Article dispensing – With dispensing-type outlet
Utility Patent
1999-01-12
2001-01-02
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
With dispensing-type outlet
C221S31200B
Utility Patent
active
06168047
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vending machine for vending articles such as canned, bottled or PET-bottled beverage, and the like.
In a typical one of conventional vending machines, articles such as canned, bottled or PET-bottled beverage are stacked and stored in a vertically extending article passage or storage section. The articles in the article storage section are delivered downward one by one by a delivery mechanism or an article discharge device provided on the lower end of the article storage section. In such known vending machine, when the article to be vended is changed in diameter, the effective width in the article storage section is adjusted in accordance with the diameter of the article, for example, by changing the position of a spacer attached in the article storage section or replacing the spacer with another spacer.
In the conventional vending machine, however, since the spacer position change or replacement is manually performed, the adjustment of the effective width is intricate. Additionally, there is a possibility that the spacer Is attached to an incorrect position or that the spacer for replacement is lost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It Is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine in which it is unnecessary to manually adjust an effective width of an article passage.
Other object of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
A vending machine to which the present invention is applicable is for use in vending articles stacked in an article passage extending in a vertical direction. The vending machine comprises a pair of side plates opposite to each other in a horizontal direction to define the article passage therebetween, a spacing member movably attached to one of the side plates for restricting an effective width of a lower portion of the article passage in the horizontal direction, an article discharge device cooperated with the spacing member for discharging a lowermost one of the articles from the lower portion of the article passage, and automatically adjusting means coupled to the spacing member for making the spacing member be automatically displaced in accordance with an article size of each of the articles to adjust the effective width.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6012604 (2000-01-01), Takahashi et al.
patent: 4155494 (1992-05-01), None
Sakaguchi Haruki
Takamura Toshiyuki
Banner & Witcoff , Ltd.
Noland Kenneth W.
Sanden Corp.
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