Patent GB-1010825-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to automatic dispensing apparatus
Inventor: LIGHTFOOT ROBERT OSCAR
IPC: G07F11/02
Filed: 1962-08-24
Abstract: 1,010,825. Coin-freed vending apparatus. ROCK-OLA MANUFACTURING CORPORATION. Aug. 24, 1962, No. 32614/62. Heading G4V. A machine for selling books stores the books in a number of separate compartments each of which has its own delivery shoot in which a book is held in suspense for display. When a push-button is pressed particular to a wanted compartment the book held in suspense in that compartment is released to fall to a delivery hatch and the machine goes through a cycle to feed another book out of the compartment to replenish the shoot. As shown in Fig. 3 books are stacked in compartments such as A2, A3, A4 with the bottom book spanning a gap between U-sectioned runners 78. Between the bottom flanges of these runners each compartment has a sliding plate 90 with a pivoted book ejecting catch 96 and a sliding plate 92 carrying a selectively engageable driving claw 112. All the sliding plates 92 of the compartments are connected together across the rows of compartments and each row is driven for movement of the plates 92 out from under the stacks and back again by crank arms 140 on a shaft turned by motor 128. After deposit of sufficient coins to cover the value of a book from a compartment a button corresponding to that compartment may be pushed to energize a solenoid 156 which pivots a transparent shoe 148 holding a book in suspense on the delivery shoot 146 of the compartment which book has been viewed through the glass front 40 of the machine. At the same time as the book leaves the shoot and falls to a delivery hatch 44, a solenoid 124 particular to the compartment deflects a camming arm 120 to allow the driving claw 112 on plate 92 to fall and engage a hole 106 on plate 90. Motor 128 then withdraws all the plates 92 but only the selected plate 90 is withdrawn with them, the catch 96 deflecting beneath the bottom book of the stack in the process. Motor 128 continues to drive and returns the plate 90 so that the catch 96 ejects the bottom book on to the delivery shoot 146 where, with solenoid 156 de-energized, it is held in suspense for display. Instead of the sliding plates 90, 92 an array of cross arms carrying solenoid controlled book ejecting pushers may be reciprocated beneath each row of compartments, only that pusher set up by its solenoid causing the ejection of a book (see Figs. 6 to 10, not shown). When released a book operates contacts to cancel a coin-return facility which would be made available in the event of no delivery. The price of books in a compartment can have one of three values chosen by the connection made for the two solenoids 124, 156, in a three column plug board. Each column is connected to the supply when a coin register signals a sufficient deposit to dispense a book from any of the compartments served by the column on the plug board. Instead of a separate dispensing button being provided for each compartment a single sliding button may be employed, which can be positioned against a compartment index and which is locked in position while the machine dispenses.