Vending mechanism
AssigneeThe Coca-Cola Company
InventorsClayton Burnett, Lee Alan Hawkins, John Boyd, Thomas G. North, III, Chih-Shang Fu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method of vending product items may include storing product items within a product storage area. A product item may be released from the product storage area. The product item may be hoisted over at least a portion of the product storage area. The hoisted product item may be presented to a user. In one embodiment, the product storage area may be positioned within a vending machine, and the vending machine may be mobile. The vending machine may also be self-propelled. In an embodiment, the vending machine may be moved via a controller being used by an operator. Alternatively, the vending machine may be moved autonomously.
Claims10
A vending machine, comprising:
- a housing;
- a product storage area in which product items to be dispensed by the vending machine are stored;
- an elevator shaft positioned adjacent to said product storage area, and having an acute angle relative to a base of said product storage area and towards said product storage area;
- an elevator member configured to hoist a product item along said elevator shaft;
- a drive mechanism configured to cause said elevator member to move from a first position to a second position along the elevator shaft to hoist the product item;
- an opening defined by the housing, and configured to enable the product item to be received by a user, and
- a plurality of wheels, and an additional drive mechanism configured to rotate at least one of the wheels to cause the vending machine to be self-propelled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.