JPH10283561A - Merchandise storage device of vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure the easiness of attaching a spacer which adjust the width of a merchandise path and of detaching it and to prevent the spacer from externally being removed by engaging a spacer with a path side wall of a merchandise path and also providing a spacer fixing means which engages with a spacer and restricts the removal of the spacer to this side. SOLUTION: Each spacer 4 is provided with a 1st nail that projects toward a path side wall 3b of a merchandise path 3 at its middle part and with a 2nd nail 6 that projects up on its top. The nail 6 engages with a spacer fixing means 8. The means 8 has a square hole 9 that corresponds to each nail 6 of each spacer 4, each nail 6 is inserted into a corresponding square hole 9 and engages with it. Through the engagement, all of spacers 4 are collectively engaged with and fixed to the means 8. Because in the engagement, a fixed direction is the one that locks each spacer 4 to this side A, each space 4 is not separated on this side A through the engagement of the means 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a merchandise storage device for a vending machine, and more particularly to a merchandise storage device suitable for a showcase type vending machine for carrying out merchandise to the front side from a merchandise passage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a showcase type vending machine in which a product is carried out from a product aisle to a near side and the product can be touched from the near side, the vending machine is provided in the product aisle to adjust the width of the product aisle. In many cases, it is possible to touch the spacer that is being used. Therefore, for the spacer,
In order to adjust the width of the product passage, it is necessary to have a structure that can be easily attached and detached and that cannot be easily removed from the outside. From such a viewpoint, there is no proposal that considers the installation structure of the spacer.

[0003] Some of the above showcase type vending machines which sell products such as bottles and cans have a product passage formed in an inclined passage having a downward slope toward the front side. . In such a vending machine, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, the products are sequentially sent to the near side along the slope of the shelf surface (bottom surface) 101a of the product passage 101, and are sequentially carried out from the products 102 on the near side. However, especially when there are two remaining products 102, as shown in FIG. 8, when the product 102 on the near side is carried out, the last product 102 may fall forward. In particular, in the case of the product 102 having a high center of gravity, such a defect often occurs.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to focus on the problems described above, and it is impossible to remove the spacer for adjusting the width of the product passage from the outside while securing the ease of attachment and removal. Is to do so.

It is another object of the present invention to achieve the above object and at the same time prevent the last product from falling forward in the case of an inclined product path.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a product storage device of a vending machine according to the present invention has a spacer capable of adjusting a width of a product path, and moves a product from the product path to a near side. In the product storage device of a vending machine to be carried out, the spacer is engaged with a side wall of a product path,
A spacer fixing means for engaging with the spacer and restricting the spacer from coming off is provided.

When a plurality of product passages and a plurality of spacers are provided, it is preferable that the spacer fixing means is configured to be a means capable of simultaneously fixing all the spacers simultaneously.

More specifically, a first claw and a second claw are provided on the spacer, and the first claw is engaged with the side wall of the passage so that the spacer can be easily attached and removed. In addition, by engaging the second claw with the spacer fixing means, it is possible to prevent the spacer from being detached from the outside (front side) in the mounted state.

In the case where the product passage is formed as an inclined passage having a downward slope toward the near side, the spacer fixing means is arranged on the top side of the product so that at least the inside of the product passage is formed. Can also serve as a means for regulating the height of the last product when the remaining two products become the remaining two products.

In the article storage device for a vending machine according to the present invention, the spacer has an engaging structure with the side wall of the article path, so that the spacer itself can be easily attached to and detached from the article path. By providing the spacer fixing means that engages with the spacer at the same time, it is possible to prevent the spacer from being removed from the near side when the spacer fixing means is mounted. as a result,
The spacer cannot be detached from the outside while the easiness of attachment and detachment of the spacer is secured.

[0011] Further, by making the spacer fixing means also function as the height regulating means of the last product, the above-mentioned object can be achieved, and at the same time, the product can be prevented from falling forward in the inclined product path.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of a product storage device for a vending machine according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show a product storage device of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an entire product storage device of a vending machine,
Reference numeral 2 denotes the column body. A plurality of product passages 3 extending from the near side A to the far side B are formed in the column main body 2, and the shelf surface 3a (bottom surface) of the column main body 2 has a downward slope toward the near side A in the present embodiment. It is formed on an inclined surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, a spacer 4 is provided in each of the product passages 3 on one of the passage side walls 3b.
Is adjusted to a desired width (an appropriate width according to the width of the product).

Each of the spacers 4 is constructed as shown in FIG.
A first claw 5 that protrudes to the side is provided, and a second claw 6 that protrudes upward is provided above the first claw 5.

The first claw 5 is provided on the passage side wall 3 of the column body 2.
The spacer 4 is inserted into and engaged with a square hole 7 provided in a portion forming b, whereby the spacer 4 is engaged and fixed to the passage side wall 3b.

As shown in FIG. 1, spacer fixing means 8 is engaged with the second claw 6. The spacer fixing means 8 is provided with a square hole 9 at a position corresponding to each claw 6 of each spacer 4, and each claw 6 is inserted and engaged with the corresponding square hole 9. By this engagement, all the spacers 4
Are collectively engaged and fixed to the spacer fixing means 8. This engagement and fixing direction is a direction in which each spacer 4 is locked with respect to the near side A as shown in FIG. A won't come off.

The spacer fixing means 8 includes appropriate connecting means,
For example, it is fixed to the column main body 2 by a decorative screw 10 from the inside of the column main body 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, a gate lever 13 for controlling unloading of a product 12 and a lock lever for locking a subsequent product 12 are provided at the end of the product outlet 11 for each of the product passages 3, as shown in FIG. 14 is disposed.

In the commodity storage device of the vending machine thus configured, the commodities 12 are loaded in a line in each commodity passage 3 as shown in FIG. 5, for example, and are sequentially carried out from the commodities 12 on the near side. Is done.

The spacer 4 for adjusting the width of the product passage 3 is
The first pawl 5 can be easily attached to and removed from the passage side wall 3b by an engagement mechanism using the first pawl 5, and the second pawl 6
With the engagement between the spacer 4 and the spacer fixing means 8, the spacer 4 cannot be removed from the near side, that is, from the outside, and the removal of the spacer 4 from the product take-out side is reliably prevented.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the number of remaining products 12 in the product path 3 becomes two,
When the product is carried out, the height of the last product 12 is regulated by the spacer fixing means 8, and the regulation prevents the product 12 from falling forward. Particularly, in the commodity 12 having a high center of gravity as shown in FIG.

[0022]

As described above, according to the merchandise storage device of the vending machine of the present invention, the spacer fixing means can be easily attached to and detached from the merchandise passage with the spacer for adjusting the width of the merchandise passage. As a result, the spacer cannot be removed from the outside, so that a normal product sales state can be stably secured.

Further, even in the case of an inclined product passage, the product can be reliably prevented from falling forward by a simple mechanism by providing the height fixing function of the product to the spacer fixing means. Enables removal.

Therefore, it is possible to improve the versatility and reliability of a column of a showcase type vending machine for taking out a product from the front side.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a product storage device of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the product storage device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial exploded perspective view of the product storage device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the product storage device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a product storage state of the product storage device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a state when the number of remaining commodities becomes two in the apparatus of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a product storage state in a conventional inclined product path.

8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a state when the number of remaining commodities becomes two in the apparatus of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Merchandise storage device of vending machine 2 Column main body 3 Merchandise passage 3a Shelf surface (bottom surface) of merchandise passage 3b Passage side wall 4 Spacer 5 First claw 6 Second claw 7,9 Square hole 8 Spacer fixing means 10 Decorative screw 11 merchandise exit 12 merchandise 13 gate lever 14 lock lever 15 merchandise unloading mechanism

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A merchandise storage device for a vending machine which has a spacer capable of adjusting the width of a product passage, and conveys the product from the product passage to the near side, wherein the spacer is engaged with a side wall of the product passage. A product fixing device for a vending machine, further comprising spacer fixing means for engaging with the spacer and restricting the spacer from coming off. 2. A product storage device for a vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said device has a plurality of product passages and a plurality of spacers, and said spacer fixing means is a means capable of fixing all the spacers simultaneously. 3. The spacer is provided with a first claw and a second claw, the first claw is engaged with the passage side wall, and the second claw is engaged with the spacer fixing means. A vending machine product storage device according to claim 1. 4. The product passage is formed as an inclined passage having a downward slope toward the near side.
A vending machine product storage device according to any one of the above. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the spacer fixing means comprises:
The product storage device for a vending machine according to claim 4, wherein the device also serves as a means for regulating the height of the last product when there are two remaining products in the product path.