JP4095023B2 - Confectionery sales equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a food sales apparatus, and more specifically to a confectionery container or a sales container that can be used for nuts and other similar foods.

  Many foods, especially confectionery, are in the form of individual small pieces, or bulk sellers. Such rose food is often packed in advance, but often needs to be taken out at the point of sale. For example, in a store, small confections that are individually packaged and unpackaged may be contained in containers, and a customer may remove them from several containers and place them in a bag and pay at a central service point. A small shovel is prepared in the container, and a necessary amount can be taken out. Similar methods are often used to sell nuts and other similar foods.

  In the sales method as described above, the problem of hygiene has become an increasingly serious problem. Rose food and small shovels in containers are often touched by customers and sometimes deliberately mischievous. Concerns of retail owners and authorities regarding such problems are increasing.

  Another problem is that it is not a very good method to keep fresh food in a container as described above in order to maintain freshness. If rose food is always removed from the top of the container and then refilled, the freshness of the rose food at the bottom will be lost. It is desirable to prepare a new group of rose foods after a group of displayed bulk foods has been sold. In addition, in order to preserve freshness as much as possible and minimize the chances of being stolen and mischievous, it is advantageous that the sold food is stored in sealed containers until it is actually sold and supplied to the retail store.

  Yet another problem is customer theft. If sold food is stored in a container with or without a lid, it is urged not to purchase but to try it. A sales apparatus that needs to take out loosely sold food by intentional and visible behavior is less affected by the problem.

  Yet another problem is that certain bulk foods are inherently “sticky” and tend to become large lumps. Certain sugar confections that are not individually packaged tend to become large lumps under certain temperature and / or humidity conditions. Regularly, for example, a sales device that “collapses” or stirs the contents each time it is removed is desirable.

In the past, many sales devices have been developed and used according to their respective products and purposes. Most commonly, some means is provided at the bottom of the container to place the goods for sale in a storage container or hopper and to release the goods for sale.
Patent Document 1 describes such a device in which stored sugar is dropped into a rotary measuring cup and discharged from the cup.
Patent Document 2 describes a similar hopper type device having a rotary basket at the bottom of a storage container.
Patent Document 3 describes a sugar confectionery sales apparatus including a supply screw that conveys sugar confectionery from an upper storage container to a lower discharge port.
Patent Document 4 also describes a sugar confectionery sales apparatus provided with a sluice system for discharging sugar confectionery at the bottom of a storage container. In particular, a certain amount of confectionery is captured and transported to the discharge hole by a sliding frame that moves horizontally.
The problem with the sales device as described above is that if the stored goods are “sticky”, they tend to become lumps.
Patent Document 5 discloses a tablet sales apparatus that is very suitable for releasing one tablet at a time. A flange having a recess for accommodating each tablet is provided at the bottom of the container. When the flange is rotated, one tablet is conveyed from the recess to the discharge port and discharged.
The methods and apparatus described herein will at least alleviate the above problems and are particularly suitable for applications where there is no need to remove bulk foods of exact weight or quantity and where there is a separate payment location. However, the present invention is basically applicable to vending machines using coins and tokens.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,277,406 French Patent Invention No. 2696330 International Publication No. 97/0897 Pamphlet European Patent Application No. 0286194 German Patent No. 2822581

  Here, an outline of the present invention will be described. Detailed aspects and preferred features are set forth in the following claims that explicitly form part of the disclosure.

According to the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for selling a granular food product. The device includes first and second end walls, a side wall extending continuously in a longitudinal direction between the first and second end walls, a discharge opening provided in the side wall, and a vicinity of the discharge opening. A rotating container for containing a plurality of granular foods provided with a push-up body provided on
A housing with a cavity for rotatably accommodating the container, and a discharge zone where the guide wall of the cavity opposite the side wall of the container terminates and communicates with the cavity
A device comprising:
In the position before discharge of the container, a part of the granular food contained in the container is accumulated in the discharge opening and held on the guide wall of the cavity, and the container is rotated toward the discharge position. Then, the part of the granular food is conveyed toward the discharge zone along the guide wall by the push-up body, and the part of the granular food is pushed up to the discharge zone at the discharge position by the action of gravity. An apparatus characterized in that the discharge opening, the pusher, the guide wall and the discharge zone are constructed and arranged to be discharged from the discharge zone.
By rotatably attaching the container to the housing, it is possible to collapse the food, thereby preventing food from being agglomerated and clogging the apparatus. Also, by providing an opening over the entire length of the side wall, it is possible to provide a larger hole, increase the amount of food that can be released, and further prevent clogging of the device. .
As an auxiliary means for adjusting the number of foods to be released, the sales device of the present invention has at least one structure in the vicinity of the first or second end of the opening of the container (facing to the inside). It has.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the container used in the sales device of the present invention is accommodated in the housing such that the longitudinal axis is substantially horizontal. The container preferably has a substantially cylindrical shape.
The at least one inwardly-facing structure, when rotating the container, cooperates with a corresponding surface of the housing, e.g. a guide wall, to release the food from the container to the housing release zone. Then, it is preferable to make an angle so that it can be drained to the consumer.
In order to facilitate any refilling or in-process filling of the container, an opening through which at least one of the end walls of the container used in the selling device of the present invention can fill the container with the food. It is preferable that it is a lid | cover which covers or is provided with the lid | cover.
In particular, when the food is sticky, it can be provided with another internal structure for further stirring.
The selling device of the present invention can use a container configured to rotate manually or by drive means. The driving means includes an electric motor. It is preferable that the sales apparatus includes a return unit that returns the container from the discharge position to the stop position without any action by the user. It is particularly preferable that the return means includes an element that elastically deforms so that a torque for returning the container to the stop position is applied to the container while the container rotates from the stop position to the discharge position .
In order to prevent mischief against the food and unauthorized removal of the container, the container can be trapped in the housing.
According to the present invention, a disposable container can be arbitrarily used as the container. In this case, the container is filled and sealed by the food manufacturer. This maintains the freshness of the food and promotes the display and sale of food by retailers. A key mechanism for preventing reuse of individual containers is provided, and the key elements on the container side are damaged when the containers are accommodated in the housing.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

1a and 1b show the basic principle of a rotary sales device according to the invention. The sales container 1 includes a fixed part (housing) 2 and a movable part (rotating container) 3. The movable part 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction to an end wall (not shown), and the granular loose selling food 4 to be sold is accommodated in the internal space 5. Movable part 3 is a cross-sectional are in close contact with the wall (the guide wall) 6 facing the inside of the fixed portion 2 forming an arcuate first position of FIG. 1a, i.e. the second position of Figure 1b from the stop position, That is, it freely rotates to the discharge position .

  The movable part 3 is provided with two structures 7 and 8 facing inward between the inner ends of the opening 9 (extending in the axial direction of the sales container 1). In the first position (FIG. 1a), some bulk food 4 is collected in the periphery of the space 10 facing the wall 6 between the structures 7 and 8 (by the action of gravity).

As the movable part 3 rotates clockwise (as shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b), the bulk food 4 collected in the space 10 is conveyed in front of the structure 8 along the periphery, or Pushed up to sweep. By the time the movable part 3 reaches the second position (FIG. 1b), the individually sold food in the space 10 has fallen on the ramp 11 of the fixed part 2 or is disposed at the drop position. (The area where the food 4 is pushed up along the guide wall 6 by the structure 8 and discharged beyond the starting end of the ramp 11 is referred to as a discharge zone.) The structure 8 is loose at the second position. The food product 4 has an angle sufficient to obtain a sufficient inclination for the food product 4 to fall or slide on the ramp 11. In the second position, the upper surface 12 of the structural body 8 and the ramp 11 are arranged in a straight line.

  The role of the structure 7 is to limit the number of sold foods 4 to be taken out as described above, and to collapse the sold foods in the space 5 by the method generally indicated by the arrow 13 in FIG. 1b. It is. Disintegrating the loose-selling food 4 is particularly beneficial when the loose-selling food 4 is a kind of loose-selling food that tends to stick together and become a lump. For example, certain sugar confectionery tends to clump under high temperature and / or high humidity conditions.

  After the movable part 3 reaches the second position and all the sold foods 4 have already fallen from the space 10, that is, after being taken out, the movable part 3 is rotated back to the first position again. In a preferred mode of operation, the rotation is in the opposite direction, i.e. counterclockwise, but it can also be rotated clockwise. In any case, the bulk selling food in the space 5 is further agitated, and when the movable part returns to the first position (FIG. 1a) again or before it returns, many bulk selling foods are in the space due to the action of gravity. It is collected in 10.

  More structures (not shown) protruding into the space 5 can be provided to enhance the collapse operation.

  Each time the movable part 3 moves from the first position to the second position, it is accommodated in the space 5 in order to prevent the number of individually sold food products 4 collected in the space 10 from being exceeded. There is a certain limit to the number that can be made. By adding the improvements outlined in FIGS. 2 a-2 e, more bulk food 4 can be accommodated in the space 5.

  FIG. 2 a shows an improved sales container 21. Like the sales container 1, the fixed part 22 and the movable part 23 are provided, and the movable part 23 can rotate clockwise from the 1st position of FIG. 2A. The rose food 24 is accommodated in the internal space 25 of the movable part 23. A wall 26 facing inward and structures 27 and 28 defining openings and spaces 30 in the movable part 23 are provided. In the first position of FIG. 2a, a certain amount of loose food 24 is collected in the space 30 by the action of gravity.

  A ramp 31 extends downward from the upper end 32 of the wall 26. The ramp 31 is at a higher position than the corresponding ramp 11 of the sales container 1 of FIG. The wall 26 has an arch 33 and an upward extension 34 in contact therewith. In the first position of FIG. 2 a, the arch 33 is located in the vicinity of the structure 28.

  In FIG. 2 b, the movable part 23 reaches the end of the arched part 33 of the wall 26 from the first position of FIG. 2 a, and the bulk food 34 in the space 30 pushes up in front of the structure 28. It shows a state where it is rotated clockwise to the intermediate position. Due to the structure 27, the loose selling food 24 in the space 25 has collapsed.

  FIG. 2c shows another intermediate position of the movable part. As best shown in FIG. 2e, the movable portion 23 has a substantially cylindrical wall portion 35 and an end portion 37 fixed to the wall portion 35 (extending in the axial direction of the movable portion 23). 36. The flap 36 extends from the wall portion 35 to the front edge portion 38 substantially in the tangential direction of the wall portion 35, and carries the structure 28. The edge 38 is biased against the wall 26, including when sliding over the extension 34 of the wall 26, so that the rose food 24 collected in front of the structure 28 in the first position (FIG. 2a). Continues to rise towards the ramp 31.

  FIG. 2d shows a state when the movable part 23 reaches the final second position corresponding to the second position of the movable part 3 shown in FIG. 1b. By the time the movable part 23 reaches the second position, the loosely sold food in the space 30 has already fallen on the inclined path 31 of the fixed part 22 or is disposed at the fall position. In the second position, the structure 28 has an angle at which a sufficient inclination is obtained so that the loose selling food 24 falls or slides down on the ramp 31. In this manner, the rose food 24 that has fallen on the ramp 31 is taken out.

  Next, the movable part 23 can be rotated back to the first position of FIG. 2a, and if necessary, the loose food 24 can be further taken out by repeating the above process. The effect of the flap 36 is that the ramp 31 can be made higher than in the arrangement of FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, so that more bulk food than the space 5 can be accommodated in the space 25.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a practical sales container 40 embodying the principles of FIGS. 1a and 1b. Based on the principle shown in FIGS. 2a to 2d, it is obvious that a sales container having the same configuration as described above can be produced. The sales container 40 is very suitable for selling rose foods such as sugar candy and nuts in retail stores. The sale container 40 is intended for use in a “pick and mix” environment in which customers select and sell bulk food items and pay by weight at a central service point. Does not have a mechanism to work with tokens. However, the sales container 40 can be a vending machine that operates with coins or tokens, and is included in the scope of the present invention.

  The sales container 40 includes a box-shaped frame 41 having a hinged front door 42. The frame 41 comprises an internal space 43 having an inwardly facing wall 44 corresponding to the wall 6 of the sales container 1 shown schematically in FIGS. 1a and 1b. During the sales process, the ramp 45 corresponding to the ramp 11 through which the pick-up food to be taken out (not shown) passes extends from the front side in the frame 41 toward the back side. Below the ramp, another ramp 46 is arranged to slide or rotate the picked-up food for sale through the opening 47 of the door 42 and deliver it to the customer.

The sales container 40 includes a base 49 that accommodates sold food items to be sold corresponding to the movable part 3 in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, and a container 48 having a lid 50 that can be fixed to the base 49. The base 49 has a side wall 52, has a substantially cylindrical shape with a slight taper, and includes an opening 51 extending in the axial direction. The surfaces 53 and 54 correspond to the surfaces of the structures 7 and 8 in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, and the opening 51 corresponds to the opening 9. Wall 44, similar to wall 6 is closely matched to the shape of the movable portion 3, that have closely matched to the shape of the side wall 52 of the base 49.
The base 49 has a floor 55 having a shape supported by a spindle 56 (shown) on the back wall 60 of the frame 41, a side surface 56, and a flange 57 of the lid 50 that cooperates with a flange 58 of the door 42. When the sales container 48 is accommodated in the frame 41 and the door 42 is closed, the container 48 is captured by the frame 41 and can freely rotate.

  The base 49 can be taken out when empty, removed the opening 51 or the removable lid 50, refilled, and returned to the frame 41 again. Alternatively, the base 49 can be fixed in the frame 41. However, in a preferred mode of use of the sales container 40, the manufacturer provides a disposable container 48 that is pre-filled with sold food for sale. When the container 48 is emptied, the shopkeeper opens the door 42 (for example), removes the empty container 48 and replaces it with a new container filled with loose food. The door 42 can be closed and sales can begin with a new container 48.

  In order to optimally maintain the state of the sold food sold, a hermetic cover can be attached to the opening 51. For example, a foil or plastic cover can be attached by adhesive or heat sealing. Such a cover can be removed (for example, peeled off) immediately before the container 48 is accommodated in the frame 41. For convenience of the manufacturer, the base 48 can be filled through an opening (not shown) in which the lid 50 can be attached, after which the lid 50 can be attached in place.

Any of the base 49 or the base 49 and the lid 50 can be formed by a known method such as injection molding of an appropriate plastic. The lid 50 is preferably transparent so that the customer can see the rose food in the container 48 before selecting and removing the rose food. The lid 50 has an integrally formed handle 59 for manually rotating the container 48. The side wall 52 of the base 49 has an integrally formed strip 160 extending in the longitudinal direction that reinforces the container 48 and promotes the collapse of the contents.

  The method of supplying bulk foods sold using disposable containers has the great effect of providing the consumer with the most hygienic bulk foods that are as fresh as possible and prevent mischief. After the sales container 40 is filled, the mischief by the consumer can be prevented by holding the door 40 in place by an appropriate latch or lock by key operation.

  When the container 48 is disposable, it is preferable that a certain change occurs in the container 48 by use in order to prevent reuse. Otherwise, the empty container 48 may be refilled by the manufacturer and a poor quality product may be supplied and used. A preferred method for preventing this will be described later.

Of course, it is preferable that the frame 41 includes means for returning the container 48 to the stop position (first position) after the loose food is taken out. A very simple structure suitable for manually rotating the container 48 is shown in FIG. A spindle 61 is attached to a shaft 62 that extends through the rear wall 60 of the frame 41, and fits into a recess in the floor of a cooperating container 48 in use. The non-circular spindle 61 rotates as the container 48 rotates. One of the springs 63 is fixed to a pin attached to the frame 41, and the other is fixed to a plastic thread (for example, a string) 63. The thread-like body 63 is wound (and fixed) around the drum 65 of the shaft 62. As the container 48 rotates, the filament 64 is wound around the drum 65 and the spring 63 expands. When the container 48 is released after the removal from the container 48 is completed, the filament 64 is drawn by the spring 63, and the container 48 is returned to the stop position and stopped by an appropriate stopper (not shown). Other simple spring mechanisms will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  5 to 11 show another mechanism in place of the mechanism shown in FIG. In the mechanism, the base 49 is integrally formed with the external key 70 of the recess 71 of the floor 55. The key 70 has a circular pin 72 and a radially extending web 73 on the rotation axis. When the base 49 of the container 48 is housed in the frame 41, the base 49 is centered with the pins 72 and the web 73 fitted into the cooperating openings of the spindle 62, each slidably attached to the spindle 62. The pin 74 and the lock pin 75 are pressed and rotated toward the spindle 62 until they are pressed. As key 70 advances through spindle 62, springs 76 and 77 are compressed.

  Initially, the spindle 62 extends laterally from the spindle 62 and is prevented from rotating within the wall 60 by a pin 78 received in a cooperating socket 79 on the wall 60. The pin 78 is fixed to a member 80 having an inclined slot 81 in which a pin 82 fixed to the pin 75 slides. With the above configuration, when the lock pin 75 is pressed, the pin 78 is retracted into the spindle 62. Integral with the lock pin 75 is a lock catch 83 that is fitted into the cooperating recess of the pin 74 by the member 80 during operation of the pins 75 and 74, thereby locking the pins 74 and 75. .

An alignment projection 85 is attached to the bending arm 86 and is depressed while the key 70 is fitted to the spindle 62. FIGS. 8 and 9 show the positions of the respective components when the base 49 is fully pushed into a predetermined position. As shown in FIG. 11, the base 49 rotates until the protrusion 85 bounces back and fits into the cooperating recess 87 of the floor 55. During the rotation, the rotation of the spindle 62 is prevented by a torsion spring 88 connected to the spindle 62 and the structure 89 of the wall 60. Further, during the rotation, the web 73 is sheared at the intersection line with the bottom surface of the recess 71 and wound around the pin 72 as shown in FIG. 10 and 11 show the position of each of the components when the process is finished. After the key 70 is fully pushed into place in the spindle 62, the door 42 can be closed and the container 48 can be captured.
Next, when the container 48 is further rotated in order to take out the sold food from the container 48 with the projection 85 fitted in the recess 87, the spring 88 is twisted and biased, and the user ends the removal. When the container 48 is released, the spring 88 returns to the stop position. That the web 73 is sheared means that the base 49 cannot be reused. This is because the base 49 is not inserted into the spindle 62. Not completely removing the web 73 from the base 49 is a safety measure that eliminates the possibility that the cut web will be mixed into the loosely sold food that was accidentally taken out and cause inconvenience.

  The sales container 40 has a simple box shape, and both removal and refilling are performed from the front. Screw holes or other fasteners can be provided at the corners of the protrusions 68. In this way, the sales containers 40 can be conveniently stacked in rows and columns to attract attention, and can be selected and taken out from many types of individually sold foods.

  12 to 14 are views showing still another sales apparatus 101 according to the present invention. The selling device 101 also has the advantage that it can be supplied (for example) to a retail store in a sealed container that can be attached to the device 101, without the need to touch and sell bulk selling foods that are stored and sold. Yes. The apparatus 101 includes a fixed unit 102 and a movable unit 103. The fixing part 102 has a first part 104 to which an operating part 103 arranged substantially vertically when used (only the handle part is visible in FIG. 12) is slid and attached. The fixing portion 102 has a second portion 106 that can be detached from the first portion 104. The second part 106 accommodates loose food 107 sold by the device 101 and is slid onto a slide 108 and attached to the first part 104. When the second part 106 is slid and attached as described above, the slide panel 109 of the second part 106 is removed, and the loose selling food 107 flows into the space 110 of the first part 104 by gravity. The first portion 104 has a front wall 111, and the user can freely slide the movable portion 103 up and down along the wall 111 using the handle 105. When the movable portion 103 is at the lowest position, a slope 112 that coincides with the ramp 113 is formed at the upper end of the movable portion 103.

  As the movable part 103 slides upward, some loose foods collected between the upper part of the slope 112 and the wall 111 are carried upward. Certain rose foods fall back into space 110. At the time of FIG. 14, the movable part 103 reaches the upper end 113 of the wall 111, and the rose food 107 that has been carried upward by the movable part 103 has already fallen on the surface 112 or is disposed at a position where it falls. Next, it is sold to the user by falling onto the ramp 114 that forms part of the downhill ramp 115. The inclination angle of the slope 114 and the surface 112 is larger than the “response angle” of the bulk food 107 to be taken out.

  Like the counterpart 48 of the rotary sales container 40, the second portion 106 can be a container that includes a base 116 and a lid 117. Either or both of the base 116 and the lid 117 can be made transparent so that a user wishing to purchase can see the bulk food available for purchase. Further, like the container 48, the second portion 106 can be a disposable container so that the manufacturer can accommodate and supply the loose selling food 107 and replace it with another container when empty.

  Modifications can be made to the various devices and device arrangement methods described so far without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, when replenishing each device in order to further strengthen hygiene, cover the walls (6, 26, 44, 111) and the ramps (11, 31, 45, 114), and When the surface takes out the food for selling roses, it is possible to prevent any contact with the foods sold for sale. The preparation of the cover as described above and the apparatus provided with such a cover are all included in the scope of the present invention.

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating two different states of the inventive rotary sales device described herein. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another rotary sales apparatus of the present invention described in the present specification. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another rotary sales apparatus of the present invention described in the present specification. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another rotary sales apparatus of the present invention described in the present specification. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing another rotary sales apparatus of the present invention described in the present specification. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the rotary sales device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b. FIG. The perspective view of the mechanism which can be used for the apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a partial side sectional view of the container shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a mechanism constituting a part of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3. The YY sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a state when the container of FIG. 5 is first fitted to the mechanism of FIG. 6. The YY sectional view taken on the line of FIG. The sectional side view which shows the state of the container and mechanism in the situation after the situation of FIG. The YY sectional view taken on the line of FIG. FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of another sales device of the present invention described herein. Sectional drawing in the 1st state of the apparatus shown in FIG. Sectional drawing in the 2nd state of the apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1, 21, 40 Sales container 2, 22, Fixed part 3, 23 Movable part 4, 24 Bulk food 5, 25 Internal space 6, 26, 44 Wall 7, 8, 27, 28 Structure 9, 29, 51 Opening Portions 11, 31 Ramp 41 Frame 48 Container 50 Lid 59 Handle 62 Spindle 70 Key 73 Web 74 Center pin 75 Lock pin

Claims (22)

First and second end walls, side walls extending continuously in the longitudinal direction between the first and second end walls, a discharge opening provided in the side walls, and provided in the vicinity of the discharge opening A rotating container for containing a plurality of granular foods with a push-up body, and
A housing with a cavity for rotatably accommodating the container, and a discharge zone where the guide wall of the cavity opposite the side wall of the container terminates and communicates with the cavity
An apparatus for selling granular food products comprising:
In the position before the discharge of the container, a part of the granular food contained in the container is accumulated in the discharge opening and held on the guide wall of the cavity, and the container is rotated toward the discharge position. Then, the part of the granular food is transported toward the discharge zone along the guide wall by the push-up body, and the part of the granular food is pushed up to the discharge zone at the discharge position by the action of gravity. A device characterized in that said discharge opening, pusher, guide wall and discharge zone are constructed and arranged to be discharged from said discharge zone. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the discharge opening of the container extends longitudinally along the side wall. The said discharge | emission opening part has the 1st and 2nd edge part, The said raising body which protrudes in the inside of the said container is provided in one of this edge part. Equipment . The push-up body has a certain length toward the inside of the container, and the number of the foods that can be pushed up when the container is rotated can be adjusted, and the foods that are later released from the housing 4. The device of claim 3, wherein the device is configured to be retained in the discharge opening. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the container is accommodated in the housing such that a longitudinal axis as a rotation axis is substantially horizontal. 6. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container is substantially cylindrical. The guide wall is arched, the discharge zone forms part of the opening of the housing, and a discharge ramp is angled from the opening and spaced from the cavity. 7. A device according to claim 6, characterized in that it extends in a direction. A part of the side wall of the container in which the push-up body is arranged is made of an elastic body, and thereby a part of the side wall is biased to the guide wall of the housing cavity. Item 8. The device according to any one of Items 4 to 7. When the container is rotated, the inward push-up body is inclined to allow the food to flow out of the container to the discharge zone of the housing in cooperation with the guide wall of the housing cavity. 9. A device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that: 10. The container according to claim 1, wherein the container has at least one other internal structure for stirring the food contained in the container while rotating. The device described. Of the other structure 1 The device according to claim 3 or 10, characterized in that one is disposed at an end of the discharge opening opposite to the end where the push-up body is disposed. In any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein at least one end wall of the container is characterized by comprising the or granular food is a lid covering an opening which can be filled into the container or lid, 1 The device according to item. 13. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container is configured to release the food by manual rotation. An electric motor and a driving mechanism for rotating the container are further provided. 1 The device according to item. 15. A non-release position return mechanism further configured to automatically return the container from the release position to the stop position without requiring user intervention. 1 The device according to item. The return mechanism includes an elastic member that elastically deforms so that a torque for returning the container to the stop position is applied to the container while the container rotates from the stop position to the discharge position. Item 15. The device according to Item 15. The said container is a disposable container, The any one of Claims 1-16 characterized by the above-mentioned. 1 The device according to item. The container and housing further comprise a cooperating key element configured to mate when the container is received in the housing to prevent the same container from being successfully reinserted into the cavity of the housing The apparatus of claim 16, wherein at least the key element of the container is configured to be damaged when the container is removed from the cavity of the housing. The key element of the end wall 1 A socket having a rotating shaft spindle portion of the container and a deformable or cutable key web extending radially outward from the shaft and configured to receive the spindle and the key web in the housing cavity A first actuating stage for inserting the spindle of the spindle into the socket, the container being only possible when the web is intact, in order to correctly insert the container into the cavity; 19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 18, characterized in that it requires two actuating stages: and a second actuating stage that damages the key web. 20. A device according to any preceding claim, further comprising a locking mechanism configured to prevent unauthorized removal of the container from the housing. 21. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container comprises a removable closure covering the discharge opening in the side wall. A container for containing food adapted to the device according to any one of claims 1 to 21.

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