Merchandising – Customer service – Dining room service
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-28
2003-07-22
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Merchandising
Customer service
Dining room service
C198S805000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06595328
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circulating type food and drink transport apparatus for circulatingly transporting “sushi” and the like through an endless transport path formed along a food and drink counter to serve them to customers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a circulating type food and drink transport apparatus used in “sushi” shops usually called a “kaiten zushi” (a “sushi” shop using a circulating type “sushi” transport apparatus), there has been ordinarily used a crescent chain conveyer Y as shown in FIG.
14
. The conveyer Y has a multiplicity of supports a which are formed in a crescent shape when viewed on a plan view and mounted on a chain b circulatingly traveling in an endless fashion so that the supports a rotate relatively with respect to the chain b.
Since an endless transport path is formed and circulated in the above-mentioned conventional crescent chain conveyer Y, a curved portion inevitably exists therein. Accordingly, adjacent supports a are coupled with the chain b with necessary gaps formed therebetween so as to rotate relatively with respect to each other to permit the respective supports a to smoothly travel at the curved portion. With this arrangement, foreign substances such as grains of rice and the like are liable to enter the gaps and adhere therein. Thus, there is a problem that a time-consuming job for removing them is necessary and further the existence of the gaps themselves is not preferable from a sanitary point of view.
To solve the above problem, the applicant devised a circulating type transport apparatus in which the surface of a transport path can be very easily cleaned and technologies for the apparatus have been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 11-225865, 11-046959, 11-164763, and 11-313747.
FIGS. 14 and 15
schematically show a part of a transport apparatus having the above magnet type transport unit, wherein the transport unit a is composed of an endlessly traveling chain b, brackets c mounted thereon at predetermined intervals, and permanent magnets d fixed on the upper surfaces of the respective brackets c.
“Sushi” plates g, each of which is received by and supported on a transport path e on both the sides of the lower surface of the outer periphery of the transport path e, are circulated by being held by the attracting force of the permanent magnets d in such a manner that the magnetic metal pieces h, which are mounted on the lower surfaces of the “sushi” plates g, approach the upper ends of the respective permanent magnets d.
In this case, the permanent magnets d are mounted such that all the polarities thereof are arranged as N-poles on a lower side and all the polarities thereof are arranged as S-poles on an upper side (or verse versa).
When the polarities of the permanent magnets d are arranged uniformly such that the N-poles thereof are disposed on the lower side and the S-poles thereof are disposed on the upper side as described above, since the magnetic lines of force of adjacent permanent magnets d are directed in the same direction to each other as shown in
FIG. 16
(which shows a case in which the N-poles are disposed on the lower side), a magnetic flux density is increased, and thus a strong magnetic field is formed in a relatively wide range.
The above disposition of the polarities has an advantage that a force for attracting the “sushi” plates q is increased. However, since a force necessary to separate the “sushi” plates g from the permanent magnets d also is increased, “sushi” and the like may be dropped by a reaction force which is caused when a customer strongly pulls up a “sushi” plate g.
Further, when the permanent magnet d strongly attracts the “sushi” plate g, a large amount of friction force is generated between the “sushi” plate g and the transport path on which the “sushi” plate g slides. Accordingly, a line-shaped scratch, which represents the locus of the “sushi” plate g, is made on a transport path surface e, whereby the outside appearance of the transport path surface e is marred as well as it is made more difficult by the scratch for the “sushi” plate g to slide.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention, which was made to solve the above problem, is to provide a circulating type food and drink transport apparatus which can reliably transport a “sushi” plate and permits the “sushi” plate and the like to be taken up with a relatively small force and the transport path of which is not scratched.
To achieve the above object, a circulating type food and drink transport apparatus for transporting food and drink transport bodies placed on an endless transport path making use of the magnetic force of magnets disposed below a transport path includes a first magnet disposed relative to each food and drink transport body, and a multiplicity of second magnets disposed below the transport path at predetermined intervals so as to circulatingly travel, wherein the first magnet and the second magnets are disposed so that the same magnetic poles thereof confront each other.
According to the present invention, when the food and drink transport body is placed on the transport path, the first magnet confronts the second magnets with the same magnetic poles thereof facing each other. Thus, the first magnet is subjected to the repulsive force of the second magnets so as to be stably located between one of the second magnets and another second magnet adjacent to it.
When the second magnets are circulatingly traveled in a predetermined direction, the first magnet circulatingly travels at the same speed as the traveling speed of the second magnets because it tends to secure the above stable position. Since repulsive force exists between the second magnets and the first magnet, the food and drink vessel can be taken up with a relatively small amount of force as well as it is made difficult for the transport path to be scratched by the food and drink vessel when it is circulatingly transported.
In the above transport apparatus, it is preferable that food and drink vessels be locked on transport trays placed on the endless transport path and that the first magnet be disposed in/on the bottom plate of each transport tray or in the proximity of the bottom plate.
With this arrangement, neither a magnet nor a magnetic member need be mounted in/on the food and drink vessel. Thus, not only the cost of the food and drink vessel can be reduced but also when the food and drink vessel is taken up, a customer does not feel abnormally because there is no effect of magnet.
In the above transport apparatus, it is preferable that food and drink vessels be placed in/on the endless transport path and that the first magnet be disposed in/on the bottom plate of each food and drink vessel or in the proximity of the bottom plate.
With this arrangement, since only the food and drink vessels are transported, a plurality of the food and drink vessels can be placed on the endless transport path.
In the above transport apparatus it is preferable that at least two pieces of the first magnets be disposed in/on the bottom plate of each food and drink vessel or each transport tray leaving at least a predetermined space therebetween.
With this arrangement, when the food and drink vessels and the transport paths are jammed, since each second magnet passes between at least the first two magnets, the food and drink vessels and the transport tray can be prevented from floating up.
In the above transport apparatus, it is preferable that two magnets having approximately the same magnetic force be disposed leaving at least a predetermined space therebetween as the first magnets.
With this arrangement, since each second magnet passes through the center between at least the first two magnets in the occurrence of jam, the floating up of the food and drink vessels and the transport tray can be prevented as far as possible as well as the food and drink vessels and the transport trays are transported in a predetermined direction at all times by the
Ishino Yuichi
Kubo Shigeru
Morishita Kunio
Nakano Takashi
Yoshida Toshihiro
Beauchaine Mark J
Hayes & Soloway P.C.
Ishino Seisakusyo Co, Ltd.
Walsh Donald P.
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