JP7706212B2 - Goods supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an item supply device.

There is a conventional article supplying device that supplies capsule toys, in which articles are stored in spherical or nearly spherical capsules, from the front side of the device. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vending machine (article supplying device) that has a drum with multiple article holding holes for holding articles, and that rotates the drum by operating a handle after a coin is inserted to dispense the articles, in which rack teeth are formed on the periphery of the bottom surface of the drum, a recess is formed in a partition plate that defines the product storage space for the drum to be placed on, a gear connected to the handle is exposed at the bottom of the recess, the drum is detachably placed in the recess, and the rack teeth and gear mesh when the drum is placed on the drum.

JP 2006-178612 A

Patent Document 1 describes the structure of an article supply device that improves maintenance. However, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the same appearance as a conventional device, and is not an attractive device in terms of appearance.

The present invention aims to provide an item supply device that can increase the interest of users.

An item supplying device according to one aspect of the present invention is an item supplying device that includes a main body, a storage section that can be attached to the main body and can store items, and at least a portion of the front and side sections is made of a light-transmitting material, a supply section that can supply the items stored in the storage section, and an operation section that can be operated to supply the items stored in the storage section, and the storage section is configured to be able to be fitted with a covering section that covers the front and side sections from the inside.

The present invention provides an item supply device that can increase the interest of users.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an article supplying device according to one embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. 2 is a perspective view showing the article supply device shown in FIG. 1 with a storage unit removed. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a supply unit provided on the bottom surface of the storage unit. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a mounting form of the covering portion.

Hereinafter, an article supplying device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an article supplying device 1, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the article supplying device 1 taken along line AA in FIG.

The general configuration of the article supplying device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
1 and 2, the article supply device 1 includes a main body 2 which is a box-shaped housing, a storage section 10 capable of storing a plurality of capsule toys P1 as articles to be supplied in a random arrangement, a supply section 30 capable of randomly selecting and supplying the capsule toys P1 one by one from the storage section 10, a lock section (not shown) which locks the operation of the supply section 30, an operation section 4 which can be operated to operate the supply section 30 by unlocking the lock section on the condition that a price inserted from a coin insertion slot 5 is paid, and a passage section 9a which rolls and passes the capsule toy P1 from the storage section 10 to the supply slot 9. In addition to the operation section 4, a coin return button 7 and a coin return slot 6 are provided on the front surface 2f of the main body.

The capsule toy P1 is made of synthetic resin, for example, and has a roughly spherical shape that can be divided into two parts, has appropriate rigidity, and is easy to roll. This allows the capsule toy P1 to supply the product in the capsule to the user while avoiding separation or damage when being supplied from the product supply device 1.

Here, the storage unit 10 can be attached to the main body unit 2 from the front side (see FIG. 3). When the storage unit 10 is attached to the main body unit 2, the portion made of the light-transmitting material forms the front and upper sides of the main body unit 2. The light-transmitting material forms part of the front portion 10f and the side portion 10s, and a covering portion 40 on which a pattern (such as a first character C1 or a background Ba) is drawn is provided on the inside of the front portion 10f and part of the side portion 10s, as shown in the figure. Also, the covering portion 40 is positioned so that its back surface can come into contact with the capsule toy P1 stored in the storage unit 10, as shown in FIG. 2.

In addition, the front surface 10f and part of the side surface 10s of the storage unit 10 are made of a light-transmitting material as described above, but the capsule toy P1 inside the storage unit 10 cannot be seen from the outside because a covering portion 40 made of a non-light-transmitting material is provided.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the article supply device 1 shown in FIG. 1 with the storage unit 10 removed.
As shown in Fig. 3, the main body 2 is surrounded by an upper end wall 2u, left and right side walls 2s, and a rear wall 2r, and has an opening 3 that is open toward the front side. Therefore, the storage section 10 is configured to be able to be inserted and pulled out in the front-rear direction with respect to the main body 2. A passage 9a for supplying the capsule toy P1 to the supply port 9 is provided at the bottom 2d of the opening 3, and a gear train 4b consisting of multiple gears that mesh with the rack gear 31g (see Fig. 2) of the turntable 31 of the supply section 30 is provided along the rear wall 2r. An operating shaft 4a that transmits the rotational force of the operating section 4 is connected to this gear train 4b. Although not shown, a locking section that locks the operation of the supply section 30 can be configured to lock, for example, one of the gears in the gear train 4b.

The storage unit 10 has a box shape with an open top and includes a front portion 10f, a rear portion 10a, left and right side portions 10s, and a bottom portion 10b. The bottom portion 10b is provided with a rotatable supply unit 30 (see FIG. 2). When attached to the main body portion 2, the left and right side portions 10s are divided into a portion (front side portion) that constitutes the outer surface of the main body portion 2 and a portion (rear side portion) that does not constitute the outer surface. For example, the rear side portion 10sr of the rear side of the left and right side portions 10s is made of a different material, for example a non-light-transmitting material (colored material), from the front side portion 10sf of the light-transmitting material.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the bottom portion 10b of the storage portion 10. As shown in FIG.
The bottom surface 10b of the storage unit 10 is provided with a supply unit 30 that drops the capsule toys P1 one by one into the passageway 9a. The supply unit 30 has a turntable 31 on the rear side of the bottom surface 10b. The turntable 31 has a plurality of holding holes 31h that hold the capsule toys P1 one by one, and is configured to be rotatable in a clockwise direction when viewed from above. The capsule toys P1 held in the holding holes 31h are supplied to the passageway 9a through a circular communication hole 10bh provided on the left and rear side of the bottom surface 10b.

A central protrusion 32 is provided in the center of the rotating disk 31, and three stirring springs 31a, for example, are provided at the upper end of the central protrusion 32 to properly stir the capsule toy P1. A restricting spring 10i is provided above the communication hole 10bh to separate and restrict the position of the capsule toy P1 that is passing through the communication hole 10bh from the rest.

In addition, an inclined bottom plate 10u that is inclined downward toward the rear is provided above the bottom surface portion 10b on the front side of the storage unit 10, and is designed to guide the capsule toy P1 toward the supply unit 30. In addition, a link mechanism 50 (shown by a dashed line) is provided below the inclined bottom plate 10u (on the bottom surface portion 10b) for driving a plate or the like that notifies the presence or absence of an item, and includes, for example, a detection pin 51a that can detect the presence or absence of a capsule toy P1.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the covering portion 40. As shown in FIG.
5, the covering portion 40 is configured from a single horizontally long sheet having a first surface portion 41 in a central region, second surface portions 42 on the left and right sides, and a curved surface portion 43 between the first surface portion 41 and the second surface portion 42. The covering portion 40 is not particularly limited, but may be configured from a material on which a pattern can be easily printed, such as a resin film or paper. In addition, the covering portion 40 has lower end portions 45 on both left and right ends 44 curved to correspond to the shape of the lower end side of the front side portion 10sf of the accommodating portion 10.

The pattern (first character C1, second character C2, background Ba) formed on the covering portion 40 is formed as a continuous, integrated pattern on the first surface portion 41 and the second surface portion 42. In particular, the position of the curved surface portion 43 can be determined by considering the composition of the pattern between the central first surface portion 41 and the side second surface portion 42, for example, so as to create a three-dimensional effect. For example, the curved surface portion 43 can be positioned as a focal point of perspective that can create a sense of perspective as a composition (see Figures 1 and 6).

The first surface 41 displays product information about the capsule toy P1 stored in the storage unit 10, such as the manufacturer's name 41a, product title 41b, product type display 41c, a matrix-type two-dimensional code 41d and a bar-shaped array code 41e for mobile terminals, and even the price 41g. On the other hand, the second surface 42 does not display any product information about the capsule toy P1 in the storage unit 10. In other words, the exterior design is mainly based on pictures on the side so that the design can be effectively used.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of how the covering portion 40 is attached.
6, the covering part 40 is detachable from the top surface of the storage part 10 when the storage part 10 is pulled out from the main body part 2. As described above, the front surface part 10f and the front side surface part 10sf of the storage part 10 are made of a light-transmitting material, and the patterns (first character C1, second character C2, background Ba) arranged inside the front surface part 10f and the front side surface part 10sf are configured to be clearly visible from the outside.

The covering part 40 is set in the storage part 10 with both left and right end portions of the front part 10f curved so that both ends extend rearward as shown in the figure (so as not to cover the bottom and top of the storage part 10). Then, the front side of the covering part 40 set in the storage part 10 contacts the inner surface of the front part 10f and the front part of the side surface 10sf, and the lower end part 45 contacts the bottom part 10b. In this way, for example, by positioning the lower end part 45 so that it contacts the bottom part 10b, the inclined bottom plate 10u and the link mechanism 50 are covered so that they cannot be seen from the front and sides.

The storage section 10 is provided with a locking section on the front side 10sf that holds the covering section 40. This locking section includes a locking piece 10e on the rear end step section 10d on the rear end side of the front side 10sf, both left and right end edges 10ue and front end edge 10uf of the inclined bottom plate 10u, and a part of the bottom surface section 10b. With the locking section configured in this way, the covering section 40 is locked in a predetermined position with the lower end section 45, both left and right end sections 44, and the back side being positioned.

When the covering 40 is attached, the two ends of the first surface 41 are curved as shown in the figure to avoid creases. This causes a force to act on the covering 40 in a direction that opens both the left and right ends toward the left and right. By utilizing this force in the opening direction, the covering 40 is held pressed against the inner surfaces of the front surface 10f and the front side surface 10sf.

In addition, a plurality of covering parts 40 having a different pattern from that shown in FIG. 6 are prepared. In other words, a plurality of covering parts 40 having patterns that match the type of capsule toy P1 stored in the storage unit 10 are prepared. Therefore, for example, when the capsule toy P1 is replaced with a different type of capsule toy, the covering part 40 is also replaced accordingly.

As described above, in the article supplying device 1 of this embodiment, the storage unit 10 is provided with the covering portion 40 that covers the front portion 10f and the side portion 10s made of a light-transmitting material from the inside, making it possible to hide the articles P inside the storage unit 10. As a result, it is not possible to peek inside from either the front portion 10f or the side portion 10s, and the type of the remaining articles P cannot be seen, so it is possible to have fun imagining what articles P will be coming out (supplied).
In addition, since the front surface 10f and the side surface 10s are covered, it is possible to increase the amount of information transmitted by the covering portion 40. Furthermore, it is possible to produce a large pattern that three-dimensionally relates the front surface 10f and the side surface 10s.

In addition, in the article supplying device 1 of this embodiment, the covering part 40 is attached adjacent to the inner surface of the storage part 10, so that the information (pattern) on the covering part 40 can be positioned so that it is clearly visible. Also, the back surface of the covering part 40 is configured so that it can come into contact with the article P in the storage part 10, so that the volume inside the storage part 10 can be maximized.

In addition, in the article supply device 1 of this embodiment, the inner surface of the storage section 10 has locking sections (rear end step section 10d, locking piece 10e, both left and right end edges 10ue, front end edge 10uf, bottom surface section 10b) that hold the covering section 40, so that the covering section 40 is firmly locked in a predetermined position. The covering section 40 is made of a material that has a certain degree of elasticity and is attached in a curved state without creases. The locking sections lock both left and right end sections 44 and the back side of the covering section 40, so that the front side of the covering section 40 (the side with the pattern) is held in close contact with the front section 10f and side section 10s.

In the present embodiment of the article supply device 1, the storage section 10 has an open top surface, so that the covering section 40 can be easily attached and detached. In addition, the covering section 40 has an engagement structure with the lower end section 45 and both left and right ends 44 of the covering section 40, so that the covering section 40 can be very easily attached and detached by moving it vertically.

In this embodiment of the item supply device 1, the covering portion 40 is made of a single sheet, ensuring continuity of the pattern across the entire sheet.

In addition, in the item supply device 1 of this embodiment, the covering portion 40 is provided in a folded state so as to avoid creases, and the curved surface can express a three-dimensional image of a continuous, integrated pattern. Furthermore, when curved at two points, the left and right, effective three-dimensional images can be produced on both the left and right. Furthermore, the lack of creases can improve the visibility of the pattern.

According to this embodiment of the item supply device 1, the first surface 41 on the front (front face) displays product information about the item P stored in the storage unit 10, making it easy to understand the product information when purchasing the item. On the other hand, the second surfaces 42 on the left and right sides do not display product information about the item P stored in the storage unit 10, enhancing the effect of the three-dimensional image presentation of the image.

Although the above describes the aspects of the present invention, the present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope of its technical concept. For example, in the above aspects, examples of product information are given, but this is not limiting and various displays are possible.

As explained above, this specification discloses the following:

(1)
An article supplying device,
A main body portion,
a storage section that can be attached to the main body and can store an article, and at least a part of a front part and a side part are made of a light-transmitting material;
a supply unit capable of supplying the items contained in the storage unit;
an operating unit operable to supply the article contained in the container;
Equipped with
The storage section is configured to be able to attach a covering section that covers the front section and the side section from the inside, the article supplying device.

(2)
The article supply device according to (1),
An article supplying device, wherein when the storage unit is attached to the main body, a portion made of the light-transmitting member forms an outer surface of the main body.

(3)
The article supply device according to (1) or (2),
An article supplying device, wherein when the storage unit is attached to the main body, a portion of the storage unit that does not form an outer surface of the main body is made of a material different from the light-transmitting material.

(4)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (3),
An item supplying device, wherein the supplying section is capable of randomly supplying the items contained in the storage section.

(5)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (4),
The covering portion is made of a non-light-transmitting material, and when attached to the storage portion, makes the items in the storage portion invisible from the outside. This is an item supplying device.

(6)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (5),
The container is configured so that the covering portion can be attached to its inner surface adjacent thereto.

(7)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (6),
An article supplying device, wherein the covering portion is configured such that, when attached to the storage portion, its back surface can come into contact with the article in the storage portion.

(8)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (7),
The storage section includes a locking section on its inner surface that is capable of locking the covering section.

(9)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (8),
An article supplying device, wherein the covering portion is configured so as not to cover the upper and lower surfaces of the storage portion.

(10)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (9),
The storage section is configured to be removable from the main body section,
The covering portion is configured to be detachable when the storage portion is pulled out from the main body portion.

(11)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (10),
The article supplying device, wherein the covering portion is configured to be attachable to the storage portion so as to be replaceable with another covering portion.

(12)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (11),
The article supplying device, wherein the covering portion is composed of a single sheet.

(13)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (12),
The article supplying device is configured so that the covering portion can be attached to the storage portion in a folded state so as not to leave creases.

(14)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (13),
The covering portion is configured to be attachable to the storage portion in a folded state at two locations.

(15)
An article supplying device according to any one of (1) to (14),
The covering portion includes one first surface portion and two second surfaces,
An item supplying device configured such that when the covering portion is attached to the storage portion, the first surface portion covers the front surface portion of the storage portion from the inside, and the second surface portion covers the side surface portion of the storage portion from the inside.

(16)
The article supply device according to (15),
An article supplying device, wherein the covering portion has a continuous, integrated pattern formed on the first surface portion and the second surface portion.

(17)
The article supply device according to (15) or (16),
The first surface portion carries product information regarding the item stored in the storage portion,
An item supplying device, wherein the second surface portion does not bear any product information regarding the item stored in the storage portion.

1 Item supply device 2 Main body 4 Operation unit 10 Storage unit 10d Rear end step (locking unit)
10e Locking piece (locking portion)
10ue: Left and right end edges of inclined bottom plate (locking portion)
10uf Front edge of inclined bottom plate (locking part)
10f Front section 10s Side section 30 Supply section 40 Covering section 41 First surface section 42 Second surface section Ba Background (picture)
C1 First character (picture)
C2 Second character (picture)
P1 Capsule toys (items)

Claims (13)

An article supplying device,
A main body portion,
a storage section that can be attached to the main body section and can store an article, and at least a part of a front section and a side section is made of a light-transmitting material;
a supply unit capable of supplying the items contained in the storage unit;
an operating unit operable to supply the article contained in the container;
Equipped with
The housing portion is configured so that the covering portion can be attached thereto ,
The covering portion is a single sheet including one first surface portion and two second surface portions, and is configured to be able to be attached to the storage portion in a folded state in two places so as not to create creases, and when attached to the storage portion, the first surface portion is configured to cover the front portion of the storage portion from the inside, and the second surface portion is configured to cover the side portion of the storage portion from the inside . The article supply device according to claim 1,
An article supplying device, wherein when the storage unit is attached to the main body, a portion made of the light-transmitting member forms an outer surface of the main body. The article supply device according to claim 2,
An article supplying device, wherein when the storage unit is attached to the main body unit, a portion of the storage unit that does not form an outer surface of the main body unit is made of a material different from the light-transmitting material. The article supply device according to claim 3,
An item supplying device, wherein the supplying section is capable of randomly supplying the items contained in the storage section. The article supply device according to claim 4,
The covering portion is made of a non-light-transmitting material, and when attached to the storage portion, makes the items in the storage portion invisible from the outside. The article supply device according to claim 5,
The container is configured so that the covering portion can be attached adjacent to the inner surface of the container. 7. The article supplying device according to claim 6,
An article supplying device, wherein the covering portion is configured such that, when attached to the storage portion, its back surface can come into contact with the article in the storage portion. The article supplying device according to claim 7,
The storage section includes a locking section on its inner surface that is capable of locking the covering section. The article supplying device according to claim 8,
An article supplying device, wherein the covering portion is configured so as not to cover the upper and lower surfaces of the storage portion. The article supplying device according to claim 9,
The storage section is configured to be removable from the main body section,
An article supplying device, wherein the covering portion is configured to be detachable when the storage portion is pulled out from the main body portion. The article supplying device according to claim 10,
An article supplying device, wherein the covering portion is configured to be attachable to the storage portion so as to be replaceable with another covering portion. The article supply device according to claim 1 ,
An article supplying device, wherein the covering portion has a continuous, integrated pattern formed on the first surface portion and the second surface portion. The article supplying device according to claim 12 ,
The first surface portion carries product information regarding the item contained in the storage portion,
An item supplying device, wherein the second surface portion does not include any product information regarding the items stored in the storage portion.

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