Multi-sided vending machine

• US 9,098,959 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert Baric
• Original Assignee: Robert Baric
• Inventors: Baric, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): COLLINS, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/004,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20110172813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 221233-234, 221/274, 221/292, 221/301, 700/243, 700/232
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/10 two or more magazines having a common delivery chute
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/009 User recognition or proximity detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/10 Casings or parts thereof, e.g. with means for heating or cooling

Abstract

A vending machine has a housing with a first side and a second side opposite the first side. A first dispensing slot is located at the first side of the housing, and a second dispensing slot is located at the second side of the housing. A central product storage stores product to be dispensed from the vending machine. A product delivery system selectively delivers product from said product storage to the first dispensing slot and said second dispensing slot.

Claims

1. A vending machine comprising:

a housing having a first side and a second side;

a first dispensing slot at the first side of the housing;

a second dispensing slot at the second side of the housing;

product storage for storing product to be dispensed from the vending machine, said product storage positioned above the first and second dispensing slots; and

,

a product delivery system configured to receive product dropped from said product storage and selectively deliver the received product to the first dispensing slot and said second dispensing slot, wherein said product delivery system comprises a chute configured to receive product dropped from said product storage and direct the received product to one of the first and second dispensing slots, wherein said chute comprises a planar panel with a middle portion that pivots about a first axis, and a wing portion pivotally connected to the middle portion about a second axis different than the first axis, and a post connected to a vending machine housing, and wherein the post pushes the wing portion to pivot upward with respect to the middle portion as the panel rotates downward, to direct product to the one of the first and second dispensing slots.

2. The vending machine of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor;

at least two display devices communicating with said processor, each of said at least two display devices located at a respective one of said first and second sides; and

at least two input devices communicating with said processor, each of said at least two input devices located at a respective one of said first and second sides to receive information from a user.

3. The vending machine of claim 1, further comprising a receiver for communicating with a remote processor to receive a dispense command, whereby the processor dispenses product from said vending machine in response to the received dispense command.

4. The vending machine of claim 1, further comprising a first user input at the first side of the housing for selecting a first desired product, a second user input at the second side of the housing for selecting a second desired product, wherein said product delivery system delivers the first desired product to the first dispensing slot and delivers the second desired product to the second dispensing slot.

5. The vending machine of claim 4, wherein said product delivery system comprises a planar panel which rotates about a central axis, wherein the planar panel pivots to be angled downward toward the first side to transport the first desired product to the first dispensing slot, and pivots to be angled downward toward the second side to transport the second desired product to the second dispensing slot.

6. The vending machine of claim 5, wherein the planar panel has a top surface and the product slides along the top surface of the planar panel.

7. The vending machine of claim 4, wherein said housing is rectangular in shape and said first side is opposite from said second side.

8. The vending machine of claim 4, wherein said housing is circular in shape.

9. The vending machine of claim 1, further comprising a processor having a detector for detecting a unique user characteristic and associating a transaction with the unique user characteristic.

10. The vending machine of claim 1, said housing further having a third side and a fourth side.

11. A vending machine comprising:

a housing having a first side and a second side;

a first dispensing slot at the first side of the housing;

a second dispensing slot at the second side of the housing;

product storage for storing product to be dispensed from the vending machine; and

a chute configured to receive product from said product storage and selectively deliver the received product to the first dispensing slot and said second dispensing slot, wherein said chute comprises a planar panel having a central axis at a middle of the planar panel, a first side and a second side, the planar panel configured to pivot about the central axis with respect to the housing to a first position and a second position, whereby in the first position the second side of the planar panel is raised and the first side of the planar panel is lowered to align with the first dispensing slot to deliver product to the first dispensing slot, and whereby in the second position the first side of the planar panel is raised and the second side of the planar panel is lowered to align with the second dispensing slot to deliver product to the second dispensing slot, wherein said planar panel further has a middle portion that pivots about the central axis and a wing portion that pivots with respect to the middle portion about a further axis different than the central axis.

12. The vending machine of claim 11, further comprising a post directly connected to the housing, wherein the post is configured to push the wing portion to pivot upward with respect to the middle portion as the panel rotates downward, to direct product to one of the first dispensing slot and second dispensing slot.

13. The vending machine of claim 11, further comprising a first user input at the first side of the housing for selecting a first desired product, a second user input at the second side of the housing for selecting a second desired product, wherein said product delivery system delivers the first desired product to the first dispensing slot and delivers the second desired product to the second dispensing slot.

14. The vending machine of claim 11, wherein said housing is rectangular in shape and said first side is opposite from said second side.

15. The vending machine of claim 11, wherein said housing is circular in shape and the first side is along a first section of said housing and the second side is along a second section of said housing apart from the first section.

16. The vending machine of claim 11, wherein the first side of the planar panel is opposite the second side of the planar panel.

17. The vending machine of claim 11, further comprising a processor having a detector for detecting a unique user characteristic and associating a transaction with the unique user characteristic.