WO1983001330A1 - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A sales machine (1) has a gift hood (3), a feed mechanism (4) for the delivery of a gift, and a distribution outlet (6), a gift being conveyed from the supply (4) to the dispensing outlet (6) during a game cycle. The feeding mechanism (4) comprises a supply outlet from the hood (3), and two mutually movable members (10, 13 ) cooperating to control the ejection of a gift through this power outlet by exposing the latter so as to release a gift through it.

Description

VENDING MACHINE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a gift vending machine.

BRIEF DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART There have been gift vending machines proposed

in the past and one such machine was known as BAKER

BOY. In that machine a manually operable crank was manipulated by the user to cause a baker figure to

turn to an oven, open the oven door and collect a

^* gumball from a feed hopper. The figure then turned

away from the oven and sent the gumball down a dispensing shute to the user. However, such machines

had no feed control and, as such, tended to dispense in a random manner so that a gift may or may not be secured by the user or two or more gifts may be dispensed at once.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide

a gift vending machine having an improved dispensing mechanism so that the machine will produce a gift every time whilst also providing an amusement factor. According to the present invention there is

provided a gift vending machine comprising a hopper

for gifts, a gift feed mechanism for delivery of a

gift, and a dispensing outlet, a gift being conveyed

from the gift feed mechanism to the dispensing

outlet during a play cycle characterised in that the

gift feed mechanism comprises a supply outlet from

the hopper, and two relatively movable members of

a gift through said supply outlet by intermittently

exposing the supply outlet so as to dispense a gift

therethrough.

Preferably the gift vending machine includes an

animated scene comprising a figure in the form of

a baker carrying a scoop in one hand, the figure

being movable so as to collect a gift in the scoop

and convey it to the dispensing outlet.

In the preferred embodiment the gift feed mech¬

anism has upper and lower relatively rotatable

members, each having an opening therein the upper

of the two relatively rotatable members being

rotatable relative to a stationary lower member•so as to intermittently align the openings with one

another to define said supply outlet at a dispensing

position, and further includes means at the position

of alignment of the openings in the said members, prevent more than one gift being dispensed at a

time. In order to ensure that.no more than one

gift is dispensed at a time a spring may be disposed

over one of the openings in a position such that

only a single gift can pass under the spring.

Preferably the spring stretches during dispensing so that the gift is projected from the aligned openings. If desired there may be two such springs. BRIEF- DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of

example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective front elevation of the

preferred gift vending machine; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section

on 2-2 in figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of the gift feeding mechanism of the vending machine on

3-3 in figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged diagrammatic perspect¬

ive view of the gift feeding mechanism shown in figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic front view of the

synchronising 1inkage. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the drawings a gift vending machine 1 comprises

a casing 2 having a gravity feed hopper 3 for gifts

which has a sloping bottom so as to feed gifts to a

gift feeding mechanism 4. The gi fts are suitably

retained in gift capsules to facilitate dispensing.

The feed hopper 3 is disposed above an animated scene

5 which serves as an amusement device for delivering

a gift to a dispensing outlet 6. The animated scene

5 illustrated consists of a baker figure 7 holding a

scoop 8 in one hand and opening an oven door 9 with

the other. As will be described below the baker

figure 7 is adapted to collect a gift from the oven

door 9 in a scoop 8 and then to deliver it to a shute

32 leading to the dispensing outlet 6.

The gift feeding mechanism 4 comprises a support

plate 10 having an opening therein (not shown) about

the underside of which is attached a tubular duct 11

leading to the oven door 9. In the centre of the

support plate 10 is a circular boss 11 through which

protrudes a drive spindle 12 for a rotatable feed disc

13. ■ The feed disc 13 is provided with a single

opening 14 which, during rotation and in cooperation

with the support plate 10, forms a gift receiving pocket which once during each revolution is aligned

with the opening in the^' support plate 10. At the

position of alignment o.f the two openings, two fixed

springs 15 are provided which serve to prevent more

than one gift being dispensed at a time and also to

apply a f rce to the gift so that it is forced down

the tubular duct 11 into the waiting scoop. A fixed bar 16 prevents a gift capsule passing over the aligned

openings without being dispensed. The hopper 3 may

receive several hundred gift capsules and, in order

to ensure that a gift is dispensed, spring stirrers 17

are secured to the spindle 12 to encourage entry of a

gift capsule into the pocket defined by the opening 14.

Preferably the outside of the disc 13 and fixtures for

the springs 15 and bar 16 are covered by a protective

plate (not shown).

The rotation of the drive spindle 12 and the

operation of the baker figure 7 is controlled by a

synchronising linkage 18 shown in figure 5. The

linkage 18 is operated by an electric motor 19 which,

through gearing 20, drives the drive spindle 12.

The linkage consists of five rods 21,22,23,24

and 25; rod 21 is fixed at one end to the drive

spindle 12 so as to rotate therewith and provides a knuckle joint 26 at the other end for rod 22. Rod 23

is pivotally mounted on rod 22 at one end and has

its other end pivotally connected to the rod 24. Rod

24 mates with a knuckle joint 27 on the rod 25 which

in turn is secured to a second spindle 28. The

second spindle 28 effects movement of the baker figure

7. The rods 21 to 25 and their respective connections

cause the second spindle 28 to undergo a reciprocal

movement whilst the spindle 12 undergoes undirectional

rotation.

In order to move the arm of the baker figure 7

carrying the scoop 8 a Bowden cable 29 is fixed to

the casing 1 at 30 and a guide sleeve 33 is secured

to the rod 25. As the baker figure 7 is moved by the

second spindle 28 the arm is caused to move up or down

according to the position of the figure. A spring

(not shown) normally holds the arm in its position of

rest shown in figure 1.

In use the gift vending machine is coin operated

by means of a conventional coin-slot mechanism 31.

Insertion of an appropriate coin effects actuation of

the motor 19 which in turn causes movement of the

spindles 12 and 28. Due to the synchronising linkage

18 the spindle 12 causes the gift feeding mechanism 4

O to dispense a gift into the duct 11 just as the

oven door 9 is opened and the^' scoop 8 positioned at

the bottom of the duct 11. The gift is therefore

caught by the scoop and carried by movement of the

figure, to the shute 32 to the dispensing outlet 6.

At the shute to the dispensing outlet 6 the baker

figure 7 is in such a position that the cable 29 pulls

the scoop arm down causing the gift to fall from the

scoop by gravity.

As seen from figures 1 and 2 the dispensing outlet

6 is provided with a flap 34 which operates a micro-

switch which terminates the play cycle. If for any

reason a gift is not dispensed, the mechanism will

continue to operate thereby ensuring a gift each time

providing there are gifts in the hopper. A tape recorde

or other music source may also be included to play

tunes, such as nursery rhymes, during the operation

cycle. The tape recorder may play for a time interval

determined by insertion of a coin or may actually be

tied in to the motion of the parts mechanism.

0.,_?I

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A gift vending machine comprising a hopper for

gifts, a gift feed mechanism for delivery of a

gift, and a dispensing outlet, a gift being conveyed

from the gift feed mechanism to the dispensing

outlet during a play cycle characterised in that

the gift feed mechanism comprises a supply outlet

from the hopper, and two relatively movable members

cooperating to control the supply of a gift through

said supply outlet by intermittently exposing the

supply outlet so as to dispense a gift therethrough.

2. A gift vending machine according to claim 1

characterised in that the gift feed mechanism has

upper and lower relatively rotatable members each

having an opening therein the upper of the two

relatively rotatable members being rotatable relat¬

ive to a stationary lower member so as to inter¬

mittently align the openings with one another to

define said supply outlet at a dispensing position,

and further includes means at the position of

alignment of the openings in the said members, to

prevent more than one gift being dispensed at a

time.

3. A gift vending machine according to claim 2 characterised in that the prevention means comprises

at least one spring which is loaded as a gift

approaches the dispensing position so as to apply

a force to the gift when the openings are aligned

so that the gift is projected therethrough.

4. A gift vending machine^*according to claim 2 or 3 characterised in that the gift feed mechanism further includes means preventing a gift passing over the aligned openings at the dispensing position

without the gift being dispensed.

^'

5. A gift vending machine according to any..one of

the preceding claims 2 to 4 characterised in that

the gift feed mechanism further includes means for stirring the gifts within the hopper to encourage

entry of a gift into the feed pocket defined by

the opening in the upper member.

6. A gift vending machine according to any one of the preceding claims characterised by the provision

of an animated amusement scene including a figure, means for moving the figure from a first position,

in which the figure is adapted to receive the gift, to a second position in which the figure releases

the gift into said dispensing outlet, and synchron-

5 ising means for synchronising the movement of the figure with the dispensing of the gift.

7. A gift vending machine according to any one of

the preceding claims characterised in that the

10 dispensing outlet includes sensor means to sense the dispensing of a gift.

8. A gift vending machine according to claim 8 characterised in that the sensor means comprises a

15 flap valve having a microswitch operative to . terminate a dispensing cycle.