom plate 211 has a curved shape as described above, the sheet material 214 is moved forward according to the surface shape of the bottom plate 211. be able to.

  Further, according to the product take-out device 20, since the cushioning material 22 is attached to the back surface of the sheet material 214, as described above, together with the sheet material 214 when the delivered product W comes into contact therewith. Can move forward. Therefore, a part of the impact due to the contact of the product W can be absorbed by the forward movement, and as a result, the ratio of the impact absorbed by the deformation in the thickness direction can be reduced, and the sheet material The service life of 214 and the buffer material 22 can be prolonged. Further, if the cushioning material 22 is disposed on the back surface of the sheet material 214, the cushioning material 22 can be replaced by removing the sheet material 214, and the cushioning material 22 can be easily replaced. it can. Furthermore, even if the bottom plate 211 has a curved shape as described above, it can be installed after being attached to the back surface of the sheet material 214, so that the replacement work is easy without being affected by the shape. Can be done.

  Furthermore, according to the product take-out device 20, the block member 23 is disposed on the back surface of the lower edge portion of the product take-out port 14 so as to protrude into the product receiving box 21. Without requiring a partition plate for partitioning the product receiving box, it is possible to prevent the product W in the machine from being stolen by entering the arm from the product takeout port 14. Since the partition plate is not required, there is a possibility that the user cannot easily see the product W carried out of the machine at the blind spot caused by the presence of the partition plate through the product outlet, or the product W that the user has taken out. There is no fear that it cannot be easily grasped. Therefore, it is possible to improve the visibility of the product W carried out and to easily grasp the product W. In particular, since the bottom plate 211 has a curved shape as described above, when the arm is entered from the product take-out port 14, the position of the elbow can be regulated by the shape, and the product W in the machine can be controlled. The anti-theft property can be further improved. Further, since the partition plate is not required, the flapper member 24 can be a single component having a size extending between the pair of side plates 213, and the number of components can be reduced.

  According to the product take-out device 20, since the support piece 28 is formed at the lower part of each of the pair of side plates 213 of the product receiving box 20, the removed flapper member 24 is engaged with the engaging portion 241 and the outer door 6b. The bent portion 242 can be accommodated in a manner supported by the support piece 28, and the support piece 28 can be used for the inertia of the flapper member 24 even when the outer door 6 b is opened or closed. Since the movement by force is restricted, there is no possibility that the flapper member 24 moves outside the outer door 6b and falls.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made. That is, in the product take-out device 20 according to the above embodiment, the vertical cross section of the bottom plate 211 is curved, but in the present invention, the vertical cross section may be bent.

  As described above, the product take-out device according to the present invention is useful for vending machines that sell various products such as canned beverages, bottled beverages, and plastic bottled beverages.

It is the front view which showed the vending machine to which the goods extraction apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention was applied. It is the cross-sectional side view which showed the goods taking-out apparatus which comprises the vending machine in FIG. It is the rear view which showed the goods taking-out apparatus which comprises the vending machine in FIG. It is the expanded sectional side view which expanded and showed a part of merchandise receiving box in FIG. It is the expanded sectional side view which expanded and showed a part of merchandise receiving box in FIG. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating removal of the flapper member in FIG. 2, and accommodation. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating removal of the flapper member in FIG. 2, and accommodation. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating removal of the flapper member in FIG. 2, and accommodation. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating removal of the flapper member in FIG. 2, and accommodation. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating removal of the flapper member in FIG. 2, and accommodation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Merchandise exit 15 Commodity take-out door 20 Commodity take-out device 21 Commodity receiving box 211 Bottom plate 212 Top plate 213 Side plate 214 Sheet material 22 Buffer material 23 Block material 24 Flapper member 25 Cosmetic frame material 26 Recess 27 Through hole 28 Support piece 29 Cover Member W Product

Claims (2)

In a product take-out device of a vending machine equipped with a product receiving box for receiving a product carried out of the machine in a mode facing a product take-out opening that opens to the front,
The product receiving box is provided with a product placement portion for placing the product, wherein the product has a concave shape in a longitudinal section in a form forming a recess larger than the width of the product. Vending machine product take-out device.   The product take-out device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the product placing section has a curved shape in longitudinal section.

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