[54] AUTOMATIC VENDING MACHINE AND SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING ARTICLES
[75] Inventors: Gidoon Hirschfeld; Abraham Shotland, both of Ein Harod Meuhad, Israel
[73] Assignee: I.V.D.M. Ltd., Ein Harod Meuhad, Israel
[21] Appl. No.: 173,717
[22] Filed: Mar. 25, 1988
[51] Int. CI.4 G07F 7/06; B65G 1/06
[52] U.S. a 194/205; 221/21;
221/88; 414/273; 414/280; 414/661
[58] Field of Search 194/205, 350; 221/4,
221/21, 79, 88, 134, 156, 220, 243, DIG. 1; 414/273, 274, 275, 277, 280, 281, 282, 283, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663; 235/380, 381; 186/55, 56;
901/13, 32, 39, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
3,372,816 3/1968 Atwater 414/277 X
3,964,577 6/1976 Bengtsson 186/56 X
4,348,152 9/1982 Takamatsu 414/273 X
4,389,157 6/1983 'Bernard et al 414/280 X
4,563,120 1/1986 Josserand 414/273
4,573,271 3/1986 Hamilton et al 901/45 X
4,598,810 7/1986 Shore et al 221/88 X
4,668,150 5/1987 Blumberg 221/88 X
4,734,005 3/1988 Blumberg 221/88 X
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
0184527 6/1986 European Pat. Off. 194/205
0191636 8/1986 European Pat. Off. 194/205
0249367 12/1987 European Pat. Off. 194/205
8602758 5/1986 Int'l Pat. Institute 221/88
8606050 10/1986 Int'l Pat. Institute 414/273
Primary Examiner—Joseph J. Rolla
Assistant Examiner—Edward S. Ammeen
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Fleit, Jacobson, Cohn, Price,
Holman & Stern
[57] ABSTRACT
An article gripper is moved by a robotic transporter in two perpendicular directions within a transport plane between a reference location and ID code reading locations aligned with an access port and storage cells of storage assemblies mounted in doors closing a transport compartment of an automatic vending machine. The gripper is also moved by the robotic transporter in a direction intersecting the transport plane to insert or withdraw articles carried by the gripper after displacement by incremental amounts from the aligned reading locations to gripping or releasing positions. The foregoing movements of the gripper as well as other related operations are under programmed control of a computer and inputted data from a keypad and card reader to perform merchandising transactions with respect to manufactured articles stored in the doors of the machine as well as to accommodate servicing operations.
27 Claims, 21 Drawing Sheets
