Vending machine display panel with utility module therein

• US 4,454,670 A
• Filed: 12/04/1981
• Issued: 06/19/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1981
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Coca-Cola Company (The Coca-Cola Company)
• Original Assignee: The Coca-Cola Company
• Inventors: Davis, Charles L., Morgan, Annis R. Jr., Bachmann, G. Merle
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Contreras, Wenceslao J.
• Application Number:
  US06/327,461
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 40/1, 40/331, 40/332, 194/1 A, 194/584, 221/15
• US Class Current: 40/584
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/10 Casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2023/0033 on refrigerated containers
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 23/06 the advertising matter being combined with articles for restaurants, shops or offices on paper articles G09F23/10

Abstract

A display panel for a vending machine including the capability of adding promotions, advertising, and special equipment such as electronic and video games to the existing vending machine. A utility module for containing one of these devices is located on the display panel of the vending machine and is so positioned so that it optimizes a combination of criteria including space, circuitry location, a prominent spot for display purposes and a location enabling easy retrofit of the utility module into a vending machine unit.

Claims

1. A vending machine including a control panel with an array of product selector buttons for controlling the vending of products from said machine, comprising:

a coin slot for receiving coins to initiate vending of products;

first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons, each having a product display area thereon bearing indicia representative of a given product to be vended;

utility module means disposed in said control panel above said coin slot for providing interactive communication with a customer using said machine, who inserts coins into said coin slot and actuates at least one of said product selector buttons;

a plurality of panel means adjacent said control panel defining a like plurality of display fields within a defined display area;

selected ones of said panel means being of contrasting surface characteristics to the remaining said panel means in the provision of selected display configurations in said display area;

one of said selected ones of said display panel means including logo means definitive of a primary product to be dispensed by said vending machine; and

the remaining said selected ones of said display panel means being so configured, in conjunction with said one of said selected panel means, as to suggest the representation by said display panel means of an alphanumeric character representative of the said primary product in addition to said logo means, said alphanumeric character being an abbreviation for said primary product.

2. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein said contrasting surface characteristics comprise different colors.

3. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein at least said one of said selected ones of said display panel means is backlighted.

4. The vending machine of claim 1, further including at lest one primary product selector button positioned between said first and second columns of product selector buttons and said coin slot and being so shaped and proportioned to overlie and extend across both said vertical columns of product selector buttons and present a display area thereon larger than the display area on the other product selector buttons.

5. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein said utility module means is a device which is either a,

(1) point-of-sale display means for generating interchangeable advertising messages to said customer, or

(2) voice synthesizer means for generating speech messages to said customer, or

(3) electronic game means to be played by said customer, or

(4) coupon dispenser means for dispensing coupons to said customer,

and further including utility area means in said control panel for interchangeably accommodating a selected one of said utility module means in operative association with said coin slot and product selection buttons.

6. A vending machine including a control panel with an array of product selector buttons for controlling the vending of primary and secondary products from said machine, comprising:

a coin slot for receiving coins to initiate vending of products;

first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons, each having a product display area thereon bearing indicia representative of a given secondary product to be vended;

utility module means disposed in said control panel above said coin slot for providing interactive communication with a customer using said machine, who inserts coins into said coin slot and actuates at least one of said product selector buttons;

display panel means for presenting selected display configurations on an obverse face of said vending machine, said display panel means comprising;

first panel means including discharge port means for presenting vended products defining a first display field disposed on said display panel means,

second panel means including said control panel defining a second display field extending from one end of said first display field,

third panel means mutually adjacent said first and second display fields defining a third display field subtending an area on said display panel means defined by the outer boundaries thereof and the said first and second display fields, and

fourth panel means defining a fourth display field beneath said first display field, substantially subtending an area defined by the latter and the outer boundaries of said display panel means,

said third panel means including logo means thereon representative of primary product to be vended, and

said fourth panel means being so configured in combination with the other said panel means as to suggest the representation of by said display panel means of an alphanumeric character representative of said primary product in addition to said logo means, said alphanumeric character being an abbreviation for said primary product.

7. The vending machine of claim 6, wherein said third and fourth panel means are the same color and are different in color from said first and second panel means.

8. The vending machine of claim 6, wherein said third panel means is backlighted.

9. The vending machine of claim 6, further including at least one primary product selector button positioned between said first and second columns of product selector buttons and said coin slot and being so shaped and proportioned to overlie and extend across both said vertical columns of product selector buttons and present a display area thereon larger than the display area on the other product selector buttons.

10. The vending machine of claim 6, wherein said utility module means is a device which is either a,

(1) point-of-sale display means for generating interchangeable advertising messages to said customer, or

(2) voice synthesizer means for generating speech messages to said customer, or

(3) electronic game means to be played by said customer, or

(4) coupon dispenser means for dispensing coupons to said customer,

and further including utility area means in said control panel for interchangeably accommodating at least one of said utility module means in operative association with said coin slot and product selection buttons.

11. A vending machine including a control panel with an array of product selector buttons for controlling the vending of products from said machine comprising:

(a) a coin slot for receiving coins to initiate vending of products;

(b) first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons in said array disposed below said coin slot, each having a product display area thereon bearing indicia representative of a given product to be vended;

(c) utility module means disposed in said control panel adjacent said coin slot for providing interactive communication with a customer using said machine, who inserts coins into said coin slot and actuates at least one of said product selector buttons, said utility module means being a device which is either a,

(1) point-of-sale display means for generating interchangeable advertising messages to said customer, or

(2) voice synthesizer means for generating speech messages to said customer, or

(3) electronic game means to be played by said customer, or

(4) coupon dispenser means for dispensing coupons to said customer; and

(d) utility area means in said control panel for interchangeably accommodating a selected one of said utility module means in operative association with said coin slot and product selector buttons.

12. The vending machine of claim 11, wherein said product selector buttons in said vertical columns are disposed in a plurality of parallel rows with two selector buttons per row.

13. The vending machine of claim 12, wherein there are at least two of said rows.

14. The vending machine of claim 11, further comprising price display means on said control panel adjacent to said coin slot.

15. The vending machine of claim 11, wherein said utility area means overlies and extends across said first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons.

16. The vending machine of claim 15, wherein said utility area means is a rectangle with vertically disposed sides thereof substantially in vertical alignment with outside edges of said first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons.

17. A vending machine including a control panel with an array of product selector buttons for controlling the vending of products from said machine comprising:

(a) a coin slot for receiving coins to initiate vending of products;

(b) first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons, each having a product display area thereon bearing indicia representative of a given product to be vended;

(c) utility module means disposed in said control panel above said coin slot for providing interactive communication with a customer using said machine, who inserts coins into coin slot and actuates at least one of said product selector buttons; and

(d) at least one primary product selector button positioned between said first and second columns of product selector buttons and said coin slot and being so shaped and proportioned to overlie and extend across both said vertical columns of product selector buttons and present a display area thereon larger than the display area on the other product selector buttons.

18. The vending machine of claim 17, wherein said utility module means is a device which is either a,

(1) point-of-sale display means for generating interchangeable advertising messages to said customer, or

(2) voice synthesizer means for generating speech messages to said customer, or

(3) electronic game means to be played by said customer, or

(4) coupon dispenser means for dispensing coupons to said customer;

and further including utility area means in said control panel for interchangeably accommodating a selected one of said utility module means in operative association with said coin slot and product selection buttons.

19. The vending machine of claim 18, wherein said utility area means overlies and extends across said first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons.

20. The vending machine of claim 18, wherein said utility area means is substantially the same size as the display area on said primary product selector button.

21. The vending machine of claim 17, wherein said utility area means is a rectangle with vertically disposed sides thereof substantially in vertical alignment with outside edges of said first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons.

22. A vending machine including a control panel with an array of product selector buttons for controlling the vending of products from said machine, comprising:

a coin slot for receiving coins to initiate vending of products;

first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons, each having a product display area thereon bearing indicia representative of a given product to be vended;

message display means adjacent to said coin slot for displaying instructions related to the operation of said vending machine; and

point-of-sale display means disposed above said message display means in said control panel for supporting interchangeable advertising messages.

23. A vending machine including a control panel with an array of product selector buttons for controlling the vending of products from said machine, comprising:

a coin slot for receiving coins to initiate vending of products;

first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons, each having a product display area thereon bearing indicia representative of a given product to be vended;

message display means adjacent to said coin slot for displaying instructions related to the operation of said vending machine; and

means for generating speech messages disposed above said message display means in said control panel.

24. A vending machine including a control panel with an array of product selector buttons for controlling the vending of products from said machine, comprising:

a coin slot for receiving coins to initiate vending of products;

first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons, each having a product display area thereon bearing indicia representative of a given product to be vended;

message display means adjacent to said coin slot for displaying instructions related to the operation of said vending machine; and

electronic game means disposed above said message display means in said control panel.

25. A vending machine including a control panel with an array of product selector buttons for controlling the vending of products from said machine, comprising:

a coin slot for receiving coins to initiate vending of products;

first and second adjacent vertical columns of product selector buttons, each having a product display area thereon bearing indicia representative of a given product to be vended;

message display means adjacent to said coin slot for displaying instructions related to the operation of said vending machine; and

coupon dispenser means disposed above said message display means in said control panel.