US746356A - Vending-machine. - Google Patents

Description

No. 746,356. PATENTED DEC. 8, 1903. W. W. MUNGBR.

VENDING MACHINE.

7 APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1903. no 1013121,. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE News PETERS ca. snore-LIMA, wAsHwcmN, n. c.

No. 746,356. I N v PATENTED DEC. 8, 1903. W. W. MUNGER.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8. 1903 N0 MODEL. 1 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.PATENTED DEC. 8, 1903. W. W. MUNGER.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY s. 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

Patented December 8, 1903.

PATENT FFlQF.

WILLIAM W. MUNGERJOF HEBSOHER, ILLINOIS.

VENDING-,MACHINE.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,356, dated December 8, 1903.

Application filed July 8, 1903. Serial No. 164,684. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM W. MUNGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Herscher, county of Kankakee, and State of Illinois, have invented'a certain new and useful Improvement in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in vending-machines, and has for its object to provide a vending-machine which will be simple and cheap in construction, durable and efficient in action, which will measure and deliver a predetermined amount of merchandise to the operator, and the machine is so constructed that it cannot be tampered with, and the machine is bound to deliver each time the proper coin is inserted in the same.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, the construction and operation will now be described in detail, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the entire machine; Fig. 2, a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a verticalsectional view looking in the opposite direction to Fig.

1; Fig. 4, a horizontal section taken on the line 4: 4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, a section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6, as'ection taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

A represents any suitable casing for inclosing the working parts of the machine.

B represents a vertical shaft journaled at the top and bottom in the casing of the machine.

C is a circular plate secured to the casing of the machine, so as to remain stationary, and this plate 0 is provided with an opening 0 through the same.

Dis a circular plate or disk secured to the shaft B at the center, and this plate or disk D is provided near its periphery with a number of radial slots arranged at an equal distance apart, and in each of these slots is adapted to fit and be secured tightly the lower end of hoppers E. The upper ends of these hoppers are wider and are secured to a plate or disk F, which disk or plate is provided with openings the same size as the mouth of the hoppers. Between the plates 0 and D is located the operating-lever G, which is mounted loosely upon the shaft B. This lever extends outward through the casing of the machine, so as to form a handle G, and the slot in which this handle operates is designed to be closed at all times by a concentric strip H, secured'to the lever, which is wider than the slot and operates upon the inside of the casing and extends both forward and vbackward of the lever, so that the slot is closed no matter what position the lever is in. A spring I, secured at one end to the lever and at the other end to the plate 0, tends to always hold and return the lever to its normal position.

J is the coin-chute, extending from the exterior of-the casing, and the lower end of the chute lies above the plate F and is alwaysabove one ofthe hoppers E when the parts are in their normal position, and when the lever G is in its normal position a coin inserted in the chute will travel down the same into the hopper directly in front of the machine, and the coin will pass through the hopper and rest upon the plate 0, so that the same is directly in front of the cut-away portion G of the lever. Then it will be seen that if the lever G is rocked it will come in contact with the coin, and as the upper portion of the coin extends through the plate D and part way in the hopper E the plate D, hoppers, and plate F will be turned with the lever, and thereby the central shaft B will be rotated.

The lever G is limited in its movement according to the number of hoppers there are the curved strip G until the lever was re- Ioof turned to its normal position,and then it would i drop downward in front of the lever ready to operate the machine.

Arranged in the upper end of the casing is a plate K, secured to the casing, so as to remain stationary, and this plate K is provided with a concentric opening K, formed through the same. i

L is a plate secured to the casing belowthe plate K and at a distance therefrom, and this plate L is provided with an opening L, from which depends the delivery-chute M, which extends downward and out of the side of the casing, so as to deposit the merchandise in a suitable receptacle N.

O is the delivery-disk, which is secured to the shaft B and is arranged in between the two plates K and L. This delivery-disk O is provided with a number of openings O,formed through the same near its periphery, said openings being an equal distance apart and corresponding in number to the hoppers E. The merchandise is contained in the space P above the plate K, and this merchandise will pass through the opening K of the plate into the openings 0 of the disk 0 and will rest upon the plate L. As the disk 0 is revolved the filled openings 0 will pass underneath the plate K, and thus the merchandise will be measured, as each opening 0 will only contain a certain amount of merchandise, and as each opening 0 is revolved, so as to register with the delivery-chute M, the merchandise will drop from said openings through the chute into the receptacle N. Thus at each operation of the machine a filled opening 0 will be brought over the delivery-chute. It will thus be seen that by this construction of delivery mechanism any amount of merchandise can be delivered desired, for by increasing or diminishing the thickness of the disk 0 or by increasing or diminishing the diameter of the openings 0 different quantities of merchandise can be delivered.

In operating the machine the lever G is rocked toward the right, which will revolve the hoppers and the delivery-disk until the merchandise is delivered, and then as the lever is released it will resume its normal position; but the other parts which have been operated will remain stationary and will not return with the lever; but a new hopper is brought underneath the coin-chute ready for another coin to be inserted, and when the machine is next operated it will still further revolve the operating parts, and the coin previously inserted in the other chute will then be brought over the opening 0, where it will drop into the cash-receptacle below the plate 0. By this construction the coin is not deposited in the cash-drawer until the machine has again been operated, and by this construction it' is impossible to operate the machine by working the lever backward and forward, so as to get more merchandise than the operator is entitled to for one coin, for it is necessary to rock the lever to the limit each time to receive the merchandise,-and thelever only returns while the operating parts remain stationary.

Any form of coin-chute can be used desired; Jo nt I prefer to construct a chute, as shown in Fig. 3, which is formed with two opposite angles to prevent the insertion of a wire or other article in the machine, and to protect the machine against the insertion of iron or steel washers I provide upon one side of the chute a magnet Q, said chute being open opposite the magnet, so that the washers will be attracted to one side of the chute as they pass the magnet and may fall out and be conveyed to the proper place for the reception of the same.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction here shown, as slight modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is 1. In a vending-machine, a casing, a vertical shaft journaled centrally in the casing, a bottom plate arranged above the cash-receptacle and secured to the casing, a series of vertical hoppers arranged in a circle concentric with the central shaft and secured thereto, a lever journaled loosely upon the central shaft and arranged between the lower ends of the hoppers and the bottom plate, the distance below the lower ends of the hoppers and the bottom plate being less than the diameter of the coin to be used, so that when the coin falls in front of the levers the hoppers and central shaft will be rotated when the lever is rocked, a spring for returning the lever to its normal position, the casing being provided with a horizontal slot through which the lever extends to the exterior of the same, a concentric strip formed with the lever and extending forward and backward of the same upon the inside of the casing adapted to keep the slot closed at all times, a curved concentric strip G extending rearward from the lever underneath the lower ends of the hoppers, a coin-chute extending from the exterior of the machine and terminating in alinement with the upper ends of the hoppers, the lower plate being provided with an opening arranged in such a position that a coin previously deposited in one of the hoppers will not fall through said opening until a coin is deposited in the next hopper and the machine operated, and a delivery mechanism adapted to deliver a predetermined amount of merchandise upon each operation of the machine, as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a vending-machine, acasing, a vertical shaft journaled centrally in the casing, a bottom plate secured to the casing above the cash receptacle, said plate being provided with an opening through which the coin drops into the cash-receptacle, a series of hoppers arranged in a circle concentric to the central shaft, a lever mounted loosely upon the central shaft in between the lowerends of the hoppers and the bottom plate, the distance between the lower ends of the hoppers and the bottom plate being less than the diameter of the coin to be used, the casing being provided with a horizontal slot through which the lever extends, a spring for returning the lever to its normal position, a strip carried by the lever adapted to close the slot at all times,

a curved strip extending rearward from the lever and passing underneath one or more of the lower ends of the hoppers, a coin-chute extending from the exterior of the machine and terminating in alinement with the mouth of the hoppers,a merchandise-holding receptacle in the upper end of the casing, a plate secured to the casing forming the bottom of said receptacle, an opening formed through the plate, a disk secured to the central shaft and located directly below the bottom of the merchandise receptacle, said disk provided with a series of openings formed therethrough near its periphery, said openings corresponding in number to the hoppers, a plate secured

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