JP3016557U - Mineral water vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] In an automatic vending machine for mineral water, it is possible to sell mineral water in a form that can be supplied to PET bottles. [Structure] Tap water supplied from a supply source 20 is mineralized in a water tank 22 by a mineralizing agent 24 and supplied to a storage tank 26. The mineral water supply means 30 is operated in response to a signal from the money detecting means 40 which receives a predetermined amount of payment of bills, coins, prepaid cards, etc. and outputs a signal, and the storage tank 26 is operated.
Supply mineral water from the specified amount.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a device for automatically selling mineral water, and more particularly to a device for automatically selling mineral water obtained by mineralizing tap water in response to receipt of payment of money.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Partly due to the deterioration of the quality of tap water, mineral water is now being sold for a fee. Soft drinks have been sold in vending machines for a long time, and bottled bottles of mineral water can be sold in vending machines like juice and coffee.

However, since mineral water cannot be obtained unless it is manufactured in a factory like beverages such as juice and coffee, there are some circumstances different from these beverages. That is, in the case of mineral water such as juice or coffee that can only be sold in a pre-manufactured quantity, if it is collected from natural fresh water or Tanigawa, for example, only the quantity collected in advance can be sold. In the case of water that can be made by mineralizing tap water, such as "boiled rice water" that can be made from "boiled rice stones", there is a feature that any number of water can be made on the spot as needed.

Such beverages can be sold not only in a bottle having a fixed volume in advance but also in a form capable of supplying a desired amount, and the number of beverages set in a vending machine is limited. It can also be sold in a form that can be supplied without limit.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 The purpose of the present invention is to utilize such characteristics of mineral water to sell in a form in which a desired amount can be selectively supplied, and the number is not limited to the number set in advance in the vending machine. The aim is to provide an automatic vending machine for mineral water that can be sold on the spot as much as needed.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The mineral water vending device according to the present invention is connected to a tap water supply source, stores a container for the supplied tap water, a mineralizing agent contained in the container, and the tap water by the mineralizing agent. A means for supplying a predetermined amount of mineral water obtained by mineralization from the container, a money detecting means for receiving a predetermined amount of charges such as bills, coins, and prepaid cards, and outputting a signal, and the money detecting means. It is characterized by comprising control means for receiving the output signal and operating the mineral water supply means to supply the mineral water from the container in a predetermined amount.

Here, the mineralizing agent is not limited to “barley stone” and may be any material as long as it has a function of mineralizing upon contact with tap water, for example, a granular material such as germanium, zeolite or coral sand. Can be used.

The container may be of any size as long as it is a container that is connected to a tap water supply source and stores the supplied tap water, but preferably, a sufficient amount of tap water is mineralized in the container. It is preferable that the agent has a size that can be mineralized and supplied over a sufficient time by the agent. However, as long as tap water can be mineralized and supplied, it is not always necessary to store a large amount of tap water, and a cylinder of an appropriate size is filled with a large amount of mineralizing agent. Then, the tap water passing through it may be mineralized.

Further, the mineral water vending apparatus according to the present invention stores a mineralizing agent in a water tank connected to a tap water supply source, and mineralizes the tap water obtained by mineralizing the tap water by the mineralizing agent. The water may be stored in a storage tank connected to the water tank, and a predetermined amount of mineral water may be supplied from this storage tank. In this case, the money detecting means for receiving the payment of a predetermined amount of bills, coins, prepaid cards, etc. and outputting a signal, and the mineral water supplying means for operating the mineral water supplying means by receiving the signal output from the money detecting means. A control means for supplying a predetermined amount of mineral water from the storage tank is provided.

Further, the water tank may be provided with tap water supply control means for stopping the supply of tap water to the water tank when a predetermined amount of tap water is supplied, and the storage tank may also be provided with A mineral water supply control means may be provided to stop the supply of the mineral water to the storage tank when a fixed amount of the mineral water is stored.

[0011]

[Effect of action and device]

 In the mineral water vending machine according to the present invention, a container for storing tap water is connected to a tap water supply source, and mineralized tap water is contained in the container to mineralize the tap water to supply a predetermined amount from the container. Therefore, it is possible to sell any amount of mineral water, or it is possible to sell any amount of mineral water without being limited to the number preset in the vending machine.

In addition, in the mineral water vending apparatus according to the present invention, which supplies mineral water stored in a storage tank outside the water tank by a predetermined amount from this storage tank, a large amount of mineral water once made can be supplied from a tap water supply source. Since it can be stored outside the water tank connected to, there is an effect that it is possible to always supply sufficiently mineralized mineral water. Further, in the case where the tap water supply control means for stopping the supply of tap water to the water tank when the predetermined amount of tap water is supplied to the water tank is provided, the tap water is automatically supplied in the required amount. A mineral water supply control means for storing mineral water in a storage tank for a sufficient amount of time and for stopping the supply of mineral water to the storage tank when a predetermined amount of mineral water is stored in the storage tank. With the provision of, the required amount of mineral water can be automatically transferred from the aquarium to the storage tank and stored, which can be supplied as a symmetry of automatic sales.

It should be noted that the money detection means for receiving a payment of a predetermined amount of money such as bills, coins, and prepaid cards, and outputting a signal, and operating the mineral water supply means by receiving the signal output from the money detection means. However, as a combination of means having a series of functions for automatic vending consisting of a control means for supplying mineral water from a container or a storage tank, a well-known system conventionally used in various vending machines is used. be able to. Of course, as the money detecting means, not only cash and prepaid cards but also credit cards can be adopted.

[0014]

【Example】

 An embodiment of a mineral water vending machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a mineral water vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. This example is the simplest type of vending machine for supplying mineral water to a stationary paper cup, the appearance of which is shown and its mode of use is detailed below.

A coin slot 4 and a coin return lever 5 are provided side by side at an appropriate position of the panel 3 on the front of the box-shaped housing 2 which constitutes the outer shell of the main body of the automatic vending machine, at an appropriate height for easy operation. Below that, a bill insertion slot 6 is provided, and above them, there is provided a display section 7 for displaying the amount of money inserted or inserted, to be precise, the amount of payment received by the device. A return port 8 for coins returned by operating the return lever 5 is provided below it. Since these configurations are common to various kinds of popular vending machines and are well known, details of the configurations and operations are omitted.

The mineral water vending machine of this embodiment is provided with a mineral water supply unit 10 at the center of the front panel 3. The mineral water supply unit 10 is composed of a supply chamber arranged in an opening provided in the front panel 3, and a nozzle 11 for supplying mineral water is arranged above (the ceiling) the supply chamber. . Further, next to the mineral water supply unit 10, there is a paper cup holding unit 14 for holding a large number of paper cups 12 for receiving mineral water in a stacked manner.

When this mineral water vending machine is used, one paper cup 12 is taken out from the paper cup holding portion 14 and set in the mineral water supply portion 10 as indicated by S, and a predetermined amount of money, for example, When fifty yen is put into the coin slot 4, a predetermined amount of mineral water just suitable for the capacity of the paper cup 12 is supplied from the nozzle 11 into the paper cup 12.

In the illustrated embodiment, a large transparent panel 16 made of, for example, acrylic is fitted on the upper portion of the front panel 3 so that the water 18 in the transparent water tank installed inside the apparatus can be seen from the outside. It is like this.

Next, the internal structure of this apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

One end of a tap water supply pipe 21 is connected to the faucet 20 as a tap water supply source, and the other end of the supply pipe 21 is connected to a water tank 22. Tap water is supplied from the tap water supply pipe 21 into the water tank 22, and the water tank 22 stores the tap water. The water tank 22 is provided with a float 23 that opens and closes the other end of the tap water supply pipe 21 so as to store a fixed amount of water, and when a predetermined amount of tap water is supplied into the water tank 22. In addition, the supply of tap water to the water tank 22 is stopped.

In the water tank 22, a mineralizing agent 24 such as “barite stone”, germanium, zeolite, coral sand, etc., which has a function of mineralizing upon contact with tap water, is partitioned by a stainless mesh 25, for example. It is housed in the bottom mineralizer compartment or in a mesh bag. The mesh bag has the effect that the mineralizing agent can be easily replaced.

At the bottom of the water tank 22, there is provided a connecting pipe 27 for supplying mineral water mineralized by the mineralizing agent 24 in the water tank 22 below the water tank 22, and the lower end of this connecting pipe 27 is the water tank 22. It is connected to a storage tank 26 arranged below. Mineral water is supplied from the water tank 22 to the storage tank 26 through the connecting pipe 27, and the storage tank 26 stores the mineral water. The storage tank 26 is provided with a float 28 that opens and closes the lower end of the connecting pipe 27 so that a certain amount of mineral water is stored. When a predetermined amount of mineral water is supplied to the storage tank 26, the storage tank 26 It is designed to stop the supply of mineral water to. The storage tank 26 has a capacity of, for example, about 10 to 50 liters.

In the drawing, the upper portions of the water tank 22 and the storage tank 26 are opened for the sake of convenience of description, but it is desirable that these upper portions are hermetically closed in order to prevent invasion of dust and the like. In addition, a filtering means such as a microfilter may be arranged above the water tank 22 to perform tap filtration of tap water before use.

A discharge pipe 29 for discharging mineral water downward is provided at the bottom of the storage tank 26, and a lower end of the discharge pipe 29 is a control means for supplying a predetermined amount of mineral water from the storage tank 26. The valve 30 is opened and connected to the nozzle 11. Through this discharge pipe 29, a predetermined amount of mineral water is supplied from the storage tank 26 to the paper cup 12 arranged below the nozzle 11 in the mineral water supply unit 10. This supply of mineral water is performed after it is confirmed that the amount of money paid by the coins inserted into the coin insertion port 4 and the bills inserted into the bill insertion port 6 has reached a predetermined amount.

The supply amount control valve 30 detects the amount of money paid by the coins inserted into the coin insertion slot 4 and the bills inserted into the bill insertion slot 6 and indicates that the predetermined amount has been reached. The money detecting means 40 for confirming and outputting a signal is connected, but as this money detecting means 40, a system used in a well-known vending machine can be used as it is. Is omitted.

The water tank 22 may be provided with an addition means 34 for adding the additive 32, if necessary. The floats 23 and 28 are combined with a sensor that detects the liquid level and an on-off valve that stops the supply of tap water or mineral water from the tap water supply pipe 21 or the connection pipe 27 by the liquid level detection output of the sensor. It can be replaced.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the amount of mineral water supplied from the nozzle 11 is a fixed predetermined amount in consideration of the capacity of the paper cup, but any amount of mineral water may be used instead of the paper cup. When the container is placed in the mineral water supply unit 10 and the mineral water is directly supplied from the nozzle 11 into the container, the supply amount does not have to be the above-mentioned predetermined amount, and in that case, it was added. Depending on the amount of money, a desired amount of mineral water may be supplied. As a means for receiving a signal and supplying a certain amount of mineral water, the system conventionally used in vending machines for pouring tea etc. into paper cups for sale can be used as it is.

Next, an external view of a mineral water vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention and a method of using the same will be described with reference to FIG. The feature of the second embodiment is that a plastic bottle having a larger capacity can be used in addition to the paper cup. The plastic bottle can be purchased for a fee only when you want it, and you don't have to buy it when you don't need it.

As shown in FIG. 3, a housing 50 of the mineral water vending apparatus according to the second embodiment has a housing 51 for supplying mineral water and a pet provided adjacent to the side of the housing 51. It consists of a housing 52 for supplying bottles. The housing 51 for supplying mineral water and the internal structure are basically the same as those of the mineral water vending machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. Is. However, in addition to the supply unit 53 for supplying the mineral water to the paper cup 58, the housing 50 for supplying the mineral water of the mineral water vending machine according to the second embodiment, the mineral water is supplied to the PET bottle 55. A supply unit 54 for supplying the supply unit 54 for supplying is provided. Then, a large number of plastic bottles 55 are accommodated in a housing 52 for supplying plastic bottles, which is provided next to and adjacent to the housing 51 for supplying mineral water. A structure having a function as a vending machine, that is, a money handling unit 56 including a coin insertion slot, a return lever, a bill insertion slot, a receipt amount display section and a return slot is provided.

According to the automatic vending machine for mineral water according to the second embodiment, when the user wants to drink mineral water in the paper cup 58, the paper cup 58 is taken out from the paper cup holding portion 57 and the mineral water is put into the paper cup. It is placed in the supply unit 53 for supplying the coins, and coins are put into the money handling unit 59 on the housing 50 side to supply the paper cup 58 with an appropriate amount of mineral water. If you want mineral water in a plastic bottle, you can purchase a plastic bottle 55 by inserting coins or the like into the money handling unit 56 on the housing 52 side for supplying the plastic bottle. Then, place the purchased PET bottle 55 in the supply unit 54 that supplies mineral water to the PET bottle, and then insert coins, etc. into the money handling unit on the housing 50 side to supply mineral water, and obtain the required amount. To purchase mineral water from and supply mineral water to a plastic bottle 55 placed in a supply unit 54 for supplying mineral water to a plastic bottle.

When the PET bottle 55 is provided with a cap, the cap is removed by hand and then placed in the mineral water supply unit 54.

At this time, the PET bottle 55 placed in the supply unit 54 for supplying mineral water to the PET bottle may be detected to automatically supply the necessary amount of mineral water to the PET bottle 55. it can. In that case, when a paper cup is placed in the supply unit 53 that supplies mineral water to the paper cup, the paper cup placed there is detected and the amount of mineral water required for 55 is automatically added to the paper cup. Can also be supplied.

Next, an external view of a mineral water vending machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention and a method of using the same will be described with reference to FIG. The feature of this third embodiment is that it is possible to selectively use three different sizes of container, a paper cup 61, a medium size bottle 62, and a plastic bottle 63, in one housing, and a monetary value. The handling unit 64 is designed so that a single unit is shared.

As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 60 of the mineral water vending apparatus according to the third embodiment has one monetary handling section 64 and one supply section 65 for supplying mineral water together with three. It has selection buttons 66, 67 and 68 for selectively selecting containers of various sizes. Further, it is provided with a container supply port 69 for supplying the paper cup 61 and the medium-sized bottle 62 in an empty state, and a container supply port 70 for supplying the PET bottle 63 in an empty state. (These two container supply ports 69, 70 can be combined into one so that both can be shared.) In response to the insertion of coins and the selection buttons 66, 67, 68 of the container, The selected container is supplied to the container supply port 69 or 70. When the container is placed on the mineral water supply unit 65, a sensor (not shown) that has detected the placement sends a signal to start supply of mineral water (not shown) to the supply control means (not shown), and the supply means is selected. The appropriate amount of mineral water for the container is supplied from the nozzle 65a to the container placed therein. Instead of using the sensor, you can manually supply mineral water by placing the container and then pressing the supply button.

In this embodiment, since there is only one cash handling unit 64 and one supply unit for supplying mineral water, it is possible to selectively use containers of three different sizes. Nevertheless, it is possible to construct a vending machine for mineral water that is extremely functionally compact and is easy to operate.

In any of the above-described embodiments, the mineral water vending machine of the present invention can also sell in a form in which a desired amount can be selectively supplied, and the number can be set in advance in the vending machine. It can be sold in a form that can be supplied in large quantities as needed on the spot without restriction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the appearance of a mineral water vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view showing the basic internal structure of the mineral water vending apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the appearance of a mineral water vending device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the appearance of a mineral water vending device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Housing 3 Front panel 4 Coin insertion slot 5 Return lever 6 Banknote insertion slot 7 Receipt amount display section 8 Return slot 10 Mineral water supply section 11 Nozzle 12 Paper cup 14 Paper cup holding section 16 Transparent panel 18 Water tank 20 Faucet 21 Tap water supply pipe 22 Water tank 23 Float 24 Mineralizing agent 25 Mesh 26 Storage tank 27 Connection pipe 28 Float 29 Discharge pipe 30 Supply amount control valve 40 Money detection means 50 Housing 51 Housing for supplying mineral water 52 Supplying PET bottle Housing for supplying 53 Supply unit supplying mineral water to paper cup 54 Supply unit supplying mineral water to PET bottle 55 PET bottle 56 Money handling unit 57 Paper cup 58 Paper cup holding unit 60 Housing 61 Paper cup 62 Medium-sized bottle 63 Petbot 64 Money Handling Department 65 Supplying Unit for Supplying Mineral Water 66, 67, 68 Selection Button for Selective Container 69 Container Supply Port for Supplying Empty Paper Cup and Medium Size Bottle 70 Remaining Empty PET Bottle Supply container supply port

Claims (4)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A water tank connected to a tap water supply source for storing the supplied tap water, a mineralizing agent contained in the water tank, and the tap water obtained by mineralizing the tap water. A storage tank connected to the aquarium for storing the stored mineral water, a means for supplying the mineral water from the storage tank in a predetermined amount at a time, and receiving a signal by receiving a predetermined amount of payment of bills, coins, prepaid cards, etc. And a control means for operating the mineral water supply means in response to the signal output from the money detection means to supply the mineral water from the storage tank by a predetermined amount. Mineral water automatic vending machine. 2. A tap water supply control means for stopping the supply of tap water to the water tank when a predetermined amount of tap water is supplied to the water tank, and a predetermined amount of mineral water stored in the storage tank. 2. A mineral water supply control means for stopping the supply of mineral water to the storage tank.
The listed mineral water vending machine. 3. A container connected to a tap water supply source for containing the supplied tap water, a mineralizing agent contained in the container, and a mineralizing agent for the tap water obtained by the mineralizing agent. Means for supplying a predetermined amount of mineral water from the container, a money detecting means for receiving a predetermined amount of fee payment by bills, coins, prepaid cards, etc. and outputting a signal, and the money detecting means for outputting the money An automatic vending machine for mineral water, comprising: a control means for operating the mineral water supply means in response to a signal to supply a predetermined amount of the mineral water from the container. 4. The mineral water supply means supplies mineral water in an amount according to the amount of payment detected by the money detection means. The listed mineral water vending machine.