GB1356714A - Product dispensing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1356714 Article dispensing apparatus VENDO CO 21 Sept 1972 [17 March 1972] 43721/72 Heading A4T [Also in Division G4] In a press-button, coin controlled dispenser rows of articles 112, Fig. 7 extend fore and aft in channels 56 in a tray 154 slidable forwardly in tracks for refilling on manually releasing front catch 180 and opening a front dispenser cabinet door having a window. Rear carriage 116 when released from catch 130, pushes row of packets 112 up to tray front abutment 49 under the action of coiled spring 120, 122 secured to the frame in the cabinet at 124, the front packet resting over a tray bottom opening 70 and the next rearwards packets resting under adjustable top guide 140. Beneath each opening in a pan 58 secured to the frame is an article ejector 66 guided by spring 68 and hinged to arm 64 freely rotatable on shaft 62 extending from one side to the other of the frame. Fixed to shaft 62 is a crescent 72 carrying pawl 101 connected to overcentre spring 78. Energization of solenoid plunger 88 engaging pawl finger 94 turns pawl between limits of stop 80 within pawl recess 82 so that rotation of shaft 62 rotates crescent 72 to reset plunger 88 and pawl nose 84 lifts ejector 66 by contacting tab 86 on arm 64, whereby the front packet is lifted over abutment 49 and falls between the cabinet door and frame to a bottom vend container. On return movement of ejector 66 and shaft 62, pawl projection 98 engages pan projection 96 to reset the pawl in its unactuated position. On sliding out tray 154, Fig.12, a tray projection 170 passes opening 174 up to abutment 184 in a track slider 160 which slides outwards to the extent allowed by pin and slot 164, 162, whereby the tray may be tilted for filling to its dotted line position as the projection 170 turns in the slider up to abutments 180, 182. The cabinet of Fig. 2 contains two top trays 48, 49 for e.g. cigarette packets and a bottom shallow tray 204 for e.g. cylindrical packets of pastilles, the shafts 62 for each tray being rotated simultaneously via crank linkage 265- 269 from rack and pinion 244, 248 actuated by power unit 234. Two trays 50, 51 have single or twin helices 198 between the coils of which placed packets 200, 202 e.g. of crisps and the selected helix is rotated from racks and pinions 240, 242 and 254, via cables and pulleys and selectively operated clutches to release the front packet to drop into the bottom vend container.