Automatic vending machine and system for dispensing articles
First Claim
1. In a machine for storing, dispensing and receiving articles, including storage means for establishing a plurality of separate storage zones respectively receiving the articles in a predetermined orientation and a discard zone, re-aligning means mounted within one of the storage zones for engagement with the articles inserted therein to restore said predetermined orientation thereof, a port through which the articles are delivered and returned, robotic means for transporting the articles between the port and the storage means, means responsive to interrupted insertion of the articles into one of the storage means by the robotic means for generating a signal and programmed control means operatively connected to the robotic means and responsive to said signal for transport to an insertion of the articles into the realigning means followed by travel and insertion into another of the storage zones on the absence of a second signal from the signal generating means.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An article gripper is moved by a robotic transporter in two perpendicular directions within a transport plane between a reference location and ID code reading locations aligned with an access port and storage cells of storage assemblies mounted in doors closing a transport compartment of an automatic vending machine. The gripper is also moved by the robotic transporter in a direction intersecting the transport plane to insert or withdraw articles carried by the gripper after displacement by incremental amounts from the aligned reading locations to gripping or releasing positions. The foregoing movements of the gripper as well as other related operations are under programmed control of a computer and inputted data from a keypad and card reader to perform merchandising transactions with respect to manufactured articles stored in the doors of the machine as well as to accommodate servicing operations.
213 Citations
27 Claims
- 1. In a machine for storing, dispensing and receiving articles, including storage means for establishing a plurality of separate storage zones respectively receiving the articles in a predetermined orientation and a discard zone, re-aligning means mounted within one of the storage zones for engagement with the articles inserted therein to restore said predetermined orientation thereof, a port through which the articles are delivered and returned, robotic means for transporting the articles between the port and the storage means, means responsive to interrupted insertion of the articles into one of the storage means by the robotic means for generating a signal and programmed control means operatively connected to the robotic means and responsive to said signal for transport to an insertion of the articles into the realigning means followed by travel and insertion into another of the storage zones on the absence of a second signal from the signal generating means.
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6. A machine for storing, dispensing and receiving articles, comprising:
- a cabinet, a transaction port in said cabinet through which the articles are delivered and returned, gripper means for clamping thereto the articles positioned in a predetermined orientation within said port, robotic transport means connected to the gripper means for travel of the clamped articles to and from said port, storage means for establishing a plurality of separate zones respectively receiving the articles therein from said gripper means, and realigning means mounted within one of said zones for restoring articles inserted therein in a misaligned condition with respect to said predetermined orientation of said articles clamped in said gripper means to said predetermined orientation prior to said travel of the clamped articles to another of said zones of said storage means.
- View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
- 10. In a machine for storing, dispensing and receiving articles, including a cabinet, means for storage of the articles within the cabinet, a port in said cabinet through which the articles are delivered and returned, drive engaging means operatively mounted in the port for displacement of the articles therein between at least two positions, scanner means for identifying the articles in the port at one of the said positions therein, gripper means for clamping thereto the articles in operatively oriented positions within the storage means and the port and robotic transport means connected to the gripper means for travel of the clamped articles between the port and the storage means, said cabinet including a travel compartment within which the robotic transport means is enclosed, at least one door assembly within which the storage means is mounted and means pivotally mounting the door assembly for displacement between an open position and a closed position substantially sealing the travel compartment, said port being mounted by the door assembly and extending through the storage means into the travel compartment in the closed position of the door assembly, said storage means including article support means for establishing a plurality of separate storage zone respectively receiving the articles in said operatively oriented position therein, realigning means mounted within one of the said storage zones for engagement with the articles inserted therein to restore said operatively oriented positions thereof, said storage means further including a discard zone, said robotic transport means including drive means for imparting motion to the gripper means in horizontal and vertical transport directions in a common transport plane within the travel compartment between locations aligned with the port and said zones of the storage means and additional drive means for retraction and insertion of the articles clamped on the gripper means in a third direction intersecting said transport plane, means for generating a signal in response to interruption in motion imparted to the gripper means in said third direction during insertion of the articles into one of the storage zones and programmed control means operatively connected to the drive means of the robotic transport means and responsive to said signal for continued travel of the gripper means and insertion of the articles clamped thereto into the realigning means and subsequent travel and insertion into another of the storage zones in the absence of a second signal from the signal generating means.
- 20. In a machine for storing, dispensing and receiving articles, including means for storing the articles, a port through which the articles are delivered and returned, scanner means for identifying the articles received in the port, robotic means for transport of the articles between the port and the article storing means, gripper means carried by the robotic means for releasably holding the articles during transport between the port and the storing means, means mounting the scanner means on the gripper means for limited displacement relative thereto, and abutment means on the robotic means for engagement with the scanner mounting means causing said limited displacement thereof from a scanning position during engagement of the article by the gripper means.
- 24. In combination with a gripper and robotic transport means for displacing the gripper in a common transport plane between predetermined location and in a direction intersecting said plane at said locations, means operatively mounting the gripper on the robotic transport means for accommodating relative displacement between the gripper and the transport means at one of said predetermined locations in response to excessive resistance to movement of the gripper in said direction intersecting the common transport plane, means responsive to said relative displacement for generating a signal indicating collision of the gripper and programmed means operatively connected to the robotic transport means for effecting the displacement of the gripper from said one of the predetermined locations to another of the locations in response to said signal, a data reading scanner mounted on the gripper in a scanning position, control means operatively connected to the gripper for displacement thereof along said direction intersecting the common transport plane to reading and gripping positions and means for retracting the scanner from said scanning position thereof in response to displacement of the gripper to the gripping position.
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26. A machine for vending articles, comprising:
storage means for establishing a plurality of separate storage zones respectively receiving the articles in a predetermined orientation thereof, robotic means for transporting the articles to the storage zones, realigning means mounted within said storage means for engagement with articles transported thereto by said robotic means in a misaligned condition with respect to said predetermined orientation of said articles transported thereto by said robotic means for restoring said misaligned articles to said predetermined orientation thereof, means responsive to interruption in said transport of the articles to said storage zones for generating collision signals, and programmed control means operatively connected to said robotic means for effecting said transport of the articles to said realigning means and one of said storage zones in sequence in response to one of the collision signals from said signal generating means. - View Dependent Claims (27)
Specification