SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STORAGE AND DELIVERY OF PRODUCT UNITS

The present invention relates to a system for storage and delivery of product units from a storage facility, where the system comprises a number of compartments, where the respective compartments hold a number of Units arranged after each other, and also a release mechanism for delivery of the product units.

The invention also relates to a method as described in the ingress of the subsequent claim 11. The invention also relates to applications of the system and the method according to the claims 19-21.

PRIOR ART

Today, enclosed automatic machines, and, in particular, vending machines, are used at a large number of public places to increase the availability of a series of products, such as drinks, snacks, cigarettes, toilet articles, etc. The vending machines can be moved and be placed at suitable locations in restaurants, shopping centres, car parks, schools, hotels and other locations. The products in the vending machine are then accessible to a person by choosing which product(s) he/she wishes, and the vending machine delivers the products through a hatch after payment, in the form of coins, notes or credit cards, has been received and registered in the vending machine. It is common to arrange each product type in individual rows in the vending machine.

Some types of vending machines use a spiral-like mechanism to separate and keep the products in place in the vending machine. The mechanism is often arranged behind the row of a given product. When the machine shall deliver one example of the product, the vending machine activates a mechanism such that the spiral rotates behind the relevant product row for a given time period,

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ind pushes the products forward in the vending machine, whereby the foremost Droduct unit falls out of the row and down into a delivery hatch or the like.

\ disadvantage with this delivery mechanism is that if the product units and/or [he spiral is wrongly adjusted or located this can lead to the product units not being sufficiently displaced during the time the spiral rotates and the product unit not being released from the row. This can lead to the spiral getting caught in the product and the product sticking in the vending machine. This can affect the adjustment of the products along the row if a person does not manage to release the product as the spiral must be moved a certain distance. One must then seek assistance or possibly report the malfunction to the owner of the vending machine before the vending machine can be used again.

Additionally, reference is made to what is known from Japanese Patent JP- 09050566, US Patent Application 20020190077, US Patent 3.862.704 and US 4.600.094. Most of these known vending machines are based on the products being placed after each other in their respective rows and being delivered based on a first in first out (FIFO) principle.

For some types of vending machines, it is common that the refilling takes place from the front of the machine, so that it can happen that the units at the back will never be delivered and the products are aged so that they cannot be sold after a while.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a completely new construction for a delivery mechanism which is very simple in its form, and which reduces the risks for mechanical malfunctioning in the delivery process.

It is also an aim of the invention to provide a system and a method that can deliver the product units more accurately and with a reduced risk of malfunctions.

It is a further aim of the invention to provide a system for delivery and storage of product units that has a simple construction and which is cheap to produce.

Furthermore, it is aim of the invention to provide a system and a method for delivery of product units, where the refilling of the product units takes place from the back of the respective rows of product units, possibly in such a way

that it will always be the product unit that is refilled first that is delivered first through a release hatch to the customer.

The above mentioned aims and other aims are achieved with a system that is described in the introduction to claim 1 , and is characterised in that the release mechanism comprises a first blocking body set up to be readjusted from a holding position to a release position for the foremost product unit of the product row when the release mechanism is activated, and also a second blocking body set up to be readjusted from a release position to a holding position for the remaining product units when said release mechanism is activated.

Preferred embodiments of the system according to claim 1 are described in the subsequent dependent claims 2-10.

A method, which is described in the ingress to claim 11 , is also provided, and is characterised in that a release mechanism is used with a first blocking body set up to be readjusted from a holding position to a release position for the foremost product unit of the product row when the release mechanism is activated, and also a second blocking body set up to be readjusted from a release position to a holding position for the remaining product units when said release mechanism is activated, and where the method comprises one or more of the following steps: the release mechanism receives a control signal for activation, upon activation, the blocking body is readjusted from a holding position to a release position for the foremost product unit, delivery of the foremost released product unit.

Preferred embodiments of the method according to claim 11 are described in the subsequent dependent claims 12-18.

Applications of the system and method according to claim 1 and claim 11 , respectively, are also provided, and are described in claims 19-21.

A great advantage with the invention is that the product units are always delivered in the correct sequence according to the sequence they were added, such that one avoids, to a large extent, loss of goods due to the products are out of date.

Another advantage with the present invention is that the release mechanism in the system is constructed such that the product units cannot become stuck in the vending machine during delivery as this hinders further the correct functionality and delivery.

A further advantage with the invention is that the system can be used for all suitable products, i.e., that the system can store and deliver products of different shapes and sizes in the same way.

Short description of the figures

Figure 1a shows a perspective outline of an embodiment example of the system according to the present invention.

Figure 1b shows the system according to figure 1a seen from the front.

Figure 1c shows a side view of the system according to figure 1a.

Figure 1d shows the system according to figure 1a seen from above.

Figure 2 shows a side cross-section of the system according to the present invention in a closed position.

Figure 3 shows a side cross-section of the system according to the present invention in an open position.

Figures 4 and 5 show schematically an alternative release mechanism, which can release the foremost unit (the can) and retain the unit lying behind (number

2 in the row).

Detailed description of the figures

Figures 1a-d show an embodiment example of the system according to the present invention seen from different aspects. The system can deliver a product which can be equivalent to a can 12 which contains drinks, such as beer, mineral water, juice or the like. It shall be noted that this is only meant as an example and that many other types of products can also be used in the system.

A storage facility 14, in a enclosed housing-formed vending machine, is divided into a number of compartments with the help of a number of vertically placed plates 18, such that the products that are stored and delivered from the respective compartments are held apart. Here, storage facility means a frame or a housing in the vending machine which completely or partly surrounds a number of compartments and the products inside these respective compartments. The width of each compartment, i.e., the distance between two

plates, is adapted to the size of the product. In the respective compartments a channel 22 can be arranged, which runs on each side of the compartment that borders the plate 18, into which a product can be led. Each channel can comprise two longitudinal, mutually parallel tracks 21 and 23. Figure 1a shows, for the sake of illustration, that three product units 12 are arranged in one of the three compartments. The number shall, of course, be regarded as illustrative, as the number of product units can vary according to the storage capacity of the storage facility. The channels 22 (and also the tracks 21 ,23) are sloped in relation to the horizontal plane, where the angle of the slope can be adjusted in relation to the number of products in each compartment and also which type of product is being dispensed. The storage facility 14 can be set up with a rear stopping edge in the form of a longitudinal plate 13 to hold the products in place in the storage facility 14.

Such a slope is advantageous as the products, with the help of gravitational forces, are led forward in the channels 22 over the tracks 21,23 towards the delivery zone. This principle will be described in more detail with regard to figure 2.

In the foremost end of the compartment, i.e., the end where a product shall be released from the storage facility 14, a release mechanism is arranged.

The release mechanism is shaped as a frame construction, a hoop construction or plate construction 16 that can all be flipped and shall now be further described with reference to figure 2.

In figure 2a, the release mechanism is in a blocking position which means that the system is in a so-called storage condition, and blocks for delivery of the products. The mechanism can be reset between said blocking position and a delivery position where one product is released into the channel.

The release mechanism for implementation of this readjustment, in the main, comprises a switch body such as an electro-mechanical appliance, a spring mechanism 24, and also a flipping body 16 in the form of a plate.

The flipping plate can be a rod, a loop, a plate or the like that can carry out a flipping movement. In the subsequent description it shall be described with regard to use of a solenoid 20 as an electro-mechanical appliance, but it shall

be pointed out that other types of release mechanisms can be used for the same purpose. With the help of the solenoid, the plate 16 can be forcibly flipped to the delivery position or be sent back to the blocking position.

The flipping plate can comprise a plane surface in combination with a stopper part 28 of a plate part that extends vertically a distance up from the forward end edge of the plate 16. The flipping plate 28 is preferably arranged between the sloping tracks 21,23. The plate can be flipped about a horizontal axis (shaft) 26 across the delivery direction. The shaft 26 is secured to the frame/housing.

In the delivery position the plate is flipped forward and downward about the axis 26. The top edge 27 will then fall down to be aligned with or below the tracks 21 ,23 so that the product, the can 12, will roll forward and out from the channel. The lower end edge 25 of the plate 16 is correspondingly flipped upwards and prevents can number 2 in the row from moving forward.

In the blocking position the foremost product 12'(figure 2a) in the compartment is arranged completely or partially on the upper surface of the flipping plate 16. The flipping plate for delivery of the product functions in that the forward stopping part 28 stands in said vertical position. The flipping body is now in a start position. When the vending machine is used by a customer and a product unit is to be delivered, the solenoid 20 receives a signal from a control circuit (not shown) which indicates that a product is to be delivered. This signal influences the force which the solenoid's armature is subjected to, so that the solenoid 20 is pulled backwards in relation to the flipping body 16 for a given period such that the flipping plate 16 is released and is flipped forwards and downwards about the axis 26. The system is now in an open position as shown in figure 2b. Due to the slope of the two channels 22 (the tracks 21 ,23) in the compartment, all products that are arranged in the two channels 22 will move forward in the delivery direction with the help of gravitational forces. The foremost product will fall outside the edge because the top edge 27 of the stopping part 28 of the flipping body will be lying below the surface of the channels (tracks 21 ,23) as a result of the flipping body 16 being flipped forward and the product glides or rolls further on to delivery. The remaining products in the compartment are stopped against the rear edge of the flipping body which is flipped upwards and forms a second/rear 25 stop edge.

When the force which the solenoid is subjected to is changed back to the starting point and the solenoid lets go, the flipping body 16 is returned to its starting position with the help of a spring 24 and clicks into a locking groove (not shown). The rear lying products are pushed forward in the channel 16 as the rear edge of the flipping body 16 is pushed down and back to its original position when the flipping body 16 is returned to its start position. The next can 12 in the row now rolls forward over the flipping plate 16 until it stops against the stopping edge 28.

So that the pressure on the foremost product shall not be too large when a high number of products lie in the compartment, the channels 22 can be spring loaded at the back, as indicated in the figures 2a and 2b. This can be carried out in that the plate 22 (or the tracks 21 ,23) can flip about a forward axis 30 and a spring 32 at the rear, which, at its one end, is secured to the frame and, at its other end, is secured to the plate 22,21 ,23. This can be advantageous in that the slope of the channels 22 will increase as the products are released. An approximately constant pressure can thereby be achieved on the flipping mechanism 16, and one can have an approximately unlimited number of products in the channel. The more products, the more gentle the slope and vice versa. The slope can then be adjusted with regard to the weight of the different products one wishes to be delivered as shown in figures 2a, b.

By adjusting the strength of the solenoid and the slope angle of the channels, the solution, according to the invention, can be applied to all types of products that can move forward due to gravitational forces. This will, in the main, be cylindrical products that can glide or roll, but this can also function for other products.

The number of products that can be stored in the different compartments are limited by the storage capacity of the storage facility. If the storage facility is applied in a larger vending machine, the number of products delivered from the storage facility of the vending machine is limited in that the product can be stored backwards in the vending machine in a way corresponding to that which the figures show, or the products can also be stored in a stack before they enter the storage facility itself for delivery.

The system according to the present invention is made such that the refilling of the products to the storage facility 14 can take place from the back so that one

achieves a first in, first out function that provides an optimal delivery in relation to the expiry date of the product.

The system can be refilled in several ways. For a vending machine an alternative can be that one fills product through hatches in the vending machine, for example, on the outside of the vending machine or behind an outer casing, either at the back of, or on the top of, the vending machine. Another alternative can be, especially for smaller vending machines, that the storage facility can be pulled out of the vending machine completely or partially for refilling directly into the storage facility. The channels 22 can then be used to lead the storage facility 14 in and out of the vending machine.

The figures 4 and 5 show schematically an alternative release mechanism that can release the foremost unit (the can) and keep back the cans lying behind (number two in the row). The flipping plate 16, according to the above description, is replaced in this solution by a forward 128, and a rear 125, blocking peg, respectively, that can be pushed out pulled in.

The blocking pegs 125 and 128, respectively, are set up to be pulled in and out of adapted guides in respective handling housings 126 and 129, respectively, as the movements of the blocking pegs 125, 128 are synchronised and are controlled by associated relays, or solenoid actuators. These can be driven with the help of electro-magnetic or pneumatic systems.

The units 12 (the cans) are, as before, set up to glide or roll in the channel 22. The foremost blocking peg 128 is set up to be pushed up through the channel 22 such that it stops the release of the unit 12 as in the previous examples, at the same time as a rear blocking peg 125 is pulled down below the channel 22. This constitutes the storage position of the system. After the foremost unit has been released the next can in the row shall now roll forward to the release position.

When the foremost can shall be released down to delivery, shown with the arrow in figure 5, the blocking pegs are switched so that the foremost peg 128 is pulled in/down while the peg at the rear 125 is pushed out and upwards. The foremost unit is released while the next unit in the row is blocked.

With this, one achieves the same affect as in the embodiment example according to figures 1-3.

The system can also be applied to systems that have other purposes, for example, for regulation of product streams in a process installation, where the storage facility can be applied to control the speed of the products that are continuously supplied onto a conveyor belt or to machines, etc.