Patent ID: 8157117

Claim:
A locking mechanism for use with the cover of a tank for a drink dispensing machine, said mechanism comprising, in combination, a) a tank comprising front, rear and side walls, a bottom connecting said walls, and an open upper end adapted to receive a supply of a drink to be dispensed, b) a discharge valve formed in one of said walls to dispense the drink in measured quantities, c) detents formed in the upper ends of opposing walls, d) a removable cover extending over said open upper end of said tank, e) a housing situated on the underside of said cover, f) opposing slots defined is said housing, g) a locking mechanism located within said housing for securing the cover to said tank to block access to the interior of said tank, h) said locking mechanism including at least a pair of axially movable rods disposed in a horizontal plane and moveable within said slots in said housing, i) each rod having a locking surface on its outer end and a contact surface on its inner end, j) an actuator including a vertically oriented axle extending through said cover, k) a cam with contact surfaces secured to the lower end of said vertically oriented axle and located within said housing intermediate said contact surfaces of said pair of moveable rods, l) a spring encircling each rod to bias the contact surface on each rod against said contact surfaces of said cam, m) whereby manual rotation of said actuator shifts said rods in a horizontal plane so that said locking ends of said rods fit into said detents and lock said cover in a fixed position upon said tank.