Article dispensing – Plural sources – stacks or compartments – With discharge means for each source
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-02
2001-07-24
Bollinger, David H. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
Plural sources, stacks or compartments
With discharge means for each source
C221S232000, C221S241000, C221S242000, C221S261000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06264060
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to vending machines and in particular to an auxiliary dispenser for vending machines for dispensing gum and mints and similar articles.
The vending machines now in use typically comprise a cabinet, a merchandise delivery bin at the front of the cabinet, and a plurality of horizontal shelves with spiral vending mechanisms inside the cabinet above the bin for dispensing merchandise to the bin when a customer deposits money and makes a selection. The bin is typically positioned conveniently above the bottom of the cabinet for easy access by the customer to remove merchandise from the bin. This results in some empty or “dead” space behind the bin and below the horizontal shelves and spiral dispensing mechanisms. In a prior invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,867, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, the so called “dead” space was utilized for placement of an auxiliary dispenser for gum and mint and the like. That dispenser proved very effective and has been utilized for many years. However, with the addition to the industry of new products in the gum and mint varieties there have been introduced varying sizes for packages that cannot be. accommodated in the prior art dispenser since it has fixed product guide rails and a fixed size product pusher that ejects the products from the product storage area. There is therefore a need for a more versatile auxiliary dispenser that can vend a greater variety of sizes and shapes of packages than heretofore possible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the above described difficulties associated with the prior art devices by providing an auxiliary dispenser that has adjustable product storage areas and an adjustable size product ejector that are usable for dispensing a greater variety of sizes and shapes of products of the general gum and mint variety of packages than prior art dispensers.
The auxiliary dispenser of the present invention is adapted to be mounted behind the merchandise delivery bin and below the horizontal shelves of merchandise dispensing mechanisms in the cabinet of a conventional vending machine. The dispenser generally comprises a bank of generally inverted-J shaped magazines for holding articles, mounted at the back of the bin below the horizontal shelves. Each magazine has a spring biased mechanism for urging articles in the magazine toward the top of the magazine, a variably adjustable width ejector for ejecting the top-most article in the magazine from the top of the magazine, and a spring biased member for pushing an article ejected from the top of the magazine generally forwardly into the bin.
Each ejector member is connected via a linkage to a motor mounted in the vending machine so that the ejector member reciprocates in an upward stroke from a starting position below the top-most article in the magazine perpendicularly through the magazine to eject the article from the top of the magazine, and a downward stroke back to its starting position. The spring biased flap member operates to push the article ejected from the magazine forwardly into the bin.
These and other advantages will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
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Ficken Leonard A.
Krockenberger Frank W.
Podgorny Gerald J.
Bollinger David H.
Crane & Co.
Hughes & Luce LLP
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