JP3208316B2 - vending machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a serpentine type vending machine for selling cylindrical products such as cans and bottles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A product storage column having a number of curved guide plates arranged in rows to form a product path has a meandering product path as represented by a serpentine type, and is provided with this type of product storage column. A vending machine having a storage structure shown in FIG. 2 is known. This vending machine 2
In FIG. 1, a product storage 23 for storing a product storage column 22 is provided.
A duct portion 24 extending in the up-down direction is disposed between the rear wall and the product storage column 22. On the other hand, the guide plate 2
The vertical merchandise passages 26 formed by arranging the rows 5 are arranged along the front surface of the duct portion 24.

[0003]

In such a conventional vending machine, a dead space corresponding to the thickness of the duct is provided above the duct between the rear wall of the product storage and the product storage column. That is, a useless space is generated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a vending machine capable of effectively utilizing a dead space in a product storage space generated above a duct portion. That is the purpose.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a serpentine type in which arcuate guide plates are arranged between a pair of left and right column side plates to form a meandering vertical product passage. A product storage column, a product storage for storing the product storage column, and a duct portion provided between the product storage column and the rear wall of the product storage so as to extend in a vertical direction. In the vending machine that has
A guide is provided so as to project into the dead space formed between the product storage column and the rear wall and above the duct.
A metal plate is disposed .

According to the above configuration, the product storage column and the product
A guide plate is provided so that the vertical product passage extends in the dead space between the rear wall of the storage and the duct.
Is arranged , the length of the vertical merchandise passage is increased in this portion, and the number of stored merchandise can be increased. Further, the length of the horizontal product passage (top plate) extending from the product insertion port formed on the front surface of the product storage to the upper opening of the vertical product passage can be lengthened, and the number of products stored on the top plate can be reduced. Can be increased.

In this case, it is preferable that the guide plate projecting into the dead space be a hanging movable plate.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the upper portion of the vertical product passage has a shape that bulges outward, so that when the product storage column is placed on the floor before assembling the vending machine, the vertical product passage is not provided. There is a possibility that the guide plate that creates the protrusion may be pressed against the floor and deformed. Therefore, by making the guide plate of the part protruding outward at the upper part of the vertical product passage a hanging type movable plate, the guide plate can be freely directed into the vertical product passage even when this guide plate hits the floor The guide plate protruding outward does not collide with the floor and is not deformed.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the vending machine according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cutaway side view of a product storage column. As shown in the figure, a product storage column 1 for storing canned beverages, bottled beverages, and the like has a pair of left and right column side plates 2, two product passages 4 arranged side by side back to back. Are arranged in front and back, so that four product passages 4 are provided. Then, in each product passage 4, the same product A
Are stored in the vertical direction.

Each of the commodity passages 4 includes a horizontal commodity passage 4a extending obliquely downward from the commodity insertion port 5, a vertical commodity passage 4b bent downward from the rear end of the horizontal commodity passage 4a, and a vertical commodity passage 4b. The payout passage 4c is connected to the lower end. The horizontal product path 4a is constituted by a top plate 6 that extends obliquely downward from the product input port 5, and the product A that has been input from the product input port 5 in a horizontal and horizontal position is rolled so as to roll the vertical product path 4b. Lead to the top. Vertical goods passage 4
b is formed in a meandering state by a large number of arc-shaped guide plates 7a and 7b opposed vertically in an offset state, and the introduced products A are stacked in a meandering form and stocked.
The payout passage 4c is composed of a product payout mechanism 8 and a regulating plate 9 disposed to face the product payout mechanism 8, and the products A are paid out one by one from this portion.

[0012] The product 1 is turned sideways from the product slot 5 and
The goods A inserted one by one are dropped into the vertical goods passage 4b via the horizontal goods passage 4a, and are sequentially filled into the goods passage 4 from the payout passage 4c. Then, when the product payout mechanism 8 is operated according to the sales command, the products A are sequentially paid out one by one from the payout passage 4c. Although not particularly shown, the regulating plate 9 is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction, so that the payout passage 4c can be switched between the thin can setting and the large can setting in accordance with the can diameter of the product A. .

Further, the product storage column 1 is stored in a product storage 10 made of a heat insulating material, and a cooling device or a heating device (not shown) is arranged below the product storage column 1 in the product storage 10. Have been. A duct portion 11 is arranged between the vertical product passage 4bA in the last product passage 4A and the rear wall 10a of the product storage 10, and the duct 11 extends to an upper portion of the product storage 10, The upper end is an intake port 11a. Further, the duct portion 11
Although not shown, the lower end extends to a cooling device or a heating device to form an exhaust port. Therefore, when circulating cool air in the product storage 10, the cool air is taken in from the intake port 11 a of the duct portion 11 and discharged from the exhaust port (not shown) toward the cooling device, so that the cool air is Can be efficiently circulated. The same applies to warm air. Note that slits are formed in the guide plates 7a and 7b so as not to block the flow of cool air or warm air.

Here, in order to improve the gas circulation efficiency in the product storage 10, the intake port 11a of the duct 11 is
It is appropriately separated from the upper wall 10b of the product storage 10.
As a result, the product storage 1 is located above the intake port 11a.
A dead space 12 corresponding to the thickness of the duct portion 11 is generated between the rear wall 10a and the rearmost vertical product passage 4bA. Therefore, by extending the rearmost vertical product passage 4bA in the dead space 12, the originally straight vertical product passage 4bA becomes oblique, so that the vertical product passage 4bA in this portion becomes longer, and The number of stored A can be increased. Specifically, the vertical product passage 4bA
In the above, two guide plates 7bA corresponding to the dead space 12 are projected to the dead space 12. And the last vertical goods passage 4b from the goods input port 5
Top plate 6A extending to the upper opening of A
Since the length of the (lateral product passage 4a) can be increased, the number of the products A can be increased even on the top plate 6A.

The above-mentioned guide plate 7bA is configured as a hanging movable plate having an upper end pivotally connected to a support shaft 13 bridged between the column side plates 2 and 2. Therefore, when the product storage column 1 is placed on the floor before assembling the vending machine, even when the guide plate 7bA protruding outward hits the floor, the guide plate 7bA can freely move into the vertical product passage 4bA. As it moves, the guide plate 7
bA is not forced by the floor. Therefore, before assembling the vending machine, the product storage column 1 can be properly placed on the floor while being supported by the column side plates 2 and 2.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that all the guide plates 7a and 7b in the product storage column 1 may be suspended movable plates.

[0017]

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present invention, the vertical merchandise passage extends to the dead space formed above the duct, so that the dead merchandise in the merchandise storage can be reduced. It is possible to increase the number of products that can be stored in the product storage column while minimizing the space as much as possible, and this dead space can be effectively used to increase the number of products that can be stored.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cut-away side view of a product storage of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cut-away side view of a product storage of a conventional vending machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Product storage column 2 Column side plate 4 Product passage 4a Horizontal product passage 4b, 4bA Vertical product passage 7a, 7b, 7bA Guide plate 10 Product storage 10a Rear wall 11 Duct part 12 Dead space

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-102192 (JP, A) JP-A-59-184077 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07F 5/00-11/72

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A serpentine type product storage column in which arcuate guide plates are arranged between a pair of left and right column side plates to form a meandering vertical product path, a product storage storing the product storage column, A product is provided between the product storage column and the rear wall of the product storage so as to extend in a vertical direction .
A vertical duct passage, wherein the vertical product passage is formed between the product storage column and the rear wall.
The guide plate is arranged so as to protrude into a dead space formed between and above the duct portion.
Vending machine, characterized in that there. 2. A vending machine according to claim 1, wherein said guide plate projecting into said dead space is a hanging movable plate.