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Claims  |
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I claim:
1. A manual free-access vending machine allowing unconstrained direct
access to a plurality of different outer shaped articles, said vending
machine comprising:
a housing;
support means provided in said housing and defining fixed reserved
locations from which corresponding individual articles can be removed and
replaced;
detection means disposed at each of said reserved locations to detect
statuses corresponding to the presence or absence of each of said
individual articles in said reserved locations and to generate signals
representative thereof; and
processing means receiving the signals from said detection means to
identify the status at each of said reserve locations and to register the
presence or absence of an article at each of said reserved locations.
2. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 1 wherein each
of said locations comprises a receptacle having a shape which roughly
corresponds to the outer shape of an individual article to be placed
therein.
3. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 2 wherein each
receptacle includes a recess and said detection means comprises a set of
ray emitting means and ray receiving means disposed on opposing side walls
of the recess to emit and receive, respectively, infrared rays
therebetween, the presence of an article in its corresponding location
being detected when the rays from an emitting means is blocked from
reaching the corresponding receiving means.
4. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 3 in which said
ray emitting means and said ray receiving means are placed behind the side
walls, the rays from said ray emitting means to said receiving means
passing through openings provided in the side walls of the recess in the
receptacle.
5. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 2 in which said
support means includes means for removably supporting said support means
so that a first support means can be replaced with another support means
having locations corresponding to specific articles different from the
ones on the first support means.
6. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 5 in which said
means for removably supporting said support means includes means for
slidably supporting said support means in said housing.
7. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 1 further
including means for detecting environmental conditions in said housing and
for generating signals representative thereof, and in which said
processing means also receives signals from said environmental condition
detecting means.
8. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 1 in which said
processing means comprises an energizing means, a sequential analyzing
means, controlled by a clock means, for analyzing the detection means of
the plurality of reserved locations for individual articles in sequence,
information coding means receiving an output from said sequential
analyzing means for coding information corresponding to the statuses of
the locations, and a command means which initiates the sequential analysis
of the statuses of the locations by said sequential analyzing means.
9. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 8 in which said
ray emitting means and electronic circuits connected thereto are energized
only during time intervals of detection and analysis of the status at each
of the locations by said sequential analyzing means.
10. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 8 including a
memory means and wherein said information coding means codes information
corresponding to the status at each of the locations and stores the
information within said memory means.
11. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 8 including a
display means and wherein said processing means transmits coded
information to said display means.
12. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 8 including
printing means wherein said processing means transmits coded information
to said printing means.
13. A manual free-access vending machine allowing unconstrained direct
access to a plurality of different outer-shaped articles, said vending
machine comprising:
a housing;
support means provided in said housing and defining fixed reserved
locations from which corresponding individual articles can be removed and
replaced, said support means including at each location a member providing
a receptacle having a recess roughly corresponding to the outer shape of
an individual article;
detection means disposed at each of said reserved locations to detect
statuses corresponding to the presence or absence of each of the
individual articles in said reserved locations and to generate signals
representative thereof; and
processing means receiving the signals from said detection means to
identify the status at each of the locations and to register the presence
or absence of an article at each of said locations.
14. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 13 in which
said housing has a refrigerated interior space.
15. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 14 further
including temperature detecting means in the refrigerated space.
16. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 13 including
means indicating a door of the housing is open or closed.
17. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 16 in which
said door indicating means comprises a locking means for the door, and a
set or ray emitting and ray receiving means for detecting the locked or
unlocked condition of said locking means.
18. A manual free-access vending machine according to claim 13, said
receptacles having projections keeping the articles away from the ray
emitting means and ray receiving means to prevent damage thereto when the
articles are removed or inserted in the receptacles.
19. A manual free-access vending machine allowing unconstrained direct
access to a plurality of different outer-shaped articles, said vending
machine comprising:
a housing;
support means provided in said housing and defining fixed reserved
locations from which corresponding individual articles can be removed and
replaced, said support means including at each location a member providing
a receptacle having a recess roughly corresponding to the outer shape of a
specific article;
detection means disposed at each of said reserved locations to detect
statuses corresponding to the presence or absence of each of the
individual articles in reserved locations and to generate signals
representative thereof; and
processing means receiving the signals from said detection means to
identify the status at each of the locations and to register the presence
or absence of an article at each of said locations, said processing means
including energizing means, sequential analyzing means, controlled by
clock means, for analyzing detection means of the plurality of reserved
locations for individual articles in sequence, information coding means
receiving an output from said sequential analyzing means for coding
information corresponding to the statuses of the locations, and a command
mean which initiates the sequential analysis of the statuses of each of
the locations by said sequential analyzing means.
20. A manual free-access vending machine allowing unconstrained direct
access to a plurality of different outer-shaped articles, said vending
machine comprising:
a housing;
support means provided in said housing and defining fixed reserved
locations from which corresponding individual articles can be removed and
replaced, said support means including at each location a member providing
a receptacle having a recess roughly corresponding to the outer shape of a
specific article;
detection means disposed at each of said reserved locations to detect
statuses corresponding to the presence or absence of each of the
individual articles in reserved locations and to generate signals
representative thereof, said detection including two sets of ray emitting
means and ray receiving means disposed at certain positions on opposing
side walls of the recess so that the range of sizes of articles that can
be placed in their corresponding locations can be extended; and
processing means receiving the signals from said detection means to
identify the status at each of the locations and to register the presence
or absence of an article at each of said locations.
21. A manual free-access vending machine allowing unconstrained direct
access to a plurality of different outer-shaped articles, said vending
machine comprising:
a housing having a refrigerated interior space;
temperature detecting means disposed in said refrigerated space and
comprising a bimetallic element, a set of ray emitting and ray receiving
means for detecting the state of the bimetallic element and thereby the
temperature within the refrigerated space;
support means provided in said housing and defining fixed reserved
locations from which corresponding individual articles can be removed and
replaced, said support means including at each location a member providing
a receptacle having a recess roughly corresponding to the outer shape of a
specific article;
detection means disposed at each of said reserved locations to detect
statuses corresponding to the presence or absence of each of the
individual articles in reserved locations and to generate signals
representative thereof, said detection including two sets of ray emitting
means and ray receiving means disposed at certain positions on opposing
side walls of the recess so that the range of sizes of articles that can
be placed in their corresponding locations can be extended; and
processing means receiving the signals from said detection means to
identify the status at each of the locations and to register the presence
or absence of an article at each of said locations. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Various types of automatic machines, semiautomatic machines or direct
manual access machines for use in hotel rooms for vending articles such as
bottles containing wine or liquor, snacks, or cosmetic articles, have been
developed.
Some of these machines are very simple and comprise a small refrigerator.
Hotel room occupants are able to take any article stored in the
refrigerator and fill in a sheet so as to list the different purchases
which are later added to their bill. The drawback with this type of
machine is the inconvenience for the user in listing the different
purchases and errors may easily occur.
Other machines are more automated. They permit a user to chose articles
stocked in cells or a honeycomb, and when an article is removed, the
corresponding cell closes, not permitting the repositioning of the article
taken out, and the removal of the article is automatically recorded on a
billing computer which records the purchase. This type of machine has the
drawback that users cannot put back unused items if they change their
minds after removing them from the machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has the objective of overcoming the above-mentioned
drawbacks in conventional vending apparatus. It provides a manual
free-access vending machine having means to detect the presence or absence
of articles from their reserved locations and means operated by said
detection means to identify the status at each of the locations for
servicing or billing.
A further object of the present invention is to provide means in such a
machine for automatically detecting the status corresponding to the
presence or absence of an article in its reserved location.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a machine with
means which permits, at any moment, to identify the status at each of the
locations for servicing or billing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a machine in
which articles to be vended have fixed reserved locations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a machine with
means to detect environmental conditions within the machine, such as the
inside temperature of the refrigerator, the secure locking of the door, or
the state of the electronic circuits.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 represents a refrigerator in which fixed reserved locations are
provided for different specific articles;
FIG. 2 shows an example of a non-refrigerated cabinet;
FIG. 3 shows a plate or shelf which has several article receptacles having
recesses grouped on it;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the plane of lines 4--4 in FIG. 5;
FIG. 5 shows a plan view of a receptacle for a bottle of a rather large
diameter as in FIG. 4 and has a detector in the form of an
emitter/receiver;
FIG. 6 shows a plan view of a receptacle with two emitter/receiver sets
which can be provided if it is desired to extend the range of sizes of
articles that can be placed in a given receptacle;
FIG. 7 shows an enlarged perspective view of a receptacle for receiving a
bottle lying flat as shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view along the plane of lines 8--8 in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 shows a bimetallic blade to sense temperature;
FIG. 10 shows the blade of FIG. 9 curved due to unequal contractions of the
bimetallic structure at low temperature; and
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the vending machine and other related
equipment for processing signals representing the various parameters
obtained from the detection means of the vending apparatus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a vending machine according to this invention
comprises a cabinet 18 in which fixed reserved locations are provided for
different specific articles. For example, locations 20 are reserved for
packages of snacks, locations 22 are reserved for wine bottles 24,
locations 25 are reserved for bottles or cartons 26. Refrigeration of at
least a portion of the interior of the cabinet 18 is provided by
conventional means. Each location is equipped with a detection means for
detecting the status corresponding to the presence or absence of an
article, herein shown as an optical switch comprising a set of an
infra-red ray emitter 27 and a receiver 28. With the emitter 27 energized,
the beam of infra-red rays 29 will reach the receiver 28, representing
absence of an article, or will be interrupted by the presence of an
article in its location.
FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. It shows a
non-refrigerated cabinet, for example, one used for vending cosmetic
products. Locations 31 may receive flasks 32, jars 33, and boxes 34, and
the detection means at ears location is an optical switch having emitter
35 and receiver 36.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, shelves 38, 40 provide supports for the
articles and are removable so as to be easily removed and replaced. A
shelf 42, removed from a cabinet as shown in FIG. 3 has receptacles 44
grouped on it and guide flanges 46 slidable in grooves 48 provided in the
cabinet side panels. The receptacles 44 are each equipped with an optical
switch having a set of an emitter 27 and a receiver 28. The optical
switches are preferably connected to the processing circuits by electric
wires 50 and a plug 52 as shown in FIG. 3.
Referring to FIG. 4, each receptacle 44 comprises an upright flange 54
roughly corresponding to the outer shape of a designated article, which in
this figure is a bottle, providing a recess in which the article rests and
is secured or maintained from being accidentally shifted from its
location. The article cuts the ray or beam 29 generated by the emitter 27
directed toward the receiver 28.
As is demonstrated in FIG. 5, the same location can be used for a bottle
with a larger diameter as well as for a bottle with a smaller diameter,
thus extending the range of sizes of articles that can be placed in a
given location. If it is desired to extend this range still further, a
second emitter/receiver set 27'-28' can be provided at the location as
shown in FIG. 6 covering a field complementary to the other set of emitter
and receiver, making it possible to detect the presence of bottles of a
diameter nearly as large as the location itself, and also bottles of a
diameter nearly one third the diameter of the location, the bottles
interrupting at least one of the beams 29.
As disclosed in FIG. 8, the sets of emitters 27 and receivers 28 may be
mounted in recesses behind the surface of a wall of a receptacle to avoid
damage to the emitters 27 and the receivers 28 by direct bumps, scratches
or by being covered by fragments of labels or glue coming from the stocked
items. Openings 56 permit the beam of the emitter 27 to reach the receiver
28 in a given straight line path. Projections 58, in addition to or
alternatively to the recessed mounting of the sets of emitter and
receiver, contribute toward maintaining the bottles away from and avoiding
damaging the emitter and receiver when the bottles are moved.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the optical switches can be
used to detect other parameters, for example, environmental conditions
within the interior of the cabinet to determine if the refrigerator is
working or to determine if the refrigerator door is closed properly.
As shown in FIG. 9, and with reference to FIG. 1 a temperature detecting
means in the form of a bimetallic blade 60 made of two metals of different
temperature coefficients is secured at one end 62 to the inside wall of
the area reserved to make the ice cubes 64 in the machine. The two metals
comprising the blades are chosen so that at room temperature the blade is
nearly straight and will not obstruct the rays 66 emitted by the emitter
68, thus activating the receiver 69, but when the blade is in cooler
surroundings, the blade will curve due to the different contractions of
the two metals and thus obstruct the rays 66, as shown in FIG. 10. The
blade 60 in conjunction with the emitter 68 and the receiver 69 of the
optical switch can be used to determine if the refrigerator is working
properly or not.
For opening the cabinet of a machine constructed according to the present
invention, the user might receive a key specifically reserved for the
refrigerator, or the room key itself might open the refrigerator. As shown
in FIG. 1, a key 70 is able to move a lever 72, which by turning enters an
opening 74 to fully lock the door and obstructs the rays 80 from an
emitter 76 to a receiver 78. When the refrigerator is correctly closed,
the lever 72 cuts the rays 80 of the optical switch and thus information
about correct closing of the refrigerator door can be obtained from the
optical switch. If the door is not fully closed, the lever 72 may not
enter the opening 74 and the rays 80 will not be obstructed, thus
representing by the state of the switch that the door is not fully closed
and locked.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the vending machine or
apparatus and other related equipment for detecting and analysing signals
representing various parameters obtained from the detection means of the
vending apparatus.
A direct current power supply 82 feeds a series of infra-red emitters
A-B-C-D-E-F-G placed in various locations in the cabinet 18. The
corresponding receivers A'-B'-C'-D'-E'-F'-G' are connected to an
integrated scanning circuit CI. When information about certain parameters
in the refrigerator is required, an initiation signal is sent by the
controlling circuit or controller I to switching circuit A through a wire
84. The switching circuit A permits the energizing of the emitters by the
direct current power supply 82. At the same time the controller I
initiates the scanning circuit CI which, controlled by a clock H, analyzes
one by one, in sequence, the state of the receivers A'-B'-C'-D'-E'-F'-G'.
The scanning circuit CI sends information about the state of the receivers
to a coding circuit or coder C which in turn sends coded information,
corresponding to an identification number of a location and the status of
the location depending on whether the infra-red beam has been obstructed
or not, to a storage circuit OM through a wire 86. The storage circuit OM
stores the information in memory and/or sends it to visual means or
display VE comprising either a display screen or a printer. When the
scanning circuit CI reaches the end of its analysis, the switch A cuts off
the power supply to the emitters.
The information about the presence or absence of items, for example, in a
non-refrigerated cabinet, installed in the same room, may be detected and
handled by the same circuits using the corresponding optical switches WW',
XX', YY', ZZ' placed at locations inside the cabinet.
In case of detection of articles by two emitters and two receivers as
disclosed in FIG. 6, the scanning circuit CI reads the status of the two
optical switches, one after the other, so as to determine if at least one
of the two beams is interrupted.
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Description |
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