Abstract:
A machine particularly adapted for dispensing light items packaged in symmetrical, frustum-shaped container. The items are propelled through a tubular cartridge and individually ejected by a flow of air generated by a blower under control of a toggling dual-gate mechanism at the dispensing end of the cartridge. The dual-gate mechanism of a removable magazine grouping a number of cartridges can be selectively addressed and activated by means of a solenoid-driven cross-bar assembly.

Description:
PRIOR APPLICATION 
   This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Utility Patent Application Ser. No. 60/556,427 filed Mar. 24, 2004. 

   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to machines for dispensing goods including automatic vending machines, and more specifically to machines for dispensing articles or substances packaged in symmetrical containers such as the ones commonly used in connection with individual servings of coffee, tea, sugar, shampoo, toothpaste, as well as medicines and cosmetics. 
   BACKGROUND 
   In the coffee service industry, individual doses of coffee, tea or chocolate are often offered in small containers that are configured to be readily inserted in a brewing machine. Boxes holding large quantities of the products are usually placed next to the brewing machines for the convenience of employees and customers. In most cases, this type of beverage service is provided and paid by the employer. 
   The system is subject to abuses. Unscrupulous employees may grab handfuls of containers for use at home. Unsupervised persons, such as maintenance and janitorial crews who frequent the premises during off hours may also be tempted to help themselves to undue quantities of goods. 
   There is a need to find a convenient solution to the uncontrolled presentation and dispensing of small packaged articles. 
   SUMMARY 
   The instant embodiments provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient way to store, transport, display and dispense small packaged items under some form of paid or verifiable accounting to authorized or paying customers. 
   The instant embodiments provide a machine for selectively dispensing one out of a number of items stored in a removable magazine formed by a two dimensional stacking of horizontally aligned tubular cartridges. Each cartridge forms an internal channel whose cross-section is commensurate with the cross-section of the leading and largest portion of the kind of item it contains, such as the lid or brim of a frusto-conical cup. A pressurized fluid, preferably a flow of air generated by a blower or turbine, is applied to the back aperture of the channel in order to propel the items forwardly toward the frontal dispensing aperture where a toggling barrier mechanism can be momentarily activated to let the most forwardly positioned item to escape, while the next item in line and every other item behind it are held back. 
   In some embodiments, a crossbar actuator is used to selectively drive the barrier mechanism controlling the dispensing of the desired type of item. The dispensing of an item must be enabled either by the dialing of a personal identification code on a keypad, or by payment by way of currency, smartcard or a combination of both. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of a vending machine according to the invention; 
       FIG. 2  is a front perspective view thereof with the cover in the open position; 
       FIG. 3  is a partial rear perspective view; 
       FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the machine with the magazine and cover removed; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the rear portion of the machine; 
       FIG. 6  is a partial perspective view of the toggling barrier mechanism; 
       FIGS. 7A and 7B  are views of the left and right sides of the toggling plate; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of a cartridge; 
       FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the crossbar actuator; 
       FIGS. 10 and 11  are perspective view of the crossbar engaging structure; and 
       FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of a push pin. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring now to the drawing, there is shown a vending machine  1  particularly adapted to dispense a number of different items packaged in light containers made of paper or plastic. In this particular embodiment, the machine is intended to dispense individual servings of coffee or other beverages such as K-CUP brand coffee, tea and chocolate packages commercially available from the Keurig Brewers Company. The machine accommodates a removable magazine  2  that groups a series of cartridges  3  each holding a different type of product. The base  4  of the machine houses electro-mechanical and pneumatic mechanisms that control the dispensing of the goods off the cartridges. An electronic control unit  5  provides an interface with the user of the machine by way of an alpha-numeric readout  6 , a smart card reader  7 , an alpha-numeric keypad  8 , a currency acceptor  9 , and a series of control buttons  10 . A dispensing pocket  11  for the goods is provided in the frontal portion of the base. The pocket is accessible by pushing a flap door  12 . The front of the machine is sealed by a cover  13  whose transparent face permits viewing of the first item in each cartridge. In its closed position, the cover is locked by a couple of solenoid-control bolts  14 . The magazine has a flange in its lower back that interlocks with a commensurate groove  16  in the back panel  17 . Once the magazine  2  is installed on the machine and the cover has been shut and locked, the magazine cannot be removed. 
   As more particularly illustrated in  FIG. 8 , each tubular cartridge  3  forms a channel  18  into which the symmetrical items  19  to be dispensed are lined one-behind-the-other followed by a plug  20  acting as a dummy item slidingly engaged in a last position behind all other items into the rear portion of the channel. The plug has a key  2 l projecting radially along the length of its upper wall into a groove  22  cut along the roof of the channel  18 . The groove terminates short of the front aperture  23  of the channel. Once the key reaches the end of the groove, the plug cannot be ejected out the front aperture of the channel as are the items  19 . It should be noted that each item  19  has a leading portion  24  whose cross-section is substantially commensurate with the inside diameter of the channel  18 . The geometry of the item then tapers down to a trailing portion  25  of a lesser diameter. Near the front aperture  23  of the channel, a pair of toggling barriers  26 ,  27  can be alternately inserted between an upper and lower portion of the channel to separately hold or release a single item at-a-time under the push of the plug  20 . The plug is propelled forwardly down the channel by an influx of compressed air generated by a motor-driven blower  28  housed in the base  4  of the machine, and continuously distributed to the cartridges through a manifold  29  formed in the back panel  17 . This pneumatic driving system is not necessary if the cartridges in the magazine are held in a substantially slanted position wherein the items and the plugs are translated downwardly toward the front aperture under the force of gravity. 
   The toggling barrier mechanism is more particularly illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . The first and second substantially triangular barriers  26 ,  27  are mounted on a single push plate  30  associated with each cartridge of which only two superimposed ones are shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . Each barrier can penetrate into a small arc section of the cartridge channel through a pair of slots  31 ,  32  arcuately cut into the wall of the cartridge. A number of plates  30  can be laid side-by-side to control the operation of superimposed cartridges as shown in  FIG. 7 . The plates are allowed to travel up and down within an oblong enclosure  33 , wherein when in the down position, the upper barrier  26  is held in the retaining position illustrated in  FIG. 6 , while the second barrier  27  is held in a clearing position. When the push plate  30  is momentarily moved upwardly, the first barrier is placed in a releasing position clear of the channel, and the second barrier  27  is placed into a retaining position. This momentary movement of the barriers allow the first item in line to be ejected while the item next in line is held back by the second barrier. As the barriers return to their rest position, the next item in line moves down the channel the short distance between the second and first barriers ready for the next dispensing maneuver. Each push plate is urged downwardly by a coil spring  34  compressed between a fixed bar  35  particularly associated with the magazine structure and the flanged foot  36  of the push plate. The push plates are selectively lifted by push pins  37  rising from an actuator assembly  38  in the base of the machine, and passing through bores in the floor of the magazine. 
   As more specifically shown in  FIGS. 9-12 , the actuator assembly  38  comprises a cross-bar array driven by two sets of solenoids. Each in the first sets of solenoids  39  controls one row of cartridge in the magazine. Each of the second set of solenoids  40  controls one of the columns of cartridges. The selection of a particular row of cartridges is determined by the position of a row bar  41 . Each row bar houses a series of push pins  37  which can be displaced upwardly by acting on a transversal pin  42  riding in a pair of slots  43  cut in the row bar through the walls of the well  44  housing the push pin. When the row bar  41  is pushed inwardly by it solenoid, the push pin  37  and its cross-pin  43  line up with a column bar  45 . As the column bar is pushed upwardly by its solenoid  40 , the transversal pin  42  becomes engaged by a cut  46  in the column bar on either side of the row bar, and, as the column bar is lifted, the push pin  37  is raised to actuate the corresponding toggling barrier in one of the cartridges. If the row bar is not engaged, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the lifting of the column bar misses the transversal pin, and the push pin remains in its well. 
   In a machine with a small magazine, one solenoid could be advantageously assigned to each toggling plate lieu of the crossbar actuator assembly  38  described in connection with this description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. 
   While the preferred embodiment has been limited to a four-by-four array of cartridges, it must be understood that much larger magazine can be used with corresponding larger actuator array. The cartridges can be shaped to accommodate a variety of packages not necessarily of a circular geometry. For instance, the quadrangular cartridge  47  illustrated in  FIG. 2  could accommodate cubic or oblong rectangular containers of tooth paste, chewing gum, cookies or candies. The spacing between the first and second barriers may have to be adjusted to accommodate the full length of each item in the case where, for instance, shape of package is not frusto-conical or frusto-pyramidal. Bottles and some types of jars can be easily handled by limiting the spacing between the barriers to the thickness of the cap. 
   During transport and storage of the magazine, the back can be closed and secured by a backplate  48  riding, guillotine-style, in a pair of grooves  49  in the lateral walls of the magazine. 
   The electronic control unit is substantially similar to the one disclosed in connection with another type of vending machine in U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,187 Simson et al., which patent is incorporated in this specification by this reference. The operation of the currency acceptor in connection with a smart card, substantially similar to one described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/782,661, U.S. Patent Publication No. 20050035197 incorporated herein by this reference, for a vending machine with electronic payment media. 
   The electronic control unit allows for selective dispensing of a type of item in one of the cartridge by entry of a personal identification code on the keypad  8 , or payment by way of a smartcard through the smartcard reader  7 . The smartcard may be recharged by an amount of currency deposited through the currency acceptor  9 . Accordingly an employer or operator of the machine can allow free access to the goods by authorized persons by assigning to each one of them a confidential identification code, or by providing the individuals with smartcards pre-charged with a monthly amount of cash credit usable on the machine. Full or partial payment can optionally be required using the combination of the currency acceptor and smartcard. 
   While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, modifications can be made and other embodiments may be devised without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.