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(11) | EP 1 093 095 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Package vending machine |
| (57) The present invention relates to a vending apparatus for selectively dispensing one
of a plurality of packages (74). The vending apparatus includes an outer cabinet 10;
an isolated freezer compartment (12) within the outer cabinet for storing the plurality
of packages disposed within the outer cabinet, the freezer compartment having a thermal
barrier (14) for maintaining a frozen environment within the freezer compartment in
isolation of the ambient temperature air filling the remaining interior space of the
outer cabinet; a mechanism (68) for opening the thermal barrier; a picker (52) for
selectively removing the selected package from the freezer compartment, the picker
being located outside the freezer compartment in between operating cycles and entering
the freezer compartment for removing one of the packages only during the removal operation;
and a controller (40) for automatically controlling the picker and opening mechanism
in response to a customer's selection. |