Article-vending apparatus utilizing displaceable article-containing transport members

Claim 2

Article-vending apparatus comprising: a transport member storing articles to be dispensed and mounted for longitudinal reciprocable motion between a rest position and a vend position; a vend area, an article to be dispensed from the vending apparatus located at the end of said transport member adjacent said vend area; actuating means producing movement of said transport member to said vend position to place the article to be dispensed in said vend area; extracting means for removing the article to be dispensed from said transport member for dispensing thereof; and reset means for returning said transport member to said rest position.

Claim 3

A vending apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said extracting means comprises an elevator mechanism adapted to extract the article to be dispensed from said transport member upon upward movement of said elevator mechanism.

Claim 4

An article vending apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein: a plurality of said transport members are located on a horizontal shelf; a plurality of said horizontal shelves are stacked with adjacent shelves spaced at discrete vertical intervals, said transport members on said shelves aligned along vertical planes; and said elevator mechanism comprises a single pivoted plate having spaced notches therein to define a series of fingers, each finger adapted to extract articles from said transport members in an associated vertically aligned column of said transport members.

Claim 5

A vending apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said elevator mechanism comprises: a base member adapted for upward and downward movement; an article removal and conveying member mounted on said base member and adapted to remove said article from said transport member and to convey said article to a dispensing area; and drive means for reciprocably driving said base member upward and downward.

Claim 6

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein: said base member extends between two link chains, one positioned on either side of the article vending apparatus; said article removal and conveying member comprises a pivoted plate extending from one side of the article vending apparatus to the other and having spaced notches therein to define a series of fingers, each finger adapted to engage an article in the path thereof; said article removal and conveying member is spring biased for rotation in a counterclockwise direction; and said drive means comprises a reversible motor.

Claim 7

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 5 and further comprising a stop means adapted to engage said article removal and conveying member at the upper end of its upward movement and cause it to rotate in a clockwise direction to eject an article thereon.

Claim 8

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 5 and further comprising a motor reversing switch arrangement comprising: a pair of stop members located on a reciprocably movable plate; a switch adapted to be opened and closed in response to movement of said movable plate; actuating rods placed on said link chain and adapted to engage one or the other of said stop means upon movement along the length thereof; and an electromagnetic solenoid energized by closure of said switch upon movement of said plate.

Claim 9

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of said transport members are horizontally disposed within a slidable drawer.

Claim 10

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said transport member is a tray supported by a frame in the apparatus comprising: a front wall; two sidewalls extending rearwardly from said front wall; a bottom portion extending from each of said sidewalls less than half the distance between said sidewalls to form a groove in the bottom of said tray; and a backwall portion extending from each of said side walls less than half the distance between said sidewalls to form an opening therebetween.

Claim 11

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 9 and further comprising a U-shaped stop member located at the top of said backwall portions and horizontally disposed substantially parallel to the bottom of said trays to prevent upward movement of the article adjacent to the article being vended.

Claim 12

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said U-shaped stop member is positioned at an angle to a horizontal plane in order to cam articles in said tray against the bottom of said tray.

Claim 13

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said activating means comprises a pusher element mounted in said groove in the bottom of said tray and adapted to engage the from of the articles stored in said tray; and a constant force spring attached to the frame and having another portion thereof bear against said pusher element to cause said pusher element to bias the articles toward the rear of said tray and to provide an actuating force to produce movement of said tray.

Claim 14

An article vending apparatus as claimed in claim 12 and further comprising: latch means adapted to normally maintain said tray in said rest position; and a pivoted selector button adapted upon energization thereof to cause said latch to release said tray to move to said vend position under the force of said spring.

Claim 15

An article vending apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said extracting means comprises a vertically movable screen having a removal portion adjacent each transport member to remove an article to be vended upon downward movement of said screen.

Claim 16

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 14 wherein said removal portion comprises: a first surface adapted to engage and eject said article; and a second surface adapted to retain the next adjacent article in said transport member as said article is being ejected.

Claim 17

A cigarette-vending machine having a frame and comprising: a plurality of horizontally disposed longitudinally reciprocable trays containing cigarette packs; a pusher element located in each tray and positioned in front of the cigarette packs; constant force springs, each connected at one end thereof to the frame of the cigarette vending machine, the other ends of said springs being attached to respective ones of said pusher elements; a plurality of latch means, each of said latch means normally retaining an associated one of said trays in a rest position; a plurality of pivoted selector buttons, each of said selector buttons adapted to actuate an associated one of said latch means to release a corresponding tray for movement to a vend position; an elevator mechanism adapted to be driven upwardly to extract an article at the rear of a tray in said vend position, said elevator mechanism having a single actuating bar extending across the width of said cigarette-vending machine and having fingers formed thereon, each finger adapted to extract packages from a vertically aligned series of trays; reset means associated with said elevator means to return a tray in said vend position to said rest position upon upward movement of said elevator mechanism; ejecting means engaging said elevator mechanism at the limit of its upward movement to cause a pack of cigarettes thereon to be ejected to a dispensing area; and means for causing said elevator mechanism to be returned to its lowermost position after ejection therefrom a pack of cigarettes.

Claim 18

A cigarette-vending machine having a frame and comprising: a plurality of horizontally disposed longitudinally reciprocable trays containing cigarette packs; a pusher element located in each tray and positioned in front of the cigarette packs; constant force springs, each connected at one end thereof to the frame of the cigarette vending machine, the other ends of said springs being attached to respective ones of said pusher elements; a plurality of latch means, each of said latch means normally retaining an associated one of said trays in a rest position; a plurality of pivoted selector buttons, each of said selector buttons adapted to actuate an associated one of said latch means to release a corresponding tray for movement to a vend position; an elevator mechanism adapted to be driven upwardly to extract an article at the rear of a tray in said vend position, said elevator mechanism having a single actuating bar extending across the width of said cigarette-vending machine and having fingers formed thereon, each finger adapted to extract packages from a vertically aligned series of trays; reset means associated with said elevator means to return a tray in said vend position to said rest position upon upward movement of said elevator mechanism; ejecting means engaging said elevator mechanism at the limit of its upward movement to cause a pack of cigarettes thereon to be ejected to a dispensing area; and means for causing said elevator mechanism to be returned to its lowermost position after ejection therefrom a pack of cigarettes.

Claim 19

A cigarette-vending machine as claimEd in claim 16 wherein all of the trays on a single level are located in a slidable drawer.

Claim 20

An article-vending apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of said transport members are each mounted for longitudinal reciprocable motion of independent of the other transport members.