Abstract:
A system and method of delivering products from a vending machine having a number of selectable product storage locations comprising actively moving products using a product delivery mechanism associated with each of said selected product storage locations, driving an endless element having at least one engagement finger that is moved in a first direction by an actuator to engage one of a number of rotatable drive elements each connected to said product delivery mechanism, driving said endless element with said engagement finger in a second direction by reversing said actuator and going past said rotatable drive elements without engagement to provide for the selection of other products.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/777,160, filed Feb. 27, 2006. The contents of such application are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to vending machines. More specifically, the present invention relates to product dispensers for vending machines.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     There are many existing types of vending machines. Typically, the machines dispense a number of different classes of products from multiple selectable storage areas using a plurality of motors and or solenoids, implementing one per storage area. There are other vending systems that utilize robotic delivery systems.  
         [0004]     U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,953 shows the use of helix coils and motors for vending articles from shelves.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,739 shows the use of an endless element to engage a release mechanism associated with one of a number of stacked columns for dropping the lowermost product from a stack.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,740 shows the use of an elongate, rotatable support means disposed below each column stack to engage a release mechanism associated with one of a number of stacked columns for dropping the lowermost product from a stack.  
         [0007]     U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/686,729 shows a dispenser tray for vending articles of different shapes using auger driven pusher plates engaged by a robotic mechanism.  
         [0008]     However, all of these systems require multiple electric motors or solenoids (prime movers”) and more complex arrangements of parts. The present invention avoids this complexity by minimizing the number of prime movers required. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a top view of a prior art product dispenser;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a top view of a product dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIGS. 3A and 3B  are front and side views of a rotatable drive element according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a partial rear view of a product dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the product dispenser having a motor, an endless element comprising engagement fingers and a rotatable drive element according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIGS. 6 and 7  are rear and top views, respectively, of a product dispenser according to another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 8  is rear perspective view of a product dispenser utilizing an auger and push plate arrangement to vend products according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0016]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an auger and its push plate;  
         [0017]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a vending machine interior according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0018]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a light weight movable member according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 12  is an electrical schematic according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 13  is a pulses diagram of the operation of the control circuit of  FIG. 12 ; and  
         [0021]      FIGS. 14 and 15  are flow charts showing methods of controlling a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.  
         [0023]     The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a product dispenser having storage areas for products of different classes (i.e. chips, candy, gum, beverages, etc.) for a vending machine that, rather than using multiple solenoids or motors to dispense products, utilizes a single motor per product dispenser. A single vending machine will comprise a plurality of product dispensers that are disposed within the machine.  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a prior art product dispenser  20  is shown that has eight helical coil members  22  through  36 . The helical coil members  22  are driven by motor gear boxes  38  through  52 , respectively. Upon rotation of one of the helical coil members  22  through  36  by its motor gear box  38  through  52 , the selected product is driven off the product dispenser  20  into a delivery area (not shown).  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a simplified drawing showing the top view of a product dispenser  57  according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The product dispenser  57  comprises eight helical coils  58  through  72 . One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that any number of helical coils may be implemented, as space permits, in the product dispenser  57  without departing from the scope of the present invention. The motor gear box  57  drives an endless element  76 . The endless element includes engagement fingers  78  and  80  which are attached to endless element  76 . While two engagement fingers are preferred, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that more or less than two engagement fingers may be utilized without departing from the scope of the present invention. Moreover, rotatable drive elements  82  through  96  are associated with the helical coils  58  through  72 .  
         [0026]     Referring to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , the rotatable drive elements  82  comprise two rows of spaced apart outwardly extending protuberances  83 . The area  85  between the rows of protuberances  83  is of a smaller diameter with respect to the outer diameter of the rows of protuberances. Each protuberance  83  of each row comprises a first side  87  which forms a portion adapted to engage one of the fingers  78  or  80 . Each protuberance  83  of each row also comprises a second side  89  adapted to not engage one of the fingers  78  or  80 .  
         [0027]     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , endless element  76  is positioned over an idle pulley  100  and a timing pulley  106  to form a loop. A portion of the endless element  76  extends between the timing pulley  106  and the idle pulley  100  and passes between two rows of protuberances  83  of each of the rotatable drive elements  82 . When the endless element  76  moves the engagement fingers  78  and  80  left to right, one finger  78  or  80  engages the first side of one of the protuberances from each row of protuberances of the rotatable drive elements  92  through  96 . The engagement fingers  78  and  80  will advance the rotatable drive element 180 degrees if an entire pass is completed. The helix coils  58  through  72  are directly connected to the rotatable drive elements  82  through  96 , respectively, to drive the selected product from the shelf. When the fingers  78  and  80  of the endless element  76  are moved from right to left, the engagement fingers  78  and  80  contact the second side  89  of the protuberances  83  of each row of protuberances  83  to pass without engagement. As a result, when the fingers  78  and  80  are moved from right to left, the fingers  78  and  80  do not effect rotation of the helical coils  58  through  72 .  
         [0028]     When the engagement fingers  78  and  80  pass around the timing pulley  106 , they each momentarily cause a homing lever  108  to rotate at its pivot point  110  and place its magnetic blocker  112  between a Hall Effect device  114  and a magnetic field of the rotating motor magnet  116 . This method provides that the Hall Effect device  114  serves to both track the endless element&#39;s  76  position by counting the motor  102  revolutions and to also determine a home position in which to start by using the engagement fingers  78  and  80  to interrupt the magnetic field from the rotating motor magnet  116  when they arrive at the timing pulley  106 . The magnetic blocker  112  may be a small magnet which will block the Hall Effect device  114  from the motor magnet  116  field. It is anticipated to utilize other types of sensors and their energy sources to implement this method. One example is to interrupt a light path to a photocell by an encoding wheel and with a homing lever. Another would be to use a capacitive sensor and interrupt it with a homing device. Obviously, two sensors can be used separately for the two functions.  
         [0029]     In some dispensers, two helical coils dispense a single product large product by rotating a right-hand wound and a left-hand wound helical coil. By rotating the left- and right-hand wound helical coils in opposite directions, the single product is dispensed. The present invention may be applied to the dual helical coil configuration as well, as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . In  FIGS. 6 and 7 , two helical coils  118  and  120  are rotated in opposite directions by the same rotatable drive element  122  for vending the larger width products. This is accomplished by the finger  78  and  80  attached to endless element  76  rotating the rotatable drive element  122  which turns gear  124 , which turns gear  126 , which turn gear  128  which is attached to the helical coil  120 . Thereby the rotatable driver  122  rotates the helix  118  in one direction, and through the gears  124 ,  126 , and  128 , the opposite helix  120  rotates in the other direction.  
         [0030]      FIG. 8  shows a perspective view of a tray for actively dispensing products which are moved off the shelf by pushers  132 ,  134 ,  136 , and  138  which are advanced by augers  140 ,  142 ,  144 , and  146 , and driven by rotatable drive elements  148 ,  150 ,  152 , or  154  respectively, as shown. The motor  156  and gear box  158  use the same method to operate the endless element  160  and engagement fingers  162  and  164  as described in above.  
         [0031]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of an auger  166  and its associated pusher plate  168  showing the portion of the pusher plate  168  with its two projections  170  and  172  which curve to conform to a portion of the auger  166  double threads  174  and  176 . The pusher plate  168  maintains its relationship to the auger  166  by its projections  178  and  180  which slide along tracks on the shelf (not shown). The pusher plate actively advances the products along the axis of the auger  166  according its rotation.  
         [0032]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view showing four product dispensers  182 ,  184 ,  186 , and  188  using helical coils thereon and one shelf  190  using augers and push plates to actively advance products for vending. The method of the present invention a uses a light weight movable member  192  which is balanced by weights  294  and  296  and pivoted at points  298  and  300 . Any sized product actively advanced from any shelf position will fall on the movable member  192  as it goes into a delivery port  302  just below it. The prior art of U.S. Pat. No. 6,732,014 senses a product&#39;s successful delivery in a snack vendor by using a number of well positioned optical paths in the drop zone. Another prior art method as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,147 uses a sensor positioned to respond to a successfully delivered product. Still another prior art system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,794,634 using diffused optical beams to cover a large area for sensing products being vended. U.S. Pat. No. 6,708,079 discloses the multiple reflecting of an optic beam to cover an area to sense a product.  
         [0033]      FIG. 11  is a partial drawing showing the method of detecting the arrival of the vended product that moves the light weight movable member  192  which is balanced by the weight  296  at the pivot point  300  which has a small magnet  304  attached and is adjacent to the stationary mounted Hall Effect Sensor  306 . The Hall Effect Sensor  306  detects the change in the magnetic field as the vended product moves the balanced assembly. The assembly may be spring biased instead of using a balancing weight  296 . The movable member  192  may be serrated as shown or not, and be of a thin plastic or metal sheet and may be somewhat flexible. The sensor may be a photocell and a light emitting diode, whose light beam is changed by movement of the movable member  192 . The pivot point  300  could be replaced by affixing one end of the flexible movable member and sensing a portion that flexes. Other sensors such as a mechanical switch can be used.  
         [0034]      FIG. 12  shows a schematic representation of a Hall Effect Sensor  308  and a related magnet  310  which when rotated by the motor  309  provides pulses at the output  312 . It is used in a preferred embodiment of the present invention for determining the location of the endless element as described above. This is accomplished by the interrupting the magnet&#39;s  310  field from reaching the Hall Effect device  308  by blocking its magnetic field at position  311  by the magnetic blocker  112  of the homing lever  108  shown above.  
         [0035]      FIG. 13  is a simplified drawing of the output of a sensor used for determining the beginning position of the endless element as well as its progressive location in respect to its beginning position. When the motor magnet of  FIG. 5  is rotated, the pulses  314  are generated and are shown interrupted twice, at points  316  and  318 , by the magnetic blocker  112  of the homing lever  312  being moved by the two fingers on the endless element. Assuming that using a gearbox with a certain gear ratio results in one motor revolution moving the endless element 0.05 inches, and the distance between the rotatable drive elements is 3.4 inches. Then there would be 68 pulses generated to go from one rotatable drive element to the next.  
         [0036]     One or more sets of engagement fingers can be spaced apart on the endless element to reduce access times for product dispensing. The endless element employed can be of various belt or chain types. The motors used can be AC, DC, or stepper motors. The helix coils, or augers with or without push plates which are used to actively drive the products off of each product dispenser can also be accomplished using product conveyor belts. A conveyor belt, on which the products are placed, is advanced by its rotatable drive element using bevel gears for reorienting the direction of required rotation, since the endless element moves across the rear of the shelf from side to side, and the conveyor belt would be moved from the back to front of the shelf.  
         [0037]     Referring now to the flow chart in  FIG. 14  wherein the blocks have appropriate legends, and in particular to the enter block  320  where the sequence begins through path  322  to decision block  324 . At the block  324  the processing means checks to determine if a selection has been made, and if sufficient credit has been entered, and if not, the operational sequence follows the path  326  which connects to path  328  which returns back to the enter block  320 . If the determination is yes, then the operational sequence follows path  330  to decision block  332 .  
         [0038]     At block  332  the processing means checks to determine if the engagement finger of the endless element is at its start point. If not, the operational sequence follows the path  334  to the block  336  whereby the motor is run clockwise to the start point and after which the operational sequence follows the path  338  to the path  330  to the block  332 . If the block  332  decision is yes, then the operational sequence follows path  340  to block  342 .  
         [0039]     At block  342  the processing means runs the motor clockwise to the customer selected product storage location which has a predetermined number of pulses  314  as shown in  FIG. 12  from the motor magnet  116  shown in  FIG. 4 . The motor is also run clockwise an additional preset distance past the selected location and stopped. The operational sequence thereafter follows the path  344  to block  336 .  
         [0040]     At block  336  the processing means runs the motor counter-clockwise a prescribed distance and stopped, and then clockwise for the same prescribed distance, and stopped. This provides the operation of the two engagement fingers  78  and  80  to rotate the rotatable drive element  94  as shown in  FIG. 3  half a complete turn. During the counter-clockwise rotation the engagement fingers  78  and  80  each rotate the rotatable drive element  78  for one forth of a complete rotation, thus a total one half rotation. The second engagement finger engages right after the first one disengages. The operation thereafter follows path  338  to decision block  340 .  
         [0041]     At block  340  the processing means checks to see if the product has vended and if not, then the sequence follows the path  342  to the decision block  344  where the processing means determines if the counter clockwise operation is the third time. If not, then the operational sequence follows the path  346  to the path  340 . If yes, then the sequence follows the path  348  to the block  350  which operates a “make another selection” indication, and the sequence continues to path  358 , path  360 , and path  328  to entry block  320 .  
         [0042]     If the product has vended then the operational sequence follow the path  352  to operation block  354  wherein the processing means makes any required change as a result of the amount credited, minus the price of the vended product. Upon completion of making change, the sequence follows the path  356 ,  360  and  328  to the enter block  320 .  
         [0043]     Referring now to the flow chart in  FIG. 15  which is similar to that of  FIG. 13  but has a change in its operation to provide flexibility for the variable vend cycles that may occur with certain product packages and in their placement within the delivery mechanism. Now in  FIG. 15  and in particular to the enter block  362  where the sequence begins through path  364  to decision block  366 . At the block  366  the processing means checks to determine if a selection has been made, and if sufficient credit has been entered, and if not, the operational sequence follows the path  368  which connects to enter path  370  which returns back to the enter block  362 . If the determination is yes, then the operational sequence follows path  372  to decision block  374 .  
         [0044]     At block  374  the processing means checks to determine if the engagement finger of the endless element is at its start point. If not, the operational sequence follows the path  376  to the block  378  whereby the motor is run clockwise to the start point and after which the operational sequence follows the path  380  to the path  372  to the block  374 . If the block  374  decision is yes, then the operational sequence follows path  375  to block  379 .  
         [0045]     At block  378  the processing means runs the motor clockwise to the customer selected product storage location until a predetermined number of pulses  314 , as drawn in  FIG. 12  from the motor magnet  116  as shown in  FIG. 4 . The motor is also run clockwise an additional preset distance past the selected location before stopping. The operational sequence thereafter follows the path  380  to block  382 .  
         [0046]     At block  382  the processing means runs the motor counter-clockwise and is stopped as soon as a product has vended, or 3.4 inches has been reached and the operation follows the path  384  to the decision block  386 .  
         [0047]     At block  386  the processing means checks to see if the product has vended or not. If yes, the operation sequence follows path  388  to operations block  390  wherein the processing means makes any required change as a result of the amount credited, minus the price of the vended product, then the operational sequence follows the path  392 , to path  394  and to the enter path  370 . If the product has not yet vended, then operational sequence follows the path  396  to the decision block  398  where the processing means determines if the counter clockwise operation was the third time. If not, then the operational sequence follows the path  400  to the path  375 . If it was the third time, then the operational sequence thereafter follows path  402  to the operation block  404 .  
         [0048]     At block  404  the processing means instructs the customer to make another selection, thereafter follows path  394  and path  395  to return to the enter path  370 .  
         [0049]     Thus there has been shown and described novel methods for improving the operation and increasing the versatility of vending which eliminate many of the more costly and more troublesome mechanical and electromechanical devices which have been used for vending in the past. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that many changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications of the subject means are possible and all such changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applications which do not part the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.