Capsule vending machine

Abstract

This solves the problem of mis-discharge occurring in vending machines that dispense spherical capsules containing toys and other items. [Solution] The capsule vending machine comprises a plurality of cylindrical storage bodies 1 that store capsules and are fixed upright in an annular shape; a capsule holding rotating body 2 that is rotatably provided and has capsule holding holes 3, which are through holes, arranged in an annular shape opposite to the lower end opening of each cylindrical storage body 1; a handle mechanism 4 for rotating the capsule holding rotating body 2 by a predetermined angle; a fixing plate 6 fixed below the capsule holding rotating body 2 and located on the annular line of the cylindrical storage bodies 1, with capsule dropping holes 5 at a position that does not face the lower end openings of each cylindrical storage body 1; and a capsule receiving section 7 with an inclined surface that sends the capsules that fall from the opening holes 5 toward the purchaser.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine for spherical capsules that store toys and the like, and more particularly to a capsule vending machine configured to reliably provide capsules to purchasers without causing a blank shot.

Background Art

[0002] A capsule vending machine that allows the purchase of capsules storing toys and the like by inserting cash and operating a handle or the like has the advantage that the purchaser does not know what is inside the capsule and can enjoy the anticipation of what will come out. That is, the purchaser can be disappointed with an unexpected product or delighted with a product better than expected, and can enjoy a feeling different from that of ordinary shopping, where the purchaser makes a purchase decision after fully examining the product.

[0003] Also, since capsules containing products of value commensurate with the purchase price are stored even for unexpected products, capsule providers consider this to prevent the purchaser from feeling that they have suffered a loss. Today, capsule vending machines are often classified according to the type of capsule, such as animal toys, insect toys, miniature furniture toys, etc., and there are cases where multiple capsule vending machines are arranged side by side. The capsule seller of the capsule vending machine only needs to visit the installation location of the capsule vending machine to collect cash and replenish capsules every few days, and does not need to always wait at the store like an ordinary store.

[0004] By the way, among those skilled in the art, a capsule vending machine may cause a serious problem called a blank shot that cannot be overlooked. A blank shot is an unacceptable accident where, when cash is inserted and a handle or the like is operated, no capsule is provided to the purchaser despite the payment of cash.

[0005] When such misfires occur, customers may shake or kick the capsule vending machine, and it can also lead to secondary problems such as sticking sticky materials like gum into the capsule aisle of the machine. Furthermore, customers who have experienced the frustration of a machine firing without dispensing capsules tend to avoid using capsule vending machines, so the issue of machines firing without dispensing capsules only leads to unfavorable results for both buyers and sellers.

[0006] Capsule vending machine manufacturers have also taken measures to prevent mis-dispensing by inventing the following inventions. The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is a technology that, upon detecting a situation in which a capsule vending machine is being dispensed without a capsule, informs the purchaser that the machine is sold out and asks them to stop using the capsule vending machine.

[0007] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 below is a technology configured to prevent the handle that holds the cash from rotating when a misfire occurs, that is, to prevent the cash from being received from the purchaser.

[0008] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 3 below is a technology that attempts to prevent misfires by dispensing capsules one by one by storing them in a meandering cylindrical member.

[0009] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 4 below is a technology configured to supply capsules downward from a vertically erected cylindrical member. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7064029

[0011] [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4536616

[0012] [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 2955437

[0013] [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-46935 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve] The technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above can both solve the problem of empty dispensers, so that buyers do not lose their money and feel frustrated, and furthermore, secondary problems and harassment against capsule vending machines can be prevented. However, none of these technologies solve the problem of dry dispensing; instead, they simply prevent the use of capsule vending machines. This creates the inconvenience that capsules cannot be sold at all for several days until the capsule vendor notices the problem and takes countermeasures. In other words, the vending machine does not fulfill its intended role.

[0014] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 3 claims that misfires will not occur by housing capsules in a meandering cylindrical member, but this is questionable. Furthermore, no method for resolving the issue of capsules becoming jammed inside the cylinder has been considered.

[0015] Next, I will explain why and under what circumstances a capsule vending machine might misfire. The capsules used in capsule vending machines have a structure made up of two parts joined together, and there are slight indentations and protrusions at the joints. Furthermore, the toys and other items stored in the capsules vary in weight, and many have an unstable center of gravity, so most capsules move irregularly when rolling.

[0016] Figure 6 illustrates a phenomenon that occurs in a typical capsule vending machine where multiple capsules are haphazardly stored in a transparent box. Capsule C1 attempts to enter the holding hole 14, but the presence of capsule C2 prevents it from moving downward. This is a problem that occurs when capsule C1 is lightweight while capsule C2 is heavier.

[0017] Figure 7 shows a capsule vending machine that stores capsules in a meandering cylindrical member, i.e., the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3. The inner diameter of the cylindrical member is generally formed to be slightly larger than that of the capsule, and the capsule C3 located at the very front is lifted up by the combined weight of the multiple capsules that follow it, causing its upper end to be strongly pressed against the inner wall of the cylindrical member. Furthermore, capsule C4, which follows capsule C3, is pushed by a strong force from behind, causing its lower end to be firmly pressed against the inner wall of the cylindrical member. In other words, both capsules are pushed strongly in a direction different from the direction they should originally be moving.

[0018] When this phenomenon occurs, both capsule C3 and capsule C4 become jammed in the cylindrical member and cannot move, resulting in misfires. Furthermore, if a capsule gets jammed in this way, it requires complicated and time-consuming work, such as removing parts of the capsule vending machine to resolve the issue.

[0019] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 4 is configured to supply capsules from a cylindrical member that is erected upright. With this capsule vending machine, the multiple capsules stored inside will attempt to descend in the same direction, downwards, thus resolving the problems described in Figures 6 and 7 and making dry firing a rare occurrence. However, dry firing is a problem that absolutely must not occur, and dry firing will occur if foreign objects that obstruct the movement of capsules get into the upright cylindrical member, or if the cylindrical member tilts, deforms, or is damaged. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] The capsule vending machine according to the present invention is made to solve the above conventional problems. The capsule vending machine includes a plurality of cylindrical storage bodies that store a plurality of capsules and are vertically fixed in a ring shape, and a capsule holding hole formed by a through hole having a length in the height direction that faces the openings at the lower ends of each of the plurality of cylindrical storage bodies and stores capsules, which is provided in a ring shape and is rotatable. A capsule holding rotating body, a handle mechanism for rotating the capsule holding rotating body by a predetermined angle, a fixing plate fixed below the capsule holding rotating body and located on the annular line of the plurality of cylindrical storage bodies, and formed at a position where it does not face the openings at the lower ends of each of the plurality of cylindrical storage bodies. A fixing plate having a capsule dropping hole, and a capsule receiving portion having an inclined surface for sending the capsule dropping from the dropping hole of the fixing plate in the direction of the purchaser.

Effect of the Invention

[0021] Since the capsule vending machine according to the present invention is configured to supply capsules to a rotatable capsule holding rotating body having a plurality of capsule holding holes in a ring shape by a plurality of cylindrical storage bodies that store a plurality of capsules and are vertically provided in a ring shape, even when a defect occurs in an integrated cylindrical storage body and capsules cannot be supplied, capsules can be supplied to the capsule holding rotating body by other cylindrical storage bodies, so it is possible to surely solve the problem of dry firing. Furthermore, even if a defect occurs in an integrated cylindrical storage body, capsules can be sold to the purchaser by other cylindrical storage bodies, so capsules can be sold even until measures such as repair of the defective cylindrical storage body are completed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] It is an external perspective view showing the capsule vending machine of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is an exploded external perspective view showing the internal configuration of the capsule vending machine. [Figure 3] It is a front view showing the positional relationship of each component constituting the capsule vending machine. [Figure 4]This is a front view showing the relative positions of the various components of a capsule vending machine when a capsule is dropped. [Figure 5] This is a front view showing the standby state of a capsule vending machine. [Figure 6] This is a front view illustrating the problem of empty dispensing in conventional capsule vending machines. [Figure 7] This is a front view illustrating the problem of empty dispensing in conventional capsule vending machines. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] An embodiment of the capsule vending machine according to this invention will be described based on the drawings. Figure 1 is an external perspective view of the capsule vending machine of the present invention, where 8 is the housing, and this housing 8 is provided with a window 9 made of acrylic plate, allowing capsule purchasers to look inside. This window 9 is also used by capsule vendors to determine whether the capsule vending machine needs to be refilled with capsules and to check for any abnormalities inside the device. Furthermore, the top surface of the housing 8 is made up of a lid that is removable and can be taken off when refilling capsules in the capsule vending machine or when dealing with any abnormalities inside the device.

[0024] On the other hand, 4 is a handle mechanism, and when cash is inserted and this handle mechanism 4 is rotated once, one capsule is ejected into the capsule receiving section 7. Note that this handle mechanism 4 is configured to rotate only once, but this is a well-known technique, so no explanation will be given.

[0025] Figure 2 is an exploded external perspective view showing the internal structure of the capsule vending machine shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationships of the various components that make up the capsule vending machine. In Figure 2, 1 is a set of multiple cylindrical storage bodies, made of transparent polyvinyl chloride pipes of the same length and inner diameter, allowing the multiple capsules stored inside to be visually observed through the window 9. In this embodiment, six cylindrical storage units 1 are shown. Each cylindrical storage unit 1 is erected in a ring shape and is secured to a fixed body 12 by fasteners 11 fixed to the bottom, which hook into an annular through-hole formed in the fixed body 12. In other words, each cylindrical storage unit 1 can be lifted out from the fixed body 12 by removing the top cover of the housing 1.

[0026] The fixing body 12 is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 8 and supports the openings at the upper and lower ends of each cylindrical storage body 1 so that they do not come into contact with the various other components that make up the capsule vending machine.

[0027] On the other hand, part 2 shown in Figure 2 is a capsule-holding rotating body provided at a slight distance from the lower end of each cylindrical storage body 1. This capsule-holding rotating body 2 has six capsule-holding holes 3, each consisting of a through hole, located opposite the opening at the lower end of each cylindrical storage body 1. A circular hole (not shown) is provided on the lower side of the center point, allowing it to rotate relative to a cylindrical shaft 13 provided on a fixing plate 6 that is installed and fixed below. The cylindrical shaft 13 is located at the center point of the capsule-holding rotating body 2 and is formed to be slightly longer than the length of the circular hole, so that the lower surface of the capsule-holding rotating body 2 and the upper surface of the fixing plate 6 do not come into contact.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the six capsule-holding holes 3 provided in the capsule-holding rotating body 2 are formed in an annular shape at positions that are each 60 degrees from the center point of the capsule-holding rotating body 2. Furthermore, the height of the capsule holding hole 3 is approximately the same as the diameter of the capsule, allowing it to hold only one capsule at a time.

[0029] The handle mechanism 4 is equipped with a gear that meshes with a screw thread (not shown) formed on the back surface of the capsule rotating body 2, at the tip of a rotating shaft rotatably supported by the housing 8. By rotating the handle mechanism 4 once, the capsule holding rotating body 2 is rotated by 60 degrees, thereby positioning each capsule holding hole 3 to face the lower end opening of each cylindrical storage body 1, i.e., the standby position.

[0030] Next, the positional relationship between the capsule-holding rotating body 2 and the fixing plate 6 will be explained based on Figure 3. The fixing plate 6 is fixed to the inner wall of the housing 8, and the cylindrical shaft 13 is located at the center point of the fixing plate 6. The fixing plate 6 has a drop hole 5 for dropping one capsule, but the position of this capsule drop hole 5 is on the annular line drawn by the capsule holding holes 3, and is further positioned so as not to face any of the capsule holding holes 3 of the capsule holding rotating body 2 which is in the standby position.

[0031] In this embodiment, the capsule-holding holes are formed exactly in the middle of the adjacent left and right capsule-holding holes, that is, at a position 30 degrees away from the line connecting the center point of the capsule-holding rotating body 2 and the center point of the capsule-holding hole 3.

[0032] In the capsule vending machine configured as described above, when a capsule C is inserted through the opening at the top of the cylindrical storage body 1 while the machine is in standby mode, the first capsule passes through the cylindrical storage body 1 and enters the capsule holding hole 3 of the capsule holding rotating body 2 through the opening at the bottom of the cylindrical storage body 1, and the capsule is held so as to rest on the upper surface of the fixing plate 6.

[0033] Furthermore, when additional capsules are inserted, they can be stacked on top of each other, allowing the cylindrical storage unit 1 to store multiple capsules. In other words, the capsule vending machine is designed to provide the customer with a total number of capsules: the six capsules held by the capsule-holding rotating body 2 and the multiple capsules held by each cylindrical storage unit 1.

[0034] Next, the sequence of events for a capsule vending machine will be explained based on Figures 3, 4, and 5. Note that the capsules themselves will not be shown in the diagrams in order to clearly indicate the positional relationships of the constituent components. When cash is inserted into the standby capsule vending machine and the handle mechanism 4 is rotated, the capsule holding rotating body 2 rotates in the direction of the arrow. At this time, each capsule in the capsule holding hole 3 moves while rolling along the upper surface of the fixing plate 6, and the capsule located at the bottom of each cylindrical storage body 1 makes point contact with the front of the capsule holding rotating body 2, so that the handle mechanism 4 can be easily turned even by a child with little strength.

[0035] Then, when the capsule reaches the position shown in Figure 4, that is, the position where the capsule holding hole 3 and the capsule dropping hole 5 are facing each other, the capsule falls by its own weight and is transported by rolling to the capsule receiving section 7 which has an inclined surface. At this point, the capsule holding hole 3 is empty and does not hold a capsule. However, by further rotating the handle mechanism 4, the capsule holding hole 3 stops in the standby state shown in Figure 5, that is, at a position where the opening at the lower end of each cylindrical storage body 1 and each capsule holding hole 3 of the capsule holding rotating body 2 face each other. As a result, one capsule is dropped and supplied from the cylindrical storage body 1 facing the capsule holding hole 3.

[0036] Next, I will explain the basis for claiming that the capsule vending machine according to this invention is completely free from the problem of mis-dispensing. While the problem of misfiring is something that absolutely must not happen, if foreign matter that obstructs the movement of the capsule enters the cylindrical storage body 1, or if the cylindrical storage body 1 tilts, deforms, or is damaged, the capsule will not be ejected from the cylindrical storage body 1.

[0037] If such a problem occurs, the capsule holding hole 3 of the capsule holding rotating body 2 facing the cylindrical storage body 1 becomes empty. However, if a capsule is purchased again from this state, as described above, the empty capsule holding hole 3 rotates to a position facing the next cylindrical storage body 1, so a capsule can be received from the next cylindrical storage body 1.

[0038] In other words, the capsule vending machine according to this invention is configured to supply capsules to a rotatable capsule-holding rotating body that has multiple capsule-holding holes, using multiple cylindrical storage bodies. Therefore, even if a defect occurs in one cylindrical storage body and capsules cannot be supplied, capsules can still be supplied to the capsule-holding rotating body by other cylindrical storage bodies, thus reliably solving the problem of empty dispensing.

[0039] Furthermore, even if a defect occurs in one cylindrical storage unit, capsules can still be sold to customers using other cylindrical storage units. Therefore, capsule sales can continue as usual until repairs or other measures are completed for the defective cylindrical storage unit.

[0040] Furthermore, any defective cylindrical storage units can be easily removed by taking off the top cover of the casing, making repairs and other countermeasures a relatively simple task. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Cylindrical storage unit 2 Capsule-holding rotating body 3 capsule retention holes 4 Handle mechanism 5 Capsule drop holes 6 Fixed plate 7 Capsule receiving section 7 C Capsule

Claims

[Claim 1] A capsule vending machine for storing toys and the like, comprising: a plurality of cylindrical storage bodies that store a plurality of capsules and are fixed upright in an annular shape; a capsule holding rotating body that is rotatably provided with capsule holding holes arranged in an annular shape and facing the openings at the lower ends of each of the plurality of cylindrical storage bodies, and having through holes having a length in the height direction for storing capsules; a handle mechanism for rotating the capsule holding rotating body by a predetermined angle; a fixing plate fixed below the capsule holding rotating body and having capsule drop holes formed on the annular line of the plurality of cylindrical storage bodies at a position that does not face the openings at the lower ends of each of the plurality of cylindrical storage bodies; and a capsule receiving section having an inclined surface for sending capsules that fall from the drop holes of the fixing plate toward the purchaser.

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