Abstract:
A decorative facade for use with an array of vending machinesm comprises a main rail, preferably in the form f an extrusion, extending horizontally behind the vending machines and secured to a wall. A plurality of support brackets are held in place by the main rail nd the wall. The brackets include a forward mounting strut which supports top and bottom mounting members. Fascia panels are supported on the mounting members. The facade may also include one or more side posts which support an end panel to complete the facade. Vertical panels are provided to cover the gap between the end post and the adjacent vending machine and, if desired, the gap between adjacent vending machines.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. provisional application serial No. 60/264,416, filed Jan. 26, 2001, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    This invention relates to a facade which can be assembled over an array of vending machines to improve the appearance of the vending area.  
           [0003]    Typically, vending areas have a rather tacky appearance, to the dismay of facility owners and managers. Consequently, there is increasing demand to dress-up these areas to make them relate better to the surrounding environment and to make them more enticing to consumers, thereby increasing vending sales.  
           [0004]    To date, housings or facades on and over vending machines areas have been based largely on structures built from the floor up or attached in some way to the vending machines themselves. The problem with such structures is that they are generally made to order to fit a given configuration of vending machines in the United States, which, are usually 72″ high but can vary significantly in width. Some machines require a 1.5″ gap to allow for door swings, while others can be butted together. A rigid, floor based system makes it difficult to change the configuration of machines and, in some cases, difficult to even remove a machine for servicing.  
           [0005]    Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a modular facade system for use with vending machines which can accommodate different machine sizes and configurations.  
           [0006]    Another object of the invention is to provide a modular facade system for vending machines wherein the machines can be removed and replaced without disassembling the facade.  
           [0007]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a facade for vending machines which is easy to install at the site of the machines.  
           [0008]    Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a modular facade system for vending machines which can adopt different “looks and feels” and wherein the appearance can be changed from time to time, if desired, without altering the underlying structure.  
           [0009]    Still a further object of the invention is to provide a modular facade system for vending machines wherein accessories such as lighting fixtures, banners, signs and other components can be easily added to the system and/or repositioned if desired.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    Briefly, in accordance with the invention, a facade for use with an array of vending machines comprises an elongated main rail which extends horizontally behind the vending machines and which can be secured to a wall, for example, by bolting. A plurality of support brackets are mounted on the main rail and extend over the vending machines. The support brackets can be moved horizontally along the main rail to adjust their positions with respect to the machines during installation. Each support bracket includes a forward mounting strut. One or more decorative fascia panels are supported on the mounting struts above the vending machines. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a section of a vending machine facade in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the facade section of FIG. 1 partially assembled;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the facade section fully assembled;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the right side of the facade;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 is a sectional view along the line  5 - 5  of FIG. 4;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 is an elevational view of the structure shown in the circle labeled “FIG. 6” in FIG. 5;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the line  7 - 7  of FIG. 4;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the structure shown in the circle labeled “FIG. 8” in FIG. 5;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the structure shown in the circle labeled “FIG. 9” in FIG. 5;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 10 is a side sectional view showing an alternative embodiment of the main horizontal rail on which the facade is supported;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 11A is a side sectional view of the main rail;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 11B is a side sectional view of the accessory track;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 11C is a sectional view of the corner post;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 11D is a sectional view of the upper U-channel extrusion, the bottom U-channel extrusion being identical thereto;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 11E is a sectional view of one of the F-channel extrusions;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing how an end panel is attached to an end support bracket;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the upper position of an end panel attached to an end bracket;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 14 is a sectional view along the line  14 - 14  of FIG. 2;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of an alternative top mounting member which can be used in accordance with the invention;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 16 is a cross sectional view of an alternative bottom mounting member; and  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 17 is a side sectional view showing how the mounting members of FIGS. 15 and 16 are used to support a fascia panel. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0032]    Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and  3 , a section of a facade, in accordance with the invention, is shown in conjunction with three vending machines  8 A,  8 B and  8 C. Typically, these vending machines would be stand alone items arranged in a room or corridor of an office building where they are accessible to the employees. As shown in FIG. 3, the invention provides an attractive facade which makes the area more appealing to potential customers. As will become apparent from the following description, the construction is such that the facade can easily be changed to vary the “look and feel” of the area; moreover, the facade will accommodate vending machines of different sizes. The facade can be easily assembled, and disassembly is not necessary if the vending machines are to be changed.  
         [0033]    The facade is supported on a main horizontal rail  10  which is bolted to the wall behind the vending machines  8 A,  8 B and  8 C. The rail  10  includes a flange  10 A having a multiplicity of apertures (not numbered) through which appropriately spaced bolts  13  (FIG. 12) extend into the wall.  
         [0034]    A group of triangular support brackets  12  (four of which are illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and  3 ) are slidably mounted in support rail  10  so that they can be optimally positioned with respect to the vending machines. The bracket  12 ′ at the end of the facade serves a slightly different function as explained below. Each support bracket  12  includes three arms  12 A,  12 B and  12 C and a vertical mounting strut  20  attached to the forward ends of the bracket sides  12 A and  12 C. The bracket parts may be welded together. Top and bottom mounting members in the form of U-channel extrusions  24  and  26 , respectively, are secured to the ends of the struts  20 . Decorative fascia panels  16  are hung from the upper channel  24  as described below.  
         [0035]    The ends of the facade are enclosed by a decorative end panel  32  which is retained within a corner post  42  and a rear “F” extrusion  43 . An accessory track  46  may be attached to the tops of the support bracket arms  12 A as described below to support accessories such as a light  27  and banner bracket  29  (see FIG. 3).  
         [0036]    In the preferred embodiment, the gap between the side panel  42  and the adjacent vending machine  8 A is covered by a decorative vertical panel  36 . Similar vertical panels (not shown) may be provided to cover gaps between adjacent vending machines. Vertical nylon “strip brushes”  39  may be employed to cover gaps between adjacent vending machines. Horizontal brushes  37  are mounted in the bottom extrusion  26  to cover the gap between the decorative panels  16  and the tops of the vending machines.  
         [0037]    The main horizontal rail  10  may be an aluminum extrusion (see FIGS. 9 and 11A) having a slot  11  which receives the upper end of a mounting tab  14  welded to the back of support bracket arm  12 B. With this arrangement, the support brackets  12  can be positioned horizontally with respect to the main rail  10  to accommodate different vending machines and configurations. FIG. 9 shows how the tab  14  is inserted into the main rail (in phantom lines) and allowed to fall into its operational position (in solid lines).  
         [0038]    A leveling pad  18  extends from the rear of the support arm  12 C (FIG. 5) and rests against the wall beneath rail  10  to provide a rigid support for each bracket  12 . The leveling pad  18  is preferably threadedly received within arm  12 C. By adjusting the extension of pad  18 , each supporting bracket  12  may be mounted with the upper arm  12 A precisely horizontal and the mounting strut  20  precisely vertical. If the support brackets are not exactly aligned in this fashion, the panels  16  do not line up properly, leaving gaps between them and an uneven border above the machines. The adjustable leveling pads  18  enable the brackets to be aligned exactly even when the surface of the supporting wall is uneven.  
         [0039]    When the brackets  12  are mounted, the bottoms of each of the vertical struts  20  should be about one inch above the tops of the vending machines to provide clearance for the machines to be raised on a pallet jack for removal.  
         [0040]    As shown in FIG. 8, the top horizontal U-channel  24  is connected to the top of each strut  20  by a suitable fastener such as a bolt  25 A and rivnut  25 B within the top surface of the strut. The bottom horizontal U-channel extrusion  26  is connected in the same way to the bottoms of the vertical struts  20 . The centers of the U-channel extrusions  24  and  26  may be prepunched with holes one inch apart on center to facilitate attachment of the U-channel extrusions to the vertical struts  20 .  
         [0041]    The number of support brackets  12  required to support the panels  16  depends on the weight of the panels. In most situations, one bracket per vending machine will suffice. The brackets can be positioned directly over the vending machines or in between them. If a vertical panel  36  is used, a support bracket  12  should be centered on the panel.  
         [0042]    When the upper horizontal U-channel extrusion  24  is attached to the support brackets  12 , it makes the combined structure quite rigid and provides a continuous horizontal mounting member on which to hang the decorative fascia panels  16 .  
         [0043]    The fascia panels  16  can be of varying thickness, but are preferably about {fraction (1/4)} inch thick. They can be made from a variety of materials, such as acrylic, MDF (medium density fibreboard) panels, plywood with plastic laminate face, etc. Solid or laminated metals such as brass or aluminum can be used as well. A U-channel  44  (FIG. 8) is fastened across the top horizontal rear edge of each panel  16  using mechanical fasteners or double faced adhesive tape. If metal panels are being used, the metal can be brake formed with an integral U-channel. The channel  44  hangs over the top U-channel extrusion  24  spanning the support brackets  12 .  
         [0044]    The bottom horizontal U-channel extrusion  26  (FIGS. 6 and 11D) also helps to make the entire structure rigid; moreover, it serves two additional purposes.  
         [0045]    First, the extrusion  26  is formed with a small square inner channel  26 A which is designed to retain the black nylon “strip brushes”  37 . These brushes extend below the bottoms of the fascia panels  16 , the bottom edges of which (for example) may be positioned one inch above the top of the vending machines. The brushes  37  fill in the gap between the fascia panels  16  and the tops of the vending machines  22 . They are flexible enough to allow for the machines to be raised up to one inch off the floor on a pallet jack for removal.  
         [0046]    Second, the forward section of the extrusion  26  includes a recess (not numbered) in which a strip of magnetic tape  38  (see FIG. 6) is attached, for example, adhesively. The magnetic tape  38  mates with a thin piece of ferrous material  38 A on the bottom edge of the fascia panel  16  to keep the panels properly aligned and plumb.  
         [0047]    The end panel  32  fits in with the look and feel of the overall facade. In some installations, an end panel may not be necessary or desirable. Panel  32  may be made of the same material as the fascia panel  16 . It is supported by means of a radiused corner post  42 , a wall F-channel  43  and a floor F-channel  45 . Post  42  and channels  43  and  45  may also be aluminum extrusions. The shape of the post  42  is shown in FIGS. 11C and 14. It includes a channel  42 A which receives one end of the panel  32 , a channel  42 B which, in the illustrated embodiment, receives an end of the panel  36 , and a channel  42 C which receives the forward end of the end support bracket  12 ′. The F-channel extrusion  43  (FIG. 11F) includes a channel  43 A which receives the rear end of the end panel  32 . F-channel  45  which has the same shape, includes a channel which receives the bottom of the end panel  32 .  
         [0048]    The wall F-channel  43  includes apertures (not shown) in its rear flange so that it can be attached to the support wall, for example, by self-tapping screws. A Z-clip  30  (FIGS. 12 and 13) is attached to the outward facing side of the end support bracket  12 ′. These parts may be preassembled or they may be screwed together by suitable fasteners at the time of installation. Likewise, a mating Z-clip  31  is attached to the top end of the panel  32 . With the floor F-channel  45  in place on the end panel  32 , the end panel is then hung on the end support bracket  12 ′ by interlocking the two z-clips  30  and  31  (FIG. 13) and then moved toward the wall so that it sits within the channel  43 A flush with the supporting wall. The radiused corner post  42  is then attached to the forward edge of panel  32  with the vertical strut  20 ′ seated securely within the channel  42 C. The end panel  32 , forward panel  36  and end bracket  12 ′ may then be attached to the corner post  42  by means of self tapping screws  33  or the like (FIG. 14). End panel  32  may be securely attached to the end bracket  12 ′ by a suitable screws or the like. After the floor F-channel  45  has been properly positioned it may be attached to the end panel by screws (not shown) and to the floor using suitable anchors (not shown) passing through the flange into the floor. The flange of the wall F-channel  43  may be attached to the wall by means of self-tapping screws.  
         [0049]    With the end panel  32  in place, the top U-channel extrusion  24  is then secured to the upper surfaces of the vertical struts  20  using bolts  25 A which engage rivnuts  25 B (FIG. 8) in the strut. Depending on the length of the extrusions, more than one extrusion ordinarily will be required, in which case abutting ends may be spliced together.  
         [0050]    The bottom U-channel extrusion  26  is then secured to the lower surfaces of the struts  20  with the “U” facing downwards as shown in FIG. 7. The bottom extrusion  26  may be connected to the struts  20  in the same way as the upper extrusion  24  and adjacent ends spliced in the same way. After the bottom extrusion is in place, the top strip brushes  37  are inserted into the small U-channel  26 A (FIG. 11D). The strip brushes  37  may come in six foot lengths and can be cut to size. They should extend the entire width of the facade between adjacent end panels  36 .  
         [0051]    After the top and bottom extrusions  24  and  26  are in place, the vertical panels  36 , which may also be made of the same material as the fascia panels  16 , are installed. Only one vertical panel is shown in the drawings. In addition to covering the space between corner post  42  and an adjacent vending machine, one or more vertical panels may be positioned at different points along the facade to bridge gaps between adjacent vending machines.  
         [0052]    Each vertical panel  36  should be centered on a support bracket  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, the vertical panel  36  is centered on the end support bracket  12 ′. The panel  36  is supported by a support brace  35  (FIG. 1) which may be attached at its upper end to the vertical strut  20 ′ of end support bracket  12 ′ for example by a nut  39 A and bolt  39 B (FIG. 7). The panel  36 , in the preferred embodiment, is adhesively attached to the support brace  35 , for example, by means of a double sided adhesive tape (not shown) attached to the outer surface of the brace  35 . Before connecting the brace and panel, the bottom end of the panel is inserted into an F-channel extension  47  and the upper end into an H-channel extension  49  (FIG. 7). The left hand side of panel  36 , as mentioned above, should be placed into the slot  42 B of the corner post  42  before adhesively securing brace  35  and panel  36  together.  
         [0053]    With the vertical panels in place, an accessory track  46 , which may also be an aluminum extrusion (see FIGS. 8 and 11B) may be attached to the upper arms  12 A of the support brackets  12 . The accessory track  46  may also be an aluminum extrusion and is designed to support any of a number of accessories such as light fixture  27  and banner bracket  29 . The accessories may include a flange  50  that “lifts and drops” into a C-channel  52  on the accessory track  46 . Typically, the accessory would extend over the fascia panel  16  but some accessories might simply extend upwardly. The accessory track  46  may be attached to the arm  12 A by means of a bolt  51  which engage rivnuts  53  embedded within the arms  12 A. A feature of the accessory track  46  is that the accessories can be moved laterally so that lighting, for example, can be centered over a vending machine, or a sign positioned on the fascia and easily repositioned should the configuration change.  
         [0054]    The fascia panels can accept a wide variety of signs and displays that can be adhered to the fascia or end panels with mechanical fasteners, double faced adhesive tapes, or hooks that extend over the top edge of the fascia panels  16 .  
         [0055]    At this point in the assembly the vending machines  8 A,  8 B and  8 C may be moved into position. To further enhance the appearance of the area, vertical side strip brushes  59  (see FIG. 2) may be attached (for example, magnetically) to one or both sides of the vending machines to conceal the gap between them (which may be 1.5 inches).  
         [0056]    After the vending machines are in place, the fascia panels  16  are installed. The panels  16  are hung by dropping the U-channel  44  (see FIG. 8) over the upper U-channel extrusion  24  and carefully fitting the left hand edge of the panel into the slot  42 B of the corner post  42 . Where the panel overlies a vertical panel  36 , care is also taken to make sure that the bottom of the panel  16  fits into the upper portion of the H-extrusion  49  (see FIG. 7). When the panel is properly mounted, the ferrous strip  38 A should engage the magnetic tape  38  retained within the forward recess of lower U-channel extrusion  26  (FIG. 7).  
         [0057]    Instead of using a main horizontal rail  10  with a single groove as shown in FIGS. 1-3, a main horizontal rail  10 ′ having a series of grooves may be used as shown in FIG. 10. With the configuration shown in FIG. 10 and with the support member mounting tab  14 ′ shaped as shown, the support brackets  12  may be mounted at different heights. This would enable the height of the facade to be changed without having to reinstall the main rail.  
         [0058]    In situations where the vending machines vary in height, the fascia panels  16  may also vary in height to fill in the gaps. In that case, the individual panels would correspond in length to the widths of the machines. Where machine (and fascia panel) heights are uniform, the lengths of the panels may be independent of machine width, e.g. a sixteen foot facade could include two light foot fascia panels or three five foot fascia panels and one one foot vertical panel.