ARTICLE DISPENSING APPARATUS WITH SELECTIVELY RELEASABLE HINGED SHELVES

• US 3,556,343 A
• Filed: 06/21/1968
• Issued: 01/19/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Obuchowski Not Individually But As Assignee For The Benefit of Barvender Incorporated 's Creditors
• Original Assignee: Warren J. Ungerman
• Inventors: Ungerman, Warren J.
• Application Number:
  US04/739,116
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• US Class Current: 221/90
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/06 supported individually on pivotally-mounted flaps or shelves

Abstract

An article-dispensing apparatus having a plurality of vertically aligned shelves, each of which is held in a horizontal articlesupporting position by a latch mechanism and then released in sequence to a vertical nonsupporting position, starting from the lowermost shelf, to dispense the articles, one at a time. A cyclically operable release mechanism includes a vertical bar having a plurality of horizontal arms, one for operating the latch mechanism of each shelf. The release mechanism moves automatically from one position whereat it releases one shelf to another position for releasing a higher shelf, in response to the release of the said one shelf.

Claims

1. An article-dispensing apparatus comprising;

a plurality of vertically aligned shelves, each shelf being mounted for movement between a horizontal supporting position and a vertical nonsupporting position, each shelf including a latch means for holding that shelf in the horizontal position;

a control means having a plurality of operative positions including one operative position for each shelf whereat the control means operates the latch means of that shelf to cause that shelf to move from the horizontal position to the vertical position, said control means being movable from a first operative position whereat it operates the latch means of a first shelf, to a second operative position spaced vertically from the first operative position whereat it operates the latch means of a shelf higher than the first shelf, said movement of the control means being by gravity and in response to the operation of the latch means of the first shelf and to movement of the first shelf from its horizontal position to its vertical position.

2. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each shelf includes a rest surface connected thereto for supporting the control means when the control means is in position to operate that shelf, said rest surface being movable with the shelf between the horizontal position and the vertical position, such that the rest surface is in position to support the control means only when the shelf is in a horizontal position, and said control means being cyclically operable whereby the said higher shelf which the control means operates on the next cycle after operating the first shelf is whichever one of said plurality of vertically aligned shelves above the said first shelf happens to be the next highest shelf in the horizontal position.

3. A dispensing-apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said control means comprises an elongated bar having a main portion extending vertically alongside all shelves and including an actuating arm for each shelf, and each shelf including a rest level which is the locus of the said rest surface when that shelf is in the horizontal position, the said arms being spaced vertically from each other such that when the arm of the lowermost shelf is at its rest level, the arm of the second lowest shelf is spaced a distance H above its respective rest level, and all higher arms are spaced a distance (n-1) H above their respective reference levels wherein n is an integer representing the number of the shelf, counting up from the lowermost shelf, for which n 1.

4. A dispensing-apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the latch means of each shelf is horizontally movable between an active position whereat it holds its shelf in a horizontal position and an inactive position whereat it permits its shelf to move to its vertical position, and including actuating means for moving the arms in a horizontal plane to cause said horizontal movement of its shelf.

5. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said actuating means includes an electrically operated solenoid switch for oscillating the said bar about its axis to move the arms in said horizontal plane.

6. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 4 including deflector means located between each shelf for preventing articles falling from a given shelf from hitting the arms associated with lower shelves and also for preventing the arms from engaging articles on their respective shelves during said horizontal movement of the arms.

7. An article-dispensing apparatus according tO claim 6 including further deflector means located between each shelf for preventing articles falling from a given shelf from hitting lower shelves in a vertical position.

8. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 4 including a vertical partition along the side of the shelves, wherein each shelf is laterally movable in a horizontal plane towards and away from said vertical bar, and wherein each latch means comprises a latch pin rigidly attached to its respective shelf and extending laterally from one side of its shelf towards the said partition, means in the partition for receiving the ends of the latch pins remote from the shelf for holding the shelf in a horizontal position, and spring means for urging the shelf towards the said partition.

9. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the upper surface of the latch pin comprises the said rest surface and wherein the shelf includes a vertical side flange facing the bar, and wherein the arm in the operative position engages the side flange to move the shelf laterally and thereby move the latch pin away from its means in the partition, thereby permitting the shelf to fall to its vertical position. 10 An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the upper end of said bar is offset from the main portion thereof, and including a horizontally movable clamp engaging said offset portion to move the same horizontally to oscillate the said bar in a horizontal plane about the axis of the main portion of the bar.

11. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 10 including a spring means connected to the clamp for normally urging the said clamp towards the partition and a solenoid switch connected to the clamp for selectively moving the clamp away from the partition to cause said oscillating movement of the bar.

12. An article-dispensing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of vertically aligned shelves, each shelf movable between a horizontal article-supporting position and a vertical nonsupporting position, a control means including a vertically extending bar having formed thereon a plurality of actuating arms, one arm associated with each shelf, each said arm positioned to act upon its associated shelf to cause that shelf to move from the horizontal position to the vertical position, each shelf including a reference level at which its respective actuating arm acts to cause said movement of that shelf, wherein when the actuating arm associated with the lowermost shelf is located at the reference level of that shelf, the actuating arm associated with the next higher shelf is spaced a distance H above the reference level of that shelf, and all higher actuating arms are located a distance (n-1) H above their respective reference levels wherein n is an integer representing the number of the shelf, counting up, in sequence, starting from the said lowermost shelf for which n 1, wherein, when the shelves are in the horizontal position the said reference levels form rest surfaces for the said bar and arms of the control means, such that the weight of the bar and arms rests on whichever reference surface is at the moment receiving its respective arm.

13. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 12 wherein each reference surface is formed on a latch pin attached to and protruding laterally from one side of its shelf, and including means for engaging each pin to hold the shelf in the horizontal position.

14. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 13 including actuating means for oscillating the bar about its axis thereby moving the arms in a horizontal plane, such that the arm in the operative position disengages its latch means to permit that shelf to move to the vertical position, and such that the bar then moves downwardly until the next highest shelf in the horizontal position receives its respective arm to support the weight of the bar and arms.

15. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 14 wHerein each shelf is movable laterally towards and away from the bar, and each latch pin is rigidly attached to its respective shelf, and including spring means urging each shelf towards the bar, and a side flange on each shelf facing the bar, whereby when the bar is oscillated, the arm engages the side flange and urges the shelf and the latch pin away from the bar to release the latch pin and permit said movement of the shelf to its vertical position.

16. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the upper end of said bar is offset 15 the main portion thereof, and including a horizontally movable clamp engaging said offset portion to move the same horizontally to oscillate the said bar in a horizontal plane about the axis of the main portion of the bar, and including a spring means connected to the clamp for normally urging the said clamp towards the partition and a solenoid switch connected to the clamp for selectively moving the clamp away from the partition to cause said oscillating movement of the bar.

17. An article-dispensing apparatus comprising a plurality of vertically aligned shelves, each shelf being mounted for movement, independently of the other shelves, between a horizontal article supporting position and a vertical nonsupporting position, so that any combination of the total number of shelves may be placed in the horizontal position and the other shelves placed in the vertical position, a cyclically operable control means for acting upon only those shelves which happen to be in a horizontal position, one at a time and in sequence, from the lowermost of said horizontal shelves to the uppermost of said horizontal shelves to move each said horizontal shelf to the said vertical position, said control means being constructed to advance, during each of its cycles of operation, to a position to act upon the next higher horizontal shelf irrespective of the combination of the total number of the shelves which are initially placed in the horizontal position.

18. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the control means comprises an elongated bar extending vertically alongside all shelves and a plurality of arms formed thereon, one for each shelf, the spacing of the arms from each other being such that the weight of the bar and all of the arms, at any instant, rests upon the lowermost horizontal shelf.

19. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 18 wherein the shelves include laterally movable latch pins for holding the shelves in the horizontal position, the arms of the lowermost bar resting on its latch pin and wherein the said cyclic operation of the control means comprises oscillating the bar about its axis to move the arm of the lowermost horizontal shelf to disengage its latch pin and thereby permit the shelf, together with its latch pin to move to the vertical position, thereby permitting the arm associated with the next highest horizontal shelf to come to rest on its associated latch pin.

20. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 19 wherein each shelf is horizontally movable along a support rod and wherein said latch pin is rigidly connected to the shelf, a spring means for urging the shelf towards the bar of the control means, whereby the control means acts against the side flange to move both the latch pin and the shelf, together, away from the bar of the control means to permit that shelf to move to its vertical position.

21. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the upper end of said bar is offset from the main portion thereof, and including a horizontally movable clamp engaging said offset portion to move the same horizontally to oscillate the said bar in a horizontal plane about the axis of the main portion of the bar, and including a spring means connected to the clamp for normally urging the said clamp towards the partition and a solenoid switch connected to the clamp for selectively moving the clamp away from the partition to cause said osCillating movement of the bar.

22. An article-dispensing apparatus comprising a plurality of vertically aligned shelves, each mounted on a support rod for lateral movement therealong, and for swinging movement thereabout between a horizontal article supporting position and a vertical nonsupporting position, a control means on one side of the shelves including a plurality of actuating arms, one arm associated with each shelf, each arm being movable laterally against its respective shelf to cause movement of that shelf from the horizontal position to the vertical position, and a side deflector located at the sides and immediately above at least some of the shelves to cover the area in which the arm of the next lower shelf moves, so that articles falling down from the higher shelves will be prevented by the side deflector from hitting the said arm of the shelf immediately below each side deflector.

23. An article-dispensing apparatus according to claim 22 and further including a rear deflector located immediately above at least some of the shelves against the rear partition to cover the upper part of the next lowest shelf when that shelf is in the vertical position, so that articles falling down from a higher shelf will be prevented by the rear deflector from hitting the upper part of the shelf immediately below each deflector.

24. An article-dispensing apparatus comprising a plurality of vertically aligned shelves mounted on a frame having a rear partition, each shelf being mounted on a support rod for movement thereabout between a horizontal article supporting position and a vertical nonsupporting position, such that in the vertical position the shelves are generally flat against the rear partition, and a rear deflector located immediately above at least some of the shelves against the rear partition to cover the upper part of the next lower shelf when that shelf is in the vertical position, so that articles falling down from a higher shelf will be prevented by the rear deflector from hitting the upper part of the shelf immediately below each rear deflector.