KR20020082771A - An automatic card dispensing unit with display capability - Google Patents

Abstract

The automatic card ejection device for card display and ejection has a storage housing for storing an array of cards. The retaining member operatively positions the bottommost card in the loading position in a vertical alignment for marking. The control device receives the user's card ejection input and can operate the ejector assembly such that the pickup member releasably grasps the card surface and ejects the card from the retaining member along a predetermined travel path. The stopper member is mounted in the movement path to separate the card from the pickup member so that the card is ejected to the user.

Description

An automatic card dispensing unit with display capability}

The present invention can display the card to the purchaser and eject the card upon the purchaser's request, in particular to store a stack of cards for viewing through the display window, to hold the surface of the displayed card and obstruct display features. An automatic card ejection device for ejecting a card without

As manpower costs increase, various types of ejection devices are being used to automatically eject items to the purchaser. For example, the discharge device discharges telephone cards, subway tickets, bus tickets, prepaid credit cards, arcade game cards, novel character cards, etc., when the purchaser inserts monetary values. Typically, a card is a thin rectangular object provided with recording and / or marking symbols on its surface. The card can be made of various materials, such as resin material, paper or metal or similar material, with printed indicia retention, desired flexibility and portable size. As used herein, the term 'card' is commonly used as a general technical term, and it is to be understood that the purchaser may refer to the card itself or to another ejectable object having a value that enables the purchaser to enjoy the services that may be provided by the card. will be.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-283525 discloses an example of a vending machine capable of discharging oil price cards.

Cadrick's U.S. Patent No. 4,377,285 and Nikolitti's U.S. Patent No. 4,750,743 disclose various storage and dispensing devices for dispensing playing cards. Hennessy U.S. Patent No. 4,654,513 discloses a newspaper vending machine.

As is apparent, card dispensers are very suitable for ejecting different types of cards and providing a variety of cards to be ejected. Typically, such devices are marked with printed samples of sample cards or cards to be ejected outside thereof. If the card to be ejected and used from such a device is changed, the sample card and / or sample must be changed to match the characteristics of the current card in the ejection device. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a very economical and efficient automatic card ejection device capable of providing current information of ejected cards to enable the purchaser to purchase or select individual cards in a convenient manner.

An automatic card ejection device for displaying and ejecting a card is provided. The automatic card dispensing device may be integrated into the vending machine, or may be a modular unit adapted to be installed in a vending machine having a suitable window allowing the display of the card. The storage housing is suitable for vertical alignment of the plurality of cards in such a way that the cards can be arranged in an array manner with respect to a holding member capable of positioning one of the plurality of cards in the display position and the loading position for ejection. Can be stored. The automatic card ejection device may have a microprocessor-based controller capable of receiving the purchaser's input to control the ejector assembly and controlling the ejector assembly, wherein the motor releasably grasps the card surface at the loading position and subsequently moves The pickup member can be driven to eject the card to the purchaser along the route. A suitable sensor can monitor the ejector assembly and can be mounted in the travel path to separate the card from the pickup member so that the stopper member can eject the card to the purchaser. The stopper member is suitably transparent to facilitate displaying the card to the purchaser, and may also include a friction member to ensure reliable ejection from the pickup member.

The control unit can monitor the operation of the automatic card ejector and can initiate subsequent operations if no card is ejected in the initial operation. The control device may also display an error signal when the card ejecting device malfunctions. Finally, the pickup member can mechanically capture and eject the suspended card to ensure an economical design.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Features, and objects and advantages of the present invention, will be more readily understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals.

1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention seen from the right side;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment without a card as seen from the left side.

3 is a right side view of the first embodiment;

4 is a cross-sectional view of the pickup disk.

5 is a schematic block diagram of a control unit of the first embodiment;

6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the first embodiment.

7 is a left side view of the first embodiment;

8 is a right perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention;

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

c: card f: pickup position

h: Card holder w: Standby position

1L, 1r: side plate 2L, 2r: section

3: card storage area 4: batch device

6: shaft 7: roller

13 support bar 14 pick-up member

19: stopper member 32: standby position sensor

33: pickup position sensor 40: card guide

41: card sensor 50: control device

The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention, and describes the best mode contemplated by the inventor for carrying out the present invention. However, since the general principles of the invention described herein are to provide a machine for ejecting and displaying an object from a stack, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made.

As used herein, the term 'card' is used to describe the items of the stacked array ejected by the present invention. Thus, the term 'card' is not limited to only the suitable embodiments disclosed herein, but is used as a convenient way to describe one of the arrays that can be displayed and ejected sequentially from the vending machine, for example, in an economical manner.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of cards c may be arranged in the card holder h, which cards may be displayed for the purchaser's view and then ejected by the ejector assembly d. . As shown in Fig. 1, the card holder h has a bottom plate 1b and a pair of vertical side plates 1L and 1r. The bottom plate 1b is inclined in the horizontal direction to facilitate the flow by the weight of the stacked array in the vertical direction of the card. The card holder h has a channel shape, and the first side plate 1L and the second side plate 1r extend vertically upward from the bottom plate 1b. The base frame 2 extends downward with a pair of lateral flanges that can be mounted in the vending machine.

The discharge end of the card holder or the storage housing has a base plate that is slightly inclined upward at the lower support surface 1bt to facilitate the support of the lowest card of the vertical alignment array.

The lower ends of the side plates 1L, 1r may have engagement or retention members or sections 2L, 2r projecting inwardly into the storage channel to facilitate the maintenance of the vertically stacked array of cards c. The first or head card is held stationary by engagement with the sections 2L and 2r, and the remaining cards are arranged behind the head card c in the card storage area 3 and arranged perpendicular to the horizontal direction. . The positioning of the lower support surface 1bt and the side retaining engagement sections 2L, 2r define the loading or pickup position f. These features define a retaining member e which may have a placement device 4 which may include a shaft 6 and a central roller 7.

The shaft 6 may have reduced or small shaft ends that can be inserted into the vertical elongated holes 5L, 5r. The roller 7 fixed to the middle part of the shaft 6 can be made of rubber, the position of the roller 7 being located above the first head card c at the pick-up position f. The surface of the roller 7 may have a contact with the upper edge of the card c to align the card c in the loading position.

Since the weight of the card is supported by the base plate 1b, the cumulative weight or pressure from a plurality of cards arranged at the rear of the head card is relatively small, thus preventing damage to the card.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a schematic diagram of a housing of a vending machine v having a window u. In order to be able to view the design and contents of the card c from the outside of the vending machine, the window u allows the purchaser to view the card c, which is standing upright. The stopper member 19 is located on the extended flange of the side channel of each left section 1L, 1r. The stopper member 19 has a bar or rod shape and is located in front of the end portion 1bt of the bottom plate 1b. The distance between the stopper member 19 and the end 1bt is smaller than the height of the card c. As shown, the stopper 19 extends across the viewing plane of the vertical plane which is biased from the vertical plane comprising the vertically aligned card c. As such, the stopper 19 is preferably made of a transparent material so as not to interfere with the purchaser's view. In order to further facilitate movement by the weight of the card c, the weight member 12 may be disposed on the bottom plate 1b of the card storage area 3 to force the array of cards downward to the loading position. Can be. Thus, the weight member 12 can slide downward on the bottom plate 1b by its own weight, and the angled inclination of the bottom plate 1b allows this movement of the weight member 12.

The discharge device or assembly d has a pair of L-shaped arms 12L, 12r rotatably fixed around the rotary shaft 11f. The support bar 13 is fixed to each end of the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r. The pickup member or disk 14 mounted on the support bar 13 is fixed to the middle portion of the support bar 13. A cross-sectional view of the disk 14 is shown in FIG. The pickup disk 14 has a cylindrical body 14b having a conical shape and having an end 14t for supporting an extending disk 14s having a ring shape. The combination of the disk 14s and the end 14t defines the space region 14c. The disk 14s may be made of a material that is smooth and flexible but can withstand repeated contact with the card member. Such material may be a flexible polyurethane. The support bar passes through the mounting hole or bore 14h of the cylindrical body 14b. A screw 14n can be used to secure the cylindrical body 14b to the support bar 13.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the pick-up member 14 is located in the pick-up position f and the horizontal plane in front of the card c to allow attachment of the pick-up disk 14s of the card c. It may rotate across a predetermined path between the standby positions w. The standby position w is a position that can be achieved by clockwise rotation of the shaft 11. In this position, the pickup member 14 is located below the end 1bt spaced from the card c located in the loading or pickup position f. When the pickup member 14 is moved between the standby position w and the pickup position f, the pickup member can be positioned between the end plate 1bt and the stopper 19.

Referring to FIG. 3, the drive device 21 is on the shaft 22 connected to the motor while meshing with the gear 25 for rotating the pinion gear 26 that meshes with the gear 27 mounted on the shaft 11f. It may be an electric motor for rotating the shaft 11f by a gear transmission including a pinion gear 23 mounted to it. The pinion gear 23 is fixed to the output shaft 22 of the motor 21 having a reducer fixed to the inner side of the base 2. The gears 25, 26 are rotatably fixed to the shaft or rotatably fixed on the base 2.

1 and 5, the position detecting device 30 for the pickup member 14 includes an L-shaped mounting bracket 31 fixed to the base plate 2. The standby position sensor 32 and the pickup position sensor 33 are also fixed to the bracket 31. The sensors can be, for example, proximity sensors, photoelectric sensors or other conventional sensors that monitor the position of the shaft 11f. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the elongate member 34 fixed to the end of the second lever 12r can move between the channels of the respective position sensors 32, 33. As shown in FIG. 1, when the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r move in the counterclockwise direction, the standby sensor 32 is switched on in the standby position w. When each lever moves clockwise, the pick-up position sensor 33 is switched on at the pick-up position f in which the pick-up member 14 is positioned to have a gripping contact with the card c.

The card guide 40 mounted below the end plate 1bt may be formed in a rectangle and may be fixed to the base plate 2. The card guide 40 can house a card c which is located under the stopper 19 and which can be ejected from the pickup member 14 to allow it to be moved by its own weight towards the opening of the vending machine. The card sensor 41 shown in FIG. 1 may be fixed to the base of the card guide 40 to measure the transfer of the card c through the card guide 40. The sensor 41 may be a transmissive photoelectric sensor.

Referring to the schematic circuit of FIG. 5, the control device 50 may include a microprocessor including an MPU 51, a RAM 52, and a ROM 53. The control device can receive an input signal from the stand-by position sensor 32, the pick-up position sensor 33, the card sensor 41, and an emission signal pg which can be entered through the start-up phase by the purchaser. . The motor 21 and the image display 54, for example outside of the vending machine, can be controlled by the control device 50. The visual display 54 can indicate the status of the machine and the occurrence of the error signal and can also provide operation information to the purchaser.

6 and 7, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. In the standby position, the card c is located in the storage area 3 at the loading position above the base plate 1bt. In this position, the lowermost card is aligned perpendicular to the pick-up position f, and engages with the retaining member formed by the respective left and right engagement members 2L and 2r. The roller 7 engages with the top surface of the card. As is apparent from FIG. 3, the purchaser can observe the surface of the card through an appropriate viewing window of the vending machine's housing. Next, the purchaser who wishes to confirm may operate the vending machine to generate an emission signal pg that may be provided to the MPU 51. For example, a purchaser can purchase a telephone card by inserting a coin into a vending machine that provides an exit signal pg. Next, the MPU 51 operates the control program in response to the discharge signal pg as shown in FIG.

The decision step s1 indicates whether or not the eject signal pg for card ejection has been received. When the discharge signal is received, step s2 initiates the start of the motor 21, whereby the first arm 12L and the second arm 12r are represented by the arc path P shown in FIG. As can be rotated counterclockwise at an appropriately decelerated speed. The pickup member 14 moves upwards towards the surface of the card c positioned at the loading position. The pickup position sensor 33 detects the entry of the operating member 34 and provides a signal indicative of the operating position of the pickup disc in step s3. Next, the control signal indicates that the motor 21 is stopped in step s4. The central portion of the surface of the card c is attached by the vacuum degree lowering of the space 14c and is removably fixed to the pickup member 14. The control program keeps the motor 21 stationary for a predetermined time as shown in step s5, after which each of the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r of the discharge assembly is shown in FIG. The motor 21 is reversely rotated in step s6 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction shown. When the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r are moved to the horizontal level position, the standby position sensor 32 detects the operating member 34 and outputs an appropriate signal as shown in step s7. Next, the motor is stopped at step s8. During this movement, the center portion of the card c is sufficiently attached by the pickup member 14, so that the card c is curved or released so that the right and left ends of the card c are released from the retaining members 2r and 2L. Bent into an arch. The width of the card is narrowed by the curvature, and the card c is discharged from the stoppers through the first stopper 2L and the second stopper 2r. The next card c of the stacked array is slid downward by the force of the weight member 12 to engage the first stopper 2L and the second stopper 2r again in the loading position.

The card attached to the pickup member 14 is in contact with the end portion 1bt and also in contact with the stopper member 19. The pick-up member 14 is released, as a result of which the card c is ejected and bounces by reaction and is also ejected from the end 1bt, so that the card 40 is dropped and guided to the exit position for delivery to the purchaser. When the lower end of the ejected card is ejected from the end 1bt and contacts the upper end of the card guide 40, the card c is stopped by the upper end of the card guide 40 and the stopper 19, and the pickup disc ( 14 is easily spaced apart from the card c so that the card is ejected and guided to the card exit.

When the card c falls through the card guide 40, the card sensor 41 detects the passage of the card c and outputs a detection signal pf. Referring again to Fig. 6, when ejection of the card is detected in step s9, the ejection process ends. However, if the signal pf occurs only once, the control program returns to step s2 and the process for removing the card c is retried. When the signal pf is received twice, the output signal can provide the output signal as shown in step s11 to output the abnormal signal and the system is shut off. The abnormal signal may be displayed on an image display 54 such as, for example, an LCD.

The invention can be modified within the scope and spirit of the disclosure. For example, the bottom plate 1b of the card holder h may be located in a horizontal level position rather than inclined so that the weight member 12 is a spring deflection plate for pressing the array of cards toward the vertical loading position. Can be replaced. As another variant, the pickup member 14 may have an auxiliary adsorption source to assist in being attached to the surface of the card c.

Further, in order to provide the card guide as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, the first guide plate gL and the second side plate located in the area between the first side plate 1L and the card guide 40 are provided. It may be provided with the 2nd guide plate gr located in the area | region between 1r. Therefore, when the card c springs up and slides, the card c is guided by the first guide plate gL and the second guide plate gr and guided to the card guide 40.

8, a second embodiment of the present invention is shown. Basically, the configuration of the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment, and only components different from the first embodiment will be described.

The stopper 19 may be covered by the tube 100 to provide a high friction section. The tube 100 may be made of, for example, a silicone gum, which may be very transparent, thereby still allowing the buyer or purchaser to view the card c through the vending machine display window. Optionally, the tube 100 may be made of polyurethane or MBR which is not very transparent.

The high friction section tube can be formed by providing a powdered gum directly to the surface of the stopper 19, and the stopper 19 can also have an embossed or frictional surface of some non-uniform structure on its surface.

In the operation of the second embodiment, if the first lever 12L and the second lever 12r move counterclockwise to the level position, the same function as described in step s7 of the first embodiment is performed. When the pick-up device 14 contacts the card in the loading position, the motor 21 is reversed and the lower edge of the card c ejected from the array is stopped by the end 1bt and the upper edge is stopped by the stopper 19. Is stopped by. In this state, the card c is held by the end 1bt and is in contact with the friction surface of the tube 100 on the stopper 19. As the pick-up member is further retracted, the upper section of the card c comes into contact with the high friction section and thus does not slip from the tube 100. In addition, the card c cannot be bent, so that the pick-up member 14 is not detached from the card c, in which the holding force at the end 1bt and the stopper 19 is caused by the pick-up member 14. This is because the pick-up force is larger than the applied force. Therefore, the card c is dropped to the card guide 40 and guided to the card discharge port.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the above-described suitable embodiments can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims rather than as specifically described herein.

According to the present invention, the card can be displayed to the purchaser and the card can be ejected upon the purchaser's request, in particular to store a stack of cards for viewing through the display window, and to hold the surface of the displayed card and display features. An automatic card ejection device is provided for ejecting the card without disturbing it.

Claims (3)

In the automatic card ejection device for displaying and ejecting cards, A storage housing for storing a plurality of cards; A holding member operatively connected to the storage housing for positioning one of the plurality of cards in a position capable of marking a card surface; A control device for receiving input from the purchaser for ejecting the card; An ejector assembly receiving a signal from a control device for ejecting the card, the ejector assembly including a pick-up member for removably gripping the card surface and ejecting the card from the retaining member along a predetermined travel path; And a stopper member mounted in a moving path to separate the card from the pickup member so that the card can be ejected to the purchaser. The automatic card ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopper member is transparent. The automatic card ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stopper member has a friction member in contact with the card.