Article dispensing – Automatic control – Of discharge assistant operation
Patent
1987-05-20
1989-04-18
Rolla, Joseph J.
Article dispensing
Automatic control
Of discharge assistant operation
221198, 221231, 221225, 221258, 221259, 221282, 312 61, 312 71, G07F 1114, B65H 116
Patent
active
048219169
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention concerns the field of dispensing flexible supports such as postcards, envelopes or the like, and has for an object a device for dispensing and vending such supports.
At present, the dispensing and vending of flexible supports such as postcards, envelopes and the like generally requires the presence of at least one person. Specifically, postcards are mounted in a fixed or rotatable display rack which permit the customers to select and pay for their purchases simply by walking to the counter. Such a distribution method also has the disadvantage of requiring the constant attention of the sales personnel to guard against theft of the said cards, or the like.
The present invention has as an object to overcome these disadvantages.
Specifically, it has as an object a device characterized in that it is essentially constituted by an element formed like a piece of furniture closed on three sides comprising a juxtaposition and superposition of compartments each containing a packet of flexible supports and a means for distributing individual supports, via an assembly for selection and payment of the flexible supports, and by a device for closing the front face of the element provided, at the level of the upper portion of each compartment, with a dispensing opening, and beneath this opening a housing for receiving a sample of the flexible support contained in the corresponding compartment.
The invention will be best understood thanks to the following description, which refers to preferred embodiments, given by way of non-limiting example and explained with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on a larger scale of a compartment, and
FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, of a variation according to the invention.
According to the invention, and as shown more particularly by way of example in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the device is essentially constituted by an element 1 in the form of a piece of furniture closed on three sides and which comprises juxtaposed and superposed compartments 2, these compartments 2 each containing a packet of flexible supports and a means for distribution of individual said supports. The device according to the invention moreover comprises an assembly 3 for selection and payment of the flexible supports and a device 4 for closing the forward face of the element 1 provided, at the level of the upper part of each compartment 2, with a dispensing opening 5, and beneath this opening 5 a housing 6 for receiving a display sample 7 of the flexible support contained in the corresponding compartment 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, each compartment 2 is provided with a movable base 8 receiving the flexible supports 9 and urged by springs 10, an individual distribution means 11 in the form of a movably mounted drive roller, a forward inclined plate 12 pivotally mounted on the base of the compartment 2 and bearing, in its service position, against the base of an outlet hopper lip 13 connected to the dispensing opening 5 of the closure device 4, a movable access plate 14 also mounted on the base of the compartment 2, maintaining, in its closed position, the inclined plate 12 in its service position, and a rear push-plate 15 urged by a spring 16 and bearing on the packet of supports 9.
The drive roller 11 is mounted on the end of an arm 17, the other end of which is connected in the upper part of the compartment 2, is actuated by means of a coaxial stepping motor (not shown) fixed to the arm 17, and is provided with a coating 18 having a high friction coefficient. This coating may be in the form of a layer of rubber, synthetic material or the like, and is intended to permit displacing a support 9 disposed at the top of the packet in the direction of the outlet hopper lip 13 and thus toward the dispensing opening 5.
The dispensing openings 5, one for each compartment 2, are advantageously in the form of parallel plates 19 fixed on the closure devic
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Parker Stephen B.
Rolla Joseph J.
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