US2790526A - Can vending machine - Google Patents

Description

April 30, 1957 J. B. DONNELLY CAN VENDING MACHINE s sheets-sheet 1* original Filed Nov. 24, 195o IVENTOR.

l l /l l/ ll /l JOSEPH '19. DON/VELLY BY oumnodww@ Izzi 1 1.

A TTOFPNEYS April 30, 1957 J. B. DONNELLY CAN VENDNG MACHINE 5 She'ets-Sheet 2 Original Filed NOV. 24, 1950 \ATTORNEY$ April 30, 1957 J. B. DONNELLY CAN VENDING MACHINE Original Fil'ed Nov. 24, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOIL JOSEP/1 5. DOA/NELLY a af.

MT- ATTORNEYS ilniteei tates 4 Claims. (Cl. 193-27) This invention relates to newand useful Yimprovements in can vending machines. This application :is a division arent of my application Serial No. 197,298 tiled Novemberfji,

1950 `for Can Vending Machine. v i

IMore particularly, the invention relates to a'novel'chute construction and a novel dispensing mechanism for vendingm'achines for cans.

The Vchutes described herein are formed-by `appose'd vertical walls yformed .of a plurality of'superposedplate sections. The opposed walls `are held a iixed distance apart byfs'leeve spacers through which pass bolts engaging said plate sections. Thev sections are joined by lugs vprojecting upward from their Yupper edges overlapping the section above, certain of said bolts passing thrcvnigh holes in` the lugs and throughk holes in 'the plate sections ,inthe area overlapped by said lugs. Thus 'the' chutes may be made inheights which'are 'multiples ofthe heights'of'plate sections. The relatively small sections may be manufactured more'easily and inexpensively ltha1i;co1r1plete walls. The walls may be vassembled rapidly andiconveniently and, upon tightening of the bolts, said `walls are rapidly locked together.

The dispensing mechanism employed Vherein is Ypeeinactuated to dispense cans as they roll downthe chute one at atirne. Apair of Aslidablepins is mounted so'that each pin ,in'its' protracted position obstructs the Ipassageofcans down the chute and in its retracted position'thepindoes 'notobstructpassage. The pinsare so actuated `that when one is protracted,1the other-is retracted. `Upon depositof a coin, the lowermostpin retracts,permitting dispensing of the lcwermost can, and the other pin projects, prevent- 'inglothercans from following the rstecan. Thereafter, the-positions of the pins are reversed and'thenext'can 'moves into-position abutting the lirst pin.

Another feature of theinvention is the 'association of vtwofor-more chutes with a single coin slot. When one chute is-empt-y,the cans in the next Achutegare dispensed until all of the chutes arefempty,^whereuponadditional coins deposited Y by `a lcustomer :are returned; and alight may be energized to .indicate'that the chutespare empty.

@ther Aobjects oi i the present invention will'becbme, ap-

parent upon reading the following speciiieationandrererring to the accompanying drawings in which;s imilar characters `of ,reference represent. corresponding'lparts in eachof therseveralviews. Y

.Inlthe drawings: t `Fig.x 1- is.a-verticalinid-sectiontoi the machine.

liig.f2is-a\ver.tical section takemsubstantiallytalongithe rFig, :3.r is-an enlarged vertical section; of the `dispensing -,rnechanisrn' and associated parts, showing: said-.mechanism immediately after vendingof the can.

Eig. .Stisawiring diagramothemachine.

24 willrbe returned to the customer.

Patented Apr. 3o, 1957 V`whichpreferab`ly are-kept at a low temperature 1by refrigerating means incorporated in the ymachine'.Y 'It'will be understood that the mechanism hereinafter y described may Eb elused for vending other commodities,

A suitableinsulated cabinet .21v is provided, said-cabinet Vvhaving refrigerating coils 22 adjacent the top thereof Whicharefconnected to a suitablecompressor 23 located outsidethe insulated area of the cabinet as is well underf stood-in refr-igeratin'g art. The presence of the refrigeratingreoils 22 within the cabinet causes the circulating therethrough of chilled air which, by thermo'static conftrols VV(not shown), maintains the interior of the cabinet 221 atia'vsuitable temperature depending upon the type of comestiblestored therein.

- :The vending machine illustratedparticularly in A1Figs. l and 2 ,contemplates the use of twocoin depositrslo't's'24, veach v.of said lslots being associated with a pair of can ychutes 216. lThus a customer may deposit a c'o'infinY either of the two coin slots 24 provided, whereuponac'an20 o :will be `dispensed Vfrom'one or the other of the two chutes of the'pair associated `with said slot. After the supply'of cans .in one chute of the pair of chutes is exhausted, the

@cans iin the :other ofthe pair of chutes Awill pbe dispensed.

'After-.allor the cans in both pairsofhchutes are dispensed, -a.:1ightf27 will 'be illuminated `to india'tethatthe jeans are exhaustedandrany coin thereafter inserted-'in lthes'lot The fchutes are constructed by the suitable location `af'Jithinj-:the cabinet `of parallel vertical walls ZS-ertending `strom adjacent the 4front of Ythe cabinet to adjacent the'lrear `ofthejcabinet'andresting on the floor of the insulated portion thereof. Said walls are spaced apart a distance fslightly .greater than the vheight of the cans 20 to be `dispensedbyzthermachine itbeing understood thatsa'idcans `areinserted with their axles disposed horizontally.- Each twall-*ZS-isfmade up of a plurality of sections 29 su'it'ably joined ltogether along horizontal Y"joifn'ts'fas Y hereina-fte'1' Vapipears. `zltach said section 29 comprises a relatively thin,

flight-weight lplatehavingV on -eachside a trackwayl exytoithefront lower lcorner `(reference numeral of the fseeitionwhere 1t joins the upper forwardportion`32 ,of

,thef-'trackway of the next lower section. :The trackways are formedj by narrow raised beadsj36 and 37 `fofrineclinitegrallywith the plate andprojecting outward vfrorrreach surface thereof, onefsaid bead 36 providing avertical supportfforf the cans `as they roll rearwardly'of theV chute and `-thereuponz-beingdisposed immediately above the cans as i;they;ro l1:forwardly. The other said bead 37 xisfdisposed zlQllgfthe top of the path oflthecans as they roll rear- ,wardly :and'then provides a vertical support as vthe 'cans yroll-fprwardly The beads 36 and 37 'are curved about a radius slightlygreater than the canldiameteraloiig lthe aoutsicieof ,the cu-rvestin the'` can path ais-indicated byv referencegnumerals 3,8 andll?V andcomefto poin`t`s41 and'42 ,gatttheinside of the. curves in the can path, the points l41 and 12A being the centers of the radii of curvature of the wcurved, portions 38 and 39, respectively. Beads'36 and `j 37 are spac ed yapart adistance slightly greatery thanlthe diameter ofY the cans 20 being, dispensed. VThe portions of the beads v36 andl 37 disposed` k,along thefbottorn.V ,offthe pathway provide asuppor'tuforfthe 4 etndwseain beadsofthe fcanswastheyvroll down the chute section and the portions Y conicalsuitably ,to engage the disposed above the top of the pathways prevent the cans from raising out of position, and possibly jamming in the machine. The two beads coopera-te to coniine the cans within the desired undulate pathway. Since the wall sections 29 are spaced apart a distance only slightly greater than the length of the cans 20, there is no possibility of the cans being slanted sideways if they are once properly placed within the chutes. Sections 29 are apertured ,as indicated by reference numeral 43 to provide for'circulation of cold air in the portions thereof `which are not a part vof the chute structure proper.

The individual sections 29 are joined together by means Y of ears 46 integrally formed with these Asectionsalong the top edges thereof and projecting above the Vtop edges thereof and overlappingl and overlyingthe next section above, said ears beinglaterally offset so as to overlap the Y section above, as'shown particularly in Fig. 6. Bolts 47 hereinafterdescribed pass through projecting ears v46 and holes adjacentthe lower edge of the section overlapped thereby to hold the superimposed sections together. The bolts are used also to hold the walls in proper alignment. Suitable sleeves 48 extending between` opposite walls of each section 2,9 surround said bolts 47 and are of such length that theyspace the opposed sections 29 apart the -required distance and, since their ends are square hold said sections in properV alignment. A plurality of additional bolts 49 and sleeves 48 is located in suitable and accessible places in walls of the chute so as to assist in securing proper alignment and spacing of said walls.

As seen particularly with reference to Fig...1, a suitable l door 56 is provided in the top of the cabinet 21 through which cans may be inserted. The attendant inserts said cans 20 so that they lie with their axes horizontal and their end seam beads resting on beads A36 and 37. As each can is dispensed the remaining cans in the chute roll down until all ofthe cans in the chute are exhausted.

Adjacent the bottom of each chute of a pair of chutes -is an empty switch 57 and 58, said switch being a microswitch or Similar switch mechanism. YThe weight of the cans in the chute resting on resilient fingers 59 maintains said switches 57 and 58 closed so long as there is a can in the chute. When all the cans have been dispensed, the resilient iinger 59 rises and the electrical contact is broken. A second switch 61 is maintained at the bottom of one of said chutes, herein called the second chute, said switch 61 being biased closed, but maintained closed by the weight of the cans in the chute on resilient finger 62. When all of the cans have been exhausted, resilient iinger 62 opens switch 61 and this causes empty light 27 located exteriorly of cabinet 21 to be illuminated, notifying the attendant to refill the chutes and also indicating to a `potential customer that all of the cans in the chutes associated with a particular coin slot 24 have been dispensed so that said customer will not deposit a coin in the slot.

The dispensing mechanism is shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4, Said mechanism is located adjacent the bottom of each chute. It comprises essentially a pair of vertically slidable pins 66 and V67, each of said pins having y an up and a down position and when in upposition extending into trackway 31 a distance suilicient to prevent a can from rolling past` said pin. Said pins 66 and 67 are slidable in verticalA bushings 68 extending upward through the bottomv wall of the cabinet 21. Preferablyv the upper ends of said pins 66 and 67 are pointed and round body of the can lowermost in ythechute.

The lower ends of said pins are 1pivotallyconnected toY the opposite arms of a T-shaped link 71, said T-'sh'aped link being disposed with its upper portion 72 substantially horizontal, one end of said upper portion 72 being connected to pin 66 by means of a slot-and-pin connection and the other end of said upper portion 72 being connected to pin 67 by a similar slot-and-pin connection. The T-shaped member 71 is pivotally mounted to a stationary 'portion of the cabinet by vmeans cfa pivot 73 passing 4 through approximately the center of the horizontal portion 72 of link 71. The lower end of T-shaped member 71 is connected by a slot-and-pin connection to the horizontally slidable solenoid arm 76. Spring 77 normally biases said T-shaped member 71 to the position shown im Fig. 4 so that the pin 66 engages the lowermost can in the chute. However, upon a customer depositing a suitable coin in slot 24, an electrical circuit is establishedl which energizes solenoid 78 and retra-cts arm 76 which moves the T-shaped member to the position shown in Fig. 3 whereupon pin 66 is retracted allowing the lowermost can to escape and pin 67 is simultaneously projected restraining the next can in order from following the first can out of the machine. The retraction of the solenoid 78 is for only a brief period of time, sufficient for passage of the coin through coin switch mechanism 79, whereupon spring 77 restores T-shaped member 71 to the position shown in Fig, 4, thereby retracting pin 67 allowing the cans to move downward one positionfthe last can in order resting against pin 66 until a customer'inserts another coin in the machine. An insulated trap door 81 is pro- `vided in the cabinet adjacent the lower vend of chute, said `manually remove the can. It will be understood that a suitable can opener `(not shown) may be installed in the cabinet and a receptacle (not shown) provided for empty cans.

The lelectrical circuits for the vending portion ofthe mechanism are shown in Fig. 5. As illustrated in Fig. 5, both empty switches 57 and 58 are closed because both chutes have at least one can therein. Similarly, empty light switch 61 is open because of the presence of a can in the second chute. Relay 86 is so set thatupon deposit of a coin and closing of coin switch 79, vending solenoid 78 will be energized tordispense a single can until the tirst chute is empty, whereupon empty switchk 57 will be opened, and relay 86 will be thrown to the opposite position. Thereafter solenoid 87 will be energized upon the deposit of a coin until all of the cans in the second chute are exhausted, whereupon empty switch 58 will be opened some detail by way of illustration and example, it is understood'that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and Scope of the appended claims.

yI claim: f

"1. Achute for aV vending machine comprising a pair of substantially parallel, vertical walls spaced Vapart a distance slightly greater than the height of the articles being dispensed, each of said walls having registering `undulating trackways formed of beads protruding inwardly from the opposed wall surfaces, and arranged to engage the ends of the articles being dispensed, said tracltways being inclined downwardly and alternating from front to rear, at least one of said walls being formed in a plurality of substantially rectangular sections abuttingalong horizontal joints, one said section being provided withan ear arranged to overlap a portion of the adjacent section and fastening means passing through said ear and theunderlying portion .of the adjacent section and locking sad sections together, said ear comprising a short, angularly shaped member projecting outwardly horizontally and then vertically beyond the horizontal margin of said section, said ear being located remote from said trackway.

2. A chute as defined in claim 1 in which said trackway is formed commencing in the upper forward corner of said section, extending downwardly and rearwardly at a slight declination, having a sharp bend at about the middle of the back thereof and extending forwardly and rearwardly at a slight declination to the lower forward corner thereof.

3. A chute as defined in claim 2 in which the beads on said section are shaped with one bead curved at the upper front corner, then extending straight and inclined downwardly, then at an acute angle at the back, then extending straight and inclined downwardly and then curved at the lower front corner and the other bead extends straight and inclined downwardly from adjacent the forward upper corner, curved at the middle of the rear and then straight and inclined downwardly to the lower forward corner and in which the radius of curvature of the curved portions is slightly greater than the diameter of the articles being dispensed in the zone of contact of said article with said beads.

4. A chute as deined in claim l in which said fastening means comprises a bolt and in which is further provided a plurality of sleeves interposed between parallel walls, said sleeves spacing opposed walls apart the required distance, one of said sleeves and said bolt being positioned remote from said trackway.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,383,318 McCormick July 5, 1921 1,462,126 Ross July 17, 1923 2,159,905 Moninger May 23, 1939

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