Royal Vendors, Inc.

Dixie-narco, Inc.

Coin Acceptors, Inc.

Royal Venders, Inc.

Kenneth W Oden

Glenn Decker Selfridge

Michael D Ring

David William Duncan

Larry D Lee

Thomas E Uzzle

A tamper-resistant door for a vending machine includes a conventionally-positioned product delivery port, a cash box vault positioned adjacent the delivery port for receiving a cash box, a coin return chute positioned at an upper corner of the delivery port, and a coin changer of conventional design positioned over the delivery port and the cash box. A changer vault partially encloses the coin changer. The cash box vault (and the cash box placed therein) are relocated away from their conventional position on the non-hinged side of the main door to a location adjacent the product delivery port on the hinged side of the door, while the coin changer is relocated away from its prior art position adjacent the non-hinged side of the main door to a central location above the product delivery port and the cash box vault. An elongated coin chute connects the coin return slot with the coin inlet of the coin changer. A first section of the coin chute is in communication with the coin slot. It incorporates both a longitudinal drop at its inlet end and a sideways bend adjacent its outlet end, and is provided along its bottom with a plurality of drainage slots. A second section of the coin chute is in communication with the coin inlet of the coin changer, and angles downwardly to provide a vertical drop between the outlet of the first section and the inlet of the coin changer.

Tamper-resistant vending machine

The present invention is direct to a system and method for electronically controlling the refrigeration and/or heating of the product storage compartment in a vending machine. The system includes a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature in the product storage compartment, and a door sensor for sensing whether the door is open or closed. The control method includes the steps of activating a defrost mode, which is a timed period with no heating or cooling activity, when the door to the vending apparatus is open. The defrost mode is also activated whenever the cooling element has been running continuously for several hours. Further, the control method includes a step of cycling the cooling element &ldquo;on&rdquo; whenever a predetermined high temperature is reached. When the cooling element is &ldquo;off&rdquo; for more than 6 hours and the predetermined high temperature has not been reached, the heater is turned &ldquo;on&rdquo; to prevent the products in the vending machine from freezing.

Electronic refrigeration control system

A tamper-resistant door for a vending machine includes a conventionally-positioned product delivery port, a cash box vault positioned adjacent the delivery port for receiving a cash box, a coin return slot positioned at an upper corner of the delivery port, and a coin changer of conventional design positioned over the delivery port and the cash box. A changer vault partially encloses the coin changer. The cash box vault (and the cash box placed therein) are relocated away from their conventional position on the non-hinged side of the main door to a location adjacent the product delivery port on the hinged side of the door, while the coin changer is relocated away from its prior art position adjacent the non-hinged side of the main door to a central location above the product delivery port and the cash box vault. An elongated coin chute connects a coin slot with the coin inlet of the coin changer. A first section of the coin chute is in communication with the coin slot. It incorporates both a longitudinal drop at its inlet end and a sideways bend adjacent its outlet end, and is provided along its bottom with a plurality of drainage slots. A second section of the coin chute is in communication with the coin inlet of the coin changer, and angles downwardly to provide a vertical drop between the outlet of the first section and the inlet of the coin changer.

An adjustable mechanism for vending products includes left and right column walls defining a column divided into front and rear sections for retaining the products in front and rear corded stacks. A rear spacer provided at the back side of the column is laterally adjustable relative to the front side of the column to accommodate products of different lengths in the rear section. Front and rear product funnels are positioned respectively in the front and rear sections above the bottom end of the column, with front and rear adjustable product ramps interposed between the outlets of the front and rear product funnels, respectively, and the open bottom end of the column. The front and rear adjustable product ramps are independently pivotable about their pivot axes in response to movement of front and rear adjustment rods to change the width of the open bottom of the column at the front and back sections to accommodate products of different diameters. Front and rear rotatable cradles are positioned below the outlets of the front and rear product funnels, respectively, to releasably support the bottommost products in the front and rear corded stacks, and are independently rotatable to vend products independently from the front and rear stacks. The cradles are rotated by front and rear motors drivingly connected to the front and rear rotatable cradles, respectively. The front and rear adjustment rods each have a forward end formed into a handle which extends forwardly of the front side of the column through a cover plate covering the front side of the column. The cover plate includes a gauge thereon indicating positions of the handles corresponding to preselected product sizes. The cover plate can further include a size gauge for measuring the size of an article.

Adjustable vending mechanism

A can vending mechanism comprising a module containing three vertically-extending channels arranged front-to-back and dimensioned to vend cylindrical products, such as cans, with their longitudinal axes parallel to the front face of a vending machine to achieve greater product capacity. A sold-out switch is provided in each channel. Each sold out switch is activated when two products remain in escrow at the bottom of its respective channel. The channels are refilled without the use of diverters by dropping new products into the channels. The two products remaining in escrow at the bottom of each channel absorb the shock of the falling products.

Can vending mechanism

This retainer system for vending machine storage compartments includes opposed compartment walls and opposed elongate retainers selectively connected to associated compartment walls in adjustable relation lengthwise of the containers to engage selected contoured containers intermediate the length thereof to provide a stop inhibiting axial movement of said selected containers.

Adjustable retainer system for vending machine storage compartments

This vending machine dispensing assembly (10) for dispensing containers of different diameter includes a storage compartment (1) having an exit passage defined by a turnstile member (20) on one side and an arcuate stop member (30) on the other side. The stop member (30) is disposed in adjustable relation from the fixed axis (22) of the turnstile member (20) to determine the diameter of the articles passing therebetween. The stop member (30) is adjustably mounted between the end walls (16, 18) of the compartment (1) on upper and lower rods (32, 34).

Vending machine dispensing system

Jacket for a coin changer

A protective device for a mechanism which accepts coins through a raised coin slot comprises a jacket made from an elastic material and conforming substantially to the configuration of the mechanism. The jacket has an open end for insertion over the mechanism, a coin slot aperture positioned and dimensioned to snugly receive the coin slot, and a raised lip surrounding the coin slot aperture. The jacket further includes a cable aperture positioned to receive an electrical cable extending from the mechanism and an elongated tube surrounding the cable aperture, and a closed, raised protrusion positioned to cover a release lever extending from the mechanism. The elastic material can be latex rubber or a synthetic plastic.

An anti-theft latch mechanism is especially suitable for securing vending machines. According to the present invention, a control mechanism (such as a rotatable stud attached to a knob) includes a clutch arrangement by which the control mechanism remotely controls a latch portion. Thus, the control mechanism is not rigidly tied to the remote latch, thereby avoiding possible damage to the latch and relaxing design criteria for the mechanism as a whole. A latch portion prevents vandals or thieves from pushing the door either inward or outward as they attempt to gain entry to the inside of the vending machine. For this purpose, the latch provides a cove in which a catch in the side of the vending machine is enclosed at least partially on all four sides when the door is closed. This cove arrangement substantially prevents the latch from being shaken loose even when the vandal or thief jars the machine.

Anti-theft latch mechanism especially suitable for vending machines

A vending apparatus ensures that the delay between a customer's selection of an article, and the dispensation of the selected article, is minimized, preferably to less than a predetermined delay, regardless of the point in a multi-article vending cycle. The reduced selection-dispensation delay is achieved through use of a 'memory and learning' feature. The 'memory and learning' feature is predicated on a recall and/or analysis of the relative times of occurrence of one or more previous dispensations, so that the apparatus' present position in the multi-article vending cycle is determined. The 'memory and learning' feature allows the vending apparatus to anticipate how long the article dispensation mechanism should run after the present dispensation, to strategically poise the mechanism for a subsequent dispensation having an optimum selection-dispensation delay. Also disclosed are systems and methods for ensuring that articles are dispensed at a proper temperature, even after a 'sold-out' condition is corrected; and for sounding an alarm if a person jars the vending apparatus in an attempt to improperly jar an article from the vending apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Charles Town, WV, United States of America

Kenneth W Oden