US3872997A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Map vending machine
Assignee: SAID CURRIE ARMSTRONG BY SAID
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Filing: 1974-05-02
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Granted: 1975-03-25
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Expires: 1994-05-02
Abstract
Abstract A vending machine for flat, folded paper maps comprising, a boxlike housing with a horizontal interior plate, vertical openended chutes with front and rear walls, slidably receiving vertical stacks of maps and arranged in the housing above the plate, means pivotally connecting the rear walls to the plate, means yieldingly urging the front walls downwardly toward the plate, said front walls having lower portions cooperating with the plate to define forwardly convergent recesses at the lower ends of the chutes, resilient keepers depending into said recesses and releasably engaging the forward edges of the lowermost maps, discharge slots in the housing spaced forward of the lower ends of the chutes, ejector slides slidably engaged on the plate at the bottoms of the chutes, gripping means on the slides to grip the lowermost maps upon forward shifting of the slides to urge the maps forwardly into and through the recesses and thence through the slots, whereby the fronts of the chutes are elevated and the keepers are released from engagement with the lowermost maps, and manually operable drive means to selectively intermittently shift the slides.
Inventors
- 👤 Currie Armstrong
- 👤 Clarence B Christophersen
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 10:50
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65H; B65H3/00; B65H3/46; B65H3/52; B65H3/5207; B65H3/523; B65H3/22; G; G07; G07F; G07F11/00; G07F11/02; G07F11/04; G07F11/045; G07F11/16; G07F11/163
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
246 words
A machine for vending folded paper items comprising, an elongate vertical box-like housing with front, rear and side walls, a top and a bottom, a horizontal plate in the housing defining upper and lower compartments, an elongate vertical open ended chute with front, rear and side walls, slidably receiving a vertical stack of flat paper items and arranged in the housing above the plate, hinge means pivotally connecting the lower end of the rear wall to the plate, spring means normally yieldingly urging the front of the chute downwardly into engagement with the plate, said front wall of the chute having a downwardly and forwardly inclined lower lip portion cooperating with the plate to define a forwardly convergent recess opening rearwardly into the chute, a resilient keeper carried by the front wall of the chute and depending into said recess and releasably engaging a forward edge of the lowermost paper item, an item discharge slot in the front wall of the housing spaced forward of the lower end of the chute, an ejector slide slidably engaged on the top of the plate at the bottom of the chute, gripping means carried by the slide to establish gripping engagement with the bottom surface of the lowermost item upon forward shifting of the slide only, a drive post on the slide projecting through an opening in the plate, and drive means below the plate and engaging the post to shift selectively and intermittently the slide forwardly and rearwardly.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
246 words
A machine for vending folded paper items comprising, an elongate vertical box-like housing with front, rear and side walls, a top and a bottom, a horizontal plate in the housing defining upper and lower compartments, an elongate vertical open ended chute with front, rear and side walls, slidably receiving a vertical stack of flat paper items and arranged in the housing above the plate, hinge means pivotally connecting the lower end of the rear wall to the plate, spring means normally yieldingly urging the front of the chute downwardly into engagement with the plate, said front wall of the chute having a downwardly and forwardly inclined lower lip portion cooperating with the plate to define a forwardly convergent recess opening rearwardly into the chute, a resilient keeper carried by the front wall of the chute and depending into said recess and releasably engaging a forward edge of the lowermost paper item, an item discharge slot in the front wall of the housing spaced forward of the lower end of the chute, an ejector slide slidably engaged on the top of the plate at the bottom of the chute, gripping means carried by the slide to establish gripping engagement with the bottom surface of the lowermost item upon forward shifting of the slide only, a drive post on the slide projecting through an opening in the plate, and drive means below the plate and engaging the post to shift selectively and intermittently the slide forwardly and rearwardly.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
69 words
A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drive means includes a manually reciprocal coin released actuator at the front wall of the housing, a pivoted drive lever arm engaged with the rear side of the post, a pivoted return lever arm engaged with the front side of the post and driven lever arms related to the drive and return lever arms and engaged by the actuator.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
48 words
A machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gripping means includes longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly extending resilient gripper springs fixed to the slide and defining upper, forward transversely extending edges and longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly projecting, forwardly convergent teeth on said edges.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
48 words
A machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein said gripping means includes longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly extending resilient gripper springs fixed to the slide and defining upper, forward transversely extending edges and longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly projecting, forwardly convergent teeth on said edges.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
157 words
A machine as set forth in claim 1 which further includes lock means to lock the slide in fixed position when the supply of items is exhausted, said locking means including, a vertical lock post receiving opening in the slide and an elongate slot less in lateral extent than the diameter of the opening extending forwardly in the slide from said opening, a port in the plate below the opening when the slide is in its rear position, a vertical lock post engageable through the port and into said opening, a spring normally yieldingly urging the post upwardly into and through said port and opening, and a central pin on and projecting upwardly from the post and through the port and opening and engaged by the lowermost item whereby the post is normally yieldingly held down and out of engagement in the opening, said slot in the slide freely accommodating the pin when the slide is moved.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
69 words
A machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said drive means includes a manually reciprocal coin released actuator at the front wall of the housing, a pivoted drive lever arm engaged with the rear side of the post, a pivoted return lever arm engaged with the front side of the post and driven lever arms related to the drive and return lever arms and engaged by the actuator.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
48 words
A machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said gripping means includes longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly extending resilient gripper springs fixed to the slide and defining upper, forward transversely extending edges and longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly projecting, forwardly convergent teeth on said edges.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
48 words
A machine as set forth in claim 6 wherein said gripping means includes longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly extending resilient gripper springs fixed to the slide and defining upper, forward transversely extending edges and longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly projecting, forwardly convergent teeth on said edges.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
183 words
A machine as set forth in claim 1 including a plurality of like chutes and slides in lateral spaced relationship in the housing and on the plate, said drive means includes a manually reciprocal coin released actuator at the front end of the housing, a first transversely extending shaft rotatably and axially shiftably supported below the plate, laterally spaced drive lever arms on the first shaft and shiftable laterally into and out of engagement with the rear sides of related drive post, a transversely extending second shaft below the plate, laterally spaced return lever arms and the second shaft and engaging the front sides of related drive posts, driven lever arms on the shafts and engaging the actuator and selector means to shift the first shaft axially to engage selectively the drive lever arms with related drive posts and including an elongate rod rotatably supported in the housing, a manually engageable selector knob on the rod accessible at the exterior of the housing, a selector arm projecting radially from the rod and a yoke on the first shaft and embracing the selector arm.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
51 words
A machine as set forth in claim 9 wherein said gripping means of each slide includes longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly extending resilient gripper springs fixed to the slide and defining upper, forward transversely extending edges and longitudinally spaced normally forwardly and upwardly projecting, forwardly convergent teeth on said edges.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
161 words
A machine as set forth in claim 10 which further includes lock means related to each slide to lock the slide in fixed position when the supply of items is exhausted, said locking means including, a vertical lock post receiving opening in the slide and an elongate slot less in lateral extent than the diameter of the opening extending forwardly in the slide from said opening, a port in the plate below the opening when the slide is in its rear position, a vertical lock post engageable through the port and into said opening, a spring normally yieldingly urging the post upwardly into and through said port and opening, and a central pin on and projecting upwardly from the post and through the port and opening and engaged by the lowermost item whereby the post is normally yieldingly held down and out of engagement in the opening, said slot in the slide freely accommodating the pin when the slide is moved.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-24 | 1978-09-23 | 1979-03-25 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-24 | 1982-09-23 | 1983-03-25 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-24 | 1986-09-23 | 1987-03-25 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |