JPH10340384A - Overhead vending device for cassette article - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an overhead vending device for cassette articles which easily secure an enough install space at an existent shop such as a convenience store, unnecessitates any special new employee and eliminates uneasiness in maintenance/management as well. SOLUTION: Cassette articles 12 are stored in the eaves 10 of convenience store 1. When a customer operates a control panel and performs the selection of cassette articles and the settlement of the price, a chuck part 16 moves along with an X-direction guide 13 or a Y-direction guide and chucks the cassette articles 12 on an article rack 11. Next, the chuck 16 moves to the upside of conveyer path and when a chuck state is canceled, the cassette articles 12 are fed out to an article take-out part at an operating unit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an overhead selling apparatus for cassette products installed in a convenience store or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cassette products such as CDs and videos are sold on display shelves in stores, and customers select and remove cassette products from the display shelves and move them to a cashier to settle the price. It is supposed to do.

On the other hand, in recent years, so-called convenience stores have been rapidly spreading and expanding mainly in urban areas. At present, convenience stores sell a large number of products, mainly foods and books, and are open late at night or 24 hours.

[0004]

[0005] Convenience stores focus on the relatively young generation, and therefore also want to sell cassette products such as CDs and videos, which are popular products of the young generation.

However, cassette products require a large variety of products, and therefore require a considerable installation space. It is not practical to secure the installation space not only in existing convenience stores, but also in new convenience stores. It is extremely difficult.

[0006] In addition, cassette products are quite expensive products, and therefore, it is necessary to provide sufficient security and management to sell them. However, convenience stores manage a fairly large store with a small number of part-time employees. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to sufficiently secure and manage cassette products without increasing the number of employees, especially preventing theft and product damage.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides an overhead selling device for cassette products which can easily secure a sufficient installation space, particularly in a convenience store, does not require special new employees, and has little concern about security and management. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An overhead selling apparatus for cassette goods according to the present invention comprises a storage box arranged above a store or outside the store, and a goods shelf installed in the storage box and arranged with cassette goods. And transport means for transporting the cassette product to the product take-out unit, and an operation unit installed on the floor in the store or on the road outside the store to select the product and settle the price, the operation unit being selected by the operation unit; A cassette product on the product shelf, for which payment has been made, is taken out of the product shelf and transported to the product take-out section.

[0009]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, when a customer operates the operation unit to select a cassette product and settle the price, the cassette product is automatically taken out of the storage and provided to the customer. Delivered.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a convenience store according to an embodiment of the present invention before remodeling, FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the convenience store after remodeling, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the inside of the eaves of the convenience store, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a cassette merchandise take-out unit of the overhead sales device of the convenience store, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an operation unit of the convenience store.

In FIG. 1, a display shelf 2 is installed in a convenience store 1 and a large number of food items are displayed on the display shelf 2 for sale.

FIG. 2 shows a convenience store to which an eave 10 is added for installing an overhead selling device according to the present invention. The eaves 10 serve as storages for cassette products, and are installed protruding on the street. 2 and 3, a large number of product shelves 11 are installed in the eaves 10 at pitches. Cassette shelf 1 in the shelf 11
2 are arranged.

In FIG. 4, two parallel X-direction guides 13 are provided above the eaves 10. A slider 14 is slidably mounted on the X-direction guide 13, and a Y-direction guide 15 is provided on the slider 14. A chuck 16 is slidably mounted on the Y-direction guide 15. The chuck part 16 is a cassette product 1
2 has a chuck pawl 17 for chucking. The X-direction guide 13 and the Y-direction guide 15 are composed of a linear motor, a feed screw mechanism, and the like.
Can move in the X and Y directions by itself. That is, the X-direction guide 13 and the Y-direction guide 15 constitute a moving mechanism of the chuck unit 16.

In FIG. 4, reference numeral 18 denotes a duct-type vertical transport path, the upper end of which is located in the eave 10;
Further, the lower end thereof extends to the lower side of the eave 10 and is connected to a duct 31 extending from the back of the operation unit 30 (see also FIG. 5). Two vertical guide shafts 19 are provided inside the transport path 18, and a receiving plate 20 is mounted on the shaft 19. The receiving plate 20 moves up and down along the shaft 19 by a power unit such as a linear motor or a feed screw mechanism.

In FIG. 5, a pusher 21 is provided below the transport path 18. When the receiving plate 20 on which the cassette product 12 is placed is lowered to the front of the pusher 21 and the rod 22 of the pusher 21 projects forward, the cassette product 12 on the receiving plate 20 is pushed out to the duct 31 and the operation unit 30 is taken out. It is sent to the unit 32. Product shelf 1
One cassette product 12 is chucked by the chuck unit 16 and taken out of the product shelf 11, and is conveyed to the product take-out unit 32 by a conveyance unit including the moving mechanism of the chuck unit 16 and the conveyance path 18.

In FIG. 6, the operation unit 30 includes a display panel 33, operation means such as operation keys 34, and a card insertion slot 35 as a payment means. A cash slot or the like may be provided as the payment means.
The operation unit 30 includes a cassette product take-out unit 3.
2 is formed in a tunnel shape. Operation unit 30
Is installed on the street or in a store.

This cassette product overhead sales apparatus has the above-described configuration, and the handling operation will be described next. The customer stands in front of the operation unit 30 and operates the operation keys 34 to display a product list on the display panel and select a product. Of course, a product ID such as a product title or a product number may be directly input with the operation keys 34. In addition, the customer performs a payment procedure using a card, cash, or the like.

Then, the chuck section 16 starts to move and moves above the selected cassette product 12. Then, the cassette product 12 is chucked by the chuck claws 17 and moves upward of the transport path 18. Then, the chuck state is released and the cassette product 12 is placed on the receiving plate 20. Prior to this, the receiving plate 20 is raised to the upper part of the transport path 18 and waits for the cassette product 12 to be loaded.

When the cassette product 12 is placed, the receiving plate 2
0 falls and stops in front of the pusher 21 (FIG. 5).
Then, when the rod 22 protrudes, the cassette product 12 is pushed out to the duct 31, shoots inside the duct 31, and is sent out to the take-out part 32. Then, the customer receives the fitted set product 12.

In the above embodiment, the eaves 10 also serve as a cassette product storage, but the storage may be installed on the ceiling in the store. Further, it is desirable that the operation unit 30 be provided with casters so that the operation unit 30 can be moved on the road inside or outside the store. However, in this case, it is preferable that the duct 31 be a flexible duct that can be bent so as to allow the operation unit 30 to move.

[0021]

According to the present invention, the eaves outside the store and the ceiling inside the store can be used as a storage space for cassette products, so that the present invention is extremely advantageous particularly for existing stores such as convenience stores where the installation space is not large. In addition, since there is no special need for an employee to be in charge, it is possible to respond to late-night and 24-hour operations. Further, since the cassette products are stored in an overhead storage that is out of reach of the customer, there is no risk of theft or the product being damaged by the customer, which is extremely advantageous in security and management.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a convenience store according to an embodiment of the present invention before remodeling.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the convenience store according to the embodiment of the present invention after remodeling.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the convenience store according to the embodiment of the present invention after remodeling.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the eaves of a convenience store according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a cassette product take-out part of the overhead vending device of the convenience store according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an operation unit of the convenience store according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 houses (cassette goods storage) 11 merchandise shelves 12 cassette goods 13 X-direction guide 15 Y-direction guide 16 chuck section 18 transport path 30 operation unit 32 product take-out section

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A storage provided inside or outside a store,
Product shelves in which cassette products are arranged in the storage, transport means for transporting the cassette products to the product take-out section, and product selection and payment for the products installed on the floor in the store or on the road outside the store An operation unit for carrying out the operation, taking out the cassette product of the product shelf selected by the operation unit and having settled the price from the product shelf, and transporting the cassette product to the product take-out unit. Overhead sales equipment for cassette products.