GB1000604A - Article dispensing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,000,604. Coin freed vending apparatus. AUTOMATIC CANTEEN CO. Dec. 21, 1961 [Dec. 21, 1960], No. 45753/61. Heading G4V. [Also in Division A4] A coin freed vending machine has a single delivery station to which a selected article is brought from a storage location by means of a carriage and elevator, operation of a coin return button by a customer who has changed his mind about a transaction causing the carriage and elevator to return the article to the place in which it was originally stored. As shown in Fig. 3 channel section rails 86 are fitted at various vertical spacings and abutting trays 94 for the articles are slidable within the rails. An elevator 107 has corresponding rails at opposite ends 126, 128 and on selection of an article the elevator is moved down to the level of the article by a motor 212 and chain 214. At this position a motor 142 is energized to drive a pusher bar 140 so that an empty tray 94 at the end 126 is advanced by a pusher 158 to move all the trays at that level to the right thus placing a full tray on the end 128. The elevator then moves up to its top position and the motor 142 is energized to move the bar 140 to the left so that the full tray is brought to the delivery position 70 behind a sliding access door in a frame 34. During this movement the full tray pushes a line of empty trays at the top level so that an empty tray is received at the far end 126. If the customer opens the door so that he may remove an article from the tray, a switch 380 is closed and the coins, which have been held in an escron mechanism 58, are delivered to a coin box. If, however, the customer presses a button for return of his coins the elevator returns to the level from which the article came, the bar 140 moves to push the full tray back on its level, the elevator rises to the top again and the bar 140 returns to normal rest position. In a modification shown in Fig. 17 a carriage 424 is movable above a set of columns by a motor 430 and carries a front elevator 436 and a corresponding rear elevator movable up and down in synchronism by a cable drive 446 and 442. Each elevator has a rotary solenoid-operated pusher arm and when the two elevators are positioned opposite particular cell in a column one or other solenoid is operated either to advance a full tray to the front elevator or return a tray to the place it came from. When such action is complete the carriage and elevator take up a position in which the front elevator lies behind a swinging access door 404. Control circuit.-A plug board 64, Fig. 19, has pins 298 insertable at appropriate points to connect price lines 292 to lines 296 corresponding to the levels of the articles. When coins have been inserted to establish an appropriate credit by stepping round a rotary switch 56 and push-buttons 300, 304 have been operated to set up the first and second digits of the level number, a line 334 connected to two rotary stepping switches 356, 362 is energized. The wiper arms 358, 360 of the latter two switches move round in unison and energization of line 334 causes a solenoid 364 to move them one step forward to contacts SL and D. The elevator motor 212 is then energized to move the elevator down and pins 88, Fig. 3, at each level close a switch 370 repeatedly so that pulses to a solenoid 344 step a switch 336 correspondingly and a solenoid 234 is then energized to move a dog 242 and position the elevator exactly at the desired level. The dog is carried by a heavy cantilever spring which absorbs the shock of stopping. The switch 336 is then returned to home position by the closure of a switch S-1 operating a self-interrupting relay 378. A pulse to solenoid 364 also steps the arms 358 and 360 to contacts RL and R. The motor 142 for the pusher bar 140 is then energized and when a full tray has been moved on to the end 128 of the elevator a switch 178 closes and steps the arms 358 360 to the contacts TL and U so that the motor 212 is energized to move the elevator up. In the up position switch 348 is closed arms 358 360 step to contacts LL and L, the elevator motor is de-energized the pusher motor is energized to deliver a full tray to the delivery position and the arms 358 360 move to the next contacts CM, H. A solenoid 43 is also energized to unlock the access door at the delivery position. If the customer now opens the sliding access door a switch 380 is closed and the wiper arms 358, 360 are stepped to their normal positions. The escron mechanism is also actuated to encash the money. If a customer changes his mind and presses the coin return button 398 solenoid 364 is connected up over contacts CM and the switch arms 358, 360 step clockwise over contacts to operate the elevator and pusher bar in reverse sequence to return the article to its place. Closure of contacts RM actuates the escron mechanism to return the coins.