Ice vending machines

June 6, 1961

J. R. HOWARD

2,986,897

ICE VENDING MACHINES

Filed Oct. 27, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1

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ATTORNEYS

June 6, 1961

J. R. HOWARD

ICE VENDING MACHINES

2,986,897

Filed Oct. 27, 1958

Sheets-Sheet 2

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ATTORNEYS

United States Patent Office

2,986,897

Patented June 6, 1961

2,986,897

ICE VENDING MACHINES John R. Howard, Box 74, Dayton, Oreg.

Filed Oct. 27, 1958, Ser. No. 769,697

Claims. (Cl. 62—137)

The present invention relates to ice vending machines and particularly to those vending cube ice and the like.

Vending machines constructed in accordance with the invention will be controlled by coin actuators and will be located in parks, public buildings, in fact anywhere that the public would care to purchase ice.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an ice vending machine having means for vending a predetermined amount of ice on each actuation of the coin operating device.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an ice vending machine means vending container bags for holding the ice vended by the machine.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a vending machine that is adapted to incorporate existing cube freezing machines in the production of the ice to be vended.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following specification when considered in the light of the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the invention with parts broken away for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the structure shown in FIGURE 1 with parts broken away for convenience of illustration;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on line 3—3 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on line 4—4 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on line 5—5 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section taken on line 6—6 of FIGURE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on line 7—7 of FIGURE 6, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the coin delivery chute and the reject chute shown partially broken away and in section for convenience of illustration; and

FIGURE 9 is a wiring diagram, illustrating the electrical operation of the machine.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein'like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, the reference character V indicates generally an ice vending machine constructed; in accordance with the invention.

The ice vending machine V includes a cabinet 10 formed of metallic material. Supported on transverse beams 11 within the cabinet 10 are one or more ice cube freezing machines 12 of standard make. The machines 12 are installed and removed from the cabinet 10 through entry doors 13. Supported by and under the beams 11 is an ice storage hopper 14 formed of a non-corrosive material 15, and haying insulation 16 surrounding the same.

The lower ice dispensing nozzle 17 of the hopper 14 is secured to channelways 1 by bolts 19. The channelways 18 are secured to cross beams 20 by bolts 21, making it possible to easily assemble and disassemble the entire apparatus. The ice dispensing chute 22 is also bolted to the channelways 18 by the bolts 19. The dispenser chute 22 controls the amount of ice dispensed in each operation.

Referring to FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, a horizontal ice dispensing gate 23 is slidably mounted within the chan5 nelways 18. Located centrally and extending upwardly on the center of the top of the gate 23 are gear teeth 24 which engage teeth 25 of a gear wheel 26. The gear wheel 26 is keyed to a cross shaft 27 mounted in bearings 28 located on upwardly extending standards 29, 10 forming part of the horizontally disposed supporting beams 20. One end of the shaft 27 extends out through the side wall 30 and has an operating hand lever 31 keyed thereto.

The gate 23 is releasably locked in closed position as 15 shown by the action of an electric solenoid 32 mounted on a cross bracket 33 forming part of the transverse beams 20. When the magnet 32 is demagnetized its core 34 is held in raised position by action of a spring 35, the core 34 entering the notch 36 formed in the un20 derside of the dispensing gate 23. This prevents the lever 31 from being operated until the coin actuator mechanism 37 has been activated by a coin.

A coin receiving chute 38 delivers the coins into the coin actuator 37. A pivotally mounted trap door 39 is 25 opened in the direction of the arrow by an electric solenoid 40. In the event it is desired to reject the coin, the open trap door 39 permits the coin to pass down into the coin return chute 41. Ordinarily the trap door 39 will be in the closed position shown, and the coin indi30 cated by broken lines 42, will pass down the chute 38 into the coin actuated mechanism 37. Referring particularly to FIGURE 3, broken lines 43 indicates a switch lever for closing the electric switch 44, to operate the ice vending machine V.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 3, an ice delivery gate 45 is pivotally mounted within the chute 22 at 46. A curved gate holding arm 47 is fixedly secured to the rear of the gate 45, and is arranged to pass through the slot 48 of the bottom 49 of the chute 22. A latch 50 is pivot40 ally mounted to the holding bracket 51 at 52, and is normally held in raised position by a spring 53. A dog 54 located on the outer end of the latch 50 engages the lower end of the arm 47, holding the gate 45 in closed position and against the ice that is being delivered thereto.

₄₅ Rigidly mounted on the underside of the gate 23 is a cam 55. When the gate 23 is moved to the position shown in FIGURE 3, cam 55 will push the push rod 56 downwardly, which forces the latch 50 down to the position shown in FIGURE 3. This releases the gate 45 so that 5Q the ice contained in the chute 22 will be delivered. An electric switch 57 is opened or closed by arm 47 of the gate 45. The arm 47 contacts the plunger 58 when in the position shown in FIGURES 3 and 9.

Referring to FIGURES 3 and 4, extending upwardly 55 from the gate 23 are ice agitating fingers 59. The object is to prevent ice cubes from freezing together and bridging within the nozzle 17. A water drain groove 60 is formed in the upper surface of the gate 23 to drain the water gathering thereon from the hopper 14. A receiving chute 50 61 underlies the lower end of groove 60 when the gate 23 is closed and a drain tube 62 connects the chute 61 to any suitable destination.

Referring to FIGURES 1, 3, 6 and 7, a bag dispenser 63 is located within the cabinet 10. The dispenser 63 has 0₅ a partial bottom 64 thereunder for supporting the bags 65. Fixedly secured to the bottom 64 is a solenoid 66, which has a bag vending pawl 67 secured to its core 68. A spring 69 normally holds the core 68 in the position shown in FIGURE 6, but when the solenoid 66 is energized the _θ core 68 and the pawl 67 are forced forward engaging the bottom flap 70 of the lower bag moving the same out through the slot 71 in the cabinet 10,

8,086,897

In the use and operation of the invention, the ice vending machine V is activated by first having the ice making machines 12 set in operation making ice, preferably of the cube form, and depositing the same into the hopper 14. There can be one or more machines 12 employed to make ice, depending on the amount of ice being vended in the particular location where the vender V is located. The usual thermal bulb control 72 limits the amount of ice being manufactured, as when the bin 14 is filled this thermal bulb shuts off the ice machine 12 in the usual manner.

To operate the machine V in the vending operation, a coin is dropped in the coin chute 38. Assuming everything is in proper order, the coin will reach the coin actuator 37 and when it does it will operate the switch bar 43, referring to FIGURES 3 and 9, and close the switch 44.

When the machine V is ready for operation, the switch 57 will be in the position shown in FIGURE 9, the low level thermal switch 73 will be in the position shown, when there is sufficient ice in the bin for a dispensing operation, and the switch 57 will be closed, as shown when the dispensing gate 45 is in a closed position as illustrated particularly in FIGURE 3.

When the switch 44 is closed, electric energy will flow along the main supply line 74, conductor 75, through the contacts 76 of the switch 57, contact 77 of the thermal switch 73, conductor 78, switch 44, conductor 79 through the holding relay solenoid 80 back to the main line 81 through conductor 82. This will operate the solenoid 80 of the relay 80A, causing an electric circuit from the main line 74, through conductor 83, switch bar 84, conductor 85, through the solenoid 32 back to the main line 81 along conductor 86, withdrawing the core 34 of the solenoid 32 from the holding notch 36 associated with the dispensing gate 23, which will permit the opening of the gate 23.

The switch 44 is momentarily closed to operate the relay 80A and is electrically held in a closed position by the usual switch bar 87 continuing to energize the solenoid 80 until the relay switch 80A is manually operated by the action of the cam 55 striking the lever 88 as the gate 23 is fully opened.

When the relay 80A is operated by the closing of the switch 44, energy flows from the conductor 78 into the conductor 89 through the solenoid 66 of the bag dispensing device, container 63, forcing a bag out of the slot 71 in the front of the cabinet 10.

When the core 34 of the solenoid 32 is removed from the notch 36 of the gate 23 by the coin and electric action, the operator can grasp the lever 31 pulling the same forward revolving the shaft 27 in the direction of the arrow, FIGURE 3. This will move the gate 23, permitting ice to flow from the nozzle 17 of the bin 14 into the dispensing chute 22 until the chute is filled, whereupon the operator pushes forward on the lever 31 returning the lever 31 to the broken line position, which will reclose the gate 23.

When the lever 31 is pulled completely forward opening the gate 23 wide, the cam 55, located on the underside of the gate, contacts the lever 88 of the relay 80A opening the same. When the gate 23 started to move to open position, the cam 55 released the push rod 56 so that spring 53 raised the latch 50 and the dog 54 engaged the arm 47 holding the gate 45 closed. When the gate 23 is again closed, as above described, the cam 55 will push the push rod 56 downwardly, unlatching the latch 50 permitting the gate 45 to open, delivering the ice contained within the chute 22 into the bag 65, indicated by broken lines in FIGURE 2. When the gate 45 is opened, the switch 57 opens the contacts 76 by action of the spring 57A and closes the contacts 90. When this happens electric energy flows from the main line 74, through the conductor 91, contacts 90, conductor 92 through the solenoid 40 back to the line 81. This will open the trap door 39 within the coin return chute 41, allowing the coin to bypass the coin actuator 37 in the event a coin is placed in the chute 38 before the gate 45 has closed for the next cycle of operation.

In the event that the ice is low in the supply bin 14, the thermal switch 73 will engage the contact 93 which will deliver electric energy from the main line 74, conductor 75, contact 76, conductor 77 through the thermal switch 73, contact 93, conductor 94 to the conductor 92 to the solenoid 40, deflecting the coin from the chute 38 into the return chute 41, rendering the machine inoperative.

When the lever 31 is returned to the position shown in the drawings, the core 34 of the solenoid 32 reengages the notch 36 locking the gate 23 from being reopened until another coin closes the switch 44, allowing the handle again to be operated in the opening of the gate 23.