GB653623A - Improvements in or relating to a machine for vending bottles or similar articles - Google Patents

Abstract

653,623. Delivering articles from hoppers. MILLS INDUSTRIES, Inc. Aug. 7, 1947, No. 21606. Convention date, May 11, 1945. [Class 78 (i)] [Also in Group XVIII] Bottles 28, or other articles, are delivered in turn from the lower end of a shoot by opposed star-wheels 31, 32, Figs. 1 and 2, or pronged chains 61, Fig. 13, the star-wheels or chains engaging the ends of the lowermost article and, on step-wise actuation, passing into supporting engagement with the second lowermost article before releasing the lowermost. In Figs. 1 and 2, the neck of the lowermost bottle is located by parallel vertical guides 34 and is supported by a single star-wheel 32, whilst the butt end is straddled by a pair of supporting star-wheels 31. The complete apparatus has six side-by-side shoots each with a delivery arrangement as above at its lower end, all the star-wheels 32 being mounted on a common shaft 38 at the rear of the casing, and all the pairs of star-wheels 31 on a parallel shaft 36 at the front. The star-wheels for the several shoots are staggered about their shafts so that delivery is effected from the shoots in turn for successive step-wise actuations of the shafts. The shafts are driven in opposite directions by a common driving motor through worm gearing (Fig. 4, not shown), the motor being energized to cause sufficient rotation of the shafts to release one bottle after insertion of a coin by means not described. The released bottle falls on to a sloping shelf 52 and thence to a delivery slope 18. In Fig. 13, the chains 61, replacing the sprocket-wheels 31, 32, are fitted with bottle-supporting prongs 62 and are supported and driven by sprockets 63, 64.