JP7745973B2 - Product storage device and vending machine equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a product storage device that can be installed in vending machines and the like, which stores multiple products and dispenses the stored products.

Patent Document 1 discloses a product storage device for a vending machine, which includes a product storage cabinet, multiple rear columns arranged side by side in the left-right direction in the rear half of the product storage cabinet, and multiple front columns arranged side by side in the left-right direction in the front half of the product storage cabinet. In the product storage device disclosed in Patent Document 1, multiple products are stored vertically in each column, and when a product is sold, the bottommost product stored in each column is dispensed from the bottom end of the column. In this product storage device, the front columns are supported so that they can move left and right within the product storage cabinet, and workers can load (replenish) products into the rear columns by sliding the multiple front columns left and right as appropriate to make the rear column into which the product should be loaded accessible from the front.

JP 2009-169746 A

However, the product storage device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an issue in that the space secured at the front of the product storage cabinet to allow the front column to move left and right is not used for anything other than access to the rear column, resulting in wasted space under normal circumstances. Furthermore, if this wasted space is to be utilized effectively, it is also necessary to ensure that the efficiency of product loading (replenishment) operations is not reduced.

The present invention aims to effectively utilize the space reserved within the storage cabinet for moving the front columns in a product storage device equipped with multiple rear columns arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the rear of the storage cabinet and multiple front columns arranged side by side at the front of the storage cabinet so that they can move left and right, without reducing the efficiency of the product loading operation.

One aspect of the present invention provides a product storage device comprising a storage cabinet with an open front, multiple rear columns arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the rear of the storage cabinet and each storing a product, and multiple front columns arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the front of the storage cabinet and each storing a product. This product storage device also includes a pivoting column that is movable between an internal position, located between one of the left-right side walls of the storage cabinet and the front column, and an external position, and that stores multiple products. In this product storage device, the pivoting column has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above and is configured to move between the internal position and the external position by pivoting about a pivot shaft that extends vertically as a fulcrum, and a door is provided on the portion of the pivoting column facing the front column when in the internal position.

According to the present invention, in the product storage device, a rotating column for storing multiple products can move between an internal position between one of the left and right side walls of the storage cabinet and the front column, and an external position. This allows for an increased number of products to be loaded onto the rotating column compared to conventional systems, and the space between the front column and one of the side walls of the storage cabinet is effectively used as product storage space in addition to providing access to the rear column. The rotating column has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above and is configured to move between the internal and external positions by rotating around a vertically extending pivot point. A door is provided on the portion of the rotating column facing the front column when in the internal position. Therefore, simply by rotating the rotating column approximately 90 degrees from the internal position, the door of the rotating column faces the front of the product storage device. This allows workers working on the product storage device from the front of the device to efficiently load products onto the rotating column from the front of the device in a natural posture. This allows the space reserved within the storage cabinet for front column movement in the product storage device to be used effectively without reducing the efficiency of product loading operations.

1 is a perspective view of a vending machine equipped with a product storage device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a vending machine. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the device body and chute of the product storage device. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an arrangement of columns in the device main body. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the rear column. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of the front column. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a rotating column. 1 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a product storage device. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating an example of a procedure for loading products into a product storage device. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a product storage device according to a reference example.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine equipped with a product storage device according to one embodiment of the present invention. The product storage device according to this embodiment is installed in a vending machine that stores and sells multiple products (e.g., frozen foods).

Referring to FIG. 1, the vending machine 100 comprises a box-shaped, insulated vending machine main body (device main body) 2 with an open front, and an outer door 3A that opens and closes the front of the vending machine main body 2. On the front of the outer door 3A, which serves as the customer service surface, multiple (here, 11) product display plates 4 are arranged in a row, left and right, and top and bottom. Below each product display plate 4 is a product selection button 5 that is primarily operated by customers. Also located on the front of the outer door 3A are a payment processing unit 6 that processes payments (primarily electronic money payments) for products selected with the product selection buttons 5, and a product outlet 7 through which products selected with the product selection buttons 5 are dispensed. The product outlet 7 opens at the bottom of the front of the outer door 3A. The product outlet 7 is always closed by an outlet door 7a that can be opened and closed. The outlet door 7a is primarily opened by customers when they retrieve their purchased products. Although not shown, a coin slot and a money return slot may be provided instead of or in addition to the payment processing unit 6.

Figure 2 shows the internal configuration of the vending machine 100 (vending machine main body 2), with the outer door 3A and the thermally insulated inner door 3B (see Figure 4, described below) removed from Figure 1.

The vending machine main body 2 is formed as a rectangular box-shaped cabinet with an open front. An outer door 3A is attached to the front of this cabinet 2. A product storage device 1 is provided within the cabinet 2. A machine room M is provided below the product storage device 1 within the cabinet 2. Although not shown in Figure 2, the machine room M is equipped with a cooling device and other devices that cool the inside of the product storage device 1.

Next, we will explain the product storage device 1.

The product storage device 1 has a storage cabinet 1a, a device main body 10, and a product chute 50. Figure 3 shows the device main body 10 and the product chute 50.

The storage cabinet 1a has a thermally insulated structure and is shaped like a rectangular box with an open front. As shown in Figure 4, which will be described later, an inner door 3B is provided to open and close the front opening of the storage cabinet 1a. Here, the inner door 3B is rotatably attached to the side wall (left wall) of the cabinet 2, with a vertically extending pivot 31a as the fulcrum. In other words, the inner door 3B is a single-wing door rotatably supported via an inner door hinge 31 (see Figures 2 and 4) having the pivot 31a. However, the inner door 3B is not limited to being attached to the cabinet 2, and may also be rotatably attached to the storage cabinet 1a. The storage cabinet 1a is disposed within the cabinet 2 so as to be located above the machine chamber M. The storage cabinet 1a contains the device main body 10 and a product chute 50, with the product chute 50 located below the device main body 10.

Referring to Figure 3, the device main body 10 has multiple (three in this example) rear columns 10A, multiple (two in this example) front columns 10B, and a rotating column 10C. A plurality of products of the same type (item) are stored vertically inside each of the multiple columns (10A, 10B, 10C). Each column (10A, 10B, 10C) has a vertically long rectangular box shape, in other words, a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above. When a product is sold, the bottommost product is loaded into each column (10A, 10B, 10C) and ejected from the bottom end of the column (10A, 10B, 10C) and dropped.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the arrangement of each column (10A, 10B, 10C) of the device main body 10. Referring to Figure 4, multiple rear columns 10A are arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the rear of the storage cabinet 1a, multiple front columns 10B are arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the front of the storage cabinet 1a (i.e., in front of the multiple rear columns 10A), and the rotating column 10C is arranged in the space at the front of the storage cabinet 1a between a group of front columns consisting of multiple front columns 10B and one of the left-right side walls 1a1 of the storage cabinet 1a (the right side wall 1a1 in the figure). Each column (10A, 10B, 10C) is individually unitized. In this embodiment, a total of six columns are arranged side by side in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions: three rear columns 10A, two front columns 10B, and one rotating column 10C. However, this arrangement is not limited to this, and any number of rear columns 10A and front columns 10B can be set. The configuration of each column (10A, 10B, 10C) will be described later.

The product chute 50 is configured to guide products that are ejected and dropped from the bottom end of each column (10A, 10B, 10C) through a product outlet 32 (shown by a two-dot chain line in Figure 2) formed in the inner door 3B to the product outlet 7 (see Figure 1). The product outlet 32 is located immediately behind the product outlet 7.

Next, we will explain each column (10A, 10B, 10C).

Figure 5 is a front view of the rear column 10A. The rear column 10A is fixed within the storage cabinet 1a. The rear column 10A has a rectangular box-shaped column case 11 with open front and bottom sections, and a door 12 (hereinafter referred to as the first door 12) that opens and closes the front of the column case 11. The first door 12 is located at the front of the rear column 10A and faces the front of the product storage device 1 when closed. The first door 12 consists of a pair of left and right column doors 12L and 12R. The pair of column doors 12L and 12R are rotatably supported on a vertically extending pivot 12a, with the left column door 12L at the left end of the front opening of the column case 11 and the right column door 12R at the right end of the front opening of the column case 11, forming a double-door structure. A handle 12b is attached to each column door 12L and 12R. The left handle 12b is attached to the right edge of the front surface of the left column door 12L, and the right handle 12b is attached to the left edge of the front surface of the right column door 12L.

The pair of column doors 12L, 12R are opened and closed primarily by an operator loading (replenishing) products into the product storage device 1 (column case 11). The operator stands in front of the product storage device 1 (vending machine 100) facing the front of the rear column 10A (in other words, the first door 12 in the closed state), and loads products into the product storage device 1 from the front of the product storage device 1. Furthermore, the surface of the rear column 10A facing the first door 12 is the front of the rear column 10A, and Figure 5 is a view of the rear column 10A as viewed from directly facing the first door 12 (i.e., a front view).

Figure 6 shows the internal configuration of the rear column 10A, with the pair of column doors 12L, 12R removed from Figure 5. A vertically extending partition plate 11a is provided inside the column case 11, dividing the interior of the column case 11 into two product storage compartments, left and right, by the partition plate 11a. Each product storage compartment of the column case 11 is provided with a spiral member 13 that extends helically in the vertical direction. The partition plate 11a is detachable from the column case 11. When loading small items, it is recommended that the partition plate 11a remain attached. When loading large items, the partition plate 11a is removed, and the large items are loaded so that they straddle the two spiral members 13.

A first drive unit 14 that rotates the spiral member 13 is attached to the upper surface of the top plate of the column case 11. The first drive unit 14 is connected to the upper end of the spiral member 13 via a through-hole or the like formed in the top plate of the column case 11. For example, the first drive unit 14 can include a drive motor 14a and a power transmission mechanism 14b that transmits the power of the drive motor 14a to the spiral member 13, and can be configured to rotate the spiral member 13 using the power of the drive motor 14a.

Figure 7 is a front view of the front column 10B. The front column 10B has the same configuration as the rear column 10A, except that it is configured to be movable left and right at the front of the storage cabinet 1a, and is formed with the same external dimensions as the rear column 10A. Components of the front column 10B that are the same as those of the rear column 10A will be described using the same reference numerals as those of the rear column 10A.

Figure 8 shows the internal configuration of the front column 10B, with the pair of column doors 12L, 12R of the front column 10B removed from Figure 7. Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the front column 10B, like the rear column 10A, has a column case 11 whose interior is divided by a partition plate 11a, a first door 12 (a pair of column doors 12L, 12R) provided at the front of the column case 11 (front column 10B), spiral members 13 provided inside each product storage compartment of the column case 11, and a first drive unit 14. When closed, the first door 12 of the front column 10B also faces (is oriented toward) the front of the product storage device 1. Furthermore, the surface of the front column 10B facing the first door 12 is considered to be the front of the front column 10B, and Figure 7 is a view of the front column 10B as viewed from directly facing the first door 12 (i.e., a front view).

For the front column 10B, a roller mounting plate 15a is fixed to the front portion of the upper surface of the top plate of the column case 11. Multiple rollers 15b (two in the figure) are rotatably supported on this roller mounting plate 15a with their rotation axes extending in the front-to-rear direction. Each roller 15b is engaged with a guide rail (not shown) attached to the top plate of the storage cabinet 1a so that they can roll along the guide rail. The front column 10B is suspended from the guide rail via the rollers 15b, and the multiple front columns 10B can individually slide left and right within the storage cabinet 1a as each roller 15b rolls along the guide rail.

Figure 9 is a front view of the pivoting column 10C, showing an example of the state when viewed from the side of the pivoting column 10C on which the second door 17 (described below) is provided. In other words, the side of the pivoting column 10C facing the second door 17 is the front of the pivoting column 10C, and Figure 9 is a view of the pivoting column 10C when facing the second door 17 (i.e., a front view).

The rotating column 10C is rotatably attached to one side wall 1a1 of the storage cabinet 1a (the right side in the figure). The rotating column 10C has a rectangular box-shaped rotating column case 16 with open front and bottom sections, and a door 17 (hereinafter referred to as the second door 17) that opens and closes the front section of the rotating column case 16. The rotation structure of the rotating column 10C and the configuration of the second door 17 will be described later.

Figure 10 shows the internal structure of the rotating column 10C, with the second door 17 removed from Figure 9. A spiral member 18 extending vertically in a spiral shape is provided inside the rotating column case 16.

A second drive unit 19 that rotates the spiral member 18 is attached to the upper surface of the top plate of the rotating column case 16. The second drive unit 19 is connected to the upper end of the spiral member 18 via a through-hole or the like formed in the top plate of the rotating column case 16. For example, the second drive unit 19 can include a drive motor 19a and a power transmission mechanism 19b that transmits the power of the drive motor 19a to the spiral member 18, and can be configured to rotate the spiral member 18 using the power of the drive motor 19a.

As described above, each column (10A, 10B, 10C) stores multiple products of the same type in a vertical arrangement. Specifically, each of the multiple products is loaded (replenished) by being inserted between the windings of the spiral member (13, 18), thereby storing the multiple products in a vertically aligned arrangement in the columns (10A, 10B, 10C).

In each column (10A, 10B, 10C), when the drive device (14, 19) rotates the spiral member (13, 18) once, each of the multiple products held and stored in the column case (11, 16) moves downward by one unit, and the bottommost product is ejected from the bottom end of the column case (11, 16) and falls.

Returning to FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the three rear columns 10A are arranged side by side in close proximity to one another in the left-right direction. The overall left-right width of the rear column group consisting of the three rear columns 10A is set to be slightly narrower than the distance between one side wall 1a1 (the right side wall in the figure) and the other side wall 1a2 (the left side wall in the figure) of the storage cabinet 1a in the left-right direction (in other words, the effective interior width). In other words, the rear half of the space within the storage cabinet 1a is occupied by the three rear columns 10A. In contrast, two front columns 10B of the same dimensions as the rear columns 10A are arranged side by side in the front half of the space within the storage cabinet 1a. Then, for example, by moving the front column group consisting of two front columns 10B as close as possible to the other side wall 1a2, an empty space is secured between the front column group and one side wall 1a1. This secured space is generally the same size as the space occupied by one front column 10B (or rear column 10A).

Next, the rotational configuration of the rotating column 10C will be explained with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 11 (mainly Figure 11). Figure 11 shows the mounting structure of the rotating column 10C to the storage cabinet 1a, and is a partial cross-sectional view of the right side of the product storage device 1.

The rotating column 10C is attached to a portion near the front end of one of the side walls 1a1 in the left-right direction of the storage cabinet 1a so that it can move between an internal position, which is between the side wall 1a1 and the front column 10B, and an external position. In the internal position, the rotating column 10C is completely contained within the space between the front column group consisting of the two front columns 10B and one of the side walls 1a1. In the external position, the majority of the rotating column 10C protrudes outside the internal area of the storage cabinet 1a.

The rotating column 10C has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above, and is configured to move between the internal and external positions by rotating around a vertically extending rotating shaft 20a.

Specifically, the rotating column 10C (rotating column case 16) is hingedly connected to a portion near the front end of one side wall 1a1 by a rotating column hinge 20 having a rotating shaft 20a. The rotating column hinge 20 consists of the rotating shaft 20a, a first hinge plate 20b, and a second hinge plate 20c. The first hinge plate 20b extends vertically and is screwed to a portion near the front end of one side wall 1a1. The second hinge plate 20c is screwed to the rotating column case 16 along target edge E, which is one of four edges (sides) extending vertically within the storage cabinet 1a and is located on the side of one side wall 1a1 of the storage cabinet 1a and on the front side of the storage cabinet 1a, and is rotatably connected to the first hinge plate 20b via the rotating shaft 20a. As a result, the pivot shaft 20a is positioned along the target edge E of the pivot column case 16. As a result, when the pivot column 10C is moved from the in-compartment position to the out-compartment position with the pivot shaft 20a as a fulcrum, space is secured between the pivot column 10C and the rear column 10A behind the pivot column 10C for the front column 10B to enter. When the pivot column 10C is positioned in the out-compartment position, there is no member on one side wall 1a1 that faces the front column 10B to prevent the front column 10B from approaching, so the front column 10B can approach one side wall 1a1.

More specifically, a recess 1a3 is formed in the edge of the front opening of the storage cabinet 1a, allowing part of the back side of the inner door 3B to fit within. The first hinge plate 20b of the rotating column hinge 20 is fixed near the recess 1a3 on the inner surface of one of the side walls 1a1, and the second hinge plate 20c is fixed to the edge of one of the side walls 1a1 on the outer surface of the front wall 16a, which is the wall facing the inner door 3B in the rotating column case 16 located inside the cabinet.

Although not shown, a seal member is provided around the entire periphery of the recess 1a3 of the storage cabinet 1a, and a seal member mounting plate for fixing the seal member to the storage cabinet 1a is screwed to one of the side walls 1a1 together with the first hinge plate 20b. In other words, the screw holes for screwing the first hinge plate 20b to one of the side walls 1a1 also serve as screw holes for screwing the seal member mounting plate (not shown) to one of the side walls 1a1. Therefore, the rotating column 10C can be easily attached and detached to the storage cabinet 1a. If the rotating column 10C is not required, a product storage device without the rotating column 10C can be constructed by simply attaching only the seal member mounting plate to the storage cabinet 1a using the screw holes.

The front wall 16a of the rotating column 10C extends generally in the left-right direction when in the internal position, and generally in the front-to-rear direction when in the external position.

The rotation radius, which is the distance between corner C of the rotating column 10C diagonally positioned relative to the rotating shaft 20a and the center of the rotating shaft 20a when viewed from above (or the diagonal distance connecting the two diagonal corners of the rectangular rotating column 10 when viewed from above), is shorter than the left-right separation distance between the front column group consisting of multiple (here, two) front columns 10B and one side wall 1a1 when the entire front column group is moved as far as possible toward the other side wall 1a2. This allows the rotating column 10C to rotate in the space between the front column group and one side wall 1a1 without interfering with the front column 10B.

When viewed from above while in the in-fridge position, the rotating column 10C has a rectangular outer shape with a left-right dimension L1 that is longer than its front-to-rear dimension L2. In other words, when viewed facing the second door 17 of the rotating column 10C, the depth (L1) of the rotating column 10C is longer than its width (L2). In this embodiment, the depth (L1) of the rotating column 10C matches the front-to-rear dimension L3 of the rear column 10A and front column 10B, and the width (L2) of the rotating column 10C is approximately half the left-to-right dimension L4 of the rear column 10A and front column 10B.

In this embodiment, the width W1 (in other words, L1) of the rear wall 16b, which is the wall facing the rear column 10A in the rotating column 10C located in the interior position, is greater than half the door width W2 (in other words, L4) of the first door 12 of the rear column 10A.

In this embodiment, a door retaining plate 21 is provided on the outer surface of the rear wall 16b of the rotating column 10C. The door retaining plate 21 is made, for example, of a metal plate and is horseshoe-shaped in front view from the second door 17 side. The door retaining plate 21 has an end surface 21a that is close to the first door 12 of the rear column 10A when the rotating column 10C is positioned in the internal position. Specifically, when the rotating column 10C is positioned in the internal position, the end surface 21a of the door retaining plate 21 is close to or abuts (close in the illustration) a pair of handles 12b, 12b on the rear column 10A behind the rotating column 10C, and is positioned so as to straddle the pair of column doors 12L, 12R.

Next, the configuration of the second door 17 of the rotating column 10C will be explained with reference to Figures 4, 9, 11, etc.

The second door 17 is provided on the front column 10B side of the rotating column 10C in the internal position. When the rotating column 10C is in the internal position, the second door 17 faces, with a gap between it and the side wall of the column case 11 of the nearest rotating column 10C of the multiple front columns 10B (in the figure, the right side wall of the right-side rotating column 10C).

In this embodiment, when the second door 17 is in the internal position, it is a single-door in which a first edge 171 on the rear column 10A side of the second door 17 is hinged. Specifically, when the second door 17 is in the internal position, it is rotatably supported on the rear column 10A side edge of the front column 10B side opening of the rotating column case 16, with a vertically extending rotation shaft 17a as a fulcrum. In other words, when viewed from directly facing the front of the second door 17, the second door 17 is a right-opening door. The second door 17 is opened and closed primarily by an operator loading (replenishing) products into the product storage device 1 (rotating column case 16).

In this embodiment, a handle 22 is provided on the second edge 172 of the second door 17, which is opposite the first edge 171. Specifically, when the second door 17 is viewed from directly facing the front of the second door 17, the handle 22 is provided on the right edge of the front of the second door 17. Therefore, when the rotating column 10C is in the internal position, the handle 22 of the second door 17 is located on the front side of the product storage device 1. Also, in this embodiment, the rotating column 10C has a magnetic attraction portion 23 that is magnetically attracted to one side wall 1a1 of the storage cabinet 1a when in the internal position.

Next, an example of the procedure for loading products into the product storage device 1 will be described. Figure 12 (Figures 12(a) to 12(d)) is a diagram that schematically shows an example of the procedure for loading products. The following describes an example of loading (replenishing) products into each column (10A, 10B, 10C). It is assumed that the worker is standing in front of the product storage device 1 (vending machine 100), and that the outer door 3A and inner door 3B are open.

In Figure 12(a), the solid lines show the normal state in which the two front columns 10B are moved all the way to the left and the rotating column 10C is positioned in the storage area. First, the worker opens the first door 12 of each front column 10B, loads (replenishes) the required number and type of products into each front column 10B, and then closes the first door 12 of each front column 10B.

When an operator grasps the handle 22 of the rotating column 10C in the internal position and pulls it forward, the rotating column 10C rotates as shown by the dashed line in Figure 12(a) and moves to the external position as shown in Figure 12(b). When the rotating column 10C is in the internal position (as shown by the solid line in Figure 12(a)), a gap is provided between the second door 17 of the rotating column 10C and the front column 10B on the right. Therefore, even when the rotating column 10C is in the internal position, the operator can open the second door 17 slightly by the width of the gap.

In the state shown in Figure 12(b), the worker can access the right-side rear column 10A, which is located behind the rotating column 10C, from the front of the rear column 10A (in other words, the front of the product storage device 1). The worker then opens the first door 12 of the right-side rear column 10A (see dashed line in Figure 12(b)), loads the required number and type of products into the right-side rear column 10A, and then closes the first door 12.

Then, as shown in Figure 12(b), with the rotating column 10C positioned outside the storage area, the worker opens the second door 17 of the rotating column 10C (see dashed line), loads products into the rotating column 10C, and then closes the second door 17. This completes the loading of products into the right-side rear column 10A, two front columns 10B, and the rotating column 10C. When loading products into the rotating column 10C, the worker can access the rotating column 10C from the front of the product storage device 1, and the worker's access direction to the rotating column 10C during product loading is the same as the access direction to the right-side rear column 10A and each front column 10B.

Next, the worker moves the front column 10B left or right as appropriate, as shown in Figures 12(c) and 12(d), to access the remaining two of the three rear columns 10A.

For example, as shown in Figure 12(c), the worker moves only the right front column 10B as far as possible against one (right) side wall 1a1 and to a position in front of the right rear column 10A. At this time, the right front column 10B is positioned between the right rear column 10A and the pivoting column 10C. In this state, the worker can access the central rear column 10A from the front of the rear column 10A. The worker then opens the first door 12 of the central rear column 10A (see dashed line in Figure 12(c)), loads the product into the central rear column 10A, and then closes the first door 12.

Then, as shown in Figure 12(d), the worker moves only the left-side front column 10B as far as possible against one (right) side wall 1a1 and moves it to a position in front of the central rear column 10A. In this state, the worker can access the left-side rear column 10A from the front of the rear column 10A. The worker then opens the first door 12 of the left-side rear column 10A (see dashed line in Figure 12(d)), loads products into the left-side rear column 10A, and then closes the first door 12. This completes the worker's work of loading products into each column (10A, 10B, 10C).

As described above, in the product storage device 1 and vending machine 100 equipped with the same according to this embodiment, the rotating column 10C can move between an internal position between one side wall 1a1 of the storage cabinet 1a and the front column 10B and an external position, thereby increasing the number of products that can be loaded into the rotating column 10C compared to conventional methods. This allows the space between the front column 10B and one side wall 1a1 to be effectively used as a space for product storage in addition to providing access to the rear column 10A. The rotating column 10C has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above and is configured to move between the internal and external positions by rotating about a vertically extending rotation axis 20a. The second door 17 is provided on the portion of the rotating column 10C facing the front column 10B when in the internal position. Therefore, for example, simply rotating the rotating column 10C approximately 90° from the internal position brings the second door 17 into view at the front of the product storage device 1. As a result, workers working on the product storage device 1 from the front of the product storage device 1 can efficiently load products into the rotating column 10C from the front of the product storage device 1 in a natural posture. As a result, the space reserved within the storage cabinet 1a in the product storage device 1 (vending machine 100) for moving the front column is effectively used without reducing the efficiency of the product loading operation.

In this embodiment, a first door 12 is provided at the front of each of the multiple front columns 10B and multiple rear columns 10A. This allows the worker to access the columns (10A, 10B, 10C) to which products are to be loaded from the front of the product storage device 1 during product loading operations, allowing the worker to adjust the direction of access to the columns (10A, 10B, 10C) during product loading operations, improving the efficiency of the worker's product loading operations.

In this embodiment, the width W1 of the rear wall 16b of the pivoting column 10C is greater than half the door width W2 of the first door 12 of the rear column 10A, and when viewed from above while the pivoting column 10C is in the in-fridge position, the pivoting column 10C has a rectangular outer shape with the left-right dimension L1 longer than the front-to-rear dimension L2. As a result, even if the first door 12 of the rear column 10A behind the pivoting column 10C is left open, the pivoting column 10C will pivot from the outside position to the inside position, causing the rear wall 16b to collide with the half-open first door 12, resulting in the first door 12 closing. This is particularly suitable when the first door 12 is a double-door that opens in the center of the door width, as in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, a door retaining plate 21 is provided on the outer surface of the rear wall 16b of the rotating column 10C. This ensures that the first door 12 of the rear column 10A, which has been left half-open due to being left open, is securely closed by the door retaining plate 21.

In this embodiment, the second door 17 of the rotating column 10C is a single-door in which the first edge 171 on the rear column 10A side of the second door 17 is hinged when the rotating column 10C is in the internal position. This allows the operator to easily check the number of products and loading status in the rotating column 10C when the rotating column 10C is in the internal position.

In this embodiment, a handle 22 is provided on the second edge 172 of the second door 17 of the rotating column 10C, opposite the first edge 171. This allows an operator standing in front of the product storage device 1 to easily grasp the handle 22 of the second door 17, and by pulling this handle 22 forward, the rotating column 10C can be easily rotated.

Although not shown in the figure, the portion of the front opening of storage cabinet 1a corresponding to product chute 50 is closed by a closing plate made of a separate member from inner door 3B. The upper end of this closing plate is located slightly above the lower end of front column 10B and slightly below the lower end of rotating column 10C. As a result, the lower front end of front column 10B, which is suspended from the guide rail, is guided by the upper end of the closing plate, stabilizing the posture of front column 10B and allowing rotating column 10C to rotate.

In this embodiment, the rotating column 10C has a magnetic attraction portion 23 that magnetically attracts to one side wall 1a1 of the storage cabinet 1a at the internal position. This stabilizes the posture of the rotating column 10C at the internal position. Note that the rotating column 10C does not necessarily have to have the magnetic attraction portion 23.

Furthermore, the second door 17 does not have to open to the right when viewed from the front, but may also open to the left. Even in this case, visibility will be impaired, but the loading status of the rotating column 10C can be confirmed from the storage position. While the rotating column 10C is rotatably attached to one side wall 1a1, this is not limiting and it may also be rotatably attached to the other side wall 1a2. In this case, it is preferable that the second door 17 be hinged to the rotating column case 16 so that it opens to the left when viewed from the front. The first door 12 may be a single-door, and the second door 17 may be a double-door. The outer door 3A and inner door 3B do not have to open to the right when viewed from the front, but may also open to the left. The inner door 3B is also not limited to a single-door, but may also be a double-door. The product storage device 1 is preferably applied to a vending machine 100, as in this embodiment.

The above describes embodiments and variations of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and variations, and further modifications and variations are possible based on the technical concept of the present invention.

Next, we will explain the product storage device 1' according to the reference example.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a product storage device 1' according to a reference example. The product storage device 1' according to the reference example has the same configuration as the product storage device 1 according to this embodiment, except for the configuration of the rotating column 10C. Note that in the product storage device 1' according to the reference example, the same elements as those in the product storage device 1 according to this embodiment are assigned the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

In the product storage device 1' of the reference example, a rotating column 10C that stores multiple products is attached to the inner door 3B. In the reference example, the rotating column 10C is attached to the inner door 3B so that it can move between an internal position, which is between one of the left and right side walls 1a1 of the storage cabinet 1a and the front column 10B, and an external position. The rotating column 10C of the reference example has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above, and is configured to move between the internal position and the external position by rotating around a rotation shaft 31a that extends vertically. A vending machine 100 can be configured with the product storage device 1' of the reference example in place of the product storage device 1.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the pivoting column 10C of the product storage device 1' is fixed to the edge of the pivot shaft 31a on the inner surface of the inner door 3B (the surface facing the inside of the storage compartment when closed), and is configured to be located in the internal position when the inner door 3B is closed (see dashed line in FIG. 13), and to be located in the external position when the inner door 3B is open. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the pivot shaft 31a is located on the left side of the storage compartment 1a, and under normal circumstances, a front column group consisting of multiple (here, two) front columns 10B is maximized against the right side wall 1a1. When in the internal position, the pivoting column 10C of the product storage device 1' is positioned at the front of the storage compartment 1a, in the space between the front column group and the left side wall 1a2 of the storage compartment 1a.

More specifically, in the product storage device 1', the rotating column 10C does not have a rotating column hinge 20. Instead, the side wall of the rotating column case 16 is fixed to the inner surface of the inner door 3B with screws or the like, and the portion of the rotating column case 16 opposite the side wall is open. In the product storage device 1', the second door 17 is a single-wing door that is supported on the edge of the opening of the rotating column case 16 on the rotation axis 31a side so as to be freely rotatable about a rotation axis 17a extending in the vertical direction as a fulcrum. In other words, the second door 17 is provided on the rear column 10A side of the rotating column 10C located in the storage interior position, and when viewed from the front of the second door 17, the second door 17 is a left-wing door.

In the product storage device 1' according to the above-described reference example, the space between the front column 10B and the side wall 1a2 is also effectively used as product storage space in addition to providing access to the rear column 10A. In this reference example, the pivoting column 10C is attached to the edge of the inner surface of the inner door 3B on the side of the pivot shaft 31a. However, this is not limited to this. The pivoting column 10C may be attached to the edge of the inner surface of the inner door 3B opposite the pivot shaft 31a, or may be attached to the center of the inner door 3B in the door width direction. In the former case, it is sufficient if the front columns are normally positioned as close as possible to the left side wall 1a2. In the latter case, it is sufficient if the left front column 10B is normally positioned as close as possible to the left side wall 1a2, and the right front column 10B is normally positioned as close as possible to the right side wall 1a1. The second door 17 may be provided on the front column 10B side of the pivoting column 10C in the storage location. Furthermore, the second door 17 may be right-opening.

1...Product storage device, 1a...Storage cabinet, 1a1...One side wall, 10A...Multiple rear columns, 10B...Multiple front columns, 10C...Pivoting column, 16b...Rear wall, 12...First door (rear column door, front column door), 17...Second door (pivoting column door), 171...First edge, 20a...Pivoting shaft, 21...Door retaining plate, 22...Handle (pivoting column door handle), 23...Magnetic adsorption portion, W1...Width of rear wall, 100...Vending machine, W2...Door width of second door (door)

Claims (8)

A storage space with an open front,
a plurality of rear columns arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the rear side of the storage cabinet, each of which stores a commodity;
a plurality of front columns arranged side by side at the front of the storage cabinet so as to be movable in the left-right direction, each of which stores a commodity;
A product storage device comprising:
A rotating column that is movable between an inside position between one of the left and right side walls of the storage cabinet and the front column and an outside position, and that stores a plurality of products,
Including,
The rotating column has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from above and is configured to move between the internal position and the external position by rotating around a rotating shaft extending in the vertical direction as a fulcrum,
A product storage device, wherein a door is provided on a front column side portion of the rotating column located at the interior position. a width of a rear wall, which is a wall facing the rear column in the rotating column at the interior position, that is larger than half the door width of the door of the rear column,
The rotating column has a rectangular outer shape in which the left-right dimension is longer than the front-rear dimension when viewed from above when in the in-fridge position,
The product storage device according to claim 1. The product storage device described in claim 2, wherein a door retaining plate is provided on the outer surface of the rear wall of the rotating column. The product storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the door of the pivoting column is a single-wing door in which a first edge portion of the door on the rear column side is hinged when the door is in the in-storage position. The product storage device according to claim 4, wherein a handle is provided on a second edge of the door of the pivoting column opposite the first edge. A product storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rotating column has a magnetically attached portion that is magnetically attached to one of the side walls of the storage cabinet at the interior position. the pivot column is hingedly connected to the one side wall by a hinge having the pivot shaft;
The product storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the hinge is attached to a front edge of four edges of the rotating column extending in the vertical direction at the position inside the storage compartment and to an edge on the side of the one side wall of the storage compartment. A vending machine equipped with the product storage device described in any one of claims 1 to 7.