Claims
- 1. An apparatus for vending work objects, the apparatus comprising:
- A. a housing having an interior compartment;
- B. at least one pair of main frame members mounted on the housing within the compartment and with the main frame members of said pair extending through the compartment in spaced relation;
- C. a subframe, composed of a plurality of releasably interlockable modules adapted selectively to be interlocked in predetermined combinations to define work object storage areas dimensioned to receive predetermined quantities of said work objects and the subframe releasably mounted on and extending between said main frame members with the work object storage areas disposed in gravitationally feeding relation and wherein a pair of said modules are disposed in substantially side-by-side relation and the modules of said pair of modules individually define two substantially identical tracks individually extending to dispensing passages disposed in adjacent spaced relation; and
- D. a vend mechanism mounted on the modules of said pair of modules between said dispensing passages and having two pairs of control members with the control members of each pair of control members individually selectively operable to move between predetermined stop positions, extending into one of said dispensing passages, and release positions, retracted therefrom, whereby said vend mechanism is selectively operable individually to vend work objects from said work object storage areas by selective individual movement of the control members between their respective stop and release positions and said vend mechanism further includes:
- 1. a substantially rigid vend frame having a pair of opposite side walls and a pair of opposite end walls bounding a cam shaft compartment;
- 2. a first pair of said two pairs of control members individually mounted on and extending between the opposite side walls of the vend frame within the cam shaft compartment adjacent to one of the opposite end walls thereof and individually pivotal in opposite directions from and into said cam shaft compartment;
- 3. a second pair of said two pairs of control members individually mounted on and extending between the opposite side walls of the vend frame within the cam shaft compartment adjacent to the other of said opposite end walls thereof and individually pivotal in opposite directions from and into said cam shaft compartment;
- 4. a cam shaft mounted on and extending between the opposite end walls through the cam shaft compartment between the control members of said first pair of control members and between the control members of said second pair of control members for pivotal movement substantially about a longitudinal axis of rotation, said cam shaft mounting a first cam adjacent to and in engagement with the control members of said first pair of control members and mounting a second cam adjacent to and in engagement with the control members of said second pair of control members; and
- 5. a vend motor mounted on one of said opposite end walls of the vend frame in driving relation to said cam shaft operable to pivot said cam shaft about said longitudinal axis of rotation thereof selectively to move the control members of the first and second pairs of control members from and into said cam shaft compartment and thereby to and from their respective stop and release positions selectively to isolate one of said work objects in one of said work object storage areas and then to release the work object so isolated for vending from said housing.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cam shaft has a drive end portion extending through an opposite end wall of the vend frame, clips are mounted on and extend from said opposite end wall on opposite sides of the drive end portion of the cam shaft and the vend motor is adapted to be fitted about said drive end portion in driving relation thereto and releasably retained thereon by said clips.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 1 including a pair of micro switches individually mounted on the opposite side walls of said pair of opposite side walls and extending in substantially opposite directions individually into the work object storage areas defined by the dispensing passages of said tracks for engagement by work objects therewithin and a control system is operably connected to said micro switches and the vend motor for pivoting said cam shaft selectively to move the control members of said first and second pairs of control members in response to selection by an operator selectively to release work objects from the work object storage areas if, upon said selection by an operator, the micro switch for the work object storage area selected detects that there is at least one work object therewithin.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said control system is operable to operate the vend motor to pivot the cam shaft selectively in either direction about said longitudinal axis of rotation; the control system is operable after each vending cycle to operate the vend motor to pivot the cam shaft to a start position thereof retaining said first pair of control members in said release positions and the second pair of control members in said stop positions; and the control system is operable in the next vending cycle to operate the vend motor to pivot the cam shaft in the direction for moving the second control member of the work object storage area selected in said next vending cycle to its release position for vending therefrom only after said micro switch thereof detects that there is at least one work object therewithin.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said vend mechanism is mounted on the subframe in an operational position, the vend mechanism is adapted to be moved to and from said operational position by the slidable engagement of slots and projections borne by the vend frame and modules defining a path for the vend mechanism extending between the dispensing passages of the tracks of the respective modules of said pair of modules whereby the vend mechanism can substantially slidably be removed from the operational position and from the apparatus for repair or replacement.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cam shaft has a grasping end portion extending through an opposite end wall of said pair of opposite end walls opposite that mounting said vend motor for grasping for manually pivoting the cam shaft about the longitudinal axis of rotation for adjustment, service, repair or replacement.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 1 including a stop adapted releasably to be mounted on one of the modules of said pair of modules extending into the work object storage area thereof for engagement by one of said work objects to retain that work object and the work objects thereabove in position against gravitational release from the work object storage area during adjustment, service, or repair of the apparatus.
- 8. An apparatus for vending work objects, the apparatus comprising a frame defining at least two work object storage areas dimensioned individually to receive a plurality of said work objects for sequential gravitational delivery through individual dispensing passages; and a single vend mechanism mounted in an operational position between said dispensing passages and having a substantially rigid vend frame having an end wall, a cam shaft mounted on the vend frame for rotation about a longitudinal axis, two pairs of control members mounted on the vend frame for engagement by the cam shaft, and a vend motor mounted on said end wall of the vend frame in driving relation to said cam shaft and selectively operable to pivot the cam shaft about said longitudinal axis selectively to move the control members between predetermined stop positions, individually extending into said dispensing passages, and release positions, retracted from the dispensing passages, whereby said vend mechanism is operable selectively to vend work objects from either of said work object storage areas through their respective dispensing passages upon selective movement of the control members between said stop positions and said release positions.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said cam shaft of the vend mechanism has an end portion extending to a position accessible for manual pivoting of the cam shaft for the selective manual operation of the vend mechanism for service and repair.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the vend mechanism and the frame are adapted releasably to be interlocked to mount the vend mechanism in said operational position permitting release thereof for removal of the vend mechanism from the operational position for service, repair or replacement.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the vend motor and the vend frame are adapted releasably to be interlocked with each other and the vend frame and the frame of the apparatus are adapted releasably to be interlocked with the vend motor in a drive position whereby the vend mechanism can be released from said operational position and removed from the apparatus and the vend motor can be released from said drive position for service, repair or replacement without having to disassemble the vend frame.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein a stop clip is formed as part of said frame and adapted to be broken from said frame and then releasably mounted on the frame extending into the work object storage area thereof for engagement by one of said work objects to retain that work object and the work objects thereabove in position against gravitational release from the work object storage area during adjustment, service, or repair of the apparatus.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of copending application Ser. No. 07/860,671 filed on Mar. 30, 1992 and now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (35)
Non-Patent Literature Citations (2)
Entry |
Workplace Vendor, "Pepsi At Work". |
Workplace Vendor Parts And Service Manual, May 1990. |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
860671 |
Mar 1992 |
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