JPS6234296A - Counter top type snack vending machine and goods vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of vending machines, and more particularly to countertop snack vending machines.
(endor).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Varietal type vending machines are conventionally known for dispensing a variety of snacks. Many of these are relatively large free-standing machines that are relatively expensive. These have a large capacity, especially so that they can be installed in locations where relatively large sales volumes are expected. Many of these vending machines allow prospective customers to see a large number of products to choose from. These vending machines are generally not suitable for locations where space is at a premium or where expected sales volume is relatively low. These machines are also unsuitable where the machines are loaded from a bulk source by an inexperienced person rather than by a skilled delivery person.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a countertop snack vending machine that is particularly suitable for installation in locations where space is at a premium.

Another object of the invention is to provide a countertop snack vending machine that is particularly adapted for installation in locations where expected sales volume is relatively low.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a countertop snack vending machine in which a relatively large proportion of the items placed inside the vending machine are visible to potential customers without the need for vending machine operation. There it is.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a countertop snack vending machine that is easy to load.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a countertop snack vending machine that is relatively simple in structure and operation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a countertop snack vending machine that is relatively inexpensive compared to square freestanding vending machines.

Embodiments of the vending machine of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, a countertop snack vending machine 10 according to the present invention includes a cabinet 12 having a lid 14. As shown in FIGS.

The lid 14 is supported on the cabinet 12 by a hinge 16 and is movable between an open position and a closed position in which the countertop snack vending machine 10 can be loaded with merchandise in the manner described above. . A lock 18 is provided to secure the lid 14 in its closed position.

The cabinet 12 includes end plates 22, 24 and each end plate 22.2.
It houses a drum 20 with several partitions 26 at four mutually spaced locations.

The drum 20 is divided into a plurality of product receiving compartments by a plurality of radially extending dividing plates 28. cabinet 1
A secondary housing or container 30 within 2 rotatably supports the shaft 32 of the drum 20.

The secondary housing 30 is arcuate in sufficiently closely spaced relation to the outer periphery of the drum 30 and over a sufficient portion of this periphery to prevent the product from sliding out of each drum compartment under the influence of gravity. A surrounding board 34 is provided.

The space between one side of the secondary housing 30 and the side wall of the cabinet 12 supports a coin and slug box 38 along with a coin mechanism 36. A coin slot 40 in the downwardly sloped front portion of the lid 14 guides coins into the coin mechanism 36. The first portion in the portion of the lid 40 directly above the coin slot 40
The push button 42 can be actuated to return bent coins to the customer if they become stuck in the coin mechanism 36. A second push button 44, located on lid 14 above push button 42, is actuated in the manner described above to rotate drum 20 so that all of the merchandise in drum 20 is visible to the potential customer. be. Electrical plug 46 can be inserted into any suitable receptacle to provide power to vending machine 10.

As is clear from the structure described above, the drum 20 occupies the interior space of the cabinet on one side of the space of the downwardly inclined lid portion. A plurality of curved transparent doors 48, the number of which corresponds to the number of groups of product compartments arranged circumferentially within the drum 20, are slidably mounted on the left side of the downwardly tilted front lid. A support part is provided to support it. Furthermore, each sliding door 48 has a width corresponding to the width of each section of the group of drum sections with which it cooperates. Each door 48 is provided with a handle 50 that allows the door 48 to be moved upwardly along an arcuate path, as will be described in more detail below.

Underneath the generally horizontal portion of the lid 14 behind each door 48 are a plurality of spaced apart control mechanism support plates 52 whose number corresponds to the number of groups of product compartments in the drum 20. Installation.

The drive motor 54 supported on the outside of one of both side walls of the sub-Using 30 is connected to the product compartment [!] in each group. The drum 20 can be urged to move intermittently in a number of steps equal to Oi. This number of steps is 24 in the particular example of the invention. In particular, a veneer gear 56 is attached to the output shaft of the electric motor 54 on the shaft 32, and is driven by a drive device 58. As is well known in the art for such drives, the driven piece, in this case drum 20, is moved intermittently in an equal number of steps to allow relatively precise positioning at the end of each step. be.

The lid 14 is provided with a latch mechanism 60 for releasably holding the lid 14 in its open position for product loading. A pair of arms 62 on each side of the vending machine 10 are pivotally supported on pins 64 attached to the cabinet 12. Each arm 62 has a slot 6 that receives a pin 68 attached to a lid support post 70 that is pivotally connected to a pin 72 on the lid 14.
6 is formed. An overcenter spring 74 is connected between the pin 68 and the lid 14. When lifting the lid 14 to its open position, the post 70
moves into position relative to bracket 78 of cabinet 14 to hold lid 14 in its raised position. To lower the lid 14, K first lifts the lid 14 beyond its open position and forces the support 7 by the over-center spring T4.
0 to disengage bracket 78 and then lower lid 14 to its closed position.

Rejection spring 80 attached to support plate 52 as shown in FIG.
normally cooperates with each door 48 to bias the door 48 into its closed position. In this closed position, the compartments of the cooperating set of drum compartments are not accessible. door 48
To move the door 48 to its open position, grasp the handle 50 and move it upward to lift the door 48. In this case, the upper end of the door 48 will move to the right in FIG. Each door 48 is formed with a slot 82 adjacent its upper end to receive a protrusion of an actuator 840 mounted for pivotal movement on a pin 86 carried on the support plate 52. 84 is biased by a spring 88 into a position where it abuts a stop 90 on a bracket 92 secured to support plate 52. A plurality of locking slides 94 rest within housing 96. Door 48 When opening the
Actuator 84 is caused to move upwardly between a pair of adjacent sliding pieces 94.degree. 94 in a manner well known in the art. As will be described in detail later, this structure prevents a plurality of doors 48 from opening at the same time.

Since actuator 34 rotates counterclockwise when opening its associated door 48, pin 98 attached to actuator 84 actuates switch 100.

The actuating mechanism associated with each door 48 includes a locking bar 102 pivotally supported on a gag 104 mounted on a support plate 52. The locking rod 102 is normally biased by a spring 106 so as to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. locking rod 1
02 in the illustrated position, the locking bar 102 limits the opening movement of the corresponding door 48 by abutting the leg 108 at its end.

The solenoid 110 attached to the support plate 52 is connected to the locking rod 10.
An armature 112 is provided which supports a pin 114 received in a slot 116 of the two. The solenoid 110 is the vending machine 1
When enough coins are placed in the zero, the switch 100 is energized by closing.

The biasing of locking rod P110 moves locking bar 102 to a position where its left end in FIG. 4 is out of the path of motion of leg 108, thus allowing door 48 to be moved to its fully open position. At the same time, flange 118 at the other end of locking rod 102 releases the drive piece of switch 120, opening switch 120 and deenergizing solenoid 110 as described below.

The chain link latch 122 is pivotably supported on a pin 124 attached to the bracket 92. The latch 122 is normally biased by a spring 126 to the position shown in solid line in FIG. When the locking bar 102 pivots to the door release position under the action of the solenoid 110, the tip 12 of the latch 122
8 enters the underside of the locking bar 102 to hold the locking bar 102 in its door release position.

The support 52 is formed with a rear limit stop 130 adapted to associate with the leg 108 when the door 48 is moved to its fully open position.

As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. A pair of leaf springs 131, 132 occupy the normal position
It is energized by

When any actuator 84 is moved into the space between a pair of sliding pieces 94.94 adjacent to each other, each other sliding piece 94 is moved so as to prevent the corresponding movement of any other actuator 84. It's a position.

In the vending machine of the present invention, a reset bar 134 is slidably attached to a pin 136 fixed to a plate piece 137 through a slot 138.
It is equipped with Offset flange 13 of reset bow 134
9 is formed with a plurality of mutually spaced shoulders 140. Pawl or latch 122 over each shoulder 140
The upper end of is extended. When the reset handle 134 moves downward in FIG. 5 as described below, each shoulder 140
22, the latch 122 is pivoted counterclockwise in FIG. 6 to release the latched locking bar 102.

A downwardly extending flange 141 on the opposite side of the reset bale 134 from the flange 139 has a plurality of shoulders 142 formed therein. When latching any actuator 84 to its door open position, any attempt to move the reset bale 134 downward in FIG. 5 will be prevented by the engagement of the shoulder 142 with the raised actuator 84.

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG.
A spring 143 is used to bias it to the solid line position shown in the figure. The reset rod 134 is connected by a wire or cord 144 to an upwardly extending arm 146 of a bell crank which is supported for pivotal movement about an axis 148. The other arm 150 of this bellcrank is connected by a wire or cord 152 to a downwardly extending arm 154 of a second bellcrank. The second bell crank is mounted for movement around the splint 7156. The other arm 158 of this second bellcrank is intended to be activated when button 44 is pressed.

When the reset bar 134 moves to the position shown in phantom in FIG. 5, the reset bale 134 closes the normally open switch 160. When each locking slide piece 94 is moved from its normal position due to the presence of the actuator 84 between a pair of adjacent slide pieces 94, 94, the normally open switch 162 is opened by the leaf spring 132. .

As shown in FIG. 8, switch 1001 and switch 1201
The solenoid 110 and the coin mechanism 36 are connected in series between terminals 164 and 166 of the power supply of the vending machine of the present invention. Similarly, each switch 160° 162 has terminals 164, 1
66 is connected in series with the transfer motor 54.

When operating the vending machine of the present invention, a potential customer working on the vending machine of the present invention presses the transfer button 44 and the reset bar 13.
4 downwardly in FIG. 5 to move all locking pawls or locking bar latches 122 into positions where they release their corresponding locking bars 102 and moving each locking bar 102 to the door blocking position. This vending machine is equipped with mechanical and electrical safety measures.

The actuator 84 is connected to a pair of locking slide pieces 94°94
5, the reset rod 134 cannot be moved downward in FIG. At the same time, the switch 162 is actuated by the movement of the locking sliding piece 94, and the transfer motor 5 is activated.
Make sure that 4 is not energized. Assuming that all doors 48 are moved to their closed positions and actuator 84 is no longer between the pair of sliding pieces 94, 94, reset bar 134 will move downwardly as described above to remove all locking bars 102. is released, the switch 160 is activated, and the transfer motor 5 is activated.
Start 4.

The transfer motor @54 will operate 4 times until the customer releases the button 44. When this button is released, the Geneva g-movement weir precisely positions the drum 20 so that the compartment containing the desired product is in a position from which this product can be removed when the cooperating door 48 is moved to the fully open position. Make it.

Once the compartment containing the desired item is located, the customer grasps the r748 handle in front of the desired item and moves the door 48 upward. In response to this movement of door 48, actuator 84 causes a pair of adjacent sliding pieces 94.
94 to prevent multiple doors from opening at once.

At the same time, bottle 98 activates switch 100, closing the circuit through coin mechanism 36 and switch 120 to coin r110. Next, the solenoid 110 is connected to the locking rod 10
2 to the door release position.

The latch 122 enters the underside of the locking rod 102 and locking rod 1
02 is locked in the door release position and switch 120 is opened to de-energize solenoid 110. In this case, the door 48 can be moved to the fully open position against the stop 130 to remove the item. In this way, the vending machine is ready for the next operation.

The sector of the drum 20090° can be viewed through the door 48 without moving the drum 20, thus allowing a relatively large selection of products to be viewed. In the particular embodiment shown, this means that a casual customer can see the entire 6 or 240 sections of any group. In addition to viewing the multiple compartments, the transparent door provides sufficient interior light to provide a good view of each item without the need for internal lighting.

To load product into drum 20, lock 18 is released and lid 14 is lifted until notch γ6 and post 70 are associated with bracket 78. The drum 20 can then be loaded with products relatively easily.

When the loading operation is completed, the lid 14 can be simply lifted slightly further to release the column TO by the overcenter spring 74 and lower the lid 14.

Because the vending machine of the present invention operates shopper-oriented, it can dispense a wide variety of items. All that is required is that all items to be sold from each section of a group be sold at the same price.

It is clear that the object of the invention can be achieved in this way. The present invention provides a countertop vending machine that is particularly suited for use in places where space is limited. A countertop snack vending machine according to the invention is suitable for use in locations where expected demand is relatively low. The countertop snack vending machine according to the present invention is relatively simple in structure and operation. The countertop snack vending machine allows the customer to view a large selection of items without having to drive the countertop snack vending machine. This countertop snack vending machine is relatively inexpensive compared to traditional large freestanding vending machines. This countertop snack vending machine is easy to load products. This countertop snack vending machine can dispense a wide variety of items.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to its embodiments, it is obvious that the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from its spirit.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the countertop snack vending machine of the present invention with the lid closed and the coin box pulled out, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of the countertop snack vending machine of Figure 1 with the lid raised and partially removed. It is a perspective view of a vending machine. 5 is an enlarged side view showing the countertop snack vending machine of FIG. 1 with a part removed, FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. A plan view taken in the direction of the arrow along line 5-5 in the figure, and Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in Figure 4.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7--7 in FIG. 4. FIG. 8 is a wiring diagram of the electrical control circuit used in the countertop snack vending machine shown in FIG. 10...Countertop snack vending machine, 12.
...Cabinet, 16...Hinge, 20...Drum, 32...Shaft, 36...Coin mechanism, 48...P
A, 100...Switch, 102...Lock salary 2 = 5 nights 5 November 6, 1986 for procedural amendment

Claims (20)

[Claims] (1) A cabinet having a front surface with a section having a plurality of transparent doors, and a plurality of groups of compartments arranged circumferentially to receive the items to be dispensed, with a plurality of compartments in each group. a drum, the compartments of which are each visible to a potential customer by each of said transparent doors; a mounting piece for mounting said drum for rotation about a generally horizontal axis within said cabinet; and each of said doors. a door mounting piece for attaching each said door to said front surface in cooperation with said respective compartment for movement between an open position and a closed position in which said door can be accessed into said compartment; A countertop snack vending machine comprising a locking piece that normally prevents the door from moving in its open position and a device having a coin responsive piece to disable said locking piece. (2) A countertop snack vending machine according to claim 1, comprising a rotating device for selectively rotating the drum to position each section of the group behind its cooperating door. Machine. (3) A countertop snack automatic according to claim (1), comprising a latch piece for latching the lock piece in an inoperable state and a reset piece for resetting the latch piece. vending machine. (4) A countertop snack vending machine as set forth in claim (3), further comprising a deterrent piece that prevents actuation of the reset piece in response to the presence of the door in the open position. (5) A countertop snack vending machine according to claim 3, comprising a transfer motor and a biasing member for energizing the transfer motor in response to actuation of a reset member. (6) A countertop snack vending machine according to claim (4), further comprising a restraining member for inhibiting operation of the transfer motor in response to the presence of the door in the open position. (7) a transfer motor, a biasing member for energizing the transfer motor in response to actuation of a reset piece, and a deterrent for inhibiting actuation of the reset piece in response to the presence of the door in an open position; and a second restraining member for inhibiting actuation of the biasing member in response to the presence of the door in the open position. vending machine. (8) A cabinet having a front surface with an elongated opening formed in the vertical direction, and a plurality of compartments arranged in the circumferential direction so as to receive the products to be dispensed, with the opening extending across the plurality of compartments. a mounting piece for rotationally mounting the drum about a generally horizontal axis within the cabinet; a transparent door having dimensions at least equal to a longer dimension of the opening; a door mounting piece mounted to said opening for movement in its longitudinal direction from a closed position to an open position; and a limiting piece restricting movement of said door to the length of a single compartment cooperating with said door. A countertop snack vending machine that includes: (9) A countertop snack vending machine according to claim (8), wherein each opening and each door have a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the drum. (10) A cabinet having a front surface with an elongated opening formed in the vertical direction, and a plurality of groups of compartments arranged in the circumferential direction so as to receive the products to be dispensed, each opening cooperating with each group of compartments. a plurality of drums for rotating the drum about a generally horizontal axis within the cabinet; a transparent door, a door mounting piece for attaching each of these doors to said opening for movement in the longitudinal direction thereof from a closed position to an open position, and a unit for cooperating with said door to direct the movement of each said door. and a restriction piece that limits the length of one compartment. (11) A countertop type snack vending machine according to claim (10), wherein each opening and each door have a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the drum. (12) Claim 10 comprising a respective locking piece that normally prevents movement of each door to the open position and a device with a coin-responsive piece for releasing the locking piece. Countertop snack vending machine as described in section. (13) Claim No. (12) comprising a latch piece that latches the released lock piece in the released state.
Countertop snack vending machine as described in section. (14) A countertop snack vending machine according to claim (13), comprising a drive device for rotating the drum, and a part that disables the latch part in response to the drive device. . (15) a cabinet having an opening for entering the interior of the cabinet; a generally cylindrical product support having a plurality of groups of product receiving compartments arranged circumferentially; and a part of the support within the cabinet. a lid having a curved transparent portion that matches the shape of the portion of the support; a mounting piece that extends outside the opening; and a lid having a curved transparent portion that matches the shape of the portion of the support; a lid attachment piece mounted for movement between an open position for operation and a closed position above the opening in which the plurality of compartments of each group are visible through the transparent portion of the lid; Including countertop type vending machine. (16) A countertop vending machine according to claim 15, wherein the opening extends downward from a position adjacent to the top of the cabinet at the rear thereof to the front of the cabinet. (17) A countertop type product vending machine according to claim (15), wherein the transparent portion covers a fan-shaped portion of the product support at an angle of about 90°. (18) A countertop vending machine according to claim (15), comprising a door supported on the lid so that the compartments of each group can be accessed. (19) A cabinet having said transparent section and having a plurality of compartments arranged circumferentially to receive the goods to be dispensed, each of said compartments having a plurality of compartments with potential storage capacity. a drum visible to a customer; a mounting piece for rotatably mounting the drum about a generally horizontal axis within said cabinet; a door; a door mounting piece mounted for movement between an open position and a closed position;
selectively positioning each compartment behind the door;
A countertop snack vending machine comprising a customer-operable part. (20) A countertop snack vending machine according to claim (19), comprising a locking piece for normally locking the door and a coin-responsive piece for rendering the locking piece inoperable. Machine.