Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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AUTOMATIC MACHINE FOR DISPENSING PHOTOGRAPHIC ITEMS AND
THE LIKE
*
The present invention relates to an automatic
dispenser of photographic items and the like.
More particularly, the present invention relates to
an automatic dispensing machine provided with means
suitable for receiving from an user one or more rolls of
film to be developed and printed, as well as with means
for delivering the developed photographs, and with
possible means for delivering to the user different kinds
of photographic material, following to a payment that may
be carried out in different ways.
The invention finds its main application in the
field of manufacturing automatic dispensing machines.
BACKGROUND ART
Different types of automatic machines for dispensing
articles of any kind are known in the art.
These machines are operated by means of tokens,
banknotes, credit od debit cards, magnetic or electronic
cards, etc.
These automatic dispensing machines, which can
either be installed inside a room, or outside, are
generally constituted by a metallic container inside of
which there is a fixed or movable store having a
plurality of seats or cavities, each housing a given
article.
Each seat or cavity may normally be accessed to by
opening suitable doors which are located on the front
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part of said container.
The payment of a given amount (as mentioned, through
coins, tokens, banknotes, electronic or magnetic cards
etc.} allows an user to access to a given seat and to the
S article contained therein.
The articles contained within said automatic
dispensing machines can be of the most different type,
e.g. cigarettes, flowers, foodstuffs, drinks,
videocassettes, audio or video records, sanitary items
etc .
By way of example, european patent application No.
EP-A-577121 describes an automatic device for dispensing
audiovisual and digital record carriers.
Said device comprises a fixed magazine comprising a
plurality of adjacent seats placed on respective rows and
columns, each seat being suitable for housing a record
carrier, at least an article handling unit for externally
loading and unloading said articles through a slot, a
device for reading an identifying label associated to
each carrier, a device by means of which an user can
select a given carrier, as well as an automatic payment
means that, once activated, allows a carrier to be
withdrawn from the device.
Said handling unit comprises a pair of carriages
which are parallel to each other and movable along
vertical guides, as well as a slider that is movable
along a second horizontal guide connected to said
carriages; a blocking element for handling the carriers
is rigidly fixed to said slider.
Said blocking element comprises movable jaws and a
device for automatically modifying the distance between
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the jaws along a further guide.
The opening and closing operation of the doors, thus
the access to the seats containing the carriers, is
controlled by a suitable computer, that is on its turn
S connected to a device for identifying the user (i.e.
through a magnetic card) and for carrying out the payment
(i.e. through banknotes or credit card).
Other automatic machines with advance payment
functions known in the art include a camera and a device
for automatically developing and printing the photos
snapped by said camera.
Following to the payment of a given amount, the user
is photographed and, after some minutes, he/she receives
from the machine one or more prints of the snapped photo.
The machine disclosed in FR-A-2724793 relates
to an optimized automatic plant capable to develop and
print a withdrawn film of photographs.
This machine appears to be very similar to other
automatic machines which are well known in the art and
which usually include a camera as well as a device to
automatically develop and print the pictures snapped by
said camera.
In these known machines, following to the payment of
a given amount of money, the user is photographed and,
after some minutes, he/she receives from the machine one
or more prints of the snapped pictures.
In the case of the machine described in FR-A-2724793
there is no incorporated camera, but only a system able
to receive the film to be developed and to return it
after development following to the payment of a given
amount of money.
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The applicant is not aware of automatic dispensing
machines which were able to withdraw from an user a roll
of photos to be developed and deliver to said user, after
a given period of time, printed photos according to sizes
S and number of copies which are selected by the user.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to provide a new kind of
automatic dispensing machine that allows an user to
directly deliver a roll of film to be developed and to
successively withdraw printed photos in a size and in a
number of copies that is determined by said user.
This' is achieved by means of an automatic dispensing
machine having the features disclosed in the main claim.
The dependent claims outline particularly
advantageous forms of embodiment of the dispensing
machine according to the invention.
The automatic dispensing machine according to the
present invention comprises a container housing a series
of seats which are suitable for receiving rolls of film
to be developed, as well as at least a door, that is
placed on the front part of the dispensing machine,
through which an user can introduce one or more rolls to
be developed and printed in the machine.
According to the invention, the dispensing machine
comprises means suitable for univocally identifying the
roll or rolls inserted in the machine by the user, means
for associating said roll or rolls to one or more of said
seats, as well as means for displacing said roll or rolls
towards its/their associated seat or seats.
Furthermore, the dispensing machine comprises data
computing, storing and displaying means allowing a
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skilled operator who withdraws the rolls from
predetermined seats, to reintroduce the printed photos
within the same seats in order to allow the user who had
required the developing and printing service to
successively withdraw the photos.
According to a particularly advantageous form of
embodiment of the invention, the automatic dispensing
machine comprises a suitable control software, a data
inputting keyboard and a suitable display by means of
which the user can input a series of possibly pre-
selected requests, such as for instance the number of
copies to be printed and/or their size.
Furthermore, the dispensing machine can be provided
with means both for issuing a card including the user's
identifying data, and for reading said card if it is
already available.
According to a further advantageous form of
embodiment of the invention, the automatic dispensing
machine comprises a magazine housing a series of items
which can be selected by the user, as well as means for
dispensing said items to the user after a given amount
has been paid; for example, said items can be constituted
by various material such as new rolls of film, audio or
video cassettes, batteries, disposable cameras, etc.
The lattEr form of embodiment appears to be
extremely advantageous from the point of view of the
user's convenience, since the machine can in practice
dispense all the services of a photograph's shop at any
time, in particular beyond the normal shop closing time.
This kind of dispensing machine can be installed
anywhere, thereby allowing a series of selling points to
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be created and widening the selling network of a given
commercial business.
ILLUSTRATTON OF DRAWINGS
Other features and advantages of the invention will
become apparent by reading the following description of a
form of embodiment of the invention, given as a non
limiting example, with the help of the drawings
illustrated in the attached sheets, in which:
- fig. 1 shows a schematical perspective exploded view
of a dispensing machine according to the invention;
- fig. 2 is a flow-sheet showing the general operation
of a dispensing machine according to the invention;
- fig. 3 is a flow-sheet showing the operation mode
"roll acceptance" of the dispensing machine
according to the invention;
- fig. 4 is a flow-sheet showing the operation mode
"delivering of photos" of the dispensing machine
according to the invention;
- fig. 5 is a flow-sheet showing the operation mode
"selling of items" of the dispensing machine
according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF A FORM OF EMBODIMENT
In figure 1, reference sign 10 generally indicates a
machine for automatically dispensing photographic
products and the like according to the present invention.
Said machine 10 has a structural shape that is
similar to the one of a per se known dispenser for
renting videocassettes.
Thus, the dispensing machine according to the
3U present invention comprises a metallic container 11,
whose rear part is provided with a series of modular
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hive-shaped containers 12, whereby each container 12
includes a series of seats 13; each seat is suitable for
housing an item whose overall dimensions are compatible
with those of the seat.
According to the present invention, said modular
hive-shaped containers 12 form a magazine for storing
developed photos.
Inside of each seat 13 the operator, in this case
the person who manages the dispensing machine, inserts a
suitable box containing the photos which have been
printed starting from a roll of film introduced into the
dispensing machine by the user according to the operating
way that will later be described in detail.
In this context, it has to be stressed that spatial
position of each seat of the hive-shaped containers is
coded inside a suitable software that controls the
operation of dispensing machine 10.
In the front part, dispensing machine 10 is provided
with a suitable displaying device, e.g. a monitor 14, as
well as with a keyboard 15 through which the user can
input different data.
According to an alternative form of embodiment,
monitor 14 is constituted by a so-called "touch-screen"
monitor that allows a data input by the user through
touching predetermined portions of said monitor; in this
case keyboard 15 can be eliminated.
Yet, the front part of dispensing machine 10
comprises a door 16 that can be opened by means of the
electronic control logics of the dispensing machine; the
opening operation of door 16 (that is designed in order
to prevent any accident), gives access to a chute (not
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illustrated in the figure) through which the user can
introduce one or more rolls of film to be developed into
container 12.
Furthermore, the front part of container is provided
with a second door 17 (that is designed in order to
prevent any accident too) that can be opened by means of
the electronic control logics of the dispensing machine;
the opening operation of said second door 17 allows the
user to withdraw a box (not illustrated in the figure)
inside of which there are the printed photos.
Yet, the front part of the container is provided
with a cashing device 18 which, depending on
circumstances, may be constituted by a device for
accepting coins and/or banknotes, or by a credit card
reader; alternatively, a device for identifying the user
can be constituted by a biometric sensor that associates,
for instance, a given user to his fingerprint.
Furthermore, said device can be provided with a
chute (not illustrated in the drawing) for the possible
delivering of change money to the user, where the latter
has paid a higher amount than the due one.
Cashing devices 18 of this kind are well known to
the skilled technicians, and they do not require any
further description.
According to the invention, dispensing machine 10
further comprises a device 19, whose outlet is placed on
the front part of container 11, for issuing a card
provided with an identifying code that can electronically
be read by the control logics of dispensing machine 10.
Said card, that can physically be constituted by a
magnetic card, a microchip card, or provided with a bar
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code etc . , is associated to a series of adhesive labels
having a numeric code that is univocally associated to
said card.
. Once an adhesive label is affixed to the roll of
film to be developed, the latter is then univocally
associated to the card that is kept by the user for
successively withdrawing the printed photos.
According to an advantageous form.of embodiment of
the invention device 19 is suitable for expelling a box
that bears said identifying codes and that contains said
card.
In this case, the user opens the box, withdraws the
card, introduces the roll of film to be developed inside
of said box and finally places said box on the chute
behind door 16.
According to the invention, a suitable reader (not
illustrated) verifies and validates then the introduction
of the roll by means of the user.
According to a form of embodiment of the invention,
front part of container 11 further comprises a
conventional dispensing device 20, e.g. a system for
delivering a series of objects placed on a rack, in order
to sell some further accessories (for example new rolls
of film, batteries, disposable cameras, etc.).T
The access to selling device 20 is always controlled
by monitor 14, keyboard 15 and cashing device 17.
Inside container 11 there is a system for
withdrawing the photographs which are present within
seats 13 of hives 12.
This system, that is connected to the electronic
control logics of dispensing machine 10, comprises a
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carriage 21 movable along two perpendicular axes; said
carriage supports a handling device 22 that is movable
along a third axis Z which is perpendicular to X, Y axes.
Through this system, handling device 22 withdraws a
S given box placed inside a seat 13, and delivers it to the
user in correspondence of door 17.
The overall operation of dispensing machine 10
according to the present invention is shown in the flow-
sheets of figures 2 to 4 and can be described as follows.
10 The user who has to deliver on or more rolls of
films to be developed introduces into the dispensing
machine a minimum starting amount(i.e. 500 or 1000
Italian Lire, approx. EUR 0,25 to 0,50) and obtains from
the machine a card provided with several adhesive labels
(or, according to another form of embodiment, a box that
is already coded for introducing the rolls therein and
that contains the card for withdrawing the printed
photos; the machine unlocks then door 16 and the gives
access to the chute for inserting the roll.
The acceptance of the roll by dispensing machine 10
causes a signal to be issued by the electronic control
logics of the dispensing machine.
Said signal is transmitted, through suitable means,
(e.g. through a local area network or a modem? to a
personal computer that is owned by the dispensing machine
manager, who withdraws then the roll to be developed.
Once the development has been carried out and the
photographs have been printed, the manager places the
photos inside a suitable box and places the latter within
a given seat 13 of the dispensing machine.
By means of his personal computer, the manager
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informs the control logics of the dispensing machine
about the spatial position of the container which, on its
turn, bears the code associated to the user's card.
When the user wishes to withdraw his printed
photographs, he will introduce his card within the
dispensing machine and (see in particular fig. 2), if the
photographs are ready, the dispensing machine displays on
monitor 14 the cost of the service.
The subsequent introduction of the prompted amount
causes the delivering procedure to be switched on (see
fig. 4), whereby carriage 21 and handling device 22 are
activated.
The latter picks up the box that is present inside
of given seat 13 and places it in correspondence of door
17 that is opened in order to allow the user to withdraw
the box.
If the user wishes to purchase further products
which are present inside of the selling dispenser 20, the
procedure illustrated in fig. 5 is switched on;
therefore, the introduction of a given amount allows a
given door or drawer of dispenser 20 to be opened,
thereby giving access to that product.
The invention has been described with reference to a
particular form of embodiment thereof.
However, it is clear that the invention includes
several variants falling within its spirit and scopes, in
the range of the appended claims.
By way of example, the invention has been described
with reference to a form of embodiment according to which
the hive-shaped containers 12 provided with seats 13 for
the printed photos are fixed inside container 11, and the
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dispensing machine is provided of a system for moving and
handling the boxes along three mutually perpendicular
axes; however, according to a form of embodiment the
hive-shaped containers are mounted on a rotating drum,
and the handling device is only movable along Y and Z
axes; in this case the movement along X axis is carried
out by rotating said drum.
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