US2523677A - Coin-controlled bottle dispensing machine - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 26, 1950 Filed May '13, 1947 J. BL BROCK 2,523,677

COIN-CONTROLLED BOTTLE DISPENSING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 JOHN B. BROCK Elma/Wm:

'7 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. B. BROCK CONTROLLED BOTTLE DISPENSING MACHINE COIN- Sept. 26, 1950 Filed May 13, 1947 JOHN B. BROCK moi @0- Sept. 26, 1950 J. B. BROCK CONTROLLED BOTTLE DISPENSING MACHINE COIN- Filed May 13, 194'? 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 lnvenior: mm: a. mom? Sept. 26, 1950 J. B. BRdcK COIN-CONTROLLED BOTTLE DISPENSING MACHINE Filed May 15, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 6 e v @FEE Sept. 26, 1950 J. B. BROCK CONTROLLED BOTTLE DISPENSING MACHINE COIN- 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 13. 1947 J. B. BROCK com-conmomzn BOTTLE DISPENSING MACHINE Sept. 26, 1950 Filed May 13, I 1947 '7 Sheets-Sheet 6 vNT mmmzwczou m momwwmmzoo awe/Mom! JOHN B. BROOK 7 Sheets-Sheet Y J. B. BROCK COIN-CONTROLLED BOTTLE DISPENSING MACHINE Sept. 26, 1950 Filed May 13, 1947 awe/Mow.-

JOHN B. BROCK Patented Sept. 26, 1950 COIN-CONTROLLED BOTTLE DISPENSING MACHINE John B. Brock, Adairsville, Ga, assignor of onehalf to William H. Earnhardt, Charlotte, N. (I.

Appiication May 13, 1947, Serial No. 747,632

This invention relates to a vending machine and moreespecially to a machine for vending bottles of soft drinks and is preferably coin or checkcontrolled and comprises in the main a refrigerated compartment having a rack extending from one end of the compartment to the other and provided with spaced upper and lower membersand provided with a framework for holding the bottles in spaced relation to each other and preferablyzin 'vertical position together with a pairof doors or lids for the two ends of the cabinet and means for locking one door while the other is unlocked so thatwa customer may deposit acoin and move an operating member which will automatically expose :to accessibility one bottle which can be removed from the rack. The customer may raise the lid before or after depositing the coin, but a bottle cannot be removed until a coin :is deposited. 1

l he invention comprises a sliding cover which is moved in step-by-step relation and having a biased edge adapted to progressively move in response to'a vending operation to fully remove the cover from a bottle te-(allow it to be removed but preventing the removal of the next bottle until anothercoinis dropped into the 'box to thus allow the cover to be moved another step to expose the next bottle. The cover isso designed that when and since the cover over the bottles in one end has been completely removed from over the holes in which the bottles were deposited, the cover will then be ready to be moved in a reverse direction in step-by-steprelation from over the bottles in the other end of the cabinet and before this operation is carried out, of course, the empty end of the-cabinet will be filled with new filled bottles so that they can be refrigerated while the bottles from the other end of the cabinet are being dispensed. This operation of exchanging ends will be carried on progressively as the demand for the soft drinks consumes the bottled drinks from one end or the other of the cabinet.

One of the advantages of the invention is the storage of a great number of bottles in a small amount of space, thus occupying a minimum of floor space. Also, a smaller refrigeration area is provided, which is economical in operation.

20 Claims. (Cl. 194-84) Another advantage is that'the protecting slidable cover does not have to be re-set when the bottles are exhausted, but only reversed as to di-- '2 rection of movement, thus rendering another quantity of refrigerated beverages.

It is thus seen that a single cover will serve for both ends of the cabinet and the same mechanism will move the cover in step-by-step relation relative to a particular end, thus causing one coinco'ntrolled mechanism to control the dispensing of the bottled drinks from either'end of the compartment.

Some of the objects .of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an isometric View of the cabinet and showing one of the doors slightly raised;

Figure '2 is a top plan View of the cabinet with the center cover section housing the coin-controlled apparatus being removed and both doors being removed;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of the cabinet and taken substantially along the line 3--3 and showing parts in elevation and parts broken away;

Figure 4 is an isometric view of the front portion of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 5;

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the rack or bottle holder which is adapted-to fit in the upper portion of the cabinet;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of the far side of the rack or bottle holder as seen in Figure 6 and taken along the line 'l'l in Figure 6; V

Figure 8 is an enlarged detailed sectional view of theupper ieft-hand corner of Figure 7;

Figure '9 is a vertical sectional view through the cabinet and associated parts and taken substantially along the line 99 in Figure l and omitting the lower portion of the cabinet;

Figure 10 isa top plan view of the front central portion of the center cover portion of the cabinet-and taken substantially along the line l0l 0 in Figure 3'; v Figure 11 is a vertical sectional detail view taken along the line l l-! I in Figure 2;

Figure 12 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line l2-l2 in Figure 3;

Figure 13 is a vertical sectional view similar to Figure 3 except that the central portion is shown in elevation and the end portions in section and showing the connection between the ends of the center piece and the upper side walls of the cabinet;

Figure 14 is a vertical sectional view taken along the-line l 4-14 in Figure 10.

" Referring more specifically to the drawings,

the numeral indicates a cabinet having end walls 2| and 22 and side walls 23 and 24. The cabinet has a bottom 25 secured to the interior surfaces of the end walls and side walls and suitable insulation material 26 is disposed between the outer side walls and outer end walls and a lining member 20 which is preferably metal or other impervious or watertight material so that the cabinet can be used as a wet box or as a dry box as desired.

The lining 28 at its top edges along the sides and ends is bent outwardly as at 30 and has a suitable rubber gasket 3| fixed thereto which fits also into suitable grooves along the upper inner portions of the side walls and end walls.

In the bottom of the compartment formed by the liner 20, suitable refrigeration coils 32 may be disposed which are connected by pipes 33 and 34 to a refrigeration compressor and condensor unit 35 which is driven by a belt 36 which in turn is driven by an electric motor 31.

The two end portions of the cabinet are covered b swinging lids 40 and GI hinged as at 42 and 43 respectively and each having a handle 44 by means of which the lids 40 and 5| can be raised to gain access to the interior of the cabinet. The front edges of these doors are adapted to be locked in closed position by means to be later described.

Conforming to the interior of the cabinet and 1 extending from side-to-side and end-to-end of the interior of the cabinet is a rack or bottle holder 45 for supporting bottles. This holder comprises four corner posts 50, 5|, 52 and 53 and a pair of center posts 55 and 56 disposed on each side of the holder, the upper ends of which are secured to plates 51 which have a plurality of spaced holes 58 in a right-hand plate 51a and a plurality of spaced holes 59 in the left-hand plate 57 as seen in Figure 2, leaving a portion in the middle thereof having no holes therein because this is covered by the coin-controlled mechanism. The holes 58 in plate 51 are made large enough to accommodate soft drink bottles 5|. Also secured between the center legs 55 and 55 on each side of the holder is a reinforcing plate 02. The bottom ends of the legs 55 and 56 on each side of the holder are secured together by means of an angle bar 63. Secured below the plate 51 and in spaced relation thereto are plates 64 and 65 which likewise have registering perforations 58a therein in the same manner as plate 51 and through which the bottles 6| pass. This plate 54 is secured at its side and end edges to the upright posts 5|, 53, and 55. Plate 65 is secured at its side and end edges by upright posts 56, and 52. Secured between the corner post 50 and the back post 50 is an angle bar which is identical in all respects and is disposed at the same level as an angle bar 65 secured between the back post and the corner post 5|. Between the post 52 and the front center post 56 is secured an angle bar 6? and between the front center post 55 and corner post 53 is secured an angle bar 68. These angle bars have secured to the upper horizontal portions thereof a plurality of cross angle bars 69 which are disposed in spaced relation below the holes 58a in the plate 5'! and also below the coinciding holes in plates 64 and 65 so as to centrally engage the bottom of bottles 6| disposed in the rack, thus holding the bottles in an upright position.

Welded on the top outer side edges of the plate 51 are channel bars I5 and 16 which are disposed on one of their sides and have their open S d facing each other. Slidably mounted on the channel bars I5 and 10 is a cover plate which has its side edges turned downwardly, inwardly and then upwardly as at 3| so that the pointed lower portion of this inturned portion 8| on each side of the cover 80 will slide on the lower portion of each of the channel bars I5 and I6. One end of the cover plate 80 is provided with a sloping or biased edge 82 terminating in an arcuate portion 83. The other end of the cover plate 80 likewise has a sloping edge 84 terminating in an arcuate portion 85. The angularity of the edges 82 and 84 is such that as the cover plate is advanced step-by-step it will completely uncover, one at a time, the orifices 58 to allow a bottle therein to be removed but will not sufliciently uncover the next adjacent orifice until the cover plate has been moved another step. The side edges of cover plate 80 are perforated from end to end as at 8'! and 80 to form a rack along each edge of the cover plate into which the teeth of suitable pinions, to be presently described, fit for moving the cover plate 80 from one end of the cabinet to the other in step-by-step relation as will be later explained.

Disposed centrally of the channel members 15 and I6 and spanning the distance therebetween is a housing member which has downwardly projecting lips 9| at each end thereof which are secured by riveting or spot welding and the like to the exterior of plates 52 secured between the upper ends of the central legs 55 and 56 on each side of the rack. The member 90 has a bottom 92 extending all the way across the rack and has uprising sides 93 and 94 which are turned inwardly towards each other as at 95 and 96 and have uprising portions 9'! and 98. The bottom 92 has two uprising spaced members I00 and IOI in which is rotatably mounted a shaft I02. This shaft near each end thereof has pinions I03 and I04 fixed thereon and the bottom is cut away to form slots I05 and I06 and through these slots I95 and I06 the lower portions of the pinions I03 and I04 project. The teeth of pinions I03 and I04 are adapted to engage the perforations 81 and 88 respectively, whereby the cover plate 80 can be moved towards one end of the cabinet or towards the other depending upon in which direction the mechanism is set to move.

The vertically disposed members I00 and IOI project upwardly into a housing to be presently described. The vertically disposed members I00 and I 0| have a plate I0'I secured to one edge thereof and which plate has a horizontal por tion I08 which projects inwardly and has a perforation therein in which a shaft I09 is rotatably mounted. The plate I08 has a slot III through which a coin I I2 may drop when a vending operation has been completed. The coin will drop into a coin box 4 to which accessmay be gained by a suitable door 3 disposed in the upright portion 94.

The lower end of the shaft I09 is mounted in a bearing block ||5 disposed on the upper surface of the bottom 92 and this shaft rotatably penetrates the horizontal portion I 08 of the plate I0! and has fixedly secured thereon a circular plate H6 having a slot therethrough which the coin I I2 may drop and lodge on top of plate I08. The shaft I09 also has loosely mounted thereon a disk H8 which likewise has a slot 9 therethrough through which coin I I2 may drop from a coin chute I2I after it is dropped into a slot I22 i O g I23 of cover member I24. This will c eap-'27 5 look disksl IBand II 8 tog therto thus causeishaft I09 to be rotated.

In housing I23 is disposed any suitable slug de tecting apparatus for testing the coin before it is allowed to pass into chute I2I. In case the coin is rejected, it will be returned to thelpoint I'28'on the front of the housing I23;

The disk M6 has integral therewith a pinion I28 which has meshing therewith two racks I29 and I3! which areslidably mounted in the upright members I and IN. These racks are spaced apart from each other and mesh with .opposed sides of the pinion I28. As they project forwardly, they are bent downwardly and have a horizontal front portion each provided with'arcuate slots I 32 and 133 respectively. Into these slots I 32 and I33 is adapted to fit one at a time a pin I35 mounted in one end of a lever I36 and which has a pm I 38' intermediate its ends which projects downwardly through a rectangular hole I65 in a plate I3! and into a :slot I39 in a plate I4l which is slidably mounted in suitable slots in the upright portions '93 and 94 of the "bridging member90 and projects substantially from the outer surfaces of the portions 93 and 94. The front end of the link I36 is 'pivotally secured on a pin I42 which penetrates a slot I44 in cover member I24 and being secured in a slidable handle member I45. The front of the link I36 has a perforation or hole "I48 therein which is engaged by one end of a tension spring I49 whose other end is anchored to a spring perch II secured on thelower surface of cover member I24. The cover I24 has oscillatably mounted therein a shaft I52 having :a handle I53 thereon with a suitable lock I54 therein and the lower end of this shaft I52 has an arm I 'irli extending laterally therefrom having a downwardly projecting pin 'I5'Iwhich is adapted to slidably fit into a slot comprising two arcuate portions I58 and I59 joined together to make a continuous slot, so formed as to eause'pin I51 to move plate I4I, when handle I53 is moved.

It is therefore seen that with the parts in the position shown in Figures 2 and 4 that rearward movement of the handle I45 towards the housing 423 will cause rack I29 to be pushed rearwardly which will move shaft I09 in a clockwise direction when viewed looking downward in Figures 2 and 4. This is due to the fact that the pinion I28 which is integral with disk II'8 will be moved I by the rack I29 and with coin H2 in the position shown in Figure 3, this will cause the disk IIIi'to be moved which is fixed on the shaft I89.

It is to be noted that the fixed plate I31 has a rectangular opening I65 therein so as to prevent its interfering with movement of pin I38'regardless of the position of the link I36.

The shaft I09 has a worm I66 thereon which meshes with a worm gear I6'I fixed on shaft I02 and with the parts in the position shown in Figures 2, 3, and-4, the pinions I03 and I04 will be rotated in a clockwise manner in Figure 4 which will move the cover 80 one step to the left in Figure 2. I

It is to be noted by referring to Figure 12 that the upwardly projecting portions 91 and '98 have suitable rubber gaskets I .-'I 0 and vI"I I mounted thereon and on which the cover I24 .is adapted to rest. This cover I24 is removably fixed in position by means of a projecting member I13 being secured to the lower surface thereof and near the rear end thereof whose free end fits into a suitable opening I14 in the rear side wall of the box. The front end has a suitable lock I therein having an arm 1116 which is adapted to Method of operation Let us assume that the entire holder is filled withbottles of soft drinks ready to be vended and properly refrigerate-d. Let us assume that it is desired to first dispense a refrigerated bottled beverage from the right-hand end of the apparatus which will mean that lid 40 will be unlocked and lid 4| will be locked. The owner of the establishment will rotate the handle I53 in a counter clockwise manner to the position shown in Figure 4. This will move the sliding plate I4I away fromthe observer in Figure 4. The sliding plate i4! will be thus moved to lock the lid 4I against being raised but will unlock the lid 40 ready for operation. Due to the fact that pin I38 is disposed in slot i39, this will move the link I36 to the position shown in Figure 4 which will move its pin I into the slot I33. Vfhen a coin is dropped to the position shown in Figure 3 and the customer pushes the handle I45 rearwardly, this will push the rack i253 rearwardly which will impart clockwise rotation to the shaftl09. This will cause the top portion of worm gear IG'I to move towards the observer in Figure 4 and thus the pinions E63 and I-64 will move the cover to the left in Figure 2 to expose. another opening which would be the second from the bottom in the right-hand portion of Figure l and its extreme left-hand end portion of the right half of Figure 2. The position of cover 80 in Figure 2 is shown after nearly all of the bottles have been vended from the right-hand end of the cabinet. The bottle would then be accessible to the customer when he lifted the door 40. After the machine will have been operated to successively in step-by-step relation expose the other openings in the extreme left-hand portion of Figure 2 until the last opening has been exposed and the bottle removed, then the proprietor of the establishment in which this apparatus may be located would move the handle I53 a half-revolution in a clockwise rnanner in Figure 4 which would look lid 40 and unlock lid 4i. However, before this operation, the owner of the establishment would fill the right-hand rack in Figure 2 with a fresh supply of bottled beverages for refrigeration. With the lid 40 locked and the lid 4i unlocked, the apparatus is ready for operation; However, it must be noted that in swinging the sliding plate I4I towards the observer in Figure 4, the pin. I38

. being mounted in slot I39 would cause the rear endof link I36 to swing towards the observer in Figure 4 and its pin I35 would enter slot I32 in rack I6I. Then when a coin is dropped into the apparatus and the handle E45 is moved rearwardly, the rack Idl would be moved rearwardly which would impart counter-clockwise motion to the shaft I09 which would move the top of worm gear I67 away from the observer in Figure 4 which would move the cover 80 one step to the right in Figure 2 to expose the first opening in the first row of the rack at the extreme left-hand end of Figure 2.

It will also be observed that when the handle I45 is moved rearwardly without a coin being in the position shown in Figure 3 that the rack 129 or I3I will not operate shaft I09 for the reason that it requires a coin I I2 in the position shown to lockthe disk I I6 fixed on shaft I09 to the disk 'I I8 which is loosely mounted on shaft I09.

It is also to be observed that the plate I31 has a slot I8I- therein and this is for the purpose of allowing the cover I24 to be removed by turning the handle I53 so that it will point back towards the housing I23 and slot I8| will permit the crank I56 to be moved upwardly through this slot.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for vending bottled beverages, a cabinet having two compartments and a lid closing the top of each of the compartments, a bottle holder disposed within each compartment and having a plurality of transverse parallel rows of openings therein for holding a plurality of bottles, a slidable plate disposed above the bottle holders and having its two edges which extend across the compartments biased at a slight angle to the rows of openings, means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the cover plate for moving the biased edge of the plate from obstructing position over one of the openings at a time, the angle of bias of said edges being such as to uncover one opening upon one step of movement of the plate.

2. In a machine for vending bottled beverages, a cabinet having two compartments and a lid closing the top of each of the compartments, a bottle holder disposed within each compartment and having a plurality of transverse parallel rows of openings therein for holding a plurality of bottles, a slidable plate disposed above the bottle holders and having its two edges which extend across the compartments biased at a slight angle to the rows of openings, means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the cover plate for moving the biased edge of the plate from bstructing position over one of the openings at a time, the angle of bias of said edges being such as to uncover one opening upon one step of movement of the plate, and means disposed between the lids and movable relative thereto to unlock one of the lids and to lock the other of the lids so that only bottles from one end of the cabinet at a time can be dispensed.

3. In a machine for vending bottled beverages, a cabinet having two compartments and a lid closing the top of each of the compartments, a bottle holder disposed within each compartment and having a plurality of transverse parallel rows of openings therein for holding a plurality of bottles, a slidable plate disposed above the bottle holders and having its two edges which extend across the compartments biased at a slight angle to the rows of openings, means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the cover plate for moving the plate from obstructing position over one of the openings at a time, the angle of bias of said edges being such as to uncover one opening upon one step of movement of the plate, means disposed between the lids and movable relative thereto to unlock one of the lids and to lock the other of the lids so that only bottles from one end of the cabinet at a time can be dispensed, and means for changing the direction of travel of the slidable plate so that when the bottles in one end of the cabinet have been dispensed, the bottles from the other end can be dispensed.

4. In a vending machine for vending bottled beverages, a cabinet structure open at the top and having a lid for each end of the cabinet spaced apart from each other, means for refrigerating the interior of the cabinet, a bottle holder disposed within the cabinet and having a plurality of transverse parallel rows of bottle receiving openings, means disposed centrally of the cabinet for locking one lid and unlocking the other lid simultaneously, a cover plate disposed over approximately one-half of the bottle holder at a time, said cover plate having its end portions which extend across the bottle holder disposed at an angle to the transverse rows of bottles disposed in said holder, means for moving the cover plate relative to the holder in step-bystep relation to fully expose one bottle at a time, the angle of bias of the end portions being such as to expose one opening upon each step of movement, coin-controlled means connected to the means for moving the cover plate, and means for changing the direction of movement of the plate so that when all of the bottle receiving openings in one end of the cabinet have been uncovered, the openings in the other end of the cabinet may be uncovered one at a time.

5. In a vending machine having a holder provided with a plurality of alined rows of package receiving openings, a cover plate disposed over the openings, and having the two end portions which are disposed over the openings disposed at a slight angle to the rows of openings, means for moving the cover plate one step at a time to expose one opening at a time, the angle of bias of said end portions being such as to expose one opening upon each step of movement of the plate, and coin-controlled means for connecting the moving means to the plate to allow the plate to be moved to expose one opening upon the insertion of a coin or check.

6. In a vending machine having a holder provided with a plurality of alined rows of package receiving openings, a cover plate disposed over the openings, and having the two end portions which are disposed over the openings disposed at an angle to the rows of packages, means for moving the cover plate one step at a time to expose one opening at a time, the angle of bias of said end portions being such as to expose one opening upon each step of movement of the plate, coin-controlled means for connecting the moving means to' the plate to allow the plate to be moved to expose one opening upon the insertion of a coin or check, a lid covering each of the two end portions of the rack, means for locking one lid and leaving the other lid in unlocked position, and means for changing the direction of movement of the plate so that when all of the openings in one end of the holder have been uncovered, the openings can be uncovered in the other end of the holder.

7. In a vending machine for vending bottled beverages, a cabinet having an open top and a pair of lids, there being a lid for each end thereof, a housing disposed centrally of the cabinet and covering the central portion of the upper side of the cabinet and against which the proximate edges of the two lids fit, a holder disposed in said cabinet and having a plurality of openings at each end thereof disposed below the lids for containing a plurality of bottles of beverage, said openings being disposed in alined rows, a cover plate mounted in the cabinet and disposed between the lid and the holder, and having a plurality of perforations along each edge thereof forming a rack, the two edges of the cover plate being biased relative to the rows of openings, a shaft disposed in said housing and having a pair of pinions thereon for engaging the racks disposed along the edges of the cover plate, means for moving the shaft to thereby move the cover plate, the angle of bias of said edges being such as to uncover one opening upon one step of movement of the plate, coin-controlled means for connecting the moving means to the shaft for allowing the cover plate to be moved one step upon the insertion of a coin or check, means for locking one of the lids in closed position and unlocking the other lid so that it can be raised upwardly, and means for reversing the direction of movement of the cover plate so that when all bottled beverages have been exhausted from one end of the cabinet, the lid thereover can be locked and the other lid unlocked and whereby beverages can be delivered from the other end of the cabinet.

8. In a vending machine comprising a refrigerated cabinet, a holder disposed in said cabinet and having a plurality of transversely disposed parallel rows of openings therein for receiving bottled beverages, said holder along its upper side edges having a pair of trackways and a cover plate having its side edges mounted for movement along said trackways, said cover plate having a rack disposed along each edge thereof, the two ends of the cover plate being biased relative to the rows of openings in the rack, means for moving the cover plate relative to the holder in step-by-step movement to completely uncover one opening at a time upon one movement of the plate, the angle of bias of said ends being such as to uncover one opening upon-one step of movement of the plate, and means for changing the direction of movement of the cover plate when it has been moved to its limit in one direction to cause a reversal of movement and. whereby bottled beverages can bevended from the other end of the holder while additional bottled beverages are being refrigerated in the uncovered portion of the holder.

9. In a vending machine comprising a refrigerated cabinet, a holder disposed in said cabinet and having a plurality of parallel rows of openings therein for receiving bottled beverages, said holder along its upper side edges having a pair of trackways and acover plate having its side edges mounted for movement along said trackl0 of the cabinet, and means for locking one of the lids in closed position while leaving the other lid unlocked.

10. In a machine for vending bottled beverages, a cabinet, a bottle holder in said cabinet, the upper end of the cabinet being open, said holder having a plurality of transverse parallel rows of openings therein for receiving bottled beverages, a cover'plate slidably mounted in the holder and having its end portions biased relative to the rows of openings in the rack, and means for moving the cover plate in step-by-step relation relative to the rack to completely expose one opening at a time upon each movement of the cover plate, the angle of bias of said ends being such as to uncover one opening upon one step of movement of the plate.

11. In a vending machine comprising a refrige'rated cabinet and a bottle holder disposed in the refrigerated cabinet and having a plurality of parallel transverse rows of openings therein for the reception of bottled beverages, a cover plate slidably mounted above the top of the openings and movable in step-by-step relation to the holder, the rows of openings and the edge of the cover plate being biased relative to each other so that upon each movement of the cover plate an opening will become completely unobstructed to permit the withdrawal of a bottle therefrom, each edge of the cover plate having a rack associated therewith and a shaft disposed above the cover plate and having a pinion on each end thereof adapted to engage a rack, and means for moving the shaft to thereby move the cover plate one step to expose an opening in the holder having the openings therein for the reception of bottled beverages.

12. In a vending machine comprising a refrigerated cabinet and a bottle holder disposed in the refrigerated cabinet and having a plurality of transverse parallel rows of openings therein for the reception of bottled beverages, a cover plate slidably mounted above the top of the openings and movable in step-by-step relation to the holder, the rows of openings and the edge of the cover plate being biased relative to each ways, said cover plate having a rack disposed 5,3.

along each side thereof, the two ends of the cover plate being biased relative to the rows of openings in the rack, means for moving the cover plate relative to the holder in step-bystep movement to completely uncover one opening at a time upon one movement of the plate, the angle of bias of said ends being such as to uncover one opening upon one step of movement of the plate, and means for changing the direction of movement of the cover plate when it has been movedto its limit in one directionto cause a reversal of movement and whereby bottled beverages can be vended from the other end of the holder while additional bottled beverages are being refrigerated in the uncovered portion of the holder; a centrally disposed housing disposed above the holder and containing the means for moving the rack, a lid hingedly secured to one other so that upon each movement of the cover plate an opening will become completely unobstructed to permit the withdrawal "of a bottle therefrom, each edge of the cover plate having a rack associated therewith and a shaft disposed above the cover plate and having a pinion on each end thereof adapted to engage a rack, means for moving'the shaft to thereby move the cover plate one step to expose an opening in the holder having the openings therein for the reception of bottled beverages, said holder having, openings in both end portions thereof and said cover plate being of less length than the combined length of the holder, the other end of the cover plate also having its edge disposed at an angle to the transverse rows of openings in the holder and means for reversing thedirection of travel of the cover plate upon its reaching one end of the cabinet to thereby allow the vending of bottles from one end of the holder while the bottles in the other end'of the holder are being refrigerated.

13. In apparatus for dispensing bottled beverages comprising an open-topped refrigerated cabinet, a centrally disposed housing extending across the cabinet, a lid disposed on each side of the housing and adapted to expose one end of the housing at a time when a lid is opened, means disposed in the housing for locking one of the lids and unlocking the other lid in a single operation, a bottle holder disposed Within the cabinet and having a plurality of transversely disposed alined rows of openings for the reception of bottles, a cover plate slidably mounted above the openings and covering a portion of the openings in the bottle holder, one edge of the cover plate being biased relative to the rows of alined openings, and means for moving the cover plate in step-by-step relation to expose one bottle at a time to permit its removal from the bottle holder, the angle of bias of said edge being such as to uncover one opening upon one step of movement of the plate.

14. A vending machine for bottle beverages comprising a cabinet having a bottle holder disposed therein provided with a plurality of transverse alined rows of openings for the reception of bottles, a cover plate slidably mounted above the openings and adapted to cover said bottles, the edges of the cover plate being biased relative to the transverse rows of alined openings, the cover plate having a rack along each edge thereof, a shaft rotatably mounted above the cover plate and having a pinion on each end thereof adapted to mesh with the racks in the cover plate for moving the cover plate, means for imparting rotation to the shaft for a predetermined amount to move the cover plate sufiiciently to expose one opening at a time so that a bottle can be removed therefrom, a coin-controlled connection between the shaft and the means for imparting rotation to the shaft for connecting the 1astnamed means to the shaft upon deposit of a coin or check, and means for reversing the movement imparted to the cover plate upon operation of the means for imparting rotation to the shaft so that when the contents of one end of the bottle holder have been exhausted, the other end of the bottle holder can be available for the dispensing of bottles therefrom.

15. In a machine for dispensing bottled beverages, a cabinet open at its top and having a housing disposed intermediate its ends and extending from one side Wall of the cabinet to the other, a lid hingedly mounted for vertical movement adjacent each side of the housing, a bottle holder disposed within the housing and having a plurality of openings therein, a sliding cover plate disposed above the openings and having its edges so formed as to expose one opening at a time in the bottle holder when the cover plate is moved, means in the housing for engaging the cover plate for moving it a predetermined amount at each operation, means in the housin for activating the moving means, a coin or check connection between the two means for connecting the same together upon the deposit of a coin or check, means for locking one of the lids and unlocking the other lid simultaneously, and means for reversing the direction of movement imparted to said shaft so that when the bottles have been exhausted from one end of the holder, the bottles in the other end of the holder will be exposed one at a time upon each movement of the cover plate.

16. A vending machine for bottled beverages comprising a cabinet and means for supporting a plurality of bottles in substantially vertical position and arranged in parallel rows, a cover plate movable in a straight line above said rows, the rows and the edge of the cover plate being disposed in an angular relation, and means for moving the cover plate step-by-step a sufiicient amount to cause the angular relation between the parallel rows and the edge of the cover plate to completely uncover one bottle upon each movement of the cover plate.

17. In a vending machine for bottled beverages comprising a cabinet open on its upper side and having a centrally disposed housing bridging the gap between two opposed sides of the cabinet, a lid disposed on each side of the housing for covering the end portions of the top portion of the cabinet, means having rows of openings therein for supporting a plurality of alined rows of bottles in said cabinet, a slidable cover plate disposed above said openings, the edges of the cover plate and the rows of openings being in angular relation to each other, and means mounted in the housing for imparting step-by-step movement to the cover plate to completely remove the cover plate from over one opening on each step-bystep movement of the cover plate.

18. In a vending machine for bottled beverages comprising a cabinet open on its upper side and having a centrally disposed housing bridging the gap between two opposed sides of the cabinet, a lid disposed on each side of the housing for covering the end portions of the top portion of the cabinet, means having rows of openings therein for supporting a pluralit of alined rows of bottles in said cabinet, a slidable cover plate disposed above said openings, the edges of the cover plate and the rows of openings being in angular relation to each other, means mounted in the housing for imparting step-by-step movement to move the cover plate a suflicient amount to completely remove the cover plate from over one opening on each step-by-step movement of the cover plate, and means for locking one of the lids in position and unlocking the other lid simultaneously.

19. In a vending machine for bottled beverages comprising a cabinet open on its upper side and having a centrally disposed housing bridging the gap between two opposed sides of the cabinet, a lid disposed on each side of the housing for covering the end portions of the top portion of the cabinet, means having rows of openings therein for supporting a plurality of alined rows of bottles in said cabinet, a slidable cover plate disposed above said openings, the edges of the cover plate and the rows of opening being in angular relation to each other, means mounted in the housing for imparting step-by-step movement to the cover plate a distance sufficient to completely remove the cover plate from over one opening on each step-by-step movement of the cover plate, the means for moving the cover plate comprising a rack associated with each edge of the cover plate and a pair of pinions engaging said rack, said pinions being mounted on a horizontal shaft, a vertically disposed shaft having a driving connection with the horizontal shaft on which the two pinions are mounted, the vertically disposed shaft having a pinion thereon and a pair of racks mounted in said housing and engaging said pinion, and a movable handle member mounted on the housing and being movable to one position to engage one Of the racks to move the pinion and the cover plate in one direction, said handle member being movable in another direction to engage the other rack to cause the horizontally disposed shaft to move in the opposite direction to thereby move the cover plate in the opposite direction.

20. In a vending machine for bottled beverages comprising a cabinet open on its upper side and having a centrally disposed housing bridging the 13 gap between two opposed sides of the cabinet, a lid disposed on each side of the housing for covering the end portions of the top portion of the cabinet, means having rows of openings therein for supporting a plurality of alined rows of bottles in said cabinet, a slidable cover plate ,disposed above said openings, the edges of the a driving connection with the horizontal shaft onwhich the two pinions are mounted, the vertically disposed shaft having a pinion thereon, and a pair of racks mounted in said housing and engaging said pinion, a movable handle member mounted on the housing and being movable to one position to engage one of the racks to move the pinion and the cover plate in one direction, said handle member being movable in another direction to engage the other rack to cause the horizontally disposed shaft to move in the opposite direction to thereby move the cover plate in the opposite direction, the pinion on the vertically disposed shaft being freely mounted thereon and said vertically disposed shaft having a fixed disk thereon, the pinion on the vertically disposed shaft also having a disk integral therewith and said disks being slotted and whereby a coin may be dropped through a slot in the uppermost disk and lodge in the slot in the lowermost disk to thereby lock the pinion on the vertically disposed shaft to the shaft on which it is mounted to transmit movement of the handle member and a rack controlled thereby to move the transversely disposed shaft and the cover plate in one direction a predetermined distance to expose another opening.

JOHN B. BROCK.

No references cited.

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