US 3,940,016 AGranted

Article vending apparatus with door interlock

OwnerMerrill Krakauerinventor

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Abstract

A vending apparatus for packaged articles includes a cabinet having a plurality of windows each having a delivery compartment aligned with a multi-package storage compartment. Motor driven feeder means disposed adjacent each storage compartment carries a variable number of divider elements to contain, advance and sequentially discharge single articles from the storage compartment to the delivery compartment. A plurality of switches sense and regulate the opening and closing of any one of the doors, the activation of the associated feeder means and the presence or absence of articles in the storage compartment while a shiftable gate assembly activated by operation of each door prevents access to articles within the storage compartment. By a modification the forwardmost article may be retained for display either in the front of the storage compartment or within the delivery compartment.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An article vending apparatus including, a cabinet having an interior storage compartment and an adjacent delivery compartment defining a storage/delivery cell, said storage compartment provided with a shelf having a forward discharge point and adapted to support a plurality of adjacent articles behind said point, said delivery compartment provided with a shelf, said cabinet including a movable door providing access to said delivery compartment, a movable gate assembly within said delivery compartment displaceable upon opening of said door to preclude customer access into said storage compartment, feeder means adjacent said storage compartment including means overlying said storage compartment shelf for engaging and advancing all articles within said storage compartment from the rear thereof to said discharge point and subsequently pushing same onto said delivery compartment shelf, displacing means for shifting said engaging means from a position overlying said storage compartment shelf to an alternate storage position, and said gate assembly including a pivotally mounted link to one side of said cell, a crossbar at one end of said link disposed in the rear of said delivery compartment, cam means at the other forwrad end of said link, and means carried by said door engageable with said cam means to raise said crossbar when said door is closed and lower said crossbar when said door is opened.

An article vending apparatus including, a cabinet having an interior storage compartment and an immediately adjacent delivery compartment defining a storage delivery cell, said storage compartment provided with a shelf having a forward discharge point and adapted to support a plurality of adjacent articles behind said point, said delivery compartment provided with a shelf having a rear edge juxtaposed said storage compartment discharge point and spaced therefrom to provide a minimal clearance therebetween, said cabinet including a movable door immediately adjacent said delivery compartment and providing access thereto, feeder means adjacent said storage compartment including a plurality of means overlying said storage compartment shelf for individually engaging and advancing all articles within said storage compartment from the rear thereof to said discharge point and subsequently pushing same onto said delivery compartment shelf, displacing means for individually shifting said engaging means from a position overlying said storage compartment shelf to an alternate storage position juxtaposed one another and laterlly of said delivery compartment shelf, and switch-actuated circuit means having a door closure sensor operable upon opening and closing of said movable door and regulating the actuation of said feeder means to advance the forwardmost article on said storage compartment shelf onto said delivery compartment shelf.

An article vending apparatus including, a cabinet having an interior storage compartment and an adjacent delivery compartment defining a storage/delivery cell, said storage compartment provided with a shelf having a forward discharge point and adapted to support a plurality of adjacent articles behind said point, said delivery compartment provided with a shelf, said cabinet including a movable door providing access to said delivery compartment, feeder means adjacent said storage compartment including means overlying said shelf for engaging and advancing all articles within said storage compartment from the rear thereof to said discharge point and subsequently pushing same onto said delivery compartment shelf, displaying means for shifting said engaging means from a position overlying said storage compartment shelf to an alternate storage position, said delivery shelf and door connected to each other to provide a trap chamber, means pivotally attaching said trap chamber relative said cabinet to permit displacement thereof between alternate closed and open positions whereby, when said trap chamber is in said closed position said door is closed and said delivery shelf is disposed substantially horizontal adjacent said discharge point and when displaced to said open position said door is open and said delivery shelf is inclined upwardly from said pivotal attaching means.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.