Holder and display device for product display cards

Abstract

To provide a holding plate for a commodity display card, capable of properly supporting a commodity display card, and a display device.SOLUTION: There is provided a holding plate (35) for a commodity display card, capable of juxtaposing a plurality of commodity display cards (12a) displaying information on a commodity to be sold at an automatic dispenser (1) in a longitudinal direction on a front surface. An upper part of the holding plate is provided with an upper side holding part (43) in which an upper attachment part (53) formed in an upper part of the commodity display card is locked, and a lower part of the holding plate is provided with a lower side holding part (41) in which a lower attachment part (51) formed in a lower part of the commodity display card is locked. In at least one of the upper side holding part and the lower part holding part, a common locking hole (43a) is formed for receiving both of upper side locking parts or both of lower side locking parts of the adjacent commodity display cards (12a) among the commodity display cards.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a holding plate and a display device for a product display card, and more particularly to a technique for improving the holding ability of a product display card. [Background technology]

[0002] In addition to vending machines that sell beverages at controlled temperatures, there are also vending machines that sell snacks and other light meals. For vending machines that sell such snacks, a technology has been disclosed that displays three-dimensional samples that mimic the shape of the product's packaging or container (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-318525 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, preparing three-dimensional samples that imitate the products for each type of product, as in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, is not preferable because it requires high sample manufacturing costs. In addition, there are flat samples that are cheaper than three-dimensional samples, but if these were to be used, the flat samples would be difficult to support in the exhibition area, and there is a possibility that they would fall during exhibition, or that installation of the samples would be time-consuming, leaving room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and its object is to provide a holding plate and display device for product display cards that can properly support product display cards (planar samples). [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the holding plate for product display cards of the present invention is a holding plate for product display cards that can be arranged side by side in the left-right direction on the front side of multiple product display cards that display information about products sold in a vending machine, and is characterized in that the upper part of the holding plate is provided with an upper holding portion to which an upper mounting portion formed on the upper part of the product display card is engaged, and the lower part of the holding plate is provided with a lower holding portion to which a lower mounting portion formed on the lower part of the product display card is engaged, and at least one of the upper holding portion or the lower holding portion is formed with a shared engaging hole that receives both of the upper mounting portions or both of the lower mounting portions of adjacent product display cards of the product display cards.

[0007] Preferably, at least one of the upper holding portion and the lower holding portion is a common holding portion formed in a row in the left-right direction. Stop and a single locking hole formed on both sides of the plurality of shared locking holes formed in a row, with which a part of the upper mounting portion or the lower mounting portion is locked. Preferably, the shared locking hole is formed to have a length in the left-right direction that is at least twice as long as the single locking hole.

[0008] In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned objective, the display device of the present invention comprises the retaining plate and a support frame supporting the retaining plate, and at least one of the upper and lower ends of the retaining plate includes a locking claw extending upward or downward, and the support frame is a frame on which a product selection button for selecting a product displayed on the product display card is attached, and includes a locking hole into which the locking claw can be inserted.

[0009] Preferably, the locking claws are provided on both the upper and lower ends of the retaining plate, the support frame is positioned above and below the retaining plate, and the locking claws provided on both the upper and lower ends of the retaining plate are respectively engaged. Preferably, the sample chamber includes a sample chamber in which the holding plate and the support frame are disposed, and a transparent plate that covers the sample chamber, and the holding plate is in contact with or adjacent to the transparent plate. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the product display card holding plate of the present invention, a shared locking hole for receiving both upper mounting parts or both lower mounting parts of adjacent product display cards is formed in at least one of the upper holding part or the lower holding part, so that both upper mounting parts or both lower mounting parts of adjacent product display cards can be attached together at once using the shared locking hole. Also, when a product display card that is twice the size of a specified size is to be attached, for example, the product display card that is twice the size of the specified size can be held with the supporting force of two product display cards of the specified size.

[0011] In addition, according to the display device of the present invention, by forming a locking hole into which a locking claw can be inserted in the support frame on which the product selection button for selecting a product displayed on the product display card is attached, it is possible to prevent the relative positions of the product display card and the product selection button from shifting, and to have the support frame serve as the support member for supporting the retaining plate, thereby reducing the number of parts. This allows the product display card to be properly supported. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a vending machine according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a range A in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a method for attaching a flavor card to a holder. FIG. [Diagram 5] A front view of a holder to which a flavor card of a different type from the flavor card in this embodiment is attached. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the support frame and the holder. [Figure 7] 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of attaching a holder to a support frame. [Figure 8] 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams illustrating a method of attaching a holder to a support frame. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For ease of explanation, the front side of the vending machine, i.e., the direction facing the outer door described below, will be referred to as the front, the right hand direction when looking forward from the rear of the vending machine will be referred to as the right, and the upward direction in the direction of gravity will be referred to as the upward, and the opposite directions of the front, right and upward will be referred to as the rear, left and downward, respectively.

[0014] 1, there is shown a front view of a vending machine 1 according to the present invention. The vending machine 1 is a device that can provide products such as beverages and snacks to customers without any staff present. The vending machine 1 has an outer door 3 and a main body located behind the outer door 3.

[0015] The outer door 3 has a first sample chamber 11, a second sample chamber (sample chamber) 12, a coin slot 13, a banknote slot 14, an amount display 15, a change return slot 16, a lock lever 17, a first product outlet 21, a second product outlet 22, a first advertising section 25, and a second advertising section 27.

[0016] In the first sample chamber 11, beverage samples 11a that imitate beverage products (beverage products) stored in the main body are displayed. In this first sample chamber 11, a beverage product selection button 11b is provided for each beverage sample 11a. In the second sample chamber 12, flavor cards (product display cards) 12a that imitate snack products (snack products) stored in the main body are displayed. In this second sample chamber 12, a snack product selection button (product selection button) 12b is provided for each flavor card 12a. The detailed configuration of the second sample chamber 12 will be described later.

[0017] The coin slot 13 is an slot through which a customer inserts coins when purchasing a product, and the bill slot 14 is an slot through which a customer inserts bills. The amount display 15 is a digital panel capable of displaying the amount inserted through the coin slot 13 or the bill slot 14. The change return slot 16 is an opening through which coins are ejected as change to be returned to a customer when, for example, the customer purchases a product that is cheaper than the amount inserted through the coin slot 13 or the bill slot 14. The lock lever 17 is a lever used when opening and closing the outer door 3.

[0018] The first product outlet 21 is an outlet through which beverage products purchased by customers are taken out. The second product outlet 22 is an outlet through which snack products purchased by customers are taken out. The first advertising unit 25 is an advertising unit capable of displaying, for example, advertisements related to beverage products, and the second advertising unit 27 is an advertising unit capable of displaying, for example, advertisements related to snack products.

[0019] Therefore, after inserting coins or bills into the coin slot 13 or bill slot 14, a customer can press the beverage product selection button 11b or snack product selection button 12b to select a product, and then remove the product from the main body via the first product removal outlet 21 or the second product removal outlet 22.

[0020] Here, we will explain the positions where the first sample chamber 11, the second sample chamber 12, the coin slot 13, the banknote slot 14, the amount display 15, the change return slot 16, the lock lever 17, the first product outlet 21, the second product outlet 22, the first advertising section 25 and the second advertising section 27 are formed and arranged on the outer door 3.

[0021] First, the outer door 3 is formed in a rectangular shape with a first length L1 in the vertical direction and a second length L2 in the horizontal direction. The first sample chamber 11 is formed between the approximate vertical center C of the vending machine 1 and a position that is the third length L3 below the upper end of the vending machine 1. The right end of the first sample chamber 11 is formed between a position that is the fourth length L4 to the left of the right end of the vending machine 1, and a position that is the fifth length L5 to the right of the right end of the second sample chamber 12. The second sample chamber 12 is formed between the approximate vertical center C of the vending machine 1 and a position that is the third length L3 below the upper end of the vending machine 1, similar to the first sample chamber 11. The second sample chamber 12 is formed so that its left end is a position that is the sixth length L6 to the right of the left end of the vending machine 1.

[0022] The coin slot 13 is located near the lower side of the first sample chamber 11 and the second sample chamber 12, and is between the first sample chamber 11 and the second sample chamber 12 when viewed in the left-right direction. The bill slot 14 is located near the left side of the coin slot 13. The amount display 15 is located near the left side of the coin slot 13, and between the bill slot 14 and the first sample chamber 11. The change return slot 16 is disposed below the coin slot 13, at a seventh length L7 above the bottom end of the vending machine 1. The lock lever 17 is located below the left bottom end of the second sample chamber 12.

[0023] The first product outlet 21 is located below the first sample chamber 11. The second product outlet 22 is located below the second sample chamber 12. The first advertising section 25 is located between the first product outlet 21 and the first sample chamber 11.

[0024] Therefore, the vending machine 1 can give customers the impression that it is a high-performance vending machine capable of simultaneously selling beverage products and snack products by juxtaposing the first sample chamber 11, in which the beverage sample 11a simulating a beverage product is displayed, and the second sample chamber 12, in which the flavor card 12a simulating a snack product is displayed, with a fifth length L5 between them. In addition, the vending machine 1 can give customers the impression that the products corresponding to the first sample chamber 11 and the second sample chamber 12 are separate from each other by locating the first product outlet 21, which is an outlet for dispensing the beverage product purchased by the customer, below the first sample chamber 11, and the second product outlet 22, which is an outlet for dispensing the snack product purchased by the customer, below the second sample chamber 12.

[0025] Referring to Fig. 2, there is shown an enlarged perspective view of range A in Fig. 1. The second sample chamber 12 is a space provided with a support frame 31, a button support portion 33, a holder (holding plate) 35, as well as the flavor card 12a and snack item selection buttons 12b described above, and is covered by a transparent resin window (transparent plate) 12c.

[0026] The support frame 31 is a framework member extending in the left-right direction behind and below the snack food selection buttons 12b. Both left and right ends of the support frame 31 are fixed to the outer door 3. The detailed configuration of the support frame 31 will be described later.

[0027] The button support 33 is a case that supports the snack item selection button 12b, located in front of the window 12c and fixed to the front part of the support frame 31 so as to sandwich the window 12c. The holder 35 is a flat plate member that supports the flavor card 12a on the front side. The holder 35 is attached to the support frame 31 behind the window 12c. Therefore, the button support 33 and the snack item selection button 12b can be touched by customers by being located in front of the window 12c, and the holder 35 attached to the support frame 31 can cover and protect the flavor card 12a by being located behind the window 12c.

[0028] 3, a front view of the holder 35 is shown. The holder 35 is formed with a lower holding portion 41, an upper holding portion 43, a lower locking portion (locking claw) 45, and an upper locking portion (locking claw) 47. The lower holding portion 41 has four lower holding holes 41a extending in the left-right direction, which are formed in the lower portion of the holder 35 and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The upper holding portion 43 has a total of five first upper holding holes (shared locking holes) 43a and second upper holding holes (single locking holes) 43b extending in the left-right direction, which are formed in the upper portion of the holder 35 and spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction.

[0029] Here, the positional relationship and size of the lower holding hole 41a, the first upper holding hole 43a, and the second upper holding hole 43b will be described. The second upper holding holes 43b are located on both the left and right sides of the upper holding part 43, and three first upper holding holes 43a are located between the second upper holding holes 43b. The first upper holding hole 43a is formed with a left-right length that is approximately twice that of the second upper holding hole 43b. The lower holding hole 41a is formed at a position corresponding to the space between the first upper holding hole 43a and the second upper holding hole 43b, or the space between adjacent first upper holding holes 43a.

[0030] 4, there is shown an explanatory diagram for explaining a method of attaching the flavor card 12a to the holder 35. The flavor card 12a is formed with a lower holding claw (lower mounting portion) 51 and an upper holding claw (upper mounting portion) 53. The lower holding claw 51 is a claw-shaped portion with a width of, for example, about 1 cm, extending downward from the center in the left-right direction of the lower end of the flavor card 12a. The upper holding claw 53 is a claw-shaped portion with a width of, for example, about 1 cm, extending upward from both ends in the left-right direction of the upper end of the flavor card 12a.

[0031] When attaching the flavor card 12a to the holder 35, first, the lower holding claw 51 and the upper holding claw 53 of the flavor card 12a are bent at their bases. Next, the upper holding claw 53 of the flavor card 12a is inserted into the first upper holding hole 43a or the second upper holding hole 43b of the holder 35. Then, the upper holding claw 53 of the flavor card 12a is inserted into the lower holding hole 41a of the holder 35. Note that the upper and lower holding claws of the flavor card 12a may be inserted into the holding holes without being bent at their bases.

[0032] By forming the holder 35 and the flavor card 12a in this manner, the flavor card 12a can be easily attached to the holder 35. Furthermore, the holder 35 and the flavor card 12a can be made to have a simple shape, allowing the flavor card 12a to be suitably attached to the holder 35. Furthermore, a first upper holding hole 43a that is long in the left-right direction is formed in the upper holding portion 43. As a result, the first upper holding hole 43a can receive both upper locking portions 47 of adjacent flavor cards 12a (see FIG. 3).

[0033] 5, a front view of a holder 35 is shown to which a flavor card 12d of a different type from the flavor card 12a according to the present embodiment is attached. The flavor card 12d is about twice as long in the left-right direction as the flavor card 12a according to the present embodiment. Specifically, the flavor card 12d has a shape in which two flavor cards 12a are arranged side by side in the left-right direction and integrated together.

[0034] The holder 35 is formed with a lower holding hole 41a in the lower holding part 41 and a first upper holding hole 43a and a second upper holding hole 43b in the upper holding part 43. By using the lower holding hole 41a, which corresponds to two of the flavor cards 12a in Figure 3, and the first upper holding hole 43a or the second upper holding hole 43b, the holder 35 can support the flavor card 12d while suppressing shaking in the left-right and up-down directions.

[0035] Returning to FIG. 3, the lower locking portion 45 is a convex portion extending downward near both left and right ends of the lower end of the holder 35. The upper locking portion 47 is a convex portion extending upward near both left and right ends of the upper end of the holder 35, similar to the lower locking portion 45. Here, the vertical length W1 to the lower end of the lower locking portion 45 excluding the upper locking portion 47 is slightly shorter than the vertical distance between the support frames 31. Moreover, the upper locking portion 47 extends upward by about twice as long as the lower locking portion 45.

[0036] 6, a rear perspective view of the support frame 31 and the holder 35 is shown. The support frame 31 has a front flat plate portion 61, an upper flat plate portion 63, and a lower flat plate portion 65, and is formed with a U-shaped cross section. The front flat plate portion 61 is a flat plate portion extending in the up-down direction and the left-right direction. The front flat plate portion 61 has a vertical width longer than the combined vertical length of the lower locking portion 45 and the upper locking portion 47 of the holder 35.

[0037] The upper flat plate portion 63 and the lower flat plate portion 65 are flat plate portions extending rearward from the upper and lower ends of the front flat plate portion 61. The upper flat plate portion 63 has a first locking opening (locking hole) 67 formed at a position corresponding to the lower locking portion 45, and the lower flat plate portion 65 has a second locking opening (locking hole) 69 formed at a position corresponding to the upper locking portion 47. Therefore, the holder 35 is supported by the support frame 31 by the lower locking portion 45 being locked in the first locking opening 67 and the upper locking portion 47 being locked in the second locking opening 69.

[0038] 7 and 8, there are shown explanatory diagrams for explaining a method of attaching the holder 35 to the support frame 31. When attaching the holder 35 to the support frame 31, first, the upper locking portion 47 of the holder 35 is inserted from below into the second locking opening 69 of the support frame 31 located above the holder 35 from the rear of the support frame 31 to be locked (FIG. 7). When the upper locking portion 47 of the holder 35 is inserted from below into the second locking opening 69 in this manner, the upper locking portion 47 is inserted so that all of the upper locking portion 47 is inserted into the second locking opening 69, so that the lower end of the lower locking portion 45 is positioned directly above any one of the first locking openings 67 of the support frame 31 located below the holder 35. Therefore, the holder 35 can be positioned directly above the first locking opening 67 from the rear (FIGS. 7 to 8).

[0039] Thereafter, while the upper locking portion 47 of the holder 35 is inserted into the second locking opening 69 of the support frame 31 located above the holder 35, the holder 35 is moved downward and the lower locking portion 45 is inserted into the first locking opening 67 located below the holder 35 (FIG. 8). Therefore, by configuring the support frame 31 and the holder 35 as described above, it is possible to lock the upper locking portion 47 of the holder 35 into the second locking opening 69 of the support frame 31 located above, and then lock the lower locking portion 45 of the holder 35 into the first locking opening 67 located below, and the holder 35 can be easily attached to the support frame 31.

[0040] In particular, since the upper locking portion 47 extends approximately twice as long as the lower locking portion 45, the lower locking portion 45 can be easily inserted into the first locking opening 67 while maintaining the upper locking portion 47 of the holder 35 inserted into the second locking opening 69 of the support frame 31, and the holder 35 can be easily attached starting from the top end.

[0041] Furthermore, by forming the first locking opening 67 and the second locking opening 69 in the upper flat plate portion 63 and the lower flat plate portion 65 of the support frame 31, it is possible to vertically arrange a plurality of support frames 31. Furthermore, since the vertical width of the support frame 31 is longer than the sum of the vertical length of the lower locking portion 45 of the holder 35 and the vertical length of the upper locking portion 47 of the holder 35, it is possible to prevent the lower locking portion 45 of the holder 35 located at the upper tier from coming into contact with the upper locking portion 47 of the holder 35 located at the lower tier.

[0042] In particular, the holder 35 attached in this manner is disposed in contact with or adjacent to the window 12c, so that the customer can easily see the flavor card 12a through the window 12c. Also, the holder 35 can support the flavor card 12a by clamping it in the window 12c.

[0043] As described above, the holder 35 for the flavor card 12a of the present invention is capable of arranging multiple flavor cards 12a, which display information about products sold in the vending machine 1, side by side in the left-right direction on the front side, and the upper part of the holder 35 is provided with an upper holding portion 43 to which an upper locking portion 47 formed on the upper part of the flavor card 12a is locked, and the lower part of the holder 35 is provided with a lower holding portion 41 to which a lower locking portion 45 formed on the lower part of the flavor card 12a is locked, and the upper holding portion 43 is formed with a first upper holding hole 43a to receive both of the upper locking portions 47 of adjacent flavor cards 12a among the flavor cards 12a.

[0044] Therefore, since the first upper holding hole 43a that receives both upper holding claws 53 of adjacent flavor cards 12a is formed in the upper holding portion 43, both upper holding claws 53 of adjacent flavor cards 12a can be attached together at once via the first upper holding hole 43a. Also, when attaching a flavor card 12d that is twice the size of the specified size of the flavor card 12a, for example, the flavor card 12d can be held with twice the supporting force of the flavor card 12a of the specified size.

[0045] In addition, the upper holding portion 43 has a first upper holding hole 43a formed in a row in the left-right direction, and a second upper holding hole 43b formed on both sides of the first upper holding holes 43a formed in a row and having a relatively short left-right width into which the upper holding claws 53 engage, thereby enabling the worker to clearly identify the installation positions of the flavor cards 12a at both ends of the flavor cards 12a lined up in the left-right direction.

[0046] Furthermore, since the first upper holding hole 43a is formed to be at least twice as long as the second upper holding hole 43b, two flavor cards 12a can be arranged side by side without overlapping.

[0047] The display device according to the present invention includes the holder 35 and a support frame 31 that supports the holder 35, and the holder 35 is provided at its upper and lower ends with upper and lower locking parts 47 and 45 that extend upward and downward. The support frame 31 is a frame to which snack product selection buttons 12b for selecting a product displayed on the flavor card 12a are attached, and includes a second locking opening 69 and a first locking opening 67 into which the upper locking part 47 and the lower locking part 45 can be inserted.

[0048] Therefore, the support frame 31 on which the snack product selection button 12b for selecting the product displayed on the flavor card 12a is attached is provided with a second locking opening 69 and a first locking opening 67 into which the upper locking portion 47 and the lower locking portion 45 can be inserted. This prevents the flavor card 12a and the snack product selection button 12b from being misaligned relative to each other, and allows the support frame 31 to double as a support member for supporting the holder 35, thereby reducing the number of parts.

[0049] In addition, the upper locking portion 47 and the lower locking portion 45 are provided at the upper and lower ends of the holder 35, respectively, and the support frame 31 is positioned above and below the holder 35, respectively, and the upper locking portion 47 and the lower locking portion 45 provided at the upper and lower ends of the holder 35 are locked, respectively, so that the holder 35 can be securely supported on the support frame 31 with a simple configuration.

[0050] It also includes a second sample chamber 12 in which the holder 35 and the support frame 31 are installed, and a window 12c covering the second sample chamber 12. The holder 35 abuts or is adjacent to the window 12c, so that the flavor card 12a can be shown directly to the customer through the window 12c, and the flavor card 12a can be supported by being sandwiched between the window 12c and the holder 35.

[0051] This concludes the explanation of the product display card holding plate and display device according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0052] For example, in the present embodiment, the holding plate and the display device for supporting the flavor card 12a for snack foods have been described, but they may also be used for other products such as beverage products.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the present invention has been described as being applied to a vending machine 1 having a first sample chamber 11 and a second sample chamber 12, but the present invention may also be applied to a vending machine having only the second sample chamber 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1. Vending Machines 12 Second sample room (sample room) 12a Flavor card (product display card) 12b Snack item selection button (item selection button) 12c Window (transparent panel) 35 Holder (holding plate) 41 Lower holding part 43 Upper holding part 43a 1st upper holding hole (shared locking hole) 43b Second upper retaining hole (single locking hole) 45 Lower locking part (locking claw) 47 Upper locking part (locking claw) 51 Lower retaining claw (lower mounting part) 53 Upper retaining claw (upper mounting part) 67 First locking opening (locking hole) 69 Second locking opening (locking hole)

Claims

1. A product display card holder capable of arranging multiple product display cards, which display information about products sold in a vending machine, side by side in the left and right direction on the front surface of the product display card holder, an upper holding portion is provided on an upper portion of the holding plate to which an upper mounting portion formed on an upper portion of the product display card is engaged; a lower holding portion for holding a lower attachment portion formed on a lower portion of the product display card; A holding plate for product display cards, in which at least one of the upper holding portion or the lower holding portion has a shared engagement hole formed therein for accepting both of the upper mounting portions or both of the lower mounting portions of adjacent product display cards among the product display cards.

2. At least one of the upper holding portion and the lower holding portion is A plurality of the shared locking holes are formed in a row in the left-right direction; 2. A retaining plate for a product display card as described in claim 1, further comprising a single locking hole formed on both sides of the multiple shared locking holes formed in a row, into which a portion of the upper mounting portion or the lower mounting portion is locked.

3. 3. The holding plate for a merchandise display card according to claim 2, wherein the shared locking hole is formed to have a length in the left-right direction that is at least twice as long as that of the single locking hole.

4. The retaining plate according to any one of claims 1 to 3; A support frame for supporting the retaining plate, At least one of the upper end and the lower end of the holding plate includes a locking claw extending upward or downward; The support frame is a frame to which product selection buttons for selecting a product displayed on the product display card are attached, and the support frame is a display device including a locking hole into which the locking claw can be inserted.

5. The locking claws are provided on both the upper end and the lower end of the holding plate, 5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the support frames are located above and below the holding plate, and are engaged with locking claws provided at both the upper and lower ends of the holding plate.

6. a sample chamber in which the holding plate and the support frame are disposed; A transparent plate covering the sample chamber; The display device according to claim 4 , wherein the holding plate is in contact with or adjacent to the transparent plate.

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