JPS6277694A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a vending machine, and relates to a vending machine that has a small opening and is capable of selling a large number of products.

More details below [Conventional technology and its problems] Conventional vending machines house the product storage section and ejection mechanism in one housing, and display the products on the front door.

It is a unit type with a product selection button, a money slot, a product takeout port, etc. Therefore, the types and quantities of products that can be sold by one vending machine are limited. Therefore, in order to sell a wide variety of products and a large number of products, it is necessary to install a number of vending machines. In this case, if the frontage of the house or store 2 in which the vending machine 1 is to be installed is narrow, as shown in Figure 4, the number of vending machines that can be installed is likely to be limited, making it difficult to sell a wide variety of products. There is an inconvenience that makes it impossible.

[Object and structure of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that can sell a wide variety of products even if the frontage of a house in which the vending machine is installed is narrow.

To this end, the present invention provides a vending machine that utilizes the depth of a store without sacrificing the frontage of the store.

That is, one aspect of the present invention is a product display section and a product selection means.

It has payment means such as a coin slot, return switch, and change slot, as well as a product takeout port on the front.

A customer service unit installed at the front of the house; a plurality of product storage units arranged in a depth direction behind the customer service unit, each including a product storage unit and a product ejection mechanism;
and a product conveyance device extending in front of the plurality of product storage units through the discharge ports of the respective product discharge mechanisms to the product take-out port of the customer service unit.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, two embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vending machine shown in FIG.
．． A plurality of storage units 22 are arranged in the depth direction of the store inside the store behind it. and a plurality of storage units 22
It consists of a conveyance device 23 extending along the road to the customer service department unit 21.

The customer service department unit 21 has a product display section 211 on the front side,
Product selection switch 212. Coin slot 213, bill slot 214. Coin return lever 215°Kushi coin slot 216. Amount display 217. A product outlet 218 is provided.

Each storage unit 22 consists of a conventional vending machine product storage section and a storage section with a product ejection device. For example, the storage unit 22a may be the storage unit of a conventional cigarette vending machine, 22b may be the storage unit of a conventional canned beverage vending machine, and 22n may be the storage unit of a conventional canned beverage vending machine. storage unit can be used.

Therefore, as a matter of course, for products that require cooling or heating, insulators should be used in the casing of each unit.

However, it is conventional to have a cooler or heater. Furthermore, various known methods such as a serpentine method, a spiral method, a chain conveyor method, and a stacking method can be used as storage and discharge methods.

FIG. 3 shows an example in which canned juice that requires cooling is stored in one storage unit 22 using the serpentine method. In this example, the unit housing 221 is composed of a heat insulating wall, a cooler (not shown) is arranged under the unit housing 221, and the juice can 3 as a product is stored in the serpentine storage section 222. The product stock/E-223 protruding from the bottom of the serpentine storage section is activated by the operation of a solenoid 224 in response to a sales command signal, as is known in the art.
One product is removed from the outlet 22 by temporarily retreating.
5.

The conveying device 23 is a belt conveyor, for example, a third conveyor.
As shown in the figure, it extends in front of and in contact with the product outlet of each storage unit 22, and connects to the product outlet 218 at the back of the customer service unit as shown in FIG.

In the above configuration, when a customer inserts money from the coin slot 213 or bill slot 214 and presses the corresponding product selection button according to the product on the product display section 211, as in a conventional vending machine.

A corresponding ejection mechanism (e.g., solenoid 224 described above) of the storage unit of the corresponding product is activated.

The product is discharged to the discharge port 225 of that unit.

It falls onto the conveyor 23 in front of it.

The conveyor 23 is operated by a sales signal, for example. The thus discharged product is conveyed by the conveyor 23 to the product takeout port 218. for example.

A limit switch or a photoelectric product aspect ratio device (not shown) is attached to the product outlet 218.

It is preferable to stop the operation of the conveyor 23 in response to the product detection signal.

In this way, the customer can obtain the product from the product outlet. Note that an X-Y robot or an orbiting trolley can also be used as the transport device.

Returning inserted coins, dispensing coins, displaying amounts, etc. are the same as in conventional vending machines, so explanations will be omitted.

In addition to the payment method using coins and banknotes as in the embodiment, a card insertion slot and a card reader may be provided to enable purchase by card.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, a customer service department unit having a product display section, a money slot, a product selection means, a product addition exit, etc. is installed at the front of the store, and behind the customer service department unit, products are sold in the depth direction of the store. Storage units equipped with a storage section and a product discharge section are lined up, and a product conveyance device is installed that passes through the front of the product discharge port of each storage unit and extends to the product takeout port of the customer service unit. It is possible to sell a wide variety of products in large quantities without sacrificing the entrance of the store. Furthermore, since only one customer service unit is required for a plurality of storage units, there is an advantage that costs are lower than in the case of installing all the vending machines as in the past.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a store implementing the vending device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the relationship between an example of a storage unit and a conveying device. FIG. 4 shows a plan view of a store equipped with conventional vending machines. 1...Store, 2...Vending machine, 21...Customer service department 22 outlets, 215...Return lever, 216...Cash outlet. 217... Amount display section, 218 Product outlet for 2
2...Storage unit, 23...Transportation device. Agent (7783) Patent Attorney Noriyasu Ikeda: , , .゛Support ε/ Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Ax Fig. 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A customer service unit having a product display section, a product selection means, a payment means, and a product takeout port in the front, and a product storage unit and a product ejection mechanism arranged in the depth direction behind the customer service unit, respectively. A vending machine comprising: a plurality of product storage units; and a product transport device that transports products from the product ejection mechanism to the product take-out port.