WO2019206141A1

WO2019206141A1 - Automatic dispenser of edible products and/or durable goods

Info

Publication number: WO2019206141A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/083889
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zhongwei SHI; Zheng Shi; Mauro Maule
Original assignee: Hangzhou Zhongya Machinery Co., Ltd.; Magex S.R.L.
Priority date: 2018-04-24
Filing date: 2019-04-23
Publication date: 2019-10-31
Also published as: CN111971716B; CN111971716A; IT201800004835A1; EP3561784B1; EP3561784A1

Abstract

An automatic dispenser (1) includes a supporting frame (2), an internal collection compartment (3), a display case (4) formed by a plurality of support shelves (5), a front door (6), a movable partition (7), an access opening (8), and an anti-theft means (10) which provided in the collection compartment (3) and facing the access opening (8) of the latter. In particular the anti-theft means (10) includes a movable laminar shutter (11) contained in the supporting frame (2) to which it is coupled and operatively connected to movement means (12) which moves it alternately between a resting position, in which the laminar shutter (11) it is provided in a plane parallel to the support shelves (5), and an operating position, in which the laminar shutter (11) is provided at least partly according to a plane orthogonal to the plane identified by the support shelves (5) and obstructs access to the display case (4) through the access opening (8).

Description

AUTOMATIC DISPENSER OF EDIBLE PRODUCTS AND/OR DURABLE GOODS

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This invention relates to an automatic dispenser (or vending machine) for edible products (or foodstuffs) and/or goods (or objects or items) , even durable ones.

Notoriously, automatic dispensers for the lease and final sale of durable goods, even the most delicate and fragile ones, such as books, videotapes, CDs, DVDs, smartphones, tablets and the like, and/or the final sale of edible products (or foodstuffs) , such as sweet and savory snacks, sweets, sandwiches, ice cream, frozen foods, drinks of various kinds or the sale of products such as cigarettes, alcoholic drinks, tickets or coupons for instant lotteries, printer cartridges, watches, computer accessories, cameras, clothing and more, are automatic vending machines (commonly known as vending machines) that are becoming more and more widespread on the market and distribute products upon direct user request, upon payment.

Usually, these machines are installed in workplaces and communities (for example in hospitals, airports, shopping malls and companies) , but their use is becoming increasingly widespread even in places open to the public such as railway or subway stations, gas stations, urban centers, parking garages, cruise ships or other appropriately dedicated places.

Specifically, the current automatic vending machines for product distribution of any type are available in numerous versions and sizes, suitable for satisfying the customer's various needs.

From a construction point of view, it can be assumed that, in general, a traditional type vending machine includes a display case, organized in multiple housing bays, placed at various height levels or on horizontal supporting shelves and contained within a substantially box-like supporting frame (or casing) which, moreover, aesthetically characterizes the vending machine itself.

The horizontal support shelves are parallel and often, although not always, equally spaced from each other along a vertical direction, so that the products to be dispensed, taking into account their dimensions and their shapes, are more evenly distributed in the display case inside the box-shaped supporting frame and occupy the internal volume of the latter as efficiently as possible.

Furthermore, adjacent to each of the shelves, the bays for housing the products to be dispensed are arranged side by side and parallel to each other.

The products to be dispensed are placed inside a plurality of support positions defined in each of the housing bays according to shapes capable of accommodating a wide range of products or goods that differ in shape, size and packaging.

If the products are suitable for final delivery, such as for example the edible goods identified above, the traditional automatic dispensers are provided with a predominantly transparent front door, rotatably coupled by means of rotation to the box-bearing supporting frame inside which is contained the display case: the transparency (obtained by installing a shatterproof glass plate) of this front door allows the end user to view the products available to make his selection.

Each housing bay, if not directly, using certain construction solutions, each individual support position defined in the display bay of these automatic dispensers is also marked by an alphanumeric code that the user types on a special control panel, attached externally to the supporting frame, to make his desired selection, after paying the related amount by inserting coins, banknotes etc. into a special slot made in the front door.

At the time that the user makes his selection, the products aligned in the housing bays are moved towards the front door, for a predetermined length, using transport or delivery means (constituted for example by a plurality of conventional rotating spirals) in such a way that the first product of the selected bay is conveyed, remains supported, or released by gravity in an internal collection compartment made in the supporting frame, in positions dependent on the construction choices and/or on the operational and application requirements.

The end user accesses the collection compartment following a manual or automatic movement of a movable partition (or safety door) , belonging to the front door itself or below it, depending on the embodiments, and which, normally or in the release position, closes the access opening of the same collection compartment.

During the collection phase of the selected good, the movable partition also prevents fraudulent removal of the products from the display case, being operationally combined with anti-theft means which inhibits any desire by a malicious end user to illegitimately appropriate, without paying, one or more of the products or goods contained in the horizontal bays of the display and storage unit. If, on the other hand, the products are intended for sale but above all for lease, such as with durable goods, a typical automatic dispenser of the known art also includes a keyboard and a screen, or a touch-screen, attached to the front door or to the supporting frame in such a way as to be available to the user who uses them for product selection.

In this case, the products and/or goods are made available to the user, generally by lateral or frontal sliding, in correspondence with an outlet through which the previously leased product is returned after its temporary use, always following the payment of a given sum or the insertion of a prepaid card from which the amount due is automatically deducted.

This second type of automatic dispenser also comprises transport and delivery means, for example a claw associated with a carriage that slides along at least two axes or a sort of lift that slides along at least three axes, which, following the command given on the keyboard by the end user, take or choose the product or the good (edible or durable) from the display case and convey it, performing a lateral and/or vertical sliding movement, toward the outlet if the user is leasing or purchasing the product or the goods, or in the opposite direction (from the collection compartment to the display case) if the user is returning the leased product or goods.

In the sector of automatic dispensers for food products and/or durable goods, the machines for sale and/or lease for the provided purpose, currently available on the market –an example of which is presented in the known art document published with WO2017/187467 –are therefore suitable for any customer requirement (understood to be the purchaser of the machines themselves) , essentially allowing the effective, safe, reliable and hygienic sale of any type of item even in outdoor locations.

However, even the most modern, recent and advanced automatic dispensers of the prior art (of which figures 1, 2 and 3 show a typical solution for execution) described briefly suffer from some recognized drawbacks.

The main drawback of the present state of the art herein considered derives from the fact that, adjacent to the internal collection compartment, the anti-theft means installed in known automatic dispensers is fixed, applied in a non-modifiable position, (usually and generally they comprise a closing laminar metal plate, provided with side edges fixed to the inner wall of the box-shaped supporting frame T or to the structure of the display case) . As provided especially in figures 2 and 3, this inevitably entails that in the part behind the fixed closing plate (indicated with A and whose height reaches even 20 cm) , the display case M does not in any way provide support shelves for the containment of products or goods to be dispensed, with a consequent net loss (or waste) of useful space that would otherwise be usable for the display of products or goods intended for the public.

Essentially, the automatic dispensers of the prior art, due to the construction idea for the anti-theft means with which they are provided, do not fully or in any case optimally exploit the useful space inside the box-shaped supporting frame and which can be used for the display case to make available to the public edible and/or durable goods that can be purchased and/or leased.

A further drawback of known automatic dispensers, a direct consequence of what has just been pointed out, consists of the fact that their potential display capacity, provided by the internal volume of the box-shaped supporting frame, cannot be optimized or exploited to the maximum.

For its part, the anti-theft means (such as a partition numbered with 11) of the automatic dispenser highlighted by the prior art document WO2017/187467 is, in reality and more precisely, coupled to the delivery or transport means (such as the mobile trolley) of the products and/or goods and is slidable between an open position and a closed position to allow, respectively, placement of the selected items in an automatic positioning system (numbered 10 in that document) , passing them through an opening (numbered 12 in WO2017/187467) obtained in this positioning system, and delivering the selected items to the user, after closing the opening 12 itself.

In WO2017/187467, the anti-theft means slides, negatively and disadvantageously, only along a vertical direction so that, whatever its position with respect to the opening which allows the introduction of the selected products and/or goods into the system for automatic positioning providing and/or, in certain cases, returning, obstructs or makes it more difficult and inconvenient for the end user to view a portion of such products and/or goods still in the display case.

Moreover, the construction design and installation of the anti-theft means shown in the prior art document WO2017/187467 are rather complex.

Therefore, due to the awareness of the aforementioned drawbacks of the current state of the art considered here, the present invention aims to effectively overcome these drawbacks.

In particular, the primary object of the invention is to provide an automatic dispenser (or automatic vending machine) of edible products (or foodstuffs) and/or durable goods (or objects or items) which includes a horizontal support shelf also adjacent to the internal compartment collection point facing the access opening from which the user withdraws or returns the product or the selected goods.

In other words, the main object of the invention is to provide an automatic dispenser for edible products and/or durable goods, which has a load or display capacity of edible products and/or durable goods greater than that of known automatic dispensers, an equal internal volume of the box-shaped supporting frame which distinguishes it and which, together with the front door, is the only component which the user can physically touch.

Within this scope, it is therefore an object of the present invention to devise an automatic dispenser for edible products and/or durable goods which contains a number of edible and/or durable goods greater than that of the equivalent automatic dispensers of the prior art, still with an equal internal volume of the box-shaped supporting frame as part of the automatic dispenser.

In the cognitive sphere of the aforementioned primary object, it is also an object of the present invention itself to indicate a vending machine of edible products and/or durable goods that is capable of satisfying a greater number of users than the known automatic dispensers, still with the same internal volume of the box-shaped load-bearing frame and net of restoration work on the display case undertaken by the operator responsible for managing the automatic dispenser.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an automatic dispenser for edible products and/or durable goods which, unlike what is permitted by the automatic dispensers of the prior art, can contain and distribute items that are also profoundly different from one another due to usage requirements, and in particular items of traditional, if not daily, consumption (such as sweet and savory snacks, soft drinks, chocolates and candies in bags) with items prohibited by law to minors (such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, condoms and so on) . It is an important object of the present invention to realize an automatic dispenser of edible products and/or durable goods that achieves the aims and effectively carries out the subsequent tasks mentioned above without this involving an excessive complication of its construction.

The aforementioned purposes are achieved by means of an automatic dispenser of edible products and/or durable goods and objects (or items as attached to claim 1 to which reference should be made for the sake of brevity) .

Further detailed technical characteristics of the automatic dispenser for edible and/or durable goods of the present invention are contained in the corresponding dependent claims.

The abovementioned claims, hereafter specifically and concretely defined, are intended as an integral part of the present description.

Advantageously, the automatic dispenser (or automatic vending machine) of edible products and/or durable goods, object of the present invention, makes retrieval possible, compared to known automatic dispensers comparable to it and of equal volume, a significant part of the space available inside the box-bearing supporting frame and suitable effectively and appropriately to display products and/or goods: in practice, the automatic dispenser of the invention increases the space available for the display of products and/or goods that can be distributed to the public by approximately 20%compared to the current equivalent state of the art technology.

This is due to the fact that in the automatic dispenser of the invention, the anti-theft means is not of the fixed type but includes at least one movable laminar shutter (inventive core of the present description) contained in the supporting frame to which it is properly coupled, and it is operatively connected to means of movement which moves it alternately between a resting position, defined when the movable partition (or safety door) assumes the release position, in which the laminar shutter is provided according to a plane parallel to the support shelves, and an operating position, defined at least when the movable partition assumes the re-entry position, in which the laminar shutter is provided according to a plane orthogonal to the plane identified by the support shelves and obstructs access to the display case through the collection compartment and the open access opening facing it.

Equally advantageously, the automatic dispenser of the invention allows for the exposure and, therefore, distribution to the end users of a quantity of edible products and/or durable goods greater than that associated with the automatic dispensers of the known type, with the same internal volume of the box-bearing supporting frame in which the display case is contained: in practice, the automatic dispenser of the invention can accommodate, in its own display case, more than 1,200-1,400 products generally distributed on a total of nine horizontal support shelves.

Likewise advantageously, the automatic dispenser of the present invention satisfies a greater number of users with respect to equivalent automatic dispensers of the prior art, still with the same internal volume of the box-shaped supporting frame in which the display case is contained.

In a preferred and advantageous manner, moreover, contrary to what is permitted by the automatic dispenser shown in WO2017/187467, the automatic dispenser of the invention can contain and distribute to the public, simultaneously items even with intended use and type of user that are profoundly different from each other: for example, the display case of the automatic dispenser of the invention is capable of simultaneously housing classic edible products, such as sweet and savory snacks, beverages, sweets, as well as goods or items prohibited by law to persons of minor age, such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and condoms.

This advantage is realized when the laminar shutter remains in the operating position even when the movable partition assumes the release position (in which the movable partition itself, in this preferred embodiment necessarily driven by automatic actuation means, closes the access opening of the collection compartment identified in the box-shaped supporting frame) and is automatically positioned by the means of movement in the resting position as soon as the user inserts a personal identity document -in a specific slot in the supporting frame -in the form of a card -which certifies the age of majority (established in Italy, known to be 18 years) : all this before the user makes his selection, having available also goods suitable for adults, and before the means of automatic actuation, following the selection made by the user, places the movable partition in the return position.

In summary, therefore, in the variant of the invention which can be deduced from the previous paragraph, the personal identity card of the user, when introduced into the appropriate slot for checking the age of the user through electronic reading means connected to a central and control processing unit which manage the operation of the entire automatic dispenser, it acts indirectly as an auxiliary actuator of the means of movement which provides the laminar shutter in the resting position, so that also the horizontal support shelf of the display case previously hidden from the outside is visible and available to the adult user who, immediately afterwards, is free to make his selection having at his disposal the entire range of products, goods or items positioned by the operator in the display case.

Also advantageously, moreover, the height position of the movable laminar shutter, as said core of the inventive technical concept of the automatic dispenser of the invention, is adjustable at will during installation according to the dimensions of the products or goods which are housed in the housing bays of the horizontal support shelf, which it must hide and protect, considering however the space constraints imposed by the supporting frame.

It follows that, unlike what is shown in the previous document WO2017/187467, the movable laminar shutter, starting from the horizontal resting position, assumes the operating position as it is moved from the means of movement, generally downwards, vertically sufficient to hide the products or goods displayed on the horizontal support shelf (underlying in general) that it must protect, making it inaccessible to the user from the access opening and from the internal collection compartment: this vertical length along which the laminar shutter is moved therefore depends on the height of the products or goods placed on the support shelf which must be hidden from the user when the movable partition is raised to open the access opening of the collection compartment.

The aforementioned objects and advantages will become more apparent from the description below, relating to a preferred embodiment of the automatic dispenser (or automatic vending machine) of edible products and/or goods (or objects or items) of the invention, given for indicative and illustrative purposes, but not limiting, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

- figure 1 is a front view of a known automatic dispenser;

- figure 2 is the view of figure 1 according to the plane of section II-II;

- figure 3 is the simplified front view of the automatic dispenser of figure 1;

- figure 4 is the front view of an automatic dispenser of the invention;

- figure 5 the simplified frontal view of the automatic dispenser from figure 4;

- figure 6 is the view of figure 4 according to the plane of section VI-VI;

- figure 6a is an enlargement of a construction detail of figure 6;

- figure 7 is an axonometric view of a construction assembly of figure 5;

- figure 8 is a plane view from above figure 7;

- figure 9 is the plane view from below figure 7.

The automatic dispenser of durable goods and/or edible products of the invention, particularly suitable for the sale of delicate products or products that must be dispensed in a horizontal position, is illustrated in figures 4, 5 and 6, where it is generally numbered with 1.

As can be seen, this automatic dispenser 1 comprises:

- a substantially box-shaped supporting frame 2 designed to rest on a reference surface, such as the flooring of any structural element accessible to the public, and having an internal collection compartment 3;

- a display case 4 contained in the supporting frame 2 and formed by a plurality of support shelves 5 parallel to each other, provided with different heights between them along a vertical direction Y and designed to receive durable goods and/or edible products to be distributed to the end user;

- an at least partly transparent front door 6 suitable for allowing the end user to view durable goods and/or edible products to make his selection: this front door 6 is rotatably coupled to the supporting frame 2 (using rotation such as one or more hinges vertically mutually aligned along the central edge 2d of the supporting frame 2) to allow an operator to move it when opening/closing the supporting frame 2 itself and thus intervening inside the display case 4 to perform maintenance operations, repair, restoration of products in housing bays 30 and so on;

- a movable partition 7 coupled with the front door 6 and cooperating with the implementation means, not visible in the attached figures, designed for moving it between a released (or lowered) position, in which the movable partition 7 closes an access opening 8 from the internal collection compartment 3, and a reentry position (raised) in which the movable partition 7 opens the access opening 8 for the withdrawal and/or return of products or goods by said user, in particular the withdrawal of (even) durable goods and/or edible products definitively purchased, used or consumed and/or the return of durable goods leased for temporary use against payment;

- delivery means, in general numbered with 9, cooperating with the display case 4 to send the products and/or goods selected by the user to the access opening 8 and/or to return the products to the horizontal support shelves 5 of the display case 4 returned by the user through the access opening 8 and the internal collection compartment 3;

- anti-theft means, in general indicated by 10, provided in collection compartment 3 and facing access opening 8 of the collection compartment 3 itself, so as to prevent the user from accessing the display case 4 when the movable partition 7 is in the return position and the products and goods are in the process of being dispensed and/or returned.

The automatic dispenser 1 of the invention is convenient and practical to use both for the customer/buyer and for the end user: in fact, it does not oblige the end user who buys the product and/or the goods to bend down to pick it up, but delivers it at a man's height, about 85-90 cm from the reference surface.

In this regard, as seen in figure 4, in the automatic dispenser 1 of the invention, the internal collection compartment 3, advantageously compared to other vending machines available on the market, is provided in the center of the partially transparent front door 6 (or display case) and, preferably, also the movable partition 7 is totally transparent.

This construction solution facilitates the withdrawal and return operation by the user of the product and/or the selected and distributed goods, thanks to the opening, in this case automatic, of the motorized movable partition and to the position of the internal collection compartment 3 at about 85-90 cm from the reference surface, also designed taking into account the needs of disabled people or those with mobility impairment.

The automatic dispenser 1 of the present invention is a machine equipped with the most advanced technologies, such as for example a touch-screen LCD display 31, delivery means 9 of the transport type, as will be better shown later, front/rear loading of products and/or goods by the operator, displays for electronic prices 32, various payment systems 33 (even the most innovative) . The automatic dispenser 1 of the invention also comprises, according to technological solutions already available in the known machines of the sector in question, a self-diagnosis system before each delivery, designed for verifying the operating status of each housing bay 30 of the products and/or goods to be distributed to end users.

All the movements of the movable components of the automatic dispenser 1 of the invention are preferably managed by a central processing and control unit, not shown in the attached drawing tables, contained inside the box-shaped supporting frame 2 where it is, if necessary, accessible to the operator only through the opening of a side door, for simplicity not visible in the following figures.

In accordance with the innovative and salient feature of the invention, the anti-theft means 10 includes a movable laminar shutter 11 contained in the supporting frame 2 to which it is stably coupled and operatively connected to a means of movement, easier to see in figures 7-9 where it is in general indicated with 12, which moves it alternately between a resting position, defined when the movable partition 7 assumes the release position, in which the laminar shutter 11 is provided according to a plane parallel to the support shelves 5, and an operating position, defined at least immediately before the movable partition 7 assumes the re-entry position, in which the laminar shutter 11 is provided according to a plane orthogonal to the plane identified by the support shelves 5 and obstructs access to the display case 4 through the access opening 8 and the collection compartment 3, preventing any desire for fraudulent removal of products by an ill-intentioned user when the movable partition 7 assumes the retracted position.

The presence of the movable laminar shutter 11, therefore, represents a deterrent to the illegal action of a user who wants to fraudulently withdraw the products and/or goods from one or more of the horizontal support shelves 5 of the display case 4, without paying the related amount, discouraging or at least profoundly complicating the ill intentions.

In particular, the movable laminar shutter 11 describes, preferably, a substantially and essentially semi-rectangular trajectory in its passage from the resting position to the operating position, such that the shorter linear portion of this trajectory is vertical and the longer linear portion is horizontal: in this case, moreover, the vertical section underlies the horizontal section, so that the movable laminar shutter 11 descends at least partially downwards in its movement from the resting position to the operating position, as shown in enlarged detail in figure 6a.

Figures 6 and 7 and also the enlarged detail in figure 6a show that, in a preferred but non-binding manner, the movable laminar shutter 11 is integrally provided according to a horizontal plane when it assumes the resting position and at least partially in a vertical plane when it assumes the operating position (better shown in the same figure 6a) . More precisely, the movable laminar shutter 11 is provided immediately below one of the aforementioned horizontal support shelves 5 of the display case 4 when it assumes the resting position.

This advantageously allows the anti-theft means 10, in particular the movable laminar shutter 11, of the automatic dispenser 1 of the present invention to not in any way obstruct the view of the end user of the products and/or goods stored in the display case 4, facilitating the related possible selection, when the movable partition 7 is in the release position where it closes the access opening 8 of the inner collection compartment 3.

In addition, as can be seen more clearly from figure 7, the movable laminar shutter 11 extends substantially over the entire width L and the entire depth P of the display case 4, substantially in the exact pattern of what occurs for each of the horizontal support shelves 5.

Preferably and appropriately, the movable laminar shutter 11 is coupled to the box-shaped supporting frame 2 by guiding means, generally indicated with 13, which favors controlled and regular sliding during the passage from the resting position to the operating position and vice versa.

More in detail, the guiding means 13 is provided on two

internal side walls

2a, 2b facing each other and opposing the supporting frame 2 itself, separated at the rear by the bottom wall 2e and at the front by the front door 6 as well as adjacent to a fixed longitudinal column 34, placed side by side with the rotatable front door 6 and belonging to the supporting frame 2 and in which the interface commands available to the user (as well as to the operator) previously used and synthetically introduced are applied.

In a preferred but not exclusive manner, the guiding means 13 comprises in this specific case:

- a pair of horizontal shaped

profiles

14, 15 facing each other, provided by a fixing means, not indicated for simplicity, one for each of the

internal side walls

2a, 2b of the supporting frame 2, in which the side edges 11b, 11c are inserted mutually opposite of the movable laminar shutter 11 when it assumes the resting position;

- a pair of vertically shaped

profiles

16, 17 facing each other, provided by a fixing means, not indicated for simplicity, one for each of the

internal side walls

2a, 2b of the supporting frame 2, in which at least in part the side edges 11b, 11c are inserted mutually opposite of the movable laminar shutter 11 when it assumes the operating position.

In practice, the side edges 11b, 11c of the laminar shutter 11 engage in the respective vertical shaped

sections

16, 17 for a length that preferably depends on the height of the edible products and/or durable goods contained in the housing bays 30 of the horizontal support shelf 5 which must be hidden outside and protected when the movable partition 7 assumes the return position and the products and/or goods are in the process of being dispensed and/or returned.

Each of the horizontal shaped

profiles

14, 15 or vertical shaped

profiles

16, 17 has in cross-section an open profile, substantially C-shaped, whose opening faces the internal volume of the supporting frame 2 and faces each of the side edges 11b, 11c of the laminar shutter 11.

In accordance with what has been previously described with respect to the trajectory described by the laminar shutter 11 in its passage from the resting position to the operating position, it should be noted that, preferably but not binding, the

horizontal sections

14, 15 are provided at a vertical height, calculated starting from an internal base wall 2c of the supporting frame 2, higher than a vertical height at which the upper end 16a, 17a of the

vertical sections

16, 17 is located.

As regards the movement means 12, preferably but not necessarily it is provided below the laminar shutter 11.

More specifically and preferentially, the movement means 12 comprises:

- two mechanical transmission assemblies, each of which is indicated in general with 18, coupled to the lower surface 11a of the laminar shutter 11;

- motorization means, generally indicated with 19, keyed to at least one of the members of the mechanical transmission assemblies 18.

In particular, figures 8 and 9 show that, in this specific case, the motorization means 19 comprises a pair of

electric motors

20, 21, each of which is keyed to a first mechanical transmission member 22, 23 (such as a toothed wheel) through which the related

electric motor

20, 21 is connected to a respective second mechanical transmission member 24, 25 (such as a chain) coupled to the lower surface 11a of the laminar shutter 11 and that cooperates with a third

opposing transmission member

26, 27 and is aligned with the first transmission member 22, 23 (such as another toothed wheel) along a horizontal direction Z orthogonal to the vertical direction Y and that coincides with the development direction at a depth P of the laminar shutter 11.

More specifically, the first

mechanical transmission member

22, 23 is provided near the rear edge 11d of the laminar shutter 11 while the third

mechanical transmission member

26, 27 is provided at the front edge 11d of the laminar shutter 11.

Substantially, therefore, in this option for execution of the invention, the first mechanical transmission member 22, the second mechanical transmission member 24 and the third mechanical transmission member 26 form a mechanical transmission assembly 18 which identifies a horizontal direction Z parallel to the horizontal direction identified by another mechanical transmission assembly 18 provided by the first mechanical transmission member 23, the second mechanical transmission member 25 and the third mechanical transmission member 27.

The provision of two mechanical transmission assemblies 19 on the lower surface 11a of the laminar shutter 11 advantageously allows for obtaining support and balanced movement of the latter.

This, however does not exclude that in other construction solutions of the automatic dispenser of the invention, not represented in the attached tables, the means of movement comprises a number of mechanical transmission assemblies different from two, this number being variable according to the construction choices starting from one.

In other embodiments of the invention which are not illustrated, the motorization means may also include a number of electric motors different from two, the number of electric motors being variable according to requirements starting from one and this is independent of the number of mechanical transmission assemblies installed. (Think of the possibility of moving a pair of mechanical transmission assemblies by means of a single electric motor by providing transmission means) . According to the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein, the display case 4 also comprises, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, an additional support shelf 51 suitable for receiving edible products and/or durable goods to be delivered to the user, provided at the internal collection compartment 3 and, when the movable partition 7 assumes the aforementioned return position, inaccessible to the user due to the interposition of the laminar shutter 11 between it and the access opening 8.

The presence of the additional support shelf 51 is the direct and advantageous consequence of the installation, in the automatic dispenser 1 of the invention, of the anti-theft means 10 of the mobile type, such as the laminar shutter 11, and determines the possibility of positioning a greater number of edible products and/or goods in the display case 4 with respect to the known art, ensuring simultaneously adequate security conditions against improper actions by users who intend to fraudulently remove products and/or goods from the automatic dispenser 1.

More in detail, the additional support shelf 51 is stably and removably coupled to the two

internal side walls

2a, 2b facing each other and opposing the supporting frame 2 via fixing means, generally numbered with 28 and of the type known to the person skilled in the art, being suitably the same as those with which the support shelves 5 are fixed to the same

internal side walls

2a, 2b.

With particular reference to the delivery means 9, it comprises, purely preferred, a lift 29 of a known type, that slides vertically and horizontally on three axes, with respect to the supporting frame 2 and to the display case 4 from which it receives the edible products and/or durable goods that can be consumed or used by the end user to convey them to the internal collection compartment 3, or to which it delivers the products and/or durable goods that the user himself returns, after having leased them hopefully without damaging them, placing them in the internal collection compartment 3.

The lift 29 is made to slide via motorization means, in general numbered with 35, contained in the box-shaped supporting frame 2 and, using a loading platform 36 identified in that it provides a tray (not visible) housed in the display case 4 which supports the edible product and/or the durable goods selected, making it directly available to the user adjacent to the internal collection compartment 3 and the related access opening 8.

Under the operational profile, the automatic dispenser 1 of the present invention has a general operation substantially equivalent to that of the automatic dispensers of the prior art, with the only notable and relevant exception represented by the movable laminar shutter 11 which, according to what has already been described above, represents the innovative technical core of the invention itself: when action is exerted on it by the movement means 12, the laminar shutter 11 assumes the resting position and the operating position according to the position of the movable partition 7.

In particular, the movement means 12 initially positions the movable laminar shutter 11 in the resting position, when the movable partition 7 assumes the release position stably, so that the user can also view and have available the edible products and/or durable goods from the additional support shelf 51.

Once the selection has been made by the operator, the moving means 12 brings the laminar shutter 11 to the operating position, defined immediately before the movable partition 7 assumes, in this case automatically, the re-entry position: in this position, the laminar shutter 11 is provided at least in part according to a plane orthogonal to the plane identified by each of the support shelves 5 and obstructs access to the display case 4 through the access opening 8, in particular access to the additional supporting shelf 51 behind the movable laminar shutter 11.

According to the description just provided, it is therefore understood that the automatic dispenser (or automatic vending machine) for durable goods (or objects or items) and/or edible products of the present invention achieves the aims and realizes the advantages mentioned above.

In addition to providing a better delivery method than other automatic dispenser solutions already on the market, the automatic dispenser of the present invention also guarantees a process of delivery of superior efficacy and reliability, which, avoiding manipulation of and/or turning over the selected article, make it possible to provide users with even the most fragile and delicate products and/or goods (such as tablets, mobile phones, smartphones, glass products and more) .

Moreover and in combination with the latter, in the machine of the invention the anti-theft means is constructed and allows a simpler installation with respect to those found in equivalent automatic dispensers of the known type, mainly thanks to the fact that they are directly coupled to a more solid and extended structure such as the substantially box-like supporting frame.

In the execution phase, modifications may be made to the automatic dispenser (or automatic vending machine) for durable goods and/or edible products of the invention, consisting, for example, of dispensing means different from that previously briefly described and illustrated in the tables of the attached drawing.

In addition to this, there may be other embodiments of the automatic dispenser (or automatic vending machine) of durable goods and/or edible products of the present invention, not illustrated below, in which the means for actuating the movable partition may be manual and started, therefore by the hand of the end user.

Moreover, in further solutions for construction of the automatic dispenser (or automatic vending machine) of durable goods and/or edible products claimed herein exclusively, unaccompanied in the following by reference figures, the movement means, which cooperates with the laminar shutter to place it alternately between the resting position and the operating position, may be different from the previous ones described in detail and visible in the attached figures (for example, a pair of pulleys along which a transmission belt slides due to the action of an electric motor) , which does not affect the advantage provided by the present invention.

Other embodiments of the automatic dispenser (or automatic vending machine) of durable goods and/or edible products of the invention, still not shown, may provide for the display case to be composed of a number of horizontal support shelves different from those visible in the attached figures, since this number can vary according to the construction choices and/or the usage requirements starting from two.

In addition, in further construction variants for the automatic dispenser of the invention, not shown in the attached drawings, the anti-theft means may comprise a number of movable laminar shutters greater than one, always contained in the supporting frame to which they are coupled and operatively connected to the movement means which moves it alternately between a resting position, defined when the movable partition assumes the release position, in which each laminar shutter is provided according to a plane parallel to the supporting shelves of the display case, and an operating position, defined at least immediately before the movable partition assumes the re-entry position, in which each laminar shutter is provided at least in part according to a plane orthogonal to the plane identified by the support shelves and obstructs access to the display case through the access opening when the movable partition resumes the re-entry position.

In this case, the movable laminar shutters can be provided, one according to a plane parallel to that of the other, adjacent to the same supporting shelf of the display case and/or the support surfaces which are distinct from each other, distributed along the vertical direction of development of this display case (for example the support surface directly above and/or below the access opening) of the internal collection compartment.

Furthermore, the automatic dispenser of the invention may comprise, as alternative and optional embodiments, at least one auxiliary movable laminar shutter, not properly an anti-theft function, coupled to the supporting frame adjacent to a support plane of any display case (being established at will in production, depending on the construction choices) and suitable for assuming the operating position even when the movable partition, actuated by automatic means, assumes the release position in which, as seen, closes the access opening of the collection compartment located in the box-shaped supporting frame.

The presence of the at least one auxiliary movable laminar shutter is particularly recommended and suitable when the automatic dispenser of the invention provides for the supply of products prohibited to minors and intended for adults only, as it also allows the auxiliary movable laminar shutter to be positioned automatically, by means of the movement means, in the resting position only when the user inserts a personal identity document in a special slot provided in the load-bearing frame –like a card –which certifies the age of majority, before the user makes his selection and before the automatic means is implemented, following the selection made by the user, arranges the movable partition in the return position.

Finally, it is clear that numerous other variants can be applied to the automatic dispenser in question, without departing from the novelty principles inherent in the inventive idea, as it is clear that, in the practical implementation of the invention, the materials, the shapes and the dimensions of the illustrated details may be any according to requirements and may be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

Where the construction characteristics and the techniques mentioned in the subsequent claims are followed by reference signs or numbers, these reference signs have been introduced with the sole aim of increasing the intelligibility of the claims themselves and, consequently, they do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified, purely as an example, from these reference signs.

Claims

An automatic dispenser (1) for edible products and/or durable goods that includes:

- a supporting frame (2) substantially box-shaped designed to push forward on a reference surface and having an internal collection compartment (3) ;

- a display case (4) contained in said supporting frame (2) and formed by a plurality of support shelves (5) parallel to one another, arranged at different heights from each other along a vertical direction (Y) and adapted to accommodate products and/or goods to be distributed to a user;

- an at least partially transparent front door (6) , rotatably coupled to said supporting frame (2) to allow an operator to move it to open/close said supporting frame (2) ;

- a movable partition (7) coupled to said front door (6) and cooperating with actuation means able to move it between a release position, in which said movable partition (7) closes an access opening (8) of said collection compartment (3) , and a re-entry position in which said movable partition (7) opens said access opening (8) for dispensing and/or returning said products and/or goods;

- delivery means (9) cooperating with said display case (4) to direct said products and/or goods selected by said user to said collection compartment (3) and/or to return them to said display case (4) said products and/or goods returned by said user through said access opening (8) ;

- anti-theft means (10) , provided in said collection compartment (3) and facing said access opening (8) of said collection compartment (3) , in such a way as to prevent said user from accessing said display case (4) when said movable partition (7) assumes said return position and said products and/or goods are in the process of being dispensed and/or returned,

characterized in that said anti-theft means (10) includes at least one movable laminar shutter (11) contained in said supporting frame (2) to which it is coupled and operatively connected to movement means (12) which moves it alternately between a rest position, defined when said movable partition (7) assumes said release position, in which said laminar shutter (11) is provided according to a plane parallel to said support shelves (5) , and an operating position, defined at least immediately before said movable partition (7) assumes said re-entry position, in which said laminar shutter (11) is provided at least partly along a plane orthogonal to the plane identified by said support shelves (5) and obstructs access to said display case (4) through said access opening (8) when said movable partition (7) assumes said re-entry position.
An automatic dispenser (1) according to claim 1) , characterized in that said laminar shutter (11) describes a substantially semi-rectangular trajectory in its passage from said resting position to said operating position, such that the shorter linear portion of said trajectory is vertical and the longer linear portion is horizontal.
An automatic dispenser (1) according to claim 1) or 2) , characterized in that said laminar shutter (11) is integrally provided according to a horizontal plane when it assumes said resting position and at least partially according to a vertical plane when it assumes said operating position.
An automatic dispenser (1) as in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said laminar shutter (11) is provided immediately below one of said support shelves (5) of said display case (4) when it assumes said resting position.
An automatic dispenser (1) as in any of the previous claims, characterized in that said laminar shutter (11) develops substantially for the entire width (L) and the entire depth (P) of said display case (4) .
An automatic dispenser (1) as in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said movable laminar shutter (11) is coupled to said supporting frame (2) by means of a guiding means (13) which favors its controlled and regular sliding from said rest position to said operating position and vice versa.
An automatic dispenser (1) as in claim 6) , characterized in that said guiding means (13) is provided on two internal side walls (2a, 2b) facing each other and opposite of said supporting frame (2) .
An automatic dispenser (1) as in claim 6) or 7) , characterized in that said guiding means (13) comprises:

- a pair of horizontally shaped profiles (14, 15) , one provided for each of said internal side walls (2a, 2b) of said supporting frame (2) , in which the side edges (11b, 11c) are inserted opposite each other of said laminar shutter (11) when it assumes said resting position;

- a pair of vertically shaped profiles (16, 17) , provided one for each of said internal side walls (2a, 2b) of said supporting frame (2) , in which said side edges (11b, 11c) are at least partly inserted mutually opposite of said laminar shutter (11) when it assumes said operating position.
An automatic dispenser (1) as in claim 8) , characterized in that each of said horizontal (14, 15) or vertical (16, 17) sections has an open profile facing the internal volume of said supporting frame (2) and facing each of said side edges (11b, 11c) of said laminar shutter (11) .
An automatic dispenser (1) as in claim 8) or 9) , characterized in that said horizontal sections (14, 15) are arranged at a vertical height from an inner base wall (2c) of said upper supporting frame (2) higher than a vertical height at which said vertical sections (16, 17) are provided.
An automatic dispenser (1) as in any of the previous claims, characterized in that said moving means (12) is provided below said laminar shutter (11) .
An automatic dispenser (1) as in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said movement means (12) comprises:

- at least one mechanical transmission assembly (18) coupled to the lower surface (11a) of said laminar shutter (11) ;

- a motorization means (19) keyed to at least one of the members of said mechanical transmission assembly (18) .
An automatic dispenser (1) as in claim 12, characterized in that said motorization means (19) comprises at least one electric motor (20, 21) keyed to a first mechanical transmission member (22, 23) through which said electric motor (20, 21) is connected to a second mechanical transmission member (24, 25) coupled to said lower surface (11a) of said laminar shutter (11) and cooperating with a third transmission member (26, 27) opposite and aligned with said first transmission member (22, 23) along a horizontal direction (Z) orthogonal to said vertical direction (Y) and coinciding with the development direction at a depth (P) of said laminar shutter (11) .
An automatic dispenser (1) as in any of the previous claims, characterized in that said display case (4) comprises an additional support shelf (51) adapted to receive said products to be dispensed to said user, provided at said inner collection compartment (3) and, when said movable partition (7) assumes said re-entry position, inaccessible to said user due to the interposition of said laminar shutter (11) between said additional support shelf (51) and said access opening (8) .
An automatic dispenser (1) as in claim 14) , characterized in that said additional support shelf (51) is stably and removably coupled to two internal side walls (2a, 2b) facing each other and opposite of said supporting frame (2) by means of a fixing means (28) .