US1521350A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Description

Dec, 30. 1.924.A

E. B. BICKER VENDING MACHINE Filed April 15 1921 Patented ec. 3), i924.

UNITED STATES EDGAR, B. BICKER, Oli ST. LQUS, LESSOURI.

VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed April 15, 1921.

To ZZ fr0/tom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, Encan B. Brenna, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri,

5 have invented a new and useful Vending Machine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in vending machines and the object of my invention is to provide la machine of simple,

durable and inexpensive construction, especially designed for use in connection with the vending of chewing gum, in ball form, and wherein the coin insertion effects both the release and delivery of the balls of gum.

My improvements consist in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts as hereinafter fully, clearly and concisely set forth, definitely pointed out in my claims and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which A Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a machine embodying my improvements.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken on the line indicated 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental, detail sectional elevation taken on the line indicated 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmental plan view H0 showing a coin actuated locking device for the article delivery means.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional, fragmental elevation of a delivery chute, taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmental detail sectional elevation showing means for key locking the rticle and coin receptacles to the machine ase.

Referring by numerals to the drawings,

10 designates the machine base upon which is supported the coin receptacle 11, preferably constructed as a cylinder and of sheet metal and provided with a foot flange 12 arranged for detachable securing to the base as by means such as clips 13, a lock 14 and staple 15.

Secured over the top of the coin receptacle is a partition 16 which forms the bottom of the article receptacle 17.

In my drawing the article receptacle is serial no. 461,535.

of substantially globular vshape and constructed of transparent glass, which is my preference, but which obviously may be made of other desired shapes and of other suitable materials, as will be apparent from the appended claims.

The receptacle shown is open at its top and bot-tom and is secured over the partition 16 by means of a bolt 18 and cap 19, by which the article receptacle is separable from the coin receptacle, only, upon access to the bolt from within the normally keylocled coin receptacle.

To hold the article receptacle against lateral displacement relative to the coin receptacle l provide a foot flange 20, on the article receptacle and a plurality of clips 21, secured to the partition, 16, which overhang the foot flange, and of which at least one is adjustable radially of the article receptacle to permit a releasing of the foot flange 20.

The partition 16 is provided with a discharge opening 22, beneath which there is secured an element comprising three depending walls 28, 241- and 25, of which the walls 23 and 24 are spaced from the partition, to provide for moven'icnts of the article releasing and delivering means, presently described, and which three walls form an article pocket, which is of itself open at one side, and open at its top and bottom. The partition is secured, permanently to the coin receptacle, either by welding or rivets (not shown) and to this end is provided with a down-turned marginal flange 26, through 85 which and through the coin receptacle, as best shown in Fig. 1 are formed registering openings, hereafter termed the coin slot, 27

` which resides in a plane slightly lower than the partition 16 whereby a lip 28 is: pro- 90 vided for a purpose hereinafter made clear. Piercing the partition in line with the discharge opening 22 and coin slot 27 is a pivot, preferably a bolt 29, which pivotally suspends the article releasing element 30 95 and the article delivering element 81, and which bolt also secures the coin shelf 32.

The article releasing element 30 consists of a single piece of sheet metal whose major or body portion, is perforated to receive the bolt 29, nearer to the coin slot 27 than the discharge opening 22 whereby the end next the opening 22 Will have greater travel than the end next the coin slot;

As best shown in Fig. 2 the releasing element y30 isr provided at its end neXt the discharge opening With a gate 33, underlying the discharge opening normally, and of a length substantially that of the diameteof the discharge opening and of a Width, preferably, less than the diameter kof the discharge opening, by which latter expedient a lesser travel of the gate 33 is required to free the discharge opening to drop7 an article from the article receptacle i7 to the pocket forme-d by the Walls 23, 24 and 25. At its end, next the coin slot, the article releasing means carries a projection 34, which like the gatef 33, recited, and for the same reason, is located Wholly to one side of the element, as a vvhole.

This projection 34, extends to approximate the inner surface of the coin receptacle 11, and at its outer terminal, next the coin slot is bevelled to form a cam 35, which is engaged by an inserted coin to rock the entire element to elfect a Vmovement of the gate 33 from a position beneath the discharge opening (as shown to a position laterally removed from the discharge opening (as shown by broken lines in Fig. 2).V

From the cam 35, and along the median line of the element there is an edge 36, bevelled (as Vin Fig 3) and at a right angle thereto is a.v shoulderl 37 Which limits the insertion of the coin.

The article releasing element, as a Whole, is'rnoved in one direction-'by avspring 38 and a stop 39, formed preferably by striking an ear from the partition 16 .is arranged to limit such movement so that said spring will hold the element in its normal resting or initial position. l

The article delivering element, like the releasing element just described, is preferably constructed of a single piece of sheet metal and is perforated to receive the pivotholt 29, its end next the discharge opening, comprising an extension 40, which forms the bottom Vof the pocket formed by the Walls 23, 24 and 25, and vvhichv extension occupies a position Wholly to one side of the longitudinal median line of the element, vfor the .reason recited in connectionV with the gate 33.V

In each of the elements there is a vertical bend 41, Which combined formy aV Wall .Which completes the pocket comprising the Walls 23, 24 and 25. At its end nextthe comslot the delivering element carries a projection' 42 of L-section disposed in opposition t0 the edge 36 of the releasing ele- "ment as best shovvn in Figs. 2 and 3 WhichV at a point along its median line and by solid lines in Fig. 2)Y

forms the coin engaging element for the movement of the discharging element to effeet lateral movement of the extension 40, or pocket bottom, from a position beneath Y the pocket, to a position removed from the pocket as shown by solid and broken lines,

respectively, in Fig. 2 c Y V v The element 40 i held to' a normal position by a spring 43 similar to the spring 33, but of a lightery tension, and a stop (not shown) similar to the described stop 39. Y

As shown in Fig. l the base 10 is `pro-V vided With a receiver 44, and theV coin receptacle next the receiver is notched to forni an opening 45, through which the .released and delivered article is directed to the receiver.

article directing, or conducting,

means, just referred to, comprises a duct 46 disposed as shown in Fig; l with its upper, open, end lying directly beneath the pocket and its lower, open, with the opening 45 is' preferably constructed of tivo pieces of sheet metal, bent as shovvn in Fig. 5 and secured to a block resting on the base.

In order 'to obviatel operationbf the dclivering element, by means other than a coin,fsuch as a'thinbladed instrument l provide a springlatch 47, Which normallyV stands in a position preventing movement of the projection 42, and extension, or poc-k- `et bottom end registering The body or spring portion ofthe latch resides just inside the described lip E28-and hence is above the plane of an instrument inserted for the release of the latch, but'V such spring is provided with a portion 48 standing inthe plane of arcoin carried and moved Yby the'edgeV 36`and slioulderi? of the article releasing means so that as the spring moves the releasing Vmeans vto rcturn, or normal position, a Vcoin carried thereby engages the portion 48 of thc spring body and forces it outwardly to effect a release of the latch 47ffrom the projection 4.2 to permitv an actuation'of the delivering element, as best shown in Fig. 4.

The operation is vas follows: Assuming the receptacle 17 to contain articles .for release and delivery, such as the ball gum described; the gate in its normal position, preventing release of an article lying in the opening 22; tom7 40 in its normal position Vpreventing delivery from `the pocket and the latch47 locking-the projection 42, the Vvendee inserts a coin through the Coin slot 27 which j. coin rests on the ,shelf 32 and visfvforced manually thereover to engage the Ycam Alt this step in the coin movement ja peripheral point on the coin is in engagement WithV the end of the coin slot.- A continued manual movement ofthe coin held againstv lateral movement inv one direction the delivery pocket bot# 5 by the slot forces the cam laterally against the tension of the spring 38 and effects ya withdrawal of the gate and thereby releases an article from the receptacle 17, to tall into the pocket to rest on the pocket bottom 40.

A continued mann-al movement of the coin brings it beyond the cam and the end 7 of the coin slot 27, to engagement with the edge 36 and shoulder 37, of the releasing element, at which time, ot course, the said cam is in a laterally shifted position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

At the moment the coin passes the cam and coin slot the edge 36 by reason of the spring 38 moves the coin laterally and the shoulder 37 functions with the edge 36 to carry the coin to a position contacting the spring portion 48 and moves the latch 47 to release the projection 42 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4. rlhe coin movement is then continued by the spring 38 to move the projection 42 to a position carrying the pocket bottom 40 to open position which drops the article from the pocket into the duct 46 and receiver 44. At this period the two springs 38 and 43 are exerting opposing pressures on the coin held between the projection 42 and bevelled edge 36 suiticient to eject the coin over the bevelled edge to tall into the coin receptacle ll.

Following the release of the coin the springs 38 and 43 restore the gate 33 and pocket bottom 40 to closed, normal positions as determined by stops such as 39 and the cam 35 and projection 42 to their normal positions the latter being locked in such position by the latch 47.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent ot the United States therefor, is;

l. ln a vending machine, an article receptacle, an element comprising a gate for normally preventing release of articles from the receptacle and a portion for engagement by a manually inserted and moved coin for moving the gate to article releasing position and an element comprising a bottom :tor normally preventing delivery of the released article and a portion for engagement by the coin as moved by the first mentioned element for moving the bottom to delivering position.

2. In a vending machine, an article receptacle having a discharge opening, a spring actuated element comprising a gate for normally preventing release of articles from the discharge opening and means whereby a manually inserted and moved coin willellect movement of the gate to releasing position, a pocket for the released article, a spring actuated element comprising a bottom for normally preventing delivery of the released article from the pocket and means whereby the coin coasting with said spring actuated element will el'l'ectn'iovement of the bottom tor delivery of the article from the pocket.

3. ln a vending machine, an article ceptacle, a coin receptacle, an element normally preventing' release ot' articles from the article receptacle, a spring :tor holding the element to its normal position, a coin engaging projection carried by said element for its movement to article releasing position, a pocket for receiving the released article, an element normally preventing delivery of the article from the pocket, a spring' tor holding the second mentioned element to its normal position, a coin engaging element for the movement of the second mentioned element to article delivery position, means whereby the opposing pressures oit said springs will eject a coin held between the coin engaged projections to fall into the coin receptacle and means for conducting the released and delivered article through the coin receptacle.

4. In a vending machine, an article receptacle, a coin receptacle, an element normally preventing release or" articles from the article receptacle, a spring for holding the element to its normal position, a coin engaging projection carried by said element for its movement to article releasing position, a pocket for receiving the released article, an element normally preventing delivery of the article from the pocket, a spring for holding the second mentioned element to its normal position, a coin engaging element for the movement of the second mentioned element to article delivery position, means whereby the opposing pressures of said springs will eject a coin held between the coin engaged projections to fall into the coin receptacle and means for conducting the released and delivered article through the coin receptacle, the spring of the second mentioned element being of lighter tension than the spring of the iirst mentioned element whereby the coin as moved by the first mentioned element may move the second mentioned element to delivery position upon a return movement of the first mentioned element to article release preventing position.

5. A vending machine comprising article releasing and delivering elements arranged for movements in one direction by a coin, means for returning said elements to normal positions following their movements by the coin, coacting coin engaged devices on said elements whereby an inserted coin will upon manual movement actuate the releasing element and the releasing element by its returning means and the coin actuate the delivering element, and, means for ejecting the .Coin from between th-e said devices.

6. A vending machine comprising article releasing and delivering elements arranged for movements in one direction by a coin, means for returning said elements to normal positions following their movements by the coin, eoaeting coin engaged devices on said elements whereby an inserted ooiniyvill upon manual movement aetuate the releasing. element and the releasing element by its returning means andthe coin actua'te the delivering element', mea-ns Afor ejeeting the coin from between thesaid devices, and, a coinreleaseble locking Vdevice for the delivering element. o

- EDGAR BCKER.

Images