Product-delivery device for automatic vending machines

• US 5,590,812 A
• Filed: 04/10/1995
• Issued: 01/07/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Electric Company Limited (Fuji Electric Systems Company Limited)
• Inventors: Inoue, Masaki, Kawakami, Koji, Iwamoto, Shozo, Miyao, Tetsuya, Matsushima, Kozo
• Primary Examiner(s): NOLAND, KENNETH W
• Application Number:
  US08/419,644
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 221/112, 221/118, 221/119, 221/121, 221/218, 221/277, 221/253, 221/6
• US Class Current: 221/112
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 59/068 by means of endless elements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/26 Endless bands

Abstract

A product-delivery device for an automatic vending machine is designed to deliver products stacked and accommodated in a product-accommodating box sequentially from a lowest position according to a sales command. The produce-delivery device is formed of at least one horizontal conveyer installed on a lower side of the product-accommodating box, and a product delivery opening formed at a lower front port of the box. The products are piled on the conveyer. The opening has a size to allow one of the products to pass therethrough. Thus, the products disposed on the conveyer are delivered forward one by one from the box by means of the conveyer according to the sales command. In the product-delivery device, the thickness of a cabinet can be reduced, and the product accommodation efficiency is improved.

Claims

1. A product-delivery device for an automatic vending machine for delivering products stacked and accommodated in a product-accommodating box sequentially from a lowest position according to a sales command, comprising:

at least one horizontal conveyer installed on a lower side of the product-accommodating box and having a size to substantially support the products thereon so that said products are directly piled on and supported by said conveyer; and

a product delivery opening formed at a lower front part of the product-accommodating box and having a size to allow one of the products to pass therethrough so that the products disposed on the conveyer are delivered forward one by one from the product-accommodating box by means of the conveyer according to the sales command.

2. A product-delivery device according to claim 1, wherein said products are stacked and accommodated at least two rows along a longitudinal direction of the conveyer, said conveyer having means to deliver the products piled on at least two rows along the conveyer one by one to the delivery opening.

3. A product-delivery device according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the belt conveyers is formed to orient serially so that each belt conveyer is located under each row of the products.

4. A product-delivery device according to claim 3, wherein the belt conveyers adjacent to each other are arranged to have a difference in height so that a belt surface in a backward position is slightly lower than a belt surface in a forward position.

5. A product-delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising a sold-out detection switch formed at the product delivery opening, said sold-out detection switch including an actuator having a vertical posture in an arbitrary position.

6. A product-delivery device according to claim 1, further comprising a delivery-detection switch formed near the product delivery opening, said delivery-detection switch including an actuator having a horizontal posture in an arbitrary position.

7. A product-delivery device according to claim 2, wherein said conveyer includes a raised portion and a lowered portion on a circumference thereof, said raised and lowered portions having lengths corresponding to lengths of the products.

8. A product-delivery device according to claim 7, wherein the conveyer is a belt conveyer mechanism having a belt, said raised portion having a thickness in the belt greater than a thickness of the lowered portion in the belt.

9. A product-delivery device according to claim 7, wherein the conveyer is a chain conveyer mechanism having a chain with link segments, said raised portion and the lowered portion being formed on a circumference of the chain by changing height of link segments.

10. A product-delivery device according to claim 7, further comprising a delivery-detection switch and a sold-out detection switch having actuators protruding from a product-delivery end face and a product-loading face relative to the conveyer.

11. A product-delivery device according to claim 7, further comprising an elastic plate decelerator formed in the product delivery opening to decrease a speed of the product delivered by the conveyer.

12. A product-delivery device according to claim 9, wherein said chain conveyer mechanism further includes height-adjusting adapters to be attached to the lowered portion so that a length of the raised and lowered portions can be set variably to match sizes of the products.

13. A product-delivery device according to claim 1, wherein said conveyer has a length substantially corresponding to a length of one of the products to be delivered.