Self-serve kiosk with rotatable container carousel

• US 8,469,228 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 10021474 Canada Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sleegers Engineered Products Inc.
• Inventors: Adams, Joseph L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar, Rakesh
• Application Number:
  US13/070,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20120241464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 221/122, 221/265, 221/120, 221/277, 221/76, 221/287, 221/197, 221/113, 221/285, 221/286, 221/10, 221/12, 221/2, 221/121, 221/242, 312/97.1, 312/125, 312/116, 312/135, 312/305, 222/325, 211/131, 211/129, 211/163, 211/58, 47/410.1, 47/83
• US Class Current: 221/120
• CPC Class Codes: F17C 2270/059 Mass bottling, e.g. merry belts
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0609 by fluid containers, e.g. bottles, cups, gas containers

Abstract

A dispenser of containers. A carousel is rotatably mounted to a main frame about a vertical axis of rotation and has a plurality of container compartments arranged around the axis and along the length of the axis. A driver mounted to the main frame rotates the carousel around the axis in a single direction and a lock limits rotation of the carousel in any direction when engaged.

Claims

1. A self-serve kiosk for storing and dispensing tanks comprising

a main frame with a bottom wall, top wall and side walls defining an enclosure for storage and dispensing of tanks;

a carousel rotatably mounted atop said bottom wall about a vertical axis of rotation, said carousel having a plurality of separate shelves located around said axis on a plurality of levels located along said axis for receiving a single tank on each shelf;

a plurality of doors hingedly mounted to said main frame and movable to and from open positions allowing access to said shelves and closed positions limiting access to said shelves, one of said doors is provided for each level leading to a shelf located behind each door;

a driver mounted on said main frame and engaged with said carousel for drivingly rotating said carousel about said axis in a single direction and position a shelf behind each door, said driver is a gas driver and includes a gas cylinder mounted to said main frame and having an extendable piston rod with a distal end, a spring loaded finger projecting upwardly from said bottom wall of said main frame and engageable with said carousel to rotate said carousel about said axis of rotation locating a separate shelf behind each door, and, a linkage connecting said distal end of said piston rod with said finger; and

,

a lock mounted on said main frame and releasably engageable with said carousel limiting movement of said carousel;

and wherein,

said bottom wall has a curved slot through which said spring loaded finger projects, said cylinder moves said rod in a first direction with said finger moving a distance along said slot while engaged with said carousel to locate said shelves behind said doors in sequential fashion, said finger disengages said carousel when said rod moves in a direction opposite to said first direction to reposition said finger to engage said carousel for the next movement of said carousel.

2. The kiosk of claim 1 and further comprising:

a plurality of springs mounted to said main frame with a separate spring provided for each door, said springs being positioned against said doors to pop said doors to an open position when unlocked;

members mounted to said doors that are operable to engage containers inserted in said compartments and force said containers further into said compartments as said doors close;

a plurality of door locks mounted on said main frame with a separate door lock provided for each compartment and releasably lockable with said doors;

a plurality of door gas cylinders connected to said door locks;

door sensors mounted to said main frame sensing whether the doors are closed; and

,

tank sensors mounted on said carousel with a separate tank sensor provided for each compartment to sense whether a tank is located in said compartments.

3. A self-serve kiosk for storing and dispensing tanks comprising

a main frame with a bottom wall, top wall and side walls defining an enclosure for storage and dispensing of tanks;

a carousel rotatably mounted atop said bottom wall about a vertical axis of rotation, said carousel having a plurality of separate shelves located around said axis on a plurality of levels located along said axis for receiving a single tank on each shelf;

a plurality of doors hingedly mounted to said main frame and movable to and from open positions allowing access to said shelves and closed positions limiting access to said shelves, one of said doors is provided for each level leading to a shelf located behind each door;

a driver mounted on said main frame and engaged with said carousel for drivingly rotating said carousel about said axis in a single direction and position a shelf behind each door, said driver includes a cylinder mounted to said main frame and having an extendable piston rod with a distal end and further includes a spring loaded finger projecting upwardly from said bottom wall of said main frame and engageable with said carousel to rotate said carousel about said axis of rotation locating a separate shelf behind each door; and

, further including a linkage connecting said distal end of said piston rod with said finger, said bottom wall has a curved slot through which said spring loaded finger projects, said cylinder moves said rod in a first direction with said finger moving a distance along said slot while engaged with said carousel to locate said shelves behind said doors in sequential fashion, said finger disengages said carousel when said rod moves in a direction opposite to said first direction to reposition said finger to engage said carousel for the next movement of said carousel; and

,

a lock mounted on said main frame and releasably engageable with said carousel limiting movement of said carousel.

4. The self-serve kiosk of claim 3 wherein:

said driver includes a carrier upon which said finger is mounted, said carrier includes a pair of spaced apart studs projecting upward through said slot keeping said carrier engaged vertically and horizontally with said bottom wall of said main frame guiding said finger along said slot.

5. A self-serve kiosk for storing and dispensing tanks comprising

a main frame with a bottom wall, top wall and side walls defining an enclosure for storage and dispensing of tanks;

a carousel rotatably mounted atop said bottom wall about a vertical axis of rotation, said carousel having a plurality of separate shelves located around said axis on a plurality of levels located along said axis for receiving a single tank on each shelf;

a plurality of doors hingedly mounted to said main frame and movable to and from open positions allowing access to said shelves and closed positions limiting access to said shelves, one of said doors is provided for each level leading to a shelf located behind each door;

a driver mounted on said main frame and engaged with said carousel for drivingly rotating said carousel about said axis in a single direction and position a shelf behind each door; and

,

a lock mounted on said main frame and releasably engageable with said carousel limiting movement of said carousel;

said lock is a gas lock and includes;

a gas cylinder mounted to said main frame and having an extendable piston rod; and

,

an extendable arm connected to said piston rod and movable to said carousel to releasably lock said carousel in position when one of said doors is open limiting movement of said carousel as a tank is removed or inserted onto a shelf;

said carousel has a plurality of intermediate walls extending radially outward from said axis separating said shelves apart; and

,

said gas lock includes a member movably mounted to said main frame and connected to said piston rod, said member has a hand thereon forming a recess to lockingly receive one of said intermediate walls to hold said carousel stationary, said carousel has a top portion adjacent which said hand is located to limit contact by said hand with any foreign material located at the bottom of said carousel.

6. The kiosk of claim 5 wherein:

said carousel includes a carousel frame rotatably mounted to said bottom wall about a vertical axis of rotation and extending from said bottom wall toward said top wall, said shelves are fixed together and extend around said axis being arranged in at least three levels spaced vertically apart with said levels aligned with said doors, said main frame has downwardly slanted entrance bottom walls located beneath each of said doors providing a liquid drain.

7. The kiosk of claim 6 wherein:

said carousel frame includes a plurality of intermediate walls forming compartments and separating said shelves apart, said intermediate walls in each compartment diverge as they extend radially outward from said axis and cooperatively center an item inserted in the compartment when the door aligned with the compartment closes and contacts the inserted item, said carousel frame includes a projection located in each compartment limiting insertion of said item in a compartment to an upright position.

8. The kiosk of claim 7 wherein:

said carousel frame includes a plurality of wheels rotatably mounted thereto in rolling contact with said bottom wall and supporting said carousel frame thereon, said main frame includes a plurality of center ring wheels rotatably mounted to said top wall and extending into said carousel frame limiting sideways movement of said carousel frame about said axis as said carousel frame rotates.

9. An LP gas tank dispenser comprising:

a cabinet including a cabinet frame with a top portion and a bottom portion, said bottom portion has a wall with a curved slot extending therethrough;

a carousel having compartments and rotatably mounted atop said wall of said cabinet frame about a vertical axis of rotation, said curved slot having a length to correspond to rotation of the carousel about the vertical axis of rotation through an angle equal to 360 degrees divided by the number of compartments on a level;

a ring shaped wall mounted to said carousel and located at said top portion of said cabinet surrounding said vertical axis;

a plurality of wheels mounted to said cabinet frame at said top portion rotatably extending against said ring shaped wall to center said carousel on said vertical axis as the carousel rotates;

a mechanism for rotating said carousel on said cabinet frame, said mechanism includes a first cylinder with a piston rod having a spring biased finger extending upwardly from said bottom portion of said cabinet frame through said curved slot against said carousel frame and, an extendable rod connected to said spring loaded finger to move said finger rotating the carousel frame.

10. The LP gas dispenser of claim 9 wherein:

said carousel has a carousel frame with a plurality of compartments located along the length of said axis being arranged in at least two levels with said compartments extending around said axis in each level in an equal number, said compartments increase in width as they extend outwardly from said axis of rotation.

11. The LP gas dispenser of claim 10 and further comprising:

a top door and a bottom door movably mounted to said cabinet with said compartments alignable therewith;

springs positionable between said cabinet frame and said top door and said bottom door operable to force said top door and said bottom door to open;

walls located beneath said top door and said bottom door that slant downward in a direction from interiorly within said compartments to exterior of said compartments to provide a liquid drain for said compartments; and

second cylinders with extendable piston rods mounted to said cabinet with the rods having distal ends extendable into said doors to lock same in a closed position.

12. The LP gas dispenser of claim 11 and further comprising:

a third cylinder with a hand mounted thereto movable against said carousel to limit rotation thereof, said hand being located by said top portion of said cabinet frame.