US789086A

US789086A - Vending-machine.

Info

Publication number: US789086A
Application number: US180082A
Authority: US
Inventors: William Diebel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1902-09-06
Filing date: 1903-11-06
Publication date: 1905-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 1922-05-02

Description

PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

W. DIEBEL.

VENDING MAUI-IINE.

APPLICATION II-LED NOV. 6,1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 789,086. PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

W. DIEBEL. VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION TILED NOV.6, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lfiwigfar Zzmsaw: imam zwaez No. 789,086. PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

w. DIEBBL. VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.6, 1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEBT s.

' PATENTED MAY 2, 1905.

W. DIEBEL. VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.6,1903.

4 SHEETS-FREE! 4.

lUi'rnn STATES Patented May 2, 1905.

WILLIAM DIEBEL, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,086, dated May 2, 1905.

Original application filed June 9,1902, Serial No. 122,319. Divided and this application filed November 6,1903. Serial No. 180,082-

To all whom, it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, WVILLIAMDIEBEL, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvementin vending-machines, and has for its object to provide a machine of this description adapted especially for the sale of cigars, it being obvious, however, that it may be used for the sale of other articles with but slight alterations without changing the principle of the invention, as is well known by persons versed in the art. Machines of this class are operated by means of the insertion of a coin which releases certain locking mechanism, so as to permit the moving of the slide, which movement will bring one article within reach of the purchaser, the movement of the slide being accomplished either by a motor within the machine or by hand.

This application is a division of an application filed by me for vending-machines June 9, 1902, Serial No. 122,319. I

In the drawings of this application a motor is shown for operating the slide. Some machines of this character are provided with a hopper which guides the cigars or other articles to the feed-slide in such a manner that a single cigar will be discharged when a lever or rod is manipulated. This construction is objectionable on account of theinternal-revenue law which stipulates that tobacco in any form can only be sold from the original stamped box or package. There are also machines of this character patented wherein the cigars are fed from a box, one end of which has been previously removed; but this character of machine has also been found objectionable because no means are employed whereby the cigars within the box are loosened from their original compact state, so that they may be fed properly to the delivery-slide. In a few machines apparatus is employed for loosening the cigars within the box; but in all such machines employing such apparatus the mechanism is more or less complicated.

The principal feature of this invention consists in the delivery-slide, which not only delivers the cigar, but also a match, and another feature is in the manner of inserting the box in the machine and the peculiar formation of the chute which carries the cigar to the exterior of the machine.

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 claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which thisinvention 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, forminga part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of the machine, showing the parts in their normal position. Fig. 1* is a perspective view of the platform and delivery-slide; Fig. 2, a similar view to Fig. 1, showing the delivery-slide actuated; Fig. 3, a section through the upper portion of the machine above the delivery-slide; Fig. 4, a cross-section through the machine below the delivery-slide; Fig. 5, a vertical section through the upper portion of the machine, showing the match-delivery mechanism in its operative position; Fig. 6, a similar view to Fig. 5, showing the match-delivery mechanism in its normal position.

A represents the casing of the machine, the back A of which is hinged, so as to open to gain access to the operating parts of the mechanism to remove the money from the machine, and the top A is removable for the purpose of inserting a box of cigars.

B represents the cigar-box and is the original package. This box has a portion of one side removed, as represented at B, and this removable portion may be either broken from an ordinary cigar-box or the cigar-box may be made with this portion either hinged or easily removable, and the box B is inserted from above into the machine and rests upon ledges just above the delivery-slide C. The lid B of the box extends upward in between the front of the casing A and the front edge of the top A so that the label upon the inside of the cover B is in view. A pane of glass B is inserted between the front of the casing A and the cigars in the box B, and as there is an opening A formed through the front of the casing A the cigars are thus always in view, and openings may be formed through the top, back, and sides of the casing with glass inserted in said openings,-so that the stamp and other markings on the box are visible. The box can thus be inspected without removing the same from the machine.

The box B is set in a machine on a slight incline, so that the cigars in the box will tend to roll toward the rear of the same, where the opening B is located. The delivery-slide C is adapted to slide parallel with the lower end of the box, and in this delivery-slide is formed an opening C, which normally lies below the opening B, formed through the box. This delivery-slide is adapted to be normally locked in the position shown in Fig. 1 and to be unlocked by the insertion of the proper coin, and this delivery slide may extend through the front of the casing, so that the slide may be actuated by h and after the proper coin has been inserted, or the delivery-slide may be connected with a motor, as shown in the drawings at X, this motor being started simultaneously with the unlocking of the delivery-slide, thus operating the slide automatically. As this application only deals with the delivery mechanism, I will not describe the motor or the coin-actuating mechanism in detail, as that forms no part of this invention.

The delivery-slide O rests upon a platform D, and when the slide is in its normal position this platform closes the lower end of the opening 0, and thus a pocket is formed, in which one cigar or other article to be vended may be held. When the delivery-slide is pressed rearward to its fullest extent, either by hand or by a' motor, the opening 0 will pass to the rear of the platform D, and thus the cigar, which has been carried forward within the opening C, will be allowed to fall through and be delivered to the purchaser. The cigars after dropping from the delivery-slide may be delivered to the customer in any desirable manner; but that which I prefer to use is a merchandise-chute N, the rearward end of which extends nearly the full width of the machine; but the forward ends taper toward the center, as shown at N.

O is a pin or stud secured to one side of the merchandise-chute, and the cigar in falling from the delivery-slide falls behind the pin or stud O, and thus will retard one end of the cigar, so that the cigar will turn and pass downward through the chute N endwise and coming in contact with inclined sides will travel toward the center and out of the machine through an opening upon the inclined receiver P. v

It is a well-known fact that cigars are very compactly pressed in the box, and on account of being thus pressed it has always been very difficult to properly vend cigars from the box by an automatic machine. Numerous devices have been utilized in various machines for the purpose of loosening these cigars in the box. In.my invention I employ the cigar to be vended for the purpose of aiding in the loosening of the cigars. The delivery-slide G is slightly thinner than the diameter of the cigar to be vended, and thus the cigar when in the opening C will project above the upper surface of the delivery-slide, and as the opening C when in its normal position lies forward of the rear of the cigar-box when the delivery-slide is pressed rearward the cigar to be delivered will pass underneath the cigars above, and the rotundity of the cigar to be delivered will cause a movement of the other cigars at this point, which will keep the same loosened, so that when the delivery-slide returns to its normal position a cigar will be free to drop within the pocket formed by the opening U.

If desired. the opening B through the cigar-box may be made considerably wider than the pocket C, and the slide C underneath the opening B may be corrugated, as represented at C and these corrugations will also aid in loosening the cigars.

As it is necessary to make the pocket C in the slide C wide enough to accommodate all size cigars and also to allow the cigars to drop into the pocket, I have found by experience that when small cigars are used the one in the pocket will roll toward the rear wall and allow another cigar to drop part way in the pocket between the cigar to be vended and the front wall of the pocket, and when the delivery-slide passes rearward this upper cigar is apt to become pinched or torn against the rearward ledge under which the'vended cigar passes. To overcome this disadvantage, I have provided two springs S, which are attached to the platform D and are inclined upward and rearward from said platform. These springs are at the rear of the pocket when the delivery-slide is in its clamped position, so as to leave the pocket free for a cigar to drop into the same; but as the delivery-slide passes rearward these springs will force the cigar to be vended against the front wall of the pocket, and therefore crowd out any cigar above the same before the rearward ledge is reached, and as the vended cigar passes underneath the ledge the springs will be depressed, so that the cigar to be vended may pass over the springs, and thereby from the pocket after the platform D has been passed. The delivery-slide C is provided with cutaway portions 0 in alinement withthe springs, so as to allow the slide to pass over the springs without depressing the same.

This invention not only deals with the delivering of cigars, but also with. the delivery of one match with each cigar, and I accomplish this in the following manner: Upon vsexse one side of the machine between the cigarbox and the sides I provide a chute Q,in which matches Q may be placed, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. A weight Q may restupon the topmost match, so as to aid the matches in traveling downward. R is a finger secured to the delivery-slide C, and this finger when in its normal position lies underneath the tier of matches, so that the matches rest upon the same; but when the delivery-slide is pressed rearward to deliver a cigar the finger R is removed from underneath the matches and the lowermost match passed downward in the place previously occupied by the finger, and when the finger R travels forward again to its normal position it will press this lowermost match outward through an openingformed through the front of the box in the position to be removed by the customer, as shown in Fig. 5.

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 In combination in a vending-machine,a casing, a merchandise-holder arranged upon an incline in the upper end of said casing, said casing provided with an opening formed through the front, a pane of glass arranged to cover this opening through which the articles in the merchandise-holder may be viewed, said merchandise-holder provided with an opening through the lower rearward end thereof, a delivery-slide arranged to slide parallel with and directly underneath the lower end of the merchandise-holder, said deliveryslide adapted to be pushed rearward and returned to its normal position upon each operation, said delivery-slide provided with an opening formed therethrough and adapted to normally register with the opening through the merchandise-holder, a platform arranged beneath the delivery-slide and normally closing the lower end of the opening through said delivery-slide, said delivery-slide being thinner than the diameter of the article to be vended so that that portion of the article being vended which is held within the opening of the delivery-slide and projects above the same will disturb other articles above the delivery-slide as said slide is pressed rearward, springs secured to the rear of the platform and extending upward and rearward on an incline, the front end of the springs being secured to the platform, and the rear ends being free, the delivery-slide being provided with cut-away portions upon the under side in alinement with the springs, and a merchandise-chute arranged below the delivery-slide, said merchandise-chute arranged upon an incline, the rear end thereof being in width eq ual or greater than the length of a cigar, the sides then tapering toward the center, the casing of the machine provided with an opening with which the smaller end of the chute connects, an inclined receiver arranged upon the outside of the machine and connected with said