Patent Publication Number: US-7712628-B2

Title: Advertising apparatus for vending machines

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   The present application claims priority from Spanish Application Serial No. 200502097, filed on Aug. 25, 2005. Applicants claim priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 as to the said Spanish application, and the entire disclosure of said application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
   OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
   The following invention, as stated in the title piece of the presented descriptive specification, relates to an advertising apparatus for vending machines, being of special utility in those vending machines of products which have a glass front which allows the products to be seen presented in the different compartments of the plurality of storage trays and from which they are dispatched to a reception tray formed in an ascending/descending body, by way of an elevator, for their carriage to the delivery box for collection by the user, having as objective to display an advertisement in the operations of dispatching the products when requested by the users, allowing an additional economic benefit to be obtained. 
   Thus, the ascending/descending body for reception of the products to be dispatched for their carriage to the delivery box for collection is associated with a laminar element, holder of the advertisement, so that in the event of a product being requested by a user in the ascending movement thereof the laminar element is unwound with respect to the glass front, whilst in the descending movement thereof the laminar element is rewound on the corresponding winding roller. 
   In addition, the machine can be programmed so that the ascending/descending body associated with the laminar advertising element is activated regularly, for the purpose of displaying the advertisement, at a programmed interval of time. 
   FIELD OF APPLICATION 
   In the present specification an advertising apparatus is described for vending machines, being of special application in those vending machines of products which have the products to be dispatched located in different compartments of the plurality of storage trays, which products are dispatched to a reception tray for their carriage to the delivery box for collection, so that the front part of the machine is glazed in the greater part of its surface. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   It is known that on the market there exists a great diversity of automatic vending machines which work by the insertion of coins, notes or cards, so that, generically, a distinction can be drawn between those machines which have an opaque front, with whatever decorative or advertising motif, and the machines which have a glass front which allows the products stored inside to be seen. 
   Thus, those machines which have a glass front are usually vending machines of foodstuffs in which the products are located in a series of compartments of a plurality of storage trays, the compartments for housing the products being directed toward the front of the machine, allowing the user to see the diversity of products to be dispatched by selecting that desired from those present. 
   In addition, in this type of vending machine the selected product, from the corresponding housing compartment falls directly toward the delivery box for collection located in the bottom part of the machine. 
   Furthermore, we can consider the Patent of Invention P200501205 for: “unitary extractor system of products”, by the same party holding the present application, which is based on a vending machine fitted with a glass front and equipped with a plurality of trays for storage of the products in a series of compartments and a reception tray of the dispatched product formed in an ascending-descending body, by way of an elevator, relative to the internal face of the glass front. 
   Thus, when a user proceeds to the selection of a product, in the first place, the ascending-descending body will be positioned relative to the corresponding tray to receive the respective product and be carried to the delivery box for collection. 
   In this way, based on this constitution the present invention has been conceived with the object of obtaining a greater efficiency in the use of the machine. 
   DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   Based on the background cited in the present specification an advertising apparatus is described for vending machines, being of special utility in those vending machines of products which have a glass front which allows the products to be seen present in the different compartments of the plurality of storage trays and from which they are dispatched to a reception tray formed in an ascending/descending body, by way of an elevator, for their carriage to the delivery box for collection by the user. 
   Thus, to the ascending/descending body, proximate to the internal face of the glass door of the machine, is fastened, by one of its sides, a laminar element holding publicity which laminar element by its opposite side is fastened to and winds on a winding roller, said winding roller being driven by a spring tending to cause the rotation thereof and the winding of the laminar element, the laminar element in the unwinding thereof remaining abutting upon the internal face of the glass front of the machine door. 
   The laminar element holding publicity is guided by a bottom axle mounted in the same vertical plane as its fastening to the ascending/descending body and being carried, the aforesaid laminar element, according to a horizontal plane from the guiding bottom axle to the winding roller displaced toward the interior of the machine. 
   Thus, on requesting a product, the operating means of the machine cause the dispatch operation to begin, the body in which the reception tray of the products is formed, from its idle bottom position, initiating an ascending motion toward the storage tray of the requested product, and, when received, be carried to the delivery box for collection, so that in the ascending motion of the ascending/descending body the unwinding of the laminar element takes place relative to the glass front of the machine. 
   Once the product requested by a user has been dispatched to the reception tray formed in the ascending/descending body it has to be carried to the delivery box for collection by the user, so that the delivery box for collection can be in a position above or below that of the tray in which the dispatched product was located. 
   In the descending motions of the body in which the reception tray of the products is formed from the corresponding compartment of the plurality of storage trays for its carriage to the delivery box for collection, the winding takes place of the laminar element on the winding roller driven by a spring. 
   Moreover, the body in which the reception tray of the products is formed from the corresponding compartment of the plurality of storage trays for the carriage thereof to the delivery box for collection, can be programmed so that it is regularly displaced in an ascending/descending motion to display the publicity. 
   To complete the description which is provided below, and with the object of assisting in a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, this descriptive specification is accompanied with a set of drawings in the figures of which, by way of illustration and not restrictively, the most characteristic details in the invention are shown. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1 . It shows a front view of a vending machine, it being possible to observe how the door has the greater part of its surface glazed, there being in its bottom part, represented with dotted lines, an ascending/descending body in which is formed a reception tray of the products, whilst the products located in the different compartments of the plurality of storage trays are visible. 
       FIG. 2 . It shows a front view of the machine of the previous figure, it being possible to observe how the ascending/descending body has been displaced in an ascending motion causing the partial unwinding of the laminar element holding the advertisement. 
       FIG. 3 . It shows a front view of the machine of the previous figure, it being possible to observe how the ascending/descending body is in a higher position continuing in the ascending displacement thereof with the unwinding of the laminar element holding the advertisement. 
       FIG. 4 . It shows a side view of the interior of the vending machine of the previous figures, it being possible to observe how to the ascending/descending body is fastened the laminar element holding the publicity which at the bottom is guided by an axle, the direction of rotation of the winding roller having been shown on producing the unwinding of the laminar element through the ascent of the ascending/descending body. 
       FIG. 5 . It shows a side view of the interior of the vending machine of the previous figures, it being possible to observe how when the ascending/descending body descends, the laminar element holding the publicity, being relieved of tension, is wound on the winding roller, driven by a spring, according to the direction of rotation shown. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   In view of the aforementioned figures and in accordance with the numbering adopted it can be observed how the vending machine  1  of products has a front door  2  with a glass front  3 , on the greater part of its surface which allows the products to be seen present in the different compartments  4  of the plurality of storage trays  5  and from which compartments  4  they are dispatched to a reception tray  6  formed in an ascending/descending body  7 , by way of an elevator, for their carriage to the delivery box  8  for collection by the user. 
   Thus, the ascending/descending body  7  is proximate to the internal face of the glass front  3  of the door  2  of the machine  1 , so that to the aforementioned body  7  is fastened, by one of its sides, a laminar element  9  holding publicity, which laminar element  9  by its opposite side is fastened to and winds on a winding roller  10 . Said winding roller  10 , of a known type, is driven by a spring tending to produce its rotation and the winding of the laminar element  9  by applying a continuous pull on the laminar element  9 . 
   Moreover, laminar element  9  holding publicity is guided by a bottom axle  11  mounted in the same vertical plane as its fastening to the ascending/descending body  7  and being transported, the aforementioned laminar element  9 , according to a horizontal plane from the guiding bottom axle  11  to the winding roller  10  displaced toward the interior of the machine. 
   In this way, when a product is required, in the ascending motion of the body  7  in which the tray  6  is formed for reception of the products from the corresponding compartment  4  of the plurality of storage trays  5  for the carriage thereof to the delivery box for collection  8 , the unwinding takes place of the laminar element  9 , the laminar element  9  remaining, in its unwinding, abutting upon the internal face of the glass front  3  of the door  2  of the machine  1 . 
   Thus, in accordance with  FIG. 4  of the drawings, when the body  7  ascends, it pulls the laminar element  9  causing the unwinding thereof, whilst, when the body  7  descends the tension that the spring applies on the winding roller  10  causes the laminar element  9  to wind on to the latter, as is observed in  FIG. 5  of the drawings. 
   By means of the incorporation of the disclosed advertising apparatus, it is possible to obtain a greater economic return in the operation of the machine, the appearance of the machine itself being also improved.