US1585179A - Pencil-vending machine - Google Patents

Description

May 18 1926. 1,585,179

J. W. WHIPPLE PENCIL VENDIN'G MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 18 1926.

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J. W. NH

MACHINE PENCIL VENDIN Fi led Feb glwuentpc Mb/ za w y z Patented May 18, 1926.

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PTENT OFFH'IE.

JOHN W. WHIPPLE, OF CUSHING, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-HALF T0 JOSEPH V. BAILEY, OF BUSHING, OKLAHOMA.

PENCIL-VENDING MACHINE.

Application filed February This invention relates to vending machines, and particularly to machines for vending pencils and like articles.

The general object of the invention is to provide a very simple and effective machine for this purpose so constructed that upon the deposit of a proper coin a single pencil will be vended.

A further object is to so construct the machine so that the machine will vend two kinds of pencils each upon the deposit of a proper coin.

A still further object is to provide a mechanism of this character which does not require the use of complicated mechanism which is liable to get out of order, and in which the magazines containing the pencils may be shifted out of the outer casing to permit the magazines to be filled.

Other objects have to do with the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will appear more fully hereinafter.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pencil vending machine constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional perspeetive view of the machine showing the interior construction;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view from front to rear;

Figure 4c is a perspective view of the means for supporting the magazines;

Referring to these drawings, designates a casing which is preferably made of metal, though any other suitable material may be used, one side of the casing being cut away, as at' 11, to accommodate a money drawer 12, this drawer, when closed, being locked to the casing itself by any suitable locking olevice as, for instance, a padlock passing through the hasp 13. The top of the casing is closed by a lid 14 held locked in any suit able manner, as by means of a hasp and pad lock, and the back of the casing is preferably provided with upwardly extending ears 15 whereby the casing may be mounted upon a wall if desired. The bottom of the casing is preferably flat so that the casing may also be mounted upon a counter. The front of the casing is provided with a transparent pane 16 and with a discharge slot 17 having a length equal to that of a pencil, and extending through this discharge slot is a chute 19, 1925. Serial No. 10,352.

18 formed exteriorly to the front of the case with a pencil-receiving shelf 19.

To one side of the case there is disposed a coin slot 20 and at the opposite side of the case on the front thereof is a coin slot 21. The coin slot 20 is for the reception of coins of one denomination and the slot 21 for the reception of coins of another denomination.

Disposed within the casing 10 and supported in any suitable manner, as will be 05 later described, are the two pencil containers or magazines 22 and 23, the bottom of each magazine extending downward to a medially disposed, longitudinally extending aperture 24 defined by downwardly extending side To walls. Disposed below each of the magazines 22 and 23 are the pencil vending rollers 25 and 26. These rollers may be made of wood, metal Or any other suitable material and are mounted upon a yoke 27 which is riveted, bolted or otherwise attached to any suitable support as, for instance, riveted to the back and end walis of the casing 10. Each of these rollers is fermed with a. longitudinally extending groove 27 having a 8 length sufficient to receive a pencil a from the corresponding magazine when the groove is brought up into coincidence with the mouth of the magazine. A spring 28 asso ciated with each roller is attached to the roller and to the wall of the casing or other suitable support and resists any rotation of the roller from a position with the groove 27 in coincidence with the mouth 24 into a discharging position. no

Each roller has a separate actuating means, and I have shown this actuating means for each roller as consisting of an operating rod 29 extending through the front of the casing and projecting beyond the same and passing through a small housing 30 which contains the coin control mechanism. Attached to this operating rod or plunger 29 is a chain or like flexible element 31, which in turn is attached to the loo roller or 26. It will be seen, therefore, that when the plunger 29 is forced inward, the chain will pull upon the roller and cause the roller to rotate against the action of the corresponding spring 28 in a. direction to carry the pencil contained within the groove 27 downward and forward and discharge it onto the chute '18. This chute 18 extends upward beneath the roller 25 and the rear end of the chute approximates the roller 11c :26 so that when either the roller 25 or 26 has rotated to a degree su'liicient to permit the p ncil to drop out, the pencil will drop out upon the chute 18 and will roll down the same and be deposited in the cup or receiver 19. course, immediately that the pressure upon the plunger 29 is released, the sprin will act to return the roller A Hial position with the groove 27 slots :0 and 91 for the reason that there which may be used in conjunction with the plunger and which are upon the luau A .t, aid for the further reason that the par ticular coin control mechanism forms no part of my present invention.

The magazines :22 and 23 are removable through the top of the casing upon opening of the lid and the downwardly extending flanges 2-iwhich define the mouth of each magazine fit between a pair of supporting irons 32 whose extremities are upwardly bent and fastened to the end walls of the casing, these supporting irons being preferably connected by cleats 33. Thus it will be seen that when the magazine is dis posed in place it is firmly supported by means of this pair of supporting irons engaging the flanges 2d, but that the magazines may be readily removed, filled with pencils, and then put back again, this being an easier method of filling the magazines than it it was necessary to leave the magazines within the casing and fill them, as this permits an employe to go from vending machine to vending machine, removing the empty magazine, replacing them with full magazines, and carrying the empties to a filling station.

The operation of my mechanism will be obvious from what has gone before. Preferably the front magazine 22 has a transparent front wall 2 through which the contents of the magazine may be observed, though this obviously is not entirely necessary. The front magazine preferably contains pencils which may be ve ded at the price of live cents and upon the insertion of a nickel in the slot 20 and the arrival of the n el at the housing 30 the plunger J3 is released and upon being pressed i ward draws, through the chain 31, the roller in countercloclnvise direction until the groove 2'? discharges the pencil upon the chute 18, whereupon the pencil rolls down said chute into the tray 19. As soon as the pencil is discharged upon the tray, which nation may be seen through the glass pane 16, the plunger may be released, whereupon the spring 28 will draw the roller back to its initial position and a new pencil will drop from the magazine into the groove 2?. The same operation, only involving the insertion 01 a different coin in the slot 21, will secure a pencil from the magazine 23 which is designed to contain pencils selling at one cent.

Preferably, though this forms no part 0t my invention, I provide a pencil sharpener Ell mounted upon one wall of the casing so that the vended pencils may be sharpened light there and then.

.lt will be seen hat the operating mechanism i pr this vending maehine is very simple and one with which elm t everybody is entirely familiar. The ditlerent parts of the vending machine are very sin'iple and lit snugly so as to make the whole machine compact and yet there is no "friction between the parts.

I claim 1. A pencil vending machine comprising a casing having a discharge slot, a coin receiving slot, a magazine mounted within the casing and having a hopper-shaped botti'un defining a longitudinally extending discharge slot, a roller disposed within the cusing below the magazine and having a groove adapted to align with said slot, means for actuating the roller including a plunger, a flexible connection attached to the plunger and to the roller and adapted thereby to cause the rotation of the roller when the plunger is torced inward to thereby carry the slot oi the roller "from a receiving to a discharge position to discharge the p ncil therefrom, a spring acting to return the roller to its initial position, and a chute receiving the pencil when it is discharged ml the roller and discharging it tl'irough the discharge slot of the casing.

52. A vending machine of the character dccribed including a casing having a discharge opening and a coin chute opening, a magazine disposed within the casing and having a hopper-shaped bottom formed with a longitudinally extending discharge slot, a roller mounted below the magazine and having a longitudinally extending groove CJI llO

adapted to receive a pencil discharged through said slot in the magazine, means for sh'l ting the roller in one direction comprisa plunger, a flexible connection extending from the plunger to the surface of the roller and being attached thereto at one point, coin actuated means for preventing the movement of the plunger without the introduction of a coin into the slot, and a chute upon which the pencil is discharged, the chute extending out through the discharge opening in the casing and being formed to constitute a tray.

3. A. pencil vending machine including a casing having a door at its top, a magazine supported within the casing and having a contracted lower end, manually operable means for discharging pencils one by one from the magazine, and a supporting means for the magazine attached to the casing and upon which the magazine rests, the magazine being vertically movable out of engagement with the supporting means and out through the top of the casing, said supporting means including parts embracing the contracted lower end of the magazine.

t. In a vending machine, a casing having a discharge opening, a magazine disposed within the opening, coin actuated means disposed below the magazine and adapted to receive an article therefrom and discharge it through the discharge opening of the casing upon the deposit of a coin, and means for supporting the magazine comprising a pair of longitudinally extending bars attached at their ends to the walls of the casing, the

magazine at its lower end having a dischar e. slot defined by downwardly extending flanges adapted to fit between the longitudinally extending bars of the magazine.

5. In a vending machine, an outer casing having an article discharge slot, amagazine disposed Within the casing and having a hopper-shaped bottom formed with a longitudinally extending discharge slot, aroller operatively supported immediately beneath the magazine and having a longitudinally extending slot coinciding with the slot in the magazine, the surface of the roller closing the slot of the magazine when the roller is turned to carry its groove away from the slot, a spring normally urging the roller into a position with its groove in alignment with the discharge slot of the magazine, an actuating plunger extending through the front of the casing, and a chain attached to the plunger and to the roller and acting, when the plunger is forced inward, to rotate the roller in a direction against the action of said spring.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN W. VVHIPPLE.

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