Patent Publication Number: US-11024110-B2

Title: Product storage device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a U.S. National Stage Patent Application under 37 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2016/071181, filed on Jul. 19, 2016, which claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. JP 2016-010132, filed on Dec. 21, 2016, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a product storage device configured to cool or heat products stored therein and to dispense a stored product to a product delivery port. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     As an example of such a product storage device, a vending machine is known. In most vending machines, a product accommodation space is reloaded with new products when products are sold out, and the loaded products are then cooled or heated. Until the temperatures of the loaded products become suitable, the sale of products (or dispensing of products) is stopped (see, for example, Patent Document 1). 
     REFERENCE DOCUMENT LIST 
     Patent Document 
     Patent Document 1: JP H05-073767 A 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problem to be Solved by the Invention 
     Such stopping of the sale (or dispensing) of products until the temperatures of loaded products become suitable might lead unfavorably to the loss of sales opportunities for products. For example, in order to prevent such stopping of sale (or dispensing) of products, one strategy may be loading products as appropriate before stored products are sold out. 
     However, because such products to be loaded have not been cooled or heated, the loading of products might change the temperature inside the product accommodation space. Thus, there is a concern that if a range of suitable temperatures for products is narrow, stored products which have already had suitable temperatures might fall outside the suitable temperature range and a product having the temperature outside the suitable temperature range might be dispensed. 
     Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a product storage device capable of continuously dispensing products having a suitable temperature even when the suitable temperature range of products is narrow. 
     Means for Solving the Problem 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, a product storage device comprises: a plurality of product storage chambers for storing products and for cooling or heating the stored products; 
     a product delivery port to which a product stored in the plurality of product storage chambers is dispensed; and 
     a control unit configured to set at least one, but not all, of the plurality of product storage chambers as a preliminary chamber in which stored products are not available for dispensing and set the remainder as a product dispensing chamber in which stored products are available for dispensing, and configured to sequentially change product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber. 
     Effects of the Invention 
     In the abovementioned product storage device, a product storage chamber which has been set as the preliminary chamber is then switched to the product dispensing chamber, and a product storage chamber which has been set as the product dispensing chamber is then switched to the preliminary chamber. Thus, by changing product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber by the control unit at an appropriate timing, and by reloading a product storage chamber which is newly set as the preliminary chamber in association with the change (i.e., the change of product storage chamber to be set as the preliminary chamber) with products, it is possible to continuously dispense products having a suitable temperature even when the suitable temperature range of products is narrow. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of a product storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating the interior (in a state in which an outer door is open) of the product storage device. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the side of the product storage device. 
         FIG. 4  is a control block diagram of the product storage device. 
         FIG. 5A  is a diagram illustrating a control of a pair of illumination devices performed by a control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door closed) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 5B  is a diagram illustrating the control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door open) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 6A  is a diagram illustrating the control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door closed) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 6B  is a diagram illustrating the control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door open) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 7A  is a diagram illustrating another control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door closed) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 7B  is a diagram illustrating said another control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door open) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 8A  is a diagram illustrating said another control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door closed) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 8B  is a diagram illustrating said another control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door open) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 9A  is a diagram illustrating said another control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door closed) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 9B  is a diagram illustrating said another control of the pair of illumination devices performed by the control unit of the product storage device (a diagram schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device (with the outer door open) when viewed from the front). 
         FIG. 10  is a diagram illustrating a modification of the product storage device. 
     
    
    
     MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Hereinbelow, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A product storage device according to an embodiment stores several types of products (mainly corresponding to bottled beverages), and cools or heats the stored products. Furthermore, the product storage device according to the present embodiment is configured to read product information recorded in an information storage medium such as a card, and then to dispense a product which corresponds to the read product information from the stored products. As used herein, the information storage medium such as a card is referred to as “product designation card”. Although not subject to any particular limitation, according to the present embodiment, money information is not recorded in the information storage medium such as a card (product designation card), and the product storage device does not perform financial processing such as balance inquiry, rewriting of the balance, or the like, when dispensing a product. 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of a product storage device  1  according to the embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating the interior of the product storage device  1  (in a state in which an outer door  3 , described below, is open). The product storage device  1  includes a box-shaped device body  2  with the front face open, the outer door  3  that opens and closes the front face of the device body  2 , and an inner door  4  arranged inside the outer door  3 . 
     The device body  2  includes thereinside a product storage space  5  with a heat insulation structure. The interior of the product storage space  5  is partitioned by a partition wall  51  into a first product storage chamber  52  and a second product storage chamber  53  arranged side by side in the width direction (right-and-left direction) of the product storage device  1 . The first product storage chamber  52  is located on the left side when viewed from the front, and the second product storage chamber  53  is located on the right side when viewed from the front. In the present embodiment, the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  have substantially the same shape and configuration, and each of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  is configured to be capable of storing products P and cooling or heating the stored products. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the interior of the first product storage chamber  52  and that of the second product storage chamber  53  are basically maintained at the same temperature (set temperature). 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the side of the product storage device  1 , and mainly illustrates the interior structure of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53 . The first product storage chamber  52  (the same applies to the second product storage chamber  53 ) is provided with a cooling device  54  for cooling the interior of the first product storage chamber  52  (second product storage chamber  53 ), and a heating device  55  for heating the interior of the first product storage chamber  52  (second product storage chamber  53 ). In the present embodiment, the cooling device  54  is an evaporator that is a component of a refrigeration-cycle device (not illustrated), and the heating device  55  is a heater. 
     Furthermore, in the first product storage chamber  52  (the same applies to the second product storage chamber  53 ), a plurality of (in this case, three) product storage columns  56  arranged forward and backward are disposed. Each product storage column  56  includes a pair of product passages  57  extending in the vertical direction. Products P are stored in each product passage  57  by being loaded by an operator or the like from the corresponding product-loading port  58  located at the upper portion of the product storage column  56 . Here, each product passage  57  is allocated a type of product P, and each product passage  57  stores products P with the same type. At the lower portion of each product storage column  56 , two product dispensing devices  59 , corresponding to the pair of product passages  57 , are located back to back. Each product dispensing device  59  makes products P sequentially dropped in a manner such that a product P which is positioned on the lowermost of products P stored one above the other in the vertical direction in the corresponding product passage  57 , is dropped first. 
     The outer door  3  is rotatably attached to one end side of the device body  2  in the width direction (right-and-left direction) of the product storage device  1  (in this case, attached at the left side when viewed from the front). At the lower portion of the outer door  3 , there is provided a product delivery port  31  to which a product dropped by a product dispensing device  59  is dispensed. The product delivery port  31  will be described below. On the front (outer face) of the outer door  3 , there is provided a card inlet  32  through which the product designation card is inserted, and on the back (inner face) of the outer door  3 , there are provided a card reader/writer  33  that reads product information recorded in the product designation card and/or writes predetermined information into the product designation card, and a card collection box  34  for collecting the product designation card. 
     The inner door  4  has a heat insulation structure, covers an opening of the product storage space  5 , and is configured to be capable of opening and closing the opening. At the lower portion of the inner door  4 , there are provided a first product dispensing opening  41  that provides communication between the interior of the first product storage chamber  52  and the product delivery port  31 , and a second product dispensing opening  42  that provides communication between the interior of the second product storage chamber  53  and the product delivery port  31 . The first and second product dispensing openings  41 ,  42  correspond to the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53 , respectively, and are arranged side by side in the width direction (right-and-left direction) of the product storage device  1 . A product P dropped by the product dispensing device  59  inside the first product storage chamber  52 , that is, a product P stored in the first product storage chamber  52  is dispensed to the product delivery port  31  through the first product dispensing opening  41 , and a product P dropped by the product dispensing device  59  inside the second product storage chamber  53 , that is, a product P stored in the second product storage chamber  53  is dispensed to the product delivery port  31  through the second product dispensing opening  42 . Here, each of the first and second product dispensing openings  41 ,  42  is provided with a dispensing flap  43  to reduce a decrease in heat-insulation performance. For example, the dispensing flap  43  is configured to be pushed open by a product dropped by a product dispensing device  59  and closed by its own weight. 
     The product delivery port  31  includes an opening  311  that opens at the front lower portion of the outer door  3 , an opening/closing flap  312  for opening and closing the opening  311 , and a product receiving portion  313  for receiving a product P dispensed through the first or second product dispensing opening  41 ,  42 . 
     The opening  311  is formed in a substantially rectangular shape extending in the width direction (right-and-left direction) of the product storage device  1 . The opening/closing flap  312  is made of a transparent plate of synthetic resin or the like, and has the upper end rotatably supported near the upper portion of the opening  311 . The opening/closing flap  312  is configured to open the opening  311  by rotating forward the lower end of the opening/closing flap  312 , and to close the opening  311  by its own weight. The product receiving portion  313  is formed in a shallow dish-like shape made of a sheet metal member or the like. The product receiving portion  313  has a width-direction dimension greater than that of the opening  311 , and is secured to the outer door  3  so as to be located below the opening  311  on the back side of the outer door  3 . On the upper face of the product receiving portion  313 , there is provided a cushioning material (not illustrated) for absorbing an impact when receiving a dispensed product. In addition, to each of both right and left ends of the product receiving portion  313 , a side plate  314  extending to a point slightly above the upper portion of the opening  311  is attached. To the upper portion of both side plates  314 ,  314 , an upper face plate  315  inclined downward toward the front is attached. 
     At both right and left side portions inside the product delivery port  31 , there is provided a pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B for illuminating the interior of the product delivery port  31 . Specifically, in the width direction (right-and-left direction) of the product storage device  1 , one illumination device  316 A is disposed at one end side (at the left side when viewed from the front, or the right side when viewed from the back) of the upper face of the product receiving portion  313 , and the other illumination device  316 B is disposed at the other end side (at the right side when viewed from the front, or the left side when viewed from the back) of the upper face of the product receiving portion  313 . The pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B may have any shapes, any structures, and the like, as long as it can illuminate the interior of the product delivery port  31 . For example, each illumination device  316 A,  316 B may be configured to include a light source such as an LED, and a translucent casing for accommodating therein the light source. 
       FIG. 4  is a control block diagram of the product storage device  1 . The product storage device  1  includes a control unit  10  for controlling various operations of the product storage device  1 . In the present embodiment, the control unit  10  is disposed on the back of the outer door  3  (see  FIG. 2 ), and connected to the card reader/writer  33 , the refrigeration-cycle devices including the cooling devices  54 , the heating devices (heaters)  55 , the product dispensing devices  59 , and the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B, via signal lines, or the like. In the present embodiment, the control unit  10  executes controls as follows. 
     First, the control unit  10  separately controls the refrigeration-cycle device for the first product storage chamber  52  and the refrigeration-cycle device for the second product storage chamber  53 , or separately controls the heating device  55  for the first product storage chamber  52  and the heating device  55  for the second product storage chamber  53 , so that the temperature inside the first product storage chamber  52  and that inside the second product storage chamber  53  become a predetermined set temperature (set cooling temperature or set heating temperature). The set temperature for the first product storage chamber  52  and that of the second product storage chamber  53  are the same, and can be input by an operation of an input device (not illustrated) by the operator or the like. 
     When cooling the interior of the first product storage chamber  52  and that of the second product storage chamber  53 , that is, when cooling products P stored in the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53 , the control unit  10  operates the refrigeration-cycle device for the first product storage chamber  52  so that the temperature inside the first product storage chamber  52  sensed by a temperature sensor (not illustrated) falls within a range of from a lower limit up to a higher limit of the set temperature (the set cooling temperature). Similarly, the control unit  10  operates the refrigeration-cycle device for the second product storage chamber  53  so that the temperature inside the second product storage chamber  53  sensed by a temperature sensor (not illustrated) falls within a range of from the lower limit up to the higher limit of the set temperature (the set cooling temperature). 
     When heating the interior of the first product storage chamber  52  and that of the second product storage chamber  53 , that is, when heating products P stored in the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53 , the control unit  10  operates the heating device  55  for the first product storage chamber  52  so that the temperature inside the first product storage chamber  52  sensed by a temperature sensor (not illustrated) falls within a range of from a lower limit up to a higher limit of the set temperature (the set heating temperature). Similarly, the control unit  10  operates the heating device  55  for the second product storage chamber  53  so that the temperature inside the second product storage chamber  53  sensed by a temperature sensor (not illustrated) falls within a range of from the lower limit up to the higher limit of the set temperature (the set heating temperature). 
     Furthermore, when the control unit  10  receives, from the card reader/writer  33 , product information read by the card reader/writer  33  from a product designation card inserted into the card inlet  32 , the control unit  10  outputs a product dispensing signal to the corresponding product dispensing device  59 , that is, the product dispensing device  59  for the product passage  57  in which a product P corresponding to the received product information is stored. This operates the product dispensing device  59  that has received the product dispensing signal to drop the lowermost product P in the product passage  57 . Thus, the product P corresponding to the product information read by the card reader/writer  33  is dispensed to the product delivery port  31 . 
     Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the control unit  10  sets one of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  as a preliminary chamber in which stored products P are not available for dispensing, and sets the other of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  as a product dispensing chamber in which stored products P are available for dispensing. Then, the control unit  10  sequentially changes product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber. In other words, the control unit  10  sets one of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  to a dispensing-discontinued state in which dispensing of stored products is discontinued, and sets the other of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  to a dispensing state in which dispensing of stored products can be performed. Then, the control unit  10  sequentially changes product storage chambers to be set to the dispensing-discontinued state. The control unit  10  may periodically changes product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber (product storage chambers to be set to the dispensing-discontinued state). Furthermore, the control unit  10  may sequentially change product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber based on an operation to the input device performed by the operator or the like, or may sequentially change product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber at a predetermined changing timing. This makes the product storage device  1  possible to dispense only products stored in one of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  to the product delivery port  31 . 
     For example, the control unit  10  sets the first product storage chamber  52  as the preliminary chamber and sets the second product storage chamber  53  as the product dispensing chamber. In this case, the control unit  10  does not output the product dispensing signal to the product dispensing devices  59  in the first product storage chamber  52  set as the preliminary chamber, but outputs the product dispensing signal to the corresponding product dispensing device  59  of the product dispensing devices  59  in the second product storage chamber  53  set as the product dispensing chamber. Then, when a predetermined time period elapses, the control unit  10  sets the second product storage chamber  53  as the preliminary chamber and sets the first product storage chamber  52  as the product dispensing chamber in response to the operation of the input device performed by the operator or the like, and then, when the predetermined time period again elapses, the control unit  10  sets the first product storage chamber  52  as the preliminary chamber and sets the second product storage chamber  53  as the product dispensing chamber in response to the operation of the input device performed by the operator or the like. The control unit  10  repeatedly performs such setting of the preliminary chamber and the product dispensing chamber. Thus, the product storage device  1  always includes the preliminary chamber and the product dispensing chamber, and these chambers are sequentially (in this case, periodically) switched. Here, the predetermined time period is not necessarily always constant, and may be appropriately changed depending on the external environment or the like. Alternatively, the control unit  10  may perform the abovementioned setting of the preliminary chamber and product dispensing chamber based on a built-in timer or the like. In this case, the predetermined time period may be appropriately set depending on a suitable temperature (the set temperature) of products P, or the like. Preferably, the predetermined time period is set to a time period required until the temperatures of not-cooled or -heated products P become suitable (the set temperature) after storing the products P in the first product storage chamber  52  or the second product storage chamber  53 , or to a time period longer than the required time period. 
     Sequentially changing of product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber in this way is performed to make the product storage device  1  possible to continuously dispense products P having a suitable temperature even when the suitable temperature range of products P is narrow. Thus, specifically, reloading of the product storage device  1  with products P is performed to a product storage chamber which is newly set as the preliminary chamber in accordance with the change of product storage chamber to be set as the preliminary chamber. This makes it possible to reload the product storage device  1  with products P without having effects on the temperature inside a product storage space set as the product dispensing chamber (i.e., the temperature state of product P which may be dispensed). Furthermore, the loaded products P can have the suitable temperature or a state close thereto, before the product storage chamber which has been set as the preliminary chamber is switched to the product dispensing chamber. Thus, the loaded product P can be immediately dispensed as a product P having a suitable temperature after switching from the preliminary chamber to the product dispensing chamber. Thus, even when a range of suitable temperatures of product P is narrow, the product storage device  1  is possible to dispense product P having a suitable temperature. 
     To reliably reload a product storage chamber set as the preliminary chamber with products P by the operator or the like, it is necessary to make the operator or the like understand which of the first product storage chamber  52  and second product storage chamber  53  is set as the preliminary chamber. Thus, in the present embodiment, the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B for illuminating the interior of the product delivery port  31  is used to indicate a product storage chamber which has been set as the preliminary chamber. Specifically, as described below, the control unit  10  changes a combination of turning on and off of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B in association with the change of product storage chamber to be set as the preliminary chamber (i.e., the change of preliminary chamber), to make the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B indicate a product storage chamber which has been set as the preliminary chamber. 
       FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A and 6B  are diagrams illustrating a control of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B performed by the control unit  10 .  FIGS. 5A and 6A  are explanatory diagrams each schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device  1  (with the outer door  3  closed) when viewed from the front.  FIGS. 5B and 6B  are explanatory diagrams each schematically illustrating a state in which the outer door  3  is open. As described above, the product storage device  1  includes the first product storage chamber  52  located on the left side when viewed from the front, and the second product storage chamber  53  located on the right side when viewed from the front. One of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B, that is, the illumination device  316 A is located at the left side when viewed from the front similarly to the first product storage chamber  52 , and the other, that is, the illumination device  316 B is located at the right side when viewed from the front similarly to the second product storage chamber  53 . 
     When the control unit  10  sets the first product storage chamber  52  as the preliminary chamber and sets the second product storage chamber  53  as the product dispensing chamber, the control unit  10  makes the illumination device  316 B located at the right side when viewed from the front turned on, and the illumination device  316 A located at the left side when viewed from the front turned off ( FIG. 5A ). Furthermore, the control unit  10  maintains the turning-on state of the illumination device  316 B and the turning-off state of the illumination device  316 A even when the outer door  3  is opened. In this case, a product P stored in the second product storage chamber  53  which has been set as the product dispensing chamber is dispensed to the product delivery port  31 . Thus, turning on of the illumination device  316 B can indicate where, in the product delivery port  31 , a product P is to be dispensed (location at which product P will be delivered), and can efficiently illuminate the dispensed product P in the product delivery port  31 . 
     Loading of products P is performed in a state in which the outer door  3  is open. Thus, when loading products P, the operator or the like will see the outer door  3  from the back thereof. In this situation, the turned-on illumination device  316 B is located at the left side when viewed from the operator or the like, corresponding to the location of the first product storage chamber  52  which has been set as the preliminary chamber, whereas the turned-off illumination device  316 A is located at the right side when viewed from the operator or the like, corresponding to the location of the second product storage chamber  53  which has been set as the product dispensing chamber ( FIG. 5B ). Thus, it is possible for the operator or the like to easily understand that the first product storage chamber  52  located on a side in which the turned-on illumination device  316 B is located, that is, at the left side when viewed from the operator or the like is the preliminary chamber to which products P are to be loaded, by checking the illumination devices  316 A,  316 B when loading products P. This makes it possible to prevent the operator or the like from erroneously loading product P into the second product storage chamber  53  which has been set as the product dispensing chamber. 
     In contrast, when the control unit  10  sets the second product storage chamber  53  as the preliminary chamber and sets the first product storage chamber  52  as the product dispensing chamber, the control unit  10  makes the illumination device  316 A located at the left side when viewed from the front turned on, and the illumination device  316 B located at the right side when viewed from the front turned off ( FIG. 6A ). Furthermore, the control unit  10  maintains the turning-on state of the illumination device  316 A and the turning-off state of the illumination device  316 B even when the outer door  3  is opened. In this case, a product P stored in the first product storage chamber  52  is dispensed to the product delivery port  31 . Thus, turning on of the illumination device  316 A can indicate where, in the product delivery port  31 , a product P is to be dispensed, and can efficiently illuminate the dispensed product P in the product delivery port  31 . 
     The turned-on illumination device  316 A is located at the right side when viewed from the operator or the like, who is going to load products P, corresponding to the location of the second product storage chamber  53  which has been set as the preliminary chamber ( FIG. 6B ). Thus, it is possible for the operator or the like to easily understand that the product storage chamber located on a side in which the turned-on illumination device  316 A is located, that is, the second product storage chamber  53  located on the right side when viewed from the operator or the like is the preliminary chamber to which products P are to be loaded. This makes it possible for the operator or the like from erroneously loading products P into the first product storage chamber  52  which has been set as the product dispensing chamber. 
     Thus, in the embodiment described in the foregoing, the product storage device  1  includes the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  for storing products P and for cooling or heating the stored products P, and the product storage device  1  is configured to dispense a product stored in the first or second product storage chamber  52 ,  53  to the product delivery port  31 . The control unit  10  of the product storage device  1  sets one of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  as the preliminary chamber and sets the other of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  as the product dispensing chamber. Furthermore, the control unit  10  is configured to sequentially change product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber. Thus, by changing product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber by the control unit  10  at an appropriate timing, that is, by changing the preliminary chamber by the control unit  10  at an appropriate timing, and by loading products P into a product storage chamber which is newly set as the preliminary chamber in accordance with the changing timing of the preliminary chamber, the product storage device  1  is possible to continuously dispense product P having a suitable temperature even when the suitable temperature range of product P is narrow. Although not subject to any particular limitation, products with such a narrow range of suitable temperatures may be, for example, a bottled beverage that needs to be delivered in a supercooled state (supercooled beverage). 
     Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the control unit  10  changes the combination of turning-on and -off of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B in association with the change of product storage chamber to be set as the preliminary chamber (i.e., the change of preliminary chamber), to make the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B indicate which product storage chamber is set as the preliminary chamber at that time. Thus, without necessity of additional dedicated components, it is possible to make the operator or the like understand which of the first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53  is set as the preliminary chamber, so that it is possible to prevent the operator or the like from erroneously loading product P into a product storage chamber which has been set as the product dispensing chamber. 
     In the embodiment described above, the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B corresponds to “indicator” and “a plurality of light-emitting units” of the present invention. 
     In the embodiment described above, the product storage device  1  includes two product storage chambers (first and second product storage chambers  52 ,  53 ) arranged side by side in the width direction (right-and-left direction), and the control unit  10  sets one of the product storage chambers as the preliminary chamber and the other of the product storage chambers as the product dispensing chamber. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the product storage device  1  may have three product storage chambers arranged side by side in the width direction (right-and-left direction). In this case, for example, the control unit  10  may set any one of the three product storage chambers as the preliminary chamber, and set two others as the product dispensing chambers, and may periodically change product storage chambers to be set as the preliminary chamber. 
     Also in the case in which the product storage device  1  includes three product storage chambers, it is possible to make the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B indicate which product storage chamber is set as the preliminary chamber at that time, by changing the combination of turning-on and -off of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B by the control unit  10  in association with the change of product storage chamber set as the preliminary chamber (i.e., the change of preliminary chamber). Hereinbelow, this will be described with reference to  FIGS. 7 to 9 . In the following description, a product storage chamber located on the left side when viewed from the front is a first product storage chamber  152 , a product storage chamber located on the right side when viewed from the front is a second product storage chamber  153 , and a product storage chamber located between the first and second product storage chambers  152 ,  153  is a third product storage chamber  154 . 
       FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 9A and 9B  are diagrams illustrating a control of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B performed by the control unit  10  in a case in which the product storage device  1  includes three product storage chambers. Similarly to  FIGS. 5A and 6A ,  FIGS. 7A, 8A and 9A  are explanatory diagrams each schematically illustrating a state of the product storage device  1  (with the outer door  3  closed) when viewed from the front. Similarly to  FIGS. 5B and 6B ,  FIGS. 7B, 8B and 9B  are explanatory diagrams each schematically illustrating a state in which the outer door  3  is open. 
     When the control unit  10  sets the first product storage chamber  152  as the preliminary chamber and sets the second and third product storage chambers  153 ,  154  as the product dispensing chambers, the control unit  10  makes the illumination device  316 B located at the right side when viewed from the front turned on, and the illumination device  316 A located at the left side when viewed from the front turned off ( FIG. 7A ). Furthermore, the control unit  10  maintains the turning-on state of the illumination device  316 B and the turning-off state of the illumination device  316 A even when the outer door  3  is opened. In this case, a product P stored in the second or third product storage chamber  153 ,  154  which has been set as the product dispensing chamber is dispensed to the product delivery port  31 . Thus, turning on of the illumination device  316 B located at the right side when viewed from the front can efficiently illuminate the dispensed product P in the product delivery port  31 . Furthermore, the turned-on illumination device  316 B is located at the left side when viewed from the operator or the like, who is going to load products P, corresponding to the location of the first product storage chamber  152  which has been set as the preliminary chamber ( FIG. 7B ). Thus, it is possible for the operator or the like to easily understand that the product storage chamber located on a side in which the turned-on illumination device  316 B is located, that is, the first product storage chamber  152  located on the left side when viewed from the operator or the like, is the preliminary chamber to which products P are to be loaded, when loading products P. This makes it possible to prevent the operator or the like from erroneously loading products P into the second or third product storage chamber  153 ,  154  which has been set as the product dispensing chamber. 
     When the control unit  10  sets the second product storage chamber  153  as the preliminary chamber and sets the first and third product storage chambers  152 ,  154  as the product dispensing chambers, the control unit  10  makes the illumination device  316 A located at the left side when viewed from the front turned on, and the illumination device  316 B located at the right side when viewed from the front turned off ( FIG. 8A ). Furthermore, the control unit  10  maintains the turning-on state of the illumination device  316 A and the turning-off state of the illumination device  316 B even when the outer door  3  is opened. In this case, a product P stored in the first or third product storage chamber  152 ,  154  is dispensed to the product delivery port  31 . Thus, turning on of the illumination device  316 A located at the left side when viewed from the front can efficiently illuminate the dispensed product P in the product delivery port  31 . Furthermore, the turned-on illumination device  316 A is located at the right side when viewed from the operator or the like, who is going to load products P, corresponding to the location of the second product storage chamber  153  which has been set as the preliminary chamber ( FIG. 8B ). Thus, it is possible for the operator or the like to easily understand that the product storage chamber located on a side in which the turned-on illumination device  316 A is located, that is, the second product storage chamber  153  located on the right side when viewed from the front, is the preliminary chamber to which products P are to be loaded, when loading products P. This makes it possible to prevent the operator or the like from erroneously loading products P into the first or third product storage chamber  152 ,  154  which has been set as the product dispensing chamber. 
     When the control unit  10  sets the third product storage chamber  154  as the preliminary chamber and sets the first and second product storage chambers  152 ,  153  as the product dispensing chambers, the control unit  10  makes both of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B turned on ( FIG. 9A ). Furthermore, the control unit  10  maintains the turning-on state of the illumination devices  316 A,  316 B even when the outer door  3  is opened. In this case, a product P stored in the first or second product storage chamber  152 ,  153  is dispensed to the product delivery port  31 . Thus, turning on of both of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B can surely illuminate the dispensed product P in the product delivery port  31 . Furthermore, in this case, although the operator or the like will observe that both of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B are turned on, the number of the product storage chamber set as the preliminary chamber is only one. Thus, it is possible for the operator or the like to understand that the third product storage chamber  154  that does not correspond to any of the turned-on illumination devices  316 A,  316 B is the preliminary chamber to which products P are to be loaded. This makes it possible to prevent the operator or the like from erroneously loading products P into the first or second product storage chamber  152 ,  153  which has been set as the product dispensing chamber. 
     Although, in the foregoing, the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B for illuminating the interior of the product delivery port  31  indicates which product storage chamber is set as the preliminary chamber at that time, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the product storage device  1  may include an indicator  200  having a plurality of (but the same as the number of the product storage chambers; in this case, three) light-emitting units  200   a  disposed on the back of the outer door  3 . For example, the light-emitting units  200   a  may be LEDs. In this case, the product storage device  1  may include at least three product storage chambers and each of the plurality of light-emitting units  200   a  is provided so as to correspond to the corresponding product storage chamber. Furthermore, when the product storage device  1  includes at least four product storage chambers, the control unit  10  may set two product storage chambers as the preliminary chambers. 
     The control unit  10  may make the indicator  200  indicate a product storage chamber set as the preliminary chamber at that time by changing the combination of turning-on and -off of the plurality of light-emitting units  200   a  of the indicator  200  in association with the change of product storage chamber to be set as the preliminary chamber (i.e., the change of preliminary chamber). For example, the control unit  10  turns on a light-emitting unit  200   a  corresponding to a product storage chamber set as the preliminary chamber and turns off light-emitting units  200   a  corresponding to product storage chambers set as the product dispensing chambers, to make the indicator  200  indicate which product storage chamber is set as the preliminary chamber at that time. Alternatively, the control unit  10  may turn off light-emitting unit  200   a  corresponding to a product storage chamber set as the preliminary chamber and turn on light-emitting units  200   a  corresponding to the product dispensing chambers, to make the indicator  200  indicate which product storage chamber is set as the preliminary chamber. 
     Although the details are not described herein, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that, for example, an indicating board for indicating the preliminary chamber and/or the product dispensing chamber may be appropriately installed instead of the pair of illumination devices  316 A,  316 B or the indicator  200 , to indicate which product storage chamber is set as the preliminary chamber at that time. 
     Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described in the foregoing, the present invention is not limited thereto, and further modifications and changes can be made based on the technical concept of the present invention. 
     REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST 
     
         
           1  Product storage device 
           5  Product storage space 
           10  Control unit 
           31  Product delivery port 
           52 ,  152  First product storage chamber 
           53 ,  153  Second product storage chamber 
           54  Cooling device 
           55  Heating device 
           59  Product dispensing device 
           154  Third product storage chamber 
           316 A,  316 B Illumination devices 
         P Product