Patent Abstract:
A goods access door assembly for a vending machine includes an outer plate, a hermetic seal, and a goods bracket. The outer plate defines an access opening. A hermetic seal is mounted on the inner side of the outer plate and surrounding the access opening and functions to isolate the goods in the vending machine from a hotter or colder ambient temperature until the moment that the goods are taken out of the vending machine.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    The present disclosure relates to vending machines, and more particularly to a goods picking door assembly for a vending machine. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0004]    A vending machine provides twenty-four hours services. Different kinds of goods, such as cold and hot beverages, are provided by the vending machine. When the cool or hot beverage is sent to an access door of the vending machine, a temperature of the beverage may be influenced by external environment, such that the cool beverage may become heated, and vice versa. Such experiences may lead to unsatisfied customers. 
         [0005]    Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of an embodiment of a goods access door assembly of a vending machine. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of encircled portion II of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is similar to  FIG. 2 , but viewed from another aspect. 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is an assembled view of the goods picking door assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view in an enlarged scale taken along line V-V of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of encircled portion VI of  FIG. 5 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean “at least one.” 
         [0014]      FIGS. 1 to 3  show one embodiment of a goods picking door assembly for a vending machine. The goods picking door assembly includes an outer plate  10 , a strip assembly  40 , a hermetic seal  20 , and a goods bracket  30 . 
         [0015]    The outer plate  10  defines an access opening  11 . An inner side  15  of the outer plate  10  defines a plurality of first fixing holes  12  and second fixing holes  13  surrounding the access opening  11 . 
         [0016]    The hermetic seal  20  includes a pair of parallel long edges  21  and a pair of parallel short edges  23 . The hermetic seal  20  is made of resilient and elastic material, such as rubber. The pair of short edges  23  are perpendicular to the pair of long edges  21 . The pair of parallel long edges  21  and the pair of parallel short edges  23  surrounds a through opening  25 . A side of each long edge  21  facing to the through opening  25  defines a first groove  211 . A side of each short edge  23  facing to the through opening  25  defines a second groove  231 . A size of the through opening  25  is slightly larger than a size of the access opening  11 . 
         [0017]    The strip assembly  40  includes two long hermetic strips  41  and two short hermetic strips  43 . Each of the two long hermetic strips  41  and the two short hermetic strips  43  defines a plurality of first through holes  45  corresponding to the plurality of first fixing holes  12  of the outer plate  10 . An outer side of each long hermetic strip  41  forms a first inserting flange  411 . An outer side of each short hermetic strip  43  forms a second inserting flange  431 . 
         [0018]    The goods bracket  30  includes a bottom wall  31 , a rear wall  32 , two side walls  33 , and a front wall  34 . The rear wall  32  is perpendicularly connected to a rear edge of the bottom wall  31 . Two side walls  33  are perpendicularly connected to left and right edges of the bottom wall  31 . The front wall  34  is perpendicularly connected to a front edge of the bottom wall  31 . The front wall  34  is parallel to the rear wall  32 . The two side walls  33  are parallel to each other. A receiving room  36  is surrounded by the bottom wall  31 , the rear wall  32 , the front wall  34 , and two side walls  33 . The receiving room  36  is adapted to receive goods selected from the vending machine. A door  37  is movably mounted on the front wall  34 . The door  37  protrudes from the front wall  34 . A pair of fixing pieces  331  is connected the front wall  34 . Each of the pair of fixing pieces  331  defines a plurality of second through holes  332  corresponding to the second fixing holes  13  of the outer plate  10 . 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIGS. 4 to 6 , in assembly, the through holes  45  of the two long hermetic strips  41  and the two short hermetic strips  43  are aligned to the first fixing holes  12 . A plurality of screws are mounted in the through holes  45  and the first fixing holes  12  to mount the strip assembly  40  on the inner side  15  of the outer plate  10 . At this position, the two long hermetic strips  41  are parallel to each other, and the two short hermetic strips  43  are parallel to each other. The two short hermetic strips  43  are perpendicular to the two long hermetic strips  41 . Then, the hermetic seal  20  is slightly stretched to be set on the strip assembly  40 . The first inserting flanges  411  of the long hermetic strips  41  are inserted in the first grooves  211  of the long edges  21  of the hermetic seal  20 . The second inserting flanges  431  of the short hermetic strips  43  are inserted in the second grooves  231  of the long edges  23 . Thereby, the hermetic seal  20  is secured on the inner side  15  of the outer plate  10 . The access opening  11  is located in the through opening  25 . 
         [0020]    The second through holes  332  of the goods bracket  30  are aligned to the second fixing holes  13  of the outer plate  10 . A plurality of screws are mounted in the second through holes  332  and the second fixing holes  13  to fix the goods bracket  30  on the outer plate  10 . At this position, the door  37  of the goods bracket  37  is located in the through opening  25  and aligned to the access opening  11 . Periphery of the doors  37  abuts an inner side of the hermetic seal  20  to seal the door  37 . 
         [0021]    In the above goods picking door assembly, because the door  37  is sealed by the hermetic seal  20 , a temperature of goods received in the goods bracket  30  is substantially maintained. 
         [0022]    It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the embodiments have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and functions of the embodiments, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in the matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the present disclosure to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0