EP0193797B1 — Flat articles-vending apparatus

Claim 1

Independent Claim 247 words

A vending machine for flat articles (40), said vending machine comprising, in a cabinet (1) closed by a door (2) which has an article-roceiung basket (27), a plurality of article storage magazines (41 to 44) which store the articles in stacks according to type the magazines being arranged in at least one column with individual access gaps (41a to 44a) between them, and article extraction and delivery means which themselves comprise a horizontal carriage (90) for lifting one of said articles and delivering it into said basket (27), said carriage being moveably mounted on a guide part (93), said vending machine being characterized in that said article extraction and delivery means (5) also comprise a vertical carriage (70) extending transversely in front of the magazine assembly and moveably mounted on vertical guides (51), said vertical carriage being driven by a first motor (52) and carrying said horizontal carriage (90), the latter being moveable by a second motor (103) along a guide part (93) integral with said vertical carriage (70) on which said guide part extends transversely between the door (2) and said magazines an article gripping head (94, 95) secured to said horizontal carriage (90) at its end portion adjacent said magazines, and means (105) for pivoting said horizontal carriage on its guide part, at the end of the travel of said horizontal carriage towards said door (2), so as to place the carriage in a substantially vertical position above the article entry of said basket (27).

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 247 words

A vending machine for flat articles (40), said vending machine comprising, in a cabinet (1) closed by a door (2) which has an article-roceiung basket (27), a plurality of article storage magazines (41 to 44) which store the articles in stacks according to type the magazines being arranged in at least one column with individual access gaps (41a to 44a) between them, and article extraction and delivery means which themselves comprise a horizontal carriage (90) for lifting one of said articles and delivering it into said basket (27), said carriage being moveably mounted on a guide part (93), said vending machine being characterized in that said article extraction and delivery means (5) also comprise a vertical carriage (70) extending transversely in front of the magazine assembly and moveably mounted on vertical guides (51), said vertical carriage being driven by a first motor (52) and carrying said horizontal carriage (90), the latter being moveable by a second motor (103) along a guide part (93) integral with said vertical carriage (70) on which said guide part extends transversely between the door (2) and said magazines an article gripping head (94, 95) secured to said horizontal carriage (90) at its end portion adjacent said magazines, and means (105) for pivoting said horizontal carriage on its guide part, at the end of the travel of said horizontal carriage towards said door (2), so as to place the carriage in a substantially vertical position above the article entry of said basket (27).

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 68 words

A vending machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said article extraction and delivery means (5) also comprise a third carriage, called the longitudinal carriage (80) moveably mounted on a horizontal guide spindle (83) carried by and extending lengthwise across said vertical carriage (70), said longitudinal carriage carrying said horizontal carriage (90), and a third motor (58) which drives said longitudinal carriage on its guide spindle (83).

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 54 words

A vending machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that said horizontal carriage (90) is constituted by an arm (92) and in that said guide part (93) forms a cage with a longitudinal opening (97) in its lower surface for said gripping head (94, 95) which protrudes outside said guide part.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 91 words

A vending machine according to claim 3, characterized in that said arm is slideably mounted on the lower surface of said cage and is driven by a drive means (100) which is coupled to said second motor (103) and which is connected at a zone displaced from the center of the arm towards the end (called the second end 99) opposite to the first end carrying the article gripping head (94, 95), said drive means (100) causing said second end (99) to bear against the upper surface of said cage (93).

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 51 words

A vending machine according to claim 4, characterized in that said cage (93) has in its upper surface at its end part adjacent the door, a window (105) into which said second end (99) of said arm (92) can retract, this constituting said means (105) for pivoting said horizontal carriage (90).

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 45 words

A vending machine according to claim 5, characterized in that said window (105) is bounded on the side adjacent said door (2) by a vertical endstop (107) which locks the horizontal carriage (90) in a substantially vertical position in its travel along said cage (93).

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 45 words

A vending machine according to claim 6, characterized in that said window (105) is bounded at the side opposite to said vertical endstop (107) by a ramp (106) which ensures the return of the arm (92) from its substantially vertical position to its horizontal position.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 108 words

A vending machine according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that said motors (52, 103, 58) are controlled by an operation control unit (30) which provides signals for selecting one of the magazines (41 to 44) in each column, for commanding the position of said article extraction and delivery means (5) to be opposite the access gap of the magazine concerned, and signals for gripping and extracting one of the articles from the magazine concerned, for controlling the driving of said article extraction and delivery means (5) between the access gap (41a to 44a) of the magazine concerned and said receiving basket (27) for said article.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 51 words

A vending machine according to claim 8, characterized in that each of said motors (52, 58, 103) is associated with an encoder (55, 59, 110 to 113) which is connected to said control circuit (30) and which indicates the displacement of the carriage (70, 80, 90) driven by the motor concerned.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 65 words

A vending machine according to claim 8 or claim 9, characterized in that said article gripping head (94, 95) has suction cups (94) which are placed in communication with a vacuum pump (17) by a command from said control circuit (30) and in that said individual access gaps (41 a to 44a) are situated in the upper part of the corresponding magazine (41 to 44).

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 85 words

A vending machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said vertical carriage (70) is constituted by an angled elongate part (71, 72, 73) which carries at one of its ends a pair of rollers (78) for guiding the carriage in the rails (51) and a connecting part (76) which is secured to a first drive chain (60) coupled to said first motor (52), said part (71, 72, 73) also carrying over part of its length said guide spindle (83) for said longitudinal carriage (80).

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 77 words

A vending machine according to claim 11, characterized in that said longitudinal carriage (80) is also constituted by an angled elongate part (81, 82) which carries a first pair of guide rollers (84) which roll on said guide spindle (83) and a second pair of guide rollers which slide on the elongated part of said vertical carriage (70), said part (81, 82) also being connected to a second drive chain (88) coupled to said third motor (59).

Flat articles-vending apparatus

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