JP3146822B2 - Vending machine serpentine product rack - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a serpentine type product rack mounted on a vending machine for selling products containing cans and bottles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Serpentine-type merchandise racks are well known as merchandise racks mounted on vending machines for canned and bottled merchandise, and the conventional structure is shown in FIG. The illustrated example is a so-called triple serpen, which is a serpentine type product rack in which meandering product passages 1, 2, and 3 extending vertically are arranged in three front and rear rows in the rack. Is the top tray 4 connected to each product passage 1-3
And a bend mechanism 5 is provided at each lower end of each product passage to control the carry-out of a product 6 stored in the product passage.

Here, each of the meandering product passages 1 to 1 is described.
Reference numeral 3 denotes a pair of front and rear curved rail segments 1a, 1b, and 2 which are vertically shifted by a half pitch and face each other.
a and 2b, 3a and 3b, and each rail segment is suspended on a support shaft (through pin) 8 extending between left and right rack side plates 7. In addition, between the product passages 1 to 3 in the front and rear rows, the front side rail segments 1a, 2a, 3a, and the rear side rail segments 1b, 2b, Each rail segment is arranged so that 3b may be located at the same height position.

Further, as a rail segment supporting structure, when a product 6 or foreign matter is clogged in the middle of the product passages 1 arranged in the front row, the rail segment 1a is door-type so that the product or foreign matter can be taken out from the front of the rack. An example in which the rack is opened to the front of the rack is known, for example, from Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 60-166083.

[0005]

Although the conventional structure described above can cope with troubles such as product clogging in the front row of merchandise, the merchandise aisles arranged in the rear row in the rack are more handy than the front of the rack. Can not be inserted, and therefore, it is not possible to immediately cope with a trouble such as a product jam in the rear row aisle.

[0006] A door type structure capable of individually opening rail segments of each product passage with respect to a product rack having a plurality of rows of product passages 1-3 arranged in front and rear like the triple serpen shown in FIG. However, in the arrangement of the rail segments in FIG. 3, the support shafts 8 of the rail segments arranged in the front row become obstacles, and the rail segments in the rear row passage cannot be opened forward. Specifically, even though the rail segments 1a and 1b of the product passage 1 arranged in the front row can be opened by an operation from the front, the rail segment 2a of the product passage 2 arranged in the rear row is replaced with the rail segment 1 of the front passage.
The support shaft 8 supporting b cannot be opened because it is in the way.

[0007] Therefore, when such a trouble of product clogging occurs, conventionally, the product rack is once pulled out to the front of the vending machine, and the posture of the product caught in the product passage in the rear row is determined by a stick or the like. However, the repair work to solve the trouble is large and troublesome. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to solve the above-described problems. It is an object of the present invention to provide a serpentine-type product rack excellent in serviceability that can easily cope with such troubles.

[0008]

According to the present invention, there is provided, in accordance with the present invention, a rack having a plurality of front and rear meandering merchandise paths extending vertically in a rack, wherein each merchandise path is arranged in a vertical direction. In a serpentine type merchandise rack of a vending machine defined between a pair of front and rear curved rail segment rows erected facing each other between left and right rack side plates with a half pitch shift, the rail segments are individually set at the lower end. As a fulcrum, it is supported so that it can be opened forward, and the meandering pitch is shifted by half a pitch between the product passages arranged in the front and rear rows, so that the rear rail segment of the front passage and the front rail segment of the rear passage are at the same height position. They shall be arranged so as to face each other.

As a specific support structure of the rail segment in the above configuration, the rail segment is formed at the upper end by fitting a shaft protruding from the lower end to both sides into a guide groove formed in the left and right rack side plates. A structure in which the curled portion is suspended and supported on a spindle suspended between left and right rack side plates, and a structure in which the shaft portion of the rail segment is formed by curling the lower end portion of the segment plate itself. There is.

[0010]

As described above, the rail segments of the product passages arranged in the front and rear rows are individually supported so as to be openable forward with the lower end as a fulcrum, and the meandering pitch is shifted by half a pitch between the product passages. By arranging the rear side rail segment of the front row passage and the front side rail segment of the rear row passage so as to face each other at the same height position, the support shaft of the rail segment does not become an obstacle, and the rail segment of each product passage is arranged. Can be released sequentially from the front row.

Therefore, even if a trouble such as a product clogging occurs in the rear row of product passages, if the rail segments are sequentially opened from the front row side passage after removing the products from the product passages arranged in front of them, the rear row of the rear row can be removed. The product jammed in the product aisle can be removed by inserting your hand from the front of the rack, and trouble can be easily repaired.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the entire product rack, and FIG. 2 is a specific mounting structure diagram of the rail segments. In each drawing, the same members corresponding to FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. First, in FIG. 1, between the meandering product paths 1, 2, 3 arranged in the front and rear rows, the product paths 1 to 2 are shifted such that the meandering pitch P is relatively shifted by １ ／ pitch in the vertical direction.
3 each rail segment 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3
a and 3b are arranged, and in this arrangement, each rail segment is individually supported so as to be openable forward with its lower end as a fulcrum. According to the arrangement of such rail segments,
The rear side rail segment 1b of the product passage 1 and the product passage 2
The front side rail segment 2a, the rear side rail segment 2b of the product passage 2 and the front side rail segment 3a of the product passage 3 face each other at the same height so as to abut the curved convex surfaces of the segments.

Each of the rail segments is incorporated into the rack side plate 7 by a support structure as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). FIG. 2 shows rail segment 1
Although only one a is illustrated, other rail segments have the same support structure. That is, the curved rail segment 1a is formed with a shaft portion 9 projecting from the lower end of the segment plate to both left and right sides, and a curl portion 10 serving as a hook for hooking is formed at the upper end edge.

On the other hand, the rack side plate 7 is opposed to the shaft portion 9 and the curl portion 10 of the rail segment 1a, and has a guide groove 7a bent in a "-" shape, and a support shaft 8 bridged between the left and right side plates 7. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 2B, the rail segment 1a is formed by fitting the lower end shaft portion 9 into the guide groove 7a of the rack side plate 7 and hooking the upper end curl portion 10 on the support shaft 8. Suspended. When releasing the rail segment 1a from this suspended state, first, the rail segment 1a is lifted upward along the guide groove 7a to remove the curl portion 10 from the support shaft 8 (arrow I). Next, the shaft 9
Is slid downward along the guide groove 7a, and the curl portion 10 on the upper edge is sunk under the support shaft 8 to open to the position shown by the chain line in the drawing (arrow II).

Then, regarding the product passages 1 to 3 in FIG.
If the rail segments are sequentially opened from the front row of the product passages in the above-described opening operation procedure, the rails 1a and 1b of the product path 1 arranged in the front row, as well as the rails of the product paths 2 and 3 arranged in the rear row, of course. The segments 2a, 2b, and 3a can also be opened without being obstructed by the support shaft 8, as shown. Therefore, even if a trouble such as the product 6 being clogged in the product line 3 in the last row occurs, the rail segments are sequentially opened from the front row as described above after the products in the front product paths 1 and 2 are taken out. By doing so, the hand can be directly inserted into the product passage 3 from the front of the rack to remove the product 6 stuck in the passage, and the trouble can be easily repaired.

[0016]

As described above, according to the structure of the present invention, a product rack having a plurality of rows of product passages arranged in front and rear can easily be blocked from being jammed in the product passages in the rear row. It is possible to provide a serpentine-type product rack with high serviceability that can repair a trouble in response to the problem.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a serpentine type product rack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are exploded perspective views of the mounting structure of the rail segment in FIG. 1, and FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural view of a conventional serpentine type product rack.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2, 3 meandering product passage 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b rail segment 4 top tray 5 bend mechanism 6 product 7 rack side plate 7a guide groove 8 support shaft 9 shaft portion 10 curl portion

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A front and rear pair of front and rear racks each having a plurality of front and rear meandering product passages extending vertically in a rack, each of the product passages being shifted by a half pitch in the vertical direction and facing each other between left and right rack side plates. In a serpentine-type merchandise rack of a vending machine defined between curved rail segment rows, the rail segments are individually supported so as to be able to be opened forward with their lower ends as fulcrums, and a plurality of merchandise passages are arranged in front and rear rows. A serpentine of a vending machine characterized in that the meandering pitch is shifted by a half pitch between each other, and the rear rail segment of the front passage and the front rail segment of the rear passage are arranged to face each other at the same height position. Expression product rack. 2. A serpentine-type merchandise rack according to claim 1, wherein the rail segments have shaft portions protruding from both ends thereof on both sides fitted into guide grooves formed in left and right rack side plates, and curled at the upper end. A serpentine-type merchandise rack for a vending machine, characterized in that the part is suspended and supported to be openable by being supported on a spindle suspended between left and right rack side plates. 3. A serpentine-type merchandise rack according to claim 2, wherein the shaft of the rail segment is formed by curling the lower end of the segment plate itself.