Product storage device and automatic vending machine

A product storage device comprising:

• a main gate
• that is swingably provided in a manner to advance to and move away from a product storage column used for storing products in alignment,
• that, in a normal state, advances to an advanced position which is on a dispensing slot side of a downstream-most product present at a downstream-most side in the product storage column, and
• that, when moving away from the product storage column, allows the downstream-most product to be taken out through the dispensing slot;
• a sub-gate
• that is swingably provided in association with the main gate in a manner to advance to and move away from the product storage column,
• that, when the main gate advances to the product storage column, moves away from the product storage column, and
• that, when the main gate moves away from the product storage column, advances to the product storage column and regulates a product disposed next to and an upstream side of the downstream-most product from moving toward the dispensing slot;
• a sliding member that is slidably provided in a storing direction of the product storage column and that, when disposed at a regulation position, regulates the main gate from moving away and retracting from the product storage column;
• a detecting unit that detects a swing of the main gate, which is at the advanced position, in a direction of moving away;
• and
• a control unit that, when the detecting unit detects the swing of the main gate in a state where the sliding member is present at the regulation position, determines that a product in the product storage column is selected and makes the sliding member slide from the regulation position.

An automatic vending machine comprising a product storage device that includes

• a main gate
• that is swingably provided in a manner to advance to and move away from a product storage column used for storing products in alignment,
• that, in a normal state, advances to an advanced position which is on a dispensing slot side of a downstream-most product present at a downstream-most side in the product storage column, and
• that, when moving away from the product storage column, allows the downstream-most product to be taken out through the dispensing slot, and
• a sub-gate
• that is swingably provided in association with the main gate in a manner to advance to and move away from the product storage column,
• that, when the main gate advances to the product storage column, moves away from the product storage column, and
• that, when the main gate moves away from the product storage column, advances to the product storage column and regulates a product disposed next to and an upstream side of the downstream-most product from moving toward the dispensing slot, wherein
• the product storage device further includes
• a sliding member that is slidably provided in a storing direction of the product storage column and that, when disposed at a regulation position, regulates the main gate from moving away and retracting from the product storage column,
• a lever
• that is swingably provided along with the main gate,
• that, when in a standby posture, allows the sliding member to be present at the regulation position,
• that, when the sliding member slides from the regulation position, switches to a regulation posture which regulates the sliding member from returning to the regulation position, and then
• that, when the main gate moves away from the product storage column in response to a take-out operation of taking out the downstream-most product, switches to the standby posture when the main gate advances to the product storage column to allow the sliding member to return to the regulation position, and
• a switching member
• that, when the sliding member slides from the regulation position, allows the lever to switch to the regulation posture, and
• that is movably provided between
• a vendition position at which, when the main gate, which had moved away from the product storage column in response to the take-out operation of taking out the downstream-most product, again advances to the product storage column, the lever is allowed to switch to the standby posture, and
• a restocking position at which, when the sliding member slides from the regulation position, the sliding member is maintained in a state of having slid from the regulation position and the lever is regulated from switching to the standby posture, and
• the automatic vending machine further comprises a control unit that, in a state in which the switching member is present at the vendition position and the sliding member has slid from the regulation position, in case of terminating vendition of products stored in the product storage column, first moves the switching member to the restocking position and moves the switching member to the vendition position.