#2148: OverheadVend

It makes me a little testy when travelling on a train and my progress to the lavatory is impeded by someone trying to push a huge cart of overpriced catering goodies between the seats.

This tends to get in everyone’s way and also cause bruising to anyone whose shoulders extend even slightly outside the allotted seat width.

Today’s invention is therefore a vending machine for trains (which might also work aboard passenger aircraft).

Members of the travelling public could call the machine which runs on rollers riding on the luggage rack as shown, using either a seat panel or their mobile phone.

The machine would have a clear underside displaying the goods on sale, together with push buttons and payment slots which could be manually operated overhead or via smartphone.

Items purchased would each drop into a collection slot.

Thus, these purchases could be made with no interruption to the flow of people within the carriage.