JP3239066B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine for cigarettes, and more particularly to a vending machine in which two or more product racks each having a plurality of product columns are arranged in front and rear rows.

[0002]

FIG. 12 shows a conventional vending machine for cigarettes. As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine 100 includes a vending machine main body 101 and a main body door 103 which opens and closes a front opening 102 of the vending machine main body 101 in a door-to-door manner. In the vending machine main body 101, a first rack 104 is provided on the front side.
And a second rack 105 are arranged side by side on the left and right, and a third rack 106 is arranged on the rear side over the entire width thereof. Product column 1 on each rack 104, 105, 106
07 are arranged side by side, and different products A are usually accommodated in each of them. In this case, the third rack 106 is fixedly provided in the vending machine main body 101, while the second rack 105 is configured to be rotatable obliquely forward around the front left end, and the first rack 104 is It is configured to be slidable left and right along the three racks 106. In this case, each product column 107 of the third rack 106 extends vertically to the full height of the column 106, and mainly stores products (cigarettes) A, which are sold in a standard size. The first rack 104 and the second rack 105 also have a plurality of product columns 10 in the vertical direction.
7 (not shown), and a large number of special-sized products (cigarettes) A such as long sizes are stored.

In order to replenish (load) the product A in such a configuration, first, the second rack 105 is rotated forward so that the third rack 105 located behind the second rack 105 is rotated.
The commodity A is refilled into the commodity column 107 of the rack 106, and then the first rack 104 is moved to the position of the second rack 105 and the third rack 10 located behind the first rack 104.
The commodity A is refilled in the commodity column 107 of No. 6. When the replenishment of the product A to the third rack 106 is completed, the first rack 10
4 and the second rack 105 are returned to their original positions, and the product A is placed in the product column 107 of the first and second racks 104 and 105.
Replenish.

[0004]

In such a conventional vending machine 100, the product column 10 of the first rack 104 is provided.
When the product A is replenished to 7, the main body door 103 is in the way and the replenishment work becomes difficult. In particular, in the vending machine 100 installed at a corner of a wall or the like, the main body door 103 has an angle 9
Since it opens only about 0 degrees, the main body door 103 projects toward the front opening 102 side of the vending machine main body 101 by the thickness thereof,
The product column 107 on the right side of the first rack 104 is difficult to refill because the main body door 103 is in the way. However, if the commodity column 107 on the right side of the first rack 104 is omitted, such a problem can be solved. However, in this case, the number of accommodated products A decreases. Further, if the first rack 104 is moved to the second rack 105 side at the time of replenishment, such a problem is solved. However, in such a case, since the second rack 105 is rotated and the product A cannot be replenished to the second rack 105, a variety of products A
When the replenishment is carried out by preparing the product at hand, it is necessary to first select the product A for the first rack 104 from the product A at hand. Therefore, it takes longer time to replenish the product A, and the replenishment work becomes difficult.

On the other hand, the first rack 104 is moved to
When refilling the product column 107 with the product column 107 of the third rack 106 located behind the rack 104, the first rack 10
Numeral 4 is in a slidable state only by hitting the stopper. Therefore, the vending machine main body 101 side and the first
The replenishment of the product A due to the pulling force of the harness (particularly remarkable in winter because the PVC coating material is hardened), the rebound when the first rack 104 moves, the inclination of the vending machine 100 itself, and the like, when connecting to the rack 104 side. During the operation, the first rack 104
However, there is a problem that the refilling work is difficult to perform due to the movement toward the original position.

An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine capable of improving workability in replenishment of commodities without reducing the number of accommodated commodities.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine for accommodating a plurality of merchandise racks each having a plurality of merchandise columns, and a front opening of the vending machine main body via a hinge. In a vending machine having a main body door that opens and closes in a swinging door format, a plurality of product racks are
A first rack arranged near the hinge side in the body;
A second rack arranged on the side of one rack, and a first rack
And a third rack disposed behind the second rack.
The first rack, with the main body door open,
The third part is rotatable obliquely forward about the opposite part and the third part.
It is configured to be slidable left and right along the rack,
Two racks are opposite to the first rack with the main body door open.
To be able to rotate forward from the first rack around the side part
It is characterized by comprising.

According to this configuration, the main body door is opened, and the first
By rotating the rack obliquely forward about the portion opposite to the hinge, the rotated first rack can be released from the opened main body door in front of the first rack. That is, the first rack can be rotated to a position at which the first rack has escaped from the main body door when replenishing the product. In addition, by arranging the first rack near the hinge side in the vending machine main body within a range where the first rack can escape from the main body door, the number of stored products as a whole does not decrease. In addition, the first rack,
When refilling the second rack and the third rack,
First, the second rack is rotated forward of the first rack.
The third rack located behind the second rack
Is opened, and the product is replenished to this site. Then
While the second rack is being rotated, the first rack is moved to the third position.
Slide along the rack toward the second rack before rotation.
And open the third rack part located behind the first rack.
Release and refill this area with product. Thus, the third la
Replenishment of goods to the bag is completed. After that, the first rack
Return the first and second racks to their original positions,
Replenish the goods in 2 racks, 1st rack and 2nd rack
Replenishment of goods to is completed.

In the vending machine of the first aspect , it is preferable that the vending machine further comprises an interlocking means for rotating the first rack in conjunction with the opening of the main body door.

According to this configuration, when the main body door is opened, the first rack can be automatically rotated obliquely forward through the interlocking means .
The trouble of rotating the rack can be omitted, and the operation of refilling the product can be further simplified.

[0011]

[0012]

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine including a vending machine main body accommodating a front rack and a rear rack in which a plurality of product columns are formed, and a main body door for opening and closing a front opening of the vending machine main body. The width of the front rack in the left-right direction is
Smaller than that of the front rack.
In an automatic vending machine which is slidably configured in the lateral direction between the retracted position click is retracted from the normal position and the normal position, the movement restricting means for restricting the movement of the front rack at the retracted position comprises, This movement restriction means
Either the side rack or the support member on the vending machine body side
And a magnetic body attached to the other
One of the magnet and the magnetic body
It is characterized by being mounted so as to be swingable about an intersecting axis .

According to this structure, the movement restricting means
By restricting the movement of the front rack moved from the steady position to the retreat position, even if the vending machine itself tilts or the harness pulls on the front rack at the retreat position, the front rack moves to the steady position. Movement can be prevented. For this reason, when the front rack is moved to the retracted position and products are added to the product column of the rear rack, the front rack does not become an obstacle. The movement restricting means is
Evacuate the front rack because it is composed of stone and magnetic material
When moved to the position, the magnetic material is attracted to the magnet
This prevents the front rack from bouncing back in the retracted position.
No. In addition, either the magnet or the magnetic
Is mounted so that it can swing about an axis perpendicular to the direction.
Therefore, the magnet and the magnetic body do not face each other
Even at the moment of adsorption, one swings following the other
Therefore, an appropriate adsorption state is obtained. Because of this, magnets and magnetic
Any variation in the body or its attachment
Allows magnets to function properly even if injury is not performed accurately
Position of the front rack in the retracted position.
Can be performed well.

[0015]

[0016]

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
This vending machine is a cigarette vending machine, and FIG. 1 is a structural view thereof. As shown in FIG.
Is composed of a vending machine main body 2 and a main body door 3 for opening and closing the front opening 2a of the vending machine main body 2. The main body door 3 is opened and closed in the form of a hinged door around a bracket hinge 4 provided at the right end thereof. Inside the vending machine body 2, there is a first rack 5 at the front.
And a second rack 6 are arranged side by side on the left and right, and a third rack 7 is arranged at the rear portion to the full width thereof. Each of the racks 5, 6, and 7 is provided with a plurality of product columns 8 arranged side by side so that different products A are accommodated therein. In the first rack 5 and the second rack 6, the product columns 8 can be formed in a plurality of stages even in the vertical direction.

Each product column 8 extends vertically.
The goods A are thrown in (replenished) from the opening on the front face and are stored in a stacked manner. At the lower end of the product column 8,
A conveyor-type bend mechanism 9 is provided to support the stacked products A from below. When a sales command is issued, the bend mechanism 9 is driven to pay out the goods A one by one from the lowest order. The paid out product A is guided to the sales outlet 12 via the front chute 10 or the rear chute 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the third rack 7 has a total of twelve commodity columns 8 arranged side by side, and is fixedly provided at a rear portion in the vending machine main body 2. Further, the second rack 6 has a total of six product columns 8 arranged side by side, and is arranged at a front portion inside the vending machine main body 2. The second rack 6 is rotatably attached to the vending machine main body 2 via a pair of upper and lower hinges (see FIG. 1) 13 provided on the left end thereof, and rotates about the hinges 13. Then, it is pulled out from the vending machine body 2 to the outside diagonally forward. When the second rack 6 is rotated to the maximum, the substantially left half of the third rack 7 is opened, and the product A is placed in the product column 8 in the left half of the third rack 7.
Can be replenished. The second rack 6 is configured to be lockable in a state where the vending machine main body 2 is at a fixed position and a state where the vending machine body 2 is rotated to the maximum.

On the other hand, the first rack 5 has a total of four product columns 8 arranged side by side, and is arranged at the front of the vending machine main body 2 so as to be aligned with the second rack 6. In this case, the first rack 5 and the second rack 6 are arranged with a gap that allows the rotation of the second rack 6, and the first rack 5 is moved toward the inner surface on the right side of the vending machine main body 2 as much as possible. The second rack 6 is arranged as close to the inner surface on the left side of the vending machine main body 2 as possible. This makes it possible to minimize the dead space in the vending machine main body 2 and increase the number of articles A to be stored.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the first rack 5 comprises a rack main body 14 and a support frame 15 for supporting the rack main body 14, and is slidable in the left-right direction as a whole. Rack body 14 against frame 15
Are rotatable around the rear left end.

The support frame 15 is provided on the right side of the rack
A box formed so as to cover the rear surface and both upper and lower surfaces,
In the center of the upper surface, a pair of rollers 2
2, 22 are attached, and a bent piece 23 is formed at the lower front portion. The pair of rollers 22, 22 engages with a guide rail 24 provided on a top plate of the vending machine main body 2,
The bent piece 23 is engaged with a guide rail portion 25a of a frame 25 extending between side plates of the vending machine main body 2, and the first rack 5 is provided with the guide rail portion 24 and the guide rail portion 25.
a is slidable in the left-right direction between the normal position and the left end position. Then, when the first rack 5 is slid to the left movement end position, a substantially right half of the third rack 7 is opened, and the third rack 7 is opened.
Can be replenished to the product column 8 in the right half of the product.

A pair of upper and lower hinges 26, 26 are attached to the rear left portion of the support frame 15, and the rack body 14 is attached to the support frame 15 via the hinges 26, 26. A torsion coil spring 27 is attached to each hinge 26, and the rack body 14 is rotationally biased in a direction of being pulled out from the vending machine body 2, that is, obliquely forward (see FIG. 3). Also, a pin 2 is provided on the lower surface of the rack body 14.
8 are provided, and pins 28 are engaged with arc-shaped guide holes 29 formed in the bottom plate of the support frame 15 (see FIG. 6). The rack main body 14 has its guide hole 29 restricting the obliquely forward turning end position (replenishing position). The replenishing position is obstructed by the main body door 3 when refilling the first rack 5 with the product A. Is set to a position that does not

On the other hand, the rack body 1
Pusher 3 for pushing the right end of rack body 14 corresponding to 4
0 is attached. The pusher 30 is the rack body 1
The push roller 31 is configured to include a push roller 31 that contacts the upper end of the front surface of the front cover 4 and an arm 32 that rotatably supports the push roller 31 and fixes the push roller 31 to the main body door 3. When the main body door 3 is closed with respect to the first rack 5 at the replenishment position, the push roller 31
4 and the rack body 1 against the torsion coil spring 27.
4 is rotated to a steady position facing the front. Also, when the main body door 3 is opened from the closed state, the rack main body 14 is rotated by the torsion coil spring 27 to the replenishment position facing the left oblique front. That is, the torsion coil spring 27 and the pusher 30
, The rack body 14 rotates between a steady position and a replenishment position in conjunction with opening and closing of the body door 3. It should be noted that this interlocking means can be constituted by a link or the like.

Here, a method of replenishing (loading) the commodity A will be briefly described with reference to FIG. First,
After the key operation, the main body door 3 is opened. When the body door 3 is opened, the rack body 1 of the first rack 5
4 rotates to the refill position. In this state, the second rack 6
Each of the product columns 8 of the first rack 5 faces the front diagonally.

The left half of the third rack 7 is opened by rotating the second rack 6 greatly, and the left half of the third rack 7 is refilled with the product A. Subsequently, the first rack 5 is slid leftward to open the right half portion of the third rack 7, to replenish the product A to the right half of the third rack 7. In this way the third
When the replenishment of the commodity A into the rack 7 is completed, the first rack 5
Is moved to the right original position, and the second rack 6 is rotated back to the original position. And finally, after refilling the first rack 5 and the second rack 6 with the product A, the main body door 3
Close. When the main body door 3 is closed, the first
The rack 5 is pushed and returns to the normal position. The first
The replenishment of the commodity A to the rack 5 and the second rack 6
It may be performed prior to the rack 7.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the first rack 5 and the second rack 5 are formed by arranging the second rack 6 to be rotatable and the first rack 5 to be slidable. The product A can be supplied to the third rack (product column 8) 7 located behind the product rack 6. Further, by configuring the first rack 5 to be rotatable, the direction of the first rack (rack body 14) 5 can be changed so as to escape the thick main body door 3, and the product column 8 of the first rack 5 can be changed. The product A can be replenished without any difficulty, without reducing the number. In particular, even when the main body door 3 does not open at 90 degrees or more due to the installation environment, the product A can be replenished without difficulty, and the refilling operation of the product A can be performed smoothly.
Further, since the rotation of the first rack (rack body 14) 5 is performed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the main body door 3, the trouble of rotating the first rack 5 can be omitted, and the product A can be further replenished. Work can be performed smoothly.

In the above embodiment, the first rack may be manually rotated. Further, the rotation structure of the first rack is applied to the product rack of a vending machine having a single product rack or to the product rack on the bracket hinge side of a vending machine having two left and right product racks. can do.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the vending machine 1 in this embodiment, the third rack 7 is fixedly attached to the vending machine main body 2 and the second rack 6 is attached rotatably, but the first rack 5 is simply It is slidably mounted in the horizontal direction.

That is, the first rack 5 has a pair of rollers 42, via a support plate 41 erected on the upper surface thereof.
And a pair of rollers 42, 4
2 is engaged with a guide rail 43 provided on the vending machine main body 2. The first rack 5 has a bent plate 4 on its lower surface.
The bent plate 44 is engaged with a guide rail portion 45a of a frame (support member) 45 extending between side plates of the vending machine main body 2. As a result, the first rack 5 includes the guide rail 43 and the guide rail portion 45.
a, and is slidable in the left-right direction between a normal position and a retracted position (left moving end position) for refilling the third rack 7 with the product A. Further, the movement of the first rack 5 to the right is restricted by the movement restricting means 17 in the retracted position.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the movement restricting means 17 includes a magnet 51 and a receiving plate 52 that is attracted by the magnet 51. The magnet 51 is attached to the frame 45 side. It is attached to the first rack 5 side. The receiving plate 52 is made of a magnetic material such as a steel plate, and is attached to the front lower surface of the first rack 5 in a state where the receiving plate 52 is fastened together with the bending plate 44. Receiving plate 52
The contact plate 52a is disposed so as to face the magnet 51, and the contact plate 52a is attracted to the magnet 51 when the first rack 5 is moved to the retracted position. Further, the backing plate portion 52a is connected to the first
When the rack 5 is abutted against the magnet 51, the rack 5 slightly bends to absorb the impact of the first rack 5.

On the other hand, the magnet 51 includes a magnet body 53 composed of a permanent magnet and the like, and a magnet body 53.
And a holder 54 that holds the supporting plate 55, and is fixed to the tip of the support plate 55 at the portion of the holder 54. A pair of front and rear long holes 55a, 55a are formed in the support plate 55, and the support plate 55 is attached to the bracket 57 by two stepped screws 56, 56 loosely inserted into the respective long holes 55a. The bracket 57 is attached to the frame 45. Each long hole 55a of the support plate 55 extends in the left-right direction.
A small movement in the left-right direction and a small swing in the front-rear direction of the magnet 51 are allowed.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, when the first rack 5 moves to the retracted position, the magnet 51
Recedes slightly within the movement range of the elongated hole 55a while adsorbing the receiving plate 52. At this time, the magnet body 53 of the magnet 51 and the contact plate 52 of the receiving plate 52
When a is opposed in parallel, the magnet 51 attracts the receiving plate 52 and retreats, but when not opposed in parallel, the magnet 51 swings following the receiving plate 52 and The receiving plate 52 is sucked while retracting. And
When the receiving plate 52 is attracted to the magnet 51, the first rack 5 is immovably held at the retreat position unless a force capable of separating the receiving plate 52 from the magnet 51 is applied to the first rack 5. With such a configuration, it is possible to absorb manufacturing variations and low mounting accuracy of the magnet 51 and the receiving plate 52.
1 can be made appropriate. That is, the first rack 5 can be reliably held at the retracted position.

It should be noted that this minute movement and swinging structure of the magnet 51 is based on the magnet main body 51 and the holder 5.
4 and between the holder 54 and the support plate 55, or the support plate 55 may be omitted to configure between the holder 54 and the bracket 57. Conversely, the magnet 51 side may be fixed, and the receiving plate 52 side may have a minute movement and swing structure as described above.

Here, a method of replenishing (loading) the commodity A in the vending machine 1 according to the second embodiment will be briefly described with reference to FIG. After the main body door 3 is opened, the second rack 6 is pivoted greatly to open the left half of the third rack 7, and the left half of the third rack 7 is refilled with the product A. Subsequently, the first rack 5 is slid to the left. When the first rack 5 is moved to the evacuation position, the receiving plate 52 is attracted to the magnet 51, and the first rack 5 is held immovably at the evacuation position. In this state, since the right half of the third rack 7 is opened, the right half is replenished with the product A. Next, the first
The rack 5 is moved to the normal position, and the second rack 6
Is returned to the original position, and the second rack 6 and the third rack
The rack 7 is replenished with the product A.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the third
When the product A is replenished to the right half of the rack 7, the first rack 5 is immovably held at the retreat position by the movement restricting means 17, so that the pulling force by the harness, the inclination of the vending machine main body 2, and the like. Accordingly, the first rack 5 does not move rightward, and it is not necessary to hold the first rack 5 when refilling the right half of the third rack 7 with the product A. Therefore, the replenishment of the commodity A can be performed easily and smoothly.

In this embodiment, a magnet is used as the movement restricting means. However, as long as the movement of the first rack can be restricted at the retracted position, the movement restricting means may be a simple projection or groove. It may be constituted by something.

[0038]

As described above, according to the vending machine of the first aspect, the product rack can be rotated to the position escaped from the main body door at the time of replenishing the merchandise, so that the main body door becomes an obstacle. There is no. Therefore, it is possible to improve the workability in replenishment of commodities without reducing the number of accommodated commodities.

According to the vending machine of the fourth aspect, when the front rack is moved to the retracted position to replenish the products in the product column of the rear rack, the front rack does not interfere. Workability in replenishment of commodities can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural view of a cigarette vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vending machine according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view around a first rack.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a first rack.

FIG. 5 is a partially broken side view of the first rack.

FIG. 6 is a partially broken plan view of a first rack.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a vending machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a vending machine according to a second embodiment with a main body door omitted.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vending machine according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a front view around the movement restricting means.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the operation of the movement restricting means.

FIG. 12 is a structural view of a conventional cigarette vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Vending machine main body 2a Front opening 3 Main body door 4 Bracket hinge 5 First rack 6 Second rack 7 Third rack 8 Product column 14 Rack main body 15 Support frame 17 Movement restricting means 24 Guide rail 27 Twisted coil spring 30 Pusher 43 Guide rail 45 Frame 51 Magnet 52 Receiving plate 55 Support plate 55a Slot A

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07F 9/00-17/72

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] Each of a plurality of product columns is created
In a vending machine including a vending machine main body accommodating a plurality of merchandise racks and a main body door that opens and closes a front opening of the vending machine main body through a hinge, the plurality of merchandise racks may include the vending machine. The Hin in the body
And a first rack disposed closer to the
A second rack disposed laterally, the first rack and
A third rack disposed behind the second rack.
Then, the first rack, with the main body door opened,
It can rotate obliquely forward about the part opposite to the hinge,
Slidable left and right along the third rack
The second rack is configured such that the main body door is opened,
From the first rack, centering on the part opposite to the first rack
The vending machine is also configured to be rotatable forward . 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising an interlocking unit that rotates the first rack in conjunction with opening of the main body door. 3. A plurality of product columns are created respectively.
A vending machine body accommodating the front rack and the rear rack,
A main body door for opening and closing the front opening of the vending machine main body,
The width of the front rack in the left-right direction is the same as that of the rear rack.
And the front rack is
Left between the normal position and the retreat position to retreat from this steady position
Vending machine slidable to the right
Te, moved to restrict the movement of the front rack from the retracted position
Movement restricting means , wherein the movement restricting means comprises the front rack and the vending machine.
The magnet attached to one of the support members on the main unit and the other
One of the magnet and the magnetic body is in the direction of adsorption.
That can be pivoted about an axis perpendicular to
And a vending machine.