US3550810A - Vending machine interlock mechanism - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent 1.921.610 8/1933 Du Grenier ABSTRACT: A multiple gate vending machine interlock mechanism comprising a shaft having a plurality of loosely mounted interlock levers having normal positions and individually connected to respective gates to be individually moved to an operated position in a direction other than axially of said shaft when a respective gate is moved to the vend position and to move the levers axially as only one lever is moved to the operated position, there being'means to limit the axial movement of the levers in a manner to simultaneously clutch and interlock the other interlock levers against movement to the operated position and thus prevent more than one simultaneous vend.

II -s 2 PATENIED {K829 I976 SHEET 1 UF 2 Flag.

COIN SWITCH VENDING MACHINE INTERLOCK MECHANISM CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION So far as is known, this application is not related to any copending patent applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Multiple choice, multiple gate, coin controlled vending machines have always required some form of interlock mechanism to prevent the operation of more than one vending gate during a single coin released vending operation. Thereis constant desire to simplify and improve the reliable operation of the interlock mechanism. The so-called slant shelf vending machine having a relatively large number of vending gates, particularly needs a simple and reliable interlock mechanism for its vending gates and the interlock mechanism of this invention is especially suited for use with a slant shelf machine.

although it may also be used with any other form of multiple gate vending machine.

PRIOR ART Applicant is unaware of any prior patents disclosing an interlock mechanism such as that described herein.

SUMMARY According to the invention, each gate of a multiple gate vending machine is connected to a respective interlock lever that is arranged to be moved to an operated position as the gate is moved to the vending position. The interlock levers are loosely mounted on a single shaft in side by side relation in a normal position and there are fixed abutments on either side of the group of interlock levers to limit the axial movement of the levers in the direction of the axis of the shaft. Each lever has a finite thickness in the direction of the axis of the shaft on which the levers are mounted and the fixed abutments are spaced apart with the levers therebetween by a distance equal to more than the total thickness of all the levers. Each lever is provided with means, such as a raised cam surface, to move the levers axially to substantially fill the space between the fixed abutments when not more than one lever is moved to the operated position during a vending operation. Each lever is also provided with interlocking clutch means operable in normal positions of the levers to prevent movement to the operated position of more than one lever as they are axially moved to fill the space between the abutments. This interlocking means may suitably be a complementary recess on one side of each lever in which the raised cam surface of the adjacent lever is received in their normal positions. Thus only one vending gate may be moved completely to a vending position during a single vending operation. A coin control locking lever is provided to prevent the movement to the operated position of any and all of the interlock levers until after a coin is received and the lock lever automatically relocks the interlock levers against movement at the end of each vend cycle.

until the next coin is received.

Further objects, features and the attending advantages of the invention will be apparent with references to the following specification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front view partially broken away of the upper part of a slant shelf vending machine showing the individual vending gates and the associated interlock mechanism of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side section taken on the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of the interlock levers as seen from above;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the interlock levers as seen from one end of the shaft on which the interlock levers are loosely mounted;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary top view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the interlock levers axially moved as one interlock lever is moved to the operated position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the axial movement of the interlock levers when a different one of the interlock levers is moved to the operated position; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic wiring diagram of one form of holding circuit for the coin controlled unlocking lever.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the interlock mechanism of the invention will be described in connection with its application to a so-called slant shelf vending machine having a plurality of inclined shelves such as shown at 10 through 17 on which bottles or cans are stored for vending. Each of the shelves 10-17 is provided with a vending gate mechanism of any well known type and for purposes of this description a simple form of gate mechanism having a respective pivotal gate member such as shown 'at 20-27 for each respective shelf is provided. The gate members 20-27 are shown in their normal locking positions overlying the necks of the bottles to prevent removal of any of the bottles unless the respective gate member 2027 is unlocked and pivoted in a counterclockwise direction. For this purpose, each respective gate member 2027 is connected by a respective connecting arm 30-37 to a respective one of the interlock levers 40-47 and a locking lever is normally interposed as shown by the solid lines of FIG. 1 and the dotted lines of FIG. 4 of the drawings in the path of rotation for the respective interlock levers 40-47 which thereby prevents movement of the connecting levers 30-37 and the vending gate members 2027 from the locking position.

The interlock mechanism of the invention is arranged to prevent the movement of more than one of the vending gate members 2027 to the fully open vending position during a single vending cycle. The unlocking lever 50 is raised to unlock the machine at the beginning of a vend cycle by the energization of the solenoid 51 when a coin is deposited. Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 6 of the drawings it is pointed out that each of the interlock levers 40-47 is loosely positioned on the shaft of bolt 60. It should also. be noted that each of the interlock levers 40-47 has a finite thickness in the direction of the axis of the bolt 60. The group of interlock levers 40-47 is mounted on the shaft of the bolt between two fixed abutments 6] and 62 that are spaced apart by a distance greater than the total thickness of all of the interlock levers 40-47. In the particular form of the invention being described, the spacing between the fixed abutments 61 and 62 is equal to more than the total thickness of the interlocklevers plus the thickness of one interlock lever but not more than the total thickness plus the thickness of two interlock levers. Thus the interlock levers 40-47 may move axially on the shaft 60 a limited distance as'determined by the spacing between the fixed abutments 61 and 62. Each one of the interlock levers 40-47 is provided with a raised cam surface on one side and a complementary indented recess on its other side which fit or interlock together as shown by FIG. 3 of the drawings when all of the interlock levers-are in their normal angular positions while the vending gate members 2027 are in their normal locking positions.

Referring to FIG. 5 of the drawings, when a vending gate such as the gate member 20 is rotated counterclockwise to the vending position, the interlock lever 40 will be rotated in the clockwise direction and thus moved to an operated position with its raised cam surface 41a engaging the nonrecessed surface of the fixed abutment 62. The resultant camming action moves the interlock lever 40 together with the other interlock levers 41-47 axially of the shaft 60 into engagement with the other fixed abutment 61. Thus all of the remaining interlock levers 41-47 are locked in the normal angular positions with their cam surfaces and recess surfaces interlocked as shown. To more clearly understand the clutching operation of the interlock lever, reference may be made to FIG. 6 of the drawings which shows the axial movement of the interlock levers that takes place when a different interlock lever such as the interlock lever 45 is the only interlock lever rotated in the counterclockwise direction to an operated position upon movement of the vending gate 25 to the vending position. in any event it is seen that only one at a time of the interlock levers 4047 may be moved to the operated position due to the axial movement which wedges and clutches the nonrotated levers in their normal angular positions. Inasmuch as the raised cam surface such as the raised cam surface 41a and the complementary recess 4112 are approximately equal to the thickness of the interlock lever, the spacing between the abutment 61 and 62 may be equal to slightly more than the total thickness of the interlock levers plus not more than the thickness of two interlock levers. Obviously the type of raised cam surfaces and complementary recess surfaces may take various forms differing from the simple V-shape wedge described and the spacing between the fixed abutment 61 and 62 would be varied accordingly. Also instead of the cam surfaces as described, spline clutches or the like may be used to clutch and engage the interlock levers in a manner to prevent more than one interlock lever from being rotated in response to an axial movement taking place during the rotation of any one of the interlock levers.

Referring to FIG. 7 of the drawings, a holding circuit for the unlocking lever solenoid 51 is shown. Each of the vending gate members 27 is provided with an associated normally closed switch 70-77 which is moved to the switch open position when a respective gate is moved to the vending position. The deposit of the coin for vending causes the coin switch 78 to be momentarily closed completing an obvious energizing circuit for the unlocking solenoid 50. The energization of the solenoid 51 closes its normally open holding circuit contacts 52 so that the unlocking solenoid 51 remains energized through such holding circuit including all of the series connected normally closed gate switches 70-77. When any one of the vending gates 2027 is moved to the vending position, its associated switch 7077 is opened to interrupt the holding circuit for the locking arm solenoid 51 and deenergize the same. The spring 53 thereupon forces the locking arm 50 back in the counterclockwise direction to ride on the raised cam surfaces of the interlock levers such as shown at 40c and 440. As soon as the open vending gate is returned to the closed position upon removal of the bottle or can, all of the interlock levers will be in their normal angular positions and the locking lever 50 will drop down into the space between the ends of the interlock levers 40-47, thus relocking the machine.

I claim:

1. An'interlock mechanism for a vending machine having a plurality of vending gates and comprising, a shaft, a respective interlock lever for each gate loosely mounted on said shaft in side by side relation, each of said levers having a finite thickness in the direction of the axis of said shaft, first and second fixed abutments positioned with said levers therebetween and spaced from each other by a distance equal to more than the total thickness of all of said levers, means responsive to the movement of any one of said levers in a direction other than axially of said shaft to an operated position to move the levers axially of said shaft to substantially till the space between said abutments, clutch means to prevent the movement of others of said levers in a direction other than axially of said shaft while the one lever is moved to the operated position and the other levers are moved axially of said shaft in the normal angular position substantially filling the space between said abutments, and means connecting a respective interlock lever to a respective gate to thereby move the lever to the operated position as the respective gate is moved to the open position for vending and back to the normal position as the vending gate returns to the closed position.

2. The invention of claim 1 in which the means for moving the interlock levers axially of the shaft as one interlock lever is moved to the operated position is comprised of a raised cam surface on one side of each lever.

3. The invention of claim 1 in whlch the means for movmg the interlock levers axially of the shaft as one interlock lever is moved to the operated position is comprised of a raised cam surface on one side of each lever, and the clutch means for preventing movement to the operated positions of more than one interlock lever when the levers are moved axially is comprised of an indented recess of the other side of each lever and complementary to said raised cam surface and positioned to receive the raised cam surface of an adjacent lever in the normal angular position.

4. The invention of claim 1 in which a coin controlled locking lever means is provided to have a normal position to lock all of said levers against movement to the operated positions and is movable to a locking lever operated position upon deposit of coin to release all of said levers, said locking lever being movable back to said normal locking position when the moved one of said interlock levers is returned to its normal position at the end of a vending operation.

5. The invention of claim 1 in which said first and second abutments are spaced from each other by a distance equal to the total thickness of all of said levers plus the thickness of more than one but not more than two of said levers.

6. The invention of claim 5 in which the means for moving the interlock levers axially of the shaft as one interlock lever is moved to the operated position is comprised of a raised cam surface on one side of each lever having a height approximately equal to the thickness of each lever.

7. The invention of claim 5 in which the means for moving the interlock levers axially of the shaft as one interlock lever is moved to the operated position is comprised of a raised cam surface on one side of each lever having a height approximately equal to the thickness of each lever, and the clutch means for preventing movement to the operated position of more than one interlock lever when the levers are moved axially is comprised of an indented recess on the other side of each lever and complementary to said raised cam surface and positioned to receive the raised cam surface of an adjacent lever in the normal angular position.

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