Abstract: A host computer transmits a user ID and a list of vending machine IDs to a portable communication terminal. When the user selects from the list a vending machine through which the user makes a payment, the user ID and the ID of the selected vending machine are transmitted from a portable communication terminal to the host computer. The host computer issues to the vending machine corresponding to the vending machine ID an instruction to enter a payment acceptable mode. When the user makes a payment at the vending machine, the amount of the payment is transmitted to the host computer.

Abstract: A vending machine adopts a storing tray capable of storing a plurality of commodities in an upright state as storing means, and adopts means including a hand unit capable of gripping the commodity located at a taking-out portion of a predetermined storing tray as remaining in an upright state and a mechanism capable of moving the hand unit up and down, left and right, and back and forth as a common carrying-out means by a plurality of storing means. This allows the constitution of the storing means to be simplified, and the necessity of providing the carrying-out means for every storing means is eliminated so that the manufacturer's cost of the vending machine can be reduced.

Abstract: A vending machine capable of selecting any one of a first of a fourth mode which make it possible to carry out a commodity and a prize and a fifth mode which makes it possible to carry out only a commodity by a mode selecting device. In a state in which the fifth mode is selected, an ordinary commodity sale in which a selected commodity is executed based on insertion of coins or paper money, and pushing a commodity selecting button 4 is executed. In a state in which any one of the first to the fourth mode is selected, carrying-out of the prize from a prize carrying-out unit is executed in parallel with carrying-out of the commodity or independently.

Abstract: In a refrigerating open showcase comprising a showcase body whose top surface is open; an inner plate disposed to form an air passage between the inner plate and the showcase body; and a cooler disposed in the air passage, in which an air curtain is formed on the top surface of the showcase body by causing air having been cooled in the air passage to flow from a discharge port to a suction port, the upper end of the inner plate on the suction port side is bent toward the air passage on the suction side, and the upper face of the bent portion is inclined slightly with respect to the horizontal in the direction that the upper face of said bent portion faces a side wall on the suction port side of the showcase body.

Abstract: A shelf apparatus for a showcase includes a shelf plate; a shelf support for supporting the shelf plate; and a connecting member having a movable portion and a fixed portion connected to the shelf plate and the shelf support, respectively. The movable portion has a hard locking member, and the shelf support has a concave portion which can lock and unlock the locking member. When the shelf plate is held on the shelf supports, the locking member is locked to the concave portion. When commodities are resupplied onto the shelf plate, the locking member is unlocked from the concave portion. Thereby, the movable portion of the connecting member is detached from the shelf support. Then, the shelf plate is pulled out forward and commodities are resupplied onto the pulled-out shelf plate.

Abstract: When a coin(s) is inserted and an article selection button is further pressed, article carrying-out processing is started, and an article carrying-out device performs a carrying-out operation. An article is dropped and received in a receiving section by this carrying-out operation. When the article is received in the receiving section, the article collides with the receiving section, and vibrations are generated. The vibrations are detected by a vibration detection unit, and it is judged that the article is received in the receiving section. In the series of article carrying-out operations, when unexpected vibrations are applied to the receiving section after the article carrying-out processing is started, since a microcomputer excludes the vibrations, only vibrations at the time of receiving the article can be detected accurately.

Abstract: A muddler carrying-out device includes a muddler storing part for storing a plurality of stacked muddlers, and a muddler carrying-out part for carrying out the lowest muddler of the plurality of muddlers stored in the muddler storing part to a muddler takeout port. Further, the muddler carrying-out part operates below the second lowest muddler, and a distance of carrying out the muddler in the muddler carrying-out part is set at a distance of protruding a part of the lowest muddler from the muddler takeout port. When the lowest muddler is left without being pulled out at the time of carrying out the muddler, the lowest muddler moves over a distance of carrying out the muddler and the second lowest muddler is supported by the lowest muddler.

Abstract: In a shelf apparatus for a showcase, which is provided with a shelf support for supporting a shelf plate on which commodities are placed so as to be slidable in a depth direction, the shelf apparatus is constructed so that the shelf support is provided with a locking plate extending in a width direction of the shelf plate, and the shelf plate is provided with a hooking member which is formed with a steel rod member which extends in the depth direction and whose rear portion further extends along the locking plate on a back surface side of the shelf plate, and also which enables the rear portion to be locked to and unlocked from the locking plate by being swayed vertically. When the shelf plate is held on the shelf supports, the rear portion of the hooking member is locked to the locking plate. By doing this, the shelf plate does not slide forward. When the shelf plate is pulled out forward, the hooking member is unlocked from the locking plate by being swayed vertically.

Abstract: In a management system for vending machines, comprising a plurality of vending machines and a host computer being connected to those vending machines via a network and enabled to manage each of those vending machines in a concentrated manner, the host computer can be accessed from a portable communication terminal via another network.

Abstract: To provide an automatic vending machine capable of preventing, at the time of carrying out a commodity from a commodity column to a commodity receptor, the commodity from falling down due to a change in posture of the commodity, and mitigating falling shock of the commodity. When the commodity is carried out of the commodity column to the commodity receptor, the commodity is caused to abut on a commodity supporting member located on one side of the commodity receptor, and the commodity is moved toward the other end side of the commodity receptor with the commodity supporting member abutted thereon, whereby the commodity is received by the commodity receptor while the commodity is being supported by the commodity supporting member. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the contents from being damaged due to falling down or falling shock caused by a change in posture of the commodity during carrying-out.

Abstract: A rewriting program is transferred from a main control apparatus to a terminal control apparatus and the terminal control apparatus executes the rewriting program. The rewriting program receives a new control program from the main control apparatus and rewrites a control program with a received new control program. This makes it possible to easily and reliably rewrite the control program even if a specification of the control program is changed.

Abstract: In a commodity discharge apparatus for a vending machine, an endless chain (2) extends on a vertical plane to form an endless loop and is engaged with a first and a second sprocket (1a, 1b) which are spaced from each other in a horizontal direction. The endless chain is adapted to circulate through the first and the second sprockets and through a lower and an upper traveling path each extending between the first and the second sprockets. A hook (3) is unrotatably attached to a part of the endless chain and is for hooking a commodity (100) only when the part is placed at the lower traveling path. In addition, a fall preventing member (7) is provided to extend in parallel to the lower traveling path beside the hook for preventing a fall of the commodity from the hook.

Abstract: In a coin sorting device having a fundamental function for judging whether or not a deposited coin is included in a true-coin kind, an additional function is provided to judge about whether or not the deposited coin is included in a false-coln kind. The true-coln kind is represented by a first coin datum memorized in a first memory part (27). The false-coin kind is represented by a second coin datum memorized in a second memory part (28). The additional function is achieved in response to the second coin datum and a third coin datum representative of a coin which is deposited as the deposited coin into the coin sorting device. The fundamental function is achieved in response to the first and the third coin data.

Abstract: In a water purifying apparatus having a filter for filtering raw water to produce filtered water, a sterilization unit irradiates the filtered water with ultraviolet rays to produce treated water. A recirculating arrangement is capable of recirculating the treated water through the sterilization unit. It is preferable that a water supply sensor detects supply of the treated water out of the water purifying apparatus to produce a supply detection signal and operation of the receirculating arrangement is controlled in response to presence and absence of the supply detection signal.

Abstract: In a refrigerating system using a given refrigerant, a compressor (1) contains lubricating oil and compresses the given refrigerant into a supercritical state having pressure higher than the critical pressure of the given refrigerant. In this event, the compressor discharges a compressed refrigerant of the supercritical state together with the lubricating oil. The compressed refrigerant is separated from the lubricating oil by an oil separator (2) and thereafter cooled in a radiator (3) into a cooled refrigerant. After being decompressed in an expander (4) and evaporated in an evaporator (5), the cooled refrigerant is supplied as the given refrigerant to the compressor.

Abstract: In an article providing apparatus, a storage rack (1) has a front face through which articles are loaded in the storage rack. The front face of the storage rack is covered by a covering member having a sample showcase (4) for showing a sample. The sample showcase is displaceable to enable the front face of the storage rack be exposed.

Abstract: In a vending machine having an article passage which is defined by a pair of side plates (3b) and extends in a vertical direction, a spacing member having a first and a second spacer (10, 20) is movably attached to one of the side plates to restrict an effective width of a lower portion of the article passage in a horizontal direction. Cooperated with the spacing member, an article discharge device having a delivery piece (6) discharges a lowermost one of the articles from the lower portion of the article passage. An automatically adjusting arrangement is coupled to the spacing member and makes the spacing member be automatically displaced In accordance with article sizes (R1, R2, R3) of the articles (A, B, C) to adjust the effective width.

Abstract: A bill accepting apparatus has a pair of photo-electronic sensors disposed spaced apart from each other on an imaginary line orthogonal to a bill transport direction. The leading edge of the bill being transported is detected at times T1 and T2 by the respective sensors. A time difference between T1 and T2 is compared with a predetermined value. From a known distance between the two sensors, a known bill transport speed and the time difference, the tilt angle of the leading edge can be determined. Analog outputs hyof the sensors are individually converted at a given frequency to first and second series of digital values. A CPU interrupt signal is obtained each time when both of each of the first and second series of digital values are obtained, and this interrupt signal initiates a skewed bill detecting task in a CPU.

Abstract: An automatic vending machine has a plurality of commodity storage chambers in a side-by-side arrangement that are divided from one another by thermally-insulating vertical dividers so that each chamber can be heated or refrigerated individually. Each chamber has a plurality of vertically spaced commodity shelves and an elevator bucket that is adapted to receive a commodity from a selected shelf. All of the elevator buckets are rigidly connected by laterally extending connecting members that are disposed through respective vertically extending slots in the dividers, so that a single unit of plural elevator buckets acts to fetch a selected commodity, heated or cooled. A pair of flexible heat-shielding sealing strips are securely fitted in each of the slots in a manner that each of the connecting members slides on and between the corresponding pair of the sealing strips to prevent communication between the adjacent chambers as the connecting member moves vertically.