DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates in general to the sector of product dispensing machines and in particular dispensing machines including, in a supporting frame, one or more shelves or support surfaces and, for each shelf, a plurality of adjacent cells which are adapted to accommodate respective rows of products. The dispensing machine also includes a member or other movement device adapted to move the row of products along the respective cell, so as to cause the product which is located first in the row to fall from the shelf. The product is made to fall onto a collection plane or surface suitable for collecting the product to be dispensed.

The present disclosure is based on a recognition by the inventor of the present patent application that the dispensing machines have a limited functionality due to the fact that the space occupied inside the frame, on each shelf, is not fully exploited. In fact, the inventor of the present disclosure has recognized that free unused spaces may remain on the shelves of the dispensing machines.

Even more particularly, the inventor of the present disclosure has recognized that at present the cells which receive the rows of products are delimited by movable walls which have respective feet or lugs which are inserted inside corresponding slots formed in the shelves of the dispensing machine. These slots have a predetermined pitch. As a result, in order to dispense larger size products, and in particular wider products, a cell width may be increased only by removing the movable walls. Consequently, the cell width may be modified only by a whole number of times the pitch, or distance, between two rows of adjacent slots. Should a product be slightly wider than a pitch between two rows of adjacent slots, the product inevitably occupies in any case a space which is equal to twice the pitch between two adjacent rows of slots, leaving therefore a lot of space which is unused.

Based on this recognition and in order to overcome the aforementioned drawback, a dispensing machine according to claim 1 and a method for organizing products in a dispensing machine according to claim 8 are provided. Secondary features of the present disclosure are defined in the respective dependent claims.

The dispensing machine according to the present disclosure includes separators or partitions which can be freely positioned and displaced along the respective shelf, so that a distance between partitions or separators can be adjusted if required and may be adapted to the width of the products accommodated on the shelf.

In practice, the partitions or separators of the dispensing machine according to the present disclosure may slide as cursors or slides along the respective shelf until they touch or are arranged next to the product which is located in the row in the dispensing machine.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the separator comprises a wall with a base and two end portions, wherein one or both the end portions are intended to slide along a corresponding portion of the shelf, so as to allow the partition or separator to slide along the shelf. In practice, each end portion of the base acts as a guide for the partition. Even more particularly, in one embodiment, a first end portion of the partition is adapted to slide along a free edge facing a front area of the shelf, and a second end portion of the partition, located on the opposite side of the base with respect to the first end portion, is adapted to slide along a free edge of the shelf facing a rear area of the dispensing machine. The partitions are inserted on one side or flank of the shelf, the end portions of the base being slid along the opposite free edges of the shelf. This embodiment allows the partitions to be used without requiring modifications to the structure or form of the shelf or without requiring specific interlocking devices and supports on the shelf.

In one embodiment, the end portions of the base are shaped as an inverted "L" so as to define with the base a structure with a substantially "U"-shaped cross-section. In other words, the two end portions of the base are folded at an angle with respect to the base and define flanges of a "U". The shelf is intended to be housed between the flanges of the "U".

The "U"-shaped form allows stable sliding of the partition along the shelf.

In one embodiment, one of the two end portions is formed as a label holder and is intended to accommodate a label with the number of the product to be chosen, or its price, or other information to be displayed to a user.

Further advantages, characteristic features and modes of use forming the subject of the present disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, provided by way of a non-limiting example.

It is evident, however, that each embodiment forming the subject of the present disclosure may have one or more of the advantages listed above; in any case it is not required that each embodiment should have simultaneously all the advantages listed.

Reference will be made to the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows an axonometric view, from the front, of a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 1A shows in schematic form a front view of a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figures 2 and 3 show respective views of a detail of a shelf with a plurality of partitions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in different operating conditions;

Figure 4 shows an axonometric view, from above, of a partition for a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 5 shows a side view of a partition for a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 6 shows the detail VI of Figure 5.

In the present detailed description below the reference number 10 denotes a dispensing machine according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The product dispensing machine 10 includes, in a supporting frame 12, one or more shelves or support surfaces 15a, 15b, 15c and, for each shelf, a plurality of adjacent cells 16a, 16b, 16c adapted to receive respective rows of products 20a, 20b, 20c. The dispensing machine 10 includes a collection plane or surface 17 suitable for collecting a product to be dispensed. The collection plane or surface 17 is located in a front area of the supporting frame 12. A pusher member or other movement device, arranged behind a row of products, is designed to push/displace a product which is located first in the respective row, onto the collection plane or surface 17. The products 20a, 20b, 20c to be dispensed are arranged on the respective shelves 15a, 15b, 15c and in the respective cells 16a, 16b, 16c.

The dispensing machine 10 according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of separators or partitions 25a, 25b, 25c which can be freely positioned and moved along the respective shelf, so that a distance or interspace or pitch between partitions or separators 25a, 25b, 25c can be adjusted and may be adapted to the width of the products accommodated on the shelf 15a, 15b, 15c.

In practice, the partitions or separators 25a, 25b, 25c of the dispensing machine 10 according to the present disclosure may be positioned next to, or as close as possible to, the product 20a, 20b, 20c which is located in the row of the dispensing machine. Positioning may be occur by sliding the partition 25a, 25b, 25c in the manner of a cursor or slide along the respective shelf 15a, 15b, 15c.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the partition 25a, 25b, 25c comprises a wall 30, a base 32 and two end portions 34, 36, wherein both the end portions 34, 36 are intended to slide along a corresponding free edge of the shelf 15a, 15b, 15c, so as to allow the partition 25a, 25b, 25c to slide along the shelf 15a, 15b, 15c. In practice, each end portion 34, 36 of the base 32 acts as a guide for the wall 30 of the partition 25a, 25b, 25c.

The wall 30 is located along a centre line of the base 32.

In one embodiment, such as that shown in the drawings, the end portions 34, 36 of the base 32 are shaped as an inverted "L" so as to define with the base 32 a substantially "U"-shaped cross-section. In other words, the two end portions 34, 36 of the base 32 are folded at an angle with respect to the base 32 and define flanges of a "U", as can be seen in Figure 5. The shelf 15a, 15b, 15c is housed between the flanges of the "U".

The "U"-shaped form allows stable sliding of the partition along the shelf.

As a result the partition 25a, 25b, 25c receives between the aforementioned end portions 34, 36 respective free edges of the shelf 15a, 15b, 15c. In practice a first end portion 34 of the partition 25a, 25b, 25c is adapted to slide along a free edge facing a front area of the shelf 15a, 15b, 15c, and a second end portion 36 of the partition 25a, 25b, 25c, located on the opposite side of the base 32 with respect to the first end 34, is adapted to slide along a free edge facing a rear area of the dispensing machine. The partitions 25a, 25b, 25c are inserted on one side or flank of the shelf 15a, 15b, 15c by sliding the end portions 34, 36 of the base along the opposite free edges of the shelf 15a, 15b, 15c. With this embodiment it is possible to use the partitions in combination with shelves 15a, 15b, 15c which have a simple structure, with the need for given interlocking devices or supports.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, such as that shown in the figures, one of the two end portions 34, intended to face the front area of the dispensing machine, is formed as a label holder, namely it has a recess 38 intended to receive a label with the number of the product to be chosen, or its price, or similar information for a user.

The subject-matter of the present disclosure has been described hitherto with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. It is to be understood that other embodiments relating to the same inventive idea may exist, all of these falling within the scope of protection of the claims which are illustrated hereinbelow.