The invention relates to an automatic vending machine (1) comprising a containment body (2) and a closing door (3) which closes the containment body (2) itself in which a plurality of products are housed in corresponding compartments (20) to be dispensed following activation following a choice by a user; the vending machine (1) is equipped with a bulkhead (4) designed to define a barrier for said products.
This invention concerns a vending machine.
As is well known, a vending machine is a machine that dispenses products and/or services upon request from a user, upon payment. Vending machines can dispense, for example, snacks, drinks, newspapers, cigarette packets, tobacco, smoking accessories, tickets, prepaid cards, coupons, parapharmaceutical products, etc.
In a common machine configuration, the products dispensed by the vending machine are arranged in dedicated compartments containing aligned rows of products. Each compartment is typically delimited by side walls and equipped with a motorized system that moves the products toward an exit area, typically containing a hopper that ends at a dispensing area from which the products can be retrieved by users.
A common drawback of vending machines is the potential for product dispensing problems, resulting in the product not reaching the outlet. These situations can occur when the product to be dispensed is pushed or pulled from its compartment and doesn't finish its journey in the outlet hopper, but can catch any protrusions inside the vending machine and be pushed into an area where it shouldn't be.
This type of problem can result in the failure to dispense the purchased product, interference with internal movement components, potentially blocking the machine and making it impossible to dispense the same product or products contained in other compartments of the machine, as well as interference with other devices inside the vending machine, for example near the door.
In practice, in vending machines that use a pusher or other dispensing device that causes the product to fall into the output hopper, the product being dispensed can be projected, for example, against the door where there are other devices that protrude inward. This means that the product is not dispensed and, when it ends up in an area where it interferes with other devices, it can block one or more operating functions of the vending machine.
Among the purposes of this patent application is to create a vending machine capable of solving the aforementioned drawbacks; among the purposes of the invention is therefore to allow the correct dispensing of products by eliminating or at least severely limiting the possibility that a product selected by the user will not be able to reach the dispensing outlet.
This result was achieved in accordance with the innovation by adopting the idea of creating a vending machine presenting the characteristics described in claim 1. Other characteristics are the subject of the dependent claims.
The advantages of this invention include the following: the vending machine allows for safe and precise dispensing of products, with virtually no chance of failure due to interference with devices or internal parts of the vending machine; the vending machine is essentially free from machine downtime due to the problems highlighted above; the solution proposed by this patent application is easy to implement and requires very low costs, in terms of human and economic resources, when compared to the benefits provided; the proposed solution can also be used on vending machines already in production, thus also constituting an improvement through updating of existing machines; the solution covered by this patent application is unlikely to be damaged by wear; the construction of this vending machine is easily implemented by the same operators who build traditional machines, without requiring any particular investments.
These and further advantages and characteristics of the present innovation will be more and better understood by anyone skilled in the art from the following description and with the aid of the attached drawings, given as a practical example of the invention, but not to be considered in a limiting sense, in which:
The possible example of implementation of a vending machine (1) according to the invention shown in the attached figures comprises a box-shaped containment body (2) having a parallelepiped shape. The containment body (2) is provided with a plurality of compartments (20) in which the products to be dispensed are stored, usually aligned in parallel rows, in each of which the product to be dispensed first is placed furthest out, or in correspondence with a position from which it can be moved to end up in an underlying output hopper (21) whose output opening ends in a collection compartment (22).
In the example, the vending machine (1) is provided with a front door (3) provided with selection and payment means that allow users to choose the products to be dispensed by the vending machine. In the lower area of the door (3) there is an access opening (32) located in correspondence with the dispensing compartment (22). The door (3) can support a plurality of dispensing devices (30) intended, for example, for instant lottery coupons, rolled tobacco in pouches, various types of tickets, etc., as well as a touch screen (31) that allows users to make choices; the screen (31) is combined with suitable means of payment. The dispensing devices (30), the screen (31) and the related means of payment are not described in detail because they do not constitute the subject of the patent application. It is important to highlight, however, that these components define a plurality of protrusions that project from the internal face of the door (3) towards the inside of the vending machine (1) occupying, in practice, corresponding areas of the containment body (2) arranged opposite the compartments (20) in which the products to be dispensed are housed. In a conventional vending machine, i.e. one not equipped with the innovative characteristics of the present patent application, these protrusions can be intercepted by the product that is pushed towards the hopper, diverting its path and not allowing its correct dispensing by the vending machine.
Advantageously, a vending machine (1) made according to the present invention is provided with a bulkhead (4) which delimits the area of the containment body (2) intended for the dispensing of the products housed in the compartments (20) preventing interaction with the door (3) and with all the devices (30, 31) supported by the same door.
In the example of the attached drawings, the bulkhead (4) is made up of a roll-up mat which can be arranged in an active configuration in which it defines a barrier between the inside of the containment body (2) and the door (3) or in a non-active configuration, in which the bulkhead (4) is rolled up at the top and allows access to the inside of the body (2), for example for refilling operations of the products in the compartments (20). In the drawings, the containment element of the bulkhead (4) is indicated with (42) when it is rolled up at the top; the bulkhead (4) can be wrapped around a roller equipped with a spring which automatically determines its rolling up when the bulkhead is not held. In practice, the operation of the bulkhead (4) represented in the drawings is similar to that of the movement of mosquito nets of a known type which equip doors and windows.
In particular, the bulkhead (4) is formed by a sort of shutter, sliding along two vertical guides (41) placed on the internal faces of the two lateral walls (23, 24) of the containment body (2), in correspondence with the front edge of the same body (2). The bulkhead (4) can be provided with a handle (40) which allows it to be gripped. The handle (40) can be provided with locking means consisting, for example, of two buttons placed to the right and left of the handle (40) and connected to means for constraining the sliding of the bulkhead (4) in the guides (41). The details in
In practice, to access the compartments (20) where the products to be dispensed are stored, the operator who has to load the vending machine (1), after opening the door (3), lifts the bulkhead (4), unlocking it via the two buttons located to the left and right of the handle; the bulkhead, rolling up, "opens" the compartment space (20). After loading the products into the compartments (20), the operator lowers the bulkhead (4) bringing it to the active configuration, i.e. the one in which it prevents the products from ending up against the internal face of the door (3) , allowing the same products to correctly finish their path in the hopper (21).
The movement of the bulkhead (4) can also be motorised, for example with a motor acting on the roller around which the bulkhead is wrapped. In practice, the roller can be equipped with a spring that makes it rotate naturally in the winding direction or be equipped with a motor that determines the bidirectional rotation for winding and, respectively, unwinding.
The bulkhead (4) can be made of a suitable material, preferably flexible so that it can be rolled up. For example, one or more of the following materials can be used: PVC-coated fibreglass, polyester, aluminium, steel. In particular, the structure of the bulkhead (4) can be reticular, so as to form a roll-up net.
In the attached example drawings, the bulkhead (4) has been positioned inside the containment body (2); in another possible embodiment, not illustrated in the drawings, the bulkhead could be arranged in association with the door (3).
Furthermore, in the attached example drawings the bulkhead (4) is made so as to be flexible to be rolled up; in another embodiment, not illustrated in the drawings, the bulkhead (4) can be formed by a hinged panel which closes the compartment of the compartments (2) while still defining a screen which cannot be penetrated by the dispensed products in order to convey them correctly towards the hopper (21).
Advantageously, sensors can also be provided to signal to the operators the configuration assumed by the bulkhead (4). For example, sensors can be provided on the guides (41) to emit an acoustic and/or visual signal to indicate to the operator that the bulkhead (4) must be lowered after loading the products into the compartments (20).
A further advantage of the invention is determined by the construction of the bulkhead (4) in such a way that it is elastically yielding; thanks to the elasticity of the bulkhead (4), this dampens the impact force of the dispensed product, reducing the possibility of rebounds which could allow the dispensed product to get stuck between the compartments (20).
In other words, in addition to constituting a dividing element that prevents the dispensed products from being pushed towards the internal face of the door (3) interfering with the devices (30, 31) supported by it the bulkhead (4) also has the important function of dampening the impact that the products may have, for example due to the energy received from the pushing means or due to falling downwards.
In practice, the present invention relates to a vending machine equipped with a technical solution that improves the reliability of product dispensing. The primary objective is to prevent failed dispensing and machine blockages caused by interference between the falling products and the devices inside the vending machine, particularly on the inside of the front door.
This solution eliminates the drawbacks of traditional vending machines, in which products, once pushed or released toward an output hopper, may not follow the intended path correctly and cause abnormal situations such as hitting internal protrusions, deviating from the intended path, failing to reach the hopper, or interfering with mechanical parts or devices installed on the door. These situations can result in the failure to deliver the purchased product and/or the blocking of one or more operating functions and/or machine downtime, making it impossible to dispense other products.
One of the purposes of the invention is therefore to eliminate or drastically reduce the possibility that a selected product will not reach the dispensing outlet correctly. The proposed solution therefore aims to:
The inventive solution consists in the introduction of a partition that acts as a physical barrier between the product dispensing area and the vending machine door.
The bulkhead:
Accordingly, a vending machine made in accordance with the invention comprises:
In the principal embodiment described the bulkhead:
Furthermore, the bulkhead can be:
The bulkhead can be made of different materials, including:
It is preferably flexible and can have a reticular structure, so that it can be easily wrapped.
The document provides for several equivalent variants, including:
It is highlighted that the bulkhead, being elastic, is able to:
From the preceding description it is evident that a vending machine in accordance with the present invention is of the type comprising a containment body (2) and a closing door (3) which closes the same containment body (2) in which a plurality of products are housed in corresponding compartments (20) to be dispensed following activation following a choice by a user; the vending machine (1) is characterized in that it is provided with a bulkhead (4) consisting of a roll-up carpet and suitable for defining a barrier for said products.
From the preceding description it is also evident that a device in accordance with the present invention may also present one or more of the following characteristics, even combined with each other:
In practice, the details of execution may however vary in an equivalent manner in shape, dimensions, arrangement of the elements, nature of the materials used, without however departing from the scope of the idea of the solution adopted or of the inventive concept and therefore remaining within the limits of the protection granted by this patent.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.