JP3974688B2 - Vending machine product storage device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a product storage device of a vending machine that stacks and stores products in a product passage, and more particularly to a product storage device of a vending machine that is optimal for storing plastic bottles and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a product storage device of a vending machine, those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are known. In FIG. 8, 51 and 52 indicate product passages. For example, products 53 and 54 are stacked and stored in the product passages 51 and 52. Product exits 55 and 56 are provided below the product passages 51 and 52. The product carry-out ports 55 and 56 are provided with flappers 57 and 58 (product carry-out control mechanism) that can open and close the product carry-out ports 55 and 56. Note that the product outlets 55 and 56 communicate with a product outlet (not shown) of the vending machine.
[0003]
The dimension in the width direction A and the dimension in the depth direction B of the merchandise passages 51 and 52 are designed to be large or corresponding to the products with the maximum diameter and the maximum length in order to correspond to products of various sizes and shapes. When a small product is stored, the dimension in the width direction A is adjusted by the side spacer 59 and the dimension in the depth direction B is adjusted by the back spacer 60, and the positions of the products 53 and 54 stored in the product passages 51 and 52 are determined. Being regulated.
[0004]
The spacers 59 and 60 are provided with claws (not shown). By inserting the pawls into mounting holes (not shown) formed in the side walls 61 of the passages 51 and 52, the spacers 59 and 60 are attached at predetermined positions. A plurality of mounting holes are formed. For example, when the length of the stored product is changed, the mounting position of the spacer 60 can be changed.
[0005]
In addition, a separator 63 that is rotatable inward of the passages 51 and 52 is provided in the product passages 51 and 52. For example, when the product 53 is sold, the flapper 57 is rotated while the product 53 directly above the lowermost stage is held by the cooperation of the separator 63 and the spacers 59 and 60, and the carry-out port 55 is opened to open the lowermost product. 53 is carried out. Further, when waiting for sale, the carry-out port 55 is closed by the flapper 57 and the separator 63 is retracted from the product passage 51 so that the stacked products 53 are conveyed downward.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the product storage device of the vending machine as described above, when a product 53 having a tapered tip is stored, such as a plastic bottle (for example, a plastic bottle), as shown in FIG. The tapered portion may exceed the restriction by the back spacer 60 and enter the depth direction B of the product passage 51, and may be displaced or dropped from a predetermined storage position.
[0007]
The object of the present invention is to correctly regulate the storage position in the depth direction in the product passage even for products having a tapered portion such as a plastic bottle, and also for various products such as cans and paper packs. An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine product storage device that can be used together and has excellent versatility.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problem, in a product storage device of a vending machine having a product path for stacking and storing products and a spacer attached to a side wall of the product path, a product is provided at a rear portion in the depth direction of the product path. A spacer extending along the passage and extending in the width direction of the product passage, movable in the depth direction of the product passage , and attachable to a spacer removed from the side wall of the product passage ; A movable rear plate for regulating the position of the stored product in the depth direction of the product passage is provided.
[0009]
That is, the movable post plate, spacer (side spacer, a back spacer and the like) that is detached from the side wall of the commodity passage that is configured to be able to mount the.
[0010]
The moving mechanism for moving the movable rear plate in the depth direction of the product passage is not particularly limited. For example, a guide is provided on both sides of the movable rear plate in the width direction so that the shaft is guided to the side wall of the product passage. If the groove is formed, the moving mechanism can be configured easily.
[0011]
In the product storage device of the vending machine as described above, the movable rear plate that extends along the product passage and extends in the width direction of the product passage is configured to be movable in the depth direction of the product passage. Therefore, by setting the movable rear plate to an appropriate depth direction position, it is possible to correctly regulate the position in the depth direction of the product passage of the stored product over substantially the entire width direction of the product passage. That is, even for a product having a tapered portion such as a plastic bottle, the tapered portion is prevented from moving through the movable rear plate to the back side, and the position in the above direction can be correctly regulated. Therefore, the versatility of the apparatus can be greatly improved.
[0012]
In addition, if the movable rear plate is configured so that a spacer removed from the side wall of the product passage can be attached, the movable rear plate exhibits the original function of regulating the position in the depth direction of the product passage of the stored product, Depending on the shape of the product, it is possible to provide a storage and holding function for spacers that are not required to be attached to the side wall of the passage. Therefore, the movable rear plate can be used alone, or the spacer can be held, and the position of the stored product can be regulated by cooperating with the held spacer. It is also possible to freely select the optimum mode.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a product storage device for a vending machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 5 show a product storage device for a vending machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 indicates the entire vending machine. A commodity storage device 2 is provided inside the vending machine 1. The product storage device 2 has product passages 3 and 4, and plastic bottles (in this embodiment, plastic bottles) 20 and 21 containing drinking water are directly stacked in the product passages 3 and 4, for example. Is stored.
[0014]
Product exits 5 and 6 are provided below the product passages 3 and 4. The product carry-out ports 5 and 6 are provided with flappers 7 and 8 (product carry-out control mechanism) that can open and close the carry-out ports 5 and 6. The product carry-out ports 5 and 6 communicate with a product take-out port 9. At the time of sales standby, the carry-out ports 5 and 6 are closed by the flappers 7 and 8 (FIG. 2A). When the product is sold (bottle 20 is sold in FIG. 2), the flapper 7 is rotated while the separator 23 is rotated into the product passage 3 and the bottle 20 immediately above the lowermost stage is held by the separator 23. As a result, the carry-out port 5 is opened, and the lowest product is carried out (FIG. 2 (b)).
[0015]
A substantially U-shaped side spacer 10 for restricting the position of the bottles 20 and 21 in the passages 3 and 4 in the passage width direction A is detachably provided in the product passages 3 and 4. The side spacers 10 are provided with claws 11 as shown in FIG. By inserting the claw 11 into mounting holes (not shown) formed in the side walls 12 and 13 of the product passages 3 and 4, the side spacer 10 is attached to a predetermined position of the side walls 12 and 13. .
[0016]
In addition, movable rear plates 14 and 15 are provided at the rear of the product passages 3 and 4 in the depth direction B. The movable rear plates 14 and 15 extend along the height direction C of the product passages 3 and 4 and extend in the width direction A of the product passages 3 and 4, and move in the depth direction B of the product passages 3 and 4. The position in the depth direction B of the bottles 20 and 21 to be stored is regulated.
[0017]
Shafts 16 and 17 protrude from both sides of the movable rear plates 14 and 15 in the width direction. Then, by moving the shafts 16 and 17 along the guide grooves 22 formed in the side walls 12, 18, 13 and 19 of the product passages 2 and 3, the movable rear plates 14 and 15 are connected to the product passages 3 and 4. It moves in the depth direction B. In this embodiment, the movable rear plates 14 and 15 can be set in two stages with respect to the depth direction B of the product passages 3 and 4, but if the guide groove 22 is further extended, The position can be set in multiple stages (three or more stages).
[0018]
In the present embodiment, movable rear plates 14 and 15 are provided in the product passages 3 and 4. Since the movable rear plates 14 and 15 extend in the passage width direction in particular, the product does not slip through the movable rear plate and shift to the back side, and the position of the stored product in the depth direction B can be correctly regulated. Therefore, even if the stored product is the bottles 20 and 21 having the tapered portion, there is no inconvenience such as displacement in the direction B and dropout.
[0019]
FIG. 6 shows a product storage device for a vending machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A shows a case where the can 24 is stored in the product passage 4. A side spacer 10 that restricts the position in the width direction A of the can 24 in the passage 4 and a back spacer 25 that restricts the position in the depth direction B are provided in the commodity passage 4. The back spacer 25 is provided with a claw 26, and the back spacer 25 is attached to a predetermined position on the side wall 13 by inserting the claw 26 into an attachment hole (not shown) formed on the side wall 13. It has become.
[0020]
In FIG. 6A, since the stored product is a can 24 without a tapered portion, the position in the depth direction B of the can 24 in the product passage 4 can be reliably regulated by the L-shaped back spacer 25. It has become.
[0021]
On the other hand, in FIG. 6B, a plastic bottle 27 having a diameter larger than that of the bottles 20 and 21 is accommodated in the product passage 4. In this case, since the position restriction by the spacers 10 and 25 is unnecessary, the spacers 10 and 25 are removed from the side wall 13, and the removed spacers 10 and 25 are attached to the possible rear plate 15.
[0022]
Specifically, the claw 11 of the side spacer 10 is inserted into the mounting hole (not shown) of the movable rear plate 15 to attach the side spacer 10, and the claw 26 of the back spacer 25 is inserted into the mounting hole 30 of the side spacer 10. The back spacer 25 is attached to the side spacer 10.
[0023]
That is, in the product storage device of the vending machine according to the present embodiment, when storing the product in the can 24 (or a paper pack or the like), the position of the stored product is regulated in the same manner (FIG. 9) as before. In addition, when the bottle 27 is stored, the spacers 10 and 25 can be attached to the movable rear plate 25, so that it is possible to flexibly cope with storage of products of various shapes and the like.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, when the product storage device of the vending machine according to the present invention is used, it is possible to correctly regulate the storage position in the depth direction in the product passage even if the product has a tapered portion such as a plastic bottle. It is possible to obtain a vending machine product storage device with excellent versatility that can be used in combination with various products such as cans and paper packs.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram of a vending machine in which a product storage device of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention is used.
2 is a state diagram showing a transition from the sales state (a) to the sales standby state (b) in the commodity storage device of the vending machine of FIG. 1;
3 is a plan view of the product storage device of the vending machine in FIG. 1. FIG.
4 is a state diagram showing an engagement state between a guide groove formed on a side wall of a product passage of the apparatus of FIG. 3 and a shaft of a movable rear plate.
5 is a perspective view of a side spacer attached to a side wall of a product passage of the apparatus of FIG. 3. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a state diagram showing a transition from the state in which the can of (a) is stored to the state of storing the plastic bottle in (b) in the commodity storage device of the vending machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is.
7 is a perspective view of a back spacer provided in the commodity passage of the apparatus of FIG. 6. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a state diagram showing a transition from a sales state (a) to a sales standby state (b) in a conventional product storage device of a vending machine.
FIG. 9 is a plan view of a conventional product storage device of a vending machine.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Product storage device 3, 4 Product passage 5, 6 Product delivery port 7, 8 Flapper 9 Product extraction port 10 Side spacer 11, 26 Claw 12, 13, 18, 19 Side wall 14, 15 Movable rear plate 16, 17 Shaft 20, 21, 27 Plastic bottle 22 Guide groove 23 Separator 24 Can 25 Back spacer

Claims (2)

A merchandise storage device of a vending machine having a merchandise path for stacking and storing merchandise , and a spacer attached to a side wall of the merchandise path, and extending along the merchandise path at a rear portion in the depth direction of the merchandise path. The product is configured to be movable in the depth direction of the product passage , and to be able to attach a spacer removed from the side wall of the product passage, and to cooperate with the attached spacer. A product storage device for a vending machine, comprising a movable rear plate for restricting a position in a passage depth direction. 2. The product storage device for a vending machine according to claim 1 , wherein shafts are provided on both sides of the movable rear plate in the width direction, and guide grooves for guiding the shaft are formed on side walls of the product passage .

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