improvements in Automatic Vending or delivering Machines
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 14th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 12th Feb., 1889
I, JOHN ANNAN BRYCE, of the Oxford and Cambridge University Club, Pall Mall,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in Automatic Vending or delivering Machines
and has special reference to the delivery of articles deficient in rigidity or of indefinite
shape or size.
employ supports which may for example be of the form of platforms, trays, cups
or the like of suitable size and strength for supporting the articles to be sold or
delivered and I hinge or suspend these supports so as to render them capable of
movement in such manner as to release the articles and allow them to drop
or pass
through a shoot or otherwise to the exterior of the machine or into a drawer or
compartiment from which they can be readily removed. 1 cause these supports to be
successively operated by means of what I may for convenience term a traveller."
This traveller may consist of an endless band or driving chain or the like having at
any convenient part thereof a projection or releasing device which successively comes
in contact with the supports or with a device or part connected thereto so as to cause
them to be moved and the article to be delivered. Or the traveller may consist of a
screw or rack with a nut or carriage travelling thereon and operating the supports
after the manner hereinbefore mentioned.
I actuate the traveller by means of a slide or pusher or the like which may act upon
a ratchet wheel or other similar or equivalent device by means of a pawl or its equiva-
lent and so cause a definite amount of movement of the traveller. In some cases the
said slide or pusher instead of acting directly upon the ratchet wheel may act indirectly
through the agency of a coin and when this is the case suitable arrangements are used
to insure the mechanism being operated by a coin of the correct value only, the coin
being after each operation of the machine, passed to a suitable receptacle. For the
ratchet and pawl arrangement referred to I may when desired substitute any other
convenient known device for converting reciprocating into rotary motion, and this
either with or without the employment of a coin acting as aforesaid.

page_text: When desired I may instead of employing a slide or pusher or other reciprocating
actuating device employ an actuating device placed at or connected with the exterior
of the machine capable of rotary or angular motion.
To close the coin slit, or orifice through which the coin is introduced, when the
last article has been delivered or the last support operated, I employ a shutter
connected by any convenient mechanical movement with such last support or with
the traveller.
Part or parts of my invention may be employed in conjunction with a part or parts
of other forms of automatic vending or delivering machine..
For the Applicant,
J. G. LORRAIN, M. Inst. M.E., &c.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.

page_text: Improvements in Automatic Vending or Delivering Machines.
I, JOHN ANNAN BRYCE, of the Oxford and Cambridge University Club, Pall Mall,
London, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invenion and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in Automatic Vending or delivering
Machines and has special though not exclusive reference to the delivery of articles
deficient in rigidity or of indefinite shape or size.
I employ supports which may for example be of the form of platforms, trays, cups
or the like of suitable size and strength for supporting the articles to be sold or
delivered and 1 hinge suspend or sustain these supports so as to render them capable
of movement in such manner as to release the articles and allow them to drop or pass
through a shoot or otherwise to the exterior of the machine or into a drawer or
compartment from which they can be readily removed. I cause these supports to be
successively operated by means of what I may for convenience term a traveller."
This traveller may consist of an endless band or driving chain or the like having at
any convenient part thereof a projection or releasing device which successively comes
in contact with the supports or with a device or part connected thereto so as to cause
them to be released or moved and the article to be delivered. Or the traveller may
consist of a screw and a nut or carriage travelling thereon and operating the supports
after the manner hereinbefore mentioned.
I actuate the traveller by means of a slide or pusher or the like which may act upon
a ratchet wheel or other similar or equivalent device by means of a pawl or its
equivalent and so cause a definite amount of movement of the traveller.
In some
cases the said slide or pusher instead of acting directly upon the ratchet wheel may
act indirectly through the agency of a coin: and when this is the case suitable
arrangements are used to insure the mechanism being operated by a coin of the correct
value only, the coin being, after each operation of the machine, passed to a suitable
receptacle. For the ratchet and pawl arrangement referred to I may when desired
substitute any other convenient known device for converting reciprocating into
rotary motion, and this either with or without the intervention of a coin acting as
aforesaid.
When desired I may instead of employing a slide or pusher or other reciprocating
actuating device employ an actuating device placed at or connected with the exterior
of the machine capable of rotary or angular motion.
To close the coin slit, or orifice through which the coin is introduced, when the
last article has been delivered or the last support operated, I employ a shutter
connected by any convenient mechanical movement with such last support or with the
traveller.
Having thus described in general language the nature and object of my invention I
shall now proceed to explain in detail one or more ways in which it is to be or may be

page_text: performed or carried into effect and in order that this more detailed description may
be more readily understood I have annexed hereunto sheets of drawings illustrative
of my invention and have inserted in the same figures and letters of reference corre-
sponding with those in the following explanation. In these drawings similar letters
of reference apply to similar or equivalent parts.
Figure 1 is a drawing illustrating the essential parts of one form of my invention.
In this form a number of platforms A, A1, A2, constituting the supports, are superposed
one over the other; and each of these serves to support a single newspaper or other
article. These platforms are rigidly attached to the tumblers B, B1, B2 which engage
with the gripping pieces C, C', C which latter rest on the pins D, D1, D2 when free
from the releasing device E. This releasing device is mounted on the driving chain F
which engages and passes over the sprocket wheels G G¹ (for convenience of drawing
the driving chain F is shown in the figures by the simple line, and the sprocket
wheels G G by circles). To G¹ is rigidly attached the ratchet wheel H this being
engaged by the pawl J mounted on the lever K which moves loose upon the same
arbor or centre L upon which H and G₁ are fixed. M is a slide or pusher upon which
is a pin m working in the slot of K, the latter being retained in its normal
position by the spring N. To explain the operation of the apparatus showu in this
figure let us assume that the slide or pusher M is actuated so as to move in the
direction shown by the arrow. Such a movement will cause the lever K to be turned
on the centre L so as to cause the pawl J to move the ratchet wheel H and with it the
sprocket wheel G and driving chain F in the direction shown by the arrow. The
dimensions and the adjustment of these parts are such as to cause the distance moved
by the releasing device E to be such as to actuate one of the platforms at each
complete operation of the slide or pusher. It will thus be seen that the releasing
device E and the gripping device will on the operation of the slide M move into
the positions e and c' shown in dotted lines. The tumbler B being now freed from
the gripping device C will be free to turn, and with it the platform to which it is
attached by reason of the weight of the latter, into the position shown in the dotted
lines and a¹ so that the article which, was supported on the platform will drop
downwards into a shoot or be otherwise passed to the exterior of the machine, or into
a drawer or compartment from which it can be removed.
Figures 2 and 3 are diagrams illustrating another form of my invention namely one
specially suited for a case in which the articles to be delivered have a certain rigidity,
such for example as cards or mounted photographs or the like. The platform or
support (figure 2) consists of two levers A3, A4 sufficiently rigid to carry the
article to be vended and hinged so as to turn on the pivots O, O. These levers are
connected by the link P which is articulated to the levers at a³, a. This connecting
link has a pin p¹ rigidly attached to it, which is engaged by the armed of the releasing
device when the machine is operated. The releasing device, shown in plan in
figure 2 and in elevation in figure 3, consists of a nut E, to which is rigidly attached
a projecting arm e³, revolving and travelling on a fixed screw Q. Through a lug on
one side of the nut E a rod R passes loosely the rod being rigidly fixed to the
sleeve. S which revolves freely round the end of the fixed screw Q. The action of
this apparatus is as follows. The levers A3 A4 are normally in the positions shown
in full lines in figure 2 and in this position support the article Z to be vended or
dilivered. Let us now for the purpose of describing the action of this form of my
invention assume that the sleeve S is operated either by being released by the
action of a coin (in which case such rotation will be caused by the hand) or actuated
by a coin, in which case the sleeve S. will be rotated directly through the medium
of the coin. The rod R, which is rigidly affixed to the sleeve S, will now revolve
round the fixed screw Q, and with it the nut or releasing device E, in the direction
of the arrow. The projecting arm e3 of the nut E will come in contact with the
pin p on the link P so as to move the latter, and with it the levers A3 A, into the
positions shown by the dotted lines in figure 2, when the article Z being no longer
supported will drop down into a shoot or receptacle or otherwise pass to the exterior
of the machine. The nut or releasing device is designed to move through a

page_text: complete revolution at each operation of the machine and the screw being fixed it
is obvious that the said nut or releasing device will move up the screw so as to
release a different support at each complete revolution, that is to say at each
operation of the machine. Referring to figure 3 the dotted lines representing E
and show the position which these parts will occupy when another complete
revolution round the screw has been made. In order to obviate the necessity of
accuracy of construction or adjustment in the link P and the levers A³, A', I
interpose a strong flexible joint in the link P as shown at p³ so as to obtain a certain
amount of give or play.
When describing the form of my invention illustrated by figures 2 and 3 I
specified the screw as being fixed and the releasing device E and rod R as
revolving round it. It will be obvious however that if the rod R were fixed and..
the screw caused to rotate round its axis (as for example by the means herein before
mentioned when referring to the rotation of S and R, and in the opposite direction
to that indicated by the arrow in figure 3) then the releasing device E would travel
up the screw without rotating round it. In carrying out this last arrangement
the releasing device might successively release supports as for example after the
manner shown in figure 1; or it might release supports such as are shown in
figures 2 and 3, this latter case being illustrated in figure 4. In this figure, which
is a plan, it will be seen that the bevelled surface T of the releasing device É as it
moves upwards will press the pin p₁ and the link P to the left into the positions
shown by the dotted lines so as to produce the same effect as is produced in the form
of my invention illustrated in figures 2 and 3.
:
I desire it to be understood that my invention does not include what is known as
the coin-releasing or coin-actuating mechanism employed in automatic vending
machines nor does it include any particular arrangement for ensuring that the.
machine shall be operated by a coin of the required value only: nor does it include
any special device for closing the coin slit after all the articles contained in the
machine have been sold. On the contrary my invention is limited to the parts
constituting what may conveniently be termed the delivering mechanism. There are
many forms of coin-releasing or coin-actuating mechanism, of mechanism for
ensuring that the machine shall only be actuated by a coin of the correct value,
and of mechanism for closing the mouth of the coin slit when the last article has
been sold, which may conveniently be employed in conjunction with my delivering
mechanism.
When one article is to be sold or delivered for each payment made to, and operation
of, the machine one article only is placed upon each support. When more than one
article is to be sold or delivered that number of articles is placed upon each support.
When the article is to be sold or delivered in bulk then the proper quantity is placed
upon each support.
It will be seen that the articles sold by means of my apparatus are not necessarily
of any definite size or shape nor do they require to be rigid. It is sufficient
that they can be supported on a platform or tray or cup or the like as before
described.
It will be understood that in the case where the machine is constructed to sell or
deliver a specific article the supports may conveniently be of such size and shape
and distance apart as to suit the said articles. When however the machine is not
constructed to sell a specific article then the supports should be constructed of such
distance apart and of such shape and strength as to be suitable for the largest and
heaviest articles likely to be sold or delivered from the machine.
I do not limit myself to any particular method of hingeing or suspending or otherwise
sustaining the supports: nor do I limit myself to any particular devices or mechanism
for operating the supports.
My invention is specially applicable to the automatic sale of such articles as
newspapers and magazines.
I desire it to be understood that the essence of my invention lies in the employment
of a number of superposed supports each serving to support the exact amount of

page_text: material or number of articles (one or more as the case may be) as are to be sold or
delivered at each operation of the machine these supports being successively operated
by a traveller so as to move or alter their position and so allow the material or
articles which they support to drop and pass either to the exterior of the machine
or to a recepticle from which it or they can be conveniently removed.
I am aware that before the date of my invention supports have been employed
which themselves travelled in such a manner as when successively reaching a certain
position to allow of the articles which they supported dropping and passing to the
exterior of the machine. My invention differs from these however in that inter alia
my supports do not travel.
I am also aware that before the date of my invention a continuous travelling
support serving to close-the orifices of a number of compartments each containing
an article to be sold has been employed the said support as it travelled uncovering
the orifice of a different compartment at each operation of the machine so as to
allow the contents of that compartment to drop out. As will be seen my invention
differs essentially from such.
My invention may be employed in conjunction with a part or parts of other forms
of automatic vending or delivering machine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
1. The improvement in automatic vending or delivering machines consisting in the
employment of a number of superposed supports each serving to support the articles
or material required to be delivered at each operation of the machine the said supports
being successively operated by a traveller so as to successively allow the said articles
or material to drop or pass either to the exterior of the machine or to a receptacle
from which they can be removed substantially as set forth.
2. The combination of a number of supports and a traveller substantially as and for
the purpose set forth.
3. The improvement in automatic vending or delivering machines consisting in the
delivering mechanism substantially as set forth with reference to figure 1.
4. The improvement in automatic vending or delivering machines consisting in the
delivering mechanism substantially as set forth with reference to figures 2, 3 and 4.
Dated this 14th day of December 1888.
lay of December 1888.
For the Applicant,
J. G. LORRAIN, M. Inst. M.E., M. Inst. E.E., &c.,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent,
Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London, W.C.