US2358563A

US2358563A - Vending machine

Info

Publication number: US2358563A
Application number: US519263A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jefferson R Donaldson
Original assignee: T C DANIELL
Current assignee: T C DANIELL
Priority date: 1944-01-22
Filing date: 1944-01-22
Publication date: 1944-09-19
Anticipated expiration: 1961-09-19

Description

- Sept. 19, 1944.

J. R. DONALDSON VENDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 22, 1944 INVEN TOR.

Patented Sept. 19, 1944" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I assess:

VENDING MACHINE Jefferson R. Donaldson, Dallas, Ten, assirnor of twenty-five per cent to '1. C. Daniell, Dallas, '1

Application January e2. 1944, Serial a... 519,268 Claims. (01. sis-4a) This invention relates to-merchandise vending machines and it has particular reference to such machines especially designed for dispensing beverages contained in bottles. g

The principal object of the invention is to provide a vending machine'consisting of a plurality of vertical and relatively parallel merchandise magazines from which articles of merchandise are singly and progressively discharged onto the inclned upper lead of a conveyor, operated by a -motor whose operative periods are effected by coin controlled mechanism. Moreover, provision is made whereby the merchandise in an inactive magazine is held against delivery by a trap door equipped with a lever arrangement actuated by thereof, the rear portion being occupied by the cooling equipment in a compartment, not shown A and serving as a merchandise precooling space. In Fig. 1 the reference numeral Illa indicates the rear wall of the front compartment. The channels I! of the dispensing assembly are disposed between the front wall (not shown) of the cabinet l0 and the rear wall Illa of the front compartment of the cabinet, the spacing between said walls being somewhat greater than the length of the bottles to be dispensed. Preferably the rear the weight of the merchandise in an adjacent magazine, plus the articles which have been re= leased onto the conveyor preparatory to vending.

channels I! are secured by bolts, rivets, welding or the like to the rear wall lila of the front compartment, and the front channels l2 are preferably supported by trusses or struts 12:: extending from the rear channels between the side flanges and connected with the'front channels between their side flanges, whereby the front channels are supported by the rear channels in aligned and confronting relationship as shown in Fig. 2.

The lower ends of th channel irons I2 are slantingly cut-to correspond tothe inclined plane of a plate I! stationarily mounted below and in spacedrelation to the lower ends of the said channel irons l2. This plate serves to support the upper leads of a pair of chains Hi, the latter tures of accomplishment which will become anparent as the description proceeds, taken in con nection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a front elevational view of the vending mechanism of the invention with the front plate of the cabinet removed.

Figure 2 isa fragmentary view in perspective showing the discharge end of one magazine in solid lines and that of an adjacent magazine in broken lines with the conveyor fragmentarily shown.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the discharge end of a magazine, showing the removed to disclose a series of vertically disposed and relatively parallel merchandise magazines I I. These magazines are defined by spaced pairs of confronting channel irons l2, stationarily mounted in the cabinet In in the foremost portion serving as a conveyor by which the bottles I511 or like articles of merchandise, are transported to the elevator, the latter to, be described presently.

Thechains H are parallel andoperate over sprockets I5, mounted on a shaft It at one side i of the cabinet and over sprockets ll, mounted on a shaft l8 adjacent the opposite side of the cabinet. v

At one side of the cabinet and preferably directly below the shaft "5 is a motor l9, suitably enclosed in a housing 20. Asprocket 2! on the motor shaft provides a drive for a chain 22 which surrounds a sprocket 28 on shaft iii to thus drive the conveyor chain l4.

Since there are many reliable types ofcoin control mechanisms available, and in view of the fact that any such mechanism would not be consldered a part of the present invention, the mechanism for controlling the operationof the motor i9 is deleted from the disclosure, it being the motor l9 will operate a period of time sufficient to move the conveyor chains M a distance I equal to the diameter of the article of merchandisc, or the bottle l5a in the present case. The

purpose of so timing the mechanism will be ex-- parallel chains 24, operating over sprockets 25 and 26, the latter being mounted on shafts 21 and 23 respectively, which are parallel both relatively and with respect to the conveyor shafts l6 and I3. A chain 28a drives shaft 21 from a sprocket on shaft [8. Mounted on the chains 24 are receptacles 29 which, as clearly apparent in Figure 4, are inclined with respect to the direction of travel of their supporting chains 24. These receptacles are caused to be moved into register with the discharge end of the conveyor, that is, the upper leads of chains l4, in, timed relation with the arrival at this point of the spacers 30, mounted at spaced intervals on the chains i4 to maintain proper positioning of the bottles l5a. As a receptacle 29 reaches a level with the discharge end of the conveyor, a bottle [50. will roll into the receptacle preparatory to being carried upward towards the discharge opening 3| (Figure 4) of the cabinet, and through which the bottle is caused to be propelled by gravity into a receiving chute 32, by virtue of the inclined plane of the receptacle 29 of the elevator. The wall 33 (Figure 4) serves to hold the bottles in the open ended receptacles 29 until the opening is reached and is in register with a receptacle. It is apparent therefore that as the bottles are successively discharged from the magazines progressively, the conveyor causes them to successively move to the discharge end of the conveyor, to be caught up and elevated to a point of ultimate discharge through opening 3|, accessible to the customer.

0f outstanding importance amongthe elements of the present invention is the magazine closures by which is made possible the progressive emptying of these magazines. One of these closures is mounted on the discharge of each magazine and consists of a plate 34, adapted, when operative, to close the lower end of the magazine, as shown in broken lines in Figure 3 and when inoperative, the plate rests on the floor l3 of the inclined port the column of articles in one magazine by the weight of the column in the next adjacent magazine, and by 'thefact that the articles already released into the delivery chute or passageway which will not allow the plate to assume its inoperative position. To provide for this, a lever arm 31 is disposed behind the plate 34, bent at a to form an obtuse angle to generally conform to the shape of the plate 34, and further having a similar bend at b, at which point it is pivoted toa transverse shaft 3.8. The extremity of the lever 31 extends beyond the pivot b and to the end of this extension there is pivotally connected the end of a link 39 which extends downwardly and is pivotally joined to the plate 34 intermediate its sides and ends, as shown more clearly in Figure 3.

It is apparent from the foregoing and especially by observing the last two columns of articles in Figure 1 that the column to the left in this figure, bears upon the lever 31 at the end away from the pivotb thereof, and the leverage assapea thus afforded will exert a pull through link 38 upon the plate 34, sumcient to overcome the weight of the column in the adjacent magazine, provided of course that the weights of the columns are proportionate. However, this is not the solemedium by which the articles are held against premature release from the magazines. It will be noted that until the last bottle Ilia passes the discharge point of the last magazine of the assem-- bly in its course down the inclined floor l3, the bottles themselves, in engaging the tail of the lever 31, cause the closure plate 34 to be sus tained in operative position as shown in broken lines in Figure 3. Thus, when all but the last of the magazines have become depleted, the last plate 34 is permitted to fall, provided, of course, that there is no bottle therebelow to sustain it. Therefore, the articles will begin to be successively released from the last magazines as they were from the proceeding magazines, as coins or tokens are deposited into the machine.

In operation, the front panel (not shown) of the machine is removed and bottles l5a are inserted into the receptacles 29 on the upgoing side of the elevator as well as into each station defined by spacers 30 to the top of the inclined passage below the magazines. It is necessary of course, to raise the closure plates 34 and their operating levers 31, thereby closing the magazines at their lower ends. When this has been done, each magazine is filled to capacity, the bottles being inserted from the front, one upon the other, as shown. When-the front panel of the cabinet has been replaced, the machine is in readiness for operation.

Upon the deposit of a coin in a suitable slot, not shown, the motor will be set into operation to cause the elevator to bring a receptacle 29 into register with the discharge opening 3|, allowing a bottle to slide, by gravity, into the receiver 32. Simultaneously, the conveyor l4 wil be moved a corresponding distance and the low'- est bottle thereon will fall into a receptacle 29 which has moved into a corresponding position to receive it. As the conveyor thus moves, the entire group of bottles supported thereby will be moved progressively forward to a new position.

The foregoing performance continues until the magazine at the extreme left in Figure 1 is emptied, allowing the closure plate 34 to fall, thereby releasing the column in the next adjacent magazine for successive discharge. Accordingly, as each magazine is depleted, the next precedingmagazine becomes operative until all are emptied of merchandise unless of course, they are recharged before this occurs, in which case, the operation is repeated.

Manifestly, the construction and process as shown and described is capable of some modification and such modification as may be construed to fall within the scope and meaning of the appended claims is also considered to be within the spirit and intent of the invention.

What is claimed is:

,1. A vending machine including an assembly of vertical, parallel, article-containing magazines, a closure plate swingably suspended at the dis-. charge end of each of said magazines but one, a lever pivoted above said plate and lying partially in an adjacent magazine and partially underneath said plate and connected with said plate whereby articles in said adjacent magazine and below said magazine assembly will bear upon the same to move said plate to close its magazine, means for receiving and conveying articles of .magazines, means for releasing articles from said magazines'progressively to-be received by said conveyor, said means comprising a plate closing the discharge of each magazine but one and a lever connected with said plate and having a portion constrained by articles in an adjacent magazine and having a bent portion engaged by articles on said conveyor to urge said plate to closed positionand adapted, upon depletion of said adjacent magazine, to yield to the weight of the articles in a succeeding magazine and means for receiving articles singly from said conveyor and for transferring the same to a point of discharge.

3. In an article vending machine, a series of vertical and parallel magazines containing articles of merchandise, an inclined, normally charged conveyor thereunder, a pivoted closure individual to the discharge of each magazine but one, a lever connected with said closure lying partially in an adjacent magazine, and having a bent portion underlying a closure sustained by the articles on said conveyor and those in said adjacent magazine for holding said closure over the discharge of a filledmagazine said levers adapted upon progressive depletion of said magazines to' yield to the weight of the merchandise supported thereby to allow the closures to open,

and means for successively receivingartlcles of merchandise from said conveyor for individual discharge.

4. In a merchandise vending machine, a plurality of magazines-containing articles-oi merchandise, means influenced by the weight of articles in one magazine to close the discharge opening of an adjacent magazine butone and adapted, upon depletion of said flrstf magazine toyield to the weight of the articles in said adjacent magazine, conveyor means below said magazines positioned to hold articles transported thereby in engagement -with,the closing means of undepleted magazines and to eilect 'progresa sive emptying of uncovered magazines andmeans for receiving articles of merchandise" delivered. at the discharge end of said conveyor means.

5. In a merchandise vending machine, a series of magazines containing articles of merchandise, a conveyor in spaced relation to the discharge end of said magazines onto which articles are singly deposited by gravity from said magazines, a pivoted closure for each of said magazines but one, means connected with each of said closures and influenced by the articles on said conveyor and .the weight of the articles in an adjacent .magazine to hold said closure operatively over the discharge opening of one magazine and effective, upon advancement of thearticles by said conveyor to yield to the supported weight of said articles, whereby to eflect progressive discharge of said magazines and means for discharging articles of merchandise singly from said machine.

I JEFFERSON R. DONALDSON.