WO2004075126A1 - Automatic vending machine for spherical food - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic vending machine for spherical food includes an exchange device for initiating programs of sale, a choose device, a display device, a food output section for user to take out the food, a spherical food housing (4) with an inclined floor, a spherical food carrier, a pulling pipe, a handspike and a paper cup providing device. Said spherical food carrier includes a rising and falling board (6) at the lowest edge of the inclined floor that can rise and fall horizontally and a spherical food carry pipe. The top of the rising and falling board (6) includes a long depressed groove for containing spherical food. The section of said depressed groove only contains no more than one spherical food, and the length of said depressed groove can contain no less than predetermined number of spherical foods. Said pulling piece (27) pulls the spherical food higher than the rising and falling board (6) back to the housing (4). Said handspike push the spherical food to the carry pipe when the depressed groove of the rising and falling board (6) connects with the carry pipe. Said paper cup providing device provides paper cup at the backward position of carry pipe.

Description

 Spherical food vending machine TECHNICAL FIELD

 The invention relates to a spherical food self-service vending machine, in particular to a spherical food self-service vending machine whose entire process from payment to food extraction is automated and can provide different sauce flavors. Background technique

 The existing food self-service vending machines are generally self-service vending machines for packaged foods (such as canned or bottled sodas). They have a trader such as a coin dispenser for starting the sales process, a selector, a display, a A food output area for removing food by a user, a food storage compartment, and a device for moving food from a storage compartment to the output area.

 An existing food (confectionery) self-service vending machine, for example, EP1199687, has a funnel-type food container with a central exit, and a vertically arranged conveyor belt provided at the outlet of the container. The conveyor belt has multiple Each hopper contains only one food. When the hopper is raised, one food can be obtained. After the hopper reaches the highest point, the food falls from the hopper on the other side of the conveyor belt and enters. Access to the output area. A mechanical or electronic sensing device is also installed in the output area to monitor whether the food has fallen.

 Another existing self-service vending machine for spherical items (such as golf balls), such as US5277331, has a beveled loading compartment, and an exit at the loading compartment, the size of which is such that the golf balls are arranged one by one In the inclined channel, a paddle rotating around the rotation axis is provided at the end of the inclined channel, so that the rotation of the paddle causes the golf ball at the end of the nearest inclined channel to exceed the rotating shaft and fall on the channel leading to the output area. In addition, there is a cup for receiving a dropped golf ball from the output area passage.

 There are also funnel-type food containers and roulette-rolling food containers to carry and transport spherical foods, but the funnel-type food containers and roulette-rolling food containers can squeeze food during food delivery. , Thus impairing the quality of food.

 Based on years of invention experience in fish egg production machines, automatic packaging machines, and product inspection machines, the inventor proposes a spherical food self-service vending machine that integrates technology and life. The self-service vending machine realizes the entire process from payment to food extraction. Electronically monitor the entire transaction.

-1-Confirm this Summary of the Invention

 The present invention proposes a spherical food self-service vending machine that is completely free of human hands. This vending machine not only provides customers with automated food services, but also ensures the hygienic quality of food.

 The present invention provides a self-service food vending machine for spherical foods, including: a transaction device for starting a selling process, a selector, a display, and a food output area as a user to remove food, which is further characterized by: : A spherical food carrying compartment with an inclined bottom surface; a spherical food carrier having a spherical food lifting plate provided at the lower end of the inclined bottom surface and used for vertical lifting, and a spherical food conveying pipe; The top of the spherical food lifting plate has an elongated groove recessed for accommodating spherical food. The cross section of the groove is to accommodate only no more than one spherical food and the length of the groove can accommodate no less than a predetermined spherical food. Number; a paddle that returns the spherical food that is higher than the top of the lifting plate to the carrying compartment; one that pushes the spherical food to the spherical food conveying pipe when the elongated groove of the lifting plate communicates with the spherical food conveying pipe Pusher; and a paper cup supply downstream of the spherical food delivery pipe Structure.

 The device 10 of the present invention has a cover for a spherical food carrying compartment. Through the principle of gravity attraction, the inclined bottom of the spherical food in the food carrying compartment is designed to slide off the grooved rail, and the grooved rail is raised and pushed by a push rod. Delivery of spherical food delivery pipes. This design not only solves the problem of food quality, but also separates the food compartment from the spherical food delivery pipeline, so that the infrared of the spherical food delivery pipeline can be used to monitor the quantity of spherical food.

 In addition, the present invention also provides a computer screen for playing animated short videos, so that when a customer only needs to put in a coin, the animated short film is played and after the short film is finished, a cup of food is presented. The entire process will take no more than thirty seconds.

 The features and advantages of the present invention will be more easily understood with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

 Figure 1 is a front view of a spherical food vending machine;

 FIG. 2A is a front view of the coin dispenser; FIG.

 2B is a right side view of the coin dispenser;

Figure 3 is a front view of a paper cup holder; Figure 4 is a front view of a unidirectional slingshot arm;

 Figure 5A is a front view of a spherical food container;

 5B is a right side view of the spherical food container;

 6 is a front view of a spherical food conveying pipe;

 7 is a right side view of the sauce container;

 In addition to the spherical shape, the spherical food can also refer to an oval or approximately spherical multi-faceted spherical food. Refer to the spherical food (such as fish eggs or meatballs) in FIG. 1, a vending machine with a generally rectangular shell. At the bottom, there is a capsule 17 that enables the entire self-service vending machine to move, and at the top, for example, there is a fan 19 that cools the temperature in the housing. Also included in the housing: a trader 1 (see Figure 2A) for starting the selling process, a selector 2 with an indicator light (such as a button for selecting the taste of the sauce), and a A computer screen display 13, a food output area for the user to remove food. The spherical food self-service vending machine further includes: a spherical food holding compartment 4 provided in a food holding compartment 3b for storing warm water, and a bottom of the food holding compartment 3b is connected with a faucet 20 to open and close the faucet The warm water is drained, so that the warm water is maintained at, for example, 80 degrees by a temperature switch 21, so as to maintain the umami taste and the optimal temperature of the food. In addition, there is a conveying pipe 7 for receiving the spherical foodstuffs coming out of the carrying compartment 4 and a paper cup for receiving the conveying pipe 7.

5A and 5B, the spherical food carrying compartment 4 is a trapezoidal box with an inclined bottom surface 41 and an open top. The bottom surface is an inclined surface design, which makes the spherical food easy to fall off. A spherical food carrier has a spherical food lifting plate 6 provided at the lowermost end of the inclined bottom surface 41 and used for vertical lifting. The top of the spherical food lifting plate 6 has an elongated groove 61 that is recessed for receiving spherical food. The cross-section of the groove 61 is only to accommodate no more than one row of spherical food and the length of the groove can accommodate no less than a predetermined number of spherical foods (for example, the groove 61 preferably has a width of about the size of a spherical food. Depth of about half to a spherical food size). The spherical food lifting plate 6 is connected to a motor 18 through a screw, so that the spherical food lifting plate 6 moves vertically downward along a guide (not shown), but the guide may be a general concave handle and a flange or a rod and Tube sleeve fit. When the groove 61 of the spherical food lifting plate 6 reaches the highest point, the first end of the groove 61 is connected to the spherical food conveying pipe. The entrance of lane 7 is aligned.

In FIGS. 5A and 5B, on the spherical food lifting plate 6, a dial 27 for returning a spherical food higher than the top of the falling plate 6 to the carrying compartment 4 is provided, and preferably a piece extending from a rotating shaft. . Adjacent to the paddle 27, a push rod 26 for pushing the spherical food from the groove 61 to the spherical food conveying pipe 7 when the elongated groove of the lifting plate 6 communicates with the spherical food conveying pipe 7 is also preferable. push rod 26 is rotated before starting the recess ⁶¹ at the other end, so that by moving along the groove of the spherical body 61 from the recess 61 to push into the sphere food transport line 7, the push rod 26 by the DC motor 15 e.g. And move horizontally along the length of the groove. In addition, it is preferable that the paddle 27 and the push rod 26 are simultaneously activated by a common driving source or motor.

 In order to further sterilize the spherical food before it is pushed into the conveying pipe 7, an ultraviolet lamp 5 is also provided on the top of the spherical food container.

 An infrared system 23 is provided at the communication point between the groove 61 and the entrance of the spherical food conveying pipe 7 to monitor the amount of spherical food pushed to the spherical food conveying pipe Ί.

 1 and 6, a buffer cup 24 is provided downstream of the spherical food conveying pipe 7 for supplying paper cups, especially at the end, to slow down the falling speed of the spherical food and to guide and ensure that the spherical food enters. Paper cup.

 In the housing of the spherical food vending machine, in order to automatically add appropriate sauces, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, a sauce supply mechanism is provided, including at least one sauce storage compartment 8, and a corresponding sauce delivery Pipe 10 and sauce pump 9, wherein the outlet end of each transport pipe 10 is aligned with a paper cup. In addition, the sauce storage compartment 8 is provided in the heat preservation compartment 3a to maintain the freshness of the sauce and the optimal eating temperature.

 The trader 1 in Figs. 2A and 2B is a coin dispenser. A shutter 22 is provided in the pipe of the coin dispenser, and is used to make the shutter 22 rotate in one direction or the other according to the information sent by the infrared system 23. To decide to accept or refund the money. The customer must choose the sauce taste, and when one of the button selectors 2 is pressed, the button light will go out immediately.

 Figures 3 and 4 show the cup supply mechanism, which includes a paper cup cylinder 11 with gear mechanisms 25 for buckling and releasing a paper cup on both sides of the bottom. The paper cup cup is secured by gears on both sides of the bottom. And make sure that only one paper cup is dropped to the set position for each transaction. The paper cup is dropped from the paper cup barrel 11 in a set position, and the slingshot arms 12 on both sides are used to fix the paper cup.

From FIG. 1, it is also shown that the display includes a computer screen 13 for playing during sale. Different animations or videos, thank you in multiple languages and remind customers to pick up food.

 Obviously, it also includes a control box 16a for controlling the sauce pump 9, a main control box 16b for controlling the entire vending machine, and a box 14 for controlling the computer screen.

 The spherical food self-service vending machine of the present invention operates as follows: When the coin ^ coin dispenser 1 is pressed and the selector 2 is pressed, the paper cup is dropped from the paper cup barrel 11 to a set position, and is now in the spherical food holding compartment 4 At the lowermost end of the slanted bottom surface 41, a lifting plate 6 carrying a spherical food in its groove 61 rises. After rising to the top of the spherical food container 4, the ultraviolet light 5 will sterilize the food, and the rear paddle 27 will dial away the excessive spherical food on the lifting plate 6 and the push rod 26 will push the spherical food to the The spherical food conveying pipe 7 is connected to the lifting plate 6. Following the sliding of the spherical food from the pipe 7 to the bottom, the bumper 24 slows down the sliding speed of the spherical food so that the spherical food falls into the cup correctly. As the infrared food system 23 monitors the quantity of spherical food at the mouth of the spherical food delivery pipe 7, when the quantity reaches a preset number, the infrared system or sensor will transmit a message to the transaction machine 1 such as a coin dispenser, indicating acceptance In this transaction, the shutter 22 is turned in one direction, but if it is found that the quantity is insufficient, the side will cancel the transaction and return the money by turning the shutter 22 in the opposite direction.

 When the spherical food is dropped into the paper cup, the sauce pump 9 will pump out the selected amount of sauce from the sauce storage compartment 8 and inject it into the paper cup through the sauce conveying pipe 10 and blend with the spherical food. At the same time, the image controller will prompt the customer to pick up food through the computer screen 24 set in the fuselage. In the meantime, the lifting plate 6 for the spherical food is lowered to the lowermost end of the inclined bottom surface 41 to load the spherical food.

 In addition, in a non-illustrated embodiment, a detachable inner liner corresponding to the shape inside the spherical food-carrying compartment 4 is provided for easy cleaning or replacement.

 In addition, for easy cleaning, parts that come into contact with food are generally easy to remove. In addition, in addition to using warm water for heat preservation, the heat preservation chambers 3a and 3b can also be used to heat the gas in the heat preservation chamber through a general heating pipe in the absence of water to achieve heat preservation.

 The invention has been shown and described with reference to the embodiments. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the details of the illustrated structure, and changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

Rights request 1. A self-service vending machine for spherical foods, comprising: a trader for starting a selling process, a selector, a display, and a food output area as a user to remove food, further comprising:  A spherical food container with a slanted bottom surface (4);  A spherical food carrier having a spherical food lifting plate (6) provided at the lower end of the inclined bottom surface and used for vertical lifting, and a spherical food conveying pipe (7); wherein the spherical food lifting plate (6) the top end has an elongated groove recessed for accommodating spherical food, the cross section of the groove is to accommodate only no more than one spherical food and the length of the groove can accommodate no less than a predetermined number of spherical food;  A pick (27) for returning the spherical food higher than the top of the lifting plate (6) to the carrying compartment (4);  A pusher (26) for pushing the spherical food to the spherical food conveying pipe (7) when the elongated groove of the lifting plate (6) is connected with the spherical food conveying pipe (7); and  A paper cup supply mechanism for supplying paper cups downstream of the spherical food delivery pipe (7).  2. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising an infrared system (23) at the point where the spherical food conveying pipe (7) communicates with the long groove, for monitoring the pushing to the spherical shape Number of spherical foods in the food delivery pipe (7).  3. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to claim 2, further comprising a buffer (24) at the other end of the spherical food conveying pipe (7) to slow down the speed of the spherical food and Put the spherical food into the paper cup.  The spherical food self-service vending machine according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: the spherical food carrying compartment (4) has a removable inner part corresponding to the shape of the inside of the spherical food carrying compartment (4) Lining.  The spherical food self-service vending machine according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: the paper cup supply mechanism comprises a paper cup barrel (11), and two sides of the bottom thereof are provided with a paper cup for holding and releasing the paper cup. Gear mechanism (25). 6. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: a sauce supply mechanism having at least one sauce, comprising at least one sauce storage compartment ( ⁸ ), one corresponding Sauce conveying pipe (10) and sauce pump (9). 7. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to claim 6, characterized in that: the sauce storage compartment (8) is arranged in a heat preservation compartment (3a).  8. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: the trader is a coin dispenser, wherein a shutter (22) connected by a DC motor and rotated is provided, and the DC motor When the monitoring signal of the infrared system (23) reaches a predetermined number, the shutter (22) is caused to rotate in one direction or the other direction. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the food output area is provided with a unidirectional slingshot arm U ² ) to fix the paper cup.  10. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the display comprises a computer screen (13) for playing different short films during the sale, and thanking and reminding customers in multiple languages. Extractable food.  The spherical food self-service vending machine according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: the spherical food carrying compartment (4) is disposed in a food holding compartment (3b) to maintain the temperature of the food.  12. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to claim 11, characterized in that: the food holding box (3b) is used for storing warm water.  13. The spherical food self-service vending machine according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that it comprises an ultraviolet lamp (5) for sterilizing food when raised to the top of the spherical food carrying compartment (4). .