Vending machine for bottles and method of vending bottles
US6112943A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 24, 1998 |
| Grant date | Sep 5, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 24, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG07F11/38
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A vending machine for vending a plurality of bottles each of which are supported in an upright position only at a top portion of each of the bottles include a planar dispensing rack having a plurality of elongated slots therein for storing and dispensing bottles. The elongated slots each include a pair of substantially parallel spaced apart side walls which are spaced apart a distance less than a diameter of the top portion of the bottle to be supported in the slots. The side walls of each of the slots terminate in an opening at one end of each of the slots which opening has a diameter larger than the diameter of the top portion of the bottles supported by the slots to enable bottles which move from the slot to the opening to drop through the opening from the planar dispensing rack to a dispensing station. A gating member is provided to control movement of the bottles from each of the slots to the opening to effect movement of a bottle from the dispensing rack to the dispensing station.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.