WO2009001383A1

WO2009001383A1 - Product vending machine

Info

Publication number: WO2009001383A1
Application number: PCT/IT2007/000462
Authority: WO
Inventors: Davide Mariano Consolaro
Original assignee: Davide Mariano Consolaro
Priority date: 2007-06-28
Filing date: 2007-06-28
Publication date: 2008-12-31
Also published as: EP2229664A1

Abstract

A product vending machine comprises a containing structure (2), a magazine (3), internal to the containing structure (2) equipped with a plurality of racks (4) divided, by a plurality of crosspieces (5), into respective holding compartments (6) inside which deliverable products are stored, means (10) for moving and delivering the products, a window (8) which displays samples of deliverable products contained in the magazine (3), a communications interface (24) between user and vending machine, to allow the user to select and purchase the desired product and to control the means (10) for moving and delivering the products, and an area (22) for collecting products from which the user withdraws the product chosen and delivered. The means (10) for moving and delivering the products are active exclusively on the products contained in the magazine (3).

Description

"PRODUCT VENDING MACHINE"

The subject of the present invention is a product vending machine. In particular, the principal applications of the present invention are in public places such as hospitals, communities, hotels, barracks, pharmacies and retail shops, schools, offices, railway and metro stations, ports, airports, or to put it more simply, on the street, for making purchases at any time of day or night, of basic necessities or products of any size, shape or kind, such as basic necessities for a bedridden or hospitalised patient, groceries, nonfood products, books, flowers etc. These vending machines can be located on an island, free-standing, inside or outside the buildings mentioned above, or set into the wall of a shop facing onto the street. Vending machines currently on the market consist .of a containing structure, inside which is a magazine organised on several levels divided into a plurality of holding compartments by a similar number of dividing elements .

In .some types of vending machines, in particular those capable of delivering hot and cold drinks, the product being distributed is not visible. For example, in vending machines for cold drinks, the bottles of water or drinks cans are closed inside the suitably refrigerated containing structure and segmented by type of product into respective columns . At the moment of selection, the product to be delivered is released by dropping. The user has no way of viewing the product, but chooses what to buy simply by reading a label or seeing an image of the product printed on the front of the vending machine and selecting the button corresponding to the desired product .

In other types of vending machines, for example in machines delivering snacks as well as drinks, the internal magazine is visible through a transparent window located in the front of the vending machine . In this way, it is possible to physically see the products that may be bought. The products are arranged in the magazine in respective holding compartments , aligned one behind the other .

The window is distanced from the magazine in such a way as to form a space to allow the product to drop. This distance, however, must be limited to ensure 62

good visibility for the products .

The number of racks is also limited, to avoid the products being ruined by dropping from excessive heights . Generally, inside the actual holding compartment the products are spaced apart from each other by the coils of a helical mechanism, such as a spring which rotates , pushing the selected product forward until it causes the product to fall, through the space between the magazine and the window, into a collecting tray, accessible from the outside through a door.

Vending machines of this kind, however, have a number of disadvantages, both because they do not allow great flexibility in the management of the magazine, and because the mode of delivery, by dropping, and the size of the space through which the products fall

(which has to be small to allow the products to be visible) , limit the type and dimensions of products which can be vended.

The magazine with goods on display entails the necessity of stocking products which fulfil certain criteria, mainly connected with the need for the products to be visible by users . It is not therefore possible to manage the order of the products in the most appropriate way to suit the dimensions and shapes of the objects. In addition, the visible magazine can entail, at times, the unattractive sight of empty compartments due to one or more products being sold out .

Vending machines provided with a helical pushing mechanism also require a motor for each helical mechanism, entailing significant problems of maintenance and operation.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the known art. In particular, it is the object of the present invention to devise a product vending machine which allows an increase in flexibility in the management of the magazine, organised on the basis of stocking functionality, which at the same time allows the user to have a good view of the products that can be bought, with complete separation of the product display window and the magazine.

Another object is to create a product vending machine equipped with a magazine capable of stocking a larger number of products .

A further object is to provide a product vending machine capable of delivering the products other than by dropping. Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to offer a product vending machine which is not subject to the unattractive presence of empty sections on display in the event that some products are sold out . Finally, it is an object of the present invention to create a product vending machine capable of reducing machine malfunctions and down-times, and of avoiding products selling out completely.

The declared technical task and the specified objects are substantially achieved by a product vending machine having the characteristics stated in one or more of the attached claims .

There will now follow, by way of a non-limiting example, the description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a vending machine according to the invention, illustrated in the attached drawings, in which: figure 1 illustrates, in a perspective view, a product vending machine according to the present invention;

- figure 2 illustrates, in a perspective view, the vending machine shown in figure 1 in a non- operational configuration,- figure 3 illustrates the vending machine shown in figure 1 in a partially sectioned lateral view; figure 4 illustrates the internal structure of the vending machine shown in figure 1,- - figure 5 illustrates a detail of the structure shown in figure 4, with some parts removed for clarity.

With reference to figure 1, a product vending machine according to the present invention has been indicated with the reference number 1.

The vending machine 1 comprises a containing structure 2, typically metal and box-type in shape, inside which is a magazine 3.

The containing structure 2 is delimited, preferably, by a front wall 2a, openable for access to the internal magazine 3, and by a rear wall 2b, parallel to the front wall 2a. The front wall 2a of the containing structure 2 is fitted as a door or as a sliding panel, according to the design choices and the space available for the ultimate location of the vending machine 1. The containing structure 2 is delimited furthermore by two lateral walls 2c, transverse to the front wall 2a, by a lower wall 2d, located at the base of structure 2 and transverse to the lateral walls 2c and to the front wall 2a, and by an upper wall 2e, parallel and opposite to the lower wall 2d. ^' Alternatively, and in particular in the case of machines set into the wall or into a shop window (for example, facing onto the street through the window of a commercial premises or similar) , loading can also be carried out from the rear and therefore from the inside of the shop.

The magazine 3 comprises a plurality of racks 4 parallel to each other, on which the products to be displayed are arranged. Each rack 4 has a front edge 4a, parallel to and facing the front wall 2a of the containing structure 2, and a rear edge 4b, parallel to and facing the rear wall 2b. The space between two superimposed racks 4 is divided by a plurality of crosspieces 5 into respective compartments or containing sectors 6, inside each of which is stocked a particular type of products. The racks 4 may be connected directly to the inside of the walls of the containing structure 2 or to vertical uprights 7, as may be seen in figure 4.

Crosspieces 5 are dividing walls with mainly longitudinal extension, parallel to the lateral walls 2c and with axis 5a at right angles to the front wall 2a of the containing structure 2. Crosspieces 5 comprise a front end 5b, located in proximity to the front edge 4a of the rack 4, and a rear end 5c, opposite to the front edge, located in proximity to the rear edge 4b of the rack 4. Both the racks 4 and the crosspieces 5 are modular, i.e. they can be spaced apart from each other at will, depending on the shape and size of the objects to be stored.

In other words, it is possible to adjust both the height of the containing compartments 6, by varying the distance between the racks 4, and the width of said compartments 6 , by varying the distance between two adjacent crosspieces 5. The depth at full load of the containing compartment 6, on the other hand, is determined by the depth of racks 4.

The magazine 3 may be identified as a vertical matrix whose cells are the containing compartments 6. s At least one part of the front wall 2a of the containing structure 2 consists of a window 8, in other words a transparent element, such as a panel, which exposes to view a plurality of samples of the deliverable products stocked in the magazine 3. o The products displayed in the window 8 are only display samples (in other words example products which are not destined for delivery, or only packets, possibly even empty, corresponding to those which will actually be delivered) ; they represent the5 deliverable products stocked in the magazine 3 and are physically the same as the products which the vending machine actually delivers .

In other words, these products are physically located inside the machine display on shelves 9, which areo connected to window 8 and vertically aligned, and are separate from the products contained in the magazine. The shelves 9 are permanently attached to the door 2a, but can be positioned at the optimal height and distance for housing the products.

In other words, their vertical distance can be determined so as to house more or less bulky- products . Furthermore the dividers 30 consist of plastic elements attached to the rear walls of the shelves, but sliding longitudinally on them so as to allow simple and immediate adjustment of the lateral dimension of the display space. In a possible variant embodiment, it is possible to envisage the adoption of a window, totally or partially made up by a LCD or plasma panel (like a TV) which shows realistic representations of the products and which could easily be programmed to provide a realistic idea of the products contained.

The vending machine 1 also comprises means 10 for moving and delivering the products, located inside the containing structure 2, and acting exclusively on the products contained in magazine 3. These means 10 for moving and delivering the products pick the selected product directly from the holding compartment 6 in which it is stored; preferably these means 10 are movable along at least two mutually perpendicular directions. In particular, the above- mentioned means 10 for moving and delivering the products comprise a basket 11, movable by sliding in a vertical and in a horizontal direction, in a plane X parallel to the front wall 2a of the containing structure 2. The basket 11 is slidable along a guide 12 linearly traversable along at least one fixed slide 13, which is at right angles to guide 12. The basket 11, the guide 12 and the slide 13 are contained in a space 14 between the window 8 and the magazine 3.

In the preferred configuration, illustrated in figure 4, the guide 12 along which the basket 11 slides is vertical and extends at least along the whole height of the magazine 3.

Overall, the vending machine 1 comprises at least three motors which act on means 10 for moving and delivering the products . A first motor, preferably electric, causes the basket 11 to travel along the guide 12, in both directions.

The vertical guide 12 has at its lower end 12a a shoe 15 slidable along a slide 13 located, preferably, below the magazine 3, at the base of the containing structure 2. A second motor controls the travel of the guide 12 along the slide 13. In this way the vertical guide 12 can traverse in plane X, parallel to the front wall 2a of the containing structure 2, travelling the width L of magazine 3, in such a way that the basket 11 can reach any holding compartment 6. Preferably there is also an upper slide 16, parallel to the lower slide 13, which maintains the guide 12 in position during its travel along the lower slide 13, and prevents it tilting.

The means 10 for moving and delivering the products comprise, furthermore, a mechanism 17 for advancing the products, associated with each holding compartment 6. Preferably said means 17 for advancing the products are located in proximity to each crosspiece 5, as illustrated schematically in figure 5.

In detail, this mechanism 17 for advancing the products comprises a belt 18, preferably toothed, running continuously round a pair of wheels 19a, 19b, these too being preferably toothed. In particular, a ■' wheel 19a is located at a front end 5b and another wheel 19b at a rear end 5c of each crosspiece 5. The 000462

wheels 19a, 19b rotate around a respective axis 20, at right angles to the longitudinal axis 5a of the crosspiece 5. A pushing element 21, as for example a paddle, is s connected transversely to the belt 18 and is movable between a plurality of operating positions between a first position, in which it is situated at the back of the rack 4, in proximity to the rear end 5c of the crosspiece 5, and a second position in which it is ino proximity to the front end 5b of the crosspiece 5. In particular, the pushing element 21 is in the first position when the corresponding holding compartment 6 is completely full of products . The basket 11 comprises a device which activates thes mechanism 17 for advancing the products . In particular, when the basket 11 is opposite a holding compartment 'S₁ a third motor, attached to the basket 11, acts (through a suitable transmission) on the toothed wheel 19a located at the front end 5b of eacho crosspiece 5 and causes the toothed belt 18 to move. As a result of the linear movement of the belt 18, the pushing element 21 advances towards the front edge 4a of the rack 4, bringing about the simultaneous advance, towards the front edge 4a of the rack 4 and therefore towards the basket 11, of the products stocked in that particular compartment, until the first product in the row falls into the basket 11.

A sensor, for example an interception-type photoelectric cell located in the front of the compartment, or fitted to the basket 11, detects the fall and/or the presence of the product inside the basket 11, and interrupts the action of the third motor on the mechanism 17 which controls . the advancement of the products .

The motors envisaged for activating the means 10 for advancing and delivering the products are, for example, stepper motors which allow small and precise movements .

It is obvious that in the event that the magazine is loaded from the rear, the mechanism 17 for advancing the products can be mounted the opposite way round, in other words it can advance the products from the front area where the window, is situated, towards the rear wall of the containing structure, where in this variant the basket 11 will be fitted. Once the selected product has been pushed from the rack 4 into the basket 11, the latter carries the product to a collection area 22 comprising a tray, from which the user can take the desired product. Advantageously, there can be a sensor which detects the presence of the product in the collection area 22, in such a way for example as not to charge the amount to the user in the event of failure to deliver the product . The user accesses the collection area 22 through a door 23 which, when not in operating position, shuts off the access to the tray. It should further be noted that the collection area is located and constructed according to the principles of ergonomics, bearing in mind that the height should be accessible to people with disabilities. The vending machine 1 also comprises a communications interface 24 which allows the user to make a product selection. In particular, this interface comprises a display 25 for the selection of products to be bought, a touch screen for example, which may also be provided with audio-vocal support,^' and at least one payment device

is 26. Advantageously it is possible to install a plurality of payment devices 26, as for example a self-feeding coin hopper,. a banknote reader, a change-giving machine, a reader for personalised magnetic cards or a POS terminal for credit or debit cards . In this way the user can make a payment with any payment system. The existence of a fully- functional computer inside the machine, complete with hard disk and associated components and an operating system, on the one hand enables interfacing, monitoring and remote long-distance dialogue for better management of the machine, and on the other hand allows better handling of the user in the interface devices (touch screens, photo and video information, audio-vocal systems, commands and so forth) , including a full series of technical functionalities which a normal plc-programmed card does not permit . In addition, the vending machine can also be provided with a telemetry system (not illustrated) , comprising a device capable of sending information relating to the operating status of the vending machine, and a device capable of receiving data corresponding, for example, to any commands sent by the operator or to purchases made by users .

A system of this kind, in fact, allows the operator to monitor the operation of the vending machine at a distance, and can even allow a user to make purchases at a distance and to collect (or have someone else collect) the purchased product at a later time. The telemetric system communicates to the operator, for example, the quantity of products remaining, in order to manage product stocks efficiently, or indicates any malfunctions in the vending machine, enabling prompt intervention by a technician, or regulates the internal temperature of the vending machine if it contains refrigerated or chilled food products, or again manages coinbox payments and returning money to the user (in this case, the change from payments by coin, banknote and pos terminal, and prepayment and rechargeable cards) , as well as issuing receipts to customers. The vending machine 1 is also equipped with a system for scanning the magazine 3, to allow the means 10 for moving and delivering the products to determine and record automatically the position of each holding compartment 6 inside the magazine 3.

This scanning system comprises a plurality of identification elements 27 located in proximity to each holding compartment 6. Preferably the identification elements 27, for example metal screws, are located on the front end 5b of each cross-piece 5.

The scanning system comprises, furthermore, at least one position sensor, located on the basket 11, capable of identifying the position of the identification elements 27 and consequently recognising the position of the holding compartments 6. In this way the basket 11 is capable of configuring itself autonomously, following a modification of the geometry of the magazine, and therefore of positioning itself in proximity to the holding compartment 6 corresponding to the product selected by the user. Before the vending machine is put into operation, the basket 11 records the position of all the holding compartments 6, by performing a scan of the entire magazine 3 : the position sensor on the basket 11 reads the position of the identification elements and stores the position and size of each compartment 6. Below the magazine 3, between the lowest rack 4 and the lower wall 2d of the containing structure 2, there can be a space 28 capable of containing either a compressor (for a refrigeration or air conditioning circuit) , in the case of food products being stored, or a stock of products for sale, in the case of non- perishable goods . A peculiarity of the present vending machine is, as has already been said, the adaptability of the dimensions of the holding compartments 6 to the dimensions of the products to be stored, even subsequently to the installation of the vending machine: for this reason the pushing element 21 must be able to adapt at least to the width of the relative compartment 6. To respond to this need, the pushing element 21 is replaceable and adjustable according to the dimensions of the holding compartment 6 with which it is associated. In particular, the pushing element 21 can be made as a paddle having several lines of weakness, as shown in figure 5, along which it is possible to break the paddle to adapt it to the width of the corresponding 007/000462

compartment .

A variant embodiment, not illustrated, of the pushing element 21 is represented by an element which keeps the products corresponding to at least one holding compartment 6 suspended and aligned. An element of this kind consists, for example, of an endless screw on which are hung for example products (e.g. socks, underpants, slippers and pyjamas) with packaging in plastic or card already equipped with a hooking element suitable for hanging on the typical hook used with slatwall shop fittings, or those where the pack is too bulky or those whose small size makes .them difficult to align and to push using the above- mentioned pushing element (for example because the pack is tall and narrow and therefore likely to overbalance during advancement in the magazine) . This element is preferably placed with its axis parallel to axis 5a of crosspiece 5. During rotation around its own axis, the products advance towards the front end 5b of the crosspiece 5, and therefore towards the basket 11 where the selected product is dropped for delivery. The invention achieves important advantages . 000462

First of all, the separation between window and magazine allows both the display window and the magazine to be more efficiently and flexibly managed. There are in fact no problems of visibility due to reflections in the glass, or to the distance of the products from the window, or to the arrangement and order of the products on the racks .

In fact, the products displayed are so close to the window as to be clearly visible. Furthermore, it is possible to display only the packs of some products, or in the case of products available in various sizes or formats, it is possible to display a single example of the product, indicating on a label the possible varieties of size, colours or dimensions. It is possible therefore to compose the window at will, giving more prominence to some products rather than others on the basis of sales strategies, or spacing products further apart to improve their visibility. The modular magazine allows the distribution of products to be optimised; the separation from the window, however, avoids linking the arrangement of the products on the shelves to the visibility of the products themselves, allowing the operator to utilise even spaces which from outside would be scarcely- visible. Overall, therefore, the magazine is capable of stocking a larger number of products than known vending machines . The modularity emphasised above, moreover, allows machines to be built with dimensions varying in accordance with the space available, with minimal variations to the design. The mechanism for picking and .delivering the products, consisting of the sliding basket which picks the products directly from the holding compartments, allows also more fragile products to be sold, which in traditional vending machines, that release products by dropping, could be damaged. Furthermore, in the event that a product is sold out, there is not the problem of the unattractive sight of an empty space .

The system of automatically recording the positions of the compartments allows changes to be made to the layout of the magazine as the need arises, without the need to worry about manually recording the new arrangement of the products and the holding compartments . The telemetry system ensures the correct operation and proper efficiency of the vending machine, as well as the correct handling of the cash and of the change due to the end user.

Finally, the presence of a single motor which drives all the mechanisms for advancing products reduces production and operating costs as well as maintenance problems .

Claims

1. A product vending machine comprising:

- a containing structure (2) , a magazine (3) , internal to the containing structure (2) and comprising a plurality of racks (4) divided by a plurality of crosspieces (5) into respective holding compartments (6) inside which deliverable products are stored,

- means (10) for moving and delivering the products, - a window (8) for displaying the deliverable products,

- a communications interface (24) between user and vending machine to allow the user to select and purchase the desired product, and for controlling the means (10) for moving and delivering the products,

- a product collection area (22) , from which the user withdraws the product delivered, characterised in that said window (8) displays samples of deliverable products contained in the magazine (3) and in that said means (10) for moving and delivering the products are active exclusively on products contained in the magazine (3) and not on those displayed in the window (8) .

2. A vending machine according to claim 1, characterised in that said means (10) for moving and delivering the products are movable between the containing structure (2) and the magazine (3) for withdrawing the products directly from the holding compartment (6) containing the selected product; said means (10) for moving and delivering the products being movable at least along two mutually perpendicular directions .

3. A vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said means (10) for moving and delivering the products comprise a basket (11) slidable along a guide (12) which can travel linearly along at least one fixed slide (13) at right angles to it.

4. A vending machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said window

(8) is mounted on a frontal wall (2a) , preferably openable, of the containing structure (2) .

5. A vending machine according to claim 4, characterised in that said window (8) comprises a plurality of display shelves (9) on which are displayed the physical samples of purchasable products, separate from the actually deliverable products contained in the magazine (3) .

6. A vending machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said racks

(4) and said crosspieces (5) , configurable in a plurality of operating positions, and the respective holding compartments (6) , are modular.

7. A vending machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said means

(10) for moving and delivering the products comprise a mechanism (17) for the advancement of products, active in proximity to each holding compartment (6) .

8. A vending machine according to claim 7, characterised in that said mechanism (17) for advancing the products is associated with one of the two crosspieces (5) delimiting each holding compartment (5) .

9. A vending machine according to claim 7 or 8 , characterised in that said mechanism (17) for advancing the products comprises a belt (18) , preferably toothed, running continuously round a pair of wheels (19a, 19b) ; preferably toothed; each wheel (19a, 19b) being located at a front end (5b) and at a rear end (5c) of each crosspiece (5) , rotatable around a respective axis (20) .

10. A vending machine according to claim 9, characterised in that said mechanism (17) for advancing the products comprises a pushing element (21) moved by said belt (18) .

11. A vending machine according to claim 10, characterised in that said pushing element (21) , transverse to the relative crosspiece (5) , is movable between a plurality of operating positions ranging between a first position in which it is in proximity to the rear end (5c) of the crosspiece (5) and a second position in which it is in proximity to the front end (5b) of the crosspiece (5) ; said pushing element (21) being capable of pushing the products to make them advance towards the front end (5b) of the crosspiece (5) .

12. A vending machine according to any of claims 7 to

11, characterised in that said basket (11) comprises a device which activates said mechanism (17) for advancing the products .

13. A vending machine according to claim 12, characterised in that said activation device for said mechanism (17) for advancing the products is active on the wheel (19a) located in proximity to the front

• end (5b) of each crosspiece (5) , to set said belt

(18) in motion and to advance the pushing element (21) towards said front end (5b) .

14. A vending machine according to claim 7, characterised in that said means (17) for advancing the products comprise an element for keeping the products suspended and aligned in proximity to at least one holding compartment (6) .

15. A vending machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said communications interface (24) comprises a display (25) for the selection of the products to be purchased and a plurality of payment devices (26) .

16. A vending machine according to claim 15, characterised in that said display (25) is a touch screen. 16. A vending machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterised by comprising a telemetry system for remotely monitoring the operation of the vending machine, for example by means of managing the magazine, the user interface or the handling of payments and product collection.

17. A vending machine according to any of the preceding claims, characterised by comprising a system for scanning the magazine (3) to permit the means (10) for moving and delivering the products to determine and record automatically the position of each holding compartment (6) inside the magazine (3) .

18. A vending machine according to claim 17, characterised in that said scanning system comprises a plurality of identification elements (27) located in proximity to each holding compartment (6) .

19. A vending machine according to claim 18, characterised in that said scanning system comprises at least one position sensor located on the basket (11) , capable of identifying the position of said identification elements (27) and of recognising the position of the holding compartments (6) in order to position itself in proximity to the holding compartment (6) corresponding to the selected product .