Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2187~20
TITLE: SLIDING SHELF FOR BEVERAGE DISPENSING
MACHINE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a sliding shelf for a beverage dispensing
m~rhine. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sliding shelf
with folding legs which are actuated to and fro between a retracted position
and a deployed position coincidently with the respective movement from
5 the ext~n~ing and retracting of the shelf.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A number of di~erenl types of beverage dispensing machines are
connected to a supply of fresh water and have several containers of
concentrated syrup of different fruit flavours. When a fruit drink is
10 selected by a customer, by activating an applopliate push button for
example, a measure of fresh water is automatically mixed with a measure
of syrup to produce the selected drink. The fruit drink is then dispensed
into a cup accessible to the client.
All subterranean water contains minerals and other chemical
15 substances and compounds which are soluble in the water and affect its
taste. Therefore, the taste of a fruit drink from the beverage dispenser in
one location may differ from the taste of the same named drink purchased
from a dispenser connected to a differently located water well. For this
primaty reason, beverage caterers prefer to sell pre-mixed beverages made
20 with distilled water and having a consistent taste upon which a market
response can be reliably monitored, and a good repulalion can be
established.
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Beverage dispensing m~çhines for selling pre-mixed beverages are
relatively voluminous in size in order to house a variety of beverage
containers, each having a relatively large capacity. A common size of
beverage c(mt~iner has a volume of 5 U.S. gallons (18.9 litres), and weighs
5 in excess of 42 pounds when full. Therefore it can be a difficult task to
some persons to handle these cnnt~in~rs into and out a beverage dispensing
machine.
In this respect, a number of prior art beverage dispensers are
equipped with a sliding shelf for supporting the beverage containers. For
example, U.S. Patent 3,949,902 issued on April 13, 1976 to Frank B.
Thompson describes a sliding shelf for supporting four inverted bottles.
The shelf is movable from a retracted position inside the cabinet of the
a~lus to an çxt.ontle~ position where the bottles can be easily replaced.
Similarly, C~n~ n Patent 1,121,772 issued on April 13, 1982, to Bostrom
15 et al. describes a miL~ dispenser having a sliding shelf for supporting two-
20 litre milk packages.
The beverage dispensing m~hin~s of the above-described examples
have a relatively low center of gravity, whereby the loading of the shelf in
the extended position is not detrimental to the stability of the apparatus.
Beverage dispensing m~hines of the modern type, however, have
a tall rectangular shape with dimensions of as much as can afford the
overall clearance of a standard commercial doorway. The center of gravity
ofthese m~hin~s is therefore relatively high as co~ .ared to the aforesaid
25 prior art al)paralus. Moreover, in some machines, the refrigeration
compressor and motor is mounted in the upper region of the dispenser's
cabinet. This has the effect of raising the center of gravity of the m~chine
even further u~w~rd.
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For these reasons, the sliding cantilever shelves of the prior art,
although convenient to manipulate heavy beverage containers, would
become a safety concern if installed on modern dispensers having a high
center of gravity. An ~ ;onal overloading of the shelf in the ext~nded
5 position could cause a tall machine to tip forward and fall toward the
person tçn(ling it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, however, there is provided a beverage
vending m~rlline having a sliding shelf with folding legs for supporting the
10 weight of the shelf when the shelf is in an extended position.
ln one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beverage
vending m~ine for distributing water, milk, fruit flavoured drinks or the
like to clients, comprising of a tall rect~n~ r upright cabinet with a
closable opening on a front side thereof. This cabinet contains a plurality
15 of beverage containers, beverage dispensing eqnipment connected to the
beverage containers and control means connected to the equipment for
controlling the operation of the machine.
The beverage vending machine further has a first shelf mounted
inside a lower portion of the cabinet for supporting one or more beverage
20 containers. This shelf is movably guided by a pair of extendable track
means mounted inside the cabinet. The first shelf is movably guided along
a horizontal plane through the opening of the cabinet, from a retracted
position with an entire surface thereof being enclosed within the cabinet to
an extended position with a major portion thereof projecting outside the
25 cabinet.
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The first shelf has folding legs mounted under a front portion
thereof. The legs are movable from a folded position under the first shelf
to a deployed position extending to a floor surface near a base of the
cabinet for supporting the weight of the first shelf when the first shelf is in
S the extended position.
A first advantage of the sliding shelf of the present invention is that
beverage cont~inprs are replaced safely even when the center of gravity of
the beverage vending m~çhine is relatively high. The first shelf is
positively braced against any inadvertent downward forces thereon, when
I o a beverage container needs to be pushed into a collar socket for example.
In accordance to another aspect of the present invention, each
folding leg comprises a pantograph actuator for deploying the leg in a
circular motion about a horizontal axis perpendicular to a direction of
movement of the first shelf, wherein the circular motion is opposite the
15 movement of the first shelf. The deployment and folding of the leg by the
pantograph actuator is further effected coincidendy widh a movement of the
first shelf when the first shelf is within a minim~l distance from the
extended position. Therefore, the folding leg of the beverage vending
machine of the present invention does not cause excessive friction on dhe
20 floor when the shelf is moved to and from dhe ext~n(led position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DR~WINGS
The plefelled embodiment of the present invention will be further
understood from the following description, with reference to the drawings
in which:
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Figure 1 is a perspective view of t_e beverage vending machine of
the plerelled embodiment;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the beverage vending m~chine of
the ~l~relled embodiment with the bottom door opened and the
sliding shelf in the fully extended position;
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the sliding shelf of the plerelled
embodiment;
Figure 4 is a cross-section view of the beverage vending machine
along line 4-4 in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is an enlarged view of Detail 5 in Figure 4;
Figure 6 is also a cross-section view of the beverage vending
machine showing the sliding shelf in an intermediate position
between a fully extçn-led position and a retracted position;
Figure 7 is an enlarged view of Detail 7 in Figure 6;
Figure 8 is further a cross-section view of the beverage vending
machine showing the sliding shelf in the fully retracted position,
with dashed lines showing the fully extended position;
Figure 9 is another cross-section view of the beverage vending
m~l~hine showing an alternate embodiment of a folding leg having
a caster on a lower end thereof.
Figure 10 is across-section through the entire height of the beverage
vending m~chine of the plerelled embodiment.
21 871 20
'
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With referènce to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the beverage vending m~çhine
20 of the ~ rell~d embodiment has one or more doors 22 giving access to
an inside col~ llent 24. An upper portion 26 of the vending m~hine 20
5 preferably contains the refrigeration unit, such that the inside compartment
24 remains free for accommodating cup dispensing equipment 28, drink
dispensing eql~ipment 30, coin handling equipment 32, and for storing a
number of containers 34 of milk, water, and pre-mixed beverages.
The lower portion of the inside com~ ent 24 comprises a sliding
10 shelf 36 which is movable on tracks 38 form a retracted position inside the
compartment 24 to an extçntled position as illustrated in Figure 2. The
sliding shelf 36 has a pair of legs 40 articulated in a folded position under
the shelf and in a deployed position as shown in Figures 2 and 3.
The legs 40 have sufficient reach for supporting the weight of the
15 shelf in the ~xt~on~le-l position, and for preventing a condition of instability
of the vending machine 20 when heavy loads such as jugs 34 full of
beverage are placed on the shelf 36.
Referring now to Figures 4 to 8, the folding legs 40 are pivoted on
a pair of first bracket members 42 about an axis 44 which is horizontal and
20 perpendicular to the direction of movement of the shelf 36. Each leg 40 is
articulated about axis 44 by a pantograph actuator.
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Each pantograph actuator has a link member 46 connected at a first
end thereof to a respective folding leg 40 by means of a first pivot joint 48.
A second end of each link member 46 is cormected to an int~rrnediate
position on a lever 50 by means of a second pivot joint 52. A first
5 ~A~ y of the lever 50 is pivotally connPcte~ to a second bracket member
54 under the sliding shelf 36 by means of a third pivot joint 56.
Each pantograph actuator further comprises of a cam plate 58
mounted inside the co~ llent 24, below the guide rail 60 supporting the
track 38, on the same side of the enclosure 24 as the pantograph actuator.
10 The cam plate 58 has a horizontal groove 62 extending along a substantial
greater portion thereof. The horizontal groove 62 connects with a
U-shaped groove 64 in the foremost portion of the cam plate 58. The
second t;AIlell~ily of each lever 50 is enclosed into the groove 62,64 and is
adapted for movement there along.
When the sliding shelf 36 is in an extended position, as illustrated
in Figures 4 and 5, the second end of the lever 50 is held captive inside the
foremost arm of the U-shaped groove 64. The folding legs 40 are thereby
held in a vertical position as illustrated in Figure 4, for supporting the shelf20 36.
Referring now particularly to Figures 6 and 7, there is illustrated
therein a best mode of operation of the folding legs 40 of the sliding shelf
36 of the plerelled embodiment. Upon a movement of the sliding shelf 36
in a retracting direction as indicated by arrow 66, the second or lower end
25 of lever 50 is forced into the bottom portion of the U-shaped groove 64.
This causes the link member 46 to push against the folding legs 40 to pivot
the legs 40 about axis 44 and toward a retracted position.
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The retractive movement of the shelf 36 causes each lever 50 to
rotate about pivot joint 56 until the lower end thereof reaches a point where
it can slide into the horizontal groove 62. At this point, the leg 40 is in a
fully retracted position parallel to the shelf 36, as illustrated in Figure 8.
The length and position of the above-described bracket members
42,54, link members 46, levers 50 and cam plates 58 are delç....il-ed such
that the legs are actuated in a supporting position as quickly as possible
when the sliding shelf 36 reaches a fully exten~e-l position.
In this regard, a pl~relled length of a horizontal groove 62 as shown
10 as label 'A' is of about sixteen inches when the sliding shelf 36 extPn~lc
over a distance 'B' of about twenty-four inches. Concullelllly, a preferred
reach 'C' of the legs 40 is about six inches.
This arrangement of the pantograph ac~l~tor and the above prerelled
dimensions is particularly efficient in that the relative horizontal
15 displacement of the lower end of the legs 40 and a point on the floor in
front of the dispenser is only about two inches, when the shelf moves
through the foremost eight inches of its travel. The described arrangement
ensures that the folding legs 40 are deployed and retracted with ~il~i
dragging on the floor.
The ~u~,~ol~lg of ~e shelf is effected only when the shelf is nearing
a fully extPn~e~ position. This is further particularly advantageous wherein
the supporting of the shelf is only needed when full jugs 34 are placed on
it. The attçn(l~nt servicing this m~hine can support the foremost edge of
the shelf 36 when pushing the shelf back inside the compartment 24,
thereby avoiding any security problem at that time.
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An alternate embodiment of the folding legs 40 of the present
invention is illustrated in Figure 9. Each folding leg 40 has a caster 68
mounted on a lower end thereof. In this ~ltPrn~te embol1iment each leg 40
is preferably deployed when the sliding shelf is near a mid-point of its
5 travel. Consequently, a U-shaped groove 70 is preferably positioned
between two hon70nt~l segment~ 72 and 74, of subst~nti~lly equal length.
In this ~lt~rn~te embol1iment the folding legs 40 support the sliding shelf
36 over a longer distance than with the previously described preferred
embodiment. In this respect, it will become a~alenl to the persons skilled
10 in this art that the respective length of horizontal segment.c 72 and 74 can
be varied to accommodate a deployment of legs 40 at a location to suit a
particular installation.
Referring now to Figure 10, the beverage vending m~.hine 20 of
the prerelled embodiment having the sliding shelf 36 of the present
15 invention can easily accommodate up to si7~ jugs 34; four of which are
placed on the sliding shelf 36 and the other two are supported on a top
shelf 76. Each of these jugs 34 can be replaced safely without in~~ g
rl-Jlllw~rd tilting forces to the m~chine.
While the above description provides a full and complete disclosure
20 of the preferred embodiment of this invention, various modifications,
~lt~om~te constructions and equivalents may be employed without departing
from the true spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes might involve
alternate m~tçri~l~, components, structural arrangements, sizes,
constructions re~ s or the like. Therefore, the above description and the
25 illustrations should not be constlued as limiting the scope of the invention
which is defined by the appended claims.
