A Historical Overview Of The Vending Machine
Wednesday, February 29th, 2012You may know that a vending machine is a mechanical device that dispenses items. The most common ones will drop candy, snacks, and beverages, but they are far from limited to that. You may find coffee, cigarettes, electronics, and medical products are now also sold out of these amazing creations.
So, how did this lovely invention come to be? Well it is said to be that a ‘vendor’ of sorts existed as far back as the first century. Hero of Alexandria was an ancient Greek mathematician and engineer who in his spare time liked to invent things, and one of these things just so happens to resemble snack vending machines. When somebody would insert a coin, the contraption would dispense holy water. It worked because the coin would land on a pan that was weight-sensitive. This pan was connected to a lever that would pull, in turn then activating a valve which let the water flow. It would shut once the coin fell off.
Of course, society would not really see any true production of such an invention until around the Industrial Revolution. The manufacturers used the same concept— one inserts a coin and gets the product. They starting appearing on a larger scale in the late 1800s in England and by 1888, they were selling gum in New York City train stations. It has come a long way since then.
Essentially these new devices would release the product from a shelf, unlocking a door, coil, or knob, as in snack vending machines or by dropping the item down a chute to an open bin at the bottom, as in soda machines.
Of course, now there are so many varieties. You can get newspapers, toys, cards, and even microwaved foods. Some print out things. Others make things directly in the machine, or at least assemble them. You can thank computers for that.
And many companies are referred to as full-line, meaning they make several types that sell a wide range of products. This is a great thing if you own a business or organization that needs to put products in guest waiting quarters or hallways. Bowling alleys, hospitals, gyms, and offices can all benefit from ordering directly from a business that provides vending machines for sale. This will save you money in general because it’s directly from the source, not through a middleman.
So, basically we can thank engineers for their ingenuity in creating a tool we use for convenience.
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