Door retaining device
AssigneeThe Vendo Company
InventorsAllen Eugene Alexander, Larry Edward Hieb
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A door retaining device having particular application for preventing unauthorized removal of vending machine doors from vending machine housings. The door retaining device is fixedly secured at a first end to the vending machine door, and cooperates with the vending machine housing at a second end to permit rotation of the door relative to the housing about at least one hinge pin, but to substantially prevent movement of the door relative to the housing other than rotation about the at least one hinge pin. The door retaining device has a hook portion at the second end that extends into the housing through an aperture in the housing. The hook portion engages the housing to prevent movement of the door relative to the housing other than rotation about the at least one hinge pin.
Claims8
A vending machine comprising:
- a vending machine housing;
- a vending machine door;
- a pivoting device coupling said vending machine door to said vending machine housing;
- and
- a door retaining device fixedly secured at a first end to said vending machine door, and in cooperation with said vending machine housing at a second end so as to permit rotation of said vending machine door relative to said vending machine housing about said pivoting device between a closed position and an open position, and so as to be capable of engaging said vending machine housing to substantially prevent removal of said vending machine door from said vending machine housing when said pivoting device is damaged when said vending machine door is in said closed position;
- wherein said vending machine housing has an aperture therein, and wherein said second end of said door retaining device has a hook portion, said hook portion extending to within said vending machine housing through said aperture;
- wherein when in said closed position, said hook portion of said door retaining device is positioned within an interior of said vending machine housing;
- wherein said pivoting device is at least one hinge pin, and wherein said vending machine housing includes a hinge box surrounding at least a portion of said at least one hinge pin, said hinge box having said vending machine housing aperture therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.