Vending machine for fabric-like articles and method
First Claim
1. In a dispensing machine for receiving and examining an article such as a soiled shop towel prior to dispensing a clean one and wherein there is a normally closed cabinet or housing in which there is a place for storage of soiled towels which have been inserted into the machine and a place for storage and dispensing clean towels and wherein there is a slot or opening in the housing through which a clean towel may be positioned on a continuously driven conveyor means having a plurality of spaced positions thereon on which a towel is inserted, there being a measuring wheel continuously contacted by the movement of said article, the improvement comprising:
- supporting said measuring wheel for movement in response to the travel of said article as said article such as the shop towel is elongated by said conveyor means,an elongated measuring member and means connecting said measuring wheel to said measuring member so that said measuring member is displaced in response to the movement,means for returning said measuring member to initial position after displacement.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrically operated shop towel vending machine for dispensing a clean shop towel only in response to the proper input of the satisfactory dirty shop towel which is inspected as to length, strength, texture and/or bulk. The input section comprises an inspection mechanism which employs a continuous chain on which a towel is hooked passing beneath an inspection wheel which operates a sprocket and measuring chain only in response to proper actuation of the wheel to activate electrical switches indicating that a proper towel has been inserted. The delivery section of the machine comprises a continuously moving pickup conveyor which delivers the towel from a pile of towels to a transfer roll which employs an arrangement of card cloth patches with the needles projecting in predetermined directions in cooperation with a transfer belt and a discharge roll to separate and shed more than one towel so that only one towel is discharged from the cabinet past an electric eye or photocell to stop the machine.
8 Citations
23 Claims
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1. In a dispensing machine for receiving and examining an article such as a soiled shop towel prior to dispensing a clean one and wherein there is a normally closed cabinet or housing in which there is a place for storage of soiled towels which have been inserted into the machine and a place for storage and dispensing clean towels and wherein there is a slot or opening in the housing through which a clean towel may be positioned on a continuously driven conveyor means having a plurality of spaced positions thereon on which a towel is inserted, there being a measuring wheel continuously contacted by the movement of said article, the improvement comprising:
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supporting said measuring wheel for movement in response to the travel of said article as said article such as the shop towel is elongated by said conveyor means, an elongated measuring member and means connecting said measuring wheel to said measuring member so that said measuring member is displaced in response to the movement, means for returning said measuring member to initial position after displacement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. In a dispensing machine for dispensing a fabric-like article, such as a shop towel, and wherein there is a normally closed cabinet or housing in which there is a place for storage and dispensing articles, the improvement comprising:
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a dispensing unit having a lower article feed means whereby articles may be fed from a pile, an elevating means on said machine for elevating said articles, means for driving said elevating means in a continuous fashion, a transfer roll having spaced projecting members arranged thereon, said projecting members extending in opposite directions, an upper transfer means having a plurality of pickup projections thereon extending therefrom, a discharge means spaced from the transfer means, said elevating means being a belt having pickup members, said transfer roll rotating 180°
for each of the pickup members on the elevating belt and being timed so that some of the projecting members on the transfer roll takes a towel (if one is present) from the corresponding pickup member on the belt so that if two towels have been picked up on the pickup member the transfer belt engages the top towel of the two towels and the second towel which is underneath will be held momentarily by the projecting members, one of said pickup members moving away with the top towel and the second towel continuing with the rotation of the transfer roll carried in part by the projecting members until it reaches a point where it is released by the projecting members and returned to the mass of clean towels whereupon when the pickup member carries the towel to the discharge roll, the discharge roll rapidly removes the towel from the pickup member striking a deflection plate and moving past a photo electric cell to stop the operation of the clean towel delivery. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 23)
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18. In a method for dispensing fabric-like articles such as shop towels, one article at a time, from a pile of many individual fabric-like articles, comprising:
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conveying articles from the bottom of the pile so that the articles may be elevated above the pile, elevating the articles in spaced relationship with one another by engaging the pile at spaced locations and lifting the articles upwardly, delivering the elevated towels to a discharge point above the stack, engaging the towels with a plurality of protruding members extending in one direction and then engaging any additional towel which has been picked up with said first towel with projecting members extending in another direction thereby separating one towel from another and causing the lowermost towel to fall back into the pile, engaging said first towel by a transfer means which is traveling at a greater rate of speed and engaging said first towel with projections on said transfer means transferring said towel to a discharge means, engaging said towel between the transfer means and the discharge means to be dispensed.
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19. In a dispensing machine for dispensing a fabric-like article, such as a shop towel, and wherein there is a normally closed cabinet or housing in which there is a place for storage and dispensing articles, the improvement comprising:
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a dispensing unit having a lower article feed means whereby articles may be fed from a pile, said lower article feed means comprising a feed belt arrangement having a wide belt and drive chain means for said belt, an elevating means on said machine for elevating said articles, said elevating means comprising a plurality of pickup members each having a pin engageable at different locations, means for driving said elevating means in a continuous fashion, a transfer roll having spaced card cloth patches comprising projecting members arranged thereon, said projecting members extending in opposite directions from said card cloth and said transfer roll, an upper transfer means having a plurality of pickup members thereon extending therefrom, and a discharge means spaced from the transfer means. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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Specification