JP3492154B2 - Beverage 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 an automatic vending machine that sells a plurality of types of beverages using concentrated stock solutions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a beverage vending machine of this type, as described in, for example, JP-A-8-113295, a flexible inner container is housed in an outer container made of cardboard or the like. A so-called BIB (bag-in-box) is known as a raw material container. That is, this beverage vending machine includes a liquid raw material storage unit for storing a raw material container in which liquid raw materials such as coffee and tea are enclosed,
A powder raw material storage unit for storing powder raw materials such as sugar and milk, and a cup stage provided below each raw material storage unit are provided, and the raw material of each raw material storage unit is passed through a nozzle facing the cup stage. I try to inject it into the cup in the cup stage.

[0003]

By the way, in the conventional beverage vending machine, since the raw material in each raw material storage portion is made to flow down to the cup stage side below, each raw material storage portion faces directly to the cup stage side. It was necessary to arrange them, and the respective raw material accommodating parts were arranged in parallel in the width direction. Therefore, there is a problem in that the installation space for each raw material storage unit increases in the width direction of the vending machine body, resulting in an increase in the size of the vending machine body.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a beverage vending machine capable of reducing the installation space of the raw material container in the width direction of the vending machine body. To provide.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides, in claim 1, a plurality of raw material accommodating portions capable of accommodating a beverage raw material or a raw material container accommodating a beverage raw material from the front side. In the beverage vending machine, which is provided with a cup stage disposed below each raw material storage unit and is configured to inject the raw material of each raw material storage unit into a cup in the cup stage, a part of each raw material storage unit is provided. Is placed above the other raw material storage portion, and a flexible raw material flow pipe extending to the cup stage side is connected to the upper raw material storage portion via the front side of the lower raw material storage portion, and the cup stage side The raw material flow pipe is supported so as to be movable in a predetermined direction from the front side of the lower raw material storage portion. As a result, a part of each raw material storage part and the other raw material storage parts are arranged above and below each other, so that the installation space of each raw material storage part is reduced in the width direction of the vending machine main body, and at the same time the cup stage side By moving the raw material distribution pipe in a predetermined direction from the front side of the lower raw material container, the raw material distribution pipe does not hinder replenishment to the lower raw material container.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the beverage vending machine according to the first aspect, there is provided a rotatable opening / closing member for opening / closing the front side of the lower raw material container, and the opening / closing member is provided on the cup stage side. The raw material distribution pipe is fixed. As a result, in addition to the function of the first aspect, when the opening / closing member is opened when the raw material is replenished to the lower raw material storage portion, the raw material flow pipe on the cup stage side moves together with the opening / closing member from the front surface side of the raw material storage portion.

[0007]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a front view of the inside of a beverage vending machine.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the inside.

This beverage vending machine has a vending machine body 1 having an open front, a liquid raw material storage 2 for storing liquid raw materials, a powder raw material storage 3 for storing powder raw materials, and a cup for injecting a beverage. And a cup stage 4 for accommodating A, and the powder raw material accommodating portion 3 is located above the liquid raw material accommodating portion 2.
The cup stages 4 are arranged below the liquid raw material container 2.

The vending machine main body 1 has an outer door (not shown) on the front surface, and by opening the outer door, raw materials can be replenished to the respective raw material storage portions 2 and 3 inside.

The liquid raw material container 2 includes a plurality of raw material containers 2a.
And a cooling box 2b for accommodating each raw material container 2a,
A plurality of pumps 2c for discharging the raw materials from the respective raw material containers 2a are provided below the cooler 2b. Each raw material container 2a is a so-called BIB (bag-in-box) in which a flexible inner container is housed in an outer container made of cardboard or the like, and a concentrated raw material such as coffee or tea is enclosed. The refrigerator 2b is configured to cool each raw material container 2a therein by a refrigerating device (not shown), and a door 2d as an opening / closing member whose upper end side is rotatably supported is provided on the front side thereof. .

The powder raw material container 3 contains a container 3a for containing the raw material and a mixing container 3b provided below the container 3a.
Are arranged side by side in the width direction, and a tube 3 as a raw material distribution pipe is provided in each mixing container 3b of each container 3a.
c is connected. Each container 3a has a lid 3d that can be opened and closed on the upper surface, and powder raw materials such as sugar and milk are stored inside. A hot or cold water heater (not shown) is connected to each mixing container 3b so that the raw material discharged from the container 3a is mixed with hot or cold water. Each tube 3c is made of a flexible material, and one end thereof is connected to the mixing container 3b. Each tube 3
The other end side of c extends to the cup stage 4 via the front surface side of the liquid raw material container 2, and a nozzle 3e facing the cup stage 4 is attached to the tip thereof. Further, the other end of each tube 3c and its nozzle 3e are fixed to a support plate 3f attached to a door 2d of the liquid raw material container 2, and when the door 2d is opened, each tube 3c on the cup stage 4 side is automatically sold. It is adapted to move upward on the front side of the machine body 1.

The cup stage 4 is supplied with a cup A from a cup supply device (not shown), and the raw materials of the liquid raw material storage portion 2 and the powder raw material storage portion 3 are respectively injected into the cup A in the cup stage 4. There is.

In the beverage vending machine configured as described above, the raw material of the liquid raw material container 2 is discharged from the arbitrary raw material container 2a by the pump 2c and guided through a raw material distribution means (not shown), Alternatively, by moving the cup stage 4 below the arbitrary raw material container 2a by a moving mechanism (not shown), it is injected into the cup A of the cup stage 4. Further, the raw material of the powder raw material storage unit 3 is discharged from an arbitrary storage container 3a into the mixing container 3b and mixed with hot water or cold water, and then the nozzle 3 via the tube 3c.
It is injected into the cup A of the cup stage 4 from e. Here, when the raw material container 2a of the liquid raw material storage unit 2 is sold out, the raw material container 2a in the cooler 2b is replaced with a new raw material container 2a by opening the door 2d of the cooler 2b. At that time, the tubes 3c are arranged on the front surface side of the liquid raw material container 2, but since the tubes 3c move to the upper side of the front surface of the vending machine body 1 together with the opened door 2d, the liquid raw materials The replacement of the raw material container 2a in the housing portion 2 is not hindered by the tubes 3c.

As described above, according to the beverage vending machine of this embodiment, the powder raw material container 3 is arranged above the liquid raw material container 2, and the raw material of the powder raw material container 3 is stored in the liquid raw material container 2.
Since the plurality of tubes 3c that can move upward along the front side of the vending machine body 1 together with the door 2d are used to inject into the cup A of the cup stage 4, the replacement of the raw material container 2a of the liquid raw material container 2 is prevented. Instead, the raw material storage parts 2 and 3 can be arranged above and below each other, and the installation space of the raw material storage parts 2 and 3 can be reduced in the width direction of the vending machine body 1.

[0015]

As described above, according to the beverage vending machine of claim 1, a part of each raw material storage part and other parts are provided without obstructing the replenishment to the raw material storage part below by the raw material distribution pipe. Since the raw material storage parts can be arranged above and below each other, the installation space of each raw material storage part can be reduced in the width direction of the vending machine body, and the vending machine body can be downsized.

According to the beverage vending machine of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, when the opening / closing member is opened, the raw material flow pipe on the cup stage side moves together with the opening / closing member from the front side of the raw material container. Therefore, even if the raw material distribution pipe is arranged on the front side of the lower raw material container, the raw material can be easily supplied to the lower raw material container.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an internal front view of a beverage vending machine showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Internal side view of the beverage vending machine

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Liquid raw material container, 2a ... Raw material container, 2d ... Door, 3 ...
Powder raw material container, 3c ... tube, 4 ... cup stage, A ... cup.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of raw material storage parts capable of storing a raw material of a beverage or a raw material container storing a raw material of a beverage from the front side,
In a beverage vending machine having a cup stage arranged below each raw material storage part, and pouring the raw material of each raw material storage part into the cup in the cup stage, a part of each raw material storage part is provided. The raw material on the cup stage side is connected to the upper raw material storage portion by connecting a flexible raw material flow pipe extending to the cup stage side through the front side of the lower raw material storage portion while being arranged above the other raw material storage portion. A beverage vending machine, wherein a distribution pipe is supported so as to be movable in a predetermined direction from a front side of a raw material storage section below. 2. A raw material flow pipe on the side of the cup stage is fixed to the openable and closable member that opens and closes the front side of the lower raw material container. Beverage vending machine.