US1534273A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Description

vsmpnw MACHINE Filmuai 16,1925

Lum-A To all' whom t concern.'

"Pateate Api. 11e-)25.

UNITEDl STATES ,PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN r. mmm, or onxoeof-ILLINOIS, AssIeNon 'ro onnnfmmzmaa or a cmcaeo, ILLINOIS.

'VENDING MACHINE.

Application mea my 1e, 192s. senat ma 639,252.

Be it.4 known that I, JOHN F. KREMA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of-Chicago, county of Cook, ,and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

4My invention relates tovending machines,

A and has reference more particularly to a coin controlled dispensing mechanlsm therefor which is adapted at intervals to discharge an extra article from the Vmagazine upon inserchine containing my improvements;

tion of a coin which normallyroperates the machine to ydispense a single article therefrom. j

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a special inducement for stimulating` interest in the operation of a machine of this character; to provide a vending 1machine which occasionally vfurnishes an extra -or free package; to provide a simple'structure which may be applied to various vending machines for furnishing an article free to the purchaser at predetermined intervals; and to construct the mechanism so that'it may be 4optionally adapted to operate in the usual manner 'or to furnish a free package at intervals as desired.V

On the drawings:

Fig. 1 is4 a front view of `a vending ma- Fig. 2 a vertical sectional 'view therefrom on the line2-2 of Fig.\1;"

Fig. 3 a rear view of the dispensing mech- `anism taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fi 4 a detail view of the mechanism whic serves to discharge the free package.

I have" shown my invention applied to a vending machine of the type which is shown in the application of `Harry W. B arson, led March 21, 1921, Serial No. 453,906, .although the invention vis not necessaril machine of that type, but 1s capable of application to other types of vending machines. y 4

, Referring to the drawingsthe reference numeral 1 indicates the vending machine cabinet which has lan upright magazine 2 at the fro-nt lleading to a receiver 3 at the bottom of the cabinet,'into which 4articles are deposited from the magazine.l A pair of star lwheels 4--5 which are connected together by the spindle or sleeve 6, are journaled in the side wings 7 of a supporting frame .2,3 at the' rear of 'the magazine, so that the -erly interlock with the teet limitedto a Y the magazine down into the receiver 3. Two holdlng pawls 9 and 10 respectively are provided for the star wheels 4 and 5 instead of the. one pawl as shown in the Barson application abovel referred to, these two pawls 9 and 10 being of like form and secured together by the sleeve 11. The distance between the pawls 9 and 10 isy such that theyl cannot bev simultaneously engaged with the l wheels 4 and 5, but byyshifting the combined pawl structure 9--10--11 laterally, the pawl 9 may be engagedwith the star wheel 4, alt

which time the pawl 10 'is moved away from engagement with the starwheel 5, and the pawl 10 may be moved to a position to engage the star wheel 5, .at which time the pawl 9 is moved laterally so' it will not engage the star wheel 4. For supporting the v awl structure and permitting lateral ad- ]ustment thereof, bearin pins 12 are'- secured to the side wings of the rame23 which supports the operating mechanism, and these pins proj ect into the opposite vends of the tube or Asleeve 11, said pins being preferably rovided at their outer ends with .threade portionsv which engage the side Wings 7 and are locked in position by thev lock nuts 13. A spring 14 which has one end fixed to a side wing 7, has the other end connected to oneof the pawls'9 so as to throw the upper hook-shaped extremities20 `o`f these pawls toward the star wheels 4 and 5, a stop plate 15 being formed on the frame 23 to engage one of the pawlsvto limit the throw of the latter, so that said pawls do not operate' beyond the point reired to prop- `of the star wheels 4 and 5. i

A coin chute 16 having a suitable coin inlet at the upper end projects downwardly at the rear of t e cabinet and termlnates above a coin receptacle 17 and the pawl structure l 9--10-11 has a rearwardly projecting arm 18 interposed between the lower extremity of the coin chute 16 andthe receptacle 17, so that the impact of each coin as it drops downthe chute 16 against the arm 18, rocks the pawl structure and Areleases the star wheels 4-5, which latter are then rotated r b the weight of the articles in the magazine.

ach of the pawls 9 and 1Q has a cam portio'n 19,V at the lower end which 1s adapted to which be thrown up between two adjacent teeth of the star wheels when the holding tooth 20 is released, such cam serving to prevent excessive throw of the star wheels and insure engagement of the holding tooth 20 wlth the next succeeding tooth after each release.

The two star wheels 4 and 5 are exactly the same except that the star wheel 4 has one tooth, which is indicated at 21, mutilated, the upperface of said tooth vbeing rounded or inclined as indicated, so that it will not interlock with the pawl tooth 20, and as a result of this construction, when the pawl structure is shifted to the posltion shown in Fig. 3, wherein the pawl 9 is adapted to engage the star wheel 4 and the pawl 10 is out of engagement with the star wheel 5, each insertion of a coin in the chute 16 effects a single step movement of the star wheels 4 and 5 and discharges a single package at a time from the magazine 2 until the tooth immediately preceding the mutilated tooth 21 engages the tooth 20 of the holding pawl. Upon the next insertion of a coin in the chute 16 and release of the holdinv pawl from engagement with such prece ing tooth, the star wheels 4 and 5 advance one step and eject a package, whereupon the pawl 9 comes back into engagement with the mutilated tooth 21. Because of the inclination of the upper 4face of the mutilated tooth 21, the hook 20 of the pawl is unable` to interlock with the mutilated tooth and is forced out of engagement therewith, whereupon the star wheels 4 and 5 advance another step and discharge a second package from the magazine. The tooth 20 is then returned into engagement with the next tooth following the mutilated tooth 21 and arrests the operation of the star wheels 4 and 5, after which a single package is discharged at a time until the pawl tooth 20 again comes into engagement With the tooth preceding the mutilated tooth 21, and upon the next insertion of a coin an extra package is deposited from the magazlne.

The star wheel 5 is not provided with a mutilated tooth andconsequently when the pawl 10 is shifted to engage the star wheel 5 and the pawl 9 shifted out of engagement with the star wheel 4, the machine operates in the normal manner. The star wheels 4 and 5 then operate only one step at a time without any extra movement for furnishing a free-package at intervals.

For adjusting the pawl structure 9- 10-11 sothat the pawl 9 engages the star wheel 4 or the pawl 10 engages KYthe star wheel 5, as desired, a shifter 22 is mounted on the frame A23 by means of the screw 24, latter serves as a pivot, and this 22 has a rearwardly extending lating the finger grip 25 for facilitating the adjustment of same. The upper end of the shifter 22 is bifurcated as shown and straddles the lower end of the pawl 10, so that the pawl structure is moved axially on the pivot pins 12 b swinging the shifter 22 on its pivot 24. dVhen the shifter 22 has been adjusted to either of the required positions, it may be. locked in the adjusted position by tightening the screw 24.

While I have shown and described my i11- ventionin a preferred form, I am aware that various changes and modifications ma)v be made without departing from the principles of my invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim'as my invention:

1. In a vending machine, the combination of a magazine for articles to be dispensed, a star wheel projecting intothe magazine .for controlling the discharge of articles therefrom, a coin controlled escapement mechanism normally operable to advance the star wheel one step for each coin of a certain denomination that is inserted in the machine and operable 'at predetermined intervals by a single coin of the same denomination to effect a two step advance of the star wheel.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a magazine for articles to be dispensed, a star wheel for controlling the discharge of articles from the magazine, and a coin controlled" escapement mechanism for the star wheel, said star wheel be- .ing provided with a mutilated tooth for affording a two step movement of the star wheel at predetermined intervals.

3. vIn a Vending machine, the combination of a magazine for articles to be dispensed, a star wheel mechanism for controlling the discharge of articles lfrom the magazine, a coin controlled escapement mechanism for controlling the operation of the star wheel mechanism, and adjusting means for regucontrol of the star wheel mechanism by the escapement mechanism so as to vary the number of articles discharged from the magazine by coins of the same denomination. l 4. In a vending machine, the combination of a magazine for articles to be dispensed, a pair of star wheels for controlling the discharge of articles from the magazine, and a coin controlled escapement mechanism adapted to be selectively engaged with the star wheels for controlling the operation thereof, one of said star wheels vided with a mutilated tooth for affording an extra movement of the latter when the escapement awl is co-operating` with the teeth of the atter star wheel.

JOHN F. KREMA.

being prov

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