Electronic cam locking systems for vending machines and the like

A locking system for locking a door movable between open and closed positions relative to a stationary body, comprising:

• a cam shaft, including a longitudinal axis and a shaped end, carried by a first one of said door and stationary body;
• said cam shaft shaped end being rotatable about the longitudinal axis;
• a receiver carried by a second one of the door and stationary body adapted to be engaged by the shaped end of said cam shaft;
• a motor rotating the shaped end of the cam shaft about the longitudinal axis without axial movement of the cam shaft when engaged with the receiver to draw the closed door and the stationary body together;
• an access control means for receiving an access control input;
• and a controlling means connected to said motor and said access control means for controlling the actuation of said shaped end of the cam shaft to move said shaped end in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and into engagement with said receiver without rotational movement of the cam shaft, and release the shaped end from said receiver.

A locking system for locking a door moveable between open and closed positions relative to a stationary body, comprising:

• a cam shaft, including a longitudinal axis and a shaped end, carried by a first one of the door and stationary body;
• said shaped end of the cam shaft being rotatable about the longitudinal axis;
• a receiver carried by a second one of the door and stationary body adapted to be engaged by the shaped end of said cam shaft when the door is in the closed position;
• a motor advancing said cam shaft in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and toward said receiver without rotational movement of the shaped end in response to closure of the door and retracting said cam shaft in a second direction, opposite to the first direction and parallel to the longitudinal axis, and away from said receiver without rotational movement of the shaped end, and the motor advancing and retracting the cam shaft in the first and second directions parallel to the longitudinal axis to move the shaped end of the cam shaft into engagement with the receiver to lock the door and to remove the shaped end of the cam shaft from engagement with the receiver to unlock the door;
• said motor advancing the cam shaft in the first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis to engage the shaped end of the cam shaft with the receiver in response to closure of the door, rotating the shaped end of the cam shaft without advancement or retraction of the cam shaft in the first and second directions parallel to the longitudinal axis to draw the door and stationary body together, and retracting the cam shaft in the second direction parallel to the longitudinal axis to release the shaped end of the cam shaft from the receiver to unlock the door.

A locking system for locking a door movable between open and closed positions relative to a stationary body, comprising:

• a cam shaft, including a longitudinal axis and a shaped end, carried by a first one of said door and stationary body;
• said cam shaft shaped end being rotatable about the longitudinal axis;
• a receiver carried by a second one of the door and stationary body adapted to be engaged by the shaped end of said cam shaft;
• a motor advancing the cam shaft in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis such that the shaped end engages with the receiver and then rotating the shaped end of the cam shaft about the longitudinal axis without movement of the cam shaft in the first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and a second direction opposite to the first direction and parallel to the longitudinal axis so as to draw the door and the stationary body together;
• a position sensing means for sensing the position of said shaped end;
• and a controlling means connected to said motor and said position sensing means for controlling the actuation of said shaped end of the cam shaft to drive said shaped end into engagement with and removal from said receiver.

A locking system for locking a door movable between open and closed positions relative to a stationary body, comprising:

• a cam shaft, including a longitudinal axis and a shaped end, carried by a first one of said door and stationary body;
• said cam shaft shaped end being rotatable about the longitudinal axis;
• a receiver carried by a second one of the door and stationary body adapted to be engaged by the shaped end of said cam shaft;
• a motor moving the shaped end of the cam shaft in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis without rotational movement of the cam shaft to move the shaped end into engagement with the receiver in response to closure of the door to lock the door, rotating the shaped end without movement of the cam shaft in the first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and a second direction opposite to the first direction and parallel to the longitudinal axis to draw the door and the stationary body together, and removing the shaped end from engagement with the receiver in the second direction parallel to the longitudinal axis to unlock the door;
• a position sensing means for sensing the longitudinal position of said cam shaft relative to said receiver;
• an access control means for receiving an access control input;
• and a controlling means connected to said motor, said access control means, and said position sensing means for controlling the actuation of said shaped end of the cam shaft to move the shaped end into engagement with and remove the shaped end from engagement with said receiver.

A locking device for locking a door movable between open and closed positions relative to a stationary body, comprising:

• a cam shaft, including a longitudinal axis and a shaped end, carried by a first one of the door and stationary body and adapted to move about and along the longitudinal axis;
• a slotted receiver carried by a second one of the door and stationary body and adapted to receive the shaped end of said cam shaft when the door is in the closed position;
• a motor advancing said cam shaft in a first direction parallel to the longitudinal axis without rotation of the cam shaft, toward and into engagement with said receiver in response to closure of the door to lock the door and retracting said cam shaft in a second direction opposite the first direction, parallel to the longitudinal axis, and away from said receiver to unlock the door;
• and said motor being drivable to rotate the shaped end of the cam shaft about the longitudinal axis without movement of the cam shaft in the first and second directions parallel to the longitudinal axis to draw the door and stationary body together.

A locking system for locking a door moveable between open and closed positions relative to a stationary body, comprising:

• a receiver on one of the door and the stationary body;
• a cam shaft having a shaped end capable of longitudinal and rotational movement relative to a longitudinal axis of the cam shaft on the other of the door and the stationary body;
• a motor connected by at least one gear to said cam shaft for locking and unlocking the door;
• a controller that operates the motor wherein:
• the door is unlocked upon the controller receiving an access control signal during an unlocking process;
• the door is locked via the controller in response to closure of the door whereby the shaped end of the cam shaft is advanced by the motor to move longitudinally parallel to the longitudinal axis from an unlocked position to a locked position without rotation of the cam shaft so as to engage with the receiver, and the cam shaft is further rotated without longitudinal movement of the shaped end of the cam shaft parallel to the longitudinal axis such that the door is drawn toward the stationary body.