JP7649035B2 - Product samples for vending machines - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a product sample holder for a vending machine that holds product samples to be displayed on the front side of the vending machine.

Traditionally, product samples in vending machines have typically been lit by illuminating the inside of the sample from the bottom or back. Either method provides lighting that makes the product sample stand out clearly, enhancing the product image and stimulating the consumer's desire to purchase.

However, experience has shown that when these product samples fade over time, it can damage the product's image and significantly reduce consumer purchasing power, so it is necessary to keep the product samples fresh.

In recent years, product samples for vending machines have been widely used, in which a sheet-like sample display body with a product image printed on it is held in a curved state by a holder that is removably fixed to a product sample display stage (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Meanwhile, the stage on which the product samples are placed comes in a variety of shapes depending on the product being sold and the vending machine manufacturer. For example, a stage with a sample placement plate located on the top surface and a circular hole for attaching and detaching the sample is used.

A holder compatible with this type of stage has a holder main body that holds the sample display, a disk-shaped bottom receiving part that supports the holder main body, and a short cylindrical engagement tube that protrudes from the underside of the bottom receiving part.

The engaging tube has spring pieces cut out at symmetrical positions on the left and right, and anti-slip projections are provided at the tips of the spring pieces on the outer periphery of the lower end of the engaging tube.

The sample attachment/detachment hole has cutouts formed at symmetrical positions in the circumferential direction. The anti-slip projection passes through this cutout to the underside of the top surface of the stage. In this state, the holder is rotated on the stage, causing the anti-slip projection to move below the underside of the sample mounting plate, preventing the engagement tube from falling out and causing the spring piece to abut against the inner surface of the sample attachment/detachment hole, thereby fixing the holder to the stage.

JP 2014-115941 A

However, in the conventional technology described above, because the holder body has a disk-shaped bottom receiving portion on the underside and a short cylindrical engagement tube portion protruding from its underside, when multiple holders are stored or transported together, the attachment portions interfere with each other, making them bulky and taking up space.

In addition, conventional technology had the problem that it was not possible to attach samples if the sample attachment hole had a different shape, and it was not possible to adapt to the variety of products sold or differences in vending machine manufacturers, etc.

Furthermore, with conventional technology, the holder had to be rotated relative to the stage when being attached or detached, which made the attachment and detachment process time-consuming and reduced the work efficiency when switching between product samples.

In view of these conventional problems, the present invention was made with the aim of providing product samples for vending machines that are easy to attach and detach, do not take up much space, and require less storage and transportation space.

The invention described in claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problems of the related art is characterized in that a product sample for a vending machine comprises a sample display body displaying a product, and a sample holder for removably holding the sample display body on its front side, the sample holder being removably attached to a sample attachment hole formed in a sample installation plate installed on the top surface of a stage installed in a product display section of a vending machine, the sample holder comprises a back substrate for holding the sample display body on its front side, a bottom receiving portion protruding from the lower end of the holder body toward the front side, and a pair of elastic engagement members supported on the back side of the bottom receiving portion,
The elastic engaging member comprises an elastic support piece supported on the rear side of the bottom receiving portion, a movable engaging protrusion protruding from the underside of the movable body supported by the elastic support piece, and an operating member protruding from the upper surface of the movable body, and the movable engaging protrusion is urged by the elastic support piece toward the inner surface of the sample attachment/detachment hole to engage with the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole, and the operating member arranged on the rear side of the rear light collecting hole formed in the rear substrate is brought close to each other, thereby being detached from the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, cutouts for assisting operation are formed on both sides of the rear light collecting hole.

The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 2, the bottom receiving portion has rear abutment portions on both sides that are parallel to the rear surface of the rear substrate, and a bulge portion disposed between the rear abutment portions, and the width of the bulge portion is formed narrower than the maximum width between the two operation-assistance cutout portions.

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 3, it is provided with a fixed engagement protrusion that protrudes from the bottom surface of the bottom receiving portion and engages with the edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole.

The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 4, the fixed engagement protrusion has a contact piece protruding from the underside of the bottom receiving portion, an insertion piece extending forward from the lower end of the contact piece and inserted into the underside of the stage sample installation plate, and a guide piece extending downward from the front edge of the insertion piece.

The product sample for vending machines according to the present invention has the configuration of claim 1, and can be adapted to a variety of stages with different shapes, and can be easily attached and detached to the various stages with a single touch.

In addition, by providing the configuration of claim 2 in the present invention, the fingers that operate the operating member arranged on the rear side of the holder body can be conveniently inserted.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration of claim 3, the holder bodies can be stacked without leaving gaps when stacking samples, allowing for compact storage and transportation.

In addition, by providing the configurations of claims 4 and 5 in the present invention, the sample holder can be stably fixed to the sample attachment/detachment hole.

1 is a front view showing a state in which a product sample for a vending machine according to the present invention is attached to a stage. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which the above-mentioned vending machine product sample is attached to a stage. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the sample holder in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 1A is a longitudinal sectional view showing the above sample holders stacked together, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line A-A of the same. 10A and 10B are bottom views showing a procedure for attaching the sample holder to the stage, in which FIG. 10A shows the state during the attachment work, and FIG. FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the sample holder is being removed from the stage.

Next, an embodiment of a product sample for a vending machine according to the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 11. In the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a product sample for a vending machine (hereinafter referred to as a product sample), and reference numeral 2 denotes a stage on which the product sample 1 is placed.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the stage 2 has a flat sample mounting plate 3 arranged horizontally on the top surface, and a light source 4 such as an LED lamp is installed inside.

The sample installation plate 3 of the stage 2 has a plurality of circular sample attachment/detachment holes 5 formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and the product sample 1 is attached and detached to each sample attachment/detachment hole 5, and the product sample 1 is illuminated by the light source 4 through the sample attachment/detachment hole 5.

The sample attachment/detachment hole 5 is formed, for example, in a circular shape, and a pair of attachment/detachment notches 5a, 5a are provided on its inner edge at symmetrical positions 180 degrees apart, offset from each other by a predetermined angle in the circumferential direction with respect to a center line (diameter line) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sample installation plate 3.

The sample attachment/detachment hole 5 also has a pair of engagement recesses 5b, 5b formed on its inner edge at symmetrical positions 180 degrees apart on a center line (diameter line) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sample installation plate 3.

The product sample 1 comprises a film-like sample display body 6 on which an image of the product is printed, and a sample holder 7 that holds the sample display body 6. The product is displayed three-dimensionally by holding the sample display body 6 in a curved state in the sample holder 7.

As shown in Figures 3 to 8, the sample holder 7 is integrally formed from an elastic synthetic resin material or the like, and comprises a holder body 8 that holds a film-like sample display body 6 on its front surface, a bottom receiving portion 9 that protrudes from the lower end of the holder body 8 toward the front surface, fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 that protrude from the bottom surface of the bottom receiving portion 9, and a pair of elastic engagement members 11, 11 supported on the back surface of the bottom receiving portion 9, and can be detachably fixed to the sample installation plate 3 on the top surface of the stage 2.

The holder body 8 comprises a rectangular rear substrate 12 and a pair of holding pieces 13, 13 that protrude diagonally inward from the side edges of the rear substrate 12, and is designed to hold the film-like sample display body 6 by inserting both side edges of the sample display body 6 into the back side of the holding pieces 13, 13 while bending the sample display body 6 toward the front side of the rear substrate 12.

The rear substrate 12 is formed as a rectangular plate that is long in the vertical direction, and rear light-gathering holes 14, 15 are formed at intervals above and below the center for collecting light.

The rear light collecting holes 14 and 15 are each formed as a rectangular hole, and are designed to illuminate the sample display body 6 through the lighting on the rear side.

In addition, the lower rear light collecting hole 15 has operation-assisting cutouts 15a, 15a formed on both sides that communicate with the rear light collecting hole 15, and space is provided on both sides of the rear light collecting hole 15 for inserting fingers 16, 16.

The shape of the operation-assistance cutouts 15a, 15a is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the lower portion is formed in an arc shape so as not to impede the insertion of the fingers 16, 16.

The rear substrate 12 is formed to a height that matches the height of the sample display 6 that displays the shortest product among the corresponding products, for example, the height of a so-called short can weighing 185 g, and is shorter than the height of the sample display 6 that displays taller products, such as 350 ml cans and 500 ml PET bottles.

The bottom receiving portion 9 has a pair of rear contact portions 17, 17 arranged on the front of both sides, and a bulge portion 18 arranged between the rear contact portions 17, 17, and is an arc-shaped plate that protrudes forward from the lower end of the rear substrate 12, with a semicircular light transmission hole 19 opened in the center.

The rear contact portions 17, 17 are formed with a notch in the front portion on the inside from the tip edge of the holding pieces 13, 13, and the notched front surface is oriented parallel to the rear surface of the rear substrate 12.

The bulge 18 is formed in an arc-shaped plate that bulges forward, and its width is narrower than the maximum width between the two operation-assistance cutouts 15a, 15a. As shown in FIG. 9, when the sample holders 7 are stacked, the bulge 18 is inserted between the two operation-assistance cutouts 15a, 15a, and the rear contact portions 17, 17 come into contact with the rear surface of the rear substrate 12, allowing the sample holders 7 to be stacked without any gaps.

The bottom receiving portion 9 is formed so that its width is wider than the diameter of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5 and its overhang width is smaller than the radius of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, thereby minimizing the front-to-rear width of the sample holder 7 and allowing both sides to be supported by the sample installation plate 3.

In addition, the protruding width of the bottom receiving portion 9 is formed smaller than the radius of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, so that a portion of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5 in front of the product sample 1 is exposed, and light that passes through the sample attachment/detachment hole 5 illuminates the sample display body 6 from the back side through the light transmission hole 19, and the exposed front side can also illuminate the sample display body 6 from the front.

The fixed engagement projections 10, 10 are arranged at intervals from each other in the horizontal direction on the front part of the bottom receiving part 9, and each has a contact piece 20 protruding from the underside, an insertion piece 21 extending forward from the lower end of the contact piece 20, and a guide piece 22 extending downward from the front edge of the insertion piece 21, and are inserted while being guided by the guide piece 22 to the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5.

The abutment piece 20 is formed in an arc-shaped protrusion with the same radius of curvature as the radius of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, and is positioned along the light-transmitting hole 19 at a predetermined distance from the front edge of the bottom receiving portion 9, so as to fit into the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5.

The insertion piece 21 is formed to a length such that its front end does not extend beyond the front edge of the bottom receiving portion 9, and its front end edge forms an arc shape with the same radius of curvature as the radius of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, so that it is inserted under the sample installation plate 3 of the stage 2.

The guide piece 22 is formed in an arc-shaped plate shape along the front edge of the insertion piece 21, and its surface is designed to abut against the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5.

Each elastic engagement member 11, 11 has an elastic support piece 23 supported on the back side of the bottom receiving portion 9, a movable engagement protrusion 25 protruding from the underside of a movable body 24 supported by the elastic support piece 23, and an operating member 26 protruding from the upper surface of the movable body 24, and the operating member 26 is disposed on the back side of the lower rear light collecting hole 15, so that the operating member 26 can be operated through the rear light collecting hole 15.

The elastic support piece 23 is formed as an arc-shaped cantilever spring with one end supported by the inner edge of the light-transmitting hole 19 formed in the bottom receiving part 9, protruding from the rear side of the bottom receiving part 9, and the plate-shaped movable body 24 is supported at the other end.

The elastic support piece 23 is formed in an arc shape with a radius of curvature smaller than the radius of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, and is arranged with its radial direction facing horizontally so that it can swing laterally.

The movable body 24 is formed in a horizontally long plate shape, with an operating member 26 protruding from the top surface of the inner end and a movable engagement protrusion 25 protruding from the bottom surface of the outer end.

The movable engagement protrusion 25 comprises a protruding portion 25a protruding from the underside of the movable body 24, an engagement protrusion 25b protruding from the outer surface of the protruding portion 25a, and a hook portion 25c supported on the underside of the protruding portion 25a, and is positioned a predetermined distance inward from the end of the movable body 24.

The protrusions 25a are arranged so that the outer surface is formed in an arc shape with a radius of curvature similar to the radius of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, the maximum distance between the outer surfaces of the two protrusions 25a, 25a is the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, and are biased by the elastic support piece 23 to be pressed against the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5.

The hook portion 25c is formed in a hook shape with the end face of the protrusion portion 25a as its base, an engagement groove 27 formed between it and the underside of the movable body 24, and an inclined surface formed on the outside.

The engaging protrusion 25b is formed in an arc-shaped convex shape and is provided on the outer surface of the protruding portion 25a so as to protrude into the engaging groove 27 of the hook portion.

The protruding portion 25a of this movable engagement protrusion 25 is biased by the elastic support piece 23 and pressed against the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, the engagement protrusion 25b fits into the engagement recess 5b, the movable body 24 is placed on the upper side of the sample installation plate 3, and the hook portion 25c engages with the back side of the sample installation plate 3.

The operating member 26 is formed in a plate shape and protrudes from the upper surface of the movable body 24 with its surface facing horizontally.

The two operating members 26 are brought close to each other by pinching them with two fingers 16, 16 through the rear light collecting hole 15, and the elastic support piece 23 is deflected via the movable body 24, causing the movable engagement protrusion 25 to detach from the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5.

The sample display 6 is made of a rectangular, elastic, transparent and light-transmitting synthetic resin film material, and an image of the product in its expanded form is printed on the surface of the synthetic resin film material, showing the outer shape of the cylindrical product in its expanded form, and is curved to display the product in a state close to the actual product.

The sample display body 6 is formed so that its width is shorter than half the circumference of the product and slightly longer than the diameter of the actual product, so that its width is the diameter of the actual product and it is curved with a radius of curvature larger than the circumferential radius.

To attach this product sample 1 to the stage 2, first, as shown in FIG. 10(a), face the product sample 1 to the front in relation to the stage 2, shift the sample holder 7 slightly backward relative to the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, and then insert the fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 and the movable engagement protrusion 25 into the sample attachment/detachment hole 5 while guiding the guide pieces 22 of the fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 to the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5.

At that time, the inclined surface of the hook portion 25c of the movable engagement protrusion 25 is pressed against the inner surface of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, and the movable engagement protrusion 25 is pushed inward against the biasing force of the elastic support piece 23, and is inserted until the bottom surface of the movable body 24 abuts against the surface of the sample installation plate 3.

When the fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 and the movable engagement protrusion 25 are inserted into the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, the elastic support piece 23 elastically returns and urges both movable engagement protrusions 25, 25 outward, which causes the entire sample holder 7 to be pushed forward, and as shown in FIG. 10(b), the insertion pieces 21 of the fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 are inserted into the underside of the sample installation plate 3, the abutment piece 20 abuts against the front inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, and the engagement protrusions 5b of the movable engagement protrusions 25 fit into the engagement recesses 5b, 5b of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5, and the sample holder 7 is fixed to the stage 2.

Finally, the sample display body 6 is held in a curved state on the front side of the holder body 8, completing the installation of the product sample 1.

On the other hand, to remove the product sample 1, first remove the sample display body 6 from the holder body 8, and expose the operating members 26 of both elastic engagement members 11, 11 through the rear light collecting hole 15.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the fingers 16, 16 are inserted through the rear light hole 15 having the operation-assistance cutouts 15a, 15a and the operation member 26 is pushed toward the back while being pinched in a direction toward each other, the movable engagement protrusions 25, 25 will come off the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole 5 against the biasing force of the elastic support piece 23, resulting in the same state as in FIG. (a). In this state, the fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 and the movable engagement protrusion 25 can be pulled upward from the sample attachment/detachment hole 5 to remove the sample holder 7 from the sample attachment/detachment hole 5.

In the above embodiment, the case of mounting to a standard stage has been described, but the movable engagement protrusions 25, 25 are pressed against the inner edge or inner side surface of the sample attachment/detachment hole by the biasing force of the elastic engagement members 11, 11, so it can accommodate holes of various shapes.

1. Product samples for vending machines (product samples)
2 Stage 3 Sample installation plate 4 Light source 5 Sample attachment/detachment hole 6 Sample display body 7 Sample holder 8 Holder body 9 Bottom receiving portion 10 Fixed engagement protrusion 11 Elastic engagement member 12 Rear substrate 13 Holding piece 14 Rear light collecting hole 15 Rear light collecting hole 16 Finger 17 Rear contact portion 18 Bulging portion 19 Light transmission hole 20 Contact piece 21 Insertion piece 22 Guide piece 23 Elastic support piece 24 Movable body 25 Movable engagement protrusion 26 Operation member 27 Engagement groove

Claims (5)

A product sample for a vending machine includes a sample display body displaying a product, and a sample holder for removably holding the sample display body on the front side, the sample holder being removably attached to a sample attachment hole formed in a sample installation plate installed on the top surface of a stage installed in a product display section of the vending machine,
The sample holder includes a rear substrate that holds the sample display body on a front side thereof, a bottom receiving portion that protrudes from a lower end of the holder body to the front side thereof, and a pair of elastic engagement members that are supported on the rear side of the bottom receiving portion;
The elastic engagement member includes an elastic support piece supported on the back side of the bottom receiving portion, a movable engagement protrusion protruding from the lower surface of a movable body supported by the elastic support piece, and an operating member protruding from the upper surface of the movable body,
A product sample for a vending machine, characterized in that the movable engagement protrusion is urged by the elastic support piece toward the inner surface of the sample attachment/detachment hole to engage with the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole, and the operating members arranged on the rear side of the rear light collecting hole formed in the rear substrate are brought close to each other to detach from the inner edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole. The product sample for a vending machine according to claim 1, in which operation-assistance cutouts are formed on both sides of the rear light-gathering hole. The vending machine product sample according to claim 2, wherein the bottom receiving portion has back contact portions on both sides parallel to the back surface of the back substrate, and a bulge portion disposed between the back contact portions, and the width of the bulge portion is formed narrower than the maximum width between the two operation assistance cutout portions. A vending machine sample according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is provided with a fixed engagement protrusion that protrudes from the bottom surface of the bottom receiving portion and engages with the edge of the sample attachment/detachment hole. The vending machine sample according to claim 4, wherein the fixed engagement protrusion comprises a contact piece protruding from the underside of the bottom receiving portion, an insertion piece extending forward from the lower end of the contact piece and inserted into the underside of the stage sample installation plate, and a guide piece extending downward from the front edge of the insertion piece.

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