Product samples for vending machines

Abstract

To provide a commodity sample for automatic vending machine that can be easily attached / detached, has a low profile, and reduces a storage and transport space.SOLUTION: A commodity sample 1 for an automatic vending machine includes a pair of elastic engaging members 11, 11 supported on a rear surface side of a bottom receiving portion 9. A movable engagement projection 25 is urged by elastic support pieces 23, 23 to the inner surface side of a sample attachment / detachment hole 5 to be engaged with an inner edge part of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5. Operation members 26, 26 arranged on a rear surface side of a rear-surface lighting hole 15 formed in a rear substrate 12 are brought close to each other to be disengaged from the inner edge part of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vending machine product sample holder that holds product samples to be displayed on the front side of a vending machine. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, product samples in vending machines are generally lit from the bottom or back of the product sample. Either method provides lighting that makes the product sample stand out clearly, enhancing the product image and stimulating the consumer's desire to purchase.

[0003] However, it has been empirically proven that when these product samples fade due to long-term use, it reduces the product image and significantly reduces consumer purchasing power, so it is necessary to keep the product samples fresh.

[0004] Therefore, in recent years, product samples for vending machines have been widely used, in which a sheet-like sample display body with a product image printed on it is held in a curved state in a holder that is removably fixed to a product sample display stage (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] Meanwhile, the stage on which the product samples are placed comes in various shapes depending on the product being sold and the vending machine manufacturer. For example, a stage is used in which a sample placement plate located on the upper surface has a circular sample attachment / detachment hole formed therein.

[0006] A holder compatible with this type of stage comprises a holder main body portion that holds a sample display body, a disk-shaped bottom receiving portion that supports the holder main body portion, and a short cylindrical engaging tube portion that protrudes from the underside of the bottom receiving portion.

[0007] The engaging tube has spring pieces formed by cutting out parts at symmetrical positions on the left and right sides, and anti-dislodgement projections are provided at the tips of the spring pieces on the outer periphery of the lower end of the engaging tube.

[0008] The sample attachment / detachment hole has cutouts formed at symmetrical positions in the circumferential direction, and the anti-slip protrusion is passed through this cutout to the underside of the top surface of the stage. In this state, the holder is rotated on the stage, whereby the anti-slip protrusion moves below the underside of the back surface of the sample mounting plate, preventing the engaging tube portion from falling out and causing the spring piece to abut against the inner surface of the sample attachment / detachment hole, thereby fixing the holder to the stage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-115941 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, in the conventional technology described above, since the underside of the holder body has a disk-shaped bottom receiving portion and a short cylindrical engaging portion protruding from its underside, when multiple holders are stored or transported together, the mounting portions interfere with each other, making them bulky and taking up space.

[0011] Furthermore, conventional techniques have the problem that they cannot be used to attach samples to holes with different shapes, and are therefore unable to accommodate a wide variety of products for sale or differences in vending machine manufacturers.

[0012] Furthermore, in the conventional technology, the holder must be rotated relative to the stage when it is attached or detached, which takes time and effort, and there is a problem in that the work of changing product samples is inefficient.

[0013] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has been made with an object to provide a product sample for a vending machine which is easy to attach and detach, does not take up much space, and reduces the space required for storage and transportation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The invention described in claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problems of the related art is characterized in that a product sample for a vending machine comprises a sample display body displaying a product, and a sample holder for removably holding the sample display body on its front side, the sample holder being removably attached to a sample attachment hole formed in a sample installation plate installed on the upper surface of a stage installed in a product display section of a vending machine, the sample holder comprises a back substrate for holding the sample display body on its front side, a bottom receiving portion protruding from the lower end of the holder body toward the front side, and a pair of elastic engagement members supported on the back side of the bottom receiving portion, The elastic engaging member comprises an elastic support piece supported on the rear side of the bottom receiving portion, a movable engaging protrusion protruding from the underside of a movable body supported by the elastic support piece, and an operating member protruding from the upper surface of the movable body, and the movable engaging protrusion is urged by the elastic support piece toward the inner surface of the sample attachment / detachment hole to engage with the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole, and the operating member arranged on the rear side of the rear light collecting hole formed in the rear substrate is brought close to each other, thereby being detached from the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole.

[0015] The invention as recited in claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, operation-assisting cutouts are formed on both sides of the rear light collecting hole.

[0016] Furthermore, the feature of the invention described in claim 3 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 2, the bottom support portion has rear abutment portions on both sides parallel to the rear surface of the rear substrate, and a bulge portion arranged between the rear abutment portions, and the width of the bulge portion is formed narrower than the maximum width between the two operation assistance cutout portions.

[0017] Furthermore, the feature of the invention described in claim 4 is that, in addition to the configuration of any one of claims 1 to 3, it is provided with a fixed engagement protrusion that protrudes from the bottom surface of the bottom receiving portion and engages with the edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole.

[0018] Furthermore, the feature of the invention described in claim 5 is that, in addition to the configuration of claim 4, the fixed engagement protrusion comprises a contact piece protruding from the underside of the bottom receiving portion, an insertion piece extending forward from the lower end of the contact piece and inserted into the underside of the stage sample installation plate, and a guide piece extending downward from the front edge of the insertion piece. Effect of the Invention

[0019] The product sample for vending machines according to the present invention, by being provided with the configuration of claim 1, can be adapted to a variety of stages of different shapes, and can be easily attached and detached to the various stages with a single touch.

[0020] Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configuration of claim 2, the fingers for operating the operating member arranged on the back side of the holder body can be suitably inserted.

[0021] Furthermore, in the present invention, by adopting the configuration of claim 3, the holder bodies can be stacked on top of each other without leaving any gaps when the samples are stacked, and the samples can be stored compactly when transported or stored.

[0022] Furthermore, in the present invention, by providing the configurations of claims 4 and 5, the sample holder can be stably fixed to the sample attachment / detachment hole. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a state in which a product sample for a vending machine according to the present invention is attached to a stage. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the state in which the above-mentioned vending machine product sample is attached to a stage. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the sample holder in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] 2A is a longitudinal sectional view showing the above sample holders stacked together, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along line AA of the same sample holder. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are bottom views showing a procedure for attaching the sample holder to the stage, in which FIG. 10A shows the state during the attachment work and FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which the sample holder is being removed from the stage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Next, an embodiment of a product sample for a vending machine according to the present invention will be described based on the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 11. In the figures, reference numeral 1 denotes a product sample for a vending machine (hereinafter, referred to as a product sample), and reference numeral 2 denotes a stage on which the product sample 1 is placed.

[0025] As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the stage 2 has a flat sample placement plate 3 arranged horizontally on the upper surface, and a light source 4 such as an LED lamp is installed inside.

[0026] In addition, a plurality of circular sample attachment / detachment holes 5 are formed at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the sample installation plate 3 of the stage 2, and a product sample 1 can be attached and detached to each sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and the product sample 1 is illuminated by a light source 4 through the sample attachment / detachment hole 5.

[0027] The sample attachment / detachment hole 5 is formed, for example, in a circular shape, and a pair of attachment / detachment notches 5a, 5a are provided on its inner edge, shifted a predetermined angle circumferentially from each other with respect to a center line (diameter line) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sample mounting plate 3, and at symmetrical positions 180 degrees apart.

[0028] The sample mounting / removing hole 5 has a pair of engagement recesses 5b, 5b formed on its inner edge at symmetrical positions 180 degrees apart on a center line (diameter line) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the sample setting plate 3.

[0029] The product sample 1 comprises a film-like sample display body 6 on which a product image is printed, and a sample holder 7 for holding the sample display body 6, and the product is displayed three-dimensionally by holding the sample display body 6 in a curved state in the sample holder 7.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 to 8, the sample holder 7 is formed as a single unit from an elastic synthetic resin material or the like, and comprises a holder main body 8 that holds a film-like sample display body 6 on its front surface, a bottom receiving portion 9 that protrudes toward the front side from the lower end of the holder main body 8, fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 that protrude from the bottom surface of the bottom receiving portion 9, and a pair of elastic engagement members 11, 11 supported on the rear side of the bottom receiving portion 9, and is configured to be removably fixed to the sample mounting plate 3 on the upper surface of the stage 2.

[0031] The holder body 8 comprises a rectangular rear substrate 12 and a pair of holding pieces 13, 13 protruding diagonally inward from the side edges of the rear substrate 12, and is configured to hold the film-like sample display body 6 by inserting both side edges of the sample display body 6 into the back side of the holding pieces 13, 13 while the film-like sample display body 6 is curved toward the front side of the rear substrate 12.

[0032] The rear substrate 12 is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate that is long in the vertical direction, and has rear light collecting holes 14, 15 for collecting light formed above and below the center at a distance from each other.

[0033] The rear light collecting holes 14 and 15 are each formed in a rectangular hole shape, and are adapted to illuminate the sample display body 6 through lighting on the rear side.

[0034] In addition, the lower rear light hole 15 has operation-assistance cutout portions 15a, 15a formed on both sides thereof which are connected to the rear light hole 15, and space is provided on both sides of the rear light hole 15 for inserting fingers 16, 16 therethrough.

[0035] The shape of the operation assisting cutout portions 15a, 15a is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the lower portion is formed in an arc shape so as not to impede the insertion of the fingers 16, 16.

[0036] The rear substrate 12 is formed to a height that matches the height of the sample display 6 that displays the shortest product among the corresponding products, for example, the height of a so-called short can of 185 g, and is shorter than the height of the sample display 6 that displays taller products such as a 350 ml can or a 500 ml PET bottle.

[0037] The bottom receiving portion 9 has a pair of rear abutment portions 17, 17 arranged on the front of both side portions, and a bulge portion 18 arranged between the rear abutment portions 17, 17, and is shaped like an arc-shaped plate protruding forward from the lower end of the rear substrate 12, with a semicircular light-transmitting hole 19 opened in the center.

[0038] The rear contact portions 17 , 17 are formed in a shape in which the front portion is cut out inward from the tip edges of the holding pieces 13 , 13 , and the cut-out front surface is oriented parallel to the rear surface of the rear substrate 12 .

[0039] The bulge 18 is formed in the shape of an arc-shaped plate bulging forward, and its width is narrower than the maximum width between the two operation assistance cutouts 15a, 15a. As shown in Figure 9, when the sample holders 7 are stacked, the bulge 18 is inserted between the two operation assistance cutouts 15a, 15a, and the two rear abutment portions 17, 17 abut against the rear surface of the rear substrate 12, so that the sample holders 7 are stacked without any gaps.

[0040] The bottom receiving portion 9 is formed so that its width is wider than the diameter of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5 and its protruding width is smaller than the radius of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, thereby minimizing the front-to-rear width of the sample holder 7 and enabling both sides to be supported by the sample installation plate 3.

[0041] In addition, the protruding width of the bottom receiving portion 9 is formed smaller than the radius of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, so that a portion of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5 in front of the product sample 1 is exposed, and light passing through the sample attachment / detachment hole 5 illuminates the sample display body 6 from the back side through the light transmitting hole 19, and the sample display body 6 can also be illuminated from the front through the exposed front side.

[0042] The fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 are arranged at intervals from each other in the horizontal direction on the front part of the bottom receiving portion 9, and each has a contact piece 20 protruding from the underside, an insertion piece 21 extending forward from the lower end of the contact piece 20, and a guide piece 22 extending downward from the front edge of the insertion piece 21, and are inserted while being guided by the guide piece 22 to the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5.

[0043] The abutment piece 20 is formed in an arcuate protrusion shape having the same radius of curvature as the radius of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and is positioned along the light-transmitting hole 19 at a predetermined distance from the front edge of the bottom receiving portion 9 so as to fit into the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5.

[0044] The insertion piece 21 is formed to a length such that its front end does not extend beyond the front edge of the bottom receiving part 9, its front end edge forms an arc shape having the same radius of curvature as the radius of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and is adapted to be inserted under the sample installation plate 3 of the stage 2.

[0045] The guide piece 22 is formed in an arc-shaped plate shape along the front end edge of the insertion piece 21, and its surface is adapted to abut against the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5.

[0046] Each elastic engagement member 11, 11 comprises an elastic support piece 23 supported on the rear side of the bottom receiving portion 9, a movable engagement protrusion 25 protruding from the underside of a movable body 24 supported by the elastic support piece 23, and an operating member 26 protruding from the upper surface of the movable body 24, and the operating member 26 is positioned on the rear side of the lower rear light collecting hole 15 so that the operating member 26 can be operated through the rear light collecting hole 15.

[0047] The elastic support piece 23 is formed in the shape of an arc-shaped cantilever spring with one end supported by the inner edge of the light-transmitting hole 19 formed in the bottom receiving portion 9, protrudes toward the back side of the bottom receiving portion 9, and has a plate-shaped movable body 24 supported at the other end.

[0048] The elastic support piece 23 is formed in an arc shape with a radius of curvature smaller than the radius of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and is arranged with its radial direction directed horizontally so that it can swing laterally.

[0049] The movable body 24 is formed in the shape of a plate that is long in the horizontal direction, with an operating member 26 protruding from the upper surface of the inner end and a movable engagement projection 25 protruding from the lower surface of the outer end.

[0050] The movable engagement protrusion 25 comprises a protrusion portion 25a protruding from the underside of the movable body 24, an engagement convex portion 25b protruding from the outer surface of the protrusion portion 25a, and a hook portion 25c supported on the underside of the protrusion portion 25a, and is positioned a predetermined distance inward from the end of the movable body 24.

[0051] The outer surface of the protrusion portion 25a is formed in an arc shape with a radius of curvature similar to the radius of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and is arranged so that the maximum distance between the outer surfaces of both protrusion portions 25a, 25a is the same as or slightly larger than the diameter of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and is biased by the elastic support piece 23 to be pressed against the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5.

[0052] The hook portion 25c is formed in a hook shape with the end face of the protruding portion 25a as a base, an engagement groove 27 is formed between the hook portion 25c and the lower surface of the movable body 24, and an inclined surface is formed on the outside.

[0053] The engaging protrusion 25b is formed in an arcuate convex shape and is provided on the outer surface of the protruding stripe 25a so as to protrude into the engaging groove 27 of the hook.

[0054] This movable engagement protrusion 25 is biased by the elastic support piece 23 so that the protruding portion 25a is pressed against the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, the engagement convex portion 25b fits into the engagement concave portion 5b, the movable body 24 is placed on the upper side of the sample installation plate 3, and the hook portion 25c engages with the back side of the sample installation plate 3.

[0055] The operating member 26 is formed in a plate shape and is provided on the upper surface of the movable body 24 so that its surface projects in the lateral direction.

[0056] These two operating members 26 are brought close to each other by pinching them with two fingers 16, 16 through the rear light collecting hole 15, thereby bending the elastic support piece 23 via the movable body 24 and disengaging the movable engagement protrusion 25 from the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5.

[0057] The sample display body 6 is formed from a rectangular, elastic, transparent and light-transmitting synthetic resin film material, and an image of the product in an expanded state, showing the outer shape of a cylindrical product, is printed on the surface of the synthetic resin film material, and by bending it, it is displayed in a state close to the actual product.

[0058] The sample display body 6 is formed so that its width is shorter than half the circumference of the product and slightly longer than the diameter of the actual product, its width is the diameter of the actual product, and it is curved with a radius of curvature larger than the circumferential radius.

[0059] To attach this product sample 1 to the stage 2, first, as shown in Figure 10(a), face the product sample 1 forward in relation to the stage 2, and with the sample holder 7 shifted slightly backward relative to the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, the fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 and the movable engagement protrusion 25 are inserted into the sample attachment / detachment hole 5 while guiding the guide pieces 22 of the fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 to the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5.

[0060] At that time, the inclined surface of the hook portion 25c is pressed against the inner surface of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and the movable engagement protrusion 25 is pushed inward against the biasing force of the elastic support piece 23, and is inserted until the lower surface of the movable body 24 abuts against the surface of the sample mounting plate 3.

[0061] Then, when the fixed engagement protrusions 10,10 and the movable engagement protrusion 25 are inserted into the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, the elastic support piece 23 elastically returns and forces both movable engagement protrusions 25,25 outward, which force pushes the entire sample holder 7 forward, and as shown in Figure 10(b), the insertion piece 21 of the fixed engagement protrusions 10,10 is inserted into the underside of the sample installation plate 3, the abutment piece 20 abuts against the front inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and the engagement convex portion 5b of the movable engagement protrusion 25 fits into the engagement concave portions 5b,5b of the sample attachment / detachment hole 5, and the sample holder 7 is fixed to the stage 2.

[0062] Finally, the sample display body 6 is held in a curved state on the front side of the holder body 8, and the attachment of the product sample 1 is completed.

[0063] On the other hand, to remove the trade sample 1, first, the sample display body 6 is removed from the holder body 8, and the operating members 26 of both the elastic engagement members 11, 11 are exposed through the rear light collecting hole 15.

[0064] Then, as shown in Figure 11, when fingers 16, 16 are inserted through rear light hole 15 having operation-assistance cutouts 15a, 15a, and operating member 26 is pushed toward the back while being pinched in a direction toward each other, both movable engagement protrusions 25, 25 will disengage from the inner edge of sample attachment / detachment hole 5 against the biasing force of elastic support piece 23, resulting in a state similar to that shown in Figure (a).In this state, fixed engagement protrusions 10, 10 and movable engagement protrusion 25 can be pulled upward from sample attachment / detachment hole 5 to remove sample holder 7 from sample attachment / detachment hole 5.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the case where the stage is attached to a standard stage is described; however, since the movable engagement protrusions 25, 25 are pressed against the inner edge or inner side surface of the sample attachment / detachment hole by the biasing force of the elastic engagement members 11, 11, the stage can be adapted to holes of various shapes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1. Product samples for vending machines (product samples) 2 Stage 3 Sample installation board 4 light source 5 Sample attachment / detachment hole 6 Sample display body 7 Sample Holder 8 Holder body 9 Bottom support 10 Fixed engagement protrusion 11 Elastic engagement member 12 Rear board 13 Holding piece 14 Back lighting hole 15 Back lighting hole 16 fingers 17 Rear contact part 18 Bulge 19 Light transmission hole 20 Contact piece 21 Insertion piece 22 Guide strip 23 Elastic support piece 24 Movable body 25 Movable engagement protrusion 26 Operating parts 27 Engagement groove

Claims

1. A product sample for a vending machine includes a sample display body displaying a product, and a sample holder for removably holding the sample display body on the front side, the sample holder being removably attached to a sample attachment hole formed in a sample installation plate installed on the top surface of a stage installed in a product display section of the vending machine, The sample holder includes a rear substrate that holds the sample display body on a front side thereof, a bottom receiving portion that protrudes from a lower end of the holder body to the front side thereof, and a pair of elastic engagement members that are supported on the rear side of the bottom receiving portion; The elastic engagement member includes an elastic support piece supported on the back side of the bottom receiving portion, a movable engagement protrusion protruding from the lower surface of a movable body supported by the elastic support piece, and an operating member protruding from the upper surface of the movable body, A product sample for a vending machine, characterized in that the movable engagement protrusion is urged by the elastic support piece toward the inner surface of the sample attachment / detachment hole to engage with the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole, and the operating members arranged on the rear side of the rear light collecting hole formed in the rear substrate are brought closer to each other to be detached from the inner edge of the sample attachment / detachment hole.

2. 2. The vending machine product sample according to claim 1, wherein operation-assisting cutouts are formed on both sides of the rear light collecting hole.

3. A product sample for a vending machine as described in claim 2, wherein the bottom support portion has a rear abutment portion on both sides parallel to the rear surface of the rear substrate, and a bulge portion arranged between the rear abutment portions, and the width of the bulge portion is formed narrower than the maximum width between the two operation assistance cutout portions.

4. 4. The vending machine sample according to claim 1, further comprising a fixing engagement protrusion protruding from the bottom surface of said bottom receiving portion and engaging with an edge of said sample attachment / detachment hole.

5. A sample for a vending machine as described in claim 4, wherein the fixed engagement protrusion comprises a contact piece protruding from the underside of the bottom receiving portion, an insertion piece extending forward from the lower end of the contact piece and inserted into the underside of the stage sample installation plate, and a guide piece extending downward from the front edge of the insertion piece.

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