Vending Machine Cartridge with Angled Slots for Gravity Dispensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vending machines are limited in dispensing unpackaged foodstuffs that require heating, as heating packaged food can damage the packaging, and there is a need for a system that can provide freshly heated breakfast items.
Innovation Solution
A vending machine design featuring removable cartridges with angled slots that allow foodstuffs to be heated before dispensing, using infrared or resistance heaters, and a dispensing mechanism that allows consumers to access heated items directly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If packaged foodstuffs are heated in conventional vending machines, then the food can be warmed, but the packaging is damaged by melting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the packaging element from the system by dispensing unpackaged foodstuffs directly from cartridges. The food is inserted into the vending machine without packaging, eliminating the packaging damage problem while allowing heating to occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The vending machine system is segmented into separate functional components: cartridges for holding unpackaged food, a heating chamber for warming the food, and a dispensing mechanism. This segmentation allows the food to be heated without packaging interference.
2Reliability
If unpackaged foodstuffs are dispensed and heated, then food freshness is maintained and heating is possible, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating chamber serves multiple functions: it heats the unpackaged foodstuffs, maintains their freshness through controlled environment, and prepares them for dispensing. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate systems while managing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The angled slots in the cartridges work passively with gravity to guide foodstuffs into the heating chamber without requiring complex mechanical dispensing mechanisms. The system uses the food's own weight to facilitate movement, reducing mechanical complexity.
3Ease of operation
If cartridges are designed with angled slots for gravity dispensing, then the dispensing mechanism is simplified, but the cartridge design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge design uses fixed angled slots that create a dynamic interaction with gravity. As the cartridge moves or tilts, the angled slots naturally guide the foodstuffs along the incline into the heating chamber, providing automatic dispensing without complex mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the convenient dispensing of freshly heated, unpackaged breakfast items, maintaining food freshness and eliminating packaging issues, while providing user-friendly access to heated products.
Implementation Method 1
The heating section includes a suitable heater such as an infrared or resistance heater that is operated for a predetermined time to heat or warm any product located in the heating section
Implementation Method 2
The heating section includes two spaced apart generally parallel resistance heaters that may be oriented in a vertical direction so that the foodstuff(s) when dispensed from any cartridge are located between the heaters
Implementation Method 3
each successive slot will move past the bottom of the cover so that the foodstuff retained in the particular slot will be dispensed by gravity to a heating section
Data Source
AI summary
A vending machine configured to dispense foodstuffs includes a plurality of cartridges having a plurality of slots with each slot releasably retaining a foodstuff; a heating section configured to receive at least one foodstuff from at least one of the plurality of slots and to heat the at least one foodstuff; and a dispensing drawer configured to receive the at least one foodstuff passing through the heating section and to permit access to the foodstuff.