Mounting Structure and Method of a Digital Display on a Vending Machine

Abstract

To provide a structure and a method for mounting a digital display on a vending machine so as to enable, without major modification, installation of a digital display for digitally displaying information on articles to an existing vending machine that uses a display with printed information on articles.SOLUTION: A structure for mounting a digital display on a vending machine includes: a display stand 15 provided on the rear side of a front panel 13 that constitutes the front of the vending machine and supporting an article sample 16a and a display body 40 that displays information about an article; and a price display device 30 provided between the front panel 13 and the display stand 15 and displaying information about the article in a digital form. The price display device 30 is attached to the vending machine as an existing component in the vending machine using, for example, a fixing unit 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an attachment structure and method of a digital display to a vending machine.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, vending machines have been proposed in which a price display body is made replaceable and the display position of a cold / warm display body is made changeable (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The vending machine described in Patent Document 1 includes a transparent panel that constitutes the front surface of an outer door, a display stand that is attached to a middle door and on which product samples are displayed, and a price display body and a cold / warm display body that are arranged on the front surface portion of the display stand. The price display body is a plate-like body on which a price pattern of a corresponding product is printed. The cold / warm display body is a belt-like body on which a cold / warm pattern of characters corresponding to the cold / warm state or refrigerated state of a product and a background color are printed. The price display body is composed of a horizontally long light-transmitting plate and can be replaced with an old price display body by manually inserting and removing it. The cold / warm display body is an endless belt-like body that can rotate through the front surface side of the front surface portion of the display stand and further through the front surface side of the rear surface portion of the display stand, and the display position that appears on the front surface side of the front surface portion of the display stand can be changed by manually rotating it.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] According to a conventional vending machine, when the number of vending machines for which information on products such as a price pattern and a cold / warm pattern needs to be changed increases, the burden on workers increases accordingly.

[0006] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an attachment structure and method for a digital display for an automatic vending machine that can install a digital display for digitally displaying information about products on an existing automatic vending machine using a display body printed with information about products without major modification.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a support member provided on the back side of a transparent panel constituting the front surface of an automatic vending machine and supporting a display body for displaying product samples and information about products, and a digital display provided between the transparent panel and the support member for digitally displaying the information about the products. A selection switch device provided on the front side of the transparent panel and having selection buttons for selecting the merchandise; comprising The selection switch device has a fixing portion as an existing member fixed from the back side of the transparent panel; the digital display is attached to the automatic vending machine using The existing members The fixing portion as such in the automatic vending machine, and provides an attachment structure for a digital display to an automatic vending machine.

[0008] Further, to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a method for attaching a digital display to an automatic vending machine, wherein the digital display is attached to the automatic vending machine using existing members in the automatic vending machine so that the digital display for digitally displaying information about products is positioned between a transparent panel constituting the front surface of the automatic vending machine and a support member provided on the back side of the transparent panel and supporting a display body for displaying product samples and information about products. A method of attaching a digital display to a vending machine, wherein the existing member is a fixing portion for fixing a selection switch device having selection buttons for selecting the merchandise provided on the front side of the transparent panel from the back side of the transparent panel. provides an attachment method for a digital display to an automatic vending machine.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, a digital display for digitally displaying information about products can be installed on an existing automatic vending machine using a display body printed with information about products without major modification.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, components having substantially the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0012] [Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration example of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. This vending machine 10 sells products such as beverages in containers, and includes a box body 11 that opens forward and a door body 12 that opens and closes the opening in front of the box body 11. Note that the products to be sold are not limited to beverages in containers, and may be foods, clothes, daily necessities, seasonings, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, etc. These products are an example of the sales targets.

[0013] On the upper part of the front side of the door body 12, a front panel 13 that constitutes the front of the vending machine 10 is provided. This front panel 13 is formed of a resin material such as a transparent acrylic plate. Also, on the back side of the front panel 13, a back panel 14 is attached to the door body 12 so as to be openable and closable. This back panel 14 is formed of a metal material such as a metal plate. On the back side of the back panel 14, a product storage bin for storing products corresponding to the selection buttons 21 (see FIG. 2) is arranged. Here, the front side means the front side in the vending machine 10, and the back side means the side opposite to the front side. The front panel 13 is an example of a transparent panel.

[0014] Also, on the door body 12 of the vending machine 10, although detailed description is omitted, a bill inlet and outlet, a coin slot, an amount display, a change return port, a product outlet, a cash return lever, an advertising space, a door lock, etc. are provided.

[0015] A space is formed between the front panel 13 and the back panel 14, and this space is used as a showroom for product samples. This showroom is provided with three display stands 15 arranged in the upper, middle, and lower stages respectively. The display stand 15 is provided on the back side of the front panel 13 and is formed by a metal housing that opens downward. A plurality (for example, 12) of product samples 16, which are display items, are displayed on the display stand 15. The product samples 16 may use, for example, empty containers of products, photos of products, models, etc., or the products themselves. For example, in this embodiment, product samples 16a and 16b (see FIG. 2) with different heights are displayed. The display stand 15 is an example of a support member.

[0016] On the front side of the display stands 15 arranged in the upper, middle, and lower stages respectively, a selection switch device 20 and a price display device 30 are installed. The selection switch device 20 is provided with a plurality (for example, 12) of selection buttons 21 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the product samples 16 and is attached to the front side of the front panel 13. The price display device 30 is an example of a digital display.

[0017] The price display device 30 is installed, for example, between the front panel 13 and the display stand 15, and is installed with respect to the existing vending machine 10 using a display body 40 (see FIG. 6) on which information about the product is printed. The price display device 30 is provided with a plurality (for example, 12) of price display units 31 (see FIG. 2) corresponding to the product samples 16, and is attached to the vending machine 10 using the fixing portion 23 (see FIG. 6) of the selection switch device 20 on the back side of the front panel 13.

[0018] The price display unit 31 of the price display device 30 digitally displays information about the corresponding product, for example, the selling price of the product, the cold / warm information indicating whether the corresponding product is a hot product (heated product) or a cold product (refrigerated product), the sales status of the corresponding product (for example, recommended, time sale, etc.). A control unit for controlling the display of information about the product is provided in the vending machine 10. Note that the information about the product is not limited to the selling price, cold / warm information, and sales status, and may be other information or may include other information.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the main part of the vending machine 10 shown in FIG. 1. In the present embodiment, the number of selection buttons 21 arranged in one row is set to 12, but a plurality of selection switch devices 20 may be used in one row. For example, two selection switch devices 20 having six selection buttons 21 may be used. Also, the number of selection buttons 21 arranged in one row is arbitrary, and a plurality of selection switch devices 20 having different numbers of selection buttons 21 may be used accordingly. For example, when the number of selection buttons 21 in one row is set to 10, a six-connected type selection switch device 20 having six selection buttons 21 and a four-connected type selection switch device 20 having four selection buttons 21 may be used.

[0020] The price display device 30, similar to the selection switch device 20, has 12 price display units 31 installed in one row, but multiple price display devices 30 may be used in one row. For example, two price display devices 30 each having 6 price display units 31 may be used. Also, the number of price display units 31 arranged in one row is arbitrary (however, the same as the number of selection buttons 21), and multiple price display devices 30 having different numbers of price display units 31 may be used accordingly. For example, when the number of price display units 31 in one row is 10, a 6-unit type price display device 30 having 6 price display units 31 and a 4-unit type price display device 30 having 4 price display units 31 may be used.

[0021] (Configuration of Price Display Device) FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the price display device 30, FIG. 4(a) is a front view showing an example of the price display device 30, and FIG. 4(b) is a front view showing an example of the price display unit 31 provided in the price display device 30.

[0022] The price display device 30 includes a horizontally long case 32 provided with a plurality of price display units 31 on the front side, a cable 33 led out from the case 32 for supplying power to each price display unit 31, and a connector 34 connected to the end of the cable 33.

[0023] The case 32 includes a rectangular main body portion 320 in which electronic components are incorporated and which is horizontally long, and an extending portion 321 extending downward from the main body portion 320. A plurality of mounting portions 322 for attaching the price display device 30 to the selection switch device 20 are provided in a part of the extending portion 321. A slit 322a for attaching to the fixing portion 23 of the selection switch device 20 is formed in the mounting portion 322. The fixing portion 23 is an example of an existing member.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4(b), the price display unit 31 includes a plurality (e.g., three) of 7-segment LED display units 310 that display the selling price of the corresponding product as a plurality of digits (e.g., three digits) arranged horizontally, a yen mark display unit 311 that displays a yen mark (￥), a hot / cold display unit 312 that displays whether the corresponding product is a hot product (heated product) or a cold product (cooled product) in character patterns (HOT, COLD) and colors, and a sales status display unit 313 that displays the sales status of the corresponding product in character patterns (e.g., recommended, time sale, etc.).

[0025] The 7-segment LED display unit 310 is composed of seven segments 310a, 310b, and each segment 310a, 310b has an LED element. Also, an LED element is arranged on the back side of the yen mark display unit 311. The 7-segment LED display unit 310 and the yen mark display unit 311 are controlled by the control unit to selectively turn on the LED elements of the 7 segments 310a, 310b according to the selling price and to turn on the LED element of the yen mark display unit 311. Thereby, the selling price is displayed.

[0026] Red LED elements and blue LED elements are arranged on the back side of the character patterns (HOT, COLD) of the hot / cold display unit 312. The hot / cold display unit 312 is controlled by the control unit to turn on the red LED element when the corresponding product is a hot product (heated product), and to turn on the blue LED element when the corresponding product is a cold product (cooled product).

[0027] The sales status display unit 313 has a character pattern printed on it, and an LED element is arranged on the back side. When promoting the sale by appealing to the corresponding product, the control unit controls the LED element of the sales status display unit 313 of the corresponding price display unit 31 to turn on.

[0028] The LED element is an example of a light-emitting element. Note that the light-emitting element is not limited to the LED element, and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) element, an inorganic EL element, a laser element, etc. may be used. Further, the price display unit 31 may use a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display other than the LED element. The segments 310a and 310b, the light-emitting element, and the display are examples of electronic components incorporated in the main body 320.

[0029] The setting contents of information related to products such as the selling price and cold temperature information displayed on the price display unit 31 can be changed by an operator who performs maintenance work on the vending machine 10 using a portable terminal (such as a so-called handy terminal) carried by the operator or by instructing the control unit via a network.

[0030] (Mounting Structure of Price Display Device) Figs. 5(a) and (b) are diagrams for explaining the mounting operation of the price display device 30. Fig. 5(a) is a perspective view of the main part seen from the back side of the selection switch device 20 and the price display device 30 before mounting (before installation), and Fig. 5(b) is a perspective view of the main part showing the mounting process of the price display device 30. Fig. 6(a) is a sectional view taken along the line A-A of Figs. 2 and 4(a) showing an example of the mounting structure of the selection switch device 20 and the price display device 30.

[0031] The selection switch device 20 includes a horizontally long case 22 provided with a plurality of selection buttons 21 on the front side, and a fixing portion 23 that protrudes from the case 22 to the back side and fixes the selection switch device 20 from the back side of the front panel 13. In order to impart bending rigidity to the peripheral portions of the selection switch device 20 and its front panel 13, a structure is adopted in which the selection switch device 20 and the reinforcing member 17 are attached via the front panel 13. That is, the selection switch device 20 inserts the fixing portion 23 into a hole 13a formed in the front panel 13, and tightens a screw 18 into a screw hole 23a formed in the fixing portion 23 via the rising portion 173 of the reinforcing member 17 and the mounting portion 322 of the price display device 30, thereby attaching it to the front panel 13.

[0032] The display stand 15 is formed in the horizontal direction and includes an upper surface portion 150 on which the product sample 16 is attached, a rear surface portion 151 that extends downward from the rear end of the upper surface portion 150 and is attached to the rear panel 14, and a front surface portion 152 that extends downward from the front end of the upper surface portion 150. The lower end of the front surface portion 152 is formed with a bent portion 152a that is folded upward and is configured to support the display body 40 on which the price pattern is printed corresponding to the product sample 16. Further, inside the display stand 15, a fluorescent lamp type LED lamp 19 (the illustration of the internal structure is omitted) for illuminating the product sample 16 is disposed through the opening 150a of the upper surface portion 150 of the display stand 15. Note that the display body 40 may be one on which the cold and warm pattern is printed corresponding to the product sample 16, or may be one on which the price pattern and the cold and warm pattern are printed corresponding to the product sample 16.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6, the reinforcing member 17 is formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section from a metal material such as a metal plate, and has a wall portion 170 that contacts the front panel 13 side, a bottom portion 171 that is bent at a right angle in the horizontal direction with respect to the wall portion 170, and a standing portion 172 that is bent upward with respect to the bottom portion 171. A plurality of rising portions 173 are formed in the wall portion 170 by press working corresponding to the positions of the plurality of fixing portions 23 of the selection switch device 20, and a hole 173a for passing the screw 18 is formed at the center of the rising portion 173.

[0034] In order to install the price display device 30 between the front panel 13 and the front portion 152 of the display stand 15, as shown in FIG. 6, the main body portion 320 of the price display device 30 has a wide and thin structure. In order to increase the amount of information to be displayed, it is preferable that the vertical length (width w) of the main body portion 320 is large. However, if it is too large, the product sample 16 will be hidden by the price display device 30, which is not preferable. From the viewpoint of ease of installation, it is preferable that the length (thickness t) in the direction orthogonal to the vertical direction of the main body portion 320 is thin. However, if it is too thin, it will be difficult to incorporate electronic components into the main body portion 320. Considering these factors, the width w is preferably 20 mm or more and 40 mm or less, and the thickness t is preferably 4 mm or more and 8 mm or less. Also, the ratio w / t of the width w to the thickness t is preferably 2.5 or 3 or more and 3.5 or 4 or less. In the present embodiment, t = 8 mm, w = 27 mm, and w / t = 3.38.

[0035] (Installation method of price display device) Next, an example of a method for installing the price display device 30 in an existing vending machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The installation of the price display device 30 in the existing vending machine 10 is performed with the door body 12 open. First, loosen the screw 18 that fixes the selection switch device 20 to the front panel 13. Next, insert the price display device 30 between the front panel 13 and the front portion 152 of the display stand 15. As shown in FIG. 5(b), insert the slit 322a of the attachment portion 322 into the screw portion of the screw 18 and tighten the screw 18. Finally, by connecting the connector 34 led out from the price display device 30 to the vending machine 10 side, the installation work of the price display device 30 is completed.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing variations of the display stand 15. In the figure, the reinforcing member 17, the price display device 30, etc. are shown in a simplified manner, and the price display device 30 is hatched to make the positional relationship with the display stand 15 easier to understand. The display stands 15 shown in FIGS. (a) to (g) of the figure include those with different manufacturers of the vending machine 10 and those with different types even from the same manufacturer. The cross-sectional shape of the price display device 30 is devised so that it can be installed in the common space (installation space) between the front panel 13 and the front portion 152 of each company's display stand 15. As shown in the figure, there may be a slight gap or no gap and they may be in contact with each other between the main body portion 320 or the extending portion 321 of the price display device 30 and the front portion 152 or the bent portion 152a of the display stand 15.

[0037] (Operations and effects of the embodiment) According to the vending machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the following operations and effects are achieved. (a) For the existing vending machine 10, the price display device 30 can be installed by attaching the price display device 30 to the front panel 13 using the screw 18 of the fixing portion 23 that fixes the selection switch device 20 to the front panel 13. That is, the price display device 30 can be installed without major modification to the existing vending machine 10. (b) After installing the price display device 30, the setting content of the information on the products of the price display device 30 can be changed for the vending machine 10 via a network. Also, even if there are many vending machines for which the information on the products should be changed, the change of the information on the products can be performed in a short time via the network.

[0038] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and implementations are possible. For example, in the present embodiment, the price display device 30 is attached to the selection switch device 20, but it may be attached to other existing members of the vending device such as the display stand.

[0039] In addition, some of the components of the above-described embodiment may be omitted or modified. For example, in the present embodiment, the price display device 30 includes an attachment portion 322 for attaching to the fixing portion 23. However, the price display device 30 may have a structure in which it is attached to the fixing portion 23 by an attachment member that is a separate member from the price display device 30.

[0040] Also, within the scope of not changing the gist of the present invention, in the flow of the above-described embodiment, steps can be added, deleted, changed, replaced, etc. For example, in the above-described embodiment, when installing the price display device 30, the display body 40 was not removed, but it may be removed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0041] 10... Vending machine, 11... Cabinet, 12... Door body, 13... Front panel, 13a... Hole, 14... Rear panel, 15... Display stand, 16, 16a, 16b... Product samples, 17... Reinforcing member, 18... Screw, 19... Fluorescent LED lamp, 20... Selection switch device, 21... Selection button, 22... Case, 23... Fixing portion, 23a... Screw hole, 30... Price display device, 31... Price display portion, 32... Case, 33... Cable, 34... Connector, 40... Display body, 150... Upper surface portion, 150a... Opening, 151... Rear surface portion, 152... Front surface portion, 152a... Bent portion, 170... Wall portion, 171... Bottom portion, 172... Standing portion, 173... Rising portion, 173a... Hole, 310... 7-segment LED display portion, 310a, 310b... Segments, 311... Circular mark display portion, 312... Cold / warm display portion, 313... Sales status display portion, 320... Main body portion, 321... Extending portion, 322... Attachment portion, 322a... Slit

Claims

1. A support member provided on the back side of a transparent panel constituting the front surface of a vending machine, for supporting a display body that displays product samples and information about products, A digital display provided between the transparent panel and the support member, for digitally displaying information about the product, A selection switch device provided on the front side of the transparent panel, having selection buttons for selecting the product, and comprising: The selection switch device has a fixing portion as an existing member fixed from the back side of the transparent panel, The digital display is attached to the vending machine using the fixing portion as the existing member in the vending machine, A mounting structure of a digital display to a vending machine.

2. The digital display includes an attachment portion for attachment to the fixing portion, The mounting structure of a digital display to a vending machine according to Claim 1.

3. The digital display is attached to the fixing portion by an attachment member, The mounting structure of a digital display to a vending machine according to Claim 1.

4. The support member is a display stand for displaying product samples or a member attached to the display stand, The mounting structure of a digital display to a vending machine according to Claim 1.

5. When the vertical width of the main body portion in which electronic components are incorporated in the digital display is w and the thickness in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is t, the ratio w / t of w to t is 2.5 or more and 4 or less, The mounting structure of a digital display to a vending machine according to Claim 1.

6. A method of attaching a digital display to a vending machine, wherein the digital display is positioned between a transparent panel constituting the front surface of the vending machine and a support member provided on the back side of the transparent panel for supporting a display body that displays product samples and information about products, and the digital display is attached to the vending machine using an existing member in the vending machine, The existing member is a fixing portion for fixing a selection switch device having selection buttons for selecting the product, provided on the front side of the transparent panel, from the back side of the transparent panel, A method of attaching a digital display to a vending machine.

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