CA1121318A - Insert member for a helical dispensing coil - Google Patents
Insert member for a helical dispensing coilInfo
- Publication number
- CA1121318A CA1121318A CA000315631A CA315631A CA1121318A CA 1121318 A CA1121318 A CA 1121318A CA 000315631 A CA000315631 A CA 000315631A CA 315631 A CA315631 A CA 315631A CA 1121318 A CA1121318 A CA 1121318A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- coil
- coils
- insert
- convolutions
- insert member
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
- G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
- G07F11/38—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are horizontal
- G07F11/42—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which the magazines are horizontal the articles being delivered by motor-driven means
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
- G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
- G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
- G07F11/46—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports
- G07F11/50—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports the storage containers or supports being rotatably mounted
- G07F11/54—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports the storage containers or supports being rotatably mounted about vertical axes
- G07F11/56—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports the storage containers or supports being rotatably mounted about vertical axes the storage containers or supports both rotating and moving axially
Abstract
INSERT MEMBER FOR A HELICAL DISPENSING COIL
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
In a dispensing machine of a helical coil type having a plurality of shelves which each contain at least one elongated helical dispensing coil, an insert member is received inside the convolutions of selected coils. Each insert member comprises a plastic rail member having a bracket at one end. The bracket loosely and nonrotatably journals the insert member about the shank of the output shaft of the motor for the coil. The insert member extends forwardly through the coil to a position between the last and next to last convolutions of the coil. The insert member is free floating relative to the coil by virtue of its mounting and rides on the inner surfaces of the lower-most portions of the convolutions of the coil. Rotation of the coil imparts a rocking movement to the insert member. Thus, the insert member supports the products received in the coil above the shelf surface and further agitates these products to prevent their sticking to the insert member.
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
In a dispensing machine of a helical coil type having a plurality of shelves which each contain at least one elongated helical dispensing coil, an insert member is received inside the convolutions of selected coils. Each insert member comprises a plastic rail member having a bracket at one end. The bracket loosely and nonrotatably journals the insert member about the shank of the output shaft of the motor for the coil. The insert member extends forwardly through the coil to a position between the last and next to last convolutions of the coil. The insert member is free floating relative to the coil by virtue of its mounting and rides on the inner surfaces of the lower-most portions of the convolutions of the coil. Rotation of the coil imparts a rocking movement to the insert member. Thus, the insert member supports the products received in the coil above the shelf surface and further agitates these products to prevent their sticking to the insert member.
Description
- ( l INSERT MEl'IBER FOR A HELICAL DISPENSIN~; COIL
BACKG~OUND OF THE INVENTIOl`l .
1 Field of the Invention I
The present invention relates to helical coil vending machines which are also known as spiral venders.
More particularly, the present invention relates to the elongated helical dispensing coils customarily used in this type of vending machine.
., !
BACKG~OUND OF THE INVENTIOl`l .
1 Field of the Invention I
The present invention relates to helical coil vending machines which are also known as spiral venders.
More particularly, the present invention relates to the elongated helical dispensing coils customarily used in this type of vending machine.
., !
2. Description of the Prior ~rt Automated vending machines which dispense a selected food product upon insertion by a purchaser of a required amount of money are well known. Such uending machines have various kinds of dispensing mechanisms depending upon the particular type of food ... . . . . . . .
product which is being vended. One well known class of such vending machines are those known in the trade as helical coil vending machines or, alternatively, as spiral venders. These ~achines are widely used for dispensing pre-packaged food products of the type containing pastries, potato chips, candy bars and the like.
Helical coil dispensing machines customarily include a housing which supports a plurality of ver-tically spaced shelves. Each of the shelves usually includes a plurality of elongated dlspensing coils which run from front to back on the shelf. The rear end of each dispensing coil is operatively connected .. ' ~
, ~Z~L3~3 1 to an electric motor for selectively rotating the.
coil. In addition, each of the coils contains a plurality of food products which are received between the convolutions of the coil. These food products will ride alony the surface of the shelf as they are moved forward in a s-tep-by-step manner by consecutive rotations of the coil. Finally, the products are dispensed over the forward edge of the shelf where they fall down through a discharge space ihto a discharge bin for manual removal by the purchaser.
In the usual situation where the food products contact or slide along the shelf surface as they are received between the convolutions o~ the coils, certain Eood products are someti~es diEic~1t to vend properly. For exa~pl e, soms ~oo~ ~ro~ucts, usuall~ relatively heavy pastry products such as . . . . ..
donuts and the like, are often wrapped in a saran wrap type of wrapping. As is commonly known, this type of..wrapping tends to cling or stick to various things in part-because of its composition. Thus, when food products wrapped.in such a m~teri~l are contained betw.een the convolutions o~ the coil, they are likely to cling or stick to various portions of the shelf surface.
Sometimes, such products cling to the shelf with..s~ch.
force that the dispensing coil becomes jammed rendering it inoperative. This requires that a service-man clear the jammed coil before the products contained therein can be further vended~ The need for such servicing, which may be quite frequent in this situation, is generally disadvantageous and costly.
.2~3~
1 Certain vending machines are known which utilize an insert member that longitudinally runs throu~h the interior of the convolutions of the coil. These insert members define suppor-t surfaces which at least partially support the ood products contained in -the coil. Typical examples of such support surfaces are shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,335,907 to Holstein ek al and 3,344,953 to Krakauer et al. While such support surfaces are sometimes configured to support the food products above the shelf of the machine which inherently limits contact of the products with the shelf, the food products themselves will often tend to cling to varlous portions of the support surfaces. This is due at least partially to the act that such support surfaces are`fixedly mounted relative to the coil. In addition, r the support surfaces also extend through the discharge - end of the coil to terminate in front of the coil~
.. . .. . . . . . .............. . . ........... . . . . . . . Thus, as the food products are being vended from the last convolution at the discharge end of the coil~ the vended products sometlmes have a tendency to cling to or rest on the support surlace even after being vended.
In addition, such support surfaces sometimes only serve as a continuation of the horizontal shelf in the vending machine. In this case, they do not even partially alleviate the problem of the food products having a tendency to stick to the shelf surface.
SU~ RY OF THE PRESE~IT INVE:NTION
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an elongated helical coil dispensin~ uni-t in a food product vending machine which incorporates an elongated ~Z~3113 1 insert me~ber that subst~ntially prevents food products from sticking to the shelf surfaces in the m~chine.
The present inventlon comprises an insert member for a vending machine having a housing. The housing contains a plurality oE vertically spaced shelves each o~ which contain at least one elongated helical dis-pensing coil thereon. The coil has a plurality of convolutions for receiving the food products to be vended. In addition, the coil terminates at a discharge ~10 end that is spaced ~rom one wall of the housing to define a discharge space in-to which the food products are vended. Each of the coils are operatively connected to motor means for selective rotation of the cOilr The motor means includes an elongated shank which is coaxial with the axis of the coil and extends into the interior of the coil. The insert member comprises an elongated plastic rail member which is received inside the convolutions of the coil and , extends along a major portion of the coil's lengt~. The 2~ rail member has a bracket at one end which loosely and nonrotatably journals the rail about the shank of the motor means. This allows the rail member to be free-~loating relative to the ooil such that rotation of the coil imparts movement to the rail member to agitate the food products supported thereby. Thus, the insert member of the present invention serves to prevent the food products from sticking to the shel~
sur~ace and any other portion of the vending machine.
1 ~2~3~B
BRI~F DESC~IPTION OF THE D~AWINGS
The present invention will be described hereafter in the Detailed Description, when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of an improved vending machine according to the present invention showing a possible arrangement of a plurality of support shelves within the vending machine and a plurality of vending coil units overlying the respective support shelves;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of one of the support shelves of the vending machine disclosed in Fig. 1, illustrating the insert me~ber of the present invention installed in the interior of one of the coils;
. . .
Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation of a vending coil unit and its associated underlying shelf, as disclosed in Fig. 1, showing the 20 ~ insert members of the present invention ~disposed inside each of the coils;
Fig. 4 is a-fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a vending coil unit, underlying support shelf, and insert member as disclosed in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of the botto~
portion of the insert member according to the present invention showing the L-shaped mounting bracket thereof.
product which is being vended. One well known class of such vending machines are those known in the trade as helical coil vending machines or, alternatively, as spiral venders. These ~achines are widely used for dispensing pre-packaged food products of the type containing pastries, potato chips, candy bars and the like.
Helical coil dispensing machines customarily include a housing which supports a plurality of ver-tically spaced shelves. Each of the shelves usually includes a plurality of elongated dlspensing coils which run from front to back on the shelf. The rear end of each dispensing coil is operatively connected .. ' ~
, ~Z~L3~3 1 to an electric motor for selectively rotating the.
coil. In addition, each of the coils contains a plurality of food products which are received between the convolutions of the coil. These food products will ride alony the surface of the shelf as they are moved forward in a s-tep-by-step manner by consecutive rotations of the coil. Finally, the products are dispensed over the forward edge of the shelf where they fall down through a discharge space ihto a discharge bin for manual removal by the purchaser.
In the usual situation where the food products contact or slide along the shelf surface as they are received between the convolutions o~ the coils, certain Eood products are someti~es diEic~1t to vend properly. For exa~pl e, soms ~oo~ ~ro~ucts, usuall~ relatively heavy pastry products such as . . . . ..
donuts and the like, are often wrapped in a saran wrap type of wrapping. As is commonly known, this type of..wrapping tends to cling or stick to various things in part-because of its composition. Thus, when food products wrapped.in such a m~teri~l are contained betw.een the convolutions o~ the coil, they are likely to cling or stick to various portions of the shelf surface.
Sometimes, such products cling to the shelf with..s~ch.
force that the dispensing coil becomes jammed rendering it inoperative. This requires that a service-man clear the jammed coil before the products contained therein can be further vended~ The need for such servicing, which may be quite frequent in this situation, is generally disadvantageous and costly.
.2~3~
1 Certain vending machines are known which utilize an insert member that longitudinally runs throu~h the interior of the convolutions of the coil. These insert members define suppor-t surfaces which at least partially support the ood products contained in -the coil. Typical examples of such support surfaces are shown in U.S. Patent No. 3,335,907 to Holstein ek al and 3,344,953 to Krakauer et al. While such support surfaces are sometimes configured to support the food products above the shelf of the machine which inherently limits contact of the products with the shelf, the food products themselves will often tend to cling to varlous portions of the support surfaces. This is due at least partially to the act that such support surfaces are`fixedly mounted relative to the coil. In addition, r the support surfaces also extend through the discharge - end of the coil to terminate in front of the coil~
.. . .. . . . . . .............. . . ........... . . . . . . . Thus, as the food products are being vended from the last convolution at the discharge end of the coil~ the vended products sometlmes have a tendency to cling to or rest on the support surlace even after being vended.
In addition, such support surfaces sometimes only serve as a continuation of the horizontal shelf in the vending machine. In this case, they do not even partially alleviate the problem of the food products having a tendency to stick to the shelf surface.
SU~ RY OF THE PRESE~IT INVE:NTION
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an elongated helical coil dispensin~ uni-t in a food product vending machine which incorporates an elongated ~Z~3113 1 insert me~ber that subst~ntially prevents food products from sticking to the shelf surfaces in the m~chine.
The present inventlon comprises an insert member for a vending machine having a housing. The housing contains a plurality oE vertically spaced shelves each o~ which contain at least one elongated helical dis-pensing coil thereon. The coil has a plurality of convolutions for receiving the food products to be vended. In addition, the coil terminates at a discharge ~10 end that is spaced ~rom one wall of the housing to define a discharge space in-to which the food products are vended. Each of the coils are operatively connected to motor means for selective rotation of the cOilr The motor means includes an elongated shank which is coaxial with the axis of the coil and extends into the interior of the coil. The insert member comprises an elongated plastic rail member which is received inside the convolutions of the coil and , extends along a major portion of the coil's lengt~. The 2~ rail member has a bracket at one end which loosely and nonrotatably journals the rail about the shank of the motor means. This allows the rail member to be free-~loating relative to the ooil such that rotation of the coil imparts movement to the rail member to agitate the food products supported thereby. Thus, the insert member of the present invention serves to prevent the food products from sticking to the shel~
sur~ace and any other portion of the vending machine.
1 ~2~3~B
BRI~F DESC~IPTION OF THE D~AWINGS
The present invention will be described hereafter in the Detailed Description, when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of an improved vending machine according to the present invention showing a possible arrangement of a plurality of support shelves within the vending machine and a plurality of vending coil units overlying the respective support shelves;
Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of one of the support shelves of the vending machine disclosed in Fig. 1, illustrating the insert me~ber of the present invention installed in the interior of one of the coils;
. . .
Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in front elevation of a vending coil unit and its associated underlying shelf, as disclosed in Fig. 1, showing the 20 ~ insert members of the present invention ~disposed inside each of the coils;
Fig. 4 is a-fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of a vending coil unit, underlying support shelf, and insert member as disclosed in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a partial perspective view of the botto~
portion of the insert member according to the present invention showing the L-shaped mounting bracket thereof.
3~3 DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring first to Fig. l, an improved vending machine according to the present invention is generally indicated as 2. Vending machine 2 is preferably of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,061,245, issued on Dece~ber 6, 1977, to Joseph A. Lotspeich and assigned to the assignee of the present application. This patent dis-closes various details of vending machine 2 which are not pertinent to an understanding of the present invention.
Thus, vending machine 2 will be described herein only insofar as is necessary for a background to and an under-standing of the present invention. Further reference may be had to the above-noted patent for other details of vending machine 2.
Vending machine 2 is provided with an outer housing
Referring first to Fig. l, an improved vending machine according to the present invention is generally indicated as 2. Vending machine 2 is preferably of the type disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,061,245, issued on Dece~ber 6, 1977, to Joseph A. Lotspeich and assigned to the assignee of the present application. This patent dis-closes various details of vending machine 2 which are not pertinent to an understanding of the present invention.
Thus, vending machine 2 will be described herein only insofar as is necessary for a background to and an under-standing of the present invention. Further reference may be had to the above-noted patent for other details of vending machine 2.
Vending machine 2 is provided with an outer housing
4 having a plurality of vertically spaced and horizontally disposed dispensing shelves or trays 6. Housing 4 defines a substantially enclosed rectangular cabinet which is suit-ab]e for containing and dispensing a plurality of pre-packaged food products generally indicated as 5. Vending machine 2 also has a front door member 8 which is shown in an open position in Fig. l to reveal the interior of housing 4. Door member 8 is pivotably mounted to housing 4 along one side of the housing by hinges 7. In addition, door member 8 is normally locked in a closed position to cover the shelves 6 contained within the internal cavity of ~,. ..
`" ~12~33L~3 ( housing 4. ~ windo~ or trans~rent ~anel ~ is provid~d in door m~.ber 8 so tn~t a ~erson contQ~plating thQ
purchasP of a disp~nsable food product 5 may ViQW thQ
various Pxoducts` 5 containQd on shelves ~ Qven ~Jhen door me~ber 8 is closQd.
Referring now to Fig. 2, eac~`of the shelves 6 i5 movably mount~d in housing 4 by a plurality of rollers 10-12 whlch are rotata~ly journaled on th? side panels of shel. 6. Rollers 10~12 ride in opposed U-shaped channels 13 fixedly attached to ths side walls of housing 4. This enablPs each of ths shelves 6 to bQ rolled out of housing 4 for loading the ~ood products 5 therein.
A front stop 14 is provided at the front end of eac'n of thQ channels 13 for holding or locking the shelves 6 in a normal operative position entirely dispos~d within thP
housing ~. At least some of the sh~lves 5 may also have ; additional struct~re allo~ing them to be pull~.d out and t:ilted down relative to the ho~sing 4 to easQ the tas];
of loading them with the food products 5, as g~nerally describ~d in ths above-referQnced patent.
Each of the dispensina shslves 6 contains a plurality of transvsrs~ly spaced dispensing units 20. Each disp.Qnsing unit 20 contains on~ elongated helical dis~
psnsing coil 22 or 22' whicn sxtQnds from the front to the back of tlle shQlf 6. Coils 22 and 22' are identical excQpt for b.Qing dif~erently siæed~ Each coil has plurality of convolutions and a generally circular cross-section . Each coil terminates at th~ front of the shelf 6 in a dischargQ end 24 or 24' and a~ the rear of shelf 6 in a driven end 26 or 26'. The disch~rge Qnds 24 .Z~3~8 ` I
or 2~' of all the coils 22 and 22' in machine 2 are appropriately spaced from one wall o ho~sing ~ (e.g~, door member 8) to provide a ~ischarge space into w~ich food products 5 are vended~ The vended food products f~ll down into a discharge bin ~hsre they mav b~
manually removed by the purchaser.
~hs driven ends 26 or 26' and the xearmost convolu-' tions of each coil 22 or 22' are weld~d or otherwise fixedly attached to a U-slnaped cross-bracket 30. Cross-- 10 - bracket 30 of each coil is detachably'connected to a cross~bracket holding member 32~ Both cross-bracket 30 and cross-bracket holding membsr 32 are of t'~e typ~
shown in the abov~-re~exenc~d patent. Cross-brack~t ~olding men~er 32 is op,~ratively coupled to an elongated - butput shat or shank 34 of an electric mo~or 36. One -:: ~lectric motor 36 i5 provided for rotating each coil.22 - and 22'o Each electric motor 36 is fixedly attached as by screws to the rear wall 33 of the sh~l~. Cross-bracket ,' ' 30 has two opposed semi-circular slots 31 (Fig. 3~ for detachably receiving a plurality of retaining clips (not shown) on cross-br~cket holdlng member 32. This detachable coupling b~t~Jeen cross-bracXet 30 and cross-bracket.holding member 32 allows coils of various sizes (i.~., coils 22. and 22') to be ~uickly and easily intPr-- chanyed to any given dispensing unit 20.
As shown in ~igs. 1 and 3, at least two differently sized coils 22 and 22' are preferably arranged in vending machine 2. One o-E these coils, i.e. coil 22,has a larger diam2t2r than the other coil 22'. The two dlfLerently siz~d 30 , coils are respectively desi~3ned for dispensin~ diferen' typ~s _ 9 _ 3~8 of food products 5. For example, the coil 22 with the larger diamet~r is designed for dispQnsincJ larger si~ed products 5 sucn as potato chips, larye pastries, larye boxed food items, and the li~e. The coil 22' wit:n the smaller diameter is desisnQd for dispensing smaller products such as elongated candy barsand ths like. In addition, the coil 22 or 22' in each dispensing unit 20 is bounded by two longitudinally extending side walls 37 ~Jhich support and guide the food products as they are bQiny -v~Qnded. The side walls of shel~ 6 serve as the outQr side walls 37 for the outer~ost coils on each shelf 6. In addition, side walls 37 may b~ transversely adjustable on each shelf (~.g., by tabs (not shown) on the bottom of side walls 37 whic~ releasably ~ngage in select~d ones of ~ransversely spaced slots on the upper surface 38 of each shelf 6 or by any other appropria~ adjusting means).
This allows the spacing between sidQ walls 37 to be de-creasQd as necessary when a coil 22' of relati~Qly small .
- diameter is usQd in the dispensing unit 2a to vend _relatively small food productsO
.. . . . . . . . . ~ .
Cxoss brackets 30 when coupled to each of th~ motors 36 ar~ positioned relative to the respectivQ shelves 6 to .
support the rear ends 26 and 26' o~ the coils 22 and 22' above the upper surace 38 o the shelf 6. Upper surface 38 of shelf 6 te~ninates in a front edge 40. In addition, thQ dischargQ end 24 of eacn large diametQr coil 22 is supported above shelf surface 38 by a Iront coil support apparatus 42. Coil support apparatus 42 comprises first and second elongated coil support rn~mbers 44 and ~6 which are transversely spaced rom one another to define a chann~l ~8 in which discharge end 24 of coil 22 is receiv~d.
Coil-22' has a diameter small enough to be recQiv d w'nolly ~ 2~3~3 inside channel 48. Thus, coil 22' extends forwardly from motor 36 and is received between coil support members 44 and 46 such that coil 22' sags downwardly into engayement with shelf surface 38 over a major portion of its length. The rear ends of the first and second coil support members 44 and 46 each slope upwardly to define a ramp 50. Ramp 50 leads between the shelf surface 38 and an upper planar support sur-face 52 on each o~ the support members 44 and 46 which supports the discharge end 24 of each large diameter coil 22. The first and second support members are joined together at the front ends thereof by a downwardly extending ramp 54. Coil support apparatus 42 is preferably of the type shown in the U.S. Patent No. 4,148,412 (issue date: April 10, 1979; patentee: Joseph A. Lotspeich) which is also assigned to the assignee of the present invention. However, the coil support apparatus 42 may also comprise the various kinds of support apparatus dis-closed in the above-referenced U.S. patent.
Referring now to Figs. 2-4, a plurality of food products 5 to be vended are placed between the convolutions of each of the coils 22 and 22'. In this regard, when coil 22 is fully loaded, that portion of the coil 22 between the front coil support apparatus 42 and the driven end 26 of the coil 22 will usually sag down into engagement with the shelf sur-face. As noted previously, coil 22' engages shelf surface 38 over its entire length except at its attachment to motor 36.
Thus, the food products contained in the coils 22 or 22' con-tact and slide along the shelf surface 38 a substantial dis-tance (e.g., at least until they reach the front coil support apparatus 42).
The present invention comprises a detachable insert member generally indicated as 60 which is receivable in the interior of the convolutions of selected coils ~ r, 1 1 ~.2~3~3( t 22 or 22'. Insert member 60 supports t7ne food products
`" ~12~33L~3 ( housing 4. ~ windo~ or trans~rent ~anel ~ is provid~d in door m~.ber 8 so tn~t a ~erson contQ~plating thQ
purchasP of a disp~nsable food product 5 may ViQW thQ
various Pxoducts` 5 containQd on shelves ~ Qven ~Jhen door me~ber 8 is closQd.
Referring now to Fig. 2, eac~`of the shelves 6 i5 movably mount~d in housing 4 by a plurality of rollers 10-12 whlch are rotata~ly journaled on th? side panels of shel. 6. Rollers 10~12 ride in opposed U-shaped channels 13 fixedly attached to ths side walls of housing 4. This enablPs each of ths shelves 6 to bQ rolled out of housing 4 for loading the ~ood products 5 therein.
A front stop 14 is provided at the front end of eac'n of thQ channels 13 for holding or locking the shelves 6 in a normal operative position entirely dispos~d within thP
housing ~. At least some of the sh~lves 5 may also have ; additional struct~re allo~ing them to be pull~.d out and t:ilted down relative to the ho~sing 4 to easQ the tas];
of loading them with the food products 5, as g~nerally describ~d in ths above-referQnced patent.
Each of the dispensina shslves 6 contains a plurality of transvsrs~ly spaced dispensing units 20. Each disp.Qnsing unit 20 contains on~ elongated helical dis~
psnsing coil 22 or 22' whicn sxtQnds from the front to the back of tlle shQlf 6. Coils 22 and 22' are identical excQpt for b.Qing dif~erently siæed~ Each coil has plurality of convolutions and a generally circular cross-section . Each coil terminates at th~ front of the shelf 6 in a dischargQ end 24 or 24' and a~ the rear of shelf 6 in a driven end 26 or 26'. The disch~rge Qnds 24 .Z~3~8 ` I
or 2~' of all the coils 22 and 22' in machine 2 are appropriately spaced from one wall o ho~sing ~ (e.g~, door member 8) to provide a ~ischarge space into w~ich food products 5 are vended~ The vended food products f~ll down into a discharge bin ~hsre they mav b~
manually removed by the purchaser.
~hs driven ends 26 or 26' and the xearmost convolu-' tions of each coil 22 or 22' are weld~d or otherwise fixedly attached to a U-slnaped cross-bracket 30. Cross-- 10 - bracket 30 of each coil is detachably'connected to a cross~bracket holding member 32~ Both cross-bracket 30 and cross-bracket holding membsr 32 are of t'~e typ~
shown in the abov~-re~exenc~d patent. Cross-brack~t ~olding men~er 32 is op,~ratively coupled to an elongated - butput shat or shank 34 of an electric mo~or 36. One -:: ~lectric motor 36 i5 provided for rotating each coil.22 - and 22'o Each electric motor 36 is fixedly attached as by screws to the rear wall 33 of the sh~l~. Cross-bracket ,' ' 30 has two opposed semi-circular slots 31 (Fig. 3~ for detachably receiving a plurality of retaining clips (not shown) on cross-br~cket holdlng member 32. This detachable coupling b~t~Jeen cross-bracXet 30 and cross-bracket.holding member 32 allows coils of various sizes (i.~., coils 22. and 22') to be ~uickly and easily intPr-- chanyed to any given dispensing unit 20.
As shown in ~igs. 1 and 3, at least two differently sized coils 22 and 22' are preferably arranged in vending machine 2. One o-E these coils, i.e. coil 22,has a larger diam2t2r than the other coil 22'. The two dlfLerently siz~d 30 , coils are respectively desi~3ned for dispensin~ diferen' typ~s _ 9 _ 3~8 of food products 5. For example, the coil 22 with the larger diamet~r is designed for dispQnsincJ larger si~ed products 5 sucn as potato chips, larye pastries, larye boxed food items, and the li~e. The coil 22' wit:n the smaller diameter is desisnQd for dispensing smaller products such as elongated candy barsand ths like. In addition, the coil 22 or 22' in each dispensing unit 20 is bounded by two longitudinally extending side walls 37 ~Jhich support and guide the food products as they are bQiny -v~Qnded. The side walls of shel~ 6 serve as the outQr side walls 37 for the outer~ost coils on each shelf 6. In addition, side walls 37 may b~ transversely adjustable on each shelf (~.g., by tabs (not shown) on the bottom of side walls 37 whic~ releasably ~ngage in select~d ones of ~ransversely spaced slots on the upper surface 38 of each shelf 6 or by any other appropria~ adjusting means).
This allows the spacing between sidQ walls 37 to be de-creasQd as necessary when a coil 22' of relati~Qly small .
- diameter is usQd in the dispensing unit 2a to vend _relatively small food productsO
.. . . . . . . . . ~ .
Cxoss brackets 30 when coupled to each of th~ motors 36 ar~ positioned relative to the respectivQ shelves 6 to .
support the rear ends 26 and 26' o~ the coils 22 and 22' above the upper surace 38 o the shelf 6. Upper surface 38 of shelf 6 te~ninates in a front edge 40. In addition, thQ dischargQ end 24 of eacn large diametQr coil 22 is supported above shelf surface 38 by a Iront coil support apparatus 42. Coil support apparatus 42 comprises first and second elongated coil support rn~mbers 44 and ~6 which are transversely spaced rom one another to define a chann~l ~8 in which discharge end 24 of coil 22 is receiv~d.
Coil-22' has a diameter small enough to be recQiv d w'nolly ~ 2~3~3 inside channel 48. Thus, coil 22' extends forwardly from motor 36 and is received between coil support members 44 and 46 such that coil 22' sags downwardly into engayement with shelf surface 38 over a major portion of its length. The rear ends of the first and second coil support members 44 and 46 each slope upwardly to define a ramp 50. Ramp 50 leads between the shelf surface 38 and an upper planar support sur-face 52 on each o~ the support members 44 and 46 which supports the discharge end 24 of each large diameter coil 22. The first and second support members are joined together at the front ends thereof by a downwardly extending ramp 54. Coil support apparatus 42 is preferably of the type shown in the U.S. Patent No. 4,148,412 (issue date: April 10, 1979; patentee: Joseph A. Lotspeich) which is also assigned to the assignee of the present invention. However, the coil support apparatus 42 may also comprise the various kinds of support apparatus dis-closed in the above-referenced U.S. patent.
Referring now to Figs. 2-4, a plurality of food products 5 to be vended are placed between the convolutions of each of the coils 22 and 22'. In this regard, when coil 22 is fully loaded, that portion of the coil 22 between the front coil support apparatus 42 and the driven end 26 of the coil 22 will usually sag down into engagement with the shelf sur-face. As noted previously, coil 22' engages shelf surface 38 over its entire length except at its attachment to motor 36.
Thus, the food products contained in the coils 22 or 22' con-tact and slide along the shelf surface 38 a substantial dis-tance (e.g., at least until they reach the front coil support apparatus 42).
The present invention comprises a detachable insert member generally indicated as 60 which is receivable in the interior of the convolutions of selected coils ~ r, 1 1 ~.2~3~3( t 22 or 22'. Insert member 60 supports t7ne food products
5 to be vended above the shelf surface 3~ as clearly shown in Fig. 4. In this regard, insert memb~r 60 comprises an elongated rail member 62. Rail memker 62 may be made of any suitably smooth or semi-sr,1ooth material. PrQferably, rail m~mber 62 is made o a semi-smooth plastic or o-th~r non-metallic material, such as extruded polyvinyl cnlorid~. However, other appropriate materials could also be used. In addition, ~rail member 62 i9 sufficiently rigid to adequately support food products 5, but will also flex to some degree under the weight of the products 5. Further~ore, rail member 62 extends from the driven ends 26 and 26' of the coils 22 and 22' preferably over a major portion of .
thP length of coils (i.e., approximatsly 75-95~ of t~e length). Rail member 62 terminates at a rounded front end portion 64 w~ich is located between the last convolution and the n~xt to last convolution of th~ coils at the discharge end 24 or 24i of the colls.
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, plastic rail member 62 comprises an upper support surface 66 wnich is substa~-tially horizontal when rail member 62 is-received inside coil 22. Two downwardly tapering surfac~s 68 and 70 are int~grally ~orrn~d with support surface 66. The tap~ringsurfac~s 68 and 70 conn~ct the upper support surface 66 to a flat bottom surface 72 of rail ~ember 62. Such a cross-ssctional configuration is preferred for rail mer~er 62 since it reduces the surface area of rail member 62 wnich contacts thQ food products 5.
- ~owever, other configurations or shapQs to the surfaces 66, 68, 70 and 72 are envisioned within the scope of the invention~ This prevents or lessens the tendency o ~he food products 5 to stick or cling to the rail member 62.
1~Z~33L~( 1 In addition, the rear end of rail member 62 has a recess or pocket 74 formed therein. Pocke-t 74 detachably and -firmly receives an L-shaped mounting bracket member 76 or 76'. Bracket members 76 and 76' axe substantially identical in construc-tion e~cept as specifically noted hereafter. Therefore, only bracket member 76 will be described in detail with the corres-ponding portions of bracket 76' being denoted by the - same reference numerals as used in bracket 7O with a prime designation added to the numerals. Bracke~ member 76 has first and second sides or legs 78 and 80 which are disposed at a substantially perpendicular angle relative to one another. The first leg 78 of bracket member 76 is s.imply slipped into pocket 74 to detachably couple the bracket member 76 to rail member 62. The detach - .
able mounting o~ bracket members 76 by virtue of pockets 74 is pxeferred since it allows diff.erent . :
sized bracket members 76 to be quickly and easily coupled to one standa.rd sized rail member 62. This reduces the ~ costs of fabricating the insert members 60. However, any appropriate attachment between the bracket member 76 and rail member 62, including a fixed attachment, could be - used. The second leg 80 of bracket member 76 has a slotted hole comprisin~ a circular opening 82 with an upwardly extending vertical slot 84.
Each of the electric motors 36 for each of the coils in the dispensing units 20 is provided with a specially elongated shank 34. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, shank 34 extends inwardly into the interior of each of the coils a sufficient distance such that the plastic insert member 60 may be coupled thereto.
In t'nis re.~i^d, elongated shank 34 has an annular ~ l~.Z13~L8 1 groove 86 adjacen-t its outer end 88. To couple rail member 62 to shank 34, the circular opening 82 is aligned with the end 88 of shank 34 (Fig. 5). Rail memher 62 is then moved inwardly relative to the shank 34, with the shank 3~ penetrating through the circular opening 82 of the leg 80, until the leg 80 of L-shaped bracket member 76 is aligned with the groove 86. Leg 80 has a thickness which is slightly less than the width of groove 86. Also, the width of the slot 84 is slightly larger than the diameter of groove 85, but less than the diameter of the shank 34. Rail member 62 is then moved downwardly to engage the slot 84 in leg 80 in the groove 86 on the shank 34. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, insert member 60 is loosely and non-rotatably journaled about the shank 34 of electric motor 36. In other words, even though shank 34 rotates as motor 36 drives coil 22, it wlll~not directly rotate insert member 60. Therefore, the upper support surface 66 of the insert member 60 is operative to su~port ~20 the food products 5 above the shelf surface 38.
As shown in Fig. 3, two different L-shaped bracket members 76 and 76 7 are used for coupllng the insert -~ members 60 to the two di~ferently sized coils. In this regard, the L~shaped bracket members 76 and 76' are generally identical except that -the second leg ~0 of the bracket 76 is made longer than the second leg ~0' of the other bracket 76'. The bracket 76 having the longer leg 80 is used to couple insert member 60 to the shank 34 of the coils 22 with the larger diameter.
~lZ~3~
Similarly, the bracket 76' having the shorter leg 80' couples inser-t member 60 to the shank of the smalier diameter coils 22'. In any event, regardless of the size of the L-shaped brackets 76 and 76', when the appropriate bracket is used to couple the insert member 60 in an appropriately sized coil, tnQ insert: :
member 60 will ride or contact the lowermost portions of the convolutions of the coil at two transversely spaced discrete points 90 and 92. Thus, rotation of coil will impart movement to the insert member 60 as described hereafter.
Referring now to Fig~ 3, insert m~Qmbers 60 are meant to be detachabiy coupled in those coils of the vending machine 2 which are dispensing food products 5 that have a tendency to cling or stick to the shelf surface 38. For example, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, - some food products 5 often comprise relatively heavy .
pastry products 93, such as donuts 94, which have a saran type of wrapping 96 (i.e., a tough flexible thermoplastic material made by polymerlzing and usually copolymerizing vinylidene chloride). ~nis ~rapping normally tends to cling or stick to the shelf surface 38 when the food products 5 are allowed to ride in contact with the shelf surface~ However, the present invention con-templates using the detachable insert members 60 in each of the coils 22 dispensing such pastry products 93. In these coils then, the pastry products 93 to be vended will no longer contact the shelf surface 33, but will ride on the support surface of the ~nsert member 60. This is a ma~or factor in totally reducing or diminishing the tendency of these products 93 to stick to the shPlf surface.
;33L8 1 When a purchaser selects a pas-try product 93 for purchase t he inserts the required amount of money and activates a control mechanism. This causes the coil to rotate through one revolution to dispense the foremost product 93 conta.ined in the coil 22 of the discharge end of the coil 2~ into the discharge space. As the coil rotation occurs, the insert member 60 is substantLally fxee-floating relative to the coil.
however, the insert member 60 which contacts the coil at the points 90 and 92 will tend to ride up the side o~ the coil or be carried along with the coil at least for a short distance as the coil inltially begins .
rotating. See the phantom line representation ln . .
.......... Fig. 3. When coil rotation ends, insert me~ber 60 will tend to resume its initial position as shown in solid lines in Fig. 3. This tendency to rock or ride up the side of the coil as the coil begins rotating, and to then fall back down into place at the end of rotation gives a periodic oscillating or rocking action . .
to the insert member 60 for each revolution of coil 22. This rocking action tends to periodically agitate or vibrate the pastry products 93.inside the coil 22.
This further lessens the tendency of such products to stick either to the shelf surface 38 or to ,he insert members 60 themselves. In addition, because the insert member 60 terminates between the las~ and the next to last convolutions of the coil at the discharge end 24 thereof, tlle foremost product being vended from ( ~.21~
the coil 22 will no~ cling or stic~; to the end of the insert member 60 as it b~gins ~alling into the discharge space.
Al~hou~h all o~ ths electric motors 36 present in the vending machine 2 are provided with elongated shan~s 34, the present invention comtemplatas using the insert membors 60 in the vending machine 2 only for t''lOSe coils 22 or 22' dispensing food produc~s 5 which require them. Thus, not all the coils 22 and 22' in machine 2 will necsssarily have insert member 60 placed in th~m.
However, if desired, insert mombers 60 could be used inside each of the coils in machIns 2 regardless o~ the type of product heing dispensed. In this regard, insert members 60 could bo permanently, rath_r than detachably, coupl d to thP shanks 34 of motors 36.
In addition to heoavy pastry type food products 93 wrapped in the saran wrap typs of wrapper, thQ insert . .
members 60 of th~ present invention may also be used eff~octively with food products having a package with a -sealed flap at one nd. Such food products generally include those customarily used to contain potato chips, corn chips, and th~ like. v7hen such produc~s rest betw~Pn the convolutions of the coils 22 or 22' and the s'nelf surface 38, the package flap at t.he bottom of th~ coil is sometimes pushed back as the products are vended forwardly. In some instances, t'~Se flap of the packaged product is pinched or caught b~twoen the adjacent convolutions on the coils and the s'nelf surface 38. Thus, when that product ~13~
reaches the discnar~e ond of the coil w~re it would normally bo vQnded, it is cau~ht or l'hung up"
at the discharge end with the flap beiny pinch~d between the coil an~ the shelf surface. In this regard, when an insert membor 60 is usod inside.th~
coil 22 containin~ tnose proclucts, the products no longor ride on the shel surface 38 but on the support surfac~ 66 of the ins~rt m~mber 60. Thus, thore is now no possibility that the.flap of the~ product can ~work its way back to be pincn.ed underneatlll the adjacent convolutions of the coil. Thus, the insert.members 60 according to the present invention also effectively allow dispensing of this type of food:product.
Various difications will be apparent to ~hos~
skilled in the art. For ~xample, the insert members 60 of the present invention`aro not limited for use with v~nding machine 2 described herein. They may be effectively us2d with any helical coil or spiral vender type of dispQr.sing machin~. A11 that is i r~quired is that the motor means for the co~ls o th~ - -dispensing machine have suitably elongated output sha~t shanks ~or supporting the insert members r or that the vending machines have some other appropriato structur~ for operatively supporting the insert members in a free-floating manner inside the coils. Furthermore, tho coils 22 and 22' could be arranged on th.o shelves 6 in a sid~-to-side orientation rather than tho front-to-back orientation which has b2en illustrated in the drawings.
In addition, the insert me~bers need not nPcessarily .extend over a major portion of the coil's len~th ~hon the coil and the products contact the shelf surface only ( 213.t~3 1 over a relati~ely small distance. In this situation, the insert men~ers need only extencl through the coil over the length of the shelf surface which is ac-tually contacted by the food products. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.
~ . . . ' . .. ' ... . - .
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: .
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: ~ . . .
.:
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.:
.
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thP length of coils (i.e., approximatsly 75-95~ of t~e length). Rail member 62 terminates at a rounded front end portion 64 w~ich is located between the last convolution and the n~xt to last convolution of th~ coils at the discharge end 24 or 24i of the colls.
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, plastic rail member 62 comprises an upper support surface 66 wnich is substa~-tially horizontal when rail member 62 is-received inside coil 22. Two downwardly tapering surfac~s 68 and 70 are int~grally ~orrn~d with support surface 66. The tap~ringsurfac~s 68 and 70 conn~ct the upper support surface 66 to a flat bottom surface 72 of rail ~ember 62. Such a cross-ssctional configuration is preferred for rail mer~er 62 since it reduces the surface area of rail member 62 wnich contacts thQ food products 5.
- ~owever, other configurations or shapQs to the surfaces 66, 68, 70 and 72 are envisioned within the scope of the invention~ This prevents or lessens the tendency o ~he food products 5 to stick or cling to the rail member 62.
1~Z~33L~( 1 In addition, the rear end of rail member 62 has a recess or pocket 74 formed therein. Pocke-t 74 detachably and -firmly receives an L-shaped mounting bracket member 76 or 76'. Bracket members 76 and 76' axe substantially identical in construc-tion e~cept as specifically noted hereafter. Therefore, only bracket member 76 will be described in detail with the corres-ponding portions of bracket 76' being denoted by the - same reference numerals as used in bracket 7O with a prime designation added to the numerals. Bracke~ member 76 has first and second sides or legs 78 and 80 which are disposed at a substantially perpendicular angle relative to one another. The first leg 78 of bracket member 76 is s.imply slipped into pocket 74 to detachably couple the bracket member 76 to rail member 62. The detach - .
able mounting o~ bracket members 76 by virtue of pockets 74 is pxeferred since it allows diff.erent . :
sized bracket members 76 to be quickly and easily coupled to one standa.rd sized rail member 62. This reduces the ~ costs of fabricating the insert members 60. However, any appropriate attachment between the bracket member 76 and rail member 62, including a fixed attachment, could be - used. The second leg 80 of bracket member 76 has a slotted hole comprisin~ a circular opening 82 with an upwardly extending vertical slot 84.
Each of the electric motors 36 for each of the coils in the dispensing units 20 is provided with a specially elongated shank 34. As shown in Figs. 2 and 4, shank 34 extends inwardly into the interior of each of the coils a sufficient distance such that the plastic insert member 60 may be coupled thereto.
In t'nis re.~i^d, elongated shank 34 has an annular ~ l~.Z13~L8 1 groove 86 adjacen-t its outer end 88. To couple rail member 62 to shank 34, the circular opening 82 is aligned with the end 88 of shank 34 (Fig. 5). Rail memher 62 is then moved inwardly relative to the shank 34, with the shank 3~ penetrating through the circular opening 82 of the leg 80, until the leg 80 of L-shaped bracket member 76 is aligned with the groove 86. Leg 80 has a thickness which is slightly less than the width of groove 86. Also, the width of the slot 84 is slightly larger than the diameter of groove 85, but less than the diameter of the shank 34. Rail member 62 is then moved downwardly to engage the slot 84 in leg 80 in the groove 86 on the shank 34. Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, insert member 60 is loosely and non-rotatably journaled about the shank 34 of electric motor 36. In other words, even though shank 34 rotates as motor 36 drives coil 22, it wlll~not directly rotate insert member 60. Therefore, the upper support surface 66 of the insert member 60 is operative to su~port ~20 the food products 5 above the shelf surface 38.
As shown in Fig. 3, two different L-shaped bracket members 76 and 76 7 are used for coupllng the insert -~ members 60 to the two di~ferently sized coils. In this regard, the L~shaped bracket members 76 and 76' are generally identical except that -the second leg ~0 of the bracket 76 is made longer than the second leg ~0' of the other bracket 76'. The bracket 76 having the longer leg 80 is used to couple insert member 60 to the shank 34 of the coils 22 with the larger diameter.
~lZ~3~
Similarly, the bracket 76' having the shorter leg 80' couples inser-t member 60 to the shank of the smalier diameter coils 22'. In any event, regardless of the size of the L-shaped brackets 76 and 76', when the appropriate bracket is used to couple the insert member 60 in an appropriately sized coil, tnQ insert: :
member 60 will ride or contact the lowermost portions of the convolutions of the coil at two transversely spaced discrete points 90 and 92. Thus, rotation of coil will impart movement to the insert member 60 as described hereafter.
Referring now to Fig~ 3, insert m~Qmbers 60 are meant to be detachabiy coupled in those coils of the vending machine 2 which are dispensing food products 5 that have a tendency to cling or stick to the shelf surface 38. For example, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, - some food products 5 often comprise relatively heavy .
pastry products 93, such as donuts 94, which have a saran type of wrapping 96 (i.e., a tough flexible thermoplastic material made by polymerlzing and usually copolymerizing vinylidene chloride). ~nis ~rapping normally tends to cling or stick to the shelf surface 38 when the food products 5 are allowed to ride in contact with the shelf surface~ However, the present invention con-templates using the detachable insert members 60 in each of the coils 22 dispensing such pastry products 93. In these coils then, the pastry products 93 to be vended will no longer contact the shelf surface 33, but will ride on the support surface of the ~nsert member 60. This is a ma~or factor in totally reducing or diminishing the tendency of these products 93 to stick to the shPlf surface.
;33L8 1 When a purchaser selects a pas-try product 93 for purchase t he inserts the required amount of money and activates a control mechanism. This causes the coil to rotate through one revolution to dispense the foremost product 93 conta.ined in the coil 22 of the discharge end of the coil 2~ into the discharge space. As the coil rotation occurs, the insert member 60 is substantLally fxee-floating relative to the coil.
however, the insert member 60 which contacts the coil at the points 90 and 92 will tend to ride up the side o~ the coil or be carried along with the coil at least for a short distance as the coil inltially begins .
rotating. See the phantom line representation ln . .
.......... Fig. 3. When coil rotation ends, insert me~ber 60 will tend to resume its initial position as shown in solid lines in Fig. 3. This tendency to rock or ride up the side of the coil as the coil begins rotating, and to then fall back down into place at the end of rotation gives a periodic oscillating or rocking action . .
to the insert member 60 for each revolution of coil 22. This rocking action tends to periodically agitate or vibrate the pastry products 93.inside the coil 22.
This further lessens the tendency of such products to stick either to the shelf surface 38 or to ,he insert members 60 themselves. In addition, because the insert member 60 terminates between the las~ and the next to last convolutions of the coil at the discharge end 24 thereof, tlle foremost product being vended from ( ~.21~
the coil 22 will no~ cling or stic~; to the end of the insert member 60 as it b~gins ~alling into the discharge space.
Al~hou~h all o~ ths electric motors 36 present in the vending machine 2 are provided with elongated shan~s 34, the present invention comtemplatas using the insert membors 60 in the vending machine 2 only for t''lOSe coils 22 or 22' dispensing food produc~s 5 which require them. Thus, not all the coils 22 and 22' in machine 2 will necsssarily have insert member 60 placed in th~m.
However, if desired, insert mombers 60 could be used inside each of the coils in machIns 2 regardless o~ the type of product heing dispensed. In this regard, insert members 60 could bo permanently, rath_r than detachably, coupl d to thP shanks 34 of motors 36.
In addition to heoavy pastry type food products 93 wrapped in the saran wrap typs of wrapper, thQ insert . .
members 60 of th~ present invention may also be used eff~octively with food products having a package with a -sealed flap at one nd. Such food products generally include those customarily used to contain potato chips, corn chips, and th~ like. v7hen such produc~s rest betw~Pn the convolutions of the coils 22 or 22' and the s'nelf surface 38, the package flap at t.he bottom of th~ coil is sometimes pushed back as the products are vended forwardly. In some instances, t'~Se flap of the packaged product is pinched or caught b~twoen the adjacent convolutions on the coils and the s'nelf surface 38. Thus, when that product ~13~
reaches the discnar~e ond of the coil w~re it would normally bo vQnded, it is cau~ht or l'hung up"
at the discharge end with the flap beiny pinch~d between the coil an~ the shelf surface. In this regard, when an insert membor 60 is usod inside.th~
coil 22 containin~ tnose proclucts, the products no longor ride on the shel surface 38 but on the support surfac~ 66 of the ins~rt m~mber 60. Thus, thore is now no possibility that the.flap of the~ product can ~work its way back to be pincn.ed underneatlll the adjacent convolutions of the coil. Thus, the insert.members 60 according to the present invention also effectively allow dispensing of this type of food:product.
Various difications will be apparent to ~hos~
skilled in the art. For ~xample, the insert members 60 of the present invention`aro not limited for use with v~nding machine 2 described herein. They may be effectively us2d with any helical coil or spiral vender type of dispQr.sing machin~. A11 that is i r~quired is that the motor means for the co~ls o th~ - -dispensing machine have suitably elongated output sha~t shanks ~or supporting the insert members r or that the vending machines have some other appropriato structur~ for operatively supporting the insert members in a free-floating manner inside the coils. Furthermore, tho coils 22 and 22' could be arranged on th.o shelves 6 in a sid~-to-side orientation rather than tho front-to-back orientation which has b2en illustrated in the drawings.
In addition, the insert me~bers need not nPcessarily .extend over a major portion of the coil's len~th ~hon the coil and the products contact the shelf surface only ( 213.t~3 1 over a relati~ely small distance. In this situation, the insert men~ers need only extencl through the coil over the length of the shelf surface which is ac-tually contacted by the food products. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.
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Claims (13)
1. An improved vending machine of the type having a housing, a plurality of vertically spaced shelves located inside the housing; at least one elongated helical dispensing coil carried on each shelf, each coil having a plurality of convolutions between which a plurality of products to be vended are received, each coil further having a discharge end which is spaced from one wall of the housing to define a discharge space into which each of the products contained in the coil are ejected, and wherein the improvement comprises an elongated insert member which is received inside the convolutions of at least one of the coils, the insert member extending over a sufficient portion of the coil's length and being configured to support those products which would otherwise normally contact the shelf when received between the convolutions of the coil, above the insert member being operatively supported in the housing to be free floating relative to the coil, such that rotation of the coil imparts movement to the insert member to prevent the products supported on the insert member from sticking thereto.
2. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 1, in which the insert member is made of substantially smooth plastic.
3. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 2, in which the insert member is made of extruded poly-vinyl chloride.
4. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 1, in which the upper surface of the insert member has a first substantially horizontal support surface on which the products are carried, and two downwardly tapering surfaces located on either side of the support surface which do not contact the product, whereby the surface area of the upper surface of the insert member relative to the product is reduced to further lessen the tendency of the products to stick to the insert member.
5. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 1, further having means for selectively rotating each coil about a longitudinal axis thereof, the rotation means further including a rotatable output shaft mounted in coaxial alignment with the coil, and wherein the improve-ment further comprises the fact that each of the output shafts of each of the rotation means for each of the coils comprises an elongated shank which extends inside the rearmost convolutions of the corresponding coil, and wherein the insert member has a bracket at one end which is loosely and nonrotatably journaled about the shank of the rotation means of the selected coil.
6. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 5, in which the bracket has a slotted hole which engages a groove provided on the shank of the rotation means.
7. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 1, in which the insert member extends over a major portion of the coil's length.
8. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 1, in which the insert member has an outer discharge end which terminates between the last and the next to last convolutions of the coil at the discharge end of the coil, whereby the products being vended by the coil will not stick to the insert.
9. An improved vending machine for dispensing food products, the vending machine being of the type having a housing; a plurality of vertically spaced shelves contained in the housing; each of the shelves having a plurality of dispensing coils mounted thereon, each of the dispensing coils having a plurality of convolutions which respect-ively receive a plurality of food products to be vended, each of the coils terminating in a discharge end which is spaced from one wall of the housing to define a discharge space into which the food products are vended, at least some of the coils having a first diameter while the remaining coils have a second and smaller diameter;
and motor means operatively connected to each of the coils for rotating the coils in a dispensing direction to dispense the products off of the discharge end of the coils; wherein the improvement comprises:
(a) each of the motor means having an output shaft which comprises an elongated shank that terminates inside the rearmost convolutions of each of the dispensing coils; and (b) a plurality of detachable insert members operatively connected to the shanks of selected coils, each of the insert members when connected to the shank extending forwardly in the interior of the convolutions of the coil to support the food products being vended by the coil above the shelf, and the insert members being loosely and nonrotatably journaled on the shanks to be free floating inside the coils to agitate the food products as the coils are rotated, whereby the food products are prevented from sticking to the insert members.
and motor means operatively connected to each of the coils for rotating the coils in a dispensing direction to dispense the products off of the discharge end of the coils; wherein the improvement comprises:
(a) each of the motor means having an output shaft which comprises an elongated shank that terminates inside the rearmost convolutions of each of the dispensing coils; and (b) a plurality of detachable insert members operatively connected to the shanks of selected coils, each of the insert members when connected to the shank extending forwardly in the interior of the convolutions of the coil to support the food products being vended by the coil above the shelf, and the insert members being loosely and nonrotatably journaled on the shanks to be free floating inside the coils to agitate the food products as the coils are rotated, whereby the food products are prevented from sticking to the insert members.
10. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 9, in which each of the insert members comprises an elongated plastic rail member having a rear end adjacent the motor means, the rear end of the rail having a substan-tially L-shaped bracket member attached thereto, a first leg of the L-shaped bracket member having a hole for loosely journaling the rail member about the shank of the motor means.
11. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 10, in which the rear end of each rail member contains a pocket therein, the L-shaped bracket member having a second leg received inside the pocket to couple the.
bracket member to the rail member.
bracket member to the rail member.
12. An improved vending machine as recited in claim 9, wherein the insert members include mounting brackets on one end for coupling the insert members to the shanks of the motor means, the mounting brackets being of two different sizes such that the insert members may be respectively received in the two differently sized coils in such a manner that the insert members ride on the lowermost portions of the convolutions of the coil regardless of the diameter of the coil in which they are received.
13. A dispensing unit for use in dispensing food products or the like from a vending machine, the dispen-sing unit being suitable for mounting to a shelf in such a machine, which comprises:
(a) an elongated, semi-rigid helical coil having a driven end and a discharge end, the coil having a plurality of convolutions between which a plurality of food products to be vended are received;
(b) motor means for rotating the coil in a dispensing direction, the motor means being operatively connected to the driven end of the coil and having an output shaft which includes an elongated shank that extends through the driven end of the coil and into the interior of the coil coaxially with a longitudinal.
axis of the coil; and (c) an elongated plastic rail member received inside the convolutions of the coil for supporting the food products contained therein and having opposed first and second ends, the first end of the rail member having a bracket for loosely and nonrotatably journaling the rail member about the shank of the motor means, the rail member extending from the first end to the second end where it termin-ates between the last and the next to last convolutions of the coil at the discharge end of the coil, whereby the rail member is free floating inside the coil and rides on the lowermost portions of the convolutions of the coil such that rotation of the coil imparts movement to the rail member to agitate the products supported thereby.
(a) an elongated, semi-rigid helical coil having a driven end and a discharge end, the coil having a plurality of convolutions between which a plurality of food products to be vended are received;
(b) motor means for rotating the coil in a dispensing direction, the motor means being operatively connected to the driven end of the coil and having an output shaft which includes an elongated shank that extends through the driven end of the coil and into the interior of the coil coaxially with a longitudinal.
axis of the coil; and (c) an elongated plastic rail member received inside the convolutions of the coil for supporting the food products contained therein and having opposed first and second ends, the first end of the rail member having a bracket for loosely and nonrotatably journaling the rail member about the shank of the motor means, the rail member extending from the first end to the second end where it termin-ates between the last and the next to last convolutions of the coil at the discharge end of the coil, whereby the rail member is free floating inside the coil and rides on the lowermost portions of the convolutions of the coil such that rotation of the coil imparts movement to the rail member to agitate the products supported thereby.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US05/877,089 US4149653A (en) | 1978-02-13 | 1978-02-13 | Insert member for a helical dispensing coil |
| US877,089 | 1978-02-13 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1121318A true CA1121318A (en) | 1982-04-06 |
Family
ID=25369237
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000315631A Expired CA1121318A (en) | 1978-02-13 | 1978-10-31 | Insert member for a helical dispensing coil |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US4149653A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1121318A (en) |
Families Citing this family (24)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4258860A (en) * | 1979-05-02 | 1981-03-31 | D.O.V.E. Equipment Corporation | Vending machine with adjustable divider in helical conveyor |
| US4369896A (en) * | 1979-05-02 | 1983-01-25 | D.O.V.E. Equipment Corporation | Helical vending machine with pivot panel adjustment |
| US4385713A (en) * | 1979-05-02 | 1983-05-31 | D.O.V.E. Equipment Corporation | Helical vending machine with pivot rod adjustment |
| US4506802A (en) * | 1983-06-14 | 1985-03-26 | Gross-Given Manufacturing Company | Shelf configuration for vending machines |
| JPS60192072U (en) * | 1984-05-29 | 1985-12-20 | サンデン株式会社 | Spiral-type frozen vending machine equipped with a sold-out detection device |
| US4636803A (en) * | 1984-10-16 | 1987-01-13 | Exxon Printing Systems, Inc. | System to linearly supply phase change ink jet |
| US4682185A (en) * | 1984-11-08 | 1987-07-21 | Martner John G | Ink jet method and apparatus utilizing a web of hot melt ink |
| IT1229414B (en) * | 1989-06-01 | 1991-08-08 | Lucio Grossi | ROTATING VERTICAL HELICAL ELEMENT DEVICE FOR THE AUTOMATIC DISTRIBUTION OF PACKAGED PRODUCTS. |
| US6145699A (en) * | 1998-04-29 | 2000-11-14 | Automated Merchandising Systems, Inc. | Helix alignment device for a packaged-article product-vending machine |
| US6869633B2 (en) * | 2002-04-22 | 2005-03-22 | Restaurant Technology, Inc. | Automated food frying device and method |
| US20030205028A1 (en) * | 2002-04-22 | 2003-11-06 | Sus Gerald A. | Automated food processing system and method |
| EP1501727B1 (en) * | 2002-04-22 | 2009-06-17 | Restaurant Technology , Inc. | Automated food processing system and method |
| US7337594B2 (en) * | 2002-04-22 | 2008-03-04 | Restaurant Technology, Inc. | Food dispensing device and method |
| US6960157B2 (en) | 2002-04-22 | 2005-11-01 | Restaurant Technology, Inc. | Automated system and method for handling food containers |
| US6871676B2 (en) * | 2002-04-22 | 2005-03-29 | Restaurant Technology, Inc. | Automated device and method for packaging food |
| US7441388B2 (en) | 2002-04-22 | 2008-10-28 | Restaurant Technology, Inc. | Automated device for packaging food |
| US7356980B2 (en) | 2002-04-22 | 2008-04-15 | Restaurant Technology, Inc. | Automated method for packaging food |
| ITBO20020517A1 (en) * | 2002-08-02 | 2004-02-03 | Sergio Carbone | EQUIPMENT FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD PRODUCTS, |
| EP1881464B1 (en) * | 2006-07-21 | 2008-10-08 | DAMIAN S.r.l. | Helical coil dispenser for vending machines and vending machine comprising such dispenser |
| CN103426244A (en) * | 2012-05-24 | 2013-12-04 | 鸿富锦精密工业(武汉)有限公司 | Commodity driving structure |
| CN103578190A (en) * | 2012-08-07 | 2014-02-12 | 鸿富锦精密工业(武汉)有限公司 | Adjustment device |
| CN103679941A (en) * | 2012-08-31 | 2014-03-26 | 鸿富锦精密工业(武汉)有限公司 | Automatic vending machine with bearing guide rail |
| CN103679944B (en) * | 2012-09-03 | 2016-12-21 | 刘更新 | Rail mounting structure in automatic vending machine |
| US10872489B1 (en) * | 2019-09-25 | 2020-12-22 | Reggie Carter | Comfort accessory vending apparatus |
Family Cites Families (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US339561A (en) * | 1886-04-06 | locke | ||
| US3269595A (en) * | 1964-10-02 | 1966-08-30 | Krakauer Merrill | Article vending machine |
| US3294281A (en) * | 1964-12-03 | 1966-12-27 | Schlaf S | Package vendor with helix shaped delivery spindle |
| US3344953A (en) * | 1965-02-18 | 1967-10-03 | Krakauer Merrill | Article vending machine having helical feeder coil |
| US3335907A (en) * | 1966-03-17 | 1967-08-15 | Universal Match Corp | Spiral vendor with empty source indicating means |
| US3441174A (en) * | 1967-08-14 | 1969-04-29 | Seeburg Corp | Spiral feed vending machine |
| US3601281A (en) * | 1969-02-18 | 1971-08-24 | Stanley O Schlaf | Vending machine with screw conveyor-type cellular magazine |
| US3653540A (en) * | 1970-02-06 | 1972-04-04 | Vendo Co | Dispensing machine having multiple dual helix conveyors |
| US4023704A (en) * | 1974-03-25 | 1977-05-17 | Rowe International Inc. | Helical feed merchandising machine |
-
1978
- 1978-02-13 US US05/877,089 patent/US4149653A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1978-10-31 CA CA000315631A patent/CA1121318A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US4149653A (en) | 1979-04-17 |
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| MKEX | Expiry |