Abstract:
A bulk merchandise-vending machine with a base supporting a merchandise storage member, a mechanism plate positioned to form a closure member for the base and removable therefrom by a forward pivotal movement about its bottommost edge while the storage member is tilted slightly upwardly about its rearmost edge, wherein the front of the storage member is provided with a locking element cooperative with a lock carried by the mechanism plate and operable positively to prevent the storage member from tilting about its rear lower edge and separate from the mechanism plate, whereby unauthorized access to the mechanism carried by the mechanism plate and/or a coin receptacle there behind is positively prevented.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to improvements in merchandise bulk vending machines in which the coins introduced for the merchandise are dropped into a cash box mounted in the base of the machine and a plate carrying a rotary coin mechanism is positioned to close a portion of the base. The machine described and claimed herein is a specific improvement over Applicant&#39;s basic Model 80 marketed for many years by Northwestern Corporation of Morris, Ill. The most recent embodiment of that Model 80 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,859B1 issued to the inventor of the present invention, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. The Model 80 vending machine comprised a supporting base member having side and rear walls rigidly connected to each other and leaving an operable front wall formed as a mechanism plate pivotable about its lowermost edge on the front floor of the base. When the mechanism plate is pivoted forwardly about its bottom edge, access to a cash box located behind the mechanism plate, in the base, is provided. 
   In normal operation, the mechanism plate cannot be pivoted forwardly since its uppermost edge is retained by a lip or retaining element at the lower forward edge of the merchandise storage container positioned immediately above the base. The storage container, or member, comprises a four sided box, the sides of which are typically transparent to permit viewing of the storage contents. The storage member is provided with a closure top and is fixedly secured to the base member by way of a centrally located rod passing from the bottom of the base upwardly through the storage container and thence through the top by way of a locking mechanism that, when locked, prohibits upward movement of the top and/or the storage member relative to the base. During collection of coins from the Model 80, the lock at the top is unlocked, the storage container is tilted upwardly around its rear lower edge relative to the base, and, upon vertical separation of the lower front edge of the storage member from the top of the mechanism plate, the mechanism plate is pivoted forwardly about its lower edge, revealing the cash box there behind. 
   The Model 80 vending machine has been nicknamed, in the trade, as the “Crack-Back” machine because of its construction which provides for the tilt-back of the storage container about its rear edge, which lifts up the lower front edge thereof permitting the mechanism plate to move forwardly. Ordinarily, the lock at the top of the storage member prevents such separation but it has been found in actual practice, over the years, that a blow or force, applied to the top edge of the storage member can sometimes permit vertical separation between the bottom front edge of the container and the top of the mechanism plate. This permitted unauthorized access to the cash box, and the pilfering of the valuable contents thereof. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the present invention, a separate interrelated, locking member is provided for mechanically securing the lowermost front edge of the storage container to the base thereby positively locking the two together and preventing any relative movement between the mechanism plate and the storage container, thereby preventing unauthorized access to the rear of the mechanism plate and/or the cash box. The key for this security lock may preferably comprise an uncommon type providing high security foreign to this field of vending machines. 
   It is therefore an important object to the present invention to provide an improved merchandise vending machine that is much more secure against unauthorized access to the coin storage box. 
   Another object of the present invention is to prevent unauthorized access to the mechanism of the vending machine. 
   A further object of the present invention is to provide merchandise vending machine having a merchandise storage container and a mechanism plate supporting the coin mechanism, constructed such that the merchandise plate cannot be removed without first conventionally unlocking the storage container at the top thereof and also unlocking an anti-pilfering lock. 
   In summary, Applicant here provides a coin controlled merchandise/vending machine comprising a merchandise storage container or member, a supporting pedestal and base having a front opening comprising a coin accepting merchandise dispensing mechanism which is pivotally mounted about the forward bottom edge of the base. Behind the mechanism carrying plate, the space within the base is occupied by a coin box. The mechanism plate is provided with a lip cooperating with the rear surface of a downwardly projecting edge of the front rim of the merchandise storing container, such that vertical separation between those two elements is required to permit the mechanism plate to be tilted forwardly. In accordance with the present invention, positive locking elements are provided preventing any unauthorized separation between the storage container and the mechanism plate so that improper pivotal opening movement of the plate cannot occur under any circumstance. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the invention, the accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, in combination with the following description, the invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and its advantages over the prior art will be readily understood. 
     Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of references are employed to indicate the corresponding parts throughout several figures of the drawings: 
       FIG. 1  is an isometric view of the assembled bulk vending machine as found in the prior art and partially disassembled. 
       FIG. 2  is an isometric view of an embodiment of the present invention showing the front mechanical plate tilted forwardly, and 
       FIG. 3  is a partial side elevational cut-away view illustrating, in detail an embodiment of the case lock construction according to the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   In  FIG. 1  a bulk vending machine  10  is, essentially, a modified Model 80 bulk vending machine as manufactured and distributed by The Northwestern Corporation of Morris, Ill. One embodiment of this prior art vending machine is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,859B1 issued Feb. 6, 2001. The machine  10  includes a base housing  12  and a storage container member  14 . The housing  12  is preferably formed from a top frame portion  16  and a base frame portion  18 . The frames  16  and  18  are rigidly secured together at the corner posts  13 . The container  14  comprises a hopper frame adapter  15  which supports a hopper  17  and four rigid corner posts  21  secured rigidly thereto for cooperation with and positioning four clear Plexiglas panels  20 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the hopper  17  is secured to frame  15  by screws  19  threaded into downwardly extending bosses  15   a . The bosses act to position frame  15  relative to the top frame  16 , and the rear bosses  15   a  cooperate with the inner rear edge of the frame  16  to act as a pivot when force is applied to the front top of container  14 . 
   The container  14  may be removably affixed to the base housing  12  by a vertically ascending, mounting rod  13  which may be threadedly, or otherwise, secured to the base frame  18 , typically in a central position of the base frame  18  as at  13   a . The rod is threaded at its upper end and cooperates with a conventional keyed, locking member  26  which acts against the top lid,  27  of the container  14  to snuggly secure the container  14  to the base portion  12  by acting to force the lid  27  downwardly against the Plexiglas plates  20  which bottom against the container frame  15 . In turn, the frame  15  acts against the top frame  16  of the housing  12 , and thence against the base frame  18 . In this assembled, rigid condition, the vending machine has, in the prior art, been in condition for display and distribution of merchandise. 
   In the prior art Model  80  machine a mechanical front plate  30  has been provided with mechanism  22  for accepting coins and thereafter mechanically dispensing, upon actuation of handle  24 , materials confined in the container  14  downwardly through the door  28 , to a customer. In the prior art Model  80 , the front plate, or wall,  30  is pivotally mounted about the bottom front edge of the base frame  18  as at  43 . Coins exiting the coin mechanism are dropped into a coin box  31  positioned inside the base housing  12 , resting on the base plate, or frame,  18  behind the pivoted mechanism plate  30 . In order to remove coins from the box shown at  31 , the mechanism plate must be pivoted forwardly about its lower edge, and removed, or tilted forwardly far enough to allow removal of the coin box  31 , forwardly through the opening provided by tilting the plate  30 . Of course, in the clamped, locked, vending condition described above, the mechanism plate cannot be tilted forwardly. In this position, forward motion is prevented by downwardly projecting lip  15   b  on the front of frame  15  which interlocks with lips  30   b  on the plate  30 . In order to permit such forward movement, the storage container  14  must be tilted backwardly about its lower rear edge sufficient to allow the mechanism plate interlock with the frame lip  15   a  to be disconnected. It has been found that while ordinarily the lock  26  acting through the top cover  27  sufficiently rigidly secures the container  14  to the base  12 , occasionally during assembly in the field, the condition of the lock  26  is somewhat loose and the application of a manual jarring force in the direction of arrow  35  can tilt the container backwardly and upwardly sufficient to allow the plate to be released as illustrated in FIG.  1 . Also, the cover  27  is conventionally constructed of sheet metal which can be deflected downwardly adjacent the lock  26  when forced, to, allow the release described. It has been found, in the field, that unauthorized forcing, and tilting, of the storage bin  14  about its rear, with the resultant release of the mechanism plate and hence access to the coin box, has resulted in significant monetary loss to the operators of these bulk vending machines. 
   In accordance with the present invention, a locking mechanism is provided for rigidly interconnecting the container adapter frame  15  to the mechanism plate  30  and the base top frame element  16 . This connection is made in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention by providing a metal latching hook  36  on top of the merchandise hopper  17 , passing through the hopper  17  and the frame  15  to project downward into the interior of the base housing  12 . This relationship is clearly illustrated in the enlarged partial cross-sectional view of  FIG. 3  where the latch hook  36  extends downwardly to provide contact with cam arm  37  carrying locking element  38  which is rotated into an edge slot on latch hook  36  by rotation of the lock key  40  immediately prior to the removal of the key from the mechanism plate lock  39 . 
   It will be understood that the locking cam  37  mounted on plate  30  can, in cooperation with the latch  36  only physically maintain the lowermost position of the hopper adapter frame  15  relative to the base  12  if the mechanical plate  30  is maintained in fixed relationship to the base frame  18  via the posts  13 . In the arrangement illustrated, the upper rear edge of the mechanism plate, shown at  30 ( a ) extends under the top frame element  16 , which is in turn rigidly secured to the base  12 . At the same time that the mechanical plate  30  moves backwardly under the front edge of the top  16 , the upwardly extending locating ridge  30 ( b ) is positioned behind the lowermost front edge of the hopper adapter frame  15  where it is confined when the hopper adapter frame  15  is locked in its downward position by the lock  39 . Accordingly, the plate  30  cannot move upwardly when in its assembled, vending, condition, because of the constraint by the base top frame  16  and cannot move forwardly because of restraint by the downwardly projecting lip of hopper adapter frame  15 . This locking mechanism is extremely rigid and it has been found that no amount of force applied to the storage container, or bin  14  can raise the frame  15  sufficiently to permit the mechanical plate to be tilted forwardly exposing the coin box or the dispensing mechanism. 
   The preferred embodiment illustrated above provides for the lock element  39  to be positioned in the front face of the mechanical plate  30 . This position is preferred, since in many bulk vending machine installations, a plurality of machines are positioned side by side on a single supporting frame. In that situation, the sides of the individual bulk vending machines are adjacent to each other and a lock positioned in the side, adjacent to front edge of the base frame  12  could be inaccessible. However it is within the scope of the present invention to provide a locking element  39  extending into the internal housing area of base  12  from adjacent the front edge of a side wall of base  12 , for locking contact with the projecting latch  36 . In that case, of course, the edge opening of the latch  36  would be positioned to accept the thus modified movement of the cam  37  and locking element  38 . Likewise, the plate  30  may be hinge pinned or mechanically interlocked to the base frame  18  rather than utilize cooperation of edge  30   a  with frame  16  to secure plate  30  to the base. It will of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made within the scope of the present invention, and it is intended that the scope of the invention be limited solely by the appended claims.