초록 ▼

Novel gumball banks are provided for which dispense gumballs upon insertion of a coin and store inserted coins. The gumball bank comprises a reservoir for gumballs, a base, and a dispensing mechanism. The base defines an upper floor. The upper floor supports the reservoir and has a gumball opening c

Novel gumball banks are provided for which dispense gumballs upon insertion of a coin and store inserted coins. The gumball bank comprises a reservoir for gumballs, a base, and a dispensing mechanism. The base defines an upper floor. The upper floor supports the reservoir and has a gumball opening communicating with the reservoir and a coin slot. The base further defines a lower floor. The lower floor has a chute adapted to receive gumballs and a coin slot. The base also defines a coin storage area in communication with the coin slot in the lower floor. The dispensing mechanism is disposed between the upper and lower floors and is adapted to dispense gumballs from the reservoir to the chute and to deposit coins in the coin storage area. The dispensing mechanism includes an actuator arm having a socket for receiving a coin and a coin slot aligned with the socket. The transfer arm has a gumball opening and a coin slot. The actuator arm and transfer arm are mounted for movement in first and second directions between respective first and second positions.

대표청구항 ▼

A gumball bank for dispensing gumballs upon insertion of a coin and for storage of inserted coins, the gumball bank comprising: a reservoir for gumballs; a base defining an upper floor, the upper floor supporting the reservoir and having a gumball opening communicating with the reservoir and a coin

A gumball bank for dispensing gumballs upon insertion of a coin and for storage of inserted coins, the gumball bank comprising: a reservoir for gumballs; a base defining an upper floor, the upper floor supporting the reservoir and having a gumball opening communicating with the reservoir and a coin slot; the base further defining a lower floor, the lower floor having a chute adapted to receive gumballs, a coin slot, and a camming surface; the base further defining a coin storage area in communication with the coin slot in the lower floor; a dispensing mechanism disposed between the upper and lower floors and adapted to dispense gumballs from the reservoir to the chute and to deposit coins in the coin storage area; the dispensing mechanism including an actuator arm having a socket for receiving a coin and a coin slot in alignment therewith and a transfer arm having a gumball opening and a coin slot with a relatively wide area and a relatively narrow area; the actuator arm and transfer arm being mounted for movement in first and second directions between respective first and second positions, the actuator arm engaging the transfer arm when the actuator arm is moved in the second direction, the actuator arm and transfer arm being free of engagement when the actuator arm is moved in the first direction; such that when the actuator arm and the transfer arm are in their respective first positions the upper floor coin slot, actuator arm coin slot, and transfer arm coin slot are aligned to allow insertion of a coin through the upper floor coin slot into the actuator arm coin slot and the transfer arm coin slot so as to couple the arms together and the upper floor gumball opening and the transfer arm gumball opening are aligned to allow passage of a gumball through the upper floor gumball opening into the transfer arm gumball opening; subsequent movement of the actuator arm in the first direction from its first position to its second position, when a coin couples the arms, actuates movement of the transfer arm in the first direction from its first position to its second position and camming of the coin into the narrow area in the transfer arm coin clot by the lower floor camming surface; when the actuator arm and the transfer arm are in their respective second positions, the actuator arm coin slot, transfer arm coin slot, and lower floor coin slot are aligned to allow passage of a coin through said slots into the coin storage area and the transfer arm gumball opening and the chute are aligned; and subsequent movement of the actuator arm in the second direction from its second position back to its first position actuates movement of the transfer arm in the second direction from its second position back to its first position.