JPH0778287A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain an automatic vending machine which is thin and is excellent in article loading by constituting an article rack by plural columns being provided with a step difference on the height of each column and being arrayed sideways by forming a right and left column, a top tray being laid down in between an article feeding port and being arranged on upper and lower steps and a bend mechanism. CONSTITUTION:A serpentine type article rack 5 is assembled by plural columns 5a which is provided with a step difference so that the height dimensions of the columns may be stepwise lowered from the left side to the ritht side and being arranged in a right and left column by uniformly turning the direction of the meandering passage of each column sideways, a top tray 5b laid down by being arranged on the upper and lower steps in between an article feeding port 1a which is continuous to the upper end of the columns 5a and is opened on the side surface of a cabinet 1, a bend mechanism 5c arranged oppositely on the lower end exit side every column 5a, a rack case 5d storing each of these members and a door for inspection which is in front of the rack case 5d. A small door 4 is constituted so that it may cover a coin mechanism, etc., by stretching out to the front surface side by the part of a door plate.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine for selling can and bottle products by mounting a serpentine product rack.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a vending machine for can and bottle products, a vending machine equipped with the above-mentioned serpentine type product rack is well known, and at present, this type of vending machine is the most popular and is widely deployed in the market. is doing. As is well known, this serpentine-type product rack is a column (product storage unit) that is constructed by combining arc-shaped rail segments.
The product passage has a meandering meandering shape, and it is combined with a bend mechanism attached to the exit side of the column and a top tray for product insertion connected to the upper end of the column and pulled out to the front door side of the cabinet. It constitutes a product rack.

In addition, in order to increase the number of product selections in accordance with the needs of the market accompanying the diversification of sales products,
From double double serpentine and triple triple serpentine in which multiple columns are piled up front and back, quadruple force serpentine has also appeared recently. Then, when replenishing the product to the product rack, the front door of the cabinet is opened and the product is loaded into the product insertion opening opened to the front.

[0004]

By the way, recently, the installation environment of the vending machine, especially the illegal protrusion to the road has become a social problem, and a thin vending machine is strongly demanded as a market need. ing. In this regard, in the conventional serpentine type vending machine described above, in particular, a product rack configured by combining a plurality of columns in front and back like a double serpentine or a force serpentine, the depth dimension of the vending machine is If it becomes large and installed in a store, the vending machine may stick out to the road side.

Further, in a large-sized vending machine with a large selection, the front width of the front door of the cabinet, and hence the width of the front door, becomes wide. For this reason, if the front door is opened when replenishing products, the door will block the road and obstruct traffic, and since the front area of the inside of the refrigerator will be opened when the door is opened,
For example, in the case of selling cold-bevered soft drinks, a large amount of outside heat intrudes into the refrigerator from the surroundings, which causes a problem of keeping cold such that the temperature in the refrigerator rapidly rises.

Further, in the structure of a product rack in which a plurality of columns are arranged in front and back, it is almost impossible to put a hand in the columns arranged in the rear row from the front side, so that the product may be jammed in the columns in the rear row during sale. When a sales trouble occurs, large-scale repair work by a specialized service person is required. The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to solve each of the problems described above, to have a thin structure, to be excellent in product loading, and to easily deal with a sales trouble such as a product jam. It is to provide a new serpentine type vending machine configured as described above.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the vending machine according to the present invention is provided with a small door at the side of a cabinet with a front outer door, which is equipped with a small door. The product racks stored in the
Each column has a stepped height, and a plurality of columns arranged side by side in a horizontal direction and a top tray arranged in the upper and lower tiers connected to the upper end of each column and laid between the product inlets, It shall consist of a bend mechanism facing the exit end of the column.

As a means for dealing with a sales trouble such as a product jam that occurs in the vending machine having the above structure, there is a structure in which an inspection door is provided on the front surface of the product rack.
And this inspection door should be a transparent door.

[0009]

According to the above construction, since the depth dimension of the product rack is within the dimension corresponding to the length of one can or bottle product, it is possible to realize a vending machine with a thin construction and a large selection. In addition, when replenishing products to the product racks in the cabinet, you can load the products into the product racks in the cabinet simply by opening the small door on the narrow side while keeping the front door of the wide cabinet closed. In addition, the heat from outside can be less likely to enter the inside of the refrigerator when the small door is opened, which helps reduce heat loss. Even if such trouble occurs, you can easily remove the product causing the jam by opening the inspection door and repair the sales trouble. In particular, by constructing the inspection door as a transparent door, it is convenient to visually check the inside of the rack and the trouble occurrence place while the inspection door is closed.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3, 1 is a cabinet for a vending machine, 2 is a front outer door of the cabinet 1, 3 is a heat-insulating inner door arranged on the back side of the front outer door 2, and 4 is additionally provided on a side surface of the cabinet 1. A small door for product insertion, 5 is a serpentine-type product rack housed in a cabinet, and 6 is a product outlet 7 that opens to the carry-out end of the product rack and the front outer door 2.
The reference numeral 8 denotes a cooler provided on the rear surface side of the shooter 6, and the commodity take-out shooter is linked with the shooter. In addition to the product slot 7 on the front outer door 2, a lighting plate displaying a product sample, a product selection button, a coin slot, a coin return lever, and a coin mechanism, as well as a normal vending machine, and a price. It is equipped with a keyboard for setting.

Further, the serpentine type product rack 5 is provided with a step so that the height of the column is lowered stepwise from left to right, and the meandering passages of the columns are aligned in the lateral direction to form a left and right row. A plurality of columns 5a arranged in a row, and a top tray 5b laid side by side in the vertical direction between the product inlets 1a that are connected to the upper ends of the columns 5a and open on the side surface of the cabinet 1, and the lower ends of the columns 5a. The bend mechanism 5c is arranged to face the outlet side, a rack case 5d that houses these members, and an inspection door 5e provided on the front surface of the rack case 5d are assembled. The inspection door 5e also serves as a guide wall for preventing the products stored in the column 5a from falling off, and is made of, for example, transparent resin so that the inside of the rack can be seen through from the front. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a ventilation hole 5f is opened in the upper rear portion of the rack case 5d so that the cold air circulating in the refrigerator via the cooler 9 flows through the product rack.

Incidentally, the small door 4 in the illustrated embodiment.
Is configured such that a part of the door plate projects to the front side and covers the coin mechanism 9 and the like. With such a configuration, when replenishing the merchandise rack 10 with merchandise 10 such as cans and bottles, the front outer door 2 of the cabinet 1 is closed and the small side door 4 is opened, and the upper and lower stages are opened through the merchandise inlet 1a. The products 10 are put on the lined top trays 5a. As a result, similarly to the conventional serpentine type product rack, the product 10 rolls on the top tray 5a and is dropped and stored in the column 5a.

On the other hand, when the product 10 stored in the column 5a is caught in the middle of the product passage during the sale of the product and an unsuccessful sale occurs, the front outer door 2 and the heat insulating inner door 3 of the cabinet 1 are opened. By opening the transparent inspection door 5e, all the product storage states of the columns 5a lined up in the product rack 5 can be seen in a state where the transparent inspection door 5e is closed, and the place where the product jam occurs can be directly visually confirmed. Then, if the inspection door 5e is opened after visually confirming the place where the product jam occurs, the product jammed in the passage in the column can be easily removed.

[0014]

As described above, the structure of the present invention has the following effects. (1) Multiple serpentine columns that make up the serpentine product rack are laterally arranged in a row on the left and right when viewed from the front, so a vending machine with a large number of selections can be realized with a thin structure, and the vending machine can be installed. It is possible to solve the problem of the road protruding to the road, which is an environmental problem.

(2) Apart from the front outer door of the cabinet,
By opening a product inlet on the side of the cabinet and additionally equipping a small door here, the product can be stored in the product rack simply by opening the small side door while keeping the wide front outer door closed during product replenishment. Can be loaded. As a result, goods can be replenished without disturbing traffic, and the product inlet that is slightly narrower is only opened during the work of replenishing goods, which can suppress the infiltration of outside air heat into the refrigerator. .

(3) Further, by providing a rack inspection door on the front of a serpentine type product rack in which a plurality of columns are arranged in a horizontal row, troubles such as product clogging during the passage in the column during sale can be solved. Even if a problem occurs, you can easily remove the product stuck in the rack and repair it by opening the rack inspection door. In particular, if the rack inspection door is a transparent door, it is possible to visually check the inside of the rack and the place where the product is jammed while the inspection door is closed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a perspective external view showing a state in which a small door for loading products is opened, and (b) is an internal structure with a front door removed. Front view

FIG. 2 is a perspective external view of the serpentine type product rack in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cabinet 1a Product input port 2 Front outer door 4 Small door 5 Serpentine type product rack 5a Column 5b Top tray 5c Bending mechanism 5e Inspection door 6 Product delivery shooter 7 Product outlet 10 product

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine for selling can and bottle products by mounting a serpentine type product rack, which is equipped with a small door by opening a product insertion port on the side of a cabinet with a front outer door. , The product racks housed in the cabinet are divided into a plurality of columns with a step in the height of each column and arranged in one row on the left and right, and the product inlet connected to the upper end of each column. An automatic vending machine, which is composed of top trays arranged in the upper and lower tiers that are laid in between, and a bend mechanism that is arranged to face the exit end of each column. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein an inspection door is provided on the front surface of the product rack. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the inspection door is a transparent door.