Assembly and device for automatically stabilizing a kiosk

Abstract

An assembly and device provides for automatically adding stability to a kiosk having carriage bearing equipment that is serviceable external to the inner portion of the kiosk by withdrawing the carriage. The carriage includes a pivoted stabilizer foot that is deployed responsive to the relative motion of withdrawing the carriage.

1 . A stabilized, floor supported kiosk comprising: 
 a enclosure defining a vertical front opening;    a carriage including a front panel of a configuration for mating with said front opening,    said carriage having a frame which supports equipment;    a guide coupling the enclosure and the carriage for relative movement of the carriage between a withdrawn position and an inserted position respective of the enclosure;    a support foot pivotally mounted to the carriage;    a linkage, responsive to relative movement between the carriage and the enclosure toward the withdrawn position, which causes the support foot to pivot in the direction of movement of the carriage to a deployed position in which it engages the floor to stabilize the kiosk against tipping.    
   
   
       2 . A stabilized floor supported kiosk according to  claim 1  wherein: 
 the linkage is a mechanical linkage connected between the carriage and enclosure, with a drive link connected to the stabilizer foot, which drive link is connected to be driven by relative motion between the carriage and the enclosure.    
   
   
       3 . A stabilized floor supported kiosk according to  claim 2  wherein: 
 the equipment includes a display and a computer system mounted to the frame.    
   
   
       4 . A stabilized floor supported kiosk according to  claim 3  wherein: 
 the equipment further includes a card reader and a printer mounted to the frame    
   
   
       5 . A stabilized floor supported kiosk according to  claim 2  wherein: 
 the linkage also retracts the stabilizer foot to be aligned with the front panel for motion returning the carriage to the enclosure.    
   
   
       6 . A stabilized floor supported kiosk according to  claim 2  wherein: 
 a spring is connected between the carriage and the drive linkage to urge the stabilizer foot to the deployed position.    
   
   
       7 . A stabilized floor supported kiosk according to  claim 6  wherein: 
 the spring is connected to be stretched by movement of the linkage occurring when the carriage is moved toward the inserted position.    
   
   
       8 . A stabilized floor supported kiosk according to  claim 1  wherein: 
 the linkage is an electrical detector which detects relative motion between the carriage and the enclosure and an actuator triggered by the detector which deploys said support foot.    
   
   
       9 . A mechanism for stabilizing a floor supported kiosk of the type having an enclosure with a carriage supporting equipment which is inserted in an opening and is mounted to a guide for relative motion in a direction to a withdrawn position where it extends outside the enclosure for servicing, the mechanism comprising: 
 a support foot mounted to the carriage be movable from a normal position adjacent the carriage to a deployed position extending therefrom in the direction of the withdrawn position to engage the floor;    a linkage responsive to relative motion of the carriage toward the withdrawn position, which drives the support foot to the deployed position.    
   
   
       10 . A mechanism according to  claim 9  wherein: 
 the linkage includes a spring which urges the stabilizer foot to the deployed position.    
   
   
       11 . A mechanism according to  claim 9  wherein: 
 the linkage is connected to the carriage and the enclosure to receive relative motion therebetween and the linkage includes a link which connects to the stabilizer foot to transmit that motion for deploying and retracting the stabilizer foot.    
   
   
       12 . A mechanism according to  claim 9  wherein: 
 a spring urges the stabilizer foot to the deployed position.    
   
   
       13 . A mechanism according to  claim 12  wherein the spring is connected between the linkage and the carriage.  
   
   
       14 . A floor-standing, point-of-sale terminal comprising: 
 a floor-standing vertical tower enclosure defining a front opening;    a carriage having a front panel configured to mate with the front opening of the tower enclosure;    a track and slider connecting the carriage to the tower enclosure for relative motion between an inserted position with the front panel mating with the tower enclosure at the front opening and a maintenance position with the carriage withdrawn from the enclosure;    a frame mounted to the carriage to extend into the tower enclosure for the inserted position;    a stabilizer foot mounted to the carriage to move between a normal position with adjacent the carriage and a deployed position extending forward of the carriage;    a linkage connected to the tower enclosure and the carriage to receive relative motion when the carriage is withdrawn from the tower enclosure, the linkage including a link which transfers such motion to the stabilizer foot to drive it from the normal position to the deployed position for carriage motion to the maintenance position, whereby the terminal is is stabilized as the carriage assumes the maintenance position.    
   
   
       15 . A point-of-sale terminal according to  claim 14  wherein: 
 a display and computer are mounted to the frame.    
   
   
       16 . A point of sale terminal according to to  claim 15  wherein: 
 a card reader is mounted to the frame and the display is a touch panel display.    
   
   
       17 . A point-of-sale terminal according to  claim 14  wherein: 
 a spring is connected to the linkage to urge the stabilizer foot to the deployed position.    
   
   
       18 . A point-of-sale terminal according to  claim 17  wherein: 
 the spring is connected between the linkage and the carriage.    
   
   
       19 . A point-of-sale terminal according to  claim 14  wherein: 
 the linkage includes a cam follower.    
   
   
       20 . A point-of-sale terminal according to  claim 14  wherein: 
 the stabilizer foot is pivotally mounted to the carriage by a pin.