GB2319517A

GB2319517A - Vending biscuits from a manually rotatable store

Info

Publication number: GB2319517A
Application number: GB9725975A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard David Campbell
Original assignee: United Biscuits Ltd
Current assignee: United Biscuits Ltd
Priority date: 1996-08-09
Filing date: 1996-08-09
Publication date: 1998-05-27
Also published as: GB9616748D0; GB9725975D0

Abstract

A portable vending machine for dispensing packets of biscuits is disclosed. The machine comprises a base 1 having a dispensing point 6, and a store comprising a plurality of storage columns 7 for storing the packets, the store being mounted on the base 1 for rotational movement by hand relative to the base to enable a selected storage column 7 to be brought into alignment with the dispensing point 6 for enabling a packet from the selected column to be dispensed.

Description

Improvements in or relating to dispensing of food products This invention relates to the dispensing of food products. More particularly the invention relates to a vending machine for dispensing a food product and to a method of dispensing a food product from a vending machine.

The term "vending machine" as used herein refers to a machine which, in use, dispenses a product in response to a "payment" being made. Such a payment is commonly made by placing coins in the machine but, for example, may be made by inserting a token, a smart card or the like, or by operating a keypad. Furthermore the term "payment" should be understood in a broad sense since in some cases the "payment" may amount only to a person identifying himself to the machine.

Vending machines are commonplace and exist in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Most commonly, vending machines for food products are placed in areas to which access is not controlled or controlled only to a limited extent. The purpose of providing the machine is to avoid the need for a person to remain at the point of sale.

Such vending machines come in a wide variety of sizes: for example, there are large free-standing machines which do not need to be secured to the ground because their size and weight inhibits any person stealing the whole machine; also there are much smaller machines, for example ones selling bars of chocolate, which are fixed securely to a wall or some other fixture to prevent their removal.

In the design of vending machines considerable attention is paid to ensuring that the machines are difficult to vandalize and that both the goods and money in the machines are secure. As a result the machines are often very expensive, especially if they contain a variety of products and a user can select the product that is obtained from the machine. That in turn means that a high profit has to be made on each sale of a product and, since there is usually a limit to the percentage profit margin that can be obtained, the machines are only suitable for dispensing relatively high value products.

It is an object of the invention to provide a vending machine for dispensing a food product and a method of dispensing a food product from a vending machine that overcomes or mitigates the disadvantages referred to above.

The invention arises from an appreciation that in certain situations a vending machine can be useful even if it is not difficult to vandalize and/or the goods and any money in the machine are not totally secure either because they can be removed from the machine or the entire machine can be removed. Such a vending machine can be of a simpler and cheaper design than a conventional machine which in turn means that the value of products that can commercially be dispensed by the machine can be relatively low; for example it becomes practicable to dispense a packet of two biscuits. Also, the machine can be relatively lightweight making it easy for one person to carry and enabling it to be placed in a wide variety of locations; thus the machine can be truly portable. The machine is especially suitable for use in locations to which access is at least partly restricted; a particular example of a suitable location is a workplace where drinks may be provided for employees.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a portable vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine comprising: a base, a dispensing station in the base; and a store comprising a plurality of storage columns for storing food products; the store being mounted on the base for movement relative thereto under manual power to enable a selected storage column to be brought into operative association with the dispensing station for enabling a food product from the selected column to be dispensed at the dispensing station.

By providing a portable machine and by mounting the store and the base for movement relative to one another, it becomes possible in a simple and economical way to provide a vending machine that is reliable, easy to operate and reasonably secure. Relying on manual power to achieve the relative movement of the store and the base seems at first sight a retrograde step given the current state of technological development but it avoids the need to provide a powerful motor and sophisticated control system therefor.

Preferably the machine is arranged such that the selected storage column is brought into operative association with the dispensing station by arranging the selected storage column directly above the dispensing station. It is then a simple matter to design the machine to dispense a product from the bottom of the selected storage column.

Preferably the store is of generally upright cylindrical shape, the storage columns are upright and are disposed around the central axis of the store, and the store is rotatably mounted on the base for rotation about its central axis. By mounting the store for rotation, the manual selection of the storage column can readily be accomplished by a user rotating the store.

Such an arrangement is especially advantageous where a high degree of security and protection against vandalism is not required.

Preferably the machine further includes a top which is above the store and is secured in fixed relationship to the base. Such a top is advantageous, especially when the top and base are fixed and the store moves, in providing an upper part of the machine which can for example display instructions for operating the machine and a coin mechanism. The top is preferably connected to the base only by means of an upright connecting arrangement in the middle of the machine. Also, the store preferably includes an exterior wall which defines both the exterior of the store and the exterior of the machine. A user is able to move the store by grasping the exterior wall of the store.

The exterior wall of the store is preferably at least partly detachable to provide access to the storage columns, facilitating restocking of the columns with food products. The exterior wall preferably comprises a sleeve of flexible material that extends around at least a substantial part of the machine; especially in the case where the store is of generally upright cylindrical shape, the provision of a flexible sleeve as the exterior wall facilitates construction and detachment of the wall for restocking.

The dispensing station preferably comprises a drawer slidably mounted in the base for movement between a closed position in which the interior of the drawer is housed within the base and an open position in which at least part of the interior of the drawer is outside the base.

The machine preferably includes drawer locking means for locking the drawer in the closed position, detecting means for detecting that the drawer is in the closed position and store locking means for preventing relative movement of the store and the base. Those features enable the security of the machine to be improved.

Preferably the machine includes a payment recording device and the machine is arranged such that the store locking means is actuated to prevent relative movement of the store and the base in response to the payment recording device recording a payment. By locking relative movement of the store and the base after receipt of a payment, a user is prevented from selecting a different, more expensive, product after making a payment.

The machine preferably further includes a respective adjustable price indicating means associated with each of the storage columns; it can then be a simple matter to change the price of products in a given storage column.

Preferably the machine further includes means for detecting the settings of the adjustable price indicating means. The detecting means is preferably arranged to detect the setting of whichever adjustable price indicating means is associated with the storage column that is in operative association with the dispensing station. The detecting means may include a plurality of light sensing elements. In an embodiment of the invention described below the adjustable price indicating means associated with each of the storage columns is of very simple design comprising blocking members selectively insertable in holes above the respective column; only a single detecting means, mounted in fixed relationship to the top and base, is then provided making the price indicating and detecting arrangement economical and simple to manufacture.

The machine preferably further includes a storage column monitor to sense whether any food products are present in a storage column. The storage column monitor is preferably arranged to monitor whichever column is in operative association with the dispensing station. It is therefore not necessary to provide all the parts of the storage column monitor for each column, making the monitor economical and simple to manufacture.

Preferably the machine further includes an electrical power source that is not connectible to an external supply of electricity. Typically the electrical power source comprises one or more batteries. Avoiding a need to connect the machine to a mains supply increases the mobility of the machine and the variety of sites at which it can be placed. Since the store is arranged for movement under manual power, the amount of electrical power required to operate the machine can be limited to that required for control and detecting functions.

The vending machine preferably has a mass of less than 20 kg, more preferably less than 15 kg, and preferably a volume of less than 0.2 m3, more preferably less than 0.15 m3. It is then reasonably simple for one person to carry the machine.

The dispensing station is preferably located immediately adjacent to the bottom of the machine. Freestanding machines conventionally stand on the floor and in such a case, even if the dispensing station is towards the bottom of the machine, it is not immediately adjacent thereto because of the inconvenience to a user of bending down to floor level. The machine according to the first aspect of the invention is, however, preferably placed on a support surface well above ground level so that the dispensing station can conveniently be located immediately adjacent to the bottom of the machine.

As already indicated the invention can be especially advantageous for dispensing relatively low value products and is therefore especially suited to dispensing small packets of biscuits; thus, each food product preferably comprises a packet containing from 1 to 5, preferably 2, biscuits.

According to the first aspect of the invention there is also provided a vending machine installation comprising a portable vending machine as defined above that is freely movable from the site of the installation to another site. For the purpose of this specification a vending machine is "portable" if when mechanically separated from its surroundings it can be carried comfortably by an average male person from one site to another; when installed, however, a "portable" vending machine is not necessarily freely movable from one site to another, because as part of the installation procedure the machine may be secured to a wall or floor. In the preferred arrangement of the present invention, the installed machine is freely movable from one site to another.

According to the first aspect of the invention there is also provided a vending machine installation comprising a portable vending machine as defined above standing on a support surface positioned at a height of at least 0.5 m above a floor. An arrangement in which the vending machine is simply stood on an elevated support surface, for example a table top, is a very simple convenient and easy way of arranging the machine.

In describing the first aspect of the invention, several features that have been described as preferable are in themselves, or in combination with other features, novel and inventive. Thus the invention is not limited to its first aspect but also has various other aspects as set out below.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine comprising: a base; a dispensing station in the base; and a store of generally upright cylindrical shape comprising a plurality of upright storage columns disposed around the central axis of the store for storing food products, the store being mounted on the base for rotation relative thereto to enable a selected storage column to be brought into operative association with the dispensing station for enabling a food product from the selected column to be dispensed at the dispensing station.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine comprising: a base; a dispensing station in the base; a top; and a store comprising a plurality of storage columns for storing food products, the store being movably mounted for movement relative to the base and the top to enable a selected storage column to be brought into operative association with the dispensing station for enabling a food product from the selected column to be dispensed at the dispensing station, the store including an exterior wall which defines both the exterior of the store and the exterior of the machine.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine including: a dispensing station; a store comprising a plurality of storage columns for storing food products; means for selecting from which column a food product is to be dispensed at the dispensing station; and an electrical power source for powering the machine, the electrical power source not being connectible to an external supply of electricity.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine including: a dispensing station; a store comprising a plurality of storage columns, each column accommodating a plurality of packets of biscuits, each packet containing from 1 to 5 biscuits; and means for selecting from which column a food product is to be dispensed at the dispensing station.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a vending machine installation for dispensing food products, the machine having a mass of less than 15 kg, and preferably less than 20 kg, not including the food products and being freely movable from one installation site to another site.

According to a seventh aspect of the invention there is provided a vending machine installation for dispensing food products, the installation comprising a support surface positioned at a height of at least 0.5 m above a floor and a portable vending machine free-standing on the support surface.

It should be understood that features described in respect of the first aspect of the invention may also advantageously be included in each of the second to seventh aspects of the invention.

The present invention further provides a method of dispensing a food product from a vending machine, the vending machine being as defined above or being part of a vending machine installation as defined above.

The present invention still further provides a method of dispensing a food product from a vending machine including a dispensing station and a plurality of storage columns for storing food products, the method including the step of manually altering the position of the storage columns relative to the dispensing station until a selected storage column is associated with the dispensing station and then dispensing a food product from the selected storage column.

The present invention yet further provides a method of operating a portable vending machine, in which the machine is moved amongst a plurality of sites, being returned to at least some of the sites a plurality of times. Such an approach to operating a vending machine is the opposite of a conventional approach in which the machine is deliberately made a permanent fixture at a selected site.

The present invention still further provides a method of operating a portable vending machine, in which the machine is stood freely on a support surface positioned at a height of at least 0.5 m above a floor.

By way of example a vending machine of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying, partly schematic drawings, of which: Fig. 1 is a front view of a vending machine, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the machine of Fig. 1 with a sleeve removed, Fig. 3 is a sectional side view of the machine showing how rotational mounting of a drum of the machine is provided, Fig. 4A is a side view of a part circled in Fig. 3 and shows a rotational bearing arrangement, Fig. 4B is a plan view of a part shown in side view in Fig. 4A, Fig. 4C is a sectional side view of the part shown in Fig. 4B, Fig. 5 is a plan view of a base of the machine, excluding a drawer, Fig. 6A is a sectional side view along the lines X-X in Fig. 5 of a rotation locking mechanism in the base of the machine, the mechanism being shown in a locked position, Fig. 6B is a view in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 6A of a part of the locking mechanism, Fig. 6C is a sectional side view along the lines X-X in Fig. 5 of the rotation locking mechanism, but with the mechanism shown in the unlocked position, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the drawer, Fig. 8 is an underneath view of the rotatable drum of the machine, Fig. 8A is a sectional view along the lines P-P of Fig. 8, Fig. 9 is a sectional side view along the lines Y-Y of Fig. 8 showing a detail of the running of the periphery of the drum on the base of the machine, Fig. 10 is a plan view of the top of the drum, Fig. 11 is a sectional side view of a pricing arrangement provided on the top of the drum, Fig. 12 is a sectional side view showing a system for monitoring for the presence of a product to be dispensed, Fig. 13 is a front view of a front panel of the machine, Fig. 14 is a block diagram of the control system for the machine, Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a packet of biscuits that can be dispensed by the machine.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the vending machine is of upright cylindrical shape and generally comprises a base 1, a top 2 and a drum or carousel 3 in which packets of biscuits are stored. The top 2 has a raised portion 4, a front face of which provides a front panel 5. The base 1 has a drawer 6 slidably mounted in the base and shown in an open position in Fig. 2.

The drum 3 is of upright cylindrical shape and is shown in Fig. 2 as having vertical storage columns 7 for packets of biscuits. In the particular example of the invention described there are six such columns evenly spaced around the drum 3. Each column is defined by a pair of opposite side walls and an inner wall which is located about midway between the centre and the perimeter of the drum 3. Fig. 1 shows the drum with a sleeve 8 fitted around the outside of the drum thereby closing the drum. The sleeve 8 is made of a sheet of flexible plastics material with a Velcro (Registered Trade Mark) fastening strip on one face of the sheet adjacent to each of the vertical edges of the sheet; a complementary Velcro (Registered Trade Mark) strip 9 (Fig. 2) is provided on the drum 3. To fasten the sleeve 8 to the drum 3, one vertical edge of the sleeve 8 is fixed to a part of the strip 9, the sleeve is wrapped around the drum and the other end of the sleeve 8 is then fixed to the remaining exposed part of the strip 9. The vertical edges of the sleeve 8 are formed with a series of slots (not shown) through which projections on a locking bar 10 are passed. The locking bar 10 is then locked to the drum 3 by a key 11, thereby locking the sleeve 8 in position around the drum. The key 11 is then removed.

When the machine is to be stocked with biscuits the locking bar 10 is unlocked and removed, enabling the sleeve 8 to be removed. Removal of the sleeve provides easy side access to each of the storage columns 7.

Packets of biscuits (see Fig. 20) are stacked in the columns 7 with different kinds of biscuits stacked in different columns. Resilient strips 12 at each side of the entrance to each column 7 deflect to allow packets of biscuits into the columns and thereafter assist in retaining the packets in the columns. Once all the columns 7 are full of biscuits, the sleeve 8 is replaced and the locking bar 10 is secured.

Referring now also to Fig. 3, the top 2 is fixed to the base 1 by a vertical shaft 13 which extends from a socket 14 on the bottom of the base 1 into a socket 15 on the underside of the top 2. The drum 3 is mounted for rotation about the vertical axis of the shaft by bearings 23,24 in the regions of the ends of the shaft. The construction of each bearing is the same and the form of the lower bearing 23 will now be described with reference to Figs. 4A to 4C.

Referring first to Fig. 4A, the lower bearing 23 is formed by an upper bearing ring 16 and a lower bearing ring 17, each freely surrounding the shaft 13. The construction of the upper and lower rings is the same and one of the rings is shown in Figs. 4B and 4C. Each ring 16,17 has a front face 18 in which a circular groove 19 for a ball bearing race 26 is formed and a rear face 20 which is fixed to the part being journalled. The rear face 20 of the lower bearing ring 17 interlocks via formations 25 with a correspondingly shaped part 21 (Fig. 5) in the centre of the base of the housing; similarly the face 20 of the upper bearing 16 interlocks with a correspondingly shaped part 22 (Fig. 8) on the underside of the drum 3. It will be appreciated that the bearing 24 is of the same construction as the bearing 23 interlocking with the corresponding parts on the top of the drum 3 and the centre of the top of the machine.

In that way the drum 3 is mounted for rotation relative to the base 1 and the top 2 of the machine.

Referring now to Figs. 5 to 7, the base 1 is provided with a pair of drawer runners 30 and 31 which mount the drawer 6 for sliding movement between a closed position in which a front wall 32 of the drawer is flush with the exterior of the base 1 and an open position in which the front half of the drawer 6 projects out from the base 1.

Underneath the drawer is a printed circuit board 33 which includes a light sensor 34 and a switch 35 whose purpose will be described later. Also underneath the drawer is a drawer locking member 36 fixed to a shaft 37 slidably mounted in the drawer runners 30 and 31. One end of the shaft 37 carries a cam follower 38 which engages a cam 39 driven by an electric motor 40. The cam follower 38 is spring biased by a spring (not shown) against the cam 39. The electric motor 40 is operative to rotate the cam 39 causing the shaft 37 to move between a locked position shown in Fig. 5 and an unlocked position in which the shaft and the locking member 36 are displaced in an upward direction as viewed in Fig. 5.

The drawer 6 shown in Fig. 7 has handle 41, a bottom 42, a platform 43 upstanding from the bottom 42, an opening 44 in the bottom 42 and a pair of upstanding stops 45 which prevent the drawer from being slid more than halfway out of the base 1.

The underside (not shown) of the drawer 6 includes a shoulder 46 which is shown in dotted outline in Fig. 5.

When ,the drawer locking member 36 is in the position shown in Fig. 5 the drawer is locked in the closed position because outward movement of the shoulder 46 is prevented by the member 36, but, when the locking member 36 is moved upwardly following rotation of the cam 39, the member 36 moves clear of the shoulder 46 and the drawer is free to open.

The underside of the drawer 6 also cooperates with the switch 35 on the printed circuit board 33 and operates the switch when the drawer is moved into or out of a fully closed position.

A further locking device 50 is also provided in the base 1 for locking the drum in a fixed rotational position. Referring to Figs. 6A and 8, the bottom 51 of the drum 3 is provided with six downwardly projecting legs 52 each of which is formed with a recess 53 in its bottom. The legs 52 are equiangularly spaced about the axis of the drum. One leg is shown in Fig. 6A.

The locking device 50 comprises a motor 54 drivingly connected to a cam wheel 55 with a groove 56 in its front face (Fig. 6B). A right angled pin 57 is mounted for movement along a vertical axis and has vertical part 58, which is shown in Fig. 6A engaging in the recess 53 in the leg 52, and a horizontal part 59, which engages the groove 56 in the cam wheel 55. In the position shown in Fig. 6A, the pin 57 prevents rotation of the drum 3 relative to the base 1 by virtue of the engagement of the part 58 of the pin in the recess 53.

If the motor 54 is activated, the cam wheel 55 rotates and the pin 57 is moved vertically downwards into the position shown in Fig 6C. In that position, the part 58 of the pin 57 is clear of the recess and the drum 3 is therefore free to rotate.

Whilst the main bearings for mounting the drum 3 for rotation relative to the base 1 and the top 2 are the central bearings 23,24 referred to above, some guidance of the drum is provided at its periphery. As shown in Fig. 8 there are three rollers 60 equiangularly spaced about the periphery of the underside of the bottom 51 of the drum. The rollers 60 are rotatably mounted on spring biased mountings (not shown) and cooperate with a horizontal top face 61 of the base 1 that extends around the base as shown in Figs. 5 and 9. The face 61 is provided with six equiangularly spaced grooves 62. As the drum 3 is rotated on the base 1, the rollers 60 roll over the face 61 of the base 1, guiding the relative movement of the base 1 and the drum 3. After each 60 of rotation the rollers 60 drop into respective grooves 62 on the face 61. Each of those positions, which the drum readily "clicks" into, corresponds to a position in which one of the storage columns 7 is positioned directly above the drawer 6. Those six positions are referred to herein as the dispensing positions of the drum. In each position the vertical part 58 of the pin 57 is aligned with a recess 53 in the bottom 51 of the drum so that the drum can easily be locked in the position. To further aid location of the drum in each dispensing position the bottom of the drum may be marked with six arrows 63 each of which becomes aligned with an arrow 64 on the drawer 6 in a respective dispensing position of the drum. Fig. 2 shows such aligned arrows.

The bottom 51 of the drum 3 has six openings 70 at the bottom of each of the biscuit storage columns 7 but, as shown in Figs. 8 and 8A, a pair of horizontal supports 71 are provided across a part of the width of the opening a short distance below it, the supports 71 being fixed to the bottom 51 of the drum. When packets of biscuits are loaded into the drum the lowermost packet passes through the opening 70 but is then supported below the opening on the horizontal supports 71. When an opening 70 is directly over the drawer 6 and the drawer is closed, the supports 71 are immediately adjacent to the bottom 42 of the drawer and are in the front section of the drawer forward of the platform 43. In that position the supports 71 are free to sweep across the drawer as the drum is rotated. Alternatively, the drawer can be opened, in which case a packet of biscuits resting on the supports 71 and being the lowermost packet in the stack is displaced from the stack by the leading face 43A of the platform 43; at the same time the platform 43 moves between the horizontal supports 71 to hold any other packets of biscuits in the stack in position. When the drawer is closed again the platform 43 slides back inwards and the stack drops until the lowermost packet of biscuits rests on the supports 71.

Different kinds of biscuits are provided in the different columns 7 and the machine provides a simple system for pricing the packets. In the particular example described the system is a binary system having three digits and therefore provides a choice of up to eight prices. Each digit is determined by an optical sensing arrangement shown in Figs. 10 and 11. Fig. 10 shows the top wall 80 of the drum 3. Above each column 7 is a roof part 81 forming part of the wall 80; each roof part 81 is provided with three holes 83A, 83B and 83C into which blocking members 84A, 84B and 84C can be removably inserted. As shown in Fig. 11, which is a sectional view taken along the lines XI-XI in Fig. 10, a printed circuit board 82 is mounted in the top 2 of the machine vertically above the drawer 6; suspended from the underside of the printed circuit board 82 are three pairs of light emitters and sensors 85A, 85B and 85C associated with the blocking members 84A, 84B and 84C respectively. When the drum 3 is in a dispensing position any blocking member 84A, 84B, 84C of the column that is above the drawer 6 will block the path between the corresponding light emitter and the sensor making it easy to determine which of the blocking members is present. Signals from the light sensors are provided to a control system described below. Thus the price of a packet in a particular column can be set by selecting which of the blocking members 84A, 84B and 84C are inserted and the price can be changed simply by changing the arrangement of the members.

Fig. 12 shows a sensing arrangement for checking, when the machine is in a dispensing position, that whichever column 7 is ab may be of any suitable kind.

After passage through the coin validating mechanism, a coin falls into a tray in the top 2 of the machine.

Access to the tray can be obtained by removing a lockable cover 102 (Fig. 2) of the raised portion 4 of the machine.

The front panel 5 also has a series of light emitting diodes Dl, D2, D3, D4 and D5 against which the following messages are written: D1 Turn carousel until selection is above drawer.

Arrows must line up.

D2 Sorry your selection is unavailable.

Please choose another.

D3 Insert correct money.

D4 Pull drawer and take your biscuit.

D5 Please close the drawer.

Adjacent to the diode D3 and its message are five further diodes D3A to D3E indicating five possible amounts of money to be inserted.

The illumination of the diodes is controlled by a control system that will now be described.

The control system is schematically illustrated in Fig. 14 and comprises a central control unit 105 which may be provided on the printed circuit board 82 in the top of the machine. The central control unit 105 receives input signals from the following: (i) the light sensors of the light emitter and sensor pairs 85A, 85B and 85C; (ii) the coin validating mechanism referenced 106 in Fig. 14; (iii) the sensor 34 for indicating that a column is empty; and (iv) the switch 35 for indicating that the drawer 6 is pushed fully into the base of the machine.

The central control unit 105 provides the following output signals: (i) signals to each of the light emitting diodes D1, D2, D3, D3A to D3E, D4 and D5 on the control panel; (ii) a signal to control operation of the motor 40 to lock or unlock the drawer 6 from its fully pushed-in position; and (iii) a signal to control operation of the motor 54 to lock or unlock the drum 3 against rotation relative to the base 1.

The vending machine including the coin validation unit requires very little electrical power to operate and is powered by batteries (not shown) in the top 2.

The operation of the vending machine will now be described.

To prepare the machine for use the columns 7 are each filled with a respective stack of packets of biscuits, with different kinds of biscuits in each stack.

Conveniently each packet of biscuits comprises two biscuits. Fig. 15 shows such a packet. Appropriate blocking members 84A, 84B and 84C are located on the roof part 81 above each stack according to the price of a packet of biscuits in that stack. The sleeve 8 is then fitted around the drum and the locking bar 10 secured.

The drum 3 is rotated until it clicks into a dispensing position.

In this condition the control unit is informed by the sensor 34 that the stack above the drawer is not empty and is informed by the switch 35 that the drawer is fully in. The light sensors of the light emitter and sensor pairs 85A, 85B and 85C inform the control unit of the price allocated to the stack above the drawer. Diode D1 is lit and the motor 40 is maintained in a position to keep the drawer 6 locked.

A user of the machine now selects the stack from which he wishes to take a packet by rotating the drum 3 (unless it is already in the desired position) to bring the stack over the drawer. The appropriate position required may be indicated to the user by making the sleeve 8 transparent so that he can see the packets in each stack and/or labels may be stuck to the outside of the sleeve 8. Fine positioning of the drum 3 is facilitated by the rollers 60 dropping into the grooves 62 in the base 1 and by aligning the arrows 63 and 64 on the drum 3 and the drawer 6.

In this condition, if the stack above the drawer were empty, the control unit 105 would receive an input signal from the sensor 34 and would light the diode D2; provided, however, the stack is not empty, the control unit lights diode D3 and an appropriate one of diodes D3A to D3E according to the price information received from the light emitter and sensor pairs 85A, 85B and 85C.

A user then inserts the required money and, provided the payment is validated by the coin validating mechanism 106, the control unit 105 is informed accordingly. The control unit then controls the motor 54 to lock the drum 3 against rotation relative to the base 1, thereby freezing the user's selection. Next the control unit operates the motor 40 to unlock the drawer 6. The diodes D1, D3 and D3A to D3E are all switched off and the diode D4 is lit.

A user then pulls out the drawer 6 and takes out the packet of biscuits. The switch 35 indicates to the control unit that the drawer has been opened, the diode D4 is switched off and the diode D5 is lit.

When the drawer 6 is fully closed, the switch 35 indicates that to the control unit 105, the motor 54 is operated to free the drum 3 for rotation relative to the base 1, and the motor 40 is operated to lock the drawer 6 in the fully closed condition. The diode D1 is lit again and another cycle of operation is ready to begin.

In a particular example of the invention the machine has a height of about 660 mm and a diameter of about 488 mm. The weight of the machine prior to loading of biscuits is about 12 kg. The machine can therefore be carried by one person to a site where it is to be used and can be placed on any suitable work surface at a convenient height, typically about 0.9 m above a floor.

The machine can be carried to another location at any time by one person.

Claims

Claims:

1. A portable vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine comprising: a base, a dispensing station in the base; and a store comprising a plurality of storage columns for storing food products; the store being mounted on the base for movement relative thereto under manual power to enable a selected storage column to be brought into operative association with the dispensing station for enabling a food product from the selected column to be dispensed at the dispensing station.

2. A vending machine according to claim 1, in which the machine is arranged such that the selected storage column is brought into operative association with the dispensing station by arranging the selected storage column directly above the dispensing station.

3. A vending machine according to claim 1 or 2, in which the store is of generally upright cylindrical shape, the storage columns are upright and are disposed around the central axis of the store, and the store is rotatably mounted on the base for rotation about its central axis.

4. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, further including a top which is above the store and is secured in fixed relationship to the base.

5. A vending machine according to claim 4, in which the top is connected to the base only by means of an upright connecting arrangement in the middle of the machine.

6. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, in which the store includes an exterior wall which defines both the exterior of the store and the exterior of the machine.

7. A vending machine according to claim 6, in which the exterior wall is at least partly detachable to provide access to the storage columns.

8. A vending machine according to claim 6 or 7, in which the exterior wall comprises a sleeve of flexible material that extends around at least a substantial part of the machine.

9. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, in which the dispensing station comprises a drawer slidably mounted in the base for movement between a closed position in which the interior of the drawer is housed within the base and an open position in which at least part of the interior of the drawer is outside the base.

10. A vending machine according to claim 9, further including drawer locking means for locking the drawer in the closed position.

11. A vending machine according to claim 9 or 10, further including detecting means for detecting that the drawer is in the closed position.

12. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, further including store locking means for preventing relative movement of the store and the base.

13. A vending machine according to claim 12, in which the machine includes a payment recording device and the machine is arranged such that the store locking means is actuated to prevent relative movement of the store and the base in response to the payment recording device recording a payment.

14. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, further including a respective adjustable price indicating means associated with each of the storage columns.

15. A vending machine according to claim 14, further including means for detecting the settings of the adjustable price indicating means.

16. A vending machine according to claim 15, in which the detecting means is arranged to detect the setting of whichever adjustable price indicating means is associated with the storage column that is in operative association with the dispensing station.

17. A vending machine according to claim 15 or 16, in which the detecting means includes a plurality of light sensing elements.

18. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, further including a storage column monitor to sense whether any food products are present in a storage column.

19. A vending machine according to claim 18, in which the storage column monitor is arranged to monitor whichever column is in operative association with the dispensing station.

20. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, further including an electrical power source that is not connectible to an external supply of electricity.

21. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, the machine having a mass of less than 15 kg.

22. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, the machine having a volume of less than 0.2 m3.

23. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, in which the dispensing station is located immediately adjacent to the bottom of the machine.

24. A vending machine according to any preceding claim, further including stacks of food products in the storage column.

25. A vending machine according to claim 24, in which each food product comprises a packet containing between 1 and 5 biscuits.

26. A portable vending machine substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

27. A vending machine installation comprising a portable vending machine according to any preceding claim that is freely movable from the site of the installation to another site.

28. A vending machine installation comprising a portable vending machine according to any preceding claim standing on a support surface positioned at a height of at least 0.5 m above a floor.

29. A vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine comprising: a base; a dispensing station in the base; and a store of generally upright cylindrical shape comprising a plurality of upright storage columns disposed around the central axis of the store for storing food products, the store being mounted on the base for rotation relative thereto to enable a selected storage column to be brought into operative association with the dispensing station for enabling a food product from the selected column to be dispensed at the dispensing station.

30. A vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine comprising: a base; a dispensing station in the base; a top; and a store comprising a plurality of storage columns for storing food products, the store being movably mounted for movement relative to the base and the top to enable a selected storage column to be brought into operative association with the dispensing station for enabling a food product from the selected column to be dispensed at the dispensing station, the store including an exterior wall which defines both the exterior of the store and the exterior of the machine.

31. A vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine including: a dispensing station; a store comprising a plurality of storage columns for storing food products; means for selecting from which column a food product is to be dispensed at the dispensing station; and an electrical power source for powering the machine, the electrical power source not being connectible to an external supply of electricity.

32. A vending machine for dispensing food products, the machine including: a dispensing rotation; a store comprising a plurality of storage columns, each column accommodating a plurality of packets of biscuits, each packet containing from 1 to 5 biscuits; and means for selecting from which column a food product is to be dispensed at the dispensing station.

33. A vending machine installation for dispensing food products, the machine having a mass of less than 15 kg not including the food products and being freely movable from one installation site to another site.

34. A vending machine installation for dispensing food products, the installation comprising a support surface positioned at a height of at least 0.5 m above a floor and a portable vending machine freestanding on the support surface.

35. A method of dispensing a food product from a vending machine, the vending machine being according to any one of claim 1 to 26 or 29 to 32 or being part of a vending machine installation according to claim 27, 28, 33 or 34.

36. A method of dispensing a food product from a vending machine including a dispensing station and a plurality of storage columns for storing food products, the method including the step of manually altering the position of the storage columns relative to the dispensing station until a selected storage column is associated with the dispensing station and then dispensing a food product from the selected storage column.

37. A method according to claim 36, further including the step of making a payment after the position altering step, the relative movement of the storage columns and the dispensing station being prevented following the making of the payment.

38. A method of operating a portable vending machine, in which the machine is moved amongst a plurality of sites, being returned to at least some of the sites a plurality of times.

39. A method of operating a portable vending machine, in which the machine is stood freely on a support surface positioned at a height of at least 0.5 m above a floor.

40. A method of dispensing a food product from a vending machine, the method being substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.