Abstract:
A simple and economic item-retriever for retrieving an item from a display peg-hook is disclosed. This item-retriever is displayed behind the item behind the item on the peg-hook. The item-retriever has a built-in ‘magnet contact part’ that is accessible to a magnet. The magnet approaches to the ‘magnet contact part’ of the item-retriever within a distance close enough to create a magnetic force that is strong enough to pull the item retriever out of the peg-hook. When the item-retriever is pulled out of the peg-hook by the magnet, the item displayed in front of the item-retriever is also pulled out of the peg-hook because it is in the way. Various means and methods will be described.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    This invention relates to a display peg-hook, and in particular, retrieving items mechanically from a display hook. NOTE  
           [0002]    This invention disclosure is related to a provisional application No.  10 / 272738 , titled “Intrusion-Proof Self-service Vending Facility” filed on Oct. 16, 2002.  
         BACKGROUND ART  
         [0003]    The effective merchandise retrieving means is an essential element for realizing a high-capacity vending machine at a reasonable cost.  
           [0004]    Laundromats are self-service operated. Gasoline stations have been switched to automated self-service systems during the last decades. Such a trend is desirable because it saves operating expenses and can offer 24-hour service. Similar change over is desirable in the merchandise retail business. At the present time, only small-scale vending machines are located in the corners inside buildings. It would be desirable to establish a stand-alone self-service retail store employing a large-capacity vending machine.  
           [0005]    However, one major problem is the cost of a large-capacity vending machine. As an example, a vending machine that handles 200 items costs very high (Reference: ‘Shop 2000’ www.shop 2000 online.com).  
           [0006]    A typical convenient store carries about 2,000 items. Typical monthly gross sale is $30,000 to $60,000, with monthly net income for owners ranging from $4,000 to $15,000 to cover their labor and service. The sales price of a convenient store ranges from $100,000 to $300,000.  
           [0007]    On the other hand, a gross income vending machine that carries 200 items will be typically $6,000, if not less, with net income less than $1,000, which does not even pay for the labor of the operator of the vending business. A large-capacity vending machine would not make sense economically when it costs more than $100,000.  
           [0008]    Accordingly, it is critically important to come up with a low-cost, large-capacity vending machine if unmanned retailing is to become feasible.  
           [0009]    Another problem as serious as the high cost is the maintenance. The number of parts and complexity would increase rapidly as the vending capacity increases if the vending capacity is increased simply scaling up the conventional vending machine. This poses a maintenance nightmare.  
           [0010]    Accordingly, it is also very important to devise a high-capacity vending machine that is relatively maintenance-free.  
           [0011]    In order to replace the function of a manned convenient store even partially, it would be necessary for a vending machine to be able to carry 500 to 1,000 items of varying shapes and sizes. At the present time, it is not possible to build and maintain such a vending machine at a cost low enough to make the operation profitable.  
           [0012]    The merchandise retrieving means and method disclosed in the present invention that can help realizing such a high-capacity vending machine at a reasonable cost.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0013]    It is the objective of this patent application to devise a simple and effective means for mechanically retrieving items from a display hook or the like.  
           [0014]    This objective is achieved by hanging an item-retriever behind the item on the peg-hook. The item-retriever has a built-in ‘magnet contact part’. The item-retriever is designed in such a way that a magnet, preferably an electromagnet, can approach to the ‘magnet contact part’ within a distance close enough to create a magnetic force that is strong enough to pull the item-retriever out of the peg-hook. When the item-retriever is pulled out of the peg-hook by the magnet, the item displayed in front of the item-retriever is also pulled out of the peg-hook because it is in the way.  
           [0015]    Using a display hook that is slanted downwardly will be helpful to force the displayed items toward the tip of the hook, so that the magnet and the ‘magnet contact part’ meet near the end of the hook consistently.  
           [0016]    Various means and methods will be described.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of one example of‘item-retriever’ constructed according to the present invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 shows a peg-hook with a slant angle.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 shows a few products prepared to be hung on a peg-hook.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 shows the products of FIG. 3 displayed on the peg-hook of FIG. 2, and a retrieving magnet.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 shows a large-capacity vending machine, a subject of a divisional patent application of this patent application.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 shows a side sectional view of the large-capacity vending machine shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 shows a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 1, in which the hole is replaced by a slit so as to allow insertion from the above.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 shows the same as in FIG. 4, except that the first product is backed by the item-retriever embodiment presented in FIG. 7.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 shows a few possible variations of the embodiments of FIG. 1 and FIG. 7.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 shows a variation of the item-retriever, and a weight for amplifying the sliding force.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 shows the side view of FIG. 10.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 shows a variation of the item-retriever.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 13 shows the item-retriever of FIG. 12 along with an item and display hardware.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0030]    [0030]FIG. 1 shows, in a schematic manner, an example of ‘item-retriever’  1  that is constructed according to the teaching of the present invention.  
         [0031]    It has a hole  1   a  through which a display hook such as shown in FIG. 2 can enter. The hole clearance should be larger than the diameter of the hook. Actually the hole diameter is preferably substantially larger than the diameter of the hook (for example by a factor of two or more) so that the item-retriever can be pulled out of the hook more freely without much friction and resistance.  
         [0032]    It also has a ‘magnet contact part’  1   b , which is made of a material that is attracted to a magnet. The rest of the body of the item-retriever  1  may be made of the same magnet-attracting material, or any other material.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 2 shows a display hook  2  mounted on a peg board or the like. It is shown to have a slant angle. But it may be installed horizontally. But, as explained below, the slant angle is preferred in this invention.  
         [0034]    The display hook  2  may be any other designs or shapes. For example, it may have two rods instead one. Only requirement so long as this patent application is concerned is the function, namely, to provide a hanging means to display items. It also may have extra rods or other parts for supporting the item-retriever  1 . This aspect will be described below again.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 3 shows three products  3  and  4  ready to be hung on the peg-hook  2  of FIG. 2. In FIG. 3( b ), the item  3  is enclosed in a mesh net, most likely made of nylon. Such a mesh net will be useful because it is cheap, and fit to almost any sizes and shapes.  
         [0036]    The hanging means  3   a  may be replaced by a hook-type (a question-mark-shape, s-shape, etc.) so that the product  3  may be inserted between items that are already hung on the hook  2  from the above.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 4 shows the essence of the present invention in which each product  3  or  4  is placed in front of an item-retriever  1 . This is a case when we assume that the items are supposed to be retrieved one by one. If the intention is to retrieve more than one item at a time, two or more items are placed in front of one item-retriever  1 . In this case, we can consider the whole group as one item.  
         [0038]    The product  3  at the front can be pulled out of the hook manually by a human hand. However, there is a situation when mechanical means should be used to pull out the product  3 . One example is a self-service vending machine.  
         [0039]    A magnet  5  is brought toward the first item-retriever  1 . When the magnet  5  is moved away (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4), the first item-retriever  1  is pulled out of the peg-hook  2 . In this process, the product  3  in the front will be also pulled out of the hook  2  since it is in the way.  
         [0040]    The ‘magnet contact part’  1   b  should not be covered entirely by the item  3  in front of it because the magnet  5  needs to come to a close to some portion of the ‘magnet contact part’  1   b  to develop a magnetic attractive force.  
         [0041]    The ‘magnet contact part’  1   b  can be located above the hook  2  as shown in FIG. 4, or in any other location with respect to the hook  2  so long as it is not covered and concealed by the item  3  in front of it in such a way that it cannot be within a close proximity with a magnet. Some variations in this regard will be described below again.  
         [0042]    It will be most convenience if the magnet  5  is an electromagnet so that its attraction force can be turned off through an electrical switch  5   a . However, it may be the permanent magnet, and the item-retriever  1  may be separated from the magnet  5  forcefully by a stopper or the like.  
         [0043]    When the display hook  2  is slanted as shown here, the items will be forced toward the tip of the hook  2  by the gravity force. This will ensure that the item in the front will be located near the tip of the hook  2  consistently. This reduces the uncertainty in the location of the first product where the magnet  5  meets the product. This arrangement will be quite convenient in automated mechanical item-retrieval applications.  
         [0044]    A weight may be placed behind the last item-retriever so that the downward force is enhanced. This will be described further below.  
         [0045]    A spring may be used in the rear part of the hook  2 , that is, behind the displayed items and the ‘magnet contact part’  1   b  in FIG. 4, to ensure that the products  3 ,  4  and ‘magnet contact part’  1   b  stay near the tip of the hook.  
         [0046]    It would be possible to attach the ‘magnet contact part’  1   b  somewhere on the products themselves  3 ,  4  or on the packages  3   b . However, in this case, the customers will take away the ‘magnet contact part’  1   a  with the products. Also, incorporating the ‘magnet contact part’  1   a  would make the products or the packaging bulky and less attractive in many cases. In the present invention, the item-retriever  1  can be recycled, and the products and packaging do not have to be modified.  
         [0047]    The item-retriever  1  may have a three-dimensional shape, instead of the two-dimensional planar shape as shown here.  
         [0048]    [0048]FIG. 5 shows a large-capacity vending machine, which is a subject of a divisional patent application of this application. When there are more than a few hundreds of different items  7 , and the display window becomes quite wide, it would be most convenient for a customer to walk with a moveable retriever system  8  that rides on rolling wheels  8   a . The moveable retriever system  8  is equipped with retriever arms  6 . The retriever system  8  rolls to the left or to the right as the customer commands, manually or automatically. When he locates a product he wants, he parks the retriever system  8  in front of it, making sure that one of the retriever arms  6  is line up with the product he desires. He then pushes a ‘buy-button’, and the retriever arm  5  moves toward the product and fetches out the product  7  employing the item-retriever method as described in this patent application. The retrieved product falls down and exits through the exit tray  9  (Arrows A and B in FIG. 6). The customer picks up the product.  
         [0049]    The item-retriever  1  falls down and stay with the vending machine, unless the customer desires it and takes it with him. The item-retriever has no value to ordinary customers, but a separate compartment may be provided inside the vending machine in order to intercept the falling item-retriever  1  so that customers cannot take it even if he wants it for some reason.  
         [0050]    The item-retriever should be made of low cost materials so that it does not become an attractive item that can be converted to cash.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 6 shows the sectional side view of the vending machine shown in FIG. 5. An item-retriever  1  is placed between each of the two neighboring items  7 . A partition show-window  10  is shown. And the retriever system  8  is shown to be connected across the partition show-window  10 : with the retriever arms  5  inside the show-window  10 ; and the retriever handle, the‘buy-button’, and other vending-related devices if applicable, outside the show-window  10 .  
         [0052]    [0052]FIG. 7 shows a variation of the item-retriever embodiment presented in FIG. 1, in which the hole  1   a  is replaced by a slit  11   a . A slit is more convenient because it can be inserted between two neighboring items from the above.  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 8 shows the same as shown in FIG. 4, except that the first product is backed by the item-retriever embodiment  11  shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 9 shows a few possible variations of the embodiments of FIG. 1 and FIG. 7.  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 10 shows a variation of the design of the item-retriever in which the ‘magnet contact part’  15   b  is located underneath the hook  2 . FIG. 11 shows the side view.  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 10 also shows a weight 16 engaged on the hook  2 . As described earlier, it will amplify the gravity force, thus enhancing the downwardly force acting on the item  3 .  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 show a variation in item-retriever design and in the method of placing it over the hook  2 . Extra rods  17   a  and  17   b  are used to support the item-retriever  18 . As shown, the item-retriever  18  may be hung on different  17   a  and  17   b , not on the rod  2 . In this invention disclosure, all the rods  17   a ,  17   b , and  2 , will be considered as the parts of one display hardware.  
         [0058]    Since there may be more than one invention in this patent application as described above, and also because some inventions can be used in other applications, some elements of inventions described above will not be claimed in this patent application. Instead, they will be claimed in other divisional or divisional-in-part applications.  
         [0059]    Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.