JP2973699B2 - Vending machine product selection button - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a merchandise selection button of a vending machine, and more particularly to a "sellable" and "sold out" display mechanism incorporated in the merchandise selection button.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is an external view of a vending machine to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, 11 is a front door of a main body case, 12 is an illuminating section for displaying a product sample 13, and 14 is a product. Take-out opening, 15 is a coin slot, 16 is a product sample 3 and 1
The illuminating unit 12 is an installed product selection button corresponding to the pair.

Here, the function of the above-mentioned product selection button is well known, and when a coin is inserted and a product selection button corresponding to a desired product is pressed, a product selection switch associated with the product selection button is operated. The product corresponding to the product selection button is carried out from the bend rack in the refrigerator to the product outlet. A display plate, an LED, and the like are provided inside the product selection button so as to display "sale available" and "sold out" in accordance with each sales condition of product presence or absence at the time of sale for each product selection button. (Light emitting diode) is incorporated.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional product selection button 16.
"Sale" and "Sold Out" are displayed. In the illustrated example, "Sell" and "Sell" are provided inside an operation cap (push button) of a horizontally long product selection button made of a translucent material. A display board in which characters "OFF" are arranged on the left and right is incorporated, and an LED that emits light in accordance with the presence or absence of stock is provided on the back side of each display. It is also known to display "sold available" and "sold out" with, for example, symbol marks of ○ and ×.

[0005]

By the way, in the conventional product selection buttons, the indications of "sale available" and "sold out" are displayed separately on the left and right of the push button, so that the design of the push button is inevitable. It is limited to a horizontally long shape. On the other hand, as described above, each of the product selection buttons is provided with a product selection switch, and when the push button is pressed, the product selection switch is operated via an actuator rod or the like. In this case, if the shape of the push button is horizontally long, the force is biased depending on the position where the push button is pressed with the fingertip, and the push button is tilted due to the play of the assembly structure, and the product selection switch may not operate properly. In order to prevent this, the linking mechanism between the product selection button and the switch becomes complicated and the cost increases.

In this regard, if the shape of the product selection button is round, there is no deviation in the force when the push button is pressed, so that the product selection switch can be reliably operated by a simple actuator mechanism, and the design can be improved. It is also clear. However, it is difficult to arrange the display mechanism of “sellable” and “sold out” side by side on the left and right inside the product selection button in the same manner as in the related art with respect to the round product selection button.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to solve the above-mentioned problems and to adopt a round product selection button to set each sales condition of "sales available" and "sold out". An object of the present invention is to provide a product selection button of a vending machine which can be clearly displayed.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the product selection button of the present invention is configured as follows. (1) Concentrically place a circle-shaped light guide display corresponding to “sale available” and a cross-shaped light guide display corresponding to “sold out” inside a cylindrical operation cap made of a translucent material. , And individually facing the rear of each light guide display,
Light emitting elements that are turned on under each selling condition of “sold out” are arranged and configured.

(2) A x-shaped light guide display corresponding to "sold out" is accommodated in the center of the inside of a cylindrical operation cap made of a light-transmitting material, and the periphery and the back of the light guide display are accommodated. And light-emitting elements that are lit under the sale conditions of “sold available” and “sold out”. (3) Further, in each of the above-described configurations, it is preferable that the indications of “sold available” and “sold out” are displayed by light-emitting elements of different colors.

[0010]

In the configuration of the above (1), if the sales condition at the time of sale is "salable", the light of the light emitting element guides the light through the O-shaped light guide display, and ○ mark is displayed. If the sales condition is “sold out”, the light of the light emitting element guides the light through the X-shaped light guide display and displays an X mark on the end face of the operation cap. Here, each light guide display is a cylinder or a column made of, for example, a transparent acrylic resin, and when light is incident from one end face, the opposite end face does not leak from the middle of the optical path and has the opposite shape. Glow together. Moreover, the circles and crosses make it easy to visually determine whether or not they can be sold, and the circle-shaped and cross-shaped light guide displays are concentrically arranged so that they can be efficiently incorporated even in a narrow space inside the round operation cap. it can.

In the configuration (2), if the sales condition is "salable", the entire end face of the operation cap is brightly illuminated, and "x" is displayed for "sold out". And
If, for example, a green light-emitting LED or a red light-emitting LED is used as the light-emitting element for displaying “sale available” and “sold out” as in (3), the display content can be more clearly identified.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIGS. 1 (a) to 1 (d) show an embodiment corresponding to claim 1 of the present invention, wherein 1 is a mounting frame for a product selection button, and 2 is an end face forward with respect to the mounting frame 1. Cylindrical operation cap, which is fitted to the front and rear movable so as to be mounted, 3 is a waterproof cover, 4 is a printed wiring board equipped with a product selection switch installed behind the operation cap 2, 5 is a switch connected to the operation cap 2 The operation actuator rod 6 is a connection coupler provided on the printed wiring board 4. Further, inside the operation cap 2, a cylindrical O-shaped light guide display member 7 made of a transparent acrylic resin shown in FIGS. A cross-shaped columnar X-shaped light-guiding display 8 is concentrically arranged and housed therein, and is individually opposed to the rear end surfaces of the light-guiding displays 7, 8, and the printed wiring board 4 behind it. Is equipped with a green light emitting LED 9 and a red light emitting layout 10.

[0013] With this configuration, the condition at the time of sale is “salable”.
In this case, the green light emitting LED 9 emits light, and the emitted light enters from the rear end face of the O-shaped light guide display 7 and a green circle mark is displayed on the end face of the operation cap 2 as shown in FIG. . On the other hand, if the condition at the time of sale is "Sold out", the red light emitting LED
10 emits light, and the light guides the X-shaped light-guiding display 8 to form a red X on the end face of the operation cap 2 as shown in FIG.
Display the mark. With this, the customer can easily determine whether or not the various products displayed on the lighting unit can be sold or sold out based on the shape and color of the mark displayed on the product selection button. Note that the emission colors of the LEDs 9 and 10 are not limited to green and red, and a neon lamp may be used instead of the LED as the light emitting element.

Embodiment 2 FIG. 3 shows an embodiment corresponding to the second aspect of the present invention. The difference from the first embodiment is that the o-shaped light-guiding display is omitted, and instead, x is used. A plurality of green LEDs 9 are dispersed in the peripheral area of the shaped light guide display 8 and are arranged directly opposite to each other close to the back side of the end face of the operation cap 2.

In this embodiment, if the selling condition is "salable", the green light emitting LED 9 emits light, so that the entire surface of the operation cap 2 is illuminated in green. In this case, in order to prevent the shadow of the X-shaped light guide display 8 from being reflected on the end face of the operation cap 2, the X-shaped light guide display 8 is retracted one step deeper than the end face of the operation cap 2, and is moved forward. LED
9 should be arranged.

[0016]

As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the display corresponding to each of the sale conditions of "sale available" and "sold out" is displayed on each product selection button provided in the vending machine. It can be clearly displayed by ○ and × marks that are easy for customers to distinguish, and a light guide display is used for its display mechanism, so that even with a round product selection button, mutual interference in the narrow internal space Can be incorporated without. In addition, by adopting the round product selection button, the design is simpler than the conventional horizontally long one, and the posture does not tilt when the push button is operated, so the product selection switch can be implemented with a simple actuator mechanism. It is possible to provide a highly reliable product selection button, such as a reliable operation.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a product selection button corresponding to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a front view, (b) is a side sectional view,
(C) and (d) show the o-shape built into the product selection button,
External perspective view of × -shaped light guide display

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a display state according to the configuration of FIG. 1;
(A) is a display state diagram of “sold out”, and (b) is a display state diagram of “sold out”.

3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a configuration of a product selection button corresponding to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a front view, and FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a vending machine.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a conventional product selection button.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Operation cap 7 ○ Shape light guide display 8 × Shape light guide display 9 Green light emitting LED 10 Red light emitting LED 16 Product selection button

Continuation of front page (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G07F 9/00 G07F 5/22 G07F 9/02 G07F 9/02 101 H01H 13/02

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A circular light guide display corresponding to "sale available" and a cross light guide display corresponding to "sold out" inside a cylindrical operation cap made of a light transmitting material. A vending machine characterized in that light-emitting elements that are concentrically housed and individually illuminate under the sales conditions of “saleable” and “sold out” are individually opposed to the rear part of each light guide display. Product selection button. 2. An X-shaped light guide display corresponding to "sold out" is housed in the center of the inside of a cylindrical operation cap made of a translucent material.
And "sellable" around and behind the light guide display,
A product selection button for a vending machine, wherein light-emitting elements that light up under each sales condition of "sold out" are arranged. 3. A product selection button for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the display of "sale available" and "sold out" is displayed by light emitting elements of different colors. .