Article dispensing – With article treatment – With cooling or heating
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-03
2001-07-03
Bollinger, David H. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
With article treatment
With cooling or heating
C221S211000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06253955
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to vending machines.
The invention has particular application to vending machines for vending chilled or frozen products especially in pre-packaged form. However, it will be appreciated that the invention may also be used with other vendible products.
BACKGROUND ART
The presently available vending machines for vending frozen products fall into two main types. The first type has a cabinet containing a plurality of racks each normally arranged to contain one product line and having a pusher or the like for dispensing a product from the rack upon selection of the desired product by a customer. In some cases, instead of using a pusher each rack may be an auger which rotates to move a product held therein into a delivery chute. This general type of machine is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,950 to Trouteaud et al. It will be appreciated that in this type of machine, the number of products held in each rack is fairly small and the product line is limited to a fairly specific size and shape to suit the rack. Furthermore, each rack requires an undesirably large space in order for the dispensing mechanisms to work effectively and the racks themselves must be contained in the freezer compartment which therefor must be undesirably large.
A second known type of vending machine includes a freezer cabinet which houses an extraction device arranged to extract a desired product from the freezer upon selection by a customer and dispense it via a dispensing chute. In such apparatus the extraction device typically includes a beam crane or gantry crane movable to any selected x, y co-ordinates within the cabinet whereupon a suction device supported by the crane moves down into a product compartment at the selected co-ordinates and attaches itself by suction to a product and then lifts it clear of the product compartment then the crane moves to a position above a dispensing chute and releases the selected product which slides down the chute for collection by the customer. In this type of machine the beam crane is typically moved by motor driven (closed loop) cables or rack and pinion devices. A variation on this type of vending machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,139 which describes a machine in which a beam crane is movable to any selected x, y co-ordinate above a chest freezer and also includes a mechanism for opening the door of the chest freezer so that a selected product can be extracted and then allows the door to close after the product has been extracted. It will be appreciated that in this machine, the extraction mechanism is housed outside the chest freezer and is not subject to the hostile environment of the other types mentioned and furthermore, the chest freezer can be almost fully allocated to product storage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine which has at least some of the advantages proffered by the use of a chest freezer in a vending machine and to provide additional advantages arising from the use of a different extraction device.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
With the foregoing in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in a vending machine including:
a cabinet;
a storage compartment in said cabinet for storing products to be vended, said storage compartment having an upwardly directed access opening;
product extraction means in said cabinet for extracting products from said storage compartment and a customer accessible product station for receiving products extracted by said product extraction means;
selection means on a customer accessible position of said cabinet for selecting a product to be extracted;
control means in operative communication with said product extraction means for controlling the operation of said product extraction means in response to a product selection;
said product extraction means including a base member operatively connected to said cabinet or mounted in said cabinet for pivoting movement relative thereto about a vertical axis and first elongate link means operatively connected at one end to said base member for pivoting movement relative thereto about a first horizontal axis and second elongate link means operatively connected at one end to the other end of said first elongate link means for movement relative to said first elongate link means about a second horizontal axis, first actuation means operatively connected to said first elongate link means and said base member for pivotally moving said first elongate link means about said first horizontal axis, second actuation means operatively connected to said first and second elongate link means for pivotally moving said second elongate link means relative to said first elongate link means above said access opening about said second horizontal axis, third actuation means operatively connected to said base member for pivotally moving said base member about said vertical axis, and coupling means operatively connected to the other end of said second elongate link means for coupling with a selected product wherein it may be extracted from said storage compartment.
In another aspect the invention resides broadly in a vending machine including:
a cabinet;
a refrigerated storage compartment in said cabinet for storing chilled or frozen food products, said storage compartment having an upwardly directed access opening and a compartment closure for closing said upwardly directed access opening;
product extraction means in said cabinet for extracting chilled or frozen food products from said storage compartment and a customer accessible product station for receiving products extracted by said product extraction means;
opening means operatively connected to said compartment closure for selectively opening said closure to allow said product extraction means access to food products in said refrigerated storage compartment;
selection means on a customer accessible position of said cabinet for selecting a product to be extracted;
control means in operative communication with said product extraction means for controlling the operation of said product extraction means and said opening means in response to a product selection;
said product extraction means including a base member operatively connected to said cabinet or mounted in said cabinet for pivoting movement relative thereto about a vertical axis and first elongate link means operatively connected at one end to said base member for pivoting movement relative thereto about a first horizontal axis and second elongate link means operatively connected at one end to the other end of said first elongate link means for movement relative to said first elongate link means about a second horizontal axis, first actuation means operatively connected to said first elongate link means and said base member for pivotally moving said first elongate link means about said first horizontal axis, second actuation means operatively connected to said first and second elongate link means for pivotally moving said second elongate link means relative to said first elongate link means above said access opening about said second horizontal axis, third actuation means operatively connected to said base member for pivotally moving said base member about said vertical axis, and coupling means operatively connected to the other end of said second elongate link means for coupling with a selected food product wherein it may be extracted from said storage compartment.
Preferably, said product extraction means is mounted on a stand in said cabinet and said third actuation means is operatively connected to said stand and said base member so as to move said base member relative to said stand.
Preferably, the vending machine includes fourth actuation means operatively connected to said coupling means for moving said coupling means up and down with respect to said second link means so that said coupling means may couple with products located at any depth within the storage compartment. It is also preferred that said coupling means include a flexible and resilient coupling head adapted to abu
Abelman ,Frayne & Schwab
Airgate Sourcing and Supply PTY LTD
Bollinger David H.
LandOfFree
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