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:
Apr. 23, 1991
Filed:
Jan. 08, 1990
Donald R Young, Hudson, FL (US);
Ruth L Young, Hudson, FL (US);
Other;
Abstract
A machine that vends a predetermined number of golf balls when activated by a coin or token-operated slide mechanism. A large plurality of golf balls are placed in a hopper and the balls are fed from the hopper, one at a time, into an elongate pipe that discharges into a bucket positioned in a chamber near the bottom of the machine. A motor rotates a turntable having golf ball receiving apertures formed in its outer periphery so that the balls fill each aperture as the turntable rotates. The upper end of the pipe is in the path of travel of and is in open communication with apertures formed in the turntable so that rotation of the turntable continuously fills the pipe as the apertures pass over its open end. Numerous structural features, including vibrating members, insure that the balls will not jam in the hopper and additional design features insure a jostling of the balls in the vicinity of the pipe's upper end to insure against jamming at that critical location.