Small article vending system

A system for dispensing articles such as candy, lollipops, or other oddly shaped objects is provided. A helix, turned by an electric motor or the purchaser of the article, delivers a single unit from a loading area to one basket in a chain of baskets. The baskets are mounted on a belt that is part of a chute assembly, carried to the top of the chute, and rotated to dump the article onto a dispensing shelf from where gravity delivers it to the purchaser. By introduction of a coin, the lollipop machine will start, and, by way of the belt mechanism a product is carried up and over the top of the chute.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
 1. Field of the Invention
 This invention relates to a system and apparatus for dispensing articles
 such as candy, lollipops or other oddly shaped objects which may be bulk
 loaded into an arcuate dish and thereafter agitated by a helix into
 individual pieces. Each piece is then dropped by gravity into a bucket at
 the bottom of a chute and thereafter carried to the top of the chute where
 it is dumped onto a dispensing shelf, dropping thereafter to and out of a
 discharge exit in sight of the purchaser. An independently operated coin
 mechanism causes a coin to follow a slide, by gravity, to a cash door,
 isolating the dispensing mechanism from the coin collection.
 2. Description of the Prior Art
 Heretofore, devices for dispensing objects by vending machines have been
 directed to loading individual objects into the machines and inseparably
 combining a dispensing mechanism and a coin operating mechanism, among
 other distinctions. The bulk loading capability of the present invention
 allows for efficient servicing of the machine by the operator as well as
 product delivery without 100% of the product being present in a hopper.
 For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,852 to Baker et al discloses a vending
 machine that requires a plurality of platforms disposed about a helical
 path upon which articles to be vended are placed. Each article to be
 dispensed is placed individually and horizontally on its own platform, and
 once an appropriate coin is inserted into a coin slot a handle of the coin
 mechanism is enabled, i.e. allowed to rotate, causing a shaft of the
 latching mechanism to rotate. This causes a lip of a cam to release the
 particular platform, thereby dumping the article to drop via gravity to a
 recovery area. It can be seen that the foregoing actions do not teach,
 suggest or infer applicants system for elevating articles to the top of a
 chute and thereafter dumping them onto a dispensing plate for delivery by
 gravity to a recovery exit.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,245 to Tomioka concerns a double-layered automatic
 commodity vending machine wherein commodity capsules are placed in
 individual storage sections of a drum that is rotated through a
 predetermined angle with respect to a shaft and has a plurality of
 commodity-shaped discharge openings through which each commodity is
 selectively released to a collection area. It will be readily appreciated
 that the teachings of Tomioka fail to anticipate the patentable features
 of applicants invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,728,999 to Teicher discloses a
 vending machine and operating system wherein articles are displayed on
 separate shelves according to size, shape and color and are dispensed in
 an entirely different manner than those in applicant's invention.
 Furthermore, Teicher is directed mainly to a system for payment by credit
 card and hence is further distinguished from applicant's invention.
 U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,251 to Wade relates to a vending machine for dispensing
 panty hose which are placed on a plurality of elongated trays and released
 via a helix to a dispensing pan which is accessible to the purchaser. A
 money changer is provided which further distinguishes this invention from
 applicant's. U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,985 to Fitzgerald et al concerns a
 vending machine which includes plural rows of slots vertically stacked so
 that the slots in each row form vertical columns with slots in adjacent
 rows. A programmed microprocessor and drivers control the operation of the
 motive elements in the vending machine.
 It can readily be appreciated that these references, either singly or in
 combination, are not concerned with and do not suggest or infer the
 vending system of the present invention for dispensing oddly shaped
 articles such as candy or lollipops wherein the articles may be introduced
 into an apparatus in bulk form and the coin mechanism operates
 independently of the dispensing mechanism.
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
 Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a system and
 apparatus for dispensing oddly shaped objects such as candy or lollipops
 wherein the objects may be introduced into the apparatus in bulk form.
 It is another object of the invention to provide such a system and
 apparatus wherein the dispensing mechanism is distinct from the coin
 collection mechanism.
 It is a further object of the invention to provide such a system and
 apparatus wherein objects may be dispensed without having to load a
 complete supply of the object product in the apparatus.
 It is yet another object of the invention to provide such a system and
 apparatus wherein the object may be a candy formed on a stick such as a
 lollipop.
 It is a still further object of the invention to provide such a system and
 apparatus wherein the objects to be dispensed may be viewed by the
 purchaser moving up and into a position for sale.
 The foregoing objects are realized by the present invention in a system
 which includes a coin operated release mechanism and a separately operated
 dispensing apparatus. The dispensing apparatus comprises a basket and belt
 assembly that picks up candy from a holding area and raises it to a first
 chute assembly which brings it to the top of the machine. An electric
 motor actuates a mechanism that causes the basket to move up and dump the
 product and dump the product by gravity onto a first dispensing shelf and
 then a second dispensing shelf to deliver the product to a purchaser at
 the product exit. The coin a mechanism includes a money drawer so that
 when the drawer is removed, allows the money to be quickly and directly
 moved into a transport container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
 Turning now to the drawings, more particularly to FIG. 3, there is shown a
 dispensing system 11 that includes a dispenser housing 12 and a tray 13
 for receiving a plurality of lollipops 16 that have been dumped thereinto
 from a container 18. Tray 13 is curved so as to direct the lollipops
 toward a helix 19 which is driven by a wheel 21, or an electric motor (not
 shown) connected by a shaft 22 to to a worm gear 23.
 Shaft 22 is also connected by conventional means (not shown) to a sprocket
 wheel 24 which operates a chain drive mechanism 26 for driving a conveyer
 belt 30 to which a plurality of baskets 33 are connected. Baskets 33 carry
 individual articles such as lollipops 16, as shown in FIG. 4, the baskets
 33 being pivotally mounted on belt 30 to dump each lollipop along a path
 indicated by dashed line 36 to be carried by gravity to an exit door 38.
 The basket and belt assembly is mounted in a chute 39.
 FIGS. 1 and 2 show the invention in perspective, illustrating a second
 helix 20 which is rotated oppositely to helix 19 by a motor (not shown) or
 by a reverse-angled worm gear 41 to provide reciprocal motion of the
 helixes so that the purchaser may capture an article in either one of the
 helixes. Motion is transferred from wheel 24 to the helixes via worm gears
 23 and 41. A set of dispensing plates 48 and 49 divert the lollipops or
 other articles clear of the mechanism beneath, while a crank 51 provides
 an external connection for operating mechanism 26. Also shown in FIG. 1
 are a channel form 52 in which the mechanism is mounted, a hood 53, a form
 adjusting and tightening mechanism 54, and a pair of deflector plates 56
 and 57, which may be operated independently of one another to intercept
 falling lollipops and return them to tray 13 when circumstances warrant
 this action. The deflector plates 56 and 57 are nested vertically against
 the adjacent ends of the helixes using conventional means, (not shown),
 after an appropriate sum of money has been inserted in the coin mechanism
 assembly. FIG. 2 shows a hood alignment bracket 60, a cash track 62, and a
 cash door 65.
 FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention wherein
 lollipops 16 are seen in tray 13 and single lollipops are seen in three
 baskets whose stems 66 extend through openings 67 in the bottom of their
 respective baskets, and a lollipop 70 at the top of the first chute
 mechanism that has just been ejected from its basket. A chute adjusting
 mechanism 72 and a cam lock 73 serve to hold the chute securely in an
 upright position during operation of the invention. FIG. 5 shows a bin 76
 for receiving lollipops from exit drawer 38 which includes a container 78
 having a slot 80 which receives the lollipop stick 66. A pair of bolt
 holes 83 are provided for securing the bin to housing 12, the bin not
 being shown in previous figures. FIG. 6 illustrates a coin collection
 assembly 85 which includes a conventional coin checking mechanism, not
 shown, a coin slide 86, and a collection tray 88 from which coins may be
 removed by opening a cash drawer 90. A chute support 92 and a housing
 support bracket 94 are shown schematically for purposes of explaining the
 operation of the invention and are conventionally used components in the
 dispensing system.
 In operation, after a purchaser has inserted a coin into assembly 85 belt
 30 is activated by the coin assembly and motor 51 is turned to advance one
 or more baskets, as appropriate, to the top of the chute and thereafter
 dump out the lollipops in these baskets as indicated by lollipop 70 in
 FIG. 4. If the proper coin or coins have been inserted, the lollipops will
 proceed along path 36 to exit 38 and thereafter into bin 76, shown in FIG.
 5. The coins inserted into the coin assembly move down slide 86 into tray
 88 where they may be collected by opening cash drawer 90.
 Thus, a lollipop dispensing system and apparatus have been described which
 makes it possible to dispense oddly shaped objects such as lollipops on
 sticks to a viewing public. The basket and belt assembly provide an
 important advantage over existing vending machines since the product in
 applicant's invention can be bulk loaded thereby saving time and reducing
 the labor cost of servicing the dispensing machine. Another advantage of
 applicant's machine is its entertainment value in permitting a purchaser
 to see the product moving up and into position for sale. A further
 advantage of applicant's machine is that a chute is created when the
 drawer is opened, thus allowing for the money to be quickly and directly
 transported to a collection area.
 Although this invention has been disclosed and described with reference to
 a preferred embodiment, its principles are susceptible to other
 applications which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. For
 example, a zig-zag form of dispensing first chute without departure from
 the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.