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  Vending machine with non-vend storage area and modular storage unitUSPTO Application #: 20070262083Title: Vending machine with non-vend storage area and modular storage unit Abstract: A cabinet for housing a vending machine having an article storage area from which the articles stored therein cannot be automatically vended by the dispensing apparatus of the vending machine. An interchangeable storage module is adapted to be received within the article storage area from which articles cannot be vended. (end of abstract) Agent: Douglas T. Johnson Miller & Martin - Chattanooga, TN, US Inventors: Cyril J. Turner, Bradley W. Boehnke USPTO Applicaton #: 20070262083 - Class: 221097000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Article Dispensing, Plural Sources, Stacks Or Compartments, With Non-dispensing Compartment The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070262083. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to vending machines for dispensing articles, such as foods, beverages, candy, snacks, toiletries or other products that may conveniently be dispensed to consumers through unattended machines, and more particularly, to a cabinet for housing a vending machine that includes one or more modular storage areas for storing articles that are not capable of being dispensed through the vending apparatus of the vending machine. [0002] Articles of all kinds are currently dispensed through vending machines. Vending machines may dispense exclusively one type of product, such as a gum-ball machine, or a variety of products, such as beverages and snacks. Similarly, vending machines may be configured to dispense refrigerated products such as beverages, room temperature products such as candy and snacks, hot products such as coffee or french fries, or in some instances, both hot and cold products. [0003] Regardless of the type and nature of article or product being vended, all current vending machines share a common feature in that all of the product storage areas within the machine are each connected to or accessible by the vending apparatus of the machine. This is true whether there is only one or a plurality of such product storage areas. In other words, current vending machines are not configured to hold and store articles that cannot be vended. In fact, many prior art inventions have been directed specifically towards maximizing the space available for holding the articles to be vended. [0004] The present invention, however, is directed towards providing an article storage area within a vending machine to hold articles that are not accessible to be dispensed from the machine by the vending apparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention is directed towards a modular article storage unit that may be interchangeably affixed within or to the housing or cabinet of the vending machine wherein the stored articles are not available to be dispensed through the machine's vending means or dispensing apparatus. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] The present invention relates to an improved vending machine having an article storage area in which articles can be stored, but which articles are not capable of being automatically vended. In the preferred embodiment, an article storage module is sized to be received within the article storage area, and said module may be independently removed from the cabinet of the vending machine. Articles stored in the article storage module cannot be automatically vended by the dispensing apparatus of the vending machine. [0006] Prior art vending machines comprise at a minimum a securable cabinet or housing, said cabinet housing a payment system, at least one vendable article storage area, and at least one dispensing apparatus for moving an article from one or a plurality of vendable article storage areas to a dispensing area accessible by the user. [0007] In simple vending machines, such as coin operated gumball-type machines, the payment system and the dispensing apparatus are mechanically interconnected, requiring the insertion of a coin to turn the dispensing apparatus. In more complex vending machines, the payment systems and dispensing apparatus may be mechanically interconnected, but more commonly involve one of the many well known selection systems for selecting the desired article to be vended and electronically actuating the dispensing apparatus. Depending upon the type of articles being vended, the vending machine may also have product-specific equipment such as a refrigeration system for cooling the articles, or heating or cooking mechanisms for heating the articles as part of the vending process. Similarly, some vending machines employ data recording systems that collect and store information regarding the other systems of the vending machine, such as payment information, inventory counts and weights, temperature and other functional data, and can even run diagnostics on such systems to identify and provide alerts regarding the operation of the vending machine and its various systems. [0008] A vending machine produced according to the present invention further comprises a non-vend article storage area. The non-vend article storage area is securable within the cabinet or may be removeably affixed and locked to the outside of the cabinet. A non-vend article storage area is an area within the cabinet capable of holding a plurality of articles that are not accessible by the vending apparatus for vending through normal operation of the machine. Articles within the non-vend article storage area may only be vended if the cabinet is opened and the articles within the non-vend article storage area are manually removed from the non-vend article storage area and placed within one of the vendable article storage areas. [0009] In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the non-vend article storage area is adapted to receive a non-vend article storage module that is removeable from the cabinet and may be interchanged with another non-vend article storage module. In the presently preferred embodiment, when secured within the cabinet, one face of the non-vend article storage module comprises a portion of the front face of the vending machine cabinet. However, alternate configurations fall within the scope of the present invention wherein the non-vend article storage module is enclosed within the cabinet behind a securable door of the cabinet. In yet another alternative configuration, the non-vend article storage module may simply securably mate with an outer wall of the cabinet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0010] The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which: [0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vending machine having a non-vend article storage area and a non-vend article storage module according to the present invention; [0012] FIG. 2 is a side view of a non-vend article storage module according to the present invention; and [0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vending machine having a non-vend article storage area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0014] The present invention is generally directed to a cabinet or housing for a vending machine having a storage area within or attached to the cabinet for storing articles that cannot be vended. For ease of reference, a first type of article storage areas or containers within or attached to the cabinet from which the articles can be dispensed through the normal, automated operation of the vending machine shall be referred to herein as "vendable storage areas" or "vendable article storage areas." A second type of storage area within or attached to the cabinet for holding articles that the vending machine cannot dispense in the course of its normal, automated operation shall be referred to herein as a "non-vend storage area" or a "non-vend article storage area." Preferably, the presently preferred embodiment of the invention further comprises a readily interchangeable, non-vend article storage module sized to be received within the non-vend article storage area of the cabinet as illustrated and described below. [0015] Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a vending machine 10 made in accordance with the present invention. The vending machine 10 is defined by a housing or cabinet 12, typically of metal or hard plastic construction and may include a clear face (not shown in FIG. 1) for viewing. The cabinet 12 may be securably closed, such as with hinged door 17 and a lock 16. [0016] Disposed inside the cabinet 12 are one or more vend storage areas 13 for holding a plurality of articles 11, such as beverage cans, and a dispensing apparatus 15 for moving or allowing the movement of an article 11 from a vend storage area 13 along a dispensing path 14 to a dispensing area 19 accessible from without the cabinet 12, such as through opening 18 in door 17. Different types and configurations of dispensing apparatus 15 and dispensing areas 19 are known in the art and any may be employed in connection with the present invention. Similarly, many types and configurations of vend storage areas 13 exist in the art and may be employed in connection with the present invention. Prior art vend storage areas 13, however, all share the common function of storing articles 11 for automatic vending by means of one or more associated dispensing apparatus 15. [0017] The vending machine 10 of the present invention further comprises one or more non-vend article storage areas 21 within the cabinet 12. Articles within the non-vend storage areas are separated or isolated from the dispensing apparatus and may not be vended unless physically placed within a vendable storage area. In a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a non-vend article storage area 21 is adapted for receiving a non-vend article storage module 20. A non-vend article storage module 20 or area 21 is distinguishable from the vendable article storage areas 13 of a vending machine 10 because articles 11 stored within a non-vend article storage module 20 or area 21 are not accessible to be dispensed by the dispensing apparatus 15. It is conceivable that a cabinet 12 may be configured to include a plurality of non-vend article storage areas 21 within the cabinet 12, however, in order to be suitable for the practical purposes of this invention, each of such non-vend article storage areas 21 would preferably be sized to accommodate at least as many articles 11 as are required to fully stock a vendable article storage area 13 of the types present in the vending machine 10. In other words, the present invention is not intended to encompass every void within a vending machine housing, rather the non-vend storage areas of the present invention must encompass an area sufficient to accommodate a significant number of articles and should have a relatively level surface such as floor 22 or shelves 23 upon which articles may be placed. Additionally, the non-vend storage areas 21 of the present invention are readily accessible to an operator having access to the inside of the cabinet 12. [0018] In one preferred embodiment, the non-vend storage area 21 is sized to receive a non-vend article storage module 20 that is substantially the height H of the cabinet 12. The non-vend storage module 20 may be interchangeably received and releasably secured within the cabinet. When secured within the cabinet 12, an outer face 28 of the non-vend storage module 20 may comprise a first portion of the front side of the cabinet 12 with a second portion of the front side of the cabinet 12 formed by the outer surface 26 of door 17 (as shown in FIG. 2). Alternatively, the non-vend article storage module 20 may be configured to fit entirely within the cabinet 12 such that the cabinet door 17 fully encloses the non-vend article storage module 20 (as shown in FIG. 3). [0019] In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the non-vend article storage module 20 may further comprise a payment system or one or more components thereof for the vending machine, said payment system typically comprising a coin slot 34, bill validator 35, coin return 36, cash box 33 and means for communicating payment information to the other systems, including the dispensing apparatus, of the vending machine 10, such as a computer processor (not shown). Vending machine payment systems may also include credit or debit card readers (not shown) or electronic payment processing means (not shown) or any other payment means known in the art. Vending machine payment systems and other vending machine systems may also communicate with a data recording system (not shown) for tracking sales information such as cash flows, inventory counts and weights, temperatures and other functional data, and other relevant business information such as the results of diagnostic routines regarding the various systems of the vending machine. When the payment system, data recording system or select components of either of them are positioned aboard the non-vend article storage module 20, the payment system, data recording system or components thereof must operatively connect with the vending machine 10 when the non-vend article storage module 20 is secured within the cabinet 12, such as with electronic cables that plug in to make a connection or matching contact points (not shown) thereby allowing the communication means of the payment system to interact with the article selection system 24 and dispensing apparatus 15 of the vending machine 10 for proper functioning. [0020] In a preferred embodiment, a lockable cash box 33 may be incorporated into the non-vend article storage module 20. The cash box 33 may be independently removable or permanently affixed within the non-vend article storage module 20. The cash box 33 is operatively connected with payment means 34, 35 on the outer face 28 of the non-vend article storage module 20, or in other alternative embodiments not illustrated in FIG. 1, the cabinet 12 or door 17 of the vending machine 10. If the non-vend article storage module 20 is fully enclosed behind the cabinet door 17, payment means on the cabinet door (not shown) must cooperate with corresponding access into the cash box 33. Finally, the payment system or cash box 33 may also be enclosed behind its own securable and lockable cash box door 38. Continue reading... Full patent description for Vending machine with non-vend storage area and modular storage unit Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Vending machine with non-vend storage area and modular storage unit patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. 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