Apparatus for dispensing flat items

• US 20050211722A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 09/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frank Runnels
• Original Assignee: Frank Runnels
• Inventors: Runnels, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 7,128,238 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/259
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/045 for sheet shaped or pliable articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/18 Recessed drawers

Abstract

A vending machine for dispensing flat items includes a housing having a removable collection pan with a pan bag, a door with display windows, a coin slide mechanism extending through the door and a folder slide mounted on the inside of the door. The folder slide releasably retains either a tower or a shipping/dispensing box for holding a column of the flat items to be dispensed through a slot in the door.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing flat items comprising:

a housing having a front wail with an upper door opening, at least one intermediate dispensing slot and a lower pan opening formed therein;

a collection pan releasably retained in said pan opening and extending inside said housing;

a pan bag removably retained in said collection pan for receiving coins;

a door positioned in said door opening and pivotally attached to said front wall for movement between open and closed positions;

at least one coin slide mechanism mounted on said door and operable to transfer at least one coin from outside said housing to said pan bag;

a storage means removably mounted on an inside surface of said door for holding a plurality of flat items in a column; and

a folder slide mounted on an inside surface of said door adjacent said storage means and coupled to said coin slide mechanism whereby when said storage means holds at least one flat item and said coin slide mechanism is operated to transfer the at least one coin from outside said housing to said pan bag, said coin slide mechanism actuates said folder slide to push the at least one flat item at least partially out of said at least one dispensing slot.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said collection pan has at least one of a tab adapted to extend through a slot formed in a rear wall of said housing for receiving a padlock and a lock cooperating with said housing.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said pan bag includes a pan shaped bag having a bottom wall with a bag opening formed therein and a pocket shaped bag attached to said bottom wall in communication with said bag opening.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said pan bag includes a cord having opposite ends attached to opposed side walls of said pan shaped bag.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said storage means is one of a tower and a shipping/dispensing box.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a weight having a metal plate and attached handle, said weight being removably retained in said storage means for resting on top of the column of flat items.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said storage means is a shipping/dispensing box having a predetermined number of the flat items stored therein.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a display attached to a front wall of said storage means.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said shipping/dispensing box has an indicator means for indicating at least one of a number of the flat items in said box and a number of the flat items dispensed from said box.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 including a security gate mounted inside said housing adjacent said dispensing slot, said security gate being one of a vertically extending bias plate attached to said folder slide and a horizontally extending spring attached to said door.

11. An apparatus for dispensing flat items comprising:

a housing having a front wail with at least one dispensing slot formed therein;

a storage means removably mounted inside said housing for supporting a plurality of flat items in a column, said storage means having a bottom wall with an opening formed therein; and

a folder slide mounted on an inside surface of said housing front wall adjacent said storage means, said folder slide having at least one flange extending into said opening and at least one post extending into said opening whereby when said storage means holds at least one flat item, said at least one item is supported by said at least one flange and said at least one post out of contact with said storage means bottom wall.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said storage means includes a retaining means for securing a column of the flat items from movement in the storage means.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said storage means has opposed side walls and said retaining means is one of a plurality of tabs formed in said side walls, each said tab being adapted to be pushed inwardly, and a plurality of flexible teeth extending inwardly from said side walls.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said storage means has an indicator means adjacent for indicating at least one of a number of the flat items in said storage means and a number of the flat items dispensed from said storage means.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said storage means is one of a tower and a shipping/dispensing box.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said shipping/dispensing box has a top wall rear portion adapted to be folded into an upper end of said box and having a tab lock adapted to be inserted behind a rear edge of the topmost flat items to hold the column in place.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said folder slide includes means for releasably retaining said tower and said shipping/dispensing box, said means for releasably retaining being movable between a first position over a portion of said bottom wall of said storage means and a second position in said opening in said bottom wall of said storage means.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said storage means has a front wall adapted to receive a display.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said front wall has at least one display window formed therein, said at least one display window being aligned with said front wall of said storage means for viewing a display received on said front wall.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 including a transparent plate mounted inside said housing closing said at least one display window.

21-23. -23. (canceled)