JPH09120474A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the automatic vending machine which makes it easy to load articles without spoiling appealling properties that stored articles and their vending operation can be seen from the outside. SOLUTION: The automatic vending machine which enables the articles stored in its article storage box 4 to be viewed through the transparent panel 20 of an article display 13 is equipped with an article rack 5 which has many stages of article columns 6 vertically and a fall passage 7 which is arranged between the article rack 5 and transparent panel 20 and guide a paid-off article A to a vending opening 7. Each article column 6 has a shelf plate 21 which slants down forward to the fall passage 7 to store articles A so that they can roll and a vend mechanism 22 provided at the front end of the shelf plate 21, which can be put in seesaw motion around a part which is nearly intermediate in the front-rear direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called see-through type vending machine in which a product to be sold and a sales operation of the product can be seen from the outside.

[0002]

With this type of see-through type vending machine, in addition to the fact that the product to be actually sold can be seen from the outside, the selling operation of the product to be paid out through the bend mechanism can be seen. It is important to fully demonstrate its appeal. Therefore, instead of the conventional serpentine type product column, a multi-tiered shelf type product column is suitable, and it is preferable to provide a drop passage on the front side of the product column and drop the product forward to dispense it. In such a case, by arranging the shelf plates constituting the product column in the front lower direction, the products can be sequentially placed forward by their own weight, and even if the sale proceeds, the next sale product can always be seen well from the outside of the front end. It can be displayed in the position. In addition, by dropping the product forward and guiding it to the selling port, it is possible to create a realistic sensation that the actually visible product drops for sale.

However, when the product column and the drop passage are configured in this way, the shelf plate of the product column is raised from the operator's point of view, and therefore, when loading the product, it is necessary to push the product inward. Yes, it becomes extremely difficult to put products in. In particular, in the product column located at the bottom, the operator has to perform this loading work in a bent posture, which makes the work extremely complicated. However, if the structure is such that the merchandise is loaded from the rear side of the vending machine, such a problem can be solved, but such a structure is impossible unless the installation place of the vending machine is special.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and makes it easy to load a product without impairing the appeal that the stored product and its selling operation can be seen from the outside. Its purpose is to provide a vending machine that can be used.

[0005]

A vending machine according to claim 1 is a vending machine in which a product stored in a product storage can be visually recognized through a transparent panel of a product display. It is provided with a product rack that is arranged and has a plurality of product columns in the vertical direction, and a drop passage that is arranged between the front end of the product rack and the transparent panel and that guides the products paid out from each product column to the sales port. , Each product column,
It has a shelf board that tilts downward toward the drop passage and stores products so that it can roll, and a bend mechanism provided at the front end of the shelf board.Each shelf board is centered on a substantially middle portion in the front-rear direction. It is characterized in that the seesaw can be moved.

According to this structure, the product rack has a plurality of product columns in the vertical direction, and each product column has a shelf plate inclined downward to the front and a bend mechanism provided at the front end thereof. The products stored in the product column are sequentially sold from the frontmost one, and are sequentially sent forward. Therefore, unless the product is sold out, the product is always at the front of the product column, that is, in a position where it is easily seen through the transparent panel, and this product performs the same function as the product sample. In addition, the dispensed products fall down the drop passage arranged between the front end of the product rack and the transparent panel and are guided to the selling port. , Can be seen through the transparent panel. On the other hand, the shelves that store products are configured so that the seesaw can move about the middle part in the front-rear direction. If the product is turned so as to be inclined, the loaded product rolls due to its own weight and is sent inward as needed. After the loading is completed, the shelf board is returned to the original sales standby state by rotating the shelf board forward and downward.

In the automatic vending machine according to the first aspect, it is preferable that the vending machine further comprises an operation link connected to each of the shelves so as to move the plurality of shelves at the same time in a seesaw motion.

According to this structure, by operating the operation link, a large number of shelves can be simultaneously moved to the seesaw motion, and the loading operation of the products is further facilitated.

In the vending machine according to claim 1 or 2,
The central axis of the seesaw movement is provided slidably in the longitudinal direction of each shelf, and the central axis is moved forward in conjunction with the forward and downward rotation of the seesaw movement, and is linked to the backward and downward rotation. It is preferable to further include an axial movement link for moving the central axis rearward.

In the above-mentioned column structure, as the sales progress, all the commodities gradually move toward the front side (sent). For this reason, when the center axis of the seesaw movement is located at an intermediate position in the longitudinal direction of the shelf board, the weight of the remaining products during loading causes a relatively large amount to rotate the shelf board backward and downward. You need power. On the other hand, when the loading is completed, the product is full on the shelf plate, so that the shelf plate can be rotated forward and downward with a small force. Therefore, if the center axis of the seesaw movement is set to be located in front of the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the shelf when the shelf is in the front-lowering state, the shelf can be moved from this state with a comparatively small force. The plate can be rotated backward and downward.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A see-through type vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This vending machine sells canned beverages such as canned juice and canned coffee. FIG. 1 is a front view of the vending machine, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. As shown in the figure, the vending machine 1 is composed of a vending machine body 2 and a main door 3 which is attached to the front surface of the vending machine body 2 so as to be openable and closable. A product storage 4 is widely provided inside the vending machine body 2, and the main door 3 also serves as a heat insulating door of the product storage 4, as described later. Further, in the product storage 4, four (4 rows) product racks 5 are arranged in the left-right direction, and each product rack 5 is formed with a plurality of product columns 6 in the vertical direction. There is.

In the pocket of the main door 3, each product rack 5
A drop passage 7 is provided along the front side of the drop passage 7, and a sales port box 9 connected to the sales port 8 is arranged at the downstream end of the drop passage 7. The selling opening box 9 is set back from the fall passage 7 and arranged at the back side, and a payout door 10 is provided at the upper front portion. Further, a guide plate 11 is arranged in front of the payout door 10, and the product A that has fallen through the drop passage 7 is guided to the back side by the guide plate 11 so that the payout door 10 is kicked. And sales box 9
Is dropped. Inside the selling port box 9, a cushion material 12 made of rubber or the like is adhered, and the product A dropped along with the guide plate 11 from the drop passage 7.
It is designed to be able to absorb the impact of falling.

A product display 13 is widely provided on the front of the main door 3 so as to correspond to the product storage 4, and a bill slot 14 and a money indicator 15 are provided in a space on the right side of the product display 13. , A coin slot 16 and a return lever 17 are provided. Further, the required number of selection buttons 18 are appropriately provided on the front surface of the product display 13. Each selection button 18 is arranged so that several vertically adjacent product columns 6 form one column group in which the same type of product A is accommodated and correspond to each column group. Further, a selling port 8 and a curing / returning port 19 are arranged at the lower front portion of the main door 3.

In this case, the front panel (transparent panel) 20 constituting the product display 13 is made of transparent glass or acrylic resin having a multilayer structure in consideration of heat insulation. Therefore, in this vending machine 1, the product A filled in each product column 6 through the front panel 20.
Can be seen. That is, the vending machine 1
However, it has a so-called see-through structure, so that the stocked product A, the state that the product A is sequentially sent at the time of sale, the state that the product A is dropped into the sales port 8 at the time of sale, etc. can be visually recognized from the outside. It has become.

On the other hand, the multi-stage product column 6 is formed by obliquely attaching a large number of shelf plates 21 to the left and right side plates (not shown) constituting the product rack 5. Each product column 6 has a configuration in which the products A are stored in one row in a horizontally laid-down posture, and a shelf board 21 arranged diagonally forward and downward,
The bending mechanism 22 is attached to the front end of the shelf 21. As a result, the shelf boards 2 vertically adjacent to each other
The product A filled between 1 and 21 has a bend mechanism 2
By the operation of 2, the product A at the foremost end is discharged forward and dropped into the drop passage 7. When the foremost product A is paid out, the other products A roll and are sequentially sent forward.

In this case, a large number of shelves 21 support shafts (central axes) provided at intermediate portions between the front-down state during product sales and the rear-down state during product loading.
A seesaw can be moved around 23. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the operation links 24 having the operation levers 25 are arranged at the front ends of the plurality of shelf boards 21, and the front ends of the respective shelf boards 21 are rotated by the operation links 24 via the pins 26. It is freely connected. On the other hand, a support shaft 23 attached to both side plates of the product rack 5 is arranged at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction of each shelf plate 21. By moving the operation link 24 in the up-down direction via the operation lever 25, a large number of shelf boards 21 simultaneously perform seesaw movement about their respective spindles 23.

That is, when the product A is sold, the shelf plate 21 is rotated forward and downward, and the stored product A is sold while being forwarded. At the time of loading the product A, the shelf 21 is rotated backward and the product A is loaded. As described above, since the shelf plate 21 is configured to be lowered rearward when loading the product A, the product A to be loaded is simply thrown from the front end of the shelf plate 21 and is sequentially filled in the back side. Therefore, as compared with the case where the shelf board 21 is lowered frontward and the product A is filled, the loading operation can be performed extremely easily. It should be noted that it is preferable to have a structure in which the dam plate 22a of the bend mechanism 22 falls down so as not to get in the way when the product A is loaded.

Next, an automatic vending machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, each of the support shafts 23 supporting the shelf plate 21 is configured to move in the front-rear direction in conjunction with the seesaw movement of the shelf plate 21. Each support shaft 23 is horizontally movably attached to a guide hole 31 formed in a side plate of the product rack 5. Further, one end of the shaft movement link 32 is engaged with the support shaft 23. The axial movement link 32 is formed in a substantially "L" shape, and is rotatably attached to the side plate at an intermediate portion. On the other hand, the other end of the shaft movement link 32 is slidably locked in a long hole 21a formed in the shelf plate 21. The operation link 24 is guided by the guide members 33, 33 for vertical movement.

Therefore, from the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 5 in which the shelf plate 21 is in the front downward direction, when the operation link 24 is moved upward and the shelf plate 21 is rotated in the downward downward direction, the shaft is moved in conjunction with this. The link 32 rotates clockwise and moves the support shaft 23 rearward (shown by a chain double-dashed line). Conversely, when the operation link 24 is moved downward and the shelf plate 21 is rotated forward and downward from this state, the shaft movement link 32 is rotated counterclockwise in conjunction with this and the support shaft 23 is moved forward. Let In this case, the support shaft 23 is set to move to a substantially middle position in the front-rear direction of the shelf plate 21 when the shelf plate 21 is rotated backward and downward. That is, when the shelf plate 21 is in the front lowering state, the support shaft 23 is closer to the front side than the intermediate position of the shelf plate 21, and when it is in the rear lowering state, the support shaft 23 is located.
Is at an intermediate position of the shelf plate 21.

At the time of loading the product A, since the remaining product A is sent to the front part of the shelf plate 21, a considerable force is required to rotate the shelf plate 21 backward and downward. In addition, if the support shaft 23 is closer to the front side than the intermediate position of the shelf plate 21, it is easy to balance the front and rear loads about the support shaft 23, and the seesaw motion can be performed with a relatively small force. On the other hand, after the product A is fully filled, the middle position of the shelf plate 21 becomes substantially the center position of the front and rear loads, so that the support shaft 23 at this position balances the front and rear loads. Can perform seesaw movement with relatively small force. Therefore, the seesaw motion of the shelf plate 21 can be easily performed with a relatively small force, and a series of loading operations can be efficiently performed.

[0021]

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present invention, the customer can see the actual product to be purchased and the movement of the product such as falling at the time of sale, and the product can be sufficiently supplied. It can be appealed. As a result, it is possible to motivate the customer to purchase the product. In addition, when loading a product, the product can be loaded simply by throwing it in, so the loading operation can be performed efficiently and easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the vending machine according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vending machine according to the embodiment at the time of loading.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view of a vending machine showing a structure around an operation link.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view of the vending machine according to the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Vending Machine 2 Vending Machine Main Body 3 Main Door 4 Merchandise Storage 5 Merchandise Rack 6 Merchandise Column 7 Falling Passage 8 Sales Port 13 Merchandise Display 20 Front Panel 21 Shelf Board 22 Bend Mechanism 23 Spindle 24 Operation Link 32 Axis Movement Link A Product

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A transparent panel of a product display,
In a vending machine in which the products stored in the product storage can be visually recognized, a product rack which is arranged in the product storage and has a plurality of product columns in the vertical direction, a front end of the product rack and the transparent And a drop passage arranged between the panel and a drop passage for guiding the product paid out from each of the product columns to a sales port, and the product columns are inclined toward the front of the drop passage and roll the product. It has a shelf plate that can be stored and a bend mechanism that is provided at the front end of the shelf plate, and each of the shelf plates is configured to be able to perform a seesaw movement around a substantially middle portion in the front-rear direction. Vending machine to do. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising an operation link that is connected to each of the shelves and that simultaneously moves the plurality of shelves into a seesaw motion. 3. A center axis of the seesaw movement is provided slidably in the longitudinal direction of each of the shelves, and the center axis is moved forward in conjunction with the forward and downward rotation of the seesaw movement. The vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an axial movement link that moves the central axis rearward in conjunction with the backward and downward rotation.