Abstract: The invention relates to a storage configuration having a predeterminable storage atmosphere, comprising a storage chamber for receiving a plurality of storage product carriers for storage product, which can be delivered to a feeding and removal opening for the storage and removal of the storage product using a transport apparatus, and further comprising an air-conditioning apparatus, which associated with the storage chamber and exhausts air from the storage chamber, treats it, and injects it back into the storage chamber via exhaust and injection openings provided on the storage chamber. The exhaust and injection openings are disposed such that the air flows through the storage chamber in the vertical direction.

Abstract: A machine particularly adapted for dispensing light items (19) packaged in symmetrical, frustum-shaped containers. The items are propelled through a tubular cartridge (3) by compressed air, and in the absence of any solid pushing, pulling or carrying device, then individually dispensed. A flow of compressed air generated by a blower (28) is s fed to the back of the cartridge. The items are dispensed under control of a toggling dual-gate mechanism (26, 27) at the front end of the cartridge. The dual-gate mechanism of a removable magazine (2) grouping a number of cartridges can be selectively addressed and activated by means of a solenoid-driven cross-bar assembly (38).

Abstract: Apparatus (1) and process for the manufacture of lollipops in which lollipops (3) are transferred from a substantially horizontal condition in a hopper (4), to a substantially vertical condition in a stick retainer (7) prior to placement in sugar confectionery. The apparatus comprises a hopper (4) for holding the sticks (3) with their longitudinal axes substantially horizontal, means (5) for ejecting a stick from the hopper in a substantially horizontal direction and feeder means (6) for feeding the ejected stick downwardly into a stick retainer (7) prior to placement in the sugar confectionery, the feeder means comprising a flexible tube (8) operable to conduct the stick from the hopper to the stick retainer whilst simultaneously changing the orientation at the stick to that of a downward direction.

Abstract: The vending machine disclosed automatically assembles and delivers a made-to-order food item such as a submarine sandwich, salad, taco, or sandwich wrap in response to a customer order. The machine includes a conveyer that produces relative motion between a food item and ingredient dispensing stations that dispense customer-selected ingredients, including condiments, dressings, seasonings, sliced meats and cheeses, vegetables, and soft sandwich spreads. The machine may include an oven that bakes a portion of the food item, and may include a computer with a network interface.

Abstract: There is provided an automated packaging apparatus for depositing a predetermined number of pills into a series of containers. The packaging apparatus includes a plurality of independently rotatable rotary slats. Each rotary slat includes an outer peripheral edge portion and the rotary slats are configured so that the outer peripheral edge portions define a common interior space. Each outer peripheral edge portion also defines an inner surface and a plurality of pill apertures. The pill apertures are configured to receive one of the pills from the common interior space at a first position and transmit the pill outside the rotary slats at a second position. A conveyor is configured to move a plurality of open containers along a predetermined path of travel and position each of the containers adjacent a respective rotary slat to define a delivery path that extends between the second position of the rotary slat and the container. At least one drive motor is in driving engagement for rotating the rotary slats.

Abstract: In a commodity discharge apparatus for a vending machine, an endless chain (2) extends on a vertical plane to form an endless loop and is engaged with a first and a second sprocket (1a, 1b) which are spaced from each other in a horizontal direction. The endless chain is adapted to circulate through the first and the second sprockets and through a lower and an upper traveling path each extending between the first and the second sprockets. A hook (3) is unrotatably attached to a part of the endless chain and is for hooking a commodity (100) only when the part is placed at the lower traveling path. In addition, a fall preventing member (7) is provided to extend in parallel to the lower traveling path beside the hook for preventing a fall of the commodity from the hook.

Abstract: A dispenser having a housing for dispensing candies therefrom and having a rotatable raceway therein with a plurality of turntables disposed within the housing and on the raceway, with each of the turntables including a compartment sized to accommodate a candy to be dispensed, and a drive motor for driving the raceway and coupled to the turntables for rotating the turntables and for revolving the turntables within the housing to transport the candies to a dispensing station.

Abstract: A subassembly for use in a computerized medicine dispensing station is disclosed. The station has a cabinet for housing openable drawers in stacked arrangement containing dispensable pharmaceutical items. The subassembly includes a drawer having a base plate, side walls, and a front panel defining an interior compartment. The drawer can be inserted into the cabinet. The interior compartment of the drawer is divided into subcompartments, each subcompartment defined by spaced apart side walls and a curved rear wall. Each subcompartment contains a movable magazine mounted therein for racetrack-like movement therein between the spaced apart side wall and the curved rear wall. The magazine includes individual open cups for containing single dispensable pharmaceutical items therein. The front panel has an aperture which is normally closed and locked.

Abstract: An improved carousel apparatus for use in carousel-type magnetic tape library systems and the like, including a cylindrical magazine carried by a rotatable turntable. The turntable includes a sprocket wheel that is engaged by a drive belt or chain connected to a stepper motor affixed to a rotatable base plate. Affixed to the sprocket is a shutter plate having a plurality of notches in its perimeter for detection by an optical-indexing sensor. The apparatus also includes a carousel-indexing sensor and a cartridge-in-carousel and cartridge-orientation sensor. Disposed within the central cavity of the carousel magazine unoccupied by cartridges is a cartridge-onloading/offloading mechanism which is rotatably mounted concentric with the carousel turntable.

Abstract: A multi-station article dispensing apparatus for use in a "merchandiser" game of skill or chance has a plurality of delivery/display stations juxtaposed along an axle. Each station includes a cradle wheel rotating freely about the axle and loaded from a gravity-fed magazine. Each cradle wheel includes a plurality of drive pins parallel to the axle. The cradle wheel is rotated by a drive rod that nutates along its axis to engage a drive pin. Each drive rod has a solenoid rotatably connected to it and engages its respective drive pin whenever that solenoid is actuated. When the solenoid associated with a given drive rod is not actuated, a bias spring moves the drive rod to a position in which it does not engage a drive pin. Thus, although a single motor and drive train drives all the drive rods in unison, only a selected cradle wheel is rotated.

Abstract: A system for and method of storing and automatically dispensing predetermined amounts of one or more food products from closed containers is described. The system preferably includes multi-compartment containers carried by a carrousel assembly and moved by a dispensing mechanism for automatically selecting the appropriate container and compartment for which food is dispensed. By using a control with memory for keeping inventory, the system can dispense any one of several food products on demand.

Abstract: A vending apparatus for use in a hotel to vend a plurality of articles comprises a housing having vertical, substantially cylindrical access doors providing access in each of a plurality of vending units to a vended article. The vendee will actuate a handle for the vending unit to turn an access door for that unit from a closed position denying access to the article to a vending position to allow removal of the vended article. The preferred system is cashless and a control device in the form of push buttons is operated to cause the vending operation of the selected vending unit; and a signal is sent to a computer to record the transaction and/or add the price of the vended article to the guest's hotel bill. After recordation, an electrical signal is sent to the vending unit to enable the manual actuation of the vertical, substantially cylindrical access door selected.

Abstract: A feeder mechanism for a pick-and-place machine with an adjustable shutter mechanism is disclosed. The components are contained within pockets formed in a reeled tape. The shutter mechanism includes a pair of spring blades that cover the pocket, but are spread apart by the vacuum tip when the spindle is lowered. In this way, the shutter can maintain the component in the proper position for pick-up while allowing the vacuum spindle to access the component, which, in turn, maintains proper attitude of component while the blades are retracted.

Abstract: An automated delivery system includes a unitary wheel assembly having a plurality of horizontally disposed tiers each supporting a plurality of radially extending product bins. Electronic control components including customer interfacing devices, regulate the operation of a motor to rotate the wheel assembly to position a specific bin juxtaposed a single, fixed delivery chute, at which point one stationary discharge assistant as provided for each tier is actuated to manipulate a gate assembly associated with each bin to cause the discharge of its product, by gravity, into the chute. Input keyboard, monitor, credit card and currency processing devices connected to the control components permit varied types of transactions by customers of the system.

Abstract: A device for storing and dispensing objects the a plurality of superposed annular magazines constituting a cylindrical structure which is rotatable about an axis by a stepper motor or the like. An object extraction control member is disposed at each level inside or outside the cylindrical structure and serves to co-operate with elements situated within the object-containing housings. Alternatively, the annular magazines may be fixed and the object extraction control members may rotate relative thereto.

Abstract: A package for connectors and an apparatus for dispensing them. The package comprises an elongated tape or pair of tapes and a plurality of an elongated connector containing tubes secured to and extending across the tape or tapes. The apparatus comprises a stand having upper and lower support members, a slide extending downwardly from the lower support member to a perch, and a stepping device for advancing successive tubes along the support members to the slide. Connectors are removed from the tubes descend the slide and are picked up from the perch by a robot and installed in a printed circuit board.

Abstract: A device for feeding electronic components packed in tape to a pick-up position, comprising a housing with a holder or a supply reel, a feeding and locking mechanism, an ejection mechanism, and a wind-up mechanism, which mechanisms are united with the housing into a cassette unit.

Abstract: A self-service apparatus is provided to be operated by a user for selectively serving foods or drinks. The self-service apparatus includes a support and a cover fixedly supported by the support for covering foods and drinks. A shaft is suspended from the support, and a rotary disk is rotatably mounted on the shaft to be rotated about the shaft upon actuation of a lever. Servers are carried by the rotary disk and hold a food portion or drink. A desired food portion or drink may be selectively served to the user by operating the lever at a desired position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a pistol grip implanter device adapted for insertion of a solid or semi-solid pellet form medicament into a domestic animal, associated with a hub for an encasement containing a multiplicity of dosage unit pellets of the medicament.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for the covering of playing balls, in particular tennis balls, utilize two essentially dumbbell-shaped cover parts and apply the parts interlockingly at an angle of 90.degree., successively to the adhesive coated ball core by rolling over the laid out, dumbbell-shaped cover parts. The cover parts are stacked to form a magazine and are provided with a layer of an adhesive so that only their peripheral surfaces are coated. The adhesive coated ball cores are rolled successively, initially by means of a contact pressure device in the longitudinal direction over a first cover part magazine and subsequently by means of a second contact pressure device and second cover part magazine extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the first cover part magazine. The edge of the second cover part engages the bight of the cover part already in position at a decorative seam gap.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an implanter device adapted for insertion of a solid or semi-solid pellet form medicament into a domestic animal, and to an encasement containing a multiplicity of dosage unit pellets of the medicament. The encasement is specifically adapted for use in the implanter device.

Abstract: A method of renting an article to a patron by the patron presenting a hire token to a renting machine for recognition and energizing of an article selection circuit;the article selection circuit being energized until stopped by the patron when a desired article registers with a delivery receptacle;the machine recording a code corresponding to the article and the patron taking delivery of the article; andthe machine recording the code of the hire token and holding the hire token captive until released upon return of the article to the machine. The hire token may be held captive until released by the return of the article rented. The machine may be adapted to operate in a cash renting mode to accept payment tokens, or in credit renting mode, when the patron's account is debited and credited. Provision is also made for the payment of a penalty if the predetermined renting period is exceeded.

Abstract: Apparatus and method are disclosed for quickly, efficiently and with minimum human contact removing the contents of flexible or collapsible containers, for example, frozen blood from the plastic pouches in which it is collected from human donors. The container is positioned and retained between a pair of plates which are relatively movable to compress the container to discharge the contents. The plates are preferably mounted on a continuous conveyor for automatically moving the container from a loading station where the container is inserted between the plates, to an opening area where a portion of the container is removed to provide access to the contents, and from there to a compression position where the plates are forced together to discharge the contents from the container through the access opening. For frozen contents, the plates and container may also pass through a thawing area where the container is heated sufficiently to free it from the frozen contents.

Abstract: A game employing a gun capable of emitting a light beam can be played using a target apparatus which ejects objects each time this apparatus is approximately actuated by a light beam. The target apparatus includes a turntable which is capable of being rotated by a motor. The turntable includes a plurality of holders, each of which is adapted to hold an object to be ejected from the apparatus. An ejection lever is mounted on the base of the apparatus so as to be capable of ejecting an object from a holder positioned directly above it. After such an object is ejected the motor rotates the turntable. Structures are provided for returning the ejection lever to a position in which it can eject an object from an adjacent holder and for indexing the turntable so that an adjacent holder is above the lever as a result of such rotation of the turntable. A circuit including a photocell is provided on the apparatus for operation of the ejection lever so as to eject an object from a holder positioned above this lever.

Abstract: An improved drive system for a merchandising machine having a plurality of removable modules each including an upper and a lower rotary merchandise carrier adapted to be driven successively to position the compartments thereof adjacent to an escrow mechanism actuated in response to movement of the carrier first to release an article and then to receive an article from a compartment positioned adjacent thereto, each unit having a product pusher adapted to be moved into a positioned compartment positively to force an article out of the compartment to the escrow mechanism, said drive system including a plurality of sliders mounted on the modules adjacent to the respective carriers for vertical reciprocating movement to carry a drag link having a pawl thereon along a path defined by cam and follower means successivly to step the carrier through a distance equal to the extent of one compartment and then to operate said pusher.

Abstract: A key blank selector-dispenser comprises a drum having a central axis aperture and several series of radial cells for receiving magazines of key blanks and contained in respective radial planes of the cylinder. The drum is rotatable by an electric motor having an electromagnetic brake. Key blank ejectors for each said series are provided in said aperture and are located in the same diametral plane of the drum.A control panel has a number of slots for insertion of specimen keys equal to the number of said cells. Means actuatable by insertion of a specimen key closes the motor circuit to start the motor. A cam on each series of cells operates a limit contact when a cell having a desired blank comes into the plane of the ejectors to effect stopping of the motor and actuation of the ejector corresponding to the series selected.

Abstract: An article dispensing machine, of the type which has a conveyor including holders provided with a multiplicity of open-ended cavities for receiving the articles to be dispensed and for dispensing them by gravity discharge on tilting of the holders, is provided with ejectors for forcibly discharging any stuck articles which do not discharge by gravity. The ejectors are operative on the holders while tilted and are inserted through cooperating openings provided into the cavities to eject such stuck articles.