Patent Publication Number: US-2022237553-A1

Title: Article supply device and article supply system

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a national stage application, filed under 35 U.S.C. § 371, of International Application No. PCT/JP2020/024726, filed Jun. 24, 2021, which claims priority to Japan Application No. 2019-130711, filed Jul. 12, 2019, the contents of both of which as are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to an article supply device that can supply an article in accordance with a supply operation and an article supply system using the article supply device. 
     Description of Related Art 
     In PTL 1, which is described later, a vending machine (hereinafter simply referred to as device) is disclosed that can discharge a capsule item in a box from a drum to an item discharge port in response to a handle being turned after insertion of a coin to rotate the drum. This device has a liquid crystal display means. When the capsule item is out of stock in the box, the apparatus can cause the liquid crystal display means to indicate that the capsule item is sold out 
     The above selling out is generally confirmed by an on-the-road staff member of a maintenance contractor to which management of the device is entrusted or an employee of a store where the device is installed, and thus there may be a time difference between the time when the capsule item actually sold out and the time when the selling out is actually confirmed. This time difference corresponds to the duration of a sold-out state, and thus especially when the sold-out state is of long duration, there are concerns that, for example, prospective consumers would feel inconvenienced and their impression of the store would worsen. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Literature 
     PTL 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-178612 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an article supply device and an article supply system that can minimize inconvenience due to selling out. 
     An article supply device according to the present invention includes an article supply means capable of supplying an article in an article container unit in response to a supply operation performed on a supply operation unit, and a sold-out signal transmission means capable of transmitting a sold-out signal when the article is out of stock in the article container unit. An article supply system according to the present invention includes at least one of the above article supply device, and a communication means capable of transmitting, to a management server, the sold-out signal from the article supply device via a communication network. Furthermore, an article supply system according to the present invention includes at least one of the above article supply device, a communication means capable of transmitting the sold-out signal from the article supply device, and a management server capable of receiving the sold-out signal from the communication means via a communication network. 
     With an article supply device and an article supply system according to the present invention, inconvenience due to selling out can be minimized. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1(A)  is a front view of an article supply device, which is an application of the present invention,  FIG. 1(B)  is a left side view of the article supply device,  FIG. 1(C)  is a vertical sectional view of the article supply device, and  FIGS. 1(D) and 1(E)  are diagrams for describing articles that can be contained in an article container unit illustrated in  FIGS. 1(A) to 1(C) . 
         FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B)  are diagrams for describing a supply blocking unit illustrated in  FIG. 1(A) . 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram for describing a control system of the article supply device illustrated in  FIGS. 1(A) to 1(C) . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of an article supply system, which is an application of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram for describing a control system of a first communication apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram for describing a connection form of the first communication apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram for describing a control system of a second communication apparatus illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram for describing a control system of a management server illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating an example of a management table displayed on a display unit of the management server illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1(A) to 1(C)  illustrate the configuration of an article supply device  100  according to an application of the present invention.  FIGS. 1(D) and 1(E)  illustrate articles AR.  FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B)  illustrate the configuration and operation of a supply blocking unit  110 .  FIG. 3  illustrates a control system of the article supply device  100 . 
     First, the configurations of the articles AR and the configuration of the article supply device  100  will be described. In a description of the article supply device  100 , for convenience&#39; sake, the front side of  FIG. 1(A)  is referred to as front, the depth side of  FIG. 1(A)  as rear, the left side of  FIG. 1(A)  as right, the right side of  FIG. 1(A)  as left, the upper side of  FIG. 1(A)  as up, and the lower side of  FIG. 1(A)  as down. Substantially the same applies to the directions in  FIGS. 1(B), 1(C), 2(A) , and  2 (B). A state where there is an article AR in an article container unit  102  of the article supply device  100  is referred to as a “not-sold-out state”, and a state where there is not an article AR in the article container unit  102  is referred to as a “sold-out state”. 
     Regarding the articles AR, there are no special limitations as long as the articles AR have spherical external shapes or shapes similar to a sphere, that is, as long as the articles can roll. A specific example may be an article formed by a capsule having a toy inside, the capsule being constituted by two capsule constituent parts that are detachable from and attachable to each other (see  FIG. 1(D) ), an article obtained by covering, with a film or the like, the surface of a toy folded into a somewhat spherical shape (see  FIG. 1(F) ), or the like. Although depending on the outer shapes of the articles AR, the maximum containable number of articles AR in the article container unit  102  is set within a range from about  40  to  120 . 
     The article supply device  100  includes a device main unit  101 , the article container unit  102 , a supply operation unit  103 , an article supply means (no reference numeral), an article outlet  104 , a coin slot  105 , a coin return button  106 , a coin return slot  107 , a sold-out signal transmission means (no reference numeral), and a supply signal transmission means (no reference numeral) (see  FIGS. 1(A), 1(B) , and  1 (C)). 
     Note that the coin slot  105  is a section from which a coin such as a 500 yen coin is inserted, the coin return button  106  is an item for returning the inserted coin, and the coin return slot  107  is a section from which a returned coin is taken out. These are publicly known, for example, from Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-053993 of the applicant of the present application, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     The exterior of the device main unit  101  has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the upper portion of the front surface, the left side surface, and the right side surface of the device main unit  101  is open such that a container entrance port  101   a  is provided (see  FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B) ). That is, the article container unit  102  is arranged such that the front wall and front portions of the left and right side walls are exposed and such that the article container unit  102  can be pulled out from the device main unit  101 . The article container unit  102  can be pulled out through the container entrance port  101   a  toward the front by unlocking a lock unit that is not illustrated (see  FIG. 1(C) ). 
     The article container unit  102  includes an open-topped box having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and at least the front wall and the front portions of the left and right side walls of the article container unit  102  are made transparent or semi-transparent (see  FIGS. 1(A), 1(B) , and  1 (C)). That is, a printed sheet (not illustrated) that is arranged inside the front wall (for example, a sheet presenting a picture or a description of an article AR) can be visually recognized from the outside through the front wall, and the article AR contained in the article container unit  102  can be visually recognized from the outside through the front portions of the left and right side walls. 
     The top surface of a lower wall  102   a  of the article container unit  102  is flat, and a slope unit  102   b  for guiding articles AR backward is formed on a front portion of the top surface of the lower wall  102   a  (see  FIG. 1(C) ). Furthermore, a rear portion of the top surface of the lower wall  102   a  has a hollow section  102   a   1 , which is circular in top view, and the bottom surface of the hollow section  102   a   1  has an article supply port  102   a   2 , which is circular in top view (see  FIGS. 1(C), 2(A) , and  2 (B)). 
     The supply operation unit  103  has a disc shape with a knob and is arranged on the front surface of the front wall of the device main unit  110  so as to be rotatable (see  FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B) ). A front end of a shaft  103   a  is coupled to the supply operation unit  103 , and a rear end of the shaft  103  is supported by the front surface of the rear wall of the device main unit  110  so as to be rotatable (see  FIG. 1(C) ). The supply operation unit  103  is a portion on which a supply operation is performed, and the supply operation is for example a 360-degree rotation of the supply operation unit  103  when the supply operation unit  103  is viewed from the front. A gear mechanism  103   b  including a plurality of gears, which can transfer rotation of the shaft  103  to an article supply unit  108 , is provided at and above the rear portion of the shaft  103   a  of the supply operation unit  103  (see  FIG. 1(C) ). 
     The article supply means (no reference numeral) includes the article supply unit  108 , a supply path unit  109 , and the supply blocking unit  110  (see  FIGS. 1(C), 2(A) , and  2 (B)). The article supply unit  108  can supply an article AR in response to an operation based on the supply operation performed in the not-sold-out state. The supply path unit  109  guides, to the article outlet  104 , the article AR supplied from the article supply unit  108 . The supply blocking unit  110  makes the article supply unit  108  inoperable in the sold-out state even when the supply operation is performed. 
     The article supply unit  108  has an overall disc shape and has a plurality of support holes  108   a  (five support holes in the drawings) spaced angularly uniformly in top view (see  FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) ). The top view shape of each support hole  108   a  is a circle slightly larger than the outside shape of the article AR, and the outer side of an inner peripheral surface of each support hole  108   a  is partially open. The article supply unit  108  is arranged in the hollow section  102   a   1  of the article container unit  102  so as to be rotatable and such that the upper portion of each article support hole  108  protrudes upward from the top surface of the lower wall  102   a  of the article container unit  102  (see  FIG. 1(C) ). 
     The top surface of the article supply unit  108  has an agitation unit  108   b  in the center thereof (see  FIG. 1(C) , not illustrated in  FIG. 2 ). The agitation unit  108   b  includes a center protrusion and a plurality of flexible parts (for example, items like extension coil springs) arranged around the center protrusion. 
     Furthermore, although not illustrated, teeth are provided along the periphery of the bottom surface of the article supply unit  108 , the teeth being similar to face gear teeth. Some of the teeth are positioned in a hole provided in the bottom surface of the hollow section  102   a   1  of the article container unit  102  and engage with the top gear of the gear mechanism  103   b  of the supply operation unit  103 . That is, the article supply unit  108  can rotate by a predetermined angle in response to the performed supply operation. 
     The supply path unit  109  has a tubular shape that is curved or bent as a whole and has a supply path  109 a extending from a lower end of the article supply port  102   a   2  present at the bottom surface of the hollow section  102   a   1  of the article container unit  102  to a rear end of the article outlet  104  (see  FIG. 1(C) ). In this regard, the supply path unit  109  does not have to have a tubular shape as long as the supply path unit  109  can guide, to the article outlet  104 , the article AR supplied from the article supply unit  108 . For example, a curved or bent groove provided inside the device main unit  101  can be substituted. 
     The supply blocking unit  110  is formed of a part that is overall L-shaped or J-shaped, is arranged on the top surface of the lower wall  102   a  of the article container unit  102  so as to be rotatable, and is urged in a clockwise direction, when viewed in top view, by a spring member such as a helical torsion spring or a compression spring, which is not illustrated (see  FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B) ). 
     That is, when the state enters the sold-out state, and an article AR is not held in an upper-left support hole  108   a  of the supply unit  108  in  FIG. 2(A) , a rear end portion of the supply blocking unit  110  is rotated and displaced so as to enter the support hole  108   a,  so that the supply blocking unit  110  can make the article supply unit  108  inoperable. 
     In contrast, when the state is the not-sold-out state, and an article AR is held in the upper-left support hole  108   a  of the article supply unit  108  in  FIG. 2(B) , the supply blocking unit  110  cannot be displaced as above due to the article AR, and thus the supply blocking unit  110  cannot make the article supply unit  108  inoperable. 
     The sold-out signal transmission means (no reference numeral) is a means that can transmit a sold-out signal when the state enters the sold-out state, and includes a sold-out detection unit  152 , which can detect selling out when the supply blocking unit  110  is rotated and displaced to a position at which the supply blocking unit  110  makes the article supply unit  108  inoperable (see  FIG. 3 ). The sold-out detection unit  152  includes, for example, at least a magnet unit  111 , which is provided at a front end portion of the supply blocking unit  110 , and a first switch unit  112 , which is operated by magnetic force from the magnet unit  111  (see  FIGS. 1(C) and 2(B) ). 
     In the illustrated example, the magnet unit  111  is provided in the article container unit  102 , and the first switch unit  112  is provided (lower than the article container unit  102 ) in the device main unit  101 . Thus, the lower wall  102   a  of the article container unit  102  is provided with a columnar magnetic material unit for transferring magnetic force from the magnet unit  111  to the first switch unit  112  (see  FIGS. 1(C), 2(A) , and  2 (B)). In this regard, the magnet unit  111  preferably includes a rare earth magnet such as a neodymium magnet or a samarium-cobalt magnet, the first switch unit  112  preferably includes a reed switch, and the magnetic material unit  113  preferably includes a ferromagnet such as iron. Note that in a case where the first switch unit  112  can be provided on the article container unit  102  side, the magnetic material unit  113  is not always necessary. 
     That is, when the state enters the sold-out state, and an article AR is not held in the upper-left support hole  108   a  of the article supply unit  108  in  FIG. 2(A) , the rear end portion of the supply blocking unit  110  is rotated and displaced so as to enter the upper-left support hole  108   a,  so that the magnet unit  111  is displaced onto the magnetic material unit  113  by the rotational displacement. Thus, magnetic force from the magnet unit  111  is transferred via the magnetic material unit  113  to the first switch unit  112 , and the first switch unit  112  can be operated. 
     In contrast, when the state is the not-sold-out state, and an article AR is held in the upper-left support hole  108   a  of the article supply unit  108  in  FIG. 2(B) , the supply blocking unit  110  cannot be displaced as above due to the article AR, and the magnet unit  111  is positioned away from the magnetic material unit  113 . Thus, the first switch unit  112  cannot be operated. 
     The supply signal transmission means (no reference numeral) is a means that can transmit a supply signal in response to the supply operation performed when there is an article AR in the article container unit  102 , and includes a supply detection unit  153 , which can detect supply when the supply operation is performed (see  FIG. 3 ). The supply detection unit  153  includes, for example, a switch operation unit  114 , which can be displaced on the basis of performance of the supply operation, and a second switch unit  115 , which operates on the basis of the displacement of the switch operation unit  114  (see  FIG. 1(C) ). 
     The switch operation unit  114  preferably includes a rotation displacement part such as an eccentric cam provided at the shaft unit  103   a  of the supply operation unit  103 . The second switch unit  115  preferably includes a press switch such as a microswitch, the press switch being capable of operating when the rotation displacement part is displaced partway such as when the supply operation unit  103  is rotated by 180 degrees to 270 degrees (see  FIG. 1(C) ). 
     That is, in a case where the supply operation is performed on the supply operation unit  103  in the not-sold-out state, and the shaft unit  103   a  and the switch operation unit  114  rotate by 360 degrees, the second switch unit  115  can be operated one time when the switch operation unit  114  is rotated and displaced partway. 
     Next, the control system of the article supply device  100  described above will be described. This control system includes, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , a main controller  151  having a microcomputer configuration, the sold-out detection unit  152 , the supply detection unit  153 , and a transmission unit  154 . 
     The sold-out detection unit  152  includes the above first switch unit  112 , and the supply detection unit  153  includes the above second switch unit  115 . The transmission unit  154  has a dual-purpose output terminal  154   a,  which can transmit a sold-out signal (preferably, a binary signal) detected by the sold-out detection unit  152  and a supply signal (preferably, a binary signal) detected by the supply detection unit  153 . The output terminal  154   a  is provided at the back surface of the device main unit  101 . Power for the control system may be acquired from a commercial power supply using an alternating-current-to-direct-current (AC-DC) adapter other than from batteries or rechargeable batteries. 
     Next, the operation of the article supply device  100  described above will be described. 
     When a certain coin is inserted into the coin slot  105  and the supply operation is performed on the supply operation unit  103  in the not-sold-out state (see  FIG. 1(C) ), the article supply unit  108  rotates by a predetermined angle, the article AR held in the support hole  108   a  falls into the supply path unit  109  through the article supply port  102   a   2  (see  FIG. 2(B) ), and the article AR is guided to the article outlet  104  through the supply path  109 a. 
     In contrast, when the state enters the sold-out state, the rear end portion of the supply blocking unit  110  enters the support hole  108   a,  and the article supply unit  108  is made inoperable (see  FIG. 2(A) ) as described above. Thus, the supply operation cannot be performed on the supply operation unit  103 . 
     When the supply operation (a 360 degree rotation) is performed on the supply operation unit  103  in the not-sold-out state, the supply signal is transmitted to the output terminal  154   a  of the transmission unit  154 , the supply signal being based on a detection signal from the second switch unit  115  included in the supply detection unit  153 . 
     Furthermore, when the state enters the sold-out state, the sold-out signal is transmitted to the output terminal  154   a  of the transmission unit  154 , the sold-out signal being based on a detection signal from the first switch unit  112  included in the sold-out detection unit  152 . 
     In this regard, from one article supply device  100 , the sold-out signal is normally transmitted after the supply signal is transmitted. In other words, the supply signal and the sold-out signal are not simultaneously transmitted from one article supply device  100 , and thus signal control for transmitting these signals is unnecessary. 
     Thus, even when any one of a plurality of article supply devices  100  enters the sold-out state, the sold-out signal is immediately transmitted from the article supply device  100 . Thus, the selling out of the article AR can be confirmed without a time lag by using the sold-out signal. The supply signal is transmitted every time the article AR is supplied in the not-sold-out state, and thus the remaining number of articles contained in each article supply device  100  can be checked using the supply signal. 
     Note that the above article supply device  100  may display a sold-out indication in order to allow consumers to visually confirm that the article supply device  100  is in the sold-out state. For this sold-out indication, for example, it is preferable that a mechanism as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-053993 of the applicant of the present application be used. That is, in the mechanism, a sold-out display unit having a substantially L-shaped, longitudinal section is arranged so as to be rotatable inside the front wall of the article container unit  102 , and the sold-out display unit can be recognized from the outside by being rotated using a rotational displacement to protrude downward from a hole provided in a front end of the lower wall  102   a  of the article container unit  102 , the rotational displacement being caused when the rear end portion of the supply blocking unit  110  enters the upper-left support hole  108   a  of the article supply unit  108  in  FIG. 2(A) . 
     In a case where only the sold-out signal is transmitted, the supply signal transmission means (no reference numeral) may be eliminated from the above article supply device  100 , and only the sold-out signal transmission means (no reference numeral) may be provided. Furthermore, the dual-purpose output terminal  154   a  provided at the transmission unit  154  may be divided into an output terminal for the sold-out signal detected by the sold-out detection unit  152  and an output terminal for the supply signal detected by the supply detection unit  153 . 
     Article Supply System 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic configuration of an article supply system (no reference numeral) according to an application of the present invention.  FIG. 5  illustrates a control system of a first communication apparatus  200 .  FIG. 6  illustrates a connection form of the first communication apparatus  200 .  FIG. 7  illustrates a control system of a second communication apparatus  300 .  FIG. 8  illustrates a control system of a management server  500 .  FIG. 9  illustrates an example of a management table displayed on a display unit  505  of the management server  500 . 
     First, the configuration of the article supply system (no reference numeral) will be described. In a case where the management of article supply devices  100  is entrusted to a maintenance contractor, this article supply system (no reference numeral) includes one or more article supply devices  100  (six article supply devices in the illustrated example) installed in or near a store, and a communication means (no reference numeral) that can transmit the sold-out signal and the supply signal from each article supply device  100  to the management server  500  via a communication network  400  (the Internet communication network in the illustrated example), the communication means corresponding to the first communication apparatus  200  and the second communication apparatus  300  (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     In other words, the article supply system (no reference numeral) includes one or more article supply devices  100  (six article supply devices in the illustrated example), a communication means (no reference numeral) that can transmit the sold-out signal and the supply signal from each article supply device  100  (the communication means corresponding to the first communication apparatus  200  and the second communication apparatus  300 ), and the management server  500 , which can receive the sold-out signal and the supply signal from the communication means via the communication network  400 . 
     The communication means (no reference numeral) includes the first communication apparatus  200  (see  FIG. 5 ), which is connected to the output terminals  154   a  of the respective article supply devices  100  with dedicated cables CA (see  FIG. 6 ), and the second communication apparatus  300 , which can wirelessly communicate with the first communication apparatus  200  and can communicate with the management server  500  via the Internet communication network  400 . That is, each article supply device  100 , the first communication apparatus  200 , and the second communication apparatus  300  are installed in the store (including at the front of and inside the store), and the maintenance contractor has the management server  500 . 
     The control system of the first communication apparatus  200  includes, as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , a main controller  201  having a microcomputer configuration, a reception controller  202 , a transmission controller  203 , a transmission unit  204 , and an antenna unit  205 . 
     The reception controller  202  has a plurality of input terminals  202   a  to  202   f  (six input terminals in the illustrated example) and has, for example, the function of identifying, for each of the input terminals  202   a  to  202   f,  the article supply device  100  from which the sold-out signal and the supply signal input to the input terminal originated, and the function of preventing interference between two or more simultaneously input signals regardless of whether the signals are the sold-out or supply signals. The transmission controller  203  has, for example, the function of multiplexing signals from the reception unit controller  202  to perform conversion into a signal appropriate for the communication scheme of the transmission unit  204 . The transmission unit  204  includes a transmission device that supports a wireless communication standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and can transmit a signal from the transmission controller  203  through the antenna unit  204 . In this regard, power for the control system may be acquired from a commercial power supply using an AC-DC adapter other than from batteries or rechargeable batteries. 
     The identification and multiplexing described above will be described in more detail. The sold-out signals or the supply signals from two or more of the article supply devices  100  may be simultaneously transmitted to the first communication apparatus  200 . Thus, to the sold-out signal and the supply signal from each article supply device  100 , identification data corresponding to the article supply device  100  is assigned after the sold-out signal and the supply signal are input to the reception controller  202 . Since the first communication apparatus  200  is connected to the six article supply devices  100 , multiplexing is performed so that, for example, even in a case where the sold-out signal is transmitted from one out of two of the article supply devices  100  and the supply signal is transmitted from the other one of the two article supply devices  100 , these signals can be transmitted without problems. 
     The control system of the second communication apparatus  300  includes, as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , a main controller  301  having a microcomputer configuration, a reception unit  302 , an antenna unit  303 , a transmission controller  304 , and a transmission unit  305 . 
     The reception unit  302  includes a reception device that supports the same wireless communication standard as the transmission unit  203  of the first communication apparatus  200 , and can receive a signal from the first communication apparatus  200  through the antenna unit  303 . The transmission controller  304  has, for example, the function of multiplexing signals from the reception unit  302  to perform conversion into a signal appropriate for the communication scheme of the transmission unit  305 . The transmission unit  305  includes a transmission device that supports an Internet communication scheme such as TCP/IP, and has an output terminal  305   a,  which can be connected to the Internet communication network  400  via a modem or a router (not illustrated). In this regard, power for the control system may be acquired from a commercial power supply using an AC-DC adapter other than from batteries or rechargeable batteries. 
     The control system of the management server  500  includes, as illustrated in  FIG. 8 , a main controller  501  having a microcomputer configuration, a reception controller  502 , a reception unit  503 , a storage unit  504 , the display unit  505  such as a liquid crystal display, and an input unit  506  such as a keyboard. In this regard, the management server  500  is a general-purpose computer to which a management function described below is added. 
     The reception unit  503  includes a reception device that supports an Internet communication scheme such as TCP/IP, and has an input terminal  503   a,  which can be connected to the Internet communication network  400  via a modem or a router (not illustrated). The reception controller  502  has, for example, the function of converting a signal from the reception unit  503  into a signal that can be processed internally. The storage unit  504  stores management data in which, for example, the number and the types of article supply devices  100  installed in a store, the maximum containable number of articles, contained articles, the state of each article supply device  100  (the sold-out state and the not-sold-out state), and the remaining number of contained articles are collected on a store-by-store basis. The display unit  505  displays a store-specific management table based on the above management data (see  FIG. 9 ), and the input unit  506  is used when a numerical value or the like in the management table is changed. 
     Next, an example of a method for installing the six article supply devices  100 , the first communication apparatus  200 , and the second communication apparatus  300  of the above article supply system (no reference numeral) will be described. 
     First, the six article supply devices  100  are installed so as to be stacked as in  FIG. 6  at the front of or inside the store (as a matter of course, the six article supply devices  100  may be installed side by side). The first communication apparatus  200  is fixed to the back surface of any one of the article supply devices  100  with screws or the like. The output terminals  154   a  of the respective article supply devices  100  and the input terminals  202   a  to  202   f  of the first communication apparatus  200  are connected by the dedicated cables CA. 
     The second communication apparatus  300  is installed inside the store, and its output terminal  305   a  is connected to the Internet communication network  400  via a modem or a router. Although the distance to be set between the first communication apparatus  200  and the second communication apparatus  300  depends on the presence or absence of an obstruction, it is desirable that the distance between the first communication apparatus  200  and the second communication apparatus  300  be less than or equal to 10 m when the wireless communication standard of the apparatuses is Bluetooth (registered trademark) and 30 mm when the wireless communication standard of the apparatuses is Wi-Fi (registered trademark). 
     Next, the operation of the above article supply system (no reference numeral) will be described, which includes the six article supply devices  100 . 
     Description will be made starting from the state in which the above installation is completed and in which articles AR, the number of which is a maximum (for example, 40), are contained in the article container unit  102  of each article supply device  100 . The numbers of articles AR in the article container units  102  of the individual article supply devices  100  gradually decrease due to the above supply operation performed by consumers. In this regard, the rates of decrease of the articles AR in the article container units  102  of the individual article supply devices  100  vary depending on demand, and thus the ways in which the articles AR decrease vary between the article supply devices  100 . 
     The sold-out signal and the supply signal from each article supply device  100  are transmitted to the management server  500 , which the maintenance contractor has, via the first communication apparatus  200 , the second notification communication apparatus  300 , and the Internet communication network  400  as described above. 
     When the management server  500  receives the above sold-out signal and the above supply signal, the management server  500  reads out management data on a store corresponding to the source of the signals from the storage unit  504  and displays the management table illustrated in  FIG. 9  on the display unit  504 . In this regard, the management table illustrated in  FIG. 9  includes the number and the types of article supply devices  100  installed in a store X, the maximum containable number of articles, and contained articles, and furthermore display fields of the states of the respective article supply devices  100  (the sold-out state and the not-sold-out state) and the remaining number of contained articles. 
     For example, among six article supply devices Y 1  to Y 6  installed in the store X, when the management server  500  receives the sold-out signal regarding the article supply device Y 1 , the management table corresponding to the store X is displayed on the display unit  505 , and also “sold out” is displayed in the state field of the article supply device Y 1  in the management table, preferably in an enhanced manner. In this regard, the numerical value in the field of the remaining number of contained articles of the article supply device Y 1  is reduced on the basis of reception of the supply signal, and thus the remaining number of contained articles at the stage when the sold-out signal is received is “0” as a general rule. That is, as a result of a change to “sold out” in the state field in the management table displayed on the display unit  505 , it can be visually confirmed that the article supply device Y 1  among the six article supply devices Y 1  to Y 6  installed in the store X is in the sold-out state and that the sold-out article AR is AR 1 . 
     Thus, in a case where an on-the-road staff member of the maintenance contractor replenishes the article supply device Y 1  of the store X with articles AR 1  on the basis of the display described above, the desired article supply device Y 1  can be replenished with articles AR 1  not long after the time when the article supply device Y 1  actually entered the sold-out state. Moreover, regarding the article supply device Y 5  having a small remaining number of contained articles (the remaining number of contained articles is 5), the day when the article supply device Y 5  will enter the sold-out state can be roughly estimated, and thus preparations for the replenishment of articles AR 5  can be made in advance before the article supply device Y 5  enters the sold-out state. 
     Moreover, when the article supply device Y 1  in the sold-out state is replenished with articles AR 1 , the supply blocking unit  110  illustrated in  FIG. 2(A)  is rotated and displaced to the position illustrated in  FIG. 2(B) , the sold-out signal transmission to the management server  500  is stopped, and the display in the state field of the article supply device Y 1  is switched to “not sold out” (the remaining number of contained articles is also switched to 40). As a result of this switching in the display, the completion of replenishment of the desired article supply device Y 1  with the articles AR 1  can be confirmed. 
     There is a concern that the above sold-out signal would be momentarily generated when the article AR held in the support hole  108   a  lifts up due to, for example, the article supply device  100  itself receiving shock from the outside in the state illustrated in  FIG. 2(B)  and the supply blocking unit  110  is rotated and displaced. There is another concern that the above sold-out signal would be momentarily stopped when the supply blocking unit  110  is rotated and displaced due to inertia even in the state illustrated in  FIG. 2(A) . Thus, regarding the above sold-out signal, when the above sold-out signal continues for a predetermined time period or longer, specifically three seconds or longer, it is preferable that the management server  500  recognizes this as true selling out. 
     The above sold-out signal may be stopped for a moment due to, for example, shock from the outside as described above, and thus it is preferable that the time when the above supply signal is received after the above true selling out is recognized, that is, when the first article AR is supplied after replenishment be recognized as true sold-out elimination (completion of article replenishment). 
     Note that the communication network  400  in the above article supply system may be a communication network other than the Internet communication network such as a mobile phone communication network, a wide area network (WAN), or a local-area network (LAN). The case where the maintenance contractor has the management server  500  has been described; however, in a case where the article supply device or devices  100  are managed by the store (a case where management of the article supply device or devices  100  is not entrusted to a maintenance contractor), the management server  500  may be installed in, for example, an office of the store. 
     REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 
       100  article supply device 
       101  device main unit 
       102  article container unit 
       103  supply operation unit 
       108  article supply unit 
       110  supply blocking unit 
       111  magnet unit 
       112  first switch unit 
       113  magnetic material unit 
       114  switch operation unit 
       115  second switch unit 
       152  sold-out detection unit 
       153  supply detection unit 
       154  transmission unit 
       154   a  output terminal 
       200  first communication apparatus 
       202   a  to  202   f  input terminal 
       300  second communication apparatus 
       305   a  output terminal 
       400  communication network 
       500  management server 
       505  display unit