专利汇可以提供Refrigerated vending machine for fresh fruits专利检索,专利查询,专利分析的服务。并且,下面是Refrigerated vending machine for fresh fruits专利的具体信息内容。
The present invention relates to a refrigerated vending machine for fresh fruits.
More specifically, the invention relates to a refrigerated vending machine for fresh fruits comprising a fruit compartment from which the fruits are susceptible of selection according to the introductory portion of claim 1.
Many types of vending machines for alimentary products and drinks are known, comprising a refrigerated cabinet having a fruit compartment and provided with a display window. The products are generally shown in transparent coverings and the consumer can select them by means of a keyboard control panel, in conjunction with a system of payment with coins, key, ticket or other means.
Such vending machines are also adapted to supply natural fresh fruits. However, typically in the case of apples for example, the consumer may encounter problems and difficulties with respect to the peeling, coring and cutting of the fruit. The offer of fresh fruits through vending machines is therefore substantially limited to installations located in areas equipped for the distribution of food.
Otherwise, the distribution of peeled and portioned fresh fruits is not effectively practical for obvious reasons relating to the deterioration, after a certain period of time, of the treated fruits, even if kept in sealed confections.
The technical problem of the invention is to increase the availability of fresh fruits in vending machines, without necessitating the consumer to tamper with the fruit in any way.
Another problem of the invention is how to distribute automatically fresh and portioned fruit in an appealing and hygienic state.
These objects are achieved by the vending machine for fresh fruits of the invention according the characterizing portion of claim 1.
Suitably, the vending machine of the present invention manipulates apples; the apples are stored individually in containers equipped with a base having a centering projection for the lower concavity of the apple and the vending machine is equipped with a processing unit including a pronged fruit picker which spikes into the fruit, the prongs entering and lodging around the core in contrast with the projection for a centered picking up of the apple.
The characteristics of the invention will be clear from the following description, provided merely by way of not-restrictive example, with the aid of the annexed drawings in which:
Represented with 31 in
The fruits are stocked in a fruit compartment 39 of the cabinet 33, by means of drawers 40, and are visible through the display window 36. The drawers are on several levels of the compartment 39 and slide on respective seats with possibility of being partially, but not fully extractable. The stocked fruits are selectable by means of a keyboard of the control panel 37 and are made available to the consumer in a service tray 38.
According to the invention, the vending machine 31 (
The mechanism 41 includes a platform 44 and is designated to move the fruit selected from the compartment 39 to a working station 45 where the processing unit 42 operates and from the working station to a service tray 38, where the prepared fruit is distributed.
The unit 42 is actuatable for peeling and portioning a fruit selected from the compartment 39 and the hygienic protection means 43 assure a distribution of the fruits prepared in excellent hygienic conditions.
The vending machine 31 has also the capability to distribute, in its natural state, a fruit selected from the compartment 39 without any actuation of the unit 42.
The fruits offered for vending are selected and washed and, in order to guarantee their edibility and maintain them in a well preserved state, they are placed inside a container 47 (
The containers 47 are defined by a small cup 48 and a removable sealed cover 49 or other sealing elements as, for example, a thermo-sealed film, of known type. The containers are, in turn, lodged in the drawers 40 (
For the opening of the container 47, the vending machine 31 provides a device 52 for the removal of the cover 49 or the sealing element. A tank 53 is associated to the device 52 for collecting the covers 49 removed by the device 52.
The removal device 52 is disposed in a control area 54 at the highest part of the cabinet 33. It comprises, for example, a motorized unit, a mechanical holding member or a depression holding member for the small cup 48 and a removal member also of a mechanical or depression type for the cover 49, not shown in the drawings. In case of use of thermo-sealed films, a cutting tool can be associated to the removal member.
The fruit compartment 39 takes up a good portion of the higher part of the cabinet 33 and is accessible by opening the door 34. The processing unit 42 is situated adjacent the compartment 39 and the service tray 38 is situated underneath this compartment.
The lower part of the cabinet 33 holds a cooling unit 56 and a pump 57 and defines a vane which is also accessible upon the opening of the door 34. This vane holds the tank 53 for the covers 49 and the tanks 59 and 61 respectively assigned to the collection of organic discards of the fruits processed by the unit 42 and to the collection of waste generated by the hygienic protection means.
The cover receiving tank 53 (
The vending machine 31 has typical dimensions of 800 (1) x 600 (p) x 1800 (h) millimetre. The drawers 40 can have various dimensions and the compartment 39 can have a nominal capacity of 150 fruits approximately.
The moving mechanism 41 (
In detail, the carriage 65 is vertically sliding on the guides 64f and 64r and is moved, by the motor 68, through the transmission member 71. The carriage 66 can slide forth and back on the guides of the carriage 65, and is moved by the motor 69 by means of the transmission member 72.
The carriage 67 supports the platform 44. It is slideable on cantilever guides of the carriage 66 transversely to the cabinet 33 and is moved by the motor 70 through the transmission member 73.
In a typical configuration, the vending machine 31 (
The containers 47 (
The small cups 48 further include an upper edge 79 fittable by a complementary socket 80 of the cover 49 and sockets or projections, not shown in the drawings, engageable by the holding member of the removal device 52, when it is of mechanical type.
The drawers 40 (
To this end, the drawers 40 comprise each one a motor group 86 and a chain mechanism 87 arranged near and underneath the bottom 81, respectively. The motor groups 86 of the various drawers are connected to the control electronic unit and the power supply of the vending machine through flexible cables, not shown in the drawings, in order to allow a partial extraction of the drawers 40 from the respective seats, for the loading of the containers 47.
A serpentine-like notch 88 is provided in the bottom 81 in an intermediate position between the walls 82. The chain mechanism 87 includes a series of shifting elements 89, projecting from the serpentine-like notch 88 and with possibility of sliding with respect to the notch 88.
The shifting elements 89 are adapted to engage and drag the containers 47 from the starting area 83 to the output vane 84 and going back to the area 83 underneath the bottom 81, according to a known technique.
The processing unit 42 (
The structure 90 (
The taking member 91 represents a fruit picker. It includes a cylindrical element supported in vertical by the upper part of the structure 90, in axis with the working station 45 and susceptible of axial and rotating movement with respect to the same structure 90.
The member 91 is equipped with prongs including four pointed ends 100 (
The motor group 95 (
The centering and expulsion element 92 (
The actuator 97 (
In the rest position, the extremity of the element 92 is retracted to the inside of the pointed ends 100 and the ring 102 is adjacent to the cylindrical element. In the position of centering or expulsion, the rounded off extremity and the ring 102 are extracted and project with respect to the pointed ends 100.
The element 92, in its lowered position (
The peeling device 93 (
Conveniently, the support of the blade 103 (
This support can be removed for enabling periodic cleaning operations or maintenance operations.
At rest, the taking member 91 (
Upon actuation of the motor group 98, the blade 103 goes in interference with the spiked apple 77 and causes the progressive, spiral, peeling thereof, for the effect of the combined rotational movement of the apple and the translation of the blade. By this operation, a peeling discard 104 is formed.
The cutting and coring tool 94 (
The cutting and coring tool 94 comprises an upper ring 106, a ring-like coring blade 107 and a series of radial blades 108, as for example eight, arranged as a crown and connected between the ring 106 and the ring-like blade 107. Therefore the shape of the tool is substantially frusto-conical and in which the largest base is constituted by the ring 106 and the smaller base is constituted by the lower edge of the ring-like blade 107. The axis of the tool 94 is common to the symmetry surfaces of the radial blades 108 and the lateral surface is defined by the lateral external edges of the radial blades 108.
The inner part of the ring 106 has a diameter greater than the one of the apples 77 stocked in the compartment 39. In turn, the diameter of the ring-like blade 107 is a little larger of the diameter of the cores 101 and of the maximum distance between the pointed ends 100.
With this structure, the cutting tool 94 can portion an apple 77 in a number of slices equal to the number of the blades 108 and can provide to its coring when the apple is forced by the taking member 91 through the series of blades 108 and the ring-like blade 107. After the cutting, the formed slices tend to assume a symmetrical and regular arrangement.
On the other hand, the small cup 48 of the container 47 also carries out the function of an appealing presentation of the apple prepared in the tray 38 and maintains the symmetrical arrangement of the slices after the peeling, coring and cutting by the processing unit 42.
According to the invention, as well as hygienically protect the stocked apples 77, the containers 47 pre-position the apples with respect to the processing unit 42.
To advantage, the centering projection 78 cooperating with the lower concavity of the lodged apple causes the apple to remain still and centered and with a constant orientation inside the container 47 during the displacement of the container from the fruit compartment 39 to the station 45.
In the working station 45, the projection 78 is in axis with the centering and expulsion element 92 and the taking member 91. Therefore, the lowering of the element 92 causes an automatic centering of the apple with respect to the upper hollow and the lower concavity whilst the apple is still inside the container 47.
The means of hygienic protection 43 are directed to assure the distribution of the fruits, complying with the sanitary rules of the countries in which the vending machines 31 should be installed, such as the rules of the HACCP European System (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point).
The means of hygienic protection 43 comprise, for example, the cooling unit 56, a cleaning device 111 for cleaning the processing unit 42 and means of radiation not shown in the drawings.
The cooling unit 56 is of forced air type and maintains at a low and controlled temperature (1-5 degrees) the fruits stocked in the compartment 39 and suitably refrigerated the discards of the tank 59. All this, for avoiding condensing phenomena, mildewing and stagnation, according to known techniques.
The cleaning device 111 includes the pump 57 and injectors for spraying nebulized water for the processing unit 42 and, for example, a funnel 113 with a tube portion 114 and moving means for the funnel 113 not shown in the drawings.
The pump 57 is connectable to the water network and the injectors are suitable for cleaning the unit 42 by the rests of pulp and juice left by the working, and for sanitizing the vane defined by the structure 90 and the others components in contact with the apple 77.
The respective moving means are actuated to move the funnel 113 from an inoperative position, represented in
The sanitation of the processing unit 42 is effected by the electronic control unit, with actuation of the pump 57 and the moving means for the funnel 113 at the end of a series of working cycles, in an automatic way, after a predetermined period of inactivity or, in alternative, for each working cycle of the unit 42.
The radiation means provide, for example, ultraviolet beams and operate for maintaining bacteriologically inert the taking member, the peeling device and the cutting and coring member. To this end, a high intensity UV-C germicide lamp can be provided for the various components and the surfaces of the processing unit 42. The combination of the high pressure washing and the radiation with germicide lamp contribute to sterilize the surfaces of the processing unit and to deodorize the cabinet 33.
The vending machine 31 (
Opportunely, the containers 47 (
For example, the labels 126 are on the covers 49 of the containers 47 and the device 127 (
The device 127 is provided for reading the data of the containers 47 on the platform 44 in the area 54 and feeding a consent information for the following treatment of the fruits or the distribution in the natural state.
A deviation element 128 is associated to the device 127. The element 128 is suitable for interacting with the moving mechanism 41 in order to deviate in the tank 53 the containers 47 with not acceptable data. As an example, the element 128 comprises a fixed small bar, arranged beneath the service tray 38 near to the access 62.
In case of missing of the consent information, the moving mechanism 41 is provided to move the platform 44 from the area 54 to an area 129, a little beneath the level of the element 128 but in which the container 47 on the platform is at the same level and at a side of the element 128.
From the area 129, the carriage 67 can move transversely to the platform 44, remaining underneath the element 128 but causing the arrest of the non-acceptable container 47, contrasted by the element 128. As a result, the platform 44 slides with respect to the container up to made lacking the support, and causing the fall of the non-acceptable container in the tank 53.
With reference to the flow diagram of
In the phase 130, steps 132 and 133, the apples 77 of given size and quality and the containers 47 with the respective covers 49 sterile and in material for alimentary use are supplied.
In a successive step 134, the apples 77 are carefully selected and washed. Then, the apples are stored in the small cups 48, the cups are watertight closed with the covers 49 and the labels 126 with the respective codes identifying the typology and the expiring dates are affixed. It guarantees that the container 47 will be not contaminated by bacteria or noxious substances that can be present on the peel of the apple 77 and the small cup 48 is re-utilizable with full hygienic safety for keeping and showing the portioned fruit.
Finally, the phase 130 can provide a step 135 in which the containers 47, full loaded and sealed, are arranged in packages adapted to the storing in refrigerated places and to the transport.
The step 134 is executed by personnel sanitarily qualified and authorized to the manipulation of alimentary substances, on the basis of the current sanitary rules.
The ordinary management phase 131 relates to supplying the packages with the containers 47 in a step 136, the supplying of the flatware and of the bags with the flavouring in steps 137 and 138, and a series of operations inherent to the cleaning and the maintenance of the vending machine 31 and to its supplying.
The operations of the management phase 131 do not provide any direct manipulation of the aliments and can be executed by a generic staff.
In particular, step 139, the charged operator provides to empty the tank 53 containing the covers 49 and, in the steps 140 and 141, he empties and cleans up the tank 61 with the residuals of the cleaning and the tank 59 with the organic discards. The operator also executes, in step 142, a general cleaning of all the accessible parts, both internal and external of the vending machine 31.
After picking up the full containers 47, in a phase 143, the charged operator partially extracts the drawers 40 from the fruit compartment 39, recharges in a step 144, the single drawers 40 with containers 47 of homologous typology and inserts the drawers again in the compartment 39. Then, the operator will check the content of the storage compartments for the flatware and the flavourings and will provide, in a step 146, to a suitable recharge of these accessories.
Finally, the charged operator will provide, in a step 147, to the accounting of the amount of the consumed products and the data of payment from the control panel 37, the withdrawal of the stored coins and/or tickets ,if any, and to the restoration of vending machine 31 for its normal operation.
With reference to the flow diagram of
The cooling unit 56 maintains the fruit compartment 39 and the tank 59 for the collection of the organic discards in conditions of continuous refrigeration, phase 149, preserving the stocked fresh fruits and reducing the deterioration of the organic discards.
In a phase 151, the customer selects through the panel 37 the typology of a wished fruit and the mode of its preparation, in the natural state or portioned, whereby starting up the cycle of the electronic control unit.
On the basis of the demand, the phase of movement 152 is executed. In this phase, through suitable controls for the motors 68, 69 and 70 (
In the phase 153 (
In the case in which, decision block 154, such data are acceptable, the program proceeds, in the decision block 156, to control the demand by the customer.
If the selection relates to a peeled and portioned fruit, the device 52 removes from the small cup 48 the cover 49, phase 158, and discards the cover in the tank 53, phase 159. Then, follows the phase of movement 161 in which the mechanism 41 moves the small cup 48 in the working station 45, in registration with the processing unit 42.
The phase 162 of peeling, coring and cutting provides the drive of the actuator 97 and the motor groups 95 and 96 (
In particular, with the drive of the actuator 97, the rod with the rounded off extremity is lowered and engages the upper hollow of the apple 77 (
Then, with the drive of the motor group 95 the pointed ends 100 spike into the apple 77 around the core 101 (
The moving mechanism 41 (
The motor group 96 now rotates the taking member 91 with the spiked apple and the motor group 98 moves down the blade 103, along the trajectory 105, (
In a phase 163 the peeling discard 104 falls by gravity and is collected in the tank below 59.
The moving mechanism 41 (
The motor group 95 is actuated again for lowering the taking member 91. Thus, the spiked apple 77 is forced against the blades 108 and the ring-like blade 107, is cut in slices and deprived of the core. At the end of this operation, the slices fall in the below small cup 48, maintaining the symmetry of the cutting.
In the phase 164, (
The selection and the movements of the flatware and of the bags with the flavouring is executed in phases 171, 172, 173 and 174, whilst the flatware and the selected bags are distributed in the trays 122, phases 176 and 177.
Then the actuator 99 and the actuator 94 (
The core 101 also falls by gravity in the below tank 59. Further, the motor group 95 is actuated again to move back the member 91 in the raised position.
After a predetermined period of time of rest of the vending machine 31, the electronic control unit starts up the phase 167 (
In particular, the respective means of movement are actuated for moving the funnel 113 up to the working station 45. The pump 57 is also actuated for spraying the water in the vane defined by the structure 90 and on the other components of the unit 42 in contact with the apple 77 with cleaning of the parts and, the waste generated by the cleaning is diverted in the tank 61 through the tube portion 114.
At the end of the cycle, the means of movement are actuated again in order to re-positioning the funnel 113 in the inoperative position externally to the station 45.
In the case in which, decision block 154, the data read on the label 126 are not acceptable, the control unit proceeds to the phase of movement 168 in which the moving mechanism 41 (
If the choice in the decision block 156 relates to the fruit prepared in the natural state, the phase 170 is executed in which the moving mechanism 41 (
Naturally, the embodiments and the details of construction may be varied with respect to what has been described and illustrated purely by way of non- restrictive example, without departing from the scope of this invention.
The tanks 59 and 61 can be equipped of covers actuatable in a controlled way at the moment of the reception of the discards and the waste and at the moment of the emptying and cleaning operations.
As variant of the cleaning means 111, the cleaning of the processing unit 42 could be executed by means of vapor of a specific generator connected to a water tank.
In alternative to the stocking through closed containers it can be provided a storing of cleaned up fruits without any container. In this case, the positioning of the fruit is carried out by parts of the vending machine which are cyclically sanitized. Then, the distribution of the portioned fruit is carried out on independent small cups distributed by a suitable unit and the cups are positioned in the working station only in the phase immediately preceding the distribution of the fruit.
In the embodiment of
For typologies of stocked fruits which do not request peeling, as strawberries, cherries etc, or where it is not convenient to carry out particular treatments, as for bananas, oranges, mandarin, etc, the distribution will be executed without any action of the dedicated apparatus, as for the distribution, in the natural state, of the apples 77 in the vending machine 31.
For example, the vending machine 181 can stock and work in alternative, in addition to the apples 77, pears 182 in containers 183 to be opened and/or bananas 184 which can be distributed in the natural state in specific closed containers 186.
In the case of distribution of the pears 182, the vending machine 181 comprises a second processing unit for selectively executing the specific operations on the chosen fruits or, in alternative, the processing unit 42 could be modified for treating various typologies of fruit. The taking, peeling, coring and cutting mechanisms, will be modified to be in agreement with the peculiarities of the fruits.
For example, the container 183 will provide an upper seat to receive the stalk of the pear and the centering element of the taking member may be tubular for receiving the part of the pear adjacent to the stalk. The trajectory of the peeling device will be associated to a standard pear.
A further embodiment 201 of the vending machine of the invention comprising a cabinet 202 is represented in
The containers 47 are lodged, overlapped, in transparent tubes 208, vertically supported by the drum group 203. The tubes 208 are visible through the display window of cabinet 202 and can be partially or totally extracted from the group 203 for the recharging of the containers. On the basis of the choice of the consumer, the group 203 can be rotated, positioning the tube with the typology of the selected fruits in front of an output station 209. The container is then suitably moved from the station 209 for the following operations.
The covers of the containers 47 are removed in the station 204 by a device of removal 211. The peeling and the portioning of the fruits are effected in the working station 204 by a processing unit 212 having a peeling device 214 and a cutting and coring tool 216. Cleaning means 217 provide to the cleaning of the unit 212. These components are similar to the correspondent devices 52 and 93 and to the tool 94 and, for the sake of brevity, are not described herein.
The mechanism for selecting and moving the fruits includes a selection section 218, a section 219 for transversal movement and a section 221 for front /rear movement. The section 218 is designated for rotating the drum group 203 and arresting it in a series of positions of selection defined by the angular pitch of the tubes 208. The sections 219 and 221 move the selected container 47 from the output station 209 to the removal cover station 204 and to the working station 206 and from the working station 206 to the service tray 207, respectively. The containers are moved substantially coplanar with the surface of support of the service tray 207.
Specifically the drum group 203 has a base 222 and a cover 223, both of circular section, and the output station 209 includes a channel 224. The base 222 peripherally defines a series of annular notches 226 and a corresponding series of openings 227. The notches 226 are engaged by the lower edges of the tubes 208 and the openings 227 are coaxial with the notches 226 and a little larger, in section, than the section of the containers 47.
The base 222 is overlapped, with possibility of rotation, on a selection plate 228 having an output opening 229 above the channel 224. The plate 228 closes the openings 227 except that for the positions of selection of the drum group 203 in which the opening 227 associated to the selected tube 208 is in axis with the opening 229. In these conditions, the container of the fruit chosen by the consumer can cross, by gravity, in the underneath the channel 224.
The channel 224 is disposed parallel to the front of the cabinet, between the axis of the opening 229, the cover removal station 204 and the working station 206, behind the service tray 207.
The section 219 for transversal movement comprises a shutter drawer 231 sliding in the channel 224 and a transmission member 232 connected with a motor not shown in the drawings. The drawer 231 has an upper surface which normally closes the output opening 229 and a lateral surface which can displace a container 47 along the channel 224.
The section 221 for front/rear movement comprises a lengthened plate 233 and a transmission member 234 connected with another motor, also not shown. The plate 233 is designated for moving the container 47 between the working station 206 and the service tray 207 and has a front portion for supporting the container moved from drawer 231 and a rear opening 236 for the access to the discard tank.
The flatware and the flavourings may be supplied directly into the service tray 207 jointly with the distribution of the fruit.
In detail, in the rear position, the plate 233 receives with its front portion the container 47 displaced by the drawer 231 and, then, contrasts the action exercised on the fruit by the taken member of the peeling device 214. After the raising of the fruit the plate 233 is forwardly moved by the section 221, with temporary positioning of the empty container in the service tray 207 and positioning of the opening 236 above the discard container for receiving the peeling discards. Thereafter the plate 233 is moved again in the rear position for receiving in the container the portioned fruit and, finally, the plate is moved forwardly, whereby positioning the container 47 with the portioned fruit in the service tray 207.
Conveniently, the service tray 207 remains closed by an opaque wall 237 during all the phases preceding the phase of accessibility of the fruit for the consumer.
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