Refrigeration – Cooled enclosure – Movable unit of refrigeration producing assembly
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-26
2001-01-09
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Cooled enclosure
Movable unit of refrigeration producing assembly
C062S449000, C062S450000, C221S1500HC
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170285
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to vending machines and, more particularly, to vending machines which vend many different types of products and are configured to dispense a desired product to a customer upon insertion in the machine of adequate currency.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many vending machines have refrigerated portions from which refrigerated or frozen foods can be vended. The basic refrigeration system consists of an evaporator and fan, compressor and condenser. There are many different system configurations currently in use for providing the necessary cooling. Some are permanently installed in the vending machine while others are designed to be removable for greater ease of servicing. Since spoilage of refrigerated or frozen items can occur quickly on failure of the refrigeration system it is essential to have the shortest down time possible to preserve the product. It is common with removable refrigeration systems to merely take a new system to the vending machine site and replace the defective unit and take the defective unit for repair. This tends to provide the shortest down time, but the amount of time necessary to make the substitution will, again, depend on the manner in which the system is configured and the difficulty of removal of the old system and installation of the new. Some such systems require partial disassembly of the vending machine to remove the system which prolongs the down time and enhances the possibility of spoilage of the items in the machine. A better approach used in prior art vending machines is a system which can be slid in and out of the vending machine and tends to self align the interconnecting duct work which is needed to introduce the cooled air into the refrigerated portion of the vending machine and to remove the spent warmed are therefrom. Such a machine is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,750, assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. In that machine there is provided a self-contained refrigeration unit which has duct work which engages mating duct work in the refrigerated portion of the vending machine such that when the refrigeration unit is slid into the bottom of the vending machine the ducts are aligned and, when engaged, seal between the two duct works. Alignment tracks on the floor of the vending machine help align the duct work from right to left. However, this system can be difficult to align from front to back so as to completely seal between the two duct works.
Another difficulty with prior art vending machines is in the area of the monetary unit where the customer inserts his or her money to make a purchase. Because there is limited space within the housing of a vending machine there are difficulties in mounting and servicing various components of the monetary system such as the bill validator, coin changer and microprocessors which control various functions of the vending machine. Security in this area is also a problem since the monitory system is a usual area for vandals to attempt to gain entry or “jackpot” the mechanisms.
A still further problem associated with some prior art vending machines, particularly those intended for outdoor use, is their inability to satisfactorily control the internal temperature of the machine within the food storage area. This is true whether the machine is vending refrigerated or frozen foods. One main reason for this is the use of a large glass front on the machines which causes substantial heat transfer, particularly from the sun, although in cold weather the transfer can be in the opposite direction from the inside to the outside of the food storage area.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the above-described difficulties and disadvantages of prior art vending machines by providing a vending machine that has a self-aligning self-contained refrigeration and heating unit which can be easily and quickly placed in or taken out of the machine, by providing a vending machine with a monetary system that is compact and easy to install and service, and by providing a vending machine with a temperature control system that keeps the food in the front of the machine, adjacent the glass front, at substantially the desired temperature.
The above advantages are achieved by providing a vending machine comprising a housing having a floor and forming an interior space with an open front; a door attached to the housing for pivotal movement between an open position for allowing access to the interior space of the housing through the open front and a closed position for covering the open front; a horizontal shelf in the housing dividing the interior space of the housing into upper and lower portions, the shelf defining an opening along an edge thereof extending towards the open front of the housing; and a refrigeration unit having substantially vertical side portions engageable with the edge of the shelf defining the opening therein, the refrigeration unit being slidable on the floor of the housing into the housing with the front door in the open position such that the vertical side portions engage the edge of the shelf along substantially the length of the opening therein. Further advantages are obtained by providing such a vending machine wherein the edge of the shelf defining the opening has tapered converging sides and the sides of the refrigeration unit are similarly tapered. Still further advantages are obtained by providing such a vending machine which includes the refrigeration unit having an evaporator and fan located in the upper portion of the housing and a compressor and condenser located in the lower portion of the housing when the unit is engaged with the shelf. Yet further advantages are provided by including a heating member in the refrigeration unit disposed in the upper portion of the housing when the unit is engaged with the shelf. Further advantages are obtained by providing such a machine wherein the shelf and upper portion of the housing are insulated. Additional advantages are obtained by providing such a machine wherein the edge of the shelf defining the opening is provided with a seal engageable with the side portions of the refrigeration unit. Yet further advantages are obtained by providing such a machine including an output duct in the refrigeration unit adjacent the fan; a circulation duct along an inside wall of the housing connectable with the output duct for receiving cold air therefrom and circulating it through the housing; and a return air passage formed in the refrigeration unit adjacent the evaporator for returning air circulated through the housing to the evaporator to be cooled.
The present invention provides advantages over the prior art by providing a method of removably sealing a refrigeration unit in a vending machine having an interior space accessible through an open front covered by a door, comprising the steps of providing a horizontal shelf with a contoured edge facing the open front in the interior space of the vending machine so as to divide the interior space into upper and lower portions; providing a refrigeration unit with vertical side walls engageable with the contoured edge of the horizontal shelf; and sliding the refrigeration unit into the interior space of the vending machine so that the vertical side walls of the refrigeration unit engage the contoured edge of the shelf. Further advantages are obtained by providing such a method including the steps of providing the contoured edge with converging side walls and providing the side walls of the refrigeration unit to matingly engage the converging side walls of the contoured edge of the shelf when the unit is slid into the housing.
Other advantages over prior art vending machines are obtained by providing a vending machine which includes a housing forming an insulated interior portion and a glass front door; a plurality of product support shelves contained in the interior portion of the housing; a temperature sensing probe disposed on the interior portion adjacent the shelves and the glass in the door; a combined refriger
Henning Mark R.
Huffman John P.
Ivey Gregory Scott
Percy Charles W.
Petersen Ronald P.
Crane & Co.
Doerrler William
Jiang Chen-Wen
Senniger Powers Leavitt & Roedel
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