Did You Know...
...that the Slinky toy was the result of a failed attempt by engineer Richard James to produce an antivibration device for ship instruments? His goal was to develop a spring that would instantaneously counterbalance the wave motion that rocks a ship at sea. Instead, he developed the Slinky.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7401709 | Container storage and dispensing apparatus with adjustable container position An adjustable positioning apparatus for positioning containers on a shelf tray assembly of a vertically accumulating storage and retrieval apparatus has a container abutting portion and engagement structure for securing the container abutting portion on a portion of... | 07/22/2008 |
| 7367471 | Vending apparatus A vending apparatus has a housing and at least one rotatable dispensing coil disposed within the housing. The coil is vertically oriented and rotates in a manner such that products placed between the rungs of the coil move progressively downward during rotation unti... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7356980 | Automated method for packaging food An automated food processing system and method is provided that allows food to be dispensed, fried and packaged in a suitable container, which may be an individual portion-sized container. In one embodiment, the system includes separate automated modules for dispens... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7337594 | Food dispensing device and method An automated food processing system and method is provided that allows food to be dispensed, fried and packaged in a suitable container, which may be an individual portion-sized container. In one embodiment, the system includes separate automated modules for dispens... | 03/04/2008 |
| 7320412 | Dispensing systems and methods A dispenser comprising a first barrier, and a second barrier that is spaced apart from the first barrier. These two barriers define a first item-receiving space between the barriers, and the second barrier at least partially defines a second item-receiving space beh... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7313898 | Container carrying system and method for use in an automated filling process In a container carrier system and method for use in an automated process for filling containers of multiple sizes, pucks of various sizes are inserted into compartments of container pallets to allow containers of different sizes to be held in the compartments. A puc... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7303776 | Automated food processing system and method An automated food processing system and method that allows food to be dispensed, fried and packaged in a suitable container, such as an individual portion-sized container. The system includes separate automated modules for dispensing, frying and packaging the food. ... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7303094 | Vacuum pill dispensing cassette and counting machine A medication storing and dispensing cassette is comprised of a housing defining at least a portion of a bulk storage chamber for storing a medication, defining at least a portion of a pick-up area, and defining at least a portion of a discharge chute sized to tempor... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7287669 | Article transfer device An article transfer device which transfers articles using hanger rods each of which includes helical ridges or helical grooves, wherein the article transfer device can ensure the sufficient number of articles to be suspended even when a depth of a housing is narrowe... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7286901 | Method and system for accomplishing product detection The present invention provides for a vending system wherein a monitoring system verifies that a product ordered by a vending customer is actually delivered through a delivery area to the customer. If the product ordered is unavailable either because of an out of sto... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7266951 | Ice making and dispensing system An dispensing system suitable for lifting and dispensing ice through the refrigerator compartment door of a bottom-mount refrigerator or lifting and dispensing ice from an undercounter ice maker to a dispenser on the countertop. ... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7258247 | Automated condiment dispensing system An automated system for dispensing condiment packets includes a magazine for storing a stack of condiment packets and a dispenser for metering out those condiment packets. Multiple magazines and dispensers can be combined in a single condiment delivery assembly, the... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7200903 | Selectable width track apparatus and method for a gravity fed shelving system An apparatus and method that effects selectable width of a roller track conveyance system having multiple roller tracks with asymmetric wall heights. The system includes a clip that connects lower or mating walls of two single roller tracks together. The connected r... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7128379 | Storage unit with shelves having inclined front end portions to facilitate scooping parts and components A storage unit having a back panel, a top panel attached to the back panel, a bottom panel attached to the back panel, a pair of opposing side panels attached to the back, top and bottom panels so as to define a housing having an interior, and a plurality of shelf m... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7110954 | Wireless purchase and on-line inventory apparatus and method for vending machines The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for wireless purchase of merchandise from a vending machine by using a cellular mobile phone. The present invention permits a cellular mobile phone user to dial a sequence of code on the phone to invoke the ... | 09/19/2006 |
| 7100795 | Adjustable rear spacer wall assembly for a vending machine A vending machine includes an adjustable channel assembly for varying the depth of a product stack area within the vending machine. Preferably two adjustable channel assemblies are mounted to a column wall to support a rear spacer wall that defines a back portion of... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7066348 | Vending machine with horizontal product presentation A vending machine with a cabinet for articles having a long dimension and a short dimension. A multiplicity of shelves are supported in cabinet. Helical feeder coils rest within slots on each shelf. Each helical feeder coil is adapted to receive articles in its conv... | 06/27/2006 |
| 7048142 | Apparatus for dispensing medical items A dispenser (10) for dispensing medical items (68, 70, 72) includes dispenser modules (28, 30) movably mounted thereon. The dispenser modules are selectively operative to dispense medical items therefrom into a path (54) which is connecte... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7048183 | RFID rag and method of user verification An identification tag (100) facilitates use of a secure computer system (300). The tag (100) is adapted to be worn on a user's wrist and includes an identification and registration circuit (102) that includes an identification component (... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7044330 | Vending machine The present invention relates generally to improvements in article dispensing, such as in a vending machine, and more particularly to improvements in product containment systems which improve product storage capacity, as well as the ease and efficiency of product ha... | 05/16/2006 |
| 7032776 | Vending machine bucket drive control The disclosed invention is a dispensing apparatus and method for dispensing product from a vending machine. The invention employs a motor for bi-directionally rotating a dispenser bucket between two bumpers which physically obstruct and limit the rotational travel, ... | 04/25/2006 |
| 7017363 | Ice supply system of refrigerator An ice supply system of a refrigerator is provided. The ice supply system of the refrigerator includes an icemaker, a container, a crusher and an ice discharger. The icemaker produces the ice by using cool air of the freezer and drops the ice to a lower part of ther... | 03/28/2006 |
| 7007820 | Dental hygiene vending machine A dental hygiene vending machine comprises a housing having multiple dispensing compartments. A dispensing coil is rotatably connected to the housing and is capable of actuation. A cover is hingedly connected to the housing. The cover has multiple cutouts that subst... | 03/07/2006 |
| 6997335 | Integral shelf organizer and brochure dispenser A point-of-sale shelf organizer for product containers which includes a product container organizer; and, an integral literature dispensing chamber. In one of the embodiments of this invention, the front of the organizer includes a mini bill-board extension for disp... | 02/14/2006 |
| 6994230 | Rear loading vending machine A vending machine comprising a housing and a service chassis. The housing has an interior, a front face and a rear door pivotally connected to the housing. The front face of the housing includes at least one front opening for allowing a vended product to be removed ... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6979096 | LED lighting for proportion blending system The ice dispenser includes an ice hopper for holding the ice and a lighting system positioned about the ice hopper for illuminating the ice. The lighting system may include a number of light emitting diodes. ... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6971543 | Rotating vend mechanism A vend mechanism for transferring articles, or prizes, to a receiving area of a vending machine accessible from outside the machine, including an amusement game machine, has a plurality of conveyors arranged radially on each of a plurality of spaced plates. A first ... | 12/06/2005 |
| 6968975 | Selectively cascadeable storage management apparatus, method, and system A selectively cascadeable storage unit allows a variable number of containers to be stored and dispensed in a first-in, first-out manner. The storage unit includes a receiving area, a storage track, a dispensing area, and a selectively engageable stop. The storage t... | 11/29/2005 |
| 6960157 | Automated system and method for handling food containers An automated food processing system and method is provided that allows food to be dispensed, fried and packaged in a suitable container, which may be an individual portion-sized container. In one embodiment, the system includes separate automated modules for dispens... | 11/01/2005 |
| 6952936 | Refrigerator and ice maker apparatus An ice maker assembly includes, in an exemplary embodiment, an ice bucket that has a bottom wall, opposing side walls extending from the bottom wall, a front wall, and a back wall. The bottom wall, side walls, front wall, and back wall define an ice collection cavit... | 10/11/2005 |
| 6945427 | Self-learning depth logic for multi-depth vendor control The disclosed invention is a dispensing apparatus and method for dispensing product from a vending machine. The invention employs a product vend detector to sense when products are dispensed. A controller compares the occurrences of products actually dispensed to th... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6920372 | Audit monitoring and product drop system for retrofitting vending machines An audit monitoring and product drop system for retrofitting into an existing vending machine and a method of operating a vending machine is disclosed. A product drop sensor is provided to detect when a product to be dispensed drops through a product drop area of th... | 07/19/2005 |
| 6902083 | Method for dispensing medical items A dispenser (10) for dispensing medical items (68, 70, 72) includes dispenser modules (28, 30) movably mounted thereon. The dispenser modules are selectively operative to dispense medical items therefrom into a path (54) which is connecte... | 06/07/2005 |
| 6871756 | Method and apparatus for the conversion of beverage vending machine The present invention is a method and apparatus a method and apparatus for the refurbishment of a beverage vending machine to enable a can vending machine to be reconfigured for the dispensing of bottles. In particular, the apparatus and process are directed to the ... | 03/29/2005 |
| 6860401 | Newspaper dispenser A newspaper dispenser includes a housing with forward and rearward walls and a bottom. A cylindrical coil is rotatably mounted in the housing and projects forwardly from the rearward wall, with newspapers positioned between winds of the coil. A knob on the front of ... | 03/01/2005 |
| 6776306 | Apparatus for dispensing medical items A dispenser (10) for dispensing medical items (68, 70, 72) includes dispenser modules (28, 30) movably mounted thereon. The dispenser modules are selectively operative to dispense medical items therefrom into a path (54) which is connecte... | 08/17/2004 |
| 6712688 | Coin changer A series of staggered, overlapping coin carousels with coin stalls that receive coins, drive motors that operate to rotate the carousels and position the coin stalls so that the coins can be transferred between the carousels, and coin transfer mechanisms with gates ... | 03/30/2004 |
| 6644497 | Candy dispenser including a translucent tube with an internal spring A candy dispenser comprises a head end and a tail end linked by a substantially translucent tube, a spring being contained in and visible through the tube and extending from the head end of the candy dispenser to the tail end of the candy dispenser. The s... | 11/11/2003 |
| 6564964 | Apparatus for dispensing items from a vending machine A coordinate selectable vending machine assembly for dispensing articles from a plurality of article storage compartments, including horizontally arranged helical coils, comprises a single dispenser, movable between the plurality of storage compartments f... | 05/20/2003 |
| 6553703 | Information panel attachable to vend machine spirals An information panel that is easily installed on a vending machine spiral in order to identify the product associated with the spiral. The invention comprises a convex channel, that nests with the concave surface at the end of a vending machine spiral, an... | 04/29/2003 |
