Automated hygienic cutlery dispenser
AssigneeMax Packaging
InventorsGreg Snyder, Gary McFarland, Rhys McFarland, Rickey Burns, Dennis Ashley
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hygienic automatic electric utensil dispenser for use in eating establishments such as hospitals, schools, or other areas where large number of people are eating food in a central area. The dispenser can be refilled using prepackaged stacked plastic utensil in a self-sealing plastic bags without the user ever touching the utensil during the refilling process. The dispenser delivers the utensil in a sanitary method using a plurality of sensors.
Claims26
A method for loading a hygienic cutlery dispenser, comprising:
- a. Opening a door of a hygienic cutlery dispenser;
- b. Loading the cutlery dispenser with cutlery stack still in its sealed packaging without a user touching said cutlery in its sealed packaging;
- c. Removing said sealed packaging from the cutlery stack once the cutlery stack has been properly loaded in the hygienic cutlery dispenser by pulling the packaging toward the top-loading door.
- d. Repeating steps a-c until the cutlery dispenser is fully refilled;
- and
- e. Closing the door.
A method of claim 10, wherein opening the door requires unlocking a lock to open unload the said door of said hygienic cutlery dispenser.
A method of claim 10, wherein a stabilizing weight is used to keep the stack of cutlery aligned.
A method of claim 10, wherein the opening of a bag of the hygenically sealed cutlery is the first exposure to the elements thereby maintaining the hygienic integrity of the hygienically sealed cutlery until opened by the user.
A method of claim 10, wherein a wireless device is sending and receiving data from a remote device to monitor levels of cutlery within said dispenser.
A dispensing mechanism for dispensing cutlery, comprising:
- a. an upper plate, a middle plate, and a lower plate;
- wherein said upper plate having a plurality of pressure pads, said middle plate having a plurality of grooves and said middle plate connected to said electric motor equipped with an actuator and lever, said lower plate having a plurality of dispensing teeth;
- said upper plate slotted having a track for the said middle plate to slide therewith to actuate dispensing said cutlery hygienically.
Cutlery for an automatic hygienic dispenser, comprising:
- a. the cutlery having a first end, a second end and a middle handle portion;
- b. the first end being the food-contacting end;
- c. the second end being the non-food contacting handle end;
- d. an axis formed from the food-contacting end to the handle end along said axis;
- e. the middle handle portion forming a v-shaped fuller with said non-food contacting end;
- wherein
- f. said v-shape of said cutlery, stabilizes the cutlery stack when stacked for an automatic hygienic dispenser.
A cutlery of claim 28, wherein the v-shape fuller provides tight nest stacking a first piece of cutlery with a second piece of cutlery along said axis.
A cutlery of claim 28, wherein the food-contacting end of a first piece of cutlery mates stacks with a second piece of cutlery congruent with the food-contacting end and the handle end.
A cutlery of claim 28, wherein the food-contacting end shape is selected from the group consisting of fork, knife, spoon or spork.
A cutlery of claim 31, wherein the food-contacting end shape is a fork shape.
A cutlery of claim 31, wherein the food-contacting end shape is a knife shape.
A cutlery of claim 31, wherein the food-contacting end shape is a spoon shape.
A cutlery of claim 31, wherein the food-contacting end shape is a spork shape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.