Storage and dispensing means

0001This invention relates to storage and dispensing means for cassette dispensing machines.

0002Various forms of cassette storage and dispensing means are known in the art. EP-A-141112, EP-A-134279 and US-A-4270817 disclose cassette 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.

0003Other known means for holding cassettes in a dispensing machine include 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.

0004The present invention is characterised in that each compartment is selectively releasably retained in its closed position by a remotely controllable locking arrangement.

0005In a preferred structure, said remotely controllable locking arrangement comprises a locking pin releasably engageable in a locking pin hole formed in a portion of the associated compartment, said locking pin being operable to extend into and be retracted from said locking pin hole under the action of a solenoid, thereafter the locking pins desirably being solenoid pins of the solenoids.

0006Advantageously said bin has a rear wall, said rear wall is provided with a slot for each compartment, said portion of each compartment comprises a rearwardly extending runner passing through the associated slot, the solenoids all being located rearwardly of the rear wall and, in the closed position of each compartment, the locking pin hole formed in the runner being located rearwardly of the rear wall to be engageable by the solenoid pin.

0007The compartments may 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.

0008Preferably 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.

0009Each compartment preferably has upper and lower runners which extend rearwardly and co-planarly with the top and bottom ends of the associated compartment, each runner having an associated slot in the rear wall.

0010The 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 stops rearwardly of the rear wall 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.

0011Further, 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.

0012Advantageously each compartment its closed position against a force provided by biasing means. The 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.

0013Preferably the compartment is of transparent material.

0014The bin may have an electronics printed circuit board mounted on its outside rear surface, carrying electronic circuitry for operating each locking pin on the bin.

0015The bin may have mounting formations which extend rearwardly from the upper and lower bin sides, and are arranged to mount the bin in a housing framework of the tape cassette dispensing machine.

0016The mounting formations may comprise 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 rearwardly from the opening through the rear wall.

0017For 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, said locking rod being arranged to be axially movable to a first position in which the thickened portions are within the openings, in which position the slots are too narrow to allow the thickened portions to be withdrawn through the slots and movable to a second position in which the thickened portions are not located in the openings, whereby the compartment may be slid forwardly, with the locking rod passing through the slots.

0018The 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

0019A preferred embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: <dl id="dl0001"><dt>Figure 1</dt><dd>is an isometric view of a bin and compartment according to the invention;</dd><dt>Figure 2</dt><dd>is a side view of the embodiment of Figure 1; and,</dd><dt>Figure 3</dt><dd>is an isometric view of a tape cassette dispensing machine fitted with the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2.</dd></dl>

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0020Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a bin (1) is rectangular in shape having two opposite major sides with one being a rear wall (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).

0021The 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.

0022Each 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.

0023A 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.

0024Locking 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).

0025A 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.

0026Preferably the compartment upper and lower edges are tapered towards each other very slightly from front to rear to facilitate the slidability within the bin.

0027Referring 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.

0028It is considered that the invention provides a simple and compact storage and dispensing means.