Counter-top vending machine
US5337876A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 1993 |
| Grant date | Aug 16, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07F11/42
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A vending machine has an outer housing with a hollow interior and a manual retrieval opening. At least one tray is removably supported by the housing inside the interior thereof. The tray has a plurality of storage bins, each bin being dimensioned for receiving a plurality of items to be dispensed. Each bin has a movably actuable mechanism for ejecting a single unit of the item therefrom. A manually operable coin mechanism is mounted to an exterior of the housing for receiving a predetermined number and size of coins. Insertion of the proper coins into the coin mechanism permits a single actuation thereof through a predefined range of motion. A manually operable selector mechanism is mounted to the exterior of the housing for designating the item to be dispensed when moved into engagement with the ejecting mechanism of a preselected one of the plurality of storage bins. A drive mechanism is coupled between the coin mechanism and the selector mechanism for enabling the predefined range of motion imparted by a single actuation of the coin mechanism to actuate the ejecting means of the preselected one of the storage bins. This causes a single unit of the item stored therein to be disp…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.