Patent Description:
The present invention relates to an automatic beverage vending machine, in particular coffee, tea, cappuccino and hot chocolate, to which the following discussion will explicitly refer without thereby losing generality.

As is known, automatic beverage vending machines are normally connected to the water supply network and generally comprise tanks containing soluble products, mixing chambers for mixing water with a soluble product or with a mixture of soluble products, dispensers and conduits for connecting the tanks to the mixing chambers and the mixing chambers to the dispensing nozzles.

The known automatic beverage vending machines then typically also comprise an assembly for producing espresso coffee, at least one solenoid valve for controlling the delivery of water into each mixing chamber, dosing means for measuring the exact amount of soluble product required to obtain a specific beverage, and a vacuum cleaner for cleaning the dispensing conduits and the mixing chambers from any residues that may be deposited as a result of dispensing the beverage.

In the automatic beverage vending machines of the prior art, the parts listed above and others that are not mentioned, all known as "components for producing beverages", are mounted in a specific or dedicated compartment.

In order to meet the ever-increasing need for particularly compact automatic beverage vending machines, the components are placed in close contact with each other or at least partially overlapping each other.

The Applicant has been able to ascertain in practice that the arrangement of the components in side-by-side and partially overlapping positions allows, on the one hand, for the realization of compact automatic beverage vending machines, but, on the other hand, it actually makes it extremely difficult and often impossible for technicians to access the automatic beverage vending machines from the front in order to carry out any scheduled maintenance or to carry out repair interventions or for simple inspection or minor interventions on the automatic beverage vending machines without having to completely remove some of these components or parts thereof, thus creating access aisles or compartments. This inevitably leads to particularly long intervention times and machine downtimes, which generate inevitable costs and lost revenue.

On the other hand, access from the rear of the vending machine is often impossible because of the particular layout of the automatic beverage vending machine itself, and requires in any case moving or advancing the entire automatic beverage vending machine, which is more difficult the smaller the space around the automatic beverage vending machine and/or if the automatic beverage vending machine is located in areas of strong passage, as is often the case in public places.

The problem described above is partly solved by particular types of automatic beverage vending machines, in which the assembly for producing espresso coffee can be extracted from the front independently of the other components. However, these types of automatic beverage vending machines only allow a simple extraction of the assembly for producing coffee, leaving the problem for the rest of the components untouched.

<CIT> describes an automatic beverage vending machine in which a movable element carrying a part of the components is slidable between an inserted position and an extracted position. The movable element supports a flap door, which carries another part of components and is hinged to the movable element to rotate around a hinge axis parallel to a sliding direction of the movable element and is therefore movable in its overturned position only when the movable element is arranged in its extracted position.

<CIT> discloses a beverage vending machine in which an internal supporting structure with all the components is rotatable around a vertical axis. <CIT> discloses a beverage vending machine having components being disposed in a compartment closed at the front by a supporting element which can be hinged to a position wherein the compartment is open.

Aim of the present invention is to realize an automatic beverage vending machine, which allows to solve in a simple and economical way the above-mentioned problems and, in particular, an automatic beverage vending machine whose construction characteristics allow immediate access to each of the various components indicated above without the need to disassemble others or parts thereof in order to access them.

A further aim of the present invention is to realize an automatic beverage vending machine whose construction characteristics allow easy access to the various components in a short time, in safety and in order to keep the components themselves on board the automatic beverage vending machine so as to facilitate and speed up the operations of putting the vending machine back into operation.

According to the present invention, an automatic beverage vending machine is realized, as claimed in Claim <NUM>.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying figures to allow a skilled person to make and use it. Various modifications of the embodiment described will be immediately clear to the skilled person and the general principles disclosed can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the protection scope of the present invention, as defined in the enclosed drawings. Therefore, the present invention shall not be limited to the shown and described embodiments, but it must be granted the widest protection scope in accordance with the features disclosed and claimed.

Unless otherwise defined, all the herein used technical and scientific terms have the same meaning commonly used by the ordinary skilled in the art of the present invention, In case of conflict, the present invention, including definitions provided, will be binding. Furthermore, the examples are provided for merely illustrative purposes and must not be regarded as limiting.

In order to ease the understanding of the herein described embodiments, reference will be made to some specific embodiments and a specific language will be used to describe them. The terminology used in the present document aims at describing only particular implementations and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

In <FIG>, reference number <NUM> denotes an automatic beverage vending machine as a whole.

The automatic beverage vending machine <NUM> comprises an external casing or container <NUM>, in turn, comprising, a floor support base <NUM>, a rear wall <NUM>. two side walls <NUM> and an upper wall <NUM> facing the support base <NUM>.

The support base <NUM> and the side <NUM> and upper <NUM> walls delimit a front or anterior opening <NUM> facing the rear wall <NUM> and for the access from the front to the container <NUM>.

The container <NUM> delimits a chamber <NUM>, inside which a beverage preparation assembly <NUM> is at least partially housed, in general and, in turn, comprising a plurality of components, per se known and not described in detail, and generically indicated by <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG> and, in particular, <FIG>, the assembly <NUM> comprises a fixed shelf <NUM>, which extends horizontally between the two side walls <NUM>, in a position facing the upper wall <NUM> to delimit with the upper wall <NUM> itself a compartment <NUM>.

The compartment <NUM> houses a plurality of tanks <NUM> for storing soluble products, which are arranged to rest on the shelf <NUM>.

According to a variant not shown, the shelf <NUM> is coupled to the remaining part of the container <NUM> directly, for example to the side walls <NUM> by means of a guide and slide device which allows the shelf <NUM> to slide to and from the back wall <NUM> between a retracted position, in which it keeps the tanks <NUM> in one of their operational positions, and an advanced or extracted position, in which the tanks <NUM> extend through the opening <NUM> or completely outside of the container <NUM>. so that they can be inspected or cleaned or replaced if necessary.

Again, with reference to <FIG> and with reference to <FIG>, the automatic beverage vending machine <NUM> further comprises a sliding drawer <NUM> arranged between the shelf <NUM> and the base <NUM>.

The drawer <NUM> delimits with parts of the container <NUM> a compartment <NUM> (<FIG>) for housing at least part of the components <NUM> of the assembly <NUM>.

In particular, the drawer <NUM> comprises a base plate <NUM>, two sidewalls <NUM> and an anterior door <NUM>.

The drawer <NUM> is coupled to the side walls <NUM> by means of a pair of guide and slide assemblies <NUM> for sliding in opposite directions in a direction D parallel to the walls <NUM> and <NUM> and orthogonal to the wall <NUM>.

Each assembly <NUM> comprises a fixed guide <NUM> stably connected to the relative side wall <NUM> and a slide <NUM> sliding along the relative fixed guide <NUM>.

Each slide <NUM> is fixed to the relative sidewall <NUM> directly or by the interposition of respective attachment structures <NUM> each stably connected to a relative sidewall <NUM>, like in the example described and shown in particular in <FIG>.

By acting on a handle <NUM> of the drawer <NUM>, the assemblies <NUM> allow the drawer <NUM> to be moved along the direction D and to be arranged in a plurality of intermediate positions between two extreme end of stroke positions, of which one is operational retracted, shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, and one is extracted shown in <FIG> and <FIG>.

In both end of stroke positions, the drawer <NUM> is coupled to, and supported by, the container <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, the door <NUM> is a movable door with respect to the base plate <NUM>. In particular, the door <NUM> is a flap door and rotatable with respect to the base plate <NUM> and to the sidewalls <NUM> around a hinge axis <NUM> which is horizontal and orthogonal to the direction D. Conveniently, the hinge axis <NUM> is arranged adjacent to the base plate <NUM> and conveniently below the base plate <NUM>.

Preferably, the door <NUM> is hinged to the structures <NUM> by means of a hinge device <NUM> having relative hinge pins <NUM>.

The door <NUM> is movable between two extreme end of stroke angular positions, one of which is an operational vertical closing the compartment <NUM>, shown in <FIG>,<FIG> <FIG> and <FIG>, and a forward overturned position, shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. When arranged in its overturned position, the door <NUM> is held in this position by lateral tie rods 30A and is rotated with respect to the vertical position by an angle A varying between <NUM>° and <NUM>° degrees and conveniently an angle of substantial <NUM>°.

According to a variant not shown, the door <NUM>, when arranged in its overturned position, forms an extension of the wall <NUM>.

In the example described the door <NUM> comprises a flat panel <NUM> and two side brackets <NUM> for hinging to the relative structures <NUM> and forming parts of the hinge device <NUM>.

However, the door <NUM> is made or hinged, the base plate <NUM> carries part of the components <NUM>, indicated by 11A.

The components 11A are, in part, directly rested and made integral with the base plate <NUM> and, in part, supported by their own attachment structures to the base plate <NUM>.

On the other hand, the door <NUM> carries another part of component <NUM>, which are indicated by 11B.

The components 11A and 11B are distributed or positioned on the base plate <NUM> and, respectively, on one face or on both opposite faces of the door <NUM> in order to avoid interference between the components themselves during opening/closing of the door <NUM> and so as to prevent a technician from even partially decoupling one or more components <NUM> in order to be able to access other components <NUM>.

In this way, when the drawer <NUM> is arranged in its extracted position it allows access to part of the components <NUM>, while when also the door <NUM> is in its overturned position it is possible to inspect or act directly on each component <NUM>, since the components <NUM> are visible and immediately accessible.

The intervention of an expert technician is therefore facilitated by the fact that he can easily act by partially or totally extracting the drawer <NUM> and, when necessary, by overturning the door <NUM> forward.

Any technical intervention is then facilitated by the fact that the drawer <NUM> and the relative components <NUM>, regardless of the position of the drawer <NUM> in the direction D or of the door <NUM> with respect to the container <NUM>, continue to be supported by the container <NUM>, so that the technician is not required to exert a high degree of efforts in lifting and/or moving the drawer <NUM> and the relative components <NUM>, of which, however, the technician(s) in charge of the vending machine would bear the responsibility if the drawer <NUM> were decoupled from the container <NUM>.

In the example described, the back wall <NUM> and the door <NUM> are flat, however, they may be shaped and/or provided with recesses or projections, respectively, for housing or supporting/retaining one or more components <NUM>.

Still with reference to the attached figures, the automatic beverage vending machine <NUM> also comprises an espresso coffee preparation assembly <NUM>.

The assembly <NUM> comprises, in turn, containers <NUM> for the storage of coffee powder, resting on the shelf <NUM>, and a brewing assembly <NUM>, per se known, carried by the door <NUM> and, preferably, stably connected to an external surface of the same door <NUM> and projecting in a cantilever fashion therefrom.

Lastly, the vending machine <NUM> comprises a plurality of pipes connecting between them the various components <NUM> and shut-off and safety valves not visible in the attached figures for the sake of clarity but commonly known and now universally used in similar vending machines and by the same owner.

From the foregoing, it is evident that the use of a drawer with a flap door allows, with respect to the known solutions, on the one hand, to bring into view the entire attachment surface of the components <NUM>, which is maximum when the door <NUM> forms an extension of the base wall <NUM>, and, on the other hand, to distribute the components <NUM> so that it is possible to inspect and/or intervene on each of them or on most of them without the need to disassemble other components or parts of the same components. This makes it possible to drastically reduce intervention times and machine downtimes, which aspect is particularly appreciated when the vending machine is located in areas of strong passage or in areas with narrow stopping or manoeuvring spaces.

The fact then that the drawer <NUM> always remains coupled to the container <NUM>, regardless of its extraction condition, and therefore always supported by the container <NUM>, allows the operator to carry out any inspection/maintenance/replacement intervention with minimum physical efforts, which efforts would be necessary and burdensome if the drawer <NUM> could be removed and moved away from the container <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An automatic beverage vending machine (<NUM>), the vending machine (<NUM>) comprising a container (<NUM>) delimiting a housing chamber (<NUM>) and having an opening (<NUM>) for access to said chamber (<NUM>); a beverage preparation assembly (<NUM>, <NUM>) having a plurality of components (<NUM>) for producing beverages housed at least partly in said chamber (<NUM>) and support means (<NUM>, <NUM>) for said components(<NUM>); said support means (<NUM>, <NUM>) comprise a first support element (<NUM>) for a first part (11A) of said components (<NUM>) and a second support element (<NUM>) for a second part (11B) of said components (<NUM>); wherein said first support element comprises a horizontal wall (<NUM>), and in that at least part of said first components (11A) is directly rested on said wall (<NUM>) or is coupled to said wall (<NUM>) by the interposition of attachment structures to said wall (<NUM>); guide and slide means (<NUM>), being interposed between the first support element (<NUM>) and said container (<NUM>) to allow said first support element (<NUM>) a translation in a direction (D) between two extreme end of stroke positions, one of which is inserted in said chamber (<NUM>) and one of which is at least partially extracted from said chamber (<NUM>); hinge means (<NUM>) being interposed between said first support element (<NUM>) and said second support element (<NUM>), for allowing the rotation of said second support element (<NUM>) with respect to said first support element (<NUM>) around a hinge axis (<NUM>) which is horizontal and orthogonal to said direction (D), regardless of the position of said first support element (<NUM>) between said extreme end of stroke positions;
wherein the second support element (<NUM>) is movable between two extreme end of stroke angular positions, one of which is an operational vertical position for closing said chamber (<NUM>), and one of which is a forward overturned position;
wherein said first (<NUM>) and said second (<NUM>) support elements form part of an extractable drawer (<NUM>) permanently coupled to said container (<NUM>) and housing at least part of said components (<NUM>); said second support element forming a flap door (<NUM>) of said drawer (<NUM>).