US1664546A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Description

April 3, 1928. 1,664,546

A. P. GILBERTSON VENDING MACHINE Filed March 2, 1925 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 I M i 4 Ansel F Either-Tana A. P. GILBERTSON VENDING MACHINE Filed March 2, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATLSE-L F. Eli Lb EH15 cm.

April 3, 1928. 1,664,546

A. P.- GILBERTSON VENDING MACHINE Filed March 2, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet .5

. gwuemto'o Ansel F. ELTEIEPTEUTL.

Patented Apr. 3, 192 8 UNITED STATES ANSEL I. GILBE BTSON, OI WAUSAU, WISCONSIN.

VENDING MACHINE.

Application 11166 March 2, 1925. SeI'iaI'No. 12,660.

ated vending machine, whic is particularl well adapted to be used in connection wit vending of cigarettes and like articles.

A further object of this invention is the provisionof a simple and compact vending machine, embodying an efiicient coin operated mechanism, fool-proof in nature, and

carried in an accessible position, and in such manner that the same will not interfere with access to the interior of the machine for the purpose of refilling with the article to be dispensed.

A further object of this'invention is the provision of a novel type of dispensing machine, embodying a closure which carries a coin operating mechanism of a simple and compact nature.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent durlng' the course of the following detailed description.

6 In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the hu proved vending machine. I

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1, showing details of the improved vending machine.

' Figures 3, 4 and 5 are cross sectional views taken on their respective lines in Figure 2 of the drawings.

Figures 6 and 7 are cross sectional views taken substantially on their respective lines in Figure 5 of thedrawings'.

Figures 8 and 9 are cross sectional views taken substantially on their respective lines in Figure 1 of the drawings.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of this invention, the letter A may generally designate the improved vending machine, which may consist of a casing B; dispensing mechanism C; and coin operated means D for cooperative use with the dispensing mechanism C to regulate the dispensing of the articles to be vended.

The casing B is of any approved character, although the same may be rectangular, and

it consists of a body portion 10, providing a. rear wall 11; side walls 12 and 13; top wall 14; and the weighted base or bottom wall 15; said body 10 beingopen forwardly thereof, and receiving the hinged closure 16' thereat. The closure 16 is .rhingedly connected, as at 18, at the forward edge of the wall 12, and may swing to open the casing body 10 so that the same ma be refilled with the articles to be ven ed. A 6 look mechanism 20, of the key operated type, is supported by the free margin portion of the closure 16, for locking cooperation with suitable keeper mechanism carried by the wall 13, the same being in accordance with the construction illustrated in Figure 9 of the drawings. If desired, the body 10 may have the walls thereof constructed of wood, sheet lined with metal, or said walls may be constructed of sheet or metal or wood.

Upon the exterior surface of the closure 16, it is preferred to mount a panel 26, which may be used for displaying advertisements of any approved character. At the lower portion of the closure 16, the same is provided with an article dispensing opening 27 communicating with the receiving compartment 28 of the body 10. The closure 16 forwardly thereof and below the panel 26 will also be provided with suitable receptacle means 30 for carrying a box of matches 31.

Referring to the dispensing and article controlling mechanism C, the same is carried entirely within the compartment 29 of the body 10, and the same mainly includes a hopper or cylindrical shaped dispensing member'35, which includes a shaft 36 centrally thereof having a bearing 37 in the rear wall 11, and at the opposite end thereof providing a bearing in the form of a clutch part 39, which rotatably bears in a supporting bracket 40, which is in the nature of a piece of sheet material flanged at its ends 41 and secured to the inside surface of the side walls 12 and 13. This sheet metal supporting bracket 40 is disposed in a vertical plane,

inwardly of the compartment 29 of the body 10, in spaced relation to'the door or closure 16 when the same is shut, and it is mounted between the top and bottom walls of the easing B. The dispensing cylinder 35 is referabl s'o rotatably mounted on the sha t 36, and eyed thereto, at a point between the side walls, and on an axis between the top and bottom walls, although closer to the bot-' guide floors or walls 43 and 44 are provided,

respectively secured to the walls 13 and 12, at points above the roller or cylinder 35, and sloping downwardly therefrom, and at opposite sides of said cylindrical shaped roller 35 providing arcuate portions 46 and 47 respectively, arcuating about the external circumference of the said" cylinder 35, concentric therewith. The part of the compartment in the casing B above the sloping walls 43 and 44 is adapted to receive the cigarettes or articles 47 to be vended. As this compart= at which position they are inclined for easy sliding through the opening 27, although the inclination of the portion 63 is not sufliciently great to permit the articles 47't0 fall by gravity through said opening 27.

The roller cylinder35 is of any approved solid or hollow construction, and of course is rigidly connected with the shaft 36 for rotation therewith, It is, however, provided with a plurality of equal spaced longitudinal pockets 65 in the outer periphery thereof, into which the articles or cigarettes 47 may readily fall, tofill each of said pockets as the roller is being rotated across the columns ment is relatively wide, and to keep the of cigarettes supported between the side articles in parallel relation, to prevent their crossing, it is preferred to provide vertically disposed guide walls or partitions 49 and 50, at their upper ends secured as at 52 to the inside surface of the top wall 14, and vertically depending into the compartment above 'thedeliverycylinder 35, and sub-dividing said compartment above the delivery cylinder 35 'into three compartments, wherein columns of the articles 47 may be supported, to prevent the said articles 47 from becoming disordered. The lower edges of the par-' tition walls 49 and 50 terminate just short of contact with'the cylinder 35.

At the lower ends of the arcuate portions 46 and 47*, the same are spaced, and provided with tangential spaced flanges 55 and 56, leading away from the outer periphery of the delivery cylinder 35, and providing a tangential way 57 therebetween, through which the articles 47 are delivered, and fall by gravity therethrough. The flange 55 is provided with an edge baffle flange 58, at

right angles to the flange 55, and bathing over the end of the way 57, to prevent unauthorized tampering with the roller 35, as might occasion by insertion of a wire, by an unauthorized person, through the entrance opening 27 and into the receiving compartment 28. A lateral opening 60 is thus provided between the baflie flange 58 and the edge of the guide flange 56, which changes the delivery direction of the'articles 47, as they pass from the way 57 into the receiving compartment 28. The receiving comparte ment 28 is located at one side, and at the lower corner of the body 10. An arcuated delivery shelf 62 extends from connection with the point of junctureof the guide flange 56 with the arcuate portion 47, and extends downwardly and across towards the wall 13, and at its end is connected to the wall 13. This arcuate delivery shaft 62 has a slope, as is illustrated at the portion 63, in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, from the rear wall 11 towards the delivery opening 27 the closure 16, s'orthat the articles 47 may have a tendency to flow downwardly over the delivery shelf 62 onto the arcuate portion 63,

outer periphery of the same includes a Wall connected rearwardly in spaced relation at the inside surface of the closure or door 16, in spaced relation therewith to provide a compartment 72 between the said wall 70 and the closure 16. Upon the inside surface of this wall 70 a wall 73 is connected, in spaced relation, providing acompartment 74 between the same and the wall 70, and within which compartment vertical'guide flanges 75 and 76 are provided, between which a guide slot or way 77 is provided, adapted to slidably receive therein a lower slide member 78, and an upper hand operated and coin engaging slide or plunger 79, the nature of which will be subsequently described. A rearmost wall or partition 80 is carried by the closure 16,

spaced from the inner wall 73, and adapted when the door or closure 16 is shut to lie in the same plane above the bracket plate 40 which provides a bearing for one end of the cylinder 35. This wall 80 is so located that the cigarettes at their forward ends cannot be displaced, and will be properly guided onto the cylinder 35. Below the Wall portion 80, a wall portion 83 is provided, preferabl integral with the wall 80, and forward y of the bearing bracket plate 40, within which an openingis provided for rotatably supporting a clutch part 88, adapted to cooperate with the clutch part 39 of the dispensing cylinder 35, in a manner which will be subsequently described. These walls may be assembled in the relation described by means of screws or bolts 85, after the manner illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings, or may be soldered to each other and to the door 16.

A stub shaft 89 rotatably bears in the walls 70. and 73 across the space 74 therebetween, in axially aligning relation with the shaft 36, of the dispensing cylinder 35, and projects into the compartment or space 72 between the closure 16 andthe wall 70, and therein is provided with a gear 90. The

shaft 89 also extends into the space between the wall 73 and the wall portion 83, and in fact'has the clutch part 88 keyed thereto. Between the clutch part 88 and the wall 73, however, an arm 91 is pivotally mounted upon the shaft portion 89, and is provided with a pawl 92 adapted to cooperate over the teeth 93 of a ratchet wheel 94 which is keyed to the stub shaft 89 adjacent thg clutch part 88. The slide member 78 is slidable in a path which intersects the stub shaft 89, and is provided witlra verticalslot 96 therein to permit relative movement of the said slide member with respect to the shaft 89, and as is illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. The outer or upper end of the arm 91'is pivotally connected to the up er end of the slide member 78, by means 0 a connecting rod or shaft 99; the pin 100 which so connects the connecting rod to the slide member 78 extending through the wall 73, through a vertical slot 102 therein, so that the pin mayslide along this wall in a defined path. The connecting rod 99 and the arm 91 are pivoted in an obtuse angular relation, with the pivotal connection 103 of the connecting rod with the arm 91 located laterally of the path of sliding movement of the slide member 7 8, so that upon downward movement of the slide member 78 the pawl 92 engaging the ratchet wheel 94 will cause the same to rotate for a certain degree of movement, sufficient when the clutch members 88 and 89 are in engagement to rotate the dispensing cylinder 35 for a degree of movement sufficient to dispensing one cigarette or article 47. A spring 105 is preferably connected between an arm 106 rigid with the arm 91 and the pawl 92, for the purpose of urging the latter into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 94, to prevent displacement therefrom. To prevent return movement of the ratchet wheel 94 a detent 107 ispivoted, as at 108, to the wall 73, spring urged, as at 109, into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel 94, to prevent such backward movement, as is illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings.

The closure 16 at an upper corner thereof is provided with a coin inserting opening 115 therein, and such opening extends into the compartment 74 between the walls and 73, wherein downwardly and laterally sloping guide flanges 116 and 117 are provided, to define a way 118 which communicates with the way 77, so that the coin may pass along the way 118 into the way 7 7 to a point between the upper plunger or slide member 79 and the lower sllde member 78, and upon the upper beveled edge 119 of which lower slide member 78 the coin rests, as is illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. In the compartment or space 74 between the walls 70 and 73 a lateral and downwardly sloping The ways 118 and 120 are, however, divergent with respect to each other from the way 77 and the way 120 downwardly slopes into communication with a vertical way 122, which at the lower end thereof is provided with an opening 123 through the wall 73, which communicates into a coin receiving comparment 125 located in the body 10 above the base 15, and below the arcuate article guiding wall 62, as is illustrated in Figures 3 and 7 of the drawings. The lower edge of the slot 123, is beveled downwardly, as at 128, to insure the dropping or lateral movement of the coin from the slot 122, as the same reaches the opening 123, and as is illustrated in the drawings.

A handle or finger engaging knob 130 is connected with the upper end of the plunger 79, extending through vertical slots 131 provided in the door 16 and the wall 70, and projecting exteriorly of the door or closure 16, where a person may gras the same in order to push the plunger 79 ownwardly in the way 77. A spiral compression spring 133 is disposed in the space 72 between the closure 16 and the adjacent wall 70, at its lower end resting upon a pin or analogous support 134 and at its upper end engaging the knob or finger member 130 to force the same upwardl in the slots 131, and to always maintain t e member 79 in its up ermost position in the slot 77 and so that t e beveled lower edge 140 thereof is always upwardly above the entrance of the way 118 to the way 77 to permit the coin to roll downwardly along the way 118 into the space in the way 77 between the edges 119 and 140, as is illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. A spring 145 is provided for bringing the lower slide member 78 back to its uppermost position in the way 77 and this spring is illustrated in Figure 2 as being connected to the wall 73 at its upper end and to the pin 100 at its lower end to operate in the manner mentioned.

Referring to the operation of the improved vending machine, a person slips a coin of suitable character into the opening 115,- and the same by gravity rolls downwardly along the sloping way 118 into the way 77 to resting relation upon the upper edge 119 of the slide member 78. The person then pushes downwardly upon the knob 130, which directs the slide member or plunger 79 downwardly along the way 77 until the lower edge 140 thereof comes into engagement with the coin at its upper edge. This coin is of just sufficient diameter that the space occupied thereby will permit the lowering of the plunger 79 to also lower or push the slidemember 78 downwardly. Such downward movement of the slide member 78 functions in the manner above described for moving the arm 91 upon the shaft 89 as a pivot axis, so that the pawl 92 engaging the teeth of the ratchet wheel 94 will rotate the latter to the desired degree, for moving the cylinder 35 in the direction illustrated by the arrow in Figure 3 of the drawings, to uncover one of the grooves 65 so that the cigarette or article 47 in that groove will roll downwardly along the battled way to the dispensing compartment 28, and from which the operator may extract the same through the opening 27, as is obvious. The coin in the slot 77 maintains its position until the same comes opposite the entrance of the sloping way 120 to the way 77, and when in this position the fact that the coin is pressed between the beveled edges 119 and 140, which diverge towards the way 120, causes this coin to enter the way 120 and drop downwardly therealong'into the way 122, and through the opening 123 into thecoin receiving compartment 125. Upon the release of the coin into the way 120, the spring 145 will of course urge the slide member' 7 8 upwardly, and thus moving the pawl 92 backwardly over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 94. The ratchet wheel 94 during such backward movement of the pawl, however, is prevented from turning by the detent 107, as above mentioned, and as is illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. The clutch parts 88 and 39 are of any approved nature, although it is preferred that the same at their facing surfaces be provided with tapered radially extending teeth, or corrugations, adapted to intermesh with each other to provide a positive connection between the shafts 89 and 36. It is also preferred to point or taper the shaft 89, as at 150, for seating in a suitable recess in the end of the shaft 36, after the manner illustrated in Figure 2 of the drawings, to properly align the shafts 36 and 89, and cause the clutch parts to seat in meshing relation, as the door 16 is closed to place the parts of the mechanism in an operating connecting relation.

To prevent rotation of the cylinder 35, by unauthorized means, except when the proper coin is inserted between the slide members 78 and 79, it is preferred to connect a detent 166 with the lower portion of the slide member 7 8, by means which extends through a slot 156 formed in the wall the detent 155 at its upper end being provided with a series of teeth or recesses of a nature to intermesh with the teeth of the gear 90; the said detent 155, of course, operating in the space between the closure 16 and the wall 70, and being held into engagement with the gear 90 by the spring 145, when the slide member 78 is uppermost, to effectively prevent any rotation of the dispensing cylinder 35, until the slide member 78 is lowered to move the detent out of engagement with the gear 90. As is illustrated in the drawings, the walls carried at the inside of the closure 16, at the swinging edge of said closure 16 are spaced to permit the inward swinging of the same into the body 10 of the casing 13, as is illustrated in Figures 6 and 8 of the drawings. compartment, the space between the s1de wall 13 and the free edge of the closure carried walls, is closed by means of a flange 160, to prevent liabilityof catching of the cigarettes in this space.

From the foregoing description of this invention it is apparent that a novel type of vending machine has been provided, which includes a novel type of coin operating mechanism carried by the closure, so that the details of the invention are very compact when assembled to enable access to the easing for refilling purposes, and to enable a proper cooperative connection of the dispensing mechanism with the coin operated mechanism, for the purpose of efliciently dispensing the cigarettes.

Various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the claims.

- I claim:

1. In a vendin'g machine of the class described the combination of a casing including a body providing a compartment therein and a closure member connected to said body for closing said compartment, said body including a rear wall and a bracket plate extending across the. forward part of said compartment adjacent said closure member, dispensing mechanism in the compartment including a shaft bearing in said rear wall and in said bracket plate, a clutch member carried by the shaft forwardly of the bracket plate, a wall carried inwardly by said closure member in spaced relation therewith adapted to extend into said compartmentfor guiding articles to be dispensed onto said dispensing mechanism, and operatin means carried by the closure member inc uding a shaft and a clutch member adapted to releasably mesh with the clutch member of said dispensing mechanism when the closure member is shut over said compartment.

2. In a vending machine the combination of a housing, a dispensing cylinder rotatably carried in said housing, guide walls enclosing said casin cylinder and at the lower portion of sand cylinder having inclined spaced flanges providinga'way inclined between the vertical and horizontal and exiting from the periphery of said cylinder and through which articles may pass from said cylinder, and a baffle plate carried by one of said flanges extending across said way In the upper cigarette supply.

short of the other flange to baflie the path of travel of the articles as they are dispensed from said cylinder.

3. The combination with a housing providing a compartment therein and a delivery opening throu h the compartment, a dispensing cylin er rotatably carried in the compartment of said housing providing pockets inwardly of the periphery thereof,

means for guiding articles into the pockets of said periphery comprising arcuate walls extending about said periphery and downwardly about 'the roller and at the lower edges thereof having inclined flanges in spaced relation to provide an inclined way through which the articles pass as they are dispensed from said cylinder, a baffle plate carried by one of said flanges extending across said way short of the other flange to provide a dispensing way between said bafiie plate and said other flange, and an arcuate guide flange extending in said housing from said dispensin way towards the delivery opening of sai housing, said last mentioned flange being inclined towards said delivery opening.

4. In a vending machine the combination of a casing having a compartment therein, said casing having an opening in the'front thereof to said compartment, a closure movably carried by the casing for closing said opening, a dispensing cylinder rotatably supported by the casing in said compartment having a rlgid clutch disc thereon facing towards the opening of the casing and-having a serrated face, a shaft rotatably supported by and movable with the closure, and coaxial with said dispensing cylinder when the closure is shut; means supported on the closure for rotating said shaft, and a clutch disc carried by the shaft at the inside of the closure having a serrated face adapted to mesh face to face with the dispensing cylinder clutch disc when the closure is shut over the opening of the casing, said clutch discs being disengaged when the closure is open with respect to said casing.

ANSEL P. GILBERTSON.

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