EP0261677B1 - Increased column/selectivity vender - Google Patents
Increased column/selectivity vender Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP0261677B1 EP0261677B1 EP87113962A EP87113962A EP0261677B1 EP 0261677 B1 EP0261677 B1 EP 0261677B1 EP 87113962 A EP87113962 A EP 87113962A EP 87113962 A EP87113962 A EP 87113962A EP 0261677 B1 EP0261677 B1 EP 0261677B1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- row
- vending machine
- columns
- column groups
- vend
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
- G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
- G07F11/04—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
- G07F11/10—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other two or more magazines having a common delivery chute
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
- G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
- G07F11/04—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
- G07F11/08—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other arranged in two columns in staggered relationship
Definitions
- the present invention relates to vend racks for a vending machine that store softdrink bottles or cans and feed the same to a discharge port in the front of a vending machine in a uniform manner. More specifically, the present invention relates to vend rack mechanisms having the flexibility of storing selected numbers of vendable bottles or cans in a variety of separately accessible vend column configurations.
- One of the most widely used conventional vend racks for bottles and cans in a vending machine includes a plurality of side-by-side, vertical storage columns, each of which communicates with a discharge port in the front of a vending machine.
- the columns are disposed in parallel relationship, and the quantity of vendable products therein is usually controlled by dimensioning the width of the columns to receive either a double row of nestable bottles or cans or a single stacked row of bottles or cans.
- These columns may either be one-deep, two-deep or three-deep, depending on the depth on the vending machine cabinet.
- This conventional vend rack suffers from the disadvantage that there is little flexibility in choice of the number of vendable products that can be stored in the respective columns. Therefore, it is difficult to match product demand with storage capacity for any given column for a vending machine of this type which conventionally contains from five to nine selectable products and from seven to ten columns.
- product sales or demand is also influenced, for example, by the unique styling of a given vending machine.For instance, if the vending machine includes the use of an enlarged primary product selection button adjacent the coin slot of the vending machine, there will be a distinct need for more flexibility in product storage and delivery from the respective chutes of a vend rack, to accomodate the vending format of that machine.
- the need to match product demand with storage capacity exists, however, for all machines which vend multiple products.
- vend rack configurations for a plural product vending machine having the ability to store and supply a large number of high-demand, high-selling, vendable products in one or more large-capacity vend column configurations, and to store and supply low-selling vendable products in lower capacity vend column configurations.
- a vend rack assembly for delivering vendable cylindrical products to a discharge port in the face of a vending machine, comprising: a plurality of vertical columns disposed side-by-side in parallel relationship behind the face of the vending machine, the bottom of each of the columns communicating with the discharge port, the columns being of selected sizes and arranged in groups to include means for providing space for respective products commensurate with the anticipated sales of such products and including means for supporting said products in vertical stacks, some of the columns being fixed within the vending machine and certain of the columns including means mounting those certain columns for at least partial removal thereof from the interior of the vending machine to provide access to all of the columns for loading some with the products and maximizing the number of groups of columns within a given interior space of the vending machine.
- the columns are collectively contained side-by-side within a substantially rectangular frame of substantially the same size as a conventional, vertical column vend rack, so it may be easily retrofit into existing vending machines. At least two rows of columns are provided with one row being movably mounted with respect to the other row.
- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a vending machine of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,380,130, issued April 19, 1983 to Bachmann, et al;
- Figure 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of prior art vend rack mechanism including only vertical storage columns disposed within a generally rectangular frame;
- Figure 3 is a diagrammatic top plan view of a vend rack configuration according to the present invention as would be seen with the top wall of the vending machine removed and with the door open;
- Figure 4 is a side elevation of a vending rack configuration such as shown in figure 3 with a sidewall of the vending machine removed;
- Figure 5 is a diagrammatic cross section taken along line 5-5 of Figure 4;
- Figure 6 is a diagrammatic top plan view of another embodiment of the vending rack configurations of the present invention illustrating the use of multiple hinged racks;
- Figure 7 is a diagrammatic cross section taken along line 7-7 of Figure 6;
- Figure 8 is
- an exemplary vending machine 12 incorporating a display panel 14, is illustrated as being a basically three-dimensional, rectangular structure having vertical sides 16 joining horizontal top and bottom sides 18 and 20, respectively.
- the structure of the vending machine 12 is completed by a flat planar rear surface and a front panel comprising a door 24 which includes the display panel 14 as the obverse face thereof.
- the door 24 includes a sealing skirt 24A along one vertical edge thereof and is provided with hinges 24B at the top and bottom of the door on the opposite vertical side thereof to permit access to the interior of the vending machine 12.
- the bottom surface 20 of the vending machine 12 is illustrated as a load bearing pad or the like which extends outwardly from the main body portion of the machine 12 beneath the door structure 24 and display panel 14.
- a further overlapped sealing skirt structure 24C extends across the top of the door 24 and cooperates with the top surface 18 of the vending machine 12.
- the display panel 14 includes a first transversely disposed, opaque field section 14A located below the median height of the panel 14 in the preferred embodiment illustrated, in which a discharge port DP and a bottle opener BO are positioned side-by-side.
- a second opaque field 14B comprising the selection control portion of the display panel 14 is basically rectangular in shape in the embodiment illustrated and extends vertically from the upper right-hand side of the transversely disposed first opaque field 14A.
- the remaining area above the uppermost edge of the first opaque field 14A and the top of the display panel 14 is of an inverted L shape which is completely defined by a first contrasting panel 14C which is translucent and is back-lighted in a manner well known in the art, such as for example, the back-lighting arrangement illustrated in U.S. Patent 4,245,730 to Bachmann, et al., for "Display panel For A Vending machine", issued January 20, 1981.
- the first contrasting panel 14C carries a logo L which is printed out for illustration and which, in the embodiment shown, serves to suggest, in combination with the manner of positioning the logo L thereon, a container shaped such as a can of the beverage "COCA-COLA", a Registered Trademark of The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia.
- the logo illustrated is for "COKE” which is also a well-known Registered Trademark of that company.
- the first contrasting panel with its logo serves to suggest to a potential purchaser utilizing the vending machine 12, a can of "COKE".
- Beneath the lower edge of the first opaque field 14A is a transversely disposed, second contrasting panel 14D which can be of various configurations or contrasting color zones, and constitutes a transversely disposed, rectangular field which, in combination with the shape (inverted L) of the first contrasting panel 14C, provides a suggestion of the letter "C", which is a an abbreviation for "COKE", the logo displayed on the first contrasting panel.
- control panel 14B which includes the following components: At the uppermost edge of the control panel 14B is a coin slot and return mechanism CS adjacent to which is a pricing label PL which displays a price for the various goods to be dispensed by the vending machine 12.
- Beneath the coin slot mechanism CS is an enlarged primary product selector button BP which subtends two vertical columns of secondary product selector buttons BS1 through BS6, the secondary product selector buttons BS1-BS3 constituting one column and the secondary product selector buttons BS4-BS6 constituting a second vertical column parallel to the first.
- All of the product selector buttons BP, BS1..., BS6 carry various logos or symbols identifying the products corresponding thereto within the vending machine 12.
- the logo L1 therein is identical to the logo L on the first contrasting panel 14C.
- This combination of the primary product logo L with its abstract suggestion of a can of the primary product beverage, in this specific example, together with the identical logo L1 on the primary product selector button BP provides a strong and effective inducement to a purchaser to purchase the primary product in the machine 12 in preference to all of the secondary product provided thereby.
- This inducement to purchase is further enhanced by the combination of shapes presented by the first and second contrasting panels 14C and 14D, respectively, which superimpose an additional effect of a character which is an abbreviation for the primary product.
- This abbreviation for the primary product can also be an abbreviation for the manufacturer of the primary product depending upon the combined effect desired.
- the control panel 14B (second opaque field) is completed by the provision of an access locking mechanism AL at the right-hand edge thereof in a relatively medial position and a coin return slot CR at the lowermost edge portion thereof.
- the selector buttons BP, BS1...BS6 all are provided with translucent indicia, and are back-lighted in a suitable manner known in the art to further emphasize and present the purchaseable contents of the vending machine 12 to a potential customer.
- the back-lighting of the enlarged primary product selector button BP even further augments the presence of that primary product selector button and provides it with even more dominance over the subtended secondary product selector buttons BS1...BS6 in the two vertical columns therebeneath.
- FIG. 2 there is illustrated a conventional vend rack including a plurality of vertical storage columns defined by vertical partitions P disposed within a substantially rectangular, box-like frame 30.
- Articles to be vended such as softdrink cans D are disposed in these respective vertical-storage columns, either one-two-, or three-deep, into the plane of the paper of Figure 2, depending on the depth of the vending machine utilized.
- These cans D are selectively dispensed from these columns to discharge ports such as DP in the vending machine of Figure 1 by conventional vending mechanisms including appropriate mechanical gating means and vend motors which are actuated in response to the depression of one of the selector buttons illustrated in the vending machine of Figure 1.
- the Figure 2 vend rack includes eight vend columns, C1 to C8, which would be conventionally associated with eight selection buttons on the face of a vending machine. However, if the vending machine of Figure 1 is utilized, including an enlarged primary product selection button BP, chutes C1 and C2 might both be operatively associated with the actuation of the enlarged primary product selection button BP.
- a vending machine 12 is shown with the door 24 swung open to reveal a substantially rectangular interior space IS defined by an insulated inner door 32, rear wall 34, sidewalls 16 and top wall 18.
- the inner door 32 is suitably hinged by conventional hinge means (not shown) at its left-hand extremity in the illustration of Figure 3, to either swing with or independently of the outer door 24 as desired.
- a plurality of single-deep vertically disposed product columns C1----C12, inclusive which define a first row of product columns R1 in which are vertically stacked a plurality of cans D, the product to be dispensed.
- a second plurality of single-deep vertically disposed product columns C13---C22 inclusive define a second row of product columns R2 mounted parallel, as a unit, to the first row R1 and having a suitable hinge structure 36 adjacent the hinge means 24B of the main door 24 to permit swinging the entire second row R2 outboard of the interior space IS from an interior position (solid lines, Figure 3) to an outboard position (dotted lines, Figure 3) in a similar manner to the insulated inner door 32.
- the first and second rows of columns R1 and R2 are parallel.
- each column C1---C22 Beneath each column C1---C22 are conventional vend cradles VC and adjacent thereto are vend motors VM which drive the cradles in a manner known in the art.
- a vending chute VCH is disposed beneath both rows R1 and R2 of columns C1----C22 to catch and direct vended product from the columns C1---C22 to the discharge port DP in the door 24 as is also well known in the art.
- the vend motors VM and discharge cradles VC are simply diagrammatically shown herein and may be of any suitable known design.
- reference to a single-deep product column refers to the capacity of that column, namely, a single vertical stack of products placed one upon the other.
- a single double-deep product column has a capacity for two single vertical stacks of products (e.g., the cans D placed end-to-end in two adjacent stacks).
- a corded double-deep product column has a capacity for two corded vertical stacks, each stack being nearly two products wide and one product deep. (See Figure 2)
- FIG. 6 Another embodiment of the present invention using a plurality of single-deep product columns is illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8 wherein like elements to the embodiments of Figures 3,4 and 5 bear like designations.
- FIG. 9 Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated in Figure 9 which is substantially identical to Figure 6 except that the second group R2B (columns C17---C22) of the second row R2 is pivoted at its right hand extremity by a hinge device 36B1.
- Phantom line outboard positions achieved by swinging the first and second groups R2A and R2B of the second product column row R2 outboard in opposite directions about their respective hinges 36A and 36B1 are illustrated. This contrasts to the embodiment of Figures 6, 7 and 8 in which the first and second groups R2A and R2B of the second product column row R2 are swung outboard in the same direction (clockwise as shown in Figure 6) about their respective hinges 36A and 36B.
- first and second row of product columns R2 are mounted on the interior of the insulated inner door 32.
- the first and second groups R2A and R2B thus swing outboard of the interior space IS of the vending machine 12 with the entire inner door 32 about the hinge structure 38 of the latter. This outboard position is shown in phantom lines.
- the first row R1 of product columns includes columns C23---C30, inclusive, which are of the following types, proceeding from right to left across Figure 11: C23, C24 - corded double-deep product columns; C25---c28 - single-deep product columns; C29 - single double-deep product column; and C30 - corded-double-deep product column.
- the single-deep product columns C25---C28 in the first row R1 are fixed at the rear wall 34 of the vending machine 12 in the interior space IS such that an indentation is provided between the single double-deep product column C29 and corded double-deep product column C24 to receive a second row R2 of single-deep product columns C31---C34, inclusive, coextensively disposed with the adjacent single deep product columns C25---C28 in the first row R1.
- the second row R2 is pivoted on a hinge 36C at its left hand extremity to swing to the outboard phantom line position shown.
- the entire first row R1 of product columns is fixed within the interior space IS of the vending machine 12.
- the second row R2 may be hinged within the interior space IS to the vend rack assembly or alternatively, may be mounted on the interior of the inner door 32 to effect its outboard positioning.
- the various product columns of the present invention are controlled by the primary selection button BP and secondary selection buttons BS1---BS6 in various combinations of one or more columns per button so that the space-to-sales versatility provided by the present invention can be fully realized.
- the primary selection button BP can control a combination of single-deep columns in the embodiments of Figures 3 through 10 and various combinations of corded double-deep, single double-deep and/or single-deep columns in the embodiments of Figures 11 and 12. Similar versatility is afforded the secondary selection buttons BS1---BS6 to adopt product space to the sales needs of the marketplace. Control of a plurality of vend motors and vending cradles at respective columns in a group with single selection buttons can, therefore, by the correct electrical interconnections, control a wide variety of product space configurations for the purpose intended.
- vending format of the vending machine including the primary selection button BP, etc.
- the column configurations used may also include serpentine dispensing paths rather than the rectilinear paths illustrated herein.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
- Vending Machines For Individual Products (AREA)
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US911152 | 1986-09-24 | ||
US06/911,152 US4722455A (en) | 1986-09-24 | 1986-09-24 | Increased column/selectivity vender |
US6893687A | 1987-07-01 | 1987-07-01 | |
US68936 | 1987-07-01 |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP0261677A2 EP0261677A2 (en) | 1988-03-30 |
EP0261677A3 EP0261677A3 (en) | 1988-06-29 |
EP0261677B1 true EP0261677B1 (en) | 1991-06-12 |
Family
ID=26749535
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP87113962A Expired - Lifetime EP0261677B1 (en) | 1986-09-24 | 1987-09-24 | Increased column/selectivity vender |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0261677B1 (zh) |
JP (1) | JPH0490279U (zh) |
AU (2) | AU597109B2 (zh) |
BR (1) | BR8704894A (zh) |
CA (1) | CA1308396C (zh) |
DE (1) | DE3770733D1 (zh) |
ES (1) | ES2022250B3 (zh) |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5027283A (en) * | 1988-05-23 | 1991-06-25 | The Coca-Cola Company | Electronically programmable space-to-sales vender |
Family Cites Families (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2371845A (en) * | 1942-10-22 | 1945-03-20 | Floyd L Robison | Vending apparatus |
DE1032014B (de) * | 1955-07-21 | 1958-06-12 | Seitz Automatenbau Ges | Warenselbstverkaeufer mit hintereinanderliegenden Warenschaechten |
US3819087A (en) * | 1972-10-10 | 1974-06-25 | Umc Ind | Article-dispensing apparatus |
US4057171A (en) * | 1976-07-21 | 1977-11-08 | Sankyo Electric Company Limited | Article storage devices with article releasers for use in vending machines |
JPS5638212A (en) * | 1979-09-06 | 1981-04-13 | Furukawa Battery Co Ltd:The | Die for battery jar of monoblock type |
JPS5679519A (en) * | 1979-12-04 | 1981-06-30 | Takayoshi Hirata | Band split type digital equalizer |
CH668328A5 (de) * | 1985-08-23 | 1988-12-15 | Automaten Ag | Warenverkaufsautomat. |
-
1987
- 1987-09-18 AU AU78645/87A patent/AU597109B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1987-09-18 AU AU78646/87A patent/AU593386B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1987-09-23 CA CA000547612A patent/CA1308396C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1987-09-23 BR BR8704894A patent/BR8704894A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1987-09-24 EP EP87113962A patent/EP0261677B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1987-09-24 ES ES87113962T patent/ES2022250B3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1987-09-24 DE DE8787113962T patent/DE3770733D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1991
- 1991-08-19 JP JP1991072910U patent/JPH0490279U/ja active Pending
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
AU7864687A (en) | 1988-03-31 |
AU7864587A (en) | 1988-03-31 |
DE3770733D1 (de) | 1991-07-18 |
EP0261677A2 (en) | 1988-03-30 |
JPH0490279U (zh) | 1992-08-06 |
AU593386B2 (en) | 1990-02-08 |
CA1308396C (en) | 1992-10-06 |
AU597109B2 (en) | 1990-05-24 |
ES2022250B3 (es) | 1991-12-01 |
BR8704894A (pt) | 1988-05-17 |
EP0261677A3 (en) | 1988-06-29 |
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