U.S. patent application number 13/851687 was filed with the patent office on 2013-11-21 for vending machine with pivotable partition plates.
This patent application is currently assigned to HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (WUHAN) CO., LTD., HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to YUN-LUNG CHEN, YANG XIAO, CHIN-WEN YEH, DUN-JUN ZHOU.
Application Number | 20130306582 13/851687 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49580440 |
Filed Date | 2013-11-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130306582 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHEN; YUN-LUNG ; et
al. |
November 21, 2013 |
VENDING MACHINE WITH PIVOTABLE PARTITION PLATES
Abstract
A vending machine includes a tray, at least one partition plate,
and a mounting member pivotably attached to the at least one
partition plate. The tray includes a base panel, a side panel
extending from the base panel, and at least one tab extending from
the base panel. A gap is defined in the side panel. The at least
one partition plate is pivotably attached to the at least one tab.
The mounting member is rotatable between a latched position, where
the mounting member is engaged with the gap, and the at least one
partition plate is secured in an upright position that is
substantially perpendicular to the base panel, and a released
position, where the mounting member is disengaged from the gap, and
the at least one partition plate is rotatable away from the upright
position to enlarge a space beside the at least one partition
plate.
Inventors: |
CHEN; YUN-LUNG; (New Taipei,
TW) ; YEH; CHIN-WEN; (New Taipei, TW) ; XIAO;
YANG; (Wuhan, CN) ; ZHOU; DUN-JUN; (Wuhan,
CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CO., LTD.; HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (WUHAN)
HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD. |
New Taipei |
|
US
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO.,
LTD.
New Taipei
TW
HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (WUHAN) CO., LTD.
Wuhan
CN
|
Family ID: |
49580440 |
Appl. No.: |
13/851687 |
Filed: |
March 27, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/59.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F 1/00 20130101; G07F
11/007 20130101; G07F 11/38 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/59.4 |
International
Class: |
A47F 1/00 20060101
A47F001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 21, 2012 |
CN |
201210158037.8 |
Claims
1. A vending machine comprising: a tray comprising a base panel, a
side panel extending from the base panel, and at least one tab
extending from the base panel, a gap being defined in the side
panel; at least one partition plate pivotably attached to the at
least one tab; and a mounting member pivotably attached to the at
least one partition plate; wherein the mounting member is rotatable
between a latched position, where the mounting member is engaged
with the gap, and the at least one partition plate is secured in an
upright position that is substantially perpendicular to the base
panel; and a released position, where the mounting member is
disengaged from the gap, and the at least one partition plate is
rotatable away from the upright position to enlarge a space beside
the at least one partition plate.
2. The vending machine of claim 1, wherein a pivot hole is defined
in the at least one tab, and the at least one partition plate
comprises at least one pivot tab engaged with the pivot hole.
3. The vending machine of claim 2, wherein the at least one
partition plate has a roughly rectangular shape, and the at least
one pivot tab is located at a long edge of the at least one
partition plate.
4. The vending machine of claim 3, wherein a mounting piece
protrudes from a short edge of the at least one partition plate,
and the mounting member is pivotably attached to the mounting
piece.
5. The vending machine of claim 4, wherein the mounting piece and
the at least one pivot tab lie in the same plane as a main portion
of the at least one partition plate.
6. The vending machine of claim 4, wherein a first mounting hole is
defined in the mounting piece, a second mounting hole is defined in
the mounting member, and a fastener extends through the first
mounting hole and the second mounting hole for pivotally attaching
the mounting member to the mounting piece.
7. The vending machine of claim 6, wherein the mounting member
comprises a mounting portion, an operation portion, and a
connecting portion that is connected to and located between the
mounting portion and the operation portion, and the second mounting
hole is defined in the mounting portion.
8. The vending machine of claim 7, wherein when the mounting member
is located at the latched position, the operation portion is
located in the gap, and the connecting portion abuts the gap, for
preventing the at least one pivot tab from disengaging from the
pivot hole.
9. The vending machine of claim 8, wherein a thickness of the
connecting portion is greater than the thickness of the operation
portion and the thickness of the mounting portion.
10. The vending machine of claim 9, wherein a width of the gap is
not less than the thickness of the operation portion, but less than
the thickness of the connecting portion.
11. A vending machine comprising: a tray comprising a base panel, a
side panel extending substantially perpendicularly from the base
panel, and at least one tab extending from the base panel, a gap
being defined in the side panel; at least one partition plate,
pivotably attached to the at least one tab, and rotatable along a
first axis that substantially perpendicular to the side panel; and
a mounting member, pivotably attached to the at least one partition
plate, and rotatable along a second axis that is substantially
parallel to the side panel; wherein the mounting member is
rotatable between a latched position, where the mounting member is
engaged with the gap, and the at least one partition plate is
secured in an upright position that is substantially perpendicular
to the base panel; and a released position, where the mounting
member is disengaged from the gap, and the at least one partition
plate is rotatable away from the upright position to enlarge a
space beside the at least one partition plate.
12. The vending machine of claim 11, wherein a pivot hole is
defined in the at least one tab, and the at least one partition
plate comprises at least one pivot tab engaged with the pivot
hole.
13. The vending machine of claim 12, wherein the at least one
partition plate has a roughly rectangular shape, and the at least
one pivot tab is located at a long edge of the at least one
partition plate.
14. The vending machine of claim 13, wherein a mounting piece
protrudes from a short edge of the at least one partition plate,
and the mounting member is pivotably attached to the mounting
piece.
15. The vending machine of claim 14, wherein a first mounting hole
is defined in the mounting piece, a second mounting hole is defined
in the mounting member, and a fastener extends through the first
mounting hole and the second mounting hole for pivotally attaching
the mounting member to the mounting piece.
16. The vending machine of claim 15, wherein the mounting member
comprises a mounting portion, an operation portion, and a
connecting portion that is connected to and located between the
mounting portion and the operation portion, and the second mounting
hole is defined in the mounting portion.
17. The vending machine of claim 16, wherein when the mounting
member is located at the latched position, the operation portion is
located in the gap, and the connecting portion abuts the gap for
preventing the at least one pivot tab from disengaging from the
pivot hole.
18. The vending machine of claim 17, wherein a thickness of the
connecting portion is greater than the thickness of the operation
portion and the thickness of the mounting portion.
19. The vending machine of claim 18, wherein a width of the gap is
not less than the thickness of the operation portion, but less than
the thickness of the connecting portion.
20. The vending machine of claim 11, wherein the at least one tab
is substantially parallel to the side panel.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a vending machine, more
particularly to a vending machine with pivotable partition
plates.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Vending machines typically include a tray and a plurality of
partition plates attached in the tray. A product transmitting
passage is located between each two adjacent partition plates for
transmitting products out from the vending machine. Sometimes, the
product transmitting passage is not wide enough to accommodate the
products. Some of the partition plates need to be detached from the
tray to provide a wider space for placing the products. However, it
is inconvenient to mount and dismount the partition plates in the
tray.
[0005] Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] Many aspects of the embodiments can be better understood
with reference to the following drawings. The components in the
drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead
being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the
embodiments. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals
designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
[0007] FIG. 1 is an isometric, exploded view of a vending machine
in accordance with an embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a mounting member in FIG.
1.
[0009] FIG. 3 is an assembled view of the vending machine in FIG.
1, showing a partition plate in a first position.
[0010] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the circled portion IV in FIG.
3.
[0011] FIG. 5 is another assembled view of the vending machine in
FIG. 1, showing the partition plate in a second position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by
way of limitation. In the figures of the accompanying drawings,
like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that
references to "an" or "one" embodiment in this disclosure are not
necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean "at
least one."
[0013] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of a vending
machine includes a tray 10 and a plurality of partition assemblies
30. Each of the plurality of partition assemblies 30 includes a
partition plate 31 and a mounting member 33. The mounting member 33
can be pivotably attached to the partition plate 31 by a fastener
40.
[0014] The tray 10 includes a base panel 11 and a side panel 13
extending substantially perpendicularly from an edge of the base
panel 11. A pair of tabs 112 extends upwardly from the base panel
11 for mounting the partition plate 31. The pair of tabs 112 is
substantially parallel to the side panel 13. A pair of pivot holes
1121 is defined in the pair of tabs 112. A gap 131 is defined in an
upper portion of the side panel 13 for engaging with the mounting
member 33.
[0015] The partition plate 31 has roughly a rectangular shape. The
partition plate 31 includes a pair of pivot tabs 311 located at a
long edge of the partition plate 31 for engaging with the pair of
pivot holes 1121. A mounting piece 313 protrudes from a short edge
of the partition plate 31. A first mounting hole 3131 is defined in
the mounting piece 313 corresponding to the fastener 40. The
mounting piece 313 and the pair of pivot tabs 311 lie in the same
plane as a main portion of the partition plate 31.
[0016] The mounting member 33 includes a mounting portion 330, a
connecting portion 332 and an operation portion 334. The connecting
portion 332 is connected to and located between the mounting
portion 330 and the operation portion 334. A second mounting hole
331 is defined in the mounting portion 330 corresponding to the
first mounting hole 3131. In one embodiment, a thickness of the
connecting portion 332 is greater than the thickness of the
operation portion 334 and the thickness of the mounting portion
330. A width of the gap 131 is not less than the thickness of the
operation portion 334 but is less than the thickness of the
connecting portion 332.
[0017] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, in assembly, the mounting piece
313 is located in the gap 131. The pair of pivot tabs 311 is
aligned with the pair of pivot holes 1121. The partition plate 31
moves away from the side panel 13 along a direction that is
perpendicular to the side panel 13. The pair of pivot tabs 311 is
engaged in the pair of pivot holes 1121. The mounting piece 313
moves away from the gap 131. The first mounting hole 3131 is
aligned with the second mounting hole 331. The fastener 40 extends
through the first mounting hole 3131 and the second mounting hole
331. The mounting member 33 is pivotably attached to the partition
plate 31 by the fastener 40.
[0018] When the mounting member 33 is rotated to a latched position
(see FIGS. 3 and 4), the operation portion 334 is engaged in the
gap 131. The connecting portion 332 abuts the gap 131 for
preventing the partition plate 31 from disengaging from the pair of
pivot holes 1121. The partition plate 31 is secured in a first
position, where the partition plate 31 is substantially
perpendicular to the base panel 11 and the side panel 13.
[0019] When the mounting member 33 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise
from the latched position to a released position (see FIG. 5), the
operation portion 334 is disengaged from the gap 131. The partition
plate 31 can rotate 90 degrees from the first position to a second
position, where the partition plate 31 is substantially parallel to
the base panel 11. Since each partition plate in the tray 10 is
rotatable, an accommodating space between two adjacent partition
plates can be adjusted to accommodate products with different
sizes.
[0020] While the present disclosure has been illustrated by the
description in this embodiment, and while the embodiment has been
described in detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way
limit the scope of the appended claims to such details. Additional
advantages and modifications within the spirit and scope of the
present disclosure will readily appear to those skilled in the art.
Therefore, the present disclosure is not to be limited to the
specific details and illustrative examples shown and described.
* * * * *