JPH05151450A - Cup type beverage vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To not only make a cabinet thin but also prevent the trouble of cup carrying in a machine. CONSTITUTION:This machine is provided with selling beverage select buttons 5, a cup supply mechanism 4 where cups with bar codes classified by classifications of beverages are stored, a cup taking-out hole 3, a beverage supply stage 2 provided at a commodity taking-out hole 1 separated from a cup taking-out hole, a bar code reader 11 which faces the beverage supply stage 2, a selling beverage preparing part including material boxes or the like, and a control part 10 which controls them. When the cup with the bar code corresponding to the classification of beverage selected by a customer at the time of sale is carried from the cup supply mechanism to the cup taking-out hole and the customer moves the cup from the cup taking-out hole to a fixed position on the beverage supply stage, the bar code reader reads the bar code of the cup, and the beverage preparing part prepares the selected beverage based on this read data and supplies it to the cup.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cup type beverage vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, cup-type beverage vending machines currently on the market have all the sales mechanisms including a beverage manufacturing section and a cup supply section, and are sold at the time of sale. When the customer inserts a coin and selects the type of purchased beverage, the cup is first carried out from the cup supply mechanism through the cup shooter to the bend stage based on the sales instruction, and the beverage manufacturing department manufactures the selected type of beverage,
A series of sales operations are performed so that the beverage is supplied to the cup already waiting at the bend stage, and finally the customer puts his / her hand into the product outlet to take out the cup containing the beverage from the bend stage. Beverages made from powders such as coffee and cocoa are manufactured by mixing the raw materials dispensed from the raw material box with hot water in a mixing bowl to produce beverages, while soft drinks such as syrup are concentrated syrups supplied from the raw material tank. Beverage is manufactured by adding diluted cold water, carbonated water, ice, etc.

[0003]

The cup-type beverage vending machine described above, however, has the following problems in terms of structure and sales operation. In other words, (1) For vending machines that are installed and used in aisles at stores or buildings, it is a major design issue to make the cabinet as thin as possible in order not to obstruct the aisles. ing. Then, centering around the bend stage leading to the product outlet, the cup supply mechanism,
The layout of the beverage production department, where the sales boxes such as the raw material box and the beverage supply nozzle are linked to each other, is severely restricted in terms of layout. In particular, the cup supply mechanism needs to be placed behind the front door of the cabinet so that it is as close to the bend stage as possible, so the raw material boxes, etc. have to be laid out behind it, which is why the cabinet is basically made thinner. Was difficult to proceed.

(2) Further, since a pipe system such as a beverage supply nozzle is arranged immediately above the bend stage, the cup supply mechanism is arranged on the side of the bend stage so as to avoid interference with the beverage pipe system. Inevitably, therefore, the bend stage requires a cup support mechanism for receiving in a fixed position a cup coming in from the cup supply mechanism through the cup shooter and coming in from the side. However, paper cups are easily affected by ambient conditions such as moisture, and the cups are blocked in the middle of the cup shooter, and the landing posture is disturbed when the cup shooter slides and is released onto the bend stage. As a result, a transport problem such as the cup tilting or falling on the bend stage often occurs. In addition, the beverage production unit continuously supplies the produced beverage toward the cup when the cup is carried out to the bend stage regardless of the landing posture of the cup on the bend stage. Therefore, when the cup is clogged in the cup shooter or the landing posture of the cup carried out to the bend stage is disturbed in the course of the selling operation, there is a sales trouble that the beverage is deviated from the cup and overflows around.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to reduce the thickness of a cabinet and to avoid a sales trouble due to a disturbance in the posture which occurs in the process of transporting a cup to ensure a drink. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cup-type beverage vending machine which can be supplied into a cup for sale.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a cup-type beverage vending machine of the present invention comprises a means for selecting a beverage to be sold and a cup supply mechanism for storing a cup with a bar code for each beverage type. , A cup outlet opening outside the machine,
A beverage supply stage provided at a product outlet different from the cup outlet, a bar code reader arranged opposite to the beverage supply stage, a beverage production department for sale, and a control unit for supervising these are provided for customers to sell at the time of sale. A barcode reader corresponding to the selected beverage type is carried out from the cup supply mechanism to the cup outlet, and the cup is manually moved by the customer from the cup outlet to a fixed position on the beverage supply stage. Is configured to read the bar code of the cup, and based on the read data, the beverage manufacturing unit manufactures a beverage corresponding to the selected beverage and supplies it to the cup.

Here, it is preferable that the beverage identifying bar code is displayed on the bottom surface of the cup, and the bar code reader is arranged opposite to the bottom portion of the beverage supply stage. In addition, as an embodiment in which the vending machine having the above-described configuration is configured to be thin, a cup outlet opening to the front and a cup supply mechanism arranged above the cup outlet, and a product outlet also opening to the front, a beverage supply stage and the same. The beverage manufacturing department deployed above is laid out on the left and right and accommodated and deployed in a single cabinet,
Alternatively, the cabinet is divided into two juxtaposed and independent cabinets, one of which is equipped with a selling beverage selection means, a cup supply mechanism, and a cup outlet,
The other cabinet has a beverage manufacturing department, a beverage supply stage, and a product outlet.

[0008]

In the above structure, when the customer inserts a coin and selects the purchased beverage with the beverage selection means (selection push button), the cup supply mechanism corresponding to the type of beverage selected by the customer based on the beverage selection signal. Operates to discharge the cup with bar code to the cup outlet opened to the outside of the machine. Then, when the customer takes out the cup from the cup take-out port and stands it upright at a predetermined position on the beverage supply stage through the merchandise take-out port that opens at another position, the beverage identification bar displayed on the bottom surface of the cup in this state Bar code reader reads the code. Then, based on the data read by the bar code reader, the beverage manufacturing section manufactures a beverage corresponding to the type of the selected beverage and supplies it to the cup, and the series of sales operation is completed.

As can be seen from the above-mentioned selling operation, the cup taken out from the cup supply mechanism is taken out by the customer himself from the cup take-out port and transferred to the product take-out port, from which it is placed upright at a fixed position on the beverage supply stage. There is. Therefore,
The cup shooter that links the cup supply mechanism and the beverage supply stage, and the support means that holds the cup in a fixed position on the stage are not required, and cup clogging and landing tipping-related transport troubles caused by cup transport troubles are avoided. At the same time, since the cup is properly placed by the customer at a fixed position on the beverage supply stage, it is possible to reliably prevent problems such as the beverage escaping from the cup and overflowing outside the cup. Moreover, since the beverage to be sold is identified by using the barcode attached to the cup as a medium, the selling operation can be performed without trouble even if the signal processing system between the cup supply unit and the beverage production unit is disconnected.

Further, the cup supply mechanism can be arranged so as to be completely separated from the beverage supply stage, which increases the degree of freedom in the layout of the in-machine arrangement. Therefore, the cup outlet opening to the front and the cup supply mechanism arranged above it, the product outlet also opening to the front, the beverage supply stage and the beverage production section arranged above it are laid out on the left and right to form a single unit. By housing and deploying in a cabinet, the vending machine as a whole can be made thin. Furthermore, the cabinet is divided into two independent cabinets, one of which is equipped with a beverage selection means for sale, a cup supply mechanism, and a cup outlet, and the other cabinet is equipped with a beverage production department, a beverage supply stage,
It is also possible to arrange a separate unit so as to equip it with a product outlet, so that individual cabinets can be made thin without being constrained by the layout inside the aircraft.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a sales mechanism. In the figure, 1 is a product outlet opened outside the machine, 2 is a beverage supply stage installed inside the product outlet 1, and 3 is a product outlet. The cup outlet mechanism 4 opened at a position different from that of the outlet mechanism 1, 4 is a cup supply mechanism for accommodating the below-mentioned bar-coded cups for each type of beverage to be sold and arranged above the cup outlet port 3,
5 is a selection button for sold beverages, 6 is a raw material box of the beverage manufacturing department,
Reference numeral 7 is a hot water tank, 8 is a mixing bowl for beverages, 9 is a beverage supply line which is drawn from the mixing bowl 8 and is piped immediately above the beverage supply stage 2, and 10 is a control unit (microcomputer) for integrally controlling the above-mentioned devices. 1
Reference numeral 1 is a bar code reader disposed opposite to a fixed position on the beverage supply stage 2, and 12 is a cup with a bar code. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the bar coded cup has an identification bar code 13 on the bottom surface of the cup, the code being changed according to the type of beverage to be sold. In addition, the beverage supply stage 2 has a concave portion where the cup 12 is placed,
The barcode reader 11 faces the bottom of the transparent glass plate or the like. The barcode reader 1
1 is preferably a multi-scanning bar code reader capable of reading a bar code regardless of the orientation of the cup 12.

Next, the operation of selling beverages having the above-mentioned structure will be described. First, when a customer inserts a coin and selects a desired beverage with a selection button, the cup supply mechanism 4 designated based on the selection signal operates to carry out the cup 12 to the cup outlet 3. Here, the customer takes a cup 12 from the cup outlet 3.
Hold it in your hand and put it upright at a fixed position on the beverage supply stage 2 from the product outlet 1 that opens at another position, and read the bar code 13 displayed on the bottom of the cup 12, The data is sent to the control unit 10. On the other hand, the control unit 10 determines the type of beverage selected by the customer based on the data read by the barcode reader 11 and gives a beverage production instruction to the beverage production unit. As a result, the raw material is dispensed from the designated raw material box 6 and the hot water tank 7 to the mixing bowl 8, and the raw material and hot water are agitated by the mixing bowl 8 to produce a beverage. Then, the beverage prepared here is supplied through the supply line 9 to the cup 12 standing by at the fixed position of the beverage supply stage 2, and the series of sales operation is completed thereby. In the illustrated example, the cup supply mechanism 4 is provided separately for each type of beverage, but a turret type configuration having a plurality of cup storage cylinders in one cup supply mechanism should be adopted. Is also possible.

Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 show specific examples of the structure of an automatic vending machine in which the sales mechanism of the sales system shown in FIG. 1 is laid out in a cabinet. First, in FIG. 3, the product outlet 1 and the cup outlet 3 are distributed to the left and right to open to the front of the cabinet 14, and the raw material box 6 is provided inside the cabinet 14 in association with the product outlet 1 and the cup outlet 3, respectively. The beverage production section including the above, the bar code reader 11, the cup supply mechanism 4, and the like are distributed to the left and right as shown in the drawing. In addition, 15 is a coin slot, 16 is a coin return lever, 17 is a coin return port, and 18 is a lighting plate.

On the other hand, FIG. 4 shows an example in which the cup supply section and the beverage production section are housed in separate cabinets, and the cabinets are two independent cabinets 19 and 20, respectively.
The cabinet 19 is equipped with the product outlet 1 and the corresponding beverage production department, the bar code reader 11 and the like, and the other cabinet 20 has the cup outlet 3 and the same. Corresponding cup supply mechanism 4,
It is configured with a coin slot 15, a product selection button 5, and the like.

[0015]

As described above, the cup-type beverage vending machine according to the present invention uses a bar code as a medium for identifying the type of beverage and performs a series of beverage selling operations. The cup with the bar code corresponding to the customer's selected beverage carried out from the cup supply mechanism is moved by the customer himself from the cup outlet to the product outlet and placed in a fixed position on the beverage supply stage, and the bar code is placed at this position. The beverage produced based on the data read by the reader is supplied to the cup. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, the bend stage does not require a support mechanism for receiving the cup conveyed from the cup supply mechanism through the cup shooter in a fixed position, and troubles such as cup clogging and cup collapse accompanying the cup conveyance, and The beverage selling operation can be performed while avoiding the beverage supply trouble caused by these cup transport troubles.

Further, the cup supply mechanism can be arranged so as to be completely separated from the beverage supply stage, which increases the degree of freedom of the layout of the sales mechanism in the machine.
Therefore, in particular, the cup supply section and the beverage production section can be laid out to the left and right in the cabinet, or the cup supply section and the beverage production section can be mounted in different cabinets. Can be made thinner.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a sales mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the cup with a barcode in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a vending machine equipped with the sales mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment different from FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Product outlet 2 Beverage supply stage 3 Cup outlet 4 Cup supply mechanism 5 Selection button 6 Raw material box 10 Control unit 11 Bar code reader 12 Bar coded cup 13 Bar code 14 Cabinet 19 Cabinet 20 Cabinet

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A beverage selection means for sale, a cup supply mechanism for storing a cup with a barcode for each beverage type, a cup outlet opened outside the machine, and a product outlet separate from the cup outlet. A cup with a bar code corresponding to the type of beverage selected by the customer at the time of sale, including a beverage supply stage, a bar code reader arranged opposite to the beverage supply stage, a sales beverage production section, and a control section that controls them. Is carried out from the cup supply mechanism to the cup outlet, and the cup is manually moved by the customer from the cup outlet to a fixed position on the beverage supply stage, the barcode reader reads the barcode of the cup, and the read data is read. Based on this, the beverage production department produces a beverage corresponding to the selected beverage and supplies it to the cup. 2. The cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a beverage identification bar code is attached to the bottom surface of the cup,
A cup-type beverage vending machine, characterized in that a bar code reader is arranged opposite to the bottom of the beverage supply stage. 3. The cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a cup outlet opening to the front and a cup supply mechanism arranged above the cup outlet, a commodity outlet also opening to the front, a beverage supply stage and the same. A cup-type beverage vending machine characterized by arranging the beverage production department arranged above and on the left and right to accommodate and arrange in a single cabinet. 4. The cup-type beverage vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the cabinet is divided into two independent cabinets, and one of the cabinets has a beverage selection means for sale.
A cup-type beverage vending machine, which is equipped with a cup supply mechanism and a cup outlet, and is equipped with a beverage production department, a beverage supply stage, and a product outlet in the other cabinet.