Patent ID: 8251232

Claim:
An article advancing device, which allows a row of articles arranged in a depth direction of the article advancing device to be shifted forward when the forwardmost article is taken out, comprising: a plurality of elongated drawer members, each elongated drawer member includes a flexible band-shaped sheet and a stopper structure disposed at a distal end of the flexible band-shaped sheet, and each elongated drawer member is structured to allow articles to be arranged thereon when each elongated drawer member is held at a pulled-out position; a plurality of rollers for fixing a proximal end of each respective flexible band-shaped sheet in position and winding up each respective flexible band-shaped sheet by a predetermined driving force while allowing the each respective flexible band-shaped sheet to be freely pulled out; a main body for housing the plurality of rollers and wound up portion of each flexible band-shaped sheet; a plurality of driving force adjustment mechanisms that are each respectively provided to each of the plurality of rollers, and that are each configured to be rotated to adjust the driving force of a corresponding one of the plurality of rollers, wherein the plurality of rollers are disposed in parallel to each other within the main body, and plurality of elongated drawer members are disposed on the rollers respectively so as not to overlap each other in a width direction, each of the plurality of rollers comprises a drive spring that is biased to enable adjustment of the driving force, a first assembly that supports one end of the drive spring and winds up the band-shaped sheet by rotation, and a second assembly that supports another end of the drive spring and rotates independently of the first assembly, each of the driving force adjustment mechanisms comprises a dial that is rotatably supported on the main body and is connected to the second assembly to rotate integrally with the second assembly, and a latching spring that biases the dial against the main body, and each of the driving force mechanisms is configured to prevent adjustment of the driving force when the dial is biased against the main body by the biasing force of the latching spring, and to permit adjustment of the driving force when the dial is spaced from the main body against the biasing force of the latching spring.