WO2001024125A1

WO2001024125A1 - Vending machine comprising a number of merchandise compartments that are arranged one above the other

Info

Publication number: WO2001024125A1
Application number: PCT/EP2000/005567
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jürgen Obermeier; Horst Schmidt; Peter Kalenka
Original assignee: Deutsche Wurlitzer Gmbh
Priority date: 1999-09-29
Filing date: 2000-06-16
Publication date: 2001-04-05
Also published as: EP1133760A1; AU5682800A; DE19946609A1; DE19946609B4; EP1133760B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a vending machine comprising a number of merchandise compartments that are arranged one above the other and comprising distributing means for each merchandise compartment which dispenses an article out of the merchandise compartment when activated. The vending machine also comprises at least one transport device which transports the articles dispensed by the distributing means to a removal position, whereby the transport device is arranged between the front wall of the vending machine and the merchandise compartments. The vending machine is characterized by a removal trough which is displaced by the drive into a receiving position that is situated in front of the activated merchandise compartment and is subsequently displaced into the merchandise issuing area and into the removal position.

Description

Vending machine with several stacked goods compartments

The invention relates to a vending machine with a plurality of compartments arranged one above the other, with dispensing means for each compartment, which each release a product from the compartment upon activation, with at least one transport device which transports the goods dispensed by the dispensing means to a removal position.

From European patent application 0 071 438 A2, a vending machine for dispensing bottles or cans is known, which has a plurality of product compartments arranged one above the other and inclined in the direction of a respective assigned transfer position. A transport device moves a goods carrier. The goods carrier can pick up goods from a goods compartment on request at the relevant takeover position. The goods are moved by means of the transport device to a transfer position in an upper section of the vending machine, at which the goods roll into a removal compartment and are ready for removal by a customer. The well-known vending machine has a complicated structure.

The object of the invention is to provide a vending machine, the construction and operation of which is simpler than in the prior art. In the vending machine of the type mentioned, the object is achieved according to the invention in that the transport device is arranged between the front wall of the vending machine and the product compartments, and by a removal trough which, by means of the drive, moves into a receiving position in front of the respectively activated product compartment and then into the goods dispensing area moved into the removal position.

The advantage of the vending machine according to the invention is that its construction is particularly simple, since the movable removal trough fulfills both the function of the goods carrier and the function of the removal compartment. The transfer of the goods from the goods carrier into the removal compartment and the corresponding transfer mechanism can be omitted.

The front wall of the vending machine is preferably designed as a door, and the transport device is preferably fastened to the inner surface of the door by means of fastening elements. In this embodiment of the invention, the transport device is particularly easy to access, for example to maintain it. If necessary, a conventional vending machine, which has the front wall designed as a door, can be equipped with the transport device, that is to say converted in the vending machines according to the invention, by subsequently arranging the transport device on the door. Another advantage is that the goods compartments are easily accessible from the front when the door is open in order to refill goods, access to the goods compartments is not blocked by the transport device.

The transport device contains transmission elements on which the removal trough can be moved. The transmission elements form endless loops, which rotate over upper and lower deflection elements and drive elements. The trough is attached to the transmission elements by means of fastening elements. An embodiment is preferred in which the fastening elements, with which the removal trough is fastened to the transmission elements, are displaceably guided in lateral guide rails. The transmission elements are designed as endless toothed belts. In this embodiment, the transport of the removal trough with the endless toothed belts guided in the lateral guide rails can be controlled and carried out particularly precisely.

The transport device contains the drive elements, a drive shaft for driving the drive elements, a drive motor for driving the drive shaft and the deflection elements. The front wall, which is designed as a door, is hinged in a fixed side wall of the machine. The front wall designed as a door preferably has a viewing window and a removal opening under the viewing window. The transmission elements, the deflection elements, the drive elements, the drive shaft and the drive are arranged behind the frame of the viewing window. This embodiment of the invention is particularly advantageous because the goods stored in the goods compartments can be seen from the outside through the transparent front pane and the drive elements are clad with an outward-acting visual protection due to their arrangement behind the bezel of the viewing window. This way, a customer is stimulated to buy the offered goods when viewing the vending machine.

In the case of the vending machine, several product compartments, which can be equipped with different goods, are arranged next to one another and form a horizontal product compartment group. Several groups of goods are spaced one above the other. The removal trough of the transport device extends over the entire horizontal width of the group of goods compartments. In this embodiment of the invention it is achieved that the goods delivered from one of the goods compartments arranged side by side can each be transferred to the removal trough without the removal trough being moved horizontally.

A preferred embodiment of the vending machine according to the invention has locking means which hold a removal flap in a closed position in front of the removal opening and only release the removal flap for opening when the removal trough has reached the removal position in which the user takes the goods out of the removal opening Can remove the trough. Theft of goods is thereby prevented during the operation of the transport device.

In particular, the vending machine has a locking flap behind the removal opening, which closes the removal space behind the removal opening against the goods compartments when the removal trough is in its removal position. The closed locking flap then prevents unauthorized removal of goods from the compartments. Furthermore, the closed locking flap thermally separates the compartments from the removal space or the outside space. The locking flap preferably has two flap sections arranged to be pivotable relative to one another and is articulated on a fixed partition of the machine. The locking flap is folded into its pre-tensioned the vertical transport space of the transport device behind the front wall releasing position and has actuating levers protruding into the transport space, which are pivoted downward when the removal trough is moved down and thereby flip the locking flap against its pretension into its closed position.

The locking flap is preferably positively guided in its pivoting movement in guide grooves which are arranged in the side walls of the machine. The guide grooves ensure particularly reliable operation of the locking flap in a simple manner. The actuating levers are preferably pivotally attached to the locking flap. The trough can be moved to a maintenance position below the tapping position. When the removal tray is moved back from the maintenance position into the removal position, the actuating levers are pivoted so that the removal tray can pass through them.

An exemplary embodiment and the use of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Show it:

Figure 1 is a partial perspective sectional view of a door of a vending machine with the transport device according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a detailed perspective view of a transmission member of the

Transport device;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a lower section in the vending machine with a removal tray in a removal position; and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lower portion in the vending machine with the trough in a transfer position.

The vending machine partially shown in Figure 1 has a front wall 2 which closes the vending machine to the front. Inside, the vending machine has a goods delivery area 6 in a lower section. A goods storage area is arranged above the goods issue area. In the goods storage area there are a plurality of groups of goods compartments 12 arranged one above the other, each of which has a plurality of goods compartments 10 arranged next to one another. In each goods compartment 10, two spirals 1 8 are arranged in parallel, which are each provided for receiving goods, possibly also shock-sensitive goods, between the spiral turns. The spirals 18 run counter to one another formed and have a drive device (not shown) which can be controlled to advance goods by rotating the spiral 1 8 with the goods. The adjacent compartments 10 are separated from one another by partitions 1 6. The product compartments 10 of the product compartment group 1 2 have a common floor, on the front edge of which an edge profile 14 is arranged.

The front wall 2 of the vending machine is designed as a door, which is attached to a fixed side wall (not shown) of the vending machine. The front wall 2 or door has a viewing window 4, which allows a viewer to view the goods compartment groups 1 2 in the goods storage area from the outside. In a section below the viewing window 4, the front wall 2 has a removal opening 8 through which the goods can be removed from the goods dispensing area 6 of the vending machine after the sale. The removal opening 8 is provided with a removal flap 7 which is articulated on the inner surface of the front wall 2 above the removal opening 8 and which can be pivoted into the interior of the vending machine.

The front wall 2 is spaced from the commodity groups 1 2. The area between the front wall 2 and the goods compartment groups 1 2 forms a transport space in which a transport device 20 is arranged, which is provided for transporting the goods advanced by the spirals 1 8 via the edge profile 14 of the floor to a removal position in the output area 6 is.

The transport device 20 contains transmission elements 24 which are designed as endless toothed belts. The transmission members 24 run over upper and lower deflection members 26 and drive members 28, which are each designed as rotatably mounted rollers. The transport device 20 also has a drive shaft 30 for driving the drive members 28 and a drive motor 34 with a gear 32 for driving the drive shaft 30. A removal trough 22 is fastened to the transmission members 24 by means of fastening elements 44. The length of the trough 22 corresponds to the width of the goods compartment group 1 2. The trough 22 is arranged horizontally with its longitudinal axis parallel to the edge profiles 14 and can be moved vertically by means of the transmission elements 24.

FIG. 2 shows a detail of a transmission element 24 of the transport device 20. The transmission member 24 is designed as a toothed belt forms. A fastening element 44 is arranged on the end faces of the removal trough 22. The fastening element 44 has, for example, a cuboid shape. The fastening element 44 consists of two parallelepiped-like jaws. A section of the toothed belt is guided between opposing surfaces of the jaws. The jaws are pressed together and attached to the toothed belt. The fastening element 44 is slidably received in a guide rail 46 which is arranged vertically in the vending machine.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the goods delivery area 6 and a lower section of the goods storage area of the vending machine. The goods issue area 6 is located below the goods storage area with the goods compartment groups 1 2 which have the goods compartments 10 with the spiral or spirals 1 8 spaced apart by partitions 1 6.

The goods issue area 6 can be separated from the goods storage area by a locking flap 50. The locking flap 50 is arranged behind the removal opening 8 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4). The removal flap 50 has two elongate plate-shaped flap sections 52, 56. The flap sections 52, 56 are arranged to be pivotable relative to one another in the longitudinal direction by means of a first hinge 54. The swivel axis runs horizontally.

By means of a second hinge 55, the locking flap 50 is pivotally attached to a horizontal intermediate wall 60 fastened in the vending machine. The pivot axis of the second hinge 55 runs parallel to the pivot axis of the first hinge 54. A spring 58 is attached to the intermediate wall 60, which spring is connected to the second flap section 56 and which biases the locking flap 50 pivotably attached to the intermediate wall 60 against the intermediate wall 60.

The locking flap 50 and the intermediate wall 60 are surrounded by two vertically arranged side walls 3, which are spaced apart from one another by the length of the first and second flap sections 52, 56 and the intermediate wall 60. A guide groove 51 is formed in a section of the side wall 3. The first flap section 52 has a guide pin 66 on the opposite end faces, which is in engagement with the guide groove 51 and forcibly guides the locking flap 50 during a pivoting movement. At the foot of the second flap section 56, two actuating levers 64 are pivotally attached at a distance from one another. A third hinge 62, which is attached to the surface with the first hinge 54 opposite the second hinge 55, serves as the fastening means. The pivot axis of the third hinge 62 runs parallel to the pivot axes of the hinges 54, 55. The actuating levers 64 are designed with a stop and, in a stop position, form an angle of not quite 180 ° with the second flap section 56. If, for example, the second flap section 56, as shown in FIG. 3, assumes a vertical position, the actuating levers 64 are inclined slightly forwards from the vertical plane below the second flap section 56.

Blocks 1 44 are attached to the end faces of the removal trough 22. In Figure 3, the trough 22 is in a tapping position in the goods delivery area 6 of the vending machine. The blocks 144 arranged on the end faces of the removal trough 22 abut the actuating levers 64, and the locking flap 50 is pivoted into a closed position against the bias of the spring 58. The goods storage area of the vending machine located above the locking flap 50 is closed against the goods dispensing area 6 at this position of the locking flap 50. Reaching through the removal opening 8 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) through the goods issue area 6 into the goods storage area is prevented by the locking flap 50 in the closed position. Furthermore, the goods storage area is thermally closed against the goods output area 6. The goods storage area is therefore easy to cool in order to keep the goods fresh.

In FIG. 4, the removal trough 22 has been moved vertically upwards from the removal position into a receiving position. In the receiving position there is a section of the upper edge of the removal trough 22 approximately in front of the profile 14 of the bottom of the merchandise compartment group 1 2. The locking flap 50 is folded due to the prestressing of the spring 58 against the intermediate wall 60 and is in a release position, in which the transport space is released for a movement of the removal trough. The actuating levers 64 are folded into an approximately horizontal position in this position. The free ends of the actuating levers 64 protrude forward to just behind the removal flap 7 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4), block the removal flap 7 against pivoting movement and thus act as locking means for the removal flap 7 when the removal trough 22 moves out of the removal position is. If the drive device drives the spiral 1 8 of a goods compartment on a request command, a product (not shown), which is located between the two foremost windings of the spiral 1 8, is advanced and slides from the bottom of the goods compartment 10 over the upper edge of the removal tray 22 into the removal trough 22. Because of the low height from the top edge to the bottom of the removal trough 22, the goods are not damaged during the sliding or falling movement. The removal trough 22 is moved vertically downward with the goods therein. When passing from the goods storage area to the goods output area 6, it passes the first flap section 52, which is pulled back due to the action of the spring 58, which holds the locking flap 50 in the release position and prestresses against the intermediate wall 60. The blocks 144 on the end faces of the removal tray 22 press against the actuating lever 64 when the removal tray 22 is lowered further into the goods dispensing area. The removal trough 22 thus exerts a torque about the axis of the second hinge 55 when it is lowered onto the locking flap 50 via the actuating levers 64 and the second flap section 56. The torque causes the second flap portion 56 to pivot against the bias of the spring 58 to a vertical position. The first flap section 52, which is pivotably attached to the second flap section 56 and is forcibly guided with the guide pin 66 in the guide groove 51, is thereby moved forward into a horizontal position via the removal trough 22. When the first flap section 52 is in the horizontal position and the second flap section 56 is in the vertical position (see FIG. 3), the locking flap 50 is in the closed position.

For maintenance of the vending machine, the removal trough 22 can be moved further down from the removal position into a maintenance position; in FIG. 4, part of the removal trough 22 is shown in dashed lines in the maintenance position. The removal trough 22 is arranged so deep in the maintenance position that the blocks 144 lie below the actuating levers 64 and these do not strike the blocks 144. The locking flap 50 is pivoted according to the bias of the spring 58 or withdrawn to the rear wall of the vending machine. When the maintenance of the vending machine has ended, the removal trough 22 is moved back into the removal position above the maintenance position. The actuating levers 64, which are pivotably attached to the second flap section 56, are thereby pivoted upwards by the removal trough which has been moved upwards. When the trough 22 has been raised so far that the trough 22 releases the actuating levers 64, the actuating levers 64 fall down again due to their own weight.

Claims

Expectations

1 . Vending machine with several superposed compartments (10), with dispensing means (1 8) for each compartment (10), which each release a product from the compartment upon activation, with at least one transport device (20) which detects the from the dispensing means (18) dispensed goods are transported to a removal position, characterized in that the transport device (20) is arranged between the front wall (2) of the vending machine and the goods compartments (10), and is characterized by a removal trough (22) which is driven by the drive (26 to 34 ) moves into a pick-up position in front of the respectively activated goods compartment and then into the goods-out area (6) into the removal position.

2. Vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the front wall (2) is designed as a door and that the transport device (20) is fastened to the inner surface of the door by means of fastening elements (40, 42).

3. Vending machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport device (20) contains transmission elements (24) on which the removal trough (22) can be moved.

4. Vending machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the transmission elements (24) form endless loops which circulate via upper and lower deflection elements (26) and drive elements (28), and in that the removal trough (22) on the transmission elements (24) by means of fastening elements (44) is attached.

5. Vending machine according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the fastening elements (44) with which the removal trough (22) is fastened to the transmission members (24) are slidably guided in lateral guide rails (46).

6. Vending machine according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the transmission members (24) are designed as endless toothed belts.

7. Vending machine according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the transport device (20), the drive elements (28), a drive shaft (30) for driving the drive elements (28), a drive motor (32, 34) for driving the drive shaft (30) and the deflection elements (26) contains.

8. Vending machine according to one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that the front wall designed as a door (2) is pivotally attached to a fixed side wall of the machine.

9. Vending machine according to one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the front wall designed as a door (2) has a viewing window (4) and under the viewing window (4) the removal opening (8), and that the transmission members (24), the deflection members (26), the drive members (28), the drive shaft (30) and the drive (32, 34) are arranged behind the frame of the viewing window (4).

10. Vending machine according to one of the preceding claims, in which in each case a plurality of compartments (10) are arranged side by side and forms a horizontal compartment group (1 2), and wherein a plurality of compartment groups (1 2) are spaced one above the other, characterized in that that the removal trough (22) of the transport device (20) extends over the entire horizontal width of the compartment group (1 2).

1 1. Vending machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by locking means which hold a removal flap (7) in front of the removal opening (8) in a closed position and only release the removal flap (7) for opening when the removal trough (22) has reached the removal position , in which the user can remove the goods through the removal opening (8) from the removal trough (22).

1 2. Vending machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in particular by a locking flap (50) behind the removal opening (8) which closes the removal space behind the removal opening (8) against the goods compartments (10) when the removal trough (22) is in its removal position.

1 3. Vending machine according to claim 1 2, characterized in that the locking flap (50) has two flap portions (52, 56) arranged pivotably relative to one another and is articulated on a fixed partition (60) of the machine.

14. Vending machine according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the locking flap (50) is biased by a spring (58) in its folded, the vertical transport space of the transport device (20) behind the front wall (2) releasing release position and protruding into the transport space Has actuating levers (64) which are pivoted downward when the removal trough (22) moves down and thereby flip the locking flap (50) against its pretension into its closed position.

1 5. Vending machine according to claim 1 3 or 14, characterized in that the locking flap (50) is positively guided in its pivoting movement in guide grooves (51) which are arranged in the side walls of the machine.

1 6. Vending machine according to claim 14 or 1 5, characterized in that the actuating lever (64) are articulated to the locking flap (50).