JPH0673157B2 - Beverage vending machine - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vending machine serving various beverages.

[Conventional technology]

Some vending machines that serve beverages sell beverages that are pre-packaged in cans or bottles, and those that dispense beverages that are prepared and poured into cups each time according to the customer's selection. The former beverage in a container is extremely convenient for users to carry after purchase because it is enclosed in a container, and can be stored for a long period of time, but it can be stored in various types in order to meet the diverse tastes of customers. There are limits to making bottled beverages. In this respect, the latter drinks in cups can fully meet the diverse tastes of customers, and are one step ahead of drinks in containers in terms of freshness of drinks, but the cup has a large opening at the top, making it easy to carry. It is extremely inconvenient for us. For this reason, it is conceivable to cover the cup, and various mechanisms for automating it have been considered, but none have been satisfied yet. In addition, the cups currently in use can be stacked, but if you try to change the shape of the cups to make it easier to carry, it becomes impossible to stack them, and it requires a large space to store them in the vending machine. become.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine that can provide a beverage in a container that is easy to carry and that does not require a large space for storing the container.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the vending machine of the present invention, a container housing part for stacking and housing beverage packaging containers having at least a part formed in a folded state by a flexible material and having an inlet, A beverage supply conduit connectable to an inlet of a packaging container carried out from a container storage unit by a selling operation, and a beverage supply device for injecting a beverage under pressure into the packaging container via the beverage supply conduit, and packaging By injecting a beverage under pressure from an inlet of the container, the container is expanded from the folded state to the form of the container so that the packaging container in which the liquid is enclosed can be carried out to the outlet.

In addition, in the vending machine of the present invention, a sealing mechanism for the filling port of the packaging container may be further added, and after the beverage is filled, the filling port may be sealed before being carried out to the carry-out port.

[Action]

In the vending machine of the present invention, the packaging containers formed of the flexible material in a folded state are stacked and accommodated in the container accommodating portion, and the customer selects the purchased product and pushes the button to operate the selling operation. When entering, one folded packaging container is carried out from the container storage portion. A beverage supply conduit is connected to the inlet of the packaging container, and the beverage prepared according to the customer's selection is supplied to the beverage supply conduit under pressure by the beverage supply device and injected into the packaging container.
By this press-fitting of the beverage, the packaging container rises from the folded state and finally becomes the shape of an expanded container. In some cases, the filling port is further sealed and then the packaging container is carried out to the carrying-out port. It is a thing.

〔Example〕

 Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vending machine according to the present invention,
Reference numeral 1 denotes a container storage unit, in which folded beverage packaging containers 2 are stacked and stored, and a take-out mechanism 3 is provided at a lower portion. Reference numeral 4 denotes a container support table for supporting the packaging container 2 taken out from the take-out mechanism 3. 5 is a beverage supply device, for example, a syrup pump for a syrup-based beverage, a water pump and a carbonator for supplying dilution water and carbonic acid, an ice making machine for supplying ice, and a powder for a carbonated beverage. Supply device, in the case of regular coffee, a hot water tank that supplies hot water, a raw material box, an extrusion mechanism, and other equipment necessary for preparation of various beverages, and is an apparatus that supplies the prepared beverage under pressure. . Reference numeral 6 is a beverage supply conduit connected to the outlet of the beverage supply device, and the tip portion 7 is adapted to be detachable from the inlet 8 of the packaging container 2. Reference numeral 9 denotes a sealing mechanism for sealing the filling port 8 of the packaging container 2. Reference numeral 10 is a control unit, 11 is a coin slot, 12 is a coin mech, and 13 is a push button for selecting a product.

The operation of the above vending machine will be described.

When the customer inserts a coin from the coin slot 11 and presses the push button 13 of the selected product, if the selected product can be sold, a signal is output from the control unit 10 to the container storage unit 1, One packaging container 2 is taken out from the take-out mechanism 3 onto the container support base 4, and the container support base 4 moves to the right and stops below the beverage supply conduit 6. The beverage of the selected product is prepared in the beverage supply device 5 by the signal from the control unit 10. When the beverage supply conduit 6 moves and the tip portion 7 is linked to the inlet 8 of the packaging container 2, the beverage is press-fitted into the packaging container 2 from the beverage supply device 5 via the beverage supply conduit 6. The filling of the beverage causes the packaging container 2 to expand from the folded state to form a three-dimensional container shape, and the infusion of the beverage is completed.
After removing the beverage supply conduit 6 from the inlet 8, the container support 4
Moves further to the right and stops below the sealing mechanism 9, the sealing mechanism 9 seals the inlet 8 of the packaging container 2 containing the beverage, and the packaging container 2 is provided as a product to the product outlet. To be done.

2A and 2B are a vertical sectional side view and a plan view in a folded state of an example of the packaging container used in the present invention, and FIG. 2C is a side view in a state where a beverage is enclosed. Reference numeral 21 denotes the packaging container, the lower half portion 22 of which is formed in an upwardly opening conical cup shape, and the upper half portion 24 is connected to the upper edge 23 of the lower half portion 22. The upper half portion 24 is formed of a flexible material in a bellows shape of a downward-opening conical shape, and an injection port 25 is provided at the top thereof.
Fold inward when empty without beverage
It is designed to be stacked on the inner surface of 22. In addition, a part 26 of the bottom of the lower half portion 22 is projected inward so that when the containers are stacked, the inlet of the other container can be inserted therein, and milk, sugar, etc. are attached to this empty space. It is also possible to insert an item. A pull-top or the like may be provided on the top of the upper half portion 24 so that it can be opened for drinking.

3A and 3B are perspective views of another example of the packaging container used in the present invention in a folded state and a state in which a beverage is enclosed. Reference numeral 31 denotes a packaging container, which is formed in a bellows shape as a whole and has an injection port 32 at the top. Third when folded
As shown in Fig. A, the space between the bellows parts 33 is shortened and the container has a flat shape.
As shown in FIG. B, the space between the bellows portions 33 extends to form a container.

4A and 4B are perspective views of another example of the packaging container used in the present invention in a folded state and a state in which a beverage is enclosed. 41 is a packaging container, the lower half 42 is formed in a hemispherical cup shape, and the upper half 43 is connected to the upper half 44. The upper half 44 is formed of a flexible material into a hemispherical shape,
An injection port 45 is provided at the top of the container, and when the container is empty without being filled with a beverage, the container is folded inward and overlapped on the inner surface of the lower half 42, so that the container has a bowl-like shape. When you fill the beverage,
The upper half portion 44 and the lower half portion 42 form one spherical container.

5A and 5B are perspective views of still another example of the packaging container used in the present invention in a folded state and a state in which a beverage is enclosed. 51 is a packaging container formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an injection port 53 is provided on the upper surface 52. On the wider side surface 54, a valley fold line 55 extending horizontally is provided in the center,
A mountain fold line 57 following the valley fold line 55 and a valley fold line 58 sandwiched between the two mountain fold lines 57 extend laterally in the center on the side 56 of the narrower width. A valley fold line 60 extends from an intersection 59 of the valley fold line 58 to each vertex of the side surface 56. In the empty state where the beverage is not filled, the container 51 has a flat shape by being folded along the above-mentioned folding lines, and the beverage is injected into the inlet 53.
When pressed in, the side surfaces 54 and 56 are opened to form a rectangular parallelepiped container.

Various materials can be used as the material for the packaging material, and the flexible material portion can be made of paper, plastic,
Metals, composite materials of these, and the like can be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the method of sequentially moving the beverage packaging container from the container storage to the sealing mechanism by the container support is described, but the packaging container is not moved, for example, the beverage supply conduit is moved to connect with the injection port of the container. Alternatively, the position of the container support table facing the final sealing mechanism may be the product outlet. The sealing mechanism may be of various types such as one in which a cap is inserted into the injection port of the packaging container, one wrapped with an adhesive sheet, or one covered with a heat seal film.

〔The invention's effect〕

According to the present invention, since the beverage in the container which is closed by sealing the inlet of the packaging container is carried out as a product, the user can easily carry it, the taste is good, and the beverage product is hygienic. Since the packaging container that does not fill the beverage is folded small, it does not require a large space to store it, and since the beverage also uses the pressure injection method, the injection position can be arbitrarily set. Therefore, it is not necessary to take the product outlet downward as in the conventional case, and it is not necessary to raise it to the upper outlet by using an elevator or a belt conveyor. Hygiene management is easy, packaging containers can have various shapes, and by increasing the fashionability, users can be motivated to purchase. Because can be folded Ku, the processing to reproduce is also very advantageous.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural layout view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 are explanatory views of different examples of packaging containers used in the present invention. 1 ... Container storage part 2 ... Beverage packaging container 4 ... Container support 5 ... Beverage supply device 6 ... Beverage supply conduit 7 ... Beverage supply conduit tip 8 ... Packaging container inlet 9 ... Sealing mechanism

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A container container for stacking and accommodating beverage packaging containers, at least a part of which is formed by folding with a flexible material and having an injection port, and a packaging container carried out from the container accommodating unit by a selling operation. And a beverage supply device for injecting a beverage under pressure into the packaging container via the beverage supply conduit, and injecting the beverage under pressure from the inlet of the packaging container. A beverage vending machine, characterized in that the packaging container in which the liquid is sealed by expanding the container from the folded state to the container can be carried out to the carry-out port. 2. A container container for stacking and accommodating beverage packaging containers, at least a part of which is formed by folding with a flexible material and having an inlet, and a packaging container carried out from the container accommodating unit by a selling operation. A packaging container, a beverage supply conduit connectable to an injection port of the beverage container, a beverage supply device for injecting a beverage under pressure into the packaging container via the beverage supply conduit, and a sealing mechanism for the inlet port of the packaging container. By injecting a beverage under pressure from the injection port of the container, the container is expanded from the folded state into the form of a container in which the liquid is enclosed, and the packaging container with the injection port sealed can be carried out to the carry-out port. Beverage vending machine characterized by having done.