IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
UP-0621554
(2007-01-09)
|
등록번호 |
US-7850042
(2011-02-10)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
0 인용 특허 :
4 |
초록
A vending machine apparatus comprising a housing defining an internal cavity and an article storage compartment positioned inside the cavity. An air barrier arrangement having a plurality of moveable barriers separates the article storage compartment from an article extracting device.
대표청구항
▼
The invention claimed is: 1. An article retrieving apparatus comprising, a housing, an article storage area inside the housing for storing a plurality of articles therein; an article extracting device having a grasping end for entering the article storage area and retrieving an article therefrom; a
The invention claimed is: 1. An article retrieving apparatus comprising, a housing, an article storage area inside the housing for storing a plurality of articles therein; an article extracting device having a grasping end for entering the article storage area and retrieving an article therefrom; and a plurality of movable barriers positioned near the article storage area, each barrier having a closed position and an open position, wherein when a moveable barrier is moved to the closed position, the barrier decreases the potential for air to move into or out of the article storage area, and when a moveable barrier is moved to the open position there is an increased potential for air to move into or out of the article storage area as compared to when the moveable barrier is in the closed position; and wherein in order for the article extracting device to retrieve an article, the grasping end of the article extracting device must initiate a direct physical contact with at least one of said plurality of moveable barriers so as to deflect a portion of said at least one barrier toward said article storage area and thereby create an opening through which said grasping end of the article extracting device must pass to retrieve an article. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said opening is created by the combined movement of a plurality of said at least one moveable barriers to said open position. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein movement of the article extracting device causes at least one of said plurality of moveable barriers to move into the open position. 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said movement of the article extracting device causes a plurality of said moveable barriers to move into the open position. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the article extracting device has at least one dimension which determines a minimum size of an opening through which the article extracting device could potentially pass through, and wherein movement of the article extracting device into the storage area causes a minimum number of said plurality of moveable barriers to move to their respective open positions, in order to at least allow the article extracting device to enter into the storage area. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein movement of the article extracting device causes at least one of said plurality of moveable barriers to move into the closed position. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of moveable barriers are made of a flexible material. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the plurality of moveable barriers are formed in a single sheet of flexible material. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of moveable barriers comprise a plurality of pairs of opposed flaps, with abutting free ends of the opposed flaps being substantially aligned with a center position of an article stored in the article storage compartment positioned thereunder. 10. The apparatus of claims 9, wherein the plurality of flaps of the sheet-like member are uniformly shaped and uniformly distributed in the sheet-like member. 11. The apparatus of claims 9 wherein the plurality of flaps of the sheet-like member are formed integrally with the sheet-like member. 12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each flap of said plurality of pairs of opposed flaps has: a perimeter edge which forms a hinge that is substantially aligned with a perimeter edge of a given article stored in the article storage compartment positioned thereunder, and a free edge of the flap which abuts the free edge of an opposed flap, the opposed flap also having a perimeter edge which forms a hinge, which hinge is in general alignment with a second perimeter edge of said given article stored in the article storage compartment positioned thereunder, which second perimeter edge is opposed to the first mentioned perimeter edge. 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said article storage area includes structure for causing the articles stored therein to be stored in a compartmentalized manner. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said structure comprises a plurality of containers positioned inside the article storage area. 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said structure comprises a plurality of dividers positioned inside the article storage area. 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of said containers comprises a box. 17. An article retrieving apparatus comprising, a housing, an article storage area inside the housing for storing a plurality of articles therein; an article extracting device having a grasping end for entering the article storage area and retrieving an article therefrom; and a plurality of movable barriers positioned near the article storage area, each barrier having a closed position and an open position, wherein when a moveable barrier is moved to the closed position, the moveable barrier decreases the potential for air to move into or out of the article storage area, and when a moveable barrier is moved to the open position there is an increased potential for air to move into or out of the article storage area as compared to when the moveable barrier is in the closed position; and wherein in order for the article extracting device to retrieve an article, a portion of the article extracting device near the grasping end of the article extracting device must initiate a direct physical contact with at least one of the plurality of said moveable barriers, so as to push a portion of said at least one barrier so that it is deflected in toward the article storage area and into the open position by the action of said grasping end of the article extracting device passing into the article storage area. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said movement of the article extracting device causes a plurality of said moveable barriers to move into the open position. 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the article extracting device and an article from the article storage area which is grasped thereto has at least one dimension which determines a minimum size of an opening through which the article extracting device and the article grasped thereto could potentially pass through, and wherein movement of the article extracting device and the article grasped thereto out from the storage area causes a minimum number of said plurality of moveable barriers to move to their respective open positions, in order to at least allow the article extracting device and the article grasped thereto to exit out of the storage area. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said plurality of moveable barriers are made of a flexible material. 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the plurality of moveable barriers are formed in a single sheet of flexible material. 22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said opening is created by the combined movement of a plurality of said moveable barriers to said open position. 23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said article storage area includes structure for causing the articles stored therein to be stored in a compartmentalized manner. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said structure comprises a plurality of containers positioned inside the article storage area. 25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said structure comprises a plurality of dividers positioned inside the article storage area. 26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein each of said containers comprises a box. 27. An article retrieving apparatus comprising, a housing, an article storage area inside the housing for storing a plurality of articles therein; an article extracting device having a grasping end for entering the article storage area and retrieving an article therefrom; and a plurality of flexible movable barriers positioned near the article storage area, each barrier being flexible so as to be able to move from a closed position and an open position, wherein when a moveable barrier is flexed so as to be moved to the closed position, the barrier decreases the potential for air to move into or out of the article storage area, and when a moveable barrier is flexed so as to be moved to the open position there is an increased potential for air to move into or out of the article storage area as compared to when the moveable barrier is in the closed position; and wherein in order for the article extracting device to retrieve an article, the grasping end of the article extracting device passes into the article storage area through an opening which is created when a portion of at least one of said plurality of moveable barriers is deflected in toward the article storage area by a direct physical contact which is initialed by said article extracting device, so as to be moved into the said open position. 28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein said at least one of said plurality of moveable barriers is deflected so as to be moved into the said open position by direct physical contact between the grasping end of said article extracting device and said at least one flexible moveable barrier.
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