GB2202037A - Vending machines - Google Patents

Abstract

A vending machine comprises a cabinet 12 having a plurality of section therein, for the storage of food products. The sections are defined by storage trays 26. There is a cooling apparatus 34 for supplying cool air to each of the sections, and control means for controlling the supply of cool air from a manifold 44 to at least one of the sections of the cabinet, to enable the temperature of the air in at least the said one section to be adjusted. The control means comprises a flap valve associated with each section (Figs. 3, 4). <IMAGE>

Description

"Improvements in or relating to vending machines1? This invention relates to vending machines and more particularly, to vending machines provided with apparatus for controlling the temperature within the cabinet of the machine.

Vending machines of the type with which this invention are concerned normally, consist of a cabinet provided with a plurality of trays on which the food products to be vended are stored. It is known to control the temperature within the cabinet of such known machines by providing a conventional cooler located in, for example, the base section of the cabinet and blowing cool air therefrom into the entire storage area of the cabinet. It will be appreciated that this form of vending machine suffers from the disadvantage that all of the food products in the machine are maintained at approximately the same temperature and the object of this invention is to provide a vending machine having a more selective temperature control system.

According to this invention, a vending machine comprises a cabinet having two or more sections in which food products are stored, a cooling apparatus for supplying cool air to each of the sections, and control means for controlling the supply of cool air to each one of the sections of the cabinet to enable the temperature of the air in each section to be adjusted.

Preferably, the cooling apparatus is connected to each section of the cabinet by an air distribution manifold and valve means is provided between the manifold and each section of the cabinet to control the flow of cool air from the manifold into the associated section of the cabinet.

Preferably, also, the valve means comprises a flap valve whose position is manually adjustable.

The flap valve, preferably, comprises a flap member which is pivotally movable about one edge so that in the open position, the flap member extends into the manifold to deflect the cool air flowing therein into the section of the cabinet associated with the particular flap valve.

Preferably, the sections of the cabinet are formed by two or more vertically spaced-apart horizontally extending food product storage trays each extending across a major portion of the cabinet between vertically extending side walls.

Preferably, also, the air distribution manifold is mounted on the external surface of one side wall and the flap valves are mounted thereon to close or open apertures in the side wall associated with each tray to direct cool air from the manifold across the associated tray.

The cooling apparatus is, preferably, mounted in the lower portion of the cabinet and draws air therefrom which is then cooled by the apparatus and supplied via the distribution manifold and the flap valves to the food product storage trays.

A preferred embodiment of ths invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic front elevation of a vending machine; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic front elevation of the interior of the vending machine shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the internal surface of a side wall having flap valves mounted thereon with parts omitted for the sake of clarity; and Figure 4 is a section through a flap valve to an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawings, a vending machine indicated generally at 10 comprises a cabinet 12 having a front panel 14 connected thereto by hinges 16 at one side and secured in the closed position by a lock 18 disposed at the opposite side of the front panel 14 to the hinges 16. The front panel 14 includes a transparent portion through which the food products 20 stored in the machine are displayed, a dispensing drawer 22, and a coinroperated selection mechanism 24 which is mounted thereon.

The food products 20 are stored, in this particular example of vending machine, on one of five vertically spaced-apart horizontally extending open fronted storage trays 26. Each tray 26 is provided with a conventional dispensing mechanism (not shown) which, when actuated by the coin-operated selection mechanism 24, dispenses the selected product 20 from the front of the tray 26, so that said product 20 drops into the dispensing drawer 22.

The trays 26 are slidably mounted between side walls 28 and 30 on runners 32 secured thereto. A cooler indicated generally at 34 is mounted in the lower portion of the cabinet 12 and includes a compressor 36, a condenser 38, an evaporator coil 40, a cool air circulating fan 42 and a cooling fan (not shown) for cooling the condenser 38. A cool air distribution manifold 44 is mounted on the external surface of the side wall 28 and is connected at its lower end to the cooler 34 adjacent to the evaporator coil 40. The cooler 34 operates in a conventional manner and cool air from the evaporator coil 40 is blown into the manifold 44 by the circulating fan 42.

Elongate apertures 46 are formed in the side wall 28 so that cool air from the manifold 44 can pass into each storage section of the cabinet 12 defined by the trays 26. Flap valves indicated generally at 48 are mounted on the side wall 28, one valve 48 being associated with each aperture 46. Each valve 48 comprises a pivotally mounted flap 50 movable by means of a handle 52 from a closed position, shown in full lines in Figure 4 in which it closes the associated aperture 46, to an open position shown in broken lines in Figure 4 in which the flap 50 extends into the manifold 44 and directs cool air through the associated aperture 46.

The flap 50 is provided with a layer 54 of resilient material to facilitate sealing engagement and closure of the aperture 46 and the hinge connection of the flap 50 is arranged to be sufficiently resistant to movement to maintain the flap 50 in a desired open position, thereby enabling the rate of flow of cool air to be adjusted.

This enables the temperature of the food products in a particular tray 26 to be adjusted to a suitable value for the particular product concerned. It has been found that although it is desirable to maintain certain food products such as, for example, chocolate confectionery, at a relatively low temperature, other flavoured food products such as flavoured potato crisps tend to lose-a portion of their flavour if maintained at the same low temperature which is desirable for the storage of chocolate confectionery. It will therefore be appreciated that the adjustment of the temperature of the food products in a particular tray 26 to their optimum temperature by adjustment of the associated flap valves overcomes the disadvantage set out above of machines where no such temperature adjustment is possible. Furthermore, it will be realised that in vending machines where only certain of the trays 26 contain food products which require storage at a low temperature whilst other trays 26 contain food products which can be stored at a higher temperature, then the output of a standard cooler 34 would be capable of achieving the low temperature required in respect of the appropriate trays 26 in higher ambient temperature conditions than would be possible in known vending machines which do not have this sectional temperature control facility.

Claims (9)

1. A vending machine comprising a cabinet having two or more sections for the storage of food products, a cooling apparatus for supplying cool air to each of the sections, and control means for controlling the supply of cool air to at least one of the sections of the cabinet to enable the temperature of the air In at least the sald one section to be adjusted.

2. A vending machine as claimed in Clalm 1, in which there is control means for controlling the supply of cool air to each of the sections of the cabinet.

3. A vending machine as claimed In Claim 2, in which the cooling apparatus Is connected to each section of the cabinet by an air distribution manifold and valve means is provided between the manifold and each section of the cabinet to control the flow of cool air from the manifold into the associated section of the cabinet.

4. A vending machine as claimed in Claim 3, in which the valve means comprises a flap valve whose position is manually adJustable.

5. A vending machine as claimed in Clalm 4, In which each flap valve comprises a flap member which Is pivotally movable about one edge so that in the open position, the flap member extends into the manifold to deflect cool air flowing thereln Into the section of the cabinet associated with the particular flap valve.

6. A vending machine as claimed In any one of the preceding claims, In which the sections of the cabinet are formed by two or more vertically spaced-apart horizontally extending food product storage trays each extending across a major portion of the cabinet between upwardly extending side wails.

7. A vending machine as claimed in Claim 6, when dependent on ClaIm 4 or Claim 5, in which the air distribution manifold Is mounted on the external surface of one side of the cabinet and the flap valves are mounted thereon to close or open apertures in the side wall associated with each tray to direct cool air from the manifold across the associated tray.

8. A vending machine as claimed In Claim 7, in which the cooling apparatus is mounted in the lower portion of the cabinet and, In use, draws air therefrom which is then cooled by the apparatus and supplied via the dIstribution manifold and the flap valves to the food product storage trays.

9. A vending machine constructed and arranged substantially as herein descrlbed, with reference to the accompanying drawings.