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:
Mar. 23, 1999
Filed:
Jan. 30, 1997
Jeffery Kalis, Rockford, MI (US);
Thomas Meinardi, Grand Rapids, MI (US);
Andris C Sloss, Rockwall, TX (US);
Lloyd Herring, Rockford, MI (US);
Rowe International, Inc., Grand Rapids, MI (US);
Abstract
A programmable size and price setting mechanism for use in a vending machine has a plurality of .eta. access doors aligned horizontally across a front of the vending machine, each of which access doors has a locked condition denying access therethrough and an unlocked condition allowing access therethrough, and each of which is selectably activatable between the locked and unlocked condition. There are a plurality of horizontal shelves each of which has a plurality of partitionable areas corresponding in size to a corresponding one of the .eta. access doors, such that each shelf is selectably partitionable into a plurality of up to .eta. product holding areas. A conveyor mechanism is provided for selectably moving each horizontal shelf into a vending position adjacent to the access doors so that each one of the .eta. partitionable areas is adjacent to a corresponding one the .eta. access doors. A sensor detects when one of the plurality of shelves is positioned adjacent to the plurality of .eta. access doors. A keypad with a plurality of actuatable buttons is pivotably mounted on the vending machine for use by a consumer in a 'vending mode' of operation and for use as a programming keypad to set compartment sizes and product prices when in a 'service mode' of operation. A money receiving and value detection device is also provided. Programmable control circuitry is operatively interconnected with the keypad to the shelf position sensor and to the money receiving and value detection device for activating a selected one or more of the .eta. access doors from the closed to the opened condition and positioning the selected one of the plurality of shelves and compartments into position adjacent to the access doors, upon detecting a programmed value of money received, and upon actuation of appropriate keypad buttons to select the desired compartment to actuate one or more of the .eta. access doors through which access to one of the desired product holding areas is achieved.