Impact dampening system for vending machine chute
AssigneeCoin Acceptors, Inc.
InventorThomas S. Paczkowski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This impact dampening system for a vending machine chute includes a resilient sheet disposed above a fixed support and a cushioning arrangement disposed between the resilient sheet and the fixed support. In one embodiment, a sheet metal chute provides the fixed support and a sheet plastic chute having a similar configuration to the sheet metal chute provides the resilient sheet, and foam pads between the two chutes providing the cushioning arrangement for containers received by the plastic sheet. In another embodiment, a sheet plastic chute only is used which is suspended by hangers or attached by brackets to the vending machine and may be provided with a diverter to direct containers away from direct travel to the vending machine access port.
Claims21
An impact dampening system for a vending machine having a rear wall, and a front door having a dispensing port, the system comprising:
- (a) a sheet metal chute including a downwardly inclined panel having an upper rear portion operatively attached to the vending machine, and a front portion;
- (b) a sheet plastic chute including a downwardly inclined panel disposed above the downwardly inclined panel of the metal chute, a front portion disposed adjacent the dispensing opening and deflecting means on each side of the dispensing port for directing containers toward the dispensing port;
- and
- (c) cushioning means between the sheet plastic chute and the sheet metal chute for transferring impact received by the sheet plastic chute to the sheet metal chute.
A vending machine comprising:
- (a) a rear wall, opposed side walls, a front door having a customer access port and a floor;
- (b) a sheet metal chute including a downwardly inclined panel attached at its upper end to the rear wall and attached at its lower end to the floor and including integrally formed deflecting wing panels at each side of the inclined panel;
- (c) a sheet plastic chute disposed above the sheet metal chute and including a downwardly inclined panel attached at its upper end to the upper end of the inclined chute of the sheet metal panel and including integrally formed deflecting wing panels at each side of the inclined panel;
- the chutes being spaced from each other at the lower end;
- and
- (d) an impact dampening means to absorb impact load received by the sheet plastic chute from containers dispensed onto said sheet plastic chute, said dampening means including a first dampening means provided by the resilience of the plastic panel initially impacted by the containers and a second dampening means provided by cushioning means disposed between the chutes.
An impact dampening system as defined in 16, in which:
- (e) the diverter has a longitudinal axis which is offset from the access port.
An impact dampening system for vending machine containers comprising:
- (a) resilient means providing an impact surface receiving containers dispensed from a vending machine;
- (b) load transfer means for transferring load applied to said impact surface to said vending machine;
- (c) said load transfer means including a fixed support means attached to said vending machine;
- and
- (d) cushioning means disposed between said impact surface and said fixed support means.
An impact dampening system for vending machine containers comprising:
- (a) resilient means providing an impact surface receiving containers dispensed from a vending machine;
- (b) load transfer means for transferring load applied to said impact surface to said vending machine;
- (c) said load transfer means including a fixed support means attached to said vending machine;
- (d) cushioning means disposed between said impact surface and said fixed support means;
- (e) said resilient means including a resilient plastic panel;
- (f) said fixed support including a sheet metal panel;
- and
- (g) said cushioning means including a cushioning pad means disposed between said resilient plastic panel and said sheet metal panel.
An impact dampening system for vending machine containers comprising:
- (a) resilient means providing an impact surface receiving containers dispensed from a vending machine;
- and
- (b) load transfer means for transferring load applied to said impact surface to said vending machine, including cushioning means disposed between said resilient means and said vending machine.
An impact dampening system for vending machine containers comprising:
- (a) resilient means including a resilient plastic sheet providing an impact surface receiving containers dispensed from a vending machine;
- and
- (b) load transfer means for transferring load applied to said impact surface to said vending machine including cushioning means disposed between said resilient means and said vending machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.