Pick-and-place device capable of controlling cigarette storage duration
By designing a top-in, bottom-out cigarette storage device, the "last in, first out" problem in cigarette storage was solved, achieving first-in, first-out and improving cigarette turnover and merchant profits.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-20
AI Technical Summary
The existing cigarette storage cabinets operate on a "last-in, first-out" model, which causes cigarettes to accumulate at the bottom, reducing turnover and resulting in lost profits for merchants.
Design a cigarette storage device that can control the storage time of cigarettes. The device uses a channel design to achieve a top-in, bottom-out storage method and uses a handle and top block structure to ensure first-in, first-out.
This improved cigarette turnover, reduced unsold inventory, optimized inventory management, and increased merchant profits.
Smart Images
Figure CN224008148U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of cigarette storage equipment, specifically relating to a device for taking out and placing cigarettes that can control the storage time of cigarettes. Background Technology
[0002] In the tobacco retail industry, cigarette storage cabinets serve as the core carrier for product display and sales, and their internal structural design directly impacts the efficiency of product circulation and inventory management. Currently, the most common cigarette storage devices on the market are vertical, multi-layered cabinet structures. These cabinets have several horizontal shelves that divide the storage space into multiple areas, with cigarette cartons stacked on each layer to achieve high-density storage. However, this traditional storage method has revealed significant inventory management deficiencies in actual operation, necessitating structural optimization.
[0003] From the perspective of merchandise display logic, existing storage cabinets generally follow the "last-in, first-out" principle when replenishing stock. Specifically, when a new batch of cigarettes arrives, staff, for ease of operation and to reduce handling effort, typically choose to stack the new arrivals directly in the empty area above the cabinet. This operating mode results in cigarette cartons with newer production dates continuously occupying the upper space of the cabinet, while earlier stock gradually sinks to the bottom due to gravity. Meanwhile, in the sales process, due to the cabinet height design and ergonomic limitations, sales staff tend to prioritize delivering goods within their line of sight (i.e., the upper 1.2 to 1.6 meters of the cabinet), further exacerbating the problem of stock lingering at the bottom.
[0004] This "last-in, first-out" (LIFO) storage-sales model leads to multiple operational problems: First, cigarettes stored at the bottom of the shelves often remain unsold for extended periods, resulting in an actual sales cycle far exceeding the product's optimal turnover period. Industry statistics show that in retail outlets using traditional storage cabinets, approximately 23% of cigarette stock remains unsold for over 90 days, significantly higher than the average unsold rate for other fast-moving consumer goods. Second, because the bottom stock cannot be managed using a first-in, first-out system, some products nearing their expiration date are forced to undergo price reductions, directly causing profit losses for retailers. Utility Model Content
[0005] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a cigarette storage and retrieval device that can control the storage time of cigarettes. This application effectively solves the "last in, first out" storage-sales model by designing a channel to force the cigarettes to enter from the top and exit from the bottom, thereby improving the turnover rate of cigarettes.
[0006] The technical solution adopted by this application to solve its existing problems is:
[0007] A device for handling and storing cigarettes that controls the storage time includes several storage units connected in parallel.
[0008] The storage unit includes a cabinet, with an opening at the top of the cabinet serving as a loading port. The horizontal cross-sectional shape and dimensions inside the cabinet are the same as those of a whole carton of cigarettes, and several cartons of cigarettes are stacked vertically inside the cabinet.
[0009] The cabinet has a retrieval opening at the bottom of its front face, and the height of the retrieval opening is greater than the thickness of a single pack of cigarettes.
[0010] Preferably, the height of the dispensing opening is less than the thickness of the two cigarette packs.
[0011] Preferably, the front face of the cabinet is provided with a vertically arranged transparent panel.
[0012] Preferably, a number of spaced quantity marks are vertically arranged on one side of the transparent plate, and the quantity marks are arranged relative to the position of each cigarette pack.
[0013] Preferably, the bottom of the rear section of the cabinet is provided with a push-out opening, and a top block is slidably provided inside the push-out opening, with the top block arranged opposite to the cigarettes in the bottom layer inside the cabinet.
[0014] The cabinet has a handle at the front end, which can be used to move the top block back and forth.
[0015] Preferably, the handle is fixedly connected to the top block via a horizontally arranged pull rod and a vertical plate fixedly connected to the end of the pull rod.
[0016] Preferably, the pull rod is located at the bottom of the cabinet, and a guide rail is provided at the bottom of the cabinet, with the pull rod and the guide rail being connected in cooperation.
[0017] Preferably, a compression block is provided above the top block, and a first slide rod is provided at the rear end of the compression block. The end of the first slide rod passes through a sliding hole on the vertical plate and is fixed to a rear end plate. A spring is sleeved on the first slide rod and is located between the compression block and the vertical plate. The compression block passes through the top push opening and is arranged opposite to the second layer of cigarettes from the bottom.
[0018] Preferably, a second sliding rod is fixed to the top of the vertical plate, and a sliding sleeve is provided on the rear end face of the cabinet, with the second sliding rod slidably disposed inside the sliding sleeve.
[0019] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows:
[0020] (1) Cartons of cigarettes are added into the cabinet through the filling port and the bottom cigarettes are taken out through the retrieval port below. This realizes the top-in-bottom-out, first-in-first-out cigarette retrieval method, which completely solves the "last-in-first-out" storage-sales model and improves the turnover rate of cigarettes.
[0021] (2) Move the top block back and forth by the handle to push the bottom layer of cigarettes out of the dispensing port, making it easier to take out the bottom layer of cigarettes. Attached Figure Description
[0022] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.
[0023] Figure 1 This is a first structural diagram of the storage unit of a cigarette storage device for controlling the storage time of cigarettes, as described in this application.
[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Front view,
[0025] Figure 3 This is a second structural diagram of the storage unit of a cigarette storage device for controlling the storage time of cigarettes, as described in this application.
[0026] Figure 4 This is a third structural diagram of the storage unit of a cigarette storage device for controlling the storage time of cigarettes, as described in this application.
[0027] Figure 5 This is the fourth structural diagram of the storage unit of a cigarette storage device for controlling the storage time of cigarettes according to this application.
[0028] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the storage unit of a cigarette storage device that can control the storage time of cigarettes according to this application.
[0029] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of a cigarette storage device that can control the storage time of cigarettes according to this application.
[0030] In the diagram: 1-cabinet, 101-filling port, 102-retrieving port, 103-push port, 104-transparent panel, 105-quantity mark, 2-cigarette, 3-handle, 4-pull rod, 5-vertical plate, 6-top block, 7-squeezing block, 8-first slide bar, 9-rear end plate, 10-spring, 11-second slide bar, 12-sliding sleeve, 13-guide rail. Detailed Implementation
[0031] The attached figure shows a preferred embodiment of the cigarette storage time controllable device. The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the attached figure.
[0032] Example 1:
[0033] A device for handling and storing cigarettes that controls the storage time, comprising: Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 As shown, it includes several parallel connected storage units, each storing a brand of cigarettes 2.
[0034] The storage unit includes a vertically arranged cabinet 1, with an opening at the top of the cabinet 1 serving as a filling port 101 through which cartons of cigarettes are added into the cabinet 1. The horizontal cross-sectional shape and dimensions inside the cabinet 1 are the same as the shape and dimensions of a single carton of cigarettes 2, and several cartons of cigarettes 2 are stacked vertically inside the cabinet 1.
[0035] The cabinet 1 has a retrieval port 102 at the bottom of its front end. The height of the retrieval port 102 is greater than the thickness of a single pack of cigarettes 2. The cigarettes 2 at the bottom can be taken out through the retrieval port 102, thus realizing the top-in and bottom-out, first-in-first-out cigarette retrieval method, which completely solves the "last-in-first-out" storage-sales model and improves the turnover rate of cigarettes.
[0036] To avoid taking out multiple packs of cigarettes 2 at once, the height of the dispensing opening 102 is less than the thickness of two packs of cigarettes 2.
[0037] To facilitate a quick inventory of the remaining cigarettes inside cabinet 1, a vertically arranged transparent panel 104 is provided on the front face of cabinet 1. Several spaced quantity marks 105 are vertically arranged on one side of the transparent panel 104. The quantity marks 105 are arranged opposite to the positions of each pack of cigarettes 2, and the quantity marks 105 are Arabic numerals "2, 3, 4, 5, 6...", which facilitates direct reading and counting of the number of cigarettes 2.
[0038] Because the cigarettes 2 slide vertically down inside the cabinet 1, the ends of the cigarettes 2 at the bottom layer do not protrude outside the retrieval opening 102. Combined with the gravity of the cigarettes 2 above, it is inconvenient to retrieve the cigarettes at the bottom layer. To solve this problem, the following embodiment 2 of this utility model... Figures 3 to 7 As shown, the other structures are the same as in Example 1, except that:
[0039] The cabinet 1 has a push opening 103 at the bottom of the rear section, and a top block 6 is slidably provided inside the push opening 103. The top block 6 is arranged opposite to the cigarettes 2 at the bottom of the cabinet 1.
[0040] The cabinet 1 is equipped with a handle 3 at the front end, and the handle 3 can be used to move the top block 6 back and forth.
[0041] Furthermore, the handle 3 is fixedly connected to the top block 6 via a horizontally arranged pull rod 4 and a vertical plate 5 fixedly connected to the end of the pull rod 4.
[0042] To prevent the pull rod 4 from shifting, the pull rod 4 is located below the cabinet 1, and a guide rail 13 is provided below the cabinet 1. The pull rod 4 is connected to the guide rail 13.
[0043] The top block 6 is provided with a compression block 7. The rear end of the compression block 7 is provided with a first slide rod 8. The end of the first slide rod 8 passes through the sliding hole on the vertical plate 5 and is fixed with a rear end plate 9. A spring 10 is sleeved on the first slide rod 8. The spring 10 is located between the compression block 7 and the vertical plate 5. The compression block 7 passes through the top push port 103 and is arranged opposite to the second layer of cigarettes 2 from the bottom.
[0044] The top of the vertical plate 5 is fixed with a second sliding rod 11, and the rear end face of the cabinet 1 is provided with a sliding sleeve 12, and the second sliding rod 11 is slidably disposed inside the sliding sleeve 12.
[0045] When you need to retrieve cigarettes, pull the lever 4 forward. The lever 4 moves the top block 6 forward to contact the bottom layer of cigarettes 2. Under the action of the spring 10, the squeezing block 7 contacts the second-to-last layer of cigarettes 2 before the top block 6. When you continue to pull the lever 4 forward, the squeezing block 7 and the front panel of the cabinet 1 clamp the second-to-last layer of cigarettes 2 to prevent it from sliding down. The top block 6 pushes the bottom layer of cigarettes 2 out of the retrieval port 102 for easy retrieval.
[0046] After the bottom layer of cigarettes 2 is taken out, the pull rod 4 moves backward, and the vertical plate 5 moves backward to abut against the rear end plate 9. If it continues to move backward, it can drive the squeezing block 7 to move backward. When the squeezing block 7 abuts against the cigarettes 2, the cigarettes 2 inside the cabinet 1 move downward under the action of gravity.
[0047] The embodiments of this application have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of this application.
Claims
1. A device for handling and storing cigarettes that can control the storage time, characterized in that: It includes several storage units connected in parallel; The storage unit includes a cabinet (1), the upper opening of the cabinet (1) is a filling port (101), the shape and size of the horizontal cross section inside the cabinet (1) are the same as the shape and size of the whole cigarette (2), and several cigarettes (2) are stacked inside the cabinet (1). The cabinet (1) has a retrieval port (102) at the bottom of its front end, and the height of the retrieval port (102) is greater than the thickness of a single pack of cigarettes (2).
2. The cigarette storage time controllable device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the pickup opening (102) is less than the thickness of the two cigarettes (2).
3. The cigarette storage time controllable device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end face of the cabinet (1) is provided with a vertically arranged transparent panel (104).
4. The cigarette storage time controllable device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The transparent plate (104) has several spaced quantity marks (105) arranged vertically on one side, and the quantity marks (105) are arranged relative to the positions of each cigarette (2).
5. A cigarette storage time controllable device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The cabinet (1) has a push-out opening (103) at the bottom of the rear section. A top block (6) is slidably provided inside the push-out opening (103). The top block (6) is arranged opposite to the cigarettes (2) at the bottom of the cabinet (1). The cabinet (1) has a handle (3) at the front end, and the handle (3) pulls the top block (6) to move back and forth.
6. The cigarette storage time controllable device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The handle (3) is fixedly connected to the top block (6) via a horizontally arranged pull rod (4) and a vertical plate (5) fixedly connected to the end of the pull rod (4).
7. A cigarette storage time controllable retrieval and placement device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pull rod (4) is located below the cabinet (1), and a guide rail (13) is provided below the cabinet (1). The pull rod (4) is connected to the guide rail (13).
8. A cigarette storage time controllable device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: The top block (6) is provided with a compression block (7), and the rear end of the compression block (7) is provided with a first slide rod (8). The end of the first slide rod (8) passes through the sliding hole on the vertical plate (5) and is fixed with a rear end plate (9). A spring (10) is sleeved on the first slide rod (8). The spring (10) is located between the compression block (7) and the vertical plate (5). The compression block (7) passes through the top push port (103) and is arranged opposite to the second layer of cigarettes (2) from the bottom.
9. A cigarette storage time controllable retrieval and placement device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The top of the vertical plate (5) is fixed with a second slide rod (11), and the rear end face of the cabinet (1) is provided with a sliding sleeve (12). The second slide rod (11) is slidably disposed inside the sliding sleeve (12).