JP2011165075A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine which has versatility and of which the image is changed while attaining cost reduction. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic vending machine is provided with: a rectangular body cabinet 10 having an opening on the front face; a front door 20 arranged in such a manner that the front opening of the body cabinet 10 is opened and closed; and a cover body 30 which is attached in such a manner that at least a portion of the front face of the front door 20 is covered, and has merchandise selection buttons 33 for selecting merchandise and a transparent panel 323 on which flavor cards 50 having a merchandise image plotted are mounted so as to be visually recognized from the front part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly to a vending machine that sells merchandise such as beverages in a state of being put in a cup.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vending machines installed in various locations have been changed in image after a predetermined period of time for the purpose of providing new products or encouraging users to purchase. In order to change the image, it is conceivable to install a new vending machine. However, if only this is done, the cost will increase.

  Therefore, as a vending machine that can efficiently perform the renewal work to improve the beauty of the vending machine, the door body that opens and closes the front opening of the vending machine body is closed, and the front opening of the vending machine body is closed. There has been proposed an inner door and a surface cover formed on the surface of the inner door (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-85629 A

  However, the vending machine proposed in Patent Document 1 as described above is effective for a vending machine newly installed in the future, but in the already installed vending machine, the configuration of the door body Therefore, the versatility is poor, and as a result, the cost is increased.

  By the way, when one of the product selection buttons is pressed, the corresponding product is cooked inside the vending machine body, and the cooked product is transported to a position facing the outlet in a state where the cooked product is put into the cup. In vending machines (cup-type beverage vending machines), it is common for flavor cards with product images drawn on the front to be attached to the type of products handled, and it is said that the impression received from such flavor cards is great. There are characteristics.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine having versatility and capable of changing an image while reducing cost.

  In order to achieve the above object, a vending machine according to claim 1 of the present invention is arranged in such a manner that a rectangular vending machine body having an opening on the front surface and a front opening of the vending machine body are opened and closed. In a vending machine provided with a door body provided, a flavor card provided with a product selection button for selecting a product and a product image attached in a manner covering at least a part of the front surface of the door body A cover body having a panel attached so as to be visible from the front is provided.

  The vending machine according to claim 2 of the present invention is the vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the cover body is made of a frame material forming a skeleton and a material softer than the frame material, and the frame material is And a cover member that covers the front surface of the door body in a supported manner.

  The vending machine according to claim 3 of the present invention is the vending machine according to claim 1 and 2, wherein the cover body is formed on the front surface of the door body and has a product outlet for taking out the product. The front surface of the door body is covered in an exposed manner.

  The vending machine according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the vending machine according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the cover body is a money for inserting a money formed on a front surface of the door body. The front surface of the door body is covered in a manner in which the insertion port and the money return port for returning money are exposed.

  The vending machine according to claim 5 of the present invention is the display according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cover body is formed on the front surface of the door body and displays various information. The front surface of the door body is covered with the mechanism exposed.

  According to the vending machine of the present invention, a cover body having a product selection button for selecting a product and a panel on which a flavor card on which a product image is drawn is attached so as to be visible from the front is provided on the front surface of the door body. Since it is attached in such a manner as to cover at least a part, the image can be changed. Moreover, it can be applied to vending machines that are already installed without changing the configuration of the front door, and has versatility. Therefore, there is an effect that the image can be changed while having versatility and reducing the cost.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing characteristic parts of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the cover body shown in FIG. 1 and is a perspective view showing a case viewed from diagonally upward on the front side. FIG. 3 is a rear view showing the cover body shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the cover body shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the cover body shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the cover body shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the front right and diagonally upward. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the main components of the vending machine of the present invention.

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

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing characteristic parts of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine exemplified here is a cup-type beverage vending machine that sells regular coffee drinks and instant drinks such as cocoa in a cup, and the main body cabinet 10 that is the main body of the vending machine. The door 20 and the cover body 30 are provided.

  The main body cabinet 10 has a rectangular shape with an open front, and a cup supply device 11, a cup transport device 12, an extraction device 13 (all of which are shown in FIG. 7) and the like are arranged inside the main cabinet 10. It is set up.

  The front door 20 is swingably disposed at one side edge of the main body cabinet 10 in such a manner that the front opening of the main body cabinet 10 can be opened and closed. It is a door body that closes. The front door 20 is provided with an outlet 21 at the center in the middle, and a display 22 for displaying the amount to be inserted, a coin insertion slot 23 for inserting coins, and a return lever 24 are provided on the right side. . A bill insertion slot 25 is provided on the left side of the outlet 21, and a coin return slot 26 is provided on the lower right side of the front door 20.

  In the upper half of the front surface of the front door 20, a blend button opening 27, a flavor card opening 28, and a product selection button opening 29 are formed. The preparation button opening 27 is a rectangular opening provided above the outlet 21 and is provided with a preparation button for adjusting the amount of coffee beans, cream and sugar as predetermined preparation ingredients. It is an open opening. The flavor card opening 28 is an opening used when a flavor card 50 (see FIG. 6) on which a product image is drawn is attached so as to be visible from the front, and a plurality of flavor card openings 28 are provided vertically and horizontally for each sale product. The product selection button opening 29 is an opening in which product selection buttons for selecting products are installed, and a plurality of product selection button openings are provided for each product. More specifically, it is provided corresponding to each flavor card opening 28.

  2 to 6 show the cover body 30 shown in FIG. 1, respectively. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the case viewed from the upper right diagonally upper side, and FIG. 3 is a rear view. 4 is a plan view, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a case when viewed from the diagonally lower side on the rear side, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a case when viewed from the diagonally upper side on the front side. The cover body 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The cover body 30 is attached so as to cover a part of the front surface of the front door 20, for example, the upper half of the front surface of the front door 20. The cover body 30 includes a frame material 31 and a cover material 36.

  The frame material 31 is made of a highly rigid material such as a sheet metal, and forms a skeleton of the cover body 30. More specifically, the frame material 31 is formed by connecting the ends of the upper side member 31a, the lower side member 31b, the right side member 31c, and the left side member 31d to form a rectangular opening (hereinafter also referred to as an internal opening) 31e. is doing.

  On the upper side member 31a of the frame member 31 as described above, the mounting pieces 311 are arranged in a pair of left and right sides so as to protrude rearward. These attachment pieces 311 are formed with rectangular openings 311a as shown in FIG.

  In addition, a rectangular light emitting support plate 312 in which a light emitting element 64 such as an LED (see FIG. 7) is disposed on the front surface is attached to the lower side member 31b of the frame material 31. The light emitting support plate 312 is formed from a highly rigid material such as a sheet metal. A mounting plate 313 is disposed at the lower end of the light emitting support plate 312. The mounting plate 313 is formed from a highly rigid material such as a sheet metal, and extends rearwardly from a rearward extending portion 313a extending toward the rear and from an extending end portion of the rearward extending portion 313a. And a hanging portion 313b extending.

  A panel body 32 is attached to the frame material 31. The panel body 32 is a rectangular plate-like body having a size necessary and sufficient to close the internal opening 31 e formed by the frame material 31. Such a panel body 32 has a frame body 321 formed of a highly rigid material such as a sheet metal, for example, and a plurality of horizontal members 322 are vertically spaced at a predetermined interval in such a manner that the left and right sides constituting the frame body 321 are connected. A translucent panel 323 is provided between the horizontal members 322 and between the upper side of the frame body 321 and the horizontal member 322.

  The translucent panel 323 is a transparent panel formed of, for example, a resin, and is attached in such a manner that the flavor card 50 on which a product image is drawn can be seen from the front.

  The horizontal members 322 are elongate ones made of a highly rigid material such as sheet metal, for example, and each is provided with a product selection button 33. The product selection button 33 is used to select a product and is provided corresponding to the flavor card 50 attached to the translucent panel 323. Here, the product selection button 33 provided on the horizontal member 322 is a transfer of the one provided on the front door 20.

  The middle horizontal member 322 is provided with a preparation button 34. The preparation button 34 is a button for adjusting the amount of coffee beans, cream and sugar, which are predetermined preparation ingredients as described above. Similar to the product selection button 33, the blending button 34 is a transfer of the one provided on the front door 20.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the product selection button 33 and the preparation button 34 are relocated to those arranged on the front door 20, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the front door 20 is not limited thereto. A new product selection button and blending button may be arranged on the horizontal member in a state where the previously used product selection button and blending button are attached.

  A protruding piece 322a that protrudes rearward at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction is attached to the lower end of each of the horizontal members 322. Similar to the horizontal member 322, these protruding pieces 322a are made of a highly rigid material such as a sheet metal.

  In such a panel body 32, shaft-like portions 324 attached to the left and right ends of the lower side of the frame body 321 are attached to the lower side member 31 b of the frame material 31 so as to be swingable. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the panel body 32 is attached so as to be able to swing around the axis of the shaft-like portion 324 in such a manner that its lower end is a support end and its upper end is a free end. Here, reference numeral 325 in FIG. 6 is a cord-like body such as a chain. The cord-like body 325 is connected to the end portion of the upper side member 31a of the frame member 31 and the end portion of the frame body 321 of the panel body 32, and regulates the swing angle (for example, 30 °) of the panel body 32. To do. The panel body 32 is normally attached in such a manner that the internal opening 31e of the frame material 31 is closed by, for example, a decorative screw or the like.

  The cover member 36 is made of a material softer than the frame member 31, such as a resin member, and is supported by the frame member 31. The cover material 36 covers a part of the front surface of the front door 20. The cover member 36 has a panel opening 361, an outlet opening 362, a coin insertion opening 363, and a bill insertion opening 364, and an illuminator 365.

  The panel opening 361 is a rectangular opening having substantially the same size as the frame material 31, allows the panel body 32 attached to the frame material 31 to swing, and exposes the panel body 32 forward. It is for making it happen.

  The outlet opening 362 is for exposing the outlet 21 of the front door 20 forward. The coin insertion opening 363 is for exposing the indicator 22, the coin insertion slot 23, and the return lever 24 of the front door 20 forward. The bill insertion opening 364 is for exposing the bill insertion port 25 of the front door 20 forward.

  The illumination portion 365 is formed in the upper region of the outlet opening 362 and is positioned in front of the light emitting support plate 312 attached to the lower side member 31b of the frame member 31. This illumination part 365 is formed in the aspect which exhibits milky white.

  Such a cover body 30 is attached to the main body cabinet 10 (front door 20) as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right support pieces (support members) 40 projecting upward is provided at the upper end portion of the front door 20. And the cover body 30 is attached in the aspect which this support piece 40 penetrates the rectangular-shaped opening 311a of the attachment piece 311 of the cover body 30. FIG. Thereafter, although not clearly shown in the drawing, the engagement pieces attached to the left side member 31d and the right side member 31c of the frame member 31 constituting the cover body 30 are engaged with each other so as to be hooked on the front door 20. Thereby, the cover body 30 is attached to the main body cabinet 10 (front door 20), and a vending machine is comprised. At this time, although not explicitly shown in the drawing, the upper half of the front surface of the front door 20 is covered with the cover body 30, and the outlet 21 is connected to the display 22, the coin inlet 23, and the outlet through the outlet 362. The return lever 24 is exposed forward from the coin insertion opening 363 and the bill insertion slot 25 is exposed forward through the bill insertion opening 364. Further, the coin return port 26 is not covered with the cover body 30 and is exposed forward.

  At this time, the rear extension portion 313a and the hanging portion 313b of the mounting plate 313 attached to the frame material 31 (lower side member 31b) constituting the cover body 30 via the light emitting support plate 312 are the compound button opening of the front door 20. 27 and the hanging portion 313b is attached to the back surface of the front door 20 with a fastening member such as a screw.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the main components of the vending machine of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, a main control unit 60, a money processing device 61, and a light emission control unit 62 are disposed on the front door 20, and an ISS box 63 is disposed on the cover body 30. .

  The main controller 60 controls the operation of the vending machine in an integrated manner, and is disposed on the back side of the front door 20. The money processing device 61 is a collective term for so-called coin mech and bill validator, and processes money inserted through the coin insertion slot 23 or the bill insertion slot 25.

  The light emission control unit 62 controls lighting of the light emitting elements 64 disposed on the light emitting support plate 312 of the cover body 30 and is connected to each of the light emitting elements 64 via wiring.

  Such a light emission control unit 62 turns on the light emitting element 64 according to a lighting pattern stored in a built-in memory (not shown) in accordance with a command given from the main control unit 60. Further, the light emission control unit 62 and the main control unit 60, when the command is not given for a preset time or more, that is, when the preset time has passed since the last command was given, The light emitting element 64 is turned on according to a predetermined lighting pattern stored in the memory by determining that the communication means with the control unit 60 has failed.

  The ISS box 63 is a board for managing a plurality of (for example, four) product selection buttons 33 assigned in advance. The ISS box 63 is connected to the main control unit 60 by wiring so as to be able to transmit and receive data, and is connected to the product selection button 33 managed by itself by wiring. Such an ISS box 63 is disposed on the back surface of the middle horizontal member 322 in the cover body 30 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.

  In the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, a product selection button 33 for selecting a product and a translucent light mounted with a flavor card 50 on which a product image is drawn so as to be visible from the front. Since the cover body 30 having the protective panel 323 is attached so as to cover part of the front surface of the front door 20, the image of the vending machine itself can be changed. Moreover, it can be applied to vending machines that have already been installed without changing the configuration of the front door 20, and has versatility. Therefore, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, the image of the vending machine itself can be changed while having versatility and reducing the cost.

  In the vending machine, the support piece 40 provided at the upper end portion of the front door 20 passes through the rectangular opening 311a of the attachment piece 311 provided in the cover body 30 so that the cover body 30 is moved back and forth and left and right. It can support in the state which controlled moving along a direction. Therefore, even if there is only one worker, the attaching work of the cover body 30 can be performed safely and easily. Therefore, according to the vending machine, the attachment property of the cover body 30 to the main body cabinet 10 (front door 20) can be improved. In addition, since the attachment piece 311 is attached to the highly rigid frame material 31, for example, the cover material 36 formed from a resin material or the like is prevented from being deformed by a load or the like after being attached to the front door 20. Can do.

  In the vending machine, the rear extension portion 313 a and the hanging portion 313 b of the mounting plate 313 attached to the frame material 31 (lower side member 31 b) constituting the cover body 30 via the light emitting support plate 312 are the front door 20. Since the compound button opening 27 is inserted and the hanging portion 313b is attached to the back surface of the front door 20 with a fastening member such as a screw, the central portion of the cover body 30 is prevented from being separated from the front door 20. Thus, the occurrence of so-called floating phenomenon can be suppressed. Moreover, since the projecting piece 322a protruding rearward is attached to the horizontal member 322 of the panel body 32 constituting the cover body 30, when the product selection button 33 of the panel body 32 is pressed, the projecting piece 322a Can be satisfactorily prevented from coming into contact with the front surface of the front door 20 and bending the cover body 30 more than necessary.

  Further, in the vending machine, the panel body 32 constituting the cover body 30 is swingably attached, and is rocked forward as shown in FIG. 6 by releasing the fixing with the decorative screw. be able to. Accordingly, the flavor card 50 and the like can be easily replaced without opening the front door 20. Therefore, according to the vending machine, the replacement work of the flavor card 50 can be facilitated.

  In the vending machine, the ISS box 63 is disposed on the horizontal member 322, that is, the cover body 30 includes the ISS box 63. Thereby, the number of wiring between the cover body 30 and the main body cabinet 10 can be reduced, and this can also improve attachment workability | operativity. In particular, in this embodiment, it is preferable that the wiring from the ISS box 63 to the main control unit 60 and the wiring from the light emitting element 64 to the light emission control unit 62 are integrated in a bundled state. According to this, it is possible to simplify the work of separating the wiring when the cover body 30 is attached, and it is possible to improve the efficiency of the attachment work.

  In the vending machine, when the light emission control unit 62 is not given a command for a preset time from the main control unit 60, that is, when a preset time has elapsed since the last command was given. In this case, it is determined that the communication means between itself and the main control unit 60 has failed, and the light emitting element 64 is turned on according to a predetermined lighting pattern stored in the memory. Therefore, it is possible to continuously stimulate purchase intention. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the illumination part 365 of the cover material 36 is milky white, it can be seen as if the illumination part 365 is turned on as a whole. Can be improved.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are made.

  In the embodiment described above, the cover material 36 constituting the cover body 30 is formed from a resin material, and therefore easily deforms when the operator holds it by hand. Therefore, a portion that the operator may hold may be reinforced with sheet metal or the like.

  In the above-described embodiment, the panel body 32 is swingably attached to the frame material 31 constituting the cover body 30, but in the present invention, it is attached to the front door 20 constituting the front surface of the vending machine. May be. The panel body 32 swings with the lower end as a support end. However, in the present invention, for example, the right side may be provided with a hinge mechanism and the left side may swing with a free end. You may make it removable. The upper end may be swung with the support end and the lower end with the free end. Furthermore, the swing angle of the panel body 32 may be freely set, for example, 90 °.

  Although not particularly mentioned in the above-described embodiment, a plate material is provided around the panel body 32 to prevent foreign matters such as dust from entering the flavor card 50 mounting portion of the translucent panel 323. Alternatively, a plate material may be provided on the upper side member 31a of the frame material 31 constituting the cover body 30 to prevent foreign matters such as dust from entering from the upper side of the cover body 30.

  As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention is useful for selling, for example, a product such as a beverage in a state where it is put in a cup.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Main body cabinet 20 Front door 21 Outlet 22 Indicator 23 Coin insertion slot 24 Return lever 25 Bill insertion slot 26 Coin return slot 30 Cover body 31 Frame material 311 Attachment piece 311a Rectangular opening 32 Panel body 33 Goods selection button 323 Translucent Panel 36 cover material 40 support piece 50 flavor card 60 main control unit 62 light emission control unit 63 ISS box 64 light emitting element

Claims (5)

A rectangular vending machine body with an opening on the front,
In a vending machine comprising a door disposed in a manner to open and close the front opening of the vending machine body,
A cover body that is attached in a manner to cover at least a part of the front surface of the door body and includes a product selection button for selecting a product and a panel on which a flavor card on which a product image is drawn is attached so as to be visible from the front. Vending machine characterized by comprising The cover body is
A frame material forming a skeleton,
The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a cover member made of a material softer than the frame material and covering the front surface of the door body in a mode supported by the frame material.   The said cover body is formed in the front surface of the said door body, and covers the front surface of this door body in the aspect which exposed the goods outlet for taking out goods. Vending machine.   The cover body covers the front surface of the door body in such a manner that a money insertion port for inserting money formed on the front surface of the door body and a money return port for returning money are exposed. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The said cover body is formed in the front surface of the said door body, and covers the front surface of this door body in the aspect which exposed the display mechanism which displays various information, The any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. Vending machine as described in.

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