Mechanical lift for delivery bins in vending machines
AssigneeFawn Engineering Corporation
InventorSantosh Lad
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mechanical lift for delivery bins and receptacles in vending and analogous machines includes a feature that partial opening of a delivery door allows at least partial access to the delivery bin or receptacle but that further opening of the door would lift the bin or receptacle floor. The assembly can be compact, relatively noncomplex and economical. It can come in basically a preassembled kit that can be retrofitted or original manufacture equipment. It can include additional features such as anti-cheat functions and dispense detect sensors. An additional feature can be a unique dispensing floor geometry.
Claims18
A delivery receptacle assembly such as for use in a vending, inventory control, or dispensing machine comprising:
- a. delivery area inside a vending, inventory control or dispensing machine having a height, width, and depth defining an interior space for receiving dispensed items from above into the interior, and including:
- i. a raiseable floor across substantially the interior space and movable between a lower home and a fully raised position, and
- ii. an access opening at least substantially across the width;
- b. an access door for providing access to the interior space through the access opening movable between a closed position across the access opening and an open position;
- c. a first range of movement of the access door between the closed position to a partially open position for viewing of at least a portion of the interior space through the access opening without raising of the floor, wherein the first range of movement comprises at least one-half of the way between fully closed and fully open;
- d. a linkage operable between the raiseable floor and the access door over a second range of movement of the access door to:
- i. raise the raiseable floor member mechanically from the lower home position towards the fully raised position over the second range of movement upon further opening of the access door from the partially open position towards the fully open position;
- ii. create a mechanical dwell that resists or delays closing of the access door if released once the access door engages the linkage.
A vending, inventory control, or dispensing machine comprising:
- a, a cabinet;
- b. a customer access opening along a vertical side of the cabinet;
- c. a customer access door pivotal between a closed position over the customer access opening and an open position away from the customer access opening;
- d. at least one vertical drop dispenser inside the cabinet;
- e. a delivery receptacle in the cabinet moveable between a fully lowered position below the customer access opening and a fully raised position closer to the customer access opening;
- f. a linkage between the customer access door and the delivery receptacle, the linkage effecting movement of the delivery receptacle relative to movement of the customer access door differently (i) when the customer access door is moved anywhere between the fully closed and a partially open position and (ii) when the customer access door is moved anywhere to or from the partially open position to the fully open position and including a mechanical dwell if the access door is released anywhere between partially open position and fully open position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.