Product storage device

Abstract

The present invention provides a product storage device that can make a product rack more safely tilted forward and prevent component damage. The product storage device includes a product rack (30), wherein a guided roller (41) of the product rack (30) is guided by a pair of left and right guide rails (62) so as to slide in the front-to-back direction. The product rack (30) is in a substantially horizontal position at the rear end of the guide rail and slides, and is in a front-low rear-high position at the front end of the guide rail and slides. When the guided roller (41) is stored in a storage recess (63) provided at the front end of the guide rail, the product rack is in a forward tilted position and is arranged in a replenishment position. The guide rail (62) includes a limiting portion (64) provided on the rear side of the storage recess (63) and limiting the product rack that slides forward in the front-low rear-high position to continue sliding forward in the front-low rear-high position. When the product rack is in a substantially horizontal position, the guided roller is allowed to pass through the limiting portion toward the front.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a merchandise storage device, and more particularly, to an improvement of a merchandise storage device such as an automatic vending machine for selling merchandise. Background Art

[0002] Conventional vending machines for selling goods include a type of machine that includes a heat-insulated product storage compartment within a main cabinet, with multiple shelves arranged vertically. After the goods stored on the shelves are delivered to trays, the trays are then transported and delivered to a designated product removal area. The product removal area is a space connected to the exterior of the product storage compartment via a product removal opening, allowing users to remove purchased goods by inserting their hand through the product removal opening.

[0003] The merchandise racks of such vending machines consist of multiple product aisles arranged side by side. Each product aisle is constructed with a spiral rack extending in a front-to-back direction. This spiral rack rotates about a central axis when driven by a motor, which serves as a driving source, via a transmission mechanism.

[0004] In such a merchandise aisle, merchandise is normally confined between the pitches of the spiral rack. When the spiral rack rotates, the merchandise confined between the pitches is gradually conveyed forward, and the merchandise at the front is delivered to the outside.

[0005] Furthermore, in the aforementioned vending machine, each shelf is slidable in the front-to-back direction relative to the main cabinet body to facilitate product replenishment. In particular, when a shelf located above the product storage compartment slides to the front, it assumes a forward-leaning posture, gradually tilting downward as it moves forward (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0006] Prior art literature

[0007] Patent Literature

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-355047 Summary of the Invention

[0009] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0010] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned automatic vending machine, since some of the product shelves are tilted forward when they slide to the frontmost position, there is the following problem.

[0011] That is, when the merchandise shelf is slid forward and suddenly tilted forward, the worker performing the merchandise replenishment operation needs to be extra careful because the merchandise shelf itself is heavy. In addition, the sudden forward tilt may cause excessive load on the components, which may cause damage to the components.

[0012] In view of the above-mentioned actual situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a merchandise storage device that can make a merchandise shelf more safely tilt forward and prevent component damage.

[0013] Solutions for solving problems

[0014] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a product storage device comprising: a pair of left and right guide rails, which extend in the front-to-back direction inside the device body and have an upper flat extension portion and a lower flat extension portion opposite to each other; and a product rack, which is configured to guide the guided portion of the product rack between the upper flat extension portion of the guide rail and the lower flat extension portion of the guide rail so that the product rack can slide in the front-to-back direction relative to the device body and store products on the product rack, and the product storage device is characterized in that the product rack becomes approximately horizontal and slides by making the guided portion contact the rear end portion of the guide rail with the lower flat extension portion, and The guide rail is provided with a limiting portion, which is provided on the rear side of the storage recess, and the limiting portion abuts against the guided portion of the merchandise rack that slides forward in the posture of low front and high back, thereby limiting the merchandise rack from continuing to slide forward in the posture of low front and high back, and allowing the guided portion to pass through the limiting portion toward the front when the merchandise rack is in a roughly horizontal posture.

[0015] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned commodity storage device, the limiting portion is a recessed portion provided on the upper flat extension portion of the guide rail, a portion of the guided portion can enter the limiting portion and a front edge portion of the limiting portion abuts against the guided portion.

[0016] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned commodity storage device, the recessed portion is formed by passing an inclined extension portion through a notch portion formed on the upper flat extension portion of the guide rail, and the inclined extension portion is formed by bending a portion of the metal plate member constituting the storage recess upward, and the front edge portion is formed by the bent portion.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned product storage device, the guided portion is a guided roller provided so as to be rotatable around its own central axis.

[0018] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned merchandise storage device, the merchandise rack is formed by arranging merchandise aisles in parallel on the left and right, and the merchandise aisles accommodate merchandise along the front-rear direction.

[0019] In addition, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned product storage device, the product aisle has a spiral rack, which is configured in a spiral shape along the front-to-back direction and, by rotating around a central axis, transports the products constrained between each spacing toward the front and delivers the frontmost product to the outside.

[0020] Effects of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, the guided portion contacts the lower flat extension at the rear end of the guide rail, thereby allowing the shelf to slide in a substantially horizontal position. Furthermore, the guided portion contacts the upper flat extension at the front end of the guide rail, thereby allowing the shelf to slide in a position with its front lowered and its back higher. When the guided portion is received in a receiving recess provided at the front end of the guide rail, the shelf assumes a forwardly tilted position, gradually tilting downward as it moves forward, and is positioned at its forwardmost position. A restricting portion provided at the rear side of the receiving recess of the guide rail contacts the guided portion of the shelf sliding forward in the forwardly tilted position, restricting further forward sliding of the shelf in the forwardly tilted position. When the shelf assumes a substantially horizontal position, the guided portion is allowed to pass forward through the restricting portion. This encourages an operator to intentionally hold the shelf in a substantially horizontal position, thereby preventing the shelf from rapidly tilting forward while sliding forward. Consequently, the shelf is more safely tilted forward and component damage is prevented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a front view showing the merchandise storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 It is a side sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the merchandise storage device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 Yes Figure 2 A three-dimensional view of the merchandise rack and its surrounding structure shown.

[0025] Figure 4 Yes Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of the merchandise rack and its surrounding structure shown.

[0026] Figure 5 Yes Figure 2 An exploded perspective view of the merchandise rack and its surrounding structure shown.

[0027] Figure 6 It means in Figure 4 and Figure 5 A perspective view of the structure of a rack guide member provided on the rack support member shown.

[0028] Figure 7 Yes Figure 4 and Figure 5 The illustrated perspective view shows a state where the merchandise rack is arranged in the storage position.

[0029] Figure 8 Yes Figure 7 An explanatory diagram of the position of the guide roller in the case shown.

[0030] Figure 9 Yes Figure 7 The illustrated product shelf is a perspective view of a state where it is restricted from sliding forward in a posture where the front is low and the back is high.

[0031] Figure 10 Yes Figure 9 An explanatory diagram of the position of the guide roller in the case shown.

[0032] Figure 11 It means Figure 9 The illustrated perspective view shows a state where the merchandise rack has been changed from a posture with the front lowered and the back higher to a substantially horizontal posture.

[0033] Figure 12 Yes Figure 11 An explanatory diagram of the position of the guide roller in the case shown.

[0034] Figure 13 It means Figure 11 The illustrated perspective view shows a merchandise rack in a replenishment position.

[0035] Figure 14 Yes Figure 13 An explanatory diagram of the position of the guide roller in the case shown.

[0036] Description of Reference Numerals

[0037] 1. Merchandise storage device; 10. Main cabinet; 10a. Front opening; 11. Merchandise storage compartment; 20. Front door; 30. Merchandise shelf; 30a. Merchandise aisle; 31. Shelf base; 311. Shelf base; 312. Shelf sidewall; 313. Shelf rear wall; 32. Partition plate; 33. Spiral rack; 40. Guided member; 41. Guided roller; 42. Guided horizontal extension; 43. Front stop; 44. Rear stop Moving part; 50, frame supporting member; 60, frame guiding member; 60A, metal plate member; 61, guide roller; 62, guide rail; 621, upper flat extension portion; 621a, notch portion; 622, lower flat extension portion; 63, storage recess; 631, storage bottom; 632, front lower extension portion; 633, rear lower extension portion; 64, limiting portion; 64a, front edge portion; 641, rear extension portion; 641a, inclined extension portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the merchandise storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 and Figure 2 Each of the figures shows a merchandise storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is the main view, Figure 2 The product storage device 1 shown here is an automatic vending machine for selling products, and is configured to include a main body cabinet 10 as a device body and a front door 20 .

[0040] The main cabinet 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped shell having an opening (hereinafter also referred to as the front surface opening) 10a on the front surface. The front surface door 20 is flat and is swingably held on one side of the main cabinet 10 so as to open and close the front surface opening 10a of the main cabinet 10. The main cabinet 10 and the front surface door 20 each have a heat-insulating function. When the front surface opening 10a of the main cabinet 10 is closed by the front surface door 20, a product storage room 11 is formed inside the main cabinet 10 as an insulated space, which is not clearly shown in the figure.

[0041] The merchandise storage area 11 of the main cabinet 10 is provided with multiple layers of merchandise racks 30 arranged vertically. The merchandise racks 30 are formed by arranging merchandise aisles 30a in parallel horizontally. These aisles 30a store a plurality of merchandise in the front-to-back direction. The merchandise racks 30 are arranged in the merchandise storage area 11 so that the front ends of the merchandise racks 30 are located on the same vertical plane (hereinafter referred to as the "handover plane"). These merchandise racks 30 will be described later.

[0042] An evaporator 12a is provided in the merchandise storage room 11. The evaporator 12a, along with a compressor 12b, a condenser 12c, and an expansion mechanism 12d located in an equipment room 14, constitute a refrigerant circuit that circulates refrigerant. The evaporator 12a exchanges heat with the air inside the merchandise storage room 11, which flows through the evaporator's refrigerant passage (not shown), thereby cooling the air. The equipment room 14 is formed in a region below the merchandise storage room 11.

[0043] The air cooled around the evaporator 12a is drawn into the ventilation path 13b from the suction port 13a of the back panel 13 located on the back side of the product storage room 11 by the drive of the in-store air supply fan F1, and is blown out from each blow-out port 13c after passing through the ventilation path 13b, thereby cooling the products stored in each product shelf 30.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown, the front door 20 is provided with a window 21 and a product removal opening 22. The window 21 is formed by arranging a transparent and heat-insulating surface material 21a such as multi-layer glass. Even when the front opening 10a of the main cabinet 10 is closed by the front door 20, the products stored in the front row of the product aisles 30a of all the product shelves 30 can be visually identified from the outside.

[0045] The commodity outlet 22 is an opening for users to collect purchased commodities, and the commodity outlet 22 is formed at a position below the window portion 21 of the front door 20. Figure 2 As can be seen, the upper edge 22a of the opening of the product removal port 22 is set to be located below the product shelf 30 arranged at the bottom layer. The product removal port 22 is always kept in a closed state by the product removal door 23 provided on the front surface door 20, and can be opened by pushing the product removal door 23 inward. The product removal door 23 is supported on the front surface door 20 by the upper end portion via an opening and closing axis 23a along the left and right directions. Although not explicitly shown in the figure, a gasket is provided around the portion of the front surface door 20 located around the product removal port 22, and around the portion opposite the product removal door 23. The gasket is used to prevent the internal environment of the product storage room 11 and the outside air from circulating through the product removal port 22.

[0046] The front door 20 is provided with a product selection section 24 , a coin insertion port 25 , a banknote insertion port 26 , a card reader 27 , a coin return port 28 , and the like at a location located on the side of the window portion 21 .

[0047] The commodity selection section 24 includes numeric keys, a display, etc., for the user to select a commodity. The coin insertion port 25 is an opening for inserting coins. The banknote insertion port 26 is an opening for inserting banknotes.

[0048] The card reader 27 is used to transmit and receive data related to money to and from a recording medium storing information on so-called electronic money when the recording medium is held in a predetermined communication area. The coin return port 28 is an opening for returning inserted coins or giving change.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, a product removal area 11A and a delivery area 11B are provided at the front end of the product storage compartment 11. The product removal area 11A is the space where the products purchased by the user are finally delivered. When the front door 20 is in the state of closing the front opening 10a, the product removal area 11A is located below the upper edge of the product removal port 22.

[0050] The conveying area 11B is a space for conveying merchandise delivered from each merchandise aisle 30a of the merchandise rack 30 to the merchandise removal area 11A. It is located above and adjacent to the merchandise removal area 11A. The conveying area 11B is designed to have approximately the same front-to-back and left-to-right dimensions as the merchandise removal area 11A.

[0051] In the product retrieval area 11A and the conveying area 11B ensured at the front end of the above-mentioned product storage 11, conveying rails 15 are arranged in a pair on both sides of the product retrieval area 11A and on both sides of the conveying area 11B, and the conveying pallet 16 is configured to be able to move in the up and down directions between these conveying rails 15 through a conveying mechanism not shown in the figure.

[0052] The conveyor tray 16 is constructed by arranging a center plate 16b between a pair of side plates 16a. The dimension of the center plate 16b in the left-right direction is set to be substantially the same as the total width of the merchandise rack 30. The conveyor tray 16 is a longitudinal member whose left-right extension length is sufficiently greater than its front-back extension length, and whose left-right direction serves as its longitudinal direction.

[0053] Figures 3 to 5 They are respectively Figure 2 The figure of the merchandise rack 30 and its surrounding structure shown, Figure 3 It's a stereogram. Figure 4 and Figure 5 It is an exploded perspective view. Figures 3 to 5 In the figure, only one commodity rack 30 is shown, and one commodity rack 30 will also be described below.

[0054] The merchandise rack 30 illustrated here is mounted on a pair of left and right rack support members 50. The rack support members 50 are elongated members with their longitudinal direction extending in the front-to-back direction. The rear ends of these rack support members 50 are secured to and supported by support pillars 17, which are erected on either side of the rear panel 13 at the rear of the merchandise storage compartment 11. These rack support members 50 are arranged so that their inner surfaces face each other. For convenience, the direction in which the left and right rack support members 50 approach each other will be referred to as the inner side, and the direction in which they move away from each other will be referred to as the outer side.

[0055] In the merchandise rack 30 , a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) merchandise aisles 30 a are arranged side by side in a horizontal arrangement on the upper surface of a rack base 31 made of a metal plate.

[0056] The rack base 31 has a base portion 311, a base side wall portion 312, and a base rear wall portion 313. The base portion 311 is a rectangular portion having a commodity aisle 30a on its upper surface. The base side wall portion 312 is provided on the left and right side portions of the base portion 311, and is formed by bending the left and right side portions of the rack base 31 upward. The base rear wall portion 313 extends upward from the rear end portion of the base portion 311, and is provided in a form that connects the base side wall portions 312 to each other. Moreover, by having a plurality of partition plates 32 fixed to the base portion 311 and the base rear wall portion 313, a plurality of commodity aisles 30a are provided in parallel.

[0057] The product aisle 30a provided on the product rack 30 operates independently to sequentially deliver the stored products forward, thereby enabling the products in the front row to fall downward through the delivery surface. In this embodiment, the product aisle 30a is provided with a spiral rack 33. The spiral rack 33 is configured to be spiral along the front-to-back direction and is configured to sequentially deliver the products constrained between the spacings forward by rotating about the central axis. In addition, the product aisle 30a is not necessarily limited to a product aisle that delivers products by rotating the spiral rack 33. For example, a product aisle configured to deliver products forward by driving a conveyor belt can also be used.

[0058] A guided member 40, for example, made of a metal plate, is provided on the outer side surface of the base side wall portion 312. The guided member 40 is an elongated member whose longitudinal direction is the front-to-back direction, and is provided over substantially the entire front-to-back region of the outer side surface of the base side wall portion 312. The guided member 40 includes a guided roller 41, a guided horizontal extension portion 42, a front stopper 43, and a rear stopper 44.

[0059] The guided roller 41 is provided in a manner protruding outward at the rear end portion of the guided member 40. The guided roller 41 is provided in a manner rotatable around its own central axis at the guided member 40.

[0060] The guided horizontal extending portion 42 is formed by bending the upper end portion of the guided member 40 in the region forward of the guided roller 41 outward. The guided horizontal extending portion 42 is formed below the guided roller 41.

[0061] The front stopper 43 is formed by bending the front end portion of the guided member 40 outward. The front stopper 43 is formed below the front end portion of the guided horizontal extension portion 42.

[0062] The rear stopper 44 is formed by bending outward a tongue-like portion formed by notching a portion of the guided member 40 between the guided roller 41 and the guided horizontal extension 42. The rear stopper 44 extends horizontally and is formed below the guided horizontal extension 42.

[0063] Also like Figure 6 As shown, a rack guide member 60, for example, made of a metal plate, is provided on the inner side surface of the rack support member 50. The rack guide member 60 is a longitudinally elongated member whose longitudinal direction is the front-to-back direction, and is provided over substantially the entire front-to-back region of the inner side surface of the rack support member 50. The rack guide member 60 includes guide rollers 61 and guide rails 62.

[0064] The guide roller 61 is provided in a manner protruding inward at the front end portion of the rack guide member 60. The guide roller 61 is provided in a manner rotatable around its own central axis at the rack guide member 60.

[0065] The guide rail 62 is formed in the area of the rack guide member 60 that is located rearward of the guide roller 61. The guide rail 62 includes an upper flat extension portion 621 and a lower flat extension portion 622. The upper flat extension portion 621 is formed by bending the upper end portion of a portion of the rack guide member 60 inward, and is a horizontal extension portion with the longitudinal direction extending in the front-to-back direction. The lower flat extension portion 622 is formed by bending the lower end portion of a portion of the rack guide member 60 inward, and is a horizontal extension portion with the longitudinal direction extending in the front-to-back direction.

[0066] The upper flat extension portion 621 and the lower flat extension portion 622 are opposed to each other and are formed so that the distance between them is greater than the outer diameter of the guided roller 41. Furthermore, the upper flat extension portion 621 is formed above the guide roller 61, while the lower flat extension portion 622 is formed slightly below the central axis of the guide roller 61. Thus, the guide rail 62 is a pair of left and right guide rails extending in the front-to-back direction within the main cabinet 10 and having the upper flat extension portion 621 and the lower flat extension portion 622 opposed to each other.

[0067] The guide rail 62 is provided with a housing recess 63 and a restricting portion 64. The housing recess 63 is formed by a metal plate member 60A different from the rack guide member 60 and continuous with the front end of the upper flat extension portion 621 of the guide rail 62.

[0068] The storage recess 63 is formed by a storage bottom 631 extending along the front-to-back direction, a front lower extension portion 632 extending downward from the front end portion of the storage bottom 631, and a rear lower extension portion 633 extending downward from the rear end portion of the storage bottom 631, and the rear lower extension portion 633 contacts the front end portion of the upper flat extension portion 621.

[0069] In the storage recess 63, the front lower extension 632 and the rear lower extension 633 face each other. In addition, the extended dimension (front-back dimension) of the storage bottom 631, the extended dimension (upper-lower dimension) of the front lower extension 632, and the extended dimension (upper-lower dimension) of the rear lower extension 633 are slightly larger than the outer diameter of the guided roller 41, allowing the guided roller 41 to enter.

[0070] The restricting portion 64 is formed in the notch 621a of the upper flat extension 621 located on the rear side of the storage recess 63. This restricting portion 64 is a recessed portion formed by extending an inclined extension 641a from below upward through the notch 621a. This inclined extension 641a is formed by bending upward a portion of the rear extension 641, which extends rearward from the rear lower extension 633 of the metal plate member 60A that constitutes the storage recess 63, so that the portion gradually tilts upward as it moves rearward. The upwardly bent portion of the metal plate member 60A forms the front edge 64a of the recessed portion.

[0071] The guided rollers 41 are accommodated between the upper flat extension portion 621 and the lower flat extension portion 622 of the corresponding guide rails 62 , and the guided horizontal extension portion 42 is placed on the corresponding guide rollers 61 , whereby the commodity rack 30 is mounted on the pair of left and right rack support members 50 as described above.

[0072] When the front door 20 swings forward to open the front opening 10 a of the main cabinet 10 , the guide rollers 61 and the guided rollers 41 rotate, allowing the merchandise rack 30 to slide in the front-rear direction relative to the main cabinet 10 .

[0073] In addition, the front stopper 43 abuts against the guide roller 61, thereby restricting the merchandise rack 30 from sliding further backward, and the merchandise rack 30 is configured in the rearmost storage position. On the other hand, when the guided roller 41 is stored in the storage recess 63, the merchandise rack 30 is configured in the frontmost supplementary position, which will be described in detail later. In addition, when the merchandise rack 30 slides to the position where the guided roller 41 is stored in the storage recess 63, the rear stopper 44 abuts against the protrusion 51 formed in a shape that protrudes inwardly from the inner side surface of the rack support member 50, thereby further restricting the merchandise rack 30 from sliding forward. In other words, the merchandise rack 30 can slide in the front-to-back direction relative to the main cabinet body 10 between the storage position, which is the rearmost position, and the supplementary position, which is the frontmost position.

[0074] In the commodity storage device 1 having the above structure, Figure 7 As shown, when the merchandise rack 30 is arranged in the storage position, the merchandise stored in the merchandise rack 30 is sent forward and handed over as needed, thereby selling the merchandise. Figure 8 As shown, the guided roller 41 is placed on the lower flat extension portion 622 at the rear end portion of the guide rail 62 .

[0075] Thereafter, when it is necessary to replenish the merchandise rack 30 with merchandise, the replenishment operator opens the front opening 10 a of the main cabinet 10 and slides the merchandise rack 30 forward.

[0076] As a result, the merchandise rack 30 assumes the same approximately horizontal position as when the merchandise rack 30 was placed in the storage position by rolling the guided rollers 41 on the lower flat extension 622 at the rear end of the guide rail 62, and slides forward. Thereafter, when the guided rollers 41 reach the front end of the guide rail 62, the weight of the merchandise rack 30 causes the guided rollers 41 to roll on the upper flat extension 621 at the front end of the guide rail 62, causing the merchandise rack 30 to slide forward in a position with the front lower and the rear higher.

[0077] Since the limiting portion 64 is formed on the guide rail 62 as described above, the product rack 30 that slides forward in a posture of being low in front and high in the back is not affected by the restriction. Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, a portion of the guided roller 41 enters the restricting portion 64 and abuts against the front edge portion 64a thereof, thereby restricting the product rack 30 from continuing to slide forward in the posture of lowering the front and raising the back.

[0078] When the forward sliding of the commodity rack 30 is restricted by the restriction portion 64, as shown in FIG. Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, the replenishing worker can hold the commodity rack 30 in a substantially horizontal position to disengage the guided rollers 41 from the restricting portion 64 , thereby sliding the commodity rack 30 forward in a substantially horizontal position.

[0079] That is, the limiting portion 64 abuts against the guided roller 41 of the merchandise rack 30 that slides forward in a posture with a low front and a high back, thereby limiting the merchandise rack 30 from continuing to slide forward in a posture with a low front and a high back, and when the merchandise rack 30 becomes a roughly horizontal posture, the guided roller 41 is allowed to pass through the limiting portion 64 toward the front.

[0080] Then, the replenishing worker who holds the merchandise rack 30 in a substantially horizontal position and slides it forward stops the forward sliding of the merchandise rack 30 when the rear stopper 44 contacts the protruding portion 51 and the merchandise rack 30 is restricted from sliding forward.

[0081] Therefore, if Figure 13 and Figure 14 As shown, the guided rollers 41 are housed in the housing recess 63 , and the product rack 30 is arranged at the replenishment position in a forward-leaning posture that gradually tilts downward as it moves forward.

[0082] By arranging the merchandise racks 30 in the storage position in the forward-leaning posture in this manner, a replenishment worker can easily replenish merchandise in each merchandise aisle 30a.

[0083] After completing product replenishment, the replenishment operator moves the product rack 30 to a substantially horizontal position to separate the guided rollers 41 from the storage recess 63 , and then slides the product rack 30 rearward while maintaining the substantially horizontal position.

[0084] As a result, the front stopper 43 contacts the guide roller 61, and the product rack 30 is placed in the storage position. After that, the front door 20 is swung rearward to close the front opening 10a of the main cabinet 10, thereby completing the product replenishment operation.

[0085] As described above, according to the commodity storage device 1 of the embodiment of the present invention, the commodity rack 30 is made to be in a substantially horizontal posture and slides by causing the guided roller 41 to roll on the lower flat extension portion 622 at the rear end portion of the guide rail 62, and the commodity rack 30 is made to be in a front-lower-back-high posture and slides by causing the guided roller 41 to roll on the upper flat extension portion 621 at the front end portion of the guide rail 62, and when the guided roller 41 is stored in the storage recess 63 provided at the front end portion of the guide rail 62, the commodity rack 30 is made to be in a forward-leaning posture and is arranged in a replenishing position. The limiting portion 64 provided on the rear side of the storage recess 63 of the guide rail 62 contacts the guided roller 41 of the merchandise rack 30 that is sliding forward in a posture with its front lower and rear higher, thereby limiting the merchandise rack 30 from continuing to slide forward in this posture. Furthermore, when the merchandise rack 30 is in a substantially horizontal posture, the guided roller 41 is allowed to pass forward through the limiting portion 64. This encourages operators performing operations such as replenishment to intentionally hold the merchandise rack 30 in a substantially horizontal posture, thereby preventing the merchandise rack 30 that is sliding forward from rapidly tilting forward. Consequently, the merchandise rack 30 can be more safely tilted forward, and component damage can be prevented.

[0086] According to the above-mentioned commodity storage device 1, the limiting portion 64 is a recessed portion provided in the upper flat extension portion 621 of the guide rail 62. Since a portion of the guided roller 41 can enter the limiting portion 64 and the front edge portion 64a will abut against the guided roller 41, the distance between the upper flat extension portion 621 and the lower flat extension portion 622 can be made to be of a sufficient size as required, thereby preventing the upper and lower dimensions of the guide rail 62 from being excessively enlarged.

[0087] Furthermore, the limiting portion (recessed portion) 64 is formed by passing the inclined extension portion 641a through the notch portion 621a formed on the upper flat extension portion 621 of the guide rail 62. The inclined extension portion 641a is formed by bending a portion of the metal plate member 60A constituting the storage recess 63 upward. The leading edge portion 64a is composed of the bent portion, so that the guided roller 41 can abut against the inclined extension portion 641a, thereby preventing damage to the guided roller 41.

[0088] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto and various modifications are possible.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the guided portion is exemplified by a guided roller 41 rotatably mounted on the merchandise rack 30. This guided roller 41 is guided by rolling between the upper flat extension portion 621 and the lower flat extension portion 622 of the guide rail 62. However, in the present invention, the guided portion is not limited to the guided roller 41 and may be a block-shaped structure formed of a smooth-surfaced resin material, for example. In other words, the guided portion may be guided while sliding between the upper flat extension portion 621 and the lower flat extension portion 622 of the guide rail 62.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the limiting portion 64 is composed of a recessed portion provided on the upper flat extension portion 621. However, in the present invention, the limiting portion only needs to be able to abut against the guided portion of the merchandise rack that slides forward in a posture with the front lower and the back higher, thereby limiting the merchandise rack from continuing to slide forward in a posture with the front lower and the back higher. The limiting portion may also be composed of a protrusion protruding downward from the upper flat extension portion.

Claims

1. A merchandise storage device comprising: a pair of left and right guide rails extending in a front-to-rear direction inside a device body and having an upper flat extension portion and a lower flat extension portion facing each other; and a merchandise rack configured to guide a guided portion of the merchandise rack between the upper flat extension portion and the lower flat extension portion of the guide rails so that the merchandise rack can slide in the front-to-rear direction relative to the device body, and to store merchandise on the merchandise rack, wherein the merchandise storage device is characterized in that: The guided portion is brought into contact with the lower flat extension portion at the rear end of the guide rail, so that the commodity rack is in a substantially horizontal position and slides. The guided portion is brought into contact with the upper flat extension portion at the front end of the guide rail, so that the commodity rack is in a position with a lower front and a higher rear and slides. When the guided portion is stored in the storage recess provided at the front end of the guide rail, the commodity rack is in a forward-leaning position that gradually tilts downward as it moves forward and is configured at the forwardmost position after sliding. The guide rail includes a limiting portion, which is provided on the rear side of the storage recess, and the limiting portion abuts against the guided portion of the merchandise rack that slides forward in the front-low-back-high posture to limit the merchandise rack from continuing to slide forward in the front-low-back-high posture, and allows the guided portion to pass through the limiting portion toward the front when the merchandise rack is in a roughly horizontal posture.

2. The commodity storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The restricting portion is a recessed portion provided on the upper flat extension portion of the guide rail. A portion of the guided portion can enter the restricting portion, and a front edge portion of the restricting portion abuts against the guided portion.

3. The commodity storage device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A portion of the metal plate member constituting the housing recess is bent upward to form an inclined extension portion, and the recess is formed by penetrating the inclined extension portion into a notch portion formed in the upper flat extension portion of the guide rail. The leading edge portion is formed by a curved portion.

4. The commodity storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The guided portion is a guided roller provided so as to be rotatable around its own central axis.

5. The commodity storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The commodity rack is formed by arranging commodity aisles in parallel on the left and right sides, and the commodity aisles accommodate commodities along the front-back direction.

6. The commodity storage device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The commodity rack is formed by arranging commodity aisles in parallel on the left and right sides, and the commodity aisles accommodate commodities along the front-back direction.

7. The commodity storage device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The product aisle includes a spiral rack that is formed in a spiral shape along the front-back direction and rotates around a central axis to convey products constrained between respective pitches toward the front and deliver the frontmost product to the outside.

Images