JPH09237381A - Dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sell plural cups of beverage in a short time. SOLUTION: An extraction sales part 3 heat-stores several cups of coffee collectively extracted in advance by an extracting device 19 in a storing tank 24 through a beverage supplying pipe 41. A sales tube 37 and a discarding tube 38 are connected to the lower part of the storage tank 24, the tip of the sales tube 37 faces a mixing bowl 28 through a sales valve 39 and on the other hand the tip of the discarding tube 38 faces a waste housing container 31 through a discarding valve 40. When the number of cups specifying switch is depressed, the sales valve 39 lead out beverage corresponding to the sales request from the storing tank 24.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine capable of selling a plurality of drinks in a short time.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic vending machine for selling a plurality of drinks is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-89191, which allows a customer to make a reservation for setting the number of drinks and finishing time. This is done by buying multiple cups together. Further, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-14062, a customer prepares a container into which a plurality of beverages are put in a beverage outlet in advance, and when the bulk purchase selection means is operated and then the product selection button is pressed, the cup of the sales mechanism section is pressed. There has been proposed an automatic vending machine capable of collectively delivering a predetermined number of drinks from the raw material unloading mechanism without operating the unloading mechanism.

[0003]

With the above-mentioned vending machine, it is possible to purchase a plurality of beverages such as coffee in a lump, but it takes time for extraction according to the number of cups, and it is necessary to sell from selection of products. By the time the customer has the inconvenience of having to wait a relatively long time. In other words, the above-mentioned vending machine requires a time equivalent to the time required for extracting one cup of coffee or the like from the time required for extraction × the number of cups to be purchased, during which time there is no choice but to wait for a long time in front of the vending machine. With vending machines, there is the inconvenience of having to do it twice. In addition, when customers are concentrated, for example, during breaks, there is an urgent need to improve sales efficiency by shortening the above-mentioned purchase time of vending machines.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine which can efficiently sell a plurality of cups in a short time.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an automatic vending machine is provided with a beverage storage device for storing a beverage in a storage tank and appropriately discharging the beverage from the storage tank. A designating switch that can be designated, and a sales section that sells beverages according to the sales demand quantity designated by the designating switch from the storage tank are provided. By this means, when there is a sales request by the specified switch, the specified sales request amount is supplied from the storage tank stored in advance to the container at one time. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the sales time regardless of the amount of sales demand, eliminate the conventional inconvenience, and expect a large increase in sales demand.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the automatic vending machine according to the first aspect, the number-of-cups designating switch for designating the number of cups as the demand-selling amount of beverage and the amount-of-sales demand designated by the number-of-cups designating switch are provided. It also has a sales department that sells beverages equivalent to the number of cups from a storage tank.
By this means, beverages can be sold in response to the demand for sales of several cups, and even a plurality of cups can be sold at the same sales time as in the case of a single cup, thus answering various needs. Therefore,
Compared to selling multiple cups one by one, selling time can be shortened significantly, conventional inconveniences can be eliminated, and a large increase in sales volume can be expected.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first aspect, a volume quantity designation switch for designating a volume quantity as a beverage demand quantity and a sales requirement quantity designated by the volume quantity designation switch are provided. A sales department for deriving and selling the corresponding beverage from the storage tank is provided.
By this means, beverages can be sold in response to volume-based sales requests, and various needs can be answered.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the automatic vending machine according to the second or third aspect, when a sales request is made by a designated switch, a container capable of holding a beverage is placed on a predetermined cradle. And a detection means for detecting that the container is placed on a predetermined cradle by this detection means, and then a sales valve connected to a storage tank is opened to draw out a requested amount of beverage and supply it to the container. A beverage supply mechanism and a cup supply device for supplying a cup on the cradle are provided so that the cup is not supplied when the sales demand exceeds the capacity of the full cup. By this means, if the volume of sales demand exceeds the capacity of a full cup,
Upon detecting that a storable container is placed on the cradle, the sales valve operates in a corresponding manner to supply the beverage to the container. Further, when a cup is placed on the cradle when a request for selling one cup is made, the selling valve operates in a corresponding manner to supply the beverage to the cup. Therefore, regardless of whether a single cup or a large number of cups are sold, the required sales amount is sold from the storage tank at once, so that the sales time is short and the waiting time for the customer can be shortened.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the first to fourth aspects, a detection means for detecting the storage amount of the beverage stored in the storage tank is provided. By this means, the storage amount stored in the storage tank is detected, and it is possible to know whether the storage amount is large or small.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the vending machine according to the fifth aspect, display means for displaying the storage amount detected by the detection means on a display is provided.
By this means, since the storage amount of the storage tank can be known, the demand for selling more than the storage amount is not required, and the customer is not confused.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the automatic vending machine according to the sixth aspect, the display means displays the number of cups or the volume of volume that can be sold on the display based on the detected storage amount. It is the one. By this means, the number of cups or volume that can be sold is known, so that the customer is not confused, and it is possible to smoothly sell without requesting more than the available amount.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this vending machine, coffee cooked in the vending machine is provided in a cup to a merchandise customer, and FIG. 1 is a structural diagram of the coffee cooking section. As shown in the figure, the cooking section 1 is roughly divided into a water supply section 2 and an extraction sales section 3.

The water supply unit 2 is provided with a cistern 11 for storing tap water, and a water pump provided downstream of the cistern 11 to pressurize the water of the cistern 11 and supply it to each part in the vending machine through a water supply pipe 12. (Main pump) 13
And a decanter D, which is a large container that can fill a plurality of drinks by the water pump 13, or a cup C, which is a normal container that can fill a drink.
A cooling water tank 14 for cooling the dilution water sent to the cooling water via a cooling pipe 20 and a hot water tank 15 for heating the supplied water to store hot water. In the water supply unit 2, the water supplied from the water supply is temporarily stored in the cistern 11, and then the water pump 13 pressurizes the stored water and supplies it to the hot water tank 15 and the cooling water tank 14. Hot water tank 15
Heats the supplied water with the heater 17 to make hot water of 90 degrees or more and stores the hot water. The hot water stored in the hot water tank 15 is supplied to an extraction device 19 described later via a hot water valve 18. The cooling water tank 14 stores water cooled by a refrigeration cycle (not shown), and dilutes the cooling water tank 14 by passing the water supplied through the cooling pipe 20 arranged in a meandering manner in the cooling tank 14. Cooled dilution water is supplied to the decanter D or the cup C via the water valve 21.

The extraction and sales section 3 includes a cup supply device 22 for supplying a cup C, a coffee canister 23 for storing a coffee powder raw material (beverage raw material), and a powder raw material taken from the coffee canister 23 via a raw material shooter 32. And an extracting device 19 for extracting coffee by mixing hot water taken from the hot water tank 15, a storage tank 24 for storing the coffee extracted by the extracting device 19, a cream canister 25 for storing cream, and sugar. Sugar canister 26 for storing and syrup canister 2 for storing syrup
7 and sugar canister 26 and cream canister 2
5, a raw material shooter 29 for taking in sugar and cream respectively supplied according to a sales order, a mixing ball 28 for mixing with the extracted coffee, a cup holder 30 for placing the decanter D or the cup C, and this cup holder The waste container 31 is provided below the table 30.

A sales tube 37 and a waste tube 38 are connected to the lower portion of the storage tank 24.
Through the sales valve 39, the tip of the mixing ball 28
On the other hand, the end of the waste tube 38 faces the waste container 31 via the waste valve 40.

In the extraction / sales section 3, the extraction device 19 is installed in advance.
Drinking supply pipe 4 for several cups of coffee
The beverage stored in the storage tank 24 is supplied when the coffee is stored in the storage tank 24 via 1 and each selection switch of coffee described later is pressed.

Here, the storage tank 24 is configured as shown in FIG. The storage tank 24 includes a cylindrical cylinder 42, an upper lid 43 that closes an upper opening of the cylinder 42, and a lower lid 44 that closes a lower opening of the cylinder 42. Reference numeral 45 denotes an overflow tube that overflows the storage tank 24. The beverage is guided to the waste container 31 via the overflow tube 45.

An air pipe 46 is connected to the side portion of the lower lid 44, and a pressure sensor 47, a solenoid valve 48, and an air pump 49 are connected to the upper portion thereof. Reference numeral 50 denotes a heater wound around the cylinder 42, and is controlled so as to keep the coffee stored in the storage tank 24 at a constant temperature.

On the other hand, the lower portion of the lower lid 44 is connected to the above-mentioned sales tube 37 and waste tube 38, respectively, and these tubes 37 and 38 are the tip portions of the movable plates 51a and 51b of the sales valve 39 and the waste valve 40. It is deformed by being pressed with and sales tube 37 and disposal tube 38
Control the liquid (coffee) flowing to.

The sales valve 39 has a movable plate 51a for deforming the sales tube 37, a reverse-shaped lever 52 for applying a force to the movable plate 51a, and a left side of a shaft 53 of the lever 52. It is composed of a plunger 55 inserted in the electromagnetic coil 54, and a spring 57 straddling the left end of the lever 52 and a fixed hook 56. Then, at the time of selling the beverage, the plunger 55 is pushed up by energizing the electromagnetic coil 54, whereby the lever 52 goes up to the left with respect to the shaft 53, its right end goes down, and the movable piece is pushed back to the left side. The deformation of is released and the drink flows down from the sales tube.

On the other hand, the disposal valve 40 includes a movable plate 51b for deforming the disposal tube 38, a lever 60 for applying a force to the movable plate 51b, and a shaft 61 of the lever 60.
Plunger 63 inserted in the electromagnetic coil 62 and the right end fixing hook 64 of the lever 60 are pulled down to the right of
It is composed of a spring 65 that extends over and. Then, normally, the plunger 63 is pulled down by energizing the electromagnetic coil 62, whereby the waste tube 38 is deformed by the tip of the movable plate 51b, and the beverage in the storage tank 24 is prevented from flowing down from the waste tube 38. There is.

Here, the detection of the amount of coffee A in the storage tank 24 will be described. First, prior to the detection, the air pump 49 is operated for a predetermined time with the electromagnetic valve 48 closed, and then the air pump 49 is operated. While continuing, the solenoid valve 48 is opened for a predetermined time. As a result, the air compressed by the air pump 49 flows into the air pipe 46 as indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 2, and the ΔH amount of coffee B accumulated in the lower portion of the air pipe 46 is pushed into the storage tank 24. As a result, the air pipe 46, the solenoid valve 48, and the air pump 49
Air pipe 4 that accumulates due to air leakage at the joint
The amount of air in the air pipe 46 is kept at a predetermined amount by pushing out the coffee B in 6 and the liquid level (H1, H
2, H3), the air pressure (Q1, Q2, Q3) can be detected by the pressure sensor 47.

For example, in FIG. 2, 1 cup of H1 and 2 cups of H2 are used.
The liquid level is 3 cups of H3. Therefore, if the pressure can be detected, the coffee amount (liquid level) can be converted, and if the coffee amount in the storage tank 24 is small, a signal is output to the extraction device 19 to extract the coffee and the coffee is stored in the storage tank 24. Replenish. Also, when a sales request is made, the opening time of the sales valve 39 is controlled. That is, the opening time of the sales valve 39 is calculated by a predetermined formula and the opening time corresponding to one cup and two cups is calculated to open several cups.

Next, an external view of a vending machine having the above-mentioned structure inside is as shown in FIG. That is, a product display room 74 for displaying product samples 73 is formed in the front door 72 that is openably and closably provided in the vending machine body 71, and a display necessary when a customer purchases a product is displayed below the product display room 74. And the sales panel 7 to be described later (including designation)
5, a sales door 76 having a large sales opening 76a for the cup C or the decanter D is attached to the center right below the sales panel 75, and a return opening 78 for returning coins such as change coins is provided at the lower right. Formed and product display room 7
A product type selection switch 79 for selecting each product such as coffee, tea, green tea, and oolong tea is provided corresponding to the four product samples 73.

On the central sales panel 75, each time the storage cup number display 80 for displaying the amount currently stored in the storage tank 24 described in FIGS. The customer selects the display selection switch 77 to switch to and the several cups designation switch 81 that can specify the number of cups next to it, the indicator 82 that displays the added amount of cream or sugar in the center and the increase or decrease of sugar or cream on both sides of it. Select button 83,
84 and a selection button 85 such as no ice, and further, a bill insertion slot 86 at the left end, a key 87 and a coin insertion slot 88 at the right end.
And are arranged.

Next, in the vending machine having the above-mentioned structure, referring to FIG.
A case of designating a cup and selling will be described.

First, in the standby state prior to selling, as shown in FIG.
The hot water valve 18 and the coffee canister 23 shown in FIG. The hot water valve 18 supplies a predetermined amount of hot water, and the coffee canister 23 supplies a predetermined amount of powder raw material to the extraction device 19. As a result, the extraction device 19 extracts a predetermined amount of coffee. The extracted coffee is sent to the storage tank 24 through the beverage supply pipe 41 by the pump (not shown) in the extracting device 19 (S1).

On the other hand, in the storage tank 24, as shown in FIG. 2, the electromagnetic coils 54 of the sales valve 39 are de-energized and the electromagnetic coil 62 of the discard valve 40 is energized, so that the movable plates 51a and 51b of these valves are moved. Both the sales tube 37 and the disposal tube 38 are deformed by the operation of. Therefore, the coffee sent from the brewing device 19 to the storage tank 24 is stored in the storage tank 24 in a predetermined amount after the coffee amount A is detected as shown in FIG.

At this time, the coffee amount A shown in FIG. 2 is displayed as the number of stored cups on the number of stored cups display 80 of the vending machine shown in FIG. 5 (S2). For example, as shown in the partial view of FIG. 5, the number of stored cups 8 is displayed as the current coffee amount A on the number of stored cups display 80. When the customer inserts the coins for the number of cups to be purchased from the coin insertion slot 88, for example, one cup is 10
As shown in FIG. 6, the lighting of the cup number designation switch 81 increases every 0 yen as shown in FIG. 6, and on the left side of FIG.
It shows that 00 yen has been put in. Here, for example, if 4 cups among 1 to 4 are designated, only the display of 4 cups remains as shown on the right side of FIG. 6 (S4). Then, select button 8
3, 84 is pressed to select black, sugar-containing, cream-containing, sugar-cream containing, etc. Here, FIG.
It is assumed that coffee has already been selected by the product type selection switch 79 shown in.

Next, the customer opens the sales door 76 and opens the sales outlet 7.
When a plurality of containers from 6a, for example, the decanter D is placed on the cup pedestal 30, it is detected that the decanter D is placed on the cup pedestal 30, and the sales valve as the beverage supply mechanism shown in FIG. 39 operates for a predetermined time so as to supply the beverage equivalent to four cups, and the sales tube 37 is supplied from the storage tank 24.
And is supplied to the mixing ball 28 (S6). In this case, when sugar containing other than black, cream containing, sugar cream containing, etc. is selected, 1 from the storage tank 24 is selected.
Coffee is supplied to the mixing ball 28 by cup,
Cream canister 25 and sugar canister 26 are supplied with cream and sugar one by one, and mixed to decanter D.
Supplied to When the beverage is supplied to the decanter D and the customer opens the sales door 76 and takes out the decanter D to the outside, it is extracted and stored by the extraction device 19 to a predetermined amount based on the coffee amount shown in FIG. The tank 24 is replenished (S7).

On the other hand, the customer specifies one cup from the sales panel 75 of the vending machine shown in FIG.
When the selection buttons 83, 84 containing sugar, cream, sugar cream, etc. are pressed, first, the cup supply device 2
The cup C from 2 is placed on the cup holder 30 (S8,
S9). Then, the sales valve 39 of the storage tank 24 is operated and one cup of coffee from the storage tank 24 is mixed with the mixing ball 28.
Then, the sugar and cream from the cream canister 25 and the sugar canister 26 are mixed by the mixing ball 28 and supplied to the cup C (S10). Then,
It is judged whether or not the amount A of coffee in the storage tank 24 is within a predetermined amount, the required number of cups is extracted by the extraction device 19, and the coffee is supplied to the storage tank 24 and replenished (S11). When the series of operations is completed, the operation shifts to the standby state (S1).
In this way, a plurality of coffees can be sold at once in a short time, and the customer can know the number of coffees that can be sold in advance. It should be noted that the storage cup number indicator 80 of the sales panel 75 shown in FIG.
The number of cups available for sale may be turned on. By the way, FIG.
In the sales panels 75 and 75A described with reference to FIG. 7, the volume amount can be designated using the cup number designation switch 81. That is, from the cup number specifying switch 81, for example,
When 650 cc is designated, the number-of-cups designation switch 81 operates as a volume amount designation switch, and the sales valve 39 causes the beverage 65.
Open to supply 0 cc to the container. In this case, for example, when the designated volume is less than or equal to one cup, while the beverage is supplied after the cup C is supplied to the cradle 30,
When the specified volume exceeds the full cup, cup C
Instead of, the beverage is supplied after detecting that the container is placed on the pedestal 30.

FIG. 8 shows the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in which a sales tube 90 and a sales valve 91 dedicated to black beverages are additionally provided. When mixing black balls at one time, a mixing ball 28 is used. Since it does not go through, the sugar and cream adhering to the inside of the mixing ball 28 will not be mixed.

FIG. 9 shows a cup holder 92 for selling one cup and a decanter holder 93 for selling a plurality of cups.
Shows its appearance. Normally, in the case of selling one cup, when a sales request is made, the cup is supplied from the cup supply device 22 to the cup holder 92, and the beverage stored by the sales valve 39 is supplied from the storage tank 24 to the mixing ball 28. Here, it is appropriately mixed with sugar, cream and the like and supplied to the cup C. Then, the left sales door 94 shown in FIG. 10 is opened, and the cup C is taken out from the sales opening 95. On the other hand, in the case of selling a plurality of cups, when there is a sales request, the cup supply device 22 does not operate, and the customer opens the sales door 76 on the right side and places the decanter D on the decanter cradle 93 from the sales opening 76a. After confirming that the decanter D is placed on the decanter cradle 93, the sales valve 91 opens and the requested number of drinks are supplied from the sales tube 90 to the decanter D. Cup holder 92 and decanter holder 9
Cup stand 9 for selling one cup because 3 is independent
A conventional cup flapper (cup retainer) can be used for 2, and the decanter receiving base 93 can also have a simple structure in which an optical sensor for decanter detection is arranged.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the embodiment shown in FIG.
It is also possible to supply to the decanter cradle 93 side by
Follow the procedure shown in to sell multiple drinks with sugar, cream, and sugar cream at a time. The black beverage is directly supplied to the decanter D by the sales tube 90 via the sales valve 91. In FIG. 12, a decanter cradle 93 for a plurality of cups is provided in the configuration of FIG. 1 and the changeover valve 96 supplies the decanter D to the decanter D side.

[0035]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, if there is a sales request by the specified switch, the specified sales request amount is supplied at once from the storage tank stored in advance. Regardless of the quantity, the sales time can be shortened, the conventional inconvenience can be eliminated, and the sales demand can be expected to increase significantly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the beverage corresponding to the sales request by the cup number specifying switch is led out from the storage tank and sold, if a plurality of sales requests are made, the beverage is stored in advance. Multiple cups can be supplied to the container at once from the provided storage tank. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the sales time compared to selling a plurality of cups one by one for a plurality of cups, eliminating the conventional inconvenience such as waiting time for customers, and to expect a large increase in sales volume.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3, since the volume selection switch for selecting the volume and requesting the sale is provided, it is possible to sell the beverage in response to the sales request by the volume and various types. Can answer your needs.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, when there is a demand for sales that exceeds the full cup, after detecting that a storable container is placed on the pedestal, the sales valve performs a corresponding operation to transfer to the container. In addition to supplying the beverage, when the cup is placed on the pedestal when the demand for selling one cup is reached, the selling valve operates in a corresponding manner to supply the beverage to the cup. Therefore, regardless of whether the demand for sales is large or small, both the case of one cup and the case of plural cups are sold at once from the storage tank, so that the sales time is short, the waiting time of the customer is shortened, and sales promotion can be achieved.

Further, according to the invention of claim 5, since the storage amount in the storage tank can be detected, it is possible to predict whether or not the stored beverage will be cut in advance by knowing the storage amount.

Further, according to the invention of claim 6, since the amount of the beverage stored in the storage tank is displayed on the display device, since the stored amount can be known, it is possible to make a demand for sales exceeding the stored amount. No need to be confused by customers, you can purchase with confidence.

According to the invention of claim 7, since the number of cups that can be sold or the volume amount that can be sold is displayed,
Since the number of cups or volume that can be sold is known, the customer is not confused, and it is possible to smoothly sell without being required to exceed the available amount.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the storage tank shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a vending machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of FIG.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the operation of FIG.

7 is an explanatory diagram showing another embodiment of FIG. 5. FIG.

FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram showing another example of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a system configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an external view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a system configuration diagram showing another example of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a system configuration diagram showing another embodiment of FIG. 11.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cooking Department 2 Water Supply Department 3 Extraction Sales Department 15 Hot Water Tank 19 Extraction Device 22 Cup Supply Device 23 Coffee Canister 24 Storage Tank 25 Cream Canister 26 Sugar Canister 27 Syrup Canister 30 Cup Cage 37 Sales Tube 38 Waste Tube 39 Sales Valve 40 Disposal Valve 41 Beverage supply pipe 47 Pressure sensor 48 Solenoid valve 49 Air pump 51a, 51b Movable plate 79 Product type selection switch 80 Storage cup number indicator 81 Cup number designation switch 82 Indicator 83, 84, 85 Selection button 93 Decanter cradle 96 Switching Valve C Cup D Decanter

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine including a beverage storage device for storing a beverage in a storage tank and appropriately deriving the beverage from the storage tank, and a designation switch for arbitrarily designating a requested sales amount, and the designation switch. A vending machine that sells beverages according to the sales request amount designated by the above-mentioned beverages from the storage tank. 2. A cup number designating switch for designating the number of cups as a demanded sales amount of beverage, and a number of cups of beverage corresponding to the demanded sales amount designated by the cup number designating switch are derived from the storage tank. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a selling unit for selling. 3. A volume quantity designating switch for designating a volume quantity as a beverage demand quantity, and a sales section for deriving and selling a beverage corresponding to the demand quantity designated by the volume quantity designating switch from the storage tank. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising: 4. A detection means for detecting that a container capable of containing a beverage is placed on a predetermined receiving table when a sale request is made by the designated switch, and the detection means detects the container. When it detects that it has been placed on a table, it opens a sales valve connected to the storage tank, draws out the requested amount of beverage and supplies it to the container, and a cup on the receiving table. The automatic cup supply device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising a cup supply device for supplying the cup when the amount of the sales request exceeds the capacity of the full cup. Vending machine. 5. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a detection unit that detects a storage amount of the beverage stored in the storage tank. 6. The vending machine according to claim 5, further comprising display means for displaying the storage amount detected by the detection means on a display. 7. The display means displays the number of drinkable cups or the sellable volume on the display based on the detected storage amount. vending machine.