Article dispensing – Plural sources – stacks or compartments – With discharge means for each source
Patent
1984-10-22
1987-07-21
Rolla, Joseph J.
Article dispensing
Plural sources, stacks or compartments
With discharge means for each source
221188, 221209, B65G 5900, B65G 344
Patent
active
046812415
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention refers to a vending machine, and more specifically to a machine having a tiltable hopper, which is suspended in an enclosing casing.
The aim of the invention is to provide a compact unit, with an easily mounted and dismounted hopper, where the surrounding equipment satisfies high demands upon operational reliability.
Hoppers which are tiltable or rotatable are known in various vending machines. Tiltable hoppers have suffered from the drawback that the space within the casing is unsatisfactorily used, and the capacity of the hopper will furthermore be limited.
The aim of the present invention is to set aside these drawbacks, and propose an advantageous alternative.
The invention thus refers to a vending machine comprising a hopper enclosed in a casing and cooperating with a feeding out device and is characterized in that the hopper includes a carrier and goods receiving pockets attached thereto, the carrier being supported in the casing so it can tilt about supports located at its vertical side faces, the hopper, in a rest position, lacking contact with the mechanism causing the tilting as well as with the feeding out device.
The hopper is preferably tiltable in two opposite directions and comprises then two series of pockets arranged back to back.
The supports for the hopper, at each vertical side face of the carrier, preferably provide at least two horizontally, spaced-apart points of suspension. These points of suspension can advantageously be provided by an elongate support member located transversely to the carrier at each of its vertical faces. Each elongate member is preferably provided with a downwardly directed peg adapted to fit into a mating hole in a horizontal shelf at the adjacent side wall of the casing.
The feeding-out mechanism preferably includes a number of actuators corresponding to the number of pockets in the hopper, and is located below the carrier, a selected actuator being adapted to be raised into contact with lowermost piece of goods in the associated pocket simultaneously with the hopper being tilted. Each actuator in the feeding-out device advantageously comprises a solenoid having a vertically displaceable core provided with a stop adapted to be adjusted in the longitudinal direction of the core, corresponding to the thickness of the pieces of goods stored.
The tilting mechanism preferably includes an electric motor having a crank arm mounted upon its shaft, and is mounted so as to contact the carrier at a distance from the adjacent support member. In a machine having a hopper tiltable in two directions the electric motor may be of the reversible type.
Each hopper pocket is preferably provided with side walls being resilient transversely to the vertical extension of the pocket, and being continued by portions of a front wall, said portions between themselves defining a slot running along the front wall. The slot at its lower end is preferably provided with goods retaining members.
The invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a diagramatic perspective view of an opened casing for a vending machine having a tiltable hopper,
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the hopper,
FIG. 3 schematically shows part of the tilting mechanism,
FIG. 4 in a simplified perspective view shows part of the hopper with the associated feeding-out device,
FIG. 5 shows part of a side wall of the casing with a suspension shelf,
FIG. 6 shows a portion of a battery of solenoids,
FIG. 7 shows the armature of a solenoid,
FIG. 8 shows the core of a solenoid, and
FIG. 9 shows a perspective, external view of a vending machine including the invention.
Reference 50 in FIG. 1 denotes the casing of a vending machine, in which a hopper 11 is suspended from shelves 12. The hopper is composed of a number of vertical pockets 13, 14 arranged back to back (FIG. 2), and includes a carrier 15 in the form of a frame of light metal tubing, which simplifies the handling of the hopper as will be evident from the following description. The hopper pocket
REFERENCES:
patent: 918886 (1909-04-01), Mills
patent: 2996218 (1961-08-01), Lux
patent: 3139168 (1964-06-01), Stein
patent: 3185281 (1965-05-01), Gross
patent: 3750831 (1973-08-01), Souza et al.
Hospers Martin
Olofsson Lars
AB Betjanten
Bollinger David H.
Rolla Joseph J.
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