US1123071A - Vending apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

R. J. BELL.

l VENDING APPARATUS.

` APPLICATION FILED DEGA, 1913. l p 1 2399? l v A* Patented Dec. 29, 1914` 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 R. J. BELL.

VENDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DB0. 4, 191s.

Patented Dec. 29, 1914.

. 2 SHEETS-*SHEET 2.

if wf. h

remain in suc i packages ma ik W.

ROBERT J. BELL, 0F GCEAN VIEW, VIRGINIA.

VENDING APPARATUS.

Maasai.

Application led December 4, 1913.

To all/whom it ma concern.'

Be it known t at 1, ROBERT J. BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ocean View, in the countyT of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements i'n Vending Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vending apparatus.

An ob'ect of the invention is the provision o apparatus of this character for vending packages of cigarettes, tobacco in bag form, plug form, etc.

Another object of the invention is the provision ofmechanis'm whereby di'erent grades or selected brands of tobaccos may be readily visible to the purchaser and actively delivered to him in predetermined quantities on the de osit of a coin.

Another yobject o the invention is the provision of vending apparatus wherein packages from one or a particular package containing division thereof may be freely delivered without'accidentally causing a delivery of packages from other sub-divisions of the machine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of vendin apparatus wherein ackages from one o' the package containing divisions thereof may be only delivered to' the person on a deposit of ailurality of coins of different and designate denomina-` tions.

Another object of the invention is the provision of delivering mechanism which will l)be ositively set to a released condition on t e de osit of a coin and which will lfcondition until actually manipulated by the purchaser. t

Another object of the invention` 1 s the provision of vending apparatus wherein the be partly advanced .to the purchaser an in a manner which will permit the purchaser to entirely remove the packa es from the machine after a prescribed operation of the delivering mechapackages of varying sizes may be properly accommodated and associated with the delivering' mechanism for accurate delivery. -A :further object of the invention is the provision of vending a paratus ,including "a asing which Yis sub- 'vided into a plu- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 11914. serial No. 804,717.

rality of compartments for packages of tobacco of different brands and means whereby all of the compartments or divisions may be exposed to permit of aconvenient refilling of the machine.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of vending apparatus wherein the coins or actuating objects which are employed for the purpose of controlling the delivering mechanism may be first placed on 'view for the benefit of the salesman, thus enabling him to instantly ascertain as to whether or not coins of proper value have been employed by the purchaser.

1l/*ith these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a perspective View of the vending apparatus; F ig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section therethrough, showing that mechanism of the package containing division of the machine which is influenced on lthe deposit of a plu' i rality of coins of given denominations; and

Fig. 4 is a similar view through the ma chine, showing another package containing division thereof and its delivering mechanism which is controlled' by a single coin.

The machine comprises avcasing l provided with coin chutes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, all of which being provided with a single.

slot 8, excepting the chute 7. The latter is provided with coin slots 9 and' 10, which in the present instance are shown as being of different sizes, so as to accommodate coinsv This wall is provided along its lower edge with a plurality of depending pins 13, which extend in corresponding sockets 14 formed in the offset portion 16 of the casing. The said wall 11 carries a suitable lock 16 that may be secured with the adjacenttop wall of the casing, so that the mentioned wall 11 may be securely held against removal underl Ordinar conditions, while by manipulating the loc the wall 11 may be removed by the owner of the machine and the interior of the Acasing thus exposed to enable one to readily refill the machine with packages to be vended. The casing is divided interiorly into a number of sub-divisions which correspond with lthe number of coin chutes hereinbefore mentioned, the said chutes being located directly behind said sub-divisions for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

At the bottom of each of the compartments or sub-divisions, excepting that subdivision or compartment with which the coin chute 7 is associated,'is a delivering mechanism 16, consisting of a horizontal slide 17 on which the packages to be vended are adapted to rest, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. This slide is provided with a verticallyrising delivering projection 18 which normally rests directly at the back of the lower package and which is designed to move the package in the direction of the delivering tube 19, at the front of the machine on a prescribed manipulation of the slide. The said tube 19 extends approximately at an obtuse angle tothe direction of the slide,

so as to present the package to the angular position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The inner open end of the tube is provided with a gravitationally operated gate 20, which is opened through the sliding action of the package on the delivery of the latter and which is normally closed so as to prevent one from taking the packages by implements or devices that may be inserted through the delivering tube 19. In order to prevent the tampering of the gate 20 and to assure a positive locking of the same, I provide on the slide 17 at a point forwardl of the gate 20, an upstanding lug 20', whlc is better illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The lower wall of the delivering tube 19 directly overlies the slide 17, so that the packages may be freely guided into the tube when the slide is moved to a delivering position. At the front the slide is provlded with an angular extension 21, to which is secured a hand-actuated knob 22.

At the back, the slide 17 is provided with a keeper plate 23 having a slot 24 therein.

Within the casing is a pivoted dog 25 having a locking end 26 which is normally projected through the slot 24 of the keeper plate 23, and which is provided with a hook 26 that extends over one side of the keeper plate normally, so as to hold the slide against movement. The surface 27 of the hook of said pivoted dog is tapered for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. Said dog 1s provided with a tail 28, the terminals of which being curved longitudinally and extended in to the adjacent coin slot, as shown in Fig. 2, completely traversing the slot, whereby to obstruct the assage of the com in the slot. The tail o the said dog also extends through a slot 29 in one of the walls of the coin slot. The locking end of the dog is normally positioned relatively of `the wall 30 of the slot 24, whereby it is slightly spaced therefrom -and for a distance exceeding the width of the shoulder of the hook 26. This construction is preferred in order that the said locking end of the dog may be brought to engage against the wall 30 of the mentioned slot 24 when the weight of the coin is directly supported upon the tail 28 of the dog. It is now seen that under the applied weight or action of the coin against the tail of the pivoted dog, the keeper-engaging end of the latter will be maintained in a predetermined position relatively of the keeper and the slide 17 of the delivering mechanism is positively held released for a delivery of a single package to the purchaser. On the return of the slide the keeper 23 will engage beneath the surface 27 of the pivoted dog and the latter will be automatically re-set for a subsequent action on the'deposit of a coin.

vIn order to etiect an automatic return of the slide after the delivery ofa single package I provide a return spring 31, one end of which being engaged against an integral portion 32 of the sliade, While the opposite end of the spring is operatively associated with a lug 33 of the casing.

As lit is the purpose to employ an apparatus wherein may be laced on sale packages of cigarettes or t e like of different brands and different values I pro ose that the pivoted dogs 25 will be proportioned and counterbalanced in a manner which will make them clearly responsive to coins of different weights and denominations. All ofl the coin chutes,'excepting the chute 7, are intended for the receipt of a single coin. The chute 7 is designed so asy to permit of the delivery of a package on the deposit of two coins, namely, in the present instance,

one coin of a 4live-cent denomination, and a' second coin of a ten-cent denomination, hence the provision of two'separate and distinct ways or passages 34 and 35. .On referende to Fig. 3, it is seen that these passages open directly onto the tails of dogs 36 and 3 the locking ends of which are shown at 38 and are normally enga ed with a keeper 39 which is substantially identical with the form of keeper 23 hereinbefore referred to. Through this arrangement of a set of dogs, it is seen that it will be necessary in order for the operator to receive the package to deposit in the subdivisions of the chute, coins of the described denominations.

Beneath the coin controlled dog of each chute is a spring 40 having a coin-engaging end 41 which extends in the direction of a transparent panel 42. arranged in the wall of the casing at the back thereof so that after the coin drops from the dog it will be agiagaom coin as it leavesthe dog is adapted to cause the coin held by the spring to be deposited in a coin drawer 43 which is slidably or otherwise suitably mounted in the bottom of the casing.

In order that the cigarettes or articles of merchandise may be satisfactorily distinguished from each other, I preferably mount upon the front of the casing in the presence of each of the article containing sub-divisions thereof a guide 44, in which may be mounted a card 45 containing the name of the article on sale.

While it is only mentioned that at least one of the chutes for receiving the coins is sub-divided into two ways for the passage of the coins, it is to be understood that any number of ways maybe provided, and that they may be constructed to receive vcoins in which all are of the same denomination if such necessity may arise.

I claim:

In vending apparatus a merchandise magslide mounted in the magazine, a slottedkeeper plate carried by the slide, a nose formed-on the dog and rovided with a .beveled surface,' the tail o the dog having free engagement with the shoulder so that the latter serves to hold the nose of the dog in a position to permit of the passage thereof through the slot of said keeper, the dog when engaged with the keeper serving to hold the slide against movement in one direction and 'means for holdin said slide against movement in an opposite direction when the nose of the dog is engaged with the keeper.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature in presence of two witnesses. l

. v .I ROBERT J. BELL. Witnesses: l

JAMES A. KOEHL, E. EnMoNsToN, Jr.

Images