Product displaying, selective, dispensing apparatus

Claim 2

In a dispensing machine: an endless, upright conveyor having generally vertical straight stretches and arcuate stretches adjacent the top and bottom of the conveyor; a dispensing station disposed adjacent a vertical stretch; a plurality of product carriers; means mounting said carriers on said conveyor for movement in succession past said station, said mounting means shiftably mounting each of said carriers for pivotal movement relative to the conveyor and for reciprocal movement toward and away from said conveyor; follower means on each of said carriers; guide means adjacent each of said arcuate stretches respectively and disposed for engagement with the follower means of a carrier moving therepast; limit means adjacent and in spaced, opposed relationship to each of said guide means for oppositely engaging and confining the follower means of a carrier moving past the corresponding guide means to a square-cornered, rectilinear path of travel in spite of the arcuate movement of the conveyor around said arcuate stretches; and a track for the carriers disposed to engage the bodies of the carriers during movement thereof to maintain the carriers against substantial tipping, each of said carriers being removably mounted, said track having a shiftable track section and means mounting said section on the remainder of the track for movement between a closed position in which the section blocks removal of carriers from the machine and an open position in which such removal is permitted said track having releasable latching means for holding said section in said closed position, said latching means including a first component secured to said section for movement therewith and set in a distance from the end of said section, and a second component on the remainder of said track projecting beyond the end thereof in opposition to said first component, said second component being adapted to receive said end of the section behind the projecting portion of the second component when said components are vertically aligned with one another.

Claim 3

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide means is provided with rectilinear outer surfaces and said limit means is provided with rectilinear inner surfaces disposed in spaced opposition to said outer surfaces, thereby defining a passage for the follower means.

Claim 4

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mounting means for each carrier includes a support arm secured to the conveyor, and structure on the carrier movable along and completely off of said arm.

Claim 5

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said arms is provided with an open-ended guide slot for receiving said structure of the corresponding carrier.

Claim 6

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 3, wherein said structure includes a spindle and a first roller rotatably carried by said spindle, said follower means including a second roller rotatably carried by said spindle adjacent said first roller.

Claim 7

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 5, wherein each of said arms is provided with an open-ended slot for receiving said first roller of the corresponding carrier.

Claim 8

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said section mounting means includes an axially shiftable hinge pin between said components for swinging of said section between the alternate positions thereof when the section is displaced axially from behind said second component.

Claim 9

In a dispensing machine: an endless conveyoR; a dispensing station disposed adjacent the conveyor; a plurality of product carriers; means mounting said carriers on the conveyor for movement in a closed path of travel and in successive order past said station, said mounting means removably and pivotally mounting each of said carriers on the conveyor; and an openable track along one stretch of said path of travel for maintaining the carriers against pivoting as the latter move along said stretch, said track having a shiftable track section and means mounting said section for movement between a closed position in which the section blocks removal of carriers from the conveyor and an open position in which the section permits such removal, said track being provided with releasable latching means for holding said section in said closed position, said latching means including a first movable component fixed to said section for movement therewith and set in a distance from the proximal end of the section, and a second stationary component fixed against movement with the section and having a projecting portion disposed in opposition to said first component, said second component being adapted to receive said end of the section behind said projecting portion of the second component when said components are aligned with one another, whereby to hold said section in said closed position.

Claim 10

In a dispensing machine: an endless conveyoR; a dispensing station disposed adjacent the conveyor; a plurality of product carriers; means mounting said carriers on the conveyor for movement in a closed path of travel and in successive order past said station, said mounting means removably and pivotally mounting each of said carriers on the conveyor; and an openable track along one stretch of said path of travel for maintaining the carriers against pivoting as the latter move along said stretch, said track having a shiftable track section and means mounting said section for movement between a closed position in which the section blocks removal of carriers from the conveyor and an open position in which the section permits such removal, said track being provided with releasable latching means for holding said section in said closed position, said latching means including a first movable component fixed to said section for movement therewith and set in a distance from the proximal end of the section, and a second stationary component fixed against movement with the section and having a projecting portion disposed in opposition to said first component, said second component being adapted to receive said end of the section behind said projecting portion of the second component when said components are aligned with one another, whereby to hold said section in said closed position.

Claim 11

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein said section mounting means includes an axially shiftable hinge pin between said components for swinging of said section between the alternate positions thereof when the section is displaced axially from behind said second component.

Claim 12

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein said mounting means for each carrier includes a pair of support arms secured to the conveyor at opposite ends of the carrier and a roller on each end of the carrier freely movable along and selectively off of the corresponding arm.

Claim 13

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said arms is provided with an open-ended guide slot for the corresponding roller.

Claim 14

In a dispensing machine: a pair of endless, upright and horizontally spaced apart conveyors having generally vertical straight stretches and arcuate stretches adjacent the tops and bottoms of the conveyors; a dispensing station located adjacent one pair of vertical stretches of the conveyors; a plurality of product carriers; a series of carrier support arms projecting from each of said conveyors, each of said arms having a slot therein extending outwardly from the conveyor and terminating in an open end; mounting structure projecting from opposite ends of each carrier for reception within the slots of a proximal pair of arms to adapt the carriers for movement in succession past said station, said structures being shiftable within and along their slots for pivoting of the carriers relative to the conveyors, for reciprocation of the carriers relative to the conveyors, and for complete removal of the carriers from the conveyors when the structures are moved out of their slots through said open ends thereof; a pair of followers rotatably mounted on opposite ends of each carrier; a guide passage adjacent each of said arcuate stretches for receiving the proximal follower of a carrier moving around one end of its path of travel, said passage having a continuous square corner around the adjacent arcuate stretch defined by a pair of continuous, opposed, inner and outer surfaces disposed to receive the follower therebetween whereby to limit the carriers to square-cornered, rectilinear movement around the ends of their path of travel in spite of the arcuate movement of said conveyors around said arcuate stretches; and at least one continuous track complementally engageable with the bodies of the carriers during advancement thereof by the conveyors for preventing tipping of the carriers as they are advanced and for Preventing said structures of the carriers from leaving their slots in said arms through said open ends thereof, said track having a gate section and means mounting said section on the remainder of the track for movement between a closed position wherein the section blocks removal of a carrier aligned therewith from the machine and an open position wherein the section permits such removal of the aligned carrier.

Claim 15

In a dispensing machine: a pair of endless, upright and horizontally spaced apart conveyors having generally vertical straight stretches and arcuate stretches adjacent the tops and bottoms of the conveyors; a dispensing station located adjacent one pair of vertical stretches of the conveyors; a plurality of product carriers; a series of carrier support arms projecting from each of said conveyors, each of said arms having a slot therein extending outwardly from the conveyor and terminating in an open end; mounting structure projecting from opposite ends of each carrier for reception within the slots of a proximal pair of arms to adapt the carriers for movement in succession past said station, said structures being shiftable within and along their slots for pivoting of the carriers relative to the conveyors, for reciprocation of the carriers relative to the conveyors, and for complete removal of the carriers from the conveyors when the structures are moved out of their slots through said open ends thereof; a pair of followers rotatably mounted on opposite ends of each carrier; a guide passage adjacent each of said arcuate stretches for receiving the proximal follower of a carrier moving around one end of its path of travel, said passage having a continuous square corner around the adjacent arcuate stretch defined by a pair of continuous, opposed, inner and outer surfaces disposed to receive the follower therebetween whereby to limit the carriers to square-cornered, rectilinear movement around the ends of their path of travel in spite of the arcuate movement of said conveyors around said arcuate stretches; and at least one continuous track complementally engageable with the bodies of the carriers during advancement thereof by the conveyors for preventing tipping of the carriers as they are advanced and for Preventing said structures of the carriers from leaving their slots in said arms through said open ends thereof, said track having a gate section and means mounting said section on the remainder of the track for movement between a closed position wherein the section blocks removal of a carrier aligned therewith from the machine and an open position wherein the section permits such removal of the aligned carrier.

Claim 16

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein is provided releasable latching means on said track for holding said section in said closed position.

Claim 17

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 13, wherein said latching means includes a first component secured to said section for movement therewith and set in a distance from the end of said section, and a second component on the remainder of said track projecting beyond the end thereof in opposition to said first component, said second component being adapted to receive said end of the section behind the projecting portion of the second component when said components are vertically aligned with one another.

Claim 18

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 14, wherein said section mounting means includes an axially shiftable hinge pin between said components for swinging of said section between the alternate positions thereof when the section is displaced axially from behind said second component.

Claim 19

In a dispensing machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of said structures includes a spindle and a first roller rotatably carried by said spindle for engagement within the slot of a proximal arm, each of said followers including a second roller rotatable on said spindle independently of said first roller and adjacent the latter for engagement within the passage.