Patent US3901366A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3901366A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Vendor particularly for cartons of cigarettes or like packages
Assignee: Crane Co
•
Filing: 1973-10-09
•
Granted: 1975-08-26
•
Expires: 1993-10-09
Abstract
Abstract A vendor comprising a bank of dispensing modules and a single control module for the dispensing modules, the control module containing the credit system and selector system for all the dispensing modules. Each of the latter comprises a cabinet having a plurality of article dispensers therein one above another adapted to feed articles formed to drop down to a delivery station at the lower front of the cabinet, which has a window in its front door for viewing the articles. Unauthorized access to the dispensers is prevented by a gate which normally blocks off the dispensers from the delivery station, but which opens on initiation of a vend to allow an article to drop down to the delivery station, and which closes in response to dropping of an article. Provision is made for operation of a dispenser for an interval generally sufficient for dispensing of an article, and for terminating operation either in response to a drop, or lapse of time if there is no drop.
Inventors
- 👤 James T Schuller
- 👤 William W Hendrickson
- 👤 Paul N Albrecht
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 10:23
CPC Classifications
G; G07; G07F; G07F11/00; G07F11/02; G07F11/38; G07F11/42; G06; G06Q; G06Q20/00; G06Q20/30; G06Q20/34; G06Q20/343; G06Q20/3433; G07F5/00; G07F5/18; G07F7/00; G07F7/02; G07F9/00; G07F9/002
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 47
Claim 1
Independent Claim
350 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extending in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed front door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop dowN through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operaton of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of the forward article off the forward end of said dispenser, means for sensing dropping of an article in said passage, said sensing means being located at a level between the level of the lowermost dispenser and the gate, means operable independently of said sensing means in response to initiation of operation of any one of said dispensers by said purchaser-operable means for moving the gate from its closed to its open position to enable the article dropping down in said passage to drop into said delivery chamber, means operable by said sensing means in response to dropping of an article following operation of a dispenser for terminating the operation of the dispenser and returning the gate to its closed position, and in response to dropping of an article without operation of a dispenser onto the closed gate for precluding operation of any said dispensers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
350 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extending in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed front door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop dowN through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operaton of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of the forward article off the forward end of said dispenser, means for sensing dropping of an article in said passage, said sensing means being located at a level between the level of the lowermost dispenser and the gate, means operable independently of said sensing means in response to initiation of operation of any one of said dispensers by said purchaser-operable means for moving the gate from its closed to its open position to enable the article dropping down in said passage to drop into said delivery chamber, means operable by said sensing means in response to dropping of an article following operation of a dispenser for terminating the operation of the dispenser and returning the gate to its closed position, and in response to dropping of an article without operation of a dispenser onto the closed gate for precluding operation of any said dispensers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
350 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extending in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed front door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop dowN through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operaton of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of the forward article off the forward end of said dispenser, means for sensing dropping of an article in said passage, said sensing means being located at a level between the level of the lowermost dispenser and the gate, means operable independently of said sensing means in response to initiation of operation of any one of said dispensers by said purchaser-operable means for moving the gate from its closed to its open position to enable the article dropping down in said passage to drop into said delivery chamber, means operable by said sensing means in response to dropping of an article following operation of a dispenser for terminating the operation of the dispenser and returning the gate to its closed position, and in response to dropping of an article without operation of a dispenser onto the closed gate for precluding operation of any said dispensers.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
350 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extending in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed front door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop dowN through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operaton of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of the forward article off the forward end of said dispenser, means for sensing dropping of an article in said passage, said sensing means being located at a level between the level of the lowermost dispenser and the gate, means operable independently of said sensing means in response to initiation of operation of any one of said dispensers by said purchaser-operable means for moving the gate from its closed to its open position to enable the article dropping down in said passage to drop into said delivery chamber, means operable by said sensing means in response to dropping of an article following operation of a dispenser for terminating the operation of the dispenser and returning the gate to its closed position, and in response to dropping of an article without operation of a dispenser onto the closed gate for precluding operation of any said dispensers.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 1 wherein each dispenser comprises a shelf for holding said row of articles, and means for pushing the row forward to push the forward article off the front end of the shelf, operation of said pushing means being initiated by said purchaser-operable means and terminated by said article-drop-sensing means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
49 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 2 wherein said pushing means comprises a feed screw extending from rear to front of said shelf, an electric motor at the rear of the shelf for driving the screw, a pusher, and means for releasably coupling the pusher to the screw.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
22 words
A vendor, as set forth in claim 1 wherein said article-drop-sensing means comprises a flap extending into said passage above the gate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
304 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extending in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed frint door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop down through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operation of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of the forward article off the forward end of said dispenser, means responsive to initiation of operation of any one of said dispensers by said purchaser-operable means for moving the gate from its closed to its open position to enable the article dropping down in said passage to drop into said delivery chamber, and means operable in response to dropping of an article for terminating the operation of the dispenser and returning the gate to its closed position, a delivery door for closing said delivery opening, and means for locking said delivery door closed while the gate is open.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
304 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extending in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed frint door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop down through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operation of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of the forward article off the forward end of said dispenser, means responsive to initiation of operation of any one of said dispensers by said purchaser-operable means for moving the gate from its closed to its open position to enable the article dropping down in said passage to drop into said delivery chamber, and means operable in response to dropping of an article for terminating the operation of the dispenser and returning the gate to its closed position, a delivery door for closing said delivery opening, and means for locking said delivery door closed while the gate is open.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 5 wherein the delivery door, when unlocked, is adapted to be manually opened, and having means operable in response to opening the delivery door for holding it open for a predetermined time interval and then closing it.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 6 having means responsive to opening of the gate for unlocking the door.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 6 having means for inhibiting operation of any of the dispensers in the cabinet in response to the delivery door being opened before initiation of an operation.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 5 having means for inhibiting operation of any of the dispensers in the cabinet in response to the gate being open before initiation of an operation.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 9 further having means for inhibiting operation of any of the dispensers in the cabinet in response to the delivery door being opened before initiation of an operation.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 1 wherein the dispensers are mounted for movement between an operative position within the cabinet and a loading position in front of the cabinet.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
65 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 11 wherein each dispenser comprises a shelf for holding said row of articles, the shelves being mounted one above another in a rack, the rack being mounted for movement between an operative position within the cabinet and a loading position in front of the cabinet, the rack being open at the sides for side loading of the dispensers.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
43 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 1 having means for insertion of a payment item representing the price of an article, and means operable to effect return of said item if the article-drop-sensing means is not actuated within a predetermined time interval.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
53 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 1 for vending different articles from different dispensers having means for insertion of payment items representing said different articles, and means operable to effect return of an inserted item within a predetermined time interval upon selection of an article different from that represented by said item.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 14 further having means operable to effect return of said item if the article-drop-sensing means is not actuated within a predetermined time interval.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 15 wherein the first time interval is relatively short and the second interval is relatively long.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
51 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 16 having a single timer means for said return means, said timer means normally timing out said relatively short interval, and means responsive to operation of the feeding means of any dispenser to actuate the timer means to time out said relatively long interval.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
259 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extended in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed front door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop down through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article To drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, each dispenser comprising a shelf for holding said row of articles, the shelves being mounted one above another in a rack, the rack being mounted for movement between an operative position within the cabinet and a loading position in front of the cabinet, the rack being open at the sides for side loading of the dispensers, and means mounting the gate on the rack below the lower-most shelf.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
259 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extended in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed front door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop down through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article To drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, each dispenser comprising a shelf for holding said row of articles, the shelves being mounted one above another in a rack, the rack being mounted for movement between an operative position within the cabinet and a loading position in front of the cabinet, the rack being open at the sides for side loading of the dispensers, and means mounting the gate on the rack below the lower-most shelf.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
39 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 18 having two dispensers side-by-side on each shelf, each dispenser comprising means for pushing the respective row of articles forward to push the forward article off the front end of the shelf.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
49 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 19 wherein said pushing means comprises a feed screw extending from rear to front of said shelf, an electric motor at the rear of the shelf for driving the screw, a pusher, and means for releasably coupling the pusher to the screw.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
78 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 1 comprising a plurality of said cabinets and a control module therefor, said control module comprising a credit system, selector means interconnected with the dispensers of said cabinets and operable by a purchaser to select for operation a dispenser in any one of the cabinets, and means operable upon establishment of credit via said credit system and selection via said selector means for instigating a vend cycle of the selected dispenser.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
37 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 21 wherein each cabinet has means controlled by the article-dropsensing means therein for precluding operation of any of the dispensers therein if an article falls onto the closed gate therein.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
241 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extending in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed front door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop down through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operation of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of the forward article off the forward end of said dispenser and for opening and closing the gate, and means for precluding operation of any of said dispensers if an article falls onto the closed gate.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
241 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet having a front door, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended extending in rear-to-front direction, the forward ends of the dispensers being spaced rearward from the front of the cabinet so that there is a passage between the closed front door of the cabinet and the forward ends of the dispensers, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles forward and discharging the forward article off the forward end of the dispenser to drop down through said passage, said front door being windowed for viewing the articles held by the dispensers, a delivery chamber at the lower end of said passage below the level of the lowermost dispenser for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the front door having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber below the level of the lowermost dispenser and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally occupying its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operation of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of the forward article off the forward end of said dispenser and for opening and closing the gate, and means for precluding operation of any of said dispensers if an article falls onto the closed gate.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
113 words
A vendor comprising a bank of modules constituted by a plurality of dispensing modules and a control module therefor, each of said dispensing modules comprising an individual cabinet having a plurality of article dispensers therein each adapted to hold a stock of articles and having means for dispensing one of said articles upon a vend cycle, said control module comprising a credit system, selector means interconnected with the dispensers of said individual cabinets and operable by a purchaser to select for operation any one of said dispensers, and means operable upon establishment of credit via said credit system and selection via said selector means for instigating a vend cycle of the selected dispenser.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
113 words
A vendor comprising a bank of modules constituted by a plurality of dispensing modules and a control module therefor, each of said dispensing modules comprising an individual cabinet having a plurality of article dispensers therein each adapted to hold a stock of articles and having means for dispensing one of said articles upon a vend cycle, said control module comprising a credit system, selector means interconnected with the dispensers of said individual cabinets and operable by a purchaser to select for operation any one of said dispensers, and means operable upon establishment of credit via said credit system and selection via said selector means for instigating a vend cycle of the selected dispenser.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
20 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 24 wherein the dispensing modules are on opposite sides of the Control module.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
37 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 25 wherein said selector means is an alphanumeric selector means comprising a set of alphabetic push buttons and a set of numeric push buttons, and said dispensers are alphanumerically coded.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
73 words
A vendor comprising a plurality of dispensers operable to vend different articles, and a control therefor comprising means for receiving validation cards representing the different articles and either collecting a card or returning it, selector means for selecting one of the dispensers for operation, and means operable to effect return of a card within a predetermined time interval upon selection of a dispenser containing an article different from that represented by said card.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
73 words
A vendor comprising a plurality of dispensers operable to vend different articles, and a control therefor comprising means for receiving validation cards representing the different articles and either collecting a card or returning it, selector means for selecting one of the dispensers for operation, and means operable to effect return of a card within a predetermined time interval upon selection of a dispenser containing an article different from that represented by said card.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
35 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 27 having means operable to effect return of a card in response the failure of the selected dispensing means to complete a vend within a predetermined time interval.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
159 words
A vendor comprising a plurality of dispensers operable to vend at different prices, and a control therefor comprising means for receiving payment items representing the different prices and either collecting an item or returning it, selector means for selecting one of the dispensers for operation, and means operable to effect return of an item within a first predetermined time interval upon selection of a dispenser containing articles of a price different from that represented by said item, and means operable to effect return of an item if the selected dispensing means does not complete a vend within a second predetermined time interval, said first time interval being relatively short and said second time interval being relatively long, said return means including a single timer means, said timer means normally timing out said relatively short interval, and means responsive to operation of the feeding means of any dispenser to actuate the timer means to time out said relatively long interval.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
159 words
A vendor comprising a plurality of dispensers operable to vend at different prices, and a control therefor comprising means for receiving payment items representing the different prices and either collecting an item or returning it, selector means for selecting one of the dispensers for operation, and means operable to effect return of an item within a first predetermined time interval upon selection of a dispenser containing articles of a price different from that represented by said item, and means operable to effect return of an item if the selected dispensing means does not complete a vend within a second predetermined time interval, said first time interval being relatively short and said second time interval being relatively long, said return means including a single timer means, said timer means normally timing out said relatively short interval, and means responsive to operation of the feeding means of any dispenser to actuate the timer means to time out said relatively long interval.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
54 words
A vendor as set forth in claim 29 wherein said timer means comprises a time-delay relay having a resistor connected in a circuit thereof establishing said relatively long interval, and having means shorting out said resistor to establish said relatively short interval, said shorting means being opened in response to operation of a dispenser.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
76 words
A vendor comprising a cabinet having a delivery opening, a door for closing said opening, said door being adapted to be manually opened, and means for automatically moving the door to open position, holding it open for an interval and then closing it, and means operable in response to partial opening of the door for actuating said automatic means to complete the opening of the door, hold it open for said interval, and then close it.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
76 words
A vendor comprising a cabinet having a delivery opening, a door for closing said opening, said door being adapted to be manually opened, and means for automatically moving the door to open position, holding it open for an interval and then closing it, and means operable in response to partial opening of the door for actuating said automatic means to complete the opening of the door, hold it open for said interval, and then close it.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
132 words
A vendor comprising a cabinet having a delivery opening, a door for closing said opening, said door being adapted to be manually opened, and means for automatically moving the door to open position, holding it open for an interval and then closing it, and means operable in response to partial opening of the door for actuating said automatic means to complete the opening of the door, hold it open for said interval, and then close it, said vendor having means for biasing the door closed, said means operable in response to opening the door comprising cam means operable through a cycle for completing the opening of the door, holding it open for an interval and then permitting the door to close at a controlled rate under the bias of said biasing means.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
132 words
A vendor comprising a cabinet having a delivery opening, a door for closing said opening, said door being adapted to be manually opened, and means for automatically moving the door to open position, holding it open for an interval and then closing it, and means operable in response to partial opening of the door for actuating said automatic means to complete the opening of the door, hold it open for said interval, and then close it, said vendor having means for biasing the door closed, said means operable in response to opening the door comprising cam means operable through a cycle for completing the opening of the door, holding it open for an interval and then permitting the door to close at a controlled rate under the bias of said biasing means.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
112 words
In a vendor, a delivery relay operable by a purchaser to initiate a vend, a time-delay relay having a first state for inhibiting a vend and a second state for enabling a vend, said time-delay relay normally being in its first state and being actuated to its second state in response to operation of the delivery relay with a time-delay interval between the operation of the delivery relay and the said actuation of the time-delay relay, and means operable during said time-delay interval for maintaining said time-delay relay in its fIrst state for inhibiting operation of the vendor in response to the vendor being in a condition making it susceptible to pilferage.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
112 words
In a vendor, a delivery relay operable by a purchaser to initiate a vend, a time-delay relay having a first state for inhibiting a vend and a second state for enabling a vend, said time-delay relay normally being in its first state and being actuated to its second state in response to operation of the delivery relay with a time-delay interval between the operation of the delivery relay and the said actuation of the time-delay relay, and means operable during said time-delay interval for maintaining said time-delay relay in its fIrst state for inhibiting operation of the vendor in response to the vendor being in a condition making it susceptible to pilferage.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
174 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles toward one end of the dispenser and discharging an article off said end of the dispenser to drop down through a passage in the cabinet, a delivery chamber for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the cabinet having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally being held in its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operation of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of an article thereby, means for opening the gate to enable an article to drop into said delivery chamber, a delivery door for closing said delivery opening, and means for locking the delivery door closed while the gate is open.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
174 words
A vendor comprising: a cabinet, a plurality of article dispensers in the cabinet, one above another, each adapted to hold a row of articles to be vended, each dispenser comprising means for feeding the articles toward one end of the dispenser and discharging an article off said end of the dispenser to drop down through a passage in the cabinet, a delivery chamber for receiving an article dropping from the passage, the cabinet having a delivery opening for access to said chamber, a gate movable between a closed position closing off said passage from the delivery chamber and an open position enabling an article to drop down into said delivery chamber, said gate normally being held in its closed position, purchaser-operable means for initiating operation of any one of said dispensers to effect discharge of an article thereby, means for opening the gate to enable an article to drop into said delivery chamber, a delivery door for closing said delivery opening, and means for locking the delivery door closed while the gate is open.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-08-25 | 1979-02-24 | 1979-08-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-08-25 | 1983-02-24 | 1983-08-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-08-25 | 1987-02-24 | 1987-08-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |