초록 ▼

A coin-operated vending machine for bottles or cans of a moderate capacity, including a plurality of side-by-side storage chutes for feeding bottles or cans to openings in the front wall of the vending machine, a cradle in each of the openings forming a row of adjacent cradles for receiving the bott

A coin-operated vending machine for bottles or cans of a moderate capacity, including a plurality of side-by-side storage chutes for feeding bottles or cans to openings in the front wall of the vending machine, a cradle in each of the openings forming a row of adjacent cradles for receiving the bottles or cans from the chutes, and a mechanical interlock between the respective cradles for precluding the dispensing of more than one product for any vend cycle. The mechanical interlock also includes a spring-detent assembly for indexing the cradles between closed, intermediate, and fully-open positions in a step-by-step manner. The mechanical interlock is designed to be substantially tamper-proof. A vend chute structure is also provided which permits flexibility of product loading, the free flow of cooling air throughout the vending machine cabinet, and easy cleaning of the vend chute and associated components. The vending machine is adaptable for use on a counter top or mounting to the wall of a building.

대표청구항 ▼

An automatic vending machine comprising: a cabinet having a front wall with at least two openings therein through which products may be vended; at least two product storage chutes disposed within said cabinet in a side-by-side, parallel relationship behind said openings; a cradle disposed in each of

An automatic vending machine comprising: a cabinet having a front wall with at least two openings therein through which products may be vended; at least two product storage chutes disposed within said cabinet in a side-by-side, parallel relationship behind said openings; a cradle disposed in each of said openings forming a row of adjacent cradles for receiving products from said at least two chutes when in a closed position with respect to the associated opening and vending said products in fully open positions; indexing means for moving and stopping said cradle at a partially-open position intermediate to said closed and fully open position, said partially-open position permitting products to be viewed but not removed by a customer from said cradle; and mechanical interlock means responsive to the opening of any of said cradles for blocking the opening of any other cradle.