US 12,175,842 B2Granted

Automated side opening oven door for a vending machine

AssigneeAutomated Retail Technologies, LLC

InventorsJames Edward Deaton, Linda H. Wu, John C. Serieka, Lynn Warren Hamrick, Sean Raymond Lucas, William Warrenburg, Brent Joseph Clafferty

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Abstract

A vending machine is adapted for dispensing a pre-packaged food product provided in a refrigerated enclosure housed in the vending machine. The vending machine includes an oven including a housing defining a cavity for receiving the pre-packaged food product. The housing has a sidewall with a sidewall opening providing access to the cavity. A side door is mounted to the sidewall for closing and opening the sidewall opening. A drive mechanism is connected to the side door and adapted to mechanically move the side door of the oven between a closed position and an opened position. The drive mechanism includes a sensing device adapted to determine whether the side door is in one of the closed position and the opened position. A door frame is mounted to the sidewall and has a guide track. The side door is movably received in the guide track.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A vending machine adapted for dispensing associated pre-packaged food products provided in a refrigerated enclosure housed in the vending machine, the vending machine comprising:

an oven including:
a housing defining a cavity for receiving the associated pre-packaged food products, the housing having a sidewall with a sidewall opening providing access to the cavity;
a side door mounted to the sidewall for closing and opening the sidewall opening, the side door comprising an outer surface and an inner surface opposite the outer surface, wherein selected areas of the outer surface and the inner surface include anti-friction material adhered thereto, the anti-friction material facilitating movement of the side door;
a drive mechanism operably connected to the side door and adapted to mechanically move the side door of the oven between a closed position and an opened position, the drive mechanism including at least one sensing device adapted to determine whether the side door is in one of the closed position and the opened position;
and
a door frame mounted to the sidewall and having a guide track, the side door movably received in the guide track, wherein the drive mechanism includes an actuator coupled to a carriage, the carriage comprising:
a first side comprising a first mounting flange offset from an outer surface of the carriage and mounted to the outer surface of the side door;
and
a second side comprising a second mounting flange perpendicularly oriented to the outer surface of the carriage and including mounting projecting therefrom that comprise respective apertures;
wherein the actuator is operable to move the carriage, which thereby moves the side door, and
wherein the actuator includes a motor and a threaded rod having a first end portion coupled to the motor and a second end portion, wherein the threaded rod is threadingly coupled to the respective apertures of the second mounting flange of the second side of the carriage such that rotation of the threaded rod causes corresponding movement of the carriage, the mounting tabs including:
an upper mounting tab, which includes a respective aperture through which a carriage bearing is inserted, and
a lower mounting tab against which an actuator nut threadingly coupled to the threaded rod is fastened.

10 more elements

A drive mechanism system, comprising:

a side door is provided on a sidewall of an oven and is configured to be moved between a closed position and an opened position, wherein the side door comprises:
an outer surface;
and
an inner surface opposite the outer surface;
wherein selected areas of the outer surface and the inner surface include anti-friction material adhered thereto, the anti-friction material facilitating movement of the side door between the closed position and the opened position;
a drive mechanism for automatically moving the side door, the drive mechanism comprising:
a carriage including a first side and a second side, the first side of the carriage adapted to be mounted to an outer surface of the side door;
an actuator coupled to the carriage and operable to move the carriage, the actuator including a threaded rod threadingly coupled to the second side of the carriage;
a first sensing device operatively connected to the actuator and adapted to detect the side door in the opened position and deactivate the actuator in the opened position of the side door;
and
a second sensing device operatively connected to the actuator and adapted to detect the side door in the closed position and deactivate the actuator in the closed position of the side door, wherein the drive mechanism includes an actuator coupled to the carriage, in which the first side of the carriage comprises a first mounting flange offset from an outer surface of the carriage and mounted to the outer surface of the side door;
and
the second side of the carriage comprises a second mounting flange perpendicularly oriented to the outer surface of the carriage and including mounting tabs projecting therefrom that comprise respective apertures;
wherein the actuator is operable to move the carriage, which thereby moves the side door, and
wherein the actuator includes a motor and a threaded rod having a first end portion coupled to the motor and a second end portion, wherein the threaded rod is threadingly coupled to the respective apertures of the second mounting flange of the second side of the carriage such that rotation of the threaded rod causes corresponding movement of the carriage, the mounting tabs including:
an upper mounting tab, which includes a respective aperture through which a carriage bearing is inserted;
and
a lower mounting tab against which an actuator nut threadingly coupled to the threaded rod is fastened.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/964,289Filed 31 Jan 2019 · us provisional application
Priority: 2 Feb 2018
Published: US 2020/0357219 A112 Nov 2020
Granted: 24 Dec 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G07F 9/10
Details other than those peculiar to special kinds or types of apparatus: casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling
G07F 9/105
Casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling: heating or cooling means, for temperature and humidity control, for the…
G07F 11/16
In which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other: delivery means
G07F 17/0078
For processing of food articles: food articles which need to be processed for dispensing in a hot or cooked condition, e.g. popcorn, nuts