Automatic vending machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11227462-B2
Application number	US-202016918729-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2020
Priority date	Feb 6, 2018
Publication date	Jan 18, 2022
Grant date	Jan 18, 2022

Abstract

An automatic vending machine includes a product housing rack including a plurality of product housing shelves that are disposed in an up-down direction, a plurality of product housing paths corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves, each product housing path being defined in the corresponding product housing shelf and configured to house products, a plurality of product discharge devices corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves and the plurality of product housing paths, each product discharge device being configured to separate and discharge, one by one, the products that are housed in the corresponding product housing path. The product housing shelf includes a front side shelf member and a back side shelf member that are divided in the front-back direction, supported by support members, and detachably coupled with each other so that the front side shelf member is sandwiched by the back side shelf member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic vending machine comprising a product housing rack including:
a plurality of product housing shelves that are disposed at multiple rungs in an up-down direction, each product housing shelf being tilted so that a product discharge port is arranged at a position lower than a product injection port,
a plurality of product housing paths corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves, each product housing path being defined in the corresponding product housing shelf and configured to house products each having a sideways posture that are arrayed in line in a front-back direction, and
a plurality of product discharge devices corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves and the plurality of product housing paths, each product discharge device being disposed near the product discharge port and above the product housing path of the corresponding product housing shelf and configured to separate and discharge, one by one, the products that are housed in the corresponding product housing path,
wherein each of the product housing shelves includes a front side shelf member and a back side shelf member that are divided in the front-back direction, supported by support members, and detachably coupled with each other so that the front side shelf member is sandwiched by the back side shelf member, and
wherein the front side shelf member includes right and left flanges, and the rear side shelf member includes right and left flanges, a width between the right and left flanges of the front side shelf member being smaller than a width between the right and left flanges of the back side shelf member so that rear sides of the right and left flanges of the front side shelf member are sandwiched between front sides of the right and left flanges of the back side shelf member.

2. The automatic vending machine according to claim 1 , wherein the front side shelf member includes contact pieces on a rear side thereof, and the rear side shelf member includes placement pieces on a front side thereof so that when the front side shelf member is assembled with the rear side shelf member, the contact pieces are placed on the placement pieces.

3. An automatic vending machine comprising a product housing rack including:
a plurality of product housing shelves that are disposed at multiple rungs in an up-down direction, each product housing shelf being tilted so that a product discharge port is arranged at a position lower than a product injection port,
a plurality of product housing paths corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves, each product housing path being defined in the corresponding product housing shelf and configured to house products each having a sideways posture that are arrayed in line in a front-back direction, and
a plurality of product discharge devices corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves and the plurality of product housing paths, each product discharge device being disposed near the product discharge port and above the product housing path of the corresponding product housing shelf and configured to separate and discharge, one by one, the products that are housed in the corresponding product housing path,
wherein each of the product housing shelves includes a front side shelf member and a back side shelf member that are divided in the front-back direction, supported by support members, and detachably coupled with each other so that the front side shelf member is sandwiched by the back side shelf member, and
wherein the support members of the front side shelf member and the back side shelf member are each a pin installed across a pair of right and left rack side plates, the pin supporting the front side shelf member is in contact with a pin insertion groove of the front side shelf member to support the front side shelf member, the pin supporting the back side shelf member is in contact with a pin insertion groove of the back side shelf member to support the back side shelf member, and an engagement part provided at a rear end of the back side shelf member is in contact with a holder that is disposed on a back surface side of the back side shelf member, to position and hold the back side shelf member.

4. The automatic vending machine according to claim 3 , wherein the back side shelf member includes a drive unit holder configured to firmly fix a product discharge device on a lower rung side of the corresponding product discharge device, on the back surface side of the back side shelf member, and a holder configured to lock and fix the back side shelf member so that the corresponding support member installed across the pair of right and left rack side plates is wrapped from below is detachably disposed on the drive unit holder.

5. An automatic vending machine comprising a product housing rack including:
a plurality of product housing shelves that are disposed at multiple rungs in an up-down direction, each product housing shelf being tilted so that a product discharge port is arranged at a position lower than a product injection port,
a plurality of product housing paths corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves, each product housing path being defined in the corresponding product housing shelf and configured to house products each having a sideways posture that are arrayed in line in a front-back direction,
a plurality of product discharge devices corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves and the plurality of product housing paths, each product discharge device being disposed near the product discharge port and above the product housing path of the corresponding product housing shelf and configured to separate and discharge, one by one, the products that are housed in the corresponding product housing path,
wherein each of the product housing shelves includes a front side shelf member and a back side shelf member that are divided in the front-back direction, supported by support members, and detachably coupled with each other so that the front side shelf member is sandwiched by the back side shelf member, and
wherein on a back surface side of each of the back side shelf members, a product discharge device on a lower rung side of the corresponding product discharge device is firmly fixed, and a wire pullout member that is installed across a pair of right and left rack side plates, and a cover member that is locked and fixed to the back side shelf member and the wire pullout member are disposed on a back surface side of the front side shelf member.

6. The automatic vending machine according to claim 5 , wherein the wire pullout member disposed on the back surface side of the front side shelf member includes a wire pullout clasp that is locked and fixed to the pair of right and left rack side plates, and a blockage member that is detachably coupled with a front side of the wire pullout clasp, and the blockage member is detachably disposed to cover the front side and a bottom surface side of the wire pullout clasp.

7. An automatic vending machine comprising a product housing rack including:
a plurality of product housing shelves that are disposed at multiple rungs in an up-down direction, each product housing shelf being tilted so that a product discharge port is arranged at a position lower than a product injection port,
a plurality of product housing paths corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves, each product housing path being defined in the corresponding product housing shelf and configured to house products each having a sideways posture that are arrayed in line in a front-back direction,
a plurality of product discharge devices corresponding to the plurality of product housing shelves and the plurality of product housing paths, each product discharge dev

Assignees

• Fuji Electric Co Ltd
• Coca Cola Co

Inventors

• Fukuda Katsuhiko
• Iwako Tsutomu
• Nakazato Yasuo
• Yamazaki Yasuhiro
• Nishiyama Takashi

Classifications

• G07F11/42

  the articles being delivered by motor-driven means · CPC title

• G07F11/007 Primary

  wherein the storage and dispensing mechanism are configurable in relation to the physical or geometrical properties of the articles to be stored or dispensed · CPC title

• G07F11/32

  two or magazines having a common delivery chute · CPC title

• G07F11/24

  Rotary or oscillatory members · CPC title

• G07F11/10 Primary

  two or more magazines having a common delivery chute · CPC title