JP2022042218A - Cigarette providing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To obtain a cigarette providing device that can individually provide cigarettes easily and reliably.SOLUTION: A cigarette providing device (10) comprises a body case (11) capable of housing a plurality of cigarettes (T); a drawer tray (12) comprising a placement part (62) on which at least one of the cigarettes can be placed, and capable of moving in a front-back direction (Y) with respect to the body case so as to enter a retracted state in which the placement part is located inside the body case, and a protruded state in which the placement part is exposed to the outside of the body case; and guide means (28 and 29) for moving the cigarettes in the body case to the placement part in the retracted state of the drawer tray.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Application for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Law Doutor Coffee Shop Tameike Sanno Store, Excelsior Cafe It was installed at the Shimbashi 2-chome store and used for testing to confirm the usage status of tobacco-providing equipment by store users.

The present invention relates to a tobacco-delivering device that provides tobacco.

Conventionally, when tobacco is provided to smokers as a sample, multiple cigarettes taken out of the package and individually separated are placed in a storage container, and the smoker opens the lid of the storage container and inside the storage container. There is known a method of inserting a hand into a cigarette and taking out cigarettes one by one. This method has an advantage that it is easy to efficiently provide it to many people as compared with the form of distributing it in a packaged state. In particular, in recent years, as the market for heat-not-burn tobacco has expanded, there are increasing opportunities to provide such a form as a trial use of tobacco sticks for heat-not-burn tobacco in smoking spaces such as coffee shops.

On the other hand, from a hygienic point of view, there has recently been a demand to avoid providing cigarettes stocked in storage containers in a state where others may touch them. In addition, from the viewpoint of preventing the flavor of cigarettes from deteriorating, it is required to stock cigarettes in a state where they are as hard to come into contact with the outside air as possible, and to efficiently provide only the minimum number of cigarettes as needed.

There is known a product dispenser in which a box-shaped product such as a cigarette package is always exposed to the outlet of a case (for example, Patent Document 1). However, such an existing product dispenser does not correspond to the above-mentioned delivery form in which cigarettes are usually stored without being exposed to the outside and are provided one by one as needed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-151047

When one cigarette is taken out from a large number of cigarettes stored in a random arrangement and provided, unlike the case where the products stored in a row are taken out one by one as in Patent Document 1, the outlet portion is used. There is a problem that cigarette clogging is likely to occur and it is difficult to accurately take out one cigarette. Further, when the products are stored side by side in a row as in Patent Document 1, the internal structure of the device becomes complicated and the cost becomes high, the storage capacity of the products is limited, and the storage work of the products takes time and effort. There is a problem.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a tobacco-delivering device capable of easily and reliably delivering tobacco individually.

The cigarette providing device of the present invention has a main body case capable of accommodating a plurality of cigarettes and a mounting portion on which at least one cigarette can be placed, and is movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body case. The cigarette in the main body case is placed in the retracted state where the placing part is located inside the main body case, the drawer tray in which the mounting part is exposed to the outside of the main body case, and the retracted state of the drawer tray. It is characterized by being provided with a guiding means for moving to.

As one form, the main body case has a drawer tray storage unit for storing a drawer tray below the cigarette storage unit for accommodating a plurality of cigarettes. The guiding means communicates with the inclined bottom wall, which is located at the bottom of the tobacco storage unit and gradually changes its height in the vertical direction as it advances in the front-rear direction, and the drawer tray storage unit, which is located at the lowest point of the inclined bottom wall. It has a penetrating portion and a penetrating portion. The drawer tray has a lid portion that closes the lower part of the penetrating portion in the protruding state, and the mounting portion is formed in the lid portion and consists of a recess located below the penetrating portion in the retracted state.

It is preferable that the through portion of the main body case has a larger width in the front-rear direction than the mounting portion of the drawer tray. More specifically, the width of the penetrating portion in the front-rear direction is preferably three times or more the width of the mounting portion in the front-rear direction.

It is preferable that the lid portion of the drawer tray has a corrugated portion composed of a plurality of irregularities parallel in the front-rear direction on the upper surface portion facing the penetrating portion in the protruding state.

The main body case has a pair of internal side walls that are located on both sides of the sloping bottom wall in the width direction and closes the sides of the cigarette housing, a rear stopper that protrudes downward from the sloping bottom wall, and a pair of internal side walls that are downward. It is preferable to provide a pair of protruding front stopper portions. The drawer tray abuts on the rear stopper portion from the front in the retracted state and abuts on the front stopper portion from the rear in the protruding state, whereby the position in the retracted state and the protruding state in the front-rear direction can be determined. ..

The main body case has a pair of upper guide portions that project downward from the inclined bottom wall and are located on both sides of the rear stopper portion in the width direction and extend in the front-rear direction, and a pair of upper guide portions located outside the width direction of the pair of internal side walls. It is preferable to provide an outer side wall and a pair of lower guide portions which are provided between the pair of inner side walls and the pair of outer side walls and which are located below the upper guide portion and extend in the front-rear direction. The drawer tray is positioned in the vertical direction and the width direction by restricting the vertical movement by a pair of upper guide portions and a pair of lower guide portions and by restricting the lateral movement by a pair of external side walls. Can be done.

The drawer tray preferably includes a stopper protrusion protruding upward from the lid portion and a pair of side guide plates protruding laterally from the lid portion. In the retracted state, the stopper protrusion abuts on the rear stopper portion from the front, and in the protruding state, the front end of the pair of side guide plates abuts on the front stopper portion from the rear. Further, the lid portion is located below the pair of upper guide portions to restrict upward movement, and the pair of side guide plates are located above the pair of lower guide portions to restrict downward movement. .. Further, the pair of side guide plates are located inside the pair of outer side walls in the width direction to restrict the movement in the width direction.

The drawer tray preferably has an arched grip that projects forward from the body case in the retracted state.

According to the tobacco providing device of the present invention, it is possible to easily and surely provide individual cigarettes by operating the drawer tray.

It is a perspective view of the cigarette donation equipment in the state which the drawer tray is stored in the main body case. It is a perspective view of the cigarette donation equipment in the state that the drawer tray protrudes from the main body case. It is a top view of the tobacco providing device in the state of FIG. 1. It is a top view of the tobacco providing device in the state of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the tobacco providing apparatus along the line AA of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the tobacco providing apparatus along the line BB of FIG. It is a top view of the main body case. It is a bottom view of the main body case. It is sectional drawing of the main body case along the line CC of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the main body case along the DD line of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the main body case along the line EE of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the main body case along the line FF of FIG. It is a top view of a drawer tray. It is a bottom view of a drawer tray. It is a side view of a drawer tray. It is sectional drawing of the drawer tray along the GG line of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the drawer tray along the HH line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the product providing apparatus of the comparative example. It is a figure explaining the setting of the size of the penetration part in the tobacco providing device.

Hereinafter, the details of the tobacco providing device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The cigarette providing equipment 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 accommodates (stocks) a plurality of cigarettes T each having a columnar shape in the main body case 11 and pulls out the drawer tray 12 stored in the main body case 11. Tobacco T is taken out one by one and provided to the user (smoker).

The tobacco T provided by the tobacco providing device 10 is assumed to be a heat-not-burn tobacco stick (called a heat stick or the like) due to the expansion of the market scale in recent years and the large number of trial opportunities. However, it is also possible to apply the present invention to the provision of cigarettes and cigars.

Further, although the tobacco providing device 10 is supposed to be used for a trial use of tobacco sales promotion, it can also be applied as a product dispenser when selling cigarettes one by one.

In the following description, the width direction of the tobacco donor 10 is the X-axis direction, the front-back direction (depth direction) of the tobacco donor 10 is the Y-axis direction, and the vertical direction (height direction) of the tobacco donor 10 is the Z-axis direction. do.

7 to 12 show the structure of the main body case 11. The main body case 11 has a substantially box-shaped shape that is long in the Y-axis direction, and a front wall 20 and a rear wall 21 are provided at one end and the other end in the Y-axis direction. The side provided with the front wall 20 is referred to as the front side (front side) of the tobacco providing device 10, and the side provided with the rear wall 21 is referred to as the rear side (back surface) of the tobacco providing device 10. The rear wall 21 is a wall portion substantially perpendicular to the Y-axis direction (that is, composed of components in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction). The front wall 20 is a wall portion slightly inclined with respect to the rear wall 21, and the distance from the rear wall 21 (distance in the Y-axis direction) decreases from the lower side to the upper side.

A pair of outer side walls 22 and 23 extending in the Y-axis direction and connecting the front wall 20 and the rear wall 21 are provided on both sides of the main body case 11 in the X-axis direction. The outer side walls 22 and 23 are wall portions substantially perpendicular to the X-axis direction (that is, composed of components in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction), and the outer side wall 22 and the outer side wall 23 are substantially parallel to each other. It is in.

The inside of the main body case 11 is roughly divided into a cigarette storage unit 13, a drawer tray storage unit 14, and a reserve storage unit 15. The cigarette storage unit 13 is located in the upper part of the main body case 11 toward the front in the Y-axis direction, and the drawer tray storage unit 14 is located below the cigarette storage unit 13. The reserve storage unit 15 is located behind the cigarette storage unit 13 and the drawer tray storage unit 14.

The cigarette accommodating portion 13 is a portion that accommodates the cigarettes T, which are separated one by one, in a state where they can be supplied to the drawer tray accommodating portion 14, and is opened toward the upper side of the main body case 11. A plurality of cigarettes T can be accommodated in the tobacco accommodating portion 13.

The drawer tray storage unit 14 is a portion that stores the drawer tray 12 and slidably supports the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction.

The reserve storage unit 15 is used to store the cigarette T or the like before being stocked in the cigarette storage unit 13, and is opened toward the upper side of the main body case 11. For example, a plurality of cigarettes T are put in a package in a package, and when the amount of cigarettes T stocked in the cigarette storage unit 13 decreases, the cigarette T is taken out from the package in the reserve storage unit 15. It can be used to replenish the tobacco storage unit 13.

The main body case 11 has a partition wall 24 that separates the cigarette storage unit 13 and the drawer tray storage unit 14 from the reserve storage unit 15 behind the cigarette storage unit 13. The partition wall 24 is a wall portion substantially parallel to the rear wall 21, and connects the outer side wall 22 and the outer side wall 23 at a position separated forward from the rear wall 21. The area surrounded by the rear wall 21, the partition wall 24, the outer side wall 22, and the outer side wall 23 is the preliminary accommodating portion 15, and the bottom portion of the preliminary accommodating portion 15 is closed by the bottom wall 25. The bottom wall 25 connects between the rear wall 21 in the Z-axis direction and the lower end of the partition wall 24, and is a wall substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis direction (that is, composed of components in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction). It is a department.

The upper part of the spare accommodating portion 15 opposite to the bottom portion provided with the bottom wall 25 is open, and the inside of the preliminary accommodating portion 15 can be accessed through the open portion of the upper portion. The rear wall 21 is formed with a vertical groove 21a extending in the Z-axis direction and opening on the upper end side (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Workability is improved by inserting a worker's finger, an instrument, or the like into the vertical groove 21a when putting an object in or out of the preliminary accommodating portion 15.

Inside the main body case 11, a pair of internal side walls 26 and 27 extending in the Y-axis direction and connecting the front wall 20 and the partition wall 24 are provided. The inner side walls 26 and 27 are wall portions substantially parallel to the outer side walls 22 and 23, and are arranged apart from each other in the X-axis direction. The distance between the inner side walls 26 and 27 in the X-axis direction is smaller than the distance between the outer side walls 22 and 23, and the inner side walls 26 and 27 are located inside the outer side walls 22 and 23. The distance between the outer side wall 22 and the inner side wall 26 in the X-axis direction is substantially equal to the distance between the other outer side wall 23 and the inner side wall 27.

An inclined bottom wall 28 is connected between the inner side wall 26 and the lower end of the inner side wall 27. Tobacco accommodating portion 13 as a space surrounded by the front wall 20 and the partition wall 24 separated in the Y-axis direction, the inner side wall 26 and the inner side wall 27 separated in the X-axis direction, and the inclined bottom wall 28 located at the bottom thereof. Is formed. The upper portion of the tobacco accommodating portion 13 opposite to the bottom portion provided with the inclined bottom wall 28 is open, and the tobacco T can be supplied to the tobacco accommodating portion 13 through the open portion of the upper portion.

The inclined bottom wall 28 is an inclined wall portion that gradually changes the height in the Z-axis direction as it advances in the Y-axis direction. More specifically, in the inclined bottom wall 28, the rear end 28a in the Y-axis direction is connected to the partition wall 24, and the height position in the Z-axis direction becomes lower as the rear end 28a proceeds from the rear end 28a to the front front end 28b. Become. Due to the inclined shape of the inclined bottom wall 28, the depth of the tobacco accommodating portion 13 gradually increases in the Z-axis direction from the rear side to the front side in the Y-axis direction. The inner side wall 26 and the inner side wall 27 correspond to the inclined shape of the inclined bottom wall 28, and have a height in the Z-axis direction at the rear end in the Y-axis direction connected to the partition wall 24 (depth downward from the upper end of the main body case 11). The height is the smallest, and the height in the Z-axis direction (depth downward from the upper end of the main body case 11) increases as the vehicle advances to the front side in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the front end 28b of the inclined bottom wall 28 does not reach the front wall 20, and a vertical penetration portion 29 is formed between the front end 28b and the front wall 20. The vertical penetrating portion 29 is a substantially rectangular opening in the top view (bottom view) surrounded by the rear surface of the front wall 20, the front end 28b of the inclined bottom wall 28, the inner side wall 26, and the inner side wall 27, and penetrates in the Z-axis direction. Then, the cigarette storage unit 13 and the drawer tray storage unit 14 are communicated with each other.

The width of the tobacco accommodating portion 13 in the X-axis direction (distance between the inner side wall 26 and the inner side wall 27) is set to be slightly larger than the axial length of the accommodating tobacco T. Further, the depth in the Z-axis direction near the rear end 28a of the shallowest inclined bottom wall 28 in the tobacco accommodating portion 13 is set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the accommodating tobacco T. Therefore, a plurality of cigarettes T, each of which has its axis oriented in the X-axis direction, can be accommodated in the tobacco accommodating portion 13 (see FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6).

The tobacco accommodating portion 13 has a shape having the widest frontage area in the open portion at the upper end, and the work of putting the tobacco T into the tobacco accommodating portion 13 can be easily and efficiently performed. Further, since there is no partition or the like inside the cigarette accommodating portion 13 and the maximum internal dimensions of a plurality of cigarettes T are secured in each of the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, the longitudinal direction of each cigarette T is set to X. A plurality of cigarettes T can be randomly positioned in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction while satisfying the condition of aligning in the axial direction. Therefore, a large amount of cigarette T can be placed in the main body case 11 due to excellent space utilization efficiency. It can be stored in the cigarette, and there is no need to put the cigarette T in the cigarette storage unit 13.

Inside the drawer tray storage portion 14, a rear stopper portion 30 protruding downward in the Z-axis direction from the lower surface of the inclined bottom wall 28 and a pair of upper guide portions 31, 32 are provided. The U-shaped space surrounded by the rear stopper portion 30 and the pair of upper guide portions 31, 32 is open downward.

The rear stopper portion 30 is a wall portion substantially perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, has a width in the X-axis direction smaller than that of the inclined bottom wall 28, and is located at a substantially central portion of the inclined bottom wall 28 in the X-axis direction. (See Fig. 8). The upper guide portions 31 and 32 are wall portions substantially perpendicular to the X-axis direction, and extend from both ends of the rear stopper portion 30 in the X-axis direction toward the front side in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 9, the lower ends of the rear stopper portion 30 and the upper guide portions 31 and 32 are located at substantially the same height as the front end 28b of the inclined bottom wall 28 in the Z-axis direction. Guide surfaces 31a and 32a extending in the Y-axis direction are formed as the lower end surfaces of the above (see FIG. 12).

Further, a pair of lower guide portions 33 and 34 extending in the Y-axis direction are provided in the drawer tray storage portion 14. The lower guide portions 33 and 34 are wall portions substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis direction, and project from the pair of outer side walls 22 and 23 toward the inside in the X-axis direction (the side approaching the inner side walls 26 and 27). ing. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the lower guide portions 33 and 34 are located slightly above the lower end of the main body case 11 in the Z-axis direction and below the guide surfaces 31a and 32a. In the X-axis direction, the lower guide portion 33 is located between the outer side wall 22 and the inner side wall 26, and the lower guide portion 34 is located between the outer side wall 23 and the inner side wall 27 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). ). That is, in the top view (or bottom view) of the main body case 11, the lower guide portions 33 and 34 are located on both sides of the cigarette accommodating portion 13 in the X-axis direction. In the Y-axis direction, the lower guide portions 33 and 34 are located between the front wall 20 and the partition wall 24 toward the front close to the front wall 20, and the front ends of the lower guide portions 33 and 34 are inclined bottom walls 28. It is located on the front side of the front end 28b.

A front standing wall 35 is formed in front of the lower guide portions 33 and 34, and a rear standing wall 36 is formed behind the lower guide portions 33 and 34. The front standing wall 35 and the rear standing wall 36 are wall portions substantially perpendicular to the Y-axis direction, respectively, and a portion connecting between the outer side wall 22 and the inner side wall 26 with the cigarette accommodating portion 13 interposed therebetween and the outer side wall 23. It is divided into a portion connecting between the inner side wall 27 and the inner side wall 27. In the Z-axis direction, the lower ends of the front standing wall 35 and the rear standing wall 36 are at substantially the same height as the guide surfaces 31a and 32a (see FIG. 10). A part of the rear standing wall 36 enters below the inclined bottom wall 28 and enters the inside in the X-axis direction from the inner side walls 26 and 27, and is connected to the lower surface of the inclined bottom wall 28 and the upper guide portions 31 and 32 ( See FIG. 8).

On both sides of the tobacco storage portion 13 in the X-axis direction, there is a space surrounded by an outer side wall 22, an inner side wall 26, a front standing wall 35, and a rear standing wall 36, and an outer side wall 23, an inner side wall 27, a front standing wall 35, and a rear standing wall. The lower guide portions 33 and 34 are located on the bottom side of each of these spaces in the Z-axis direction, which forms a space surrounded by 36, and the upper end of each space in the Z-axis direction is open. By providing such a space above the lower guide portions 33 and 34, the cigarette accommodating portion 13 and the lower guide portion 33 have a simple mold structure that moves (splits) in the Z-axis direction during the manufacture of the main body case 11. The periphery of 34 can be molded, which contributes to the improvement of productivity. Further, by arranging a plurality of wall portions having different orientations around the cigarette accommodating portion 13 to form a box structure surrounding the lower guide portions 33 and 34, the strength of the periphery can be ensured.

Behind the rear standing wall 36, Z of the space surrounded by the outer side wall 22, the inner side wall 26, the rear standing wall 36, and the partition wall 24, and the space surrounded by the outer side wall 23, the inner side wall 27, the rear standing wall 36, and the partition wall 24, respectively. The upper end in the axial direction is blocked by the upper walls 37 and 38. In front of the front wall 35, the upper ends of the front wall 20, the outer side wall 22, the outer side wall 23, and the front wall 35 are connected by an upper wall 39. These upper walls 37, 38, 39 improve the strength of the upper end side of the main body case 11. Further, since the lower parts of the upper walls 37, 38, and 39 have a shape that is open in the Z-axis direction, the front standing wall 35 and the front standing wall 35 have a simple mold structure that moves (divided) in the Z-axis direction when the main body case 11 is manufactured. The periphery of the upper walls 37, 38, 39 can be molded.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, a part of each of the pair of internal side walls 26 and 27 protrudes downward from the guide surfaces 31a and 32a in the Z-axis direction on the front side in the Y-axis direction from the front standing wall 35. , A pair of front stopper portions 26a, 27a are formed. The strength of the front stopper portions 26a and 27a is ensured by connecting the front end portions in the Y-axis direction to the front wall 20. The rear end portions of the front stopper portions 26a and 27a have an edge shape extending in the Z-axis direction.

A front end opening 40 is formed in the front end portion of the drawer tray storage portion 14. The front end opening 40 is a region between the front stopper portion 26a and the front stopper portion 27a in the X-axis direction, and is an opening that penetrates the front wall 20 in the Y-axis direction. The front stopper portions 26a and 27a form a part of the front end opening 40. The front end opening 40 is opened downward, and the upper end of the front end opening 40 is located at substantially the same height as the guide surfaces 31a and 32a (see FIG. 9).

On the front side of the front wall 20, a card holder 41 is formed above the front end opening 40 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The card holder 41 is a recess in which a plate-shaped card P can be attached / detached from an open portion on the upper end side. Both ends of the card P are held by flanges 42 provided on both sides in the X-axis direction to prevent the card P from falling forward from the card holder 41. Arbitrary information can be written on the card P. For example, the brand, description, and the like of the cigarette provided by the tobacco providing device 10 are described on the card P. The tilted (backward tilted) shape of the front wall 20 improves the visibility of the card P held in the card holder 41.

13 to 17 show the structure of the drawer tray 12. The drawer tray 12 has a plate-shaped lid portion 50 that is substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis direction. The lid portion 50 is a rectangular plate-shaped portion elongated in the Y-axis direction when viewed from above as shown in FIG. A pair of side walls 51 and 52 project downward from both ends of the lid portion 50 in the X-axis direction. The distance between the side wall 51 and the side wall 52 in the X-axis direction is slightly smaller than the opening width in the X-axis direction of the front end opening 40 formed in the main body case 11, and the lid portion 50 and the side walls 51 and 52 make the front end opening 40 the Y axis. It is possible to pass in the direction.

A portion of the lid portion 50 on the rear end side is separated from the other portion by a pair of substantially parallel slits 53 extending in the Y-axis direction to form a cantilevered arm portion 54. The arm portion 54 can be slightly bent in the Z-axis direction with the front base end portion connected to the lid portion 50 as a fulcrum. A stopper protrusion 55 projecting upward is formed at the rear end of the arm portion 54.

An arm portion 54 is formed substantially in the center of the lid portion 50 in the X-axis direction, and both sides of the arm portion 54 of the lid portion 50 are a pair of guide walls 56 and 57. The guide walls 56, 57 have a smooth upper surface that is substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis direction.

At the rear ends of the guide walls 56 and 57 in the Y-axis direction, a rear end wall 58 projecting downward is formed. As shown in FIG. 14, the rear end wall 58 is connected to the side wall 51 and the side wall 52. Further, an intermediate wall 59 is provided in front of the arm portion 54, the guide wall 56, and the guide wall 57 so as to project downward from the lid portion 50, and the intermediate wall 59 extends in the X-axis direction to form the side wall 51 and the side wall 52. You are connected. In this way, the rear portion of the drawer tray 12 including the guide walls 56 and 57 is connected to the rear end wall 58 and the intermediate wall 59 and has a box-like structure that is open downward to ensure rigidity. Has been done. Then, a certain degree of bending in the Z-axis direction is allowed only at the position of the arm portion 54.

A pair of side guide plates 60, 61 protruding in the X-axis direction from the side walls 51, 52 are further provided at the rear portion of the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction. The side guide plates 60 and 61 have a plate shape that is substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis direction, and have a rectangular shape in which the length in the Y-axis direction is larger than the width in the X-axis direction when viewed from above. The front ends 60a, 61a of the side guide plates 60, 61 in the Y-axis direction extend in the X-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 17, the side guide plates 60 and 61 are located below the lid portion 50 in the Z-axis direction.

A cigarette placement groove 62 is formed at a position near the front end of the lid portion 50 in the Y-axis direction. The tobacco placement groove 62 is a placement section that receives and places the tobacco T from the tobacco storage section 13. The tobacco placement groove 62 is a recess formed by denting downward from the upper surface side of the lid portion 50, and extends in the X-axis direction with a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape (see FIGS. 15 and 16). Both ends of the tobacco placement groove 62 in the X-axis direction are open.

The length of the tobacco placement groove 62 in the X-axis direction is set to be slightly larger than the axial length of the tobacco T. The width of the tobacco placement groove 62 in the Y-axis direction (shown as the width M2 in FIG. 13) and the depth of the tobacco placement groove 62 in the Z-axis direction are set to be slightly larger than the diameter of the tobacco T, respectively. There is. The bottom of the tobacco placement groove 62 has a curved shape along the cylindrical outer surface of the tobacco T. Therefore, one cigarette T can be stably placed in the tobacco mounting groove 62 with a certain degree of dimensional allowance.

The width M1 (FIG. 8) of the vertical penetrating portion 29 provided in the main body case 11 in the Y-axis direction is larger than the width M2 (FIG. 13) of the tobacco mounting groove 62 provided in the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction. Specifically, the width M1 of the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 is about three times the width M2 of the cigarette placement groove 62.

The intermediate region of the lid portion 50 of the drawer tray 12 between the rear region where the arm portion 54, the guide wall 56 and the guide wall 57 are provided, and the front region where the tobacco placement groove 62 is provided. A corrugated portion 63 is formed on the upper surface. As shown enlarged in FIG. 15, the corrugated portion 63 has a structure in which fine concave portions and convex portions extending in the X-axis direction are arranged in parallel (continuously arranged) in the Y-axis direction.

At the front end of the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction, there is a D-shaped (a shape in which the rear end side is straight and the curved portion faces forward) finger hook hole 64 and an arc arch shape surrounding the finger hook hole 64. A grip portion 65 is provided. The grip portion 65 connects the base end portion to the pair of front end walls 66 and reduces the width in the X-axis direction as the grip portion 65 moves forward away from the front end wall 66. The front end wall 66 is a wall portion that protrudes downward from the front end of the lid portion 50 and connects to the side wall 51 and the side wall 52, and the strength in the vicinity of the grip portion 65 is secured by connecting to the front end wall 66. .. Further, the presence of the wall portion constituting the tobacco placement groove 62 arranged in the vicinity of the front end wall 66 also contributes to the strength improvement in the vicinity of the grip portion 65. Since the grip portion 65 is a portion to which an external force is applied when operating the drawer tray 12, it is effective to have such a structure having excellent strength. The leading edge portion of the grip portion 65 has a smooth arc shape, and a flange 67 projecting upward along the front edge of the grip portion 65 is formed.

The drawer tray 12 is provided with an index 68 indicating the direction of the drawer operation with respect to the main body case 11 and an index 69 indicating the direction of the storage operation. Although the indexes 68 and 69 of the present embodiment indicate information with triangular marks and characters, other indexes for displaying information can also be used. Further, although the indexes 68 and 69 of the present embodiment are formed by embossing on the upper surface side of the drawer tray 12, the indexes may be formed in different forms such as printing and sealing.

The main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12 having the above structure are combined to form the cigarette providing device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. In the Z-axis direction, the guide walls 56 and 57 of the lid portion 50 are located below the upper guide portions 31 and 32, respectively, and the side guide plates 60 and 61 are located above the lower guide portions 33 and 34, respectively. , The drawer tray 12 is assembled to the drawer tray storage portion 14 of the main body case 11. The upper surfaces of the guide walls 56 and 57 are in contact with the guide surfaces 31a and 32a to restrict the upward movement of the drawer tray 12, and the lower surfaces of the side guide plates 60 and 61 are in contact with the upper surfaces of the lower guide portions 33 and 34. The downward movement of the drawer tray 12 (falling off from the main body case 11) is restricted, and the position of the drawer tray 12 with respect to the main body case 11 in the Z-axis direction is determined.

At this time, in the X-axis direction, the side portions of the side guide plates 60 and 61 are located close to the inner surfaces of the outer side walls 22 and 23, respectively, and the side walls 51 and 52 are inside the front stopper portions 26a and 27a, respectively. It is located close to the surface of. When the side portions of the side guide plates 60 and 61 in the X-axis direction are in contact with the outer side walls 22 and 23, the position of the drawer tray 12 in the X-axis direction with respect to the main body case 11 is determined. Further, when the side walls 51 and 52 are in contact with the side surfaces of the front stopper portions 26a and 27a, respectively, the front portion of the drawer tray 12 in which the side guide plates 60 and 61 are not provided also moves in the X-axis direction. Is regulated.

Between the main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12, a clear answer of a predetermined size is secured between these portions that determine the positions of the drawer tray 12 in the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction. With this clear answer, it is possible to absorb the accuracy error of the parts and realize a smooth sliding operation of the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction.

Regarding the holding of the drawer tray 12 in the Z-axis direction, the plate-shaped guide walls 56, 57 substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis direction are brought into contact with the guide surfaces 31a, 32a of the upper guide portions 31, 32, respectively. Is a structure in which a plate-shaped lower guide portion 33, 34 substantially perpendicular to the Z-axis direction and a side guide plate 60, 61 are overlapped with each other. Therefore, even if there is some clear answer in the X-axis direction between the main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12, or even if the drawer tray 12 is slid in the Y-axis direction with respect to the main body case 11, the position in the Z-axis direction. Can be reliably determined.

With the main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12 assembled, the stopper protrusion 55 provided on the rear end side of the drawer tray 12 is located in the space surrounded by the rear stopper portion 30 and the upper guide portions 31 and 32 of the main body case 11. do. When the stopper protrusion 55 abuts on the rear stopper portion 30 from the front, the movement of the drawer tray 12 further backward in the Y-axis direction is restricted, and the drawer tray 12 is in the retracted state (FIGS. 3 and 3). 5). Further, with the main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12 assembled, the front stopper portions 26a and 27a are located on the front extension of the side guide plates 60 and 61 in the Y-axis direction. When the front ends 60a, 61a of the side guide plates 60, 61 abut on the trailing edges of the front stopper portions 26a, 27a, the movement of the drawer tray 12 further forward in the Y-axis direction is restricted, and the drawer tray 12 is pulled out. The tray 12 is in a protruding state (see FIG. 4). That is, the rear stopper portion 30 and the stopper protrusion 55 form a storage movement restricting portion that determines the movement end in the direction in which the drawer tray 12 is stored in the main body case 11, and the front stopper portions 26a and 27a and the side guide plate are formed. The 60 and 61 constitute a movement restricting unit for protrusion that determines a movement end in the direction in which the drawer tray 12 protrudes from the main body case 11.

When the drawer tray 12 is stopped in the protruding state, the contact with the trailing edges of the front stopper portions 26a and 27a is in the vicinity of the base end of the side guide plates 60 and 61 connected to the side walls 51 and 52. It is a part and has excellent load resistance. Further, since the front ends 60a and 61a of the side guide plates 60 and 61 extending in the X-axis direction come into contact with the trailing edges of the front stopper portions 26a and 27a extending in the Z-axis direction, the main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12 are brought into contact with each other. Even if there is some clear answer in the X-axis direction or the Z-axis direction between them, the side guide plates 60 and 61 can be reliably brought into contact with the front stopper portions 26a and 27a.

The distance in the Y-axis direction from the rear surface of the stopper protrusion 55 in the drawer tray 12 to the front ends 60a and 61a of the side guide plates 60 and 61 is L1, and the trailing edge from the rear stopper portion 30 to the front stopper portions 26a and 27a in the main body case 11. If the distance to and from the Y-axis direction is L2, then L1 <L2. The difference between the distance L1 and the distance L2 is the movable amount N (FIG. 6) of the drawer tray 12 with respect to the main body case 11 in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the movable range of the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction from the retracted state to the protruding state, at least a part of the side guide plates 60, 61 is the lower guide portions 33, 34 and the Z axis. At least a part of the guide walls 56 and 57 always overlaps with the upper guide portions 31 and 32 (guide surfaces 31a and 32a) in the Z-axis direction. Further, in the movable range of the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction, the side portions of the side guide plates 60 and 61 always face the side surfaces of the outer side walls 22 and 23 in the X-axis direction, and the side portions of the side walls 51 and 52 are forward. It always faces the side surfaces of the stopper portions 26a and 27a in the X-axis direction. Therefore, the drawer tray 12 always maintains a fixed position in the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction regardless of the position change in the Y-axis direction, and the drawer tray 12 does not fall off from the main body case 11. ..

It is preferable that the cigarette providing device 10 is housed in a rack or an outer case that surrounds the outside of the main body case 11. For example, the lower guide portions 33 and 34 are located slightly above the lower end surface of the main body case 11 (see FIGS. 11 and 12), and are thin (main body case 11) on the lower surface of the lower guide portions 33 and 34. It is possible to attach a magnet (thickness that is flush with the lower end surface of the). The magnetic force of this magnet makes it possible to stably support the tobacco providing device 10 against a metal rack or an outer case. Mounting by magnetic force has the advantage that it can be easily attached and detached and its position can be changed.

The arm portion 54 is bent downward so that the stopper protrusion 55 can pass under the rear stopper portion 30, and then the drawer tray 12 is slid backward in the drawer tray storage portion 14 from the main body case 11. The drawer tray 12 can be removed. In the normal slide operation of the drawer tray 12, when the stopper protrusion 55 abuts on the rear stopper portion 30, a linear load acts on the arm portion 54 in the Y-axis direction, so that the arm portion 54 moves downward (Z). The stopper protrusion 55 does not displace rearward from the rear stopper portion 30 due to displacement in the axial direction). Since the stopper protrusion 55 can be moved to the rear of the rear stopper portion 30 only when the arm portion 54 is bent downward with the intention of removing the drawer tray 12, the drawer tray 12 cannot be moved from the main body case 11. There is no risk of it coming off easily.

The main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12 are made of an arbitrary material that satisfies the durability, the slidability of the drawer tray 12, and the like. For example, the main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12 can be configured as a molded product of synthetic resin.

Further, the colors of the main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12 can be arbitrarily selected. For example, by making the main body case 11 an opaque dark color (black or the like) and making the drawer tray 12 transparent or translucent, it becomes easy for the user to recognize that the drawer tray 12 is an operation target. In particular, since the grip portion 65 of the drawer tray 12 is always in a state of protruding from the main body case 11, it is effective to make at least the grip portion 65 a conspicuous color to improve the distinctiveness of the operation target.

The operation and use of the tobacco providing device 10 configured as described above will be described. In the cigarette providing device 10, a plurality of cigarettes T are stored in the cigarette storage unit 13, and the user pulls out the drawer tray 12 toward the front to take out the cigarettes T one by one. In the tobacco accommodating portion 13, the tobacco T may be arranged so that the longitudinal direction faces the X-axis direction, and it is not necessary to determine the position in the Y-axis direction or the Z-axis direction at the time of accommodating. Further, the cigarette T may be put into the cigarette accommodating portion 13 from any position in the Y-axis direction.

All the cigarettes T contained in the tobacco accommodating portion 13 are guided to the front vertical penetrating portion 29 side by the action of gravity according to the inclination of the inclined bottom wall 28. The inclined bottom wall 28 is formed as a smooth slope with low frictional resistance so that even if each cigarette T is relatively lightweight, it can be reliably guided to the upper and lower penetrating portions 29. Further, the inclination angle of the inclined bottom wall 28 is set in consideration of the rollability of the tobacco T to be accommodated and the like.

In the retracted state of the drawer tray 12, the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 of the main body case 11 and the cigarette placement groove 62 of the drawer tray 12 are vertically overlapped and communicate with each other. Since the vertical penetrating portion 29 is continuously formed at the lowest position of the inclined bottom wall 28, the tobacco T in the tobacco accommodating portion 13 falls downward through the vertical penetrating portion 29 due to gravity. It is placed in the cigarette placement groove 62 located in the drawer tray storage portion 14 (see FIG. 5). That is, the inclined bottom wall 28 and the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 function as guiding means for moving the cigarette T in the main body case 11 to the tobacco mounting groove 62 of the drawer tray 12 in the retracted state of the drawer tray 12.

Since the width M2 (FIG. 13) of the cigarette placement groove 62 is such that one cigarette T can be placed, the number of cigarettes T that pass through the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 and fall downward is limited to one. When the tobacco T is already placed in the tobacco loading groove 62, the tobacco T does not fall from the tobacco storage unit 13 to the drawer tray storage unit 14 in the retracted state of the drawer tray 12.

By making the width M1 (FIG. 8) of the vertical penetrating portion 29 in the Y-axis direction larger than the width M2 (FIG. 13) of the tobacco mounting groove 62, clogging or catching does not occur at the vertical penetrating portion 29. In addition, the tobacco T can be reliably dropped into the tobacco placement groove 62.

Further, if the width M1 of the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 is larger than the width M2 of the tobacco loading groove 62, the operating range of the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction so that the tobacco loading groove 62 can communicate with the tobacco accommodating portion 13. Is secured to a certain extent, so that the tobacco T can be reliably dropped from the tobacco accommodating portion 13 side to the tobacco loading groove 62 without strictly controlling the position of the drawer tray 12 in the Y-axis direction in the stored state. can. For example, even if the drawer tray 12 is stopped at a position slightly before the stopper protrusion 55 abuts on the rear stopper portion 30 during the retracting operation of the drawer tray 12, the cigarette is immediately above the tobacco mounting groove 62 at that time. If the T is located, the tobacco T can be moved from the tobacco accommodating portion 13 to the tobacco storage groove 62.

In the retracted state of the drawer tray 12 (the position where the stopper protrusion 55 abuts on the rear stopper portion 30), the cigarette is placed on the innermost side of the vertical penetration portion 29 (the position adjacent to the front end 28b of the inclined bottom wall 28) in the Y-axis direction. The groove 62 is designed to be located. The reason for this will be described later.

Since the lid portion 50 exists in front of and behind the tobacco mounting groove 62 in the Y-axis direction and closes the lower part of the vertical penetrating portion 29, the width M1 of the vertical penetrating portion 29 is larger than the width M2 of the tobacco mounting groove 62. Even if it is large, the cigarette T does not fall below the main body case 11 from the front and back of the cigarette placement groove 62.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, in the retracted state of the drawer tray 12, most of the drawer tray 12 is stored in the drawer tray storage portion 14 of the main body case 11, and only the grip portion 65 is the front end. It projects forward through the opening 40. At this time, the index 68 indicating the withdrawal direction appears on the appearance of the tobacco providing device 10 (see FIG. 1), and when the tobacco providing device 10 is used, the grip portion 65 is gripped and the index 68 indicates forward. The user recognizes that the withdrawal operation should be performed as information.

When the cigarette T is taken out from the cigarette providing device 10 and used (smoking), the user performs an operation of pulling out the drawer tray 12 forward from the main body case 11 in the Y-axis direction. In the pull-out operation, the grip portion 65 protruding forward from the front end opening 40 may be gripped so as to be sandwiched from above and below, or a finger or the like may be inserted into the finger hook hole 64 and hooked. The finger hook hole 64 and the flange 67 make it easy to transmit the operating force in the Y-axis direction to the grip portion 65 in any of the operating modes. Further, both the arc-shaped arch-shaped grip portion 65 and the D-shaped finger hook hole 64 with the arc portion facing forward are excellent in operability because there is no angular shape in the portion touched by the user at the time of pulling out.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6, when the drawer tray 12 is pulled forward to be in a protruding state, the portion of the drawer tray 12 including the tobacco mounting groove 62 is pulled forward from the main body case 11. The tobacco T placed in the tobacco placement groove 62 is exposed to the outside. As a result, the user can receive the tobacco T from the tobacco placement groove 62. Since the cigarette placement groove 62 has a shape that opens upward in the Z-axis direction and on both sides in the X-axis direction, the user may pick up the cigarette T upward and take it out, or the cigarette T may be taken out in the X-axis direction. You may slide it to and pull it out from the side.

When the drawer tray 12 is pulled out, the front ends 60a and 61a of the side guide plates 60 and 61 come into contact with the trailing edges of the front stopper portions 26a and 27a from the rear, so that the drawer tray 12 is further forward. Movement is restricted. By the feeling of this contact, the user can sense that the drawer tray 12 is in a protruding state. Since the load is received by the pair of side guide plates 60, 61 and the pair of front stopper portions 26a, 27a located apart from each other in the X-axis direction, the movement of the drawer tray 12 can be restricted by the structure having excellent strength. ..

Since the tobacco placement groove 62 is exposed forward from the front end opening 40 at a position slightly before the side guide plates 60 and 61 abut on the front stopper portions 26a and 27a, the tobacco placement groove 62 is on the tobacco placement groove 62. It is also possible for the user to stop the drawer operation of the drawer tray 12 and receive the cigarette T at the stage when the cigarette T is visually recognized (before the side guide plates 60 and 61 abut on the front stopper portions 26a and 27a). Is.

In the protruding state of the drawer tray 12, the lid portion 50 is located directly under the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 and closes the lower portion. Therefore, the tobacco T stocked in the tobacco accommodating portion 13 passes through the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 and is a tobacco providing device. It does not fall downward from 10 (see FIG. 6).

In the protruding state of the drawer tray 12, an index 69 consisting of a mark and a character indicating the storage direction in the drawer tray 12 appears on the appearance of the tobacco providing device 10 (near the front wall 20) (see FIG. 2). Based on this index 69, the user recognizes that it is necessary to perform an operation of pushing the drawer tray 12 in the storage direction after the drawer tray 12 is pulled out.

After receiving the cigarette T from the cigarette placement groove 62, the user pushes the drawer tray 12 backward in the Y-axis direction and stores the drawer tray 12 in the main body case 11 again. The stopper protrusion 55 abuts on the rear stopper portion 30 to restrict the movement of the drawer tray 12 to the rear, so that the user can detect that the tobacco providing device 10 is in the retracted state.

When the drawer tray 12 returns to the retracted state, the tobacco placement groove 62 is located below the upper and lower penetrating portions 29, so that one of the plurality of cigarettes T accommodated in the tobacco accommodating portion 13 holds the upper and lower penetrating portions 29. It passes through and falls downward into the empty tobacco storage groove 62.

The guiding means including the inclined bottom wall 28 and the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 basically moves the tobacco T from the tobacco accommodating portion 13 to the tobacco loading groove 62 by its own weight. However, if the tobacco T is lightweight, or if movement resistance due to frictional force or the like acts on the tobacco T in the tobacco accommodating portion 13, even if the drawer tray 12 is returned to the retracted state, the tobacco T It is also assumed that it may be difficult to automatically enter the cigarette placement groove 62 (the cigarette T is clogged above the upper and lower penetrating portions 29). The corrugated portion 63 is useful in such a case.

As described above, in the protruding state of the drawer tray 12, the lid portion 50 (corrugated portion 63) is located directly under the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 and closes the lower portion. T does not fall downward from the tobacco providing device 10 through the vertical penetration portion 29 (see FIG. 6). When the drawer tray 12 is moved in the retracting direction from this state, the corrugated portion 63 formed on the upper surface portion of the lid portion 50 facing the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 is located at the lowest layer in the tobacco accommodating portion 13. It advances in the Y-axis direction while rubbing against the cigarette T at the position of the upper and lower penetrating portions 29. Then, the tobacco T is guided to the tobacco placement groove 62 side by the influence of the rubbing with the corrugated portion 63. For example, when the tobacco T tries to move backward in the Y-axis direction together with the drawer tray 12 due to the frictional force acting between the corrugated portion 63, the contact with the front end 28b of the inclined bottom wall 28 further causes the rearward. The movement of the tobacco T is hindered, and the reaction causes the tobacco T to move toward the tobacco placement groove 62 side. Further, when a light frictional force acts on the tobacco T located at the position of the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 with another tobacco T or the inner surface of the tobacco accommodating portion 13, the rubbing with the corrugated portion 63 is concerned. When the tobacco T vibrates, the movement resistance due to the frictional force is reduced (clogging is cleared), and the tobacco T is likely to fall into the tobacco mounting groove 62 due to its own weight.

As described above, according to the tobacco providing device 10 of the present embodiment, the drawer tray 12 is easily and surely moved with respect to the main body case 11 in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction). It is possible to provide cigarettes one by one. By accommodating the tobacco T inside the tobacco accommodating portion 13 and the preserving accommodating portion 15 of the main body case 11 without exposing the tobacco T to the outside except when the drawer tray 12 is operated, the storage stability is improved and the tobacco T is improved. It is possible to suppress deterioration of the flavor of tobacco. Further, since the cigarette T is housed in the main body case 11 without being exposed to the outside except at the time of taking out, and only one cigarette T to be provided is exposed to the outside at the time of taking out, an unspecified number of people are inside the main body case 11. By preventing the user from touching the cigarette T or touching the cigarette T other than the object to be taken out, it is possible to realize the provision in an environment excellent in hygiene.

Further, in the tobacco providing device 10, the drawer tray 12 is smoothly positioned in the width direction (X-axis direction) and the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) with respect to the main body case 11 in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction). It has a guide structure that makes it movable. As a result, excellent stability and usability can be obtained when operating the drawer tray 12, which is a movable portion. Further, it has a stopper structure for stopping the drawer tray 12 moving in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction) in the retracted state and the protruding state, and supplies the tobacco T to the tobacco loading groove 62 and from the tobacco loading groove 62. The cycle of taking out the cigarette T can be easily and surely recognized and executed by the user, and the complicated operation of the drawer tray 12 is not required.

18 (A) to 18 (C) show a product providing device of a comparative example different from the tobacco providing device 10. The product providing device shown in FIG. 18A has a storage guide portion 70 extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and a drawer portion 71 located below the storage guide portion 70 and movable in the front-rear direction (Y-axis direction). And have. The storage guide unit 70 is configured to store cylindrical products Q such as cigarettes and cans in a state of being placed horizontally and arranged in a row in the Z-axis direction. The upper end and the lower end of the accommodation guide portion 70 are open, and the product Q is supplied from the opening on the upper end side. A mounting groove 72 on which one product Q can be mounted is formed on the upper surface of the drawer portion 71. The width of the accommodation guide portion 70 and the width of the mounting groove 72 in the Y-axis direction are substantially the same.

In the retracted state of the drawer portion 71 (the state on the left side of FIG. 18A), the mounting groove 72 is located below the accommodation guide portion 70. Of the products Q in the storage guide portion 70, the lowermost product Q falls due to gravity and enters the mounting groove 72 through the opening on the lower end side of the storage guide portion 70. When the drawer portion 71 is pulled out by hand to bring it into a protruding state (the state on the right side of FIG. 18A), the product Q placed on the mounting groove 72 is exposed and can be taken out.

The product providing device shown in FIG. 18B has an inclination in which the accommodation guide portion 73 becomes lower in the Z-axis direction as it advances toward the front side in the Y-axis direction. The lower end portion of the accommodation guide portion 73 is an outlet portion 73a extending in the Z-axis direction, and the outlet portion 73a opens downward. The width of the outlet portion 73a and the width of the mounting groove 72 in the Y-axis direction are substantially the same.

The goods Q supplied from the opening on the upper end side of the accommodation guide portion 73 are arranged in a row along the inclined accommodation guide portion 73, and proceed to the outlet portion 73a by gravity. In the retracted state of the drawer portion 71 (the state on the left side of FIG. 18B), the mounting groove 72 is located below the outlet portion 73a, and the product Q in the outlet portion 73a falls due to gravity, resulting in the mounting groove. Enter 72. When the drawer portion 71 is pulled out by hand to bring it into a protruding state (the state on the right side of FIG. 18B), the product Q placed on the mounting groove 72 is exposed and can be taken out.

The product providing device shown in FIG. 18C has a “dogleg” -shaped accommodating guide portion 74 that changes its direction on the way. The accommodation guide portion 74 extends diagonally downward from the opening on the upper end side toward the inner side in the Y-axis direction, changes its direction in the middle, and extends diagonally downward toward the front side in the Y-axis direction. The lower end portion of the accommodation guide portion 74 is an outlet portion 74a extending in the Z-axis direction, and the outlet portion 74a opens downward. The width of the outlet portion 74a and the width of the mounting groove 72 in the Y-axis direction are substantially the same.

The goods Q supplied from the opening on the upper end side of the accommodation guide portion 74 are lined up in a row along the inclined accommodation guide portion 74 while changing the traveling direction on the way, and proceed to the outlet portion 74a by gravity. In the retracted state of the drawer portion 71 (the state on the left side of FIG. 18C), the mounting groove 72 is located below the outlet portion 74a, and the product Q in the outlet portion 74a falls due to gravity, resulting in the mounting groove. Enter 72. When the drawer portion 71 is pulled out by hand to bring it into a protruding state (the state on the right side of FIG. 18C), the product Q placed on the mounting groove 72 is exposed and can be taken out.

Each of the product providing devices shown in FIGS. 18 (A) to 18 (C) has a structure in which each of the accommodation guide units 70, 73, 74 arranges a plurality of product Qs in a row and sequentially conveys them. In all parts 70, 73, 74, there is only one product Q in each section in the direction of travel. In other words, the movement locus of each product Q up to the mounting groove 72 is constrained to be the same so as not to cause randomness in the arrangement of the product Q. Therefore, when the product Q is moved (dropped) from each of the accommodation guide portions 70, 73, 74 to the mounting groove 72, it can be smoothly moved without causing clogging due to mutual interference of the plurality of product Q. ..

On the other hand, since the portion for accommodating the product Q is limited to the accommodating guide portions 70, 73, 74 having a width of only one product Q, the accommodating capacity is restricted and a large amount of the product Q cannot be efficiently accommodated. There is. Further, by using the accommodation guide portions 70, 73, 74 of the type that transports the product Q while restraining it, the structure tends to be complicated and the manufacturing cost tends to be high. Further, since the product Q is supplied one by one to the narrow accommodation guide portions 70, 73, 74, it takes time and effort to supply the product.

On the other hand, the tobacco providing device 10 of the present embodiment does not have a structure for transporting the tobacco T in a row in the tobacco accommodating portion 13 of the main body case 11. The upper end portion of the tobacco accommodating portion 13 is open over the entire Y-axis direction, and the tobacco T can be supplied from any portion thereof. Further, at the bottom of the tobacco accommodating portion 13, an inclined bottom wall 28 for moving the tobacco T is formed on the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 side, but an intermediate space from the opening on the upper end side to the inclined bottom wall 28. Does not have a partition or the like. As a result, the tobacco storage unit 13 can store a large amount (many) of tobacco T in a small space, and is excellent in workability when supplying the tobacco T.

On the other hand, when the tobacco T is moved from the tobacco accommodating portion 13 accommodating a large amount of tobacco T to the tobacco loading groove 62 of the drawer tray 12, each tobacco T tends to move in various trajectories, so that there are a plurality of cigarettes T. Tobacco T may interfere with each other and cause clogging. The cases where such clogging is likely to occur are shown in FIGS. 19 (A) and 19 (B).

In the tobacco accommodating portion 113 of FIG. 19A, the width M11 in the Y-axis direction of the upper and lower penetrating portions 129 provided at the lower end of the inclined bottom wall 128 is substantially the same as the width M11 of the tobacco loading groove 62 of the drawer tray 12 (tobacco T). The width is about one of the cigarettes).

In this case, the cigarette T1 placed near the front end (lower end) of the inclined bottom wall 128 and the cigarette T2 attached to the front wall 120 may come into contact with each other so as to support each other. As a result, the cigarettes T1 and T2 closest to the upper and lower penetrating portions 129 are balanced in a state of being stopped without falling to the upper and lower penetrating portions 129, respectively, and the tobacco mounting groove of the drawer tray 12 is placed below the upper and lower penetrating portions 129. Even if the 62 is positioned, a phenomenon occurs in which the tobacco T is not supplied to the tobacco placement groove 62.

In the tobacco accommodating portion 213 of FIG. 19B, the width M21 in the Y-axis direction of the vertical penetrating portion 229 provided at the lower end of the inclined bottom wall 228 is substantially twice the width of the tobacco mounting groove 62 of the drawer tray 12 ( The case where the width is about two cigarettes T) is shown.

In this case, the third cigarette T3 is sandwiched between the cigarette T1 placed near the front end (lower end) of the inclined bottom wall 228 and the cigarette T2 attached to the front wall 220, and the three cigarettes T1 , T2 and T3 may form an arch structure that supports each other. As a result, the cigarettes T1, T2 and T3 closest to the upper and lower penetrating portions 229 are balanced in a state of being stopped without falling to the upper and lower penetrating portions 229, and the cigarettes of the drawer tray 12 are placed below the upper and lower penetrating portions 229. Even if the mounting groove 62 is positioned, a phenomenon occurs in which the tobacco T is not supplied to the tobacco mounting groove 62.

As can be seen from FIGS. 19 (A) and 19 (B), if the movement locus of each cigarette T is not uniformly defined and the tobacco T is accommodated with a high degree of spatial freedom, the capacity is large and the accommodation workability is good. On the other hand, there is a high risk of supply failure due to clogging of a plurality of cigarettes T.

The form of the jam of the tobacco T is not limited to the arch shape as shown in FIGS. 19 (A) and 19 (B). For example, a plurality of cigarettes T may be in series in the Y-axis direction, or may be clogged due to other irregular arrangement relationships.

As a result of experiments and research by the applicant, it was found that the larger the width of the penetrating portion (upper and lower penetrating portion 29) formed on the main body case 11 side in the Y-axis direction, the less likely the tobacco T supply failure due to clogging occurs. rice field. First, as the width of the penetrating portion is larger, the number of cigarettes T required to form the clogging increases, so that the probability that the clogging itself occurs is low. Further, as the width of the penetrating portion increases, the range of movement of the tobacco placing groove 62 in a state of communicating with the penetrating portion increases, so that the tobacco placing groove is below any of the plurality of cigarettes T that are clogged. It is more likely that the 62 can be positioned to cause a fall. Further, when the amount of movement of the drawer tray 12 increases with the width of the penetrating portion, the equilibrium state in which a plurality of cigarettes T are clogged due to the vibration applied during the insertion / removal operation of the drawer tray 12 is eliminated. It is more likely to be done.

Specifically, it was found that when the width of the penetrating portion in the Y-axis direction is set to three or more cigarettes T, there is a remarkable effect in preventing clogging. The remarkable effect is that when the drawer tray 12 is repeatedly inserted and removed, the cigarettes are reliably placed on the cigarette tray 12 each time with almost no clogging, up to a number of times corresponding to the maximum number of cigarettes T that can be stored in the cigarette storage unit 13. Tobacco T could be dropped into the groove 62. As described above, if there is no clogging in one cycle from the state where the maximum number of cigarettes T is stored in the cigarette storage unit 13 to the time when the cigarette T is emptied, it can be said that there is no problem in practical use.

Based on this, in the tobacco providing device 10 of the present embodiment, as described above, the width M1 (FIG. 8) of the vertical penetration portion 29 in the Y-axis direction is set to the width M2 of the tobacco mounting groove 62 in the Y-axis direction (FIG. 13). ) Is set to about 3 times. Then, in the retracted state of the drawer tray 12 (the position where the stopper protrusion 55 abuts on the rear stopper portion 30), up to the innermost side of the vertical penetration portion 29 (the position adjacent to the front end 28b of the inclined bottom wall 28) in the Y-axis direction. It is designed to reach the tobacco placement groove 62. In other words, the range of movement of the tobacco placement groove 62 accompanying the insertion / removal operation of the drawer tray 12 covers the entire area of the vertical penetration portion 29 in the Y-axis direction.

According to this configuration, by changing the position of the tobacco placement groove 62 with respect to the wide vertical penetration portion 29, the tobacco T, which is the fulcrum of the jam, is placed at any position in the Y-axis direction. It can be dropped to the groove 62 side. For example, as shown in FIG. 19C, when the tobacco T1 on the inner side in the Y-axis direction is a fulcrum for clogging, the tobacco placement groove to the innermost position in the Y-axis direction of the upper and lower penetrating portions 29. By moving 62, the support of the tobacco T1 is lost, and the tobacco T1 falls into the tobacco mounting groove 62 to clear the clogging.

As described above, the width M1 of the upper and lower penetrating portions 29 is preferably at least three times the width M2 of the tobacco placement groove 62, and may be set to a dimension larger than three times.

In addition, although it is very slight, there is a possibility that four or more cigarettes T may cause clogging that straddles the upper part of the upper and lower penetrating portions 29. The corrugated portion 63 of the drawer tray 12 is effective in such a case, and when the corrugated portion 63 moves below the upper and lower penetrating portions 29, a plurality of corrugated portions 63 are clogged by giving vibration to the periphery. It is possible to break the equilibrium state of the cigarette T1 (locking due to frictional force, etc.) and clear the clogging.

As can be seen from the above description, the tobacco providing device 10 of the present embodiment has a shape in which the tobacco accommodating portion 13 has the widest frontage at the open portion at the upper end, and the work of inserting the tobacco T into the tobacco accommodating portion 13 is efficiently performed. be able to. Further, since there is no partition or the like inside the cigarette accommodating portion 13 and the maximum internal dimensions of a plurality of cigarettes T are secured in each of the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, a large amount of cigarettes can be used due to excellent space utilization efficiency. The cigarette T can be stored in the main body case 11. Then, it has a guiding means capable of reliably dropping the tobacco T from the tobacco accommodating portion 13 to the tobacco loading groove 62 of the drawer tray 12 without causing clogging. Therefore, it is possible to reliably provide the cigarettes T one by one while accommodating a large amount of the cigarettes T in a small space.

Although described above based on the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications can be made. In the above embodiment, the size and shape shown in the attached drawings are not limited to this, and can be appropriately changed within the range in which the effect of the present invention is exhibited. In addition, it can be appropriately modified and implemented as long as it does not deviate from the scope of the object of the present invention.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the cigarette providing device 10 having the minimum configuration of the main body case 11 and the drawer tray 12 has been described, but as described above, it can be combined with a rack for accommodating the tobacco providing device 10 or an external case. be. In particular, it is desirable to have a structure in which the tobacco accommodating portion 13 is covered so that it cannot be easily accessed from the outside when the tobacco providing device 10 is used. Further, the main body case 11 may be provided with a connection structure capable of being interconnected so that a plurality of cigarette providing appliances 10 can be stacked in the Z-axis direction or used side by side in the X-axis direction.

Further, it is also possible to use the tobacco providing device 10 as a part of the new tobacco providing system, paying attention to the fact that the tobacco T can be provided only when the drawer tray 12 is pulled out (the tobacco T is exposed to the outside). Is. For example, a lock mechanism that regulates the movement of the drawer tray 12 and a control means that cooperates with the lock mechanism are provided, and only the user who has cleared the authentication such as the number of times of provision and the age can unlock the drawer tray 12 and unlock the drawer tray 12. It is also possible to apply it to allow the withdrawal operation of.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cigarette placement groove 62 of the drawer tray 12 has a shape in which one cigarette T is placed, but the drawer tray 12 is provided with a placement portion on which two or more cigarettes T can be placed. It is also possible. That is, the cigarette providing device of the present invention does not limit the number of cigarettes to be placed on the placing portion as long as the cigarettes are individually provided in a form other than the package.

10 Tobacco providing equipment 11 Main body case 12 Drawer tray 13 Tobacco storage part 14 Drawer tray storage part 15 Reserve storage part 22 External side wall 23 External side wall 26 Internal side wall 26a Front stopper part 27 Internal side wall 27a Front stopper part 28 Inclined bottom wall (guidance means) )
29 Vertical penetration (guidance means, penetration)
30 Rear stopper 31 Upper guide 31a Guide surface 32 Upper guide 32a Guide surface 33 Lower guide 34 Lower guide 40 Front end opening 41 Card holder 50 Lid 54 Arm 55 Stopper protrusion 56 Guide wall 57 Guide wall 60 Side Guide plate 60a Front end 61 Side guide plate 61a Front end 62 Tobacco mounting groove (mounting portion)
63 Corrugated part 64 Finger hook hole 65 Grip part 68 Index 69 Index

Claims (9)

A main body case that can accommodate multiple cigarettes,
It has a mounting part on which at least one cigarette can be placed, and can be moved in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body case. A drawer tray whose part is exposed to the outside of the main body case and
In the retracted state of the drawer tray, a guiding means for moving the cigarette in the main body case to the above-mentioned storage portion, and
Tobacco-providing equipment characterized by being equipped with. The main body case has a drawer tray storage unit for storing the drawer tray below the cigarette storage unit for accommodating a plurality of cigarettes.
The guiding means is located at the bottom of the tobacco accommodating portion and has a sloping bottom wall that gradually changes its height in the vertical direction as it advances in the front-rear direction, and the drawer tray is located at the lowest point of the sloping bottom wall. It has a penetrating part that communicates with the storage part,
The drawer tray has a lid portion that closes the lower part of the penetration portion in the protruding state.
The tobacco providing device according to claim 1, wherein the above-mentioned placing portion is formed in the lid portion and is formed of a recess located below the penetrating portion in the retracted state. The tobacco providing device according to claim 2, wherein the penetrating portion has a larger width in the front-rear direction than the previously described placing portion. The tobacco providing device according to claim 3, wherein the width of the penetrating portion in the front-rear direction is three times or more the width of the above-mentioned placement portion in the front-rear direction. Any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the lid portion has a corrugated portion composed of a plurality of irregularities parallel in the front-rear direction on the upper surface portion facing the penetrating portion in the protruding state. Tobacco-providing equipment described in the section. The main body case
A pair of internal side walls located on both sides of the sloping bottom wall in the width direction and blocking the sides of the tobacco container,
The rear stopper portion protruding downward from the inclined bottom wall,
It has a pair of front stopper portions protruding downward from the pair of internal side walls, and has a pair of front stopper portions.
Any of claims 2 to 5, wherein the drawer tray abuts on the rear stopper portion from the front in the retracted state and abuts on the front stopper portion from the rear in the protruding state. Or the tobacco-providing device described in paragraph 1. The main body case
A pair of upper guide portions that protrude downward from the inclined bottom wall, are located on both sides of the rear stopper portion in the width direction, and extend in the front-rear direction.
A pair of outer side walls located outside the pair of inner side walls in the width direction,
It has a pair of lower guide portions provided between the pair of inner side walls and the pair of outer side walls, which are located below the upper guide portion and extend in the front-rear direction.
6. The drawer tray is characterized in that the movement in the vertical direction is restricted by the pair of upper guide portions and the pair of lower guide portions, and the movement in the width direction is restricted by the pair of outer side walls. The listed tobacco-providing equipment. The drawer tray
A stopper protrusion protruding upward from the lid and
It has a pair of side guide plates that project laterally from the lid portion, and has.
In the retracted state, the stopper protrusion abuts on the rear stopper portion from the front, and the stopper protrusion comes into contact with the rear stopper portion from the front.
In the protruding state, the front end of the pair of side guide plates abuts on the front stopper portion from the rear.
The lid portion is located below the pair of upper guide portions to restrict upward movement.
The pair of side guide plates are located above the pair of lower guide portions to restrict downward movement.
The tobacco providing device according to claim 7, wherein the pair of side guide plates are located inside the pair of outer side walls in the width direction to restrict movement in the width direction. The tobacco providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the drawer tray has an arch-shaped grip portion that protrudes forward from the main body case in the stored state.

Images