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US 10,540,840 B2Granted
Automated liquid dispensing device and associated method
AssigneeDrop Water Corporation
InventorsScott Paul Edwards, William Tammen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is an automated liquid dispenser comprising novel mechanisms for removing a single container from a nested stack of containers, closing the bottom of the container, decapping the container, filling the container, capping the container, and dispensing the filled container to a user.
Claims20
An automated liquid dispensing device, comprising:
- a lift plate;
- a plurality of stacks of nested containers mounted on the lift plate;
- a separator for separating a top container from one of the plurality of stacks of nested containers;
- a gripper for grabbing the top container from the separator;
- a motorized mechanism for moving the gripper in three dimensions;
- a closing structure for receiving the selected container from the gripper and for closing a bottom flap of the top container;
- a capper for removing a cap from the top container and for securing the cap back onto the top container;
- and
- a filler for filling the container with liquid.
6 more elements
A method for dispensing liquid from a liquid dispensing device, comprising:
- grabbing, by a gripper, a container from a supply of nested containers;
- placing, by the gripper, the container in a closing structure for closing a bottom flap of the container;
- removing, by a capper, a cap from the container;
- moving, by the gripper, the container from the capper to a filler;
- filling, by the filler, the container with liquid;
- moving, by the gripper, the container from the filler to the capper;
- securing, by the capper, the cap to the container;
- and
- dispensing the container from the device.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.