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US 4,098,384 AGranted
Token actuatable vend mechanism
AssigneeCornelius, Inc.
InventorHenry Charles Kovar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A coin operable vend mechanism has a frame, a token counter mounted on the frame, a vend release mechanism mounted on the frame and operably connected to the token counter, and a token acceptor removably mounted in the frame and atop of the token counter; the token acceptor has an internal token identifying structure and a return for improper tokens and is held in the frame by a tongue and groove structure which is held together by a lock which is accessible only when the mechanism is removed from a vending machine; the token counter and vend release mechanism are both attached to the frame by common mounting structure.
Claims26
A token operable vending mechanism comprising:
- (a) a frame;
- (b) means in the frame for vending a goods;
- (c) common mounting means fixed on and to the frame for mounting both of a token counter and a vending lock to the frame;
- (d) a mechanical vending lock operatively mounted upon the common mounting means;
- (e) a slide bar operatively connecting the vending lock to the vending means, the slide bar being lockable by the vending lock for rendering the vending means inoperable;
- (f) a token counter rigidly mounted to the common mounting means;
- and
- (g) a mechanical output means on the token counter, the output means being operable upon the vending lock for rendering the vending lock inoperable and releasing the slide bar, thereby making the vending means operable for release of a goods from the mechanism.
5 more elements
A token operable vending mechanism comprising:
- (a) a frame;
- (b) means in the frame for vending a goods;
- (c) mounting means fixed on the frame for mounting a token counter and a vending lock to the frame;
- (d) a vending lock rotatably and operatively mounted upon the mounting means;
- (e) a slide bar reciprocably and slidably mounted upon the mounting means and operatively connecting the vending lock to the vending means, the slide bar being lockable by the vending lock for rendering the vending means inoperable;
- (f) a token counter rigidly mounted to the mounting means;
- and
- (g) a mechanical output means on the token counter, the output means being operable upon the vending lock for rendering the vending lock inoperable and releasing the slide bar, thereby making the vending means operable for release of a goods from the mechanism.
5 more elements
A token accepting mechanism, comprising;
- (a) a frame having a pair of elongate upright side panels;
- (b) means securing the side frames rigidly to each other and in positions spaced from and generally parallel to each other;
- (c) a token counter mounted between and within the side frames;
- (d) a token acceptor cover positioned over the top of the token counter, the cover precluding accessibility to the token counter from the top of the frame;
- (e) cover retainer means in the frame and positively engagable with the cover for retaining the cover to the frame in a pre-determined position atop the token counter;
- (f) manually manipulatable means in the cover for locking the cover in the retainer means;
- and
- (g) an access port in an end of the frame, the cover locking means being operably accessible and manually inoperably renderable through the access port, for removal of the cover from the cover retainer means and the frame and from atop of the counter.
5 more elements
A token accepting mechanism, comprising:
- (a) a frame having a pair of elongate upright side panels;
- (b) means securing the side frames rigidly to each other and in positions spaced from and generally parallel to each other;
- (c) a token counter mounted between and within the side frames;
- (d) a token acceptor cover positioned over the top of the token counter, the cover precluding accessibility to the token counter from the top of the frame;
- (e) means in the frame for retaining the cover in a predetermined position atop the token counter;
- (f) means in the cover for locking the cover in the retainer means;
- (g) an access port in an end of the frame, the cover locking means being accessible and inoperably renderable through the access port, for removal of the cover from the frame and from atop of the counter;
- and
- (h) a rigid panel mounted to and between the side frames, said rigid panel being part of said frame securing means and being atop the access port and having therein at least a part the means for locking of the cover.
6 more elements
A mechanism for accepting a token and for vending an article upon acceptance of proper token, comprising:
- (a) a frame having therein means for vending an article;
- (b) a lock mechanism in said frame and operatively connected to said vending means for locking said vending means;
- (c) a token counter mounted to the frame and operatively connected to the lock mechanism for crediting tokens and for rendering said lock mechanism inoperative upon crediting of a predetermined quantity of tokens;
- (d) a token accepting cover having therein as an integral structural feature, means for identifying a token and for feeding tokens into said token counter;
- (e) retainer means in said frame for positively retaining said cover to said frame in a position atop of said token counter and said lock mechanism;
- and
- (f) releasing means manipulatable and operable for releasing said cover from positive retention in said retaining means, said cover when released being removable from said retainer means and said frame while said vending means, lock mechanism and token counter remain operative, for providing access from the top of said frame into such operative vend means, lock mechanism and token counter.
4 more elements
A token accepting mechanism comprising:
- (a) a frame;
- (b) a token counter mounted within and to the frame;
- (c) a cover having therein means for identifying and feeding a proper token to the token counter;
- (d) a tongue and groove structure retaining the cover to the frame, one of the tongue and groove being in the frame, and the other of the tongue and groove being in the cover;
- and
- (e) means for locking the tongue and groove together.
3 more elements
A token actuatable vend mechanism comprising:
- (a) a frame;
- (b) an access port in the frame;
- (c) means for mounting the frame in a vending machine with the access port being enclosed and covered by the machine;
- (d) means in the frame for vending a goods;
- (e) a token counter mounted in the frame and operatively connected to the vending means for controlling the vending means;
- (f) retainer means in said frame for retaining a token acceptor;
- (g) a token acceptor mounted in the retainer means and atop of the token counter;
- and
- (h) means for locking the token acceptor in the retainer means, said token acceptor lock means being inoperably renderable directly from the access port for removal of the token acceptor from the retainer means and the frame.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.