US1751674A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Description

March 25, 1930.

J. H. WOLTERS 1,751,674

VENDING MACHINE Filed D66. 12, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Anorrzqy March 25, 1930. J H, WOLT E S 1,751,674

VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 12, 1927 S Sheets-Sheet Attorrzqy I figuration but may be of any Patented Mar. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES J'QHN IH'U'GO WOLTERS, F LEWISVILLE, TEXAS '"V'ENDIN'G: MACHINE Application filed December 12, 1927. Serial No. 239,475:

The invention relates to an improved vending machine, for various kinds of small articles, and it has more particular reference to a machine of this class which is constructed to deliver and discharge onearticle at a time, wherein coin control means is provided to regulate the discharge of the article vended.

The details for accomplishing this result will become more readily apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete machine showing the external details.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the same showing the internal mechanism. 1

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section showing the same mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view on an enlarged scale of a new type of coin controlled 2 device.-

Fig- 5 is a horizontalsection through parts of said device, the sections being on the line. 55 of Fig. 2.

'Fig. 6 is an enlarged section, taken on the line 6 -6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a retention plate for the driving gear.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section showing the driving gear and a complemental actuating section segment which is associated therewith.

Fig. 9 .is a perspective view of said segment.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view based upon Fig.

8, showing the way in which theball clutch operates. Referring to Fig. 1, it-will be observed that the numeral 11 designates a casing or housing which is shown of general rectangular consuitable configuration in actual practice. This casing is provided with a hinged closure 12 permitting access to be had to the interior of the closure, the closure being provided with an appropriate padlock or its equivalent 13. At 14 is a coin intake slot. 1 At 15 is a discharge opening for the articles or packages to be vended.

The numeral 16 designates a plunger forming a part of the coin actuated mechanism.

At 17 is a slot through which a pull rod, to

be hereinafter described, extends. Incidentally, this machine is manually operated.

Referring now to the interior of the easing, and particularly toFigs. 2 and 3. it will be observed thatv the reference character-18 5 designates a rotary drum provided with a v multiplicity of peripheral pockets 19 containing the packaged articles 20. which are to be dispensed. Cooperating with each pocket and article is a cross wire 21, having a pintle 0 or finger grip. In operation these pockets are brought in a step by step manner opposite or in registration with the aforesaid discharge J opening 15 in the casing.

The drum is mounted on standards 22 and on one side it is provided with a beveled driven gear 23. Closely associated with the gear 23 is a driving gear 24 which is mounted for rotation upon a standard 25 (see Fig. 8 also). This gear, as shown in the last mentioned figure, is provided with an opening forming a pocket 26. In fact, the gear is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced pockets. these being constructed for reception of a ball clutch 27 (see Fig. 10).

Between the pockets, and on the under side of the gear are small sockets which successively receive a small pin 28 on a resilient latch strip 29. This latch strip is disposed in contact with the bottom side of a circular plate 30, the plate being rigidly fastened to the standard 25.

On one side-of the pin 28, the plate is provided with a square discharge hole 31 for the clutch balls. Extending at an angle to the latch strip 29 and cooperating therewith is a spring trip 32 having an intermediate raised portion 33 successively received in the pocket 26, (see Fig. 10). This trip 32 is interposed between the latch 29 and the plate 30 has an opening through which the retaining pin 28 extends.

Superimposed upon the gear 24 is a relatively movable segment 34 (see Fig. 9), this segment being formed with a single pocket 35 to register with the complemental pockets 26 in the gear. A pull rod 36 is pivotally connected to the segment, and extends outwardly through the aforesaid slot 17 in the casing.

55 ing drlve. As shown in Fig. 4,

at which pointit is provided with a knob or handle, as shown in Fig. 3. i

A coiled spring 37 is fastened to this segment and anchored upon. the standard 25.

Obviously, with this arrangement, and when the pocket 35 is in registry with one of the pockets 26, and a ball 27 is located in the pocket, a pull upon the rod 36 will serve .to impart a rotation to the driving gear 24.

. This being in meshwith the driven gear 23 will rotate the article delivery drum,

' Considering Fig/10 for example, it will v be seen that as this segment 34 is swung around under the action of the rod 36, the pocket 35 will produce somewhat of a cam action on the clutch ball 27. This will press down upon the shoulder 33 on the trip 32 and their normal locking positions.

Means is 'provided for delivering clutch balls one at a time to produce the aforesaid gearing drive. In this connection, attention is directed first to a rotary vertical shaft 38 mounted on the aforesaid standard and extending up where it'is associated with a ball containing cup 39 and a rotating disk 40. The disk-40 is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced pockets which receive the .balls one by one, and this disk is located in a stationary sheath 41.

Inthis connection, it will be noticed in- Fig. 8, that the gear 24 is keyed through the shaft 38. The balls are delivered. from the cups 39 one at a time through one of the openings in the rotary disks40 as well as the sheath, the same being dropped into an inclined channel-shaped chute 42 fastened to the upper end of an upright 43. At the lower 45 end of this chute the ball is dropped through an opening and into a pan 44 (see Fig. 4), which is rockablymounted but held stationary under. normal conditions through-novel coin control means shown in the last-named However," when this pan is set down it drops the ball into the next succeeding chute '.45 from where it is delivered to and dropped in the pocket 5 and 26 in the aforesaid gearthe-pan is pivotally mounted on a standard 46. Located in back of this standard is the coin control means. This coin control embodies a tubular chute 47 whose intake end is in registry with tlie aforesaid coin slot 14 in the casing. 7

At its intermediate point,the coin chute is formed-with an' opening, through which the coins are pushed and allowed to drop 'into a receiver48. Over this opening is a Thus the segment and gear will rotate as swingably mounted cover 49. The cover'includes hooks 5O normally engaging retaining pins 51 on the chute, and the cover issupported from swingable wire loops 52 and 53. .In addition, small bracket 54 is connected therewith, and this carries a cord 55 on which a counter-weight 56 is suspended.

The aforesaid pan includes an extension 'stoppedopposite the closure 49.

Normally the chute has registering open ings as shown in Fig. 5, through which the plungers could move without acting upon the closure 49. However as the coin-drops into this part of the mechanism, it provides an, obstruction which covers the opening. Then by forcing the plunger 59 into place, it is obvious that it will strike the coin and push the cover 49 in an outward direction, allowing the coin to drop into the receiver 48, and also acting upon the pan 44, so that the pan is tilted to allow the ball which was located thereinto drop into the. chute 45.

To operate the machine, it is simply neces'- sary to place a coin, of the proper denomi nation in the-coin slot 14. The coin gravitates down to' the chute 47 in Fig. 4, where it. comes intocontact opposite the closure 49 and the plunger 59. Under normal conditions, the ball clutch is located in the pan 44.

However, by forcing the plunger 59 inthru the medium of the handle 16 'on the outside of the casing, the closure 49 is lifted. This trips the pan 44 and allows the ball to drop into the chute 45. The hall now rolls down and drops into registering pockets in the cooperating segments' 34 and gear 24, as shown in Fig. 10.

Now by grasping the rod 36 and pulling it outwardly, the gear 24 rotates one step which imparts similar rotation to' the drum 18. through the medium 0% the intermeshing gear 23. This brings the package opposite the opening 15, from where it is removed with the finger.

- This operation, it is believed, will be understood from the description and drawings. Also, the advantages. of a structure of this kind, will be apparent to persons skilled 1n the "art to which the invention relates. Therefore a more lengthy description is thought unnecessary. j

-Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is p 1. In a vending machine of the class described, the combination of a'casing, a standard in the casing, a rigid plate on the casing,

a driving member rotatably mounted on the standard and resting upon said plate, said, driving member having circumferentially spaced ball receiving pockets, a latch carried by said plate and cooperating with said member to hold said member against rotation, a

' cup, means operatively associated with the vertical shaft and the cup for discharging the ball from the cup, a coin receiving chute provided with an intake opening and a discharge opening located within said casing, a pan rockably mounted on the chute and adapted to receive the discharge ball, a closure for the discharge opening pivotally mounted on the chute, means operatively associating said closure with said pan, and a spring pressed plunger adapted to engage with a coin for swinging said closure to an open position, whereby said pan may be rocked for delivering the ball into the pocket of the segment and said driving member when said pockets are in registry with each other.

2. In a vending machine of the class described, the combination of a casing,-a coin receiving chute extending into the casing and having a discharge end terminating within the casing, a closure for the discharge opening in the chute, a member rotatably supported in the casing, a ball retaining cup, means operatively associating said ball retaining cup with said member for discharging the balls one by one from the cup, a pan pivotally mounted on the chute and adapted to receive the discharge ball from the cup,

means operatively associating said pan'with the closure, a movable segment resting upon said member, said member and said segment being provided with pockets adapted to register with one another, manually controlled means adapted to engage with the coin chute, for moving the closure to an open osition,

' whereby said pan will be moved a out its pivotal connection so that the ball may be delivei'ed from the pan into the-pocketof the 1 segment and said member, when said pockets are in registry with each other.

3. In a vending machine of the class described, wherein the vending machine comprises a casing, and a coin receiving chute extending inwardly fromthe casing and having its discharge end located within said casing, a drive member, said drive member being provided with a plurality of ball receiving pockets, a pivotally connected closure for the discharge opening of said chute, a-

. movable segment resting upon said slide memher and having a pocket adapted to register ;with the pocket in said drive member, a pull rod connected with said segment, a ball containing receptacle, a disc operatively associated with said receptacle and having a plurality of discharge openings formed therein, means operatively connecting said disc with said drive member, whereby said disc may be rotated for delivering the balls one by one from thereceptacle, means operatively associated with said discharge closure for receiving the discharged ball from the receptacle, a manually controlled means adapted to-engage a coin in said slotfor operating said closure, whereby said last mentioned ball receiving means may be actuated for delivering the ball into the pockets of the segment and drive member when said pockets are in registry with each other, and apull rod con- I mooted with said segment.

4;. In a structure of the class described, a standard, a driving member rotatably mounted on the standard and resting upon said plate, said drivingmember having circumferentially spaced ball receiving pockets, a latch carried by said plate and cooperable with said member to hold it against rotation, a ball receptacle, means operatively associated with said driving member and said receptacle for delivering a ball therefrom, a coin conerative relation to said receptacle, a segment movably mounted on said drive member, said segment havin a pocket for registration with one of the poc ets in said member, said coin controlled pan adapted to beactuatedupon the actuation of said coin controlled mechanism for delivering a ball into the pocket of the segment and drive-member when said pockets are in registr with each other, and a ball actuated trip or saidlatch mounted on said plate whereby said drive member may be released all inthe manner and for the purpose set forth. i

In testimony whereof Iafiix my signature. JOHN HUGQ WOLTERS.

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