Article dispensing – With means for blocking or disabling ejector or releaser – By engagement with slot – notch or protuberance
Patent
1989-07-20
1991-04-23
Bollinger, David H.
Article dispensing
With means for blocking or disabling ejector or releaser
By engagement with slot, notch or protuberance
221230, 221226, 221243, 221244, 221248, 221251, 221279, B65G 5900
Patent
active
050093282
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an article cassette for a vending machine, said cassette being of the kind comprising an elongate approximately horizontal conveyor which is arranged to support a plurality of articles in a row, one after the other, in a storage space located behind an outfeed station, and to feed said articles step by step towards said outfeed station while successively transferring the foremost article in said row from the storage space to the outfeed station, which has, at its front end, an access opening provided with a cover mounted for manual rotation around a transverse horizontal axis and movable between, on the one hand a closed position, in which it may be releasably locked and in which it closes said opening, and, on the other hand an open position, in which it uncovers the access opening and permits an article located in the outfeed station to be taken out through said opening, screen means being provided for keeping the storage space screened off from the outfeed station and preventing access to said space from the access opening via the outfeed station when said opening is uncovered.
An article cassette of said kind is previously known through U.S. Pat. No. 2 561 828. Said patent specification discloses a vending machine which is provided with a plurality of such article cassettes, mounted in a common cabinet-like housing, and which also includes means for holding the interior of said housing at a suitable low temperature.
In this prior vending machine, the screen means by which the storage space of each article cassette may be screened off from the outfeed station of the cassette consist of two separately hinged flaps which are spring-biased in a direction towards their screening positions. In order to prevent the screen flaps from being manually opened when the access opening is uncovered, separate spring-biased blocking means are provided to permit the two flaps to be blocked in their screening positions. In practice, the above construction of the screen means is unfavourable in several respects. Firstly, despite the spring load acting on the screen flaps, said flaps run an evident risk of being wedged in their open positions. Secondly, a cunning customer may very well release the blocking means for the flaps by a suitable tool, which means that the flaps may then be opened manually without hindrance. Moreover, the above described construction of the screen means and the need for separate blocking means for them following from their construction results in a not neglectable increase of the total manufacturing costs for the article cassette.
The invention has for its purpose to provide an improved article cassette of the kind initially specified, which eliminates the above drawbacks of said prior article cassette in a favourable manner.
For the above purpose, according to the invention there is proposed an article cassette primarily characterized in that said screen means comprise a screen member rigidly connected to the cover and arranged to be inserted into the transport path for the articles from the storage space to the outfeed station when the cover is rotated in a direction towards its open position and to be withdrawn from said transport path when the cover is rotated in the opposite direction.
The invention facilitates a substantially simplified and less expensive construction of the screening arrangement while simultaneously making it possible to obtain such an arrangement having a more reliable function.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cover may comprise a wall member of arc-circular curved shape, the centre of curvature of which coincides with the rotary axis of the cover, said screen member being formed by an extension of said wall member, projecting from an adjacent portion of the latter in a direction at least approximately coincident with the peripheral direction of the wall member.
Moreover, the cassette may preferably include blocking means operatively connected to the cover and adapted, upon rotation of the cover through a predeter
REFERENCES:
patent: 1572263 (1926-02-01), Ash
patent: 2460396 (1949-02-01), Rifkin
patent: 2513595 (1950-07-01), Stewart
patent: 2521458 (1950-09-01), Huheey et al.
patent: 2522896 (1950-09-01), Rifkin et al.
patent: 2561828 (1951-07-01), Springsteen
patent: 4577780 (1986-03-01), Holland et al.
LandOfFree
Article cassette for a vending machine does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Article cassette for a vending machine, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Article cassette for a vending machine will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1615954