Sanitized vending machine and method

摘要

A sanitized vending machine includes product and cup dispensing mechanisms and an actuation mechanism. The product dispensing mechanism, holding one or more product items, rotates through a product dispensing cycle to dispense them. The cup dispensing mechanism, holding a stack of cups, rotates through a cup dispensing cycle to dispense a cup to a predetermined position. The dispensing cycles occur in a predetermined sequence so as to enable the dispensed product items to be received in a previously dispensed cup. The dispensing mechanisms respectively include rotatable first and second driven gears drivingly interfaced to rotate during respective product and cup dispensing cycles. The actuation mechanism includes a handle and a rotatable drive gear drivingly interfaced with the first driven gear. When the handle is turned by a user through an actuation cycle the driven gears rotate the respective mechanisms through respective product and cup dispensing cycles.

主权项

1. A sanitized vending machine, comprising:
a product dispensing mechanism adapted to hold a plurality of product items and rotate through a product dispensing cycle during which said product dispensing mechanism dispenses one or more of product items, said product dispensing mechanism including a first driven gear for undergoing rotation during the product dispensing cycle; a cup dispensing mechanism adapted to hold at least one stack of cups and rotate through a cup dispensing cycle during which said cup dispensing mechanism dispenses a cup from the stack to a predetermined position, said respective product and cup dispensing cycles occurring in a predetermined sequence so that the dispensed product items are received in a cup located in the predetermined position, said cup dispensing mechanism including a second driven gear drivingly interfaced with said first driven gear of said product dispensing mechanism for undergoing rotation during the cup dispensing cycle; an actuation mechanism including
a rotatable shaft,a drive gear mounted to said shaft so as to undergo rotation with said shaft, said drive gear being drivingly interfaced with said first driven gear of said product dispensing mechanism, anda handle mounted to said shaft and adapted to be turned to rotate said shaft and said drive gear therewith through an actuation cycle such that when said handle is turned by a user through the actuation cycle said first and second driven gears respectively rotate with said mechanisms through respective product and cup dispensing cycles; and a well structure including front and rear chambers disposed in a tandem relationship and an opening defined in said well structure where said chambers meet one another, said front chamber communicating with a product dispensing opening in a front bottom wall of said well structure, said first driven gear of said product dispensing mechanism being mounted to undergo rotation in said front chamber, said rear chamber communicating with a cup dispensing opening in a rear bottom wall of said well structure, and said second driven gear of said cup dispensing mechanism being mounted to undergo rotation in said rear chamber.