US3463356A - Automatic dispensing machine for magazines,newspapers,books and the like - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 26, 1969 G. GATT! 3,463,356 AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1' Filed Sept. 26, 1967 (gm/ g 94m INVENTOR ATTORNEY Aug. 26, 969 G. GATT! 3,463, 6

AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 26. 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 GIMIG RLG 6A7 11' flvENToR ATTORNEY Aug. 26, 1969 G. GATT] I I 3, 5

AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES,'NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 26, 1967 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 4 I I 5 I I I I I I I I I l I I I I I I 'I l I I I I I I I I I I I I I 105; I I 'E l I 5 I I 5 I I I I I I I I I I 5 I I I I l I I 1 I... I I I I I I 8 4 ivy. 5

KIA-WAR 3677/" IINVENTOR ATTO EY Aug. 26, 1969 G. GATTI 3,463,356

AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES,' NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 26. 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 (,(mcMLo brfTi INVENTOR ATTO EY GATTI 3,463,356

NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 AND THE LIKE G I M? 0 6/! 7f! INVENTOR BY r ATTORNEY Aug. 26, 1969 AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES,

Filed Sept. 26, 1967 United States Patent 3,463,356 AUTOMATIC DISPENSING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS, BOOKS AND THE LIKE Giancarlo Gatti, 1 Via Vela,

2100 Varese, Italy Filed Sept. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 670,562 Claims priority, application Italy, Sept. 30, 1966, 777,747/ 66 Int. Cl. B65h 3/22; G07f 11/04 U.S. Cl. 221--213 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an automatic dispensing machine for magazines, newspapers, books and the like.

It is the main object of the present invention to provide a dispensing machine for magazines, newspapers, books and the like which, by simple introduction of a coin into a coin operated mechanism forming part of the dispensing machine, will automatically cause only one magazine, or newspaper, or book to exit at a time from said dispensing machine, without the magazine be ing rumpled or torn.

It is another object of this invention to provide a dispensing machine of a simple and reliable operation, and readily filled with piles of magazines and the like.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a dispensing machine which is effective to dispense only one magazine or the like at a time independently of the pages of the magazine, that is, the thickness and transverse dimensions thereof, the dispensing machine being of the flexible type to readily accommodate to the type of magazines introduced thereinto.

This novel automatic dispensing machine is characterized by comprising a framework wherein the magazines are simply piled on one another, a freely vertically moving arm provided with counterweights, which arm can rest above the uppermost magazine of a pile of magazines arranged within the framework, driving means being provided, as carried by said moving arm, for forwardly move and withdraw a locking hook at the magazine underlying said uppermost magazine and forwardly move and withdraw a drawing hook at said uppermost magazine.

This invention may be better understood from the following detailed description given by mere way of example and thus of not limitation, reference being made to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ensemble of the dispensing machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-section of the machine according to line II--II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic front view of the casing for the machine;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the machine, an upper supporting plate having been removed therefrom in order to better show internal details of the drawing device for newspapers, magazines or the like; and

Patented Aug. 26, 1969 ice FIGS. 5, 6, 6a and 7 show the respective positions for two drawing and locking hooks of the newspapers at different operating steps.

The dispensing machine substantially consists of a rectangular framework, indicated as a whole at 1, at the front having two plates 3, between which a central opening 4 is provided. Internally of the framework there are provided two moving walls 5 symmetrically arranged to the machine centre plane, which may be moved to or away from each other and stopped at any position through threaded pins operable by spokes 6 projecting from plates 3. The two moving side walls 5 are locked on plates 3 at a distance from each other which is equivalent to the height of the magazines or newspapers 7 to be dispensed (FIG. 1). The machine provides an internal bottom plane 8 (FIG. 2) slightly inclined to the horizontal, the length of which is preferably, even though not necessarily, less than the width of magazines 7 to be dispensed, such length of plane 8 being, for example, about two thirds of said magazine width.

The dispensing machine also provides a vertical column 9 (FIG. 2) secured to the machine frame along and inside of a side panel thereof. A bushing 10 fast with a crosspiece 101 may vertically slide on column 9, said bushing 10 carrying at the ends two idle rollers 11 resting on the internal side panel of the machine. A Wire 12 passing over two pulleys 13 and bonded at the other end to a counterweight 14 (FIG. 2) is secured to bushing 10.

Through a hinge 15 said bushing 10 supports an overturnable arm 16 terminating with a crosspiece 17 (for sake of simplicity not shown in FIG. 3), slightly inclined to the horizontal, so that the lowermost portion thereof is at the front side of the machine. Said crosspiece 17 carries an electric motor 18 (not shown in FIG. 2 for sake of drawing evidence), on the shaft of which a worm 19 is keyed, meshing with a pinion 20 keyed on a shaft carried by and passing through said crosspiece 17. While said pinion 20 is located above said crosspiece 17, therebelow is located a gear 21 keyed on the same shaft carrying said pinion 20. A drive chain 22, stretched between gear 21 and a gear 23 idly mounted on a shaft 102 fast with crosspiece 17, is wound on said gear 21.

Through two opposite side panels 24, said crosspiece 17 carries two parallel columns 25 and 26 on which two blocks 27 and 28 are freely movably mounted; block 27 (FIG. 4) is provided with two holes, each of which engages with each of said two columns 25 and 26, whereas block 28 is provided with a single hole or guide and slides on guide 26.

Fast with a link thereof, said chain 22 carries a pin 30 pivoted at a connecting rod 31, in turn pivoted to a pin 32 carried by block 27. A spring 35 (FIG. 4) is provided between said block 28 and a side panel 24. Configuration of block 27 is such as to urge during its movement along columns 25 and 26 for some length of its stroke said block 28 against said side panel 24 against a spring 35 and release it throughout the remainder of its stroke. Block 28 carries a laterally cantilever pin 40 (FIG. 4) terminating with a roller 41 engaging within a slot 42 of a stationary plate 43. A lever 44 is idly mounted on said pin 40, and at the front terminates with a hook 45, hereinafter referred to as locking hook, as it may be clearly seen also from the details of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, wherein a portion of the device carried by crosspiece 17 is schematically shown in a side elevational and partially sectional view. At its end 44a inside of the machine, said lever 44 has a shaped portion which is connected with an end of a tension spring 45' connecting said rear portion of the lever to a fixed anchorage 46 fast with the swinging arm 16. Block 27 carries a laterally cantilever spoke 5t} engaging for a length of stroke of block 27 on columns 25 and 26 the upper section of the shaped portion of end 44a of lever 44 causing it to rotate against spring 45'. At the bottom, said block 27 also carries an extension 60 (particular reference being made to FIG. 2 and detail in FIG. 6a), through a resilient foil or plate 61 there being secured thereto a rigid foil or plate 62, to which a resilient foil or plate 63 is secured which is bent over at the bottom thereof as a hook 64, hereinafter referred to as drawing hook. On said resilient foil or plate 63 there is provided a threaded bushing 65, on which a bolt 66 (FIG 6a) is screwed down, the end of said bolt bearing on foil or plate 62, so that by rotating said bolt 66 in either direction the thickness between said drawing hook 64 and resiliently supported rigid foil or plate 62 may be adjusted.

An adjustment is also provided for said locking hook 45 (particularly see FIG. 6), which hook is carried by lever 44 through spokes 70 sliding within slots on the end of said lever 44, the adjustment being carried out by a screw 71 threading into a threaded bushing 72 fast with the end of lever 44.

Operation of the machine may be summarized as fol lows:

Charging of the machine with magazines or the like is very simply effected by unscrewing a knob 60, overturning arm 16 about a hinge 15 causing it to take the position as shown by dashed lines in FIG. 3. The packet of magazines piled on one another is placed inside of the machine by orienting such magazines with the back thereof facing the rear side of the machine. Next, arm 16 is lowered again by re-screwing said knob 60' on bushing 10. .It should be noted that this charging operation is facilitated by the front aperture in the machine casing between the two walls 3.

By introducing a coin into a coin operated mechanism, which is of a type per se known and indicated as a whole at 105, an electric pulse is transmitted to a relay having a self-holding contact (for sake of clearness not shown in the drawings) and through which the electric motor 18 is fed. At operation starting, that is at inoperative position, the drawing and locking mechanism for the magazines is at the position shown in FIG. 4, and at operative condition chain 22 will move in a counterclockwise direction, as shown by arrow A in said FIG. 4. From this position and upon operation of motor 18, chain 22 will urge through connecting rod 31 said block 27 to the front side of the machine, which block 27 causing through spoke 50 (see FIG. 6) the upward rotation of hook 45 against spring 45, block 2'7 abutting on block 28 and forwardly urging said block causing hook 45 to project beyond the front edges of said piled magazines, the forward movement for block 28 occurring against spring 35; at the same time, block 27 also causes drawing hook 64 to project beyond the front edges of said piled magazines. When spoke 30, fast with said chain 22, has passed front dead centre, that is the point of minimum distance from the front wall of the machine, connecting rod 31 will start to draw block 27 in opposite direction to arrow A (FIG. 4), while also block 28 moves for a short length in the same direction under the action of spring 35. Looking hook 45, fast with block 28, effects therefore a movement in the same direction inserting among the pages of the second magazine of the magazine pile as starting from the top. At the same time, spoke 50, fast with block 27, gets clear of the profiled portion of end 44a of lever 44, so that locking hook 45 is encumbered with the full weight of arm 16 and elements fast therewith, the weight of counterweight 14 being of course subtracted. In the meanwhile, drawing hook 64 (FIG. 7) enters the pages of the topmost magazine in the magazine pile, drawing it to the rear side of the machine (FIG. so as to cause it to pass the rib of the other magazines which are piled and held as clamped by said hook 45. Then, the magazine will drop by gravity on the bottom of the machine and Slide on an inclined plane 69 so as to exit on the lower front side of the machine.

The drop of each magazine from the magazine pile occurs when pin 30 approaches the back dead centre of its movement, or at the point of its maximum distance from the front side of the machine. Pin 30, fast with chain 22, will then continue to travel from gear 23 to gear 21 in the direction shown by arrow A (FIG. 4), until a spoke 103, also fast with chain 22, operates on a microswitch 1 04 which breaks the self-holding circuit of the above-cited operating relay for motor 18, which will stop at the position shown in FIG. 4. The electric circuit connecting motor 18 to supply network, selfholding relay, microswitch 104 and coin operated mechanism are not shown in detail for sake of simplicity and because of the simple and evident fulfillment thereof for any skilled person in the art. By introducing a further coin into coin operated mechanism 105, the machine will restart through a cycle identical to the above-described cycle.

As apparent from the foregoing, the machine is of a simply and highly reliable operation, since the drawing of magazines or newspapers takes place by drawing time by time the first uppermost magazine in the magazine pile, that is that magazine is drawn which is subjected only to its own weight, whereas the weight of all the moving part of the machine is taken by the second magazine from the top of the magazine pile, which causes a reliable and effective lock of the magazines in the pile, thus facilitating said drawing for the first magazine and preventing from false distributions of two magazines at the same time, even if the latter should for the characteristics of the cover thereof have a trend to adhere to one another.

What I claim is:

1. An automatic dispensing machine for articles such as magazines, newspapers and the like comprising a frame adapted to have said articles arranged in superimposed relation thereon, a freely movable vertically disposed arm having counterweights operatively connected thereto, said arm adapted to rest on the uppermost of said articles, a locking hook positioned below the topmost article, means carried by said arm for selectively moving forwardly and withdrawing said locking hook, a drawing hook positioned adjacent the topmost article, means carried by said movable arm for selectively moving forward and withdrawing the drawing hook that is located adjacent the uppermost article, said frame having an opening therein, and means operatively associated with the said arm adapted to actuate the arm and drawing hook toward the opening and thus dispenser an article through said opening.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein the means carried by the arm includes a motor driven chain, and blocks and a lever operatively associated with said means.

3. The structure as defined in claim '1 wherein said arm includes a hinge, and locking means for said hinge.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1 and further including a column having said arm slidably mounted therealong, and rollers on the side of the frame engaging the arm.

5. The structure as defined in claim 1 and further including means for adjusting the position of the drawing hook and locking hook in accordance with the thickness of the articles to be dispensed from the pile of articles.

6. The structure -as defined in claim 1 wherein said articles engage a bearing surface that is inclined relative to a horizontal plane, said bearing surface having a width which is less than that of the articles.

7. The structure as defined in claim 1 and further including movable walls which are adapted to be adjusted to correspond to the height of the articles being dispensed.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Lovatt 221-213 X Laughery 221-213 Wagner 221215 Cameron 221232 X Andrist 221--2 13 X Graham 221213 X Opgenroth 221-213 X Mackenzie et a1 221--213 Abrams et a1. 221-213 X Williams et a1 221213 Watlington 221-213 WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner

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