Article providing device

Abstract

To provide a user-friendly article providing device in which an article in an article storage part is automatically guided to an article holding hole and which can prevent occurrence of a scrum (jamming of articles).SOLUTION: There is provided an article providing device that mainly provides a spherical article, including an article storage part 1, a payment operation part 2, and an article providing part 3. The article storage part 1 has an article holding part 13 that holds an article to be provided. The article holding part 13 includes an article guiding part 13a and a plurality of article holding holes 13b arranged annularly. The article guiding part 13a includes a cone-shaped part 13a1 that protrudes upward from a portion surrounded with the plurality of article holding holes 13b. The article holding holes 13b are arranged so as to be adjacent to the cone-shaped part 13a1 in plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to an article providing device that provides spherical articles such as capsules.

Background Art

[0002] Devices that provide articles such as spherical capsules containing a variety of products by means of a user's handle operation or the like are widely known by names such as "Gacha Gacha (registered trademark)" and "Gashapon (registered trademark)", and various technologies related to such devices have been proposed in the past.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a manual product vending device that can mechanically detect the presence or absence of an article in an article holding portion, and can mechanically prevent the operation of the device when there is no article in the article holding portion, thereby preventing so-called blank firing.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In such a device, clogging (scrambling) of articles often becomes a problem. That is, the articles in the article storage portion may not be properly guided to the article holding portion, resulting in a state where articles are not provided or are difficult to provide.

[0006] Conventionally, scrambling has been addressed by providing a spring member that operates so as to agitate the article storage portion in conjunction with the operation of the article holding portion. That is, the article holding portion rotates by a user's handle operation or the like, and a spring member that operates in conjunction with this operation agitates the article storage portion to eliminate scrambling.

[0007] However, the above configuration adds an extra load for stirring the article storage section to the operation of the article holding section interlocked with the steering operation, increasing the load of the steering operation.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object to be solved is to provide a user-friendly article providing device capable of naturally guiding articles in the article storage section to the article holding holes and suppressing the occurrence of a scrum. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0009] [1] An article providing device mainly for providing spherical articles, comprising an article storage section, a settlement operation section, and an article providing section, wherein the article storage section has an article holding section for holding articles to be provided, the article holding section includes a plurality of annularly arranged article holding holes and an article guiding section, the article guiding section includes a conical section protruding upward from a portion surrounded by the plurality of article holding holes, and the plurality of article holding holes are arranged adjacent to the conical section in a plan view.

[0010] [2] The article providing device according to [1], wherein the article guiding section is configured such that a side surface portion of the conical section faces the article holding hole.

[0011] [3] The article providing device according to [1] or [2], wherein the conical section is formed in a shape of a polyhedron having the same number of side surface portions as the number of the article holding holes, and each of the side surface portions is formed to extend from the apex of the conical section toward each of the article holding holes.

[0012] [4] The article providing device according to [3], wherein the article guiding section includes an article guiding inner wall extending from a side edge of the conical section, and the article guiding inner wall constitutes a part of an outer edge of the article holding hole.

[0013] [5] The article providing device according to any one of [1] to [4], further comprising a housing part that houses the article storage part, the settlement operation part, and the article providing part, wherein the housing part has a fitting concave part and a fitting convex part that can be fitted to each other.

[0014] [6] In the article providing device according to [5], one of the fitting concave part and the fitting convex part is provided on the upper surface of the housing part, and the other is provided on the lower surface of the housing part, and the fitting directions of the fitting concave part and the fitting convex part are configured to be along the vertical direction of the housing part.

[0015] [7] In the article providing device according to [5] or [6], the fitting concave part includes a fitting small convex part, the fitting convex part includes a fitting small concave part, and the fitting small convex part and the fitting small concave part are configured to be able to fit to each other.

[0016] [8] In the article providing device according to [6], at least one of the fitting concave part and the fitting convex part includes a connector that can connect the adjacent article providing devices on the left and right, and an avoidance groove for avoiding interference with the connector is provided in at least one of the fitting concave part and the fitting convex part.

[0017] [9] In the article providing device according to any one of [1] to [8], the article storage part has a plurality of openable openings, and at least one of the openings is provided on the opposite side of the settlement operation part.

[0018]

[10] In the article providing device according to any one of [1] to [9], the settlement operation part is configured to be detachable, and the settlement operation part is configured to be able to switch between a cash settlement function and an electronic settlement function by detaching and exchanging it.

[0019]

[11] In an article providing device that mainly provides spherical articles, an article holding member for holding an article to be provided at a predetermined position, the article holding member includes a plurality of article holding holes arranged in a ring shape and an article guide portion, the article guide portion includes a conical portion protruding upward from a portion surrounded by the plurality of article holding holes, and the plurality of article holding holes are arranged adjacent to the conical portion in a plan view.

[0020] According to the invention according to [1], since the articles in the article storage portion are guided to the article holding holes along the conical portion of the article guide portion, the generation of a scrum can be suppressed.

[0021] According to the invention according to [2], since the articles in the article storage portion are guided along the side surface portion of the conical portion adjacent to them until they enter the article holding holes, the generation of a scrum can be more effectively suppressed.

[0022] According to the invention according to [3], since the articles in the article storage portion are guided along each side surface portion of the conical portion formed toward them until they enter each article holding hole, the generation of a scrum can be more effectively suppressed.

[0023] According to the invention according to [4], since the articles guided to the article holding holes along the side surface portion of the conical portion enter the article holding holes along the article guide inner wall, the generation of a scrum can be more effectively suppressed.

[0024] According to the invention according to [5], since a plurality of housings can be connected to each other, the installation area of a plurality of article providing devices can be made compact.

[0025] According to the invention according to [6], since a plurality of housings can be stacked vertically, the installation area of a plurality of article providing devices can be made compact. Further, since the fitting direction is vertical, the fitting state is firmly maintained by gravity.

[0026] According to the invention according to [7], the fitting state between a plurality of housings is maintained more firmly.

[0027] According to the invention according to [8], since a plurality of housings can be stacked vertically and at the same time connected further horizontally, the installation area of a plurality of article providing devices can be made more compact.

[0028] According to the invention according to [9], it becomes possible to replenish articles even for a device being operated by a user.

[0029] According to the invention according to

[10] , not only is it easy to maintain and inspect the settlement operation unit, but also the settlement method of the article providing device can be switched according to the demands of installers and users.

[0030] According to the invention according to

[11] , in the article providing device to which the member is attached, articles in the article storage unit are guided to the article holding holes along the conical portions of the article guiding unit, so that the occurrence of a scrum can be suppressed.

Effects of the Invention

[0031] According to the present invention, since articles in the article storage unit are naturally guided to the article holding unit, there is provided a user-friendly article providing device capable of suppressing the occurrence of a scrum.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0033] Hereinafter, an article providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments shown below are examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Also, reference numeral X indicates an article providing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, the article providing device X includes at least an article storage unit 1, a settlement operation unit 2, an article providing unit 3, and a housing unit 4. Further, the article providing device X may further include a storage unit S and a pedestal unit B. In the following, the directions (up and down, front and back, left and right) shown in FIG. 1 will be appropriately referred to.

[0035] The article stored in the article storage unit 1 is provided from the article providing unit 3 upon a user's settlement operation or the like using the settlement operation unit 2. Also, when the user's settlement operation is performed with coins or the like, the used coins or the like are stored in the storage unit S.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the article providing device X as seen from (A) the right front and (B) the right rear. As shown in FIG. 2, the article storage unit 1 has a front opening 11 and a rear opening 12.

[0037] The front opening 11 is normally closed by the lock L. When the lock L is unlocked, it can rotate forward of the device about the lower side as an axis and can form a replenishment opening for articles. The front opening 11 may be formed of a transparent material or the like. Since the front opening 11 is composed of a transparent material, the stored articles can be visually recognized from the outside, which can stimulate the user's purchasing desire or confirm the quantity of the stored articles.

[0038] The rear opening 12 is normally closed by the lock L. When the lock L is unlocked, it can rotate rearward of the device about the lower side as an axis and can form a replenishment opening for articles. Since the rear opening 12 is provided on the side opposite to the settlement operation unit 2, the user can replenish articles through the rear opening 12 even for the device being operated. The rear opening 12 may be formed of a transparent material or the like. Since the rear opening 12 is composed of a transparent material, the stored articles can be visually recognized from the outside, which can make it easier to know when replenishment is necessary.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a perspective view with the upper surface of the device omitted for explaining the inside of the article storage unit 1. As shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the front opening 11 and the rear opening 12, the article storage unit 1 has an article holding unit 13. The article storage unit 1 may further have an article guide plate 14 and an article delivery spring 15.

[0040] The article holding unit 13 includes an article guiding part 13a and an article holding hole 13b. That is, the articles replenished to the article storage unit 1 are guided to the article holding hole 13b along the side surface of the conical part 13a1 and the inner wall of the article guide 13a2. At this time, the article guide plate 14 can guide the articles replenished to the article storage unit 1 to the side of the article guiding part 13a and make it easy to contact the conical part 13a1 of the article guiding part 13a.

[0041] The article holding unit 13 rotates in conjunction with the rotational movement of the operation part 21 (handle) of the settlement operation unit 2. At this time, the article in the article holding hole 13b that has moved above the article providing unit 3 and dived below the article delivery spring 15 is provided from the article providing unit 3 by gravity and the elastic force of the article delivery spring 15.

[0042] Figure 4 is a (A) perspective view, (B) side view, and (C) plan view of the article holding unit 13. As shown in Figure 4, the article holding unit 13 includes an article guiding portion 13a and annularly arranged article holding holes 13b.

[0043] The article guiding portion 13a includes a conical portion 13a1 that protrudes upward from a portion surrounded by a plurality of article holding holes 13b, and an article guiding inner wall 13a2 that extends from a side of the conical portion 13a1 and constitutes a part of the outer edge of the article holding hole 13b.

[0044] Particularly, as shown in Figure 4(C), the plurality of article holding holes 13b are arranged adjacent to the conical portion 13a1 in a plan view.

[0045] The conical portion 13a1 is formed in a polygonal pyramid shape including side surface portions LF equal in number to the number of the plurality of article holding holes 13b, and each side surface portion LF is formed toward each article holding hole 13b.

[0046] Also, the conical portion 13a1 is formed in a polygonal pyramid shape including side surface portions LF equal in number to the number of the plurality of article holding holes 13b. Since there are five article holding holes 13b in this embodiment, the conical portion 13a1 is formed in a pentagonal pyramid shape.

[0047] With such a configuration, the articles replenished to the article storage unit 1 are guided to the respective article holding holes 13b along the article guiding portion 13a, so that the occurrence of a scrum is suppressed.

[0048] Figure 5 is a (A) example, (B) another example, and (C) plan view of the article holding unit 13 according to another embodiment. The article holding unit 13 may be in the form shown in Figure 5(A) or Figure 5(B). As can be understood from FIG. 5(C), in these forms, the plurality of article holding holes 13b are arranged so as to be adjacent to the conical portion 13a1 in plan view.

[0049] Note that the article holding portion 13 as described above can be produced and used as an independent article holding member that can also be incorporated into other article providing devices.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, the settlement operation unit 2 of the article providing device X is detachably provided with either a settlement operation unit 2a having an operation unit 21 and an electronic settlement unit 22, or a settlement operation unit 2b having an operation unit 21 and a coin settlement unit 23.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 7, the settlement operation unit 2 rotates in conjunction with the operation unit 21 and includes a drive gear DG that drives the internal mechanism IM (FIG. 6) and other components (such as a settlement circuit PC corresponding to the electronic settlement unit 22) integrated together, and is detachable from the article providing device X as one module.

[0052] With such a configuration, not only is it easy to maintain and inspect the settlement operation unit 2, but the settlement operation units 2a and 2b can be exchanged according to the requirements of installers and users, etc., and the electronic settlement function and the cash settlement function of the article providing device X can be easily switched.

[0053] Also, in the coin settlement type settlement operation unit 2b, the internal gear IG is replaceable, and with this configuration, the types of coins that can be inserted into the article providing device X can be changed, that is, the providing conditions of articles such as the price of the article can be easily changed.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 8, the housing unit 4 that houses the article storage unit 1, the settlement operation unit 2, and the article providing unit 3 has a fitting concave portion 41 and a fitting convex portion 42 that can be fitted to each other on the upper surface and the lower surface, respectively, and their fitting directions are configured to be along the vertical direction of the housing unit 4.

[0055] In addition, when there is only one article providing device X to be installed, the lid part C is fitted into the fitting concave part 41, and the pedestal concave part B1 of the pedestal part B is fitted into the fitting convex part 42. Therefore, the article providing device X can be stably installed without impairing the appearance.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 9, the fitting concave part 41 includes a fitting small convex part 41a, a connector 41b, and a connecting screw 41c, and the fitting convex part 42 includes a fitting small concave part 42a, an avoidance groove 42b, and a connecting screw hole 42c.

[0057] When the fitting concave part 41 and the fitting convex part 42 are fitted vertically, the fitting small convex part 41a and the fitting small concave part 42a that can be fitted to each other are fitted, so that the fitting state of the housing parts 4 is firmly maintained.

[0058] Since the fitting concave part 41 includes the connector 41b and the fitting convex part 42 includes the avoidance groove 42b, when the fitting concave part 41 and the fitting convex part 42 are fitted, the connector 41b is avoided by the avoidance groove 42b. For this reason, the housing part 4 can be connected left and right simultaneously with the vertical fitting, and the present device can be connected and installed as shown in FIG. 10, for example.

[0059] Further, as shown in FIG. 9, since the fitting concave part 41 includes the connecting screw 41c and the fitting convex part 42 includes the connecting screw hole 42c, the fitting concave part 41 and the fitting convex part 42 are more firmly connected. Note that the connecting screw 41c can be fastened to the connecting screw hole 42c by putting a hand through the front opening 11 or the rear opening 12.

[0060] Note that the connector 41b is a U-shaped member, and is sandwiched between the fitting concave part 41 and the fitting convex part 42 when the fitting concave part 41 and the fitting convex part 42 are fitted. For this reason, the connecting screw 41c and the connecting screw hole 42c can be omitted as appropriate.

[0061] FIG. 11 is a front view of a cross section obtained by dividing the connecting part (periphery of the fitting concave part 41 and the fitting convex part 42) of the article providing device X connected as shown in FIG. 10 into the front side and the rear side of the article providing device X.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 11, the housing parts 4 adjacent vertically are connected by fitting the fitting recess 41 and the fitting projection 42 vertically. Further, the housing parts 4 adjacent horizontally are connected by a connector 41b.

[0063] When the fitting recess 41 and the fitting projection 42 are fitted vertically, the avoidance groove 42b avoids the connector 41b, so that the housing parts 4 can be stably fitted and connected even on the housing parts 4 connected horizontally. Note that the avoidance groove 42b may be provided on the side of the fitting recess 41.

[0064] To further strengthen the connection between the housing parts 4, the housing part 4 forming the fitting recess 41, the connector 41b, and the fitting projection 42 are fastened by a connecting screw 41c and a connecting screw hole 42c. Note that even without the connecting screw 41c, since the connector 41b is sandwiched between the fitting recess 41 and the fitting projection 42, the connection state is stabilized.

[0065] Each configuration and function shown in the above embodiment is merely an example, and can be variously changed based on design requirements and the like.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0066] 1 Article storage part 11 Front opening 12 Rear opening 13 Article holding part 13a Article guiding part 13a1 Conical part 13a2 Article guiding inner wall 13b Article holding hole 2, 2a, 2b Settlement operation part 3 Article providing part 4 Housing part 41 Fitting recess 42 Fitting projection

Claims

1. An article providing device mainly for providing spherical articles, comprising: an article storage section, a settlement operation section, and an article providing section; the article storage section having an article holding section for holding articles to be provided; the article holding section including a plurality of article holding holes arranged in a ring shape and an article guiding section; the article guiding section including a conical section protruding upward from a portion surrounded by the plurality of article holding holes; the plurality of article holding holes being arranged adjacent to the conical section in a plan view, the article providing device.

2. The article providing device according to claim 1, wherein the article guiding section is configured such that a side surface portion of the conical section faces the article holding hole.

3. The conical section is formed in a shape of a polygonal pyramid including side surface portions equal in number to the number of the article holding holes, each of the side surface portions being formed so as to face each of the article holding holes from a vertex of the conical section, the article providing device according to claim 1.

4. The article guiding section includes an article guiding inner wall extending from a side of the conical section, the article guiding inner wall constituting a part of an outer edge of the article holding hole, the article providing device according to claim 3.

5. [[ID=1 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The article providing device according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the settlement operation unit is configured to be able to switch between a cash settlement function and an electronic settlement function by attaching and detaching and replacing them.

11. In an article providing device that mainly provides spherical articles, an article holding member for holding an article to be provided at a predetermined position, The article holding member includes a plurality of article holding holes arranged in a ring shape and an article guiding portion. The article guiding portion includes a conical portion protruding upward from a portion surrounded by the plurality of article holding holes. The plurality of article holding holes are arranged so as to be adjacent to the conical portion in a plan view, and is an article holding member.

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