US1386974A

US1386974A - Vending-machine

Info

Publication number: US1386974A
Application number: US204570A
Authority: US
Inventors: William G Templeton
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1917-11-30
Filing date: 1917-11-30
Publication date: 1921-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 1938-08-09

Description

w. G. TEMPLETON.

'VEN-DING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 30, 1917- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- 1 386,974. Patented Aug.- 9, 1921-.

2 ammmtoz w. e. TEMPLETON.

VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. a0, 1914.

u M... am a .H w/ m f UNITED STATES PATENT or rica.

WILLIAM G. TEMPLETON, or cononnno srnmes, COLORADO.

VENDING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 9, 192- 1.

Application filed November 30, 1 17. Serial No. 204,570.

. description of the same, reference being had 10 to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a vending machine of the type which is adapted, upon the manipulation of suitable release mechanism, tov deliver an individual article from a plurality of article containers within a chute forming a part of the machine. One of the principal objects of the invention is the rovision of a simple, eflicient and cheap venc ing machine construction which will successfully handle the articles to be delivered and which will effect the delivery of said articles individually in succession, without the use of any ejecting mechanism. Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the flights of an endless conveyer carrying the articles to be vended will operate a counting device to indicate the number of articles vended. A further object of the invention is to simplify the vendin machine construction and insure reliabillty of action.

A full understanding of the invention will be attained from the ensuing detailed description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a structural embodiment of the invention in a preferred form. The novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out and specified in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the preferred form of my device, the front panel of the casing being removed for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the coin slot closing mechanism.

In its preferred embodiment my invention consists of the usual casing 1 in which is journaled a drum 2, Cpreferably hexagonal in cross section, carrie by a shaft 3 in fixed compression of the spring.

' position on the casing and extending a short distance beyond one of the side walls thereof, said extended portion carrying the ratchet wheel 4 of a coin controlled device operated by a lever 5. The operating mechanism of the coin controlled device may be' of any desired type and forms no part of the present invention. j

A second drum 6 which may be-cylindrical, if desired, is mounted on a shaft 7 journaled in a pair of

plates

8, 8, and extending through slots 9, 9 in the casing. These plates each have an inturned portion 10 which bears against a spring 11 carried by a bolt 12 loosely mounted on a brace member 13 partly closing thetop of the casing. "A

nut 14 serves as means for adjusting the I n endless flight conveyer 15 passes over the drums 2 flight of the conveyer consists of a single metal plece 16' bent at right anglesalong one end forming a back 17 having 'ears'18 and 6 and isadjustably held at the proper tension by means of the nuts 14. 'Each each adapted to grip one of the belts 19 carried by the two drums.

A wire shaft 20 is journaled in keepers 21 on the casing and is turned at right angles forming a head 22 to which is connected a curved metal plate 23 adapted to prevent the operation of the machine when it is empty, this being accomplished by bending the other end 24 of the wire shaft so that it will be projected into the path of a lug25 carried by the flight 26, this lug turningjthe shaft 20 in its bearings so as to revolve the plate 23 nearly into contact with the casing, thereby closing the coin slot and consequently preventing movement of the lever which operates the main drum 2.

At the time the device is thus'locked in inoperative position, due tothe exhaustionof supply, the flight 27 is at approximately the same level as the plate 23, and since this flight carries an upturned portion 281 extending nearly to thebottom of the flight next above, manipulation of the plate 23 to uncover the coin slot is prevented at this time. Flights 29 and30just above flight 27 are also provided with similar upturned portions so that three complete operations locking pawl, pivoted to the lever, is manually lifted out of operation.

hen the machine is thus' locked and therefore empty, the operator places an article in each of the

shelves

27, 29, 30, as

well as in all the other flights at the front' of the machine above'these flights, but does not place an article on either

shelf

31 or 32, these skeleton flights being cut away as at 33, so that they will not hold an article. No article is placed on flight or shelf 34 at this time, but the operator depresses the lever 5 three times, thereby carrying the flight 34 one step beyond the vertical, at

which time its lip 35, which was down turned, when the machine was first locked, is now upwardly directed so as to enable it to hold an article and the operator then fills .it and all the remaining flights or shelves,

cam or lug 25 on the next complete revolution of the belt.

Three of the flights, namely, 38, 39 and 40, are each provided with a cutaway portion 41 to prevent operation of the counter 42, while the operator is turning the shelf 34 to article-receiving position. Each of the remaining flights engages a roller 43 carried by a lever 44 pivoted at 45 to' the main shaft 46 of the counting device and by such engagement raises the arm sufliciently to advance the counter one number. The lever 44 is extended beyond the pivot 45 forming an arm 44 to which is attached a spring 47 connected at 48 to the casing of the machine andacting by its tension to hold the roller in the path of the corner of the flights and against the stop 49, which, in the preferred form, is a bent edge of the casing 50 secured to the. side wall as illustrated. It will be noted that atthe time the locking flight 26 is vertical at the bottom of the machine the first cut-away flight 38 is vertical at the extreme top, so that on the next three operations of the lever, (these three operations being necessary .to carry the

skeleton flights

31 and 32 past discharging position and to bring the flight 34 into article receiving position at the rear of the machine) no raising of the counter lever will take place, since the roller 43 will be cleared by the next three flights, owing to the cutaway portions 41. During these three operations of the lever the operator will be prevented from moving the plate 23 out of slot-closing posi tion, owing to the presence of the three upturned portions 28.

' In the preferred form the casing is provided with a glass panel 51 to enable the display of the bended article which may, for example, be brightly colored candy wrapped in transparent material. Above the glass front 51 is a space, 52 for adver tising matter.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vending machine, a casing, a conveyer drum rotatably mounted in fixed position in said casing, a pair of plates, a second conveyer drum directly above said 7 ii rst mentioned drum and rotatably mounted in said plates, an endless conveyer carried by said drums and provided with flights for carrying articles to be vended and spring means for supporting the upper drum, the conveyer and the plates, and for independently adjusting the tension onthe two sides ofthe. endlessconveyer by altering the relative position of each of the plates with respect to the casing. 4

2. In avending machine, a casing, a con veycr dru a rotatably mounted in fixed position in said casing, a pair of lipped plates,

va second conveyer drum rotatably mounted in said plates directly above said first men tioned drum, an endless conveyer belt mounted on said drums, bolts secured to said casing above'the lips of the plates, springs on said bolts and nuts on said bolts for adjusting the compression of the springs against said lips, whereby said springs carry the entire weight of the plates, the endless conveyer and the upper drum.

3. In a coin controlled vending machine of the type employing an endless conveyer and a counting device operated thereby, the combination with a plurality of skeleton flights adapted to ope ate said counting device, ot-a plurality of flights greater in number than said skeleton flights adapted to pass said counting device with out operating it when said skeleton flights are passing article discharging position 4. In a vending machine, an upper drum, a lower drum, an endless conveyer mounted on said drums, and adjustable spring. means for resiliently supporting said upper drum and said conveyer.

5. In a vending machine, an upper drum, a lowerdrum, an endless conveyer mounted on said drums and having flights for carrying the articles to be vended, and a plurality of independent spring means for re siliently supporting said upper drum, said conveyer, and the articles carried thereon, each of said means being adjustable to alter the tension on one edge'of said conveyer.