GB2361795A

GB2361795A - Vending machine guard

Info

Publication number: GB2361795A
Application number: GB0106385A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ashley Fieldsend
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-03-16
Filing date: 2001-03-15
Publication date: 2001-10-31
Anticipated expiration: 2021-03-15
Also published as: GB2361795B; GB0006219D0; GB0106385D0

Abstract

A guard assembly, for use on a vending machine having a front-openable door, to restrict unauthorised access to a door lock and a door handle of said door consists of a rear section 20 secured in fixed relationship to said machine having two side arms 18 extending from the rear to the front of said machine along the sides thereof and a front member 24 releasably secured to the free ends of the side arms to cover said door lock and said door handle. A further, vertical rear member (32, Fig.2) and top and bottom arms (34, 38) may be provided.

Description

2361795 (1) Guard AssemblC This invention relates to a guard assembly and

more particularly, but not exclusively, to a guard assembly for use with a vending machine.

A conventional vending machine such as a coin operated drink vending machine consists of a freestanding casing with a front-openable door to allow access to the machine for replacing the items with which the machine is stocked and for emptying the coins from the coin-operated mechanism. Such vending machines are usually disposed with the rear of the machine against a wall of a building.

Although the front-openable door is provided with a key-operated lock to prevent unauthorised access to the interior of the machine, it has been found that such machines suffer from the disadvantage that they are subject to the front door being forced open and the contents of the machine including the collected coins being stolen which not only in itself causes losses to the operator of the machine and repair costs but also results in loss of profit during the period required for the machine to be repaired. The object of the invention is to provide a guard assembly which alleviates or overcomes the above disadvantage. 25 According to one aspect of this invention, a guard assembly for a vending machine having a front-openable (2) door, comprises a rear section adapted to be secured in fixed relationship to the vending machine, the rear section having two side arms each extending from the rear to the front of an associated side of the vending machine and a front member extending between the side arms to cover at least a locking mechanism in the front door of the vending machine wherein the front member is releasably secured in position by a locking means.

Preferably, one end of the front member is at least pivotally connected to one side arm of the rear section.

Preferably, also, said one side arm has a slot formed therein adjacent to the front end thereof which is adapted to receive said one end of the front member which is of an L-shape so that after full insertion of one arm of the L-shape into the slot, the front member can be pivoted thereabout to bring the other end of the front member into juxta-position with the end of the other side arm so as to be capable of being releasably connected thereto by the locking means.

The front member is, preferably, slidable so that the other end of the front member is moveable towards said one side arm to enable the other end thereof to be slidable in the opposite direction and inserted through a slot in the other side arm of the rear section and project therebeyond.

Preferably, the projecting portion of the front member (3) has a hole therein for receiving a padlock or other locking device to prevent sliding movement thereof and disengagement of said other end of the front member from said other side arm of the rear section.

Preferably, also, the central portion of the front member is of increased width to cover a larger area of the front door of the vending machine but still permitting : the front member to allow for adequate sliding movement of installing and releasing thereof.

Each side arm of the rear section, preferably, has a rear part which extends behind the rear of the vending machine.

Preferably, each rear part of the side arms is adapted to be bolted to a wall adjacent to which the vending machine is to stand and a cylindrical hollow spacer is secured to said rear part of each side arm to cover the head of the securing bolt and also space the rear of the vending machine from said wall by an adequate distance to accommodate pipework and allow ventilation at the rear of 20the vending machine.

Preferably, also, the rear section includes a vertical member extending the full height of the vending machine to which the rear part of each side arm is secured and having a lower member secured to or extending from the lower end of the vertical member which extends beneath the vending machine and on which the machine rests and an upper member (4) secured to or extending from the upper end of the vertical member which extends across the top of the vending machine.

The end of the lower member of the rear section is, preferably, provided with an upwardly extending lip which engages the bottom of the front face of the vending machine below the front door thereof.

Preferably, the end of the upper member of the rear section may be provided with a downwardly extending lip which engages the top of the front face of the vending machine above the front door thereof.

Preferably, also, the upper member of the rear section is provided with clamping means for clamping the upper member onto the top face of the vending machine.

According to another aspect of this invention, a guard assembly and vending machine combination comprises a vending machine having a guard assembly according to any one of the preceding twelve paragraphs.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first guard assembly for use with a vending machine disposed adjacent to a wall; 25 Figure 2 is a perspective view of a second guard assembly for use with a free-standing vending machine; and (5) Figure 3 is a plan view of a f ront member of the first and the second guard assemblies.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, a first guard assembly indicated generally at 10 for mounting on a vending machine indicated in broken lines at 12 is formed of steel plate or bar. The vending machine 12 has a front outwardly openable door 14 for allowing access to the interior thereof to permit authorised access to refill the vending machine 12 and emptying of the Coin-operated machanism located therewithin. The door 14 of the vending machine 12 is Provided with a keyoperated lock (not shown) to prevent unauthorised access to the interior of the vending machine 12 but it is found that this is the target of vandals for gaining unauthorised access by forcing and breaking the lock. The first guard assembly 10 is particularly suitable for use where the vending machine 12 is to be disposed against a wall 16 which is soLid enough to have this first guard assembly 10 rigidly secured thereto. The guard assembly 10 comprises a rear Section formed of two Lshaped side arms 18 which are bolted to the wall 16 by, for example, rawlbolts or the 1 like (not shown). Each side arm 18 has a hollow cylindrical steel spacer 20 welded thereto through the centre of which the securing bolt is inserted, passes through a hole (not shown) in the side arm 18 and tightened by use of a conventional socket and extension (6) bar (not shown). The side arms 18 are mounted at a height which is level with the locking mechanism in the door 14 of the vending machine 12 and once the vending machine 12 is placed in position with the rear face thereof in contact with the ends of the spacers 20, access to the side arm mounting bolt heads is prevented. The opposite ends of the side arms 18 extend beyond the front face of the vending machine 12 and are provided with a slot 22 in which a front member 24 is mountable. The front member 24 formed of steel plate or flat bar is L-shaped at one end so that the free end of the L can be inserted through the slot 22 of one side arm 18 and when the arm of said L is fully inserted, the front member 24 can be pivoted to bring the other end.of the front member 24 into a position adjacent to the end of the other side arm 18. The front member 24 is then slidable towards said one side arm IS to allow the other end of the front member 24 to be inserted through the slot 22 in said other side arm 18 and to be -hat the end of the slidable in the opposite direction so 4.

front member 24 projects therebeyond. The projecting end of the front member 24 has a hole 26 therein through which a padlock (not shown) can be inserted to lock the front member 24 in position extending across the door 14 of the vending machine 12 to cover the door lock. The central portion of the front member 24 is of greater width than the ends thereof to enable other portions of the door 14 (7) of the vending machine to be covered such as a door handle (not shown).

In a modification, each side arm 18 is provided with an L-shaped support strut (not shown) which is welded at one end to the associated side arm 18 at a point approximately mid-way of the length of said side arm 18 and extends downwardly therefrom at an acute angle so that the opposite end of said strut extends behind the vending machine and is bolted to the wall 16 in the same manner as the associated side arm 18. It will be appreciated that the provision of the support struts increases the rigidity of the side arms 18 to resist any attempt to bend the side arms 18 downwardly or upwardly to attempt to uncover the door 'Lock or the door handle of the vending machine.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, a second guard assembly indicated generally at 30 is described and parts which are the same as in the f irst guard assembly are referred to by the same reference numbers. The second guard assembly 30 is particularly suitable for use where the vending machine (not shown) is to be either free-standing or adjacent to an insubstantial wall (not shown). The rear section of the guard assembly 30 consists of a vertical member 32 extending the full height of the rear face of the vending machine and the side arms 18 are secured thereto. The vertical member 32 has a lower member 34 secured to the lower end thereof (8) which extends beneath the vending machine to the f ront thereof and has an upwardly extending lip 36 for engaging the front face of the vending machine. The vertical member 32 is retained in place by the weight of the vending machine on the lower member 34. The upper end of the vertical member 32 has an upper member 38 which extends across the top of the vending machine to the front thereof and has a downwardly extending lip 40 for engaging the front face of the vending machine. In addition the upper member 38 has a clamping bolt 42 for engaging the upper face cf the vending machine. The lips 36 and 40 are dimensioned so that they do not prevent opening of the door of the vending machine. The front member 24 is secured in position on the side arms 18 in the same manner as described above with reference to the first guard assembly 10.

In a modification, although the vertical member 32 and the upper member 38 are normally formed of steel plate or bar, the rigidity thereof can be increased by forming said members from a steel box-section.

In another modification, one or both of the lips 36 and 38 are omitted where the front door of the vending machine extends either to the top or the bottom of the front face thereof and the or each lip 36, 38 would prevent opening of said door.

In a further modification, particularly where the lip (9) 36 is omitted, the lower member 34 is bolted to the floor his case it will on which the vending machine stands. In "I be appreciated that the lower member 34 can be shortened to save material and need not extend to the front of the vending machine. Furthermore, a packing piece (not shown) car. be inserted between the lower member 34 and the bottom of the vending machine to ensure that thfz full weight of the vending machine rests or, the lower member 34.

In yet another modification, particularly but not exclusively where the lip 40 is omitted, a spacer in the form of a square steel plate having sides of a similar dimension to the width of the upper member 38 and having a short upwardly extending central blind cylinder, is interposed between the upper face of the vending machine 1.5 and the lower face of the upper member 38 so that the end of the clamping bolt 42 is engaged in the blind cylinder uf the spacer.

Although the first and second guard assemblies 10 and 30 are particularly suitable for use with vending machines it will be appreciated that they can be used to guard and prevent unauthorised access to other objects such as steel cabinets or safes without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

(10) Claims: 1 - A guard assembly for a vending machine having a front

openable door, comprising a rear section adapted to be secured in fixed relationship to the vending machine, the rear section having two side arms each extending from the rear to the front of an associated side of the vending machine and a front member extending between the side arms to cover at least a locking mechanism in the front door of the vending machine wherein the front member is releasably secured in position by a locking means.
2 A guard assembly according to claim 1, wherein one end - least pivotally connected to one of the front member is at side arm of the rear section.
3. A guard assembly according to claim 2, wherein said one side arm has a slot formed therein adjacent to the front end thereof which is adapted to receive said one end of the front member which is of an L-shape so that after full insertion of one arm of the L-shape into the slot, the front member can be pivoted thereabout to bring the other end of the front member into juxta-position with the end of the other side arm so as to be capable of being releasably connected thereto by the locking means.
4. A guard assembly according to claim 3, wherein the front member is also slidable so that the other end of the front member is moveable towards said one side arm to enable the other end thereof to be slidable in the (11) opposite direction and inserted through a slot in the other side arm of the rear section and project therebeyond.
5. A guard assembly according to claim 4, wherein the projecting portion of the front member has a hole therein for receiving a padlock or other locking device to prevent sliding movement thereof and disengagement of said other end of the front member from said other side arm of the rear section.
6. A guard assembly according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the central portion of the front member is of increased width to cover a larger area of the front door of the vending machine but still permitting adequate sliding movement of the front member to allow for installing and releasing thereof.
7. A guard assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each side arm of the rear section has a rear part which extends behind the rear of the vending machine.
8. A guard assembly according to claim 7, wherein each rear part of the side arms is adapted to be bolted to a wall adjacent to which the vending machine is to stand and a cylindrical hollow spacer is secured to said rear part of each side arm to cover the head of the securing bolt and also space the rear of the vending machine from said wall by an adequate distance to accommodate pipework and (12) allow ventilation at the rear of the vending machine.
9. A guard assembly according to claim 7, wherein the rear section includes a vertical member extending the full height of the vending machine to which the rear part of each side arm is secured and having a lower member secured to or extending from the llower end of the vertical member which extends beneath the vending machine and on which the machine rests and an upper member secured to or extending from the upper end of the vertical member which extends across the top of the vending machine.
10. A guard assembly according to claim 9, wherein the end of the lower member of the rear section is provided with an upwardly extending lip which engages the bottom of the front face of the vending machine below the front door thereof.
11. A guard assembly according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the end of the upper member is provided with a downwardly extending lip which engages the top of the front face of the vending machine above the front door thereof.
12. A guard assembly according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the upper member of the rear. section is clamped onto the top face of the vending machine.
13. A guard assembly constructed, arranged and adapted to operate substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated by Figures 1 and 3 or (13) Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
14. A guard assembly and vending machine combination comprising a vending machine having a guard assembly according to any one of the preceding claims mounted 5 thereon.