JPH11134542A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine that can display display information in accordance with a sales operation, gives more impact to a product purchaser and is possible to rase an interest. SOLUTION: A vending machine 1 is equipped with a vending machine body 2 for containing products, a transparent panel 3c provided in front of this vending machine body 2, a sales port 8 for providing the products, a carrier means 7a which is movably provided between the transparent panel 3c and the vending machine body 2, receives a product from the vending machine body 2 at the time of sales and carriers it to the sales port 8 and a display means 9 which has display information 9f and 9g and is pulled out between the transparent panel 3c and the bending machine body 2 in accordance with a moving of the carrier means 7a.

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 which can visually recognize a product to be actually sold and its selling operation from the outside, and particularly has a display function for displaying information related to the product. Vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of vending machine, for example, the one shown in FIG. 8 is known. This vending machine 8
0, a product rack 82 of eight upper and lower stages
, The product racks 8 in a plurality of rows (only one row is shown)
2 are stored side by side. Each of the product racks 82 stores products (not shown) in the front-rear direction, and the product at the forefront position among the stored products is disposed so as to be visible from the outside via the transparent panel 84 of the main door 83, and also serves as a product sample. ing. The transparent panel 84 is provided with a product selection button (not shown) at a position corresponding to the product sample. In the vending machine main body 81, a merchandise unloading path 85 extending in the vertical direction is formed in front of each merchandise rack 82. In the merchandise unloading path 85, a merchandise elevator 86 is arranged so as to be movable in the up and down direction. Have been. Each product rack 8
A product payout mechanism 87 is provided at the front end of 2.
The product delivery mechanism 87 can pay out the product at the forefront position as a sale product into the product delivery path 85.

[0003] In this vending machine 80, a product purchaser
A product to be purchased is selected by looking at the product sample, and a product selection button corresponding to the product sample is pressed. By this operation, the product elevator 86 moves to a position corresponding to the sales product selected by the product purchaser. Thereafter, the product payout mechanism 87 pays out the sold product obliquely downward on the front side, and the product elevator 86 receives the paid out sold product,
After being conveyed to the vicinity of the sales outlet 88, the sales merchandise is dispensed to the sales outlet 88 side while leaning forward. The merchandise purchaser can see through the transparent panel 84 the series of selling operations described above, that is, the sold merchandise is paid out to the merchandise elevator 86, thereby being conveyed to the sales outlet 88 side and paid out. Is configured.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional vending machine 80, a product purchaser can see a state in which a product to be purchased by himself / herself is carried by a product elevator 86 and sold. Received and enjoyed.
However, the vending machine 80 has a transparent panel 84
It is configured to intentionally show the product purchaser and its sales operation etc. to the product purchaser via
There is a problem that a poster or the like cannot be displayed on the front surface of the transparent panel 84 in order to visually provide display information related to the product to the product purchaser. In other words, if a large poster is pasted on the front of the transparent panel 84, the sale product and the sale operation are hidden, and the inherent features of the see-through vending machine 80 are impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. In a see-through type vending machine, display information can be displayed in accordance with a selling operation, giving more impact to a product purchaser, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine capable of improving interest.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine for storing a product, a transparent panel provided in front of the vending machine, and a vending machine for providing the product. , Provided between the transparent panel and the vending machine movably, receiving means for receiving the goods from the vending machine main body at the time of sale and conveying the goods to the sales outlet, and having display information, the transparent panel according to the movement of the conveying means. And a display means drawn out between the vending machine body.

[0007] According to this vending machine, the transport means receives the merchandise from the main body of the vending machine at the time of sale and conveys it to the sales outlet. At this time, since the transporting means is provided so as to be movable between the transparent panel and the vending machine main body, the product purchaser can perform a series of selling operations in which the transporting means receives the product from the vending machine main body and transports the product via the transparent panel. You can see. At the same time, the display means is drawn out between the transparent panel and the vending machine main body according to the movement of the transport means, so that the display information of the display means is dynamically displayed in conjunction with the vending machine's vending operation. can do. In this way, display information that was not possible in the past can be displayed, and furthermore, display information can be dynamically displayed as the product is sold, thereby giving more impact to the product purchaser and improving interest. Can be done.

[0008] In the above, the sales outlet is provided below the transparent panel, and the transport means is provided between the transparent panel and the vending machine so as to be able to move up and down. It is an elevator descending to the elevator, wherein the display means is a roll-up sheet provided above the elevator and provided with display information on the front surface, and the leading end of the roll-up sheet is preferably connected to the elevator. .

[0009] According to this vending machine, at the time of sale, the elevator places a product and descends to the vicinity of the sales outlet. Since the front end of a roll-up type seat arranged above the elevator is connected to the elevator, the seat is pulled down as the elevator is lowered. After this,
When the elevator is raised, the seat is automatically wound up accordingly. In this way, the display information on the front of the seat, such as characters, is dynamically displayed in conjunction with the elevator sales operation, just by adding a roll-up sheet, with almost no change in the configuration of the conventional vending machine can do. As a result, a vending machine having such features can be easily configured, and at the same time, can be configured by a roll-up sheet, which is relatively easy to obtain and manufacture and is inexpensive.

Further, in the above, the elevator has a mounting table on which a leading end portion of a roll-up sheet is connected to a rear end portion and on which a product is placed. The roll-up sheet has a connection portion with the mounting table. Is preferably formed in the vicinity of the opening, and the opening preferably has a size larger than that of a commercial product.

[0011] According to this vending machine, the roll-up sheet is formed with an opening having a size larger than that of the product near the connecting portion with the mounting table on which the product is mounted. It is possible to simultaneously show the product purchaser the state of being placed on the mounting table from the vending machine body and being conveyed, and the state in which the display information of the roll-up sheet is dynamically displayed. In addition to this, since the retractable sheet is connected to the rear end of the mounting table, for example, in the case of a configuration in which the mounting table is tilted forward as in the related art and pays out the mounted product, the retractable sheet is used. Does not hinder this operation.

Furthermore, in the above, it is preferable that the roll-up type seat is detachable from the elevator.

According to this vending machine, since the roll-up sheet can be replaced, the display information of the roll-up sheet displayed in the transparent panel can be freely changed.
For example, when the display information of the roll-up sheet is bored by the purchaser of the product or when a new product comes out, the old sheet can be replaced with a new sheet and the display information can be updated.

[0014]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
A vending machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. This vending machine sells products such as canned juice, and is a so-called see-through type that is configured so that the products actually sold and the process of being sold can be seen from the outside. is there. 1 to 3
FIG. 4 shows the vending machine of the present embodiment in a standby state for sale.
FIG. 7 shows the sales operation state. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the vending machine 1 includes a vending machine main body 2 and a main door 3 that opens and closes a front surface of the vending machine main body 2. The vending machine body 2 stores therein three rows of left and right product racks 4 each having eight rows of product racks 4 arranged vertically,
The lowermost and upper product racks 4 have a shorter depth dimension than the other product racks 4. Each product rack 4 is provided with two rows of product passages on the left and right sides, and in these product passages, a large number of products of the same type (not shown) are arranged and arranged in the front-rear direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, at the front end of each product rack 4, a payout mechanism 5 for paying out stored products forward is incorporated. This dispensing mechanism 5
Transparent opening / closing plates 5a, 5a are respectively provided facing the left and right product passages. When the product is sold, one of the opening / closing plates 5a is opened so that the product at the foremost position in the product passage is forward as a selling product. Will be paid out.

On the other hand, the main door 3 has a cash input unit 3.
a, a product selection button 3b and a transparent heat insulating glass (transparent panel) 3c are provided. As shown in FIG. 1, the product (sale product) at the forefront position among the products stored in each product rack 4 is arranged so as to be visible from the outside via the opening / closing plate 5 a and the transparent heat-insulating glass 3 c. Also serves as sample S. As the product samples S, a total of 3 × 8 = 24 types are arranged, and the product selection button 3b corresponds to 24 types of product samples S of all types.
Pieces are attached. The purchaser of the product is required to enter the cash input unit 3
By putting cash into a and pressing the corresponding product selection button 3b while referring to this product sample S,
A desired sales product S can be purchased.

A product outlet 6 extending vertically is formed between the transparent heat-insulating glass 3c and each product rack 4, and an elevator 7 that moves up and down along the product outlet 6 is arranged. . The elevator 7 includes a mounting table 7
a, and the mounting table 7a is at a sales standby position slightly above the commodity rack 4 at the uppermost position (a position shown in FIG. 3).
And the sales position (position indicated by reference symbol A in FIG. 7). Further, the mounting table 7a is always kept in a substantially horizontal state, and during the selling operation, after being lowered to the selling position, the mounting table 7a is rotated downward to an angle indicated by a symbol B in FIG. In the commodity carry-out path 6, since the lowermost and upper commodity racks 4 have a small depth dimension, the front-to-rear distance between them is widened. Thereby, when the mounting table 7a rotates downward, a space is ensured so that the mounting table 7a does not interfere with the product rack 4.

As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting table 7a extends in the left-right direction so as to cover from the left end of the left row of product racks 4 to the right end of the right row of product racks 4. The product can also be received from the product rack 4. Further, the mounting table 7a is stopped at substantially the same height as the lower surface of an arbitrary product rack 4 when selling the product,
The merchandise paid out from the merchandise racks 4 from the top to the sixth tier in each row can be received and placed thereon. Further, the mounting table 7a pays out the mounted products downward by rotating downward at the selling position. On the other hand, a sales port 8 is arranged below the mounting table 7a, and the goods paid out from the mounting table 7a reach the sales port 8. The sales port 8 has a sales port door 8a that is attached to the lower part of the front of the main door 3 so as to be openable and closable, and a product purchaser can open the sales port door 8a and take out the sold product. .

Further, a roll-up type sheet 9 (hereinafter, referred to as a sheet 9) is disposed at an uppermost portion in the main body 2 of the vending machine. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a rectangular opening 9c is formed substantially at the front end of the sheet 9 so as to fill the entire width thereof, and left and right end portions 9a and 9b defining the opening 9c are mounted on the mounting table 7a. Are respectively connected to the rear ends. This opening 9c is used for a product paid out from the product rack 4 forward.
It has a sufficient size so that it does not interfere with the product when it passes through this and is mounted on the mounting table 7a. Sheet 9
The driving unit 9d includes a spiral spring (spring spring) (not shown) and a shaft 9e for winding the sheet 9. The driving unit 9d causes the sheet 9 to be always wound around the shaft 9e. Has been energized.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, a picture 9f and a character 9 as display information are provided on the front surface of the sheet 9.
g is printed. As a result, when the mounting table 7a descends, the sheet 9 is pulled downward while resisting the urging force of the driving unit 9d, and the picture 9f and the character 9g are accordingly drawn.
Is displayed to the purchaser through the transparent heat insulating glass 3c. Further, the left and right ends 9a and 9b of the sheet 9 are detachably connected to the mounting table 7a, and the drive unit 9d and the shaft 9e are detachably attached to the vending machine main body 2. Thus, the seat 9 is configured to be replaceable.

The selling operation of the vending machine 1 configured as described above will be described. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the sales standby state, the mounting table 7a is at the sales standby position, and the sheet 9 is almost wound around the shaft 9e. The sheet 9 hardly appears in the transparent heat-insulating glass 3c of the vending machine 1, and only the product sample S is visible. In this state, the product purchaser puts cash into the cash input unit 3a, for example,
When the product selection button 3b corresponding to the product sample S of the product rack 4 in the fourth tier from the top is pressed, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the mounting table 7a is moved to the position of the product rack 4 in the fourth tier from the top. It descends to almost the same height as the lower surface and stops. At this time, the driving unit 9 moves the sheet 9 in conjunction with the lowering of the mounting table 7a.
It is pulled downward while resisting the urging force of d. As a result, the purchaser of the product 9f prints the picture 9f printed on the front surface of the sheet 9.
The state in which the characters 9g are spread downward can be seen through the transparent heat insulating glass 3c. After the mounting table 7a stops, the payout mechanism 5 pays out the product forward, and the product passes through the opening 9c and is mounted on the mounting table 7a. At this time, the purchaser can see this situation through the transparent heat-insulating glass 3c.

Thereafter, the mounting table 7a is lowered to the selling position shown in FIGS.
Dispense the goods to the sales outlet 8. At this time, the product buyer
The state in which the sheet 9 is further pulled out and spread downward in conjunction with the lowering of the mounting table 7a, and the state in which goods are dispensed downward can be seen through the transparent heat-insulating glass 3c. After dispensing the product, the mounting table 7a returns to a substantially horizontal state, and returns to the sales standby position. At this time, the sheet 9 is automatically wound up by the urging force of the driving unit 9d. Further, the product purchaser can obtain the sold product by opening the sales port door 8a.

As described in detail above, according to the vending machine 1 of the present invention, the merchandise purchaser places the merchandise on the mounting table 7a, is carried to the sales outlet 8, and is paid out during the selling operation. The state in which the sheet 9 is pulled out and rolled up in conjunction with the lifting and lowering of the mounting table 7a is referred to as the transparent heat insulating glass 3c.
Can be seen through Therefore, the display information such as the picture 9f and the character 9g of the sheet 9 which can not be displayed in the past can be displayed, and the display information can be dynamically displayed in accordance with the sales operation of the product. Can make more impact and enhance interest. In addition, the vending machine 1 having such a feature can be easily configured simply by adding the roll-up sheet 9 with almost no change in the configuration of the conventional vending machine. , And can be configured with inexpensive parts that are easy to obtain and manufacture.

Furthermore, since the sheet 9 can be replaced, the display information of the sheet 9 displayed in the transparent heat insulating glass 3c can be freely changed. For example, when the display information of the sheet 9 is tired of the purchaser of the product or when a new product comes out, the old sheet 9 is replaced with a new sheet 9,
Display information can be updated.

In the above-described embodiment, the roll-up sheet 9 is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any structure such as a roll-up type shutter or blind that can be pulled out according to the movement of the elevator 7 may be used. In addition, the elevator 7 ascending and descending is used as the transport means, but is not limited thereto.
A configuration in which the product can be moved to the left and right may be used as long as the product can be carried. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a message such as a picture 9f or a character 9g is displayed as display information. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and display information related to a photograph or a product may be displayed.

[0026]

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present invention, the display information can be dynamically displayed in accordance with the selling operation of the product, giving more impact to the purchaser of the product and having interest. Can be improved. In addition, a vending machine having such features can be easily configured, and can be configured with relatively inexpensive parts that are relatively easy to obtain and manufacture.

[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 front view showing the inside of the vending machine in a sales standby state.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing the vending machine in a sales standby state.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the inside of the vending machine in a vending operation state.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the vending machine in a vending operation state.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the vending machine in a vending operation state.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the vending machine in a vending operation state.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of a conventional vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Vending machine main body 3c Transparent insulated glass (transparent panel) 7 Elevator, conveyance means 7a Placement stand 8 Sales port 9 Roll-up sheet, display means 9c Opening 9f Picture (display information) 9g Character (display information) S Product

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine main body for storing a product to be sold, a transparent panel provided in front of the vending machine main body, a sales port for providing the product, a transparent panel and the vending machine main body. A transfer means for receiving the product from the vending machine main body at the time of sale and transferring the product to the sales outlet; and having display information, and the transparent panel and the sales being provided in accordance with the movement of the transfer means. And a display means drawn out between the machine bodies. 2. The sales port is provided below the transparent panel, and the transporting means is provided between the transparent panel and the vending machine main body so as to be able to move up and down to place the product at the time of sale. And an elevator descending to the vicinity of the sales outlet, wherein the display means is a roll-up sheet provided above the elevator and provided with the display information on the front surface, and a tip end of the roll-up sheet is The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine is connected to an elevator. 3. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the elevator has a mounting table to which the leading end of the roll-up sheet is connected at a rear end thereof, and a loading table on which the product is mounted. 3. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein an opening is formed near the connecting portion of the vending machine, and the opening has a size larger than that of the commodity. 4. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the roll-up type seat is detachable from the elevator.