Storage and dispensing means.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

0001THIS INVENTION relates to storage and dispensing means for cassette dispensing machines.

0002Particularly this invention relates to the means for holding the cassettes in a dispensing machine and for releasing them for access by a user. A wide variety of such means are known, including tilting doors and pivoting doors which open to allow access to a cupboard-like compartment, and carousel-type means by which the tapes are held in a drum magazine.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

0003It is a object of this invention to provide a storage and dispensing means for cassette dispensing machines, which will operate and be effective in as a storage medium.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

0004In accordance with this invention there is provided storage and dispensing means comprising a bin having a plurality of sliding compartments each arranged to receive a tape cassette side by side therein, the compartments being slidable in their own planes between a closed position within the bin in which the compartment interior is inaccessible for removal of a cassette, and a position extended from a side of the bin in which the compartments are accessible for removal and insertion of a cassette.

0005A feature of the invention provides for compartments to have a side opening therein which is accessible for removal and insertion of a cassette when the cassette is in the extended position, and inaccessible when within the bin by reason of the proximity of a sufficiently closed side of an adjoining compartment.

0006Preferably the side opening is in a major side of the compartment, and the major side opposite the open side has sufficient opening therein to allow a user to push a cassette out of the open side of the compartment from the said opposite side.

0007There is also provided for each compartment to be retained in its closed position against a biasing force by a locking pin, mounted on the back of the bin, and further for the compartments to have runners extending rearwardly from the upper and lower sides through openings in the back of the bin.

0008The runners and the upper and lower edges of the compartments may slide between pairs of ridges in the upper and lower bin surface, and the runners have clips on the rear side of the bin arranged for preventing removal of the compartment from the front side of the bin and for determining the extent of extension of the compartments out of the bin.

0009Further, preferably the compartments have openings in their rear sides arranged to allow access between cassette recognition means at the bin rear and a cassette in a compartment in use, and the compartments have formations arranged to locate a cassette in a predetermined position therein.

0010A locking pin may be provided to be operable to extend into and retract from a co-operating hole in a runner of the compartment. The locking pin preferably is part of a solenoid, and the rear of the pin is arranged to activate a signalling switch when in a retracted position.

0011The biasing means for each compartment may be a leaf spring mounted on the inside rear surface of the bin in the length of the compartment and arranged to react against the rear sides of the compartment.

0012Preferably the compartment is of transparent material.

0013The bin may have an electronics printed circuit board mounted on its outside rear surface, carrying electronic circuiting for operating each locking pin on the bin.

0014A particular feature of the invention provides for the bin to have mounting formations exdtending rearwardly from the upper and lower bin sides, and being arranged to mount the bin in a housing framework of the tape cassette dispensing machine.

0015The mounting formations are two tongues extending from each of the upper and lower bin sides forming two pairs of tongues operatively one above the other, each tongue having an opening through it with a slot extending from the opening through the rear edge.

0016For mounting the bin in a framework, there is provided a locking rod for each pair of mounting tongues, each rod having two spaced apart thickened portions and being arranged to allow the narrow portion to be transversely insertable into the openings of a pair through the slots and being slidable to have the thickened portion within the opening in which position the slots are too narrow to allow transverse withdrawal through the slots.

0017The invention extends to a tape cassette dispensing machine comprising a framework fitted with rows and columns of storage and dispensing means as defined above, there being a locking rod for each column of bins.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0018A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Figure 1 is an isometric view of a bin and compartment according to the invention;</li><li>Figure 2 is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1; and,</li><li>Figure 3 is an isometric view of a tape cassette dispensing machine fitted with the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2.</li></ul>

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0019Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a bin (1) is rectangular in shape having two opposite major sides with one being a rear side (2) and the other a front side (3) which is open. The top and bottom sides (4) and (5) of the bin each have two rearwardly projecting co-planar tongues (6), with openings (7) therein with slots (8) running from the openings to the rearmost edges of the tongues. The tongues form two vertically aligned upper and lower pairs (9).

0020The bin has spaced apart ribs (10) on the inside upper and lower surfaces to act as guides for receiving slidable compartments (11) in side-by-side manner along the length of the bin.

0021Each compartment (11) is rectangular and of a size that will enable it to receive a video tape cassette (not shown) neatly therein with a pin (12) locating one of the spools of the tape. The compartment is of clear plastics material, having one major side (14) open and having a central opening (16) in the other major side which carries the pin (12). Top and bottom runners (18) are provided on the compartment (11), and these extend rearwardly from and co-planarly with the top and bottom ends of the compartment, and pass through slots (20) in the top and bottom of the rear of the bin, to enable the cassette compartment to slide in and out of the bin between the spaced apart guide ribs (10) with the runners (18) still retained within their slots (20). The runners (18) are provided with clip formations (22) to prevent the compartment from being withdrawn completely from the bin. A suitable handle (24) is provided on the front edge of the compartment, and an opening (26) is provided in the central portion of the rear edge of the compartment, to allow for electronic interaction between means for recognising the presence of a cassette, and the cassette itself when located in the compartment. A wide variety of such means are known in the art.

0022A leaf spring (28) is located at the rear of the bin opposite the position and in the length of each of the compartments, so that a compartment can be slid closed against the spring biasing (28), to having its front edge flush with the bin. A solenoid pin hole (30) in the bottom runner of each is engagable by a solenoid pin (32) (Figure 2) moving under force of gravity, as the compartment is pushed closed. The compartment is thus locked in the closed position inside the bin. The solenoid pin (32) runs through the length of a solenoid (34), and when the solenoid is activated to retract the pin upwardly it releases the compartment under spring biasing to slide out of the bin. Simultaneously the top end (36) of the retracted pin operates a microswitch (38), to provide a feedback electrical signal to the dispensing machine control means indicating that release of the particular compartment has taken place. The microswitch (38) is mounted to a printed circuit board (39) fitted against the outside rear of the bin.

0023Locking rods (40) are provided and they pass through the openings (7) of each pair (9) of top and bottom tongues (6), and have outwardly stepped diametrical sections (42) which fit neatly within the openings (7) of each pair, but which are too large to slide transversely out of the slots (8). Thus when the rods are shifted axially to have the thinner portion of the rods located in the opening (7), the bin can be transversely retracted from any cabinet holding it, with the rods sliding out of the slots (8).

0024A cassette can be located inside the compartment quite conveniently through the open major side thereof, and removed by pushing a finger through the central opening (16) in the opposite compartment side, to push the cassette out through the opposite open side. The compartment is conveniently slid into the bin whether empty or closed, to have the solenoid pin lock under gravity in the pin opening. It will be appreciated that when the bin is fully fitted with compartment (11), no access to the compartment contents is possible.

0025Preferably the compartment upper and lower edges are tapered towards each other very slightly from front to rear to facilitate the slidability within the bin.

0026Referring to Figure 3, a cabinet (44) of a video cassette dispensing machine is shown. the cabinet comprises a reactangular box framework providing housing for rows (46) and columns (48) of bins (50) as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The bins slide into each box frame and bins of a column are retained in position by locking rods (52) running the height of the cabinet. Thus each bin of column is freed or locked by axially sliding the rods of that column to the appropriate position as described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

0027It is considered that the invention provides a simple and compact storage and dispensing means.