JP7124381B2 - Product take-out device for vending machines - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a product take-out device for vending machines, and more particularly to a product take-out device applied to vending machines for selling various products such as canned drinks, bottled drinks, and PET bottled drinks. is.

For example, as a product take-out device for a vending machine that stores and sells various products such as canned drinks, bottled drinks, and PET bottled drinks, the product take-out port that opens in the front of the vending machine is viewed from the rear side. In general, the machine is provided with a product receiving box for receiving the products carried out from the machine.

In such a product take-out device, there is proposed one in which a cushion sheet made of resin is laid on the bottom surface of the product receiving box to protect the product from the impact of dropping (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-8-315230

By the way, the above article take-out apparatus has the following problems. Due to the recent diversification of commercial products, strongly carbonated beverages containing a relatively large amount of carbonic acid are being sold as commercial products. When such strongly carbonated beverage products are transported and dropped onto the cushion sheet, the cushion sheet does not exhibit sufficient cushioning performance, and the impact of the drop causes foaming of the beverage, which causes foaming, resulting in deterioration of the quality of the product. There was fear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a product take-out device for a vending machine that can reduce the occurrence of foaming and suppress deterioration in product quality.

In order to achieve the above object, a product take-out device for a vending machine according to the present invention is provided with a product take-out opening that opens to the front and is provided in a manner facing from the rear side, and a product receiver for receiving products carried out from inside the machine. In a product take-out device for a vending machine provided with a box, the product receiving box is elastically deformable in such a manner that a mounting surface, which is an upper surface, approaches and separates from the bottom of the product receiving box, and the mounting surface is elastically deformable. is provided with a product placing portion on which the product is placed.

Further, in the product take-out device of the vending machine according to the present invention, the product placement portion has an inclined downwardly extending portion which is gradually inclined downward rearward from a front end edge portion of a base portion having the placement surface. A downward extending portion fastened to the upper surface of the via a first fastening member and extending downward from the rear end edge of the base portion penetrates the hole formed in the bottom portion, and further the downward extending portion A front extending portion extending forward from a lower edge portion of the bottom portion is fastened to the lower surface of the bottom portion via a second fastening member and provided on the bottom portion.

Further, in the product take-out device of the vending machine, the present invention provides an elastic body which is interposed between the bottom portion and the product placement portion and which elastically deforms following the elastic deformation of the product placement portion. characterized by comprising

Further, in the product take-out device of the vending machine according to the present invention, the elastic body has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is formed of a cushioning material whose lower surface is adhered to the upper surface of the bottom portion and whose upper surface is in contact with the lower surface of the base portion. characterized by comprising:

Further, according to the present invention, in the product take-out device for a vending machine, the cushioning material is made of soft foamed polyethylene.

Further, according to the present invention, in the product take-out device for a vending machine, the product placement portion is made of a resin material having an antistatic function.

According to the present invention, the product placing portion for placing the product on the placing surface, which is the upper surface, is elastically deformable in the manner in which the placing surface approaches and separates from the bottom of the product receiving box. It is possible to sufficiently absorb the drop impact of the product carried out from the machine, reduce the occurrence of excessive forming, and suppress the deterioration of product quality.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vending machine to which a product take-out device according to an embodiment of the invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing an enlarged main part of the vending machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing an enlarged main part of the product take-out device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the product placement portion shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a main part of the product take-out device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part of the product take-out device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view showing a state in which products are carried out to the product receiving box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of a product take-out device for a vending machine according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a vending machine to which a product take-out device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a main part of the vending machine shown in FIG. It is a cross-sectional side view. The vending machine exemplified here is for selling products such as canned beverages and PET bottled beverages, and comprises a main body cabinet 1 and a product take-out device 20 .

The main body cabinet 1 is formed as a rectangular parallelepiped heat-insulating housing having an opening on the front side, and a plurality of independent commodity storage boxes 3 are arranged side by side in the interior thereof. These product storage boxes 3 are for storing products W in a state where they are maintained at a desired temperature. Each product storage box 3 is provided with a product storage rack 4 for storing products W, and a heat exchanger (not shown) is provided in a lower portion partitioned by a chute 5. By driving the heat exchanger, it is possible to maintain the product W stored in the product storage rack 4 at a desired cooling temperature or heating temperature.

A door 6 is provided on one side edge of the main body cabinet 1 of the vending machine. The door body 6 comprises an inner door 6a and an outer door 6b. The inner door 6a has a size sufficient to cover the front surface of the commodity storage box 3 provided in the main body cabinet 1. - 特許庁Below the inner door 6a, there is provided a delivery port 7 for the product W delivered through the chute 5, and each delivery port 7 is provided with a product delivery door 8 for opening and closing the delivery port 7. be.

The outer door 6b is large enough to cover the front opening of the main body cabinet 1. As shown in FIG. The outer door 6b is provided with a product selection button 9, a coin slot 10, a banknote slot 11, an integrated display 12, a coin return slot 13, and a product outlet 14 on the front side. On the other hand, on the rear side of the outer door 6b, a coin handling machine, a coin recovery box, and a bill handling machine are provided (not shown in the figure).

The product selection button 9 is a push button switch for the user to select a purchase product. The coin slot 10 is an opening for the user to insert coins. Coins inserted through the coin slot 10 are identified by their denominations in the coin processing machine, and then stored in a coin collection box. The banknote insertion slot 11 is an opening for a user to insert banknotes. The banknotes inserted through the banknote insertion slot 11 are identified by their denominations in the banknote processing machine. The banknote insertion slot 11 has a function of returning banknotes that could not be identified in the banknote handling machine. The integrated display 12 is for displaying various information to the user, such as the amount of money inserted, whether the product is on sale, whether there is change, and the like. The coin return port 13 is an opening for returning to the user coins that could not be identified by the coin processing machine or coins to be used as change. The product take-out opening 14 is an opening for the user to take out the product W carried out from the product storage rack 4 . The product outlet 14 is provided with a product outlet door 15 for opening and closing the product outlet 14 .

The product take-out device 20 is provided on the rear side of the product take-out opening 14 of the outer door 6b and has a product receiving box 21. - 特許庁The product receiving box 21 is arranged so that the product outlet 14 is viewed from the rear side, and is for receiving the product W carried out from the product storage rack 4 through the carry-out mechanism 4a and the chute 5. As shown in FIG. The product receiving box 21 is composed of a bottom portion 211 , a top plate 212 and a pair of left and right side plates 213 .

The bottom portion 211 is formed by processing sheet metal, and is provided in a manner extending in the left-right direction below the article outlet 14 . 3, the front end portion of the bottom portion 211 is attached to the lower edge portion of the product outlet 14, and is gradually inclined downward from the upper end portion of the front end portion toward the rear. It has a hull-bottom shape that gradually slopes upward as it goes rearward.

The top plate 212 is formed by processing sheet metal, and is provided in an upper region of the bottom portion 211 so as to extend along the left-right direction. The top plate 212 is attached to the upper edge portion of the product outlet 14 . The pair of left and right side plates 213 are each formed by processing sheet metal, and connect both ends of the bottom portion 211 and the top plate 212 in such a manner that the inner surfaces thereof face each other.

The product receiving box 21 as described above includes a flapper member 22 , a product placement portion 23 and a product contact portion 24 . The flapper member 22 is arranged between a pair of side plates 213 inside the product receiving box 21 so as to be capable of swinging along the front-rear direction. A flapper cushion material 222 is attached to the rear surface of the bent portion 221 at the tip of the flapper member 22 . The flapper cushion material 222 is made of a resin material such as soft polyethylene foam.

The product placement section 23 is made of a resin material having an antistatic function. More specifically, a high-density polyethylene resin sheet containing an antistatic material and having a thickness of, for example, about 0.5 mm is bent to form a base portion 231 and an inclined downward extension portion 232 as shown in FIG. , a downwardly extending portion 233 and a forwardly extending portion 234 are integrally formed.

The base portion 231 is a plate-like portion whose length in the left-right direction is substantially the same as the length in the left-right direction of the bottom portion 211 and gradually slopes downward toward the front. The upper surface of the base portion 231 constitutes a placement surface 231a on which the product W is placed. The inclined downwardly extending portion 232 is a portion that gradually inclines downward from the front edge portion of the base portion 231 toward the rear. Note that the downwardly extending inclined portion 232 is divided into a plurality of parts in the left-right direction by appropriately forming notches. A plurality of downward extending portions 233 (three in the illustrated example) are provided, and each portion extends downward from the rear edge portion of the base portion 231 . The forward extending portion 234 is a portion that extends forward from the lower edge of each downward extending portion 233 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, such a product placement portion 23 includes a first fastening member 31 such as a screw or rivet passing through a through hole 232a (see FIG. 4) formed in the inclined downwardly extending portion 232. A through hole 234a formed in the front extension portion 234 in a state in which the inclined downward extension portion 232 is fastened to the upper surface of the bottom portion 211 via the The forward extending portion 234 is fastened to the bottom surface of the bottom portion 211 via a second fastening member 32 such as a screw or a rivet that penetrates through the hole (see FIG. 4). In other words, the product placement portion 23 is elastically deformable in such a manner that the placement surface 231 a approaches and separates from the bottom portion 211 .

A cushioning material 40 is provided between the product placement portion 23 and the bottom portion 211 . A plurality of cushion members 40 are provided, each of which has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. These cushion members 40 are made of soft foamed polyethylene, have lower surfaces adhered to the upper surface of the bottom portion 211 , and upper surfaces contact the lower surface of the base portion 231 .

The product abutting portion 24 is formed by processing sheet metal, and is a contact member fastened by the first fastening member 31 between the inclined downwardly extending portion 232 of the product placement portion 23 and the bottom portion 211 . A base end portion 241 and a contact upwardly extending portion 242 extending upward from the front end portion of the contact base end portion 241 are formed integrally. In the product contact portion 24 , the contact upwardly extending portion 242 is arranged on the rear side of the lower edge portion of the product outlet 14 and protrudes above the front end portion of the placement surface 231 a of the product placement portion 23 . . A contact cushion material 243 is attached to the rear surface of the contact upwardly extending portion 242 . The contact cushion material 243 is made of a resin material such as soft polyethylene foam.

In the product pick-up device 20 as described above, when the product W stored in the product storage rack 4 is carried out from the carry-out opening 7 through the carry-out mechanism 4a and the chute 5, the product placement surface 231a of the product placement unit 23 receives the product W. Fall. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7, the product placement portion 23 is elastically deformed in such a manner that the placement surface 231a approaches the bottom portion 211 while the cushion material 40 is elastically deformed. As a result, the drop impact applied to the product W can be mitigated. After that, the cushion material 40 and the product placement portion 23 return to their original states due to their respective restoring forces. The product W placed on the product placement portion 23 in this manner rolls forward along the inclination of the placement surface 231 a (base portion 231 ), and reaches the rear surface of the contact upwardly extending portion 242 of the product contact portion 24 . It abuts on the affixed abutting cushion material 243 . Then, the product W is taken out through the product take-out opening 14 opened by swinging the product take-out door 15 in the opening direction.

As described above, according to the article take-out device 20 of the vending machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, the article placing portion 23 on which the article W is placed on the placing surface 231a, which is the upper surface, is configured to receive the article. Since the placement surface 231a is elastically deformable in the manner of approaching and separating from the bottom 211 of the box 21, the drop impact of the unloaded product W can be sufficiently absorbed, and the occurrence of excessive foaming can be reduced. As a result, deterioration in the quality of the product W can be suppressed.

In particular, the cushioning material 40 interposed between the bottom part 211 and the product placement part 23 is elastically deformed following the elastic deformation of the product placement part 23, so that even the cushioning material 40 prevents the product W from falling. It is possible to absorb the impact, suppress deterioration over time of the product placement portion 23, and extend the service life.

According to the product take-out device 20, the product placement portion 23 has not only the inclined downward extension portion 232 fastened to the upper surface of the bottom portion 211 via the first fastening member 31, but also the front extension portion 234 is fastened to the second Since it is fastened to the lower surface of the bottom portion 211 via the fastening member 32, it is possible to prevent the product placing portion 23 from being removed from the product receiving box 21 by a finger inserted from the opened product outlet 14. .

According to the product take-out device 20, the product placement section 23 is made of a resin material having an antistatic function by bending a high-density polyethylene resin sheet containing an antistatic material. It is possible to prevent the container of the product W from being damaged, and to prevent foreign matter such as dust from adhering due to the action of static electricity.

According to the product take-out device 20 , the abutment cushion material 243 is attached to the rear surface of the abutment upwardly extending portion 242 of the product abutment portion 24 . When the mounting surface 231a is brought into contact with the product W rolling on the mounting surface 231a, the container of the product W is elastically deformed to prevent damage to the container of the product W and reduce excessive forming to reduce the quality of the product W. can be suppressed.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this and can be modified in various ways.

In the above-described embodiment, the cushion material 40 is interposed between the product placement portion 23 and the bottom portion 211, but in the present invention, if the product placement portion 23 is sufficiently strong, The cushion material 40 may not be interposed.

In the above-described embodiment, the cushioning material 40 is interposed between the product placement portion 23 and the bottom portion 211. However, in the present invention, the cushioning material 40 is not limited to the cushioning material. good too.

1 main body cabinet 4 product storage rack 14 product take-out opening 20 product take-out device 21 product receiving box 211 bottom portion 212 top plate 213 side plate 23 product placement portion 231 base portion 231a placement surface 232 inclined downward extension portion 233 downward extension portion 234 forward extension portion 31 First fastening member 32 Second fastening member 40 Cushion material W Product

Claims (5)

A product take-out device for a vending machine having a product take-out opening that opens to the front facing from the rear side and provided with a product receiving box for receiving products carried out from the machine,
The commodity receiving box has a commodity placing portion which is elastically deformable in such a manner that a placing surface, which is an upper surface, approaches and separates from the bottom of the commodity receiving box, and on which the commodity is placed on the placing surface. Preparation ,
The product placement portion has an inclined downwardly extending portion that gradually slopes downward toward the rear from a front edge portion of a base portion having the placement surface and is fastened to the upper surface of the bottom portion via a first fastening member, and A downward extending portion extending downward from the rear edge of the base penetrates through a hole formed in the bottom portion, and a forward extending portion extending forward from the lower edge of the downward extending portion. is fastened to the lower surface of the bottom via a second fastening member and provided on the bottom A product take-out device for a vending machine characterized by: 2. The automatic machine according to claim 1 , further comprising an elastic body interposed between the bottom portion and the product placement portion, which elastically deforms following elastic deformation of the product placement portion. Product take-out device for vending machines. 3. The automatic spring according to claim 2 , wherein said elastic body has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is composed of a cushioning material having a lower surface adhered to an upper surface of said bottom portion and an upper surface thereof abutting against a lower surface of said base portion. Product take-out device for vending machines. 4. A product take-out device for a vending machine according to claim 3 , wherein said cushioning material is made of soft polyethylene foam. 5. The article take-out device for a vending machine according to claim 1 , wherein the article placement section is made of a resin material having an antistatic function.

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