The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 07, 1976
Filed:
Jun. 07, 1974
James M Muellner, White Bear Lake, MN (US);
Smarte Carte, Inc., White Bear Lake, MN (US);
Abstract
An improved, simply operable, self-servicing vending system for wheeled vehicles, particularly of the hand-operated cart-type. A vending island is designed to guide and retainably hold a plurality of wheeled carts in consecutive alignment. The vending island includes a platform for holding the carts having vehicle handling receiving and dispensing terminals. Carts are irremovably accepted to the platform at the receiving terminal by a receiver apparatus that is positioned to engage and controllably guide in the receiving direction a support wheel of the cart being received. The receiver apparatus enables a coin refund unit to eject therefrom a predetermined monetary amount upon complete acceptance of the cart by the receiver apparatus to the platform. Carts are dispensed from the platform at the dispensing terminal by a dispenser apparatus. The dispenser apparatus operatively engages a support wheel of the foremost retained cart on the platform and enables the support wheels thereof to be released from retainment by the platform upon receipt of an activation signal by a monetary actuated control unit. The control unit provides the activation signal upon its receipt in escrow of a predetermined monetary amount. Built-in theft protection prevents multiple dispensing and multiple coin refunds on any single dispensing and receiving cycles respectively.