GB2045989A - Vehicle Service Cabinet - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle service cabinet contains tools, supplies and facilities for the servicing and maintenance of motor vehicles. A selection of these may be purchased from a vending machine inside the cabinet. The cabinet has a door 2, 3 which may be opened to gain access to the tools, supplies and facilities and to the vending machine only by the insertion of both a code card and a preset amount of money. The door may be closed and the code card returned only when any tools and facilities have been returned to their allotted places inside the cabinet. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicle Service Cabinet During weekends and during hours when petrol stations and other service stations for motorists are unmanned, there are often automatic petrol vending machines. Of course, there might be other kinds of vending machines that for example supply provisions in standard packagings.

However, at unmanned service stations for vehicles, there is often a lack of essentials for motorists, such as facilities for cleaning the car windows and head-lights or for checking and adjusting the tyre pressure. Further, it is extremely desirable for other necessities, that may be needed suddenly, to be available 24 hours a day, such as oil, and especially during the cold season, carburettor alcohol and flushing liquid.

The invention provides a vehicle service cabinet comprising a door giving access to a selection of tools, supplies and facilities for the servicing and maintenance of motor vehicles, and to a vending machine which offers for sale a further selection of such tools, supplies and facilities, the cabinet being constructed so that the door may be opened only by the insertion of a code card and a preset amount of money, and may be closed only when any used tools and facilities have been returned to the cabinet, and such that the code card may be removed only when the door is closed.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partially cut away front elevation of a service cabinet embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the cabinet of Figure 1 taken along the line A-A in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of the cabinet of Figure 1 taken along the line B-B in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a sectional side elevation in an enlarged scale of the cabinet of Figure 1.

In the drawings, reference numeral 1 represents the cabinet wall, numerals 2 and 3 represent a two part outer door which is opened by a handle 4 after a code card has been placed in a partition 7 through an opening 8 in the door, a button 9 pressed and a coin inserted in a slot (not shown). When the door 2, 3 has been opened, water can be received in desirable quantity in the receptacle 11 from a water cistern 21 after the action of an electromagnet 5 that in turn actuates a mechanism 6 for the dispensing of a predetermined quantity of water into the receptacle 11 via a water conduit 13. This arrangement can of course be varied in many ways and can for example be substituted by a simple water tap.When the water level has sunk under a certail level in the cistern 21, a floater will initiate filling up via a connected water conduit.

A compressed air apparatus 10 adjacent to the receptacle 11 is connected to a compressed air line 12. When the receptacle 11 and the compressed air apparatus 10 are stored in their places inside the cabinet, they close the contacts 26, 27 and 24, 25 respectively, to close an electric circuit which is a condition for the door 2, 3 to be closed after the use of the tools, and then the code card will be given back. In the case of other tools being available in the cabinet, for example a swab, these will of course have their own places and their own contacts.

Highest up in the cabinet, a row of vessels 14 containing flushing liquid in various quantities is stored, being accessible through the use of a corresponding number of separate coin slots.

Below the vessels 14 a number of holders is stored containing for example carburettor alcohol, oil or lock spray. Some of them might even be beverages or packages of some sort of food. Each type of article is placed in one row on one of a plurality of conveying bands 18, fed forward by an operating cylinder 19, so that an article will be brought to a position from which it can be pushed in to a receiving box by an operating cylinder 20.

Which conveying band moves is determined by the coin-slots via the operating cylinders 22 and 23, that will connect the selected band via operating cylinders and gears.

The service cabinet may be detached or may be constructed integrally with a building, and may be placed at petrol stations or other service stations.

Claims

1. A vehicle service cabinet comprising a door giving access to a selection of tools, supplies and facilities for the servicing and maintenance of motor vehicles, and to a vending machine which offers for sale a further selection of such tools, supplies and facilities, the cabinet being constructed so that the door may be opened only by the insertion of a code card and a preset amount of money, and may be closed only when any used tools and facilities have been returned to the cabinet, and such that the code card may be removed only when the door is closed, 2. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in claim 1, in which the door is adapted to be opened by a code card having a magnetic code, together with the preset amount of money.

3. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, in which the facilities include water, a swab and compressed air.

4. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a compressed air apparatus connected to an exterior compressed air line, a water cistern connected to an external water conduit, and a water receptacle, the water cistern having a float and a tap.

5. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the supplies include flushing liquid and carburettor alcohol.

6. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the vending machine also offers for sale beverages and food packages.

7. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in any

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Vehicle Service Cabinet During weekends and during hours when petrol stations and other service stations for motorists are unmanned, there are often automatic petrol vending machines. Of course, there might be other kinds of vending machines that for example supply provisions in standard packagings. However, at unmanned service stations for vehicles, there is often a lack of essentials for motorists, such as facilities for cleaning the car windows and head-lights or for checking and adjusting the tyre pressure. Further, it is extremely desirable for other necessities, that may be needed suddenly, to be available 24 hours a day, such as oil, and especially during the cold season, carburettor alcohol and flushing liquid. The invention provides a vehicle service cabinet comprising a door giving access to a selection of tools, supplies and facilities for the servicing and maintenance of motor vehicles, and to a vending machine which offers for sale a further selection of such tools, supplies and facilities, the cabinet being constructed so that the door may be opened only by the insertion of a code card and a preset amount of money, and may be closed only when any used tools and facilities have been returned to the cabinet, and such that the code card may be removed only when the door is closed. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a partially cut away front elevation of a service cabinet embodying the invention, Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the cabinet of Figure 1 taken along the line A-A in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a sectional side elevation of the cabinet of Figure 1 taken along the line B-B in Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a sectional side elevation in an enlarged scale of the cabinet of Figure 1. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 represents the cabinet wall, numerals 2 and 3 represent a two part outer door which is opened by a handle 4 after a code card has been placed in a partition 7 through an opening 8 in the door, a button 9 pressed and a coin inserted in a slot (not shown). When the door 2, 3 has been opened, water can be received in desirable quantity in the receptacle 11 from a water cistern 21 after the action of an electromagnet 5 that in turn actuates a mechanism 6 for the dispensing of a predetermined quantity of water into the receptacle 11 via a water conduit 13. This arrangement can of course be varied in many ways and can for example be substituted by a simple water tap.When the water level has sunk under a certail level in the cistern 21, a floater will initiate filling up via a connected water conduit. A compressed air apparatus 10 adjacent to the receptacle 11 is connected to a compressed air line 12. When the receptacle 11 and the compressed air apparatus 10 are stored in their places inside the cabinet, they close the contacts 26, 27 and 24, 25 respectively, to close an electric circuit which is a condition for the door 2, 3 to be closed after the use of the tools, and then the code card will be given back. In the case of other tools being available in the cabinet, for example a swab, these will of course have their own places and their own contacts. Highest up in the cabinet, a row of vessels 14 containing flushing liquid in various quantities is stored, being accessible through the use of a corresponding number of separate coin slots. Below the vessels 14 a number of holders is stored containing for example carburettor alcohol, oil or lock spray. Some of them might even be beverages or packages of some sort of food. Each type of article is placed in one row on one of a plurality of conveying bands 18, fed forward by an operating cylinder 19, so that an article will be brought to a position from which it can be pushed in to a receiving box by an operating cylinder 20. Which conveying band moves is determined by the coin-slots via the operating cylinders 22 and 23, that will connect the selected band via operating cylinders and gears. The service cabinet may be detached or may be constructed integrally with a building, and may be placed at petrol stations or other service stations. Claims

1. A vehicle service cabinet comprising a door giving access to a selection of tools, supplies and facilities for the servicing and maintenance of motor vehicles, and to a vending machine which offers for sale a further selection of such tools, supplies and facilities, the cabinet being constructed so that the door may be opened only by the insertion of a code card and a preset amount of money, and may be closed only when any used tools and facilities have been returned to the cabinet, and such that the code card may be removed only when the door is closed,

2. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in claim 1, in which the door is adapted to be opened by a code card having a magnetic code, together with the preset amount of money.

3. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, in which the facilities include water, a swab and compressed air.

4. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising a compressed air apparatus connected to an exterior compressed air line, a water cistern connected to an external water conduit, and a water receptacle, the water cistern having a float and a tap.

5. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the supplies include flushing liquid and carburettor alcohol.

6. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the vending machine also offers for sale beverages and food packages.

7. A vehicle service cabinet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the door comprises two parts.

8. A vehicle service cabinet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.