Automated Merchandising Systems, Inc.

Richard A Pollock

Kyriakos P Spentzos

D Joseph Neely

Roy S Steeley

The invention is a snack style clear front merchandiser having a horizontal product column with a front opening leading into a vend space. A product mover pushes a product through the front opening and into the vend space. A retaining device, mounted to the merchandiser near the front opening and positioned in a manner such that a top of the product being vended hits the retaining device during vending, prevents the product top from moving or pitching forward during a vending process. Consequently, the vended product falls freely into the delivery hopper without bridging the vending space. A single retaining device may be used for several columns in a single tray or individual retaining devices may be used for each column. The height of the retaining device can be adjusted as required for the type of product being vended in the columns. The retaining device may be rigidly or rotationally mounted to the merchandiser. Where a U-shaped retaining device is rotationally mounted to the merchandiser, the retaining device rotates forward when a product comes in contact with the retaining device before causing the product to rotate. The retaining device then rotates back into a vertical standby position so that the free fall of products from trays above the retaining device is not obstructed. A method for vending products is also disclosed.

Apparatus and method for vending products in a glass front merchandiser

A method and system are provided for performing vend operations on articles selected by a purchaser. Articles to be dispensed are stored in a storage section, and purchased articles are transferred from the storage section to a vend section. A vend mechanism is provided for rapidly moving a given article from a vend-destined section to the vend section. A helical transfer member holds the articles in the storage section and is rotatable in a dispensing direction to transfer the given article from a position adjacent the vend-destined section to the vend-destined section. The helical transfer member is also rotatable in a reverse direction opposite the dispensing direction. A driver is coupled to each helical transfer member, and is actuable to rotate the helical transfer member in either the dispensing direction or the reverse direction. A controller is operable during each vend operation to control the driver to first rotate the helical transfer member in the dispensing direction by a first amount until the given article is fully transferred to the vend-destined section. The controller then controls the driver to then rotate the helical transfer member in the reverse direction by a second amount until an article immediately following the given article is securely held in the storage section.

System and method for performing vend operation

In a packaged article vending machine having a forwardly, projecting motorized helix supported on a horizontally arranged tray in a wide column delimited by side walls which are disposed substantially further apart than the helix is broad in diameter, the helix is prevented from `walking` towards the sidewall towards which it would tend to move as the helix rotates, by securing a chock to the tray so as to tangentially engage at least two turns of the helix during a portion of a 360.degree. rotation of the helix, from externally of the helix, and have its rear end located sufficiently out of the way as to avoid possibly poking contact with from the front lower part of an impounded product package being conveyed forwards to eventually become the leading package, next to be vended.

Helix alignment device for a packaged-article product-vending machine

The mounting channel for product price, product identity and/or column identity chips or cards provided across the front of a tray of a glass-front vending machine of the motorized helical mechanism type, is provided with one or more chips or cards which have a tab which protrudes upwards beyond the product support surface of the tray, at a location determined to be appropriate for intersecting a like corner of each package conveyed to the foremost position and off the front edge of that tray, for thereby predetermining the spatial orientation of the package as it begins to fall, for preventing bridging of the package between the tray and the glass front. The tabbed chip or card may also provide typical product price, product identity and/or column identity information.

Growing community of inventors

McKinney, TX, United States of America

Richard A Pollock